Chapter 96 - I'm in charge today
A dimly lit basement in a back alley off Mulberry Street.
After the bombing, Rose and the Palm Garden bosses had come here to discuss their options with a certain individual.
Joe Hickman, boss of the Five Points Gang.
The man, commonly called "Itsuki Joe," puffed on his cigarette and finally spoke up.
"There should be more customers during New Year's. This month's business is ruined, don't you think?"
"Hell, who would've thought they'd go as far as to use a bomb?"
Itsuki Joe let out a sigh along with a cloud of smoke.
"We can repair the shops, fine, but what about the kids who died a few days ago? Useless as they might have been, failing to even take care of a single band—still, they were my men."
It's not like the band members were firing guns while playing music.
With these bombings, you couldn't help but suspect gang involvement.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Itsuki Joe was stacking up his fury like bricks.
Clang.
The basement's iron door swung open, and the underlings dragged in a man.
The moment he saw Rose and the Palm Garden boss, he cried out desperately,
"What did I ever do to deserve this? If you suspect I'm behind the bombing, you've got the wrong guy! I had nothing to do with it!"
The man they'd dragged in was the Golden Flame Boss.
While Rose and the Palm Garden Boss avoided his gaze, Itsuki Joe rose from his seat and strode toward him.
"I heard Silver Swing, The Moonlight, and you got together to plot something. So, what did you talk about?"
"We only discussed the bombing. We could be the next targets too…!"
Thud!
Itsuki Joe drove his foot into the Golden Flame Boss's stomach.
As the boss toppled backward, Joe smacked him across the face with the flat of his hand.
"You're old enough to have one foot in the grave. Let me help you get in there—you can look forward to it."
What followed was a brutal beating, delivered with both hands and feet.
Rose and the Palm Garden Boss didn't even blink, unmoved by the familiar scene.
They, too, were members of the Five Points Gang.
"Were you the one who arranged that meeting?"
Itsuki Joe pressed him sharply.
The Golden Flame Boss, his face smeared with blood, managed to croak out,
"The… Moonlight."
"Whew, looks like you're finally ready to talk. If you make me any angrier, I'll send your head home in a box."
Itsuki Joe grabbed him by the collar, squeezing his neck as he pressed him harder.
At last, the Golden Flame Boss began spilling everything about the meeting that day.
He confessed that the Pumpkin Boss had come by, and they'd even discussed the Union.
"The Union Gang?"
"Yes… that's what they said. If we hired them, they'd take care of it for us... From now on, they told us to pay protection money to them…"
Thud.
Itsuki Joe let go of his collar and stood up.
He looked away from the Golden Flame Boss, who lay collapsed on the floor, and stroked his chin thoughtfully, as if lost in consideration.
"Union… I'm sure I heard about those punks from Pacifico."
"Pacifico?"
The sudden mention of the name made Rose and the Palm Garden Boss blink in surprise.
Who was Pacifico?
He was a Neapolitan gangster who used to run a casino in LES—the victim of the Smoke Grenade Massacre.
Pacifico was from a different group, but he and Itsuki Joe had been close.
The Five Points Gang and the Italian gangs didn't have a bad relationship; they conducted business without stepping into each other's territory.
And before he died, Pacifico once mentioned the name Union while drinking with Itsuki Joe.
"He said there are bastards who skim off the protection money. Pacifico was sure they were called Union. With a name like that—like some damn labor union—how could anyone forget?"
"So, they're the ones connected to the Smoke Grenade incident?"
"Well, I couldn't say for sure."
Yet it did seem connected.
Smoke grenade attacks, bombings.
If the Union Gang had someone who specialized in that sort of thing, everything made sense.
"So those lunatics have been holed up in some corner of the LES all this time. And now they dare to set foot in my territory!"
Bang!
Itsuki Joe slammed the table. The whiskey bottle and glasses toppled, scattering ashes from the ashtray. Just as the dust settled, hurried footsteps could be heard approaching. Then the steel door burst open, and a bloodied subordinate shouted,
"Mulberry headquarters has been attacked, Boss!"
"What!?"
About twenty men had stormed in and wiped out headquarters. The subordinates who had been playing poker and drinking were taken by surprise and completely overpowered; the hideout was left in ruins.
"Shit, try messing with me, you bastards. Call the Enforcers to Bowery Fils right now!" Itsuki Joe commanded.
The Five Points had ruled as Manhattan's top gang for over a decade.
Naturally, that meant plenty of enemies, so they'd prepared decoy headquarters and safe houses in advance. The place that had just been hit was one of those.
Leaving the battered Golden Flame Boss on the street, Itsuki Joe relocated with his men.
***
Bowery Street, Fils Building. Itsuki and the five Enforcers gathered in one place.
Each Enforcer led their own unit and essentially served as the gang's field commander.
With his anger now under control, a cool-headed Itsuki Joe issued orders to them.
"Vermin, take the kids and hit Pumpkin Dance Hall. Capture the Pumpkin boss—Patrick—and get information about Union from him."
"What do you want done with him after that?"
"Kill him."
"Okay."
To the other Enforcers, he assigned the task of gathering intel on Union, tracking down anyone with possible connections to them, and bringing those people in.
The group split up to take care of their assignments, leaving only Itsuki Joe and his right-hand man, Duffy Hills.
"If anyone else makes a move now, it'll be a problem. Duffy, you keep an eye on Ioele's whereabouts."
"He's completely hooked on bars and women right now. Besides, his base is in Brooklyn, so I doubt he cares about this side of town."
"I wouldn't be so sure. Ioele is the slyest guy I know. For all we know, this might be his chance to move into the LES."
Technically, Itsuki Joe was called the boss of the Five Points Gang, but in reality he was only the head of a faction that had split off after Paul Kelly.
That meant he had rivals not just on the outside, but within the organization, too.
There was a reason Itsuki Joe had left the gang's main base to come here, and why he moved so cautiously, as if hiding behind a veil. In the end, it was all about dodging attacks from enemies lurking everywhere.
And the most formidable rival threatening Itsuki Joe was Francesco Ioele, who ran his business and gang like he was maneuvering chess pieces, always several moves ahead.
"Keep a close watch on him until all this is over."
"Got it, boss."
***
Second floor office, Allen Street Twin Buildings.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. A fox always digs several escape holes.
I really like these kinds of proverbs. But when my enemies do the same, it gets on my nerves.
We hit two places in one day, and neither was their main base. Of course, the Moonlight Boss who gave us the intel wasn't to blame.
There's a reason the gang managed to survive nearly twenty years. I should've known they'd dug themselves at least a few foxholes.
"Well, it doesn't really matter. Isn't this just how gang wars go?"
"That's true."
Patrick responded with a blank look. Up until now, we'd moved carefully and, in our own way, meticulously. But this time, we'd been almost recklessly bold. Patrick's unease came from this sudden change.
"I told you. I plan to drag this war out, loud and in the open."
The goal is simple.
Union: the gang that smashed the Five Points Gang.
That's the reputation I'm after.
"As long as we haven't caught Itsuki Joe, they'll fight back. Don't just increase security at the dance halls — beef up protection on the whole building, and check everyone's belongings thoroughly."
"Got it, boss."
"And we'll need to dig our own foxholes, too."
Having all our members gathered in one building, except for those needed at the dance halls and the basement casino, is a dangerous way to stand out.
It's time to separate the gang from the businesses. I put Marcus in charge of that.
"Go to Morris Goldberg Realty and ask if they have any place we can move into as soon as possible. For rent."
The bigger the space, the better, especially if it's a corner building off an alley.
After giving Marcus his orders, I grabbed a gun from the drawer and headed down to the first-floor underwear store.
"I think it'd be better if you carried this today."
Ida stared quietly at the Colt M1911 pistol.
Then, with the slightest curve of her lips, she smiled—at the gun.
"It's been a while."
"······."
"I guess you're really the better choice."
Ida stroked the pistol and pulled a leather belt from somewhere in the store.
Attached to the belt was a holster, and inside was a Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver.
It's not unusual.
Even the members working at the dance hall hid their guns in the same way.
But none quite like Ida.
Suddenly, she lifted her skirt and strapped it to her thigh like a garter belt.
She worked, her pale legs fully exposed, and it was clear she didn't see me as a man.
So I kept watching...
"Boss, you take the revolver. Barter."
Ida, having finished fastening the belt with more speed than necessary, handed me the revolver. Once I tucked it inside my coat, Ida glanced up at the wall clock.
"It's closing time already. I'll head downstairs, Boss."
After Ida went down to the dance hall, I leisurely tidied up around the store. As I pulled down the roller blinds over the glass window, I leaned in to peer outside. Streetlamps lit up the road, with passersby heading home from work late in the evening.
Suddenly, something massive blocked my view.
It was the Pumpkin Mask out front, trying to draw in customers.
After pulling the roller blind the rest of the way down, I poked my head out the door.
"Who's out there tonight?"
"It's Lanza!"
Cleaning, serving, and tonight—he's on Pumpkin Mask duty. Maybe because the pay here is better than what he'd get as a pickpocket, Lanza was working pretty hard. But today, he seemed a bit on edge for some reason.
"Lanza, come inside for a second."
I tapped Lanza lightly on the head as he slipped into the underwear store.
"Take that off and head downstairs."
"I'm not on duty tonight—it's Jun's turn."
"Is it too cold to take it off? Fine, just head downstairs."
"Understood! And here's this."
Lanza, who had left the flyers on the counter, peeled off the Pumpkin Mask as if he was shedding a skin, then headed down to the basement through the Secret Passage.
I fiddled with the Pumpkin Mask for a moment before putting it on myself.
"Ugh, the smell."
Or maybe it's from someone else. The stench of cigarette smoke stung my nose.
Still wearing the mask, I turned off the store lights and locked the door from the inside. Then I went up to the second-floor office, grabbed my gun and extra magazines, and headed outside.
Just as I reached the entrance, a group of men and women—perfect for a night at the dance hall—walked by. I handed out flyers, trying to draw them in.
"Ragtime performance by America's top pianist, starting soon!"
"What's he talking about?"
"Oh my, the Pumpkin Mask can talk."
"...Hoooeek—Pumpkin."
"Aww, how cute!"
The women patted me as they passed. On top of that, thanks to the January chill, the mask kept me nice and warm.
I think I understand now why people never want to take off the Pumpkin Mask once they put it on.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the second round at the Pumpkin Dance Hall is about to begin! Come on in!"
***
Night had fallen over Allen Street.
A group swept down the street, their coats billowing as their shadows stretched along the pavement.
"Is the basement of that building the Pumpkin Dance Hall?"
"If you see some guy wearing a Pumpkin Mask, that's your answer."
"How shameful. What's a grown man doing wearing a mask anyway?"
Hidden by the darkness, they quietly discussed their next move.
According to Itsuki Joe's orders, there were two ways to grab the dance hall boss.
They could storm into the dance hall directly.
Or, they could search for another entrance and slip in quietly.
"There are too many guests inside right now. We move when they close for the night."
"But don't we need to know where the boss is before we do anything? Shouldn't we find their exact location first?"
"If we go in and rough them up, the boss will show himself. But we've still got time…"
Just then, they spotted someone who knew the place inside and out—a guide who could not only lead them in but also reveal where this guy named Patrick was.
"Go and bring me the Pumpkin Mask."