FIFTEEN
“Pop, hurry up, you’re gonna be late!” Mikey screamed as he walked out the front door.
Vinny struggled to his feet from the cozy sofa and then mumbled a few cuss words. He screwed his face up at the thought of another doctor visit. It would be the third one this week and he was growing very tired of it.
“Goddamn doctors get on my nerves, Mikey…”
“I understand pop, but ain’t nothing I can do about it. Doc says you need to come in today, says it an emergency.”
“Everything’s a fuckin’ emergency according to him.”
Mikey held the car door open while the aging, ailing Mob Boss crawled into the backseat of the limo. And then he slid in beside him.
“Jimmy, Take 87. It’ll get us there faster.” Vinny’s voice was dry and raspy. He coughed.
“Pop, you alright?” Mikey anxiously sat up.
“Yeah, Mikey. I’m fine.” He spit in his handkerchief and put it back in his coat pocket. “Where’s your brother?”
“I don’t know pop. He said he had something to take care of.”
“Hmph…” Vinny relaxed on the fine leather and stretched his long legs in the spacious limousine. “The nerve of that guy.” He was worried. “You gotta watch over him, Mikey. You know Vito ain’t the brightest M&M in the pack.”
“Yeah, I know pop.”
“Just don’t let nothing happen to your brother. And what’s going on with this Mox situation?”
“Not too much. I haven’t heard anything from Cleo.”
“He’s not gonna do it. Mikey, I want you to handle that. And after Mox,” Vinny looked out the window at the passing traffic. “Take care of Cleo.”
“But, Pop—”
Vinny cut in. “But nothing. Just do what I tell you”
Vinny sat back in his seat, speechless. It was out of his hands. There was nothing no one could do or say.
The partition came down and Jimmy tried to get Vinny’s attention. “Excuse me, Boss.”
Nobody heard him.
Mikey finally said something. “Why you so caught up on Mox, Pop?”
“I got my reasons,” he answered.
Jimmy tried again. “Excuse me, boss.”
“Yeah, Jimmy.”
“I think we’re being followed.”
Mikey turned to look out the back window, but he couldn’t see out because of the dark tint. He was edgy, but Vinny kept his cool. “How far till the next exit?”
“Two miles,” Jimmy replied.
The limousine slowed up at the Central Park Avenue exit in Yonkers and the two black Mercedes 500s that were tailing did the same.
“Pull into the gas station,” Vinny ordered.
Jimmy made a right turn into the Mobile gas station and pulled over by two giant gas tanks. The only car there was getting ready to pull off.
Mikey checked his weapon and then reached to open the door. “Let me handle this, Pop.”
“Sit down Mikey. I can take care of myself.” Vinny opened his door and stepped into a brisk, light wind that whistled at the few hairs that were left on his head. He buttoned his overcoat and watched the two 500s pull in behind him.
Jimmy removed his revolver from the glove compartment and stepped out with Vinny.
The occupants of the two Mercedes exited the vehicles, but Vinny only recognized Mox and Cleo. He had never seen the other three guys. They all donned dark, tailored suits and shiny shoes.
Vinny kept his hands in his pockets while they approached. “I wasn’t expecting any visitors today.”
“You should always expect the unexpected, old man.” Mox was standing ten feet in front of him.
“Those are quite knowledgeable words coming from a dead man,” he smiled. “Cleo, I thought I asked you to do something?” Vinny studied Cleo’s mannerisms. He could tell that he didn’t want to be there.
“I don’t take orders from you anymore, Vinny.”
Mikey emerged from the backseat palming a black pistol. “Is there a problem here guys?”
Upon sight, Mox’s men backed out weapons of their own and Jimmy sneakily eased toward the gas tanks.
“However you wanna do it, Mikey. It’s your call, but we didn’t come here for that.”
Vinny fumed. “Put that fuckin’ thing down. I told you I’ll take care of this. Now get back in the car.”
“You heard your father, Mikey,” Mox teased.
Mikey pressed him. “At least I know who my father is.”
Mox threw a quick smirk to his team, and before Vinny could step in, the butt of his gun slammed down on Mikey’s face causing him to drop his pistol. His nasal bone cracked and a stream of blood shot onto Vinny’s coat.
Mox cocked the weapon and shoved it under Mikey’s chin. “If your gun game was as slick as your tongue, you wouldn’t be in this position.”
“Mox, not here!” Cleo yelled out.
“Hey!” Jimmy screamed. He was standing by one of the giant gas tanks with his .32 revolver pointed directly at it. “Either you guys put the guns down, or we all die.” He was trembling and the lightweight firearm felt like a 100 pound dumbbell in his hand.
Jimmy was 54 years old and had never fired a gun in his life. The only reason he kept one in the glove compartment was because he chauffeured a Mob Boss around the city every day and it made him feel like he was a part of that lifestyle.
“I’m tellin’ you, I’ll shoot this damn thing and blow half the city up. Put ‘em down!”
But nobody budged.
Vinny attempted to calm him. “Easy Jimmy, I got it. Everything is cool.” He grilled the five men in front of him. “What do you want Mox?”
Without removing the gun from Mikey’s throat, Mox dug in his pants pocket and pulled out the photo of him, his mother, and Casey. He shoved it in Vinny’s face.
“My mother and father were killed in one of your buildings back in 95’. Did you know ‘em?”
“Of course I knew ‘em.” Vinny stared at the picture. He knew the answers to all Mox’s questions. “But I ain’t the one you need to talk to.”
Jimmy still had his gun aimed at the gas tank and Mikey was bleeding severely.
“I wanna know what you know.”
Vinny side-eyed Cleo. “Ask your aunt.”
“Leave my mother outta this.” Cleo took a step forward.
What did his Aunt have to do with this?
Mox was thrown off. He recalled asking if she knew anything about the night of the murder, but she denied it.
Mox eased off Mikey .
“Cleo, you use to be a good kid.” Vinny moved forward. “You use to listen to me. Whatever I told you to do, you did.” he leaned in close to Cleo’s face. “I liked that about you. I ate, you ate. But now… now… you and Nino Brown over here wanna take over the world together huh? Fuck Vinny and the Telescos. Well, you know what Cleo… when you go to sleep with the snakes, don’t be surprised when you get bit.”
“Fuck you Vinny!” Cleo snatched his weapon from the inside of his jacket and put it to Vinny’s head.”
Jimmy screamed again. “You think I’m playing!” He pulled the hammer back with his thumb and had a round ready to go.
“Hey, Cleo, I bet you never told the guys that you were the one who paid drunk Sunny to shoot up the bar and say Mox’s name.”
“You’re a fuckin’ liar Vinny.” Cleo went to smash the old man in the head with the gun, but Mox grabbed his wrist.
“We not gon’ do this here, Cleo.” Mox cut his eyes at Vinny. “This ain’t over.”
Vinny breathed a sigh of relief once they backed away and re-entered their cars. He hadn’t planned on dying today, but what he had done was plant a seed of suspicion in Mox’s head. He was a wise old man if anything. He knew Mox would come for him as soon as he found out the truth. All he did was buy himself some time, because if Cleo and Mox were at war with each other, it was beneficial to him. He needed both of them out the way so he could execute his plan.
__________
“I knew you couldn’t fuck wit’ me nigga, you suck!” Tyrell tossed the PS3 controller at his homeboy Leo. He had just finished beating his ass in Madden for the third time in a row. “You see what I be doin’ out there wit’ that boy Ray Rice.” Tyrell fixed his arm like he was a running back holding the ball and mimicked the replay that was on the screen. “Uh, uh… a lil’ spin move, juke to the left. Uh! End zone nigga!”
“Shut up nigga. You better keep your voice down before Dana come back out here and kick us out. I ain’t got nowhere to stay tonight my nigga.”
“True… ‘cause she will kick
yo’
ass out.” Tyrell laughed.
He and Leo had been crashing at Dana’s for the past few weeks. She agreed to let them smoke and play the game in the crib as long as they watched Brandi while she was at school.
Dana didn’t have a problem helping Mox out with his daughter. She was aware of the circumstances and wanted to be of any help she could. Besides, he was funding her $40,000 a year college tuition at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He had no idea that Tyrell had been watching Brandi every night for the past month, due to the steady babysitter taking a vacation. Dana knew if he found out, he would be overly enraged, but she had no other choice. Tyrell had to watch Brandi until she found someone else.
“Roll up that sour my nigga.” Tyrell tossed Leo a cigar and a Ziploc bag full of weed.
Leo wiped his face with his hand and looked at the clock on the wall. “Damn son, its 5:30 already, the sun bout to come up.” They had been playing the game for hours. “Aight, lemme use the bathroom first.”
Two minutes later Leo came out the bathroom and sat in the fold up chair.
“You ain’t flush the toilet or wash your hands?”
“Ain’t no water.”
“What you mean?” Tyrell hurried to the kitchen and tried the faucet.
Nothing.
“What the fuc—”
BOOM! BOOM BOOM!
“Open up! New Rochelle Police Department!!”
The instant Tyrell’s eyes hit the door, it was flying off the hinges.
“Get on the floor! Now!” The tactical unit officer was dressed in a dark blue fatigue suit, a helmet and full bullet proof body gear and wielding a pump action, 12 gauge shotgun.
Three more officers blitzed in and searched the rest of the apartment. An hour later, Tyrell, Leo and Dana were in handcuffs sitting in holding cells at the police station and Brandi was in the custody of the state.
Dana was stunned when the detectives explained the charges and the reason for the raid. She wanted to kill her cousin.
Tyrell had been using the apartment as a trap house and his reckless behavior had cost Mox and Dana a huge loss. Police found $290,000 in cash, a 1/2 ounce of crack and a quarter pound of weed. The weed and crack was Tyrell’s, but the money belonged to Mox.
As soon as the word got back to the street, Mox called a “Union” meeting.
Marriott Hotel – New Roc City
Mox walked into the 3rd floor meeting room of the Marriott in disarray. He looked defeated and fatigued, like he’d been up for days without a wink of sleep. His eyes held blood and his heart pumped misery while hellish thoughts bounced around his brain like someone pulled the lever on a pinball machine. The burden was coming down on him and the pressure was hastily building. Mox was resilient, and he vowed to let nothing hinder his commitment.
His dress shirt hung out one side of his pants and his shoes were untied as he neared the ash wood table. Frank, Papi and Nate were the only ones physically present because Javier would be attending via iChat and Cleo had gone missing for the last week.
Frank saw the strife on his partner’s face. “Mox, don’t worry we gon’ take care of this.”