Chapter Nine
Leon knocked on the door and waited until Frost opened it.
When he opened the door, everyone filed in one by one. Frost’s eyes widened as he saw the number of people standing there. He looked at Storm and asked, “What’s all this?”
Leon tugged at his sleeve and looked at Frost. Then he swung his gaze over to Ria. “First of all. How are you feeling now, young lady?”
She looked at him and replied, “I am healing and your generosity has helped so much. Thank you. Please ask what you need to. I wish to help all that I can.”
Leon smiled kindly at her. “What kind of men did Ricco meet with? Do you know any of them? Would they make good soldiers?”
Ria just stared at him then she laughed.
“Yes, I know them and no, they aren’t any kind of soldiers.
But they would follow him into battle all the same.
And do you know why? Because they all have the same problem Ricco does.
They are all losers who think the whole world owes them a living.
Except Ricky. Ricky and Brigs, they have big ideas and bigger dreams. I think mainly they just want a place to call home and a family, which isn’t a bad dream to have.
I think Ricco’s dream became their dream too.
But not in the same way. Ricco was looking for power and glory while all they wanted was to be part of something bigger.
” She shrugged. “He’s got maybe thirty men but again he made them all promises he couldn’t keep. ”
Leon looked at Frost then he looked at Storm, then he paced again.
The men were learning about this man this meant...Plans were running through his head.
John came in with an iPad in his hands. He handed it to Leon and said, “I think they made their first move.”
Leon stared at John then down to the device in his hands. He looked up and took the whole room in his gaze, swearing in his native language, “Sei serio? The minchia stronzo.”
John looked around and explained, “Apparently, Big Mac came back to the boat and found his hostage missing and his boat engine dead. He then called in his men. He went back to the lighthouse and found it empty. He totally destroyed the building but he left a message written in blood.”
“What did it say?” Storm asked.
Leon handed the iPad to him.
Storm read it and handed it around the room.
When it came to Jelly Bean she stared at the written words and read them aloud, “I’m done playing, Leon.
You will pay with your blood.” Jelly Bean’s hands were shaking when she handed it back to John.
“Big Mac knows you have Ricco. He is not a man to mess with. He means every word.”
Frost looked at Ria and shook his head. “Mac will turn over every rock to find him and he will attack everyone he thinks is in on this. Your brother brought a war to Boston.”
Ria nodded. “I know. Our parents would roll over in their graves to know what he did. Our mother was the only daughter in the Gondo family and she never wanted anything to do with the cartel’s business.
That’s why we were the poor relations in the family.
My dad earned a good living but nowhere near what the cartel did.
Ricco was selfish and he turned his back on the family when he went to them for work.
He used to taunt our dad saying he was working his fingers to the bone for peanuts, that he couldn’t provide his family with much more and that he should learn to work smarter not harder.
My father would just stare at him and tell him that his work was honest at least and that he could look at himself in the mirror every morning and not be ashamed of what he was doing.
But Ricco felt entitled, he never felt shame being involved with the cartel drugs and now that entitlement is going to hurt even more people.
” She wiped the tears from her cheeks and shook her head.
“I think I always knew that his entitlement was going to get people killed one day and now that day is here.” She looked up at Leon.
Leon nodded. “Si, and I will not hide him from what comes next but the war he just started is only the beginning. I have to use what I can to keep from having blood on my streets. This is not your fault. So please don’t think that.”
Ria looked up at him. “I wouldn’t expect you to. Ricco must finally face what he’s done and settle the consequences. Every man has a choice to make and his choices led him here.”
Leon nodded then he strode out of the room.
No one knew what Leon would do yet but they all knew he would protect this city and end this the only way he could.
Storm grabbed his phone and began making calls.
During one particular call, Frost gasped and stared at him then he shook his head. He looked over at Ria and said softly, “He’s calling in every marker he has.”
“Is that bad?” she whispered back.
Frost snorted. “It isn’t good or bad but these people live here too and they want the streets to be safe for them and everyone else.”
Jelly Bean looked at him and asked, “Do you think there’s anything to the rumor that Ricco was thinking about using Jasmine’s mansion for his own place of business?”
Frost shrugged. “It’s possible, isn't it? That house is huge and would be just right to house everyone. Hell, everything there is locked up tight and the cameras will let them know who’s coming in case they have to hide anything.”
Jelly Bean scoffed. “Oh yeah, they can hide behind a locked gate if they have to, but they don’t own the place. Nor do they have the right to even be there. That’s gonna piss off Queen Jasmine-Bitch in a hard way. Someone daring to touch her house and she can’t do a damn thing about it.”
Rebel shook her head, “Don’t you think she won’t try. She’ll have her lawyers on top of things before they even get their foot in the door.”
Jelly Bean snorted. “What lawyers? They work for a living too and she ain’t got no money, honey. She can’t do shit about it.”
Rebel shook her head. “I’ll bet she’s got a plan B. She usually does. And that house means a lot more to her than her family ever could. She’s got a plan, you just wait and see.”
Jelly Bean stared at her sister for a moment then she shook her head. “I’m not taking that bet because you could be right. So if Ricco set up a plan, whoever he gets to go in there might just have a surprise when they open the door.”
Frost looked at Jelly Bean and asked, “You think he told Big Mac about his plans?”
Jelly Bean shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
Storm joined them and he looked from one to the other and said, “We can sit here and speculate or we can go straight to the jackass himself and listen to what he has to say before this gets out of hand. Let’s find Leon and go talk to Ricco.”
They all left the bedroom and found Leon in the security room with John.
Leon turned and waited for them to say something.
Finally, it was Storm that opened the conversation, “We think it’s time to speak to Ricco again. I’ve got people all over the city looking for Mac and Ricco’s group. They will contact us if they figure out where they are.”
Leon nodded. “I too have my men out there searching for them.” He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.
“But you are right, we do need to speak to him again. I checked on him a few minutes ago through the cameras and I believe he’s crashing hard now.
He’ll be getting desperate for another fix very soon.
Maybe that will be the thing that straightens him out a bit, so he will tell us the truth. ”
Jelly Bean shook her head, “Or it could be what sends him over the edge. We see it on the streets all the time. I’m just saying a junkie doesn’t really understand something like this.
A man like Ricco thinks all we have to do is let him go and everything will be alright in his mind.
He really thinks that he can speak to Mac and straighten everything out.
But he doesn’t know what Big Mac is really all about.
Not to mention he owes Big Mac money and that’s all that matters to a man like Mac.
Ricco doesn’t know the safest place he can be is in your cell room right now. ”
“Well let’s have a little chat with the boy and see what he has to say.” Leon growled.
John accompanied the group down to the cell area.
When they got close to the door they could all hear raised voices. John unlocked the door and they went in.
They were met with the chaos of a fight between Silva, Ortega, and Ricco.
Jelly Bean lifted her fingers to her mouth and let out a sharp, loud whistle.
The angry shouts stopped and everyone turned to look at her.
She just shrugged and Leon turned back to face Ricco.
“You stupid little man, what kind of hell did you bring to my city?” Leon growled.
Ricco frowned and then he just stared at him “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Do you really think you are man enough to take me down and step into my shoes to run this city?” Leon told him.
“You aren’t fit to run a damned daycare.
How dare you make a deal with Big Mac to bring drugs into this city.
How dare you bring in your own men to take over.
He’s been running all over town to find you and that doesn’t make him happy. ”
Ricco crumbled under the events and he began to sweat. “As soon as I get out of here, I’ll have to explain what happened. Mac will understand.” He mumbled out loud.
Benzo growled, “Are you stupid, hermano? Mac is not an understanding man.”
“I agree with your brother.” Leon nodded.
“Mac went back to the lighthouse last night and when he didn’t find you there and no sign of anyone living there he tore that place apart.
He wrote a death threat to you on the wall in his own blood.
What does that tell you about how understanding Big Mac is? ”
Ricco paled as sweat rolled down his face and dripped onto his shirt collar. “This is your fault, if you had just let me go, this wouldn’t be happening.”
Leon moved closer to the cell. “Let you go?” Leon questioned him.
“Stronzo, you came to my front gate, climbed the fence in broad fucking daylight and headed to my own damn front door with a gun in your hand. Was I supposed to say come on in and just let you just shoot me?” He glared down at the man sitting on the cot.
“You are the biggest fool I’ve ever known and I’ve had better men than you or the Gondo’s trying to kill me.
No one has succeeded yet. And it will take more than a strung-out-no good-loser- junkie to get out of this situation.
You couldn’t even get away from two women with baseball bats. ”
Silva laid back on his cot and looked a bit too comfortable. He even wore a smile on his face.
John glared at him. “What are you so fucking happy about?”
Silva grinned. “It’s been almost five days since your boss murdered our family. If you’re so worried about a man like Mucho Mac then maybe you should know you got even more trouble coming than that.”
John crossed his arms over his chest and asked, “What kind of trouble?”
“Paulo always makes a plan B, you know, just in case Plan A doesn’t work,” Silva told them. “Vayo, plan A didn’t work so well for him, now did it?”
John scoffed. “And here I thought you and his brothers were plan B.”
Silva smirked. “Yeah, we were but Paulo made a plan C just in case. And you haven’t seen plan C yet but you will and soon.”
Just then Storm’s phone pinged and everyone heard it.
Storm reached for his cell and looked at the message. He texted back and put his phone away. Then he glared at Ricco even as he smiled. “Well, it seems that some of your boys got into a bit of trouble. Mac found them and he killed every one of them.”
Ricco’s eyes widened as he trembled and his face lost all its color. “H-How m-many men did he kill?” His voice was low and his words could barely be heard.
“About a dozen or so is what I got.” He shrugged. “Don’t know the final headcount but I would say better than half.”
Ricco was crashing hard by this time. He just grabbed his pillow and began to rock back and forth. He began to wail and threw himself back against the cement block wall at his back. After a few times a stain could be seen against the wall.
“Stop, Ricco!” Benzo cried out.
John looked over at Leon.
Leon didn’t move, didn’t even speak a word.
After another few bangs on the wall the bloody stain grew even bigger. Finally, Ricco fell forward and when he did, he hit the floor face down and he didn’t move again.
Finally, Leon nodded at John and said, “Make sure he can’t get away. Chain him to the cot and get the doctor down here to help him.” Then Leon moved over to the cell Silva was in and snapped, “I’ve about had all I’m going to take from the Gondo’s. What is your plan C all about?”
Silva looked up at Leon and smirked. “Paulo told his crew to wait no longer than five days from the day we were supposed to hit you. If he didn’t call it off, another bus of soldiers was supposed to come for you.
” He paused then said arrogantly, “You have about another two days before they get here, then either you die or they do. I’m betting on them surviving and taking us back home. ”
Leon smiled but the joy never made it to his eyes.
“I’m not worried at all. I am part of the largest fucking mafia in the US you fucking moron.
I plan to live a very long and happy life.
Your uncle Paulo knew he and his crew weren’t welcome here, I told him a dozen years ago...
not to come back to my city. I told him exactly what would happen to him if he ever came back.
Bene, he had to learn that lesson the hard way.
Your cartel is done here and they too will learn the hard way to leave my city the hell alone. ”
Leon turned on his heel and walked away. He slammed the door behind him.
The finality and sound of it seemed to make Silva flinch.
One by one everyone followed him until only John was left. As soon as he secured Ricco, he looked at Benzo to say, “You brother is almost dead but you can be sure of one thing, the poor guy never felt it. He crashed hard but at least he didn’t feel any of it.”
“What happens now?” Benzo dared to ask.
“Now we go to war,” John told him. “Just know that Leon has won more wars than you could dream of. More than I can count even. He takes no prisoners when it comes to protecting his city. It is somewhat of an orchestra of death for any who come at him. He is always a few chess moves ahead, you see? This is why I would follow him to the depths of hell if needed. Why? Cause he always wins. But you and them two?” He tossed his thumb at Silva and Ortega.
“I’m sure Leon has already picked a spot out to bury you three.
Somewhere nice and quiet I suppose but he will bury you all the same.
” He walked out of Ricco’s cell and locked the door.
Then he headed toward the door to the stairs and carefully shut it behind him.