Next Day,
A pair of hazel eyes fluttered open, the faint color emerging from beneath her lashes before Rosa fully woke.
Sleep inertia weighed on her body, leaving her groggy and slightly disoriented as she slowly tried to sit up.
"Huh?" Rosa whispered gently, realizing she couldn't move until her surroundings finally settled around her.
She was in her massive bedroom, the interior draped in pure white, as if she were an angel who could only sleep in a place that mirrored the clouds.
But those hazel eyes didn't even glimpse at such things, instead, they slowly turned down to the arms wrapped around her stomach.
Ricky, who had carried her back from the car, had decided to hunker down in her bed, using her as a throw pillow.
Muttering something in his sleep, his face was pressed into the back of her neck, both arms loosely wrapped around her waist.
His hands rested neatly on her stomach, gently caressing the home that would hold his child for the next seven and a half months.
"Ricky?" Rosa whispered, her cheeks warming as she turned her head, only to find him sleeping soundly behind her.
However, instead of waking him, she eased back down, her face flushing even deeper as she realized he had held her the entire night.
Slowly, her own hands drifted down to rest atop his, a gentle smile touching her lips.
However, the smile on her lips wasn't for the kind gesture, but for the thought that everyone she loved was now under this roof.
And she couldn't have been happier, even if she tried.
With that thought, she closed her eyes, savoring the rare, unshakable feeling of pure, loving bliss.
15 minutes later,
Knock
Knock
Knock
"Mother, breakfast is ready," Gus said gently, knocking softly on his mother's bedroom door before slowly easing it open.
Poof
But just as his face peeked through to see if his mother was still sleeping, a pillow sailed through the air and landed lightly against his face.
It slid to the floor, revealing Gus's frown and his father, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes.
"What time is it?" Ricky muttered, lowering his hand to rub his nose, and as he sat up in bed, he pulled Rosa up with him.
The woman let herself be his stuffed animal, shifting to sit in his lap as Ricky rested his head on her shoulder.
"I'll tell the chef you're staying for breakfast," Gus sighed, turning and closing the door behind him.
"Well, as long as you're so enthusiastic about it, I guess-"
Ricky's sarcasm was cut short by Gus shutting the door on the sight of his stupid smile and heading down the hall toward the winding staircase.
"Hey, Gussy." Juan yawned, rubbing his eyes as he sat at the table, while the chefs in the back hurriedly prepared their breakfast.
"Good morning, Uncle," Gus said, completely dignified in his greeting as he moved forward elegantly.
"And set a plate for my father." Gus said to the side, watching an older Mexican woman nod and step away to get everything ready.
"He's still here?" Juan asked, scrunching his brow as he'd been up all night getting all the dirt off his beautiful baby.
"I did see him in mother's room-"
"Typical," Juan sighed, shaking his head as he slowly pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Did you know he caused a ruckus in town last night?" Juan said, moving his sitting position to let the maid set a glass of orange juice in front of him.
"Was father mad about the stands-" Gus began, already assuming it had to do with them selling his likeness, but Juan waved him off.
"No, no, no. He laughed at that stuff," Juan said, having expected Ricky to be upset too, given that the town was making money off white people burning his likeness.
"It was later when I got reports of this green thing shooting up into the air," Juan said with a sigh, taking a sip of orange juice and flinching slightly as he remembered the dread that washed over him when it rose into the sky.
"But why would Father do something like that?" Gus wondered, curious more than anything as he knew it wasn't out of character for Ricky to do something unexpected.
Just puzzled at what caused it.
"Because I was sticking my tongue down your mother's throat and some guys were trying to peek." Ricky filled him in from the side, fabricating the story to spare Gus the full, messy details.
COUGH
COUGH
Juan immediately started coughing on his orange juice, spewing some back onto the table, while Ricky walked over to Gus and wrapped him in a hug.
"Good morning, buddy," Ricky chuckled, yanking the kid into his embrace and hugging him tightly.
Gus stood quietly, patting Ricky's back with a neutral expression before releasing him and taking a seat at the table beside the still-choking Juan.
"THEY DID WHAT?!" Juan finally roared, regaining control of his fury and slamming his hands down on the table in outrage.
"Oh, relax. It's not like they saw that much," Ricky said, waving a hand at Juan's face, which was turning bright red with rage.
Although it was quite a sight to stumble upon, in the three's defense, they barely registered Rosa being man-handled.
Instead, their attention was entirely fixed on Ricky, whose eyes blazed with a will that seemed to crush their very spirits.
"You're going to do nothing? After letting them get away with seeing something obscene-"
"If you wanna go on some crusade for Rosa's innocence, go ahead, I don't care." Ricky laughed, shrugging at Juan, who was burning with a bloodlust that could only be sated by those three's heads.
"I have to go." Juan shot to his feet, grabbing his coat as Gus waved at his departure.
"Juan-" Ricky laughed, only to raise his hands in a helpless shrug after being interrupted.
"I HAVE TO GO!" Juan yelled, stomping out of the mansion as Rosa slowly made her way toward the stairs in a bathrobe.
"Juan?" Rosa whispered out, her gentle words making Juan's head snap back toward her.
But instead of the wraith expression one would expect, Juan turned his head to her with a loving smile and a calm expression that could ease any distress heart.
"I heard you had a fun time dancing with Slick," Juan laughed, his personality a complete one-eighty from the stoic demeanor he usually showed others.
It was why Ricky leaned out into the doorway, just to make sure that was really the Juan he knew.
"I did~" Rosa blushed, a loving smile spreading across her face, one that melted Juan's heart.
"Well, I have to go to work."
"B-But we were going to eat breakfast together." Rosa innocently protested, her smile fading which only made Juan's heart sink.
His entire demeanor seemed to visibly crumble under Rosa's pouting, completely disarmed by his little sister's frustration.
Ricky turned toward Gus, as if checking to see whether he was the only one caught off guard.
But the young prodigy simply kept spreading jam on his toast, completely unfazed.
He was already used to this side of Juan, having long ago learned that the cartel kingpin expressed love only by smothering those he cared for in it.
"But I just really, really have to go take care of something," Juan said, though Rosa scrunched her eyebrows, knowing perfectly well he was leaving something out.
"Okay, three somethings-"
"Juan~" Rosa said in soft protest, stomping her foot and crossing her arms just as Juan turned to make his escape.
"I know, I know~" Juan sighed, pressing his hands to his face and shaking his head.
But even under the pleading of his darling sister, the very thought of three men seeing her like that at once made his skin crawl.
"But I just really have to go," Juan said, backing up without meeting Rosa's eyes since he knew if he looked at her, his resolve would falter.
"But-"
"Rosa, I'll be fine, don't worry!" Juan yelled, his back turned as he bolted out of the mansion.
"Be safe." Rosa whispered, watching him hurriedly leaving, and waving at his departing figure.
Juan practically leapt into his custom Ford, slamming his foot on the gas as the car roared toward the town.
"Find me the three bastards who were peeking at my darling sister," Juan barked into his car's one-way radio, his rage boiling over.
"NOW!"
At the breakfast table, Ricky munched on a piece of bacon while watching Juan's car speed off into the distance.
"Man, those guys are totally f*cked," Ricky muttered, grabbing more bacon from his plate while keeping his eyes fixed on the car in the distance.
"The perverts?" Gus clarified more than asked, spreading butter on his toast to complement the jam.
"Dead perverts, judging by how your uncle is driving," Ricky said, shaking his head at the clearly infuriated Juan still screaming into his radio.
"Is everything alright?" Rosa curiously asked, looking at the departing car while walking toward one of the chairs, only for Ricky to grab her waist.
"It is now~" Ricky said cheesily, watching Rosa let out a small squeal as she stumbled into his lap.
"Good morning." Ricky whispered, slowly kissing her lips as Rosa closed her eyes, leaning into it before they slowly broke away.
"Good morning." Rosa whispered as well, smiling ear to ear while rubbing Ricky's cheek.
Ahem
Gus cleared his throat, snapping Rosa back to reality as the servants around them were currently blushing at the exchange.
"O-Oh!" Rosa blushed furiously, slipping out of Ricky's hold and stumbling to her side.
"I-I should help Gus cut his food," Rosa said, chuckling nervously as she hurried toward her son.
Kissing him on the forehead, she began cutting up his breakfast, a routine she'd done for him ever since he started eating solids.
Ricky just smiled, resting his head on his hand as he watched Gus grow increasingly self-conscious under the stare.
"Mother, I can-" Gus began, feeling completely embarrassed under what he assumed was his father's mocking smile.
"Let your mother cut your food, Gus. Don't be such a pansy," Ricky chuckled though not in a joking way, but with a clear enjoyment of the sight before him.
Gus was still his son, and even though he hadn't always been around, it didn't mean he didn't want to have, or remember, moments like these.
Because it was the small, quiet moments that made all the terrible things he had done for his family feel worth it.
Sigh
"I have to go."
But just as quickly as he had this wonderful moment, he had to leave it.
"So fast?" Rosa asked, watching Ricky slowly rise and walk toward her.
"Believe me, I wanna stay, I do," Ricky said with a laugh, raising his hands as if to explain himself with his gestures.
"But I've gotta check up on my guys in the hospital," Ricky added, almost guilting her into accepting his excuse.
"O-Okay, be safe." Rosa said, nodding to him as she walked over to Gus's side, nudging the little boy to say something as well.
Cough
"See you later, Dad," Gus managed, nearly choking on his bread as he tried to be thoughtful for his mother's sake.
"Not if I see you first," Ricky said with a laugh, watching Gus frown at the dad joke as he strolled through the portal.
He heard Gus's sigh echo behind him just before the portal shut, leaving Ricky stranded in Rotolo's suit shop.
GASP
"Slick?" Rotolo exclaimed, flinching and dropping whatever he had in his hand behind the counter.
"Aye, Rotolo! How you doing?" Ricky said, spreading his hands wide and smiling from ear to ear.
"Very good!" Rotolo snapped out of his daze, letting out a cheerful laugh.
"Thanks to you, business is booming!" Rotolo said excitedly, clasping his hands in pure delight at Ricky's sudden arrival.
"Good, good." Ricky said, slowly lowering his voice into a small mutter before looking down at his half-naked form.
"But listen, it's an emergency, you got a suit?"
15 minutes later,
Ricky, clad only in his boxers, sat on the couch in the waiting room, staring up at the ceiling.
All inner circle meetings within the Luciano family were held at night, a tradition that meant Ricky still had six long hours to wait.
But it wasn't the grueling wait that tormented him; it was the question of how he was going to fill the time.
And there was only one answer.
"Here you are, Slick," Rotolo said hurriedly, holding one of Ricky's emergency suits after making sure it was perfect.
"Do me a favor and put it on my tab, will ya?" Ricky asked subtly, standing up and taking the striped three-piece suit.
"I-I hope you don't mind, but this is Enrico's work," Rotolo said with a smile, tightly clasping his hands together and silently praying that Ricky would appreciate his son's hard work.
Rotolo knew how badly Enrico wanted to prove himself, and although he had some of Ricky's other suits in the back, he wanted his son to shine.
"Really?" Ricky asked, slipping on the collared shirt and admiring the dress pants along with its marvelous stitching.
"Guy really knows a thing or two about stitching," Ricky muttered, genuinely impressed as he usually didn't like wearing pinstripe suits, but this one was expertly done.
"Ring me up for seven, and tell him I'll charge your usual fee," Ricky mused, turning to the mirror and admiring himself.
"O-Of course, Slick! Right away, Slick!" Rotolo said happily, dashing toward the basement of the shop to tell his son the good news.
"Oh god, it should be a crime to look this good~" Ricky hummed to himself, cheesily praising his own looks as he slipped on the suit jacket.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
From somewhere in the basement, he could hear the muffled cheering of Rotolo and his son, Enrico, laughing happily at the recognition.
But Ricky barely heard it, lost in his own reflection as he smiled at himself, adjusting his tie and tucking it neatly into his sweater vest.
"Goddamit, I look good~"
Meanwhile In Roosevelt Hospital,
"Hubba, hubba~" an Italian man said, using the arm that wasn't in a sling to nudge his buddy, who turned over to stare at a busty nurse making her rounds.
WHISTLE NOISE
"Aye, doll, come take a ride on this cyclone~" He chuckled, swaying his hips to match the movement of his hands as the men nearby erupted into laughter.
The once-prestigious Roosevelt Hospital had been transformed into a fortress of the Luciano family, its halls now teeming with men in tailored suits.
While the family had been spared heavy losses, casualties numbering no more than thirty, the scars left behind from the attack were visible in these men's wounds.
But those who had survived were receiving the finest care the city could offer: pristine bandages, expertly applied salves, and vigilant guards ensuring their protection.
It was why the halls were littered with Luciano made men, patrolling through the halls with a predatory efficiency.
These men were tasked with overseeing the wounded, coordinating with one another to ensure their safety, and projecting an intimidating order in front of the hospital staff.
"Eat a dick, Mouth," the nurse scoffed, striding down the hall with a sharp glare.
Until she froze at what came into view.
"Ouch~"
Suddenly, all the laughing men froze and jumped to their feet, injured or not, they all stood tall under the presence of one man.
"WELCOME BACK, BOSS!" The made men shouted in unison, cheering loudly for Ricky, who waved his hands at the sudden uproar he had caused.
The mobsters bounced around like wild monkeys as Ricky laughed hysterically, then slowly began to calm them down.
"GLAD TO BE HOME, BOYS!" Ricky yelled, spreading his arms as their cheers grew even louder.
Bedpans clattered together as the hospital slowly descended into a zoo, disrupting the nearby staff who had no choice but to wait at the sides for the chaotic display to end.
"Alright, relax. I've got something to say," Ricky called out, watching laughter ripple through the crowd, though they barely managed to quiet down enough to catch his next words.
"Is it really true that Mouth pissed his pants?" Ricky barked, laughing as the crowd erupted even louder than before.
"That's not true, I swear I didn't!"
Men elbowed and nudged Mouth, who shouted and waved his arms, fiercely denying the ridiculous rumor that had taken on a life of its own in the room.
For the next hour, Ricky lingered among the lower ranks of the Luciano family, moving through the halls with ease.
Lucky always believed the boss had a duty to show himself to the lower-tier men, but only when delivering news about family matters or handling serious business.
Ricky, however, took it a step further.
He wasn't just there to be seen; he was there to be part of the moment.
He joked with them, shared laughs, and listened to their stories, letting himself blend seamlessly with men who were usually just cogs in the machine.
It wasn't about authority, it was about connection, about creating loyalty.
It was about creating something they would never forget.
Eventually, he had drawn nearly every one of his made men around him, holding their attention as he recounted the final battle in Camelot.
"And so, I'm completely outta juice and got nothing but the Ebony Blade," Ricky said, lost in his story as a bunch of made men surrounded him like children during storytime.
"And when that dickwad Arthur said he wasn't going down without a fight, the motherf*cker meant it." Ricky quickly clarified, before returning to the battle and getting into his stance.
"So I just start swinging Excalibur with the Ebony Blade, f*cking pissed out of my mind because this dude just wouldn't go down."
Everyone hung on the edge of their seats, nudging each other and pointing at Ricky, awed by the sheer intensity of his fight.
It was almost insane to believe that he had faced the actual King Arthur from the legend.
Turning what they'd always thought were mere fairy tales into something real, tangible, and terrifyingly impressive.
For the second time.
They laughed instinctively at his story, partly out of disbelief, partly out of awe, and the rest of them swept up in the drama of it all.
However, even this simple story had a purpose.
Ricky's goal was clear: he wanted the family to be his.
The first step was getting these men to see him as the head of this family, not Lucky.
And he did it by being present, by engaging with them, telling his story openly, revealing just enough to make it vivid and alive, without ever giving it all away.
"Then something just happened, and in the next swing, I didn't just cut the sh*t out of Excalibur-" Ricky narrated, swinging his arms dramatically through the air, letting his words hang for effect.
"But Arthur along with it."
He finished the motion, laughing as he remembered slicing Arthur in half.
All while the room buzzed with energy, their amusement feeding off his performance, making the story feel alive for all of them.
"Holy sh*t!" Mouth shouted from the side, laughing nervously and clutching his head, earning a round of chuckles from the others.
"That Camelot sh*t is actually real!" Mouth asked, holding his forehead in disbelief since his grandpa always told him stories about King Arthur.
"Yeah and wait, what happened to the Lancelot guy again?" another asked, popping the question after the topic was just skipped over.
"Who cares, all that matters is this: F*ck Merlyn." A guy with big-rimmed glasses said, spitting into a nearby bucket at the aftertaste of saying that name.
"Yeah, that Merlin guy seems like a fag." One of the made men said, receiving not only chuckles but nods of agreement from the others.
"And you guys wanna know what he called him?" Ricky said, laughing after remembering something.
"The Promised King." Ricky cackled, watching everyone scoff and hurl insults at Merlin.
"What a f*cking queer."
"I gotta go get a bible, this sh*t ain't natural and Jesus needs to hear about this."
"Honesly, boss, I felt like you went easy on him."
A mass outpouring of homophobic insults filled the hospital since it wasn't just the disposition of these men, it reflected the broader attitudes of the 1930s.
"Aye, but listen, I gotta go." Ricky suddenly said, rising to his feet and immediately, everyone started shaking their heads, insisting that he stay.
"Wait boss, ya just got here."
"Yeah, tell us about his smoking daughter."
"What kind of knockers did she have?"
CLAP
Three rapid-fire replies rang out, but Ricky simply shook his head and clapped his hands to command their attention.
"You get one question before I go, so make it count."
Ricky didn't want to get caught in a long back-and-forth, but he decided to answer one question before leaving.
The men whispered among themselves, debating what to ask, though only one question truly lingered in their minds.
"Are we gonna get the chance to meet some of these Camelot chicks?" Mouth asked, earning nods of agreement from everyone.
"C'mon, guys, that's just a given," Ricky laughed, agreeing without a second thought as the room erupted into cheers, with high fives flying in every direction.
"But ya gotta focus on getting better and I f*cking mean it. No one leaves until they're cleared by a doctor," Ricky insisted towards all of them, striding toward the stairs before stopping at a random grunt.
"Make sure it happens," Ricky commanded, pointing at a random young man who immediately puffed out his chest.
"I-I will, boss-" the man stammered, only to have a hand stop him.
"Good." Ricky waved him off and continued up the stairs, his gaze causing the doctors and nurses to instinctively duck their heads.
"B-Boss!"
The moment Ricky stepped into the heavily injured ward, an armed guard couldn't help but utter, while the others sitting nearby sprang to their feet.
"Yeah, yeah, you're blown away, I get it," Ricky sighed, raising his hands at their baffled faces as the reaction was getting old.
"But where's Vito's room?" Ricky asked again, hands casually in his pockets, as the guard flinched at his presence.
"He's, uh-" The man faltered, choking up at the thought of Ricky wanting to see his closest friend.
"He's over here, boss," Another chimed in, patting the first guy on the shoulder and leading Ricky toward the side.
Knock
Knock
After the second knock, the guard opened the door, revealing the battered sight of Vito to Ricky who stood at the doorway.
GASP
A loud, involuntary gasp escaped an elderly woman, sitting up from her chair while still clutching the spoon she had been using to feed her grandson.
Vito, his right eye nearly swollen shut, turned his head so his left eye could open wide in surprise.
"B-Boss?" Vito whispered weakly, his vision hazy, barely able to register Ricky's presence but desperate for confirmation.
"The one and only," Ricky joked, spreading his hands as he approached the old woman, who was bowing to him.
"Nonna, you don't have to do that," Ricky added quickly, stepping forward to gently stop her from lowering her head.
"N-No, I'm thankful-"
"Aye, aye, the one who's thankful is me," Ricky said, stopping her with a gentle hand on his chest and smiling warmly at the old woman.
"In fact, that's exactly why I'm here," Ricky said, turning toward Vito, who still stared in shock at the sudden appearance of the most powerful man in their family.
"You mind if I take a seat?"
"N-Never," Vito said weakly, forcing a smile as Ricky laughed and lowered himself onto the seat where his grandmother was feeding him from.
"N-Nonna, c-could you g-give us-"
"Nah, she can stay. It ain't about business, not really." Ricky said, waving toward his nonna and signaling that she was welcome to remain where she was.
"Listen, Vito, I saw what you did, all of it," Ricky said sincerely, the weight in his tone capturing Vito's full attention.
"You sacrificed your own flesh for my blood, and I will never, EVER forget that," Ricky continued, his words striking so deeply that his nonna began to cry, overwhelmed by the trials her grandson had endured.
"But before I get down to it, let's fix you up," Ricky said, placing a hand gently on Vito's arm and closing his eyes.
Although it was cruel, Ricky chose not to use a senzu bean on Vito.
The practical value of the beans was too high, and he was far too selfish to spare one in the hope it would restore his single missing hand.
However, that didn't mean he would leave him like this, deciding to use the full capabilities of his telekinetic healing capabilities.
Almost immediately, Vito's nonna fell to her knees, clutching her cross necklace and whispering fervent prayers to the heavens, as if witnessing a true miracle.
Slowly, Vito's gaze cleared, first one eye, then both.
He celebrated the return of his sight by glancing down at his battered body, watching in awe as the bruising, swelling, and even his deepest wounds knit themselves back together at an astonishing rate, until Ricky stopped before those deep gnashes could fully heal.
"Phew~" Ricky exhaled, wiping his forehead—he hadn't trained that skill much, and it had taken more out of him than he'd expected.
"I can't make limbs just reappear, but don't worry-"
"I got a guy for that," Ricky added with a smirk, watching Vito give a firm nod and puff out his chest, trying his best to look strong in front of his boss.
Although Vito had come up under Lucky's reign, he'd only truly been brought into the fold after Ricky took over.
He was one of Ricky's earliest and most loyal supporters, a man who never questioned his claim to the head of the family.
That loyalty was the reason he'd been allowed so close to Alina and Moxie in the first place.
To put it simply, Ricky had been grooming Vito for a Capo position.
However, after what this man had sacrificed for his own blood, he wanted to groom the man for his own inner circle.
"Listen Vito, I'll be straight with you."
"I want to groom you for Capo." Ricky's words hit Vito like a shockwave, and he instinctively held his breath, frozen as if any movement might shatter this dream come true.
"But we got a problem."
"My ties," Vito murmured, finishing Ricky's thought, lowering his eyes in shame.
Rising in the family wasn't just about contributions.
It was also about ties.
Familial ties, friendships, favors wrapped in loyalty, and throughout the entire Luciano family, Vito had relatively few.
He, like many other grunts in the family, had immigrated from Sicily with his nonna after his parents died, carving out a place in the Luciano family and proving himself during the fall of rival families.
However, for lower-ranking members without existing connections, it was incredibly difficult to forge ties within the family.
It was also why so many were hostile toward mutants or others climbing the ranks so quickly.
They were the Luciano family for a reason, and being part of it was just as important as contributing to it.
"That's why we're gonna fix that right now," Ricky chuckled, lightly tapping Vito's arm to shake him from his daze.
"Vito, would you like to be the godfather of me and Alina's next child?" Ricky asked, a broad smile on his face, while everyone in the room froze, utterly speechless at the unexpected question.
Being a godfather, as mentioned throughout the story, is vastly different from the moral arbiter the law would have you believe.
To the Luciano family, it was a symbol of honor.
Whoever held the role was considered an extended member of the family, respected and treated as such regardless of who they were.
But that wasn't why Vito was entirely speechless.
To hear such an offer come directly from the head of the Luciano family was nothing less than a golden ticket to the top.
Ricky was essentially rewarding Vito's hard work with something that would silence any opposition to his rise.
"I-I would be honored, Slick." Vito said, finally getting ahold of himself and quickly agreeing to the role.
"Good, good." Ricky said, slicking his hair back since this was the least he could do for the man who probably saved his kid's life.
"But listen, before I put you at the table you gotta build yourself a little more." Ricky said, watching as Vito listened intently to his every word.
"Y-You're gonna put a guy like me in your inner circle?" Vito asked, shocked, unable to process the jump from Capo that Ricky so casually skipped over.
"Yeah, but there's this guy I want you to learn from, his name's Eldric." Ricky said, rubbing his nose with a sly smile, having already decided to build Eldric's first tie for him.
"You're gonna show him the ropes of the family while he teaches you how to lead a group of guys," Ricky explained, thinking they were the perfect pair to learn from each other and grow under his rule.
"Isn't that guy a-"
"Yeah," Ricky interrupted, nodding as Vito hesitated, conflicted, before closing his eyes.
"And he wasn't one of those rats?" Vito asked, opening one eye cautiously, as if afraid to see anything but Ricky's reassuring shake of the head.
"Yeah, he's one of the good ones." Ricky chuckled, leaning back in the chair, fully aware that Vito would be a little apprehensive after that sadistic witch had crushed his hand.
"But seriously Vito, I got you."
However, with those words, Ricky's tone grew serious, his smile fading until every syllable carried weight.
"I want you at the table, Vito. You've proven to me that you've got what it takes." Ricky's face left no room for laughter, eyes locked on one of the family's future high-ranking members.
"You're one of my guys now, Vito, and Lucianos always look after their own." Ricky said, slapping his knees and sitting up, watching Vito choke up.
"But don't rush yourself, ease back into it." Ricky added, sliding back into his usual grin and easing the tension with a joke.
"I need my bull's horns in tip-top shape," Ricky chuckled, receiving a quick hug from his grandmother before heading out.
DING
[Mission-"
'Nope.'
"And it was so wonderful to meet you," Ricky said, hugging her a little tighter before pulling back to see her gently wiping her eyes.
"Such a sweet boy," She assured him, caressing his face with teary eyes.
"Nah, Nonna, you're the sweetest," Ricky said, hugging the old woman enthusiastically and swaying side to side with her before finally letting go.
"Aye, but before I go, you need anything?" Ricky asked, pausing at the door and glancing back at Vito, who looked around briefly before frowning at his bed.
"These sheets are a little uncomfortable. Could you tell the guys outside to bring me the ones from home?" Vito asked, watching Ricky freeze for a second as his eyes blankly stared at him.
"Uh, yeah, I-" Ricky started, his words tumbling into a jumble before he laughed, quickly regaining his composure.
"Yeah."
Click
Ricky opened the door with a heavy expression, only for his brows to scrunch upon revealing three men who had been pressing their ears against it.
At the sight of him, they jerked back abruptly, stumbling into different positions as if trying to pretend that their snooping never happened.
Cough
"Oh hey boss-"
"Save it. Get Vito what he wanted and tell me where Johnny's at," Ricky said, holding up his hand to dismiss any excuses as Vito watched the door slowly close behind him.
"N-Nonna, did that just happen?" Vito asked in a baffled tone, rubbing his face to make sure this wasn't some kind of dream.
"My little caramelle al miele~" Vito's grandma said lovingly, calling him by his sweet nickname and wrapping him in a warm hug.
"Your parents would be so proud~" She sniffled, holding him tightly as Vito's eyes welled up, burying his face in her embrace to hide his tears.
It was almost uncanny, seeing Vittorio "The Bull" Cardone, feared and respected in equal measure, being gently comforted by his grandmother.
Even more surreal was knowing that this same man, embracing her with such love and care, would go down as one of the most ruthless members the family had ever known.
"Hereeeeeeeeee's Johnny!"
Then, just a floor above, Ricky opened the door to the room that held his most loyal subordinate within the Luciano family, Johnny.
However, instead of a greeting or a laugh, he was met with a sharp shush.
Johnny, still battered and bruised, quietly pointed toward Louis, who was sleeping at the side of the room.
Ricky simply played along, watching as Johnny slowly lowered his head, eyes fixed on the blanket covering his bullet wounds and his motionless legs.
"How bad is it?" Ricky asked, approaching Johnny's side, noting the faint, stifled laugh escaping from him despite the injuries.
"They say I might never walk again," Johnny sighed, his tone calm and resigned.
He wasn't that upset at his injury since after all, even the head of the family had once walked with a limp and relied on a cane.
"Oh shut up, you know I wouldn't just leave you like this." Ricky scoffed, pulling out a Senzu bean from his inventory and placing it in Johnny's hand.
"Do I even want to know?" Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow and fixing a skeptical gaze on his boss.
"All you need to know is that it's gonna make you better," Ricky shrugged, watching as Johnny studied it for a moment before nodding and downing it, taking the water his boss handed him afterward.
Gulp
Johnny swallowed the bean down in one gulp, blinking his eyes and already seeing his toes moving under his blanket.
"I-I can really feel my legs again." Johnny stammered, his voice a mix of disbelief and awe.
He'd been lying to Ricky earlier, having been told by the doctor he'd never walk again.
But now the sensation was undeniable.
Every muscle, every joint, every nerve seemed to hum with life as he slowly tested his weight, the impossible truth sinking in.
The fear and hopelessness that had gripped him for the past week melted away, replaced with a dizzying surge of gratitude and amazement.
"Again?" Ricky raised an eyebrow, watching Johnny scrunch his neck, caught in the act of admitting he'd just lied.
"I-I was going to tell-"
"Relax, you don't gotta explain nothing to me." Ricky said, nudging Johnny, who smiled at the gesture.
"But listen, it can't heal what happened up here," Ricky added, gesturing to his own brain as Johnny chuckled.
Then, an awkward tension slowly permeated the room as Johnny rubbed the back of his neck, knowing he probably shouldn't speak but unable to stop himself.
"Did you know?" Johnny asked, side-eyeing Louis, as they finally circled back to where their last conversation had left off.
The discussion about the mutant runners.
"Did you know we was letting in rats?"
Johnny had plenty of time to think while the temporary feeling in his legs was lost, and when he was left alone with his thoughts, they spiraled relentlessly.
But all he could think about was his runners, the mutants.
All he could focus on were the events leading up to Louis getting exposed; the missteps, the blind spots,and the betrayal he hadn't even fully processed.
However, what gnawed at him most was the realization that Ricky hadn't even flinched when he'd been told he let in rats.
No flicker of surprise, no sign of alarm but just that calm, unshakable composure that always unnerved Johnny, making him wonder how much his boss truly saw and how much he allowed to unfold.
"I had a feeling-" Ricky said, though in truth, he hadn't known beforehand; he purposely never sought to know until the mutant runners felt close enough to the family to matter.
SIGH
Johnny let out a haggard exhale, collapsing his face into his hand, the weight of it all pressing down.
Ricky, recalling the news he'd received earlier, watched quietly.
None of the runners had suffered casualties under Johnny's watch, yet those sent to Alina and Agatha's protection were nearly wiped out.
Only four had survived the entire ordeal and it wracked Johnny with guilt.
"Johnny, it wasn't your fault-"
SNIFF
"I know Boss, I know." Johnny sniffled, burying his face in his hands under the crushing weight of grief.
"It just really f*cking hurts because I thought of myself as a mentor to every single one of them."
"And I-" Johnny's voice cracked, wracked with guilt as two-thirds of his original runners were now nothing more than headstones.
"And I just don't know how to look the others in the eye."Johnny broke down completely, feeling as if he wasn't even worthy of his position anymore.
"Aye, woah." Ricky suddenly said, stopping Johnny and placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
"You took a f*cking bullet for a runner, and lemme tell ya, nobody's crazy enough to do that." Ricky's words shook Johnny awake from the depths of his grief.
"I mean, just look," Ricky added, nudging him gently toward Louis, sleeping in a nearby chair.
Although the other runners had resumed their duties, Louis had made it his personal mission to stay by Johnny's side in the ward.
Every movement, every check, every tiny task was done with meticulous care, as if he were holding the responsibility of Johnny's life in his own hands.
His dedication was so intense that Johnny had to raise his voice at him, insisting he stop overworking himself.
However, even then, Louis had pulled an all-nighter, fueled purely by worry, and Johnny could see the exhaustion etched into his young face, the dark circles under his eyes as he snored quietly at the side.
"If that ain't respect, this kid's literally taking care of you, then I don't know what is," Ricky said, his voice firm but calm, thinking the runners would rather blame him than Johnny of all people.
"Still, it was dangerous to take in rats, boss." Johnny's gaze lifted, his expression taut with seriousness, showing just how much the subject weighed on him.
"But look at what we produced, what you produced." Ricky said with some excitement, grabbing Johnny's shoulder and shaking it slightly.
"I mean, you saw it, didn't you?" Ricky countered, a wide grin spreading across his face as he nodded toward Louis, the mutant who had tanked actual spells without so much as flinching.
"I still can't believe the kid took on flying f*cking fire," Johnny said, shaking his head in disbelief, his eyes fixed on Louis over at the side.
Even now, Johnny still couldn't fathom how the boy had stood unflinching, spell after spell lashing out to destroy him, yet acting as a solid wall in front of Johnny, letting nothing through.
"I know it was dangerous to let Elias' little minions into the fold, but it was always about the bigger picture," Ricky said, trying to reach Johnny instead of letting him pull away from the topic.
"I know you're skeptical about letting these mutants in, but I need you to understand." Ricky said, his voice growing quieter as he got to the main subject at hand.
"And you saw it, how Louis there, and guys just like him, are gonna put us on the map," Ricky said, his tone growing more serious as he gripped Johnny's shoulder a little tighter, driving the point home.
"However, if I'm gonna move forward, I need to know you're okay with me becoming more aggressive with my recruiting."
Johnny was Ricky's guy, the one he was going to entrusted with the future of the Luciano family.
This was the man who would singlehandly carry Ricky's vision forward, the one tasked with training and instilling the ideals and virtues of the Luciano family into the next generation of made men.
He wasn't just a loyal subordinate; he was going to be the architect of the family's future, shaping the minds and loyalties of those who would one day carry its weight.
But Ricky knew better than to force Johnny into that role.
This was about giving him the choice to step into the position he was destined for, on his own terms.
"Okay, boss, I'm in." Johnny said, grinning widely as he peeled the blanket off, carefully disentangling himself from the tangle of wires still clinging to his body.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
SNORT
Louis jolted awake, the constant beeping of the machine tracking Johnny's pulse jarring him from sleep.
"N-Nurse-" Louis stammered, stumbling forward in a groggy haze, only to be stopped by a familiar presence.
"It's alright, Louis, you're fine," Ricky chuckled, placing a hand on the kid's shoulder and giving it a reassuring shake. Louis looked up, only to freeze at Ricky's sudden gaze.
"Y-Y-Y-"
"Listen, you did good." Ricky offered a compliment, flashing a toothy smile as he patted Louis on the head before heading toward the door.
"And Johnny, you're gonna be receiving more mutants later on. I got word from my baby, she's sending over a fresh batch," Ricky added, glancing at Johnny, who was carefully putting on the clothes Louis had neatly folded at his side.
The very same child who had been completely frozen at the sight of the highest-ranking member of the family he had so desperately wanted to be a part of.
"And get ready for the meeting. I need you there at exactly six," Ricky said, pointing toward the door as he opened it, while Johnny hurriedly nodded in acknowledgment.
"Of course, boss, I was never gonna miss it," Johnny said with a chuckle, quickly sliding into his suit, feeling in his own skin again with the Italian leather clinging to his form.
"Good man."
Click
The door clicked shut behind Ricky as Johnny slid on his suit jacket, fiddling with the buttons with deliberate care.
Louis turned toward him, but the moment Johnny's scrutinizing stare met his eyes, he ducked his head, overwhelmed with shame for betraying the family.
Even with all he had contributed, the reputation he had built in the community, it still wasn't enough for Johnny.
Over the time Louis had devoted himself to caring for Johnny, he had often been met with a cold shoulder.
It wasn't that Johnny wanted to be harsh, he had simply been raised to despise weakness and betrayal, and seeing Louis slip, even subtly, into what he had been taught to reject was hard to stomach.
Yet, when Ricky subtly implied that he had known all along, it softened the blow.
Johnny realized the kid hadn't gone unnoticed, and the weight of what he had done eased, if only by just a fraction.
But it was enough to understand that Louis had been punished enough, Johnny's expression softened into a small, firm smile, all while raising a single finger towards him.
"Never betray the family again."
Instead of ridicule or an insult, Louis heard words that made his eyes well with tears, and he hurriedly nodded his head.
He had been through so much, losing his family in ways no child should ever have to experience.
But instead of feeling guilty, a sense of joy washed over him.
Louis was happy, truly happy that he hadn't just found a home, but another family, one he could be proud to belong to.
"Now, hurry up, we got work to do," Johnny said, flicking his head toward the door as he stepped out, and Louis bolted after him.
"Y-Yes, Boss!"
While Louis hurried to catch up to Johnny storming down the hall, Ricky had already disappeared and reappeared at a single door.
He hadn't even opened it yet, but the rhythmic hiss of the respirator on the other side told him everything.
Peering through the small window, he saw Chores completely limp in the bed, air being forced through a tube, inflating his lungs before slowly letting them deflate.
At Chores' side, Barko sat patiently, a book in his paws, quietly monitoring his friend's vital signs every few minutes while keeping a watchful, almost protective eye on him.
Click
"I've already told you a number of times, I will be monitoring his-" Barko sighed, assuming it was either a nurse or another grunt from the family.
But then he froze at the man before him, his words catching in his throat.
"Slick?" Barko said, hurriedly stepping away from Chores' side and walking up to Ricky, hope flashing across his face.
"You found it, right?" Barko asked suddenly, stepping quickly in front of Ricky as his eyes flicked toward the small bottle in his hands.
"You can fix Chores, right?" Barko pressed, his voice heavy with expectation, the unspoken hope that Ricky had discovered something, anything, to help their friend, barely hanging onto life..
[(Legendary Item) Vial of Eternal Essence: Derived from the legendary Wellspring of Eternity, the elixir contained in this vial offers a remarkable communion with the essence of existence. Upon consumption, it provides a temporary sense of invigoration, accelerated recuperation, and a heightened awareness of surroundings. This vial is pursued by those seeking a reprieve from the inexorable passage of time, desiring a taste of enduring vitality though it cannot revive the dead.
Attributes:
Fleeting Invigoration: Temporarily enhances resilience and speeds up recovery.
Clarity of Being: Augments perception and sharpens awareness.
Vitality Surge: Refreshes stamina and revives the body.]
There was a reason Ricky had held onto this particular item for so long, and that reason was Eddy.
To be blunt, Ricky had never used it, not once, out of sheer guilt and regret.
He couldn't bring himself to wield it, haunted by the memory of being too late to deliver it to Eddy on that fateful day.
But now, the time had come.
It was time to heal, to finally use it in Eddy's memory, and move on from the past that always seemed to follow him closely.
"I got it." Ricky said, holding up the vial, and Barko immediately stepped aside, giving him room.
Slowly, Ricky approached Chores' side, carefully removing the tube that had been keeping him alive.
Barko watched from the edge, holding his breath as the red liquid poured into Chores' mouth.
In an instant, the color began to return to Chores' pale skin, vitality surging through him.
The dog leapt to the machine, tail wagging furiously, sensing the life rushing back into his friend.
"H-His vitals, they're returning!" Barko yelped, eyes wide as he stared at the monitors, the levels even surpassing his own.
But even as Chores' body seemed to surge with life, one pressing question remained.
"Why isn't he waking up?" Ricky asked, glancing to the side as Barko hurriedly checked another machine, then shook his head, frustration and confusion flickering across his face.
"I-........I don't know." Barko stammered, still shocked. From what he was seeing, Chores should have been awake by now.
Crunch
The metal bedframe groaned under Ricky's grip, his fury barely contained as he slowly ducked his head.
"Will he wake up?" Ricky asked, his tone tense as he watched Barko continue checking the readings.
After a long moment, the dog slowly nodded.
"I'll need to monitor him further, but based on these preliminary readings, he should be awake any day now." Barko said, giving Ricky a cautious reassurance that it was only a matter of time before Chores opened his eyes again.
Sigh
Ricky didn't respond, simply letting the tension in his shoulders ease as a small wave of relief washed over him while he sank into a nearby chair.
"Slick, this is nothing to sigh about, you might have just saved his life-"
"And I almost got him killed!" Ricky suddenly lashed out, his voice sharp, and Barko immediately fell silent.
"No, I just-"
SIGH
Ricky sighed even harder, rubbing his eyes as Barko simply smiled, setting down the stack of readings that had been endlessly funneling from the machines.
"You couldn't have known, Slick." Barko gently said, walking to his side and sitting next to him.
"But I should've, Barko."
"I should've known."
One of the worst things about betrayal isn't the knife, it's the echo it leaves afterward.
The gnawing whisper that you missed something.
That you should have seen it coming.
And in the quiet between heartbeats, you start to wonder if the real fault isn't theirs but entirely yours.
"I should've been ahead of the curb instead of waiting to be left behind." Ricky said quietly, tightly grabbing his hands tightly together.
"And that's why I'm gonna need to cash in on all the favors you owe me." Ricky's words sparked a flash in his green eyes as he turned toward Barko, who, caught off guard but bound by loyalty, dutifully nodded his head.
"Name it, Slick. Whatever I can do to help."
Until now, Barko had been almost invisible in the grand scheme of Ricky's life.
He had been present, yes, but never a true contributor, more of a shadow at the edges of his life, quietly observing rather than shaping anything.
Until now.
"Listen, I got this skill and it-"
Then Ricky shifted the conversation to a specific skill, not one of his more overtly lethal abilities, but his regeneration.
Specifically, he spoke of his chronic adaptation, the subtle way his body slowly hardened against whatever tried to break it down.
Yet as he continued, Barko's confident smile gradually melted, replaced by a creeping horror as the reality of what Ricky truly wanted from him settled in.
"So, what I'm trying to ask is: what would I need to make my body become resistant to everything?"