Chapter 6

It had taken nearly five hours to get everything resolved with the police so they could go to the hospital to pick up Anna. Each hostage had to give a statement and was checked by the paramedics. Jonas gave his statement first then walked to the police line to speak to a reporter before the Captain knew what he was doing. The reporter recognized Jonas from the news feed as the negotiator that went after the hostages so was eager to get an interview.

"Officer, what happened in there?" the news caster yelled over the sound of the helicopter.

"I'm not with the police department," Jonas yelled back over the noise. "I was on loan to them for this assignment." He looked over his shoulder at the coffee shop as a stretcher was carried out with the waitress on it before turning back to the microphone. He had a dismissive expression on his face when he said, "There were men from the Cordova Mexican Drug Cartel holding the hostages so it really wasn't much of an issue. You see, the soldiers, like their boss Carlos Cruz are dangerous because they have a lot of weapons and no conscience. They don't care who they kill or how many they kill but they aren't very smart. Anyone can beat them with just a little planning and thought because their only answer to every challenge is to kill."

"How many Cartel soldiers were inside?" the news caster asked.

"There were four but, like I said, they weren't much of a threat. Think of baby rattlesnakes. They are dangerous but not very smart," Jonas said with a shrug.

"So, did you capture all four of them?" the news man asked.

"No," Jonas said with a chuckle. "They weren't worth the risk to the lives of the hostages. In that sense you can compare them to rabid dogs. You can't cure them and you don't want to jeopardize anyone's life by taking them alive. In this case, the hostages would have been in more danger if I had tried to take them alive."

"What efforts did you make to capture them?" the news caster asked.

"I told them that I would get them safe passage to the police if they wanted to give up. No one took me up on that offer," Jonas replied.

"That's all you did to try to capture them alive?" the reporter asked in shock. "Couldn't you have wounded them or something?"

"Are you married sir?" Jonas asked coldly.

"Uh, yes," the reporter replied.

"If a man had a pistol pressed against your wife's head, would you want to risk your wife's life to capture the criminal alive?" Jonas asked.

"Uh, no sir," the reporter said quietly.

Jonas wondered if the man's microphone could pick up his soft words over the noise. He shook his head in disgust and walked back to where the police Captain was talking to the SWAT team leader. Jonas had promised the Captain that he would tell him were his information came from after the hostages were free. His conversation with the Captain didn't go much better than the interview with the reporter had.

"What do you mean 'God told you' about the situation in there?" the police Captain asked in a quiet voice that couldn't hide his intensity or his barely controlled fury.

"He told me how many hostages there were and who they were," Jonas replied calmly. "He also told me how many men were holding them and the men's position before I went in."

"You said that you couldn't tell me how you knew what was happening in there before the hostages were safe," the Captain growled. "How would you telling me that information have jeopardized them before you went in there?"

"Would you have let me go in if I had told you that before they were safe?" Jonas asked.

The Captain started sputtering until he finally ordered, "Get out of here Gianni."

"Yes sir," Jonas said. "But I do need to wait until the rest are finished giving statements and checked by the medics. We need to plan for what's going to happen next."

"What do you mean by 'happen next'?" the Captain asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Carlos Cruz will be coming to Kansas City with a small army," Jonas said quietly. "I need to plan on how to draw him away from populated areas so that when we take him down he doesn't hurt any innocents."

"So, now you're a vigilante?" the Captain asked incredulously. "I suppose God told you about Cruz too," the man scoffed.

Clevis had been listening to the conversation and figured it was time to put in his two cents worth. "Captain, I was with Jonas the night we stopped Francisco Rodriguez. Jonas knew what corner to be on before they arrived. He knew which airport to go to so he could stop them from escaping with Mrs. Connors and her daughter. Today, he knew when Mrs. Connors was captured and where. He's the one that told me where to dispatch units to keep them from escaping and he led us straight here from the hospital. If he says Cruz is coming then I'm going to start loading every weapon that I can get my hands on."

The Captain looked back and forth between Jonas and Clevis. His eyebrows steadily climbed toward his hairline until finely he spat, "Shit, shit, shit," before turning and stalking toward the SWAT van.

Anna had received four stitches from the cut in her hairline and all of them went to the Rizzo mansion immediately after leaving the hospital. Anna and Clevis objected to going to the home of a known Mafia Don. Jonas had explained in detail the danger they were in. He included the number of spies the billions the Mexican Cartels could buy to report on their location. He asked them if they could think of a safer temporary location. No one was sure how much real safety the high walls and guards were but they all breathed a sigh of relief when the gates closed behind them.

Tony Rizzo's first indication that his family had been in danger was the cell call from Max while they were waiting for Jonas to get pistols. Another brief call immediately after they were freed from Mary assured him that they were safe and that they would be home soon. The old Mafioso was out the door with six bodyguards the moment their two SUV's stopped in front of the mansion. Tony wanted to know what was going on but was urged to wait until they were in the library. Jonas assured him they would tell him everything but they needed a secure location to do it.

Mary's pleading for her grandfather to allow them to discuss what had happened in private was the only thing that calmed the old man enough to wait. Tony could never say no to his granddaughter but in this instance her safety was an issue.

"There is no need to be concerned about Jonas claiming that he works for God," the old Mafioso said gruffly as he hugged his granddaughter again. "He's already told me that he can't work for me because he's working for God. I'm not saying I believe him but I'll suspend judgment until I know you and Pam are no longer in danger."

"Grandpa, Detective Jordan and Corporal Elk will be part of this discussion. Detective Jordan has already said that if he can get proof of anything illegal on Jonas or you that he would take either one of you to jail," Mary said urgently. "If you aren't in the room then there is no reason for any of your, uh, business dealings to be part of the conversation."

Tony chuckled and held his granddaughter at arm's length. "Honey, thanks for being concerned but I've been sparring with the police for over fifty years. No one is going to say anything in that room that will cause me a problem. There's no reason for it to come up. This meeting is about keeping you and Pam safe. I need to be a part of this discussion. Besides," he said more seriously. "If it were a choice of me going to jail and the two of you being safe, well, jail doesn't have to be all bad."

"Oh grandpa," Mary said with a crack in her voice. The tears that she had been fighting were about to break free so she hugged him again. "I don't know what to do. Mike is dead. I miss him so much and so does Pam. I always felt so safe with him but he couldn't protect us and he was killed." She couldn't hold the tears back as she clung to her grandfather's strength. "I don't know what to do," she repeated forlornly as the sobs wracked her body. "Pam is so frightened after the last two attempts to kidnap us that she won't let Jonas out of her sight. She starts shaking and crying. I hate to say it but I feel almost the same way. I'm so afraid grandpa. I'm afraid for Pam and for me and the only time I feel safe is when Jonas is close."

Tony Rizzo, the Mafioso that controlled most of the crime in four states, held the sobbing woman in his arms. He thought about a lot of things in the minutes that he held his granddaughter. He thought about his life. He thought about his father who had been a confidant and lieutenant for Salvatore Sabella before the old Don had died in 1962. Tony's father had been instrumental in Uncle Sal being able to die of natural causes because of the countless times he had saved the old Don's life. Tony's induction into the Family had simply been following in the family business. He thought about his long dead wife and son. He came to a decision while thinking about all he had left of his family.

Mary finally got herself under control and stepped back. "I'm sorry," she said as she dried her eyes. Mary always tried to maintain control around her grandpa.

"There's nothing to be sorry about honey," Tony said quietly. "You should never have been exposed to the things you have seen over the last week. But don't worry. You will be kept safe. Come on. Let's get this started," he said as he walked her toward the door to his library.

The five adult men, two adult women and teen girl sat on the couches in the library and looked at each other uncertainly. Max was unsure because his loyalties were split between Jonas and Tony. Clevis was uncomfortable because he felt like he was in enemy territory. Anna felt that way a little too but she had stronger ties with her brother Brian than with the police so took some comfort from being with him. Brian and Anna were family and were present as a family obligation to the stories they grew up with. Mary and Pam were devoted to Tony but felt a strong bond with Jonas too. Jonas took a breath to begin the explanations but stopped when Tony Rizzo held up his hand.

"I would like to say something before we get started," Tony said hesitantly. He looked around at the little group meeting everyone's eyes. His eyes stopped at his granddaughter. He seemed to age as he looked at Mary. He took a deep breath, thought about the decision that he had made, and let it out before beginning.

"We must devise a plan that will protect Mary and Pam," the old man said with slow dignity. "Every man, every resource, and down to the last dollar I have can go into that plan." He looked at Clevis when he continued. "I have no desire to go to prison but if that is necessary to protect them then I will." His words had a sense of finality about them. No one questioned his absolute commitment. "Some would blame me and my, ah, associates for this war that we find ourselves in. I disagree. Our family's business dealings can be traced back nearly 200 years to the old country. Since the beginning, competitors have tried to encroach on our territory. We have responded to encroachment in various ways over the generations but the Mexican Cartels do not respond the way any others have. We have tried negotiations and violence and everything in between. Nothing has been successful in stopping them but we have slowed them to some extent. You have all seen the havoc the Cartels have brought to their own country. There have been more than 48,000 deaths attributed to the Cartels in Mexico in the last five years and that doesn't include over 5,000 missing people. There is a drug cartel murder every half hour in Mexico." Tony paused and his jaws clenched before he continued. "None of my associates want that kind of senseless carnage in the United States. U.S. Law Enforcement has fought the encroachment of the Cartels. My associates and I have tried to hold them back. Granted, we had different motives than law enforcement but we have expended at least as much effort as Law Enforcement. Despite both our best efforts the Cartels have a presence in over 1000 US cities. I disagree that my associates and I are the cause of this war. If we had not fought back, what kind of presence would they have in this country now? My family and my country are more important to me than my life. I will do whatever I need to do to stop these animals. I have notified the rest of the families of our predicament. They will not be able to respond in Kansas City but will put additional pressure in other areas of the country. We have avoided open war with them but they have brought it to our heartland. We, all the families, are at war."

There was silence in the little gathering for a few minutes after Tony's declaration. Clevis was the one that broke the silence by clearing his throat. He looked at Anna before looking back and Tony and saying, "Mr. Rizzo, I'll tell you the same way I told Jonas. If I get enough evidence against you for a warrant then I will arrest you. Until then, you deserve the same protection that any other citizen deserves. The same goes for Mrs. Connors and her daughter. I will not jeopardize anyone's safety because I BELIEVE you are involved with organized crime. What I believe has no bearing on this or any other situation. Jonas has accepted this stipulation with me working with him. I hope that you do too."

Tony nodded his agreement and Jonas said, "I've been thinking about our situation and I think I have a plan. I think you all know who I work for but in case there is any doubt, I work for God. He told me to call him Joe simply because it is easier to carry on a conversation with him. It doesn't diminish him in any way. He calls me one of his Protectors. His adversary, I guess that would be the devil, also has agents in this world. Joe calls them Red Agents." He looked at Brian and Anna before continuing, "Your great, great grandmother and grandfather assisted Ben Lewis in fighting a Red Agent. Ben Lewis was killed but the Red Agent was killed too. They both fired the final shots that hit Jake Hobbs, the Red Agent, in the forehead. They were both wounded in that battle. I think everyone that entered that cabin was killed or wounded."

"Okay, we know who you believe you work for but why the history lesson?" Brian asked. He was uncomfortable about revealing his family's history to all these strangers.

"Joe allowed me to live Ben Lewis's last mission to gain more experience as a Protector," Jonas replied levelly. "I have been a Protector less than a month. I do get some enhanced abilities as part of the job but they must be fine tuned and the month that I've had just isn't enough for what we are facing. Some of the experience I learned as Ben Lewis allowed me to do the fast draw thing today. It wasn't only the speed of the draw but also knowing from the men's auras which needed to be shot first so no one else would be hurt. A Red Agent has most of the same enhancements that a Protector has. Jake Hobbs was a Red Agent about the same amount of time Ben Lewis was; probably around five years. Their skill levels and development were nearly the same. According to Joe, Carlos Cruz has been a Red Agent for over nine years. Joe can see good men and bad men. He can't see Red Agents. His last view of Carlos Cruz was just before he killed his sister in 2003."

The silence in the room as everyone absorbed the information was broken by Brian. "So, it sounds like you are saying we don't have a chance. Before, with Ben Lewis, they were evenly matched and they were both killed. This time the guy we're going against is a lot stronger than what Ben Lewis faced and you're a lot weaker than Ben Lewis. Is that what you're saying?"

Jonas smiled and got ready to say something but Max interrupted angrily. "You don't know the odds we've already faced and we still won. We'll win this one too."

"Each of the engagements we have been in so far has been against normal people though," Jonas pointed out to Max. "Going against any Red Agent is a whole different level of bad." Turning back to Brian Jonas said, "We do have a chance but I didn't want any misconceptions going into this battle. There is no guarantee that we will win and no guarantee that any of us will survive. There is a chance that we can win but we might not survive winning."

Brian snorted and his sister glared at him for a moment before turning back to Jonas and calmly asking, "Would you please define winning?"

Jonas smiled at Anna and nodded. "Good question. Han always went to the bottom line too. The definition of winning is simple. Carlos Cruz must die. The mission will be a success even if everyone else dies and Cruz dies too."

The silence that followed Jonas's statement was broken by a chuckle from Brian Elk. "Well, I've been fighting impossible odds under impossible conditions while following insane orders for a few years now. I guess I'm qualified for this one too."

Clevis was looking at Jonas with a considering look. His gaze didn't change at Brian's words but when Brian finished he said, "Okay Jonas. I've worked with you for a few weeks now so I know that you're not suicidal. You keep talking about this Ben Lewis character and how his situation killed him. What did you learn from his situation that will give us an edge with this operation?"

Tony nodded slowly at Clevis before looking back to Jonas. "If I had more like him on my payroll," he said jerking his head towards Clevis, "my operations would run a lot smoother."

Jonas smiled at his former boss and said, "You're right but besides being very smart, he has a clear conscience which allows his thoughts to be a lot clearer and focused. Very few of your men have clear consciences so even if they were as smart they couldn't function at the same level."