Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Fuck…
Despite all that, I had to admit Cesare and Leonardo needed me that morning. They could fire a rifle and a gun, but they had no idea about small details. Those included country of origin, manufacturing quality and materials used in the making of those weapons. Not showing up at this meeting would be like me asking for an argument. And it wouldn’t be just Cesare I’d be having an argument with. Leonardo would be mad at me as well. Letting both of them hang out to dry was going to give me yet another headache. After kissing Piper in the ladies’ room of that café, god knew I didn’t need more problems than I already had.
Brooklyn Bridge Park was basking in glorious sunshine that day. There wasn’t a single cloud in the New York sky. There was a smell of freshness in the air, mixed with the scent of freshly cut lawn. The trees that bordered the park were providing thick shade to lucky visitors. A huge lawn spreading out before me, I spotted Cesare, Leonardo standing beside a bench. A rather skinny guy was sitting on that bench, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“There you are,” Cesare said, acknowledging me with a nod. “I thought you’d forgotten where the park was.”
“Meet Felix,” Leonardo interjected, gesturing to the stranger. At that, he got up and offered me his hand for a handshake. “Felix, this is Matteo. He’s the one you’re going to have to impress.”
“Pleasure,” Felix said with a slight sneer smile. “Felix. You should know I’m a former infantryman. I did a couple of tours in Iraq, before I decided it wasn’t for me.”
“Sounds like me and college,” Cesare joked, giving me an elbow jab. “Only I just lasted six months. How long did you serve?”
“Four years, give or take,” Felix replied. “I know all there is to know about rifles and handguns.”
I pulled Cesare aside and whispered in his ear. “Where did you find this guy?”
“He comes highly recommended,” he declared, looking me in the eye. “Leonardo and I were talking to some gangbangers last night. When his name came up, they all said he knew his shit.”
“So, he’s going to be the first new member of our crew?” I asked, throwing a quick, sideways glance at him. Man, the dude was short. I was sure I was at least eight inches taller than him.
“No.” His response was sharp. “Leonardo and I are vetting four more men. You know we need more muscle.”
“I do,” I admitted, before turning my attention back to Felix. “Here’s a quiz for you, kid. Let’s say you’re caught in a firefight. It’s a rainy day, and your M-16 falls in a puddle of water on the street. It’s your only weapon. What do you do? Do you pick it back up and open fire? Or do you run for your life?”
Felix snorted in amusement and shook his head a few times, his gaze dropping to the lawn between his feet. “Well,” he paused and lifted his gaze back to mine. “I’d have to say neither. The M-16 wasn’t designed to operate in extreme conditions, like excessive humidity. You try to pull the trigger on a wet M-16? It’s going to jam—that’s for sure. I wouldn’t run, because my enemies would probably get me. I’d try to create a diversion, so I could slip past those bastards unnoticed.”
“Good answer,” I commented, eyeing Cesare and Leonardo. “Did you talk money yet?”
“Yeah,” Cesare said, folding his arms across his chest. “He’s getting fifty grand per shipment. Are you okay with that?”
“I am,” I told him, more questions popping in my head. “Do we have a fix on our first shipment yet?”
“Our guy from the port authority says there’s one coming in from China tomorrow night,” he informed. “He wanted me to give him the money to bribe the cops, so they’ll look the other way. I told him to go fuck himself. Leonardo’s in charge of that.”
“Listen up,” I addressed Felix in a louder voice, standing just inches from him. “Once we’ve secured those guns, you and I are on quality check. This is going to be a test. You fuck it up? You’re out. Am I getting through to you?”
“Yep,” he nodded. “Quality check. I hear you.”
For all his confidence, I wasn’t going to be convinced.
Not like this.
He did have credentials. He had been abroad, getting shot at by enemy combatants, but that didn’t make a weapons’ expert. He would have to prove that to me. I could forgive one mistake every now and then. A scratch on a handle was no big deal. His real test would have to do with telling apart genuine handguns from fake ones. Not many people knew the differences between those. For his sake, Felix had to know. Otherwise, I’d kick his ass out faster than he could say gun.