“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Dominic. I think it might’ve been Giovanni,” Frankie says, locking his eyes on mine.
“I don’t wanna hear who itmight’ve been.I want to know for sure. And why would Giovanni rob us for Victor’s money? They were gonna get it anyway, so that doesn’t even make any fucking sense.”
“Because Giovanni and Victor don’t like what happened with the truck, and I think Giovanni keeps messing shit up so that we end up going to war with Victor over it. I think it’s all a setup.”
“A setup for what, Frankie?” I snip, barking at Frankie as he looks up at me. “And you need to be real clear about what you say next, because if what you’re saying makes sense, bodies are about to start piling up.”
“Look, maybe I’m reaching here,” Frankie goes on, “but the way I see it, Victor has Giovanni come to St. Louis and steal the truck before we can take it back, making it look like someone on our side is fucking around with his money. Then, after Giovanni gives it back and we’re all set to deliver it, he has Giovanni steal the payoff, that way he can justify a war with us to the Commission, who we know he has enormous pull with. I think Victorwantsa war. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Is it? Because to me, that makes no fucking sense,” I reply as I bring myself to sit back down. I put my elbows on my legs and lean forward so I can focus on nothing but Frankie and the situation. “It doesn’t make any sense for Victor to send Giovanni to take money that he was gonna get anyway. Let’s say Victor does wanna kill one of us—why do it on the highway as they deliver the money? Why not wait until our people show up to drop it off, then pop them within the walls of his own warehouse? Seems like a lot of trouble to go through for the same results. Either way, they get the money and dead Giordano members—so why go through the trouble of doing it away from Chicago? Victor wouldn’t do that. If he wanted to kill one of us, he’d want us to know it was him who did it.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because that’s what I would do,” I admit, even though the idea of Victor and me being anything alike makes me sick to my stomach. “Nah, I don’t think it was Victor. To me, this looks like it might be . . .”
I stop talking as the thought sweeps its way into my mind and latches on like a virus. My heart rate picks up as new questions are born in my brain.
“Where’s the truck?” I ask, glaring at Frankie with unflinching eyes.
“Victor came and got it.”
“He came and got it?”
“Yeah, since it was already so close to Chicago when it got hit,’ Frankie replies.
“What the fuck?” I say aloud as the questions and frustration reach a peak.
“I’m telling you, Dominic, it was Victor and Giovanni. I know it.”
“You don’t fucking know shit!” I erupt. “You give me one piece of proof that it was Victor pulling the strings on this and I swear to the Virgin Mary we’ll go down there and slaughter all of them tonight. Give me one piece of evidence that would get the Commission on board to sanction Victor getting clipped. Go ahead, I’m listening. I’ll wait.”
Tommy doesn’t respond, like I knew he wouldn’t.
“Exactly,” I snip. “I wanted you to be my consigliere because you know better than to take shit at face value. You know an unsanctioned hit on Victor would kill all of us. The Commission would go bananas over the death of a sitting member of their crew. So, get your shit together and be realistic. We’ve gotta be smart with whatever our next move is. Now, where’s Tommy?”
“I talked to him before I came here,” Frankie replies after a long, exasperated sigh. “He’s on his way to Mercy Hospital to see how Dan’s doing.”
I take a second to think about everything I just heard, and even with Frankie trying to convince me the hit was ordered by Victor, my mind has a conclusion of its own already.
“So, Victor got the truck back?” I ask, making sure I have all of the information before proceeding.
“Yeah.”
“And he knows two of our guys got hit?”
“Yeah.”
“Did he say anything about the money we owed being stolen?”
“Not really,” Frankie says. “He said he’d give us a day to dust ourselves off, but then he wants to talk to you.”
“He told you that after he came and got the truck?” I ask, never breaking eye contact with Frankie.
“He told me that as his crew was taking it. We had to come clean up the mess before the cops showed up or Victor’s truck was gonna get confiscated, and he would’ve lost the million-plus that was in the back. I sent some guys to take care of Raphy and Dan, and Victor called me.”
“And how’dyoufind out about the hit?”
“Dan called Jimmy after he got shot, and Jimmy called me. After I made sure everything was taken care of, I rushed over here to tell you.”
