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“He was lying?”
“He went to see Don Colombo.”
“What for?”
“I’ve no idea but he got shot for his troubles. You stay here and don’t go anywhere until I call you.”
“But why can’t I come with you? What if he’s dying?”
“Because Don Colombo is trying to draw us both out. He wants revenge for what happened to Alessandro. That’s why he seemed so happy to let the police drop the case. He wants his own version of justice. Wants to take us both out. You go back and he’ll come for you. Stay here and stay hidden. Don’t call anyone. I don’t want Colombo to find out that we know.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Surprise Don Colombo.” He looks at me and it’s like he isn’t human at all. “Then kill him.” He turns, heading out the door without looking back.
I listen to his car starting up.
Dad’s been shot. This is all my fault. I never should have taken Ricardo’s money. I should have let things lie. The world’s full of injustice. Who am I to try and fix it?
Now Dad might be dying and Ricardo might get himself killed. It’s all my fault. I never should have slept with him. Never should have gotten involved at all.
I can’t even call my mother to tell her. She’ll find out soon enough and I can’t discuss it with her. I have to stay hidden. I sink back down into my chair and stare out of the window. The tears come and I let them fall. This is all my fault. This is what comes from getting together with a mafia Don. It was the worst mistake in my life and now I’m paying the price for what I’ve done.
THIRTEEN
RICARDO
* * *
Itake a commercial flight back. I use a fake passport I haven’t had to touch for a few years. It’s been a while since I’ve needed to be incognito.
It has to be this way. Don Colombo has got to have his people looking out for me. I take our usual jet back and he’ll be ready. This way, I have the element of surprise.
I haven’t told anyone I’m returning, not even Albert. I want to do this quietly before anyone gets wind of anything.
The cops aren’t looking for me or Kelly. That’s something at least. I don’t need to worry about being arrested and then getting shanked while in lock up. I can move swiftly, track down Don Colombo and deal with him. Like the good old days.
This is what I used to do before I became Don. I was just a hired killer then. Took the money and got rid of our enemies. By the time I took over the famiglia, we didn’t have any left except the Colombo bastards. They had their claws in everything and they were like weeds. No matter how many I took out, another one popped up.
Once I became Don, I couldn’t keep killing them myself. Too much risk. I read this book once about this guy during WW2, he was watching his men go into battle and their lieutenant was this chickenshit asshole. So this guy goes running down to take over the attack but he forces himself to turn around and go back. He’s no coward. He’s done this before. But now he’s supposed to be overseeing the whole battle and how’s he meant to do that if he’s in the thick of one skirmish, risking getting himself killed and leaving a vacuum of command? He had to send someone else in, someone he trusted, while he worked on strategy and the bigger picture.
That’s me when I became Don. I stopped burying myself in the mud. I sent Diego in when someone needed whacking, Albert when they needed negotiating with. I haven’t killed anyone myself for nearly eight years but that record’s going to be reset soon.
While I’m flying, I check my emails. Albert’s been updating me on Kelly’s father. I run my eyes down the information. Leonard Fletcher. Forty-eight. Ward sixteen of St. Mary’s. Conscious and talking. No security in the hospital worth speaking of.
I know what’s most likely because I know what I would do if the situation were reversed. I’d have a man waiting for me and Kelly to arrive at the hospital, hoping we were too stressed by the thought of a parent dying to notice much. That way he could take us both out at once.
When the airplane lands, I take the train into the city. I blend in with the crowds. It’s a little after five and the further in we go, the busier the carriage gets.
Suits me perfectly. A crowd is a perfect place to hide. No one sees you there. You’re just one more face. I’ve got a set of coveralls on in rusty blue, brought with me from my bug out bag. No one looking at me would know I run half this city, nor that I’m the man who will soon run all of it. I’m just one more guy stepping off the train.
I walk out of the station and cross the street toward the hospital. Once I’m inside, I look like one of the janitors, an image that’s more convincing when I pick up the nearest mop and bucket I find, wheeling them along the corridor and into an elevator.
I make my way up to Leonard’s floor. My mind is perfectly at peace. I miss this feeling. The calm before the storm. The few moments of lull when nothing is happening.
I walk out and take a left, walking past several nurses huddled together around a desk. All the time I’m checking for possible trouble. Another corridor and this one’s empty. That’s not good.
I can hear talking ahead of me. There’s an open door. Leonard’s room. I head for it, listening for a moment. I can tell who’s in there. It’s Kelly’s mother and father.
