Captain – Brothers At Arms #6

 Suddenly, they all heard a lot of gun play from outside the fence and everyone halted to listen to it.

When more shots came from the roof this time, Zeus, Memphis, and Captain all grabbed a rifle and rushed for the roof.

Marty, Lindy, Desi and Delaney went over to where Click sat and watched the monitors with him.

“What’s going on, Desi?” Gina asked as she joined them.

“I think they found Barrett and are running him down,” Desi answered, not taking her eyes off the monitor.

 Marty and Lindy grabbed their rifles as Marty announced, “We’re going up top. Maybe we can help flush him out.” The girls went up there.

Everyone else stayed by the monitors. They caught glimpses of the fire fight on the other side of the fence but they couldn’t see much of it. Then abruptly, the shooting outside the walls stopped and silence blanketed the compound.

Desi looked over at Gina then swung her head around to look at Delaney.

 Alfredo made the sign of the cross while sitting in his chair as Leon just watched the monitor.

Leon’s phone pinged and he got a text message. He read it then looked up at Desi and Delaney. He turned toward Alfredo and said, “It is done. Chico saw him go down and he crawled away but he thinks that Barrett crawled away to die alone.”

Desi looked up at him. “I need to see the body.”

“What?” Leon frowned.

“I need to see his body. I need proof that he is really dead.” Desi snarled. “I may not have pulled the trigger but I need to know he’s really gone. If that makes me a monster then so be it. He killed my mother and his sons murdered my grandpa with a bullet to an unarmed man. I need to know they will pay the price for what they did.”

Leon slowly nodded. “So be it.” He picked up his phone and ordered his men to find and recover the body.

Desi turned to Delaney and her grandfather. “I’m sorry but I have to see his body. I have to put my mind at ease and finally bid my mom and my grandpa goodbye. I made a vow to see their killer dead, so I have to do this.”

They both nodded but said nothing.

Leon’s phone pinged and as he read the message, he frowned. Looking up at Desi he told her, “Barrett isn’t dead yet. He’s wounded and close to death but he’s still alive at this point. My men found him and are bringing him in.”

Zeus and the others all came downstairs, and they had heard Leon’s last statement.

“They finally caught that bastard?” Zeus growled.

Leon nodded. “He’s all shot to hell but for the moment, it seems that he’s still alive.”

“Good, I want to see the look in his eyes when we tell him he’s broke.” Memphis growled.

“I want to see the look on his face when I whisper my mom’s name in his ear,” Desi admitted. “That was the last thing she said to me before she died. She wanted me to tell him who I was, and who she was.”

Gina wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders and they all waited for Barrett to be brought in.

Just then, Leon’s phone rang again and when he answered it, he put the call on speaker. “Mr. Vincinti, this is Chico. I just wanted you to know my blood feud is over. We found Barrett and we got our pound of flesh from him. We also left him alive but not by much. Me and Ricky took great pleasure in telling him he was broke.” Chico let out a cold laugh. “At first, he didn’t believe us but after we told him about the well, he got this look in his eyes that said he was beginning to believe it. Then we mentioned the gold, the jewels and the cash, But the more we told him the more he believed. He’ll be dead soon but not soon enough for me and the others.”

“Si, he has much to atone for,” Leon stated as he nodded.

“You should know something here,” Chico told him. “Barrett hasn’t been doing this alone. His three sons are neck deep in this shit as he is.”

“Si, we know this. And they will pay the price as well for their part in his downfall,” Leon replied. “His youngest, Vincent, is already in the Marshal’s custody and the other two will be soon.”

Chico snorted and said, “You watch the oldest one, Alijaha,” he warned Leon. “He’s as big a snake in the grass as Barrett ever was. The one that will look you in the eyes and lie straight to your face. At first, you’ll believe every word he tells you, then when you least expect it, he’ll stick his knife in your back. He’ll laugh in your face and as you lay there in the dirt. He’ll tell you to never trust anyone all the while calling you out for being a fool. Then he will leave you alone by walking away while you’re bleeding out.”

Leon paused as he listened to the other man’s words. Finally, he asked, “And you know this how?”

Chico growled. “I know this because he murdered my brother in just that way. I found him moments before he died in my arms. Alijaha had set him up then when my brother found out, he demanded an explanation but instead, my brother got a knife in the back.”

“You can be assured that Alijaha will pay for what he’s done,” Leon told him. “He is down in a cell, waiting for this to be over. Then he will be turned over to the Marshals for his judgment.”

“Yeah?” Chico asked. “If that happens, I’ll have to be happy, but I’d rather he was dead than to one day walk out of prison. But don’t worry about that. I’ll keep track of him and the day he walks out, will be his last day on this earth. I waited twenty years for his father. So I guess I can wait for him too.” With that, he ended the call.

Leon looked around the room.

Everyone there expressed their disgust at what they just learned about Barrett’s oldest son.

Delaney snorted and said, “Well, one thing Dad can take credit for.”

“What’s that?” Memphis asked.

“Those rotten apples never fall far from the tree.” She shook her head. “Disgraceful as it sounds, it’s true.”

Just then, Click looked up from his monitor and said, “We have guests at the front gate.”

Leon walked over to him and looked at the men at the gate. Two of the men were his but the rest were not, even though they all wore the same clothing. He studied his own men and saw signs that shouldn’t have been there. One of his men had blood smeared on his neck and shoulder while the other one had a dazed look in his eyes. Then he looked closer and growled. Neither of his men were armed. Looking up at Zeus, he shook his head. “There are only two of my men there and they look roughed up and neither of them are armed. I’m not sure what’s going on out there but I don’t think you should open that gate.”

Delaney came over to see the screen and the men standing at the gate. She studied the men’s faces. She looked over at Leon. “My father is there but he’s standing next to the guy in front. He’s holding a gun in his hand.” She paused as she puzzled over this odd scene. “I think Chico lied to you. The man standing beside my father is Ricky. My father must have bribed them with a promise of money he knows about that we haven’t found yet.”

Leon stared at her then glared down at the screen as his face looked like a mask of rage. “Figlio di puttana!”

Click switched to a heat seeking filter and found four more heat signatures just on the outside of the gate but hidden from their view. He glanced up at Zeus and said, “Those fuckers are planning an ambush, boss. They got men just out of our line of sight.”

Marty, Lindy, Desi and Gina came over to look at the screen as well.

“Which men are yours?” Marty asked.

Leon pointed at the screen to his men.

 Marty nodded. “We’ll take care of this from up top. You guys be prepared to flush out the hiders.”

The four women carried their rifles upstairs.

After two minutes or so, gunshots rang out as the men at the gate began to drop. Leon’s men took off during the fire fight and got to a place where they could hunker down. Seconds after that, the ambushers came out into the open and then shots rang out again as they were all downed.

 Brothers from the compound all filtered out and slowly made their way to the gate. Delaney went with them.

All the men on the other side of the gate were lying in the dirt, they were still alive but bleeding badly.

Ricky looked up at Delaney. Snarling while baring his teeth stained with blood, he spat a mouthful at her. “You fucking little bitch! You had me shot.”

Delaney lifted her head proudly. “You think my father wouldn’t have shot you himself after he was done using you? You had a target on your back the moment you agreed to help him get inside. You are some kinda fool Ricky. There is nothing left here that belongs to him. We told Chico we found it all.”

Barrett groaned as he tried to sit up but couldn’t as he shouted, “You little bitch, you couldn’t have found everything! You ain’t smart enough for that. There has to be plenty left.”

Shaking her head, she had to chuckle. “Dad, you and your sons are the fools here. You think it was just me looking for it? No, Dad. We have many of your victims here and we all tracked your stash down. That money wasn’t yours to take anyway. Great grandpa stole it from the Family and Leon doesn’t forgive stealing. Whatever else we found was interest for a debt owed to the mob. Not meant for your hands, or my brother’s hands, and I sure as hell never wanted it.”

Ricky began coughing as blood poured from his mouth but he had enough strength left to try and lift his weapon. A single shot rang out and Ricky’s hand dropped to the ground. He earned himself a new hole in the center of his head as he died right then and there.

Delaney turned her head to stare up at the roofline and saw Desi holding her gun up as she stared down at the group of men at the gate. Delaney nodded at her then turned to her father. “You are responsible for a lot of deaths, Dad. I wish I wasn’t blood related to a piece of shit like you.” She growled then got a hold of her temper. “I don’t know what you promised them but Chico is now a dead man. You got them both killed. At least you won’t go to hell alone, right? I hope each and every man you turned your back on or ever cheated and lied to are waiting for you in the pits of hell. You’ll be able to greet each one of them.”

Zeus motioned for his men to drag the dead men away.

 Captain and Memphis grabbed Barrett and hauled him into the compound. Barrett whined and moaned the whole time and when they carried him into the clubhouse, he began to scream and holler.

Grave Digger came over to inspect his wounds. After he listened to his yelling, he slapped him upside the head and told him, “Quit your bitching, will ya? You’re finally getting what you wanted. A way in.”

“I’m dying here man.” Barret groaned.

“Yeah, I know.” Grave Digger nodded as he grabbed some bandages. “You’re bleeding all over the floor.”

Barrett then caught sight of Alfredo and called out to him, “Old man, I should have known you’d be here. You have to help me.”

“Why?” Alfredo asked as he stared at his son. “I think it’s finally time you paid for your sins, son. Like my father always told you, you can’t escape the consequences of your actions.”

“We’re still blood, old man,” Barrett called out.

“So was Carlos. He was my son too,” Alfredo stated as he hobbled toward his only remaining son. “He was my blood and you murdered him. You left him in a dirty alley, no less! He didn’t deserve that but you will deserve everything you have coming.”

Barrett paused for a moment then gazed into his father’s eyes and read reality in them. His dad knew the truth about his youngest son. He looked around the room and saw the same look of finality in everyone’s eyes, including Leon’s.

Leon stepped over to look down at him. “Well, well, well. L’uomo con l’oro Finally, here comes the consequences of all your actions, Mr. Raggetti. I hope you are ready, per affrontare tutto. For hell has now come to you.”

 Barrett hung his head, as he finally seemed to realize that this day would be his last. He would now pay for every sin he ever committed.