Page 84 of Chubs

Rex catches up and hands Les and me each a bulletproof vest. We put them on and cover them with our hoodies. I take a moment to double-check my handgun, waiting for Les to do the same. Once we’re set, Gunner lays out the plan that we’re to follow. When Cash receives a text, he tells us it’s time to get into place.

Horse passes us with the empty van, pulls it into the vacant lot, removes the license plate, and climbs inside. Les and I walk to it and climb into the front seats. Since we got here so early to prepare, we have a long wait, and that’s the hard part.

A few hours pass before I hear a ding from the phone Horse set near me. Picking it up, I read the message and reply.

“Cars are coming. Three of them in a line. Remember our job, Les. Stay calm and duck for cover if shit goes sideways.”

“I’m ready. Be careful, brother. Don’t want to attend another of your funerals.”

Horse chokes out a laugh but quiets when headlights flash across the windshield. Only one car pulls into the vacant lot, and it parks a few spaces over from the van, slightly forward of us. I open my door partway and wait to see who exits the car. When the driver’s door opens, I watch Ruzzo step out. I do the same, with Les following suit.

Ruzzo approaches and holds his hand out. I grasp it and shake hands with the man who turned my world upside down when he appeared in Denver. When he turns to shake hands with Les, I see movement in the passenger side of his car.

“Who’s your friend?” I ask casually.

“Vetter. He wanted to come tonight and explain his side of things. I hope that’s alright?” Ruzzo questions in the same casual tone I used.

I watch as Vetter slowly, carefully climbs from the car. He briefly leans against the side of it before skirting the hood and walking in our direction. I can’t help the grin I flash him at his obvious discomfort. He instantly scowls and gives a small grunt.

“Everyone’s here. Explain,” Les orders in a gruff voice.

“Right to the point. I like that,” Ruzzo says with a smile. “We are FBI agents, and we were building a case against the Vero family. During our research, we came across your case file. How the U.S. Marshalls took possession of you and how you were killed in a car accident that resulted in an explosion. The report was sketchy, so we decided to dig a little deeper. Your father had been no help whatsoever, but the report indicated that you had been a willing witness. It was too coincidental that you died when you did. Nothing was adding up, especially after looking into the two Marshalls and what became of them.”

When Ruzzo stops speaking and glances around, I tense. Then Vetter speaks up for the first time.

“The Marshalls were working on the side of the Vero family. Making a shit load of money doing it too. They had to do very little for that money except to make you disappear, and they fucked that up. Of course, no one knew they did for several years. They reaped their rewards from the Veros and started living a good life. Then the agency decided to try for another case against the mafia controlling Chicago. We were assigned to it and got busy. Nothing came of it for quite some time, and then by accident, we knew the Veros had been played.”

“How?” Les asks impatiently.

Vetter ignores Les and types into his phone instead. Ruzzo speaks, and his words finally explain how they found me.

“I came across a picture of a charity event that had nothing to do with our investigation. Some political charity event that included several governors, including the Illinois governor. Hence, why the article was in the Chicago papers. I don’t even know why I was reading the article in the first place, but I saw a guy in the picture that looked very familiar. It took me a few days to figure out why. It was you, and I had just been reading your case file. Pictures of you at various ages growing up were included.”

Thinking back, I know the event he’s talking about. Usually at those things, I kept a low profile and away from the spotlight easily enough. But the photographer at that one was after candid shots instead of the usual staged ones and was popping up with her camera everywhere. I even left the event early because of her. I should have left even earlier.

“On a hunch, we flew to Denver and located the man that was dating the governor’s daughter,” Ruzzo explains with a smirk.

I see the headlights of two cars turn into the lot, and I know our conversation is at its end. Stepping closer to Les, I look at Vetter as an evil smile crosses his face. I’m surprised when Vetter continues to explain.

“We weren’t dirty in the beginning, but when we realized what you’d be worth to the Veros, we decided we needed to cash in on that. Our goal was to get you back to Chicago and let them know we had you, but you wouldn’t work with us on that. You made things very difficult for us. Luckily, we hadn’t told Emilio Vero about you because they’d have taken care of it themselves, and our lives would have been worth nothing. But, as you can now see, we did contact him today, and he insisted on seeing you himself.”

As Vetter was talking, I watch six men, all in suits, step out of the cars. Scanning their faces, I recognize most. Emilio Vero, his only living son, Rocky, two of his capos, and the two drivers whose names I don’t know.

“You are looking well for a dead man, Adriano Zanetti,” Emilio says with a flash of white teeth. “Is it you I should thank for all the troubles the families have been having lately?”

“Emilio. Rocky. It’s been a while,” I reply with my own grin. “Your troubles are your own doing, not mine.”

“Your father would not be happy with your choices,” Emilio states, and the warning in his voice is clear to all.

“My father made his choices, is still making them, and that’s loyalty to you above all others. He took the oath and has held it all these years.”

“Yes, he has, but he always had a blind spot for his two sons. He never saw what the rest of us did. Neither of you were going to be a part of the family as he was hoping,” Emilio replies.

“No, we weren’t. I need to ask this out of morbid curiosity. What is my life worth these days? More than it was before when you hired the first two to end me? Has inflation hit the mob too? Or do you feel you paid once and shouldn’t have to a second time? Because I gotta say, I’d be pissed at having to pay these two jackasses after already shelling out the first time. And why pay them when you’re here and can do it yourself?” I ask brazenly.

“Seems like a waste to pay them, and then always wonder if they’ll double-cross you somewhere down the road. Another thing to consider is that they’ve known about Adriano for a long time and only now told you. They were building a case to take you down, trying to use my brother, but he refused to help them,” Les adds.

“Shut the fuck up!” growls Ruzzo, making a quick move toward us to most likely try to force our silence.

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