ARMANDO
I paced my office, a glass of whiskey in hand and my thoughts drifting to old memories. It felt strange doubting Lorenzo, Alessandro, and even Giuseppe, but here I was, questioning the loyalty of men I had raised from the streets.
Lorenzo and Alessandro were identical twins, impossible to tell apart at first.
I still remembered the night when I had first seen them in that filthy underground fight club, blood on their fists, and murder in their eyes.
They were more like two sides of a single blade, each one moving in perfect sync with the other, striking as though they shared the same pulse. They weren’t just street fighters-they were something else, something raw and vicious. I watched as they took down every poor bastard that stepped into that cage, squeezing the life out of their opponents until they lay still on the ground.
It was that unity, that unbreakable bond between them, that had caught my eye. Men like that could be molded, given purpose and made useful.
So when I went back to that club and saw them again, I knew I had to have them on my side.
I approached them with my offer, and they looked at me like I was speaking another language. “Look,” I’d said, “what I’m offering isn’t just a job. It’s a way out of this… sewer you call a life.”
Alessandro had narrowed his eyes, sizing me up. “We know how to survive the streets, but working for someone like you… that’s something else, something we have no idea about.”
Although I had expected their hesitation, I didn’t let that stop me.
One day I took them on a tour of the life they would have if they worked for me-the cars, the houses, the suits, everything. I showed them a side of the world they’d only seen through iron bars, and in the end, they were convinced.
Since then, they had both been my hammer and anvil, the enforcers I sent whenever debts needed collecting-the mere sight of them was enough to get wallets flying open.
They never disappointed-always returning with every dollar owed-no matter what it took.
But now… now I wondered if the loyalty I’d cultivated in them was as solid as it seemed.
After a while, I paused by the window, my fingers drumming against my wrist as my mind drifted to Giuseppe.
Giuseppe, the last of my trusted three, had come to me a few years before Alessandro and Lorenzo, with his own skills and loyalty. A man who was never afraid to get his hands dirty whenever the job required it.
All these years, he had kept in line, done his job and never questioned orders.
I thought back to how he ended up by my side.
I first crossed paths with Giuseppe when he worked for one of my suppliers-a middleman in the narcotics trade who I had done business with for quite a while.
The first serious issue I had with his boss was when he nearly botched a crucial deal.
I had arranged for a large shipment, one I needed delivered fast. I even made it clear that the batch was for a high-profile client of mine who happened to hold a significant New York government office, and had protection-the kind that could smooth things over with the law and open doors I’d never be able to crack-to offer me in return.
It wasn’t blackmail, it was mutual interest.
My supplier knew all of this, which was why I couldn’t believe he’d pull such a stunt. He dragged out the delivery so long that I was nearly forced to go to the Senator empty-handed. And by the time I finally received it, the shipment was short by nearly half.
A screw-up on this scale wouldn’t just affect business alone, but also screw the rest of my operations around New York.
I was furious.
I let him know that I wasn’t paying him full anymore because I wouldn’t tolerate such foolery. But that didn’t stop him from trying to worm his way back into my good graces-at least that’s what I thought.
He had practically begged me to give him one more shot, promising a massive discount on his next shipment.
I didn’t care about the discount because money wasn’t the issue, reliability was.
I was ready to cut ties with him altogether, but he pushed, saying it was a one-time offer for “old time’s sake.”
Even though I’d been burned, I knew connections mattered in our world. I couldn’t afford to shut a door that might come in handy down the line, so I gave him an opportunity to redeem himself-one that could’ve proved fatal.
A few days before the pickup was due, I got a call. I didn’t recognize the number, but I picked up anyway.
A voice came through the line-nervous but clear. He introduced himself as Giuseppe and said he worked for my supplier. I didn’t know him, but he got straight to the point.
“Mr. Luca,” he started, his voice low, almost a whisper. “I don’t have long to talk. My boss… he’s planning to kill you.”
I remember how those words hit me, a mix of surprise and amusement. “And you’re telling me this… why?” I asked, leaning back, listening closely.
“Because it’s a setup, sir. My boss-he’s hired men. They’ll be there waiting for both you, and your men as well. They don’t plan on letting anyone leave alive.”
“And what’s in it for you?” I pressed. “Men don’t just stick their necks out for free.”
He hesitated. “I know what kind of man you are. I’ve heard the stories, I’ve seen how you run things. If you let me, I’d rather work for a man like you.”
I stayed silent, letting his words hang in the air.
Help didn’t come easily in my world, and here was some stranger, offering me a warning that could be nothing more than a ploy.
“Fine,” I finally said. “If what you’re saying is true, you’ll be rewarded. And if it’s not, you’d better pray I don’t find you.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you,” he replied, a trace of relief in his voice before the line went dead.
That night, I went prepared. We arrived at the meeting spot-me and a few of my best gunmen-armed and ready for whatever lay ahead.
They thought they had the upper hand, but they were wrong.
The moment they spotted us, gunfire erupted. It was chaos, but we were ready. My men took them down with calculated shots. The bastard tried to flee, but that was the end of the road for him.
I’d been right to take Giuseppe’s call seriously, and that night, I knew he had proven himself.
A few days later, I invited him into my house.
He was calm, looking me straight in the eyes, steady and unwavering.
“You saved my life,” I told him, watching his expression closely. “And for that, you have my gratitude. But you should know, loyalty is the most expensive currency in my world. You give it to me, and you’ll never want for anything. But betray me…” I let the words hang, giving him time to understand.
He nodded. “I don’t need a second chance, Mr. Luca. You won’t regret this.”
Since then, Giuseppe had been by my side.
These three amongst others had earned my trust.
Doubting them felt like doubting myself, as if questioning their loyalty meant questioning my own ability to judge character. I’d brought them this far, given them a life they’d never dreamed of… and yet, here I was, wondering if that same loyalty had been bought by my rivals.
* * * *
My mind wandered back to Portugal, the purpose of my trip-the conversations and plans I’d laid out-still fresh in my mind.
I had devised a plan. It was costly, no doubt. But at this point, no price was too high if it meant exposing the snake within my crew.
I arranged for three separate shipments to come in on the same night, each docking at a different port in New York. One shipment each for Alessandro, Giuseppe, and Lorenzo.
The plan was simple, yet precise. None of them would know the others were also assigned a pickup. They would each would receive orders directly from me, telling them to arrive at their assigned location under the cover of night, take care of the delivery, and then meet me the next morning by nine o’clock, sharp, to report.
Now, I knew exactly how this would play out. Losing one of these shipments was inevitable-more than likely, it would be intercepted due to leaked information from the one amongst them that had been selling me out. And when the package went missing under one of their watches, I’d know exactly who it was.
This was my business, and I’d make an example out of the traitor, that whoever thought they would slip around behind my back and get away with it, was sorely mistaken.
I had already accepted the fact that one of them wouldn’t return back to me with clean hands, and that person would definitely not walk out alive.
Don Rafael, an aging man who lived in Portugal and the only don I could trust, had helped me organize my plan to the very last.
Given the expense, he had asked if I was sure about it, carrying a look in his eyes, one I’d seen so many times over the years.
“Armando,” he’d said, voice low but steady, “are you ready to lose one of them?”
I looked him dead in the eyes. “This has gone on too long Don Rafael. The money doesn’t matter anymore. I’d rather burn it all than let a traitor stay in my circle one day longer. When I find him, whoever he is… it’ll be the last mistake he ever makes.”