THE RUNNER/SCREENPLAY, BRIAN R. LUNDIN [best classic books to read .txt] 📗

at that dump of your on the Westside and two in the park. I count nine, how many do you count? In addition, I hear you were involved in that bullshit in Bangladesh, were you?

Vito did not answer, but stared at Vinnie. Jimmy looked at Vito and wondered what was going to happen next. He knew Vito was armed and he was sure that Vinnie was either armed or had a couple of his boys ready if anything happened.

VINNIE
End this shit now!

Vinnie pointed his finger in Vito’s face, a sure sign of disrespect. Vito sneered but did not say anything. On their way back to the office, Vito was unusually quiet

VITO
I tired of that faggot mutherfucker bossing me around.

JIMMY
I think Vinnie is about to make a move on us boss. We better do something before he does.

VITO
We’re going to take him out, you and me you with me?

JIMMY
I’m with you boss, with you.

September 15, 1970 was a good night for a murder. Flashes of lightning danced across the dark sky and thunder clapped loudly. Although it was only eight o’clock the streets in the quiet Oak Park suburb were empty. The airs was fresh and clean as a light rain began to fall. A dog barked in the distance and tree squirrels scampered across the front yard of the exclusive bungalow condo. The sound of the rain and the thunder muffled the sounds of the two killer’s heavily measured footsteps and looked in the kitchen window. Carmine Camerino was a beautiful young woman nineteen years of age. Her long dark hair combed to one side and softly pulled behind her ear flowed almost to the bottom of her spine. Carmine had tanned, long shapely legs and sculpted breasts. As she walked around the kitchen Vito looked excitedly at her erect nipples. She wore high spike-heeled slippers and nothing else. Vito Paligreno looked in the window and nudged Jimmy as they watched Carmine totally nude bending over a stove nursing the fat sausages in the pan and holding a glass of red wine. They watched as Carmine moved from stove to the sink. The young woman’s movements were almost feline; she had a natural grace.

VITO
I’m going to fuck her in the ass!
INT. BUNGALOW-NIGHT

Carmine lived alone in the expensive bungalow condominium given to her by her boyfriend Vinnie Acosta. Jimmy Tortoreno quietly looked through a half opened kitchen window. The familiar smell of cigars smoke mingled with sausage and garlic made Jimmy hungry. Jimmy pointed to the couch in the living room. The living room contained a 50-gallon, salt-water aquarium with colorful tropical fish that swam lazily in and out of the castles and houses atop multi-colored gravel. A wood framed picture made of cut glass, Italian marble tables, two-inch carpeting, and mosaic tile floors with Afghan throw rugs completed the room. Vinnie was sitting on a wide brown couch, wearing only bikini briefs and expensive Italian loafers, reading a magazine. The romantic sounds of Caruso whispered from hidden speakers and filtered out the window. The northeast wind blew across the lake and a lone bright star sparkled in the windy cloudy sky. Vito felt the preferred weapon of the mob hit men a .22 pistol against his waist, hidden beneath his belt. The pistol was a low powered weapon but deadly at close range. The bullet was not powerful enough to exit the body-instead it ricocheted inside the victim’s body, bouncing off bones and striking vital organs. The two killers slowly walked to the front door. Jimmy rang the doorbell.

VINNIE
Yes?


JIMMY

Holding a handkerchief to his mouth and disguising his voice.

Telegram for Mr. Acosta, I need a signature.

VINNIE
Just a minute!

Vito watched as Vinnie slipped on a black silk robe and approached the door. As soon as the door opened, Vito kicked it in. Carmine screamed as she came running into the front room and saw Vinnie lying on the plush brown carpet bleeding from the lip. The scent of her expensive perfume and the smell of flowers mixed with the cooking sausages gave off a strange aroma. She looked at Vito and Jimmy as they stood in the open doorway, her eyes bathed in fear.

VINNIE
What the fuck are you doing Vito?

Jimmy turned to Carmine who had her arms crossed around her breast.

JIMMY
Shut up bitch or I bust a cap in your whoring ass.

As Vinnie attempted to get up, Vito kicked him in his groin. Vinnie doubled over and howled in pain as Vito stood over him and screwed a metal six-inch tube into the guns barrel. Jimmy handcuffed Vinnie arms behind his back and sat him in a chair. Vito grabbed Carmine and shoved her over the Italian marble table. Jimmy held both of her wrists and put duct tape over her mouth. Vito entered Carmine in her anus; the tape silenced her screams. Vinnie’s was crying as he watched the violation of his beautiful young woman. After a moment, Vito let out a deep moan and was finished. Jimmy let loose of Carmine hands and she fell shaking in a corner of the room, the childlike youthfulness of her face made a dreadful contrast to the horror in her eyes while tears flowed down her face and she wept in stifled, soundless moans.

VITO
How you like that muthafucker, I fucked your bitch in the ass, like I did your black bitch Candy.

Vito slowly walked behind Vinnie placed the gun against the base of his skull and pulled the trigger. A muted crack ranged out and Vinnie lurched forward and then back again, falling face up on the floor. Vito stood over Vinnie his boss, the man who had always disrespected and made fun of him, a man he hated. Vito watched as the man he had known for year fought for air, gurgling and drowning in his own blood. Vito bent over Vinnie placed the gun in his gaping mouth and fired three more times. Vinnie face exploded and his vacant eyes fluttered and closed. Vito noticed Jimmy looking at Carmine who was sitting cross-legged on the plush carpet. Her full slightly brown breast had dark large nipples and her thighs were strong and well developed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Fear and shock were in her eyes.

VITO
Get you a piece of that ass.

Jimmy walked over to the shocked woman smacked her in the face and raped her. In a moment he was done. He got off her and walked passed her into the kitchen poked a fork in the sausages and decided they were ready. Jimmy turned off the stove and put two sausages on two slices of Italian bread and gave one to Vito. Vito took a big bite of the sandwich and shot the young woman as she hovelled in the corner. Their job accomplished the two killers walked out the rear door into the summer night air eating the sausage sandwich, and vanished.

Pauli sat in a high back leather chair. On the other side of his massive desk were his Street Bosses. Genco Grisani, West Side, Alphonse Philanti, North Side and Vito Paligreno, South Side. Pauli’s steel gaze went from man to man who lowered their eyes.

PAULI
All of you guys have been with me for a long time and I love all of you like a brother, but love is fleeting, but loyalty last forever. However, as I always say “business is business,” and nothing interferes with business, not friends or family. I don’t know who ordered the hit on Vinnie, but believe me, I will find out and that person will pay with his life. Vinnie was a “Made man,” and nobody kill a made man without approval.

Genco and Alphonse had been a member of the New Italiano's gang with Pauli and they knew that Pauli was going to keep his pledge concerning Vinnie.

Vinnie was a good man, a good Bastone, a good underboss who ran the family while I dealt with other matters, but now I’m back and thing are going to change, understood!

The three men nodded their heads in agreement.

PAULI
What I‘ve been told by my police contacts is that Vinnie’s murder was an execution, he was shot once in the back of the head and three times in the mouth. The assholes shot a young broad in the pussy after they fucked her in the ass. I want you guys to put the word out and find Vinnie’s killer, that’s it.

The three men got up from their chairs and were leaving; Pauli said to Vito, “You stay.”

After Genco and Alphonse left, Pauli directed Vito to a chair and gave him a glass of Italian Red Wine. Vito sat down and took the glass of wine. Pauli offered Vito a Cuban cigar and both men lit up in silence Pauli’s eyes locked with Vito’s.

PAULI
You remember a long time ago me telling you about that nigger policy man, Eddie Jones?

VITO
Yeah, that nigger you met in the joint that was making all that money off them spades, right?

PAULI
That’s right. Well anyway, the shines gave us thirty percent cut of their business, to avoid any trouble and it’s been that way ever since. You know who the bagman is, Jerome McLemore. Every month he takes over two hundred grand to a vault on the southside and for this, him and his operation is left alone. I sent Vinnie for a sit down with Jerome McLemore and Vinnie said that Jerome is a man of honor who has never shorted us with our cut. He’s a valuable asset to the family. He collects a lot of money for the family and I don’t want it fucked up. In addition, Vinnie believed you were behind the kidnapping of Jerome, the bombing of his station, the kidnapping of them little Nigra gangbangers and a whole lot of other shit pertaining to McLemore. Didn’t he tell you to layoff McLemore?


Pauli’s eyes were emotionless as he studied Vito. Vito knew that his life was in danger. Even after all the years of loyal service to Pauli, he would have no qualms about killing him.

VITO
(shaking)
Yes he did.

PAULI
What about all your men who got fucked up, what’s that all about. Now I’m telling you now, layoff, understood?

VITO
Yes sir.

Pauli enjoyed the sight of Vito twisting in his chair and knew that Vito was becoming a major problem and probably was involved in Vinnie’s murder.

PAULI
We’ll talk again soon.
Pauli turned his chair towards the window another sign of disrespect. Vito walked out the office not knowing if there were assassins waiting to take him out.

Vinnie Acosta had been raised a Catholic and he and his wife had raised their children as Catholics. Nevertheless, the cardinal declined to grant permission to the Acosta family to have a funeral mass at the church, despite the large contributions Vinnie had made over the years. The cardinal told the family that he declined their request for the mass due to the notoriety of Vinnie’s death and his alleged connection to organized crime. He added that Vinnie had not led a Catholic life in keeping with the teaching of the church and was consequently denied the liturgical farewell of the church. However, after a call from Pauli Gaza, the cardinal granted permission for a priest to say prayers