Chapitre 19: $10,000
"Sir, are you looking for me?" asked the bruised and swollen Joe, cautiously looking at Tony Wendys, who was embracing two beautiful women inside the deluxe room of the brothel.
Indeed, it was Joe Barbera, who had previously stolen Josh's car and had beaten him outside in the alleyway before Tony arrived.
Two days had passed since the deadline given by the Mafia boss Scaglione.
During these two days, Joe had not been idle. He had been planning to rob a bank because that was the fastest way he could think of to get the money he needed. However, robbing a bank was not an easy task.
It wasn't long ago that the Great Depression had ended. The Chicago police, who had experienced the most chaotic period, were well-prepared regarding force. Although they didn't use automatic weapons like submachine guns, they were equipped with shotguns and rifles in most police cars. Suppose you've seen Public Enemy with John Dillinger. In that case, you'll know you're just asking for death if you don't have four or five people, enough firepower, and a waiting getaway car.
And not just the police but most bank security guards were also equipped with shotguns.
What did Joe have? Except for an M1911, he had nothing. Of course, he could steal a car; he used to do this often to earn pocket money, so he knew the drill. But weapons and manpower were another story. Good weapons had to be bought with real money, and people had to be reliable. These could not be prepared quickly, and it would take quite some time to prepare.
People who don't prepare and rush into a bank with a gun are not unheard of, but 99% of the time, they end up dead on the street. Joe's goal was to get the money, not to die.
So he couldn't act so quickly.
Today, he had come to the West District to find an old friend and wanted to make a move together. However, when he mentioned it, the other party refused decisively because he had just hooked up with the Irish gang and had a decent source of income. Although it wasn't very profitable, it was safe. In this situation, he couldn't lose his mind and rob a bank with Joe.
And very impolitely, he drove Joe away.
They had only hung out together briefly when they were poor and fighting in the streets, and they weren't really close friends. Naturally, he wouldn't give Joe too much face.
Rejected, Joe was very frustrated and wandered aimlessly until he stumbled upon this brothel.
Under the moment's impulse, he didn't care that he had no money in his pocket and just wanted to come in and have a good time.
Since Joe had occasionally had money and had also been to this luxurious place, the doorman and the girls inside didn't think he was trying to eat for free.
In fact, he even almost managed to escape after finishing, using the excuse of going to the bathroom.
However, just as he was leaving, he was stopped by some of Scaglione's henchmen. Scaglione had sent people to keep an eye on him to prevent him from running away.
The surveillance team saw him enter this luxurious place and assumed that he had borrowed money from a friend and come here to have fun without intending to pay it back. So they called some of their associates to stop him.
As a result, they didn't expect Joe to be a runner.
They didn't get their money and almost offended the Irish gang who ran the place.
Fortunately, the guard of this place, Bryan, had no intention of getting into conflict with the Italians. He knew that the Italians were watching this guy get their money back. After Joe had planned to rob a bank, he said that as long as he got the money back three times, he could pay for today's expenses.
Otherwise, according to Bryan's normal practice, there was no way to let Joe off the hook.
As for this guy, if his bank robbery fails...do I even need to say it?
He'll either die at the hands of the police or bank security.
Or he'll die at the hands of the Italians.
The Irish gang doesn't even need to get involved.
Although he was spared the agony of losing a limb, Joe still received a severe beating from several Italians.
And that's how Tony Wendys, a tennis player, happened to see him.
In a rather inexplicable situation, Joe was led by a waiter to this big shot's presence...even though Tony Wendys was only a tennis player, thanks to being the husband of Margaret, an upper-class heiress, he was indeed a big shot compared to ordinary gangsters, not to mention Joe, a street thug.
"Darlings, you go out first. I have something to discuss with this gentleman." Tony Wendys looked Joe up and down, waved to the two beauties beside him, and said.
The two women instantly had a meeting and sensually rubbed against Tony Wendys before obediently leaving the private room.
"Have a seat and have a drink?" Tony Wendys waved his hand and let Joe sit down.
"Just whiskey." Joe licked his lips at the whiskey in front of Tony Wendys and said he urgently needed a drink to ease the pain after being beaten up.
Tony Wendys nodded and poured Joe a glass from the bottle before him.
"I heard you owe quite a bit of money?" After Joe took a sip, Tony Wendys asked.
"Yes, sir," Joe answered cautiously.
"How much do you owe?" Tony Wendys asked again.
"$4000" Joe answered plainly, it was not a secret, and there was nothing to hide.
"$4000...hmm, do you want to earn some money? A lot of money!" Tony Wendys laughed and asked.
"Sir, I don't quite understand what you mean..." Joe blinked and was a bit confused about this person's intentions, but it was without a doubt that no one would give away money for free.
"Just answer me, do you want to earn this money or not?" Tony Wendys said.
"But, sir, I need to know what you want me to do!" Joe couldn't help but ask.
"Joe Barbera, I know about your situation, and I also know that if you don't pay off your debt within a week, those gangsters won't let you off. I even know that you're planning to rob a bank." Tony Wendys said, "You really need money."
"...then, sir, you should also know that sometimes the profits from kidnapping are not less than those from bank robbery!" Joe didn't like the other person's haughty attitude and threatened him.
"Oh? Is that so? Then I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. Except for my wife, I have no other relatives, and to be honest, my relationship with my wife is pretty bad. So even if you kidnap me, you won't get any money. Besides, my relationship with Bryan is pretty good. Even if you kidnap me and get the money, what's the chance of spending it?" Tony Wendys didn't care about Joe's threat.
"...you have a point. So, sir, what do you want me to do? And how much is this 'lot of money' you mentioned?" Joe felt deflated.
"$10,000!" Tony Wendys said slowly as the atmosphere eased up.
"How much?" Joe looked up and was surprised.
"10,000." Tony Wendys repeated.
"Done!" Joe made a decision right away.
Ten thousand dollars was not a small sum.
At that time, the price for a hitman hired by the mafia was generally only two to four thousand dollars per job.
Although he still didn't know what Tony Wendys wanted him to do, Joe thought, how much worse could it be than killing someone?
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone