Chapter 55: Preperations, Preparations, Preparations

Meanwhile in the basement of a safehouse,

Dewey sat in the dimly lit room, poring over the files in his hand as the light flickered across a folder labeled 'Luciano Family Findings,' written by his deceased friend Albert. 

One page, in particular, caught his attention as Dewey pulled it out, placing it in front of him, and began to mumble to himself.

"During a car chase, my eyes didn't deceive me when I saw Lucky's kid drive over the old cricket bridge, the one with a whole chunk ripped out from a storm."

"It was like a clue, and once I tugged on it, everything started to click. The actions of his kid began to make sense."

"Maybe he really did take down the Five Point Gang, and maybe it wasn't just a faulty grenade that did the trick. Perhaps the key to taking down Lucky is through his kid, because he's might be a-" Dewey words froze at the next passage, shutting his mouth and continuing to read before placing it down.

"T-That's it, that's how he does it." Dewey laughed to himself, covering his mouth as if everything just made sense.

Looking to the side, Dewey noticed the time and realized he would be late as he quickly and hurriedly made his way to the meeting point.

Minutes later, Dewey arrived and a figure clad in black was waiting under a single flickering light as he walked next to him.

"Here." The man masked the tone of his voice with a gruff whisper, handing him some papers as Dewey took them.

"I have another favor, the last one." Dewey put the papers into his jacket, five locations revealed as he tightly knitted his coat to cover them up.

"It depends on who the favor is about." The man looked away, preparing to leave, and Dewey knew he was about to go back on his word. 

Despite this, he couldn't stop himself; he was too close, driven by the same urgency that had consumed his friend before him.

"It's about Ricky Luciano."

Meanwhile in Alina's cramped apartment,

"Holy sh*t Marco, you got talent." Ricky said after eating his third plate of food, going so far as to lick it clean.

"Really?" Marco asked with a smile, Ricky pointing directly at him.

"Would I lie to you?" Ricky asked Marco, his tone genuine while the latter paused to think for a moment but eventually shook his head as Ricky took another bite of his eggs.

"More!" Sofia held out her plate, prompting Marco to sigh. 

Still, he took it and began filling it with the extra helpings he had purposely prepared from this exact scenario.

"G-Good morning." Alina wobbled over to a nearby seat as Marco and Sofia waved, greeting her with their usual morning warmth.

While Marco and Sofia were distracted, Alina quickly slipped away, crawling into her bedroom and once inside, she gathered the strength to get properly dressed.

"Thanks again, Alina, for letting me stay the night." Ricky said with a wink. Alina blushed as Marco placed a plate in front of her.

"So Slick, when are you leaving for your trip?" Marco asked Ricky, who paused to think for a moment before shrugging.

"I guess, whenever I feel like it?" Ricky informed Marco, who tilted his head in response before returning to cooking.

"Anyways, I should get going." Ricky quickly finished his plate while Marco and Sofia said their goodbyes and despite the farewell, his gaze lingered on one particular person.

Even in the morning, with no makeup or adornments, Alina still looked ravishing in his eyes and as if unable to help himself, Ricky formed a sleazy smile.

"Goodbye Ricky." Alina, her cheeks flushed, said goodbye as Ricky waved back before finally leaving the apartment.

'Golly, I feel like a schoolgirl again.' Alina thought, eating a mouthful of the eggs after having a mouthful of Ricky earlier.

As Ricky stepped out of the apartment, he stopped in his tracks upon seeing his car parked by the side of the road, with a parking maid standing next to it.

"Aye, I'll cut off your fingers if you place that ticket on my car!" Ricky yelled at the meter maid, who looked up with furrowed brows before both of them parted in surprise. 

Realizing who he was dealing with, Ricky quickly turned and bolted down the street since he was way above his pay grade.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ricky appreciated the perks of his mobster notoriety as he made his way to his battered Ford. 

After driving to the Cotton Club, he clumsily parked out front and saw Chores and Barko waiting patiently for him.

"Hey Slick-" 

As Chores leaned in, Ricky's thoughts took an unexpected turn as a sudden impulse to head to Mexico seized him, and he resolved to make it happen.

"Get in; I'm going to see if Jake is sure he doesn't want to come along first." Ricky suddenly ordered, Chores and Barko confused for a second before looking at one another. 

Shrugging haphazardly, the two nodded in agreement as Ricky entered the club, where the cleanup crew was scattered about. 

They greeted him as he made his way to the back office, where a startling sight awaited him.

Jake was in the office, but Ricky was taken aback to find him wide awake and still in yesterday's outfit. 

Beside him were stacks of completed paperwork since Jake had not only cleared the backlog but had also begun working on the tasks he needed for later.

"Whoa Jake, did you pull an all-nighter?' Ricky asked, gazing in slight awe at the towering monolith of papers forming on his desk. 

"Not only did I pull an all-nighter." Jake said eagerly, literally bouncing up and down in his seat. 

"But I found the funds, reworked our budget to keep us out of the red, and even completed the paperwork to open the two new clubs!" Jake exclaimed in a hyperactive manner, and Ricky's face broke into an excited smile.

"That's great, Jake. You did an excellent job, I knew I could count on you," Ricky praised as the words Jake had been eagerly waiting for finally reached his ears.

"So, you want to come on our trip to smuggle drugs if you're all done?" Ricky asked Jake, who considered it for a brief moment, but then shook his head.

"I can't, I still have a bunch of stuff to do, but good luck!" Jake eagerly got back to work as the praise had fueled him even more. 

"Alright, but take a break every now and then." Ricky waved goodbye, but Jake's eyes remained glued to the papers as Ricky walked back to the car.

"Where's Jake?" Barko looked around, expecting Jake to join them, but Ricky simply shook his head.

"He said he doesn't want to go, and I'm not gonna force him," Ricky lighthardly said, turning the key in the ignition. 

Barko tilted his head in curiosity, but when he glanced back and saw Chores struggling to get comfortable, he decided it was best to ignore it.

Driving to the house, Ricky picked up Alexander and, surprisingly, Chester, who wanted to tag along, though Ricky wasn't opposed to it. 

Ricky had two more stops to make, and the first was to collect the money from Lucky. 

However, as he entered the building, he was met with a scene of chaos as people scrambled around in a frenzy.

"Hey, what's happening?" Ricky approached the nearest mobster and asked what was going on and the man sighed heavily, his distress and anxiety evident.

"That attorney Dewey busted five our prostitution joints-"

*CRASH*

"DAMMIT!" Lucky's screech echoed through the building, followed by the sound of something being destroyed. 

Ricky quickly made his way to the back, where he found a furious Lucky in the midst of the chaos.

"Pops are you alright-"

"THAT MOTHERF*CKER!" Lucky roared inside the room with Genovese, Frank, and Meyer all trying to map out the best course of action.

"How many of our guys did they get?" Ricky turned to Meyer and asked what was happening. 

Meyer pulled out a piece of paper, glanced at it, then looked up at Ricky with concern in his eyes.

"Seven, though they were all grunts." Meyer informed Ricky who messaged his chin.

"What about the ledgers-"

"Our guys smuggled it out of the cops clutches." Frank explained the situation, leaving Ricky confused. 

He glanced over at a livid Lucky, puzzled by his intense reaction since, although it was a setback, it wasn't a major one.

"I think we need to cap this guy-" Ricky tried to voice his opinion but Lucky dissuaded it almost immediately.

"No, if we do then we'll get slammed by the entire force of the government." Lucky waved Ricky off but he frowned.

"Then what's the big deal about a couple of joints?" Ricky sat down, unaware as to why this had made him so annoyed.

"The joints weren't the problem since I covered my tracks, but the money that bastard Dewey got his hands on, that's the problem." Lucky tiredly sat down in his chair, while Genovese watched with a wicked smile.

"Ricky, this is your chance." Genovese leaned in and whispered into Ricky's ear, his words laced with a lie as the falsehood nearly made a scowl ripple across Ricky's smile.

'Alright, this motherf*cker needs to go.' Ricky thought to himself, having enough of Genovese who always wanted him to fail. 

While he understood the hostility since after all, Genovese's spot on the commission had effectively been usurped by him, despite being the underboss.

But Ricky had always believed that being in the Luciano family actually meant something. 

As the realization sank in, a wicked smile curled on his lips, and an idea began to form in his mind.

"How much did we lose?" Ricky turned toward Meyer, who was rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"2 mil, which we we're going to fund twenty more new joints since we were going to take over the prostitution racket in manhattan-"

"Then give me two million, and I'll buy up all of our suppliers' stock." Ricky boldly proclaimed, his confidence clear when wanting to use this situation to levy his position to new heights within the family.

"We'll not only cover our losses but also expand our operations." Ricky laughed out but Lucky only scoffed and leaned back, unimpressed at this poor joke.

However, the other three didn't take it as a joke as Meyer was thinking hard about the math before he realized how much they could make.

"An ounce costs us $8, which breaks down into 28 grams at about 29 cents per gram. We sell each gram for $1, making a profit of 71 cents per gram. If we give Ricky $2 million, he can acquire 250,000 ounces. With the current scarcity, we expect to sell it for approximately $7 million, resulting in a profit of around $5 million." Meyer did all the math in his head, tapping the desk as if it helped him along the way with his calculations.

*BAM*

"Are you kidding me?" Lucky yelled at Meyer, slamming his hands onto the desk. 

"We've barely managed to smuggle $100,000 worth of weed through the border, and now you want Slick, someone who's never even left New York, to smuggle out TWO MILLION DOLLARS' WORTH OF IT?" Lucky threw a book at the wall and threw up his hands in exasperation. 

Since Meyer's ability to find the profit, he couldn't ignore the glaring reality of the situation .

"Honestly Lucky, I think the kid can do it." Genovese chimed in, Ricky's eyebrows creasing at the clear lie while Lucky scoffed once more.

"Genovese-"

"Lucky, we really need the profits right now, we'll have to get sloppy if we want to cover our losses. If we take the hit, then it only gives that f*cking fed a better grip on our operations." Frank sighed and, siding with Ricky, giving him a thumbs up.

*SIGH*

Lucky wanted to refuse, but he knew Frank was right. 

Dewey's surprise sting operations had caught him off guard, and his overly relaxed approach in dealing with Dewey had led to the blunder he faced now.

"What is this weed you speak of? I wish to know of it's cause!" Alexander peeked out from Ricky's shirt pocket before quickly being tucked back in.

"Let me talk to my pops." Ricky beckoned to the three as they all shrugged and left, leaving the two of them to themselves.

"Pops, listen carefully to my words." Ricky spoke, showing a serious expression towards Lucky currently rubbing his forehead.

"I think all of this has something to do with Genovese." Ricky's words made Lucky stand to his feet, a reaction that surprised even Ricky. 

He didn't know if his words were the truth or not, but it concerned him that his father's right-hand man wanted him to fail. 

While it was common for there to be eager people, everything Genovese uttered, whether praise for him or a simple greeting, was outright lies, and that didn't sit right with Ricky.

'I gotta get rid of him.' Ricky said to himself, knowing that loyalty was everything in the Mob. 

Lucky had repeatedly made it clear that Ricky would eventually take over for him, a move that went against the established norms of how the families operated. 

Ricky was determined to address this growing issue and eliminate any risks before they escalated further.

"What are you on about- '' Lucky was utterly shocked and appalled by Ricky's words since he grew up on the streets with Genovese, going way back to the five point gang.

"Do you trust me?" Ricky said to Lucky who unconsciously nodded.

"With my life, you know that." Lucky said the words without even having to think about it.

"Then know that everything Genovese has said to me is a lie, be it from his praise to thinking I can do it, he's full of sh*t." Ricky spoke, and as Lucky began to retort, he stopped short as Ricky had a knack for spotting lies, and Lucky knew he couldn't get away with fibbing something in front of him.

"He can't-"

"I know you won't believe me because you think of him like a brother, but at least keep an eye on him for me, for me pops." Ricky said with almost a pleading tone, Lucky struggling to even hear this request but eventually relented, nodding in agreement.

"Alright, but about the smuggling-"

"Pops this is my chance, the family is in chaos right now and I got the golden opportunity to turn this disaster into a blessing." Ricky's words caused Lucky to pause mid-refute, biting his lip as he considered the situation. 

He knew he needed to trust Ricky, despite his fear and deep down, he understood that no ordinary person could contend with Ricky if push came to shove.

The cherry on top for Lucky was that if Ricky managed to pull this off, it would solidify his position in the family so thoroughly that no one would be able to refute it.

"If you mess this up you're dead you hear me? And if you're ever in trouble just run and-"

"Pops, I got it." Ricky pulled Lucky in a hug while laughing heartily.

"Give me a second to gather the funds."

For the next thirty minutes, Lucky ordered duffle bag after duffle bag into the office and once everyone cleared, Ricky revealed his storage and started throwing the bags into it.

Lucky stood frozen, stumbling backward as a space seemed to materialize in the air before him. 

About to shout for help outside, it dawned on him that Ricky had control over it, the realization striking him with a proud shock.

"W-Wait, you're doing this?!" Lucky asked, pointing his shaking finger at his storage space.

"Yup." Ricky lightly commented, laughing at his shock and continuing to throw the bags in.

Ricky revealed one of his cards to Lucky, intentionally easing his concerns as he knew Lucky had a tendency to worry needlessly.

So, he chose this moment to show him a bit of what he could do, hoping to alleviate some of his unease.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this!" Lucky yelled in complete and utter shock, trying to enter only to recoil back from an invisible barrier. 

"You never asked." Ricky shrugged to Lucky's now deadpan expression.

"Whatever, I was worried for nothing." Lucky scoffed as he glanced at the door, noting that the storage space was as large as a small house and almost on par with a small warehouse. 

The most challenging aspect of smuggling was moving goods without detection, and Ricky's ability to do just that made him an invaluable asset.

"Be careful!" Lucky yelled at Ricky's back as he exited the Luciano family's meeting room. 

Despite the Luciano family's recent growth and their rise to becoming one of the largest families in the tri state area, their rapid expansion required ongoing recruitment and a steady influx of funds. 

This was crucial to sustain their new businesses and burgeoning power until they could fully stabilize, meaning that Lucky had to stay rooted in the state to consolidate this growing power.

"I won't!"

Ricky made his way towards the car, his footsteps echoing in the quiet street. 

Just as he reached for the door handle, a thought struck him, and he paused, turning back towards the building.

'Wait receive.' Ricky, receiving a reward from his recent escape with Alina, remembered and quickly sought to gain it.

Received:

Rare Weapon: Tungsten Machete

Description: Made out of the hard tungsten alloy, this Machete has been sharpened to be able to slice through things with relative ease.

'Hmm, neat.' Ricky thought, getting inside the car while preparing to embark on the road trip. 

"I got one more stop before we go." Ricky addressed the others, who responded with exasperated grunts. 

Without hesitation, they zipped the car around and headed in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going-" Barko curiously asked only for Chores to realize in a mere second.

"The hospital." Ricky informed Barko, who closed his mouth and nodded in understanding. 

Arriving at the hospital moments later, they walked in with relative ease as Ricky paused at the door of Eddy's room, hesitating for a moment before finally pushing it open and stepping inside.

'Stop being a f*cking coward and go in.' Ricky gnashed his teeth, gripping the doorknob with a profound sense of guilt.

In all honesty, Ricky had been avoiding talking with Eddy, as he could never look at him without seeing his own failure. 

However, he knew it wasn't Eddy's fault but his own, and for that reason, he entered the room to see a severely anorexic Eddy.

'Jesus.' Ricky flinched at the sight of Eddy's deteriorated condition. 

The once heavily obese, Eddy now appeared even skinnier than before, his dramatic weight loss starkly evident as he was a husk of his former self and it showed.

"Eddy?" Ricky asked in confusion as the lifeless eyes of Eddy turned to him though didn't make a sound.

"H-How are you doing buddy?" Ricky hesitated for a moment before asking, then walked over and took a seat in the chair next to Eddy's bed. 

Eddy, however, turned his gaze back toward the window, avoiding eye contact while gazing at the birds flying high in the sky.

"I guess you're not doing all that well if you're still here, right?" Ricky tried to make a light hearted joke but it simply fell on deaf ears with Eddy.

"....." Ricky remained silent as he gazed at Eddy for a long time before letting out a deep sigh.

"Eddy I'm really lost here, what can I do man, just tell me what I need to do to help you." Ricky, for the first time, didn't mince words. 

Despite his usual demeanor, in front of his friend, he was willing to be brutally honest with himself. 

Eddy stared out the window for a while before slowly turning towards Ricky, his gaze meeting his friend's as Ricky saw in Eddy's eyes a mix of emotions, including guilt.

"I want to die, please kill me."

"What the f*ck!" Ricky stood up in his seat in horror, hearing the absolute last thing he expected from Eddy.

"I ain't killing you so forget about-" Ricky laughed nervously, raising his hands in the air as if to ward off his own anxiety.

"It's your fault you know." Eddy's words echoed in Ricky's ears, causing him to freeze, his body tensing as he absorbed the impact of what had been said.

"If you were there, then none of this would've happened." Eddy spoke, his face betraying no emotion as his words cut through the silence.

"Eddy don't put that on me, how could I have known!" Ricky yelled, his face reflecting his deep belief in his words. 

It seemed unfair to place the entire blame on him and deep down Eddy knew that, he merely said these things to guilt Ricky into his own wishes.

"You should've been there for us, you should've been there for Rocco." Eddy turned his gaze back to the window as for the first time in a while, Ricky felt defeated.

Even having been beaten by the vampire and left for dead by Abraham didn't make him feel as sh*tty as he did in this very moment.

"Eddy, tell me what I can do to make this right man, I'll do anything, anything else." Ricky somewhat pleaded as Eddy closed his eyes.

"Can you heal my legs?" Eddy asked only for Ricky to shut his trap, scratching his head while looking away.

"Well, not exactly-"

"Then can you get me some bedsheets?" Eddy asked, raising an eyebrow, but he didn't glance at Ricky directly, his gaze remaining distant.

"Bed Sheets?" Ricky reiterated his words, scratching his head in contemplation.

'What's the harm in bedsheets?' Ricky thought without care, simply wanting to escape this conversation and convincing himself that this would work.

"Of course I can get you some bed sheets, in fact, I'll get you the best damn bedsheets that money can buy." Ricky proclaimed, causing Eddy to smile slightly. 

The faint expression did not go unnoticed by Ricky, who quickly walked out the door with a rejuvenated smile of his own.

"Alright Eddy, after my trip I'll get you the most pristine bed sheets that your skin has ever nestled itself in." Ricky opened the door, but Eddy remained focused on the window, his gaze locked on the scenery outside. 

Feeling a bit better, Ricky left the hospital and made his way back to the car as he adjusted the mirror and placed his hands on the steering wheel, ready to drive.

"Alright boys, let's start our road trip."

4 days later, 

Meanwhile in New York,

Dewey hummed happily as he reviewed all the losses he had endured from Lucky, a wide smile spread across his face.

'Now all I need to do is wait for you to slip up as you try it-'

"BOSS, WE GOT A PROBLEM!" One of Dewey's loyal subordinates rushed into his office.

"What are you on about-"

"Our guy on the inside says that the Luciano family has found a way to cover the losses!" The man rushed over to Dewey, handing him a paper. 

Dewey quickly scanned over it, his eyes darting across the text as he absorbed the information.

"GET ME THE BORDER PATROL ON THE LINE RIGHT THIS MOMENT, WE ONLY GOT MINUTES TO STOP THEM!"

As Dewey scrambled to maintain his advantage over Lucky, Ricky pulled up right at the border, ready to cross.

"Passport." A rugged man leaned down onto the window sill as Ricky handed over his passport, along with Chores, though they bore completely different names while the man scanned the documents carefully. 

Meanwhile, beagles began sniffing around the car, their tails wagging enthusiastically but despite their thorough search, they didn't find anything.

"So, what brings you fella's down to Mexico." The border patrol officer asked, looking up from the passports as Ricky smiled widely at this.

"I heard the women down there have a different taste compared to the broads up north." Ricky joked with a sleazy smile as the man responded with a hearty laugh, his laughter echoing around them.

"Right you are, right you are!" The border patrol agent slammed his hand down on the car before returning Ricky's passport with a curt nod.

"Have a good day yer hear?" The man nodded to Ricky, handing back the passports and tipping his hat.

"Oh, I will."

2 minutes later,

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LET HIM THROUGH!" Dewey screeched into the phone, causing the border patrol agent to recoil in surprise.

"I'm sorry, but his name said he was Antonio Vispici-"

"USELESS!"

*CLINK*

Dewey slammed his phone down, stood up, and grabbed his jacket as his subordinate, John, followed closely behind him.

"Come on, John, we're about to make the biggest drug bust in history." Dewey said, his eyes gleaming with greed for glory. 

He walked out of the government building with renewed resolve, heading straight for the airport as nearby, an onlooker mirrored this intensity, though in a different way.

Lucky gritted his teeth, gripping his cane tightly as his eyes burned with anger as he watched Dewey storm out of the office.

Lucky's face was flushed red with anger, rage pulsing in his eyes as he remembered his earlier conversation with his son.

"Gregorio, drive back to our operations. I got to set a trap." Lucky said to his driver, and Gregorio raised an eyebrow in response.

"A trap, for what boss?" Gregorio asked Lucky, who began to form a ruthless conviction in his eyes.

"For a rat."