CHAPTER TEN
Joan Girardi sits at the front window table of Perrin's restaurant feeling very uncomfortable. Women rarely ventured into the old-boy's-network atmosphere of the place, and in fact, Joan is the only female there. Every man in the place from busboys to middle-aged executives are casting frequent, desire filled glances at her. This isn't just due to the fact that she is an attractive young woman, or due to her rather slutty outfit (a tiny miniskirt, a plunging neckline and her pushiest push-up bra). These factors help, but Joan's irresistible allure is due to her projection of `sexual charisma'.
Ryan often used this skill. Even though he was rich, charming and handsome, it was sexual charisma that allowed him to control even the most intelligent, sophisticated woman. Taught to her by her tutor-angel in a know-your-enemy type lesson, sexual charisma was an ability used only by the other side. Until now.
When she first entered the restaurant, Joan enjoyed the experience of having so much male attention, but by reading the crowd, Joan realizes the rapidly rising level of arousal around her. Joan considers the need she has to use sexual charisma on the man she is waiting for, because he isn't known for being loose-lipped, but the creepiness of the situation is becoming too much. Of course, Ryan chooses this moment to add his two cents…
(Enjoy it Joan. Absorb the sensations and suck up the power. Pick anyone of these men, promise him your love, and he will do anything for you—lie, cheat steal, even kill. That much control over another makes you feel like a god…)
Joan slams her fist on to the old oak table—using the pain to distract her from Ryan's words. He is playing with her, using her greatest fear against her—that someday temptation will lead her down his dark path…
A fortyish man in an expensive suit enters and gives the restaurant a once over. He hesitates when he sees Joan, and calls over Cooper Jones, the manager. After a brief, whispered conversation, the man shrugs and exits the restaurant. Joan watches a mirror on the opposite wall and observes the action outside the restaurant. The inside man reports to the head bodyguard of the security detail outside, who then consults with someone in a limousine with darkened windows. Moments later, Lou Marks (Teddy's father) exits the limo, and flanked by his security team, enters Perrin's.
Lou waits by the door while the inside man comes to the reserved table and scans the area with some electronic gizmo. He scans Joan too. Lou sits in the chair opposite Joan and waits for his man's report.
"Something in her purse."
"A cell phone?" Lou asks of Joan.
"Yes."
"Let Frank hang on to it while we talk."
Joan hands it over to `Frank', who goes to a single table on one side of the restaurant, while another guard takes a similar table on the opposite side.
Lou smiles and asks, "Joan, why are we meeting?"
X X X X X
Across the street, on the roof of the tall Hulman building, Pete Zeidler watches Perrin's front window through the scope of his fifty caliber sniper rifle. He saw how Marks entered with his small crowd of guards, whom he could have easily shot through. But of course, he didn't try for a shot. At this range and angle, a hit is nearly impossible, and hitting a briefly appearing, moving target was beyond anyone's ability. The plan was to shoot Lou while he was stationary at his usual spot, but the dratted girl is sitting there. If she moves, he still might be able to hit Lou, but the extra three foot distance into the restaurant interior made this far more difficult. He could no longer get Lou in the chest, but he might manage to hit his lower abdomen. With the massive power of this rifle, that could be enough to cause a fatal wound. If only she would move…
Meanwhile…Will Girardi has reached the ground floor lobby of the Hulman building. As he steps off the elevator, he has the misfortune to run into city councilman, Harry Svok. Svok, known for his effusive nature and long-windedness, greets Will like a long lost brother. Immediately, the councilman launches into a discussion about the upcoming budget proposal for the police department. Will feels an obligation to be polite to the man. After all, he was one of the ones who voted to retain Will in his office when Ryan tried to have him ousted as police chief. Besides, the budget proposal is important. Will braces himself for a long, long conversation…
X X X X X
Lou Marks stares at Joan, admiring her long, shapely legs and impressive cleavage. He was always aware that Joan is an attractive girl, but when did she become so amazingly hot? Lou tries to remind himself that he loves his wife, but he knows if Joan gives him the nod, he is ready to make a total fool of himself over her.
"Aww Lou, do I need a reason to reconnect with an old friend?"
"Are we friends, Joan? We've done some business in the past, but it was never…personal. The last time was months ago when I acquired that pricey piece of equipment you needed. What ever happened with that?"
"It's sitting in a storage unit. I guess I ought to list it on ebay: 'Electro Magnetic Pulse Generator, used only once'. Then again, you never know when something like that might come in handy." Joan replies with a grin.
`Damn she's hot.' Lou thinks while asking, "Seriously, what brings you here, Joan? And how did you know how to find me?"
"That part was easy. You've been followed by the cops and the feds so often, all of your regular habits are listed in your police intelligence file."
"You've read my file?"
"Yeah, but shhh. I'm trying to keep that from my Dad. He's got this silly idea I shouldn't stick my nose into police business."
"And an adorable nose it is." Lou says and then winces. (Did he really just say that? He should be ashamed of himself. Joan is young enough to be his daughter.) "So, what can Lou Marks, alleged gangster, do for the police chief's daughter?"
"Persuade your son not to murder me."
Lou hesitates. "Why…would Teddy be after you?"
"I ran into him yesterday at Dr. Dan's office. Our meeting seemed to trigger a long standing grudge he's had against me for outing him to you."
"Oh that. Yeah, that was awkward, but we worked it out. As long as Teddy remains discreet about his lifestyle, I don't interfere with what he does."
"By discreet, you mean keeping it secret from your men that he's gay."
"As you once pointed out, Joan, the wise guy community isn't accepting of alternative lifestyles."
"Even these days? Why would it matter if they knew?"
"It would weaken my position as gang boss. Some of my guys wouldn't be bothered, but a lot of them just won't accept it."
"How does that affect you?"
"Because they're counting on Teddy taking over for me someday. That stifles any ambitions from my lieutenants."
"I thought you once told me you wanted Teddy to live a legit life."
"I do, and I plan to make sure he isn't forced into the business—unlike me. I never wanted this life, but I had no choice. My old man insisted."
"Couldn't you have said 'No'?"
Lou snorts with laughter. "Nobody could say 'No' to Adolphus Marks. My old man was seriously scary. I tried reasoning with him, but he said no son of his was going to be…"
"A what?"
"You'll laugh."
"At Lou Marks? I may be young and naïve, but I'm not stupid."
Lou grins, satisfied with the response. "I wanted to be a veterinarian. I always loved animals. But my old man wouldn't allow it. Besides, it was hard to resist the tug of tradition."
"What does that mean?"
"Well…you see Frank over there?"
"The one with my cell phone."
"He's been working for me for 20 years. Before that, his father worked for my father. His grandfather worked for my grandfather. And before that, his great-grandfather…"
"Got it. He worked for your great-grandfather."
"Yeah, that takes you back all the way to the 19th century, and Franz Marks, the founder of the wolf-head gang."
"The what?"
"Gangs in those days were mobs of young men who ruled neighborhoods like kingdoms. They would do open battle in the streets against their rivals, and they all carried a gang symbol on a pole—like a battle flag you would rally around, In New York, there was a gang called the Dead Rabbit gang. They were so numerous, they could descend on a neighborhood, wipe out their enemies and loot the place bare. The police were too scared to interfere. They were so untouchable, they use to openly advertise their rates for murder."
"And the wolf-heads were like that?"
"In the early days, yes, but Franz realized the public wouldn't put up with that forever. He changed with the times and got the gang involved with the traditional mob businesses like gambling, whore houses and the protection racket. At one time, half of the small businesses in Arcadia had a brass wolf-head plaque above their front doors. It told the world they were ours, and all petty thieves and crooked cops kept their hands off."
"I've seen a few of those wolf-heads on old buildings. I never knew what they meant."
"They're collector's items now since we are no longer in that line. Some places consider them good luck charms."
"Some luck. Most of those places were driven out of business a long time ago."
"Hey, that wasn't us. Blame all of the national chains for that."
"So why aren't you guys still called the wolf-head gang?"
"A couple of reasons. Around the turn of the 20th century, Franz began a campaign to unite all the city's gangs under his leadership in order to fight a common foe. The German, Irish, Jewish and what they used to call the `Colored' gangs, all followed Franz in opposing what seemed an unstoppable menace."
"Who?"
Lou chuckles. "The Italians, of course. Back then, the Black Hand, later known as the Mafia, were moving into all of the east coast cities. But thanks to my great-grandfather, the Italians never got a toe-hold in Arcadia. Franz died just after World War One, and my grandfather took over. He had a multi-ethnic gang that was only partly 'wolf-head'. Besides, all of that nonsense about meeting in the woods under a wolf-head's pole for loyalty oaths seemed too old fashioned for the Roarin' Twenties. Now that's when the gang got really big and rich, thanks to Prohibition."
Joan nods. "Growing up, my Dad would never let us miss a rerun of the old 'Untouchables' TV show--Elliot Ness going after Al Capone and Frank Nitti."
"My grandfather knew both of those guys. They didn't like each other, but they managed to occasionally do business. Years later, my old man took over the gang, but times had changed. With legalized gambling, and every girl over the age of 16 giving it away for free, the traditional revenue sources dried up."
"So you turned to drugs?"
"Adapt or die. For awhile, the gang made tons of money selling cocaine and heroin, but those profits attracted a lot of new competitors who had no respect for our established control of this city. One of those new gangs murdered my Dad 25 years ago, and even though I was only 19, the wolf-heads picked me for leader."
"And you've managed to survive all of these years."
"Only by adapting. When i took over, we wiped out the scum that killed Adolphus, but I clearly saw we would be at war forever if we stayed in the hard drug business. So I negotiated a deal with the new gangs. They could have the hard drug trade--cocaine, heroin, crack and meth, while we took over recreational drugs."
"Marijuana and an assortment of 'happy pills'? It doesn;t sound all that profitable."
Lou Marks shrugs. "We make a comfortable living and have reasonably safe lives. Meanwhile, the various ethnic gangs--Russians, Mexicans, Jamacians, Colombians, Chinese and so on, slaughter each other trying to gain territory and extra profit. The cops and feds concentrate almost solely on them, and those young punks are usually dead or behind bars before they hit 30. But, the old wolf-head gang just keeps cruising along."
"And Teddy knows about this family heritage?"
"Yeah, he was obsessed with it as a kid. He couldn't get enough of the legends about the old wolf-head gang. I guess that's why he started up his little drug business at Arcadia High. Turns out, several of my guys knew what was going on, but they just assumed I was training Teddy for the future. Joan, if Teddy really is pissed at you, it's probably because I shut down his drug business after you told me about it. Don't worry, I'll have a talk with the boy and make sure he leaves you alone..."
X X X X X
On the rooftop across the street, Pete Zeidler is distracted by a ringing cell phone. Every morning Teddy and his men started the day with new disposable phones that were bought out of town by a flunky. Cell phone records were one of those tools Dr. Dan told them to take out of the hands of the police.
Pete answers, "Boss?"
Teddy Marks shouts through the phone, "What's the delay? I expected to hear from you by now."
"Sorry Boss, but we have a problem. Your dad isn't in his usual chair. Some girl is in his place and is talking to your old man."
"A girl? Who is it?"
"Beats me. She has her back to me, but she's dressed like a hooker."
"Does she have long brown hair?"
"Yeah, with a few gold streaks."
"It's Joan Girardi! Damn it, she must be on to us. Take the shot. Kill her."
"But Boss, what about Lou?"
"Uh...you told me that fancy rifle of yours can punch through steel plate. Surely a fifty caliber bullet can go through two bodies."
"Yeah, it can go through twenty bodies, but the problem is trajectory. Every time the bullet goes through something, it slightly affects the trajectory. After the window, the bullet will rip the girl in half, and go through the table. It might hit Lou's lower body, but a one percent variance will cause a miss."
"Are you saying it's impossible?"
"No, but the odds of getting both are really long. If I miss Lou, I won't have time for a second shot before he moves deeper into the restaurant and is completely out of sight. If we wait, the girl will eventually move, and I can get your dad. Isn't he the more important target?"
Teddy snarls, "No. My gut instinct tells me Joan is going to ruin everything if we don't act now. Take the shot!"
"You got it, Boss."
Pete puts aside the cell phone, lights up his laser guide and centers his scope on Joan's back...
Meanwhile...directly below the rifle's barrel, Will Girardi finally steps out of the Hulman building and takes a deep breath of fresh air. Blasted politicians seemed to suck all the air out of any room. Will checks his watch wondering if he still has time for lunch. Maybe just a quick sandwich to go. There are several restaurants across the street, but Will hesitates when he sees the mob bodyguards lingering in front of Perrin's.
Oh yeah, Lou marks ate there every Wednesday. Will doesn't want to get distracted by him. He will go a few doors down to... Hey, isn't that Joan's Jeep parked a short way down the block? Will groans at the thought that his daughter may once again be meeting with a known gangster. First the Radovitch girl, and now this? His daughter will be the death of him yet...
X X X X X
Back at the restaurant...
"So tell me Lou, if you're leading a life of such banal criminality, why the extra security? You never use to have so many guards,"
"Another gang is trying to move in on our business. We don't know who yet--they're keeping below the radar. Eventually, they'll have to come out in the open and make a move against us. I'm the logical first target."
The final piece clicks into place for Joan. Teddy is going to murder his own father in order to take over the family business. Most of the gang, despite lou's opinion of their homophobia, will follow over a century's worth of tradition and make Teddy the new gang leader. Joan shudders at the thought of what a demon possessed Teddy would do with an organization like the wolf-head gang. She has to warn Lou...
Joan spots the red dot on the window by the mirror opposite her. Without hesitation, Joan launches herself across the table, her improved physique and reflexes paying off. Joan slams into Lou, tipping him and his chair over...
The window shatters.
The bullet splits the table in half.
Joan is wounded.
Lou and Joan slam into the floor as the booming sound of the fifty caliber rifle reaches them. While people begin shouting and reacting, Lou's security team rushes to him. Lou feels something wet on his right hand. He looks and sees it is blood. Her blood...
X X X X X
Outside, Lou's other bodyguards are waving their guns around, unsure of where the shot came from. Will, more experienced with the acoustics of gunshots, looks straight up. Even at this distance, he can see the barrel of a large rifle protruding from the edge of the roof. Will hesitates. He thinks Joan might be in Perrin's, and his fatherly instinct urges him to check on the safety of his child, but he knows for certain there is a nut with a rifle nearby, and he is the only police officer on the scene. The lives of the hundreds of people within range of that rifle are his responsibility.
Will turns and runs back into the Hulman building's lobby. He shifts his badge to the front of his jacket for greater visibility, and pulls his gun...
"Police Officer! Everybody get back. Clear this lobby!"
The crowd reacts with remarkable calm as they obey Will's instructions. Apparently all of those anti-terrorism drills were paying off. As the lobby empties of civilians, Will checks the elevators. Sure enough, #5--the one with the out of order sign--is now headed for the lobby. Will watches closely as the numbers indicate the elevator's descent. He braces himself for when the doors open...but wait, it stops on the second floor and remains there. Damn, of course the shooter isn't going to stroll through a lobby with a potential crowd of witnesses. He must be taking the stairs from the second floor to the emergency rear exit.
Will runs for the emergency stairs, opens the door to the stairwell and spots a tough young guy with his hand already on the bump bar of the emergency exit. Will points his gun at the punk's back and shouts...
"Police! Freeze!"
But Pete Zeidler isn't the `freeze' type. Arrogantly confident, and a master with firearms, Pete drops to the left while spinning around and drawing a hammerless revolver in the same split second. Far faster than it takes to describe, Pete already has Will's chest in his sights. This blink-of-the-eye feat can only be accomplished by someone as young and skilled as Pete.
The shot rings out...
TBC. Please review.