Wrestling the Kraken

Vito

Vito

City of Fall River

March 23, 1963

On the side of the road, a man in a suit is attempting to wave down a taxi. He shouts as one passes him by, kicking up a splash of water from a recent downpour.

Inside the taxi, the passenger in the backseat looks at his watch. He rubs his chin and looks out the window. "How much longer?" He asks the driver.

His cousin Tony looks into the rear view mirror. "Almost there. You sure you want to do this Vito?"

"Don't have much of a choice now. I didn't come all the way out here for nothin'." Vito checks his watch again. "I just want to get this over with. The faster we get this deal done, the faster we can get back home." He stares out the window, as the buildings rush past. All Downtowns looked the same, but felt different. To Vito, any city that wasn't his made him uneasy. He was the outsider, the stranger. He couldn't read the people, or anticipate who he'd bump into.

Tony pulled the taxi up beside the curb. They stopped in front of some fancy hotel. Looking out the window, a woman in a red dress was coming out, followed by an older man. Making their way over, they attempted to get in.

"Sorry folks, I'm off duty." Tony said, before they could reach for the handle.

"I can clearly see you have room back there. We're not going far. I'll give you a handsome tip..." the man says, pulling out his wallet.

"I said beat it."

"It's okay Armand. I see another one just there. I'm sure he'll be happy to take your money." The woman says.

"He'll get double what I intended to give this fool." Armand said, putting his wallet away. The two walked off and headed to another cab parked ahead.

Vito watched them leave, then returned his gaze to the hotel.

"You sure this is the place?" Vito asked.

"It's the address." Tony pulled out a folded piece of paper and made sure. It was the address alright. "What you thinkin'?"

"I don't like it. People like us, we'll stand out. This is no place for a meet."

"You think Joe's doing it on purpose? Maybe got somethin' up his sleeve?" Tony asked.

"No, not Joe. He let his junkie of a spawn set the whole thing up. He's got too much faith in that kid."

"Speakin' of Joe Detti's kid, ain't that him over there?" Tony asked.

Vito looked across the street where Tony pointed out. An alley and a hunched silhouette. He wasn't able to get a good look, before the figure faded into the shadows.

"Who knows. Let's get this over with." Vito said, and forced himself out of the cab.