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  “Who?”

  “The dude that shot you,” Gibson revealed.

  Surprised, Recker almost dropped the phone in shock. “You know who shot me?” Recker asked, putting the phone on speaker so Jones could hear.

  “Yo, it’s gotta be. I hear this dude been bragging all week about taking out The Silencer. Heard he got a nice little bonus too.”

  “A bonus?” Jones asked.

  “You got me on speaker or something?”

  “Yeah,” Recker responded. “I wanted someone else to hear the name.”

  “Was that The Prof I heard?” Gibson asked.

  “Mr. Gibson,” Jones greeted.

  “Yo, what up Prof? Been a while, man.”

  “Indeed it has.”

  “I need a name, Tyrell,” Recker said.

  “You didn’t hear this from me, right?”

  “You got my word.”

  “Aight then. The dude that’s been bragging is a guy named Mario Mancini,” Gibson told them.

  “Mancini,” Recker repeated. “Don’t know him.”

  “Yeah, well, he knows you.”

  “He’s Italian.”

  “Yeah. I hear he does a lot of contract work for The Italians.”

  “I have no beef with the Italians. Why would they want to take me out?” Recker asked.

  “I dunno about that, man. All I know is what I hear.”

  As soon as Gibson revealed the name, Jones typed it into the database of his computer. Within a minute, the man Gibson was referring to appeared on the screen. His name and a long list of criminal charges appeared next to his picture. Jones looked up from the screen toward Recker and nodded, indicating it seemed like it might be true.

  “You got anything else on it?” Recker asked.

  “Nah, that’s it. You know me and the Italians ain’t that close,” Gibson answered. “You ain’t like laid up in a hospital or something, are you?”

  “Nope. Good as can be.”

  “Glad to hear it, man. Was worried for you.”

  “Gibby, didn’t know you worried so much about me.”

  “You’re a good dude, man, I got respect for you. I’m glad you’re all right.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I heard they were looking through all the hospitals for you,” Gibson said. “That’s why they think they got you. They know you’d need medical attention and you weren’t there. Figured you got dropped in the river or on a slab or something.”

  “Not everyone who can take out a bullet works in a hospital. I know people.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  Do me a favor?”

  “Name it.”

  “Don’t let anybody know I’m alive. If they think I’m dead, let them keep thinking it,” Recker told him.

  “Why?”

  “Cause the Italians will be getting paid a visit soon. I’d prefer to make it a surprise party.”

  “You got it, man. My lips are sealed. Screw the Italians anyway.”

  “Hey, thanks for everything.”

  “Ain’t nothin’, man. Forget it.”

  “No, I’ll have a little something for you the next time I see you.”

  “Just do me one favor?” Gibson asked.

  “Sure.”

  “Whenever you have this little surprise party of yours, just let me know the place and the date.”

  “Why? You wanna come?”

  “No way, man. Whenever it is…I wanna be as far away in the other direction as possible,” he laughed.

  Recker smiled. “I’ll make sure I give you a heads up.”

  Once Recker hung up, he walked around the desk and stood behind Jones to look at the computer screen. He nodded his head upon seeing the picture of Mancini.

  “That’s him,” Recker confirmed.

  “From what I can tell, he has a long history of association with the Italians,” Jones responded.

  “Now we just have to figure out the connection to me.”

  “You’ve never seen him before? Come across him just in passing or something?”

  Recker shook his head. “No. Maybe one of the cases we worked on had an affect on him somehow. Maybe someone he knew or was friends with or something.”

  “Well if he was hired by the Italians, it’s likely got nothing to do with him. He’s just doing what he was told.”

  “So whatever it was, I did something to offend somebody high up in the food chain in their organization.”

  “Undoubtedly.”

  Recker sat down next to Jones and stared at the screen for several minutes, contemplating his next move. He had his elbows resting on his knees with his hands covering his mouth and nose as he thought.

  “What do you want to do now?” Jones wondered.

  “Get some more information.”

  “How do you plan on doing that?”

  “By talking to someone who can provide it,” Recker told him.

  Chapter 4

  A couple of days had passed since they found out the identity of the man who tried to kill Recker. Recker had put a call out to Jimmy Malloy, Vincent’s right hand man, in an effort to see the leader of the northeast territory’s crime faction. Vincent was out of town for a couple of days, but agreed to meet Recker once he returned. Recker was in the office, just about ready to leave for their meeting, when Jones entered.

  “Mr. Recker, I’m surprised you’re still here,” Jones said. “I thought you would’ve been gone by now.”

  “In a hurry to get rid of me?”

  “Not at all.”

  “I’m just about ready,” Recker told him, grabbing his guns out of the safe.

  “You really think this meeting will be helpful?”

  “Why? You don’t?”

  “I’m just not sure what Vincent could tell you. If he wasn’t involved in the shooting in any capacity, I don’t see what he could tell you.”

  “These guys all know each other. You’d be surprised what they know. Besides, Vincent wants to expand his power base. If he knows I’m willing to take out some of his competition, that’ll make him all the more likely to help me,” Recker said.

  The meeting was to happen at Pete’s Place, Vincent’s preferred diner for meetings. It was the same place where Recker first met Vincent. Once Recker arrived, he saw the same burly guard at the door as the first time. As he saw Recker approaching, the man put his arm up to stop Recker from going inside, recognizing him from the last meeting.

  “You know the drill,” the guard said.

  “I thought that was only for the first time meeting someone,” Recker protested.

  “Or for severe threats. I’d say you qualify.”

  “You do realize I could kill everyone in their without a gun.”

  The guard shrugged, holding steady in his position.

  Recker sighed, but figured he’d comply with the request. “Fine,” he said, handing his gun over.

  “And the other one,” the guard said, remembering from the first time.

  “Was hoping you’d forgotten about that one.”

  “Not likely.”

  Recker handed over his backup weapon, then the guard stepped aside, letting him through the door. Once inside, he was immediately greeted by Malloy, who escorted Recker to the back of the diner to Vincent’s table. Vincent was just about to dig in to the sirloin steak on his plate when Recker sat down across from him. Vincent looked up from his plate at his guest, giving him a grin. Then a waitress came by, putting another steak in front of Recker.

  “I took the liberty of ordering for you. Please,” Vincent said, putting his hand out toward the steak, hoping he’d join him for lunch. “I was happy when Jimmy told me you’d requested this meeting.”

  “You were?” Recker replied, starting to cut into his steak.

  “I was. I was more than a little concerned about your well being. I’d heard some nasty rumors that you were no longer with us.”

  “Seems more people know about that than they should.”

  “Well,
you’re a big deal. Big news like that…word gets around quickly.”

  “I’m sure it does.”

  “So what brings you here today? What can I help you with?”

  “What makes you think I need you to help me with anything?” Recker wondered.

  “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

  “Maybe I can help you with something.”

  “That would be intriguing.”

  “Well, the shooting is what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “I had a feeling it might be,” Vincent said. “You want to know who it was?”

  Recker shook his head. “I already know who it was…Mario Mancini.”

  Vincent was a little surprised that he already had the name of the shooter. “You work quickly. I’m impressed. So tell me, if you already know who it is, what do you need me for?”

  “What do you know of this Mancini?”

  “I know him just by reputation mostly. I know of his work. I’ve seen him a couple of times at some business dealings, but I’ve never had direct contact with him.”

  “Dangerous?” Recker asked.

  “You would be wise to be careful with him.”

  “I’ve heard that he was hired to kill me.”

  “Then somebody must be anxious to have you dead,” Vincent stated.

  “Have you heard anything about who that someone might be?”

  “Unfortunately I have not.”

  “How bout a guess?”

  “I prefer to deal with facts rather than provide loosely based suggestions.”

  “Well, if Mancini works with the Italians, then who would have the authority to give him an order to take me out?” Recker asked.

  Vincent sighed, looking up at the ceiling as he thought deeply about the question, being careful as to his wording. He put his elbows on the table and rubbed his hands together before answering. “From my understanding of that organization, an order like that can only be issued by two or three people.”

  “Which are?”

  “Marco Bellomi and his two lieutenants.”

  Recker intently watched Vincent as he spoke, getting the distinct impression that he was holding something back. He felt like Vincent wasn’t giving him the entire truth.

  “I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything you know,” Recker stated.

  Vincent let out a slight laugh, knowing it was tough to get something past him. He sighed once again before telling him the rest of what he knew. “In a case like yours…you have such a high profile, not literally, but you have such a large presence that hovers over the city. You’re a well known entity, if only by name, that a kill order on you would likely only come from one man.”

  “Who is?”

  “Marco Bellomi.”

  “That’s what I already assumed. I just don’t know why. I’ve never met him or had dealings with him.”

  “Now the question would be, why would Bellomi want you eliminated?” Vincent wondered.

  “That’s a question I’ve been wondering myself. Haven’t come up with an answer yet.”

  “Just from my own personal experience with him, and from what I know, he would’ve only assigned that order for one reason. Possibly two.”

  “Which are?”

  “The first would be that he feels you are a major threat to him and his organization, and you’re getting in his way. You’ve either blocked some of his deals or thinks you’re a threat in a future capacity,” Vincent explained.

  “And the second?”

  “It’s personal. You did something or hurt someone who is close to him. In that case it would be a revenge killing.”

  “As far as I know, I haven’t gotten in his way of anything, and I haven’t done anything to anyone,” Recker said.

  “That you know of. Dig deeper. The connection is there, you just haven’t found it yet. But trust me, it’s for one of those two reasons.”

  Though Vincent hadn’t really told him anything Recker didn’t either already know or suspect, at least it was confirmation of it. Vincent watched Recker closely as his guest’s eyes drifted away from the table, deep in thought. He could tell by his face that Recker was having thoughts of all the carnage he could cause on his path of revenge.

  “Your eyes give you away,” Vincent told him.

  “How’s that?”

  “You know the name of the man who tried to kill you and the name of the man who told him to do it.”

  “So?”

  “Revenge is something that is in the DNA of men like you and me. You must be careful. You can’t just engage in a path of destruction in hopes of avenging what was done to you.”

  “So what do you suggest?”

  “If you intend on killing these men, you must have a well thought out plan. A spur of the moment rampage in the middle of the street may well get the job done, but you’ll never live to see the end results.”

  “I know. That’s why I said that maybe I could help you,” Recker suggested.

  “And what did you have in mind?”

  “As far as I know, they still think I’m dead. I would like to hit them sooner rather than later to capitalize on the element of surprise. Once they realize I’m still alive they’ll be on high alert thinking I’ll return the hit.”

  “In all probability.”

  “I would like your help in finding and locating them. In return, I’ll take them out and perhaps open up a larger piece of real estate for your organization to claim.”

  “That’s an interesting proposition,” Vincent said, thinking about it intently. “The only problem I see with it, is if you fail, and Bellomi knows that I helped you in trying to kill him, we’ll have a very ugly and high profile war on our hands. It’ll be a bloodbath.”

  “I won’t fail,” Recker bluntly said. “I have something that I still need to do after I take out these two. But I can’t just let them go. If they tried once, they’ll try again.”

  “While I do have high confidence in your abilities, Mike, taking out an organized crime boss leader isn’t exactly child’s play. Especially someone who may be looking for you. The other thing to think about is if you happen to take out Mancini first, Bellomi will know you’re coming. He’ll be ready and waiting.”

  “So you’re not interested?”

  “Well, I didn’t say that. If you were to take out Bellomi, without any official help from me, it’d have to be a very smart and discreet plan. Only a handful of people could know about it, otherwise you risk word getting out.”

  “I agree. How many people do you trust?” Recker asked.

  “Not many. It would also have to be people who aren’t well known in my organization. Someone like Jimmy would stick out like a sore thumb. They already are well aware of him.”

  “All I need is the best time and place to hit them. I’ll do the rest.”

  Vincent rubbed his hands together as he was thinking. He was intrigued by Recker’s plan, but not quite convinced yet of its probability of working. Recker, with his meal long since finished, had no desire to stay any longer as Vincent deliberated. With or without his help, Recker would not be stopped or dissuaded in getting revenge.

  “Well, when you decide, let me know,” Recker said, standing up from the table.

  “I’ll have an answer for you before the day is over,” Vincent replied.

  Recker left the diner, picking up his guns on the way out. Vincent and Malloy watched him exit the diner. Once he was gone, Malloy sat down at the table across from his boss.

  “What do you think?” Vincent wondered.

  “This might be what we’ve been waiting for,” Malloy answered. “We’ve been talking about hitting Bellomi for almost forever, boss. I mean, this might be the perfect opportunity to expand our territory. And we don’t even have to do the hit. We let Recker do it and we’re in the clear.”

  Vincent nodded, though he still had reservations. “We still must be cautious. If word gets out that we’re staking out the Italians territory, and then there�
��s a hit, and Recker fails, then we’ll be knee deep in it.”

  “But if he’s successful, they’ll be so disorganized and bewildered, they won’t know what hit them.”

  “Bellomi would have to be the first target,” Vincent stated.

  “What about the other guy, Mancini?”

  “Ahh, small potatoes. If Mancini gets taken out, you won’t see Bellomi for two years. He’ll hole himself up in some fortress somewhere you’ll never get him out. No, Bellomi has to be the first hit.”

  “What if we agree to Recker’s terms with conditions?” Malloy wondered.

  “Such as?”

  “We’ll provide Bellomi’s location, and give him access to it, wherever it might be, but he also has to take out his top two lieutenants at the same time. Cripple the organization all at once. With their leadership gone, we can take over easy.”

  “What about Mancini?”

  “He’ll be in the wind. But at that point, we’ll have control over half the city. If he still wants Mancini, we’ll find him for him, wherever he goes.”

  “I think it’s looking like we might have a deal with Mr. Recker,” Vincent said.

  “There’s always another option for him.”

  “Which is?”

  “After he takes out the Italians, he goes down,” Malloy mentioned.

  “Why would we wanna kill Recker after he does a job for us?”

  “He’s not a part of our organization, he’ll be the only one who really knows what happened,” Malloy said with a shrug. “Why take chances?”

  Vincent shook his head, not ready to go in that direction. “No, I don’t think Mr. Recker will be a problem. At least not at this point. We’ve had a couple dealings with him so far and he’s been a man of his word. He’s been an ally to us up to now, I see no reason to change our opinion or dealings with him. If that should change, then we’ll make a decision at that time. But for now, they’ll be no more talk of that.”

  Malloy nodded, complying with his boss’s wishes.

  “Besides, there very well may be another time and place in wish Mr. Recker’s services could be very useful to us,” Vincent added.

  Malloy tilted his head, not understanding. “In what way?”

  “This city will be undergoing major changes in the next few years. Power will be redistributed. Some major players will be long gone. We’ll have control over half the city. There’s still another half of it in play.”