Reverse Metamorphosis book one of the Irrevocable Change trilogy (7 page)

After a few minutes of silence Anna stood and
turned to speak to Clay, “Tony trusts you and is impressed with
your ability in these matters. He’s spoken highly of you several
times. Therefore, even against the strict rules Tony is governed
by, I am going to tell Joey that I want you to head up the job of
getting the bastards who did this to my husband. Joey won’t like it
but he and the rest of the men will report to you and follow your
orders.”

Clay was shocked and began uttering protest,
but Anna silenced him by putting her finger on his lips. “I know
this is a terrible burden and I have no right to ask it of you,
especially after what you have already done in avenging my son. But
I truly feel you are the only one I have available to stop this. If
Jimmy were alive it would be his responsibility, but now you are
the only person Tony and I have to depend on. In Tony’s business
only the strong survive; the weak get killed. If no one in Tony’s
group can stand up to these strangers, none of the other bosses
will interfere. The only way they will act is if they decide to
absorb his territory. And then they would have to kill him
themselves. Joey has the muscle to attempt this, but not the
cunning to succeed. He can do the dirty work, but without a
sensible plan he’ll probably fail or get caught. Clay I need you
and Tony needs you.”

Then Anna continued, “This cannot be a long
and drawn out turf war. The authorities, the other boss’s and the
public won’t tolerate it. It will need to be a decisive and
crippling blow to whoever is behind the attack.”

Anna said, "Please do this for Tony's sake,"
kissed Clay on the cheek and led him out the door of the I.C.U.
back into the corridor they had used earlier. Clay couldn’t believe
what had been thrust upon him, and yet couldn’t refuse Anna’s
request. His thoughts were jumbled and he didn’t know what to say
in protest. As they approached the waiting room, Anna stopped and
turned to him. “I phoned John and Adrianna and told them about
their father. I asked them not to come right now, it’s too
dangerous and they would only be in the way. They can visit later
when this mess is resolved. ” She then asked Clay to get Joey and
bring him to her. Clay was in a mental daze as he went to the
waiting room and motioned for Joey Tadono to accompany him.

When they returned Anna told Joey of her
decision. Joey protested, but Anna prevailed and held her ground.
Seeing there was no dissuading her, Joey reluctantly conceded and
dejectedly agreed to follow Clay’s directions.

While half listening as Anna informed Joey of
her decision, Clay had time to begin thinking ahead to what needed
to be done. If Anna had appointed him to be in charge, then it was
time to start making decisions.

Clay summoned the doctor on shift who was in
charge of the I.C.U. and informed him there would be two men around
the clock guarding Tony until he was released from the hospital.
The doctor protested he wouldn’t allow it in his ward, but a
menacing glare and a few well chosen words from Joey helped
convince him that the men could be allowed to remain in Tony’s
room. No mention of weapons was made, but the doctor seemed to
understand the implication of the term “guards”. Clay assured the
doctor as soon as it would be safe to move Tony, he would be
transported to another facility.

At Anna’s insistence, Clay went to her house
to sleep and agreed to use it as his headquarters during the
crisis. Anna had convinced her parents and Tony’s mother to move in
with her temporarily also. Guards were assigned to the house and
grounds, in case the attackers decided to hit Tony’s entire family.
Before turning in for the night Clay asked Anna where Tony kept
guns in the house. She led him to a closet on the third floor where
he counted thirteen hand guns amid several shotguns and rifles plus
ammunition for all of them. Clay selected a nine millimeter Beretta
automatic, walked downstairs to his room, and went to bed.

Tuesday morning, after only three hours sleep
Clay called the Union Hall and quit the job he had been working.
Clay could only cite “personal reasons” for quitting and before he
hung up the Business Agent’s secretary said his boss was going to
be very unhappy. He then called his mother to update her on Tony’s
condition and informed her he would be staying with Anna’s family
for several weeks until things calmed down. Margaret wasn’t
receptive to his being anywhere near the Giliano family after what
had transpired the day before and objected passionately to his
being involved in their affairs. All he could tell her was he was
there for moral support only and would be safe, since he would be
staying at the house with the other extended family members. He
told his mother he loved her and would be checking in with her
frequently and then ended the call while she was still
protesting.

Clay summoned Joey Tadono to Tony’s den to
discuss a strategy for the coming week. Business was to continue as
usual. All men in the group were to be extremely cautious, but were
to listen for and collect any information they could about Tony’s
shooting. Word would be passed to all the men to be alert for
anyone trying to pump information out of them, and to notify Joey
of who they were. Joey was to revisit the store owners who had been
roughed up and do what ever was necessary to get them to talk, even
if it meant putting them in the hospital. Clay hated to do it
because the poor bastards were caught in the middle between two
groups of tough and determined criminals. The store owners just
wanted to be left alone to eke out a living for their families.
They couldn’t care less which group was extorting money from them,
be it Tony’s gang or some other bunch. They meant nothing to either
side but a source of illegal income to be taken by the ruthless
from the weak.

Shortly after they had begun, Anna entered
the room and stood in the background listening. When they finished,
she told Joey to impress on the men Clay was to remain anonymous.
They were to keep his involvement with the family to themselves.
Leaking his name on the street could endanger his family, and if
they were dragged into this mess someone would pay for having a
loose tongue.

Wednesday morning, at the third business he
visited on Haverity Avenue, Joey learned what he wanted from the
wife of a man taking a severe beating rather than give the
information demanded of him. She pleaded for Joey and his men to
stop hitting her husband when she saw one of the men take a
shortened ball bat from a cloth bag he was carrying.

She said a group of Russians had told them if
they didn’t keep their mouths shut and pay the Russians the same
protection fee’s being paid to the big Italian they and their
entire family would be raped, tortured and killed. Joey then
learned the Russians collected at this store and others in the
neighborhood every Friday morning, which would put them back there
in two days.

After talking to Joey, Clay escorted Anna to
the hospital to check on Tony’s condition and progress. The guards
at Tony’s room informed them two policemen had been there earlier,
but Tony wasn’t awake. The detectives promised to return the
following day. Clay told the guards to keep one man in the room at
all times and the other outside in the hallway. They were directed
to signal the other side with a knock on the door prior to anyone
being admitted or allowed to leave.

Clay excused himself from the vigil with Anna
to make a forty five minute tour of the hospital facility. Making
his way from Tony’s third floor room he surveyed the second and
then first floor layouts. He then went to the basement where in his
wanderings he discovered a service entrance. The entrance was
approximately ten foot wide by fourteen foot high. The garage door
opened automatically when a vehicle approached either side of the
door and closed after it passed through. Not wanting to be away too
long he headed back up to Tony’s room. Clay and Anna stayed for
three hours during which Tony woke up enough to acknowledge both of
their presence, say he hurt like hell, and succumb to the drugs
again.

On the ride back to Anna’s house, he brought
up the subject of Tony’s recovery.
“Have arrangement been made for where Tony can be taken; a place
where he can recuperate out of sight and be safe for a prolonged
time?”

“Yes, for the last eighteen years we’ve been
making yearly donations to the Thompson Medical Research Hospital,
a facility in Wisconsin. The director of the hospital understands
the nature of Tony’s business. The agreement is if any of the
family is injured and needs recuperative care for an extended stay
they are to be admitted anonymously.”

When they returned to the house Anna called
Clay into Tony’s office and closed the door. She used a key to open
a drawer in the cabinetry under the walnut book shelves and showed
Clay a drawer full of cash. “There’s over thirty thousand dollars
here. Use it to buy what ever you need for this job. There’s more
if and when you need it.”

Two hours later Joey stormed into Clay’s
newly assigned headquarters.

“Those son’s a bitches killed two of my men
this afternoon. Shot them both in the back at close range while
they were making collections. Both of them are dead. And then an
hour later somebody took a shot at me too. I’ll have men waiting
for those Russian collectors when they show up Friday morning, and
kill the whole damn bunch.”

Clay stopped Joey in his tracks and said
calmly, “Joey, there will not be a shoot out tomorrow. You are
going to supply me with the people I need on the street. Find a
location for a camera to be setup across the street on a second
floor, and you stay there too. They apparently know who you are and
I want you out of sight.” Joey was fidgeting and red in the face.
”We’re going to let the workers lead us to their boss. He's our
target. Hell, we don’t even know who our enemy is! Pull all your
people off the street. Stop making collections and let them think
they’ve won and we’re laying low. Tell only the men you are
positive you can trust completely to stay at home and be ready when
you call them. And assure them we will be calling.

Joey was fuming and couldn't control himself
any longer. He stood and raised his voice “By god, it’s time to hit
those bastards like they’ve been hitting us, not go and hide like a
bunch of scared old women. I’ll hit them Friday and to hell with
you. You don’t know shit about this, you young punk. I’m through
taking orders from you”

Having heard the loud disturbance, Anna
walked into the room as Clay was rising from his chair; before he
could respond she pointed her finger at Joey, “Sit down and shut
your mouth. I told you Clay is in charge and he still is. You will
continue to do exactly what you are told; no more and no less. Clay
will do the planning, you will provide the muscle. I can get muscle
from a dozen people who can follow orders, so be careful your
insolence doesn’t turn into threats or disloyalty. The fact they
killed two of our people is terrible and we will reply. But it will
be how, when, and where Clay tells you.” Anna turned and left as
quickly as she had entered.

Joey sat with a scowl on his face, looking
down at the carpeting on the floor. He hadn’t expected Anna to
continue to back the kid, but thought she would cave in and put him
in charge when he pointed out they were still suffering loss’s and
he had even become a target.

Clay opened the desk drawer, picked up the
9mm pistol and walked over to where Joey was sitting. Placing the
gun against the back of Joey’s head he clicked the safety off and
said quietly, “If you ever talk down to me again, in front of
anyone or not, I’ll kill you on the spot.”

Placing his left hand on Joey’s shoulder, and
without moving the gun, he calmly continued, “You and I each have
roles in this; we compliment each other well in what we are capable
of. Be patient and you will soon get to do your part; or I’ll do it
without you, it’s your choice.”

Moving the gun away from Joey’s head he
clicked the safety back on, moved back to his chair and continued,
“Right now I need you to see how many people are watching the
hospital and where they are located. Again, get any descriptions:
car make, model, color, license plate numbers, or what ever there
is to identify these people. I need to know exactly where they are,
when they change shifts, what they eat, where they park, if they
fall asleep, everything, even if it seems unimportant. You'll
probably know some of these people, but we have to identify them
and learn who is at the top. Have the cameraman take pictures of
the people doing the watching if possible. There will be a time
very soon when everyone who joined this bunch will be dealt
with.”

“Now, tell me more about the attempt to hit
you? When and where did it happen?"

“Over on Second Street just past Burris, put
a slug through both front windows and just missed my nose.”

“You need to keep several men with you at all
times from now on. And, perhaps your wife and kids should stay away
from the house for the next couple of weeks until this is
over.”

Joey looked up at this young man he had
passed off as just an outsider, only hanging on to Tony’s family
because of his past friendship with Jimmy. There was something more
than just childhood friendship driving the respect and confidence
both Tony and Anna had for this guy. Joey decided he had better
keep his mouth shut and watch out for this one until he understood
better what he was dealing with. He knew he had just had a close
brush with death, and it was very sobering, even to him. The kid
had a calm stone cold look in his eyes. A look as cold as he had
ever seen; and he had met some cold blooded killers over the
years.

When Joey had left, Clay thought about what
he had said to him in response to his defiant outburst. The reply
had been calm and collected, and he knew deep in his soul he really
meant every word of his threat. He wondered what had changed in his
emotional and mental makeup to enable him to even verbalize such a
reply. And, more than just the uttering of such a threat on the
life of another person, acceptance of the knowledge the threat was
not idle posturing, but a promise he could fulfill in a heartbeat
and without regret. He hadn’t previously thought of himself as a
particularly violent individual; yet in the span of two and one
half years he had killed two people and would create a plan to kill
many, many more. The actual life taking would depend on the actions
of others, but he alone would have total responsibility for the
bloodshed. The only uneasiness he had in the entire matter was the
knowledge he could live with it and feel no remorse. His inner
being, maybe the thing people call a conscience or a soul was
telling him what he was about to do was terribly wrong, but somehow
he could over ride the feeling and continue planning the details to
make it happen.