The Rock Star and The Mafia

Chapter 25

Everyone was present and accounted for.  Alessio did not miss the looks between him and the other heads, he also didn't miss the looks he was receiving from Frank Lantana.  That asshole had planned this the whole time.  Everything he'd said to him and to his daughter was a fucking lie.

The head of all the families, that encompassed New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Don Angelo Silveri, was calling the meeting to order and when everyone was in their place he started to speak.

Alessio had managed to get word to Don Silveri regarding the treachery that was taking place under his very nose.  And once it was corroborated by Alberto Morelli, Angelo was pissed, to say the least and had taken every precaution to keep as many safe as he could.

"Gentlemen, shall we get started?" he asked.  All got quiet as Don Silveri got down to business.  "It has come to my attention that there is treachery afoot and that we are sitting at a table with a rat."  His gaze landed right on Lantana.  The man was very uncomfortable as he shifted his gaze, unable to look Silveri in the eye.

Mumbling from the men in the room could be heard echoing throughout until Angelo put up his hand indicating he wanted silence.  No one really seemed to notice Lantana inching his way closer to the door but when it opened, he moved pretty quickly for a man supposedly dying of cancer.

Before anyone could get to the door it was locked from the outside.  Lorenzo jumped up and tackled one of the 'wait staff', elbowing him in the face, drawing blood and knocking him out.  Under the covering of his serving tray was a sawed off shotgun and ammunition.

Just as everyone started asking what in the hell was going on, Alessio heard the nearing helicopter.  "This is it!" he yelled as the machine got closer.  "Take cover!" he yelled again as the co-pilot opened fire, shattering the glass that encircled the room.

Bodies were flying everywhere as the men sought shelter from the hail of bullets.  Lorenzo stood off and got off some good shots, taking out the shooter but not before suffering a shot to the shoulder.  That took him out of commission.

Federico had found a back door and led Don Silveri, Alessio and his men, plus all the other heads and their men out this door and under the cover of dimly lit hallways, they made their way to the underground garage and sure enough, Alberto was waiting just like he promised.

Alessio had Lorenzo contact his other men to have them meet at The Mansion and as much as he didn't want Cheri brought to that place, he knew that would be the only way to keep her safe until they could neutralize Lantana.

"Boss?" Lorenzo said, looking at his friend.  Blood was seeping through Alessio's white dress shirt.  Lorenzo acted fast by pulling off the suit jacket and ripping open for the first five or six buttons.  "Merda" he cursed.  Two bullet wounds.  Lorenzo forgot about his wound, as his adrenaline pumped into overdrive.

"Alberto!" Lorenzo yelled.  The man looked at him through the rear view mirror.  "Step on it!" he shouted.  Giving a nod, the men could feel the vehicle speeding up.

Alessio was feeling tired and he knew it was from the blood loss.  But he willed himself to stay awake until they reached Jersey.

"Alessio, stay with me!" Federico shouted as he watched his boss's head droop.  He was pressing a towel into his shoulder.  Alberto said about five more minutes and they would be there.

"Cheri" Alessio said weakly.  Lorenzo spoke up.  "She's already been moved to The Mansion.  Tommaso got her things and yours.  Don't worry about her, Boss.  You'll see her smiling face soon enough."

Laying his head back against the seat, Alessio passed out.  He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer even though he could hear Lorenzo and Rico calling out for him to stay awake.

Finally after what seemed like a lifetime, they reached The Mansion.  Pulling in where directed, Alberto jumped out to see if his assistance was needed.  "Can you go and check on the other two cars?" Lorenzo asked.  Alberto nodded and headed to the second SUV.

Alberto's men gave them good cover as they left the Waldorf and Lorenzo and Rico both knew he could be trusted and that was saying a helluva lot.  Trust doesn't come easy in this world.  It was something definitely that had to be earned in this business.

Alessio was gently lifted from the vehicle and taken through the back entrance and downstairs where Dr. Moranzo was waiting on them.   Once the doc started working on Alessio, Lorenzo went searching for Tommaso because he knew where he was Cheri would be close by.

Sure enough, after asking a few people, he found them in the kitchen, Cheri had a liquor glass in her hand and what looked like scotch.  Her face said it all.  She'd been crying and he couldn't help but feel sorry for what she was going through.  This was nothing for these made men, but for an innocent like her, not so much.

"Is he...?" she couldn't bear to finish her sentence.  Lorenzo walked up to her, placed his hands on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.  "He's alive, Cheri.  He took two bullets to the shoulder and doc is working on him right now but the thing you should know is, he saved a lot of people tonight.  It should have been a massacre.  Come on" he said gently.

He led Cheri through the house and she couldn't help but notice all of the scantily clad women and her mind was in overdrive.  Lorenzo picked up on this and wanted to set her mind and heart at ease.

"Cheri, Alessio has never once been with any of these women.  It's a business and he runs it as such.  And I can tell you this, tesoro, he's not looked at another woman since that night at the club" he looked at her hoping this did the trick.

"Thank you for that, Lorenzo" she said softly and she meant it.  She had no reason to doubt anything Lorenzo or any of Alessio's men told her for that matter.  She trusted them with her life.

Cheri walked into a sea of men in suits.  Some she recognized, like the men from the restaurant, she recognized Alberto, the man that used to work for her father and helped Alessio find her when she was taken.  The others she didn't know but it looked like a Godfather convention in there.

A man that Cheri assumed was the doctor came out to talk to Lorenzo.  He was in scrubs and had blood on the front of them.  She felt faint, but steadied herself for Alessio.

"Dr. Moranzo, this is Cheri, Alessio's queen" Lorenzo introduced her.  She could hear the men in the room murmuring at his introduction.  "Sorry to meet you under these circumstances my dear, but Mr. Castellano is a hearty young man and in great health.  

He will need lots of care and you will have to be tough on him.  I can't have him moving around and undoing the work I just did.  We removed the bullets, nothing vital was hit.  He's just going to be sore and he's stitched up.  Any questions?" he asked kindly.

Lorenzo said nothing but Cheri spoke up and asked "Can I see him?"  The doctor nodded and motioned her to follow him.  She looked back at Lorenzo who nodded, so she moved forward into the room.

She could hear the beeping of the monitors and other than him laying in bed, the sheet down to his waist revealing two covered wounds, he looked asleep.  "I'll leave you now" he said quietly.  "Thank you, doctor" she responded.

Cheri walked over and laid several kisses on Alessio's sweaty brow and face.  "Oh baby.  What did you get yourself into?" she whispered, stroking his face.  

Sighing, she sat down, placed her hand on his and laid her head down on the bed.  Saying a little prayer for him, she also asked for sleep to take her quickly.  She would be able to handle this a lot better with sleep under her belt.  Her eyes closed as she thought of him.