The Birth of an Assassin

by Tony Bertot

  “To the airport, driver,” ordered one of the occupants.

  “So what do you think, Leo?” Fazio asked.

  “I don’t trust him. Yeah I know he aint got the balls of his old man. But I still don’t trust him,” Leo responded.

  “How about you John, Erin got any thought?” Fazio asked them.

  Their conversation continued on for almost twenty minutes with no one paying attention to the direction the limo was going. So it came as a surprise when suddenly they came to a stop inside a warehouse.

  They heard the driver’s door open and close.

  “Step out of the car with your hands where we can see them,” someone shouted out to them.

  “What the f…,” Leo said.

  “So you can shoot us down,” Fazio shouted out.

  “No one is going to get shot as long as you do as we order,” someone shouted back.

  Fazio Giordano, Leo Russo, John De Luca and Erin Romano stepped out of the limousine with their hands up.

  “Now put your guns back in your holsters and keep your hands where we can see them,” one of the hooded men said.

  Fazio stepped forward and asked,

  “Who’s in charge here?”

  “None of your business,”

  “Where’s the driver?” Fazio shouted out.

  “Why the fuck would you care what we did with him?” another hooded man standing behind some crates behind them asked.

  “He’s just a poor sap who drove a limo for a living, not part of any of this shit,” Fazio responded.

  The man behind the crates came forward carrying a sniper rifle raised to shoulder length. He walked to the back of the limo and opened the trunk. He reached in and pulled out the driver who had been tied and gagged. One of Fazio’s men walked over removed the gag and untied the man.

  “I’m sorry Mr. Fazio. They jumped me from behind. I… I didn’t see them, sir,” the driver stammered nervously.

  “Driver, shut up and get back into your limo and stay there,” the man with the sniper rifled ordered.

  “What do you want?” Fazio asked them.

  “We want to know where the Sabrisio brothers are. Where are they hiding?” the other hooded man asked.

  “What makes you think we would know?” Leo Russo asked.

  “Don’t you?” responded Nick.

  “We’re not part of the Giovanna Family,” Erin said to them.

  “Who among you is in charge?” Theo asked.

  Fazio stepped forward and said he was.

  “Who are you?” Nick asked.

  “My name is Fazio Giordano of Queens New York. These men work for me,” Fazio said.

  Nick came forward carrying a shotgun.

  “So you’re Fazio Giordano. I’ve heard of you. They say you brought down the Costellino Family. Why didn’t you have Bolnaldo rubbed out when you had the chance?” Nick asked.

  “The guy got a horseshoe up his ass,” Fazio answered.

  “What do you want with us?” Fazio asked again.

  “We want the Sabrisio brothers. Simple as that,” Theo said.

  “Well we can’t help you. We don’t know what hole they crawled into.” Fazio said.

  Nick fired at Fazio’s feet causing Fazio to back off.

  “You expect us to believe that?” Nick asked him.

  Leo moved in front of Fazio.

  “Yeah, we do!” Leo shouted back at him.

  Theo moved up and placed the end of his rifle up against Fazio’s head and said,

  “If I find out you lied to us. I promise I will come after you.”

  “We are not lying to you,” Fazio said in a calmed voice.

  “You got real balls, Mr. Fazio,” Nick said laughing.

  “Alright, all of you except Mr. Fazio get back into the limo,” Nick ordered.

  With Fazio’s nod they complied.

  Nick walked up to Fazio and stared into his face.

  “We are going to find the Sabrisio brothers and kill them just like we did the men who killed our fathers. This I promise and if you or any of your men get in our way we will come after you as well. Do you understand me?” Nick said to Fazio.

  “I understand and if I find out anything I would be more than happy to pass you the information,” answered Fazio looking into Nick’s face.

  “Maybe we can hire you,” Fazio said.

  “What? You want to hire us?” Nick said laughing.

  “Yeah, I can use two good men who got the balls to do what it takes,” Fazio told him.

  “Maybe I’ll take you up on that,” Nick said.

  “How can I get a hold of you?” Fazio asked.

  “I’ll call you. The name is Nick. That’s all you need to know,” Nick told him.

  “And your friend, here,” Fazio said nodding towards Theo.

  “His name is Nick, too,” Nick responded.

  “Ok, then. Can I go now?” Fazio asked him.

  “Yeah, get the hell out of here. Sorry if I made you miss your plane,” Nick said laughing.

  With that, Fazio got back into the limousine and they drove off.

  “What was that all about,” Theo asked Nick.

  “We can make a lot of money working for that guy,” Nick told Theo.

  “You crazy or something? They’ll kill us the first chance they get,” Theo responded.

  “They got to know who we are first and I don’t plan to tell them,” Nick responded.

  “You mean as guns for hire?” Theo asked.

  “Why not, we did it for the military. It’s not like you would be killing anyone not worth killing,” Nick surmised.

  Theo stared at Nick.

  “Of course you can never go back to your wife and kid. They’ll always be in danger,” Nick told Theo.

  Theo turned and stared out into space thinking about what Nick had just told him. Back to when he was much younger – a time he his grandfather talked about his ability to shoot. “You reap what you sow,” he heard someone say once. I cannot go back; cannot bring harm or any threats to Sylvia or Tyler, ever. Theo thought to himself.

  “So be it,” Theo said aloud.

  Old Friends/Planning Stages

  New Jersey/Chicago

  It was almost two weeks before Fazio got the call from Nick Costello.

  “Mr. Fazio, this is Nick, your Chicago friend, calling to see if you have any news for me,” Nick told him.

  Fazio, not wanting to take any chances, advised Nick he called the wrong number and suggested another number to call. A minute later, they were having a conversation on the other line.

  Fazio set up several phones which were electronically monitored for bugs every time they were used.

  “We can speak openly on this line,” Fazio told Nick.

  “Do you have any news for us?” asked Nick.

  “Actually we got word Florida is a great place to vacation. Especially the Ocala area where you can get good race horses,” Fazio said.

  A moment of silence followed before Nick responded,

  “Well thank you for the tip. Keep an eye on the news. We might get lucky and hit it big,” Nick responded.

  Theo listened to the conversation with amusement.

  “If the line is secured why speak cryptically?” Theo asked Nick.

  “Guy isn’t stupid. His end may be secured but he doesn’t know me from Adam. He doesn’t trust me,” Nick responded smiling.

  “Well I guess we are going to find out if we can trust him soon enough,” Theo said.

  After almost two years of planning, they decided to go after the Giovanna Family in their own backyard of Chicago. Before making any moves, they first had to find out where all the players were. The piece of information provided by Fazio was the final one. The one they were waiting for.

  Their plan involved flying out to Newark, NJ, to visit with an old friend and driving back the 500 plus miles. The next part would involve flying into Florida and driving north to Ocala. It also involved shedding their identities. Something t
hey had never done before.

  Upon their arrival in Newark, they went straight to visit Ray Messina, who now owned a gun shop. They waited until the shop’s sign was set to closed before they knocked on his door.

  “Oh, my God, what in the hell are you two doing here? I know it aint anything good,” Ray said giving each a handshake followed by a hearty hug.

  After explaining their plans to Ray who took it all in without a comment, they waited for his response.

  “You shitheads are going to take on one of the biggest crime families in Chicago and you expect me to help you? Have I got this right?” Ray asked them.

  “Pretty much,” Nick responded.

  “Theo, what about your wife and son? How do they fit into all this?” Ray asked Theo.

  “Staying away from them until this is all over,” Theo responded.

  “You guys realize it aint never going to be over. Once you go down this path you’ll become hunted men, if not by the crime families then by the authorities. They won’t stop till they get you,” Ray told them both.

  “Nick, why are you dragging Theo into your war? He’s not part of this,” Ray asked Nick.

  “Nick didn’t drag me into anything. I chose to join him. They are as much my enemies as they are his. They were responsible for killing my father too,” Theo responded.

  “Ok, if that’s what you guys want to do. Let me see what I got in the back for you,” Ray said.

  After several hours, they discussed the importance of using disguises Ray provided them with several handguns with modified silencers.

  “Always assume you will be discovered and never go into any enclosed area without knowing another exit. You guys understand?” Ray asked them.

  “Yeah we got it,” Nick said.

  “I have a friend here in Newark who can set you up with different disguises. I suggest you each get at least three. Though he’s a friend, you are not to trust him. Don’t tell him anything about what you are doing or planning. Don’t tell anyone,” Ray emphasized.

  “You want to go with us?” Nick asked Ray.

  “Nope, don’t like the odds, especially with two amateurs as my sidekicks,” Ray told them laughing.

  “You guys be careful and if you ever need anything, don’t call me!” Ray said laughing.

  “Take care Ray and thanks for the help,” Theo said as they once more hugged and parted ways.

  They walked about half a block when Nick spotted a nice black 1960 Buick La Sabre. Looking around he tried the door and found it was unlocked.

  “Come on let’s get the hell out of here,” Nick said.

  In less than a minute, they were on their way back to Chicago.

  Twenty minutes later Ray Messina exited his shop and headed for his car, which had been stolen.

  “Son-of-a-bitch! It had to be Nick,” Ray almost screamed to himself.

  It was not until they had driven almost two hundred miles that they discovered the car they stole belonged to their good friend, Ray Messina. It was the first time Nick heard Theo laugh out loud. They laughed all the way back to Chicago. After wiping down the car they called Ray and told him where they would leave it. They would even call the police and report an abandoned car. They will make sure the gas tank is empty so the police would not get suspicious. Ray would report the car stolen from his house. The Chicago police were not surprised to hear that another car, in the vicinity where the abandoned car was left, had been reported stolen the next day.

  Two days after arriving in Chicago Theo and Nick headed straight to the airport, where they left the stolen car and bought tickets to Florida two days in advance. Next, they headed back to Chicago and planned their assault on the headquarters of the Giovanna Family.

  End of a Life/Beginning of Another

  Chicago/Florida/San Francisco

  Members of the Giovanna/Sabrisio crime family who survived the attack a couple of years back were sitting around at their new headquarters at 1344 S. Wabash watching television. The new location was a three-story office building they managed to get dirt-cheap after persuading the owner to give it up.

  Anthony Giovanna, now in charge of the organization, suggested combining both families into one location so better control could be achieved. This building fulfilled that goal. With his father dead and buried, the Sabrisio brothers entertained the idea of simply putting a bullet through Anthony’s head and taking complete control of the organization. However, with the attack on them by Nick and Theo, the incident at Lake Zurich, and the plan that landed Bolnaldo Costellino in jail, they were uncertain who exactly was pulling the strings. They could not have known the last two incidents were unrelated. Of additional concern was the growing popularity of Fazio Giordano as a shrewd and unpredictable crime boss.

  Having a stronger foothold in the organization, Frank and Emilio Sabrisio persuaded Anthony Giovanna to expand into Florida. By telling him everyone would see him as a strong leader, even stronger than his father, Anthony eagerly agreed. However, the truth was Frank and Emilio feared for their lives. They invested a great deal of money and manpower in trying to track down who was attacking them, with no positive results. They took a lot of precaution moving about, always heavily guarded, without a schedule, and never remaining in any one place for more than two days before moving on. It was almost six months ago when they decided to visit the new headquarters. Heavily armed, they reached the building at around 6:00am. Before leaving the limo the bodyguards formed two rows with ten men on each side, between the entrance to the building and the door to the limousine. As Frank and Emilio emerged and began to rush towards the entrance, men started to drop around them. Before Frank and Emilio reached the safety of the building, six men met their maker, Emilio and three others were wounded. This scared the crap out of both Emilio and Frank so much that it was two days before they exited the building and only when the limousine was actually brought up onto the sidewalk. Though the police combed the neighborhood, no evidence of where the shots came from could be determined. Both Emilio and Frank were on the next flight to Florida.

  It was under the cover of night at around 4:00 am when three quick shots took out the men standing guard at the entrance to 1344 South Wabash. Moving quick, Nick entered five minutes later, dragging the bodies of the three men into the lobby. From a taller building across the street, Theo swooped down onto the top of the building. Also armed with two guns with silencers and a hunting knife he entered the building from the roof. Slowly Theo made his way down the stairs as Nick made his way up the stairs. Each room checked as both men made their way to the second floor where they approached from both ends of the hallways. On the second floor, they found an opened safe containing more the $175,000 dollars.

  “Wow, we hit the jackpot,” commented Nick.

  The entire operation took about twenty minutes to complete. Both men left through the front door with not a drop of blood on either of them, stole another car and drove it to the airport where they parked it. They walked through the airport, exited and hailed a cab which took them to a hotel where they had previously reserved a room. There they changed clothes; Theo shaved his head while Nick colored his hair. They developed a plan to scatter the money among several banks over the next couple of months so no one would get suspicious. In the meantime, they would secure most of it in a safe at the hotel and leave it there until they return.

  Half an hour later, they were on their way to Florida. Four and half hours later, they were in a rented car heading north towards Ocala, arriving at around 12:45am. They monitored the radio for any news regarding the attack in Chicago. A mile from their destination they entered a luncheonette. The radio was broadcasting the news for the day. They sat there in anticipation that any second now they would hear about a mob hit in the windy city. Nothing came over the airwaves. Confident that the Sabrisio brothers would not be expecting them, they got back into the car and headed to the home of Emilio and Frank.

  “Those assholes in Chicago must be asleep. I called them three ti
mes and no one is picking up the damn phone,” shouted Emilio.

  “Hey, take it easy. They’re probably all out to lunch,” Frank said.

  “All of them? That sure as hell doesn’t make any sense,” Emilio responded back.

  Frank stared at his brother, thinking about what he just said.

  “Emilio, you’re right. It doesn’t make sense. Someone should have answered. Call Anthony Giovanna and ask him to send some of his boys over there to check things out,” Frank said.

  Within five minutes, Emilio was on the phone with Anthony Giovanna.

  “Hey, no problem, I’ll go over myself,” Anthony told Emilio.

  Frank walked over to the front of the house and shouted out to one of his men to bring the car. Fifteen minutes later Frank and Emilio were heading towards the door when Frank stopped in his tracks.

  “What’s wrong, Frank?” Emilio asked.

  “I didn’t hear the car pull up,” Frank said as they both stared at the front door. Cautiously Emilio moved towards the window and peeked out the side of the drawn curtain. There was no car in the front and no one to be seen. He quickly drew his weapon as did Frank. They both immediately headed upstairs where they had more weapons. They each took a window and peered out to an empty compound. They could see garage door was closed.

  “Where’d they go?” Emilio asked Frank.

  “How the fuck do I know? Something aint right,” Frank said.

  Suddenly the phone rang causing both men to jump. Frank ducked down in front of the window and picked up the handset.

  “Hello, who is this?” Frank asked.

  “Frank they’re all dead. It’s a fucking bloodbath. I can’t believe it. We’ve been cleaned out,” Frank heard Anthony say. All of a sudden the line went dead.

  “Hello, hello, Anthony you there?” Frank asked.

  No answer.

  Frank could see the alarm in Emilio’s eyes.

  “Someone’s in the house,” Frank whispered to Emilio.

  Emilio moved to Frank’s side.

  “Stay low,” Emilio whispered as he softly exited the room half crouching.

  On hands and knees, both men headed towards the top of the stairs. Frank saw the shadow of someone outside near the front door. He raised his gun and aimed, waiting for whomever it was to come through the door. Emilio tapped his shoulder and nodding no, pointed to the back.