be a blood relation to the Don but, should it come to down to it, he wouldn’t be the first hit the Don had ordered on his own family, and probably not the last. Jack’s concern was that Stephan had been his friend and on more than one occasion had watched his back from other scheming members of the family.
“What’s keeping you?” Stephan called from the kitchen.
Jack did not respond but rose from the bed and walked back out to join Stephan. He could not ponder this any longer.
“I thought you were getting your coat?” asked Stephan.
Jack placed the slip of paper on the side board of the kitchen in front of Stephan.
“Pour us both a drink,” he said sternly, adopting a father-child stance.
The blood drained from Stephan’s face as he reached for the decanter. Jack’s revolver, which he carried for day to day protection, was holstered under his jacket, loaded and cocked, just in case.
“We have a choice. You come clean and I help you, or I pass this to the Don at drinks tonight and you take your chances. Which will it be, Stephan?” he asked poker faced, watching every tiny movement of Stephan’s body for an indication of a frightened man’s reaction to this awesome blow.
Stephan turned slowly to look at Jack. His eyes had grown swollen in those few seconds, as though already resigned to his fate. His typically Italian bravado no longer apparent, his face bore the appearance of a lost child who didn’t know where to turn.
“Two million dollars,” he murmured with the downbeat tone of a condemned man.
Jack slammed the counter with his fist.
“God Damn it!” he roared. “How the fuck can I protect you against that? You are supposed to be the honest one!” he continued.
Jack paused for a moment’s thought, wondering whether there was any way out for his friend. “Jesus. Who is your greatest enemy in the organisation?”
“What?”
“Just answer the fucking question. Who is most likely to screw you over?” asked Jack, clearly maddened following the revelation and full extent of his friend’s debt.
“I don’t know… err. Lisa Forbes would screw me over for a dime I guess.”
“Could she get access to the finances?”
“Of course. She does the accounts. She’s always insinuating that she knows everything, always looking for some way to get more authority.”
“Perfect. Is this Lisa close to any other family members?” asked Jack.
“No, I don’t think so,” he replied. “Why? What’s this about?”
“Go and have dinner solo, and put it on my tab. Meet with the Don in the bar at 10:00 p.m. if I’m not back. If he asks where I am, tell him our little problem is being taken care of… okay?”
“Okay… What are you going to do?”
“Save your fucking life that’s what. We’ll talk my terms later, okay?” replied Jack.
“Okay, Jack… Okay.”
Jack picked up his coat and left Stephan standing in his apartment while he headed for his office.
Jack had acquired the penthouse apartment above the Lucky Seven Casino six months after arriving in America, much to the disgust of many of the Don’s relatives. All were curious why this outsider had been so readily accepted into the family by the Don. They soon realised that Jack was someone to be on the good side of if their relationship with the Don was going to continue in a good light. A couple of ambitious individuals had attempted to go behind the Don and have Jack killed, but this had been expected and only confirmed the Don’s suspicions of where their loyalties lay, and where personal ambitions had overridden their loyalty to the Don. They were spared no mercy.
The penthouse had previously belonged to Tony Aka, The Phoenix. He had taken Jack into his world gladly. His wish to retire to the country was granted and he settled down for the first time in his life to as normal an existence as could have been
“What’s keeping you?” Stephan called from the kitchen.
Jack did not respond but rose from the bed and walked back out to join Stephan. He could not ponder this any longer.
“I thought you were getting your coat?” asked Stephan.
Jack placed the slip of paper on the side board of the kitchen in front of Stephan.
“Pour us both a drink,” he said sternly, adopting a father-child stance.
The blood drained from Stephan’s face as he reached for the decanter. Jack’s revolver, which he carried for day to day protection, was holstered under his jacket, loaded and cocked, just in case.
“We have a choice. You come clean and I help you, or I pass this to the Don at drinks tonight and you take your chances. Which will it be, Stephan?” he asked poker faced, watching every tiny movement of Stephan’s body for an indication of a frightened man’s reaction to this awesome blow.
Stephan turned slowly to look at Jack. His eyes had grown swollen in those few seconds, as though already resigned to his fate. His typically Italian bravado no longer apparent, his face bore the appearance of a lost child who didn’t know where to turn.
“Two million dollars,” he murmured with the downbeat tone of a condemned man.
Jack slammed the counter with his fist.
“God Damn it!” he roared. “How the fuck can I protect you against that? You are supposed to be the honest one!” he continued.
Jack paused for a moment’s thought, wondering whether there was any way out for his friend. “Jesus. Who is your greatest enemy in the organisation?”
“What?”
“Just answer the fucking question. Who is most likely to screw you over?” asked Jack, clearly maddened following the revelation and full extent of his friend’s debt.
“I don’t know… err. Lisa Forbes would screw me over for a dime I guess.”
“Could she get access to the finances?”
“Of course. She does the accounts. She’s always insinuating that she knows everything, always looking for some way to get more authority.”
“Perfect. Is this Lisa close to any other family members?” asked Jack.
“No, I don’t think so,” he replied. “Why? What’s this about?”
“Go and have dinner solo, and put it on my tab. Meet with the Don in the bar at 10:00 p.m. if I’m not back. If he asks where I am, tell him our little problem is being taken care of… okay?”
“Okay… What are you going to do?”
“Save your fucking life that’s what. We’ll talk my terms later, okay?” replied Jack.
“Okay, Jack… Okay.”
Jack picked up his coat and left Stephan standing in his apartment while he headed for his office.
Jack had acquired the penthouse apartment above the Lucky Seven Casino six months after arriving in America, much to the disgust of many of the Don’s relatives. All were curious why this outsider had been so readily accepted into the family by the Don. They soon realised that Jack was someone to be on the good side of if their relationship with the Don was going to continue in a good light. A couple of ambitious individuals had attempted to go behind the Don and have Jack killed, but this had been expected and only confirmed the Don’s suspicions of where their loyalties lay, and where personal ambitions had overridden their loyalty to the Don. They were spared no mercy.
The penthouse had previously belonged to Tony Aka, The Phoenix. He had taken Jack into his world gladly. His wish to retire to the country was granted and he settled down for the first time in his life to as normal an existence as could have been
Similar Books
