Chapter Seven
Leon moved to John’s desk and stared at the screen to see the back gate. The gate hardly anyone knew about.
They all saw a car pulling up to it and a hand reaching out to punch in the code that only family knew.
Leon gasped at the sight of the hand reaching out to work the code. He saw the ring the man wore...a signet ring that he, himself also wore. His heart nearly stopped as the person leaned out the window to stare at the camera.
It was Calderone, looking a little worse for wear but it was his face.
Leon reached out and pressed the button for the gate to open. He then looked up at John.
His son-in-law was grinning in relief. “Thank God, he’s home,” John said softly.
Leon couldn’t smile as he had to keep himself in check. He turned and walked to the back entrance where he unlocked the door and threw it open. He strode out and several men followed him. They all waited while the car holding Calderone and several others pulled up to the back.
Calderone stepped out of the car.
Leon hurried toward him. When he finally reached his son, he grabbed him into a hard hug.
Calderone groaned as he laughed.
Leon stepped back while looking him over carefully.
Calderone looked a bit disheveled, which was not like him.
Usually, every hair was in place and his suits were never wrinkled, he always looked neat as a pin.
His hair was all over the place, he had a bruise on his jaw and another one on his cheek.
There were stains on his clothing and his shirt was partially untucked.
Not his normal well put together look at all.
Leon didn’t care about any of that. He only cared that his son was home and safely behind their security. “What the hell happened over there?”
Calderone carefully reached into the vehicle and assisted Willow out.
She looked bruised up as well and her face looked pale.
“My dear,” Leon spoke softly and stepped over to gently hug her.
Willow tried hard not to cry but she failed. “It was so frightening, Leon. So frightening.”
He patted her on the back. “There, there mi bambina,” he tried to soothe her.
“Jack and Mickey are with Evelyn and Meena in a safe house. Nick and Jelly are also there. I didn’t think they should be here as we didn’t know what all was coming.
I am going to send you there as soon as you are ready.
You have clothes there already and the place is supplied up. ”
Willow looked troubled as she shook her head. “I don’t know about leaving Calderone.”
“My dear Willow, it is for the best.” Calderone came over to take her hand.
“Please come with me?” she pleaded.
Calderone shook his head. “I cannot leave when we have a battle to wage.”
“I agree with her son,” Leon stated. “You and Jordy. You are all beaten down and Jordy is injured. I can have the copter take you there. I have a virtual army here. Our team of two dozen. Then Bane and his brothers are here. Along with those two badass Jessin women. Twenty of the Sinners are here as well as Sam, Deke, Mountain and Hound.”
The back door of the limo opened and two men got out of the back seat. Alfredo Grimadli, then his wounded son, Juno.
Lucas also exited the car then he went around the back of the vehicle and opened the front passenger door, reaching inside to assist Jordy out.
Leon just stared at them all with a measured look. “Come inside everyone, it seems we have much to talk about.” He turned, grabbing Willow’s hand and gently ushered her inside.
Bane moved forward and grabbed Jordy on the other side to assist Lucas with the wounded man.
Everyone settled in the kitchen, where John poured coffee or bourbon for them whichever they wanted.
Alfredo searched Leon’s face for a moment then said, “I am so very sorry for what is happening. I never thought my son would do this nor my grandson. Maledizione! The Don isn’t blaming me for this but I blame myself.
Fredo has always been a little hotheaded but this?
” He spread his hands out. “This is la demenza...insanity itself.” Shaking his head he looked at his grandson Juno and his son Lucas.
“I cannot even comprehend what is going on inside his mind. To attack his own family and try to kill the Don in order to step into his shoes? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. ”
Leon shook his head. “You know Fredo always had hopes that one day he would earn a chance to gain power within the family. But because he did things the way he did, by any means necessarily, good or bad, the Don shot him down even before he could gain that seat.”
“Si, I know this.” Alfredo stared down into his coffee cup.
“He heard the old stories, the stories of how the mob was run a hundred years ago and he wanted that kind of power to rise again.” He looked up and said, “He never realized the organization wasn’t what it was back then, that time moves everything forward not backwards.
The old ways taught us lessons we needed to learn the hard way and we had to change.
” Then Alfredo looked at Leon and said, “I’m very glad to see you alive and well old friend.
I was worried Giovano had done damage to you and I hoped you would fight like it was the old days. ”
Leon smiled briefly. “Si I am still alive and Giovano’s plan to murder me in my own home failed spectacularly. He is wounded and he lives not in my dungeon, but behind bars. The Don wants him sent home to be made an example of.”
Alfredo nodded. “Fredo is being hunted right now. Knowing the Don as well as we do, he won’t stop until Fredo is caught and dragged back to face him.”
“As he deserves to be,” Lucas finally growled. “He set Calderone and I up to be ambushed and killed. Santo inferno! He shot his own son because he wouldn’t follow him. Fredo is my brother but he deserves to be dragged in chains through the streets and dumped on the Don’s lawn in shame.”
Alfredo didn’t say a word but tears ran down his weathered cheeks in shame.
Feeling compassion for his old friend, Leon reached over and patted his hand.
Alfredo gripped Leon’s hand and shook it, then he wiped the lone tear away from his cheek. “If you’ve already caught Giovano, what else is happening?”
Leon leaned back in his chair and looked at them all.
“Giovano and Fredo partnered with a Mexican cartel to set up a shipping company that would carry their contraband from Boston to Europe. This cartel is one that I kicked out of Boston twelve years ago because I did not want their poison here. I protect this city from criminal enterprises setting up here. They wished to sell heroin. This is my home and I do not want that here where I live, where my family lives. But now this cartel thinks they can just walk in and take what they want. They believe that Giovano will be in the place of power, so they can just come here and set up their own agenda. Bene, they are going to find a surprise when they arrive here.”
Calderone nodded. “Si, the Don was getting his own reports of this very thing. He has, as you know, his own men living here and watching over everything that’s going on in this area.”
Leon nodded. “Si, this I know. I understand it, even as we sit here, Manuel and Trego Gondo are on their way here with a caravan of guns and men to hold those guns. They are ready and willing to break down the walls to get inside this estate and wipe everyone out so Giovano can take over.”
Lucas, Juno and Alfredo, all shook their heads.
“We repealed two attacks so far. With a little help from the Sinners MC of Boston and Sin’s Bastards of New York.” Leon smiled and nodded at Frost. “Also, from some new and valuable friends, we just discovered.”
Calderone looked over at the man his father just nodded at. “Frost... is that you?” he asked.
Frost just grinned. “Yeah Calderone, it’s lil ole me.”
Calderone scoffed as he rolled his eyes. “Little? There is nothing small about you, Frost.
Frost chuckled. “Me, Storm, Tornado and Lightning. We’re all here and your father has welcomed us into his home.”
Calderone smiled, then he stood and held out his hand. “Damn, I’m glad you guys finally came forward.” He shook hands with Storm and Frost and then looked at his father. “You won’t regret hiring these guys, Dad. They will have your back and guard it very well.”
“I believe that.” Leon’s brow rose and he asked. “But how do you know them?”
Calderone grinned and nodded. “I know them and what’s more I trust them.
In fact, they helped Meena come home. They all followed her through the escape and watched her from the shadows all the way across Boston to reach this place.
Yes, Oscar stayed with her but they were there too.
Sort of as invisible guardians. I found them days later and they asked how she was doing.
We talked a bit then and they have been watching over her and us ever since. ”
Leon sat back in his chair and he thought about this story.
Then he nodded. “Si, Jelly Bean told me about them the night before the first attack came in. She said they were out there watching over the mansion. That’s when I called them in and met them for the first time.
Then we were attacked. Storm stood up and asked me where I wanted them to be.
I told them to watch the back and they did, without question.
” Shaking his head he added, “I just didn’t know they had been watching us this whole time. ”
“If you had known we were out there we couldn’t have protected you in the same way we did, sir,” Frost told him. “That was the whole point.”
Leon shook his head and glanced toward the ceiling.
“You have always protected us Lord and I hope you always will.” He caught Lucinda’s gaze and their eyes met.
Then he made the sign of the cross and looked at his family.
“Tell me how Jordy got hurt and how you got home. I got a call from the pilot and he said our plane was still in Italy.”