Chapter 93: All - In - One
An hour after Barney’s little party, Ricky can be seen sitting behind his desk, leaning back in his chair as he listened to Arthur and Frank Murphy deliver their report.
"It’s worse than we thought, Rick," Arthur said, crossing his thick arms. "Barney is keeping every cent of the new protection money and the cocaine profits. His street captains are practically starving. They’re making just enough to eat, and they’re getting desperate."
Frank nodded, leaning against the doorframe. "If you ask me, they’re half a step away from turning on each other. Or turning on us. The question is, do we want to do something about it?"
Ricky stared at the brass inkwell on his desk, his mind turning over the variables. He didn’t have an ounce of compassion for the Dusters. Barney’s men were just street thugs, some young, some married, all of them choosing to stay in a violent gang to make a living. But desperate men were unpredictable.
"If we leave it be, there will definitely be chaos," Ricky said finally, his voice calm and pragmatic. "Desperate men bring real trouble. If they can’t make money legally, they’ll start robbing the local shops. We’ll see more frequent muggings. Barney’s business will be interrupted, which means the men will lose all reason to fear him. And Barney being Barney... he’ll resort to killing to keep them in line."
"Which means war on the streets," Arthur muttered.
"Which means chaos," Ricky corrected. "And chaos is bad for business. I wouldn’t care if they were just doing it to each other, but this specific kind of chaos means collateral damage. It hurts innocent people, and more importantly, it disrupts our cash flow."
Ricky picked up a pencil, tapping the eraser against the desk. "Spread the word tomorrow. Tell them we’re looking for temporary workers and day laborers."
Arthur frowned. "Where do you want to put them?"
"We could have them haul stock at the warehouse, or ride on the main routes," Frank suggested.
"No," Ricky shot back immediately. "Putting starving Dusters inside our main warehouse or on our primary routes is a dangerous idea. Until they can prove they won’t steal our inventory, they have to be assigned somewhere else."
"Where then?" Frank asked.
"The route leaders assigned to Greenwich this week have been forced to make extra stops for Barney’s saloons," Ricky explained, the logistics forming clearly in his head. "Lately, Barney’s orders have taken up more than a quarter of the day for our main delivery wagons. We also have senior field agents from the Manatee block who need serious route-leading experience. We kill two birds with one stone."
Ricky looked between the two brothers. "Assign those senior field agents as the new route leaders. Hire Barney’s street captains and their men as temporary field agents under them. They’re going to be heavy labor, mostly. This new, isolated fleet will deliver exclusively to Barney’s saloons."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Won’t Barney blow a gasket if he finds out we’re employing his men? Shouldn’t we at least let the boss know first?"
"It’s not necessary," Ricky said coldly. "Barney doesn’t care about his men’s needs, only their usefulness. And he has no reason to be jealous if they are doing work directly related to supplying his business. It pays his men, keeps his supply lines fast, prevents the muggings, and keeps the peace in Greenwich. A peaceful street is a bustling business."
Frank scoffed, shaking his head slowly. "I sure hope Barney realizes what you’re doing for him."
"It doesn’t matter if he does," Ricky replied, tossing the pencil onto the desk. "He doesn’t need to spend a single cent of his own money, and we protect our capital. If there is going to be trouble, I’d prefer to push it north into Chelsea."
Arthur and Frank exchanged a long, quiet look. Seeing Ricky effortlessly spin schemes, moving violent gang leaders and desperate men around like marionettes on a string, was deeply unsettling. They couldn’t tell if Ricky had changed since then or if this cold, calculating strategist had always been his true nature. Right now, they only felt pity for his enemies.
The next morning, the air on the Hudson River docks was biting and cold. Wagons clattered heavily over the cobblestones below, mixing with the sharp cries of seagulls and the deep, blowing horns of passing steamships.
Ricky stood on the wooden catwalk outside the new warehouse, breathing in the damp, salty air.
Evelynn approached from the office, her heels clicking softly against the planks. She held her familiar wooden clipboard against her chest. "This is the evaluation for Mr. Kowalski, sir," she said, holding out a manila folder.
Ricky took the folder, scanning the neat, typewritten pages before handing it back. "What about Tom?"
"You were right, sir," Evelynn said, a rare, genuine note of impress in her voice. "Tom has unpolished, but immense intellectual talent in administration. Compared to Marek, he actually exceeds my expectations. I think his rapid growth is somewhat because of you. He is deeply inspired by you."
Ricky scoffed lightly, a small smile touching his lips as he looked out over the water. "I’m just a nobody, Evelynn. But I am grateful there is someone looking out for the details."
"Don’t say it like that, sir," Evelynn said softly. "Everyone here is inspired by you. Their growth and their commitment are because of the standard you set."
Ricky smiled, deciding to shift the focus back to work. "So, what about the list of import companies we’re looking to acquire next?"
Evelynn checked her clipboard, her professional demeanor returning instantly. "Yes. There are three companies nearby that are currently struggling due to the ’butterfly effect,’ as you call it. Because of our total dominance in Greenwich, many of the smaller trading houses and wholesale companies have suffered massive losses in orders. They are specifically struggling to pay their bank loans."
"Narrow it down," Ricky said. "Which of the three has the most established import supply lines?"
"Harrison & Bell Limited," Evelynn answered without hesitation. "Most of their imports come from other states, with a few exclusive lines from France, Great Britain, Canada, and Argentina. They have a solid historical reputation, though they were never quite notable enough to expand their business empire. They are essentially the uncrowned kings, sitting just behind the major corporate import-export firms in New York."
"And they’re suffering because of me?" Ricky asked.
"Yes, sir," Evelynn confirmed. "Most of their regular clients came from Greenwich, Midtown, Chelsea, and Lower Manhattan. With half of their income suddenly gone, they’ve struggled to make their loan payments and have already initiated layoffs. Their property is a six-story building. It comprises a small warehouse, a loading area, large office space, and a storefront for product samplings. It even has a working elevator."
Ricky’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Perfect. Set me up a schedule for a visit two days from now, and let their owners know in advance. What’s the next item that needs my attention?"
"Circular Jack requested a private meeting with you tonight," Evelynn noted. "To discuss some ’business deals’."
"Private, huh?" Ricky mused, leaning against the railing. "I guess he doesn’t want Barney or Frank to know about it. Well, schedule the meeting for tonight at nine. Send Danny’s boys to let him know."
Evelynn nodded, making a quick mark on the paper.
"Has Marek arrived from Midtown yet?" Ricky asked.
"Yes, sir. He was rather early today," Evelynn said. "I assume he was excited when you told me to hint to him about taking on a larger administrative role. I imagine he’ll be incredibly surprised if he knew you were planning to make him the owner of the next business we acquire."
Ricky chuckled, turning his back to the river to face his massive warehouse. "It’s not just him, Evelynn. I want everyone close to me to have that exact opportunity. It’s just a matter of whether they can accept the responsibility."
He began walking slowly along the catwalk, his voice taking on the quiet weight of absolute ambition. "I’d rather have people close to me, people I can actually trust, running these businesses. I’ll have Tom assist Marek with the administrative roles while Marek is out uptown building our social connections. As for Arthur... he hates the hassle of administration. I doubt he’ll ever want to run a corporate business. But he excels at giving orders and keeping men in line. He’ll be the general supervisor of our physical labor forces."
Evelynn followed closely, taking rapid notes in shorthand.
"Frank is carefree and entirely irresponsible," Ricky continued, a dry smirk on his face. "But he’s incredible at gambling and socializing. He’ll excel in running a massive gambling house. A completely legal one, mind you. I bet he could turn Greenwich into the next Las Vegas. Jimmy and the Williams brothers? If Jimmy can handle the administrative tasks, I’ll assign him a trading company based in Midtown and let his brothers assist him. If they prove to be too competitive with each other, I’ll just buy them each a company and let them fight it out. Competition breeds growth."
"What about John and the Morgan brothers?" Evelynn asked.
"A private security and armored transport company," Ricky said. "And as for Danny... he’ll run a massive logistics and drayage company. Secretly, it’ll function as our central intelligence network. There is no better way to deliver messages and track people than owning the very logistics company moving the city’s freight."
Ricky paused, scratching his chin. "I don’t know about the McClain brothers, though. They’re excellent at paperwork, but I highly doubt they actually enjoy the work. I’ll have Frank get them thoroughly drunk this weekend and talk to them to find out what their real interests are."
Ricky finally stopped at the top of the stairs, turning to look directly at Evelynn.
"And as for you," Ricky said softly, his gray eyes locking onto hers. "You are pragmatic. You are cold, practical, and relentlessly logical. You have a knack for organization that even I find stressful."
He paused, letting the words sink in. "You are going to be the Chief Secretary for my central organization. The hub that will eventually coordinate hundreds of companies all across the globe."
Evelynn froze. For a brief second, a deeply fluttered, overwhelmed look broke through her usual iron-clad composure. She took a slow, steadying breath, her posture straightening as she clutched the clipboard.
"I will take that as the highest compliment, sir," Evelynn said, her voice steady and fiercely loyal. "I am glad to be serving you."
"And I to you, Evelynn," Ricky said softly, turning toward the stairs.