Joe sighed deeply as he watched an ambulance drive away.
“That’s right; you lost two men, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, Victor and Sal,”
“My condolences, and as I said the other day, this war has to end, so win it and end it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ivanov moved to stand in front of Joe.
“Enough of the denial bullshit, Pullo, I’m talking to you as one man to another. End this war, and if you have to waste Krupin to do it, then so be it. This shit is getting out of hand.”
Joe smiled.
“I’d offer you a drink, but as you can see, we’re closed for renovations.”
“You’re going to rebuild?”
“Damn right, and bigger and better, and this time it will be called Johnny R’s.”
“For Rossetti? I’d heard you two were friends. You got class, Pullo, thug or not.”
“You’re not so bad yourself for a Fed, and as far as what you were talking about before, consider it done.”
“All right, but don’t underestimate Krupin. He’s a weasel, and weasels have a way of being tough to kill.”
Joe thought of Tanner.
“I know a good exterminator.”
***
At that moment, Michael Krupin was in a hotel suite in Miami.
He had flown down there so that he would have an alibi when the Cabaret Strip Club went up in flames.
When he couldn’t get ahold of either Vance or Fedor, he knew there had been trouble, but when the crew who had set the blaze also didn’t answer, that was when he started to sweat.
After calling one of his other men and waking him, he waited for the man to report back, and when the call came, Krupin felt like crying.
Both Fedor and Vance were dead, while Pullo had survived the fire. Of the four young men who set the blaze, three were dead, and one, Fedor’s nephew, Anton, was missing.
Pullo’s men had also taken over half of his territory, and if he didn’t do something soon, he’d have nothing to return to.
Krupin plopped onto the sofa in the suite’s living room.
As he thought about his options, he heard the words of FBI Agent Tamir Ivanov float through his mind, Ivanov, who had warned him that he’d be eaten alive if he kept playing with the big boys.
“I’m as big as anyone,” Krupin said to himself, and the words tasted like a lie.
Then, he remembered an incident from his childhood.
There was a kid at school during the fifth grade named Bruce who used to pick on Krupin mercilessly. The kid was a foot taller than Krupin was and outweighed him by twenty pounds.
When young Michael had come home with a black eye and told his father what had happened, the elder Krupin merely shrugged.
“Kick his ass.”
“But Dad, Bruce is bigger than me.”
“Then find someone bigger than him and pay them to kick his ass, but just make sure that he learns never to touch you again.”
Krupin followed the advice, and two days later, Bruce was rushed to the hospital with three broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder.
Krupin had paid a friend’s high school age brother fifty dollars to do the deed, and it had been worth every penny. From that day forward, Bruce ran in the opposite direction whenever he saw Krupin coming his way.
“Pullo might be a big boy, but there are bigger.”
Michael Krupin grabbed his laptop and booked a flight. He was going to Mexico.
CHAPTER 5 – Bobby Volks
Joe arrived at the clinic, and after kissing Laurel, he eyed Tanner.
“Have you two talked?”
“Yeah, Joe, and I told Laurel that she couldn’t do better.”
“That’s a lie, but she’s stuck with me now that she took the ring.”
“So, when is the wedding?”
“As soon as the Russians are handled,”
“Speaking of that, let’s go see if our guest is awake.”
They went into the examination room, where Anton was still strapped to a gurney. Tanner slapped his face, which caused his eyes to flutter.
Joe saw that Laurel had followed them into the room, and he asked her to leave.
Laurel stared down at Anton with cold eyes.
“He’s one of the men who set the fire and killed Victor and Sal, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Tanner said.
“You do what you want with him, but don’t make a mess in here.”
“Yes ma’am,” Tanner said, and after Laurel walked out, he smiled at Joe. “She’s tougher than she looks.”
“Tell me about it,” Joe said, and when he stared down at Anton, he saw that the kid was awake.
“My head hurts.”
“It could be worse,” Joe said.
“You’re Joe Pullo?”
“That’s right.”
“Who killed my crew?”
“That would be me,” Tanner said.
“Bobby Volks, where can I find him?” Joe asked.
“Who?”
“Bohdan Volkov, he used to call himself Bobby Volks.”
“Oh, well hey man, I just know the name Bohdan Volkov because my uncle once mentioned it while he was drunk. He said he helped him to get away when you were looking for him.”
“Who’s your uncle?”
“Fedor Tarnow.”
“He’s dead; Vance killed him,” Joe said.
Anton’s breathing had been rapid due to fear, but it increased even more as his eyes grew moist.
“I’m gonna kill that damn Rurik.”
“You’re too late,” Tanner said.
“He’s dead? Good! And hey, we can make a deal, right? I tell you where to find this Bobby Volks and you let me go?”
Joe leaned over and locked eyes with Anton.
“You tell me or you die slowly, and I’m talking weeks.”
“What the hell, Pullo? Why you being such a prick about it?”
“You nearly killed my fiancée with that fire you set.”
Anton tried to shrug, but with the restraints upon him, it looked more like a twitch.
“Shit, it wasn’t personal, man. Didn’t you ever follow orders that you didn’t like?”
Joe straightened up at those words and looked across the gurney at Tanner, knowing that like himself, Anton’s words had made Tanner recall the past.
CHAPTER 6 – Sarcasm is costly
THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE, 10 YEARS EARLIER
After spending an hour in a car with Tanner, without either of them saying a word, Joe decided to break the silence.
“I guess neither one of us is big on small talk, hmm?”
Tanner glanced over at Pullo and smiled.
“You’ve been with Giacconi a long time?”
“I was born into it, and Sam came up with my grandfather.”
“I hear you. The family business sort of thing,”
“And what about you, you come up in one of the families?”
“I’m not Italian.”
“No? Too bad,”
“What’s our first move when we reach Wilmington?”
“We’ll get rooms in a motel that takes cash. The guy that spotted Conti says the place is a dump, but the owner minds his own business and doesn’t ask any questions.”
“I assume the motel is close to where this guy spotted Conti?”
“Yeah, Rossetti said that Conti was on foot, so that sounds like he lives in the area. With a little luck, we’ll spot him quick and be back in New York by tomorrow night.”
Tanner took a piece of paper out of his pocket and studied it. It was a blown-up picture of Carlo Conti’s New York State driver’s license photo. It showed a man with mean eyes scowling at the camera.
“His license says that he’s six-foot-six and two-eighty. I hope you brought a cannon along.”
Pullo laughed.
“The bigger they are...”
“...the harder they fall,” Tanner finished, an
d then he and Pullo lapsed back into silence.
***
The motel in Wilmington turned out to be not only a dump, but also a marketplace, and Tanner spotted drug dealing and prostitution going on.
“Lovely,” Pullo said, as he looked around.
The motel sat off Route 2 and its parking lot had weeds growing through its numerous cracks. The building was U-shaped, with the office on the left side of the U, while sixteen small rooms wrapped around to the other side, two of which had broken windows, while the one across from the office had a man standing guard.
“He’s got a gun under that jacket,” Tanner said.
Pullo nodded.
“And there’s a knife stuck down his right boot.”
Tanner took a second look, and this time he spotted the tip of a knife handle. Pullo had good eyes.
“So, Joe, this is your party, but personally, I wouldn’t flash Conti’s photo around.”
“Because it’s his turf and someone might tell him about us and warn him, right?”
“Yeah,”
“This isn’t my first day on the job, Tanner.”
“I can see that, and I think Giacconi wasted money sending me down here.”
“He looks out for me, and Conti is a mean bastard. It won’t hurt to have you watch my back.”
“I’ll earn my money, don’t worry.”
They entered the motel office and could smell marijuana in the air. There was a fat man with thinning hair seated behind the counter, but he had his eyes closed tight, and looked to be having a fit of some type.
When the small blonde stood up from behind the counter, she looked at Pullo and Tanner with dead eyes.
“You want me to suck these guys off too, Mr. Hellman?”
“What?” the man at the counter said, and then he looked over and saw Tanner and Joe. “Who are you?”
“Customers,” Joe said. “Give us rooms.”
The blonde walked out from behind the counter as Hellman zipped up. When she reached Tanner, she gazed up at him. She was on the wrong side of forty and looked even older.
“I’m in Room 4, and it’s fifty bucks for the full ride.”
“I’ll remember that,” Tanner said.
“Get on out of here now, Carol,” Hellman told the woman. Hellman was fat, going bald, and had beady green eyes that stared out from a face of thick jowls.
Carol opened the door, as across the way, three men in business suits pulled up in a red convertible. One of the men handed the big man guarding the door a wad of money, and he opened the door to the room for them to enter. The room was Number 16.
Tanner looked at Joe.
“What do you suppose is going on over there?”
“I don’t know; maybe the girl in that room is even hotter than Carol here.”
Carol looked back at Pullo with narrowed eyes.
“I understand sarcasm.”
“I meant no offense,” Joe said.
“Um-hmm, it’s fifty for your friend, for you, seventy-five.”
Joe ignored her and moved closer to the counter.
“I want two rooms as far away from everyone else as you can make them.”
Hellman’s smile was completely without warmth.
“Eighty a night each, and that’s cash.”
Joe laid money on the counter and received two keys, real keys.
“I guess you haven’t upgraded to electronic locks yet, hmm?”
“What are those?”
“Nevermind,”
“Hey boys, if you want anything I can get it for you, you know, and I’m not talking about Carol, there’s better pussy than that here.”
Tanner pointed across the lot.
“Is that what’s going on over there?”
“That’s private business, but like I said, I can get anything.”
“We’ll let you know,” Pullo said.
Minutes later, they had opened the doors and were looking in at their rooms.
Tanner made an observation.
“I’ve slept in abandoned buildings that had more class.”
“Think of it as an incentive, the sooner we whack Carlo Conti, the sooner we get out of here.”
“All right, then let’s start looking after we unpack.”
“Sounds good to me, Tanner,”
“But first we eat.”
Joe grinned.
“Are you sure you’re not Italian?”
CHAPTER 7 – Testing 1, 2, 3
Sophia placed her hands on Sammy’s chest to push him away, but did so, only after the kiss had lasted several seconds.
“Don’t do that again; I’m with Tanner.”
“Are you telling me that you felt nothing just then?”
They were at the rear of Laurel’s clinic, inside her office. The door was open, but Sophia felt as if the walls were closing in on her.
“I like you, Sammy. You know that, but I don’t cheat.”
“You’re cheating yourself. Listen, I don’t know Tanner, but if he cared for you, he would have called you while he was away. Instead, all you got was silence.”
“I told you, Tanner is different.”
Sammy took her in his arms.
“You tell me to leave you alone and I’ll never bother you again. I swear it.”
Sophia stared into Sammy’s eyes, and found that she had lost her voice.
When Laurel cleared her throat, Sophia and Sammy looked at the doorway and saw her standing there, along with Tanner and Joe.
“This is the second time I’ve found you in this kid’s arms, Sophia. Is there something you want to tell me?”
Sammy released her and spoke to Tanner.
“We’ve gotten to know each other while you were gone, Tanner, and I’ll tell you right now, I want to be with her.”
“And what do you want, Sophia?”
Sophia looked at Tanner, then Sammy, and then back at Tanner.
“I want to go home and I want you to come with me.”
“Let’s go,” Tanner said.
Sammy let out a great sigh.
“Sophia?”
“Goodnight, Sammy.”
Tanner told Laurel and Joe goodbye, and then left with Sophia.
“Sammy,” Joe said softly, and when Sammy met his eyes, he saw the hurt in them. “Let her go, kid. Sophia’s made her choice.”
“I’m not sure I can do that, Uncle Joe.”
“You love her, don’t you?” Laurel said.
Sammy didn’t answer her, but looked at Joe instead.
“I need something to do or I’ll go nuts.”
“I’ve got just the thing,” Joe said.
***
A short time later, Joe and Sammy were pushing Anton ahead of them in a secluded area near the east bank of the Harlem River.
Anton’s wrists were bound behind his back, and he was begging for his life.
“Aw c’mon man, I told you everything I know. It wasn’t my idea to torch the club; it was Krupin’s. He’s the boss and I had to do what the boss wanted, ya know?”
Joe took out a gun and handed it to Sammy.
“This is one of the men that tried to fry us. He passed along some info that was useful, but I’ll leave it up to you if he should die or not.”
Sammy looked down at the gun in his hand.
“I’ve never killed anyone before.”
“I know that, Sammy, and if you can’t pull the trigger you can’t. Not everyone can, and come what may, kid... you know I’ll still love you.”
After saying those words, Joe stepped back a few feet, leaving Sammy alone with Anton.
“Hey! Hey dude, you don’t have to shoot me, you let me go and I swear you’ll never see my ass—”
Sammy pointed the gun at Anton’s chest and pulled the trigger three times. Nothing happened.
Anton laughed.
“Oh man, oh you guys were just fucking with me huh? That’s cool I—”
The sound of five shots filled the air as Joe fired into Ant
on’s midsection. Anton fell backwards into a patch of weeds, let out a wheezing sigh, and stopped moving.
Sammy spun around and gawked at Joe. Afterwards, he checked the gun he’d been given and discovered that it held no rounds.
“What the hell?”
“Not here,” Joe said, and moved back towards the car. As they walked, Joe removed the magazine from the gun he used on Anton, along with its chambered round. With the gun empty, he turned and flung it into the river.
***
Once they were safely away from the scene, Joe pulled to the curb.
“I didn’t want that piece of shit back there to be the man you made your bones on, still, I had to know if you could pull the trigger.”
Sammy studied Joe’s face.
“You’ve got somebody else in mind, don’t you?”
“Yeah, and Sammy, it’s Bobby Volks.”
“The sonofabitch who killed my father?”
“Yeah, it turns out that he’s been down in Tennessee.”
“Tennessee? When do I leave?”
“Soon, but you’re not going alone.”
“You’re coming with me?”
“No.”
“Then who am I going with?”
***
“Tanner.”
“Yes, Sophia?”
“I never slept with Sammy.”
“I believe you.”
“You don’t sound like you care one way or the other.”
“I don’t own you.”
They were in Sophia’s car with Tanner driving. Tanner had been quiet after leaving the clinic, and Sophia had mistaken it for anger or jealousy. After coming to the conclusion that she was wrong, she grew angry herself.
“What am I to you, Tanner?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Pull the damn car over.”
Tanner did as she said, and Sophia turned in her seat and stared at him.
“Why didn’t you call me while you were gone?”
“Most of the time I was gone I didn’t know if I’d make it back, and on the trip home, I just figured that I’d wait to see you in person.”
“You love Laurel?”
Tanner sighed.
“Yes, but we’re over and we’ve been over for a long time.”
“Do you love me?”
Tanner reached across and stroked her cheek.
“I have feelings for you, yes, but Sophia, if you’re looking for a husband, I’m not the type.”
The TANNER Series - Books 7-9 (Tanner Box Set Book 3) Page 15
