Peraza drove through the open gates of his home in Culver City and headed for a rendezvous with a woman who was younger than his daughter. He never noticed the vehicle following him from a distance.
After discovering that Stone had been lying to him, Romeo asked to meet Stone in Central Park, near the Pulitzer Fountain. He had wanted to confront the man somewhere private, but Tanner pointed out that it might make Stone suspicious, and that he could go into hiding.
Not having heard back from Mitch Lombard, Stone had to assume that Henry was still alive. If Stone feared that Lombard had talked and given him up, he would also be on guard.
Romeo spoke to Stone in the friendly tone he’d always used, and when the time came for the meeting, Stone showed up.
There was a bite in the wind, but the sky overhead was a brilliant blue. The fountain was dormant and the water beneath it had a glaze of ice forming on its surface. Romeo was seated on one of the concrete benches nearby. There was a shopping bag at his feet with the name of a well-known department store on it.
A few benches over, an old man was feeding pigeons while seated beside his twelve-year-old grandson. The boy ignored the pigeons and played a game on his phone. On another bench a couple was involved in a conversation that had the woman wiping at stray tears and the man leaning forward as if pleading with her.
Stone settled beside Romeo and pointed at the shopping bag. “It looks like you spent some cash before coming here.”
Romeo opened the bag and showed Stone the contents. There were several small sweaters in there.
“Some things for my daughter.”
Over where the couple was seated. The woman had stood. The man reached out to take her hand, but she pulled it away, wiped at fresh tears, and hurried off toward Fifth Avenue. The man sat there looking dejected for a moment, then rose and slunk off deeper into the park.
Stone tilted his head in the direction of the bench the couple had been seated on. “Do you think they just broke up?”
“Could be.”
“So give me more details about this contract you were offered.”
“There is no contract. I only said that to get you to show up.”
Romeo watched Stone’s face carefully. He saw a flicker of fear in the man’s eyes.
“Someone tried to kill Henry yesterday. It was a guy name Mitch Lombard. Lombard said that you hired him.”
Stone said nothing.
“You’re not going to deny it?”
Stone looked Romeo over. “You’re not holding a weapon. Does that mean you’ll let me explain?”
“Dude, I’d love to know what this was all about. I like you, Stone, and I thought we were friends. Now I know that you’ve been lying to me all along.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Your name is Stone Hayes, Not Stone Rodgers. You’re twenty-three and you’ve been living in Italy until a few weeks ago.”
Stone looked surprised at Romeo’s knowledge. “What? You had someone check me out?”
“I did,” said Tanner.
Stone was startled by his sudden appearance behind him. He turned his head to see that Tanner was wearing a peacoat with the collar turned up and had a hat pulled down low over his eyes. Stone had been in dangerous situations before while working as an assassin. This was the first time he feared that he wouldn’t live to see the sun set.
Tanner reached over, slipped a hand inside the jacket Stone was wearing, and freed his gun from its holster. Romeo held up the shopping bag that was at his feet and Tanner dropped the weapon inside it without anyone noticing. The gun slid down between the colorful sweaters and out of sight.
Stone looked at Romeo and uttered a statement. “You’re going to kill me.”
“Talk to us, Stone,” Romeo said. “Why all the lies and the hatred for Henry?”
“I don’t hate Henry. And I wouldn’t give a damn about him if he wasn’t Tanner’s apprentice. I figured if he was out of the way, then I could be Tanner Eight someday.”
“That doesn’t explain what happened before that,” Tanner said. “You arranged to meet with Romeo, didn’t you?”
Stone nodded. “Romeo was a way to get to you. You two are friends, and my employer figured that it was just a matter of time before Romeo introduced you to me.”
“And then you were to try to kill me?”
Stone nodded again.
“Someone hired you. Who was it?”
Stone shook his head vigorously. “No way. That name is all I have as a bargaining chip. If you let me live, let me walk away from here, I promise to call and give you the name. Otherwise, it will die with me.”
“Turn your head around and look at me again, Stone,” Tanner said.
Stone did so, and saw that Tanner was glaring down at him.
“Trust me when I tell you that if I wanted to, I could get you to tell me anything. I wouldn’t kill you, but you’d wish I had.”
Stone swallowed hard, imagining the truth behind that statement. He broke eye contact with Tanner and reached out to grip Romeo’s arm.
“I’m an asshole for using you to get to Tanner. But Romeo, I really do like you and I wasn’t faking being friends. I don’t want to die, man. Let me live and I swear I’ll tell you who hired me to kill Tanner.”
Romeo freed his arm from Stone’s grip. “We’re not friends. The man standing behind you is my friend. Tanner is like a brother to me and you wanted to kill him. Why do you think you deserve any mercy?”
Stone drummed his fingers on the edge of the bench as dread built inside him. Twenty feet away, a young mother was walking along holding the hand of her four-year-old daughter. Stone bounded from the bench and ran toward them, to snatch up the child. A moment later, he was holding a knife to the little girl’s throat.
Romeo jumped up. “Stone! What the fuck, dude? Put that girl down.”
The girl’s mother rushed at Stone and at the same time she reached out for her daughter. The little girl was crying. Stone used the knife to slash the air in front of the mother. The woman stopped short as the blade barely missed slicing open the palm of her right hand.
Stone shouted at Tanner and Romeo. “Stay away from me! When I’m out of New York I’ll call and give you the name you want.”
Tanner showed his empty hands to Stone. “Don’t hurt that child. We’re not chasing you.”
The mother lunged at Stone again. This time she managed to grab onto her daughter’s coat and attempted to tug her free. Stone let go of the little girl and the mother stumbled backwards with her daughter in her arms.
Stone bolted from the scene while shouting over his shoulder. “I’ll send you the name!”
Tanner and Romeo took off in a different direction before a cop showed up and wanted to question them. As he hustled away from the fountain, Tanner took out his phone and called Henry.
“I’ve got him,” Henry said.
“Keep him in sight and let us know where he winds up. But don’t hurt him. We need him to talk.”
“Okay. Did he say why he wanted me dead?”
“You were right. He wanted to take your place as my apprentice. Before that, he was out to kill me for someone else. We need to find out who hired him.”
“Some vacation this is,” Henry said, followed by, “I gotta go. Stone is headed down into the subway.”
“Don’t lose him. But if you do, watch your back. It may mean that he spotted you and is circling around behind you.”
“I won’t lose him. This bastard is not getting away.”
“Good man. Call me when you know where he’s headed.”
Tanner put away his phone and looked over at Romeo to find him staring at him.
“Cody, man. I know it’s my fault that Stone got so close to you, but I really don’t want to be the one to put that kid down.”
“I get that, Romeo. If it was Henry that betrayed us, I wouldn’t want to do it either.”
“Who do you think he’s working for?”
“I don�
��t know, but I guess it could be Soulless. Although, this isn’t his style. He’d be more likely to wipe out half of Manhattan to try to get to me.”
“Stone was in Italy. Do you have any enemies over there?”
“No, but I do know someone who might be able to tell us more about him. It’s an old man named Emilio Degussa. He may be dead. He was very old the last time I saw him. Degussa is a crime boss in Italy. If Stone was operating as an assassin over there, Degussa may know of him.”
“What about Crash?”
“Yeah, that’s another source to try, but I’d rather hear the truth from Stone himself.”
“Before he dies,” Romeo said with a sigh.
Tanner nodded. Stone Hayes had to die.
19
Snitches Get Stitches
Luis Peraza’s lover lived in a house set far back from the road at the end of a winding driveway. At night, from the patio at the rear, you could see the lights of the City of Angels. The young woman was named Zora. She had obvious physical assets in all the right places, a perfect smile, and thick dark hair that hung down to her ass.
Peraza had been her sugar daddy for two years. When he grew tired of her, as he knew he would, she would be escorted out of the home by two of his men, taken out to the desert, murdered, and tossed down an abandoned mineshaft, to lie atop the bones of Peraza’s earlier lovers. It was a cold way to end a relationship, but Peraza deemed it necessary.
Seventeen years earlier, his mistress at the time had made good on a threat to visit his home. She had gone there to talk to his wife after Peraza told her that they were through. Fortunately for Luis, he had been at home while his wife was taking their daughter to dance class.
To appease the woman, Luis agreed to give her a cash settlement to buy her silence. When they met at the agreed upon time and place to hand over the money, Luis had taken out a gun and shot her in the head. From that point on he’d abided by that old adage that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure.
For the time being, Peraza was still enchanted by Zora. He left the house tired and sated after spending hours in bed with her. He was opening the door on the Mustang when he received a text from his superior. It was official. The task of taking over New York City was now his, although he wasn’t to make a move until things quieted down with the Crips.
Peraza grinned. Could this day get any better?
He climbed into the car and heard the V8 engine roar to life. When he looked back at the house, Zora was standing in the doorway wearing a skimpy red silk robe and throwing him a kiss. He smiled at her and threw one back. She was quite the actress, and as long as she kept playing her part, he’d keep playing his.
After waving goodbye, Peraza headed down the long tree-lined driveway at a slow pace, the Mustang glided along with ease, but came to a stop after he rounded a curve and found a van blocking his path. His first reaction was to be annoyed, but that shifted to apprehension quickly as he spotted the face of the van’s driver, which radiated menace. He was a black man wearing a purple shirt with a matching purple cap. Purple was the gang color of the Primeros. Noting that, Peraza hesitated to act. He didn’t realize that he was responding as his attackers wished him to do, lulled into a false sense of safety by thinking they were a part of his gang. The driver stepped out with a gun in his hand. Seeing that weapon jolted Peraza into action.
Peraza’s left foot was headed for the clutch pedal as his right hand grip the gear shifter to throw the car into reverse. Before that could happen, the car’s windshield was shattered by a round that struck him in the chest. Three more bullets entered his body, with one hitting him in the neck.
Peraza, fueled by a jolt of adrenalin, reached over to claim the gun he kept in the car’s glovebox. His wounds overcame the rush of energizing hormones and he slumped sideways in his seat with his right arm outstretched. He was aware that the life was draining from him. The shooter had walked around to the side of the car. When Peraza turned his head to look up at the man, to his surprise, he realized that it was a face he knew.
“Vann?” Peraza wheezed.
Tyrese was surprised that Peraza recognized him, then realized that as a higher up in the Primeros, Peraza might have been shown photos of himself and Pullo.
“This will be blamed on the Crips,” Tyrese told Peraza. Most of the words went unheard by their addressee. Peraza had died while Tyrese was speaking.
Tyrese was about to turn away and climb back into the van when he spotted something unusual. Peraza had two cell phones. There was one sticking out of a back pocket, and also one on top of the dashboard. On impulse, Tyrese took both phones. Peraza had been a higher up in the Primeros. There might be something on one of the phones that was of interest.
Two hours later, three members of the Crips died. One of them had been the leader of a division of the gang that they called a set. Within hours, the Primeros and the Crips were killing each other all over the city, with skirmishes breaking out as far away as Missouri.
The conquering of New York City was placed on the back burner. That is, unless a sicario named Morelos did what so many others had failed to do and murdered Tanner.
Once he had him unarmed, Morelos had used a stun gun on Rico and tied him spread eagle to his own bed, shirtless, and with a gag in his mouth.
The following hour had been the most difficult of Rico’s life as Morelos tortured him by burning him with matches. The teen gangbanger, Manuel, looked as if he wanted to vomit when he first caught the scent of burning flesh.
Rico was a man who looked out for himself, but he also had a sense of pride. After holding out and enduring much, he nodded to Morelos, signaling his agreement to tell Morelos what he wanted to know.
He understood that Morelos would never let him go or let him live. However, as long as he remained useful to the man, there was a chance that someone from the Giacconis might realize something was wrong and come looking for him.
Although he had the day off, it would be unusual for him not to call and check in with Pullo or Finn Kelly. Rico was hoping to hold out long enough to be rescued by someone.
“Before you speak, Rico, know this. If you lie to me about anything, I’ll start removing body parts. Nod again if you understand.”
Rico nodded and the gag was removed.
After swallowing a few times, Rico spoke with a raspy voice. His throat was raw from having screamed into the gag.
“What do you want to know?”
“How do I get to Joe Pullo?”
“He spends most of his time in an office building, but there are guards, and the windows are bulletproof.”
“You’re not telling me anything new. You must know something that could give me an edge. What is it?”
Rico was going to try and stall, but then he realized the truth would be better.
“There’s a secret way into the building.”
Morelos leaned closer. “Go on.”
“It’s a tunnel. It connects the office building to a pizza parlor.”
“The pizza place on the corner?” Manuel said, speaking for the first time. “I’ve been in there.”
“How many are guarding the tunnel?” Morelos asked.
“At least three at all times in the pizza parlor. Then there are others inside the office building, along with cameras.”
Morelos straightened and stood looking thoughtful. If he could gain access to that tunnel without raising an alarm, he might be able to sneak up on Pullo, and possibly Tanner too.
Morelos reached down and gagged Rico again. Afterward, he grabbed his jacket from where it was hanging off the back of a chair and spoke to Manuel.
“I’m going out to verify the existence of this tunnel. Keep an eye on our prisoner.”
“What if he has to use the bathroom?”
“He can piss himself. Just do not untie him.”
“And if someone comes to the door looking for him?”
“Ignore them, and they’ll probably go away.”
; “How long will you be gone?”
Morelos glared at the teen before speaking. He was growing tired of answering questions.
“It could take hours, but I’ll be back. And I’ll bring you food.”
Rico watched Morelos leave. It could take him hours to verify the tunnel, which is why Rico told him about it. In the meantime, he would have an opportunity to escape or be rescued. Rico gazed at Manuel with pleading eyes and released a moan. Manuel responded by looking at the burn marks on Rico’s arms, then grimaced. The kid might be a gangbanger, but he wasn’t tough by a long shot.
Rico began mumbling; after thirty seconds of it, Manuel loosened the gag.
“What are you trying to say? I’m not going to let you go.”
“It’s too late for me,” Rico said. “But you can still get away. If you stay, Morelos will kill you.”
“Why would he kill me?”
“He sent his last partner into a trap and she was shot to death.”
“The blonde lady driving the car?”
“That’s right,” Rico said, although it wasn’t true. Amber had survived her wounds but was unconscious. “And don’t forget the poor bastard Morelos put in the car’s trunk to fake his own death. Morelos is a user, and he’ll use you then toss you away.”
Manuel nibbled at his bottom lip as he considered what to do. Rico fought against the urge to smile. If he could convince the boy to run, he might also persuade him to free him from the bed.
“What’s your name, amigo?”
“Manuel.”
This time, Rico did smile. “Manuel is my son’s name. He’s only five.”
Rico had no son. He told the lie while hoping to build a rapport with Manuel and attain sympathy for an imaginary young son who was on the verge of becoming fatherless. If he could do that, he might gain his freedom, and once free, he’d get revenge on Morelos. Otherwise, the sicario would surely kill him.
20
Leap Of Faith
Stalking Horse (A Tanner Novel Book 40) Page 14
