Long Live the King (An Italian Mafia Romance Duet #2)

by Ws Greer

  “What makes you think I ever trusted either one of those pricks? They ain’t ever done nothing for me. But where is all this coming from, Frankie. You come to my home this early in the morning to ask me about Victor fucking Fronzo? Stop beating around the bush and tell me what’s going on.”

  Frankie leans forward with his elbows on his knees and lets out a loud rush of air before speaking again.

  “You remember Raphael Barissi?” Frankie asks, and as soon as he does, I know what’s coming next.

  “Of course. Big Sal put him on Jimmy’s crew when Jimmy got upped to capo. We call him Raphy for short. Why?”

  “He’s dead,” Frankie blurts out. “Jimmy sent Raphael and one of his associates, Dan Stanza, to deliver the truck to Victor this morning. Just as they got outside the city, a car sideswiped them and forced the truck off the road. From the looks of the truck and the car Dan was in, there was a bit of a shootout, but both Dan and Raphy got hit pretty bad. Raphy was in the truck, and whoever took them off the road put two in his chest and took Victor’s payoff money from the passenger’s seat. Dan got hit in the neck and in the chest too. He’s in ICU.”

  Rage and fury boil up in my stomach like a science project gone wrong. I’m not even sure how to act as I lean back and pinch my lips together.

  “You’re telling me somebody hit us?” I ask rhetorically. “Somebody jacked Jimmy’s crew, and they took the money? Our fucking money?”

  “Yeah. I’m sorry, Dominic,” Frankie replies before letting his head fall in obvious indignation.

  “Son of a fucking bitch!” I snap, rising to my feet. “I wanna know who the fuck it was! Put every fucking crew on it, Frankie. No one rests until we find out who did it. I want them dead yesterday!”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Dominic. I think it might’ve been Giovanni,” Frankie says, locking his eyes on mine.

  “I don’t wanna hear who it might’ve been. I want to know for sure. And why would Giovanni rob us for Victor’s money? They were gonna get it anyway, so that doesn’t even make any fucking sense.”

  “Because Giovanni and Victor don’t like what happened with the truck, and I think Giovanni keeps messing shit up so that we end up going to war with Victor over it. I think it’s all a setup.”

  “A setup for what, Frankie?” I snip, barking at Frankie as he looks up at me. “And you need to be real clear about what you say next, because if what you’re saying makes sense, bodies are about to start piling up.”

  “Look, maybe I’m reaching here,” Frankie goes on, “but the way I see it, Victor has Giovanni come to St. Louis and steal the truck before we can take it back, making it look like someone on our side is fucking around with his money. Then, after Giovanni gives it back and we’re all set to deliver it, he has Giovanni steal the payoff, that way he can justify a war with us to the Commission, who we know he has enormous pull with. I think Victor wants a war. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “Is it? Because to me, that makes no fucking sense,” I reply as I bring myself to sit back down. I put my elbows on my legs and lean forward so I can focus on nothing but Frankie and the situation. “It doesn’t make any sense for Victor to send Giovanni to take money that he was gonna get anyway. Let’s say Victor does wanna kill one of us—why do it on the highway as they deliver the money? Why not wait until our people show up to drop it off, then pop them within the walls of his own warehouse? Seems like a lot of trouble to go through for the same results. Either way, they get the money and dead Giordano members—so why go through the trouble of doing it away from Chicago? Victor wouldn’t do that. If he wanted to kill one of us, he’d want us to know it was him who did it.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because that’s what I would do,” I admit, even though the idea of Victor and me being anything alike makes me sick to my stomach. “Nah, I don’t think it was Victor. To me, this looks like it might be . . .”

  I stop talking as the thought sweeps its way into my mind and latches on like a virus. My heart rate picks up as new questions are born in my brain.

  “Where’s the truck?” I ask, glaring at Frankie with unflinching eyes.

  “Victor came and got it.”

  “He came and got it?”

  “Yeah, since it was already so close to Chicago when it got hit,’ Frankie replies.

  “What the fuck?” I say aloud as the questions and frustration reach a peak.

  “I’m telling you, Dominic, it was Victor and Giovanni. I know it.”

  “You don’t fucking know shit!” I erupt. “You give me one piece of proof that it was Victor pulling the strings on this and I swear to the Virgin Mary we’ll go down there and slaughter all of them tonight. Give me one piece of evidence that would get the Commission on board to sanction Victor getting clipped. Go ahead, I’m listening. I’ll wait.”

  Tommy doesn’t respond, like I knew he wouldn’t.

  “Exactly,” I snip. “I wanted you to be my consigliere because you know better than to take shit at face value. You know an unsanctioned hit on Victor would kill all of us. The Commission would go bananas over the death of a sitting member of their crew. So, get your shit together and be realistic. We’ve gotta be smart with whatever our next move is. Now, where’s Tommy?”

  “I talked to him before I came here,” Frankie replies after a long, exasperated sigh. “He’s on his way to Mercy Hospital to see how Dan’s doing.”

  I take a second to think about everything I just heard, and even with Frankie trying to convince me the hit was ordered by Victor, my mind has a conclusion of its own already.

  “So, Victor got the truck back?” I ask, making sure I have all of the information before proceeding.

  “Yeah.”

  “And he knows two of our guys got hit?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did he say anything about the money we owed being stolen?”

  “Not really,” Frankie says. “He said he’d give us a day to dust ourselves off, but then he wants to talk to you.”

  “He told you that after he came and got the truck?” I ask, never breaking eye contact with Frankie.

  “He told me that as his crew was taking it. We had to come clean up the mess before the cops showed up or Victor’s truck was gonna get confiscated, and he would’ve lost the million-plus that was in the back. I sent some guys to take care of Raphy and Dan, and Victor called me.”

  “And how’d you find out about the hit?”

  “Dan called Jimmy after he got shot, and Jimmy called me. After I made sure everything was taken care of, I rushed over here to tell you.”

  “You came over here to tell me after all of shit had already gone down,” I say as a statement instead of a question. I see Frankie’s eyes flinch, apparently put off by my accusing tone. “You came and told me after you spoke to the guy you think ordered the hit, and after you sent members of my family to help Victor’s crew clean up the scene of the hit. I got all that right?”

  I glare at Frankie like I’m trying to kill him with my eyes, and he reads the accusation loud and clear. He recoils, sitting back in his seat and putting his hands up like he’s showing me he’s not hiding anything.

  “Whoa, wait a minute, Dominic,” he says in a tone that’s a mixture of anger and fear. “You don’t think I had anything to do with this, do you? I would never turn my back on this family. Never. I’ve known you your entire life. Me and your father came up in this thing together. I would never do that to you, not just because I respect you and Our Thing, but because I loved your father like a brother. I would never do that, Dominic.”

  I try to think of a smart way to respond, considering the thoughts bouncing around in my head. It all sounds like bullshit to me. He was trying entirely too hard to convince me it was Victor, and all he did was convince me it wasn’t.

  “Okay, Frankie,” I bring myself to say. “Well, obviously I got a lot to think about. I’m gonna take a minute to get my head straight, then we’re
gonna meet up and figure out the next move. For now, I know a lot of people were close with Raphy, so go give his family our condolences. We’ll meet up soon. Oh, and make sure his body is taken care of at your morgue.”

  “Absolutely,” Frankie says, frowning. “Are you alright, Dominic?”

  “I’m fine,” I reply quickly like I knew the question was coming. “I just gotta wrap my head around some shit. Just go make sure Raphael’s family is taken care of. Anything they need. We’ll talk soon.”

  Frankie is hesitant, but he eventually gets up and heads for the elevator. Before he gets in, he turns around one more time. “You sure you’re alright, Dominic? Are we alright?”

  “Of course we are. Make sure Raphy’s mother knows to come to me with anything she needs.”

  Frankie nods as the elevator doors open for him. He steps in and presses the button to be taken back down to the basement. As soon as the doors close, I walk to the bedroom where Alannah is waiting for me.

  “Is everything alright?” she asks with genuine worry in her voice.

  “No,” I reply bluntly. “Frankie just came in here and told me our guys got hit on their way to Chicago this morning. Raphael Barissi got killed in a shootout, and Dan Stanza, who Raphy vouched for, is in the ICU with some pretty bad wounds.”

  “Oh my god,” Alannah exclaims with a gasp.

  “Yeah, and Frankie just came in here and convinced me that he can’t be trusted. Something doesn’t fucking feel right about this.”

  “Does Frankie know who did it?” Alannah asks with her hand on her cheek, still shocked and worried about the murder.

  “Frankie doesn’t know shit, but he was doing his best to convince me it was Victor.”

  “You don’t believe him?”

  “The more he tried to convince me it was Victor, the less I believed him. Victor wouldn’t make a move on us in that way. He’d make it personal so we’d know it was him. Whoever did this had an agenda. They were trying to keep the money from getting to Chicago.”

  “Wait, what are you saying, Dominic?”

  “I think it was an inside job by somebody close,” I admit out loud for the first time since Frankie was sitting on my couch. “Whoever did this knew the money was there, and they took it to hurt the Family.”

  I walk over to my nightstand and grab my cell phone.

  “Are you fucking serious?” Alannah says as her fears consume her. “Who are you calling?”

  “The only fucking person I think I can trust,” I reply as I push the button to make the call. “Tommy, it’s me. Where the hell are you? Alright, listen, you and I need to meet up after you’re done at the hospital. Don’t tell anybody you’re coming to see me. I think we may have some snakes in our house, and it’s time to start chopping off heads.”

  “I fucked up. I fucked up!”

  “Hold on, calm down. What are you talking about?”

  “Did you not hear what I just said? I fucked up!”

  “Yes, I heard what you said, but now you have to calm down and tell me what happened. I’m not gonna be able to guess it just because you’re screaming it at me.”

  “I made a big fucking mistake, and I’m probably gonna die because of it. I didn’t mean to, I swear I didn’t.”

  “Geez, would you man up and tell me what the hell you’re talking about so we can figure it out. That’s why you’re here, right? So we can figure it out? Well, stop crying over it and explain it.”

  “Alright, alright. I went to take care of the delivery situation, just like we talked about. I ran the truck off the road, and the car that was behind it followed.”

  “Did you cover your face?”

  “Yes I covered my face.”

  “Okay, so they didn’t see you.”

  “Just let me fucking explain! I ran the truck off the road and went to approach it on the passenger side, because I knew that’s where the money would be, but as soon as I got out, the guy from the car started shooting at me. I had to duck down and hide behind the car I rented, which I can’t take back now because it has fucking bullet holes in it. So, I had no choice but to shoot back. I fired a few shots at the car, and I figured I hit him because he stopped shooting, so I approached the truck with my gun drawn, thinking the driver wouldn’t put up a fight, but I was wrong. As soon as I opened the door, Raphy shot me. Look.”

  “Shit. Your shoulder. Why didn’t you go to the hospital?”

  “Really, the hospital? I couldn’t risk that! I’m not stupid!”

  “Okay, okay. Calm down. What else happened?”

  “So once I gathered myself, I knew I had to get the money, so I went to get back in and Raphy shot at me again, so on instinct, I fired some shots back. I figured he’d duck for cover long enough for me reach in and grab the suitcase with the money in it. But when I reached for the money, I saw he was dead. I hit him right in the heart. I wasn’t even aiming when I shot, I was just trying to scare the asshole. I fucking killed a made guy.”

  “Alright, look, this isn’t a big deal unless someone finds out it was you.”

  “I know. That’s the other part.”

  “What? What are you talking about?

  “When I saw that I’d killed Raphy, I freaked out. I fucking panicked because I knew Raphy, and I didn’t mean for that to happen. So, I kind of lost it and I took off the mask I was wearing.”

  “You did what? Why the hell would you do that?”

  “I just killed a friend of mine, okay? I don’t need you fucking judging me. I took off the mask and stood there looking at him in fucking disbelief. Then, I heard another gunshot and a bullet went whizzing by my ear and into the door beside me. When I turned around, Dan was standing at the back of the truck. He was bleeding from his neck, but there he was, looking at me in disgust. He saw my face. I had no choice after that. I aimed and pulled the trigger before he could get off another shot, hitting him in the chest. Then I grabbed the money off the seat and tossed it in my car, but before I could go, I knew I had to make sure Dan was dead, even though I knew it would haunt me forever. So, I went back over to him and put four more in his chest for good measure.”

  “Geez. I’m sorry you had to do that, but you had to. If you didn’t kill him after he saw you, you know what would’ve happened. You probably wouldn’t even be here right now. So, you had to do it.”

  “You don’t understand. I put four in his chest, but Dan didn’t die. He was wearing a vest.”

  “What?”

  “He’s still alive. In the ICU at Mercy.”

  “What? Dammit! How could you be so stupid?”

  “Hey! Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? I’m not a fucking psychic, okay? I don’t have x-ray vision to look through people’s clothes, so I didn’t know he was wearing a vest.”

  “Why didn’t you shoot him in the head?”

  “Because I know him, that’s why! I wanted his mother to be able to have an open casket funeral, not to mention, I wasn’t supposed to kill anyone anyway. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

  “Well now you have to do something about it, because if he comes to, he’s gonna rat you out, and all hell is gonna break loose.”

  “What the fuck am I supposed to do? He’s in Mercy hospital, and he’s constantly surrounded by people. I can’t do shit. I’m fucked. They’re gonna find out it was me, and they’re gonna cut my balls off for this. Dominic is gonna let them torture me for stabbing him in the back like this. This is just as bad as being a rat. I’m a fucking dead man if I don’t do something.”

  “Oh just calm down already. Yeah, you messed up, but as long as Dan is in the ICU and unconscious, you’re fine.”

  “He ain’t gonna be in ICU forever. I don’t have time to wait around. I gotta figure out how to snuff him out before he wakes up and ruins everything.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid. I know you’re gonna do what you want, but I’d advise you to take your time with this. You can’t run up in the ICU and start shooting. As far as our plan fo
r Dominic is concerned, we’re still good. No one knows you took the truck before, and no one knows you took the money today. So, there’s no need to panic. You can relax. You hear me, Tommy? You’re fine. We just need to figure out the next move.”

  Dominic

  “Thanks for letting us in, Mrs. Stanza.”

  “It’s my pleasure, Dominic. Thanks so much for coming. I know if Daniel was awake, he’d be glad you came to see him.”

  I hug Dan’s mother like we’re good friends, but we don’t even know each other. She just knows that her son works for me. She knows I’m the boss and that Dan looks up to the boss, but that’s as far as it goes.

  The seventy-nine-year old gray-haired woman feels soft in my arms—fragile, like looking at her only child lying in a hospital bed as he clings to life has taken everything out of her. We’re in the ICU, but it feels more like a morgue than a hospital.

  Aside from Dan’s mother, no one is in the room, mainly because the hospital won’t allow anyone but family in the ICU, but also because it’s one o’clock in the morning. I waited until everyone would be out of the waiting area before deciding to come see Dan, and his mother was nice enough to let us in the room by vouching for Alannah and me to the hospital staff.

  While Alannah greets Mrs. Stanza, I walk over to the bed and look down upon Dan’s nearly lifeless body. There’s a tube in his neck and he has all kinds of bandages on his torso from the multiple shots he took. Luckily, Dan was wearing a bullet proof vest, otherwise, there’s no way he’d be with us right now. But the vest is also the reason he has internal bleeding that’ll require serious surgery in the coming hours, along with the surgery he’ll need to repair his trachea and vocal cords. It’s a fucking miracle this kid is still alive. The fact that he took a bullet to the side of his neck and still managed to get out of his car and fire a few rounds of his own is amazing. Dan isn’t made, but if he manages to pull through this, I’ll definitely give him consideration when they open the books.