TOMMY LEONE SPENT A FEW MORE DAYS WAITING TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. Tony had a reputation for being full of surprises; his unpredictability was a curse for his enemies, even more so for his subordinates. The wait ended the following night, when he received a phone call.
It was already late in the evening and Tommy was dozing in bed with his wife, Katherine, when he heard the annoying sound of the phone. It was Benedetti, excited, finally calling him for a new job:
— Hey kid! Are you ready to show us what you're made of?
— I'm just waiting for you — he replied, a little choked up by sleep.
— Then put on your pants and meet us in twenty minutes. Let's see if you really have balls in your balls!
Katherine was a heavy sleeper and was already fast asleep, barely moving when the sound of the call interrupted the night. She only let out a murmur and turned to the other side.
Tommy quickly got dressed and went to meet his superiors, he had no idea what he would find ahead.
AT THE SCHEDULED TIME, THE NEWBORN met up with the group. Tony and Carl were waiting for him sitting at a table in a nightclub in the city center. As soon as the young man arrived, without delay, the subject was started:
— Sit here, kid! — said Anthony Capretti, smiling. — Today we're going to find out what you're capable of!
Carl greeted him.
— What do I need to do? — asked Tommy, still curious about the sudden call.
— Every self-respecting group has an initiation ritual, — continued Tony. — We couldn't be any different. Do you see those whores over there?
Tony pointed to the dancers in the nightclub, which left the young man wide-eyed, fearful of what he would have to do, what the so-called "mission" would be. To his relief, Carl quickly interrupted:
— Oh! Stop it! Don't do that to the kid! Tell him what the job is and let him go!
— Don't ruin my fun, Carlos! — Tony retorted. — I wanted to see this kid's face and what he was going to do...
— Enough confusion here, you remember what happened with Denny, don't you?
— Okay, I'll let that one slide!
Laughing, Tony introduced the situation:
— Here's the thing, Leo, three blocks from here is the Smithson's work building. This bastard thinks I don't know what he's doing in there. He thinks he'll walk around the city with so many pieces and I won't find out, but his time is up. That place is like an anthill, there's not a single brain in there that knows how to do anything on its own.
— So, if you kill the queen, everything will fall apart.
Tony smiled with satisfaction.
— That's your job for today.
Tommy felt a different chill, one he hadn't known before. For a moment he wondered if there was a chance to return to the previous topic.
Kill the man? Was that what he wanted?
Tommy had never done anything like this before, he wasn't a killer... His hands shook. Only then did he really realize what all his training and learning with Carl was about. He had always understood that he was working for a mafia boss, but he had never realized how much it would involve him, how it would relate to his new job. He condemned himself for his immaturity, for not having weighed up all the situations.
— Should I kill him? — the young man asked, struggling not to stutter.
Tommy couldn't show insecurity, much less say that he had never killed anyone. Backing out would be unforgivable, it would close the door that was open before him, it would certainly be failure.
— What do you think I'm saying? — Tony asked. — He's a small fry, he can do nothing more than exploit women and drug addicts. A useless guy who's had his time under my belt. And for you, he's like an easy ticket into the organization. Do you think you can do that, kid?" he asked in a serious tone.
— Yes, yes, I can do it. — replied the young man suspiciously.
— Then I will explain better what you are going to do today...