A Man of Honor.

Chapter 67: J'Accuse!

"Is it better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved? It might perhaps be answered that we should strive to be both. But since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved... fear lasts longer!" Niccolo Machiavelli.

We wasted no time putting the screws to the two would-be assassins. We took them to one of Sal's old fishing warehouses upon the docks where Cardin and Neo both took turns putting the hurt on them. They didn't have much on them, wallets with some cash, fake I.D.s and a burner scroll each with some unmarked numbers.

We didn't call the numbers, whoever had hired them was probably going to expect some kind of phone call to confirm everything but we were worried that if we gave the calls it would tip the traitors off. Besides, it wouldn't be hard to believe that these guys were laying low after the hit and would only call after the hit was done and they were safe. Besides, with so many people having witnessed the hit the traitor probably didn't need a scroll call to get things moving. They were going to have to work fast if they wanted to take any advantage of the situation. I doubted they'd keep everything on hold for a simple phone call.

Along with the other simple items we confiscated we took their weapons. They were simple old machine pistols with folding stocks. But a look at the spare ammo they had loaded up showed that they were shooting specially tipped armor piercing ammo and even a couple of grenades tucked away. It wasn't exactly a fancy armory with mecha shifting weapons, but if Neo and I had been caught unprepared like our illusions showed, we would have been gunned down like anyone else, aura or no aura we would be dead.

"How's it going?" I asked Sky as I waited outside in the car. There was no point in me being here in there with them as they beat answers out of these punks. Perhaps it was a little pathetic for me to distance myself from the unpleasant reality of the business, but I was never going to be comfortable watching someone being tortured.

"They're starting to talk." Sky answered. "They claim it was all paid anonymously, but they did speak to the client over the scroll call. I'm thinking in a little bit we'll let them call their clients."

I nodded. "Any other developments?"

"It seems the ruse has worked." Sky told me. "I've been getting all kinds of calls from family members wanting to know if you kicked the bucket. I haven't been answering."

"Alright, did anyone call a meeting?" I asked him, knowing that was the first thing that needed to be squared out.

Sky nodded to me. "Apparently Carlo called for one ten minutes ago, he said they wanted to meet at an old club called the Maltese in about an hour."

"That means we have time." I told him. Carlo calling for the meeting was unexpected. He was certainly one of the more centrist Capos in the Family, he certainly wanted to hear Victor out when he challenged me becoming acting Don. But it didn't prove anything, anyone could call a sit down after hearing that I got gunned down.

"Does it mean anything?" Sky asked me.

"I can't be sure yet, but it's possible that Carlo was ready to call a sit down after word got out." I said to him. "What's the media saying?"

"So far it just seems like another shooting to them." Sky explained. "Apparently they're calling that trumpeter a hero for intervening, and they haven't confirmed or denied anyone being killed."

"That's good." I said to him, The media reporting no casualties would be suspicious but with a hundred or more people there to claim I was gunned down the rumor train about my supposed death was certainly rolling.

"Have you been getting any calls?" Sky asked me.

"I was, but I turned my scroll off." I told him. The last thing I wanted to do was ignore a flood of calls from people that were scared that I was dead, or happy that I was dead. I couldn't help but replay those illusions of Neo and I getting killed again and again in my head.