Ch.6 Squeeze, Don't Pull
"Yeah, who is it?"
"Hello Gianni. Bet you weren't expecting a call from me?"
"Mar, Sweetheart, I'm so glad to hear you're alive. Fucking Clive, what the fuck? He's out of his head pissed off and does this stupid shit. How are you, Darling?"
"At this point, Gianni, alive and holding. Look, I want to run something by you and see what you think. I know this will sound really strange at first, but hear me out and I think we can bring this whole mess to a conclusion, everyone is happy about."
"I'm listening."
Marlene explained her situation and how it would affect him, no matter what, should anything happen to her. Gianni knew the sort of information she was privy to and the damage she could cause. Marlene knew she had made her point about her need for protection and then explained how she would bring a close to everything, using the club. Gianni was against the idea of outside interference and Marlene knew why, but explained the need for a sit down with them and at least talk it out. It would keep them at arms length from the hit and have no involvement, other than make sure it happened for the club.
Gianni voiced no more objections, as Marlene explained the finer points of it all to him. With Clive gone, her life was out of danger, Jimmy would get a new Caddy out of it and the bosses back east wouldn't have any reason to suspect it was him, because he would be with them. Jimmy would set things up, so the club could do the hit and he'd have a solid alibi as well. The only people who would know the whole story, would be them and no one else. Security to keep it quiet, came from knowing who was who and who did what.
Gianni remained quiet on the other end of the phone and Marlene knew his mind was all over this idea. She knew what made the man happy, but she also knew what pissed him off enough, to have a trigger pulled to solve a problem. This was one of those problems and he was already pissed at him, for other things he screwed up on and reasoned it was time to solve it. Knowing he would never be associated with it, or his son either, it weighed heavily on the for side. He tried to think of a reason to be against it, but little was there to balance it and Marlene knew it.
Being lucky enough to have a stupid husband with power, served her well, in knowing details and secrets about his life that she kept a record of. She remembered the day she presented him with a copy of some of it and the look on his face, when he knew he was screwed royally. She never imagined he'd go to this level of malevolence towards her, but appearances can be and were deceiving.
Marlene heard the quiet grumbling and knew that Gianni was for it and was just trying to seem undecided. She was smiling, as she waited for him to say the words.
"About this meeting Mar, who's going to be there?"
"Just the leader, or everyone, your choice. I do have a request from them, that no guns be allowed during the meet, just to keep things friendly."
"No guns, eh? So they got guns, or don't got guns?"
"They got guns, Gianni, they just don't want them involved. You bring them, they bring them. Fair's fair, right?"
"Yeah, so just the leader alone, no guns?"
"Yes, as long as it's just you, then. You can both have back up outside, but some place neutral and people present. You okay with that?"
"Lemme think a second, Mar."
Marlene happily waited for Gianni to ponder it all over, because she knew it was a go, just Gianni looking after his own ass first.
"Okay, the meet is good. I won't be there, but Jimmy will be there instead. It's his territory anyway, not mine. How do we get in touch with this club?"
"I'll pass the message on to my end, that it's a go and I'll make sure he's here for a call from Jimmy and they can set the place and time then."
"That's good. That'll work. I'll call you and let you know when Jimmy will be calling and you make sure your guy is there and we'll see if we can come to a happy ever after in this story."
"Gianni, I can't ask any more than that of you. Thank you. You're a sweet man and I'm sorry that asshole had to spoil everything for us."
"Mar, I always liked you, you know that?"
"Of course I do. It was hard to look in your eyes, because they were always looking a few degrees south of level every time we were together."
"Hey, what can I say? You got great tits, girl. God decided to do some of his best work, when you came along."
"Well, when you put it that way, I'm glad I help you get closer to him when you see them."
"I gotta ask you, Mar. Did he really shoot them both?"
"Yup, sweet things saved my life, so the doctor thinks. Jake is dead and I'm alive. Only thing different are those big, full breasts of mine."
"Shit Mar, no kidding?"
"No kidding Gianni. Both of them. One just above the left nipple and the other below the right nipple."
"They still...you know...look okay and everything, right?"
"Shit, Gianni, with the right top on, you'd still get a hard on when you looked at them."
"Yeah?"
"Oh yeah. If they didn't, I still have other ways of getting you hard."
"No shit. The ex told us a few things you liked doing. If even half the shit he said was true, I still couldn't imagine it."
Marlene heard him use the term ex and knew Clive was already dead to him. She also liked hearing how interested Gianni was in her. Having him on her list of allies would be beneficial, if not pleasurable.
"Who knows, Gianni. One day, after all this has blown over, I give you a taste of some of that magic he talked about so much."
"Mar, I'd shoot the fucker myself for a taste, but Trudy found out, she'd cut my fucking balls off in the night and choke you with them."
"Got a point there, but a chance meeting with no one knowing, let's just see what fate has in store for us. I've had my eye on you too, you know, just so you know. So, keep all that tucked away someplace safe in your mind and we'll talk after all this is said and done."
"If this goes like you say it's going to, I'll make sure you're well taken care of and don't be thinking nothing bad. I mean, I'll make sure you have a nice place and car, money for the girlie stuff you all like to buy. It was wrong, what he did and I don't approve of hits on women, he knows that, cheating wife or not. There's legal ways to settle things, without bullets and he brought heat on us. Jimmy wanted to whack the fucker the other day, but I said Clive had to buy him a new one and dispose of the other one. You know how Jimmy liked that Caddy, it was his first one and that's a special car. Now he has to crush it and turn it into soup cans, because the jerk stole it."
Marlene was relieved to hear how badly Clive had been screwing up. The bosses wouldn't approve a hit on him, not yet anyway, so he had to deal with him on his own. Getting rid of him quietly, with no ties to them, made good business sense, as well as keeping things quiet about themselves. Marlene was also happy to know she was on good terms with someone, who could make her vanish without a trace, either in a good way, or a bad way. Money came with a price, as well as interest. As long as the bottom line broke even, or looked good for them, she knew she could live a somewhat peaceful and happy life, once all this was over.
"Maybe just take Clive's Corvette. He loves that car, like Jimmy liked his Caddy. Seems fair."
"You know, it does, doesn't it? I'll mention it to Jimmy and I'll let him know how you're doing. The boy likes you, too, what can I say? He was asking how you were, just yesterday. He'll be happy to know you're okay and going to be fine."
"Amazing how far a great set of tits and a good ass will get you these days, Gianni. Tell Jimmy thank you for thinking of me, that's really nice to hear. It was hard coming out of surgery and realizing I had no one to worry about me, or be there. Funny enough, it was my guy and his crew that have taken care of me all this time. They loved Jake and now they're doing their best to make me feel loved and cared for. They really are great guys, Gianni. All they want is justice for Jake's murder, nothing else."
"If you say they're okay, then they're okay by me. It's been great talking to you, Sweetheart, but I have a guy coming in my office here and I have to let you go. Talk to you soon about that other thing."
Gianni put the phone down, as Clive walked into the office with Benjy at his side. Clive had a look of suspicion on his face, but Gianni's look at him, saying he was pissed, stopped it in its tracks.
"So, I gotta deal with this thing, you started. The bosses said to make it go away, so that's what I got to do."
"No, hey, Gianni, I said I'd take care of it and finish the job."
"Shut the fuck up and sit down and listen."
Clive sat and didn't say anything, as he waited for Gianni to continue.
"You caused enough fucking trouble, going berzerk over a cheating wife. Maybe you treated her better, she wouldn't have cheated, maybe she would, who knows? What I do know, is this. You stole Jimmy's Caddy. Don't fucking try to lie and say you told Vinnie, you were just borrowing it for a minute and Jimmy wouldn't know. You were gone half the fucking night and drove to Charming and shot her and the guy. Now I have a stiff and a live witness who can finger you and that leads shit back to Jimmy and me. That's not a good thing, not in our business and you know that."
Clive went to apologize and Gianni held his hand up to stop him, which he did instantly.
"Since you can't do a thing without fucking it up, I'm making Vinnie the capo and you can do what he tells you to do. You don't have a smart enough brain to lead and make good decisions, so maybe you need to follow, so you know how. Don't fuck it up and piss me off, Clive. You know what happens to guys who do. Now, you owe Jimmy a new Caddy, that's if he still wants one. You know how special that car was to him and now you fucked it up for him. Not a good thing. So, when he finds another car he likes, you go and buy it for him and deliver it to him. No questions asked, except where to pick it up. You got it?"
"Yeah, Gianni, I got it. I'll buy whatever Jimmy wants. So, do I still get my same take?"
"No, Vinnie gets your share, you get his now. Learn to earn, I told you that when you started this thing with us."
"But then I won't have enough to buy Jimmy the car he wants."
"Don't play the poor paisan with me, I know how much you've made and how many accounts I put money into for you."
Clive didn't speak another word and accepted what was. He waited to be dismissed and Gianni Cacuzza waved his hand at him to leave and turned his back. As Clive left the room, Gianni thought of ways to set him up for a hit, by the bikers that Marlene assured him were up to the task. Getting rid of Clive made all the sense in the world to him and keeping Marlene alive, assured him nothing would come out about the former relationship he had with him. Thoughts of Marlene and what she could possibly do to him sexually, made more sense as well. Castration, or not, a night with Marlene was something he and his entire crew, spent nights talking about and imagining doing things with her.
"Benjy, get my son on the phone and tell him I need him here immediately for a talk."
"Sure, Boss."
Benjy left the office and closed the door very quietly, as he went to his own desk and phoned Jimmy to come in. Gianni smiled and chuckled to himself, imagining Clive being taken out by a bike gang and how they might do it.
