Chapter Eight
John slowly shook his head at Jelly Bean. “Maybe you should also grab a position here. I could use eyes like yours. Even I never spotted such small specks.”
Jelly Bean shook her head. “Sure, I might do that. I’m a crack shot and I can cut someone up neat and accurately like cheese on crackers.” Then she paused her mock bragging to release a sigh. “He doesn’t get it, does he?” She motioned her head to the door that Leon just walked through.
John shook his head slowly. “No, he doesn’t. But you have to give him time to understand. He’s never thought he was above the people. I have always noted that. A mobster who is mostly humble. Who would’ve ever guessed that?”
Nick leaned up on his elbow. “He’s a good man Jelly, people respect him. I wouldn’t be here if I had no respect for him. I don’t care how much anyone pays me. If the man isn’t THE man, I don’t want to be a part of the team under him.”
“Oh, I know. Oscar doesn’t really trust many people, but he respects Leon.” Jelly nodded. “And Storm really wants to meet him.”
“Tell us about this guy,” John urged her.
Jelly just stared at the floor, then she said, “It’s not my story to tell. I think you should meet him first. If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you.”
“Do you know his story?” John asked.
Jelly just stared at him, then she nodded.
“It’s not my business, you know? But I will tell you one thing, If Storm says he’ll do something then he will do it.
He’s a stand-up kind of guy.” She paused then said, “And if Leon takes him on, he’ll take a bullet for him, but hopefully he never has too.
Storm is the kind of guy Boston needs too. ”
John glanced at Nick and nodded. “Let’s hope he shows up in the next hour. We’re gonna need time to get in place before Giovano gets here.”
Jelly chuckled. “He’ll be quicker than you think. Like as in he is already here most likely.”
“Let’s hope so. I know Leon wants to end this before they take that shot.”
“Like his father really shot his own son,” Nick stated in disgust.
John shrugged. “It is just fucked up if that’s the way it went down. I’ve heard Leon speak of this guy Fredo and man, he is just crazy. He dumber than a bag of rocks and not too sane to think this would work. To plan something like this? He is insane for sure.”
“Two bricks short of a load and lacking some major brain cells,” Jelly quipped. “But I think Storm can show you where these guys are laying low.”
John nodded. “That will give him the hometown advantage. Leon knows these streets forward and backward.”
A loud birdcall broke the silence as it blared outside the window of Nick’s room.
Jelly Bean smiled. “Storm is here. That’s his call.
“But it’s coming from the backyard,” John said. “Why would he come in that way?”
“No John,” Nick interjected. “The question would be HOW did he come in that way, brother.”
Jelly Bean just stared at them. “That’s who he is. Leon might have invited him but he never said to come to the front door.”
John motioned for her to come with him. “Maybe you’d better come along and introduce them.”
“Sure, Mr. Manners, let’s go.” Jelly followed him.
They picked Leon up in his den.
“Storm is here. He came around the back,” Jelly told him softly.
Leon paused to look over at John.
John sighed and told him, “I will find out.” He knew the man had breached the estate and considering the current danger, they had to find out how.
They followed Jelly Bean to the back door. When she opened it, she stepped to the side.
There stood Storm, all six foot nine of him. Dark, broad shouldered and his appearance was just like his name. He had three other men with him.
Leon just stared at him for a long moment.
Storm seemed used to the reaction. He held out his hand to Leon. “You called me here. I’m Storm.”
Leon shook his hand without any seeming judgement and stepped back, allowing the men into his home. “Let’s take this to my office.”
The group went down the long hall and when Leon opened the office, they all trudged inside.
Jelly Bean smiled and nodded at the other men then she stepped toward the other hall to head back to Nick.
Leon stopped her by placing a hand on her arm. “Please join us. Your friends at least know you and they would be more comfortable with you at our first meeting,” he spoke softly.
Jelly nodded then stepped back into the room.
Storm nodded at her. “Hey, Jelly Bean how you been?”
“Been living high and mighty,” she joked. “All gravy and no train. This man here may think he is living normally.” She motioned to Leon. “But as you can see.... It is like the Lifestyles of the Rich and Extremely Dangerous. And you?”
Storm chuckled. “Same ole Jelly. All jokes and no fear. I always thought I might see you on a comedy tour somewhere.” He then shrugged and asked her, “So is this for real?”
Jelly Bean nodded. “Yeah man, this is real.”
Storm turned his head to stare at Leon and asked, “Why’d you know enough to call me?”
Leon sat behind his desk and studied the group of men in front of him.
They really weren’t anything average. Let alone an average street person.
All big, in shape and looking alert to anything that might come.
“I knew to call for you because of the signals. You know the flashlights as you were guarding my street? Then I went to Jelly Bean. After convincing her of the importance, she told me your name but not much else. Said I needed to talk to Oscar.”
Storm nodded. “I can’t believe you even know him.”
“I’ve known him for a while. So, after I realized you and your group were keeping a look out along the road here, I wondered if you knew where these men were hiding?”
Storm nodded. “Yeah, they been there a few days. They think they’re safe because the place is out in the sticks. They are waiting for some bigshot from Italy. He’s supposed to be here today at some point.”
Leon steepled his fingers and replied, “Si, he is supposed to arrive today but things are going wrong back home. Things that he might not know about yet and that news is not going to make him happy.”
Storm just stared at him for a long moment. “Oh, yeah? That’s too bad, isn’t it?”
Leon nodded and said in mock pity, “Si it is too bad but he and his brother had to know their father’s plan wouldn’t work.”
Storm held up his hand. “We got most of the story straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak. We heard their plans from the guys holed up, so we know the gist of it already.”
Leon nodded. “We need you to show us where these men are staying. We’ll surround them and take them out.”
One of Storm’s men snorted. “Yeah, I just bet you will.”
Leon just stared at him. “We don’t want bloodshed but I will not just let them go either.
They broke men out of prison and brought them here to Boston to do harm to my family.
Two of the men are dead for what they did after they got here and the other three are downstairs in my cells.
But we didn’t know where these other men are. ”
Storm studied Leon then nodded. “We’ll show you the front door. What you do to them after you break that door down, is your business.” He looked over at Jelly Bean.
Jelly Bean studied him. Then to show her trust in Leon, she nodded.
Storm then looked back at Leon and nodded. “Her word is good enough for me.”
Leon cocked his head at him. “But she didn’t say a word.”
Storm smiled. “She didn’t have to say it.” He shrugged. “If you know her at all? You know when she disapproves.”
Leon paused then he chuckled. “Si, I have learned this. The woman has no filter.” He looked over at her and added, “And that makes her a treasure to behold.”
Storm paused at this odd statement then he laughed too.
“I see that you do know her. So at first, she gives you a real headache like a migraine, man... and threatens to kick your ass several times. Then when she sees you aren’t giving up, she will slowly allow you in.
IF you are lucky. But not far, just enough so you wish to earn her friendship. ”
Jelly Bean scoffed. “You act like I’m someone important. Come on, man!”
Leon just shook his head. Then he turned to Jelly. “I have found that your importance grows by the day. Not only to me and my family but to Nick. You need to realize just how wonderful you are and accept our...trust in you.”
Jelly Bean said not a word. She simply shook her head as if they were all crazy then gave Storm and his men a nod. Turning, she left the room.
After what he just said about Jelly Bean, Storm stared at Leon. “So, you are the real deal.”
John replied to this, “Those of us who work for him know that he is just that.”
Leon just shook his head at him.
Alarms went off throughout the house.
Leon halted and stared at John. “The women know to get to the saferoom.”
John gave him a nod and headed out of the room.
“Wait!” Storm yelled at him. “What’s going on?”
“We are under attack,” John called back to him as he was on his phone talking to Ballard.
Storm and his men looked over at Leon.
He already had twin pearl handled pistols laid out on his desk.
He was checking his ammunition clips. He then redeposited the guns into his under the jacket-double-holsters.
“The war has come to us, gentlemen. If you wish to leave, you may. I am sure you know where the door is.” He then rushed over to a painting and slid it aside.
Pressing a button, the wall slid over, revealing racks of machine guns, rifles and AK 47’s.
“Or...” Leon mimicked that old movie line, “You can say hello to my little friends.” He wore a lopsided smile even as his eyes blazed with rage.