Chapter 14
Albert sat outside on the balcony, eating bacon and eggs, alongside Alonzo, Benny, and Carlos. Eddie brought a round of coffees to the table, as well as a jug of orange juice.
“How was he?” Albert asked, after taking a sip of coffee.
Benny nodded, “He was pretty fucked up.”
Albert placed his mug down, “I can’t go and see him, that is exactly what they want me to leave here and go to the fucking hospital!”
Awkward silence fell upon the bosses.
“No one is saying you should go and see him,” Alonzo Senior finally spoke after a few minutes.
“Yeah Al, of course that’s what Chuck wants,” Carlos said.
“Exactly what he wants,” Benny said.
Albert watched as Salvatore’s white van pulled up on the curb. Sin, Alonzo Junior, and Salvatore were greeted by a couple of Benny’s guys as they made their way up to the balcony. Albert noticed Alonzo Junior was holding a large coffee tin. Once the three youngsters were at the table they greeted the captain’s respectfully, and Sin ordered Alonzo Junior to hand the fat tin to Albert.
“What’s this?” Albert asked.
“Tribute. We’ve been putting in some extra work,” Sin said.
Albert opened the large coffee tin with his knife, to see at least thirty thousand wrapped in bundles inside. “Now that is dedication.”
Albert got out of his chair, to give Sin a hug, and ordered Eddie to fix him a plate.
“Could not of happened without these two guys right here,” Sin said, pointing at both Salvatore and Alonzo Junior, whom were immediately congratulated by their fathers.
Sin could feel the envious looks of Carlos, Alonzo Sr., and Benny on him; it was only natural, given the current situation, their crews were not exactly out making money.
“It was this guys brains though,” Salvatore said, referring to Sin.
“A born leader,” Albert toasted his orange juice.
“Is it alright if I take Salvatore and Alonzo Junior again tomorrow?” Sin asked, when it was only Albert left at the table.
Albert shook his head; “I need these two to go with Carlos tomorrow. He needs to sort a few things out at Rolled.”
“I was kind of hoping to get a couple of things sorted that will help us in the future, and do some surveillance on Chuck’s office,” Sin said.
Albert cracked his knuckles under his chin; “You can take Mike with you.”
“What about you?” Sin asked.
“I’ll be fine. There is a small army living here, and I’m not going out anywhere.”
“Alright, any chances of us having a third man come along?” Sin asked.
Albert stood up out of his chair, “No, and I’m going to need you and Mike to come with me on some errands next week. Things that can’t be left undone.”
“Of course,” Sin said.
Albert wanted to be alone for the time being and made his way back to the main bedroom of the house, locking both of the locks as he entered. He felt safer now that Mike and Sin were staying, along with at least twenty others; with all of the soldiers and capos here, some had even taken to sleeping in the shed out back.
After falling asleep, a knock on the door had Albert, grabbing his gun off the dresser, “Who is it?”
“Alonzo.”
Albert unlocked both of the locks and let his brother inside, “What’s news?”
“I’ve paid off a few guys in the joint to look out for Domenic, and the others whilst this shit is going on,” Alonzo said. Domenic was another captain in the family who still had a year left until he would see freedom.
“Good,” Albert said, thinking.
“Get Benny to get in touch with some of the contractors and see if he can get us some more time,” Albert said.
“I’m on it.”
“You okay?” Albert asked.
“Yeah why?” Alonzo asked, surprised.
“Because I know how you must be feeling about Donny,” Albert said.
“It’s hard, I feel like Chuck is shitting on us.”
“He is. Things will change soon,” Albert said.
“I know,” Alonzo said.
“In the meantime, I want you to send a few of your guys to camp out at Willow’s. Samuele is too unreliable, fucking guy was out for hours, just left Donny there alone.”
“I don’t like that kid,” Alonzo said.
“It will be good when this shit is all over. I got big things lined up for us,” Albert said.
Sin explained to Mike, that Albert had given them the go ahead for a few projects. The big guy just sat back in his chair with his feet on the coffee table nodding, as he held the shotgun in his hands. After explaining everything Sin informed Samuele via telephone that a few of Benny’s troops were going to come and keep him company at Willows.
“You’re moving up fast,” Mike said.
Sin dozed off watching the discovery channel, and Mike decided to drag himself to his mattress before he fell asleep.
The next morning Mike got up to see Albert having coffee with Alonzo on the balcony; accompanied by Eddie. The big guy found Sin still asleep on the couch, Mike shook the young soldiers foot waking him.
“We doing this shit?”
Sin wiped his eyes, “Yeah,” he picked up his gun off the coffee table.
“Where to first?” Mike asked, as he drove out of the street.
Sin punched in the location of the carwash and then made a call to someone indicating he was on his way.
Mike pulled up just outside the office of the carwash. The place looked run down and in need of a lot of renovations. The big man shut off the engine and both he and Sin got out of the car, as they did a small black car drove in toward them and Mike made for his gun. Sin stopped him, “It’s okay.”
The driver of the small black car climbed out. The man was in his forties; he was dressed sharp in a pinstripe suit and black leather shoes.
“Sin,” the man smiled, as he waved papers about.
“Randy,” Sin gestured to Mike, “This is Mike.”
The businessman just curtly nodded and pulled out a pen from his pocket, “It’s already to go.”
“Good, I want to open up as soon as possible,” Sin said.
Randy handed over the papers and Sin signed them on the bonnet of Mike’s car.
“I wish you the best of luck,” Randy said, as he handed over the keys to the office.
“Thank you.”
“Mr. Businessman now,” Mike laughed, as they drove to the next destination.
“Got to start somewhere,” Sin said, smiling as he looked over his newly acquired property.
“Albert will be proud,” Mike said.
“This place is going to be good for the family. It is close to our construction businesses and Willow’s. It brings us all closer.”
Mike pulled up across the road from the address Sin had obtained from Rag’s and they waited for any sign of Philip. They observed two of Chuck’s security guards smoking and talking, as they patrolled the car park. People entered and exited the building for hours on end, some of them looked like office workers, others like typical drug dealers; covered in gold with baggy clothes.
Hours went by and the two eventually decided that they would need some food for their stakeout. They quickly purchased some takeaways and returned to a different spot to get a better view. Half way through the meals Philip appeared alone; his enormous figure made the security guards look small in comparison. He looked around and used his remote to unlock his flashy car.
“Right in the middle of my meal,” Mike said, groaning.
Philip did not even bother to hide to hide the fact he was carrying a gun as he took it out the back of his pants and threw it on the passenger seat.
“Follow him,” Sin said.
The two cautiously followed Philip from a safe distance. He made multiple stops each time he seemed to be collecting money from people, one time however he seemed to be paying it; two police cars were parked in a no parking zone and Philip handed each squad car passenger fat envelopes.
“Fucking cops, they are the biggest crooks in the city,” Mike said, as he took the opportunity to munch on some fries.
“They are the lowest of us all, can’t believe they are such valued members of the public,” Sin said.
Philip made one more stop at a small bakery and after disappearing inside for several minutes, he returned with a bag of food, and another envelope wedged between his pants.
The two soldiers followed him back to the office, and waited until he was back behind closed doors before leaving.
“We’ll come back at the same time next week and see if he does it again.” Sin said.
“Where are we going pop?” Salvatore asked.
Carlos was driving his small four door car that looked like a typical suburban family car, and that is exactly how he liked it. “Macbies Plumbing.”
“What for?” Alonzo Junior asked, sitting in the back.
“Soon as Harold fucking died, this prick Macbie’s came in and undercut Harold’s bid at the Luxurious,” Carlos said.
Luxurious was the Giuseppe family’s new major income; the cities largest construction project happening in the business precinct, it was three towers on one entire block. There would be restaurants and shops underneath the towers housing nearly one thousand people.
Carlos pulled up into a car park opposite a building that read Macbie’s Plumbing. It was a small business located between two other shops in the heart of the industrial area a few kilometers from Giuseppe Trucking.
“There you go,” Carlos said.
Salvatore looked at his father questioningly, “What am I doing to this guy?”
“Show Alonzo Junior some new tricks,” Carlos said, lighting a cigar.
“And if the guy don’t want to learn?” Salvatore asked.
Carlos leaned over Salvatore and opened the dash revealing a clean handgun. “Then he has to be put down.”
Carlos handed the gun to Alonzo Junior, who tucked it away between his tracksuit pants and jacket. Carlos looked around cautiously no one else seemed to be lurking around and he gave the nod of approval to the two young Giuseppe relatives.
The captain looked at himself in the side mirror, his hair had completely turned gray and he looked a lot older than his little cousins; even though he was only fifty-eight years old. He blew out cigar smoke, as he watched Salvatore and Alonzo Junior enter the plumbing storefront.
“Do you guys think I’m scared of a couple of wiseguys?” Macbie laughed, as he pulled out a baseball bat from behind his desk.
“Whoa, no need for that now,” Salvatore said.
“Fuck you. You two come parading in here giving fucking orders and expect me to lay down?” Macbie took a step closer.
“All we are trying to do is, uh, advise you that maybe…you should find another contract, because this one, is spoken for,” Salvatore said, warningly.
“I know it is taken for by me you fucking hood rats,” Macbie’s knuckles went white as they clenched the bat as hard as he could.
Alonzo Junior pulled out his new gun and aimed it at the plumbing contractor. Salvatore used the distraction and disarmed Macbie of the baseball bat and cracked the tradesman in the knee with it. Alonzo Junior shot off a round deliberately missing the man just to scare him.
“Fuck, fuck!” Macbie cried out.
“Shoot him in the other knee,” Salvatore said.
Alonzo aimed his weapon, only to have Macbie put a hand up in surrender. “Don’t! I’ll do it!”
“Appreciate that. There is plenty of other contracts around the city,” Salvatore said, as he wiped his prints from the bat, “Oh and that bullet in your wall, make sure it comes out. I’d hate for it to get reported and then someone has to disappear.”
Macbie assured them once more there would be no interference from his company, and the plumbing contract would be going to the Giuseppe’s.
“See you don’t always have to kill them,” Salvatore said, as they left Macbies Plumbing.
“What did you fucking kill the guy?” Carlos asked, as soon as they got in the car.
“No, but we had to scare him a little,” Alonzo Junior said.
“This kid here is ruthless pop,” Salvatore said.
“That’s my boy!” Carlos laughed, roughing up Alonzo Juniors hair.
A/N: Sin's Carwash? What about it? What did you think of Salvatore and Alonzo Junior taking care of business.