The Mafia Trilogy (43 page)

Darwin’s heart raced so hard that his chest hurt, but his hands remained steady.

“I want to shoot and kill Greg Stinsen for setting me up.”

He hoped Greg would understand the reference to what happened in Toronto only a few months ago. The expression on Greg’s face told him otherwise.

Gambino slapped his knee like they were all out at a campfire telling jokes.

“That’s a good one. You serious?”

“Yes,” Darwin said.

Gambino looked at Rudy who nodded.

“Okay, be my guest. Everyone, step back at least five feet. I want every weapon you have aimed at Darwin’s face. When he flips off the safety, if he turns his weapon away from Greg, execute him. Understood?”

The men shouted in unison, “Yes sir!”

The men surrounding Darwin backed away. Only the gun pressed into his cheek remained. Gambino stepped away from the two remaining feds on the ground. The last of his soldiers stood in Darwin’s periphery.

“You gonna get this animal off my cheek?” Darwin asked.

The report of a weapon made him jump. He looked down but didn’t see any blood. The guy beside him moved to the side and slipped to his knees, half his head missing. The man’s body convulsed in the throes of death as it shook for ten more seconds before coming still, his blood staining the ground a dark red.

“There, he’s off your cheek,” Gambino said. “I have no use for men who don’t follow orders. I said, five feet.”

The other men acknowledged him.

He lifted the weapon.
Please, God, let this work. The rest of my short life depends on it.

He flipped off the safety and brought the gun up to aim at Greg.

“Sorry, Greg, but it ends here.”

A look of resolute acceptance washed over Greg’s face. He would know the chances of leaving Gambino’s alive were slim to none. He of all people here knew the torture the Mafia could induce. This was better for everyone and it was the only way.

Darwin fired. The bullet hit Greg an inch above the eyes in the center of his forehead right about where Darwin had gotten shot earlier.

Greg’s head whipped back, followed by his body. Blood squirted out of where the bullet had broken the skin.

Rosina screamed behind him, “Darwin, how could you?” She was crying. “Greg was our friend.”

The federal agent still on his knees beside Greg edged away, his face showing his confusion and fear. Darwin couldn’t see Rudy anymore. He’d fallen in behind the men standing around.

Gambino clapped his hands. “Well then, there’s one down. What’s next?” he asked.

“I’d like to finish the job.”

“What are you proposing?” Gambino said as he stepped in front of Darwin, daring him to aim at the mobster. “You want to shoot yourself?”

“Not exactly. I’d like to shoot my wife.”

Rosina gasped behind him. Gambino looked at her and then back at Darwin. “No way. I want to spread her around for the men. We have special plans for such a cute young thing. Don’t worry, we’ll be gentle at first. Wouldn’t want to damage that young vagina too early. But, you were kidding, right? You’d never shoot your own wife. This is some kind of joke, isn’t it?”

Darwin shook his head. “No joke.” And then he lied as best he could. He tried to come up with the only thing he could think of that would give Gambino pause. “This was always about my initiation into the Russian Mafia. I knew your men were coming. How else do you think I could take out five agents? Why am I still alive after you buried me? Ask yourself how I made it to Fuccini and the Harvester of Sorrow all by myself.”

Gambino faltered and stepped back. His eyes searched the men around him and then he moved his gaze to the house, a look of confusion on his face. “Where’s Rudy?”

No one answered.

“He’s not needed now that I’m here,” Darwin said, hoping desperately that Gambino would believe even a little of what he was saying. “That’s why I stole the tank. I wanted a test drive before I took it to my people.”

“But you’re nothing.” Gambino fidgeted under his collar for an itch. “I had you checked out. You couldn’t even play checkers with me. That was sincere.”

“Wrong.”

“Then explain why you were so believable.”

“Training. Ever heard of Keyser Söze?”

Gambino shook his head. Darwin gripped the weapon tighter.

“Darwin, honey, what are you saying?” Rosina asked behind him.

No baby, stay quiet. I almost have him.

“Rosina, shut up. This doesn’t concern you anymore.” He looked at Gambino with all the hatred he could muster. It was because of the man in front of him that he was forced to talk like that to his wife. “With the proper training, even polygraphs are useless. I’m one of their forward soldiers. I was sent to finish the job you fucked up in Toronto. Vincenzo was to be killed too. The Fuccini head was supposed to be at that meeting. He wasn’t. So, as I said, I finished your job for you. You should be thanking me and not burying me in six feet of dirt.” Darwin spat the last word out. “If I’m lying, then how is it I’m standing before you, alive, and so many men lay dead by my hand? If I’m really a Canadian boy looking to live out his years married and raising kids, then why am I shooting feds and discussing business with you. That leads me to one more thing for you to think about.”

Gambino looked confused. He looked around his men again and fidgeted on his feet. He mustered up as much bravado as he could and then asked, “What do I have to think about?”

“Whether you will willingly let me shoot Rosina and the five men who helped me escape the grave.”

“There were five men who helped you?”

Whispering and murmurs erupted among all the men standing around. They were buying his bullshit with all their stupid currency.

“I will point them out as soon as Rosina is dead.”

“Deal. Shoot her.”

Darwin spun around and aimed his gun at Rosina from ten feet away.

I’m sorry baby. This is going to hurt me more than it’ll hurt you. I hope you’ll forgive me one day.

“Fuck you,” Rosina spit. “I loved you and I don’t believe a single word—”

Darwin fired, cutting her off. The bullet hit high in her forehead near the hairline. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumpled to the floor, blood seeping from the wound. The men who had been standing on either side of her stepped away.

“Ok, now, tell me who helped you,” Gambino said.

Darwin scanned everyone’s faces and met the eyes of each man. He caught a glimpse of Rudy in the window of the living room talking on a cell phone. Darwin chose five men at random. They all protested and had to be brought to the ground by the butts of their friends’ weapons. One of the five got quite vocal, protesting the charge and declaring his innocence.

“Quiet them,” Gambino ordered. “No one speaks. I want silence.” Then he turned to look at Darwin. “Wait. Johnny was with me after you were taken away to the cemetery. He couldn’t have helped you escape. You’re lying.”

Darwin had to act the part to the end or die trying. He lowered the weapon to his side and raised his right hand. “Stop,” he said to Gambino. “Watch what you say. The mistakes you’ve made are plenty. Rudy,” he pointed up at the living room window without looking, “is on the phone right now, detailing your mistakes to our bosses. Questioning me again will cost you. Look at your house. That’s just the start. Ask Fuccini how I deal with mistakes. You heard how he was killed.”

Gambino nodded. “Yeah, he was torn in half.”

“I had a local biker gang do it for me. That’s the influence I wield. So, question me again. Please, because I’m pretty pissed at being buried alive.”

Gambino looked like he was on a leaky boat, destined for the darkness beyond the waves. His forehead glistened in the floodlights coming from the house.

He moved off to the side and leaned against the tank.

“Line those five men up and kill them. Do it now.”

All five were put in a line. Before they could fight or run, half a dozen other men emptied weapons into their bodies making them dance on the ground like puppets with broken strings.

Forgive me, Lord. This is the only way to get out and leave behind a lot of dead bad guys who don’t deserve to live.

Darwin turned to Gambino. He pointed at the dead men on the ground. “May I?”

Gambino nodded. Darwin walked over and emptied his weapon into them, making sure he aimed high so any ricochets would fly into the trees and disappear in the dark. Then he tossed the assault rifle into the bush and grabbed one from the dead man at his feet.

“Now, let’s talk business.”

“Not so fast,” Gambino said. He waved at Rudy in the window. Rudy nodded and headed toward them.

Shit, shit, shit. Here we go.

“Can you verify anything Darwin is saying?” Gambino asked Rudy.

The Russian contact stared at Darwin long and hard. Then he shook his head. “No, I can’t.”

Gambino swung his head fast to look at Darwin.

“But I will say his story fits,” Rudy added.

Gambino looked back at Rudy. “What do you mean, ‘His story fits’?”

“How many people do you know who could do what Darwin has done?”

Gambino gestured with his hand. “Go on.”

“There are others working for my people. They don’t tell me everything. I only know what I’m supposed to do.”

“Who were you talking to on the phone?”

“That’s none of your business. We have a deal. You have passed your initiation. My people will work with you now. If Darwin says he’s one of them, I wouldn’t believe him. But if he says he’s one of them and shoots a fed and his wife, then I would be careful before I say otherwise.”

Gambino appeared to think about it. Darwin gripped the new weapon with both hands, waiting for his moment. He counted eight men in total, including Rudy and Gambino. The fed named Carson was still on his knees, another guard holding a weapon behind him.

There’s no way I can get them all.

“Gambino, you know how this works,” Rudy continued. “I haven’t met Darwin because his people and my people didn’t feel it necessary. If they did, we would’ve met. There’s never a face-to-face without a recommendation by a third party. But after what he has done here tonight, I would take him at his word. For now.”

When Gambino turned his whole body to Darwin, Rudy lifted his gun and fired at the back of Gambino’s head. Darwin’s mouth dropped open as the back of Gambino’s skull exploded seven feet from him, a blank look on Gambino’s face as he fell to his knees hard and dropped face first to the ground.

No one turned to shoot Rudy. They were all afraid of who he was and who he represented.

“The Red Mafia are moving into parts of Florida and central Ontario. All of you men are now standing employees of my people. Your wages just increased. Now, secure the property. You and you,” he pointed at two men nearest him, “come with me.”

Rudy turned around and walked into the house, followed by the two men. The rest of them lowered their weapons and stared at Gambino’s body.

That gave Darwin the edge he needed. He spun and fired at the guard by Carson, cutting him nearly in half. He swung back as fast as he could, cutting the other three men down before they could respond. In a matter of four seconds, only Carson and Darwin were still standing.

Darwin kicked a rifle toward Carson. “Help me get those other three. Let’s end this.”

Carson grabbed the gun and aimed it at Darwin. “You die first.”

“Aim that somewhere else. I’m not with the bad guys. I’m with you.”

“You killed a federal agent and your wife.”

“No, I didn’t. That gun was loaded with rubber bullets. They’re only unconscious.”

Darwin watched the front of the house. Carson dropped to check Greg’s pulse and stood back up. “How did you know?”

“That was the same gun they shot me with before they buried me alive. The handle has a piece of blue duct tape on it. I covered it with my hand so no one else could tell.”

Carson looked over and saw the blue tape, then blinked twice and looked stunned for a moment.

The two men who had followed Rudy inside came running out of the front door. Carson and Darwin fired in unison, killing both men before they got past the threshold.

“One left,” Darwin said.

“I got him,” Carson said. He stepped by Darwin and then stopped. He put a hand on Darwin’s shoulder. “You’re a smart fucker. You even had me believing you. Where do you come up with this stuff?”

“No idea. We’ll talk later. Get Rudy.”

Carson ran in the house and disappeared. Darwin ran over to Rosina and lifted her head to rest it on his legs.