THE MANZONIS - SIDE FICTION

The stairwell was freezing. It smelled like old cooking grease and stale cigarette smoke. Jimmy Manzoni climbed slowly, one heavy step at a time, breathing hard. He was a big man, thick through the middle, with a round face that was already red and sweaty despite the cold. His black overcoat strained across his stomach with every step.

Tony walked beside him without effort. He was leaner than Jimmy, with hard eyes and sharp features. His dark hair was slicked back tight, and his long charcoal coat hung clean from his frame. He climbed the stairs in silence, his polished black boots making almost no sound on the worn steps.

“Jesus, Jimmy,” Tony said, glancing over. “You’re gonna have a fucking heart attack. When’s the last time you climbed stairs?”

Jimmy didn’t look at him. He just kept climbing, breathing hard through his nose.

“Keep talking and I’ll throw you down these fucking stairs,” he muttered.

Tony smirked but didn’t push it any further.

By the time they reached the fourth floor, Jimmy was out of breath. He wiped his forehead with the back of his gloved hand and nodded toward the door on the right. Tony stepped up and knocked three times, slow and heavy.

There was a loud crash inside, followed by hurried movement. A few seconds later, the door cracked open.

Vic stood there in a neon green tank top and basketball shorts, skinny and pale with dark circles under his eyes. His greasy blonde hair stuck up in every direction. The second he saw them his eyes sprang wide open.

“Shit!” he said, trying to shut the door.

Tony pushed it open with his foot and stepped inside. Jimmy followed behind him pushing his brother forward into the apartment.

The place was a fucking mess. Beer cans, dirty dishes, and heaps of crumpled clothes were everywhere. It reeked of skunk weed and the sour tang of unwashed clothes.

Tony stood there for a second, taking it all in.

“Jesus,” he said. “You live like this?”

Vic backed up until he hit the couch and sat down. He sniffled but didn’t answer.

Tony stood over him. “We’re not here to hurt you, Vic. We just need to know what the fuck your buddy Jake is up to.”

Vic blinked a couple times. “Jake? I don’t know, man. He didn’t show up to the meeting yesterday. I think he got into that drug trial thing, but I don’t know for sure. He never said nothin’ to me.”

Jimmy let out a short breath and glanced toward Tony. “Drug trial… I told you it was some kind of fucking government shit.”

Tony kept his eyes on Vic. “How’d he wind up there?”

“I seen this ad on Craigslist,” Vic said, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “Drug trial… and it pays three hundred dollars a day. Jake’s been trying to get the money together for you guys and pay his fucking rent. I tried to get in, but they only took him. I don’t even know where the place is.”

Tony stared at him. “You don’t know, huh? Well guess what? We fucking know where it is. We spent the whole morning driving out there just to get turned away by some high-tech security fucks at the gate. Wouldn’t let us in, wouldn’t tell us shit. That’s why we’re here right now talking to you. How long’s he in there for?”

“Supposed to go for a month,” Vic said quickly. “That’s what I remember the ad said, but I tried to look it up again and it’s gone.”

Jimmy, still standing by the door, looked around the filthy apartment and spotted a bra hanging off a lampshade. He pointed at it. “You got a girlfriend living in this dump with you?”

Vic glanced at the bra and sighed. “Not anymore.”

“Smart woman,” Jimmy said while crinkling his nose. “This place fucking stinks.”

Tony studied Vic for a moment, then spoke again. “You don’t say a word about this to anyone. Not your girl, not your friends, nobody. You understand?”

Vic nodded fast. “Yeah. Got it.”

Jimmy turned toward the door, then stopped. “And don’t bother calling in any bets this weekend either.”

Vic looked up with raised eyebrows and his mouth open wide. “Aww come on, man. I was just gonna put a little down on the Celtics. Nothing crazy—”

“Fix your fucking life first,” Jimmy shouted, cutting him off.

Vic didn’t argue. He just nodded and looked down at the floor.

Jimmy opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Tony followed behind him. As soon as the door closed, Jimmy shook his head and let out a short laugh.

“A fucking drug trial,” he said. “I knew it was something like that.”

Tony adjusted his coat as they walked toward the stairs. “Let’s go tell the boss.”

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The black Mercedes weaved through traffic on the way out of the city. Tony stayed quiet, eyes on the road, but every so often his gaze would tighten like he was thinking about something. His jaw stayed clenched.

A black SUV suddenly cut across two lanes and nearly clipped the front end. Tony hit the brakes hard.
​
“Che cazzo fai?!” he screamed through the window.

Jimmy glanced over. “Fuckin’ relax, will ya?”

Tony swerved around the truck and sped up. As he pulled alongside the SUV, he rolled down his window and raised his middle finger without looking over. As he passed, he muttered under his breath, “Stronzo del cazzo…”

After a few minutes, Jimmy spoke.

“That place,” he said softly. “The way they had guys on the roof with rifles. Looked more like a fucking prison than some lab.”

Tony didn’t look at him. “Yeah.”

Jimmy shook his head. “All that high-tech shit at the gate… for what? Some drug trial? Makes you wonder what the fuck they’re actually doing to people in there.”

Tony shook his head slowly and said, “Jake knows how to get his ass into a jam. Nine grand though...”

Jimmy sighed. “Yeah… let’s hope he’s got a working brain when he gets out. People do some stupid shit when they’re broke.”

Neither of them said anything else for the rest of the drive.

By the time they pulled up to the gated estate, it was just past two in the afternoon. Two men in dark coats stood near the front entrance, watching the driveway. One of them gave Tony a short nod as he parked the Mercedes and killed the engine.

They got out and walked up the stone steps. Tony pushed the heavy front door open and stepped inside, Jimmy right behind him. The house smelled like old wood, garlic, and cigar smoke that had been sitting in the walls for years. The floor was hard tiled, and their footsteps echoed slightly as they walked.

An older woman in a black uniform was wiping down a long wooden table in the hallway, moving slow like she’d done it a thousand times. Near the bottom of the stairs, a man in a dark suit stood with his back to them, speaking quietly into his phone. He glanced over his shoulder as they strolled by but didn’t say anything.

They kept moving down the hall toward the dining room. Tony could hear the muffled sound of a television coming from somewhere deeper in the house, but he couldn’t make out what was on.

Inside the dining room, Carlo sat at the head of the long table, finishing what was left on his plate. He had on a dark sweater over a collared shirt. His silver hair was combed back neat like always. He didn’t look up right away when they walked in.

Bella sat adjacent to him, slowly pushing her pasta around with her fork. Her black hair was pulled up into a loose ponytail. Her dark brown eyes stayed fixed on her plate like she was doing everything she could to avoid her two brothers.

Carlo wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked up at his sons.

“Where the hell have you two been all day?”

Tony spoke first. “We were trying to track down Jake McCoy. He’s been dodging us on that five grand. Turns out he signed up for some kind of drug trial over near Springfield. But we couldn’t get to him.”

Carlo leaned back in his chair. “What do you mean drug trial?”

“You know…,” Tony said. “Some research thing… with drugs. I don’t fucking know.”

Their father studied them for a second. “What kind of research thing?”

Tony glanced at Jimmy. “His pal Vic just said a drug trial, that’s all he knows. They’re paying people to take some experimental shit.”

Carlo didn’t respond right away. He rubbed the side of his neck, then asked, “And you went to this place? In Springfield? How the fuck did you find it and what’s the place called?”

Tony hesitated. “It’s Nexus Mind… something Center. It’s near Springfield, some backwoods place off a dirt road. We had a tracker in his wallet in case he didn’t pay up on time.”

Carlo nodded slowly. “And you didn’t think to tell anyone? Or tell me what you two were up to?”

“Sorry, Pop,” Jimmy said.

The old man leaned forward slightly. “You spent all morning not doing what I asked you to do. Instead, the two of you decided to track down John’s kid just to come up short because you… what was it? Couldn’t get in?”

Jimmy’s eyebrows raised and his hands came up defensively. “We figured if we could get to him now—”

Carlo cut him off, rising quickly from his chair.

“I don’t want to hear it!”

Carlo’s voice exploded across the table as he slammed his hand down hard. The plates jumped. Bella flinched and pulled back in her chair, her eyes wide. For a second, nobody moved.

Carlo leaned further in toward his sons, breathing heavy, his face tight with rage.

“John’s kid is one debt. One! We’ve got bigger problems than that right now.”

Jimmy and Tony stayed perfectly still. Shoulders tense, eyes locked on their father, neither of them daring to move or speak. For a moment, they were just two boys again, waiting to see how bad it was going to get.

Carlo clenched his fists, his face tight with anger. “The Russians are moving in on the east side again. Viktor Sokolov’s been pushing hard these last few weeks. Taking over spots, moving that new shit the college kids are hooked on. He thinks he can come in here and do whatever the fuck he wants.” He pointed at both of them. “That’s what needs your attention. Not some stunad locked in a building somewhere!”

He sat back in his chair, breathing heavier than before. He rubbed the side of his neck hard, like the tension was getting to him.

“Basta,” he muttered. “I don’t have time for this shit right now. Capisce?”

Tony started to speak, but Carlo raised a hand.

“Handle Sokolov’s men. Remind them where the line is before this gets out of control.”

He started to wave them off, but Tony spoke up again, keeping his voice even.

“Alright, we’ll take care of the Russians,” Tony said carefully. “But I was thinking on the way back… that place had serious security. There’s got to be a lot of people in that trial, all getting paid, Pop. That’s real cash moving through one building. Might be worth looking into.”

Carlo’s eyes snapped up and his face tightened. “I just fucking told you—”

“Pop,” Tony cut in quickly, raising a hand. “I’m not saying we do this now. I’m saying there’s money sitting in that building. A lot of it. And if they’re paying in cash, it might be worth knowing what’s actually going on in there.”

The room went quiet.

Carlo’s eyes were unblinking, his body rigid and stiff. He looked like he was caught halfway between rage and curiosity. After a long moment, he slowly relaxed and sat back in his chair.

Bella kept her eyes on her plate, but her fork had stopped moving.

Carlo stared at the table for a few seconds, then looked back up at Tony.

“How many people are getting paid for this trial?”

Tony glanced at Jimmy before answering. “I don’t know exactly. But with the kind of security they had out there, gotta be more than a dozen.”

Carlo nodded once, but he didn’t look satisfied. He tapped his fingers against the table, thinking.

Finally, he looked up.

“What’s the name of this place again?”

“Nexus Mind Center or some shit,” Jimmy said.

Carlo leaned back in his chair, one hand resting flat on the table.

“And they’re paying how much?”

“Nine grand a person,” Tony said.

Their father sat there, staring past both of them, his mind calculating.

The old man reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and started scrolling through his contacts. It took him a second to find the number. He placed the phone on the table and tapped the screen. It rang twice before a smooth voice answered.

“Carlo,” a man said. “To what do I owe the pleasure this time?”

“Julius,” Carlo replied. “How are you?”

“Still breathing, my old friend. How’s the family?”

“Everyone’s fine,” Carlo said. “I need information. There’s a facility out near Springfield called Nexus Mind Center. They’re running some kind of drug trial. I want to know what they’re testing, how many people are getting paid, how they’re getting paid and who’s behind it.”

There was a short pause on the other end.

“How interesting,” Julius said. “You’ve piqued my curiosity. Tell me… how much do you already know?”

“Not enough,” Carlo replied. “That’s why I’m calling you.”

Julius let out a small laugh. “Of course you are. You only call when something catches your eye, Carlo. Much like Cuba, if I recall correctly. You still owe me for that little situation with the boat, by the way.”

Carlo grinned. “I haven’t forgotten.”

“Good,” Julius said smoothly. “Because I never do. I’ll look into this Nexus facility for you. But when I call back, Carlo… I expect you to remember what you owe me.”

“I always do.”

“I know you do,” Julius replied. “That’s why I like you. You understand debts… and consequences.”

The call ended.

The boss stared at his phone for a moment, then picked it up and slipped it into his pocket. He looked at his sons.

“He’ll find out what we need to know. Until then, muster your crews and get your asses to the club. Handle the Russians.”

Jimmy and Tony nodded. Carlo stood up slowly, adjusting the sleeves of his sweater, and left the room without another word.

Once he was gone, Tony glanced at his brother.

“Pop is actually interested,” he said quietly. “You think he wants to make a move on that money?”

Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess that’s why he called Julius fucking Blackwell. That guy scares the shit out of me.”

Tony shrugged. “He’s done us some solids in the past,” he said. “Come on, we got work to do.”

They started to leave when Bella spoke.

“Why can’t you just leave him alone?” she said, looking at her brothers.

“Leave who alone?” Jimmy shot back.

Bella groaned. “Jake!”

Jimmy let out a short, dry laugh. “Jesus Christ, you talking about that half-mick bastard? The man made his bets, Bella, and he lost. We collect. It’s called business. Or did you forget where all the money in this family comes from?”

Bella stared at him. Her voice was quieter when she spoke again.

“You don’t remember that Hunter guy, do you?”

Jimmy stopped. Tony looked over at her.

Bella kept her eyes on Jimmy. “When we were kids. That guy who used to hang around with Dad’s old crew. The one who used to grab me when nobody was looking. Jake was the only one who ever did anything about it. He was just a kid too, but he still stepped in.”

The room went quiet for a second.

Jimmy’s face tightened. “That was a long time ago, Bella.”

“Yeah,” she said. “It was.”

She stood up, pushed her chair in, and walked out of the room without another word.

Tony watched her leave, then looked at Jimmy.

“What the hell was that about?”

Jimmy shook his head.

“Who the fuck knows,” he muttered. “She always gets fucking weird when old shit gets brought up.”
​
Tony stood there for a second, staring at the doorway. After a moment he spoke again, quieter this time.

“She’s not wrong though,” he said. “Jake ain’t a bad guy. Shit luck… but he’s not like the other deadbeats.”

Jimmy looked over at him, surprised. “You going soft on me now?”

Tony shrugged. “I’m just saying. We’ve been riding him pretty hard. Guy’s had a fucked-up life. His old man’s locked up, his mother’s crazy, and now he’s in some fucking lab. I don’t know anyone who can get their balls busted like that and keep getting up.”

Jimmy was quiet for a second. He looked down at the floor, then back up.

“Yeah, well,” he said. “He owes what he owes.”

Tony nodded and kept going.

“I know,” he said. “It’s just fucked up is all.”

Jimmy let out a short breath through his nose.

“Hey… don’t worry about it,” he said. “We got bigger fish to fry right now. Let Pop figure out what that Nexus place is all about. Until then we gotta take care of these borscht brain pricks.”

Tony sighed. “Buick or Benz?” he asked.

“Buick,” Jimmy said. “I feel like driving.” He paused. “And we’re stopping at Vinny’s. I’m fucking starving.”

Tony smirked as they started walking. “Vinny’s takes too long. You sit down in there and suddenly we’re there all day, you fat fuck.”

Jimmy shot him a look. “Keep running your mouth and you’ll be spending the night at the ER.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the SUV, Jimmy unlocked it but didn’t get in right away. He just stood there for a moment, staring at the ground.

After a few seconds, he muttered, “Wonder what the fuck they’re actually doing in that place.”

Tony didn’t answer. He just opened the passenger door and got in.

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