Chapter 18 Vaughn

Vaughn Bianchi sent me to the South Bronx tonight saying he wants me to meet with Sal Giordano again, but I met with him last week and got the money. He can't be behind on another payment that fast.

The address leads me to an old corrugated metal warehouse that smells like piss and is surrounded by trash. Suspicious as hell. Vaughn must be going downhill if his clients are meeting in shitholes like this.

As the door creaks open, my fight or flight radar goes off. I'm reaching for my gun when something rustles behind me. I pivot in time to see Rocco coming at me full speed.

I brace, get my guard up, and block his attack with a clumsy forearm to his neck. It doesn't knock him down, and his face sets in anger. "What the hell, Rocco? What's your problem? Still sour I humiliated your ass?"

"Fuck you." He has a nice dark purple shiner around his eye. I nailed him good.

I open my arms inviting him to attack again. "You want another go at me? I won't hold back this time, and you'll be in a wheelchair for a year if you're not dead."

He' s breathing heavy from his first pass. His eyes glow wild and he looks from side to side like someone's coming for him. What the hell is his problem?

I can't see into the dark corners of the warehouse but I get the feeling we're not alone.

Shit. Yep. Two more guys. I don't recognize them. But they come at me slowly from each side. One is bigger than me and looks mean as hell. The other guy is more milktoast and smaller like Rocco.

"Why'd you bring your boys, Rocco? Afraid you can't take me alone?"

They're all really slow so I pull my gun and point it at Rocco. "Stop and back the fuck up."

They freeze. How the hell did this happen? I can understand why Rocco wants revenge, but why did Vaughn set me up?

"Back the fuck up!"

They don't move but their eyes look over my shoulder. Oh shit.

A blunt force knocks me down from behind, and my head thumps the ground. Rocco runs up and stomps on my hand. Ow fuck! He kicks my gun to the side and what feels like five guys come down on my back. Jesus. I can't even turn around. Blows land on my sides, legs, face. Shit. Everywhere. Someone is whaling on my head. Fuck. Ignoring all the pain, I force the weight on me to shift, and I'm able to side kick at least one of them off me. My fist nails someone in the balls and he grunts and disappears. There's still at least two guys, but it's so hard to see.

"Hold him down."

Who the hell is that?

I keep fighting. I'm not down yet. Never give up.

I'm at the bottom of a pile up, but I will always fight my way out. I hear yelling and scuffling as I'm returning blows to anyone who comes at me.

"Enough! Hold him down!"

Like six sets of knees pile drive down on my ass, and I'm flattened to the filthy earth face down. The punching stops, but unbearable pressure pins down my arms and legs. I'm immobilized. Shit. Who the fuck is doing this? Rocco's big-ass knee is right on my neck, and I'm staring up at his crotch. I shoulda disabled the dickwad when I had the chance.

I hear his shoes before I see him come into view. Fucking Vaughn Bianchi with a gun pointed at my head. Shit.

"Impressive," he says to me.

"What the fuck, Vaughn? You jumping me in?" Is this my initiation into his stupid crime organization?

"This is part of it. You passed the first test." He's smirking down at me, finger on the trigger. He's wearing a suit when all the other guys are in street clothes. They all work for him? I had no idea he had so many soldiers. They're laughing and talking shit with their knees and hands holding me down.

"Get them the fuck off me."

"I got another test for you," he says calmly, like he's not some deranged Mafia wannabe.

"Not interested, Vaughn."

"Oh you're not? I guess you don't want Mila then?"

Oh shit. This is about Mila. "What about her?"

"I know you've been screwing her. Been watching you two sneak around thinking I'm not watching. I watch every damn thing she does, and I know you're using her."

"I'm not using her."

"You're a fucking pig." His voice raises and he spits the words at me. He's got himself all worked up thinking I'm a cop?

"I'm not a cop." I push against the weight on me, but they've settled in now, grinding knees into my joints and back. "Get these assholes off me."

"I knew you were a pig from day one. Who else but a cop would take my daughter down into a wine cellar in my own home during a storm? Only a stinking cop would do that to get info out of her."

"Bullshit. I'm not a fucking cop." I scream it as loud as I can. He needs to hear me .

"Who are you working for?"

"No one but you , asshole."

"Right. I figured you'd say that. Let me guess, you want Mila?" He sneers and sways the guns back and forth.

"Yes." I'm having trouble breathing, but I can get that out. "I want her."

"And I'm assuming she wants you?"

"Yes."

The guys holding me down laugh. I don't give a shit what they think.

"So I know enough to know if you tell a girl she can't have a guy, she's gonna want him more. So I'm thinking to myself. How can I make sure this guy isn't a pig before I give him my consent to date my daughter?" He walks around me and I lose sight of him and the gun.

"I'm not a pig. You can see that."

"I like you, Foster. You've been a good soldier. You fight like a champ. I brought you in, checked you out, and you're okay. You could also be a really fucking good cop."

"No." I grunt under the weight on me. It's fucking hard to breathe. "Let me up, Vaughn and we'll talk."

His laugh is the last straw. I push all my force into my limbs and spiral out from under all of them. One guy comes at me and I flatten him with one punch from my left hand. My right hand is toast. The others don't dare approach. "C'mon!" I urge them to take one step closer, but they don't. "Fucking pussies can sit on my back but can't fight standing up?" I don't recognize anyone but Rocco. Donnie was smart and didn't come.

Vaugh raises his hand. "Okay, boys. Get lost."

There's grumbling and spitting before one by one, they call me an asshole, then turn and walk away.

I wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth. I took a beating and it hurts everywhere. My ribs hurt the most, but based on the pain in my hand, I've got broken fingers. I hold my injured fingers with my other hand and try to realign my deformed ring finger, but it stings like hell so I let it be. "What do you want,Vaughn?"

"You're not who I'd pick for her. Not at all, but if she wants you, I'd be willing to make an exception if I could be sure I could trust you." The gun is not on my face anymore so he's relaxing. I could jump him, but the guys are still in the shadows, and that won't solve whatever Vaughn wants from me, so I sit and listen.

"What do you want?" I repeat my question.

He leans down near my ear and whispers, "I want you to take out Renzo."

My neck is too sore to move and react so I just stare at him. "What? Why?"

He waves the gun around the room. "You all gone?"

When no one replies, he speaks in a low voice. "You don't know? I thought everyone knew?"

"What?"

"Renzo's dad killed my son." His frenzied eyes flash with unrestrained rage.

Shit. "No. I didn't know that." My heart's still pounding, and I'm trying to focus on what he's saying instead of the pain in my fingers and ribs.

"Renzo's dad is dead." He speaks through clenched teeth, his jaw hard as rocks.

"I knew that."

"Now I want Renzo gone too."

I shake my head and turn away from him. "I'm not killing anyone for you, Vaughn."

"Oh really? Shame. I thought you wanted to be part of the family. Date my daughter?" He's taunting me now.

"I do." My voice is short. I know where he's going, and I hate him for it.

"Then take care of Renzo and you're in. You're not a cop, you get the girl. We're a big happy family." He smiles and points his gun at the ceiling as he raises both his hands .

"That's insane." I stare at him, barely believing what he's asking me to do.

He walks in a circle around me again, trying to intimidate me. He's much too comfortable and calm doing this. I'm not the first guy he's pressured into murder.

"If Renzo's not dead in a week, then you're a cop, and you're dead. No Mila. No happy family." He feigns sadness like my life is a joke. Everything I want is a farce to him.

"Renzo's been faithful to you." I'm not close with the guy but he serves Vaughn without question. Never heard him complain. He's wrapped up in the life of a made man, but I've spent hours talking to him. He's focused on growing his empire and gaining clout with Vaughn.

Could I kill Renzo? If I do, I'll spend my life planning, executing, and covering up more crimes to stay in his good graces and to keep Mila in my life. Running drugs and roughing up some crooked businessmen to collect money is one thing. Cold-blooded murder is another. Is that what I want for myself and for her? Am I willing to compromise my morals farther than I already have to stay close to Mila? If I do it, can I trust Vaughn won't turn on me himself?

As if he reads my thoughts on my face, he says, "Foster, once you're family, you'll have our protection. We'll work it out with the police and the judges. We'll make sure no one touches you. "

I pull my eyes away from his pointed gaze and take a step to the door. He's going to make sure I get away with it?

"I need you to do this, Foster. It's important. Would be good for your father too. The old man? Wouldn't want anything to happen to him."

Oh now he's done it. I rush back to him and get in his face. "Stay the fuck away from him." He's the only family I have. Vaughn knows this, and he's using it against me. God, what an asshole. It's much worse than I thought. Mila is in way too deep in this shit and now I am too.

I turn my back on him to pick up my gun and walk out. I know he won't shoot me from behind. He needs me too much. For now, he won't kill me. A week from now? I have no doubt he would.