Chapter 59

The next morning they were waiting for the north-bound train when it pulled into the depot. They got their horses loaded and found a seat in the carriage car. As the train pulled out, Robert turned to Tom and asked, "I know that you have probably already told everybody else by now, but I wanted to know; how did you learn about those cards, and how to play poker?"

John was listening closely, even though he looked to the rest of the world like a sleeping man. Tom grinned, "Actually you are the only one that has asked. That month that I was gone, I caught a train and went back up to Washington. I had bought some information from an old man once that said that he was once a professional gambler. Now, he travels around and exposes card cheats. I paid him to teach me how to play cards, and how to spot a cheat. It took a whole month to learn what he does, and he is a lot better than I am, but I can get by." Tom grinned at Robert like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

John didn't say anything, or even move, but he realized that Tom was cautious about everything. It was the reason that they all followed him, without question. He knew that he would have gone in and tried to catch him cheating, and he never would have been able to do it. Only by seeking a teacher, would he have been successful, like Tom had done. He felt that if anybody had a chance of pulling this off, it would be Tom.

They arrived in Washington a little after noon. Once they had their horses unloaded they decided to head over to the Franchelli Restaurant to get some lunch, and to check in with Luke and see how things were going.

They were riding up the street when they noticed that there were a large number of men in front of the restaurant. As Tom got closer he noticed that these men were armed and had a dangerous look to them. Tom nodded to Robert, "If you hear a gunshot, shoot those men out of their saddles, and I would prefer them dead to wounded."

Robert nodded and kept riding as Tom and John turned to go down the alley. Just as they got even with the restaurant Tom stopped and pointed up. John looked up and nodded his head as he stood up in the saddle and quickly climbed up to the roof.

Tom watched him disappear before quietly dropping from his saddle, and leading the horses the rest of the way to the restaurant back door. He tied the horses and quietly slipped into the back door to see what was going on. Tom saw Luke sitting with another man that he had never seen before.

He listened as the man spoke, "I don't care what Don Carrone agreed to. I am Don Alverez, and I am not afraid of spilling some blood, or losing a few men. I will take all of Washington, and when I am finished I will run this country through these sheep that call themselves men."

Tom shook his head and slipped his coat from his shoulders. As Michael passed by Tom grabbed his apron and pulled him over. Michael's eyes got big and he quickly looked around. Tom smiled and pointed to his apron. Michael looked once again and untied it. When it was free Tom pushed a cup in front of him and tied the apron around his waist.

Tom then got up and took the serving platter that Michael had been carrying. He walked calmly up to the table that Luke was sitting at and as he passed behind Don Alverez his knife settled at his throat as his pistol pointed at the other man sitting at the table.

When Tom saw him start to draw his pistol he fired his pistol. His bullet went in the middle of his forehead and his brains went out the back. Don Alverez didn't move. Suddenly there was gunfire in the streets. Don Alverez spoke calmly and quietly, "That was a stupid thing to do. My men will kill everybody in here. None of you will be left alive."

Tom leaned down and whispered directly into his ear, "The sound that you hear, is your men dying. My men are shooting them out of their saddles; none will escape." Don Alverez shivered. He knew it was the breath on his ear, but it angered him that it looked like he was afraid.

The shooting didn't last more than a minute. When it was over, Tom pulled Don Alverez up and to the door. He made him look out the window and he saw that all of his men were dead. Tom walked him back to his chair. Don Alverez didn't seem concerned, "I have more men. When I don't return, they will come here and kill all of you. You only delay what will happen."

Tom growled. "Tie this garbage to the chair." Ben was out of his seat before Tom finished talking. He quickly went to his horse and returned with some rope. Luke and Ben had Don Alverez tied to his chair before Tom had put his coat back on.

Tom looked at Luke, "Did Pat drive you here today?" Luke nodded and told him that the boy spent his day in the kitchen, helping out and sneaking what he could get away with. Tom grinned before he yelled for Pat.

Pat came flying through the kitchen door carrying a carving knife. Tom grinned at him, "What were you planning to do with that?" Pat looked at the knife and blushed. Tom shook his head. He appreciated the loyalty that he showed, but knew that he wouldn't be able to help in that way.

Tom saw Poppa Tony follow him out, with his own knife. Tom smiled at them both. Poppa Tony smiled back at him. "Poppa, you need to take momma and the boys home. Call it an early day. I'll lock up when we are done here." Poppa looked at Don Alverz and grimaced, but he nodded his head and went back into the kitchen.

Tom asked Pat if he knew where Don Carrone lived. When he shook his head, Ben said that he would tell him. Tom nodded and told him, "I have a horse out back, ride to Don Carrone. Tell him that there has been some trouble. Tell him to bring all of his men and to come here, now." Pat nodded his head and Ben walked him out the back, whispering in his ear. When Ben came back in he nodded to Tom.

When Pat had left Tom saw Poppa Tony lead his family out the back. Only momma Fiona looked back, and Tom smiled at her. She didn't look pleased, but there wasn't much that he could do about that.

Tom smiled at Don Alverez, and Ben thought that he wouldn't want Tom smiling like that at him. Tom told Luke and Ben to put his hand on the table and to keep it there. Tom asked, "How many men do you have and where are they?" Don Alverez smiled and shook his head. Tom smiled back and drove his knife through his hand. Don Alverez screamed before he got control of himself.

He said, "I'll never tell you anything. You might as well go ahead and kill me." Tom grinned, "Kill you? Oh no, Don Alverez, I haven't gotten to play like this in a long time. I'm going to enjoy killing you very slowly. I hope that you can last for days, but it all depends on how brave that you are." Don Alverez snorted at him. He had heard big talk before.

Tom asked, "Now, how many men do you have, and where are they?" When Don Alverez just looked at him he slowly pulled his knife toward the opening between his first two fingers. He was sliding the blade against the bones of his hand. Don Alverez screamed as he slowly cut his way between the knuckles and his knife came free.

Tom looked him in the eye and buried his knife in his hand again. "How many men do you have and where are they?" Don Alverez realized that this young man wouldn't stop until he knew what he wanted to know. Don Alverez kept his jaws clamped shut and shook his head. Tom smiled and started pulling the knife toward him again, and toward the next set of knuckles. He started screaming as the knife moved and didn't stop until Tom had cut through his hand again. Tom then buried his knife once again in his hand. They both knew what he was going to do next.

Tom looked at Luke. "Go to the kitchen and get a good fire going. Put every knife that you can find in it and get them red hot. I think that we are going to need them." Luke nodded and left for the kitchen.

Pat made good time and found Don Carrone at his warehouse. He passed the information that Tom told him to and was on his way back at a gallop.

John looked at the mess on the table as he walked in the back door of the restaurant. He told Tom that Robert was keeping watch on the street in front. Tom nodded his head but never took his attention away from his task. John noticed Ben flinched and went to take his place. Tom looked at Ben and told him, "Go to the house. Get Peter, and my girls and bring them here." Ben nodded and quickly left through the back door.

John shook his head as he left. "You would think that he would be stronger." Tom sighed and replied, "He hasn't got anything to lose. Once he has something to lose, he will understand what it means to have it threatened." John nodded his head.

Tom applied the first hot knife and stopped the blood from flowing. He used all of the knives to seal the cuts on both of Don Alverez's hands. They were useless now as anything but pain devices. He watching as Tom cut his boots away. He knew instantly that Tom wouldn't stop before he knew everything that he wanted from Don Alverez.

When Don Carrone entered the restaurant he was shocked to see Don Alverez, and the condition he was in. Two of his men immediately lost their stomach and Don Carrone snorted in disgust. Tom turned to look at Don Carrone, "There are a few dead men in the side alley. Think you can find a place to put them?" Don Carrone looked at the two men that had embarrassed him and told them to go and dump the bodies. They meekly left and Tom knew that their punishment had just started.

Tom sat and motioned to a chair across from him. Don Carrone sat heavily after he looked again at Don Alverez. Tom didn't speak loudly, but it wasn't quietly either. "Don Alverez decided that he wanted to take over all of Washington. He brought in a large number of men and started making his move. One of my watchers notified my men and they called him for a meeting. After telling him that Washington was off limits, he laughed and said that he would destroy us all and take all of Washington. Then he would run this country through the sheep that pretend to be men. I think that he thought that he could control all of the country through puppet leadership."

Don Carrone starred at him in disbelief. He turned to look at Don Alverez before he shook his head and sighed. That is the way that things are done in Italy. You can control large pieces of the government with a puppet ruler. But to try something like that here is stupid. There are too many of them and the army is stationed just outside the city. It would only take one of them to go the army, and they would wipe out everybody.

Tom nodded his head. "Personally, I really didn't care about that. When he said that he was going to take over all of Washington, that was different. You know how I feel about anybody trying to take what is mine. When he said that he would kill us all, well that just sealed his fate.

Don Carrone sighed as he shook his head. "What do you want me to do?" Tom wasn't smiling when he said, "He has brought a hundred men with him. We killed fifteen in the street. We made sure that none got away, to warn the others. So that leaves eighty-five men. We need to deal with them before they come looking for him. I'd like to catch them all in one place."

Don Carrone looked thoughtful, "I don't know if I have enough men to handle eighty-five men in as fight." Tom smiled at him, "You won't need to do anything. My men will handle them. I will need your men to handle the cleanup, and I will need a case of good whiskey." Don Carrone starred at Tom in shock. "How will you handle so many men?" Tom smiled and shook his head, but he didn't answer.