Family Ch. 03

"What do you have in mind?" Francisco's smile assured me that I had made a great choice when I started allowing him more and more into my inner circle, he above anyone else in my immediate vicinity was more privy to my mind's inner workings.

"It looks like I'll have a good job for the new guys," I replied, "nothing like a little chaos to get the ball rolling. We're going to be taking a little road trip to City Hall, I need to get some blue prints for several buildings around town."

"I'm not even going to ask what you are planning with that," Francisco said, "unless you need anything else, boss, I gotta take the newbie out shooting. Her weapon confidence is getting better, she should be done with her training shortly."

"Good," I replied, "keep up with that, if you need anything let Edith know. Also, have her draw up some plans for the house, I want to redecorate it to be an effective business enterprise. Color schemes, lighting, all that."

"Ok, boss," he replied, "I gotta warn you, both of them are pretty light weights when it comes to drinking, so you're going to be dealing with a lot of giggles throughout the rest of the day." Both Edith and Anais were standing outside of the office door as soon as Francisco opened it, a wave of giggles greeted him as he walked past them. "What did I just tell you?" He said as he walked away, almost as if his only escape was closing, a freed man grabbing for freedom that was fast disappearing.

"What did he just tell you?" Edith asked, both her and Anais' giggles drowned out anything Francisco could've answered, "are you here, talking about little old me?"

"How much did you guys celebrate?" I laughed as I looked at the empty pitcher in Edith's hands.

"It was a good reason to celebrate," Anais said with a mock frown painted on her face, "sorry that I was happy and wanted Edith to be happy too. You were a badass in there."

"You know," Edith replied, "I have known D, D, I've known you for years. I have never seen you fight, never ever seen you fight. I bet it would be hot."

"God, it was so hot," Anais continued, "he was like a... animal, just took him apart."

"Oh, I've seen him be an animal," Edith said, "seem him take things apart too. More like rip things apart," both of the girls started laughing.

"Ok, ladies," I replied, "time to get you two to bed."

"You think you can handle both of us," Anais replied, complete surprise washed over me. The embarrassment in her face was obvious; this was the alcohol talking above everything else.

"You are such a slut," Edith jokingly said, breaking the momentary tension that had accumulated in the air, "let's leave the big man to take care of his big man business, I think we can entertain ourselves." She moved to grab the back of my head and plunged her mouth onto mine; the natural battle between our tongues did not seem to be interrupted by Anais' presence. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Ok," was all my mind could communicate with the rest of my body as a reply, the girls giggled again as they left. Once again, all blood would drain from my body and enter a specific part of my anatomy.

...

"Gentlemen," I greeted the five guests that were standing in the office, I was expecting them of course but their new dress clearly surprised me. "I gotta say, you all clean up rather well. If you don't mind, I have a busy schedule and there is a lot to cover here. Of course, whatever I say here will ultimately be up to your leader to decide if he will agree with or not. So, let's get started." I took a seat behind the large desk, "gentlemen, you have insulted me. Profoundly. My first instinct is to skin each and every one of you alive, make sure that your name is forever erased from the history books. But my Chief of Security and of course, my dear Anais have wisely talked me out of such drastic measures. However, I find myself wondering if their counsel is wise, I need to know that your word can be trusted, that you can and will behave yourselves as gentlemen. As direct representatives of this family. Mr. Casper, do you think that these men can and should be trusted?"

"Yes," Casper replied, his voice was a little softer than last time I had spoken with him, "they can be trusted."

"Should I believe you?" I asked him, "should I believe any of you? You threatened to rape my sister, I think your exact words to her were that each of you would take turns on her," I lit a cigarette as I spoke, "so if I believe you are men of your word, then I should be very concerned that one day you might make true to those threats."

""They were speaking out of turn," Casper said, "they did not know who she was."

"I understand," I replied, "its absolutely fair for them to threaten any random woman like that, is that what you are saying?"

"No," Casper replied, panic was beginning to take hold of his voice, "its not acceptable. These kids are still young, they don't understand how the world operates."

"Then why," I replied, "why are they allowed to represent you? Why would they be allowed to represent me?" I leaned back on my chair before continuing, "a threat on one of us is a threat on all of us. But you're right, boys will be boys I suppose." A sigh of relief emerged from each of them, "I have no room for boys in my organization."

"Daemon," Casper replied, "sir, you have to understand that these boys have learned from their mistake. They will not ever make such foolish threats again. You have my word."

"My grandfather used to tell us that all a man has is his name and his word," I replied, "so if you offer your word on their behalf, then I will accept." I pulled my weapon out of its holster, dropped the magazine, and pulled the charging handle back. As the bullet that had been resting in the chamber flew through the air, I grabbed it and held it in my hand. "This is for you, Casper," I said as I offered the man the single bullet, "if they break your word, this bullet will either go into them, or into you. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes," he replied as he took the bullet, "we understand each other just fine."

"Good, have your boys wait outside, we have some business to discuss. I have a small job for you." He signaled the men to step outside, as the door was opened, Francisco walked in and stood to my left, "we are having a little trouble with a certain government organization. I am afraid that they will start looking into our dealings far closer than I am comfortable allowing them to look."

"What do you need us to do?" Casper was eager to prove his loyalty.

"Pick some of your more disposable members, those that need a stay in a high class rehab facility and that have very little knowledge of your organization," I began, "I need them to make as much noise as possible as far away from us as can be done. I want them to beat up pimps, I want them to break into businesses that exploit the people, I want them to break known lines of merchandize."

"You want to start a war?" Casper asked.

"Yes," I replied, "but not against us. I want them to start a war between the other families, between the other groups. I want them to turn themselves in for government protection, and they will disappear for the rest of their lives. I want them to tell a specific story, Francisco here will handle all those details."

"I have a few names in mind," Casper replied, "when do you want this to start?"

"As soon as we finish this meeting," I replied, "and you get all the details. Pick your lieutenants carefully, this game we are about to play is very dangerous. The information that will flow from this office from now on will be worth a lot of money to someone, but that money will not be worth as much as how much I can, and will take from you. Those boys, none of them will be it, that is something non-negotiable, they can't be trusted. From now on, I will expect you to be here the same hours that Francisco here puts in, he will also give you those details. Do you have anything for me?"

"We are going to lose a lot of money," he replied, "how are we going to manage our own families?"

"Francisco here will also handle those details," I replied, "all I ask is that you give me your loyalty and trust. I'll take care of the rest, if there are any problems, you will not handle them yourself, you will come to me and let me make that decision. Once I feel you can be trusted, you will have complete autonomy of how you run your organization. But until then, you do nothing without my say so, understood?"

"We have an ongoing war with another gang in the streets," he replied, "if we don't fight back, they will think we are a joke."

"Francisco?"

"Small outfit, however they outnumber Casper's forces 3 to 1," Francisco replied, "their main source of income is prostitution and extortion. They pay protection to one of the other families, but according to our accountant, they tend to skim from the top. More and more each time, that information has already been sent to them via an anonymous source."

"Any other questions?" I asked Casper.

"Can I get the specific targets that you want us to hit and which ones to avoid? I would like to send the men out as soon as possible."

I stood up and extended my hand, "of course, Casper," he shook it with some fear, "if you remain loyal to me and my family, you have nothing to fear. But understand that there is no hell I would not go through to protect my loved ones. Prove your loyalty, and you will have the same favor from me. Send me about 20 of your men, the ones that are most trusted to you, make sure your brother is one of them, Francisco here will train them to be more effective guards. If there is nothing else, I do have an appointment that I have to keep."

"Jesus," I heard Casper say as I walked out of my office.

"You get used to it," I heard Francisco reply, a smile covered my face.

...

The drive to City Hall was uneventful, the small moments of peace allowed me to collect my thoughts, I was worried about Rebecca and Martha but I knew that Elvis would not do anything to harm them in any way. With Casper's boys on the way to their specific targets, I knew that Elvis would have his hands full dealing with a large amount of fallout, and the sudden increase in violence towards a very specific gang would certainly alert him. Our main difference, at least while we served together, was our own abilities in dealing with multiple things at once. While multitasking came almost natural to me, Elvis always struggled with it. I hoped that he hadn't learned in his years in the CIA.

"D," the familiar voice greeted me warmly, "I did not expect to see you here."

"How are you, Mrs. Sandoval," I replied, offering my hand to the woman. I had not seen her since her husband and I had that fateful chat on the first day I had arrived back to my home town, and that disastrous evening.

"I am fine," she replied, "I am sorry about my husband, I don't know what possibly could have possessed him to try such a thing," she said.

"There is nothing to apologize for," I replied, "he did what he thought was right."

"So, how can I help you?"

"I came to see what kind of woman you are planning to set me up with," I joked.

"You are terrible," she blushed, "all the women here are old enough to be your mother. But seriously, what do you need, honey?"

I pulled a folded sheet of paper from my pocket, "I was hoping that I could get the blueprints for these buildings," I replied, "we are trying to make extensions to the family home, I want to copy some of the structures in these buildings, and the architect will need these to give me an estimate."

"I hope you are planning to knock down those walls," she replied, "it makes that house look so scary."

"I think it makes it look like a castle," I replied, "but I was thinking more remodeling the inside and maybe the backyard. We are going to start hosting a lot more family events there, we are going to need the space. How is your husband?"

"He's not doing good, D," she replied, "after you left, he has been drinking a lot. It's like he feels guilty for having turned on you, I think he understand the amount of trouble he brought on you without reason. You know, my husband might be an asshole, but deep inside he's an honorable man. From what he's told me about you and your family, I think you are very much like him. Sometimes, a good man has to sacrifice his own principles for the greater good."

"I was raised to believe that a man's principles define him," I replied, "that its all he had when he has to answer to whatever higher power."

"Oh honey," she replied in a motherly tone, a tone I had never heard in my life, "don't confuse your morals with your principles. Have you ever done something that went completely against what you believed was right, deep down inside?"

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, the thoughts of Edith immediately flooding my brain, "I have."

"But when you did those things," she replied, "did you feel guilty?"

"No," I again replied, honestly my relationship with Edith did not bother me in the slightest.

"Then you may have violated your principles, what you thought was right," she took my hand and continued, "but because you don't feel guilty, you know your morals are still good. I don't know a lot about you, D, but I know you are a good man. At the end of the day, you will always do the right thing."

"Thank you for the advice, Mrs. Sandoval," I replied, "and thank you for the blue prints. You have given me far more to think about that I needed, I truly appreciate it." The drive to my parent's house was brutal; there were new thoughts surging through my head, and a new idea was beginning to take form. As I pulled up to their house, my young nephew ran to the vehicle, already in midsentence before I could even listen.

"...and the doggie then tore the door apart and he started chasing the rabbit."

"I did not hear that entire first part of the story," I laughed as I picked him up, "you're going to have to slow down Jessie, and tell me the story again."

"Doc killed a rabbit," my father said, I hardly recognized the form that was bend over a small garden, "after he took the door down on its hinges. Then after he was done with the rabbit, he started in with the door. Funniest damned thing I've seen in years," the sound of my father's laughter was like music to my ears. I couldn't help but join in the laughter.

"Hey, brother," Cesar said as he came out of the house, "pops, Laura says that your lunch is ready. Come on boy, get grandpa inside."

"Come on, grandpa," young Jessie said as he grabbed my father's hand, "you gotta go get your yums."

"Ok, ok," my father continued laughing, "are you staying long, son?"

"Not today, pops," I replied, "just came to chat with Cesar, but I'll stop by Sunday."

"Bring those two girls of yours," he replied, "time they came to the house. Did you already eat?"

"I did, pops," Cesar replied, "gotta get back to the books as soon as we are done here."

"Glad to see things worked out," I told my brother as our father walked inside the house.

"It wasn't easy," he replied, "but I think he came to the same conclusion you did, what mother did has no bearing on our relationship. What can I do for you, bro?"

"I need you to speed up your studies," I replied, "things are moving a lot faster than I originally thought. We are going to need you a lot sooner, can't be helped."

"Can you give me two weeks?"

"No longer than that, brother" I replied, "and just how does my father know so much about my 'two girls,' and better yet, who told him?"

"Your friend Presley and dad have coffee every morning," he replied, "they spend an hour a day at least just trading stories, gardening tips, and just laughing. It seems like forever since dad has laughed so much."

"Elvis is not questioning him, is he?" My suspicions were immediately on a peak, while I trusted that my old friend would leave my father out of the situation, there was always that possibility that he had changed far more than I ever expected.

"No," he replied, "I sat with them a few times, all they talk about is nothing really, your friend is very careful not to ask questions about you. But when dad asks him, he responds very truthfully."

"How much has he asked?"

"Nothing too revealing, brother" it was Cesar's turn to laugh, "mainly funny stories during your training and your deployments. Nothing terrible, the worst they have talked about was how much of a smartass you were during training. Presley said that thanks to you he was a strong and smart soldier."

"Gardening?"

"Yeah, I guess your friend has quite a large garden back in his home, he got dad to start growing some small plants here."

"Never would have seen Elvis as a gardener," I laughed, "how is your wife doing in her schooling?"

"She is loving it," he replied, "so far she is at the top of her class, she is determined to make you proud for giving her the chance. Thank you brother, I know you didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did," I replied, "we take care of each other, you know that. Besides, I truly meant what I told her, it is a beautiful dream. It deserves to be chased. Get back to studying, bro."

"You're not going to talk to mom?"

"I'm not ready for that just yet," I replied as I walked away, "I got enough stress in my plate to deal with that. I'll see you Sunday, let me know what I'll end up cooking."

...

The following days were a mixture of chaos and excitement, things were coming together in an unexpectedly fantastic way. Of course dinner was set in my parent's house and I would be cooking, that in itself was no surprise. The surprise came a few days before that evening in the form of a small child holding a toy gun aimed at me as I walked into the family home. "Bang, bang," the child said as I held my hands to my chest.

"Oh," I said, "you got me, man. You got me good," I stumbled onto the ground, playing my part as great as I could.

"It's ok, Mr. We was just playing around, you are going to be ok," he pleaded.

"Ok," I replied as I laughed, "and who might you be, little man?"

"My name is William, my mommy calls me Willie," he extended his hand, this young child reminded me so much of my nephew Jessie.

"Sorry, boss," Francisco said, "just doing a little babysitting for a friend. It won't happen again."

"Cisco!" The little boy ran to his arms and hugged him, "I got him good, you should have seen it."

"Yes, Cisco," I replied with a laugh, "he did get me good. Don't worry about it, just keep an eye on him. You guys join us this Sunday, big dinner at my parent's house. I'm sure the little man here will have a great time with my nephew. Run it by his mom, you know, your 'friend.' See if she wants to join us."

"Yeah, I'll ask..." Before he could finish his sentence, another person interrupted our conversation.

"D!" Jessica held a blanket in her hands, her tailored uniform was perfectly well worn, it hugged her curves and made her look beautiful. All the years had been taken away from her figure. The weapon in her side made her look enticing. This was not the woman that I had seen with my cousin's cock buried in her asshole a few weeks ago, this was a better woman.

"Jessica," I said, "it has been a long time. I take it that this one is yours?" I looked at Francisco, "we'll see you three Sunday. Whenever you are done, meet me at the office, and get Casper here as well."

"Listen, D, I'm sorry. It was my fault, I didn't have a babysitter and we had this training..." Jessica was pleading.

"What are you talking about? Everything is good, you guys are joining us Sunday for a cookout, Willie is fine here, he is always welcomed here. Francisco just needs to make sure he is keeping an eye on him. We have business to discuss." I smiled at her, "it really is nice to see you again, you look more and more like that girl from school. Slut does not suit you."