The Bassi Group

By Jeff Ping

The rise of Michael Mason in the Bassi crime family. This first book follows Michael from his meeting of the young nephew of the boss of a crime family and the heir apparent of the family business. We follow Michaels adventures as a hit man to the problems of a business man. We see Michael transition from a young rogue to a successful business man to a married family man. All the while keeping his ability to be a cold blooded killer from his young wife and family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeff Ping
• Release date: Feb 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311334893

Jeff Ping

Retired RF engineer, currently living in Northern California. My interests include writing post apocalyptic novels and working with my hands. When writing I find the most difficult thing for me is editing. I free flow write, so I am visualizing the scenes and action as I write so I have to edit and re-write with detail what I see in order to allow the reader to see it as well. I also enjoy light construction, welding and machining. I have restored motorcycles and cars. My hobbies other than writing give me at least some degree of comprehension of the difficulties that would be encountered if you were required to build, construct, or forage for everything you needed.

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Jeffery A Ping

Copyright Jeffery A. Ping 2015

Published at Smashwords

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The Bassi Group

Chapter 1

The Meeting

Mike Mason had just graduated from high school. He had hated school, and if his mother had not kept after him would have dropped out. Looking back he could see now that his mother had been right to badger him to finish high school. Mike could also see that despite his believing at seventeen he had it all figured out, he had really been clueless. So, in June of 1966, to the utter surprise and amazement of his mother, he did graduate from High school. Mike's grades were so poor that college was not an option even if he had the money. If he had wanted to, he could have improved his grades. But because of an attitude problem Mike just chose not to. He thought no further than graduating and getting a job and moving out on his own.

Mike never really gave much thought about what he would do after graduation. He assumed he would cross that bridge when he came to it. He had worked part time and summers during high school in a family friend’s machine shop. So that was the occupation he assumed he would pursue. But Uncle Sam had different ideas because in late 1967 Mike was drafted into the Army.

The years 1967 thru 1972 were years of America using its young men as cannon fodder. Everyone's goal was for maximum enemy body count. American losses were over shadowed by a high enemy confirmed kills. Vietnam certainly wasn’t the first or last time a war was unpopular but there was a ground swell of public opposition to this war.

The mid to late 1960's were one of the most strife filled and polarizing times in the country. The young men raised on the TV show COMBAT were unprepared for what they found. They were dumped into a hostile country fighting an unwinnable war. The foe they faced had been at war for over a generation, longer than most of the G.I.'s had been alive. Our soldiers were led by inexperienced, poorly trained officers. Soldiers fought a war that was being directed by politicians for TV time and Photo Ops. Despite overwhelming military and technological superiority, like most post WWII conflicts the US had involved itself with, the powers that be were able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The army was where Mike found his true calling in life. Unfortunately, for many other people, that calling meant their death. As a soldier, Mike found that he could kill with absolutely no remorse. That coupled with his flexible morality gave him the ability to justify his actions to his own satisfaction.

The truth be known, Mike enjoyed his time in Vietnam. After all, he was eighteen and could drink, get high, shoot people and he got paid to do it. How much better could it get? He knew people got wounded, maimed, or killed. But at eighteen, Mike himself was invincible, he never thought about that happening to him.

Mike killed the enemy because it was his life or theirs. He killed others and even fellow soldiers for cheating, lying, putting his life in danger, incompetence and in a few cases, just because they pissed him off. Only Mike knew how many superiors or bullies he fragged (rolled or tossed grenades into tents of sleeping targets) or shot for some injustice as a favor for someone or sometimes just for cash.

Mike was quiet and didn’t bother anyone. He wasn’t aggressive or physically large so he wasn’t a bully and didn’t hassle anyone. But these traits made him a target for the more aggressive types and bullies. They learned the error of that perception, if they learned it through the observation of the results of someone else's mistake they might live. Mike was like a snake, walk around him and you were OK. But if you stepped on him, he could strike without warning and his bite was deadly.

Later in life Mike applied his moral flexibility to kill anyone he was paid to kill. He didn’t kill for fun or any kind of twisted satisfaction or fulfillment, just money.

While on R&R in Bangkok, Mike was sitting in a cafe one night about midnight with some guys he had met after arriving at the R&R center. Over in one corner a fight started. Mike’s new buddies who were sitting with him shouted FIGHT!! and jumped up and ran over to join in. Mike didn’t get up and join them. He just sat there drinking his beer. The fight continued to grow in size and intensity. Soon, he decided to move over to a more isolated corner of the room. As he sat down, this short skinny guy that he vaguely recognized walked