Chapter Seven
Alessio
After I rushed Silvio to the hospital, I couldn’t relax. So I did what I normally do when I need to relax – I took a long walk through the streets of New York, marveling at my empire.
The shipping docks were quiet. The only sounds I could hear were the cries of the birds circling above in the tepid air, and the giant cargo ships were abandoned. It almost seemed post apocalyptic, and a small smile played across my lips as I realized that now, I would hold more power than ever.
Douglas Bennett would soon find out that my crime family was responsible for the death of his son, and everything I’d ever wanted would soon be in my hands. My smile grew into a grin as I sauntered along the pier, staring at the vast seas.
This will all be mine, I thought, spreading my hands through the air and staring triumphantly around me. I’ve done it. This is a move for the ages, and my legacy will carry me forever.
It was so satisfying to think of the future – me, old, surrounded by children and grandchildren who would think of me as the Great Alessio. Alessio, the man who made the wealthiest man in New York bow down and kiss his shoes.
I’d truly done it. I wasn’t even forty years old, and I’d already made the move that would guarantee my future and my fortune. Douglas wouldn’t dare try to fuck with me ever again. I smirked. He still has a wife, I thought. I can always get to her if he starts acting up again. I’ll leave that man miserable and broken and alone. That’s what he gets for trying to screw me out of my fair share.
The sound of shouting voices was carried by the wind, over my ears. I frowned, turning around and looking for the cause of the commotion. I couldn’t see anything, but I knew that water carried sound better than anything else around. I reached into my pocket and wrapped my fingers around my gun. It wasn’t the same gun I’d used to kill Michael – that gun had immediately gone straight into the water. Still, I always made sure to have a spare…or three. Being the head of the Amoruso crime family made me a hot target, and I always had to be prepared and ready to defend myself at the slightest nod.
As I walked away from the pier, I saw a group of men fighting below. I grinned – sometimes, there was nothing like watching a good group of men beat the shit out of each other. As I got closer, I realized that one of the men was familiar – he was a cousin of Silvio’s, a kid, barely out of high school.
While I knew I shouldn’t get involved, it was hard to resist. I pulled out my gun and aimed it at the man attacking Silvio’s cousin.
“Hey!” I yelled. “Fuckin’ stop it! Leave that kid alone!”
His attackers, a group of two thugs, looked up and smirked when they saw me. Silvio’s cousin crumpled to the ground and wrapped his skinny arms around his knees, bringing them to his chest and whimpering. His face was swollen and distorted – there was a stream of blood gushing from his temple down his forehead, and his eyes were blacked so badly that he could barely open them.
“Pick on someone else,” I yelled. “And not me – I’m fuckin’ armed. Don’t come close.”
The men grinned unpleasantly. They began to advance on me and I shook my head, cocking the gun and aiming it at chest level.
“I told you,” I called out. “Don’t fuckin’ come near me! I’m fully prepared to defend myself, you fuckin’ thugs!”
As they got closer, I realized I was going to have to do something drastic. I aimed the gun at the ground and fired. One of the men cried out and leapt into the air before turning heel and running. Oddly, the other man kept advancing on me, grinning.
“Hey, fucko,” I called. “Fuckin’ stop it! Get the hell away from here! Don’t you fuckin’ recognize me?”
The man grinned as he got closer. “Oh, I do,” he said casually. He pulled out a badge. “I’m Officer Banks, undercover.”
Shit.
“Nice talking to you,” I called, putting the safety on and slipping the gun in my pocket. But that fucker, Banks, kept walking towards me holding his badge and his gun.
“Don’t think you’re getting away with this,” Banks sneered. He smirked as he pulled his cuffs out of his pocket and waved them in the air. “I’m fuckin’ takin’ you downtown.”
As Banks grabbed my hands and twisted them together behind my back, I cried out.
“Don’t you know who I am?” I screamed. “I’m above this! You can’t fuckin’ arrest me! I haven’t done anything!”
Banks sneered as he reached into my pocket and pulled out my gun.
“Funny,” he said sarcastically. “Looks like the serial number’s been carved right off this. Isn’t that interesting?”
“I don’t know where that came from!” I said hotly. “Leave me the fuck alone!”
Banks sneered in disgust. He reached into my other pocket and pulled out the small baggie of cocaine I’d been planning on celebrating with later that night.
“What’s this? Drugs?” Banks got in my face. “Sometimes, it’s funny how powerless we all are,” he said. “I’m taking you downtown.”
I screamed until I was blue in the face, but that didn’t stop that asshole Banks from grabbing me and wrestling me into the backseat of his cruiser like I was some common thug.
The whole ride downtown, I was seething with anger. My triumph over Douglas seemed forgotten – now, I had bigger fucking issues to deal with. I couldn’t believe I’d been stupid enough to carry the coke and the gun around with me. What the fuck was my fucking problem?
“Yeah, you were pretty stupid,” Banks said with a snicker as he turned around and glared at me through the bars. “You actually thought you’d be able to get away with this. What a fucking joke.”
“Fuck you,” I mumbled, slumping down in the seat. The cuffs were digging into my wrists and my arms were numb at the shoulders, but I didn’t feel like fighting.
By the time Banks had me in a holding cell, I was spitting mad. I paced for what felt like hours – despite repeated requests, I wasn’t given my phone call until the break of dawn. By then, I was so mad that I was ready to refuse anything. But I knew that would be stupid and hotheaded – I had to take advantage of what little was given to me, and that included calling the Amoruso family lawyer, Monty Giaradella.
Monty showed up looking tacky as hell in a shiny sharkskin suit and a hat too small for his bulky head. He lowered himself into the stained plastic chair across from me and pulled out a file.
“The fuck kind of greeting is that,” I snapped. “I’m the fucking head of the family!”
Monty looked up at me with tired eyes. His face was deeply lined from years of defending my family, and I knew he must be exhausted. Still, I couldn’t recall any compassion to hand. All I could think about was how angry I felt – how stupid it was that I was sitting in this cell. Didn’t New York know who I was? Didn’t they know how important I am?
“Look, Alessio, you gotta chill the fuck out,” Monty said. He yawned, rubbing his eyes with tired fists. “I can’t come in here and bail you out just because you decided to put yourself in the middle of a fight.”
“That asshole was undercover!” I snapped. “How the fuck was I supposed to know that I was dealing with a cop, huh? How the fuck was I supposed to get that right off the bat?”
“Keep your goddamned mouth shut,” Monty hissed. He pulled out a folder and opened it, glancing down. “You’re looking at a hefty fucking fine, Alessio. You gotta start behaving.”
I glared, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms over my muscular chest. “Fuck that,” I snapped. “Like I’m going to fucking keep my head down! I’m the goddamned head of the Amoruso family!”
“No one cares about that in here,” Monty said. He sounded exhausted. “Just listen to me and you’ll be fine.”
“I want out!” I yelled, jumping out of my chair and walking over to the bars. Grabbing them in my hands, I peered out and tried to look down the hall to the police station.
“Alessio!” Monty snapped. “Get the fuck over here!”
“Fuck you!” I snapped right back. “You don’t get to tell me what to do!”
“Alessio, I swear to god,” Monty mumbled under his breath. “You ain’t never getting out of this jail unless you learn a little humility.”
I glared. “Just get my bail and get me out of here,” I said. “They don’t have anything on me. They’re just keeping me here to piss me off. This ain’t how you treat someone like me.”
“They can treat you however they damn well please,” Monty said. “You were caught with a black market gun and a half-ounce of cocaine. You think they’re just gonna let you waltz out of here without some fancy ankle bracelet? You can’t be that stupid, Alessio.”
“Don’t fucking call me stupid!” I screamed. I felt the blood rushing to my face, under my cheeks. “You don’t know anything!”
Monty looked up at me with clarity and knowledge in his dark eyes. His look was so intense that I felt my jaw drop and I lowered myself back down into the uncomfortable plastic chair.
Monty laughed. “Yeah, you’d better keep looking at me like that,” he said. He shook his head from side to side. “You really think I don’t know shit, Alessio? What happened to Michael, huh?”
I glared at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said hotly. “Michael who? Who the fuck are you talking about?”
Monty shook his head and leaned back in his chair. He let out a low whistle, the kind someone would use to attract a big dog.
“Alessio, I know you think I’m just a strip mall hack, but trust me – I got eyes and ears all around this city. I know what you did,” he said, staring at me without blinking. “And I know that you know what you did, even if that wasn’t the plan.”
“Fuck the plan,” I snarled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I rolled my eyes. “Stop trying to scare me, Monty. Get me out of here. Get my bail set and get me out. I’m fuckin’ hungry,” I complained. “I haven’t eaten in hours.”
Monty snickered. “Alessio, you’ve got a lot of learning to do, kid,” he said slowly. “You seriously think I don’t know about what you did?” He shook his head. “You’re really fucking stupid sometimes. A little humility would serve you well.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Michael Bennett,” Monty growled. He leaned over the table and glared at me. “I know what you did, Alessio.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever,” I snarled. “I don’t care who knows. Just get me the fuck out of here.”