Lives of Crime | 1. Education of an Assassin Part 1

Summary

---

The Burden: Lives of Crime | Episode 1: Education of an Assassin Part 1

Podcast: The Burden
Host: Steve Fishman (Orbit Media)
Air Date: March 24, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this first episode of the "Lives of Crime" series, listeners are plunged into the deeply personal, first-person confession of Larry Massa, a former teenage delivery boy whose life takes a dramatic turn when he is seduced by an older woman—and soon, her mobster husband. Told in Larry’s own voice, this is a coming-of-age story set against the seductive and sinister backdrop of organized crime in Brooklyn, New York. The episode explores how Larry's relationship with Linda and her husband Greg (aka “the Grim Reaper”) draws him ever deeper into a world of illicit power, criminal mentorship, sexual obsession, and escalating peril.

---

Key Discussion Points & Major Insights

1. The Seduction and the Setup

[03:03 - 08:10]

• Larry recalls the day he met Linda, an alluring older customer at the supermarket where he worked. She boldly flirts with him, asks if he “fools around,” and soon lures him into an affair.

  "She asks me if I would come over that night. But I told her, I says, I got school, I have karate, I have to go to the gym. So she says, why don't you come over after you're done? She convinced me to go over. We'd have a good time. I want to get to know you better." – Larry Massa [04:28]

• Linda and Larry embark on a passionate and clandestine relationship, meeting late at night and growing emotionally involved. Though initially in denial about the possibility of a husband, Larry’s suspicions grow.
• When Linda finally reveals she is married (to “Charles”), she orchestrates an introduction under the guise of Larry being suitable for a sales manager position at her husband’s company.

2. Meeting the Mobster

[09:45 - 16:40]

• Larry awaits the arrival of Linda’s husband, expecting a businessman or doctor, but meets “Greg”—a man whose demeanor and trappings scream "mobster."

  "He gets out of the car and he doesn't start walking to the house. He swaggers. He had a walk that almost like a shark." – Larry Massa [09:58]

• Greg comes off as charismatic but terrifying. He immediately involves Larry in the new business—Hewlett Supply Company, run out of a place called the Wimpy Boys Social Club.
• Larry is quickly elevated in the small-time mafia world, being introduced as Greg’s “nephew” and garnering respect and acceptance from other mobsters.

3. Dual Lives and Growing Paranoia

[16:40 - 24:40]

• Despite the mounting danger, Larry and Linda’s affair continues with reckless abandon. Larry becomes increasingly entangled in both business and family life, making him ever more anxious about discovery.

  "We were addicted to each other, Linda and I. We were having sex at an abnormal rate. Morning, noon, night, overnight, waking up in the middle of the night. The chemistry was so perfect." – Larry Massa [16:37]

• Larry feels mounting guilt and paranoia, particularly after moments of close calls—one instance where Greg nearly catches them in the act leads to panic and fear (as expressed in his physical reactions to Greg's comments).

4. The Mob Mentorship

[16:40 - 21:10]

• Greg begins to mentor Larry, teaching him “how to act like other men.” Larry is schooled in the etiquette and customs of mob life, falling further into Greg's influence and gaining favor among other made men and captains.

5. Test of Loyalty and the Breaking Point

[20:14 - 27:14]

• When Greg asks Larry to drive him to see his superior “Scappy,” Larry fears it’s a setup for a hit. He ducks out, leading to Greg’s confusion and disappointment.

  “I think he was bringing me downtown to kill me. I think he knows about us.” – Larry Massa [20:34]

• The tension escalates, with Larry fabricating explanations but realizing Greg is too smart for his lies.

6. The Confrontation and the Unspoken Agreement

[27:14 - 29:42]

• Greg finally confronts Larry, admitting he knows about the affair with Linda. He reveals a code: the secret can persist, but should it ever become public, both Larry and Greg will be killed.

  "We could continue this affair, he said to me, but if anyone outside the three of us finds out, you and I will be killed." – Larry Massa [29:36]

• Instead of violent reprisal, Greg extends acceptance and a strange affection, cementing Larry’s role as a trusted member of his inner circle.

  “A strange calm came over me. I believed him. I didn’t feel I was being set up. And he told me, which turns out to be one of the first rules I learned to be Cosa Nostra.” – Larry Massa [29:37]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the mobster mystique:

  “If you looked in a dictionary on the mobster, you’d see that picture.” – Larry Massa [10:08]

• On forbidden chemistry:

  “This older woman with a testosterone laden 18 year old young kid. I couldn’t overcome it.” – Larry Massa [16:44]

• On the peril of discovery:

  “He comes in, he goes and gets two scotches. Linda comes walking back down with a nice nightgown on and a big smile on her face. And Greg says, you look like the cat that ate the canary. And I turned red. I mean, the butterflies. I can’t even explain it.” – Larry Massa [16:50]

• On mob rules:

  “It’s one of the first rules I learned to be Cosa Nostra. We could continue this affair ... but if anyone outside the three of us finds out, you and I will be killed.” – Larry Massa [29:36]

---

Key Timestamps

• 03:03 – Larry describes meeting Linda and the start of their affair
• 09:45 – Larry’s first impression of Greg, the mobster husband
• 13:40 – Larry gets inducted into the family business at the Wimpy Boys Social Club
• 16:37 – Larry reflects on the addictive relationship with Linda
• 20:14 – The night Larry fears for his life after refusing to drive Greg
• 27:14 – The pivotal confrontation between Larry and Greg about the affair
• 29:36 – Greg delivers the Cosa Nostra ultimatum: secrecy is survival

---

Episode Tone & Style

• Tone: Candid, confessional, and cinematic. Larry paints scenes with vivid emotional honesty and darkly humorous self-deprecation, channeling the tension and seduction of both the affair and the criminal world.
• Language: Direct, wry, often explicit but always reflective. Larry narrates with an undercurrent of nostalgia and regret, inviting listeners into an internal struggle between risk, passion, and the violent codes of the mafia.

---

Looking Ahead: Next Episode

The episode ends with a promise that Larry’s “education” will only get darker as Greg, the Grim Reaper, formally takes him under his wing—hinting at murder and the irreversible journey into mafia life.

“Killers may be born. They’re also made. In part two, the Grim Reaper takes Larry under his wing. Spoiler alert: it ends with a bang.” – Steve Fishman [29:43]

---

Listeners are left with the sense of intimate access to the raw beginnings of an assassin’s journey, seduced as much by risk as by love.

Transcript

[Ryan Reynolds]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail]

[The Hartford Insurance Announcer]

Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3

[Steve Fishman]

month plan equivalent to $15 per month Required intro rate first 3 months only,

[Larry Massa]

then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra fee full [e-mail] Whether

[SpinQuest Announcer]

it's slots or five dealers, Spinquest.com has the fun and action you're looking for with Spin Quest exclusives. Blackjack, roulette, baccarat and even live dice with craps and bubble craps. The games never stop so you don't have to. And right now new users get 30 coin packs for just 10 bucks. Play [e-mail] SpinQuest is a free to

[Larry Massa]

play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[The Hartford Insurance Announcer]

The next 30 seconds could save you hundreds on your car insurance. At the Hartford we're passionate about your protection. If you're 50 or over, AARP auto insurance from the Hartford gives you benefits that really matter and you could save $597 when you switch. How's that for a little peace of mind? Visit trusthartford.com today the Hartford your protection is our passion. The Hartford Insurance Group Inc. Pays royalty fees to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. AARP and its affiliates are not insurers. Savings vary.

[Steve Fishman]

To listen all at once ad free. Subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple Podcasts. I'm Steve Fishman from Orbit Media, creator of hit true crime podcasts like My Friend the Serial Killer Empire on Blood and the Burden. Today I'm introducing a new show. It's called Lives of Crime. True Crime from True Criminals. In Lives of Crime, we bring you in their own words accounts from killers, swindlers, teenage Ponzi schemers, drug smugglers, con artists, counterfeiters, and more. They've paid their debts to society and are free to talk. And they do. They give us slices of criminal life like you've never heard before. Most of the stories will be told over one episode. Sometimes the stories demand more. But and that's true of today's story. So this one will be a two parter. At the center is what might be the most frightening love triangle in history. It involves Larry Massa, a teenage Delivery boy at the local supermarket. A beautiful older woman customer. And her husband, a mobster known as the Grim Reaper. Can you guess why we call this episode the Education of an Assassin? Part one?

[Larry Massa]

One day, while working at the supermarket, getting ready for my deliveries, this gorgeous woman walks in. She's in a fur coat, has all kinds of beautiful jewelry on, made up very well and just stunning. And she comes over to me and opens up a conversation. She tells me her name is Linda, she is a knockout. And she asks me if I would personally deliver the groceries to her house. And I said, of course, it'd be my pleasure. On one of the visits to her house, she has a bottle of wine out. And it's the middle of the day, I'm working, so I have to turn down the wine. But she brings me some tea. And now the talk gets a little bit more personal. She's asking me how I stay in such good shape. I see you have nice arms and shoulders. She's talking about my abs. Men just comes out and asks me if I fool around. And I never forget that. I felt a little insulted. I said, of course I fool around. You think I'm gay? Of course I fool around. And she asked me if I would come over that night. But I told her, I says, I got school, I have karate, I have to go to the gym. So she says, why don't you come over after you're done? She convinced me to go over. We'd have a good time. I want to get to know you better. So I go home, I ask my dad for the car. I get the car, Electra 225, brand new car. And I drive down and I walk up the steps and she's dressed impeccably, just sexy, in a black jumpsuit with a zipper that runs the whole front. It was open just enough. This is like a dream. I'm thinking back to the movie. To graduate. I'm not even 18 yet. Although I lied and told her I was 18. And I know she's got to be at least 30ish. Is this really happening? Before you know it, we were kissing passionately and the clothes were coming off. So Linda and I are now getting pretty hot and heavy. This is going on almost every night. And after a few weeks I start wondering, is she alone? How come we could only meet late at night? And eventually she mentioned that she had kids, so they were very young. They go to bed early, left us every night. But now it was begging the question in my head. There's gotta be a husband But I don't really want to know. I'm having too much fun. We're getting closer. The love word is starting to come up a little bit and we're feeling it. Ultimately, I need to know. I need to know what's going on. Is there a father? Is there a husband? And I remember the day she confided in me and told me that, yes, I do have a husband. His name is Charles. This now goes on for about six months, but she's starting to talk more about my future. She wants me to be a very successful guy like her husband and starts talking more and more about him. She tells me she'd like me to meet him. What, what are we gonna say? Charles, this is Larry, my boyfriend. I mean, how do I meet your husband? She says, no, it's not like that. He's a busy guy. He's very influential. Starts giving me these little bits of hints. Linda was very convincing. Okay, if you want me to meet him, I'll meet him. But she had a way to do it. They were opening up a new company, a supply company. And she suggested to her husband that Larry would be ideal to be the sales manager. I still can't get it in my head that I'm going to meet this guy. I go back and forth with her. I think it's insane. I'm very uneasy about this. It's gonna make me start feeling guilty about our relationship and she doesn't want to hear it. She's laughing at me. No, you don't know. Don't worry. It leads to this night where we finally set it up that I'm gonna meet foreign.

[Bretzky]

What's up, baby? It's Bretzky. And I'm here to tell you that spinquest.com is giving out free sweeps coins. All you gotta do is purchase a ten dollar coin pack and guess what? They're gonna give you the coins from a thirty dollar coin pack that lets you play all your favorite games like blackjack, Wanted dead or wild. And we're talking real cash prizes, baby. Spinquest.com Spinquest is a free to play

[Larry Massa]

social casino void where prohibited. Visit spendquest.com for more details.

[The Hartford Insurance Announcer]

The next 30 seconds could save you hundreds on your car insurance. At the Hartford, we're passionate about your protection. If you're 50 or over AARP auto insurance from the Hartford gives you benefits that really matter and you could save $597 when you switch. How's that For a little peace of mind, visit trusthartford.com today the Hartford your protection is Our passion, the Hartford Insurance Group Inc. Pays royalty fees to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. AARP and its affiliates are not insurers. Savings vary.

[Taco Bell Announcer]

Any way you enjoy Taco Bell's crispy chicken nuggets is the right way to enjoy them. And now there's a new way. Inside a Crunchwrap slider. The all white meat crispy chicken nuggets you love with your choice of creamy chipotle or jalapeno honey mustard sauce. Inside a slider sized Crunch Crunch Wrap Iconic the new crispy chicken Crunch wrap slider with creamy chipotle or jalapeno honey mustard sauce. A brand new classic only a Taco Bell at participating Taco Bell stores for a limited time only while supplies last contact store for participation which varies.

[Larry Massa]

I'm waiting for this guy Charles to pull up. I'm looking out the window. I needed a drink to calm my nerves a little bit. And I remember it was vodka instead of wine. So I'm sipping a vodka and I'm still thinking he's a doctor or some kind of traveling businessman. I see cars go by and my heart's pounding a little bit. Finally, this big black Fleetwood Brome Caddy. The cars were like limousines. He pulls in the driveway, expensive hubcaps on. The door opens. He gets out of the car and he doesn't start walking to the house. He swaggers. He had a walk that almost like a shark. If the car blew the horn, he didn't turn his head. His whole body turned. I noticed the dark sunglasses at night, the jewelry, the pinky ring. He had a sport jacket on, dress slacks. If you looked in a dictionary on the mobster, you'd see that picture. As he walks up the step, I open the door and I say, hi, I'm Larry. He sticks his hand out and in a deep Barry White type voice says to me, I'm Greg. I'm stunned. I put my hand out, shake his hand and he puts a smile on his face. Pleasure to meet you. I follow him into the kitchen. He grabs a bottle of scotch, pours two scotches. I says, okay, I'll have a scotch with him. I never had scotch before in my life and I remember not liking the taste. But I sipped it with him. I knew it was a smart thing to do, so I took a sip of it with him. He says he's gonna go upstairs for a few minutes and change. Soon as he walks out of that room and goes upstairs, I tell Linda, greg, I thought his name was Charles. And she Starts laughing like it's funny. And I says, what's going on? She says, oh, he just uses that name. People just use other names. I don't get it. We now start walking out to the car. Greg takes the lead. She wants me to sit in the front with both of them. I says, no, Linda, I'll sit in the back. Everybody should be comfortable. Let make sure he's comfortable while he's driving. He's telling me to sit in the front, but I says, no, no, I'm okay. I'll sit in the back. I get in the back, and I see him looking at me through the mirror while he's talking to me. And I'm just still wondering how this is all happening. We go a few miles to a restaurant called Sorrento's. When we walked in, everybody in the place. The cook came out of the back. Who was the owner? Ralph. The waiters came over to him. The bartender, who was Ralph's son, came from behind the bar. Everybody shook his hand or kissed him, which is the first time I saw two men kiss, and walked us to the back table. Greg's table. There was already a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red wine on the table. His favorite two wines. And I could see at that moment this guy was somebody. Greg told them, I found our new sales manager. Larry, say hello. I started right away. I started going to different stores. I had a list given to me. I go to these stores and I tell them who I was from Hewlett Supply Company. And every one of these stores allowed me to take care of their fire extinguishers. We have paper products, cleaning products. And they all said yes. I was getting accounts. I was like a star salesman. Greg tells me he'd like me to come to his office, his headquarters on 13th Avenue, where I'm getting all these accounts. So one day I go and I see a sign on the front. Wimpy Boys Social Club. This is in a Hewlett Supply Company office. I walk in, there's all guys that are dressed like Greg. They all have jewelry on. And Greg has an office in the back. There's a desk, a couch, a chair in front of his desk. And he sits in a big chair behind the desk that's almost like a throne. And he sits there like the king. Tell Greg. Yeah, a couple of stores between 71st and 72nd wouldn't do business with me. Carmine. He calls Carmine in. Go see these two stores the next day. They treated me like I was the mayor. This is all fine and Good on one front, where my business is growing. But on the other hand, I realized this man is not someone to be messing around with. And I'm still sleeping with his wife. And it's starting to weigh heavily on me. He's almost becoming a friend to me, helping me out, setting me up in business. And here I am when he goes off on business trips. I'm spending the night with his wife. If he finds out what happens in this world. But I was thinking with the wrong head. We were addicted to each other, Linda and I. We were having sex at an abnormal rate. Morning, noon, night, overnight, waking up in the middle of the night. The chemistry was so perfect. This older woman with a testosterone laden 18 year old young kid. I couldn't overcome it. We started getting careless. Linda was very callous about it. There was one time where we were coming back from the restaurant and Greg said, you go home with Linda, I'm going to go pick up the kids. The kids will buy a friend's house or a cousin's house. So that would give us about 10 or 15 minutes. We walk in the door, we didn't even close the door. Our clothes were coming off. And I see the car coming down the avenue. I'm a nervous wreck. The car is in the driveway, the doors are opening. She runs out upstairs and I'm fumbling to get my pants up, waiting for him and the kids to come in. And I feel flush and red and he's gonna notice. He comes in, he goes and gets two scotches. Linda comes walking back down with a nice nightgown on and a big smile on her face. And Greg says, you look like the cat that ate the canary. And I turned red. I mean, the butterflies. I can't even explain it. It's like a championship football game and you have the butterflies and you can't wait to run out on the field. I felt this, the worry, and Lint is laughing. And I sipped the scotch. I became a scotch drinker now. And when he goes up to change, I told her, I says, linda, I says, we, we gotta stop. So I'm at the club every day. Greg, he's confiding in me and I see all these piles of money coming in on a daily basis. And I'm not a dummy, I know it's not legal, but what they were doing to me was something, even at that age, I thought was accepted, you know, in Brooklyn, New York. It was so much of it around, there was social clubs everywhere. He's introducing me to others as his nephew now. I'm getting respect from these guys, other made guys, captains. He's sort of grooming me, showing me how to act like the other men. And Linda is in his ear all the time. I want Larry to be successful. I want him to be respected like you.

[SpinQuest Announcer]

Forget everything you had planned for this weekend because you are sitting on your couch and winning from the comfort of your own home. I'm here with spinquest where you can play hundreds of slot games, all the table games you love, and you could even win real cash Prizes. New users. 30 coin packs are on sale for [e-mail] SpinQuest is a free to play

[Larry Massa]

social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[The Hartford Insurance Announcer]

The next 30 seconds could save you hundreds on your car insurance. At the Hartford, we're passionate about your protection. If you're 50 or over, AARP Auto Insurance from the Hartford gives you benefits that really matter. And you could save 5, $597 when you switch. How's that for a little peace of mind? Visit trust Hartford.com today the Hartford. Your protection is our passion. The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. Pays royalty fees to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. AARP and its affiliates are not insurers. Savings vary.

[Capella University Announcer]

You've never been one to settle. Stand down or stand still. You're a lifelong learner, energized by excellence. There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. You've got competition to outrun, momentum to build on, and your own high standards to meet. Stop now. Not a chance. At Capella University, we help you catch what you're chasing because you've always had the drive. Now go earn the degree. Capella University. What can't you do? Visit Capella Edu to learn more.

[Larry Massa]

One day, Greg asks me to give him a lift downtown to see Scappy. He has to go to Scappy's club. He's the captain. He's Greg's immediate boss in the structure of the family. And why does he want me to bring him? I'm concerned that I'm not coming home. So I don't show up. I stay home. I stay in my little. I was living in my own little apartment now downstairs in the basement of my family's house. And my phone is ringing all night. And the answering machine I hear, Linda. Larry, where are you? Greg was waiting for you. He. He says, this isn't like you. You didn't show up. What's wrong? There's got to be something wrong. Please call. She's calling Me all night. I don't call. Finally, the next morning, I get on the phone and I say, linda, I think he was bringing me downtown to kill me. I think he knows about us. She got so mad at me on the phone. How could you think that after all this time? He loves you like a son. I go back to the club that afternoon, and Greg is hurt. He says, larry, why did you not show up? I'm thinking he's gonna be mad at me, but he's not. He's. He's hurt that I. I let him down. I didn't show up. And I says, silly, stupid lie. And I know he didn't believe it. I said, well, I got a flat. I had to fix the tire. I was filthy. I went home to take a shower, and then it was too late. And I fell asleep. Just one lie after the other. And I know he knows something's wrong. And he says, you've just not been the same Larry. You're not the same Larry I met. This is borderline insanity now. And my head. It's over a year that I'm with her. I'm getting closer and closer to Greg. I'm falling more and more in love with her. Something's got to give, and we're getting dangerous. Then one morning, I know he was home that night. But he says, come on over early. We'll have breakfast. We'll have some coffee. We'll go to the club together. I do it. We're all this close. Not a problem. I go to the house. I get there about 10. He made pancakes and eggs. He always did that for us. And I'm having some coffee. Then he goes downstairs to get ready. Greg has a ritual to get ready. Okay? I know him this well. Now, he's losing his hair a little bit, so it takes a while for him to comb it over to the side. He puts a whole bunch of hairspray on. He even used shoe polish to darken the bald spot. Very, very egotistical. And I knew it took him a long time to take his shower and get ready. About 10 minutes he took doing his hair. So Linda, she straddles me. She straddles me on the breakfast chair. And I hear the blow dryer go on. I'm a nervous wreck. And she doesn't want to hear no, doesn't want to hear stop. I know if this man comes up, he's going to saw my head off with a butter knife. Just as the blow dryer went off, he comes walking him back up. We say goodbye to Linda, he leaves, he leaves her some money and we go off to the club together. And I am really off the deep end at this point. I am not going to say a nervous breakdown, but that's where I felt like I was heading. And he saw this in me. I went to the again in the morning to see him, had coffee. I went a little bit later, I missed the breakfast. I got there when I knew he would be done. I was done. I was not going to go to the house anymore. I would go take care of business and go home. So we get in the car and immediately Greg starts saying to me, larry, I'm gonna have a conversation with you now. I now know he's a serious mob guy. I know he's a feared, respected Colombo soldier. And while we're driving to the club and he's dropping these hints of where he's going with this conversation, I remember sort of looking out the window and drifting off to hearing about this man's reputation. He's an enforcer, he's got a ton of hits under his belt, whatever that meant. And I'm listening to this and it's just all swirling in my head. Larry, I'm gonna have a conversation with you now. I think you're mature enough to handle this. And I want you to know from the bottom of my heart, it's all true. Everything I'm going to talk to you about. I know where he's going. And the butterflies again are just eating up my stomach. And I always said I would never admit it. There's no way I could admit it if I deny, deny, deny. Just like that scene in the Godfather. I'll never forget it. The brother in law, Carlo Rizzi, is targeted for death by Michael, Al Pacino's partner. And Michael tells him, I'm not going to kill you. I'm just going to send you off to Vegas. That's your punishment. Just don't insult my intelligence. Tell me the truth. And I had in the back of my mind that Greg was the same kind of guy, cunning, smart, and he would try to get the truth out of me. And I said, I will never admit it. Greg tells me, I understand, you know, that you and Linda got close. She thinks the world of you. You helped her out at the store all the time. You know, there were days the kids were sick. I really know you became a very good friend. So now we get to the club, get out of the car. I'm walking into the club, I'm a nervous wreck. I'm concerned that if I Waver. I'm not walking out of that club alive. So I gotta keep my composure and I gotta deny. I gotta deny it. We get there first, we walk in, open the gates. We go to back. He has his little ritual again. He puts his keys down. He puts his cigarettes down. He gets his chair set up. He opens his drawer. There's a gun in there. And if he has to get to it quick, for whatever reasons, if I had known that then, I might have passed out. He continues on. He says, larry, I know what's going on between you and Linda. And I want you to know I'm okay with was my moment of truth. I looked at him and I says, greg, you know I have a lot of respect for you, and I think you are far from an idiot. Only an idiot wouldn't see what was going on. I don't know what came over me. I guess my feelings for her were that strong where it was suicidal. He busted out laughing. He banged the table, his desk. He got up with a smile on. And we were gonna walk out to the front, so I got up with him. We walk out to the front. He puts his arm around me. As we're walking out, we pass a closet. I knew at times there would be a shooter in that closet if the wrong answers came out from somebody. We walk out to the front. It's a sunny day. He had his dark sunglasses on. And there's parking meters in front of our club. And he used to lean on, soak up the rays. And while we're out there and he says, I love having you around. You've made her a happy person. Her happiness means everything to me. I don't want you to stop. I don't want you to change anything. A strange calm came over me. I believed him. I didn't feel I was being set up. And he told me, which turns out to be one of the first rules I learned to be Cosa Nostra. We could continue this affair, he said to me, but if anyone outside the three of us finds out, you and I will be killed. So he gives me this rule. I am feeling like one of his men. Now I'm with him. Now that the cards are on the table, I'm not stabbing him in the back anymore. Because now it opens up a whole new thing. Now I'm seduced by Greg.

[Steve Fishman]

In the next episode of the Education of an Assassin, Larry comes of age. Killers may be born. They're also made. In part two, the Grim Reaper takes Larry under his wing. Spoiler alert. It ends with a bang. For more on Larry's story, read his book the A True Story about a Brooklyn boy seduced into the dark world of the Mafia. The creator and host of Lives of Crime is Steve Fishman Executive producers Steve Fishman and Kevin Wardes Senior Producer Simon Rentner Producer and engineer Austin Smith story Editor Dan Bobkoff Our Sound designer is Bianca Salinas Assistant Producer Eric Axelrod. Special thanks to the inimitable Fisher Stevens, the glamorous Rhea Julian and our agents at W, Evan Krasik, Marissa Hurwitz, Ben Davis Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media in association with Signal Company Number One. Follow us @orbitmediafm on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

[SpinQuest Announcer]

I'm here with Spinquest, where you can play and win from the comfort of your own home with hundreds of slot games and all of the table games you love with real cash prizes. Right now, $30 coin packs are on sale for $10. For new users, it's [e-mail] that's s p I n q u e-t.com SpinQuest

[Larry Massa]

is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[Taco Bell Announcer]

It's tax season and by now we're all a bit tired of numbers. But here's an important one you need to hear. $16 billion. That's how much money in refunds the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud. But it's not all grim news. LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second and alerts you to threats you could easily miss on your own. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com iheart Terms apply this episode

[Katie Milkman]

is brought to you by Choiceology, an original podcast from Charles Schwab hosted by Katie Milkman, an award winning behavioral scientist and author of the bestselling book how to Change. Choiceology is a show about the psychology and economics behind our decisions. Hear true stories from Nobel laureates, authors, athletes and everyday people about why we make the choices we do and how to make better ones. To help avoid costly mistakes, Listen to Choiceology at schwab. Com podcast or wherever you listen.