Payback: A sniper seeking revenge terrorizes the mob (Assassin Series Book 1)

by David Nees

  “Boss, a brick was thrown through the back room window. I think you know who did it.” Tony followed him to the kitchen.

  “Is that all?”

  “It had a note wrapped around it…here.” He handed Vincent the note.

  Vincent stared at it for some time, and then tore it up and threw it in the trash can. Tony went into the kitchen to talk with Sheila and try to calm her down some more. Vincent paced around the living room. There seemed to be no stopping Dan, but now he had a plan, one he hoped would take care of his problem.

  Chapter 45

  Later that same day, Mike called Sheila.

  “Mrs. Salvatore, I heard you had your windows shot out last night. Have you talked to Vincent about coming to see me? I want to help anyway I can.”

  “I did, and he was mad that I talked to you. I shouldn’t be talking to you right now.”

  “I understand. But did Vincent agree to talk with me?”

  “Yeah. He finally agreed, but I don’t know when he’ll do it. And I don’t want to bother him. He promised to call you.”

  “I know you don’t want to bother him, but maybe you could tell him that I called, you didn’t talk with me, but I called just to tell you that things are heating up and he and I should talk right away. Can you just tell him that for me? I don’t want him to wait until it’s too late.”

  Sheila sighed. “All right, but that’s it. I can’t talk with you anymore. You have to talk to Vincent.” With that she hung up. Talking to Vincent again about Warner was not going to be easy, but it sounded like things were getting more dangerous. And what was worse was that she had a lunch date scheduled with Gina later in the week. Gina would be pumping her for more information about Vincent and what he was doing about the shootings.

  Sheila needed someone to unburden herself with, someone she could trust. The stress was too heavy for her. All she wanted to do was live a nice, quiet, affluent life with time for her friends and family. She liked some of Vincent’s crew, but there were some she didn’t want around her house. Thankfully, Vincent didn’t bring most of the guys out. Now Tony was someone Sheila felt good about. Along with being good looking, he was well mannered. He was a good listener and always respectful. When Sheila was distressed, Vincent would have Tony come by to visit. He always made her feel better; he was so attentive. Maybe she could talk to him about her fears? It couldn’t hurt; he was one of Vincent’s trusted lieutenants, always around to calm things down, giving Vincent good advice. She trusted him. He had a calming effect on her and she appreciated his comments.

  Vincent met with his crew later that day. He explained that they were going to lure Dan out of town to find Joey, so they had to put the word out on the street that Joey had gone to the Berkshires to hide out. Frank would be there to ambush Dan when he tried to get to Joey.

  “Ain’t that risky for Joey?” one of them asked.

  Vincent gave him a look that indicated it would have been smarter to keep his mouth shut. “Yeah, it’s risky for Joey, but his fuck-up started this whole mess, so he gets to be the bait in the trap. Don’t worry about Joey, worry about yourself and why you couldn’t find this guy so Joey had to be the bait. He may not like to hear about that when he gets back.” He ran his hands through his hair, “We got to make this not look like a set up, so you got to be casual about letting this slip out. Get the info out to Tommy. I’m betting he’ll get the word to Dan.”

  He sent the men out of his office. Vincent was now beginning to feel better. He had a plan and it looked like it would work. If he got Dan out of town, things would calm down. He figured Frank was capable of making sure Dan didn’t come back.

  His phone rang. “Who’s this?” Vincent asked.

  “It’s me,” Sheila said. “That guy Mike called me—”

  “I thought I told you not to talk to him.”

  “I didn’t call him, he called me. And I didn’t talk to him. I only told him you would talk to him. Then he said to not wait too long. He said things were getting hot and he wanted to talk with you before it was too late.”

  “For god’s sake, he’s playing you. Don’t you see that?”

  “The thing I see is that my life is turned upside down, and I don’t know what to do about it. Look, you said you were going to talk to him, just, just do it sooner than later…please?”

  “Okay. I’ll do it sooner. But if that bastard calls you again, you hang up, you hear me? I told you to not talk to him anymore and that means not taking his calls. Got it?”

  “Yeah, I got it, Vincent, but you don’t need to be so mean about it.”

  Vincent sighed and hung up the phone.

  Tony drove down to the warehouse district near the docks and into the rear parking lot of a warehouse used by Silvio’s gang. They stashed contraband from truck hijackings and thefts from the docks. In the rear was the Merc S500 belonging to Carmine. Tony turned off the engine and walked over to the Mercedes. The rear door opened and he got in.

  “What do you want to see me about?” Carmine asked as Tony settled into his seat.

  “I wouldn’t bother you, but something came up and I don’t know what to do about it. I can’t go to Vincent…it’s something his wife said. So I figured I should let you know.” Tony hesitated. Carmine could see he was nervous. He guessed Tony didn’t want to be seen as a snitch. It must be something important for him to ask for a meeting.

  Carmine frowned. “So what did Sheila say?”

  “She likes to confide in me…you know, talk to me. When things upset her, Vincent doesn’t take time to listen. So he asks me to talk with her…to calm her down—”

  “I get the picture, what the fuck did she say?”

  “She’s been talking to Mike Warner. He’s the FBI agent that’s snooping around. He’s been out to Vincent’s house a number of times. He’s working on Sheila. She’s worried that Vincent is in trouble with you and Mr. Palma, and she doesn’t know what to do.”

  “You telling me Sheila talked with this guy? Do you know what she said to him?”

  “Not exactly.” Tony began to sweat as Carmine intensified his focus on him. “I think he was explaining to her that Vincent and her family could be in danger if you, or Mr. Palma, decided you couldn’t trust him anymore. She said he was talking to her about protecting her and her family.”

  “Christ almighty,” Carmine said almost under his breath. He couldn’t believe how stupid the woman was. He suspected something was up when he asked Gina to sound her out to try to find out what was going on. Gina said that Sheila was very coy, like she was hiding something. Yeah, that’s what she had said, “like Sheila was hiding something.” Carmine continued, “She didn’t say anything about Vincent’s operation…about what we do?” His voice was now hard and cold.

  “No. I got the impression he was just getting her to think he was going to help her.”

  “So what did you say to her…when you heard all this?”

  “I told her that things were good between Vincent and you, and she definitely should not talk to that guy anymore.”

  “And she said…?”

  “I’m not sure she believed what I said.” Tony paused for a moment. “After all, this harassment has been going on for some time now. I get the picture that she and her daughters are really freaked out at this point.”

  Carmine looked at Tony closely. “You did the right thing to come and talk to me. Don’t talk to Vincent about this meeting. If Sheila talks to you again, if you hear anything else important, let me know…got it?” He reached over and opened the car door.

  “I got it.” Tony got out of the car.

  Carmine’s Mercedes drove out of the lot, and Tony wheeled out just behind him. Neither of them saw another lieutenant of Vincent’s crew driving down the street. He took note of both cars coming out from the warehouse. Later that day he mentioned it to Vincent.

  Vincent sat for a moment with no emotion showing. “You sure it was Carmine and Tony coming out from the warehouse lot?”


  “Yeah, I’m sure. I know both cars and could see Tony.”

  “Did he notice you?”

  “Nah. He wasn’t paying much attention.

  “Stupid fuck. That’s a good way to get knocked off by Dan. We got a war going on. You can’t be careless. What time did this happen?”

  “Around two in the afternoon.”

  “Okay, that’s about right. I had Tony fill Carmine in on our plan to ambush Dan.” Vincent pretended the meeting was arranged with his knowledge. “Only don’t mention to Tony you saw him. He’ll think I don’t trust him and was sending you to spy on him. I don’t need him to get all worked up. I want everyone focused on getting Dan out of my hair.”

  When the man left, Vincent poured himself a strong drink and sat down at his desk. Things were getting complicated. Who could he trust? What was going on that Tony would talk to Carmine without talking to him first? You never see it coming when you get whacked. It will be someone you completely trust. Was that what was starting to happen? That fucking Joey got everything all screwed up. Vincent could feel his anger grow, his heart began to pound in his chest even as his worry deepened. I’ve got to get Dan and put an end to this or I’ll be fucked. He was beginning to feel he was living on borrowed time.

  Chapter 46

  As Vincent had ordered, the information about Joey leaving town had been leaked around the neighborhood so Tommy would pick it up. As soon as Tommy heard, he called Dan.

  “I got some information you should know,” he said when Dan answered. “Unless you still want me to go fuck myself.”

  Dan ignored the barb. “What’s up?”

  “So you want to talk to me now?”

  “Tommy, please, what the hell is up that you need to call me. Something you shouldn’t be doing.”

  “The word is that Joey has left town. He’s hiding out in the Berkshires, up in Massachusetts.”

  “That makes sense. He hasn’t been back to his apartment for a week.”

  “There’s just one thing. If Joey is hiding out, how did this get out on the street? Seems odd to me.”

  “You think it’s not for real?”

  “It’s not that. I just figured the mob would be better at keeping a secret.”

  “How’d you hear about it?”

  “Some guy I know, I service his car. He was in Sally’s, the bar on Utrecht Avenue. Seems some of the mob associates were there drinking and talking loud, you know how that goes. Well, they mentioned Joey getting sent out of town. Vincent wants him out of town so you can’t get to him.”

  “They say where this lodge is?”

  “Somewhere near a little town called Charlemont, in the northwest corner of the state.”

  “Well that’s helpful at least.”

  “Yeah, but if Joey is hiding out, Vincent’s guys were pretty careless about keeping it a secret.”

  “If it was some associates, they aren’t so smart and not that careful.” Dan paused for a moment. “I could see that happening.”

  “Or maybe it’s a way to get you out of town.”

  “So, it could be a wild goose chase and he’s not there.”

  “I don’t know. He may be there, but you have to figure they didn’t keep things secret for very long.”

  “Maybe he’s the bait. Maybe they’re setting a trap for me.”

  “Maybe, so what are you gonna do?”

  “I think I’ll have to check it out.”

  “So you go out there? How are you gonna find the place?”

  “If I go, I’ll figure something out. I’ve got something to finish.”

  “This…stuff, it’s almost over, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. It’s almost over. I’m glad you and Doreen made it through all of this. I owe you a lot, maybe more than you know.”

  “You mean that woman? She get in touch with you?”

  “I’ll tell you more, later…when all of this is over.”

  “Just be careful. It’d be a shame for any of us to get killed this late in the game.”

  “That’s not going to happen. And who said anything about a game? You got to stop assuming things.”

  “Yeah, right,” Tommy replied with a harsh laugh.

  Later that night, Dan called Jane. He told her about the lodge and asked her if she could find its exact location.

  An hour later Jane called back. “It’s at the end of West Hill Road, off route 8A, just south of Charlemont. We have to meet. Just a short one, before you head out. Meet me tomorrow at the usual place,” she said, referring to the parking place under the elevated tracks where they first conversed. “Say, ten a.m.?”

  The next morning Dan was sitting in his van and watched Jane drive up at the appointed hour. Earlier he had driven around the area, looking for any backup spotters and had been scanning the block while parked for the past half hour. She got out and walked directly to the van. They sat in the back, as before.

  ”Tommy called and talked to me. He’s more and more worried it’s a set up, a trap.”

  “Tommy?” Dan said.

  “Yeah. He’s your friend. He still cares about you.”

  Dan grunted. “He complicates things.”

  “You have people who care about you and want the best for you. Tommy is one of them…so is Doreen. In spite of what you’ve put them through. You have to know you can trust these people. You’re not as alone in this world as you think you are.”

  “And do you care about me? Can I count on you? Can I trust you?”

  “You can count on me and you can trust me.”

  “I’m useful to you, so you take an interest in my well being.”

  “I’m offering you a future. If it fits my agenda, so what? Does that make it less valuable? Was I supposed to discover you and bail you out of the hole you’re falling into out of the kindness of my heart? There are lots of charity cases closer to home and less complicated. You’re not a rescue project. You’re to be a part of my operation, which is part of our country’s war against its enemies.”

  “Nice speech.” Dan smiled at her. “I guess you don’t owe me anything. But what do you want? You didn’t set up this meeting just to tell me how much I should admire Tommy and Doreen…or how grateful I should be for you offering me a way out of my dilemma.”

  “No, I came to give you this.” She took a cell phone out of her purse. “It’s got a scrambled circuit. No one can listen in on it, even if they intercept the call.”

  “You know I can’t take that. You can track me with it.”

  “I thought we had gotten past that. I haven’t tried to track you since our meeting. Don’t you realize I’m for real? I’m not some elaborate scam to trap you. If I were, you’d be surrounded by dozens of agents right now. They would have just followed me here.”

  Dan thought for a moment. “I guess you’re right, I did agree that we didn’t have to go through that elaborate routine to throw off any tails. Okay, what do I need the phone for?”

  “I don’t care what you’re going to Massachusetts to do. I’m not interested in some minor hood. I’m interested in you wrapping up whatever you’re doing and joining me…before it’s too late. This phone will allow me to help you when you finish whatever you’re going to do. You’re going to be in a rural, remote area. That could be a good thing with your skills, but there are some significant downsides to it. If the local police get called, it won’t be hard for them to bring in the state police and seal off any area around the lodge. With so few roads, you would be stopped trying to get out of the area. And I don’t think whatever disguise you’re going to use will withstand close scrutiny.”

  “So how can you help?”

  “I can be your transport out of the area. You call me, I pick you up and I get you out of the area, through any roadblocks.”

  “How do you do that?”

  “I’ve got access to a vehicle with a hiding place. It’s not foolproof, but will get us through a roadblock inspection.”

  She took out a detailed map of the area.
“The lodge is here, at the end of West Hill Road. It bumps up against the Mohawk Trail State Forest. When you’re done, you call me on this secure phone. Then you start hiking north.” She showed Dan the route through the forest. “I’ll be in an SUV and meet you here.” She pointed to a dirt road that dead ended at the forest boundary. “I’ll hide you and then drive out on Route 2. If we’re stopped, I’ve just come from hiking in the forest. We won’t be near the area, so there should be little surveillance, if any this far away.”

  “It’ll just be you…alone?”

  “Just me. I can’t afford anyone else getting further into this. The New York office staffer only knows that I am interested in you and getting you away from a mess in Brooklyn, but he doesn’t know any more. Don’t worry, I’ve been involved in much worse. You’ll be in good hands.”

  “And you think all this is necessary?”

  “I’m hoping you’ll be coming on board, so I’ll take this chance to make sure nothing derails the plan.”

  “You go to jail for this, couldn’t you?”

  Jane looked up from the map. “Joey’s a mob punk. He’s involved in killings and robberies.” She paused as if thinking about events in the past. “I’ve seen better men and women, innocent people, get killed in an operation. Sometimes without having anything to do with it. So I don’t worry about someone like Joey.

  “I have a mission and it’s to eliminate bad people—people who want to harm the U.S. My mandate is to use unconventional means to get the job done. Like I said, I’ve seen innocents die, so if something happens to a known mobster in the process of me getting my job done, I’m not conflicted about that.”

  “But it is illegal.”

  “Much of what we do is illegal, either in the country in which we’re operating, or by our own laws. That is why we don’t have a mandate to operate domestically…because we operate outside of the law. What you’re doing is not my operation. I’m just protecting my asset.”

  “That sounds more like a rationalization than a good defense.”