Chapter 41

Guy Tambini was at his father’s house in Newton, Massachusetts, just west of Boston. He was very uncomfortable; he didn’t like being reprimanded by his father, Silvio, especially in front of one of his men. It was humiliating, and it was all because of that prick, Avram Solomon.

The family had certain cops and FBI agents who kept them informed about things. Avram Solomon’s name had come up in an FBI meeting. Apparently, an agent named “Dixon” was asking if anyone “had anything” on Solomon.

“So? They don’t have anything on him,” said Guy.

“Yeah? Well, they will, if they start looking,” said Silvio.

Guy had first met with Avram Solomon in 1994 to talk about Castle Cay, and he had to admit that the arrogant bastard had balls. Avram had heard about the construction activity on the eastern side of the island from Drum, the caretaker. He’d immediately gone to the island and headed for the site on horseback.

Of course, Guy’s armed guards stopped him.

Avram blew a gasket.

“I own the fucking place”, he said and demanded to be taken to the person in charge. As if he was in a position to demand anything, surrounded by guys holding rifles! But his audacity worked. They led him to Joey Tedesco, who was overseeing things.

Avram never even got off his horse.

“You tell your boss that I want to meet him in Boston. My family owns this fucking island, and I’m ready to make things a lot easier for him.”

With that, he’d handed Joey a piece of paper with his name and phone number, wheeled his horse around and left… unimpeded.

Guy had set up a meeting with him right afterwards. It was agreed that Avram would get a piece of the action for getting rid of the caretaker, and for allowing the Tambini family unfettered and unreported use of Castle Cay.

By 2006, the Caribbean had gotten too hot, what with Homeland Security and the Bahamian government cooperating with the Feds. They’d shut the route down. It was easier to get the drugs in over the Mexico-California border.

They were still dealing with Avram Solomon, though. They stored the stuff in an old, closed up gas station on a corner lot owned by him, next to Solomon’s Boston store. There was also a lab built into the back of a warehouse surrounded by woods, behind a storage lot Solomon owned in Waltham.

It was worth it to the Tambini family not to have these places in their name. Avram Solomon had balls of steel and no scruples…and they paid him well for it. But he was a greedy bastard…too greedy for his own good.

“You let Solomon know that he better keep a low profile if he wants to keep our business,” said Silvio in quiet voice that no one took lightly.

•

Avram was on the phone for some time, reassuring Guy Tambini that there was “nothing to worry about”. When he was finally able to hang up, he was thoroughly irked. He knew that, somehow, the inquiry at the FBI had originated with that bitch, Julie O’Hara.

First, there was the problem of his brother deciding out of the blue to visit Castle Cay…and now this!

I need to dump that fucking island. Why couldn’t the fag just sign the papers? Forty fucking million? This should have been so simple!

The cruise line had no interest in Castle Cay’s history, other than the Blackbeard legend. They planned to build over everything, to convert the island into a pirate-themed port. From Avram’s view, that would physically and psychologically erase the island’s connection to drug trafficking…and to himself.

At least the Keystone Kops arrested David Harris. I wish him a speedy trial.

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