PROLOGUE: A Call For Alliance

"Get down!" Giovanni yelled, his voice piercing through the chaos. Bullets flew through the air, striking buildings and cars as the sound of gunfire echoed through the streets.

Giovanni sprinted forward, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of safety. "Protect the Capo!" he shouted to the guards, who immediately rushed to surround Ivan De Luca.

The guards shielded Ivan as they returned fire, trying to pin down the attackers.

"Get us out of here now" Ronan yelled to the driver of Ivan's car, his voice urgent and panicked.

The driver floored it, but La Mano Roja's shooters targeted the car's tires. The tires screeched and popped, one by one, as the driver struggled to maintain control. The car careened out of control, crashing into a nearby tree.

Giovanni, who was in a separate car, saw the crash and his eyes widened in alarm. "Fuck!" he cursed, his voice laced with concern.

Giovanni rushed towards Ivan's car, his face etched with concern. Ivan stumbled out, coughing, covered in dust and debris.

"You alright, Capo?" He growled.

Ivan nodded, still coughing. "Yeah, I'm good."

Before he could take another breath, bullets whizzed through the air, forcing them to duck for cover. "Let's get you out of here," Giovanni said, his voice urgent.

They made a break for the other cars, but La Mano Roja's shooters had them surrounded. Cars hemmed them in, trapping them. One of La Mano Roja's men stepped out, a sneer twisting his face. "Guns down," he taunted.

Ronan's response was instant. "Fuck you."

"I won't repeat myself again. Guns down," the man said, his voice cold and menacing.

La Mano Roja's men positioned their guns, aiming at Giovanni and the others. The Capo, Ivan, stepped forward. "It's fine, it's fine. Drop the guns."

Giovanni's eyes widened. "What?"

The Capo's voice was firm. "I said drop the guns."

Their guards hesitated, then slowly lowered their guns to the ground.

The Capo stepped forward, facing La Mano Roja's men. "What do you want?"

The La Mano Roja leader smiled. "Simple. We want our drugs back."

“Have you forgotten the drug exchange? We want them back."

Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "I came specifically with my men to exchange the drugs and the money. You gave us the drugs, we paid you your money. What else do you want? You got your money, let us go."

The leader's smile grew wider. "No, we still want the drugs and the money."

Giovanni’s voice was low and urgent. "Ronan, get the Capo out of here."

Ronan quickly grabbed Ivan's arm and pulled him towards their car.

As they moved to leave, the La Mano Roja leader shouted, "No! You don't get to leave! I'll be the one to tell you to leave!"

Giovanni's eyes locked onto the leader, and he barked an order. "Guards, get your guns!"

The guards swiftly positioned their guns, and a tense standoff ensued. Ronan had already gotten Ivan into the car, and Ivan wound down the window. "Be safe, Giovanni."

Ronan nodded and drove off quickly. The La Mano Roja leader shouted, "Shoot the tires!"

Bullets whizzed towards the car, but Ronan proved to be a skilled driver, dodging and weaving to avoid the shots. As the car sped away, Giovanni and the guards returned fire, trying to pin down La Mano Roja's men.

Giovanni and his guards exchanged gunfire with La Mano Roja's men. Giovanni's aim was deadly, and at least ten of La Mano Roja's men went down. However, Giovanni's guards were also taking heavy losses.

As La Mano Roja's men retreated, Giovanni tried to find their leader, but he seemed to have vanished. Suddenly, a gun was pointed at Giovanni's head. "Well, who do we have here? Just because your capo escaped doesn't mean you're going to escape," the voice sneered.

Giovanni swiftly turned and clashed with the gunman, their guns locking. "I think you're the consigliere of La Famiglia De Luca," the leader said.

Giovanni's response was immediate. "Got a problem?"

The leader sneered. "I want my drugs back, and I'm not leaving here until I get them."

Giovanni smirked. "Well, make me."

The two engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat, with Giovanni managing to kick the gun out of the leader's hand. However, just as Giovanni was about to gain the upper hand, he felt a searing pain in his back. He turned, gun raised, and shot the person who had shot him.

But before he could turn back to face the leader, the leader had already retrieved his gun and shot Giovanni in the chest. The bullet pierced through his chest, and another shot hit his hand, causing the gun to fall off. Giovanni's hands were bleeding, and he stumbled backward, bleeding profusely.

The leader sneered. "Get me my money back, or else I'll shoot you in the head straight to meet the devil."

Giovanni, holding his chest and bleeding from his hand, looked up at the leader. "Never."

The leader raised an eyebrow. "You're loyal to your capo, huh?”

Giovanni's voice was weak but resolute. "I'll be loyal to my capo to the very end."

The leader's expression twisted in anger, and he shot Giovanni in the head.

Just as he did, more guards arrived on the scene. The leader yelled at his men, "Let's go!" They fled, leaving Giovanni's lifeless body behind.

When Ivan and Ronan arrived, Ronan shouted, "Gio! Gio!"

"Search the area!" The Capo ordered.The guards dispersed, searching for any signs of La Mano Roja's men.

Someone yelled, "He's here!" followed by a scream of pain. Everyone rushed to the scene, and Ronan shouted, "Give way for the capo!"

When they saw Giovanni's dead body, Ivan screamed, his voice echoing through the streets. Ronan turned his head, pain etched on his face. Ivan ran to Giovanni's body, shaking him. "It's not possible! It's not true!"

But it was too late. Giovanni was gone. Ivan stood up, his face twisted in grief, and ordered Ronan, "Carry the body." They all left, mourning the loss of their loyal advisor.

PALERMO, SICILY (LA FAMIGLIA DE LUCA'S EMPIRE)

The men gathered in the grand meeting room, a place where the underbosses of the La Famiglia De Luca Empire convened to discuss important matters.

Suddenly, Ivan De Luca walked in with his personal guard, Ronan Marino, and everyone stood to their feet, waiting for the Capo to take his seat. Ivan De Luca sat down, his presence commanding attention, and the others followed suit, taking their seats. However, there was a vacant seat, meant for Giovanni Bianchi, the family's consigliere, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The tension in the room was palpable as Ivan De Luca's expression turned grave. "Giovanni is dead," he said, his words dropping like a bombshell.

The room fell silent, gasps filling the air as everyone was shocked by the news. Ronan Marino's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding in anger, and his fist tightened. The underbosses exchanged stunned glances, the weight of the news settling heavily upon them.

Barino, one of the underbosses, spoke up, his voice laced with panic. "What happened? How did he die?"

Ivan De Luca's expression turned grim. "We were on our way back from a successful drug exchange with the La Mano Roja when we were ambushed by their men. Giovanni died during the fight."

The room erupted into gasps and stunned murmurs. Ronan's anger was palpable as he clenched his fists and teeth. "Before Giovanni died, we were discussing how we've been at war with the La Mano Roja for over five years. But you, as the Capo, wanted peace between the two empires, and that's why you agreed to bring peace by buying drugs from them."

Ronan's voice dripped with resentment. "Gio was against it from the start, but you insisted because you're the Capo. You forced us to make friends with them."

The tension in the room was palpable, and Ivan De Luca rubbed his temples, his eyes closed in frustration.

Ronan's anger boiled over. "Now he's dead. We can’t let this slide. He is the consigliere of La famiglia De Luca. There will be a real war this time around."

Benjamin, another underboss, spoke up, his voice cautious. "We don't have what it takes to win a war with the La Mano Roja. We've been on this for over five years now."

Ronan's face twisted in rage. He stood up, slamming his fist on the table. "We must find a way to win this war and clear them out for killing Gio. Don't you get it?"

Ivan De Luca's voice cut through the chaos. "Enough."Ivan De Luca continued, his voice measured. “Ben is right. We don't have what it takes to win over the La Mano Roja. We've been on this for a very long time.”

"What do you propose we do, Capo?" Barino asked, his voice cautious.

Ivan De Luca's eyes scanned the room, his gaze lingering on each of his underbosses. "We need to regroup, reassess our situation. We can't take on La Mano Roja without a solid plan."

The weight of Ivan's words hanging in the air. What would they do next?

Ronan's phone rang, and he picked it up. The room erupted into whispers as Ronan's face turned dark. "La Mano Roja’s men burnt down sterling club" he said, his voice low and menacing.

Everyone was stunned, whispering to each other in shock.

Lukas, one of the underbosses, spoke up. "That's our number three best club in the city. This is getting out of hand, Capo."

Ronan's face clenched, and he turned his face away, his anger simmering.

After a moment of tense silence, Ivan spoke up, his voice low and measured. "The Bratva."

The room fell silent, with everyone exchanging fearful glances. The mention of the Bratva sent a chill down their spines, a reminder of the ruthless and merciless organization that's not to be crossed path with.

“How about we form an alliance with them?"

The room was silent, with no one daring to speak up.

Barino broke the silence, his voice cautious. "That would be dangerous, Capo. The Bratva is not to be dealt with lightly. They're the most feared and respected mafia in the world."

Another underboss added, "Speaking of the Bratva, the Pakhan's seventieth birthday is coming up soon. There's a possibility we might get an invite. How about we use this opportunity to make an alliance with the Bratva?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Barino spoke up, "I think I have a little bit of connection in the Bratva. I can work on that."

"How will you be able to do that, Barino? What do you need our help with?"

"Don't worry about that, Capo. I can handle it. What we just need is to get an invite, and we will be present at the seventieth birthday of the Pakhan."

Ronan spoke up, his voice filled with determination. "We must not fuck this up. This is our only way to avenge the Consigliere of La Famiglia De Luca's death."

The Capo stood up, and everyone else followed suit. "The meeting has been adjourned. Barino, I expect a response from you in two days' time.” And the Capo walked out, with Ronan and Barino following from behind.

As the Capo left with Ronan and Barino, Cassio looked ready to leave, his expression somber. "I'm off. We even forgot to discuss Giovanni's burial. We haven't even seen his dead body."

Another underboss, Victor, spoke up. "Maybe in two days' time, we'll discuss Giovanni's burial. But for now, we have many things on the ground, we need to make sure that we don't lose someone else who's very important to us."

Victor's words were laced with a sense of urgency and caution, as the underbosses tried to navigate the complex and treacherous world of the mafia.