“They were different circumstances, man,” Franks said.
“Still… doesn’t really matter, anyway. He’s not here. And he’s not coming back. No need to debate it.”
Tiffany came back in with everything she needed to start cleaning up Jacobs’ wounds.
“This might hurt a little,” she said.
Jacobs winced. “I think I can take it.”
As Tiffany took care of her boyfriend, Thrower and Franks went over to the window and looked out.
“So who’s in worse shape right now?” Franks asked. “Them or us?”
Thrower looked back at Jacobs, then turned his attention back to the window. “Oh, it’s definitely them. This was just a small setback for us. For Mallette, he’s got a skeleton crew right now. And if we can find him again in the next few days and take the fight to him, before he’s able to build his crew back up again… I’m not sure he could survive it.”
“So he’s on borrowed time, then?”
Thrower nodded. “He’s on borrowed time.”
13
Mallette was in his upscale apartment, one which he kept hidden from everyone except for Selby. He was still fuming about everything that had happened at Berry’s house.
“He was right in front of me. He was right there. I had a gun in my hands. Jacobs was a few inches away from me. And yet… he’s still not dead.”
“Just tough luck, boss.”
“I should’ve just ended it right away. Not bothered talking or explaining anything. I should’ve just pulled the trigger the moment I saw his face. Then he’d be dead right now, and I could get on with putting my organization back together.”
“Speaking of that, boss, we’re in a tough spot right now. We’re being held together by duct tape, you know?”
Mallette sighed, then walked over to his sixth-floor window and looked out at the city below. “How many do we have left?”
“Well, with the guys we lost, and Ames’ boys that we took out… we’re down to nine, not including me and you.”
Mallette closed his eyes and shook his head. “Nine. In my heyday, I had close to a hundred. Now I’ve got a skeleton crew.”
“We can make it work.”
Mallette pounded his fist on the table that was next to him. “We’ve got to make it work! And now! We can’t afford any more casualties. We can’t have any more missteps.”
“We didn’t really have a misstep this time. We had him. Just like you predicted, he showed up at Berry’s place. We were there, ready for him.”
“But we didn’t close the deal. That’s all that matters. Closing the deal.”
“If it wasn’t for Joe, we’d have had him. We couldn’t foresee that crumb turning on us.”
“Maybe we should have,” Mallette said, continuing to look out the window. “If I hadn’t been so desperate to build our group back up, I probably wouldn’t have even wanted that bunch to join us. I would’ve left them lying there with their boss. But things being what they are… we need more strength. We’re hanging by a thread.”
“I can go out and hit the pavement, go on a major recruiting spree.”
“I’m not sure we have time for that.”
“Boss, I know you may not wanna hear this, but… why don’t we take a few steps back for a while? Just lie low for five or six months, build things back up, get another fifty or sixty men in the fold, then go after him again.”
“The problem is, this city’s ripe for the taking. If we go underground for six months, someone else is going to come in here and try to take it for themselves. Just like Butch and Ames did. Then in six months we’ll have another war on our hands with that group. Then we could find ourselves in the same exact position that we are in now. Depleted, having to fight Jacobs with a handful of guys.”
“What other choice do we have?” Selby asked.
Mallette turned and looked at his underling for a moment, thinking about the question. He then went over to his desk and sat down, still looking out the window. Looking out to the city always seemed to bring a sense of calm and clarity to him.
“We may still have an option or two,” Mallette said.
“What about getting New York involved again?”
“That’s not one of them. My ties to New York are shot. They’re not interested in helping me any longer, and I’m not interested in taking their help.”
“What else is there?”
“We lured him in once by putting breadcrumbs out there on the internet. We could do it again.”
“I’m not sure he’d fall for that again, boss.”
“And then there’s the elephant in the room,” Mallette said.
“What elephant’s that, boss?”
“The girl. Tiffany. She means everything to him now. Everything always comes full circle. Where she works isn’t a secret. She’s still going there. It’s the one constant that we know. She’ll be there. Jacobs will be there. Maybe it’s time we stop the cat-and-mouse game.”
“And do what instead?”
“Overpower him. We still have nine men. He’s got two.”
“And the dog,” Selby was quick to point out. “He ain’t no slouch.”
“No, he’s not.” Mallette rubbed his chin as he contemplated. “It’s all about the girl at this point. She’s our last and final play. We have to make it count. Succeed, we bring Jacobs to his knees and he’s nothing but a distant memory. Fail… and we are.”
Berry walked into his new office, the one that Mallette had paid for. He’d only been in there for a week. He was slowly trying to build up his client list, which was going better than he expected. Of course, when you become known for being the one that gets the infamous Rich Mallette out of prison, it certainly helps to build your reputation.
“Mr. Berry, your appointment is already in your office waiting for you,” his secretary said.
Berry walked briskly to his office, coffee in one hand, briefcase in the other. When he got to the door, he set his briefcase on the floor to free one of his hands
