— NERVOUS, SON? — asked Carl Benedetti, after taking the cigarette out of his mouth, exhaling a long puff of smoke into the air.
— No, I don't think so… — replied the newbie indifferently.
— You're good, you learn quickly. With the right motivations, you'll be capable of great things!
— Let's go — he said, to show his mentor courage. Benedetti chuckled, looked at him and said:
— Don't rush, boy... some things deserve to be thought through as much as possible before we put them into practice.
— Why are you saying that? — he asked curiously.
Carl shook his cigarette to get rid of the butt that was bothering him. He put it back in his mouth and took another puff, thoughtfully.
Tommy patiently observed the old man's vicious gesture. After thinking for a moment, Carl grabbed him by the shoulder, looked at him directly and said:
— Listen carefully, son. This path, the one you are about to take, is not like a parallel path, from which you can give up and go back to where you were before. It is a new meaning, another direction, a path that may even leave, but it will never leave you. So think carefully. Are you sure you want to follow it?
Tommy was a little disappointed by what he had heard. Just as he was about to be introduced to the boss, his own companion bombarded him with that question.
He hesitated for a moment, but answered:
— I'm ready.
Carl took his last drag and threw away the cigarette. As they walked to the entrance of the club, he said to him:
— If that's the case, no regrets from now on. Let's go.
THE TWO WERE GOING INTO a shooting club in the city. Tony was already waiting for them. Fascinated by weapons, the Capretti heir liked to train shooting at that club, and Tommy even suspected that it was one of the front companies that the boss used to move weapons and money.
It must have been...
In the last few months, Carl Benedetti had trained him to use firearms. He taught like no one else. The old man's discipline certainly came from his time in the military, but Tommy wasn't sure if his bad mood was from that past or from his advanced age.
The truth was that the old man knew like few others the tricks to becoming a good shooter. He was passionate about his silver Colt Anacondas, revolvers that Francesco Capretti, Tony's father, had given him many years ago.
Whenever they finished training, he made a point of cleaning and storing the weapons with great care, repeating to Tommy:
— These beauties are like women, you have to treat them with care, take good care of them, otherwise they get stuck and one day they'll betray you!
Tommy just laughed at his arguments and went through the painful ritual of cleaning the pieces.
WHEN THEY ENTERED THE PLACE, they quickly passed through the reception desk. Benedetti only had to greet the receptionist, he was already a regular fixture. They soon crossed the hall and went to the training area. There they found Tony, in one of the stalls, pointing his long-range rifle at the distant target. Two men were sitting at the end of the hall, dressed in suits, clearly his henchmen. Carl led Tommy to him, using his ear protectors and stopping at his side.
A few shots later, the boss turned and noticed his presence:
— Oh! I see you're here! — with his eccentric way of speaking.
— I brought the kid — Carl said, pleased.
Tony glanced at Gregory sparingly and said:
— I remember seeing you before. By the way — and raised his hand to greet the young man — It's a pleasure to have you here.
— A pleasure, Mr. Capretti — Tommy said.
— That kid doesn't look like someone who's fit to handle our kind of work — Tony said, reloading his gun.
— What's wrong, Tony? — Carl asked irritably — Have you lost confidence in me? — Look at that guy's face!
— What's with that ugly face of his?
— The kind who should be working, getting married, having kids. Do you have kids, kid? — he asked, looking at Tommy, who didn't know what to answer, clearly nervous. — Do you have a wife? Don't tell me that the woman of your life is your mother! Carlos, what will they think when they see me arriving with him at a meeting?
— What will they think, Tony? — Carl asked, extremely irritated — To hell with what they will think.
— They'll think that the kid is my son! He doesn't look like someone of our ilk. He's the kind of guy who has to sit behind a desk, fill out paperwork, drink coffee and leave.
— For God's sake, Tony! Go to hell.
Tommy seemed deeply regretful for having agreed to be there. He could already imagine himself leaving, rejected by his boss simply because of his unconvincing appearance.
Carl Benedetti insisted:
— You were like that too! Don't give me that talk! If it weren't for me, you'd still be shooting yourself in the foot today!
Tony laughed sarcastically as he listened to the exclamations of his oldest henchman. He took an assault rifle and handed it to him, saying:
— Then let's see what he's capable of! Show him that you're better at that than at jerking off, kid...
Tommy took the gun without saying a word, adjusted his ear protector, positioned himself in the stall and took aim. shot, two shots, three shots.
— Okay! — said Tony Capretti. — Let me see...
When they checked, the three bullets were in an excellent radius from the center, although none had hit the center point.
— Good aim... — said Tony satisfied.
— You think I can't teach? — asked Carl, falsely offended.
— Good. Congratulations, kid — replied the boss.
Tommy handed him the rifle, but pulled out his Glock pistol. He could see the scornful smile on Tony's face when he saw the small short-range weapon in his hands. Maybe he thought it was a joke, a prank by the rookie candidate.
The boy pointed his pistol at the target, a little higher up, and fired three more times. After that, the boss checked the result again. There they were, three more bullets very close to the ones fired at the target before. Tommy could hear a low murmur on Tony's lips: impressive...
— Well — said Tony, smiling. — I see you learned well from the old man!
Carl Benedetti gave a brief smile of pride and Tommy felt confident again with his achievement. But before the young man could get too full of himself with the result, Tony said to him:
— Have you ever shot anyone?
The question broke all his defense. Surprised, Tommy widened his eyes and said:
— No, sir.
Tony burst out laughing and replied:
— The look in your eyes had already told me.
— He'll do fine, I'm sure of it. — Carl Benedetti defended.
— I'll only be able to say that when I've seen it. There's a big difference between a shot and a death. Shooting that sign in front of us is a source of pride for your aim. Being responsible for sending someone to hell is something psychologically terrifying. Your fingers tremble, your saliva dries and your heart races with adrenaline just thinking about it.
As he spoke, Tony looked coldly at the young man.
— It is a fact that, after doing it so many times, the discomfort is no longer so great at the fateful moment, because the burden will be ingrained in our minds day after day. In the end, a death becomes just another one in our career. In any case, everything has a first time. And you will certainly have yours. That is why I ask you: Are you ready for this?
After swallowing all that terror, Tommy answered carefully:
— Yes, sir...
Tony opened his eyes wide and looked at Carl, excited:
— Do I look like a soldier, Carlos? This kid only says "yes, sir" and "no, sir"! Say something different, kid!
— I am ready... — the young man answered, intrigued by the personality he knew at that moment.
Anthony Capretti put the gun on a counter and, while he dismantled it, said to him:
— Then, when the time is right, I will take you with us. If you prove that you are capable, I need someone new with me. Times are different, people leave quickly, only the same few remain...
Tommy took a deep breath, eager to leave. He had done well, he thought, but he felt he was on the edge of a very steep slope. That was only the first test, there was still a long way to go.