“Tommy!” he shouted. “Tommy, you old son of a bitch!”
I screwed my face in the grin I had seen pictures of Acasano wear. And then we were on each other, hugging and backslapping and grunting.
Nicoli patted my flat stomach. “How do you do it, huh? Look at you for Chrissake, you’re fifty-seven years old like me. And look at you. A full set of hair, and look at that goddamn belly!”
Grinning, I patted his pot. “Life is good to you, Rozano, huh?”
He had tears in his eyes, this little man who looked like the head of a bank loan department. His arm went around my shoulder and his garlic breath came close to my ear. “It’s good to have an ally here, you know. Tommy? Man gets in my position, he don’t know who to trust any more” His voice had been whispering.
“You don’t change, Rozano,” I said. “Always suspicious.”
He held his index finger up to me. “I got reason. Believe me, Tommy, I got reason. Hey! But what is this? A wake? Huh?” His arm pounded my back. “Hey, you guys! he shouted to the other men. I want you should meet my best goddamn pal in the whole world! Michaels, for Chrissake, Tommy has an empty hand!”
“Take care of that right away, sir,” Michaels said with a smile. He looked at me. “Mr. Nicoli says you take bourbon straight with a water chaser. That right?”
I nodded, remembering that’s what Acasano liked.
“Tommy,” Nicoli said when he had guided me to the group, “this is Al, Louie, Rick The Screw, Trigger Man Jones, and Martino Gaddillo, the best goddamn stick man in the business.”
I knew a stick man handled explosives, dynamite and nitrol mostly, for banks, or federal agent records.
Quick Willie came up behind us. “Hey, boss,” he said in his nasal voice. “I didn’t frisk him when he came in.”
Nicoli held his hand up to Willie’s face. “Whatsa matter with you, you stupid? Huh? You got his rod? Gimme! Come on, come on! Give it here. Search him? He’s my pal. We go back to when you were gettin’ your face smashed stealing hubcaps.” When he had Wilhelmina, he handed the Luger to me. He patted my back again as Michaels shoved the shot glass and water into my hand.
“Thanks,” I said to Nicoli. With the Luger back in its holster, I tossed down the shot, then rinsed my mouth with water.
Nicoli was grinning. “Good stuff, huh? Good?”
“Great.”
“Nothing but the best for my pal, right?”
We all smiled at each other. The room was not much different from any of the other rooms in the house, but it was probably the largest. There was living-room furniture scattered about and, along one wall, what looked like electronic gear.
Nicoli was leading me toward a comfortable-looking couch. “Come,” he said. “Let’s sit and talk where these other punks can’t hear every word.”
There was a television right in front of where we were sitting. I had noticed the absence of Tai Sheng in the room.
“Rozano,” I said, looking around. “Such security. And so tight, it’s beautiful. An ant couldn’t get through.”
He smiled modestly. “The bars and wire mesh are nothing.” Leaning closer to me, he lowered his voice. “Tell me, Tommy, am I making a mistake? Should I leave the running of the organization to someone else?”
It was a sucker question and I knew it. If I said yes, he would suspect me. And I didn’t want that.
“Who else could do it, Rozano? No one. Only you have the leadership ability to take over now.”
He sighed. “But there are so many against me. I no longer know who my friends are. Just last week someone tried to shoot me, one of my own staff. The sides are lining up, my old friend. And it is time to count noses.”
“You know where I stand.”
He patted my knee. “Yes, Tommy. I know.” The television in front of us remained blank. “Did you take care of that agent?” he asked suddenly.
“Agent?” Then I knew he was referring to the AXE agent who had been following the real Acasano. “Yes. Some concrete and wire and the Atlantic. He was well taken care of.”
“Where did you catch him?”
“In my home. Somehow he had broken in and was stealing the telegrams you and I had exchanged.”
“Oh?” His eyebrows arched. “Only the telegrams, nothing else?”
“What else...” I caught myself. “My friend, Rozano, I am not so stupid as to keep the list where a Government agent could find it.”
He smiled. “Of course not. But, Tommy, even you must be careful. There are enemies very close to you.”
I frowned at him. Maybe Acasano might have known what he meant but I sure as hell didn’t.
Then he nodded his shiny he ad forward. “See that television set? It is a video security unit. There is a camera mounted secretly in every room of the house.” He picked up a small control box. “With this remote control I can see any room I wish.”
“As I said earlier, Rozano, my friend, your security would be the envy of every man in the States.”
“Do you know what Government agency the man following you worked for?”
There it was again, another trick question from out of the blue. Was Nicoli testing me? If so, why? I found myself beginning to sweat.
“No,” I said. “I didn’t find out.”
Nicoli moved forward on the couch “Didn’t you search him after the hit?”
“Yes... sure I did, but he had nothing on him, no papers or identification.”
“Hmm.” He leaned back again, looking thoughtful “Of course he wouldn’t carry anything going out to your home Afraid he would be caught, huh?”
“Why all these questions. Rozano? Do you suspect me?”
“Ha!” he shouted, slapping my back. “Whatsa matter with you, my old friend, huh? Got a guilty conscience?”
I smiled weakly, and noticed that while the other men were still talking together, at least one of them was watching us at all times.
“My conscience is clear. I have been loyal to you, Rozano.”
He hugged me. And when he looked at me there were tears in his eyes once again. “My old friend, I know. You and I go back too far for treachery, huh? But I am so sorry for you.”
“Sorry?” I asked with a frown. “But... why?”
“Watch.” He picked up the control box from the stand next to the couch and pushed a button.
My eyes were glued to the television set as it started to brighten. There was flickering with wavy lines across the screen, then a picture came on.
There was a room. There was no furniture except one straight-backed chair. A girl was sitting in the chair with her head bent over so I couldn’t see her face. As I started to speak, Tai Sheng came on the screen.
He had lost some of his polish. Even in black and white I could see he was sweating. In shirtsleeves, with the collar unsnapped, a few strands of hair hanging over his forehead, he stepped over to the girl.
Nicoli was sitting quietly beside me. If I was breathing I wasn’t aware of it. Tai Sheng grabbed a handful of the girl’s hair and lifted the head up enough for us to see the face.
It was Tanya. Her face was bruised and bleeding. I stared without believing. And even as we watched, Tai Sheng backhanded Tanya across the face. Then he doubled his fist and smashed her hard on the cheek. With a click the screen went blank.
I spun toward Nicoli. “You had better have a damned good reason for this,” I hissed. “That’s my broad that gook is slapping around.”
He held his hands up, palms toward me. “Please, my friend. I can understand your shock. Imagine how shocked we were when we found out.”
“Found out what? Just what the hell are you talking about?” My guts were burning with rage. I wanted to tear the little bastard apart; give him open-heart surgery and go in through the bottom of his feet.
But he sat there smiling sympathetically for me! Then he nodded. “I can see she fooled you, Tommy, as well as all the others.”