Chapter Twenty-Four

Jax

C rowns Grant, Lombardo's estate, Highland Farm Rd, Potomac, MD...

"We should've worn bulletproof vests," Max muttered as Jax moored the speedboat at the private jetty of Giovanni Lombardo's luxurious estate. "You know these bastards shoot first and ask questions later."

"Why would they shoot us?" Jax smirked. "Lombardo issued a personal invitation, didn't he?"

"Fuck off, Jax. This isn't a joke. He might've agreed to a meeting, but he sure as hell isn't expecting us to pitch up at his private home where his own family lives."

"Which is exactly why there won't be any shooting." Jax gestured around as he secured the boat. "In this estate? Not without losing his cover as a respected businessman in the community. Let's go, time's running out."

"I don't know why I allowed you to talk me into this," Max muttered as he got off the boat.

"You know why."

"This is private property. I suggest you get back in your boat and leave." A deep guttural voice barked behind them.

"We have a meeting with Mr. Lombardo," Jax said as they turned around to face two burly guards, watching them with their hands resting on the guns in the holsters by their sides.

"Mr. Lombardo does not conduct meetings at his private home," The tallest of the two sneered. "Again, sirs, get back in your boat and leave."

"I suggest you contact your boss first and let him know we have arrived. I'm sure you wouldn't want to face his wrath if he learned you chased away the two people he's attempting to become associates with."

"Nice try. Now get the fuck back in your boat."

"You could always ask Iceman first if you don't want to bother the big man," Max interjected.

The two guards glanced at each other. The talkative one took out his cell phone and made a call. The discussion was short and curt. By the time he slipped his phone back into his pocket, he was fuming. Jax suppressed a smirk. It wouldn't do to aggravate them further. They weren't off the hook... yet.

"Follow me," Mr. Talkative snapped irritably. With the other guard hugging their heels, they walked along the jetty toward the entertainment area to the side of the Olympic-sized pool.

"Pays to be a criminal, doesn't it?" Max muttered as the full opulence of the property came into view.

"It seems you love to play Russian roulette with your own lives." Iceman stood waiting for them inside the enclosed area, out of view from the house. "It's rather insolent of you to come here, Jax Crowthorne. Mr. Lombardo is furious."

"Why? You come to my home and business all the time. What makes you and him any different?" Jax was on the back foot since he needed Lombardo's help, but he'd be damned if he showed any respect or fear for the criminals they were.

"How did you know about this property?" Iceman continued to probe. His beady eyes kept skirting between the two men, alert and prepared should they try anything untoward.

"Like you, we have our resources." Jax had no intention of supplying more information. They needed a small advantage, and keeping Iceman and Lombardo on their toes offered them just enough to be tolerated. He counted themselves lucky to still be alive, let alone standing here chit-chatting with one of the most feared assassins in the criminal world.

Lombardo had never approached Max or Jax personally. It was always Angelo Grecco who did the talking. His name wasn't even directly associated with the Genolere Group, but Rex managed to do his magic and found enough tidbits on the dark web to guide them in the right direction, and et voila ... here they were. On the Godfather's doorstep.

"Find who slipped up, Angelo. No one is supposed to ever find my home." The large man stomping closer didn't bother to hide the anger from his expression. "Who do you think you are to invade my home?" He pointed to the house. "My family is in there. This is my sacred place!"

"Just as my home and business are mine, yet you never seem to be bothered about invading my privacy," Jax drawled in a bored voice. The message was clear. He wasn't intimidated.

"Well, whaddaya know," Max said in an aside, "he looks just like pictures of Al Capone."

"Probably one of his descendants," Jax retorted.

"So," Lombardo sat down and waved Jax and Max to the sofa opposite him. "Dare I assume you're here to formalize our business association?"

"Assumption is the devil of all evil, I've heard," Jax said. "No, Lombardo, that's not why we're here."

"Then you're wasting my time." Lombardo started to rise.

"There's a freight train heading your way to unseat first one family, then the rest, until eventually you will follow the same route as them." Jax watched him intently. The slight flicker in his eyes indicated Lombardo wasn't totally ignorant about what he was referring to. "Ah, I see you already caught wind of discontent among your peers."

"I know everything that's happening in the criminal world, Crowthorne, especially in my territory. What I want to know is how you know and exactly what it is?"

"The Chicago Maramzano Group, one of your Five Families, is about to be ousted."

Again, the flicker in Lombardo's eyes. "And you know this, how?"

"The back alley attacks on their gang members are nothing but a decoy. They are after the seat in the Cosa Nostra."

"Who are you talking about?"

"The Sandolens Group."

Lombardo and Iceman burst out laughing. "Come now, Crowthorne, let's stop playing riddles. The Sandolens don't have the manpower to override Maramzano. Not even if he formed a coalition with the other smaller mob groups in the area. They're just too strong."

"How well do you know Donato Carlisi, Lombardo?" Max interjected.

"Carlisi is an opportunist," Iceman said. "Always has been. A lot of clout, but no action, which is why their group has stagnated since he came into power."

"Or he's a brilliant strategist, patiently planning and waiting for the right moment to strike," Jax said. He leaned forward. "That moment is around the corner, and unless you are proactive and stop him, he's going to unleash his plan and sink all Five Families of the Cosa Nostra... or should I say, send all of you to a lifelong prison sentence at ADX Florence... or perhaps the electric chair."

"You are spurting many words, Crowthorne, but you aren't telling me anything concrete. Why exactly are you here?" Lombardo snapped, close to reaching the end of his tether.

"Ten years ago, Carlisi's current Street Boss, Theo Gulliver, soft-soaped a young woman to fall in love with him. She's a brilliant IT and software specialist. Carlisi had her design a program that would be used in a Federal cyber-attack with all the links and concrete proof pointing to first the Maramzanos, then the rest of you. His plan... to become the Godfather with only one coherent group under his control with a footprint across the States."

"I assume it failed since it's ten years later, and nothing happened," Iceman taunted him.

"The young girl finally realized the impact releasing such a program would have on the country, so she destroyed everything she had designed. Carlisi ordered Gulliver to kill her, but for some reason, he couldn't. In the end, she was the one who ended up in jail for conspiracy. She's been free for the past five years." Jax stopped to take a deep breath as thoughts of the danger she was now in overwhelmed him again.

"Carlisi abducted her from her home in Tampa two days ago. He's back at it, only this time, he has a wider attack in mind, where all of you would be wiped out with one sweep."

"I suppose you have proof of all of this?" Iceman interjected.

"I do, but you're not getting your hands on that program, either. No criminal should have such power at their disposal."

"So, what is it that you want from us, Crowthorne," Lombardo said with a speculative look in his eye. "I'm not naive to believe you came here to save my ass from jail."

"Ciska Farlow is the woman's name. Once she is freed, she can provide the proof you need that Carlisi is out to get you."

"So, you want us to find her and save her." Iceman laughed. "You're at the wrong man's door, Crowthorne. We don't do humanitarian work."

Jax shrugged. "You don't have to do anything. Hell, you could go to Chicago, all guns blazing, but what guarantee do you have you'll get Carlisi? Just like you, Lombardo, he lives behind impenetrable steel walls. Besides, even if you kill him, there will be another ready to push the button before he extends his final breath."

"Finding Ciska and bringing her home is in your best interest, Lombardo," Max interjected. "It's the only way you can guarantee Carlisi won't have access to that program. She's clever enough to make sure there are security measures built in that his group of hackers won't know are there... or yours, for that matter."

"So, we're saving her for our own benefit." Lombardo's eyes narrowed. "And what do you want in exchange for the information that I'm sure she'll only divulge by an order from you?"

Jax glanced briefly at Max. "You leave me, Max, and our friends and businesses alone. We're never going to get into bed with you, Lombardo. Our IT mogul friend designed a similar program that you can use to end Carlisi and the entire Sandolens Group in exactly the way he planned for you. You help us, we help you."

Silence stretched out for long moments. Lombardo's gaze didn't stray from Jax. He could see the wheels turning behind his gaze as he weighed all the options on the table. They had come here with little hope of success but with the belief that Lombardo loved his way of life too much to allow even the slightest chance of losing a speckle of his power.

"Very well. It will be done."

"What guarantee do we have that you won't use your strongarm techniques years from now," Max said with a stern face.

"I might be classed as a criminal, but I am a man of my word. Let me offer you a fair warning... if I find what you told me is bullshit or that the supposed program to sink Carlisi and his group is a ploy... I won't pursue an association with any of you or your friends. You will become food for the fish in the Hudson River."

"Like you, we're honorable men, but in every aspect of the word," Jax said without caring that he was insulting him to his face.

"I'm curious," Lombardo continued, ignoring Jax's slight. "Why come to me? Why not go straight to the FBI to recover her?"

Jax didn't blink. "Because we don't know where she is but have full confidence you would be able to find out easily enough."

"Now, that we can do," Lombardo smirked. "Or rather, Iceman can. I'm afraid I won't be part of the recovery mission." He fluttered his hands in the air. "Gotta keep these twinsies clean." His eyes turned glacial. "But you and your friends will join Iceman and his team. That's my condition... we take the risk, so will you... and it's not negotiable."