“Oh, Tony,” Kate cried, “what are we gonna do?”
“We ain’t gonna do nothin’. This ain’t your problem. I’ll handle it myself. For right now, I’m gonna lay low and stick around the gang, make sure they trust me, till I can think of a way to leave them for good.”
“How will I know you’re OK?”
“You won’t. Ya just have to stay strong.”
“I can’t.”
“Sure ya can. You’re the strongest person I know. All this bad shit happened to ya, and you’re still movin’ forward, workin’ to get a better life.”
“What if Donata wants me to leave?”
Tony had already figured out that problem on the bus ride into South Philadelphia.
“Then you call Salvatore. He and Vincent will help ya.”
“Salvatore knows that the Slayers found out about us?” Kate asked.
“No, but Vincent does. I stopped at his house before I came here and told ’im. Salvatore and Vincent are good friends. They won’t let me down.”
“But what if Salvatore and Vincent say they can’t help me?”
“They won’t.”
As Tony hugged Kate good-bye, his heart crushed inside his chest. Not knowing when they’d be together again, they clung to each other for a long time.
“I’ll see ya again. I love ya till the end, Kate.”
Kate kissed him. “Till the end.”
Tony took a long look at the woman he loved and left the bakery with a purpose…to find his way back to Kate.
Chapter Eighty
The next three months, without seeing Kate, Tony fell into a deep depression. He hadn’t gone back into South Philadelphia—in fact, he hadn’t even left the run-down neighborhood where he lived. Tony wanted to put as much distance between Razor and Kate as possible. Tony spent a lot of time with Smoke but never confided in him about Kate.
One afternoon, Tony was sitting on the sofa in the living room staring at the television. He felt like a prisoner again. Even after three months of not leaving North Philadelphia, Razor still had members follow Tony when he went to the store or took a walk. Smoke had warned him that Razor was watching and waiting.
“Hey, man,” Smoke said as he entered the room.
Tony gave a nod of his head.
“What cha doin’ today?”
Tony scratched his crotch. “Nothin’. Blast told me that we gotta meet up wit’ those douchebags we buy our weed from tonight. I fuckin’ hate dealin’ wit’ the drugs.”
“Yeah, we never know what we’re gonna get when we do a big deal. Dangerous shit. Just part of livin’ the life of a gangster,” Smoke said lightheartedly.
“Whatever. This life sucks. The Slayers’ motto should be ‘Steal, cheat, and lie.’”
Smoke sat down next to Tony. “Gang life ain’t for everybody.”
Tony looked at his friend. “Is it for you?”
“I guess so. I mean, I got all the pot I wanna smoke and all the ass I wanna tap, and I get to use my gun enough to keep me happy.”
“Yeah, sounds really fuckin’ great,” Tony commented.
Smoke ran his hand over the Slayers’ tattoo on his forearm. “Ya know, sometimes I think about what it’ll be like when I get older. I can’t live here forever, right? I mean, where do old gang members go when they aren’t useful anymore?”
This piqued Tony’s interest; he’d never thought about getting old. “That’s a good point. What happened to the members that used to be here?”
Smoke guzzled from his beer can. “They’re either dead or rotting in prison.”
“That ain’t much to look forward to. I mean, I’m gonna be eighteen before I know it. You’re one of the oldest dudes here, right?”
Smoke nodded. “Yep, I’ll be twenty-eight this year.”
Tony’s throat closed. His legs felt like someone was sticking him with needles, and he fidgeted.
“What’s wrong wit’ you?” Smoke asked, watching the transformation.
“I can’t stay here for ten more years. I don’t wanna be doin’ this when I’m old,” Tony said, fingers of dread inching up his spine.
Smoke laughed. “Oh, so now I’m fuckin’ old?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Yeah, I know what ya meant. Look Tony, ya don’t just walk away from the Slayers—ya know that. Right now, ya gotta relax. There ain’t no easy way outta this life. Ya know too much.”
“Who am I gonna tell? I did shit to people. Why would I snitch on anyone here?”
“It ain’t about snitching to cops or nothing. It’s about giving information to the other gangs that wanna take us out. Ya been here long enough to know that.”
Tony settled back against the worn sofa. “Yeah.”
Smoke asked, “Why don’t we take a ride into Center City? Ya know, a change of scenery.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
An hour later, Tony and Smoke were walking into the Reading Terminal Market. As they walked through, trying to decide what to eat, the smells made Tony’s stomach rumble. They had decided on a slice of pizza, not only because it looked good, but also because it was inexpensive. They picked up their slices and sat at an empty table to eat.
“Tony!” Vincent said.
Tony stood up and gave Vincent a hug. “Salvatore,” Tony said, “you’re lookin’ real good.” The two gave each other a quick hug.
“It took a while to recover, but I’m doing great now. I almost have full motion in my arm,” Salvatore said, moving his arm in a wide circle.
“What the fuck, man. Where the hell have ya been?” Vincent said, plopping into a seat and taking a bite of Tony’s pizza. Then he looked at Smoke. “Who the hell are you?”
Smoke dropped his pizza and glared at Tony.
“It’s cool,” Tony said to Smoke. “These are my friends that I told ya about. The guys I grew up wit’.”
Vincent extended his hand. “I’m Vincent.”
Smoke shook his hand, and when he did, Vincent and Salvatore noticed the Slayer tattoo.
“Smoke.”
“I’m Salvatore.”
“Yeah, good to meet cha.”
“Come on, Vincent, ya need to buy me another slice of pizza to replace the one ya just stuffed your face wit’,” Tony said, looking down at his empty paper plate.
Vincent got up, and the three of them walked toward the pizza counter.
“How’s Kate?” Tony whispered as soon as they were out of earshot.
Salvatore leaned in. “She’s good. She called me when you first spoke to her. We check on her every couple of days. We saw her yesterday. Donata’s really upset that you disappeared. She’s worried something bad happened to you.”
Tony pressed his thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose. “Fuck. I never even thought about that.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry. I told Donata that you had to go out of town for a while, and I assured her that you’re fine,” Salvatore said.
Tony jutted his jaw toward Salvatore. “But…”
Salvatore took a deep breath. “But she can’t keep the place going anymore. She doesn’t have the money to support Kate. I’ve been giving her some money here and there, but the extra cost put her behind in her mortgage, so she had to take out a loan from my father.”
“Your father? Why would he loan her money?”
“Part of the business. I talked him into letting her have a cheaper payment, but it’s really hard on her.”
Tony shoved his hands in his front pockets. “Did Kate say where she’s goin’?”
“She doesn’t know. She’ll probably start at a homeless shelter. I’m doing everything I can to help,” Salvatore said, embarrassed.
“I know ya are.”
“Have you figured a way out of that gang?” Vincent asked.
Tony’s head hung, and he shook it sadly.
Salvatore put his arm over Tony’s shoulder. “I’m doing everything I can to help with that too.”
&n
bsp; Chapter Eighty-One
Salvatore sat down on the sofa in his father’s office across from Big Paulie.
“Pop, we have to talk.”
Johnny looked up from the newspaper he was reading. “What’s on your mind?”
“Tony. You know he’s a gang member. He’s trying to find his way out. I want to help him.”
Johnny’s face flushed red with anger. “That’s not our problem. How many times do we have to go over this?”
“Until I can convince you to help him. He went to prison for me, where he was repeatedly raped. Then, three months ago, he saved my life. How many times does he have to help me before we help him?”
Johnny shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re asking me to do.” “Then tell me.”
“The mob and gangs don’t interact. They have no order, no code of ethics. They kill each other for not living the way the gang dictates.”
“Exactly. That’s why Tony needs to get away from them. You know that girl Kate that lives with Donata?”
“What about her?”
Salvatore pushed up to the edge of the sofa. “She’s Tony’s girlfriend. They haven’t seen each other in three months because the gang found out about her. Now Donata needs her to move out because of all the debt she’s in. The girl is going to a homeless shelter, and Tony can’t even help her.”
“Again, Salvatore, not our problem. A lot of people are homeless. Get your head out of your ass. Tony should have never joined a gang. Did he think he could waltz in and out whenever he wanted? That shows me that he’s stupid,” Johnny said, banging his fist on the desk in front of him.
“He was thirteen with nowhere to go. Because of me!”
Johnny stood. “Don’t you ever raise your voice to me again. Just because you’re my son doesn’t give you special privileges to be disrespectful. I am the boss of this family, and I have a lot of people under me that need to be taken care of. Now, you want me to get involved and save your pathetic friend. What’s in it for me?”
Salvatore’s mouth dropped open, and he paused for a moment. “Tony can work for you, just like Vincent and I do.” Salvatore looked over to Big Paulie for help.
Big Paulie cleared his throat, and Johnny gave his attention to him.
“We talked about this, Johnny. Remember where we came from, and now all Salvatore’s sayin’ is that he wants to help his friend. Ain’t nothin’ wrong wit’ that,” Big Paulie stated.
“Right. Exactly. You were a gang member once in New York. Big Paulie told me all about it. Why was it OK for you but not for Tony?”
“It’s none of your fucking business what I did when I was young!” Johnny screamed, shooting a deadly look at Big Paulie.
Johnny leaned back in his chair. “If Tony wants out, then I need a job done.”
“What kind of job?” Salvatore asked, knowing Tony would do anything to be with Kate.
“There are men from New York who want to see me dead. They want to take over our business here in Philadelphia. This is no small job, and a lot is at stake. I don’t know if I want to put this in Tony’s hands.”
Salvatore listened intently. He would do anything for Tony.
“Vincent and I can help him. What do we have to do?” Salvatore asked.
“Now wait a minute. I can’t have you involved in this. These men are deadly. They know you’re my son. They will kill you to get to me.”
“None of those men from New York know me. They’ve never met me.”
Johnny considered Salvatore’s request. He didn’t like sending his own blood in for a job this big. He knew the risk of being killed was high. He leaned forward on his elbows.
“You can’t do this job. I’ll allow Vincent to go with Tony.”
Salvatore slumped over. “You’re not willing to risk my life, but you’re willing to risk theirs. That’s what you’re saying. Right?”
“Yes. That’s right. If you want me to help your friend, this is the only way I’ll agree to it.”
Salvatore pressed his hands to his face. “And if they succeed, you’ll do whatever it takes to help Tony. That’s what you’re saying?”
Johnny smirked, knowing the odds of either boy coming out alive were slim. “That’s what I’m saying.”
Salvatore stood and strode over to the office door. “It’s a deal.”
Chapter Eighty-Two
Salvatore and Vincent drove one of the old Cadillacs into North Philadelphia looking for Tony. It was a dangerous thing to do, and Johnny had them followed by some of his most ruthless men. They had a general idea of where Tony lived based on stories he’d shared with his friends about the neighborhood and the gang. They had been driving in North Philadelphia for a while and turned right on Dauphin Street. The sun was almost down.
Salvatore and Vincent glared out the window of the car. There were hookers, drunks, and drug addicts strewn on the sidewalks. The two white men stood out among the primarily black community. Salvatore pulled his car up to the curb, where several prostitutes were standing.
“If you’re lookin’ for dates, ya might wanna think about where ya are, white meat,” a hooker yelled.
“We ain’t lookin’ for no dates. We’re lookin’ for the Slayers,” Vincent said.
“You whities better turn that fuckin’ car ’round and go home to your mommas. If Razor sees ya in his neighborhood, he’ll kill your asses,” the hooker said.
Vincent opened the car door and stepped onto the curb next to the hooker with the big mouth. “What’s your name?”
The prostitute looked Vincent up and down. He was big, and his entire being screamed fearlessness. “Jizzie.”
“Well, listen, Jizzie, we ain’t fuckin’ around. Tell us where we can find the Slayers, and we’ll leave ya alone. Trust me—it’s in your best interest.”
“Don’t know,” she said, turning her back to Vincent, “but if I sees any of ’em, I’ll be sure to let ’em know ya was lookin’ for ’em. What’s your name again?”
“Ya just tell ’em that death is lookin’ for ’em. Can ya do that?” Vincent said.
Jizzie looked into Vincent’s eyes. There was a heated glow behind his irises that gave her an icy sensation in her bones. “Yeah, if we sees ’em, we’ll tell ’em.”
Jizzie turned to the other hookers standing behind her. The group of scantily clad women took off in the opposite direction. Jizzie and the others wanted to find Razor and warn him about the pricks looking for the Slayers. That would score them a couple bags of free dope for sure. As they walked toward the row home that the Slayers called home, several of the soldiers and associates from the Morano family followed them in the shadows.
Salvatore’s plan was already coming together.
Chapter Eighty-Three
“Slow down, bitch!” Razor yelled at Jizzie. “How the hell ya expect me to understand what you’re sayin’ when you’re huffin’ and puffin’ like a fat cow? Maybe if you stopped eatin’ like a pig and lost some of that blubber you’d be able to walk a few blocks wit’out needin’ CPR.”
Jizzie bent over and put her hands on her knees to steady her breathing. “Like I was tellin’ ya. There’s some assholes lookin’ for the Slayers. They was askin’ where they could find yas. I didn’t tell ’em nothin’, though. I came runnin’ right here to warn ya,” she said, waiting to be rewarded.
“Oh yeah? What did these assholes look like?”
Jizzie stood up straight and then cocked her hip to the right and scrunched her face at Razor. “They looked like assholes.”
Razor backhanded Jizzie in the face. “Whore, who ya think you talkin’ to like that? I will tear your ass up, then turn your babies out on the street to hook for me too.”
Jizzie held the side of her face. “They was big. The one who did all the talkin’ was real tall. Taller than you.”
“That ain’t tellin’ me shit. Have ya ever see ’em before?”
Jizzie squirmed. “No, but they was drivin’ a Cadillac. An old one.”
&n
bsp; “Ya did good by comin’ here and tellin’ me and my crew. Now, get your fat black ass back on the street and make me some money.”
Jizzie held Razor’s gaze.
“What cha waitin’ for?”
“I was thinkin’ ya might give me a couple of bags, seein’ that I came here and told ya about those men that were lookin’ for ya.”
Razor looked over at Boner and gave him a nod. Boner reached into his pocket and threw three bags of white powder onto the floor in front of Jizzie, who pounced on them.
“Damn girl, you like a fuckin’ dog gettin’ a treat. Get your nasty ass outta my house,” Razor said.
When Jizzie was gone, Razor turned to the other gang members. Tony was among them and had watched everything unfold.
“We got business to take care of tonight. I want us all out roaming the streets. We find those motherfuckers tonight!” Razor commanded.
***
Salvatore and Vincent had followed Jizzie to find out where the Slayers lived. Now, they could look for Tony over the next few days. The next evening, they drove back into North Philadelphia in a beat-up pickup truck that Johnny had given them to use. They watched the house for hours. Finally, shortly after nine o’clock, they saw Tony saunter down the wooden steps and head away from the house. He walked three blocks before entering a small corner store with bars on the windows and the door. Tony knocked on the window, and the man behind the counter buzzed him in. He came out a few minutes later carrying a bottle of soda.
“Yo,” Vincent said from the truck window.
Tony turned toward the voice and looked at the truck he didn’t recognize, but he couldn’t see inside.
“Tony, come here,” Vincent snapped.
Tony reached for his gun in the back of his jeans and slowly walked over to the truck. He was almost next to it when he realized it was Vincent.
“What the hell is wrong wit’ ya? I was ready to blow your fuckin’ head off,” Tony stated.
“Get in,” Salvatore said.
Vincent moved into the middle of the truck seat. Tony scanned the area on every side for anyone watching. When he felt it was safe, he climbed in beside Vincent.
Mean Little People Page 30
