Naked Greed by Stuart Woods Read Free Book Online

entirely new talk.”
    Gino hung up his jacket, poured himself coffee, took the Danish, and sat down at the table, opposite Jerry. “All right, take your best shot.”
    “Part of this you’ve heard before,” Jerry said, “but you’re going to have to hear it again.”
    “I’m listening.”
    “We’ve got a good business here, but you’re screwing it up.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “You and I are in two different businesses. I’m running a modern, state-of-the-art beverage distribution business, and you’re running a mob family that isn’t really there anymore. You’re behaving like your father and his father before him, and you’re raising your son to do the same.”
    “I like tradition,” Gino said, taking in a mouthful of Danish.
    Jerry spoke hurriedly, to get his thought in while Gino was chewing. “We lost our advertising agency yesterday, because you’ve behaved like a jerk at every meeting we’ve ever had with them.”
    Gino swallowed hard. “Fuck ’em,” he said. “We’ll get another agency.”
    “They are the best agency in town, and now they’re representing our new competitor from Texas instead of us.”
    “So what? That Texas guy is never going to make it. I’ll screw him up so bad he won’t know what hit him.”
    “See, Gino, that’s what I’m talking about, that’s no way to run a business. Nowadays you compete by offering your clients good service and prices and by running a good advertising and marketing program. Gone are the days when you beat up the competition or shoot them, but that’s what you still want to do.”
    “Listen, Jerry, you count the beans, and I’ll take care of the competition.”
    “No, Gino. That’s not the way it’s going to happen anymore.”
    “Are you threatening me?”
    “Yes, Gino, I’m threatening you. You and I each own forty percent of this business, and the rest is owned by other family members. I’ve counted noses, and I have a majority on my side. From now on, Bowsprit Beverages is a strictly legit business.”
    “You little shit! You’re running around behind my back getting votes against me!”
    “And you’re running around behind my back hiring goons to beat up people, or worse, for all I know.”
    “Are you calling my son a goon?”
    “That’s what you’ve made him into.”
    “Well, he’s not that smart, I’ll admit, so I had to give him something to do.”
    “Tell you what, keep him on the payroll until he can find something that suits his unique talents, but don’t let him near a customer or a competitor again.”
    “Yeah, he’d like that, doing nothing for money.”
    “That’s how it’s going to be, Gino. In fact, I propose that we keep you on salary, but you don’t participate in the business anymore.”
    “Not gonna happen, Jerry, and you can’t make it happen.”
    “There’s where you’re wrong, Gino. You’re my brother-in-law, and I respect that, but I have the votes to force you to sell out to me at the formula price stated in our contract. Is that what you want? Doing nothing?”
    Gino suddenly seemed to get it. He held up his hands in a placating fashion. “All right, all right, we’ll do it your way, but I’ve got something set up, and I’m going to have to go through with it. I promise you, when I’m done, Perado will go back to Texas, and we’ll never hear from him again. You can keep Al on the payroll, but he won’t make any sales calls.”
    “What have you got set up, Gino?”
    “Don’t worry about it. It’ll all be over in a couple of days, and then you can run the business the way you want to.”
    “All right, Gino, I’ll give you a week, then you take a powder from the business, or I’ll buy you out, your choice.”
    “It’ll be okay, I promise you.”
    —
    T wo men watched from the street as the garage door at the Barrington house rose, and a green Bentley Flying Spur backed out of the garage. They watched as the driver got out and went into the house. While