Tony was the leader, and Danny liked it that way. He found it impossible to resist whatever adventure was on the agenda. When Tony decided it was time for Danny to become a man at age sixteen, he brought him downtown to Cleveland and got the matter settled for fifteen dollars with a buxom Spanish girl whose kids were crying in the next room while she told him to “hurry up and get it over with.” Tony taught Danny how to smoke cigarettes, roll a joint, snort coke, and hot-wire a car, as well as the most efficient way to cut through a chain-link fence while breaking into a stockyard.

However, by the time Tony and Danny graduated from high school, and were passed over for the football scholarships they had presumed would come their way, they no longer needed wire cutters. They had discovered the simplicity of the inside job.

Both brothers found employment in the warehouse at Tager’s Lumber. Tager sold every tool known to mankind, along with construction materials, paint, and everything a homeowner or carpenter could ever want. The brothers wore blue overalls with their first names emblazoned on the pockets so that customers could call them by name when directing them to cut wood or load items into their station wagons. The job wasn’t fun, but they had big plans for the future. The prize they had their eye on for their first big score was a new shipment of circular saws that Danny had shelved not more than twenty feet from the back door earlier that day.

This time it was Danny who came up with the scheme. Tony listened intently as his brother described how they would climb in the window he’d unlocked, unlatch the back door, grab a case of DeWalts, and scoot out to their waiting pickup. Easy peasy.

“You didn’t think of one thing, Einstein,” Tony said with a grin. “That stupid mutt Barney who sleeps there all night will be all over us.”

“Damn, you’re right! What are we gonna do about that mangy pain in the ass?”

“Well, we can either risk it tonight or wait a day.”

Danny gave Tony a quizzical look. “What good’s it gonna do to wait a day? He’ll still be there tomorrow.”

“Or maybe he won’t,” Tony said with a mock evil grin followed by his best ghoulish laugh.

The brothers high-fived, and Danny had to hand it to Tony yet again. How lucky he was to have such a smart brother. He was like a master chess player, always thinking several moves ahead. He was definitely going places, and Danny would be right by his side.