The Vegas Transactions

By Jack Kregas

Set in the early 70s when Las Vegas was growing, Elvis, Sinatra, and Liberace were its star performers. The mafia-controlled casinos were fighting new laws to keep their illegal operations alive.

Jack Ross, a renowned mob boss ousted from his previous position of power following his release from prison, is exiled to Las Vegas after reluctantly agreeing to an unprecedented business transaction arranged by his friend Willie Shinronski.

Willie’s brother, Albin Shinronski, a discharged Vietnam combat-chopper pilot is befriended by Jack Ross. A profound friendship and trust develop based on a ‘do what you have to do’ attitude.

Luca Lorenzo, the East Coast Mafia Capo, fears Jack Ross may return. He instigates a plan to retire Jack once and for all.

Two fictional families entwined in the history past of one of the most unique places in the world, Las Vegas, is as much a study of individuals as it is a page turner.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Jack Kregas
• Release date: Jul 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005062828

Jack Kregas

Jack Kregas was born in New England in the north east of the United States. After a stint in the US Army, he was discharged in Europe and the next forty years were spent skiing and living life to the max as well as creating several successful businesses.Winters in the Alps and summers windsurfing on Maui, Jack departed Switzerland for Maui full time with his Australian wife and small daughter. After five years he moved the family to Australia and became an Australian citizen.Jack now lives in Brisbane and plays golf and tournament poker. After having published his first book in 2015, an autobiography, It's All About Me and a few others of his adventurous life, he has written another thirteen books the latest being THE VEGAS TRANSACTIONS published in July 2021 and How to lose at Texas Holdem in September 2121.

Book preview

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jack Kregas was born in New England in the northeast of the United States. After a stint in the US Army, he was discharged in Europe and the next forty years were spent skiing and living life to the max as well as creating several successful businesses.

After many winters in the Alps and summers windsurfing on Maui, Jack departed Switzerland for Maui fulltime with his Australian wife and small daughter. Five years later, he moved to Australia with his family and became an Australian citizen.

Jack now lives in Brisbane and plays golf and tournament poker. After publishing his first book in 2015, the autobiography of his adventurous life, he has written another twelve books. The last one was Club Cargo in 2020.

OTHER BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

Non-fiction

It’s All About Me and a few others

It’s Not Only About Me

Fiction

Joey Moretti Thrillers

Mystical Glasses

Innocent Retribution

Contested Ransom

Decisive Sunset

Other Fiction

Choice Cruise Lines

Loysa’s Carabao

Slick Justice

Club Cargo

Collections of Short Stories

Tall Tales

Tall Tales Two

Tall Tales Three

THE VEGAS

TRANSACTIONS

BY

JACK KREGAS

PUBLISHING DETAILS

The Vegas Transactions by Jack Kregas

© Jack Kregas

The moral right of the author has been asserted. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright restrictions above, no part of the production may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

1st Edition 2021

Copyright: Jack Kregas 2021

This book is copyright.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission.

This is a work of fiction. The events and characters in this book are fabricated from the imagination of the author. Some places and locations may be real, others are not. Any similarity to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In this time of Covid when there is no travel from Australia, I thought of the places I have been where I had the most fun. Las Vegas was a standout. I was first there in the early 70s for the Winter Sports Convention, then a honeymoon, and many times playing poker. Because of these fond memories, I decided to make Las Vegas the center of this novel.

To my editor, a very special thanks for all your amazing work. I now understand and am very appreciative for all the time and effort you have given helping to bring all my books to publication.

I continue to be grateful to the readers that support me. Please tell your friends and put up a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Be safe.

JK

INTRODUCTION

GANG BOSS JACK ROSS TO BE RELEASED

That was the lead story in all the Boston papers on 10 February 1971. It went on to state:

Jack Ross had accepted a plea bargain of eight to fifteen years rather than a twenty-five-year sentence for tax evasion and racketeering hoping to be out in five. Now due to ill health at only fifty-eight, he is to be released after serving only a little over three years. If the press-release his attorney provided is to be believed, gangster boss Ross will be freed towards the middle of March when conditions and paperwork are finalized.

The final paragraph asked the question as to how his release would affect the present hierarchy of Boston’s underworld gangs.

Wiluś Shinronski, the managing director of a holding company called NIND, sat at his desk reading the headlines. Willie Shine, as he was more commonly known, knew all the details of the release. He had visited Jack Ross every few weeks since he had been incarcerated. Jack Ross had appointed Willie to take over and control his business interests. The deal agreed upon was that all business transacted under NIND was completely on the up and up. The drugs, prostitution, gambling, and normal ‘stand-over’ debt collecting were in another division that Willie tried to forget existed but was reminded of daily by the other powers that be.

Willie and Jack Ross were not friends, but had over time shared a deep respect for each other which was closer to mentor than friend. Jack Ross had made it possible for Willie, then only twenty-two years old, to realize his dream and open a nightclub in his territory. Club Cargo, as it was called, became the place to be in Boston until a drive-by shooting almost finished the club and Willie as well. Now, years later, Club Cargo was an institution in the greater Boston area. The nightclub offered outstanding gourmet dining as well as the most popular entertainment.

Scott Cassidy, a manager employed by Willie at the beginning, had been handed the complex task of rebuilding the reputation. Scott had done a remarkable job and was now a shareholder. Willie also had a piece of the action which was separate to his management of NIND.

Willie set the paper aside leaning back in his chair. Jack Ross out of the slammer would change things. Jack still considered himself to be the ‘Capo dei Capo’, boss of bosses, in Boston. Willie, knowing the powers that had filled that void while Jack was inside, had no intention of going back to the old days. He questioned what they would do and how it would affect him and his position. At only twenty-six years old, Willie knew that there were troubled times ahead.

Luca Lorenzo was sixty-three years old, of strong build and in good shape. He was a man who thought before he acted, making him the perfect choice to take over all the Irish and Italian gang operations in the Boston area. Three years had passed with Luca in charge and profits were at an all-time high. More importantly there had been no wars between the rival Irish and Italian gangs. Not to say there had not been disputes and some limited violence on occasion. Luca’s skills to mediate and find solutions kept the rivals in a tolerated truce while all made money.

Luca also had read the headlines and without hesitation made calls to New York, Pittsburg, and Philadelphia.

The conversation was the same in all cases, Get your ass to Boston in the next few days. I will send the directions as to where to meet.

Fuck, he thought, it is always something when you least expect it.

CHAPTER 1

Pasta Heaven was a large Italian restaurant in Beachmont near the beach five miles from downtown Boston. It catered to tourists in the summer. During the winter it closed as the beaches were more or less deserted. Tito Scardo was the owner who had once worked for Luca doing odd jobs before spending time inside working in the prison kitchen. Luca had advanced Tito the cash to start the restaurant on ‘friends’ terms. Since then, they had stayed in touch off and on over the years. The call from Luca asking Tito to open and prepare a private lunch for about fifteen people surprised Tito.

No problem my friend. I will serve up the best seafood pasta on the East Coast. Tito immediately called in workers with only two days to prepare for the lunch.

Some of the guests flew into Logan Airport and took the ten-minute taxi ride to Beachmont. Others arrived by car and had the drivers drop them off and park at a nearby shopping center. A parking lot full of limos, Caddies, and other expensive machines in front of a closed eating establishment would likely draw unnecessary attention. Luca arrived before noon to check with Tito that all was in order. Satisfied, he took a seat at the head of the large rectangular table and looked over his notes before the others arrived. He had his ideas and only time would tell if the others would agree with him.

It was Luca’s turf. He was the host who shouldered the responsibility of calling a spur-of-the-moment meeting bringing these important and busy men together. Luca greeted each one as they arrived with handshakes, hugs, and pleasantries. This was repeated many times as each person arrived with a second-in-command or a bodyguard or both. It lasted far longer than a large family at Thanksgiving, greeting relatives they had not seen in years.

Finally, the meal and drinks were served with one and all agreeing that Tito had outdone himself with generous amounts of seafood in the risotto and pasta dishes. They shook his hand discreetly passing him a double sawbuck, a Grant, and in a couple of instances a C-note before moving to a room Tito had prepared for the meeting. Only the capos were allowed in the room. They took their places at a round table. Now it was all business.

You may or may not have heard or read in the papers that Jack Ross has convinced them he’s sick enough to be released. That is scheduled to happen towards the middle of March. Jack is a good guy and deserves maximum credit for faking illness for three years. Luca looked around the room noticing the smiles.

As you all know in the years of his absence, things have changed. The world has changed. We have changed with the times making the right decisions which are reflected in the increased profits. I’ll do my best to ensure this trend continues. Nods of approval from around the room did not go unnoticed by Luca.

Knowing Jack Ross as I do, there is no question in his mind that he thinks he will come out and return to the position he once held. Luca waited for the last line to sink in before continuing.

"We all know that is not possible. It will not happen. In my mind we should have a welcome home party for Jack and send him into permanent retirement in Florida. And I do mean retirement! Unfortunately, we all know that is not Jack’s style. He has been in contact with Willie Shine over the years and knows what’s going on. Our job is to ensure that the way business is being done continues without interruption or interference. Some of you are or have been close to Jack. I am myself. However, if retirement is not on his mind, we have a problem.

There is no reason to discuss what he knows, what he might do or the threats that will be offered up. We don’t need any of that shit stirring up those on the streets or pitting one against another. Jack Ross’s time has come and gone if you know what I mean.

Luca glanced around the room looking at each person, reading their body language. He knew Jack Ross had friends but how would they react was the question on his mind.

At the same time, I have a plan in mind that includes Willy Shine. Listen carefully. To make it work, we all have to agree. Luca had the attention of the room. Luca was the man of the moment.

The phone rang and Willie picked it up.

Kid, it’s Jack. I am out of here about the fifteenth of next month. You need to come up here. We have things to discuss. You know I am very sick and have not long to live. My family, it’s my family that worries me. Please come up tomorrow.

I’ll be there in the afternoon, Jack. You take care. It’s very good news. I, all of us, will be happy to have you back. See you tomorrow.

Willie knew exactly what Jack meant. Jack wanted him to smooth the way for him to take over where he left off or at least tell him what had to be done. He should be worried about the Organization, thought Willie. There is no way in hell they will ever let him run the show again. What they will do is the more important question.

Willie pushed back from his desk. This is not good for me. I’m caught in the middle. Although I have a working relationship with Luca and the others, they still think I’m Jack’s boy. They tolerate me because I make them clean money. They would bump me without a thought if I was of no use to them or a threat. It is the nature of the business that I’m in. I have to prepare and be on the safe side. With this thought, Willie closed his eyes.

The phone rang. Then it rang again. Willie rolled over in bed reaching out for the phone half asleep noticing that it was 1:20 am.

Yeah.

Willie, it’s Luca. Sorry to disturb you at this hour. Something important has come up and it could not wait. I’ll pick you up in front of your place at 8:00 in the morning. Go back to sleep. Luca rang off.

Willie sat up in bed. His head cleared of sleep as he grimaced knowing exactly why Luca had called at this time. It’s Luca’s way. Make it important, disturb you at an inopportune time, and put you off balance to give him the slightest edge. This meeting was to be all about Jack. Willie went to the kitchen for a glass of water but drank a Pabst beer instead. Walking into the living area and slouching on the leather sofa, his mind was now going into race mode. The big boys have had a meet and decided. Whatever that is will be relayed to me in the morning. They have tipped me to do the dirty work. The question is just how dirty. Many scenarios flashed through his mind. None were pretty.

The light coming in the windows woke him. He took a minute to realize where he was. Then he looked at his watch. 6:45. He had fallen asleep on the sofa. Willie got to his feet heading to the shower recalling Luca’s call. He had dealt with Luca many times over the years concerning business and at events where his attendance was required. They were not friends but had a trust between each other. They had often been at loggerheads, argued, walked away mad but eventually agreed to a solution. It was never personal, only business. Luca was a peacekeeper, fair, and disciplined. He was also ruthless when need be. Everyone said they liked him. Everyone was scared of him which was just as Luca liked it. It gave him the advantage.

Willie was standing outside when the car arrived. Luca’s driver left his position to open the back door for Willie so he could get in beside Luca. The car sped away as Luca handed Willie a coffee.

I know you like the coffee from the place down the street. Just what’s needed for an early start.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

I called you last night so we could talk this morning. A clear head is needed for a delicate situation. I thought the car is private and we would not be disturbed.

Willie glanced around the car. The window separating the front from the back was up. The driver could not hear a word unless Luca wanted him to. The doors were locked. Willie thought, this could be my last ride. I hope it’s not to a land fill. He then heard Luca speak.

You know that Jack is getting out which puts us all in this delicate situation. He has been away for a while, and you know as well as I do that things have changed. We are all very pleased that he has managed to secure his release, but it is what happens after that that has us concerned. You two have a special arrangement, friendship, whatever you want to call it. Therefore, it falls on you to talk to him and give him some solid advice.

I can do that, but you know Jack. He listens to only what he wants to hear. He seldom takes notice of what I say.

Willie, we know better than that. You have his ear. He will listen to you where no one else would have his attention. Jack is well respected and has done wonderful things with the business, the community, and his family. It has been made clear to me that it’s time for Jack to take a vacation. Retire to Florida. Play golf. Go to the track. Amuse the grandkids. You know the sort of thing.

You think I can convince him to retire. That is the last thing on his mind. He has not said as much but he thinks his old position is his. Probably expects more.

That’s your job. Make him understand that retirement with a festive sendoff is his future. We’re counting on you.

That’s well and good but we both know he will never do it. Let’s cut the bullshit and get to the point. What’s the real story? You know, after he tells me and you to go fuck ourselves. Willie was now alert, ready for what he knew was coming.

There is no place for Jack Ross any longer. One way or another he is not in the picture.

Willie turned towards Luca cutting him short. You want me to whack him. That’s what this is really about. What method have you in mind? Shoot him in the head? Take him on a one-way fishing expedition and feed him to the fishes? Willie had raised his voice and was now regaining control staring at Luca.

No one wants any violence. Everyone knows Jack is sick, bad heart, stomach problems, trouble walking. Accidents happen at his age however careful one is.

Luca continued speaking in a low even voice as if talking to a child. After the incident at Club Cargo the dicks put the blame on a couple of nobodies who were smart enough to blow themselves up. Those in the know never thought they were behind it. Soon after, if my memory is correct, a couple of people disappeared. I believe you knew Connor Tully very well. Sort of like a father to you after yours met with a tragic accident. He gave you your start. Then there is Frank Murphy. Jack Ross’s most trusted man. You also knew him from being around Jack. Strange how both of these men vanished, evaporated, never to be seen again.

Where are you going with this Luca? What does it have to do with me?

"That is a good question, perhaps for another day. Now the more important task is to