A Simple Job

CHAPTER 2: A SIMPLE JOB

"Talk, motherfucker!" said the first voice, "We ain't got all day!"

"Yeah," said the other, "Give us one good reason not to scalp youze!"

In the corner of the lounge, young James DeSantis – Or "Jimmy Legs" as everybody called him – Stood smoking a cigarette, paying little attention to the bound Yakuza prisoner that his associates, Luigi Nicola and Emanuelo Tritto, were mercilessly "interrogating".

It wasn't because torture disturbed him – This business did require a thick skin – He just had a lot else on his mind. Jimmy had been working with the Bernucci Family for some months now, performing a slew of odd jobs, but today, he was ready to get made. This was the day he would prove his worth to the Don, one way or another.

"...Please," said the Japanese mobster, through bloody, swollen lips, "That's all I know, I swear!"

"Good boy," said Louie, tussling the prisoner's hair, "That's all we needed to hear."

"S-So you'll let me go?"

"Sure...To Hell."

"N-N-No!"

Louie drew a handgun and fire a shot straight through the mobster's left eye. The sound was loud enough to snap Jimmy out of his daze.

"Jesus," yelled Jimmy, pressing his hand against his ringing ear, "A little warning next time, guys?"

"Who the hell is this kid?" demanded Louie, "You been standin' there the whole time or what?"

Jimmy scoffed. Louie was one of the Don's most respected capos, and a good boss to his men, but only once they earned his respect. Otherwise, he was an ice-cold individual with no qualms about doing what was necessary. A tall, lanky figure with greased-back hair and a hooked nose, Louie was a decade or two behind in fashion, donning a black-and-red pinstripe zoot suit like his prohibition-era idols.

"The new guy," replied Manny, the other mobster in the room, "What's his face? Tony's nephew."

Manny, Louie's right-hand man, was a fiery character, prone to bursts of anger over the slightest provocation. A shorter man sporting a dirty-blonde crew cut and a scar on his cheek, Jimmy theorized his temper was tied to his stature; shorter guys often tended to be a little feistier as a way of compensating.

"Right, right," Louie said, "Jimmy Legs, "

In that moment, a mobster burst into the room. He appeared worried at first, but calmed down once he saw the dead Yakuza slumped in the chair.

"I heard a shot," he said, "Everything alright, or..."

"What's it look like, genius?" asked Louie, "Get some men here to clean this shit up. You, Legs, help him!"

"Actually," said the mobster, "If you guys are done here, the Don would like a face-to-face with Jimmy for a moment."

"Oooh," said Manny, "Hear that, hot-shot? The Don wants to see ya. I suggest you watch your tone around him."

"Yeah," added Louie, "You start talkin' shit to him and I will personally send a bullet up your ass, ha capito?"

"Thanks for the advice," said Jimmy, dryly.

Jimmy left the room and made his way down the hall, stopping momentarily in front of a mirror to check his hair and adjust his red suit. Jimmy wasn't fond of dressing up, but he always tried to look his best for days he knew he'd be at the compound. After reaching the Don's office, he knocked at the door and waited a moment.

"Come in," said a voice.

Jimmy entered the Don's office and removed his fedora out of respect. The Don, Vincenzo Bernucci, was a heavyset man in his mid-sixties with thinning white hair and heavy bags around his eyes. His thin lips were perpetually pursed into a duck-like beak. As he sat in his large office chair, his son and underboss, Vincenzo Jr., stood at his right. His consigliere stood at his left.

"Sit boy," he said in a hoarse voice.

Jimmy sat in a chair opposite the Don's desk.

"You're Tony's nephew, right?" he asked, "Mr. James DeSantis?"

"Right," said Jimmy, "But my friends call me..."

"I decide what to call you," said Don Bernucci, "Tony's talked a lot about you. Said you were discharged from the military a couple of years back?"

"I completed weapons training," Jimmy explained, "So I know my way around a gun, if that's what you're asking."

"That's not what I'm asking. From what Tony tells me, you were discharged for fighting with an officer. Is that true?"

"Yeah, so what? Look, I was a stupid nineteen year-old who didn't know what he wanted to do in life. The Army didn't work out, so I figured I'd try something else. That's why my uncle got me in."

"It sounds to me you have no respect for authority, my son. How can I trust that your temper won't get the better of you, hm?"

"I've been good up 'till now. You point me to whomever you want dead, and he's dead, I can promise you that."

The Don inhaled sharply and stood up from his chair. He then approached the window behind him and stared out at the garden momentarily.

"That prisoner I had Mr. Nicola and Mr. Tritto interrogate," he began, "He's from the Hiromoto family. They're small-time compared to us, but a thorn in my side, nonetheless."

"How so?" asked Jimmy.

"They run rackets in the east end of town," explained Don Bernucci, "Decades ago, I reached an 'understanding' with them: They pay us in cash and guns, and we leave their interests be. But these past few months, they've been overstepping their boundaries – Goods turning up missing, men turning up dead – I am at my limit now. They have become a problem that we need to take care of, once and for all."

"So you want them outta the way for good?"

"Our prisoner revealed that the Hiromotos own a warehouse behind a used car lot just outside of town. Everything of value to them is stashed there – Cars, guns, counterfeit cash – We get in there tonight and blow that place to hell, the Hiromotos are finished. There will be no recovering from that. Son, you think you can handle this?"

"Y-You actually want me to go in and plant the bomb?"

"Mr. DeSantis, your uncle swore by you everyday. With him gone, there is a void that needs filling...If you do this for me, I will consider initiating you into the Family."

With that, the Don took a seat at his desk again and stared Jimmy down.

"Sound good?" he continued.

"I-I don't know what to say," said Jimmy, shaking with anticipation.

"The time has come to prove your worth, Mr. DeSantis," continued Don Bernucci, "This is more than just killing whomever I tell you to kill. I need to see if you can remain calm under pressure."

"Of course! I won't let you down, sir. Thank you."

Jimmy grabbed the Don's hand and brought it to his mouth before kissing his ring.

"Find Mr. Tritto and Mr. Nicola," the Don said, "They will have more details for you."

After leaving the room, Jimmy headed downstairs. The Bernucci compound was a gigantic suburban mansion owned by the Don, where the various mobsters came to congregate. Jimmy found his associates in the foyer; Manny was conversing with a petite young woman with fair skin, all dolled-up and sporting victory rolls with a pink evening gown.

"You're unbelievable," Manny said to the woman, while flipping through some bills, "You know that? Look, I'll give you one hundred, plus fifty for the cab, alright? The rest is on you or that cocksucker, Vito."

"Jesus, Manny!" said the young lady, "Vito and I broke up months ago, remember? This is strictly a girls' night out!"

"Good," said Manny, "And it better stay that way. I'm tellin' ya, that Vito's a rotten prick and if I see him anywhere near you again, I swear to God, I'm gonna..."

"Yeah, yeah," the young lady interrupted, "You're gonna kick his ass from here to the moon. Stop gettin' your panties in a bunch, Manny!"

The young lady turned to look behind Manny and saw Jimmy approaching.

"Oh, hey, Jimmy!" she said, "How are you?"

"Hey Lucia," said Jimmy, "You're, er, looking good. Goin' out or..."

"Yeah," Lucia replied, "Gonna have drinks at Armando's with the girls, then catch a flick."

"Listen," warned Manny, "You give me or anyone at the compound a ring if anyone tries something funny, alright? Are you sure you don't need me to send a couple o' guys to look after you?"

"Ugh!" Lucia groaned, "Stop it! I'm not a child no more. I'll see you back at eleven, alright?"

Lucia and Manny then kissed each other's cheeks. As she approached the door, Lucia turned to face Jimmy.

"Bye Jimmy," she said with a wink, "Nice seein' you again!"

Jimmy winked and smiled as Lucia headed out the door.

"Can you believe this guy?" Louie said to Jimmy, "Fuckin' pussy-whipped by his own sister!"

"How much cash did he give her this time?" Jimmy asked.

"Va fanculo," snapped Manny, "Both of youze! You, how did it go with the Don?"

"Apparently," Jimmy began, crossing his arms, "The three of us are blowing up the Hiromoto compound."

"The Don must really trust you to send you on this 'excursion'," said Louie, "That, or he just likes ya 'cause you're Tony's nephew."

"I don't care who's fuckin' nephew he is," warned Manny, "Listen kid, you wanna get made, Louie and I will vouch for you all kinds. But first you gotta survive this mission. You fuck this whole thing up, Louie and I are gonna take turns pissin' on your grave."

Jimmy stared Manny down.

"Lay offa him," said Louie, wrapping his arm around Jimmy, "He's gonna do fine. You were in the Army, right Legs?"

"Never actually saw any action," Jimmy replied, "But yeah."

Manny scoffed, "Never saw action, eh? Fuckin' lovely."

"What's the plan?" Jimmy asked.

Louie removed his arm from around Jimmy and pulled a map of the warehouse from his coat pocket.

"We head there after closing time," he began, "Me, Manny and a couple others start shooting up the place as a distraction – You know, to get as many of the Slants as possible away from the warehouse. You sneak in from the side entrance, plant the bomb in the in the main garage – Where they keep all their cars, see? Then, you're gonna set the timer for five minutes, and get the hell outta dodge. You encounter any resistance, you take care of it. Quietly."

"Sounds simple enough," said Jimmy.

"Think of it this way," said Manny, "You missed your chance to kill Japs during the war, but there's still plenty to kill right here at home, eh? Heheh."

"Sure," said Jimmy.

"Come on," said Louie, "Let's go grab our weapons and get ready."

---

Later in the evening, two black cars parked themselves across the street from the Auto-moto used car dealership. The building was just off the interstate leading out of New Reiswald and was surrounded mainly by warehouses and garages. Inside the black cars, the mobsters checked their weapons and ammunition.

"Here," said Manny, handing Jimmy a short-wave radio, "Keep in contact with us at all times. I mean it. I want an update every time you scratch your balls or pick your goddamn nose, otherwise we assume you're dead and take off without you, alright?"

"Got it," said Jimmy.

With that, the men stepped out of their vehicles. A small group of men accompanied Manny and Louie to the front entrance of the dealership. Meanwhile, Jimmy remained in the car while another man drove him down the intersection until he was at the entrance to the warehouse behind the dealership.

"Here goes nothing," said Jimmy.

Jimmy waited momentarily for the signal.

"We're goin' in!" said Louie over the radio, "Surprise motherfuckers! Hahahaha!"

The sound of gunshots soon followed. Jimmy immediately headed for the side door and began to pick the lock. Once he got the door open, he headed inside. It was too risky to enter via the rear where the garage was due to higher security. This sector, on the other hand, was quiet. In the distance, Jimmy could hear gunshots ringing.

"I'm inside," Jimmy spoke into the radio.

Jimmy waited momentarily for a response. The gunshots died down.

"Roger that," Louie finally said, "We just finished off the first group. More should be comin' round. Keep us posted, kid."

Jimmy made his way through a series of corridors encountering virtually no resistance. At one point, he entered a break room where several warehouse employees sat smoking or playing cards. Jimmy drew his gun and pointed it at the men.

"Out!" Jimmy commanded, "Get the fuck outta here before I cap all of youze!"

In a panic, the men abandoned the lounge and hurried out the door. Jimmy continued onward, maintaining occasional radio contact with Manny and Louie.

"I made it to the garage," he said, "Planting the bomb."

"Jesus," said Louie, "It's like they brought the whole Jap army here...Ugh, fuckers!"

Several gunshots could be heard over the radio.

"Hurry up and plant that bomb so we can split!" Louie continued.

As Jimmy made his way into the garage, he saw two Yakuza walking in between the parked cars, surveying the area. Jimmy turned off his radio and quietly snuck his way through the maze of cars. He approached the first man and put him in a chokehold that left him unconscious.

The noise caught the attention of the second man, who came to investigate. Before he could even discover the body, Jimmy snuck up behind and slammed the butt of his handgun into the back of his head, knocking him out.

"Too easy," he muttered.

Jimmy placed the bomb down and set the timer for five minutes, as planned, before radioing his friends.

"Guys," he said, "I planted the bomb. The timer's been..."

"Jesus, Jimmy," said a panic-stricken Louie, "They're dead. They're all dead..."

"Who's dead?" Jimmy demanded, "What happened?"

"Prizzio," began Louie, "Carletta, Aldo...They fuckin' got 'em. It's just me and Manny left. We're completely overrun. Christ, how did we let this happen?"

"I can help," said Jimmy, "Just sit tight and..."

"No," Louie pleaded, "Get outta here, kid! Just get back to..."

With that, Louie was abruptly cut off. After contemplating his next move, Jimmy decided to head back outside where the car was parked. Unfortunately, when he approached the vehicle, he found the driver dead.

"Shit," he cried, "This ain't good."

When Jimmy turned around, he saw several Yakuza standing behind him. One of them struck Jimmy across the head with a small club, knocking him to the ground. Another man came from behind and placed a bag over his head before dragging him away to his fate.