“My job might wait but those bastards outside won’t wait.”Nick growled.“They could be outside waiting for you to poke your head outside any minute.”
“John and his men are watching out for us,” Leon assured him.
“And Storm and his guys are out there too,” Jelly reminded them.She crossed her arms and glared at Leon.“You may not want them out there but they are and I won’t call them off.There are men in this city that no one would miss if they disappeared but they aren’t you.You, everyone would miss.”She shrugged.“That’s just a fact.”
Leon couldn’t say a word, instead he just turned and walked out.He headed down the hall to his den and went inside.Then closed the door behind him.He put his phone on the desk and walked over to the sofa in the room.He let out a sigh and stretched out for a moment.He was tired and Evelyn knew him too well as she called it correctly like always..
It had been a long night and he needed his down time.
Closing his eyes he prayed his son was all right and would come home to him.Their lives might not be a nine to five job but they weren’t heartless men either.Though he meant to show the men in the basement differently.They weren’t greedy men either.They were legal businessmen for the most part but they did hold their positions with the backing of the Familia.
A few hours later...
His cell rang and Leon’s eyes snapped open instantly.He reached for the phone and when he answered his voice was abrupt, “Si?”
There was no sound for a moment then the Don’s voice came over the line in Italian, “Leon, something has happened here that you need to know about.”
Leon sat up, swung his legs over the end of the sofa and took a deep breath.He didn’t feel that Calderone was gone.He then asked, “What happened?”
“Juno Grimaldi was shot this morning.He is in the hospital.He reached out to me by telephone to tell me it was Fredo that shot him.He told me that they argued about the plan and Fredo lost his temper.Juno was trying again to sway him from carrying through with his plan to overthrow the Familia.He knew the penalties we would take if Fredo started a war on us.”
A long silence fell on the other end.
Then the Don told him, “We may have to go through this after all, my friend.”
Leon sighed hard.“Well, if Fredo could shoot his own blood, then it sounds like he’s lost the game before it even began.”
“Si, I agree with you and I have a feeling this could get worse before it gets better.But for the moment we have Juno under guard.The next step is theirs.As I see it, the wait will be worse for them than it is for us.”
“Have you spoken to Angelo?”
“Si, I did.He is severely heartbroken over this and he is with Juno.”
“Bene, if someone gives Giovano the news that Juno is in the hospital he might pull back,” Leon reasoned.“But then again, he might think he has to follow his grandfather’s orders as well.He might be afraid to come home if he doesn’t.
“I agree, that might be his thinking.”The Don’s voice sounded haggard.“I will let you know what happens next.We may not have a choice if he escalates to the point of no return.”
“Si, keep me informed.”Leon ended the call and rubbed his face.He got up and wandered to the window.He didn’t see his own front lawn, instead he could see the emerald countryside of Italy.He saw the vineyards and the old churches.Pavilions unlike any in the world.TheOld Countryas it was called by most Italians.He had traveled there a number of times for his business and he could still see it in his mind.Italy was a beautiful country, but it could be violent too.
Mafia presence persisted across Italy, with major historical strongholds in the South like Sicily as the infamous Cosa Nostra, Calabria as 'Ndrangheta, and Campania as Camorra, but powerful groups also operated in Central—Northern regions like Lazio, Apulia, Veneto and Lombardy.Yes, the Mafia had expanded internationally, heavily involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, and infiltrating local politics and economies.The Cosa Nostra adapted to modern tech, and Camorra controlled areas in Campania, showing mafias were far from gone and instead they were adapting and spreading.
The 'Ndrangheta in Calabria was considered the world's most powerful Mafia and that was the very familia this Don was in charge of.The one which Fredo was challenging.Leon really believed him to be a fool for trying this.Others had failed while they were much smarter than Fredo and he wasn’t popular with many.So he would have to watch his back for the rest of his days as well as his son’s.
The Familia was strong, well known and the people either respected them or they didn’t but if they didn’t and crossed lines they shouldn’t...bad things could happen to them.
The present Don of 'Ndrangheta was a fair man but he didn’t tolerate any shenanigans either.If someone came after his family he would put that threat down strongly, once and for all.He didn’t allow any disrespect and what Fredo was doing his whole family would pay for.
Leon then realized something.If Jelly Bean had friends watching these men then they would know exactly where they were staying, wouldn’t they?Maybe he could stop them from coming after him in the first place.
He turned around and walked down the hall.
John sat at his computer and looked up at him.
Leon said, “Come with me.”Then he disappeared down the hall toward Nick’s room.
He gave a polite knock then opened the door.He went in and John stepped in behind him
Jelly Bean looked up.
