Where the Bad Ones Go, page 22
Frankie tried to talk some sense into him. “Whoa, whoa. Listen, Johnny Boy, think this through.”
He shoved one of the jerricans into Frankie’s chest. That was enough to know he wasn’t changing his mind. The customers ran out of the store, but the girl stayed and tried to call someone for help.
Johnny Boy ripped the phone from her hands. “Do yourself a favor, little miss, and get going.”
“Just get outta here! Please!”
Johnny Boy gave her a backhander in the face. “You really should be on your way now, sweetheart. Unless you wanna stay for the bonfire?”
She made the right decision and ran out of there in tears. An overjoyed Johnny Boy and a hesitant Frankie poured gasoline all over the place. Once they’d dumped every drop of gasoline, Johnny Boy walked out the front and we followed him.
“Watch this, boys.” He unloaded his Tommy gun to ignite a fire that quickly spread throughout the pawnshop. Flames engulfed the place in seconds. Finally, he felt we’d done enough damage and could leave the wild scene. “Shall we go?”
We ran back to the car, only a few feet from the raging fire. As we sped off, the sound of sirens filled the air. This was all kinds of bad for us. Johnny Boy had stolen from and destroyed a Gambino-owned business. Smacked around a woman associated with the Gambino family. He believed that evened the score, but it just wasn’t true; he probably knew that deep down. Like Mickey had said, they had every right to hit us for selling junk near their line and continuing this after two warnings. I was convinced Johnny Boy wanted a war, and the mess we’d made was a big step in that direction.
He gave us a couple tips before we all went our separate ways. “Stay clear of the club and restaurant for a while. Mickey ain’t gonna be happy about this. He’s gonna be looking for heads to crack. Just give him time to cool down and he’ll come around.”
Frankie mentioned what we all were thinking. “What about Benny?”
Johnny Boy paused for a few seconds. “He’ll get over that too. Like I said, just give him some time and he’ll be fine. This shit needed to happen, and he’ll realize that—I know he will.”
Leo asked a reasonable questionable too. “Mickey’s one thing, but what about the Gambinos? They’re gonna know who did this and be shitting all over us. Should we lie low for a little bit?”
“Nah, it ain’t that serious. Just keep your eyes open and your back against the wall. After what they did, they should know this was coming. I ain’t saying they won’t make a move—they will. I’m counting on it. They’ll probably just hit a few of our shops. Don’t let your guard down and you’ll be fine. Keep your gun on ya too.”
As soon as Johnny Boy said they might hit our shops, I went right over to the dress shop and talked to Nancy. The place was busy as always. She wasn’t in the mood to speak with me, but she didn’t have a choice with what could be coming.
“What are you doing here, Anthony?”
She didn’t want me coming around the shop once she moved out. I grabbed her arm and rushed her into the back with me.
“Anthony, what the fuck are you doing? Let go of me!”
“Listen, you gotta close up.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Look how busy I am right now.”
“Doesn’t matter. Something went down, and there might be some consequences. You gotta close up for a bit.”
“Oh fuck, Anthony, what now?”
“It wasn’t me. Things are real screwed up and I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I gotta make sure you’re safe.”
“Suddenly you give a shit about consequences?”
“I told you, it wasn’t me. There’s no time for this right now. Just get everyone outta here and head home. I’m serious.”
She shook her head. “You’ll never learn, will you?”
“All right, Nancy, I’m gonna call you later. Please, just listen to what I’m saying.”
“Yeah, all right.”
I tried to kiss her, but she turned away.
“I’ll talk to you later, Anthony.”
Her disappointment in me was something I should’ve been used to by then, but it hurt the same every time. Whether I deserved it or not, I couldn’t accept her bitterness toward me. I knew exactly what I could do to make things better between us; I just didn’t have it in me to walk away from it all. Life without being a gangster didn’t seem possible. My talents were limited to pulling triggers and digging holes. I’d be a nobody again, but part of me already felt that way. Flimsy logic pushed me through the constant doubt. Suffering as a somebody seemed better than suffering as a nobody. If I did leave it all, at least I’d be a nobody with Nancy around. On those nights she ate dinner by herself, I should’ve been there, appreciating her. Rather than finding comfort in her warmth, my escape from guilt and depression was wine or pills. Little moments with her that had felt like nothing at the time became what I missed the most. She’d always tried to dance with me at unexpected times, like when I was brushing my teeth or combing my hair. Like a fool, I wouldn’t give her the time of day. These memories slowly became lost in our time apart. All I could do was replace them with liquor, drugs, nameless women, and the blood of my enemies.
I finally gave up visiting my mother. She still looked at me like I was a stranger whenever I showed up. Couldn’t take it anymore. It hurt too much to feel like my own mother didn’t recognize me anymore. Her love for me was still there, but buried under grief and disapproval. I didn’t have the strength to keep digging through that. In her fifties, she missed my father more than ever. There was an emptiness in her heart. I think she just wanted her family back. Hard to help someone when you’re the cause of their pain. It felt easier to just send her money through my uncle and be done with it. But no amount of cash could make her accept her son living a life of sin. My mother had practically forced me as a kid to live at church. It had been so long that I’d forgotten the words to most prayers. I still had the rosary she gave me, but I didn’t have the heart to carry it anymore. She told me to use it whenever I wanted to ask the Lord for forgiveness. With what I did each day, forgiveness wasn’t an option. The point of asking for it is to not make the same mistakes, but there wasn’t a doubt in my mind I’d sin again.
***
After three days of lying low, I couldn’t believe war hadn’t erupted in the streets yet. Not even a brick through a window or a knife in somebody’s tire. A bit too good to be true, but I chose to embrace it and carry on with business as usual. Most of our shops were still closed. I rolled the dice by walking down the street and ordering an espresso. A car filled with Gambinos with loaded guns could’ve passed me at any second. I didn’t even think about going anywhere near the Diamond Ace or the restaurant after that scene with Mickey. Wasn’t sure if he had me on his list of asses to kick or not. Walking out with Johnny Boy after what he’d done couldn’t have left a good impression.
Later that night, a bunch of us went to the Copa and tried to pretend everything was normal. It was a Saturday night, after all. While we were there, we didn’t do much. Just sat in a big booth and waited for anybody who had the guts to greet us. Nothing like the old days when everybody came over to our table. People were afraid to say the wrong thing around Johnny Boy. At least women were still very friendly to us. Inevitable when you’re flashing that much cash around. They didn’t have much interest in hearing what we had to say. Just stuck around for a fake laugh and a hand on the thigh. Johnny Boy finally took advantage of the women who’d been chasing him for years. Maybe a little too much.
The Copa wasn’t as crowded as usual. The nightclub was far from both Vieri and Gambino territory. Definitely what we’d intended. Even though a car bomb hadn’t gone off in the street yet, nobody had a clue what level of bullshit we’d created. It was best to keep away from it for a little while. The hope was that Mickey would reach out to Johnny Boy like he usually did after their fights, but Johnny Boy’s phone hadn’t rung yet. Rather than sit at home and obsess over it, he figured it’d be better to get piss-drunk and forget about it. That was the solution for most bullshit; definitely it was for me. The dance floor was filled with drunks and druggies trying their best to move rhythmically. Thanks to fellas like us, cocaine had made a comeback like never before. We could watch our satisfied customers in their natural habitat. For the tenth time in an hour, Johnny Boy went into the bathroom with all his women. His nostrils were a bit red from all the powder he snorted. A few of the new kids followed him because they liked to watch Johnny Boy being Johnny Boy. I was like them once. Little did these aspiring gangsters know that this wasn’t Johnny Boy. Or not the one I used to watch from my stoop as a boy.
Leo, Mario, and I stayed at the booth with a couple girls. It was always awkward when I was left alone with those two. Frankie wasn’t around because he’d gone out with Andrea somewhere. He was spending a lot more time with her than any of us. I missed him a lot. Johnny Boy wasn’t happy about it, but the kid was in love. When Frankie announced they were engaged, Johnny Boy tried to talk him out of it for days. Nothing to do with Andrea personally. Johnny Boy just believed that love only leads to pain. He didn’t want Frankie to feel what he felt. Whoever stayed single was a genius in his eyes. It was partly why he appreciated Leo and Mario now. He wouldn’t even trust them with his dry cleaning in the old days. Leo and Mario made it seem like they chose to be single, but the truth was that women couldn’t stand them. They were obnoxious on a good day and psychotic on a bad day. At our booth, they were trying to pick up the two girls Johnny Boy had left behind.
With loud dance music blaring, Leo gave it a shot. “Hey there, honey, what’s your name?”
“Mary.”
“Mary, huh? I like that name.”
“Thanks!”
“So you’re probably named after the Virgin Mary or something, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Tell you what, Virgin Mary. You spend a night with me and we’ll change that name of yours!”
She walked away instantly. Leo broke his own his record with that one.
Mario wasn’t much better. “Hey there, sweetie pie. You like magic or what?”
Her friend gave her the signal to get up, but she said, “Uh, sure!”
“That’s good, ya know, because I can make stuff disappear.”
She nodded awkwardly.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I guess. I don’t know.”
Mario started rubbing her shoulder. “You come with me to the bathroom over there and I’ll make those panties disappear fast!”
The second girl left faster than the first one.
Mario noticed me laughing, my cigarette in hand. “You think you can do better, Anth?”
“Me? Noooo. Never! You and Leo got a lock on those broads!”
“You know something, Anth? You’ve been a real fucking downer lately. I mean it.”
“That right?”
“Yeah, that’s fucking right! You and Frankie been acting like pussies, ya know? Always shaking your heads like you’re better than us. You two fucks ain’t special.”
“Mario, do yourself a favor. Quit while you still got teeth.”
“Fuck you, Anth! Fuck Frankie too! I ain’t scared of you assholes.”
“Ya know, I got this funny feeling you wouldn’t be so lippy if Frankie was here.”
“I’d take either of you pricks any day.”
I flicked my cigarette and faced him. “Should we go outside?”
Leo finally spoke up. “All right, both of ya. Shut the fuck up! Enough already!”
That was hilarious. The alcohol got the best of me. “Mr. Peacemaker all of a sudden.”
Leo couldn’t hear me over the loud music. “What’s that, Anth?”
“You know, you two, you ain’t just gonna get yourselves killed with those big fat fucking mouths. You’re gonna get us all killed.”
Leo leaned in closer to me. “Anth, I’d worry about your own mouth. Don’t think I forgot about that thing.”
I leaned in close enough that I didn’t have to yell. Not a single blink between us. “Let’s not forget what we both know, Leo.”
It had been years since either of us had mentioned the secrets we kept for each other, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind each day. The thought of being responsible for the death of a little boy still tore me apart. It ate at me whenever I wasn’t drunk or high. At night, I could sometimes see Christian like he was that morning at Johnny Boy’s house. Worst of all, there wasn’t anyone to talk to about it except Leo. Nancy didn’t even know about it. I doubt that robbing us at gunpoint caused Leo any guilt; nothing would. Regardless of how we felt about each other’s secrets, Johnny Boy might’ve put us both six feet under if he found out. We both remembered that now.
Mario separated us and suddenly became the calm one. “All right, all right. Enough, for fuck’s sake. We’re supposed to be having a good time tonight. Let’s just drop it, all right? We’re all fucked up and just talking shit, that’s all. My only concern right now is getting my dick wet. I mean, look at all these fucking broa—”
Out of nowhere, my ears went numb as something making a high-pitched squeal flew past my head. In place of loud music, all I could hear was screaming and running. I looked down at the table to find blood and champagne all over. Time stopped. I wondered if I was dead. Finally, I looked up to see half of Mario’s face missing. His brain was splattered all over the mirror behind him in the booth. I knew I was still alive once I saw my reflection. Half of my face was covered in Mario’s blood. During the war, my sergeant had told me that if I ever heard a bang or smelled something burning, I was still alive and needed to move. In the mirror, I saw someone pointing a pistol at me. That was enough to take me out of my trance and duck. The bullet barely missed me.
There wasn’t time to consider the best place to move. All I could do was leap from the booth and sprint up the steps. Before I had a chance to think, a bullet was in my leg. I hid behind another booth on the opposite side from the shooters. Couldn’t tell who was trying to kill me and who wasn’t because so many people were running all over the place. Everyone was tripping over each other to reach the crowded exit. Music still played loudly. There was a lot to be distracted by. The shooters weren’t aiming for civilians, but not going out of their way to avoid hitting them either. I pulled out my gun and tried my best to shoot back. Five or six of them were lined up at the front of the nightclub. My only chance of getting out alive was going through the kitchen and out the back door. The shooters were getting closer to my hiding place. I’d be out in the open, an easy target, as soon as I ran. Still, I had to move, before it was too late.
I sprinted as fast as I could and hopped over the bar that connected to the kitchen. A few bullets grazed my arm. My chances of getting out alive got smaller when I jumped behind the bar. The shooters had me pinned and were coming right for me. I closed my eyes and thought about my mother and Nancy.
Suddenly, a bunch of bullets came flying from the front of the nightclub. It was Johnny Boy and the others who’d been inside the bathroom. They were shooting every bullet they had. The shooters ducked and my chance came again. I just had to be careful one of Johnny Boy’s stray bullets didn’t end up in my chest. Some kids who only wanted to have a fun night out were hiding under tables and crying in fear. They kept looking at me, but I ran into the kitchen. I hoped they’d be smart enough to do the same.
Surprisingly, the kitchen was empty. I didn’t stop moving and ran toward the back doors. A shooter from outside burst through those doors into the kitchen. We made eye contact. He seemed to know who I was. I kept running and tackled him before he could shoot me. As we crashed to the floor, his gun went flying across the kitchen. I smashed his face with my fist again and again. Before I could shoot him, he tossed me against the stainless-steel prep tables. All the pots, pans, and chopped veggies fell to the floor. He slammed my arm against the table until the gun fell out of my hand. I punched him a few more times, but he finally got his hand around my throat. A knife on the table was too far out of my reach. He knew if he went for his gun, I’d go for that knife. Strangling me to death was his best option.
The fella was a lot stronger than I was. I tried to poke his eyes and tear his ear, but he must’ve been on something to make him numb. I knew from experience that he had me right where any killer would want their next victim. Eventually, I stopped struggling and just let him do what he had to do. Being that close to death wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. My body was in agony, but my soul felt ready for some rest. Before he could finish cutting off my air supply, Johnny Boy fired a bullet through his skull. I gasped and almost fell to the floor, but he held me up. He put my arm around his shoulder and I leaned on him. We all ran out the back door, the number of guys we’d arrived with cut in half.
We ran across the street to the parking lot. Johnny Boy put me in the backseat of his car and ran over to the driver’s seat. Before we could drive off, Leo knocked on the back window with his bloody fist. I unlocked the door for him and he got inside. One of his arms was broken and limp. His other arm was covered in bits of broken glass. We stared at each other in disbelief at what had happened in the blink of an eye. It could’ve been any of us shot dead; Mario just happened to be sitting in the wrong place at the wrong time. Johnny Boy sped away from the awful scene. Nobody said anything. We all had the same question on our minds.
19
WE REGROUPED AT a safe house not too far from the shooting, but far enough. A couple doctors we had on call came by and checked us out. It was quiet inside the empty factory. Everyone waited for what Johnny Boy had to say. Despite his frustration and rage, he was deep in thought figuring out who’d done this. I’d seen him go one by one before, thinking of every person he’d encountered. He obviously knew it was related to the Gambino family. They’d hit us back hard for the pawnshop robbery and fire, but there was always more to the story; nothing was ever as simple as it looked. To uncover the truth, Johnny Boy had to consider every seemingly irrelevant factor.
