If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
...
(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
"Exactly, Arthur. Which means someone with real capital and real tactical knowledge is holding their leash," Caleb stated, a dark, incredibly powerful smirk crossing his face. The anticipation of a new war thrilled him. "When Mary-Beth and the girls are finished with their tea, we are going back to the mansion. We are going to lock this city down. And then, gentlemen... we are going to plan a hunting trip to Rhodes. It is time we officially expand our empire to the west."
Hearing what the Don had just said, the absolute, chilling reality of a new mafia war settled over the grand circular driveway of the Mayor's estate.
The sheer scale of the violence that Caleb was casually proposing, an aggressive, expansionist campaign against the established rulers of a neighboring county, would have terrified lesser men. But to the battle hardened lieutenants of the Italian syndicate, it was simply the next logical step in their absolute conquest of the South.
Everyone present nodded their heads in grim, unified understanding. The cold wind whipped through the pristine oak trees of the Garden District, but the men standing at the base of the marble steps were entirely focused, their blood running hot with the anticipation of impending battle.
Since they still had to wait for Mary-Beth and the girls to officially finish with their high society event inside the mansion, Caleb utilized this quiet, heavily guarded moment to rapidly establish the tactical foundation for their retaliation.
He stepped closer to his lieutenants, his ruined charcoal suit a stark contrast to his terrifyingly composed, authoritative demeanor, and he began to give out a series of highly calculated, immediate orders.
"First things first," Caleb commanded, his sharp blue eyes locking onto his scarred Italian Underboss. "Vincenzo, I want all of the capos in the city to be placed on maximum high alert starting this exact second. Every single made man, every soldier, and every associate on our payroll needs to be armed and ready for any order that I give out. Cancel all leaves. Double the guards at the casinos, the illegal bookies, and the factory. If a single glass is broken in one of our establishments tonight, I want a dozen men there to answer it."
"It is already done in my head, Don McLaughlin," Vincenzo replied, his jaw clenched tight. "The streets will be locked down tighter than a federal vault."
"Second," Caleb continued, turning his attention to Arthur, who was still practically vibrating with protective fury. "Arthur, when we get back to the estate, I want you to immediately find John and Javier. They are the best scouts and infiltrators we possess. I want them to lead a specialized detachment of several made men and our best soldiers. They are to ride out to Rhodes tonight under the cover of darkness."
Arthur nodded slowly, his green eyes narrowing as he instantly grasped the tactical brilliance of the move. "You want them to act as the vanguard. To scout the territory before we bring the entire family down."
"Exactly," Caleb confirmed, a dark, predatory light in his eyes. "Tell John and Javier to scour the area around the town. I want them checking the sightlines on the sheriff's office, mapping out the tobacco fields, and finding the blind spots in the Grays' security patrols. They are to keep a close, unblinking eye on all of the Grays' activity, but they must act entirely normal, of course. Have them pose as traveling merchants or drifters looking for work. I don't want a single shot fired in Rhodes until I personally give the word. We gather intelligence first, and then we strike with overwhelming, paralyzing force."
"I'll brief John and Javier personally the second we are behind the mansion walls," Arthur promised, resting his hand heavily on the grip of his gold inlaid M1911. "They'll map out every inch of that dusty town."
"Lastly," Caleb said, his voice dropping into a low, uncompromising hum as he issued the final mandate to secure their borders. "All entrances to the city of Saint Denis are to be guarded tightly. The docks, the rail yards, the ferry stations, and the main thoroughfares. Deploy the informants and the street soldiers. If there are any newcomers to the town, bounty hunters, hired guns, or federal agents, they are to be kept a very close eye on without them noticing too much. If the Grays have hired one hit squad, they might have hired a dozen. No one enters this city carrying heavy iron without my syndicate knowing exactly what they had for breakfast."
Hearing these flawlessly structured, airtight orders, Vincenzo, operating flawlessly in his role as the Underboss of the empire, nodded his head in deep respect.
"I will be the one to convey these orders to the precinct captains, my Don," Vincenzo said, his voice ringing with absolute loyalty. "The city will be a fortress by nightfall."
Before wasting another second, Vincenzo turned on his heel. He gestured sharply to two of his personal guards, who immediately broke away from the defensive perimeter. The Underboss mounted his massive, dark coated horse that had been tied near the gates and spurred the beast forward, riding out of the Garden District at a breakneck gallop to unleash the full, terrifying organizational might of the Italian mafia upon the streets of Saint Denis.
Not a while after Vincenzo had departed, the massive, gold trimmed double doors of the Mayor's mansion finally swung open.
The highly exclusive afternoon event had officially ended. The high society ladies began to leave the Mayor's mansion in small, elegantly dressed groups, their laughter and light conversation floating out into the crisp winter air.
They were completely oblivious to the fact that a brutal assassination attempt had just occurred a few miles away, and they were entirely unaware that the heavily armed men standing in the driveway were actively planning a localized war.
As the wealthy wives of politicians, railroad barons, and shipping magnates descended the wide marble steps, wrapped in heavy mink coats and glittering diamonds, they all abruptly paused. Seeing the imposing, terrifying figure of Caleb standing in front of the mansion alongside his heavily armed men, a sudden, nervous hush fell over the socialites.
Despite his ruined, mud stained suit, the sheer aura of power that Caleb radiated was intoxicating. Every single one of the ladies, remembering the unimaginable wealth and absolute authority he had displayed at the New Year's Eve auction, of course, greeted Caleb incredibly respectfully.
They offered deep, gracious nods, polite smiles, and soft pleasantries, to which Caleb responded with a flawless, charismatic tilt of his head, acting the perfect gentleman while his mind was filled with violence.
And then, walking out behind the Mayor's wife, came Mary-Beth, accompanied by Tilly, Karen, and Molly.
They looked radiant, thoroughly energized by the high society gossip and the delicate pastries, but the moment they stepped out onto the marble landing, they stopped dead in their tracks. When Mary-Beth and the girls came out, they were immediately surprised.
They saw that their standard carriage was entirely gone. In its place sat a brand new, massive, heavily armored black lacquered carriage that looked more like a rolling bank vault than a civilian transport. Furthermore, there was Arthur Morgan, standing with his arms crossed and a face like thunder, alongside a dozen heavily scarred Italian capos gripping concealed automatic weapons. It wasn't just Caleb waiting for them, it was a full scale team.
Mary-Beth's sharp, deeply intuitive mind instantly recognized that something had gone terribly, catastrophically wrong. Her dark eyes immediately swept over Caleb, instantly noticing the mud, the soot, and the unmistakable, terrifying splatters of dark blood staining his expensive leather shoes and the hem of his charcoal trousers.
Her breath hitched in her throat, a look of pure panic flashing across her beautiful face. She opened her mouth to speak, to demand to know what had happened, but Caleb was faster.
Knowing that the front steps of the Mayor's mansion, surrounded by the biggest gossips in the entire state of Lemoyne, was not the place to discuss a mafia shootout, Caleb immediately stepped forward.
He smiled, a warm, profoundly reassuring, and perfectly calm smile designed entirely to shield her from the public eye. He walked up the steps, taking Mary-Beth's gloved hand in his own and pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her knuckles.
"Good afternoon, ladies," Caleb greeted them, his rich voice perfectly steady, projecting absolute confidence for the benefit of the staring socialites.
He gently squeezed Mary-Beth's hand, offering her a silent, commanding look that promised he would explain everything in a moment. He then looked at the rest of the girls and said to them all, "If you would please get inside the carriage first. The wind is picking up, and I do not want you catching a chill. I will tell you exactly what happened once we are safely underway."
Molly, Tilly, and Karen, recognizing the absolute, uncompromising authority in the Don's voice, didn't argue for a single second. They nodded silently and quickly hurried down the steps. The armored capos immediately formed a protective wall around them, shielding the women with their bodies until they were safely loaded into the plush, reinforced interior of the new carriage.
Mary-Beth lingered for a fraction of a second, her fingers gripping Caleb's hand tightly, before she too allowed him to guide her down the steps and into the cabin.
After that was done, and Caleb got inside, pulling the heavy, steel reinforced door shut behind him, the carriage immediately lurched into motion. The transport rode back to the mansion under the heavy, unblinking guard of Arthur, Silvio, and the dozen mounted capos who formed a tight, impenetrable cavalry ring around the carriage.
Inside the spacious, velvet lined cabin, the absolute silence was deafening. The girls sat on the opposite bench, staring at Caleb's ruined, blood stained clothes with wide, terrified eyes.
Caleb let out a long, heavy sigh, the charismatic facade completely dropping to reveal the exhausted, ruthless warlord beneath. He leaned back against the cushions, looking directly at Mary-Beth, and it was then that Caleb told the girls exactly what had transpired, causing this massive security escalation to happen.
He didn't sugarcoat the violence, but he kept his voice low and incredibly calm. He explained how his carriage had been ambushed by a hit squad of six professional mercenaries in the eastern docks. He told them how the original driver had been tragically killed by a bullet, and how he had been forced to dive out of the shattered window into the mud to survive.
When Mary-Beth heard exactly what had happened, and how incredibly close Caleb had come to being gunned down in the streets, she was absolutel shocked. A choked, terrified gasp escaped her lips, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.
She didn't care about the blood on his suit or the mud on his shoes. She practically threw herself across the small space between the benches, her hands frantically patting down his chest, his arms, and his shoulders, desperately checking to make absolutely sure that Caleb was okay and that he wasn't hiding a fatal bullet wound from her.
"Caleb! Oh my God, Caleb!" Mary-Beth whispered hysterically, her eyes welling with tears of sheer panic. "Are you hurt? Tell me the truth, are you bleeding?!"
"I am fine, Mary-Beth. I swear to you, I am perfectly fine," Caleb smiled, his voice incredibly gentle as he caught her trembling hands in his own. He pulled her gently onto the bench beside him, wrapping his strong arms securely around her waist to anchor her.
He kissed the top of her head, offering her the physical reassurance she so desperately needed. "They didn't lay a single scratch on me. I took care of the men who attacked me. It is over. You are completely safe, and I am completely safe."
Karen Jones, her face pale, looked at the blood on Caleb's shoes and swallowed hard. "Who... who would do something like this, Caleb? Is it the remaining Pinkerton's hiding around? Or maybe left over loyalists of Bronte's?"_
"No," Caleb replied, his voice hardening back into cold steel. "It was the Grays. Down in Rhodes."
"The Grays?" Tilly gasped, her hands clutching her lavender silk dress. "But they're just a bunch of loud mouthed plantation owners! Why would they attack us?"
"Because they are greedy, and because they are stupid," Caleb stated bluntly. "And they are about to learn exactly why you do not strike at a me unless you are prepared to wipe out my entire empire."
Caleb tightened his arm around Mary-Beth, looking at the four women who were the heart of his family. He needed them completely secure before he unleashed hell on the southern county.
"Listen to me carefully, all of you," Caleb said, issuing a strict, non negotiable mandate for their own protection. "I am placing the estate under maximum lockdown. We have to stay at the mansion for a week. No trips to the tailor, no afternoon teas, and no walks in the park. I and the boys will be investigating incredibly deep into this matter, mobilizing the capos, and preparing a massive retaliation. During this time, the streets are going to be unpredictable, and I absolutely do not want any of you to be targeted next."
He looked down at Mary-Beth, his blue eyes fierce with a protective love that bordered on obsession. "Especially you, Mary-Beth. If they know who you are to me, you are the highest value target in this entire state. You do not leave the mansion grounds under any circumstances."
Mary-Beth, realizing the terrifying gravity of the situation, nodded her head rapidly, her arms wrapping tightly around his torso. "I understand, Caleb. I won't leave. None of us will."
Tilly, Karen, and Molly all nodded their heads in immediate, solemn agreement. They had survived the life of outlaws for years, they understood the absolute necessity of lying low when the bullets started flying.
...
Name: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 8/10
- Agility: 8/10
- Perception: 9/10
- Stamina: 8/10
- Charm: 8/10
- Luck: 9/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl MAX)
- Rifle (Lvl MAX)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl MAX)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl MAX)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl MAX)
- Sneaking (Lvl MAX)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl MAX)
- Poker (Lvl MAX)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl MAX)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl MAX)
- Dead Eye (Lvl MAX)
- Bow (Lvl MAX)
- Pain Nullifier (Lvl MAX)
- Physical Regeneration (Lvl MAX)
- Crafting (Lvl MAX)
- Persuasion (Lvl MAX)
- Mental Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl MAX)
- Teaching (Lvl MAX)
- Trilingual Language Proficiency - G, I, & C (Lvl MAX)
- Inventory System (Permanent - 100x100x100)
- Acting (Lvl MAX)
- Alcohol Resistance (Lvl MAX)
- Treasure Hunter (Lvl MAX)
- Drugs Resistance (Lvl MAX)
- Business (Lvl MAX)
- Leadership (Lvl MAX)
Money: 2,772 dollars and 60 cents
Inventory: 283,392 dollars and 61 cents, 11 gold nuggets, 74 gold bars, 1 Double Action, 1 Schofield, 2 Colm's Schofields, 1 land deed (Parcel), 1 Mauser, 1 Semi Auto Pistol, 1 Lancaster Repeater, 1 Old Wood Jewelry Box, 1 F.F Mausoleum small brass key, 1 Ruby, 1 Braithwaites Land Deed, 1 Broken Pirate Sword, 1 Milton's Safety Deposit Key, Proof Of Marlin-Thorne Firearms Co., 10 Dynamites, 1 LeMat, 1 M1899, 1 Carcano, 1 Ownership deed of Doyle's Tavern, 3 Diamonds, & Important Documents & Deeds Of Cornwall
Bank: -