Intoxifresh

Chapter Six

Manhattan, New York, USA

The dim room was filled with a dry haze of cigar smoke and dust, an aroma of decaying dampened wood filled the air. Beams of natural light shone in from behind the churchyard on 5th Avenue. A small group gathered in the centre of the abandoned building, wanting to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

The man in charge was Marco Santorini. Despite his stocky build, at only an inch above five feet he didn't look at all menacing but, people who knew him understood what he was capable of and were only too pleased to follow his orders.

Standing on top of an old but sturdy wooden box, Mr Santorini elevated his height in front of his four men as they planned their next move. Marco was aware of his own importance as he looked down at the four faces of his loyal goons. After exhaling another yellowy cloud of cigar smoke, in his hoarse voice he commenced the evening's discussions.

His eyes panned between 'Butt Ugly' Joe, Jack 'The Wolf' Fox, 'Scarface' Gino and 'Butter Knife' Stefani Rossi as he began to speak. 'Gentlemen, I stand above you with good news.' He looked at the four who were poised in anticipation of the news. 'It seems our wise guy in England has come through with his promise. We need to get that package and then see to it that he's taken out and soon. Do I have any volunteers?'

Desperate to prove their allegiance, all four goons offered themselves up for the job. 'Only one of you needs to go,' he said between puffs. 'Listen, we may be the Manhattan mafia but we don't got a whole lot of cash right now, not after our wasted trip to China the other month.' Another thick cloud of yellow cigar smoke bellowed out above the four. 'One more thing,' Mr Santorini said as he narrowed his eyes in an attempt to look more threatening. 'This job needs to be done with absolute precision. We were lucky to get away from those guys when we did,' he said with a slight shake of his head. 'We all know they're still out there somewhere looking for us. We don't have much time.

'This sounds like an easy job, boss, don't it?' Stefani Rossi said as he admired the shiny silver blade of the leather handled combat knife in his hand. He glanced at its thickness and saw his own reflection.

Marco saw his eagerness. 'This job may not be so easy,' he replied. More cigar clouds were exhaled drifting calmly towards the ceiling. 'This guy knows how to fight but he don't got no weapons.' He eyed the four of them. 'Jack, I think you should go.' His voice was stern as he expressed his decision. Stefani Rossi showed signs of disappointment at not being chosen but knew he was part of the cement that helped form the Manhattan mafia only a few months previously.

Jack was a very hairy man and more than capable of looking after himself. At six feet three inches he was naturally intimidating and possessed an aptitude for the gun, favouring his .44 magnum six-barrelled handgun. He'd already killed many times before and seemed fearless to everyone around him. 'No problem, boss. Just give me the address.'

He wanted to leave straight away but Mr Santorini had more to say. 'Listen up. We need to make sure we get those pills first. Without them this whole trip would be a waste of time and money. We don't got much of that these days so I expect you to come good.' With cigar in hand, Marco Santorini removed himself from the wooden box with a small jump and walked the few feet towards his goons. 'I'm counting on you, Jack.' He looked up at the bearded chosen one. 'Just make sure you don't go crazy right away... get me those pills! Then you can see to it that our man, Mr Sampson, is taken out of the equation.' Jack looked down at his boss with a smug grin and promised he'd be professional at all times. 'Now, listen up. If anyone sees or hears anything from those Chinese you let me know right away, you got it? Now get back to building up our rounds. These streets need more protection.'

The goons all agreed to be as vigilant as they could and would get back to threatening the local businesses right away. Brothers Joe and Gino, the softest of the group, shook Mr Santorini's hand before they left. Stefani Rossi gracefully slid his knife back into its holster attached to his leather belt before he also left the building. 'Jack, come and see me tomorrow in the usual place. I'll have your plane ticket and this guy's address. I cannot stress this enough, this could be our last job if it all goes wrong so make sure you get those pills before anything else. Once we have them we can get those evil bastards off our backs for good.

After Jackhad left, the room was once again silent. Mr Santorini began to chew on hiscigar as he looked up at the single beam of sunlight coming into the roomthrough a small cracked window above him. His eyes were fixed on the thousandsof flying dust particles in its path as he began to contemplate what he'd doonce in possession of the wonder pills.