Chicago
After some careful planning, Kathy and Tom had decided they would use Thanksgiving as the opportunity to get away. They would have more than four days to cover their tracks before anyone became the wiser. Kathy had already booked a rental car, which they were planning to use to drive 186 miles to the Indianapolis International Airport where they would catch a flight to New Jersey. Tom wanted to take revenge by poisoning as many members of the Ruiziano crime family as possible, but Kathy talked him out of it.
"It's that bitch, Felicia, and her lieutenants that we should be concentrating on. They're the ones that poisoned everyone at La Ristorante," she said.
"OK, you're right," Tom said.
"They'll think we are in hiding, when in fact we'll be going after them. Something they would never expect," Tom added.
Just then, the phone rang and Kathy picked it up."Hello? Yeah, hold on," Kathy said into the mouthpiece and handed the phone to Tom.
"Yeah, what's going on?" Tom listened to the person on the other end of the phone. "You sure that's what the boss wants?” Before hanging up, Tom told the caller, "Yeah, no problem. I'll be there within the half hour."
"What's going on?" Kathy asked him.
"The boss wants everyone up at the house for a big meeting."
She looked at him and could see the concern in his face. "What are you thinking?" she asked him.
"I don't know," Tom said, somewhat worried that his cover might have been blown. "I'll call you and let you know what's happening," he told her as he headed for the door.
"Wait. Take your gun," she told him.
He stared at her, realizing he may never see her again. He walked over to her and gave her a long kiss.
"Why don't we get out of here, right now?" Kathy said pleading with him.
"We won't get far. You know they'll close up this city so tight we will not be able to make a move without someone spotting us. It would be just a matter of time," Tom told her. "Don't worry I'll be OK and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
Five minutes later Tom was in his car headed to the Ruiziano estate.
***
Felicia was awake before everyone else and went downstairs, wandering into the kitchen where several women and two men were preparing breakfast for the guests. They all stopped, stared at her nervously and then slowly returned to what they were doing. The two armed men walking closely behind her made them nervous.
Felicia walked over to one of the cooks who had just taken some cookies out of the oven, and asked, "May I try one?"
"Si, signora, of course," the woman responded as she took a napkin and handed it to Felicia.
Felicia took the napkin, picked up a cookie and took a bite. "Delicious!" Felicia said.
"Thank you, signora," the woman responded with an appreciative smile.
Felicia exited, cookie in hand, and made her way to the dining room where everyone had met the previous evening. Sitting at one of the tables was a man writing something on a piece of paper. As Felicia entered the room, the man glanced at her and got up so fast he almost knocked over the chair on which he was sitting. "Miss Giordano," he said.
"Yes, and you are?" Felicia asked him.
"My name is Hector Rivelo. I am Mr. Ruiziano's accountant. He called me early this morning and asked me to make a list of his employees with the dates of when they started working for him," Hector told her nervously.
"I see, and when did you start working for Mr. Ruiziano?" Felicia asked him.
"About five years ago," he told her.
"How did you know who I was?" she asked him.
"I don't know anyone who doesn't know you, Miss Giordano," Hector replied.
"And how is the list coming along?" she asked.
"Fine. I'm almost done," he responded.
"Good. Good. Please don't let me interrupt you. It would be nice if I could have it before I leave," she told him.
"Yes, ma’am. It should be done within the hour," he advised her.
"Mr. Rivelo, I would prefer the list be one hundred percent accurate, rather than receive it in a hurry. Do you understand?" she asked in a very cold and unnerving tone.
"Yes, ma’am. It will be accurate. I guarantee it," he responded, as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face.
"Good. I'll let you get back to work." She left the room and headed for the study.
Walking past the stairs, she saw Joey Sandora, one of the Las Vegas crime bosses, making his way down.
"Miss Giordano, you are wise beyond your years," he said to her as he reached the bottom step.
"Mr. Sandora, and how have I earned such a distinction?" she asked smiling.
"Well, there is no doubt that last night I would have killed Mr. Luca had you not suggested we leave our weapons downstairs. His snoring kept me up most of the night. After rolling him on his side, I finally fell asleep," he responded.
"Well, Mr. Sandora, no one will ever hear it from me that you tucked Mr. Luca in last night," Felicia said laughingly as they walked together to the study.
Mr. Sandora looked at Felicia and let out a loud laugh. "I don't think I should have said anything," he said, now laughing even more loudly.
It had been a long time since Felicia had laughed. She felt good to be laughing once again.
***
While Felicia and her companions gathered in the study, Ruiziano's men began to arrive at the estate. As each car arrived, the occupants were told to leave their weapons behind and not bring them into the house. Like the other men, Tom obliged with a smile and put his gun in the glove compartment before entering.
As Tom was being frisked, he asked the man what was going on, to which the man replied that he was simply following orders. The place was crawling with armed men; men that were not part of the Ruiziano organization. This made Tom uneasy as he made his way to the study. Just before he entered the room, he saw Felicia Giordano sitting at a chair talking to someone. He almost gasped then and struggled to retain his composure. It was quickly apparent to Tom who most of these men were. Turning from the door, he headed upstairs, but not before Leo Russo spotted him.
"Who is that?" Leo asked as he pointed to Tom.
"That's Tom Diasparra. One of the top lieutenants of the Ruiziano family," came the response.
Leo walked toward the stairs and stared up as he saw Tom disappear down the hall. "He looks familiar, yet I don't remember ever meeting any of Ruiziano's lieutenants," Leo thought to himself.
Tom was shaking. He recognized Leo Russo and instantly knew he had to get out of there. He met Leo in New York City when he had attended a funeral service and breakfast for one of the capos who had passed on. Turning left at the top of the stairs, he headed into one of the bathrooms. He opened the window and peered out. There was no one on this side of the house. He was about to get up on the ledge when he heard someone outside the door. He quickly and quietly closed the window, unzipped his pants, and began to pee into the toilet when Leo Russo opened the door.
"Oh, sorry," Leo said.
"No problem," Tom said as he zipped up, walked over to the sink and began to wash his hands.
"Do I know you?" Leo asked him directly.
"Oh, my God! Leo Russo. Jesus, how long has it been?" he asked Leo.
"I don't remember," Leo responded caught off guard.
Tom approached as if he was going to hug Leo, and instead grabbed his gun from its holster.
"What the fuck!" Leo said. "You shoot me and you'll never get out of here alive," Leo told him.
"The question is, do you want to live to see the next day?" Tom asked. "Turn around and keep your hands up," Tom ordered.
Leo obliged without any resistance, figuring this guy ain’t got a chance in hell of getting away. That was all he remembered as the barrel of his gun came crashing down on his head. Tom quickly put Leo's body in the bathtub and pulled the shower curtain. Going back to his original plan, he opened the bathroom window and stepped out onto the ledge. He made his way around the side of the house and used a gutter to descend to the ground. He had parked his car in front of the house, so getting to it without being seen was out of the question. Instead, he headed to the rear of the estate where some of Ruiziano's men were guarding the back entrance.
"How's it going," Tom asked one of the guards.
The men, caught by surprise, jumped as Tom approached.
"Fine, Mr. Diasparra," one of the men said.
"Any of you got a cigarette?" Tom asked.
"I do, sir," the younger of the two men responded as he handed Tom the pack.
As the man lit Tom's cigarette and turned to walk away, Tom cold cocked him on the back of the head.
"Open the fucking gate or I'll blow your brains all over the ground," Tom ordered the other guard.
After the guard obliged, Tom knocked him out, took the keys and locked the gate from the other side. Running fast, he made his way to a nearby house owned by two members of his organization. They would not be there, but he knew they had two cars and was counting on one car being available.
He was in luck. One of the cars was still in the driveway. Checking around and seeing that no one was home, he broke into the house and called Kathy.
"Get the fuck out of there and take what we need," Tom told her.
He didn't have to tell her twice. She had already packed a bag months ago in the event they had to leave quickly. She knew where to go to meet him, and within fifteen minutes they drove together to another location where he had a hidden car he bought under an alias.
Another five minutes and the two people known to the Ruiziano Family as Tom and Kathy Diasparra disappeared from sight. What they had no way of knowing was that the man they hired to kill Fabio and Felicia Giordano would soon be hunting them.
***
Back at the estate, everyone was in the study when Felicia suggested they adjourn to the dining room. Luis Ruiziano had just handed Felicia the list she requested when a deafening scream filled the upstairs. Immediately, three well-armed men surrounded Felicia while others headed up the stairs. Felicia almost gasped when a few seconds later two men were helping Leo Russo into the dining room. His face was covered with blood as he held a towel against the back of his head. Clenching her teeth and remaining calm, she walked over to her most trusted companion.
"Leo, who did this?" she asked him.
"I don't remember his real name, but he is part of Ruiziano's organization," he answered.
Mr. Ruiziano immediately came over to Leo.
"Who was it? What did he look like? I swear I'll hang him by his balls," Ruiziano said.
Ruiziano was now scared for his life. The fact that someone had attacked one of Miss Giordano's men right there in his own house was a sign that he had no control over what was going on.
Felicia turned to Ruiziano and said, "Luis, it is obvious the rat we were looking for has been cornered. Now we need to know who he is."
Leo walked over to the man he had been talking to before he followed Tom Diasparra up the stairs. "Joey, what was the name of the guy I asked you about earlier? The one who turned and started to walk away," Leo asked him.
"Oh, shit, man. Let me think. It was one of Ruiziano's men. Um... Um... Yeah, I remember it was Tom Diasparra," Joey responded.
Felicia turned to Ruiziano. "Get me everything you know about this man. Take some of my men and get to his house, then bring him here," Felicia ordered.
Before she even finished the sentence men were running out the door. Within seconds, three cars screeched out of the parking area.
Right after that, one of the guards Tom Diasparra had knocked out came running in holding a bloody hand over the back of his head. "It was Tom Diasparra. He went out the back entrance and he was on foot," the guard said.
"Get some men out there right now! See if we can catch up to him," screamed Ruiziano.
"Do you have a physician on the estate?" Felicia asked Ruiziano.
"Eh... No, ma’am, but we've already called for an ambulance," Ruiziano responded.
"Luis, we cannot have an ambulance appear here at your estate. The police would pick up the call and use it as an excuse to enter the premises. Cancel the call immediately," Felicia told him.
"Yes, ma’am," Ruiziano said, now feeling even more incompetent.
"Take Leo and the other men to the nearest hospital. Have each of you take a swig of rum, or whiskey, and just say you all got into a fight. Do not take any weapons with you. You are just a bunch of Italians who had too much to drink and a brawl got out of hand. Everyone understand?" Felicia said as everyone nodded. Felicia turned to Leo. "Are you OK, my friend?"
Leo looked up at her and could see the worried look in her eyes, smiled and nodded. "I'm fine Miss Giordano. I'm so stupid. I let him overtake me and slip away," he told her.
Felicia smiled at him, and assured, "He won't get far."
After Leo and the other men were gone, Felicia turned to Ruiziano and his men and said, "My friends, there are circumstances that are sometimes beyond our control. It is then that we must remain calm. You have a very strong family here, and as such, are vital to the overall success of our organization. So please do not take what has happened to heart. Our friendship remains intact."
The room was silent as the other heads of the families stared at Felicia in astonishment. No other crime boss would have allowed this to happen to one of their own. Has the death of her brother and the attempt on her life weakened her? These are the thoughts that ran through their minds.
Ten minutes later, she ushered everyone into the dining room for brunch while they discussed the organization's business. It was during this meeting that she asked them all to take the appropriate action to contact the assassin.
"When he calls, ask him to call me. Tell him we now know who it was that ordered the hit on me and my brother. Tell him I will be at my Hampton estate during Thanksgiving," she told them.
"But Miss Giordano, why would you divulge your location? Aren't you taking a chance that he will try to fulfill his contract?" one of the bosses asked.
"Sometimes you have to take a chance," Felicia responded. "One more thing. I need all of you to find out everything you can about a Detective Tyler Santiago out of the 25th precinct in New York City," she told them.
During her solitary nights at the hospital, she relived the day of the shooting repeatedly in her head. Something Detective Santiago said made no sense; something about his knowing the assassin years ago.