THE RUNNER/SCREENPLAY by BRIAN R. LUNDIN (best free ebook reader for android .txt) 📖

York New York.” On the back of the card was a Chicago phone number.
Jerome dialed the number. After two rings a husky heavily accented Italian voice asked, “Jerome McLemore?”

Jerome McLemore, Ted Bunche, Madame Bourneis and Marques met Frankie “Snubnose” Luca and Joey Luchisi in the back booth of the dining room of the Conrad Hilton Hotel located on south Michigan Avenue where Luca had rented the entire dining room for his meeting with Jerome. When Jerome and his party entered Luca and Luchisi eyes centered on Madame Bourneis. She wore a short black skirt and matching black silk unbuttoned blouse, which displayed her amble cleverage. Her long black hair flowed freely down her back as she looked at them with her black eyes. Both men felt afraid of something, but did not know what. Jerome watched with amusement as two tuxedo dressed waiters led them to a table.

Jerome, Ted, Luca and Joey sat one table and Marque and Madame Bourneis sat at another table directly behind Jerome. Madame Bourneis eyes seemed to lock on Luca, who suddenly began to sweat. Finally, Madame Bourneis released her lock on Luca and he felt better.

JOEY
Mr. McLemore, it is pleasure to meet you.

Joey looked questionly at his partner who was wiping his forehead.

I and Mr. Luca represent a group of people in New York who are very impressed with you and how you run your business here in the “Windy City.” We have been sent here to make you a proposition. The people I represent are not happy with how our business is being handled in Chicago and we have decided to make some changes, some have already been made and others are in the works. Pauli Gaza is gone, God rest his soul,” Joey said, making the sign of the cross. “Vito Paligreno has become an embarrassment and is now hiding out somewhere, but we will eventually find him. The Pauli Gaza Family is no more, his Caporegimes and his consigliore have all been given extensive vacations thanks to the feds. His Soldati and Associates has been given an option of totally loyalty to the new Capi di Tutti Capi or Boss of all Bosses or they can take extended vacations.


Snubnose who had recovered from the strange feelings he had continued.

SNUBNOSE
The people we represent want you to be the new Capi di Tutti Capi in Chicago.


Jerome was momentarily shell-shocked. “Could you repeat that please,” Jerome asked.
Snubnose did.

TED
Do you or the people you represent expect Gaza’s crew to take orders from Jerome a black man?

JOEY
If they want to avoid a long extended vacation they will. We will send some of our people here to help you get started and handle any problems. You will have a seat on the Commission and be a voting member.

TED
I thought you had to be Sicilian to have a vote?

JOEY
Things change we are nearing 1970, the country has changed, your people now have the civil rights laws to protect you from discrimination and such, and these achievements that Martin Luther King and other wise men, black and white has fought and died over has helped my people also. Remember we were discriminated damn near as much as you. So, like I said things change and we on the Commission must change to keep up with the times.

Jerome sat quietly for a moment and then said, “Done.”

TED
Anyone know where Vito is?

JOEY
No, but he can’t hide forever.

MADAME BOURNIES
I will find him.

The dining room suddenly became very cold.

Vito had a restless night despite Bernideta giving him a head-job and anal sex. All through the night he would wake up sweating. The bedroom was dark and cold and he dreamed of the beautiful woman who turned into an animal. Vito pulled the wool covers over him as his sweat turned to a chill and he snuggled closer to Bernideta. It was a cold and dreary morning; the digital clock glowed faintly green. Four thirty. Afraid to go back to sleep and having more dreams, Vito got out the bed, shivering in the cold room and padded naked over to the frost-covered window and pulled back the heavy brown curtain. The winter morning was dark snow felled like a fine mist and gathered on the trees. A thick fog hovered over the tall evergreen trees that sat watching Vito’s cabin and seemed like ghostly apparitions. A deer appeared and began pawing the cold, hard ground, finding nothing to eat he darted off and soon disappeared. Vito put on a heavy shirt, but he still was shivering. Vito slapped Bernideta hard on the behind she awakens with a start and looked at him through sleep and drug induced blank eyes. After a breakfast of coffee and Italian bread toast, Vito suggested that they take a walk down the steep hill to the creek. The air was cold and damp, but the red sun was slowly rising in the east as the vanished in the west. As they made their way down to the creek, little animals scurried from the underbrush and a wolf howled in the distance. Under the covers of tall pine trees Bernideta gave Vita a good blowjob and he fucked her in the ass. As a reward for her sexual competence Vito fixed her a heroin cocktail. Bernideta had already smoked three marijuana joints and was feeling no pain as she injected the lethal mix into her veins. Her bloodstained panties were still around her ankles when the mixture hit her heart. She fell to the muddy creek bank, convulsed violently for a minute and became still, her lifeless eyes wide open and looking at Vito. Vito casually used his foot to push her into the fast moving creek. He and Keisha leisurely walked back to the cabin. Rubbing Keisha, Vito said, “Me and you, Keisha. Ole girl was a good fuck, but you can’t trust junkies, she the only person in the world that knows about this place. We’ll lay low for maybe six months and then I’ll straighten everything out with the New York big boys and go after that nigger Jerome McLemore.”

Vito had a dinner of can spaghetti and meatballs and a glass of Chianti. There were lightning flashes in the tar-black sky, then a long slow grumble of thunder that made Vito shiver. The sudden cold breath of a storm rushed across the barren land and the temperature had started to drop. A light snow started falling as Vito put four logs on the fireplace, lit it and watched as the logs hissed and caught. Vito turned on the radio to a Canadian Country Music Station.

VITO
Fuck, its cold in here, maybe I should have kept that junkie bitch around a little longer, a good blowjob and some ass would warm me up.

He went outside; the night was brilliant with stars. Vito gave Keisha, who was tied up, a half cooked T-bone steak. The cold wind roared and it seemed as if God was talking. In the dense, dark forest Vito saw ten grey wolves a large black wolf with yellowish eyes snarled, bared his fangs and emitted a deep threatening howl as he and the others circled, savoring the scent of a meal. Vito started to shiver and hurried back into the cabin and locked the door. As Keisha started devouring the steak she stopped, sniffed the air and started to growl while the hackles on her back raised and she bared her teeth Keisha started barking and lashing out at the breeze as it passed her.“What the fuck is wrong with that dog?” Vito said aloud. “Shut the fuck up.” He yelled through the snow-covered window at the animal that was barking excessively and loud.

Vito felt the slight breeze as it came through the open window in the kitchen and saw the mist rising from the cold floor and the room suddenly became colder. “Shit,” Vito said as he slammed the widow close and went to the log pile. Suddenly, the lights in the room went out in the dimness Vito saw the shape of a nude woman.
“Who’s you,” he screamed at the figure in the dark. As the figure walked into the light of the fire, Vito saw she was the woman with Jerome The nipples on her full brown breast were erect and she had a smile on her face. In her black eyes he saw Jimmy, Bernideta and the mangled bodies of Jerome’s wife and daughters. Vito shook his head, this must be an illusion he thought to himself. When the woman was five feet away, Vito watched in shock as this beautiful woman tuned into a large grey wolf. Vito recalled the image he had in Jerome’s casino and bellowed an earsplitting scream. Attempting to fight the panic that was starting to grip him he yelled at the apparition in a hoarse voice, “Fuck you, youse nothing but a bad fuckin’ dream.” The wolf eyes centered on Vito and he rushed from the cabin and unleashed Keisha who was running around wildly on the fifteen-foot lease and gave her an attack command but she ran into the dense forest and down the bank to the creek. Vito turned and looked towards the cabin; the yellowish eyes of the wolf were watching him and snarled. It was dark and a storm was brewing. The world plunged into a stygian gloom as the cold wind and rain pelted Vito in his face. Frightened, Vito ran along the creek bed, he staggered through a world of unknowing and darkness, buffeted by trees. The snow covered bare branches of the trees trusted out at him like outstretched hands. Cut by rain, sharp as ice, his squinting eyes seeking an escape route, finding none. The moon light glinted on the creek as the snow-covered ground gave way to a slippery underfoot as Vito bolted again into the dense woods. Mats of dead leaves and rotting brush made him slip and slide as he tried to put distance between him and the wolf. Twenty feet from the cabin the trees got thick and bloated out the moonlight, he stopped and listened, but all was still. Breathing hard now and gasping for air, Vito sat on a wet log at the bank of the creek and shook his head again. The perspiration on his forehead started to freeze as he pulled the collar of his red and white wool flannel shirt closer to his neck. Suddenly, he heard the wolves. Their loud guttural growls were punctuated with a gnawing sound that sounded like they were devouring prey. Vito got up and looked into the dense forest and at the edge he saw more yellowish eyes watching him. The strength in his legs returned and sweat poured from him even in the cold night air. Vito turned and sprinted down the hill to the creek low pine branches whipped into his face as he ran, thorns grabbed at his trousers the underbrush was dense and slippery his right foot caught a root and he staggered, nearly falling. Vito looked around for Keisha, but did not see her. He considered making a mad dash for the car, when he heard the vicious howling of the wolves. He began to run again, he slipped over something and losing his balance he fell to one knee. As he pushed himself off the cold and wet creek bank he saw Bernideta contorted and frozen face, her body had been partially consumed by the forest animals, he gagged as he looked into her glazed, unseeing eyes that looked