Miles Away (Carrion #1) Read online

  MILES AWAY

  BOOK ONE

  of the

  CARRION SERIES

  Addison Kline

  MILES AWAY

  BOOK ONE OF THE CARRION SERIES

  ADDISON KLINE

  Booktrope Editions

  Seattle, WA 2015

  COPYRIGHT 2015 ADDISON KLINE

  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

  Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

  Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

  No Derivative Works — You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

  Inquiries about additional permissions

  should be directed to: [email protected]

  Cover Design by Robin Harper

  Edited by Missy Borucki

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to similarly named places or to persons living or deceased is unintentional.

  PRINT ISBN 978-1-5137-0650-4

  EPUB ISBN 978-1-5137-0751-8

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2015919357

  Table of Contents

  AUTHOR TITLE PAGE

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT PAGE

  DEDICATION

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  CAPADONNO CRIME FAMILY DECODER

  REPORT

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  PLAYLIST

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  MORE GREAT READS

  To the ones who said I couldn’t. I did.

  Cheers, Addison

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  I feel that it is necessary before I introduce you to the underworld of Carrion to inform you that this is a work of fiction. All names, places, and characters within are a complete byproduct of my imagination. I wrote my own mob history. None of the events that occur in the pages of Miles Away are based on real life. Some of the characters say some pretty messed up things. These are not my view point on the world, but the expression of the individual character, most of which, have a criminal record longer than Rapunzel’s golden hair. The Carrion series is for entertainment purposes. With that being said, I hope you enjoy!

  Best,

  Addison

  CAPADONNO CRIME FAMILY DECODER

  In the Carrion series, the Capadonno crime family uses some terms and phrases that you may be unfamiliar with. Well you don’t have to abide by the strict code of La Cosa Nostra to understand just what these players are talking about in the Carrion series. This list is not all inclusive, but it will give you some insight into some of the slang that is used.

  Administration – Top members of the crime family which consists of the boss, the underboss and the consigliere.

  Associate – Someone who works for the crime family but is not a sworn in member.

  Babbo – A useless underling of the family. Someone who is known to mess up jobs.

  Big earner – Sworn member who makes a lot of money for the crime family.

  Boss – The head of the crime family. The Mafia boss has the ultimate say in all important decisions.

  Buttlegging – Bootlegging untaxed cigarettes.

  Button – Mafia soldier.

  Capo – A captain in the family.

  Capo di tutti capi – Mafia boss of the strongest family, the highest of all mafia ranks.

  Cleaning – Covering your tracks to make sure you’re not being followed.

  Clip – Kill someone.

  Clock – Keep someone under surveillance.

  Comare – Mafia mistress.

  Consigliere – Counselor to the boss.

  Contract – Murder assignment.

  Crew – A group of soldiers assigned to a capo.

  Cugine – A young and ambitious gangster who is eager to climb in rank.

  Enforcer – A member of the family entrusted to dish out physical punishment and even murder.

  Fanabala – Go to hell.

  Friend of ours – Introduction of one made member to another.

  Gabagool – Slang for Capicola, an Italian lunch meat.

  Ice – To kill someone.

  Juice – Interest paid on a loan.

  La Cosa Nostra – This Thing of Ours.

  Large – One thousand dollars. Sometimes called a grand.

  Loan Shark – Someone who loans money at an extreme interest rate.

  Madonn’ – Something said when surprised. It is the equivalent of holy cow.

  Oobatz – Crazy.

  Omerta – The code of silence you agree to when you join the family.

  Piece – A gun.

  Pinched – Get arrested.

  Rat – A member who talks about the crime family business to outside parties.

  Shylock – Someone who lends money with an extreme interest rate.

  Skim – Money taken that is not reported to the IRS.

  Skipper – A captain or capo.

  Turban – Means to crack a man’s head open.

  Vig – Interest paid to a loan shark.

  Whack – To murder someone.

  Central Intelligence Agency

  Division of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations

  On March 18, 1927, the Coalition was formed behind closed doors in the middle of the night at the La Fortuna nightclub in Brooklyn, New York. It was reported to be an intimate affair between the six heads of the major crime families in America.

  They included:

  Carmine Rigatti of New York City

  Benito Capadonno of Philadelphia

  Bruno Pena of Atlantic City

  Anthony Fiore of Boston

  Silvio Morena of Chicago

  Eddie Castellano of Miami

  Walking into the meeting, each of the men headed up their own families which were run independently of one another. After an insurgence of bloodshed between the families and the federal agencies breathing down their necks,
it became clear to the six bosses of the major crime families in America (furthermore referenced as “The Six”) that it would be beneficial to work as a network instead of alone. This decision would prove to be mutually beneficial to the men, and as a result, each boss signed a non-compete agreement. This contract meant that not only would the families not compete in business, but also in street warfare.

  In Atlantic City, the Pena’s cornered the market on bootlegging, gambling and prostitution, using the lights and glitz of the tourist location to line their pockets. The Pena’s had their hands in the cash register of every business venture that set up shop on the Boardwalk.

  Up in Boston, the Fiore’s had infiltrated several unions including the Longshoreman’s Unions and the Teamsters, making it easy for them to get their hands on merchandise that had “fallen off the boat,” and get their choice of politician into office. On the North Shore, the Fiore’s had a direct import line from Belfast, trading drugs for illegal guns.

  In Chicago, the Morena’s had infiltrated the banking industry, lifting millions off of American and international investors.

  In Miami, the Castellanos were up to their eyeballs in drug trafficking with connections in Cuba, Columbia, and the Dominican Republic.

  In Philadelphia, the Capadonno’s were running protection orders for everyone from local Mom & Pop stores straight up to major sports franchises and politicians. Former mayor of Philadelphia Jeremiah Vincent paid off Sonny and Michael Capadonno just to keep them out of his office on a daily basis.

  Meanwhile, up in New York City, the Rigatti’s were the reason the term white collar crime was even coined in the first place with embezzlement, Ponzi schemes, corruption and money laundering. It is estimated that the Rigatti’s profited over 7.6 million dollars in schemes in the 1960s alone.

  “The Six” brought organized crime to unparalleled heights. Pooling funds together, the Coalition took their respective cuts and fanned the cash out to all the members of their families. A member’s standing in the hierarchy of their family dictated the amount of their cut, with Capos and Consiglieres earning more than a soldier or an associate. This proved to be an effective model for the Coalition until the summer of 1967.

  Relatives of made men enjoyed a protected status, namely the women and the children. No connected member of the six could actively pursue a daughter, sister or mother of a commanding member of the crime family without that member’s consent. Whether it was a capo, a consigliere, underboss or a boss, if you wanted to date his daughter, sister or mother, you had to get his blessing. The Capadonno’s were never exactly known for following the rules, though.

  In 1967, when Sonny Capadonno was just promoted to Capo, he made the mistake of getting romantically involved with Gino Rigatti’s daughter Stephanie on the sly. Sonny broke a cardinal rule when he got the daughter of a NY mob boss pregnant. Although Sonny did right by Stephanie by marrying her, providing her housing and giving her money to prepare for the baby, it wasn’t enough to undo the damage that was done. Gino Rigatti was mortified, and worse yet, enraged. Sonny Capadonno and Stephanie Rigatti had brought shame to the Rigatti’s family name.

  It was the dawn of a new age. The game was changing, and the Capadonno’s weren’t playing by the old rules. They were flashy and brazen. It appeared to the other coalition members that the Capadonno’s were egging the feds on—daring them to make a move.

  On April 17, 1968, Leon F. Capadonno was born to Sonny and Stephanie. It was a birth that should have brought the two families together, but instead it caused a great divide. The baby that came of that union would go on to become the mayor of an as of yet undeveloped town—Carrion, New Jersey. Although in 1968, Carrion, New Jersey was nothing more than a sleepy resort town in the Pine Barrens, it would soon become a hub for organized crime.

  On August 24, 1971, as Sonny Capadonno was walking out of the Federal Court House in Center City Philadelphia with his brother Michael at his side, he was ambushed. As he stepped off the curb, three shots rang out. In the middle of broad daylight, Gino Rigatti opened fire upon Sonny, in retribution for bringing such shame upon his family name. Sonny clutched his chest in shock. None of the shots hit Sonny, but as he was blinded by the light of the sun, he couldn’t see where his attacker was coming from. His brother Michael did, though, and as the last blast was fired, Michael reached for his gun and shot Gino Rigatti dead on the spot. His body fell limp and crashed to the street. Michael Capadonno was arrested and served a term of 372 days after winning an appeal that he killed Gino Rigatti in self-defense.

  This coup caused the Capadonno’s to make a strategic move. Uprooting from their home in South Philadelphia, the Capadonno’s sought out the quiet refuge of Carrion, New Jersey. The quiet marshes of New Jersey proved to be the perfect location—an epicenter of crime situated between just an hour from Philadelphia, Atlantic City and New York. Leaving the Corelli’s in charge in South Philly, the Capadonno’s oversaw the operations in Philly and Carrion, and now they had their eyes set on Atlantic City and New York. The Capadonno’s would stop at nothing until control was theirs. The Rigatti’s didn’t take too well to this power drive.

  Time did nothing to heal the rift between the families. In 1998, Giancarlo Rigatti, son of Gino Rigatti, was shot and killed in a bar in South Philadelphia. Four days later, Miles Capadonno, son of Michael Capadonno, was arrested. He is up for parole in 2015.

  As they say on TV, to be continued.

  —Handwritten by Federal Agent Tom Cantrocini and contained within the official agency file

  PROLOGUE

  May 18, 1998

  6:37 P.M.

  Mi Famiglia Restaurant

  South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  THE COOL CROON OF MEL Carter belted from the speakers of the Mi Famiglia restaurant as Miles Capadonno twirled a strand of linguini around his fork. The song “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” played from the speakers that were situated in the corners of the dining room as the patrons enjoyed their dinner. The song caused Miles to chuckle as he looked up at his girlfriend, whose cheeks were turning pink from embarrassment. Letty Alves looked up at Miles with an innocent gaze. She was a radiant beauty with wavy brown hair and a pair of big, chestnut brown eyes. Despite the glances from other young men in the restaurant, Letty only had eyes for Miles. Sipping on a Shirley Temple drink with an extra maraschino cherry slipped in¸ Letty listened intently as Miles talked. A lull in the conversation presented itself when a waiter brought a slice of caramel cheesecake to the table. With one lit candle burning from the top of the dessert, Letty smiled, and quietly gushed, “Happy Birthday, Miles!”

  Giving her a wink, Miles smiled. “Thank you, baby,” Miles cooed as the restaurant staff sang a raucous rendition of “Happy Birthday.” As the tune ended, Miles glanced up at Letty and smiled as he blew out the candle.

  “What I was thinkin’ was, after graduation, while you’re in nursing school, I’ll be helping my godfather run the auto shop part time, when I’m not in class. Once we have enough saved up, we can get an apartment near campus.”

  Letty looked up at Miles with wide eyes as a smile grew from her lips. She damn near choked on her drink. Setting her glass back down on the table, Letty smiled from ear to ear, letting her excitement be known.

  “Well, yeah! Miles, I’m so excited! Princeton. We’re moving up in the world!” Letty gushed as her brain began thinking of all the things they would need to get to make a house of their own. “It’ll be perfect.”

  Miles grabbed Letty’s hand and brought her palm to his mouth. Gently he kissed the inside of her hand, his lips grazing against her palm. As quickly as he touched it, he released it. “Of course it will. But eat first. You’ve barely touched your dinner,” Miles urged.

  Letty picked up her fork and broke off a piece of her lasagna. Bringing her fork to her mouth, she glanced casually out the front window of the restaurant. A tall, sturdy-looking teenage boy passed by the window, glancing through the pane of the glass. He ran his hand
through his wavy black hair, and his gaze seemed to cut right through Letty. She’d recognize his brooding face anywhere.

  As Letty swallowed her food, she mentioned, “Hey Miles, Knox is here…”

  “Knox?” Miles replied as he pivoted his neck to get a better look out the window. “He said he had shit to do in Jersey. What’s he doing all the way over here?” Miles wondered out loud.

  “Damned if I know,” Letty replied as she continued to eye Knox from her table.

  Knox disappeared from the window, and Letty wasn’t sure why his presence unsettled her. Knox was Miles’s younger brother and a good friend of hers. Shaking her head as if erasing the negative thoughts from her brain, Letty let the stress roll down off her shoulders. The second she did, a screeching blast howled as the glass of Mi Famiglia’s front window shattered to bits.

  “Letty, get down!” Miles screamed as a bullet careened through the restaurant darting right towards him and Letty.

  Barely able to process his thoughts, Miles threw himself over the table. He felt the rush of the bullet careen past him as his heart threatened to hammer out of his chest. Miles pulled Letty to the floor, knocking her from her chair. With all his strength, Miles pulled Letty to his chest, the bullet just narrowly missing his skull by a quarter of an inch. Letty’s head crashed upon Miles’s chest as panic flooded her system. Looking up from the floor, Miles saw three familiar faces outside the restaurant. He immediately recognized his brother, Knox, Vic Schiabetta, an associate of his father’s, and the Butcher himself, Michael Capadonno.

  “Miles!” Letty screamed from underneath him, unsure whether he was dead or alive. “Miles!”

  “Ssshhhh…” Miles urged. He spoke in a whisper, “I’m all right. Be quiet.”

  Letty knew that bullet was meant for Miles. Try as much as she might, she couldn’t stop the scream from crying from her mouth.