New York/New Jersey/Chicago
Long Island/New York
Felicia watched as everyone sat around the table enjoying their Thanksgiving dinner, her heart still heavy with the loss of her brother. She missed him terribly, but no one surmised as she held her own and smiled through the entire affair. To her left sat Ted Skowronski, to her right was Leo Russo, both engaging her on various topics; none related to the business at hand.
Ted spoke about how he expected the L.A. Raiders to make it all the way to the Super Bowl, while Leo didn't think they had a chance in hell. It didn't matter because they would probably be playing the Washington Redskins, and if so, didn't have a chance of beating them.
Felicia watched Leo's two sons and remembered when they were only kids. Here they were grown men, one now married, both sitting here enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner with her. These men, whom she had known most of her adult life, were her family.
She wondered how many of them would not be around next Thanksgiving. She thought of her loved ones - her mother, father and brother - all of whom died before their time. She was the only one left with Giordano blood coursing through her veins. Though this thought saddened her, it also made her strong.
It was then that she realized the Giordano Empire was coming to an end, but not before she had fulfilled her thirst for revenge. The death of her brother must not be in vain and there would be no closure until his killer's blood flowed, taking with it the unbearable sorrow she held so deeply in her heart.
***
Woodbridge/New Jersey
As they sat quietly at the dinner table, Tom Diasparra could see the concern in Kathy's face. He too, like Felicia, wondered if they would be around a year from now to enjoy such a meal. He smiled at her and she returned the smile as a tear escaped her.
"It's ok, hon. We'll be ok," he told her.
She smiled at him through watery eyes and nodded. I know we will," she responded, realizing the futility of her words.
She knew the cards were stacked against them, but she also knew that as long as they stayed undercover, exposing themselves as little as possible, they had a better chance of getting Felicia Giordano before her thugs got them.
What the Diasparras did not know was they would soon become two of America's most wanted by the FBI, local police, Giordano family and Theo Gresco.
***
Holtsville, New York
Sam and Erin Williams lived in a two story, four-bedroom home in the small town of Holtsville, with their two daughters, Tami and Lenita, ages 10 and 11. The two girls were sitting on the porch with a couple of other kids when Sheila arrived with her newly purchased pumpkin pie. In the four years that Sheila and Sam had been working together, this was only the second time that she had visited his home.
"Hi, kids," Sheila said as she walked up the path to the front door, amazed by how much they had grown since her last visit. The girls looked at Sheila, smiled and waved, not sure if they knew her or not.
"Hi, everyone," Sheila said as she entered the house. "Hi, there," Sheila heard from her right. The aroma of turkey in the oven filled the warm home as she made her way to the kitchen.
"Sheila, what are you doing here? What? You don't get enough of my husband at work, you have to come here now to be with him?" Erin asked her as if puzzled by her appearance.
"Oh, my God. Sam invited me," Sheila said quickly, surprised by Erin's comment.
"Honey, stop that," Sam said as he entered the room from behind Sheila.
Erin and a few others started to laugh, "I'm just busting your chops."
Sheila stared at Erin and then started to laugh too as she remembered Erin's warped sense of humor. "You are so bad," Sheila told Erin, now laughing.
"Well someone has to break the ice," Erin responded as she walked over to her and gave her a warm hug.
"Woman, you shouldn't be teasing anyone who carries a gun," Sheila told Erin smiling.
"Sweetheart, if your threats are anything like Sam's, you ain’t got a prayer in hell against my quick reflexes and kitchen pans," Erin said, dismissing her with a wave of her hand. Again, the laughter ensued.
After he introduced Sheila to the others in the kitchen, Sam led her to the living room. There, several men were watching a football game while two women stood in the corner having a conversation. Sam took her coat and returned a minute later with two bottles of beer in his hand. Leaving the guests, Sam and Sheila walked out to the back of the house. They sat on the deck, which faced a fenced backyard with a swing set to the left and a covered swimming pool on the right.
"Don't remember seeing the pool last time I was out here," Sheila said.
"Oh yeah, we put that in about five years ago. Man, it’s been that long since I had you out here? I should be ashamed of myself," he chided himself.
Sheila looked at him and smiled saying not to worry about it. Time has a way of creeping up on people.
"Sam, thanks for inviting me. Really appreciate it," she told him.
Sam smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, no problem."
A couple of hours later, they were sitting with eight other people at a beautifully set table with a twenty-pound turkey occupying the middle. Sam sat at one end of the table, Erin at the other, with two rows of friends and family in between. Sam stood up and proposed a toast.
"Thank you all for joining us on this special day, which would not be possible without my lovely wife and her tireless effort to make this a great meal for us to enjoy. God bless."
What Sam and Sheila could not have known was in less than a week they would be in a life and death race against the Giordano Empire.
***
Wabash St/Chicago
Tyler stepped out of his apartment around 3:00 p.m., and found people going up and down the stairs carrying plates of various food and desserts. All were coming or going to the Randazzo apartment. As he made his way down two sets of floors to the festivities, Tyler helped an elderly woman by grabbing the casserole she carried.
"Hey, Tyler, I didn't know you knew how to cook," Calito shouted out as Tyler entered the apartment. Tyler simply smiled back, dropping off the casserole in the kitchen as he made his way further into the apartment. They both walked to the back window where Benito sat in his chair staring out.
"Happy Thanksgiving," Tyler said to Benito.
Benito looked up at Tyler and smiled. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Tyler Santiago," he responded.
Benito smiled, nodded and said, "I know who you are. I just wanted to know if you knew who you were. What? You think I am senile or something?" Benito asked, laughing aloud. "There is a cooler next to the dining room table. Go grab yourself a beer or soda," he told Tyler.
Calito walked Tyler over to the cooler and grabbed a beer for him. They both went over to the living room and sat alongside a couple of others who were watching a game on the television.
One floor up, Denise was leaving Nick's place and making her way down to her apartment on the first floor. "See you later," Denise said to Nick as she went out the door.
"Later gator," Nick responded.
She made her way down the stairs, greeted by the wonderful aroma coming from the Randazzo apartment. A couple of seconds later, she was in her apartment where she started to help Dianna with the sweet potatoes and ham to add to the feast being organized upstairs.
"Well, where have you been? As if I didn't know," Dianna asked her sister smiling.
"Sorry, Sis, got busy," she replied.
"I figured, so I started without you," Dianna responded.
"Hey, is Mom coming?" Denise asked.
"Yeah, she and Carl should be here any minute now," her sister responded. "You know who else is coming?"
"Who?" Denise asked, not really caring.
"Mike Paluski," Dianna said, staring at Denise for her reaction.
"Are you shitting me? Oh, my God, I had such a crush on him," Denise said now thinking back to when they were kids in high school. "But why is he coming here? I heard his family moved up north somewhere. Didn't he join the service or something?" Denise asked now facing Dianna.
"I guess he just wants to visit his old neighborhood and look up his old girlfriend," her sister responded with a sly smile on her face.
Denise stared at her sister and shared her delight at the promise of a very happy Thanksgiving indeed!
"Wow. Mike Paluski. Oh crap, Nick is going to be there too. What am I going to do if Mike approaches me right in front of Nick? I had better talk to Nick first chance I get," Denise said aloud.
"Yeah, you better and you know Mom will be there too," Dianna stated.
"Oh, that's right, and I'll bet she's going to bring up the fact that I had such a crush on Mike. This isn't good at all," Denise said now shaking her hands as if they had water on them while walking about nervously.
Dianna stared at her younger sister and smiled.
While Denise was coming to terms with the dilemma she now faced, Mike Paluski had already entered the building and was in the Randazzo apartment. He was in fact being introduced to Nick Costello at that very moment.
An hour later, Carlos came down to see what was holding up Dianna and Denise. "Come on you two, we're waiting for the rest of the food," he said as Dianna handed him a casserole of green beans. Denise followed with the sweet potatoes while Dianna took up the rear with a succulent ham. A few seconds later, they joined the mayhem of a traditional holiday feast with wall-to-wall food, family and friends.
The dining room table had been extended for the gathering by adding the leaf, which allowed more people on each side. The place was buzzing with conversation from football, to the weather, to politics.
Denise did not see Nick immediately and made her way to the back room where she finally found him.
"Hi, Nick," she said with a big grin on her face.
"Hi, Denise," a voice said from behind her.
She turned and found herself face to face with her childhood sweetheart, Mike Paluski.
"Uh... Mi... Mike, is that you?" she stuttered.
"Yes, Denise. Wow, you look great," he told her as he took her into his arms and gave her a big hug.
"Um... Have you met my friend, Nick?" Denise said politely pushing away from him as her face reddened.
"Um... Yes. Nick and I met earlier today," he answered.
Then an awkward moment of silence followed, gracefully interrupted by Dianna who asked Nick if he had anything to drink.
"Yes, Dianna. I have a beer right here in my hand in plain sight," he told her with a big smile on his face.
"Oh. So you do," she said.
"So, tell me Mike, how long have you known Denise?" Nick asked.
"Oh, you don't need to know that," Denise immediately jumped in and excused herself.
Nick, quickly sizing up the situation, excused himself while he went outside to have a smoke. It was obvious that Mike was here to see Denise, and Denise was nervous because he was there. As Nick made his way to the door, Tyler came up behind him.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked Nick.
"Not at all."
They both went down the stairs and circled around the bottom steps to the back, where they stepped out into the cold air.
"They're a great bunch of people. The Randazzos and their family," Nick said.
"Yeah, they are. They don't make them like that anymore," Tyler added.
"So, is your offer still good? About me going with you to California?" Nick asked Tyler.
"Of course. Leave first thing Sunday morning," Tyler responded.
"Well then you can count me in," Nick said as he stepped on a cigarette and headed back inside followed by Tyler.
Twenty minutes later, they were all sitting around the Thanksgiving feast. Denise sat between Nick and Mike not knowing what to say to either of the two men. Nick on the other hand, understanding the situation and trying not to make her feel uncomfortable, spoke very little to her and directed his conversation to Benito, on his left, and Tyler, across from him. When dinner was over, everyone simply relaxed and had idle conversation. Little by little, people began to filter out leaving only Tyler, Mike, Denise, Carlos, Calito, Carmine and Nick at the table. Eventually Denise got up and excused herself, then went to help in the kitchen.
Nick switched over to Benito's chair where he could converse with Tyler more privately, while Mike brought the other men up to speed on what he had been doing the last few years.
As Nick and Tyler thanked the host for the wonderful dinner, they were reminded that they were expected for breakfast the next morning. As he was leaving, Nick saw Denise in the back chatting with Mike and decided not to interrupt.
About an hour later, Denise was knocking on Nick's door.
"Come in."
Denise walked up to Nick and gave him a kiss. "Thank you for being understanding and stepping back," she told him.
"You still have feelings for him, don't you?" he asked her.
She looked into his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, I guess I do," she answered. "He said he would be back in a couple of weeks and wants to know if I will wait for him."
"And what did you say?"
"I said yes. That I would be here," she said as a tear rolled down her face.
"It was the right thing to say. He's a nice guy and I can't give you a stable life. You made the right decision," he told her.
Nick held her tightly in his arms and then led her to the door. "Good night," he told her as he ushered her out.
Denise turned and looked at him and smiled as Nick shut the door in her face. She stood there for a second looking at the door, and as she walked away smiling she whispered, "Asshole!"
***
Upper Manhattan/New York City
Before leaving his apartment, Theo placed his Ruger Police Service Six revolver in the small of his back and put a tan cashmere jacket on to hide it. Though he felt relatively safe in this environment, he wasn't one to take any chances. Looking around, ensuring nothing looked out of place, he headed down the hall to Nikki's apartment. Theo knocked lightly on the door and heard Nikki's voice say to hold on a sec.
"Welcome, Mr. Galahad," Nikki said with a big smile on her face.
"Hi," Theo responded.
The warm apartment looked very much like Theo's except the kitchen was on the other side. The aroma of turkey was in the air and it brought memories of when he was a child back in Chicago.
"Can I take your jacket?" Nikki asked.
"No, I'm fine," Theo responded.
"Please sit down and make yourself comfortable," Nikki said.
"Where are the other guests?" he asked her.
"You are it. There is no one else," she responded.
"Oh. I thought..."
"Forget about what I said," she interrupted him.
Two hours earlier Nikki had gone to her office to investigate something that had been tugging at the back of her mind. She thought she had seen Theo somewhere before and had to find out if her suspicion had been correct. She looked everywhere in the office, finding nothing until she was about to leave. She happened to glance up at an old newspaper clipping tacked on the wall of a man being sought after. The man in the picture was believed to be an assassin hired by the Giordano crime family. Later, it was reported that the suspect had been shot and had fallen to his death in the East River. The body, however, was never recovered. Nikki stared at the picture for a long time. It was him. No doubt in her mind.
"Holy shit," she thought.
She picked up the phone and was about to call the police but put the phone down, then picked it up again, started to dial and once again put it back in the cradle.
"Oh, my God. Is it really him? But he doesn't seem the type. How can it be him? The guy fell into the East River. It can't be him; after all he saved my life. Killers don't do that, do they?" These were the things that ran through her mind.
Nikki was never one to do the logical thing and was never afraid to take chances, or follow the untraveled path. She was an adventurer, one that would get involved with no regard for her well-being. Besides, Mr. Galahad had saved her from the mugger; probably saved her life.
Though the facts were in front of her, she refused to believe he could be a killer. She was well aware that the news media often exaggerated the truth, or reported the news incorrectly all together, which was the deciding factor that persuaded her not to call the police. She didn't feel threatened by this man, but she would confront him. She decided to bring her friend, a Smith & Wesson, to dinner with Mr. Galahad.
And now, Theo sat at the kitchen table as Nikki went about preparing the dinner. As much as she tried, she could not hide her nervousness.
"So, Mr. Galahad, what do you do for a living?" she asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
Watching her, Theo realized that something was wrong. She seemed anxious and preoccupied, not at all the girl he met in the hall.
"I'm a troubleshooter. What's wrong?" he asked her.
"No... Nothing is wrong. What makes you ask?"
"Well, you're acting nervous."
Suddenly Nikki reached into a kitchen drawer, pulled out her revolver and pointed it at Theo.
Theo stared at her, didn't move and remained calm, simply waiting for her to say something.
"I know who you are," she said.
"Really?" Theo responded.
"Yes. You're a killer; an assassin for hire," Nikki said staying a safe distance away.
"So does that mean we are not going to have Thanksgiving dinner together?" Theo asked her.
"Wha... What?" Nikki asked, now staring at him as if she hadn’t understood the question.
"I'm starving. I haven't had a turkey dinner in well over fifteen years. Does this mean that I have just been uninvited to spend Thanksgiving with you?" Theo went on.
"Why are you here?" she asked him.
"To eat," was his reply.
"No, I mean why are you here in New York?" she reiterated.
"Oh. Well, I was supposed to kill Felicia Giordano. But that's been put on hold. Miss Giordano has asked me to take someone else out instead, and I'm waiting for the information that will enable me to accomplish this task," Theo responded.
Nikki stared at Theo as if he had two heads.
"Are you out of your freaking mind? Why would you tell me that?" she asked him.
"Cause it's the truth and you asked me," Theo responded. "Look, Nikki, I have no qualms with you. You invited me here for dinner and that's why I'm here. So please put the gun away, and let's sit down and eat. Won't the turkey burn if you leave it in the oven too long?" he asked her.
Nikki stared at Theo and then over to the oven then back at Theo.
"Do you have a gun on you?" she asked him, re-pointing her gun at him after she had begun to waiver.
"Yes, I do," Theo responded.
"Take it out real slow and put it on the table," Nikki ordered.
Theo stared at her, smiled and said, "No."
"What... What? Do as I say or I will have to shoot you," she ordered again.
"Why? I have no intention of using it and I feel safe with it. Ok, let me put it like this. If you don't want to have dinner with me, then I'm simply going to get up and walk out. I'll be gone by morning and you will never see me again," he told her as he calmly got up and started for the door.
Nikki stared at him and somehow could not bring herself to shoot him.
"Wait. Wait," she said. "You promise you are not going to shoot me?" she asked him.
Theo turned and smiled at her.
"I promise, I am not going to shoot you," he responded.
As much as she didn't want to admit it, she trusted this man; this killer in front of her.
"I can't believe I'm going to do this. Ok, we will have dinner, but one wrong move and I won't hesitate to shoot you. Do you understand?" Nikki said.
"Yes, I understand," Theo responded as he made his way back to the table and sat down.
Nikki nodded and placed the gun on the counter top opposite the oven. Reaching for two potholders she turned, looked at Theo, making sure he hadn't moved, opened the oven door and carried out the turkey. She gasped when she turned and found Theo standing opposite her.
"Let me help you with that," he said.
He reached for the handles and placed the turkey on the counter next to where her gun laid. He reached for the gun and handed it to her.
"I suggest you put this in a safe place," he told her.
Nikki took the gun and placed it back in the drawer, said nothing and began to peel away the aluminum that covered the turkey as Theo looked on. Somehow, her nervousness subsided and she began to relax.
"Can I help you with anything?" he asked her.
"Um... Could you pull out the potatoes from the oven and place them on the plate in the middle of the table?" she asked as she handed him the potholders.
Theo did as requested and, after placing the potatoes on the table, returned to her for further instructions. Nikki was slicing the turkey and putting pieces on a plate. When she was done, she handed him the plate and he took it to the table. As Nikki was dealing with some cut corn that had been simmering in a pot, Theo set the table.
"What would you like to drink?" she asked him.
"You have any root beer?" he asked her.
"Um... No, but I have cola," she responded.
"That'll do."
Nikki reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a can of soda and a bottle of red wine. She got some ice, put it into a glass, and poured the soda into it. She poured herself a glass of wine and walked over to the table, handed Theo the glass of soda, and placed her glass next to an empty plate. After their plates were filled, they settled down to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.
"This is pretty good," Theo commented.
"Thank you. Why do you kill people? You don't look like a killer," she blurted out.
Theo stared at her, finished the food in his mouth and responded with, "I am good at it and the people I kill deserve to die. Simple as that."
She said nothing and continued eating as she thought about his response.
"You think that judge you killed deserved to die?" she asked him.
"Yes, he was corrupt. It wasn't until his guilt was confirmed that he decided to work with the police; to save his own neck," Theo answered.
"Can you tell me your real name?"
"No. You don't need to know that. You can keep calling me Galahad."
Before the evening was over, Nikki found out just about everything there was to know about Theo Gresco, except for his real name. Nikki was fascinated with his story and the wine helped her relax. It was like two old friends just chatting away without a worry in the world. Theo helped her clean up the table and the dishes. For Nikki it was over too soon.
"Thank you for the dinner. It was really very good," Theo said as he came up close to her and looked into her eyes. Nikki looked up into his, swallowed nervously and nodded. As he began to slowly turn she reached up and kissed him on the lips.
She pushed him away and apologized with, "Oh, my God. I am sorry. I didn't mean to do that."
Theo stared at her and said, "Thank you. That was nice. It's been a long time since I was kissed by such a beautiful woman."
Instead of retreating, Nikki lunged at him and he responded by taking her in his arms and kissing her back.
They kissed for a long time before Theo gently nudged her away. "Wow. Is this how you treat all your Thanksgiving guests?" he asked smiling.
Nikki was embarrassed, nervous and excited all at the same time. "Um... No, you're the first," she responded.
"I see. How would you like to go to South America with me? We can get married, move down there, make love and grow old together," Theo told her. At first he said it in fun, but realized it was the truth and something he wanted more than he could comprehend.
"What... What? Did you just ask me to marry you?" she asked. "Are you crazy? I can't marry you. We just met. Besides you don't exactly have a good job," she responded.
Nikki couldn't believe she just said that to him. “What the hell was I thinking?” she thought to herself.
"But you kissed me. No, not that you kissed me, but the way you kissed me. Doesn't that mean that you care? That you would like to be with me?" Theo asked her.
"Well, yeah, I do like you. But we hardly know each other, and besides you’re a killer. You go around killing people. Duh, not exactly the American way," Nikki responded, not believing she was having this conversation.
Theo stared at her, wondering what she meant by that comment. After a few seconds, Theo nodded his understanding and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Nikki asked him.
"Back to my apartment," Theo said as he continued toward the door. "Good night, Nikki. Thank you for a wonderful dinner and the kiss," he told her as he disappeared.
Nikki stared at the door expecting Theo to come back through it. "What the fu..." she said staring at the door.
She walked quickly to the door, opened it, and looked down the empty hallway leading to Theo's apartment. He was gone.
Nikki stepped back into her apartment closing the door behind her. She leaned against the door as tears escaped her eyes. "Go after him. Don't let him go," she thought as her legs were riveted to the floor on which she stood.
"Oh, God. I am so stupid," she said to herself.
She quickly recovered and walked over to her couch where she sat down. After a few minutes, she got up and walked over to the chair where Theo had sat, and touched it. She smiled down at it as she thought about him. Finally, she went into her bedroom and threw herself onto the bed, then began to cry. As she napped, she dreamt of Theo; of making love to him. Two hours later, she awoke. She got up, went into the kitchen and poured herself another glass of wine. It was then that she made up her mind. She didn't care; let the chips fall where they may.
Nikki went back into the bedroom and changed into a nightgown, put on a thick robe, grabbed her keys and headed out the door to Theo's apartment. She stood in front of his door for a few seconds before knocking. She waited, no one answered. She knocked again, waited and again no one answered. She tried the doorknob and found the door unlocked. Cautiously entering the apartment, she looked around and found it empty. Nikki walked over to the chair in the kitchen area and sat down, and with a heavy heart realized Theo had left during the night.