Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Christian
I jumped on my bike and ride away. We’re assembling at Checkpoint A which we discovered after the mission last night was a factory on the other side of Chicago, very near the woodland areas.
That’s where the fuckers are keeping the guns and the other items they stole.
A truck is supposed to come by to pick up the guns and deliver them to be shipped to their new buyer, Kar Pleshov.
Again I give them credit for the bravado of tactics.
But they aren’t as clever as we are. Our plan last night to find out where Check Point A was ran smooth without hiccups. Us finding out the location was the worst thing that could happen to them. Tonight we plan to fuck with them the same way they fucked with us and get the guns back.
This is the final part. the resolution and I hope all will be resolved. I decided that asshole the other day watching me must have had something to do with Falcone so I made Vincent aware of it and dropped it.
I didn’t want to divert my attention to looking around for shit when this mission required my undivided attention.
Then there was Lilly to think about. Twice I found myself connecting with her .
The first time was when I spoke of the past and the tutor who changed me.
I just left out the parts about what the tutor meant to me.
it was Amelia. that was how we met. She was the good girl.
The good little bookworm asked to tutor the football jock so he could stay on the team.
That was how we began. I hadn’t talked about that story to anyone in years.
It was the first time since Amelia’s death that I didn’t think about that part. I just thought of the memory.
The next time Lilly and I connected was earlier when I told her I wasn’t like Miguel.
I could see her thinking it and I had to set her straight.
I set her straight like I wanted her past this arrangement of ours.
It was an automatic reaction and important to me that she knew I would never treat her badly.
When I met the guys and we took our positions around the woodland area by the factory I forced myself to focus.
Shit’s supposed to go down in about five minutes so I need to be ready.
Lilly is what awaits me after this. She is what will be waiting for me at the end of this dark tunnel of shit. I just have to survive and make it through to the other side.
I’ve set things up so all the men have communicators that work long range. It’s similar to what the military would use. The communicators all have tracking devices too so just in case it all goes to hell and one of us gets taken.
Me, Vincent, and Salvatore are hidden in the undergrowth to the left of the factory.
Gabe, Nick and a few of the men in our alliance are to the right.
Claudius and his men are in another little group to the side of the factory.
We’re fifty men strong and we have our snipers who always back us up, stationed in the trees.
We’re what I call solid and the only result of us is a blood bath.
It will be an all-star show down with Falcone and Officer Tanner making their appearances soon.
Vincent straightens when a large white truck comes into view.
This is it. It’s show time.
“Get ready boys,” Vincent says into his communicator. “Once they get out of the truck and get in the factory we move.”
I’m ready as fuck and mad like it too.
I’ve been waiting for this moment for weeks.
The truck parks up and Falcone jumps out along with officer Tanner and a few others. Bastards. They’ll get theirs. I’ll make sure of that. I absolutely fucking will.
They won’t get away with making a fool out of me.
They open up the back of the truck in prep to load the guns and the other things they stole. The men inside the factory open the large mechanical door that opens with a security code.
I straighten up when Falcone and Officer Tanner walk inside the factory. Their men follow and we wait for the last man to go in.
“Let’s move,” Vincent commands then all hell breaks loose.
Claudius and his men go in first, guns at the ready. We move next, rushing in.
I’m supposed to cover Vincent and Salvatore.
As soon as we get in its bullets everywhere. We already scouted out the place so we know how many men Falcone has here.
It’s one big shoot out for a good few minutes. Every now and again our snipers manage to take out some of the guys, knocking down the enemy number.
This surprise ambush couldn’t have been a better idea. It takes minutes to get them down to less than half.
Claudius and his guys have already secured the case with the guns and are moving out with them. While Falcone’s men fight with everything they have it’s a losing battle.
The sound of a loud crash turns my attention to the direction the sound came. That’s when I see Falcone and Officer Tanner trying to make their escape through the back entrance. They’re both in a pickup ramming it into the door.
It smashes open and they drive through.
“No fucking way,” I shout and Vincent sees them too.
The two of us take off lightning fast, heading for our bikes. We jump on them and breeze down the path into the woods following the pickup. Salvatore is behind us.
I ride a mean bike and I can get by in the dense woodland area in the night just as well as I can on the road during the daylight.
Like speed demons we catch up with them but fuck, Officer Tanner sticks his head out the window and starts shooting at us.
I have to jump my bike and swerve to dodge the bullets. Vincent has to divert but he speeds back and starts shooting too.
A plan forms in my mind. If I can shoot the tires on the pickup that would get them good. They’ll be forced to stop and crash. I’m not letting them get away. I steady one hand on the bike and grab my gun from the holster. Tanner shoots at Vincent.
I focus and aim, fire one shot and it gets the back wheel. The pickup jerks and Tanner is thrown back into the vehicle. Vincent shoots the other side of the vehicle and gets the other tire.
It’s enough. The pickup was going so fast that the sudden blast to the wheels makes it flip over twice.
The strength in which it goes down makes me think they both must be dead. They aren’t though.
I leap my bike over a dead tree trunk as I round in closer.
Tanner is injured but the fucker is alive and crawling out from the window of his side of the pickup.
The fucker starts firing at me. It must be the cop syndrome.
I’m pretty sure that anybody else would have run to at least try and save themselves.
Not this guy. He wants to be a hero when it’s him who stole from us.
I dodge the bullets he sends my way. one nearly got me though. I aim at him. I just need one shot. I take it and it goes in his head.
He drops to the ground at the same time I hear another shot echo through the night and realize that’s Vincent.
As I round back I see he got Falcone.
We got them. The two of them are dead, dead, dead.
It’s over.
* * *
I’ve been so stressed over the whole situation that I can’t believe I don’t have to worry about it anymore.
The guns were taken back to the warehouse to get the shipment underway, Angelo was contacted and faith restored. All is well.
Vincent insisted on calling a meeting first thing in the morning, though. And it wasn’t any old meeting. It was a call to the heads of each family in the Giordano famiglia , and those with any responsibility in the business.
That meant Pa, me, and Georgiou in a room again, along with my two other uncles and the brothers from Vincent’s side.
This is the first meeting we’ve had like this with everyone here since Vincent’s father made him boss.
We’re all here at the boardroom of Giordanos Inc.
Vincent is at the head of the table and his brothers sit to his right in order of rank. Salvatore as underboss and consigliere, Gabe as first capo, then Nick as the second. After Nick is Pa and my two uncles curve the table. Georgiou is next to Vincent on his left, then me.
We all sat accordingly with ease, everybody knowing their place automatically. I certainly knew mine.
It’s unfortunate that I’m practically staring my father right in the eyes.
Over the last few weeks, I could have checked in with him and updated him on what was happening. I didn’t bother. Vincent did all that.
As I look my father in the eye he feels dead to me if he can wish death on me.
He has a rugged look about him which I’m guessing is to do with the divorce. Either he’s shaken by it because Ma is leaving him, or he’s shaken by the split in their assets. It’s a lot to lose even half. Well, he’s lost a son too.
I look away from him and focus on Vincent as he clears his throat, signaling the start of the meeting and we all give him our undivided attention.
“Thank you all for coming, I’ve called this meeting to update you on the recent situation involving the theft of one of our shipments and to address a few other things of importance that I feel we need to talk about,” Vincent states.
“This shouldn’t take long. First of all, we have managed to secure the guns and everything has been set back on track.
I will look into the previous shipment Falcone got to and make good with the client, so no one has to worry about that. ”
Vincent pauses, looks at each of us but his gaze lands on Pa and I don’t miss the crude stare he gives him. He looks away, but the look was fixated long enough for others to see he has a problem with Pa. Not even Vincent’s father has ever done that. It was definitely noted.
Vincent continues with his speech.
“Last night Falcone, and his cop accomplice were eliminated. We’ve disposed of Falcone in the normal manner, but our associates have provided the cover that the cop died in a gang shootout.
Since the pickup was registered to him we were able to make it look legit.
I have no worries about him either since our intel was able to provide evidence that he was associated in drug related dealings with various gang members. ”
I listen and take it in. We always have to worry about cops and feds. It’s difficult when one of them gets involved this way and we kill them. to my knowledge that hasn’t happened in recent years. I remember it happening with Frankie though.
As Vincent straightens I know he’s about to get to the crux of the meeting. It wasn’t all he just spoke about. That could have been done with a phone call. I know the man well enough to guess that he wanted everyone here so he could lay down the law. He’s about to.
“Business will return to what it was previously, the staff at the warehouse have been replaced and screened so this situation won’t happen again.
I say that, but we don’t know. We don’t know what can happen and we act according to what we consider right at the time.
I think it’s important to reinforce that I’m in charge here of every aspect of the business and I will deal with any issues accordingly.
I do not need, nor accept, orders being issued to my men by anybody else besides me.
” Again he looks at Pa. Pa would be an idiot not guess that I spoke to Vincent, or rather, it wasn’t difficult to figure out what was said to me.
“I do things a certain way to make sure we stay alive. I already lost a brother and I won’t lose another family member to shit.
That being said I think it’s reasonable to make another change to the hierarchy.
Georgiou has a good handle on the business side of things and I’m proud of the work he does.
Christian was allocated the care of the warehouses and the shipments, and will continue to do so.
But I’d be an fool to rob him of his other skills I need with me on the streets to sort shit out when it calls for it.
I’ve spoken with my brothers, and Georgiou, and we all agree that he should be made third capo to the line of defense. ”
I straighten up and stare at him. “What?” I ask.
Traditionally no one speaks until the boss tells them they can. I don’t mean to be disrespectful in anyway. It’s just surprise that got me and I forgot my place.
“Capo,” Vincent answers. “You know you deserve it. When trouble comes to get us, you’re there. You’re the tech and muscle when you need to be. Do you accept?”
I look to him, still in shock and I look on at his brothers then to my own who gives me a nod. The same nod he used to give me when we were kids. that little talk we had at the club showed him where my heads at. I never imagined being part of the business in this way. But I want it. I do want it.
“Yes,” I answer and look to Vincent. “I accept.”
“Perfect, meeting adjoined.”
I wait for everyone to leave before going over to Vincent. He’s the last person left. Pa didn’t even look at me and I don’t suppose he’ll say anything to me either. That’s okay, I’m used to it and things will be different in regard to him too and the non-existent relationship we have.
Vincent gives me a smile and tilts his head to the side. “Still shocked?” he asks.
“Floored,” I reply. “Thank you. I never expected that, and not after all that happened.”
“Christian what happened could have happened to any of us. Now you know better for next time and you can be more aware of the shit that can happen. What I don’t like is that fact that you were pushed on to the streets and in a capacity that could have really got you killed.
You think you defy your father, but I actually see you trying to please him,” he points out and for the first time I realize he’s right.
“I guess so. Some are hard to please.”
“You don’t have to do that anymore. I should have made you capo before. I meant what I said, you are there when I need you. Every time. You earned you’re stripes.”
“Thanks, means a lot.”
He dips his head and his face softens. “Let’s grab coffee. I have another long day.”