The Diavoli Forti

Chapter 24: It's showtime

"Are you going to tell Tony or should I?"

I brush past Steve heading towards the foyer.

"Neither of us. It meant nothing to me. I merely did it for Max. Tony has enough on his mind the last thing he needs is a distraction."

I could feel his eyes watching me as I made my way upstairs. If Tony found out he would feel betrayed by me and his best friend. Even if it meant nothing to me. I couldn't afford to give him any kind of distractions today. I decided to avoid him the rest of the day. I couldn't even have myself be a distraction. He had to come home after tonight.

I dodged him as much as I could throughout the day. Luckily, JR kept calling him in the meeting room every 15 minutes.

I spent most of my day practicing my DT and weapon tactics in the hangout. I look at the clock and see it's 4. We have to head out soon. I walk over to the weapons rack and grab a bag for myself and start to pick out my weapons. I hear the door shut behind me and someone walk out and grab a bag and begin to do the same. I look over and see Max.

"I'm sorry." He mutters. We both look at each other and I smile.

"It's okay." I thump him in the head and he punches me in the arm.

I head upstairs to change into some fresh clothes. I go though my closet and find a pair of black pants. They seemed breathable and easy to move in. I throw on a gray colored crop top sweater and a pair of black boots. I move to the bathroom and put my long, dark black hair up out of my face in a tight ponytail.
I look at the time and it says 5:30 pm. We leave soon.
I gather my bag and look back at my room as I walk out the door. Hopefully we will all come back to this. I walk downstairs to the garage where everyone was gathering the last of their weapons and supplies. There were men everywhere loading up all the vehicles. I scanned every face looking for Tony.

Suddenly JR steps in and I see Tony close behind him.

"4 to a vehicle. No more, no less. Remember when we arrive, you get in place swiftly and silently. Be diligent and aware. This is going to be the greatest night of our lives. Let's get it done boys!" JR claps.

All the men start cheering and whooping, "Prosperità, Famiglia, Sacrificio!" Tony walks up to me and grabs my hand. He kisses my forehead. "Let's go."

We pile into a black Jeep Wrangler. Tony hops in the driver seat and I jump in the passenger. We jump at the sound of the back two doors opening and slamming shut. We turn around to see Jonathan and Max in the back.

"4 to a car, no more, no less." Max laughs. All the cars start to pull out of the driveway. Tony pushes a button and out pops a CB radio. Everyone starts checking in.

"Moving southbound."

I hear my father's voice come over, "Stagger out everyone, but stay close. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

I could hardly concentrate or breathe. I was so nervous. Not really for me but for the guys. I knew I wasn't very good at hiding it. Tony could see it on my face.

"It's going to be okay." He holds my hand and brings it to his lips.

I take a deep breath and look out the window. Hoping he is right. I watch every light, tree, and car pass us by. After quite a drive, we reach city limits. I start to recognize the stores and restaurants we pass. We're close to my home. I could feel Tony watching me out of the corner of his eye.

"We're here." He breaks the silence. He pulls into an old abandoned warehouse. It was far enough away from any businesses or towns. We must be on the opposite side of the outskirts. I watch as some of the other cars continue driving past the entrance and loop back to a road that leads behind. They must be our watchers. 2 more cars pull up next to us with some of our other familiar faces. Then JR's car pulls up. Everyone hops out and starts arming themselves. Some start to unload the products in the warehouse. I could feel my heart wanting to pound out of my chest. I picked up a gun. I just stared at it. I could feel my hand shaking.

JR motions for everyone to join him inside. He designates two men to stand outside the door. I recognize them as Jaxson and Nelson. They nod their heads as we walk in.

"Steve, I want you stationed up high. You got one hell of a shot as well as an eye. Keep an eye on things above." Steve nods his head at JR's instructions and sprints off. "The rest of you. Get ready. Stay alert. Now, we wait."

We all stand there in anticipation. The quietness was deafening. I move next to Max.

"Gorman Corp? Doesn't sound very frightening."

Max laughs, "Oh trust me, they're not. Wait til you see the big man. It's the Red Dogs you gotta look out for."

"Is the bosses name Gorman or something?" I ask trying to lighten the mood.

"No." Max laughs. "His old ass does look like a Gorman though."

"McKenna, come here." JR motions to me. I run over to him. He gestures toward Terrell. "Remember, if anything happens he is responsible for you. You follow his instructions and you get out of here, got it?"

I look over at Tony. He nods his head in agreement. Although I could tell it wasn't what he wanted.

"Yes sir."

JR gives me a hug.

We all hear a car door slam. Nelson knocks on the outside door to give us a signal that they have arrived. We all tighten our grips and all smiles are gone. I watch as everyone moves into position. Terrell moves increasingly close to me.

JR moves forward towards the table in the warehouse, "It's showtime."