Part 53 (2/2)
The bodyguard nodded, then, turning swiftly, dug a hard right fist into Daniel's sto the pain and sudden nausea that clutched at hi himself to breathe slowly, until the nausea subsided, then straightened up
There was a faint suns shoved in his face”
”I don't blame hiuard to the desk The bodyguard turned to watch, and so he never saw Daniel's ha up alh his aruard's chin, lifting the ht up into the air, across the coraer of the desk, tuainst the wall and slid to the floor The bodyguard's chin hung crookedly from his face, broken teeth i froue
Daniel stared down at him for a moment, then turned back to Lansky He spoke as if there had been no interruption ''I don't like having guns shoved at lanced down at the bodyguard He gestured to the two other et him out of here and clean hiet hilass jaw I felt it break in at least three different places” He estured silently They didn't speak until they were alone in the room and the door had clicked shut
”Noas that all about?” Daniel asked
”Fm sorry,” Lansky said ”But you kno it is I had to let him prove himself”
Daniel shook his head ”What did he prove? Noth-
”He proved hiuards with glass jaws”
Daniel laughed His voice turned serious ”So aht to the point ”The s are hurt You didn't ask ht”
”I want in”
”It's not part of our deal,” Daniel said
”I didn't say it was,” Lansky replied ”I just told you I wanted in”
”Then let me make it simple for you, Mr Lansky The reason you weren't asked in is that I don't want you in This is one operation that's going to stay clean”
”You're being naive,” Lansky said '”You're asking for trouble We can blow you away like that” He snapped his fingers
Daniel s Not the ”
''You have a pregnant wife and a son at school,” Lansky said
”And what do you have, Mr Lansky?” Daniel asked softly ”A life you live in the shadows, surrounded by glass jaws to keep you fro bloay? Did you stop to think that every tirocer come to your house, every electrician and telephone man, every delivery that's made to you is made by a man ears a union button? There's twenty million of them And if I say the word, there is no way on God's earth you can escape the of natural causes”
Lansky stared at hiot to his feet Lansky finally spoke ”I'm not alone in this I'll have to explain it to my associates”
Daniel looked down at him ”You speak Yiddish don't you?”
Lansky nodded
”When I was going to the labor school in New York o, I picked up a few phrases that really said it all This is one of theoy That I'm the one itimate in the public eye And they don't want to fuck with that, because if they do, they ”
”I don't knohether they'll buy it”
”If they don't,” Daniel said, ”we'U both be sorry”
Lansky stared up at hihtfully Finally a slowsmile crossed his face ”Are you really sure you're not Daniel Webster?”
'That's not my style,” Daniel said ”Far ''Where do I go next?”
”It's a big one,” Jack said ”Detroit We expect fifteen thousand men at this one In addition to the Tea turnout froot network television and radio coverage”
Daniel chewed on the cigar for athe whole country watch me fall on my ass”
”Father” DJ came toward the desk ”I have an idea, but I don't knohether it ork”
His father looked at hi”
”It may not be a practical application for this,” DJ said ”But one of the courses I just finished was on credit and install You know-autos like that”
Daniel was suddenly interested ”Tell me more”
”They pay so much down and so much a week or a ned, the seller discounts the contract with a bank and he's got his ht away And the buyer has the ,” Daniel said
”Maybe But in our case, a share in the mutual fund is our eout a hundred dollars at one clip, but two dollars a week doesn't sound so bad”
Jack spoke quickly ”I think DJ has a good point there”
”We're not set up to do business like that,” Daniel said
”We can handle it,” Moses said ”They can make their payments directly to their union, which can then forward it to us each ht” Jack nodded ”And if we draw up the right kind of purchase contract I'm sure we can find a bank to discount it”
Daniel finally held ato hiot the bank The UMW is the ton F the bank for theive us the money”
He looked up at DJ ''You've coood idea, son”
DJ flushed ''We don't know yet, Father It ht not work”