by Jon Mills
Calling it in was what Frank had to do. Giving him time to get away, that was Frank still being a friend. Even as he scaled over fences and made his way out of the neighborhood he could still hear the sound of police sirens in the distance. It had been a long while since he had run from the police. While he was only thirty-nine, he was getting too old for this shit. He couldn’t believe it had come to this. Every action, every decision he’d made had led him to this very point now.
He’d wanted to leave behind the past. To put it all behind him. But it wasn’t that easy. The past didn’t want to let him go. It wouldn’t until he finished what he had started. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to Eddie Carmine’s storage locker.
Jack heard a chopper overhead. They were looking for him. It was close to eleven o’clock. The night was at its blackest. By the time he made it to the storage facility located on the west side of Brooklyn, hardly any stars were out.
Brooklyn Storage Facility was open twenty-four hours. A line of concrete garages with orange doors trailed off into the distance. He wandered up the seemingly endless number of lockers until he found 412. He unlocked it and pulled up the metal door. It clanged and echoed into the night. He reached for a cord to turn the light on. Once light flooded the room, he pulled the door down behind him.
He rubbed his hands together. It was getting colder.
Gazing around at what Eddie had stored, his eyes widened. He had an entire arsenal of weapons, a computer, and unknown boxes. He pulled them out and one by one started going through them. Some of them were just filled with everyday belongings. Memorabilia, clothes, photos, and military medals. Eddie had never been one for storing medals in fancy frames. In his eyes, the war was never over. He wouldn’t sleep at night.
Jack pulled out a long case and opened it. Inside was an AR-15 assault rifle. He wasn’t planning on taking it. It would create too much noise. Swat would be called in. As much as he could have used it, he laid it to one side for the time being. In another silver container the size of a briefcase he found two handguns. Each case held two 9mm Glocks with laser guide rods. Each one held fifteen bullets. There was also extra ammo, more than enough. Inside another container was a bulletproof vest, flash bangs, and grenades. Hell, Eddie must have stolen all of this from his days in the military or he’d become an avid collector.
It was hard to imagine why he would have kept all of this. Inside another box was a stack of cash. There had to have been over twenty grand. Why would he have kept that here? He wasn’t exactly living in the Ritz. If he was doing well financially why didn’t he live in the lap of luxury?
Inside another smaller container, he found an envelope. It was addressed to Jack in Rockland Cove.
19
Jack tore the edge of the envelope and removed the letter inside. A pair of keys dropped out. He sat down on an overturned bucket and began reading.
Jack,
If you’re reading this now, I’m no longer here. I’ve written this letter so many times. I’ve tried to mail it even more times.
It’s funny the path we take in life. The older I have got the more I’ve realized that so much of what we do is meaningless. When we are young, we throw ourselves into all manner of things. We think we are invincible, that nothing will touch us. Perhaps that’s why I joined the military. Maybe that’s why many others do. There is a driving need to feel a sense of purpose, direction, and meaning in our lives. And what better way than to align ourselves with a group who say they are trying to change the world. To make it a better place. But truth is, it’s all the same. There is no good or bad side. Each of us makes choices that we justify as being right.
Every side thinks they are good. The rest is just hearsay.
When I met your mother, she was the most beautiful person I had laid eyes on. She had a warm heart. Somehow she could see into my core. She saw the pain I hid. The mask that I wore to keep people at a distance.
When I joined the military, I knew things between us wouldn’t stay the same. I blame myself in many ways for the breakdown of our relationship. And I would like to say your mother was better off without me in her life. But that wouldn’t be true. I never imagined what would happen to her, or either of you.
After a few months in the service for Uncle Sam, I learned your mother was pregnant with you. She told me you were my son but I didn’t believe it.
Jack stopped reading. It felt as if someone had sucker punched him. Here he was always wondering. He’d heard the rumors that Eddie was his father. But he was never quite sure. When you grow up in a household, especially the one he did, you didn’t question. You accepted the hand you had been dealt. He continued reading…
By the time I got out, she had already been living for years with the one you believed to be your father. From what I know, he is the father of Milly, but you are my son. I’ve come to believe that.
Jack, what I did that night when I murdered the man you believed was your father, was for you, your sister, and your mother. I’m sorry I wasn’t there from the time you were born, to protect you and keep you from harm. I tried to persuade you not to get involved with Gafino. But you are like me in so many ways. Stubborn, driven, and will only learn after the fact.
But now, I want you to know about me. I didn’t work at the factory. I did for a time. But I earned my money doing other work. Work that helped people. Those who were looked over by the court system. Those who deserved protection, justice, and someone to be in their corner. There should be enough money stashed here to help you if you need it. And if you wish to continue the work that I began, you’ll find out everything you need to know on the computer. It’s not easy, Jack. But you and I are cut from the same cloth. Gafino would have said we are killers. But that’s not true. Killing is easy. Anyone can do that. What determines who we are is our choices. You have choice, Jack. I know you are haunted by what you have done. The bloodshed. The lives you have taken. And maybe you wish you could reverse time. I wish I could. But what you can do is determine how you finish. How? By helping others. Those who are tread upon by unscrupulous individuals.
But you must know this. It’s not an easy path to take. You can’t surround yourself with those who might be harmed. I think you already know that. Maybe you won’t have someone there beside you at the end of the day. But when you rest your head on that pillow, you will know that you have done what others wouldn’t do. You will have helped those who couldn’t help themselves.
I can’t make that choice for you. And I would understand if you chose to walk from everything and lead a quiet life.
But I think you will know what to do when you are ready.
You will find the set of keys belongs to a truck that I bought a year ago. Ownership is in your name. It’s not much, and I never learned to drive but it’s for you. You’ll find it on the premises. I’ve paid to have it stored in one of the larger units. Use the second key to get in.
For now, all I can say is what I should have said, years ago.
I love you, son.
Eddie
Jack felt himself becoming choked up. He paused for a moment to pull himself together. Inside the envelope was one more thing. A photo, he pulled it out. It was old, yellowed by time. A younger Eddie Carmine stood holding a child, with Jack’s mother beside him. On the back was a date, and the names. Wendy, Eddie, and Jack.
He placed the letter and photo back into the envelope and pocketed it. He checked both Glocks, racked the slide, and then tucked both behind him near the small of his back. He would return later to look everything over. For now, his main priority was the safety of his sister and Dana. Outside he could hear the sound of sirens in the distance. He knew it wouldn’t be easy; police would be combing the streets looking for him.
He exited the storage unit and went and searched for locker number forty-six. It was on the far side of the property. He unlocked the door and slid it up. Inside was a black Ford truck. It wasn’t brand-new but it was in good condition.
20
Leo Carlone could feel another panic attack coming on. He had a lot to lose. His wife and daughter were the most important to him. His livelihood came next. At one time he would have said his reputation mattered. But that was when he was young. Now that was just a joke. Clinging to that was the reason Gafino was buried.
No, now with two women being held in his wine cellar, things were getting way out of control. After Gafino and most of his crew had been wiped out by Jack, he had spent the first month worrying that he would be next. He’d watched Jack rise through the ranks. He was the perfect foot solider. The man they sent in to do the dirty work. If they were the military, he was like special ops. The guy had a knack for taking people out. He rarely made mistakes. That’s why when they learned of his incarceration, they were stunned.
He wanted Jack dead for numerous reasons. His son’s death was only one of them, but he was scared himself. There were few people that really made him sweat. Jack was one of them.
Of course there were others like Jack. Those who did the hits for the older guys. But none of them had the finesse or aptitude to keep them out of the crosshairs. So most wound up dead.
Gafino had a sure thing. Everyone knew it. There were ten of them. The older generation had all but cashed in their chips and were now enjoying the good life in the Caribbean. The few that hadn’t got out, were stuck in New York still working the same game. Extortion was the lifeblood of their work.
Leo had been the only one that had tried to think about the end game. He wanted to get out of the extortion business. He was closing in on sixty years of age. He wanted to live long enough to see his grandchildren.
Having Jack coming after him was the last thing he wanted.
Three months after the death of Gafino he had sent men up to Rockland Cove. He had got wind of where his son had been murdered and assumed that was where Jack would be. His guys spent a weekend searching for him and came up empty-handed.
They didn’t have the manpower or time to dick around searching for him. It was meant to be an easy kill. A shot from a distance. Keep it clean, he said. It never occurred.
The goal was to kill him before he killed them. Though after three months had passed, they had ruled out that this was anything more than payback for Gafino. As much as he missed his son, he wasn’t going to get his hands dirty or finish his life chewing on the end of a gun barrel. He knew if he kept digging and searching for Jack, he would eventually show up.
A month after that, Jack was the least of his concerns. The Sicilian Mafia were. They had a long partnership with them. Drugs were made down in South America, exported to Italy, and then shipped into different ports along the East Coast. It had worked for years. The feds spent more time searching the border between the USA and Mexico than they did some offbeat towns in New England.
Only Gafino knew the towns that shipments were coming in from. He had the dates and times of when product would show up. The problem was, if there was no one there to collect, it was usually destroyed. They couldn’t return with it. This meant the Sicilian Mafia was taking a huge hit in the pocket. With Gafino out of the loop, business on the streets had taken a nosedive. Other crime families were moving in and it wouldn’t be long before everything they had established over the years would be gone.
But getting that sorted out wasn’t first on his priority list. Vito from the Sicilian Mafia wanted to be paid. None of the old-timers had the money. Most had taken that long overdue vacation when they learned of Gafino’s hit. Now all that remained was a handful of men and an extortion business that could never pull in enough money to cover the loss that Vito had suffered.
The only way to get back to business was to take out Jack. He knew it might kill him. That Jack might end his life, but it was the only way he could see them moving forward. To hold off the inevitable. It meant pulling strings. Making dangerous decisions like taking his sister. Anything to lure Jack back out into the open.
To make him face off against the Sicilian Mafia. As there was no way Leo was going to be able to come up with the money they wanted. A quick twist and choice of words and they bought it. They saw that Jack was the one to blame. And in many ways he was. That was not a lie. What Leo had kept from Vito was that he had hoped Jack would kill them and spare him once he returned his sister. He would claim he was forced into it. That he had no control or say in the matter. He would appeal to Jack’s better side. If he even had one? That was debatable.
He had heard from Roy when he was alive that Jack had another side to him. That beyond the brutal acts he committed, there was a side that wanted normality. Whatever normal was. In their world normal was making others do what you wanted them to. Normal was being on top and making sure your enemies were below you. Making sure they knew the pecking order.
He had some of his men bring the two women food and water. He wanted to treat them well. Give them a sense that at least he was on their side. That he wasn’t behind all of this. Then when the time came and Jack showed up, as Leo fully believed he would, they would speak for him. It was a slim shot. But the only one he had. It was that, or die at the hands of Vito.
Leo had arranged to have his wife and daughter take a vacation to California for a month. His wife’s family lived out there. It would give Vito long enough to deal with this matter. It would also give Leo peace of mind that they were out of harm’s way.
Vito was in the middle of chewing out Dominick and Anthony. The news was playing in the background. Reports on a large shooting that had taken place at a hotel in Brooklyn.
“This is all we need. I told you to be discreet about it.”
“There was police already on site. What do you expect is going to happen? We got her, didn’t we?” Dominick replied.
Vito was as tall as the other two. All three of them looked like prizefighters. They weren’t your stereotypical overweight Italian mobsters. They resembled MMA fighters.
“You shot a cop. You know how much heat that is going to bring down on us?” Vito said.
“We have them,” Dominick replied.
“You have no one. We need Jack. Not these bitches.”
“He’ll show up,” Leo added, stepping out of the shadows at the back of the room. “Just be prepared.”
Vito laughed. “There you go again, making out this guy is some sort of machine. He’s human. He bleeds.”
“Yes. Just not like us.”
Vito shook his head.
“Probably best we move this to a different location. I’ve got a house on Long Island,” Leo said.
“And, how do you expect him to know where you are?”
“We’ll have one of the women phone. That way he knows they’re alive.”
“And you really think he is just going to turn himself over?”
“He will if he’s given the option of them being let go.”
“I thought you wanted revenge?”
“I want him dead. Not the women. I’m not an animal.”
Vito laughed. “That’s why I like you, Leo, you really believe your hands aren’t stained in blood. Alright, we do it your way.”
Vito nodded to Dominick. He went off to collect Dana.
A few minutes later he emerged. Dana was struggling. Vito handed her a phone.
“Phone Jack.”
“I don’t—”
He didn’t even let her finish before he backhanded her in the face. Her cheek became instantly red.
“Do it. And on speakerphone.”
Dana took hold of the phone and made a call. It rang a few times then Jack picked up.
“Jack.”
“Dana?”
“Heard a lot about you, Jack. Do you know me?” Vito said.
“Yeah, you’re the asshole I’m going to kill.”
Vito let out a chuckle. “I like this guy.” He paused. “Listen up. This is pretty simple. You now know what we will do. If you want to see your sister and this bitch again, come out to…” Vito looked at Leo for the address. Leo didn’t say it.
He wrote it down on a piece of paper. He didn’t want Jack to think that he had anything to do with this.
“You got it?”
“I’m coming for you,” Jack said.
“Good, I look forward to meeting you.”
21
Jack was already on his way to Leo Carlone’s restaurant when the call came in. They had wanted to wait until the next morning for the meeting. He knew this was all going to be a setup. They would leave in the night. They had no intentions of letting go of his sister or Dana. It was all about power. Control and showing others what would happen if you crossed them. Jack had seen it all in his time working for Gafino. The Sicilian Mafia were no different. They were brutal but they made the same mistakes that others did. They allowed their pride to get in the way. It prevented them from thinking clearly. They would make snap decisions. Wing it. And still believe they would come out on top. That was why Gafino was dead. He really thought he was an untouchable. He believed his own press. That was his first mistake. His second was being too greedy, and his third was double-crossing Jack.
It didn’t take him long to reach the restaurant. He parked across the street. Way out of sight. The truck’s windows were tinted and there were still so many people on the streets celebrating the New Year. He saw a large crowd of college kids pass by, they were hooting and hollering, completely drunk out of their minds. Vehicles passed by blasting out music. The bass reverberated enough that he could feel it in his own vehicle. He slumped down in his seat looking across at the men coming out of the building. He spotted his sister and Dana. The men manhandled them into a black SUV, while Leo and four of his men got into another car.
As they pulled out, he followed, making sure to keep two other vehicles between them. The journey out to Lindenhurst, Long Island, would take just over forty minutes. Lindenhurst was east of the infamous Amityville. He was familiar with the location of Leo’s home. He hadn’t changed it in all the time he’d known him. It was their coastal retreat. It had fourteen rooms, four bathrooms, a pool, and a tennis court. What he remembered about the place was everything was white inside, except the floors, which were made from dark hardwood. White walls, white sofa and chairs, white tables. It was something to see. It backed out onto the coast. It had its own private beach. Leo used to always go on about how he didn’t have money, but that place had to be worth a bundle.