Bill Ciccotti

Sal Bandino Bill Ciccotti

Dangerous men tread the pathways of the underworld. Tough men. Wise guys. Killers and guys like us. The law is black and white. The boys, well, we live in the grey. Night was beginning to fall along the Florida Keys. A classic cobalt black El Dorado glided smoothly along those grey twilight roads. On that tranquil, pleasant evening, danger was stalking Shangri-La. The night was crisp and windy. Cold for here in the US tropics called the Florida Keys. We drove along with a purpose and a hard-earned swagger. Premo's El Dorado purred like a kitten. A wild cat growling kitten. The car ate white lines quickly as we cruised along the upper keys. It was after dusk and the moon was full. The wind was howling like a hurricane out there. But in Premo's El D we were snug as a bug in a rug. And packing heat of our own to boot. We were hard men traveling on a mission and there was one guy we hoped to have along with us on this wonder ride. Sal Bandino. Sal is getting up there in years. But when it's time to put the hammer down. He puts the hammer down. Sal lives on Upper Sugarloaf Key. He's got a little dirt on his boots, but Salvatore is still fast enough. Sal is that mob guy we bust out of the nursing home to help us with another, situation. He was growing tomatoes for excitement at the home, Golden Slumbers Nursing Home. Sal was thrilled to be back on the streets. And too damn good to waste away in the home. So, with the help of don Bogatto, we set him up in his own place on one of the upper keys. A bayside bungalow with daily professional care and a boat out in the cannel behind his new home so they can take him out to fish. He still grows tomatoes but only as a hobby now. It's not a career anymore.