Without remorse - Tom Clancy [93]
'My supply is pretty solid. Let me worry about that, paisan.'
'Okay.' Piaggi nodded. 'There is one problem, Henry. It'll take me a while to get the cash together for something this big. You should have warned me, man.'
Tucker allowed himself a laugh. 'I didn't want to scare you off, Anthony.'
'Trust me on the money?'
A nod and a look. 'I know you're a serious guy.' Which was the smart play. Piaggi wouldn't walk away from the chance to establish a regular supply to his associates. The long-term money was just too good. Angelo Vorano might not have grasped that, but he had served as the means to meet Piaggi, and that was enough. Besides, Angelo was now crab shit.
'This is pure stuff, same as before?' Morello asked, annoying both of the others. .
'Eddie, the man isn't going to trust us on the cash and fuck us at the same time, is he?' Piaggi asked.
'Gentlemen, let me tell you what's happening here, okay? I got a big supply of good stuff. Where I get it, how I get it, that's my business. I even got a territory I don't want you fooling with, but we ain't bumped heads yet on the street and we'll keep it that way.' Both of the Italians nodded, Tucker saw. Eddie dumbly, but Tony with understanding and respect. Piaggi spoke the same way:
'You need distribution. We can handle that. You have your own territory, and we can respect that, too.'
It was time for the next play. 'I didn't get this far by being stupid. After today, you guys are out of this part of the business.'
'What do you mean?'
'I mean, no more boat rides. I mean you guys don't handle the material anymore.'
Piaggi smiled. He'd done this four times now, and the novelty had already worn off. 'You have no argument from me on that. If you want, I can have my people take deliveries whenever you want.'
'We separate the stuff from the money. We handle it like a business,' Tucker said. 'Line of credit, like.'
'The stuff comes over first.'
'Fair enough, Tony. You pick good people, okay? The idea is we separate you and me from the drugs as much as possible.'
'People get caught, they talk,' Morello pointed out. He felt excluded from the conversation, but wasn't quite bright enough to grasp the significance of that.
'Mine don't,' Tucker said evenly. 'My people know better.'
'That was you, wasn't it?' Piaggi asked, making the connection and getting a nod. 'I like your style, Henry. Try to be more careful next time, okay?' .
'I spent two year's getting this all set up, cost me a lot of money. I want this operation to run for a long time, and I'm not taking any more chances than I have to anymore. Now, when can you pay me off for this load?'
'I brought an even hundred with me.' Tony waved towards the duffel bag on the deck. This little operation had grown with surprising rapidity as it was, but the first three loads had sold off for fine prices, and Tucker, Piaggi thought, was a man you could trust, insofar as you could trust anyone in this line of work. But, he figured, a rip would have happened already if that was what Tucker wanted, and this much drugs was too much for a guy running that kind of setup. 'It's yours to take, Henry. Looks like we're going to owe you another ... five hundred? I'll need some time, like a week or so. Sorry, man, but you kinda sandbagged me this way. Takes time to front up that much cash, y'know?'
'Call it four, Tony. No sense squeezing your friends first time out. Let's generate a little goodwill at first, okay?'
'Special introductory offer?' Piaggi laughed at that and tossed Henry a beer. 'You gotta have some Italian blood in you, boy. Okay! We'll do it like you say, man.' Just how good is that sapply of yours, Heary? Piaggi couldn't ask.
'And now there's