When he entered the office, she knew by his expression that something was wrong. “Justin? What is it?” Cammie asked with a feeling of dread.
“Where’s Jared?” Justin asked, ignoring her question for the moment.
“He went to get some coffee. Why? Justin, what’s going on?” Cammie said, her apprehension growing.
“Ok,” he replied, calming himself down and looking her in the eyes. “A man was watching the compound this morning…” He went on to explain the situation, as he knew it, including the fact that the man was his uncle by blood, but not true family. With each new revelation, Cammie’s face became more and more horrified.
As he finished speaking, Jared came back into the office with two steaming mugs of coffee. When the lawyer saw Justin, he knew immediately that something was wrong. He blinked twice as he saw the terrified expression on Cammie’s face as well. After two decades as Anthony Wolfe’s attorney, Jared became very astute at reading the situation at any given time.
“I know something is wrong, so I’m going to set these coffee mugs down and then you’re going to tell me what’s going on,” Jared said with a calmness he didn’t really feel. He handed one mug to Cammie, who thanked him graciously. Then he took a long pull from his own before he set it down on her desk.
“Take a seat, Jared,” Justin said, indicating the third chair in Cammie’s office.
“Don’t worry about me,” Jared replied. “Now, tell me what happened.”
Justin explained it all again, and Jared simply nodded as he closed his eyes.
“I was afraid that something like this would happen,” Jared sighed.
“Wait a minute! You knew?” Cammie asked with a shocked look at her boss. “Justin didn’t even know!”
“I’ve been Mr. Wolfe’s attorney since before Justinian was born, Cammie,” he explained to both of them. “I was the one who helped facilitate his and Linda’s identity changes.”
“Ray said that the forgeries would pass as real to anyone that cared to look closely enough,” Justin said as he narrowed his eyes. “How is that possible?”
Jared sighed. “A man named Cyrus Morgan, actually. He’s the best forger in the world, since he uses the system itself to make his forgeries. When Mr. Wolfe first came to me, I put him in contact with Cyrus. He’s expensive, but worth every penny.”
“How do you know him, then?” Cammie asked suspiciously.
“A friend of my father’s told me about him,” Jared said. “My father and his friend were part of First Ranger Battalion when they liberated a Nazi POW camp during World War II. Mr. Morgan was imprisoned there. That isn’t important now, though. If Salvatore Lupo is alive and here, then the crap is going to hit the rotating oscillator sooner, rather than later.”
“I gathered that from what my father said,” Justin nodded. “How much do you know about him?”
“Enough to be scared shitless,” Jared confessed with a shrug. “From what your father told me about him, he’s ruthless and careful. They could never pin that massacre on him, and he always denied it, but that was the reason why your grandfather was going to pick Anthony over Salvatore to lead the family after he passed. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen because your uncle betrayed the Lupo and O’Hara alliance to the Russians.”
“What massacre?” Cammie asked, wide eyed.
“A smaller, rival Italian family tried to make a move on the Lupo-O’Hara territory, and Salvatore was given the task of stopping their incursions,” Jared started to explain. Then he shuddered. “From what Anthony told me, the short version is that Salvatore and his men slaughtered not only the rival Mafiosi, but their families as well. That included the children, even an infant. Salvatore and the men under his command denied killing the families, but Anthony’s father Giovanni kept him on a very short leash after that.”
“Wasn’t there any evidence?” Justin asked.
“It was a different time back then, Justin,” Jared shrugged and shook his head. “They didn’t have DNA evidence back then, and no witnesses came forward. Nobody knew who hit the rival Family, because nobody from that Family was left alive. The perpetrators wore masks and didn’t speak at all as they slaughtered the men, women and children.”
He paused again and breathed deeply. Then he looked at Justin. “Please don’t tell your father that I told you this.”
“No problem, Jared,” Justin replied, now very apprehensive himself. If what he says is true, Salvatore might try to do the same to us. Now I know why Father wants security guarding everyone!
“Attention, everyone.” Anthony Wolfe’s voice announced over the intercom system. “In twenty minutes, I would like all of you to meet me in the main theater for a briefing on a new and urgent situation. Justin, I want you with me onstage.”
“Ok, I have to go. I’ll see you there,” Justin said and leaned over to kiss Cammie. She kissed him back sweetly, and he smiled as he stood up and walked briskly out of the room. He broke into a jog as he moved towards the theater where he knew his father awaited him.
***** ***** *****
While the Wolfe household braced for war, Salvatore put his plans into motion. Later that day, he met the flight from JFK at LAX. He met his Russian comrades as they exited the terminal, and started assigning surveillance tasks for each of them.
He had a safe house set up for them, which would act as a base of operations during their campaign. When they reached the house, Salvatore showed them the pictures he’d already taken. He explained each one as they went.
“Now that you’re here, we can begin in earnest,” Salvatore said with a nod as his men gathered around the large table. He turned to the board and pointed to a photo taped up there.
“This man goes by the name of Anthony Wolfe,” he started. He noted that he had their full attention, so he continued. “Beside him is his wife, Linda. Besides me, they are the last of the Lupo bloodline. After we finish, I will be the last.”
“Da, Brigadier,” said Ivan Polokov, a big burly former Spetsnaz shooter. “Do we strike at them first?”
“No, Ivan,” Salvatore said with a cruel smirk. “I want my brother to watch as we destroy his organization, first. I want him to watch, as we slaughter everyone he loves. I want him to watch as I put a bullet in his son’s head! I want him to watch as I take his wife in front of him, and then make him watch as I slit her throat when I’m done! He needs to watch helplessly as we destroy everything he’s built over the years! His company! His family! Then he will die for what he did to our Bratva brothers, twenty eight years ago!”
Salvatore thought back to that day. His intent was never to ally himself with the Russians on a permanent basis. However, plans change as the situation dictates. As cruel as he was, Sal knew that he would need help after the debacle ended with Dmitri and all of his men dead. He didn’t account for the sheer determination of the Irish mobsters and his own family in the face of overwhelming odds. If not for them, he would have been able to betray the Russians and lead his family as he’d planned. His mother might still be alive, if his plan had worked.
Unfortunately, Gianna took a stray bullet while being ushered to safety, and it killed her instantly. At least she didn’t suffer.
Sal loved his mother, as she’d been the only one to show him the love and respect that he knew he deserved. He also hadn’t counted on his brother simply shooting him instead of listening to his explanation.
He knew that it was a miracle, that he was still alive after being shot and buried alive. His brother put two bullets into his chest, but they’d missed his heart and lungs. He knew that Antonio was an expert marksman, so he attributed his good fortune to Divine intervention. God was on his side, and he would not squander the chance.
Escaping the collapsing tunnel was also the work of God, in Salvatore’s mind. He regained consciousness, a few minutes after Antonio shot him, and he struggled to rise as the rage engulfed his mind. That pure, unadulterated hate fueled him, and he staggered in the direction that his brot
her and the others had gone.
The bleeding from his wounds would’ve sapped his strength except for that burning anger inside him. Then the explosions hit from where he’d entered the tunnel, back at the O’Hara estate. Several closer explosions hit him from behind as the charges did their work. The shockwaves from the detonations knocked him out cold again for a few moments.
He came to, even angrier than he’d been before. His hatred for his brother burned within him as he once more staggered towards the exit. He looked down and realized that he was holding the gun again. He didn’t remember picking it up, but he smiled cruelly. He wouldn’t explain anything this time. He would just kill Antonio and be done with him!
He exited from the tunnel and into the basement of a house. He climbed the stairs to the ground floor and saw two men talking as they gathered up two suitcases. Enraged, he lifted the pistol and fired twice, hitting both men in the back. He walked up to them and saw that one was still alive.
He saw the terror in the man’s eyes just before he squeezed the trigger, blowing the man’s brains out. Then he heard a woman scream as she opened the car door. He didn’t even think, but raised the gun and shot her between the eyes.
“Fuckin’ bitch!” he muttered as he walked to the car and took the dead woman’s keys. The drive back to Manhattan and into Russian territory cooled his temper slightly. He knew what he had to do. He had to consolidate what little power he had left and add to it. Then he’d find those who’d ruined his plans, and make them all pay with their lives!
First, he drove himself to an Alliance hospital for treatment, hoping that they hadn’t abandoned it yet. He caught a doctor and nurse there, still packing up to leave. At gunpoint, they stitched up the through-and-through wounds on his chest and back. In gratitude, he shot them both in the head. Then he decided to take over the only major crime organization left in the wake of the Alliance’s destruction. That would be his first step in consolidating his assets.
He started by going back to the Bratva headquarters. When Dmitri’s only surviving lieutenant disputed Salvatore’s assumption of command, the Italian renegade shot him dead. The rest of the Russian expats swore their allegiance to him. They made him a Brigadier, comparable to a Capo in the Mafia.
He discovered that they had all escaped Russia together, when the KGB and Spetsnaz worked a joint operation in Czechoslovakia. They knew that with their skills and cunning, they could do what the Italians and Irish did in America. They brought cold brutality with them from their homeland, though. They brought a calm precision to dealing with their enemies. They would change the face of organized crime and rule through fear, rather than respect.
With Salvatore as their leader, they did just that. Once he consolidated his power with his new allies, he started his search for the remnants of the O’Hara and Lupo Families.
When he found Siobhan O’Hara, Kevin’s widow in Boston, though, he had to leave her alone. The O’Hara clan in Boston was much more powerful than they’d been in New York. Even with all of the Russian expats immigrating to the United States after the Cold War ended, he still didn’t have enough men to invade Southey and wipe out the O’Hara clan once and for all.
Instead, he turned his attention to finding the remnants of the Lupo Family. After years of searching and combing through rumors, he finally happened upon the name Anthony Wolfe. Having gained quite a vast amount of wealth, he decided to drive his Maserati across the country, rather than fly. He arrived in Los Angeles with binoculars and a camera with a zoom lens in hand. After calling his lieutenant and letting him know he’d arrived, he found the Wolfe Estate and parked out front to see if it was really the right place…
Chapter 4
Prepare for War
Earlier that day, before Salvatore’s Bratva thugs arrived from New York, Mr. Wolfe gave his briefing on the situation, as they knew it at the time. Justin listened to his father give everyone the briefing on Antonio’s erstwhile brother Salvatore Lupo, and what little information they’d learned about him so far. He couldn’t help thinking about what Jared said, regarding his father’s flight from New York City in the wake of the “Red Reception.”
Justin listened intently as his father spoke with calm and reassuring authority. He’d already worked out a preliminary plan in his head to keep everyone as safe as possible. That wouldn’t be easy, though. Salvatore commanded almost two hundred Russian mobsters, and they didn’t know how many he’d bring with him.
The first order of business would be to remove the non-combatants and their families from the area. To that end, Justin had a plan in mind.
When Mr. Wolfe finally stopped speaking, he motioned Justin up to the mic.
“I have a plan,” Justin said by way of preamble. “First, we have to ensure the safety of all civilians and their families. This will be difficult on some of you, but until this situation is resolved, we’ll be moving most of you out of the city. Those who live in the compound here should be safe, but those who live in the city will receive enough money to find a place outside of Los Angeles to hide.
“As my father told you, Salvatore Lupo is ruthless and brutal,” he continued. “We don’t want what happened to the Mancini civilians to happen to you. Until we get everything set up, look out for anyone who might be watching you between here and your homes. If you think someone is following you, go to the closest police station and report it.
“I know that very few of you are trained for this, but still try and be as safe as you can. We’ll have something ready within a couple of days to keep you all safe. Thank you for your loyalty in this time of crisis,” Justin finished. He smiled reassuringly at everyone in the theater, and then looked at his father.
Mr. Wolfe nodded in approval, and gave his son a smile. “Well done, Justinian.”
“Don’t say that yet, Father,” his son replied with a little shake of his head. “Thank me after this is all over.”
***** ***** *****
Justin knew that assigning his security teams to protect the non-combatants wouldn’t work. It would spread their forces too thin. They only had fifty-five security personnel, which meant that most of their employees and their families would have to go into hiding. The gentlemen’s clubs would close down to the public for “inspection and possible renovation.” Then they could evacuate the dancers and other civilians to a resort near Ventura.
Justin remembered the Wolfe owned resort from his childhood and teen years. He hoped that it was out-of-the-way enough to keep everyone safe from attack. He looked up as Cammie entered his office and closed and locked the door behind her. She looked frightened, and he couldn’t blame her.
“Is Nate in danger?” she asked without preamble.
“All of us are in danger, sweetheart,” he replied. “I have a plan to get all civilians and their families out of the A/O, though. That includes you, Nathan and your parents.”
“I’m not going anywhere, and neither are my folks or Nate,” Cammie said, her expression turning to one of defiance. “How do I explain to them that I work for a mobster from way back, and the man I love is the heir to a criminal empire?”
Justin took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh as he bowed his head. “That came as much of a surprise to me as it did to you and everyone else. Father never told me where he and mother lived, before moving to L.A. Hell, I thought they always lived here, before today’s revelations.
“But that isn’t the problem. The problem is that I want you and your family safe, sweetheart, but you say that you won’t evacuate with every other non-combatant,” he continued. “No, ‘want’ isn’t the right word, Cammie. I need you all to be safe while we deal with this situation.”
“Is Jared leaving too?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.
“I believe so, yes,” he replied with a nod. “I know that my father gave some of our people permission to stay if they wanted to, but you and Jared aren’t essential to defense. Your safety is essential to me, though. I’m falling in love with you, Camm
ie.”
“I’ve been falling in love with you since you helped me move, baby!” She exclaimed. “I just wouldn’t admit it, even to myself! Dammit, Justin! Let me stay with you!”
“Cammie, please listen to me,” Justin responded calmly. “From all accounts, my erstwhile uncle is one of the deadliest men in organized crime. He has hundreds of Russian mobsters at his command. Most of them are ex-KGB and ex-Spetsnaz. Even with all of the security upgrades that Royce advised us to install, we might not be able to hold out if Salvatore launches a full scale assault against the mansion.”
“What about the cops? Detective Raines might be able to help, you know!” Cammie pleaded.
“And what happens if the police capture Salvatore alive?” he asked, clenching his jaw. “If they interrogate him and he gives them up, my parents could go to prison for identity fraud, at the very least.”
His logic made her realize the stakes in this deadly game. To protect his Family, they had to go to war. The goal was nothing less than total destruction of the enemy. That most likely went for both sides, from what little information they knew about Salvatore Lupo.
“You know what, baby? I think we can work something out,” Cammie purred. “First of all, Nate can stay with Mom and Papa for a few days, right? Then I can bunk with you at your place and you can have me all to yourself until this mess is all over. How does that sound?”
Justin thought about it for a few moments. Apparently, he was taking too long, though. He felt his heart race as he watched Cammie move around his desk slowly and lean up against it. Her skirt rode up a little, showing him a tantalizing morsel of her milk chocolate thighs. His cock hardened quickly as he remembered the sex with her, yesterday and the night before that. She noticed the bulge in his pants and reached down to trace her fingers slowly over his throbbing manhood.
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