The Legacy of the Assassin

by Tony Bertot

  "Since you refuse to tell me your name, is it alright if I call you Galahad?" Nikki asked him.

  "That's a strange name, but if you must. Galahad it is," Theo responded, happy to put the issue behind them.

  "Well then, Mr. Galahad, I expect you at my apartment on Thursday, at 4:00 p.m. Would that be suitable for you?" Nikki asked him.

  "Yes, ma’am. I'll be there," Theo told her.

  "Mr. Galahad, there will be other people present. Will that be a problem?" Nikki asked him as she made her way to the door.

  "No, as long as they're not as nosey as you," Theo told her smiling.

  "What? I beg your pardon!" Nikki was astonished by his response as he bid her good day, then closed the door behind her.

  "Holy Mother of God. Who the hell is this masked man?" Nikki marveled to herself with more emphasis, still standing outside his door.

  ***

  It was around 10:00 p.m. when Theo decided to make the call to Luis Ruiziano. He had been struggling with the idea for some time as he now realized he had no right to demand they pay him, especially since he had not fulfilled the contract. On the other hand, they claimed they were not the ones who put out the contract on Felicia and Fabio Giordano. Though it was Theo's intention to honor the contract, he wanted to know if there was any progress on who exactly ordered the hit.

  The phone rang four times before anyone picked it up, and Theo was about to hang up when he heard, "Hello is this Nick?"

  Using his old friend Nick’s name as an alias, he responded "Yes."

  "We have found the person responsible for issuing the contract. However, Miss Felicia Giordano has asked that you call her for the information. She will be at the Hampton estate all this week and asked that you call her there," Luis Ruiziano said.

  Theo, caught off guard, said nothing and hung up the phone. He walked out of the bar and headed back to his apartment. He sat for almost thirty minutes thinking about what had transpired.

  "Was Felicia Giordano going to beg for her life? Is that why she wanted to talk to me?" thought Theo.

  He never really got personal with his marks and was not interested in what they had to say. He did not know them, and as far as he was concerned they all deserved to be eliminated; much like the people who hired him.

  So many thoughts went through Theo’s head. Why should he accommodate Felicia when she was no different? It was kind of her, however, to let him know where she would be. But does she think he would not come after her? And why there when she knew Theo was very familiar with the estate? He could get in and out with little difficulty. What was she thinking?

  Finally, Theo decided he would call her on Thanksgiving Day instead of now. At the hospital, she made him wait over six hours in the cold only to be robbed the opportunity to take her out.

  "I'll let her stew a while before calling. See how she likes waiting," Theo thought to himself, smiling.

  The Gatherings

  Thanksgiving Week

  They had arrived in the Hamptons three days after departing Chicago and flying into MacArthur Airport on Long Island. Felicia Giordano bid Luis Ruiziano a warm farewell, assuring him their relationship was intact.

  For most of the ride Felicia was silent, caught up in her thoughts. As Leo Russo sat opposite her in the limo, he could see she was not alright. Her mind was transfixed on plans that only she knew about. He had seen her this way before; it was not a good thing for whomever she had her sites on.

  Two days before Thanksgiving Day, Ted Skowronski arrived at the Hampton home. The guards had been doubled and put on alert. They were advised that no one got through the gates unless personally authorized by either Leo Russo, or Felicia Giordano. In addition, ten guard dogs were strategically located throughout the grounds to curtail any uninvited guests. Finally, Felicia ordered the women hired to impersonate her to be brought to the estate and allowed to roam about the house, making it difficult for anyone to distinguish her through a sniper's scope.

  Receiving word that the assassin had called the Chicago office more than two days ago, Felicia waited in anticipation for his call. They assured her after she returned their call that the assassin had been advised she wanted to talk to him.

  After the third day, she wondered if he was ever going to call, or if instead, he was already outside on the grounds trying to pinpoint her location. It was times such as these she missed her brother Fabio more than ever. He was the rock behind her strength, the one person that could calm her when she was feeling agitated and impatient.

  A welcomed knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.

  "Who is it?" she asked.

  "It's Leo," Leo Russo answered.

  "Yes, Leo. Come in," she responded.

  Leo was like an uncle to Felicia, and probably the only person she trusted.

  "Miss Giordano, we have a guest; a Mr. Ted Skowronski. You were expecting him," Leo said.

  Felicia stared at Leo and smiled. "Yes, my dear friend. Please show him to one of our guestrooms and ask him to join me in the living room after he settles in," she said.

  Putting on a warm sweater over her blue short-sleeved top, Felicia made her way down to the living room, where two men stood guard, and joined Leo Russo.

  "Mr. Skowronski, I am Felicia Giordano," she said standing to greet him as he walked into the room.

  "I know who you are, Miss Giordano, and please call me Ted," he said in a commanding voice. His mannerism and obvious confidence surprised Felicia.

  Ted looked around the room, at the two guards and then at Leo. Felicia immediately knew what he was thinking. She turned to Leo and ordered, “Please leave and take the guards with you. I will be fine."

  Leo stared at her, then at Ted and nodded. "Very well, but if you need me I will be right outside the door," he told her.

  Only after Felicia and Ted were alone in the room did Ted speak. "Miss Giordano, it saddens me that your father and your younger brother are no longer with us," he said shaking his head.

  "Such is the life we lead," Felicia added.

  "Yes, that is true. Let us get down to business as I am sure you have not invited me here simply to join you and your friends for a Thanksgiving dinner," Ted said smiling at her.

  Felicia agreed and got down to business, a business that took them into the late hours. During that time, Leo came to the door twice to check in and twice was sent away.

  That evening Ted joined Felicia and a few others for dinner. For the most part, the arrangements for the next day, Thanksgiving Day, was the primary topic of the dinner, and nothing of what had been discussed between Felicia and Ted was brought up. Leo, feeling somewhat uneasy with Felicia's attention to Ted, approached her on the matter.

  "Leo, Mr. Ted Skowronski was a good friend of my father and a dear friend of the family. I know very little about him. What I do know is that, like you, I can trust him. So I am asking you to trust me though I cannot tell you what we have discussed. In the end you will understand," Felicia said, placing her hand on his arm.

  "Felicia, you are like a daughter to me and I am only concerned about your welfare," Leo told her.

  Felicia smiled at him and gave him a hug and said, “I know, my dear friend, and thank you for your loyalty."

  ***

  It was early the next day when Felicia received the call. At first she stared at the phone as it rang, knowing who would be on the other end. Finally, she picked it up after the third ring. "Hello," she said.

  "Miss Giordano. How are you?" Theo asked.

  "Alive," Felicia responded in a sarcastic yet controlled voice.

  "Believe me, it was not my intention to let you live," responded Theo.

  Taking a deep breath and bringing her anger under control she said, "You bastard, you killed my brother, and for that I will never forgive you." Taking a deep breath she continued with, "But I understand you were contracted to carry out the hit by someone you thought was working for us. We now know who it was and we want you to go after them. We will also doub
le our normal fee."

  There was silence at the other end as Theo contemplated her proposition.

  Finally, Theo replied in a very calm voice, "Regardless of who put out the contract, I am bound to honor it."

  "I understand, but I am asking you to change the mark to the people who lied to you. It was never their intention to honor the contract. Your original agreement was with us, not with someone who was using our process to hire you. They did it under false pretense," Felicia said almost shouting.

  Theo thought about this for a few seconds, then said, "I agree." He waited a beat before continuing. "OK. You know what needs to be done. I will be in touch over the next few days. Have the information ready for me." To ensure she didn’t mistake his intentions, Theo added, "Miss Giordano, I liked your brother, but I don't particularly like you. If I had a choice between you two, I would have preferred that your brother live. So let me assure you that if this is some sort of a trick, all your guards and impersonators won't be able to stop me from getting to you."

  "It's not a trick and I will honor our contract. I will have the information in a few days," Felicia said and hung up. "You son of a bitch, you will pay dearly for killing my brother. I swear it," Felicia said to herself as she banged her clenched fists on the desk.

  "Leo!" Felicia shouted. Within seconds, Leo was at her door. "I need you to get all the information we have on this Tom Diasparra and his wife. Contact Luis Ruiziano and see if someone has a picture of him. Get the word out to every vendor, snitch, and politico contact we have. We also need to fabricate a crime where someone identifies this Tom and his wife as the perpetrators so the news media will post their pictures. The crime has to be big enough so that law enforcement agencies will be tripping over one another to get them," Felicia said.

  Leo was now pleased to see the old Felicia returning. He could tell by the excitement in her voice that she enjoyed this; the excitement of the chase.

  Felicia smiled at him and in a cold voice said, “Before the end of this year, the world we know will once again fear and respect the Giordano name."

  ***

  Nick was up around 6:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day as he peered out his window, wondering if anyone was looking for him; wondering if the Feds were really looking for him instead of Tyler. He knew he could not rely on Slash keeping his mouth shut. On the other hand, what could the Feds have on him? In either case, he wasn't ready to give up his freedom so easily, like he did the first time.

  One of the first things Nick did when he got out was to try to connect with Jay Messina. Unfortunately, it appeared as if Jay had flown the coop. If he was still alive he would be down south; a promise he made to both him and Theo before they parted ways. Only thing was, Nick could not remember what tropical paradise Jay said he would fly off to.

  Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Nick knew who it was. “My, she is up early,” he thought, smiling to himself. Over the last few days, Nick and Denise had become inseparable. It had been a long time since Nick had the company of a woman, and Denise was more than willing to be his companion.

  "Who's there," Nick asked through the closed door.

  "Who else do you think it would be," Denise asked him.

  "Is that you, Judy?" Nick asked.

  "I'll give you a Judy upside your head if you don't open this door right now," Denise said.

  Nick opened the door to her and took her in his arms. "My, you are beautiful," Nick said as he kissed her and carried her into his apartment, kicking the door closed behind him. She returned the kiss passionately as they went into the bedroom where, for the first time since they met, they made love. It came naturally to both of them, as if they had been together before.

  "Happy Thanksgiving," Denise said.

  "Wow. Guess it will be a long time before I think of Thanksgiving as just another day," Nick responded as they lay there together with her head on his chest.

  For the first time in Nick's life, he was in love. A feeling he thought he understood, but now knew better. She was everything a man like him could want in a woman.

  "Nick, do you love me?" Denise asked him in a soft voice.

  "Yeah, I think I do," Nick responded. "Denise, I can't stay here. You understand that, don't you?" he asked.

  "Yes, I understand, and I can't leave here for lots of reasons," Denise said as a tear escaped her eye onto his chest.

  "Let's not worry about that now. We got today, tomorrow and maybe the weekend," Nick said.

  "OK," Denise said holding him tighter.

  It was a couple of hours later when Denise jumped out of bed, quickly showered and bid him goodbye, saying something about how she was suppose to be helping Ana and Dianna with the turkey.

  "I'll see you in a couple of hours," she told him as she bent down and kissed him. Nick smiled at her and nodded as he watched her walk out of the room.

  ***

  Tyler watched TV for a little while before getting dressed and leaving the apartment. As he passed Nick's door, he thought about asking him if he wanted to join him, but then decided against it, especially when he heard Denise's voice through the closed door.

  Over the last few days, Tyler had joined Nick and Denise a couple of times for a night walk, or early dinner. Tyler could see that they both enjoyed each other's company and did not want to intrude; always feeling like a third wheel.

  As Tyler passed the Randazzo's apartment, he could hear Ana shouting out to Benito, something about helping with setting the table. Tyler enjoyed their company and looked forward to having Thanksgiving dinner with them. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Tyler walked to the back of the apartment building, then went behind three buildings before exiting out onto the street. Though there was plenty of traffic, the streets were practically empty of people. “Guess everyone is where they should be”, thought Tyler.

  During these walks, and over the last few days, he had thought about what he had learned about his father. Nick described his father as one of a kind. The kind of man that would sacrifice everything for the safety of the ones he loved. Slowly, Tyler realized that maybe he was wrong about his father. Considering who he was and the kind of people who were after him, Theo had stayed away to protect them. Tyler now understood and knew that given the same situation, he would have done the same thing.

  Two hours later, he was across the street from the apartment building. Finding a safe spot, he scanned the area for anyone suspicious before crossing the street and going into the building. It was Tyler's intention to leave in a couple of days for California; with or without Nick Costello.

  ***

  Kathy and Tom had rented a furnished, upstairs flat from an elderly couple in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The couple could not be happier when Kathy handed them a year's rent in advance.

  In the seclusion of their flat, Tom could see his wife’s concern. "We'll be ok," he told Kathy. She looked at him and smiled.

  Walking over to him and giving him a hug she said, “No, we won't. It's just a matter of time and you know it."

  Tom looked into her eyes and nodded, then said, "There's not much we can do about it."

  "No, Tom! You are wrong. There's plenty we can do. We can go after her before she gets us," Kathy told him.

  Tom stared at her as if she had lost her marbles. "What! Are you out of your mind?" he asked her.

  "Tom, we have no choice or we will be running for the rest of our lives," Kathy said.

  Tom pulled away from her and sat down at the kitchen table, going over what she had said. He turned and looked at her, nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right. We can't live hiding in the shadows, afraid to show our faces. We have to get her before she gets us."

  With that, they began to make plans on how to take Felicia Giordano out; plans that would haul them from the frying pan and into the fire.

  ***

  After calling Felicia, Theo felt a little more at ease knowing that he might not have to worry about her for a few days. The Giordanos were a good business for him, and h
e had made quite a lot of money working for them. In fact, he made enough money to move to a remote spot in South America, where the only real friend he thought he had now lived. Maybe after this last job he could go away for good and never have to deal with Miss Giordano and her associates again. “I think she knows better than to come after me”, he thought to himself, not realizing that he was underestimating her.

  As he entered the hallway leading to his apartment, he could smell the aroma of turkey coming from several of the apartments on his floor. He could hear laughter and people talking as he passed each door. In a few hours, he would join Nikki Gaweli and her guests at her apartment, as promised.

  Theo was somewhat reluctant in sharing the evening with strangers, but remembered what it was like at the Randazzo household. Remembered how they treated him and how much he missed that atmosphere. He remembered Ana, Benito, Calito, Sonia, Nick and most of all Sylvia. He missed her terribly, and his heart ached knowing that he could not save her.

  It happened so long ago and yet it seemed like yesterday when last he held her in his arms. When they kissed for the first time after not seeing each other for over five years, Tyler had been asleep. Theo remembered Sylvia begging him to stay and to leave the world he was in. If only he had listened, she would probably be alive today.

  He knew in his heart that he was only fooling himself, that it would only be a matter of time before tragedy would come knocking. Theo was given the gift to shoot with remarkable accuracy, and was never meant to lead a normal life like most people. Such were the cards he was dealt, but he still longed for the warm feeling of a family gathering around a dinner table.

  Theo began to wonder if a normal life was truly out of reach. He was looking forward to seeing Nikki again and actually considered asking her to leave with him for South America.

  Thanksgiving Dinner

  New York/New Jersey/Chicago