Marco Delvecchio drove with a steady determination down the dark street. He kept to just below the speed limit, not wanting to be the centre of any unwanted attention. It was already late and he wanted to get home after a long and crappy day, home to his wife and a hot shower, both at the same time if his luck was in. He brought his mind back from the hot steamy shower scene playing through his head and instead tried to concentrate on his pending meeting. He was concerned that he would be unable to keep his temper in check but at the same time, knew he needed to avoid lashing out at all costs. His anger was already bubbling around the surface and he wasn’t in the right mood for this meeting, but he had somehow convinced Gabe, his number two to let him go out alone and he knew it had to be now or never. He had told Gabe he was meeting with Jimmy Caruso and that he would, of course be fine to meet with his old friend alone. Marco was aware that it was doubtful that he could convince his right hand man to let him meet with anyone without back up again, whether friend or foe. It went against protocol and there had been too many times of late. And, he thought, he was getting too old for all of this.
Sighing heavily in increasing agitation, he pulled up in the large, near empty parking area of the supermarket. It was near closing time and only a few hardy shoppers were still milling around and Marco found a spot with ease to wait. He could see the entrance from this spot and would know when his visitor arrived.
After ten minutes of waiting, Marco began to huff, tut and sigh in growing anger and impatience. His fingers tapped in irritation on the steering wheel and he was fidgeting in his seat. He could feel the tightness of rage building up inside him and it was something he always struggled to control, like a caged beast that would always threaten to break free and when this happened, the consequences were never good. Marco Delvecchio was not a man to be kept waiting but he knew why it was happening now. The mongrel he was meeting with would think he had gained the upper hand over Marco, some perceived psychological advantage over the king of mind games. Well, let him think that, was Marco’s thought on the matter. He tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths and was just about to start the car up and go home when he watched the shiny white Honda pull in, slow down and appear to check the place out before parking up next to Marco’s black Lexus. Marco waited for a moment before he opened the window to speak.
“You’re late!” Marco growled. The young man he was expecting got out of his own car and slipped into the seat next to Marco’s.
With no apology, the boy just turned to Marco. His smile was cold and false. “What did you want to meet me for?” His voice stayed light as he toyed with Marco. He knew how to press the older mans buttons.
“This has gone on for long enough and I’m bored with it. I need to know what you want from me and my family.”
A humourless laugh erupted from beside Marco. “What can you possibly give me now? What do you have that I would want? You have already taken the most important thing from me, what else is there?”
“Looking at you, I’d say quite a lot. A job or maybe money. If I can do it, you can have it.” Marco said, ignoring the implication of the boys words.
“Are you scared of me Marco? Of what I might do to you?”
Now it was time for Marco to laugh. He was finding the whole situation quite absurd. “Me? Scared of you? Sonny boy, you clearly haven’t done much homework on me and so you don’t know me too well, I can tell. Just let’s suppose for one minute that I am scared of you. Don’t you think I would have an army of men with me and just take you out? Believe me, that would be by far the easiest thing for this now boring situation.”
“So why don’t you just have me killed then?”
Marco sighed. “Just tell me what you want; what I can give you to make you happy.”
“I haven’t quite decided yet. Maybe we should meet on Sunday night and I might have made up my mind by then.”
"Maybe you shouldn’t waste my time. I have better things to do than keep meeting with you."
“Sure, like tell your precious family about me? Have you done that yet?” The visitor grinned. “What will that sexy wife of yours think? Or your playboy son and heir? You know what, Boss? I don’t think you’ll tell anyone. I think that you will meet me at nine o’clock on Sunday, back at the first place we met. I don’t want to keep coming all the way up here. So I guess I’ll see you then, Marco!” With obvious derision, the boy got out of the car leaving Marco fuming. Maybe he should just take the little bastard out after all – just put a bullet through his head and walk away. Marco decided that he would enjoy that, enjoy seeing his blood and brains splattered.
He sat in the car for a short while after he’d watched the kid drive away, his tail-lights long gone and he wondered how he’d got himself into this mess. What had started out a few months back with one problem had now ended up with an entirely different one. Marco had had a chance meeting with an associate from many years ago and it had led him here, on this Thursday evening when he had better things to do and bigger problems to worry about. He decided there and then, as the rain began to drum a heavy beat on the roof of his car that Sunday night would bring an end to it, whatever else happened. He started up his engine and with the anger still raging through his veins, he headed home.
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