Roses & Ruin

Chapter 52 (Anthony)

         "I think we should do a double take," I suggested to the room. "We hit them in a known Irish hangout and cause a little commotion. When we leave we'll draw out the other guys who'll show up when they think it's all over, and That's when we hit them for real" I continued as the guys all waited and listened.

Lombardo sat forward and stroked his jaw. 

"We could run over to that bowling alley they pretend isn't a front of theirs and take em" he backed up my idea. Dom had been standing in the restaurant window looking out for the majority of this meeting. The De Luca's had shut the place down for the night. 

We had our guys here discussing our next move and plenty of our street guys outside watching out for anyone tryna make a move against us. Dom had yet to speak in this meeting. Then suddenly his voice cut in.

        "No," he said, still facing away from us, hands behind his back. I flared my nostrils thinking he was rejecting the plan because it was me suggesting it. "It needs to be bigger than that" he turned around and looked at all of us. The room was silent but I saw a few nods. 

Enzo glanced at me to see how I'd take the rejection. Instead I said, "He's right."

Elio walked over to his buddy and mumbled something then faced us. "Listen gentlemen, use those twisted minds of yours and think of something that makes a little more noise than that. Rizzo's on the right path." I nodded to Elio in acknowledgment.

Bianchi, the Lombardo's, Romano's, and a few of our other guys all started murmuring and looking around at each other. 'A little more noise' he said.

The wheels started turning in my head.

        The Irish. How did this all start going down last year? It started with a sit down that turned sour. Dom and Conry exchanged words then exchanged a few blows, but nobody got hurt. Nobody that mattered anyway. Then some trivial stuff. Drive by, and...that explosion. How much louder can you get than that?

"What about..." I trailed off letting the idea come into full fruition in my head before I pitched it out loud. 

"Well spit it out then, Rizzo" one of the guys called me out. I looked around the room. These are my buddies, my family, my business partners. And the people the Irish wanna go after are my blood, Giana, my Lexi.

        "Boys, I think we gotta blow something up," I told them. Everyone's eyes went wider and some of the guys started looking around to one another. "I'm no boomstick expert," Bianchi muttered. "I'd blow my fucking hands off" he said. I waved him off and looked at Dom and Elio. It's their vote that'll matter. 

"Hear me out" I said. "Dom, you know explosives, and you know guys from your old military days that can make that happen for us" I started off with that. Dom hadn't interrupted me yet, so I kept going. 

"Lucky had a good idea when he mentioned the bowling alley. They get shipments every week of supplies and everything. End of the week, beginning of the weekend, to replenish for the busier hours...like tomorrow. We stop the delivery guy and swap him out for one of our guys" I continued.

        Dom swiped a hand down his jaw and I could tell he was thinking. "We have Clifford," Elio muttered to Dom. I assume that's an old war buddy of theirs. "How big would the explosive be? Could we fit it in a box of frozen food or the cases of booze they get for the bars?" Enzo was the one asking questions now.

We were scattered across a few tables. I'd been leaning back in a single chair I'd pulled up beside one of the booths. Dom and Elio were the only two standing, but as Enzo spoke up he stood too.