Odd Jobs

by Ben Lieberman

  Loot and Carey grab their coats and get ready to leave. I look at Rocky, my eyes fixed on her face. I want to see everything and always remember it. I want to remember all the smooth and wonderful features. Remarkably, she is gazing at me the same way. While other people see a bookie or drug dealer, she manages to see something different.

  As Carey and Loot are leaving, Loot says, “Don’t think I got off track. You said you needed two armies to take down Balducci. If the first Army is Petro and the second army is not us, then where is this second army?”

  “I’ll tell you tomorrow.” It’s all going down soon anyway. That second army? It’s commanded by Sev Reynard, the baddest man in the land. Who else would anyone want to go to war with? I thought this whole Gorilla mess with Petro could screw up my plans to get Balducci, but not any more. The train has left the station, and I’m going to get that cocksucker.

  CHAPTER 24

  I always knew that for this plan to work, I would need Sev on board. Although Sev put his Special Services life behind him and willed himself to blend in at Kosher World, I made the ridiculous assumption I could wake up the giant and get him to help me stop Balducci. In my more rational moments, I wondered what the fuck I was thinking. Fortunately, I didn’t have many of those moments.

  Two months before the Gorillas game, Sev and I met on neutral ground. He said I could find him at a blues bar on Francis Lewis Boulevard called Crossroads. When I entered the club, I noticed immediately that I stood out from the rest of the crowd. Not because I was one of the few whites, but because I was so much younger than most of the others. Sev was seated at a small isolated table meant for customers to savor an intimate moment and enjoy the music. The room was dark, but Sev’s thunderstorm eyes could be recognized in a cave. He was part of the majority, but he didn’t blend in; I think he was the only guy in the place not smiling, laughing or talking.

  Bo Beard and his six-piece band were wailing with emotion. The band had a sax, trombone and trumpet player, and they were electrifying the room. Normally, this would have been a unique and awesome experience for me, but I couldn’t focus on it. My concentration was on Sev.

  Sev’s eyes caught mine and he nodded. As I moved closer to his tiny table, I kept second-guessing my idea. What if he wouldn’t get involved? What if he thought my plan would endanger the workers at Kosher World? He could blow the whistle on me and ruin everything. As I drew near, Sev stood up and we simultaneously shook hands and hugged. His hands were big and coarse and his hug was powerful. We sat down at the small table and I noticed a bottle that was already a quarter empty. Sev’s strong eyes were glassy; clearly, he’d been hitting the bottle hard.

  Sev smirked at me and said, “Let’s go, motha-fucka. What was so important you needed to talk to me off-line?”

  Sev is not a guy to play games; he knows what he wants. But I couldn’t just blurt out my reason for coming. “Wow, this place is rockin’. You come here a lot?”

  “Let’s go, asshole. What’s on your mind? You got something to say, so why don’t you?”

  Wow! I’d thought I saw a smile before, but he wasn’t fucking around. I was concerned so I asked, “Sev, you okay?” It’s easy to get defensive when someone barks at you, but I meant the question because I was worried. He really had an edge. Sev hadn’t gone after me like that since he sent me into the Tongue Room way back when.

  Sev saw my concern and lightened up. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He paused and said, “No, I’m not okay. I’m actually far from fuckin’ okay. But that’s not your problem.”

  “C’mon, Sev,” I urged him. “What’s the matter?”

  Sev took a shot and chased it with a swig of beer. He looked at me and said, “You remember me telling you about Hector Pinto the other day on the phone?”

  “Sure. How can I forget? You said he found a better job back in his home country, but Balducci’s not letting anyone quit. Sev, did Balducci chop up Hector Pinto like he did Georgie?”

  “No, because when they chopped up Georgie, Kosher World had to close for the day and that was bad business,” Sev said. “Instead, Balducci had Hector skinned. He literally had his skin ripped off of his body like a carcass of beef at Kosher World. Then Balducci had some of his goons wheel Hector over on a long handcart and leave him to be discovered by people leaving the Locomotive Breath. Imagine the mob scene that caused.”

  “Holy fucking shit.”

  “Holy fucking shit is right,” Sev echoed me with a sigh. “Everyone is walking around like zombies at Kosher World. This is no way to live. This guy Balducci is a worse tyrant than any dictator we tried to bring down when I was in Special Services. I hate that asshole. If there was anything I could do to bring that son of a bitch off his horse, I would do it.”

  I poured a shot of Jim Beam into Sev’s shot glass. It looked like a good time to float a far-fetched idea in front of him.

  Surprising Sev is not easy. Yet surprise him I did when I told him how I want Balducci more than he did. Bear in mind, up to that point Sev thought Balducci was someone I grew up around. Sev thought it was a matter of time before I became part of the corporation. That is until I asked him, “Remember telling me how Balducci sent Bino and Zog out to kill the DA before he could do major damage?”

  “Yeah, when we were in the warehouse.”

  “Sev, that was my family. My father and my sister. I was 50 yards away and I saw Bino’s big fucking red hair streaming from the open window. Every fucking day since you told me that story, I’ve been thinking how to get Balducci, and I know how I can do it.”

  It was a lot of information for someone to absorb, but Sev had seen and heard everything, so he wasn’t completely shocked. He asked a few questions and soon we were on the same page. “Okay, let’s hear this plan.”

  “Balducci’s got something really big that’s going down, and we can fuck it up big time. I’m not talking about just bringing Balducci down. I don’t want to leave a vacuum where any asshole can jump in and take over. We need to take down the whole fucking corporation, and I’m telling you we can.”

  Sev asked, “We, like in you and me, are going to take down the corporation?”

  “It starts with us, but we’re going to need some help. Sev, you’re the only one who can pull this off.”

  Sev looked at me for a full minute, then said, “Don’t worry about my end. Do you know the consequences of what you’re talking about? I know you want the results, but are you prepared for the consequences?”

  “Hell, yeah. Sev, this is all I’ve been thinking about.”

  “I’m not asking what you’re thinking,” he said. “Are you prepared for the consequences? Me, I’ve been in Kosher World 25 years now. I was your age when I didn’t think I had anything to lose. The thing is, you think you have nothing to lose, but there’s always something to lose. Are you sure you are ready for the consequences?”

  “Yeah, Sev, I’m telling you I was put on this planet to bust up the corporation and I’ll do anything to do it.”

  “Good,” Sev said with a stern nod. “I’m interested. Now tell me what you got.”

  I thought I would have to sell Sev on the idea; well, that part was easy. “We all know Balducci is more than a typical mob guy; he’s way beyond that now. He’s gone international and he’s taking over things like factories and construction in places like Uganda, Croatia and even Vietnam.”

  “C’mon,” Sev said. “How can he?”

  “I’ve been spying from inside his own fuckin’ house and I’ve seen some things that will blow you away. He’s not doing it on his own, though, and that’s where we have an opportunity.”

  “Who’s he doing it with?”

  I told him I wasn’t sure. I’d come close to finding out a few times, but the trail went cold. There was some huge money backing Balducci, some big and powerful groups. “But here’s our in. While Balducci is making a ton of money, this group is taking a big chunk of the results and the group maintains control. Balducci feels he’s moving mountains
and giving it away.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “Balducci don’t like sharing his toys in the sandbox. He’s got something really big on tap, and this time it’s just him and one partner.”

  “Who’s the partner?”

  “I don’t know yet, but it’s someone who can open doors.”

  “Don’t you think finding that person is important?”

  “Yes, but you didn’t expect a perfect situation, did you?”

  Sev leans back in his chair a little and rubs his chin. “Where’s this sandbox?”

  “A little place called Iran.”

  Sev grimaces. “That’s a big motha-fuckin’ sandbox.”

  “He’s betting it all on Iran,” I said. “His partner seems to have plenty of money, but more important, he’s connected. Balducci, on the other hand, is really reaching. This can put him in a different stratosphere and he tastes it. It’s not about money anymore. He’s leveraging every penny he has to go at this.”

  “What exactly is this? What is he trying to do?”

  “Him and his partner bought their way into factories and road construction in Iran. They’re dealing directly with the Iranian government. Since 1979 when the Ayatollah took the American hostages, there are all these sanctions on the United States doing business with Iran. Balducci is going to fund and start these entities and bring black-market American products to Iran. Including weapons.”

  Sev’s eyes opened a little wider than usual. “For real?”

  I loved being able to surprise him. “Hey, let me ask you this. Has Balducci been skimming more or less from Kosher World lately?”

  “Much more now than ever before,” Sev answered, his eyes still wide. “It used to be like 15 percent he would take and sell directly. Lately it’s been 50 percent.”

  “You see?” I crowed. “He needs the money now. He’s taking half of all the merchandise. That’s crazy risky, even for him.”

  “What else you got?” Sev asked.

  “Balducci has been accumulating retail stores throughout New York. Then he fills them with products he skimmed from factories. It’s not just from Industrial Road, but from factories all over the state. The ultimate profit margin, Balducci would buy for free, but then sell at full retail. Now he’s dealing with whole shopping malls. The man personally has millions of dollars, enough for any man to retire with. But here’s the thing: Balducci has pledged everything he’s got to this new Iran idea. I mean everything. He’s pledged the stores, the real estate and the malls. Balducci’s balls are on the line. He’s tied up tighter now than ever, and the beauty of that is, he is vulnerable.”

  “How so?” Sev asked.

  “He can’t borrow from banks and he needs money. This skimming business is strictly for the leg-breakers. Here’s the major point: Balducci is relying on cash flow to keep him going right now. He’s up to his eyes in debt, and the money he takes in is what keeps him going. But every time he thinks he is covered, back over in Iran there is another corrupt government official to bribe and another coincidental delay in work that makes this project further and further from completion. He’s in too deep to bail and he needs more to support his position.”

  “I don’t get it,” Sev grumbled. “If he has tons of money, why do this shit at all?”

  “Sev, this has nothing to do with money. Back in Remington Academy, Balducci was always rubbing elbows with all the white-bread dudes there. He wants to be white-bread. You can’t turn back time and force your ancestors onto the Mayflower, but Balducci believes that if he reaches a certain level of power, even the white-bread world has to accept him.”

  Sev slumped over his whiskey bottle and concentrated on stirring the ice in his glass. “So how do we stop him?”

  “Balducci doesn’t have a margin of error now. He’s got it all riding. We have to strike soon and we have to take back Industrial Road. Not only is Industrial Road Balducci’s primary income now, but it’s also the heart of his credibility. We stop him here, we can stop it all.”

  This idea began to penetrate Sev’s body. He leaned back in his chair again, closed his eyes and raised his chin. Then Sev’s eyes opened and he grinned. I saw the whites of Sev’s eyes pushing away the haze of whiskey. This past year, Sev, the natural leader of men with the heart of a winner, took a back seat. Sev was a spectator as his friends were being browbeaten and demoralized. Georgie and Hector were whacked and put on display in the most horrid attempts to intimidate and control. It was killing Sev, but now I had put some hope back into Sev’s body. He didn’t know shit about my plan yet, but the mere possibility of fighting back had resurrected Sev.

  We talked for hours. We drank, we listened to blues music and we planned our attack. Sev had a whole different perspective on things and brought up ideas that I wouldn’t dream of. Sev wanted to talk to his old boy Curtis, the guy dressed like a cop who pulled me out of the last Industrial Road bout. Sev thought Curtis would jump on the idea. “He’s supposed to be stopping guys like Balducci anyway. If he breaks this open, it could be a big deal for Curtis.”

  “But he didn’t do any of this.”

  Sev laughed. “Son, when he gets done back-dating the records, this plan will have been in motion for six years. Believe me, government guys know how to take credit for shit. Is that something you care about?”

  “I don’t.” I really didn’t give a rat’s ass who took credit, especially since I knew that having Curtis on board would increase the chances of my plan’s success.

  Before 10 a.m. Sev had spoken with Curtis and got him involved. “Just like that, he’s in?” I asked Sev over the phone.

  Sev snorted, annoyed by the question. “Did you doubt what I said?”

  “No, but I’m surprised he’s willing to get involved, no strings attached.”

  “There may be a string.”

  “Well, what does Curtis want from us?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  “Okay then, what did he say?”

  Sev told me that Curtis could dump a lot of resources on our plan and thought we could get the job done. “But he needs something from us.”

  “What? What does he need from us?”

  “Christ! I told you, he wouldn’t say. He said he needs something from us when we take Balducci down, but he wants us to concentrate on the task at hand for now.”

  “Sev, isn’t that weird?”

  “You think that’s weird? Shit, do you see who we are involved with?”

  “Yeah, good point,” I agreed. “We can’t avoid committing to Curtis?”

  “It’s a deal breaker. If you don’t want to deal with Curtis, then fuck it. He’ll stay out of the way and watch from the sidelines.”

  I paused and thought about that idea. “You trust him?”

  “Yeah, I trust him.”

  “That’s good enough for me.” Besides, what were the odds I’d be alive when this was over anyway? “Okay, I’m ready to go.”

  “Good. I’ll tell Curtis.”

  I didn’t know what Curtis wanted from me or what corrupt idea he had for the remains of the Balducci dynasty, but I figured I’d jump off that bridge when I got there. First, I’d fuck up Balducci, and then I’d worry about Curtis. I was almost hoping I’d eat a bullet during the process so I wouldn’t have to worry about the consequences.

  CHAPTER 25

  That conversation took place two months ago, and now NY State University is beginning to emerge from hibernation. It’s warmer, and the student body has shed overcoats and ski parkas for windbreakers and Gorilla sweatshirts. Albany is no longer gray from the winter, and daffodils and crocuses are splashing color around the campus. It’s a fun time at school as the spring semester winds down. There are outdoor events with music and flowing kegs. Sure, there are some annoying final exams to take, but we normally manage to fit them in the schedule as well.

  Unfortunately, I won’t be drinking from those kegs, listening to that music or for that matter, taking those final exams. It’s hard to believe th
at, after all I’ve been able to juggle, I won’t be able to get my degree. I’m standing in the kitchen of my apartment with Rocky when I tell her this. I say that it’s a temporary detour and that I’ll be back in the fall to finish my last semester. It’s not like I’m lying, because it’s not completely out of the question, but realistically, if I’m still on this planet, I won’t be the same person. It will be hard to jump back into the frat scene after killing Balducci. I think we both know that but aren’t saying it. She’s worried, and while we were all putting on a nice act before, now the guard is down.

  Rocky faces me, slides her hands around my waist and rests her thumbs on the back two belt loops on my jeans. She tugs down and draws me closer. “You know,” she says, “you can wait a few more weeks. Why not just finish your exams?”

  “Baby, I haven’t been to class in weeks,” I answer.

  I’ll write your teachers a note.”

  “Oh, I can just see that note: ‘Please excuse Kevin because he has to kill Mr. Balducci.’”

  Rocky releases my belt loops and says, “Seriously, just finish school first. I know your father would have wanted that.”

  Normally, I would consider that a low blow, but I know she’s concerned and I know she’s reaching for straws. “C’mon, Rocky, you know I have to do this.”

  “But why now?”

  “Baby, the timing is out of my hands. There are lots of people involved now.”

  “I can’t just sit here and wait for you. I want to go, too. I can help.”

  “No way, Rocky. We’ve been through this before. If I thought you were in danger, it would fuck up my thinking. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re the reason I’m coming back. But you know I have to do this. We both knew this day would come eventually.” I’m staring at Rocky and trying not to be weird, but I want to remember every feature of her face. Damn, she’s the best.

  All the chips are on the table, and the clandestine crap is done. Fewer than 150 workers show up at Kosher World today, the third day of our job action. The first two days were quiet, but the place is heading toward panic. Throughout the last few months Sev tapped all the guys he can trust and told them what was going down. Considering how ruthless Balducci can be, it’s asking a lot. He couldn’t let everyone in on this because some guys, like Bino, would inevitably run and tell Balducci. This is the ultimate union job action and we need to use stealth for full impact. Sev estimates the level of participation in his job action would be 100 percent, and damn if he isn’t right. When Sev tells you to work, you work. I guess when Sev tells you, ‘Stay away and get out of town,’ you evaporate. I can’t think of a single person we tapped who showed up against Sev’s instruction.