Chapter 15
Joe had done his research on this mobster, talking to the police and finding out about his prison mates, his father, and his father’s associates and crimes. He had found the police file, buried probably due to embarrassment. The last raid on the mobster’s home had resulted in Vito Senior’s death in a shoot-out with the police—before the cops had found out where he stashed all his money. A search of the house had uncovered no large stashes of money and no statements or keys or other evidence of safety deposit boxes.
They’d searched his mistress’s house as well. They’d found nothing and she was never arrested or charged with anything.
But then she’d disappeared. So the police’s working theory was that she’d hidden away the money and they had a secret hidey-hole they’d planned to escape to. The FBI had sent alerts to Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, and other places the mobster had been known to visit, but they hadn’t heard anything in the twenty years since. Now he wondered what Sal knew that no one else did.
Joe had finally made it past the front gate with the assistance of Detective Harvey, who’d arrived a minute after him. It had been torture to listen to Mae’s phone call, to hear her bravely bluff Sal the damn Snake, stalling for time until he got there. But as the security guards and police pooled in front of the building where she was being held and Detective Harvey listened with him until they heard the final loud crack of the phone after some grunting, Joe had had enough.
“I need to go in there. Now. Don’t try and stop me.”
“You’re not in charge here. I am.”
“You heard the situation. They have a hostage and they want the papers. It’s simple. I go in and trade the papers for Sunny and Mae.”
“Yeah? Then what, smartass? Now they have you as a hostage.”
“I’m a trained professional. I’ll find a way out. There’s only three of them. I like my odds.”
Harvey studied him for a beat while Joe felt sweat trickle down the tense muscles of his back.
“You’re serious.” Harvey waved at his men to back away from the door. “Okay. You can go in, but—”
“In exactly eight minutes, create a distraction. Use a flare.”
“All right. You get inside. I shoot the flare, then we’re coming in. Be ready for us.”
Joe took one look at the building, estimating where her office was based on the blueprints Harvey had laid out, then he slipped inside the door. The lobby was empty. He ran straight for the stairwell then up the stairs to the second floor. When he got to the hallway door, he slowed down and proceeded with caution. As he suspected based on what he’d overheard on the phone, there was no one in the hall. Her office door was closed.
Moving fast, he approached the door, when his phone rang.
“Joe—”
“Mae, I’m right outside your office.” He knocked on the door.
Within two blinks the door was opened by a beefy man with a scowl.
“Let him in,” a man he presumed to be Salvatore Vito said from the other side of the room. Joe stepped inside and saw Mae. Sal had a grip on her arm, but no weapons were drawn. Advantage to Joe.
“You’re Joe, I presume,” Sal said. “The man with the letters.”
“I have the letters. You let Mae go and they’re yours.”
“Everyone wants to bargain. What do you think, I’m stupid? The police are here now—I see them down in the street. I need the girl as insurance to get out of here. I’ll tell you what. You give me the letters now and I don’t blow your head off.”
Joe needed to get Mae away from Sal before he could take these guys down. He needed to stall for time until the flare exploded. He made a decision.
“Do you know what the key is for?” he asked Salvatore. Mae’s eyes went wide, but Joe concentrated on Sal.
“Key?” He turned to Mae. “I thought you said you weren’t holding out on me. What key?”
Sal shook her. She struggled to get away. All eyes were on her. Joe took the opportunity to move closer so that he had a good shot at taking out Sal first. He had no gun, but he had his hands and feet. And he’d been a medal winner at hand-to-hand combat in the service.
The flare went off. Joe made his move. While the three startled men looked to the window, Joe rushed forward, pushing the men off balance as he bowled them over and hit them where he could as he let the momentum carry him. He kicked the first man, who was facing him, in the nuts and the man doubled over and fell to the ground. The second man was turned away but as he rushed and toppled the man he punched him in the side of the head, feeling the man’s jaw crack against his knuckles.
Ignoring the flash of pain, Joe kept going and tackled Sal even though he still held on to Mae. He reached for Sal’s arm and squeezed and twisted until he lost his grip as they all hit the floor. Joe rolled and pulled Mae aside as he did. Then he lunged forward and kicked Sal as he tried to stand, catching him in the ribs and knocking him back. Not ideal. He’d needed to hit him in the head. The man was still a live wire.
Joe moved fast, crossing over to the other side of the room, away from Mae, when he saw Sal, still on the floor, go for his gun. Joe dove to the floor where the second man lay. He reached into the man’s jacket, looking for his gun, and found it. Using the other man’s body for cover, Sal took a shot at Joe but missed, his shot hitting the goon in the gut. Sal turned and Joe sickened, realizing that Sal intended to aim his gun at Mae. Without waiting for the next blink of his eye, Joe lifted the gun, aimed, and shot Sal in the head. Sal fell to the floor in front of her and she screamed.