Vendetta: Whiskey Empire, #4

By Eugene Lloyd MacRae

As Rocco and Besha DeLuca continue to feed alcohol to the violent criminals of American prohibition, there are those who are not satisfied with the wealth and power they are accumulating. They want more. They want it all. They want what the DeLucas have as well and they will kill to get it. As the fighting intensifies, the age-old Sicilian tradition of revenge...of vendetta...comes into play. Rocco and Besha are driven to desperate measures as they fight to hold onto their lives as well as their Whisky Empire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eugene Lloyd MacRae
• Release date: May 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781927767511

Eugene Lloyd MacRae

Eugene Lloyd MacRae lives on Canada's South Coast in Ontario. He is the author of the Rory Mack Steele series of novels and several family history books. He began writing novels after a near-fatal heart attack in March, 2012 left him lying in bed with little to do. He began pecking away on a Blackberry Playbook he had bought 2 months before and the characters that emerged kept him company.

Book preview

Prologue

ON JANUARY 16, 1920 the United States of America had banned alcohol. You couldn't make it, sell it, transport it or drink it. To many, it was the turning point in creating a society free from the evils of a demon that destroyed families. What it does instead is give rise to the likes of Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugs Moran, Dutch Schultz and many other mobsters who make millions selling alcohol to a public who still want to drink. And these mobsters are very willing to kill any individual who gets in their way, no matter who it is. The bodies will pile high for the next decade. Corruption is rampant as federal or state officials, politicians, law enforcement officers and even judges can make more money by simply looking the other way.

In Canada, prohibition also strikes. But a Federal law says you can make alcohol for export. And so begins an era of bootlegging and rum-running, the lucrative but dangerous occupation of feeding alcohol to the ruthless mobsters across the border in the United States.

This is the continuing story of Rocco and Besha DeLuca, rising from poverty to build a whiskey empire during prohibition, all while dodging bullets, fire-bombs and those who would rip the future from their cold, dead hands.

Chapter 1

The Paradise Club, Cootes Paradise, Hamilton, Ontario

ROCCO AND BESHA DELUCA stepped inside their busy, noisy club and were met by Gianni and Andrea Repucchi, the club managers. The buzz of the excited crowds, packed around the roulette wheels and the blackjack and craps tables, was mixed in with the music from the piano player belting out the Tiger Rag, the latest hit tune recorded by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. This was just part of the Whiskey Empire Rocco and Besha had built in their rise from poverty. But there was always someone looking to take it all away, to put them six feet under and take over. Little did they know they were about to meet a formidable foe that would push them to the edge of that grave.

Besha bobbed her head to the beat and smiled at Rocco as one of the bouncers took their coats at the direction of Gianni.

Andrea Repucchi smiled at Besha's little dance steps, You want me to set you up on a stage near the piano man and you can sing and dance?

Okay, Besha said as she pointed at one of the club hostesses, just get me one of those costumes and I'm ready.

All the club hostesses walking through the crowd selling drinks and cigarettes were nude, except for a pair of black, high-heeled shoes and a black collar around the neck.

Andrea giggled, What do you think, Rocco?

Forget it, Rocco said. Everybody will be looking at her and not playing. We'll lose too much money.

Aw, you're sweet, Besha said, tapping his cheek with the flat of her fingers. I fully expected some other remark."

I'm not stupid, I plan on getting lucky tonight. He winked at Andrea.

Oh. Well let me know who the poor dear is, so I can send her a sympathy card, Besha said.

Andrea giggled again and took Besha's arm, leading her to the stairs, Thank you again for that trip to Cuba, it was so much fun.

Wait until I tell you about the club we bought after you left.

Really?

Rocco walked with Gianni behind the two women. Who's this guy you said wanted to see me? he asked Gianni.

Gianni opened his mouth but was distracted by a fight that broke out across the floor. Two of the club's bouncers moved in, Sorry, Rocco, I better go see what's going on. Go on up and I'll be up shortly.

Rocco watched the muscular Gianni wade into the scrum, easily tossing people aside, and then he climbed the stairs, looking out over the rest of the activity going on. The boatload of money the club was bringing in was a nice stream of income  But more important was the steady stream of information it was bringing in. Information that supplied Rocco's growing organization with the ability to blackmail high profile people who loved to gamble here. The customers who paused in their gambling activities loved nothing more than taking one of the hostesses upstairs into one of the rooms for an extra bit of fun. They just had no idea their sexual escapades were being photographed through a one-way mirror. Those blackmail photographs had proven to be gold.

Rocco paused when he reached the top of the landing and he looked to the other side of the floor below. All of the doors to the private poker rooms were closed, which meant they were all full. The high-stakes games had attracted some very high rollers and raked in a lot more cash. He was distracted when he heard Besha let out a cry of delight.

Andrea had taken her inside the manager's office. Apparently, whoever wanted to see him was someone they knew. He headed straight for the open door of the back office and stepped inside.

Hi, Rocco.

Rocco was surprised to see his cousin, Matteo Jacurso, the man everyone called Little Jack. A thin man with a thin mustache and curly black hair, Little Jack was the first person who had talked to Rocco into selling whiskey at the start of prohibition in the United States. Little Jack and his boss in Buffalo had been Rocco's first customer.

Little Jack moved across the room and embraced Rocco, slapping him on the back, How are you? He stepped back, I understand you just came back from Cuba?

Yeah. We got back in late yesterday. He noticed a young woman about twenty-five, with red hair and green eyes, standing over by the large desk with Besha.

Little Jack turned to the young woman, This is the man I was telling you about. My cousin, Rocco DeLuca.

Besha put her arm around the woman and walked her over to Rocco, And this young lady is the one Matteo told us about, his sweetheart, Caroline Brennan.

Rocco held his hand out, Very nice–

Caroline Brennan moved ahead and threw her arms around Rocco, I just want to thank you for everything you've done for Matteo. Thank you. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then stepped back.

Little Jack put his arm around her and pulled her close, Isn't she a peach, Rocco?

Yeah, Rocco said. A serious look came over his face and he took a step, waving a hand slowly in front of Caroline's face.

Little Jack looked at Besha and then back at Rocco, What's...what's wrong, Rocco?

Nothing. I was just wondering, Rocco said, I just thought she'd be blind because she's with you.

Little Jack laughed and put his two fists up, I can still beat you to a pulp. You know that, right?

Of course, Rocco said. Then he turned serious again, Me and Besha were almost thinking of staying in Cuba for another few weeks, Matteo. We had no idea you were heading our way. Why didn't you tell us you and Caroline were coming up?

Now it was Little Jack's turn to be serious but he didn't reply. Instead, he pulled out a package of cigarettes and popped one out. It was sort of a last-minute thing, he said as he passed the package to Rocco.

Rocco took a cigarette out for himself and then offered the pack over to Besha as he watched his cousin. There was just a hint in his cousin's manner that something serious was going on. Despite the grinding poverty they had all grown up in, Little Jack had always had a faint but perpetual goofy grin on his face. It wasn't there right now and Rocco wondered why.

Besha took the pack and gave a cigarette to each of the other women as she watched the reaction between the Little Jack and Rocco. She could see the tension on Rocco's shoulders. He was sensing something. But what?

Little Jack lit his cigarette and then Rocco's without a word.

Besha looked at her husband and then broached the subject, You going to tell us what's going on, Matteo?

Taking a drag on his cigarette, Little Jack blew out a stream of smoke and watched it curl through the air, It's about Baby Face Monterosso. He turned his head slightly and looked at Besha and Andrea, That's the boss I worked for in Buffalo before I moved down to Pittsburgh to be with Caroline.

Andrea's eyebrows knit together as she mulled the name over, Monterosso. I've heard the name from Rocco and Tommy Giachetti. Wasn't he was the one who first bought the whiskey from them?

Yeah, Besha said. But it was actually Little Jack that set it up and got them started.

Oh, really?

Little Jack nodded as he took another drag from his cigarette, "Yeah. The two jackasses rowed across the river in the dead of winter. But the boss was so happy...." His thoughts wandered off somewhere else.

Rocco prodded him after a moment, What about Monterosso?

Little Jack's jaw clenched and he spit the words out, They just took him out. That was all he said as he seemed to drift off somewhere else again.

Rocco, Besha, and Andrea looked at each other, wondering what was happening here. Rocco looked at Caroline Brennan but she was mute, her arms crossed as she looked down at the floor.

Andrea looked at Rocco and Besha, a confused look on her face. Then she asked the question they were all thinking, Little Jack? When you say they took this Monterosso out...what exactly do you mean?

Little Jack scratched the stubble on his cheek, his eyes vacant, According to the newspapers...they shot him sixteen times.

Rocco's body went on alert and his eyes narrowed, "Shooting someone sixteen times is all about sending a message. When you say they took him out, who are we talking about, Little Jack?"

The Good Killers.

Chapter 2

THE SILENCE IN THE ROOM was punctuated by the muted sounds of gambling, laughter and a foot-stomping jazz composition, Livery Stable Blues played on the piano. Rocco, Besha, and Andrea all looked at each other, trying to figure out who exactly Little Jack was talking about.

It was Besha who finally asked, Who are these good killers? And why would they kill your former boss?

Little Jack puffed away on his cigarette for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Then he lifted his head and exhaled, letting the smoke swirl in the air overhead, The Good Killers go back to the old country.

You mean Italy? Besha asked.

Yeah. Two families and their allies from Castellammare del Golfo, Italy have been fighting for control over the rackets in the old country, Little Jack explained. And then they brought the fight across the sea to New York to control the rackets here. Strazzeri and Bonaventure and some others, those are the Good Killers. They're fighting against the Buccellato clan. They've both got allies and I've been told they've been fighting for over ten years. Maybe even longer, since it all started back in the old country–

They're all Sicilian, Caroline Brennan said with some venom in her voice. She crossed her arms, Sorry.

Don't be, we're not Sicilian, Rocco told her.

Little Jack looked at Rocco and Besha, Remember when you guys when went to Buffalo to get that alcohol equipment from old lady Moffat? I told you about Caroline's father and brother getting killed by those local bootleggers?

Rocco nodded, Yeah, I remember. What about it?

Besha's eyes clouded over at the mention of that trip. Moffat's lawyer, Lucious Tremont, had sent them up an old set of stairs in the building so he could take a look up Besha's dress. She still regretted not killing him on the spot instead of 'charging' him $25,000 for that sneak peek. She simply nodded a 'yes' to Little Jack.

Little Jack looked at Caroline, When I first went to Pittsburgh to be with her, Mi sono vendicata. I took revenge for the killings. We whacked five guys for it. And now...I find out they were part of the Good Killers.

Rocco grit his teeth, So now they want their revenge in turn?

Yeah. Well, that's part of it, Little Jack said. He put his head down and took a deep drag on his cigarette.

Part of it? Rocco asked. What does that mean?

Little Jack continued looking down, letting out a curl of smoke.

Rocco looked at Besha and gave her a slight shrug of frustration. Little Jack still wasn't giving them all the details.

Besha took a step forward, Matteo? What can we do to help?

Little Jack shook his head as he glanced at Caroline again, No, I'm not here to ask for help–

We're not going to let you stand alone, Rocco said firmly. You're family. He looked at Caroline, Both of you.

No, Little Jack said, you're going to be too busy.

Rocco shook his head, Too busy? With what? I don't understand?

Maybe it's my fault, Rocco, Little Jack said. He pushed his fingers through his hair. Maybe if I hadn't killed their guys they wouldn't have looked twice at me. And if they hadn't looked at me, they wouldn't be looking at you–

What are you talking about? Make some sense–

They're coming after you, Rocco.

Rocco and Besha exchanged glances. Me? Why me?

Because they want what you have. They want it all, Rocco, Little Jack said.

What exactly does that mean? Besha asked. She lifted a hand when Little Jack opened his mouth to speak, Just slow down and tell us exactly what's happening. Can you do that?

Little Jack took a deep breath and gave her a nod, Like I said, these guys have been around for a while. The coppers don't really know about them cause they're smart. One of the things they've done is force new immigrants to do their dirty work. They get them to assassinate members of the Buccellato clan or anyone else they want out of the way. That way they got alibis for the killings and all they have to do is dispose of the immigrants and no one is the wiser.

I still don't get what that has to do with me? Rocco said.

It was Caroline who spoke up, her voice hard, They're expanding. They pushed their way into Pittsburgh, killing my father and my brother as part of their plan to take over the bootlegging in the area. But it goes way beyond that. The newspapers are saying they might have been responsible for 70 deaths in Detroit, 20 in Chicago, 15 to 20 in New York and New Jersey and maybe 20 or 30 in Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Add Monterosso and four of his men in Buffalo to that, Little Jack said. The ones who shot him came out of New York.

Rocco, Besha, and Andrea all looked at each other, beginning to understand where this was going.

Little Jack took a drag on his cigarette and blew the smoke out hard, "Word is they want to come across to here, to take over the bootlegging and everything else you have, Rocco. And to put you six feet under."

Besha's eyes took on a hard, smoldering look as she turned to Rocco, These assholes must be the ones who were behind those two guys who tried to join us. The one's at Concetta's baby shower?

Nodding, Rocco had a far away, hard look in his eyes, That would explain it.

What are you talking about? Little Jack asked.

Two mooks tried to join the organization, Rocco explained. They approached me at a party and said they were from the local neighborhood. But when I told them to talk to my man Bruno Gagliano, who lived in the neighborhood, they didn't know who he was."

They knew the jig was up and they tried to clip Rocco, Besha said. Bruno shot them just as they were about to pull the trigger.

My police sources told me they were Americans, Rocco added.

Caroline Brennan raised her eyebrows as she and Little Jack exchanged glances. 

Besha's eyes were steely as she looked at Little Jack, Do you have any names on the American side?

I heard some, Little Jack said as he scratched his stubble, thinking. One of the guys who took over my job with Monterosso when I went to Pittsburgh survived the hit. Montel DiNolfo. He beat it down to Pittsburgh to warn me. Monty said Mario Sammartano is the one who did Monterosso and his crew. He's the one in charge and is taking over in Buffalo. Vicenzu Strazzeri is moving into Niagara Falls on the American side. He's from New York. He's supposed to have left his cousin, Johnny Strazzeri in charge down there. Don't know how true that is. The only other names he knew were Sandro Cardosi and Piero Gilberto, two of the Good Killer's crew. They're supposed to be heading my way in Pittsburgh.

Rocco puffed on his cigarette, thinking.

We have to find out more, Rocco, Besha said.

Nodding, Rocco kept on smoking and thinking.

I'm sorry, guys, Little Jack said. Like I said, this is probably my fault.

Rocco shook his head as he continued to think, No, it's not.

Little Jack shrugged, I don't know. Like I said, Rocco, if you wasn't dealing with me, maybe they wouldn't even know about you. That's why I wanted to come up and tell you face to face–

Looking at his cousin, Rocco asked, Do these Good Killers read the newspapers?

"I...I guess so...."

Anybody reading about the bootlegging trial I went through would know about us, Rocco reasoned.

And the fact we have all that whiskey to sell, Besha added.

And the beer and the rum, Andrea said.

Rocco nodded, Like bees to honey. If these guys can find a way to take over our distilleries and breweries, they can also squeeze out the people we already sell to, taking over the bootlegging networks. Like you say, Matteo, they want it all.

Little Jack looked at Caroline, Okay. Now that you know, we have to be getting back to Pittsburgh. Giorgio DelGrande and Paolo Pontecorvo are there with her mother, but I want to be there myself in case something happens.

Do you want us to send down some men to help? Besha asked.

You'll probably need them all up here, Little Jack said.

Caroline crossed her arms as she looked at Little Jack, What about my cousins in Erie? She looked at Rocco, Diarmaid O'Neill, Miles Moore, and Davey Smyth are working with Matteo to feed the saloons in that area. That means these guys are probably going to go after them as well."

Still feeling guilty, Little Jack grimaced at the thought.

Rocco took a step forward, put one hand on Little Jack's shoulder, "Look. If either one of you needs any help or anything at all from us, all you have to do is ask. He squeezed his shoulder, Resteremo uniti qualsiasi cosa accada."

Rocco put his other hand on Caroline's shoulder and looked into her green eyes, In English that means we will stick together through thick and thin. If they're going to come after us in force, we have to stay together and reply in force. Do you two understand me?

Both of them nodded their heads in understanding.

Little Jack put a hand on Rocco's shoulder in turn, And if you need anything from us, all you have to do is ask as well, mia cugina.

Chapter 3

The Paradise Club

ROCCO DELUCA ASSEMBLED a meeting in one of the back rooms to organize their response to what Little Jack had warned them was about to happen. Rocco sat beside Besha at one of the large, square, poker tables with their partners and other main men gathered around. Four of the naked club hostesses set coffees in front of everyone and then left, closing the door to the noise of the gambling and piano playing going on outside the room.

Okay, Rocco said. You all know why we're here. This has happened before. There's always someone trying to take what we have. No one has been able to do it so far but that doesn't mean we don't take this seriously. We've had some of our own die in the past and it'll probably happen this time again. He paused to look around the table.

No one present at the meeting looked anything less than ready and willing to do whatever was necessary.

Okay. Tony here is going to work with Jimmy Hamilton to see what the Hamilton constabulary can find out about these Good Killers as they call themselves. They have contacts we don't have.

Tony Genovese, one of Rocco's partners, nodded as he looked around the table. But we just can't rely on the coppers to find the information we need. If these guys are going to come across from the American side, they're going to have to look for someone to work with inside our territory. They've already tried to infiltrate us, so keep your eyes and ears open. You hear anything, anything at all, you let us know. He gestured in emphasis, Even if it's something you think is small, you let us know. That's how the coppers build their information, piece by piece, until they have the full picture. We need to do the same. Capice?

Everyone nodded.

Rocco continued, I'm positive these Good Killers will probably try to hijack our runs and maybe even try to take over one of our breweries or distilleries. They'll want to take cash out of our pockets and put it into theirs to pay for the fight. He looked at Gianni Reppucci and his wife Andrea, You look like you got enough firepower around here at the club.

Gianni nodded as he glanced at Andrea, Yeah. I think we're okay here. Andrea agreed.

Good. Besha and Maria Genovese will continue to run things centrally from Starkman Imports & Exports. I've got two men guarding the place for now. He glanced at Besha and then at Maria, who was sitting beside her husband Tony, If either one of you feels you need more men, let us know.

The two women glanced at each other with a serious look and then gave brief nods of understanding to Rocco.

Me and Tony are also looking to hire more men from the old neighborhood, added Rocco. It might not be necessary, but we've decided to have extra guards where we produce our beer and whiskey. He looked to his left and down the table, Dante and Riccardo, don't be shy about asking for more help if you need it at Glenn Gael Distillery or the DeLuca Distillery and Brewery.

Dante Rizzo was a short stocky man who ran the DeLuca Distillery and Brewery and he shifted in his seat, We could use more men who know how to use a weapon on the midnight shift. Most of the vets we had were on the first two shifts. The new guys we hired for the late shift weren't in the army.

Riccardo Circo, who ran the Glenn Gael Distillery, spoke up, Most of my guys served and can handle themselves. If you can't find enough trained men, send them over to me. I was a sergeant the last two years of WW 1 with the 13th Royal Regiment and I'll get them weapons-trained and in shape.

We'll take you up on that, Rocco said. He looked at Angelo Controni, who was in charge of the Middlesex Brewery in London, Ontario, Angelo, how about you? When we reopened that brewery, you picked up a lot of the old workers who had been laid off when prohibition hit. Are they up to the task?

Angelo shook his head no, Most of them didn't fight in the war, unlike most of the guys we hired from our old neighborhood here. I doubt they'll hang around if the going gets tough. I think they'll run when they hear they're going to need to carry rifles.

How many men do you want us to send up to you?

Angelo looked down at the table, rubbing his hand on the table, thinking. "I've been working to get closer to some men from the Italian community up in London. There's a group up there from the Calabria region like us. A number of them fought on the Italian front during World War I and I figured I'd hire them one by one as I lost someone else...."

Do they know we're ‛Ndrangheta? Tony asked.

Looking up, Angelo nodded, Yeah. They didn't have anything to do with it back in the old country, but...they've been struggling since they came to this country. We all know what that was like. A number of them are willing to come with us. As I say, I was just waiting for openings–

I want you to hire every one of them. Anyone you feel you can trust and who are willing to fight side-by-side with us, Rocco said, thumping the table with a finger. Don't worry about needing openings or the expense. We can use them for the brewery as well as the runs we make with the cars and trucks.

Angelo nodded, Okay. I'll get started when I get back up there.

Rocco looked to Tommy Giachetti and Paolo Paoletti, "If