Driver

Driver - Chapter 2

"We've known each other since we were what, six years old?"

Bernie Roth said nothing.

"You've gotta trust me Bernie. This was my side job. It was not business as usual. It made sense to farm it out you know." Nino tried to justify his actions but it seemed they were falling on deaf ears.

"Side jobs are the thing that takes you down Nino. You know that. When you start doing things on your own, your guys can't protect you any longer."

"Times are changing Bernie. The mob doesn't does not look out for you like they did before."

"I still do Nino. I still look out for you. You should have come to me." Bernie said, "You don't send amateurs out on a job and then keep your own men in the dark. I'm sorry Nino, it just doesn't work that way. "

Bernie Roth poured another glass of wine and offered it to Nino. "Tell me more about this driver."

Living in California all these years had made Bernie Roth somewhat of an expert in vocabulary used by movie folk. He wanted to know the back-story that led to one of his partners being killed. And Nino losing one of his own personal bodyguards. Bernie seemed rather fascinated with this driver.

"It's complicated Bernie."

"I bet it is"

Bernie listened carefully while his old friend Nino laid it out for him, the eastern mob's investment money stored in that Cheque N Cash store, the mock robbery gone south, the driver who'd taken it personally, the payoff.

"You fucked up Nino"

"I know I did. I fucked up big time. I should have brought you in on this. We are a team. We still are."

"Not anymore ", Bernie Roth said.

"But Bernie…"

"Shut the fuck up Nino"

Bernie Roth poured himself another glass of wine and emptied the bottle.

"Here's how its gonna go. I'll take this guy down, but its on my own terms, nothing to do with you. And once it's done I'm out of here, I've got nothing to do with you or this godforsaken business. I'll think of it as a bad memory. You should pray the mob you stole from thinks the same."

"Not that easy to walk away my friend", said Nino, "You are as bound as I am"

"I ain't asking your fucking permission Nino. You'll get your money back. Be content."

"Its not about the money Bernie, it's about the …"

Bernie cut him short, "Its about the principle. Right…is that what you're gonna say now. They have principles for their women and children all right, but when it comes to their money, Nino, the mob does not give a fuck about principle. You should know that by now." Nino left soon afterwards, leaving Bernie alone with his thoughts on how to deal with this situation.

Nino knew he was in trouble. On one side there was that driver out to get even with the guy who set him up on a job and then screwed him out of it. On the other side there was the danger of the mob finding out about the robbery and Nino's plans of breaking away from them and running his own business with no one to answer and pay a cut to. Nino knew if there was anyone who could get him out of this pickle it was Bernie Roth. Bernie had contacts. If he wanted he could have been running his own operation by now. But he knew better than to cross those eastern crooks and live the rest of your life looking over your own shoulder. He played by their rules, earned a lot of money for them and had a lot of respect among the boys in Brooklyn.

***

Bernie Roth and Immanuel 'Nino' Silva grew up in Brooklyn. From the roof where they spent a lot of their teen years you could look at the Statue of Liberty at the same time you could look at the bridge that connected the two islands. It was that part of the town where mob stories circulated around like the latest jokes.

One of the new residents had let her dog crap on the sidewalk in front of one of the old buildings. Little did she know a mobster's mother lived in that same building. Taking it as an insult to that mobster, his guys decide to teach the ignorant woman a lesson. Days later when the woman came back from work she found her dog gutted in the bathroom.

Around 1990 Nino had gotten fed up with New York. "This ain't my town any more ", he told Bernie. "How does California sound?" he asked him one day. Bernie thought it sounded pretty good. There was not much for him to do around here anyway. The business pretty much ran itself. He was tired of the old men calling out to him to complain about the new boys and how they were running the business. He was tired of the same old rivalries, the same old fights that sons and nephews of any boss worth his salt would engage in. No one according to him thought of the future, of going legitimate and out of this business. Bernie thought that they could make a fresh start in California producing movies, running hotels, and operating shopping malls. They had the money and they had the connections. It seemed worth a shot.

Bernie and Nino together drove across the country in Nino's cherry-red Cadillac. They pulled into truck stops on the way for steaks and hamburgers. Trips like these were rare for the two friends. Back when they were in New York even a trip down to New Jersey would seem like a trip to a foreign place. And now here they were, travelling the back roads of America heading to a completely different life. Or so they thought.

***

At the restaurant Bernie sat thinking about the driver who had set his sights on Nino. He had begun fancying himself as a movie producer by now and no longer just an errand boy for the bigger boys. But now his friend had forced him to come up with a way of dealing with this situation like they did before moving to California. He did not have any numbers to call away and get his problem solved but he thought there should be no problem in getting numbers. California had its fair share of shake up guys like any other city. And Bernie knew most of them.

Danny saw Nino emerge from the restaurant, his sole bodyguard beside him now. Killing Nino's other bodyguard outside his office in the dark alley was so easy. I wonder if this one will put up a fight. Danny noticed the changed expression on Nino's face. The man that had gone in was completely different from the man that had come out. Something happened inside that restaurant that changed things for Nino.

As Bernie sat thinking inside the restaurant Danny approached the black Lexus that sat in the empty parking lot outside. He moved towards the car's window and noticed that this model had an onboard alarm system. A good security feature but not one that could stop someone like Danny. He knew exactly where to thrust his blade below the window and opened the door without triggering any alarms. The interior of the car was spotless, a sign of an organized man. The registration papers in the glove box gave him what he wanted—Bernard Wolfe Rothstein. Danny now had both names.