Roses

Three men were gathered around an open trunk, two of them exchanging glances with the locals walking on the sidewalks, while the other opened a case. There was a mother with two little boys walking on either side of her. She wore a purple dress. The boys were in street clothes and both wore a peaked cap.

He pulled out three snub-nosed magnums with tape around the butts of the guns. They were supposedly untraceable that way.

As he handed one to each of them, he said, “We’re not getting paid if we hit any other people besides the ones at the house. And for fucks sake no kids.” They all exchanged glances with each other, thinking about the two boys that just passed.

They were soldiers under the command of Frank. Currently, Frank was only a Caporegime of the Scaletta Family. Serving his father, the best way he knew how.

Frank checked the cylinder, making sure that he had all the rounds he needed. This was the first hit that he would be taking a part of. His father, Don Scaletta, did not want it to go down this way, but Frank was persistent.

Rocco, one of Frank’s button men asked him a question before he slammed the trunk shut. “You know how to shoot one of those Frankie?”

As Frank was examining the .45, he looked Rocco in the eyes. “My Uncle Clemenza took me out shooting once, said I was a natural.” Frank gave Rocco a smile, one that would help him acquire friends down the line.

A kid like Frank was closely watched over, one wrong move and you don’t know how many people you could lose. The younger men were susceptible to rage, unlike his father who was always able to be reasonable and respectful, even to his enemies.

Once they got to the sidewalk, they started to attract more attention. They were headed into the lion’s den. The Mainstreet Gang was one of the most lethal gangs in town, and of course with the Family being new, Mario wanted to exterminate the competition.

The locals seemed to get the hint that something nasty was going down. Many ran into their homes and locked the doors behind them.

The men were now in enemy territory. At any moment they could be fired upon, and no one knew what kind of heat their enemies were packing. They shuffled closely together down the sidewalk. The house that looked beaten down was their target.

Frank kept his head down so he would not make eye-contact with any potential scouts. The Mainstreet Gang was known for their guerrilla tactics, often using children as lookouts.

As they moved closer and closer to the house, the streets seemed to get quieter. The wind blew past their trench coats and the hair on their legs stood.

They were now standing at the bottom of the stairs that led to the porch. A black man who looked better built than all of them got up from his chair. Wearing a white tank top and suspenders with brown torn up jeans, he confronted Frank and his button men. His guard was high.

“Think you boys got the wrong neighborhood.” The man said with a large smile. His voice was deep. Some of his friends were coming down the stairs to join him.

“Frisk em, chief.” One of the men shouted down the steps. Rocco and Frank made eye-contact then drew their weapons.

The first man in the tank top was shot square between the eyes and collapsed almost instantly. The two other men coming down the stairs were shot before their hands were able to reach their waists.

Rocco kicked down the front door, and another one of the gang members tried to get the jump on him with a pocketknife. Luckily, Rocco was light on his feet and flipped him on his back before shooting him in the head.

Frank looked around the living room, where he saw a cigarette in the ashtray, it was brand new. Whoever else was in this house was now hiding.

“Rocco, you check the upstairs. Petey, I want you clearing the basement. Make sure they aren’t usin any of those tunnels Pops talked about.” Frank was referring to the underground tunnels that were put in place during the great war of the twenties. Mario got word that the gang was using them to move goods throughout hideouts.

As the button men took the stairs to their floors, Frank continued investigating the main floor. The smell of cannabis flooded the halls.

They were tasked with killing “Big Joe,” but he was tipped off.

Once they met back on the first-floor, sirens were blaring outside. Their window had closed, Mario knew it would take a while for a police response because it was a blacker neighborhood, and he hoped that that time would prove valuable to Frank and his men.