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“The gang's here; we have two backups waiting just a few blocks out.” Benny replied.
“Good. Vasquez is a fucking asshole, and if he tries to pull a stunt, it might just be the last thing he does,” I replied. I looked over at the car where five men waited. They were all handpicked by me, the men I trusted the most. Each of them was willing to give up their lives for me and were adequate fighters.
Two stayed outside, and the other three followed me and Benny into the warehouse. It was some sort of mill that cut out sheets of metal. There were large blades and lots of sheet metal stacked around, along with rods, pipes, and other pieces of metal laid all around, and a laser cutter sat in the far back. The owner of the mill had fallen under my jurisdiction and had allowed me to use the place for the meeting. It was his own way of paying protection for the month, and I was fine with that.
Once a year, the two sides of the family would meet to discuss their new jurisdictions and routes, along with other business dealings that would allow the smooth operation of both sides of the family. The meeting for the year had already occurred, but since the death of my father, I knew that I had to take my own turn at it, and explain how things would be under my leadership, showing that I was not afraid of Vasquez or any of his attacks. I would defend my regions with all my power and make sure I lost nothing.
“You’re late!” Vasquez yelled across the warehouse. His voice boomed across the large empty space.
“I came at the right time,” I replied with an even louder voice, walking up to Vasquez.
The man was a lot like me. We both had the same build - six feet tall, a strong jawline, and jet-black hair. But Vasquez was almost twenty years older than I was and had his hair slightly greying on the sides. He had kept it trimmed and fashionable, in a manner which I liked. It was probably the only thing about the man I could agree with. I shook his hand, before we took a few steps back.
“Shame we did not get a chance to meet at the manor. I would have loved to have some of your fathers' legendary wine. Is it true that they are from a vineyard he owns?”
“As much as I would like to answer that, we are not here to discuss the truth behind myths, Vasquez,” I said to him with a blank face.
“Oh yes, we are here to discuss your new temporary... What should I call it? Reign?”
“Excuse me?” I called out, frowning at the man.
“Well, I heard about the incidents at your clubs and liquor stores. Damn shame about all of those who were hurt.” Vasquez said with a laugh. “But honestly, boy, if this is how you are going to run your father’s empire, you might run it to the ground.”
“You better watch your words Vasquez,” I replied, my face contorted with rage. Benny walked up beside me, knowing how aggressive I could get.
“You know when you were born, your father became a lot more aggressive. All the competition, he snuffed them out like a flame between his thumb and index. We began calling him the sculptor. Michelangelo. Because he made sure that everything he wanted, he got, exactly the way he wanted it. Instead of whining about it when it got hit by punks, who obviously had no stakes in the grand scheme of things.”
I pulled out my gun and pointed it at Vasquez, causing the east side men to pull out their guns as well. “Don’t fucking talk about my old man!”
“Well, who else am I supposed to compare a failure like you to?” Vasquez laughed and put his head against my gun, “Go ahead, pull the trigger, and show everyone what I know. You aren’t fit to run anything. You are just a spoiled brat, handed the keys to a car and your feet can't even touch the pedals.”
I pulled the gun away and tucked it into my waistband as Benny touched my shoulder. “We are done here.”
“Was nice seeing you! Hope we get to do great things together!” Vasquez yelled to me as I walked out. Benny got into the driver’s seat as I got in behind him. Lightning flashed as the rain continued to pelt down on the car.
“You need to calm down, Angelo,” Benny began.
“Calm down? Thatfuckerwas making fun of me! He was making fun of my father, and I’m supposed to just relax? I understand how the families work, but we know he has some ulterior motive. We can’t just have that. We can’t!” I yelled, the memory of all the times in the past when Vasquez would try his best to undercut a deal from my father or order a hit on someone who was looking to do business with us. Vasquez was always looking to gain the advantage, and he did not care if he had to play dirty.
The sound of gunshots drew our attention towards the building we had just left. We turned just in time to see the other men get shot down in their vehicle. Before I could react, Benny hit the gas, sending us firing into the street, away from the gunfire. Vasquez sent his men to attack, and we had to get away before they got to us. Backup had not arrived, and we were outgunned.
Benny took a hard turn and climbed up on the sidewalk of the next street, fighting to maintain control of the vehicle in the rain. I heard something bump into the car. He held the brakes as we saw the side of a face and red hair bounce off the front windshield. He froze, realizing that he had just run into someone. Benny looked into the rearview mirror and saw that no other vehicles were on the street, and no one had seen them.
“Wait!” I yelled as Benny continued to drive.
“What?” Benny asked. “We stay, they’ll catch up. We have to go,now!”
CHAPTERTWO
Maria
I moved skillfully through the kitchen, setting the bacon on the plate. Normally, it would have taken me two moves to get it from the pan to a plate, but with my right arm in a sling, I was forced to work with a single hand. However, I was still able to work quickly and managed to get the meal dished out in one piece. I moved it all to a tray and carried the tray on one hand, then I walked over to the adjoining bedroom in my house.
“You know, even though I never broke my arm, I had to serve meals with one hand sometimes, just to show that I could do it. But looking at you now, with just some bacon...”
“Oh, come on, Mom,” I cut in as she put the food down on the cabinet that served as a table for my mother.
“I’m just saying that I could do better,” the older woman replied from the bed. She attempted to sit up, and I reached for her with my good arm, but she slapped the hand away. “I have cancer. I’m notbraindead. Besides, what are you going to do, one-armed wonder?”
