him to duck. He returned fire as the stranger turned and ran into the nearest alley. Tyler quickly recovered and pursued. As he reached the entryway to the alley, he stayed low and took a quick glance toward the direction the stranger went. Another flash and the stone above Tyler's head shattered.
"Crap!" Tyler said to himself as he fired back blindly into the alley. Cautiously, he took another look and saw a single silhouette running toward the other end of the alley. Tyler chased after him with his gun extended in front of him, hoping for a clear shot. When the stranger reached the other end of the alley, he turned to fire, but Tyler was ready and fired first. The bullet met its mark; the stranger flew backwards over a parked car and disappeared behind it. Tyler continued his run, keeping his gun aimed in the general direction the stranger fled. As he reached the parked car, he peered over it and saw no one. He quickly ran around the car only to find his target had disappeared. He looked up and down the street, but there was no sight of the stranger. Then a noise from above caused him to look up. There he saw his assailant perched atop a building, looking down at him through a scope. As if by magic, Tyler suddenly found himself looking through the crosshairs of a sniper’s rifle aimed at his own head. A second later, he was again on the street looking up. In an instant, he saw the flash.
Tyler jerked awake and realized it was only a dream. As he rolled out of bed, he stepped on the picture he had dropped to the floor. The one of his mother holding a baby beside the man; the man he shot and watched fall into the East River.
It all came back to him now. He had arrived yesterday. They gave him a car and the keys to this house. It appeared to belong to the man known as Theo Gresco, alias Nick Costello, or whatever other name he went by.
Tyler glanced around the house, looking for anything that could tell him more about who this man really was. Nothing much could be determined from exploring the neatly kept house.
Realizing the house bore no evidence that he could see, he decided to call his aunt who had been like a mother to him since his own mother had died. Of all the people, he knew she would probably be the only person who could shed some light on who this man was. Sitting down next to the phone, he dialed her number.
"Mom, it's me Tyler. How are you? How are you doing?" Tyler asked.
"How am I doing? I am doing fine. But the real question is how you are doing and where are you?" she challenged.
"I'm in California visiting a friend, and I am fine. Really I'm fine," Tyler lied. "Mom, I have to ask you something. Did you know my father?"
"No, Tyler, I never knew who it was your mother married," she responded.
"Married?" he asked.
"Yes, your mother was married in Chicago. I know his name was Theodore something, nice Italian boy. That is all I know. Your uncle was furious with her because she kept it a secret from him until the very last minute. He did attend the wedding, but due to his job he had to get back here and could not stay long enough to get to know the young man," she told him. "You know how your uncle can be. He would have given Theo the third degree and done a background check and all," she laughed.
"So you never got a chance to meet him?" Tyler asked her.
"No. Your uncle went alone and was back in a few days," she responded.
"Ok. You ok? You need anything?" he asked her.
"No, Tyler. I'm fine. Please take care of yourself. I love you," she told him.
"I love you too, Mom," Tyler responded. "I'll let you know what's going on. Please don't worry about me. If you need anything you can reach me at this number." Tyler gave her the number and hung up.
After staring at the phone for a couple of minutes, he picked it up and called his aunt once again. "Mom, sorry but I have to ask you something else," he said.
"Sure, dear. What is it?" she asked.
"You said my mother got married in Chicago. Do you remember or know the address where she lived?" he questioned almost desperately.
"Well, I don't remember right now, but I'm sure I have the address somewhere. Let me look for it and I'll get back to you. Is that ok, dear?" she asked him.
"Sure, no problem," Tyler bid her goodbye, trying not to sound disappointed, and hung up.
It was several hours later when his aunt returned the call with the information Tyler requested. He now had a starting point.
Apparently his parents had lived on South Wabash Street in the heart of Little Italy. Armed with this information, Tyler decided to go to Chicago. First, he would try to find out what he could about the man who owned this house.
After questioning some of the neighbors, Tyler discovered that the man who occupied the house was known as Jack Ferrari. He assumed that Mr. Ferrari must be an associate of Theo Gresco.
Tyler called the people who had contacted him, to find out if they knew anything more about Jack Ferrari. The information he received led him to Jack's lawyer and accountant, David Spencer. A few minutes later Tyler put in a call to him.
"Hello, who did you say you were?" inquired the voice on the other end of the phone.
"I'm looking for a Mr. Jack Ferrari," Tyler stated.
"What did you say your name was?" David asked Tyler.
"I didn't. But if you must know, my name is Tyler Santiago," Tyler responded.
"Oh my God, Jack told me about you. He said you would be calling," David said aloud.
"What?" Tyler asked, caught by surprise.
"I guess Jack, excuse me, Mr. Ferrari, won't be coming back, huh?" David speculated.
"What do you mean?" Tyler asked.
"Look, Mr. Santiago. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but my instructions were quite clear. In the event I do not hear from Mr. Ferrari in more than three months, I am to assume he is no longer among the living. Also, if I get a call from a Mr. Tyler Santiago I am to forward you several envelopes," said David Spencer.
"What do these envelopes contain?" pried Tyler.
"I have no idea, but the instructions were for me to physically hand them over to you. Mr. Ferrari was quite clear on this as well as in anything and everything he did," Mr. Spencer informed him.
"So when can I meet with you?" asked Tyler.
"Well Mr. Santiago, you're the client. You tell me," David advised.
"I am not from around here. Please, give me a suggestion," Tyler said.
"Sure. How about the restaurant on the corner of Washington Street and Sullivan Avenue? Say around six p.m. tomorrow," David proposed.
"Not a problem," Tyler confirmed, and after jotting down the information, hung up. Not knowing what he was getting into, Tyler decided to check out this so-called David Spencer, so he called his old partner Eric Romano.
"Hey Eric, it's me Tyler. How you been?" he asked.
"How have I been? Man, the FBI is looking for you. Where are you?" Eric interrogated Tyler.
"What the hell do they
