"Goodfellas don't sue Goodfellas....Goodfellas kill Goodfellas." ~ Salvatore Profaci
"Are you sure about this Mr. Arc?" Ozpin asked over the scroll. "You're risking a lot to trust Mr. Winchester and his friends."
"It's a gamble I know," I explained to Ozpin counting out the envelope of cash I had with the majority of my earnings. "Plus I'm putting a lot of money down just on the off chance it can secure his loyalty."
"Do you even have that kind of money?" Ozpin asked me.
"I got it," I said bitterly. "You know that fancy car I took from that chop shop? I managed to sell it to Tonen for three times the amount Cardin owes." That had been tough to do, I loved that car and trading it for a simple sedan was a huge letdown. But I needed the money and this was a lot more important than a fancy car. Thankfully Tonen told me that lining up a buyer for a ride like that would take awhile so I probably had a chance to buy it back. I was grateful to him for that, I really liked that car.
"Well I trust his cooperation will be far more valuable than some car," Ozpin said as if he could tell that I was having second thoughts about giving Cardin so much money. At least it gave me enough to also pay off the rest of CRDL for a while. I just needed enough cash to last until I could figure out Michail's problem. After that I had no idea what I would do with Cardin and his friends.
"How did Cardin even manage to get that kind of debt anyways?" I asked him voicing my concerns as I counted out the rest of my money so I could also pay the rest of CRDL when the time came. There was no way Cardin could just end up owing a loan shark that much money by accident. And considering he and his team actually managed to get into Beacon the right way I figured that it couldn't be any normal loan shark threatening him.
"I have no idea," Ozpin told me. "But whatever caused him to need that kind of money from a loan shark certainly has worked in your favor."
"Let's hope so," I said, finished with my counting. "He could have already told Michail everything already and I'm walking into a trap. Cardin could just rob my corpse afterwards."
"You said it yourself, it's a gamble," Ozpin coldly reminded me.
"Yeah yeah," I said, hating that my own words were being tossed back my way. "But I've already cast the dice so I don't really have much choice but to see what comes up. But if it goes wrong you know who to go looking for."
"Do you really think Michail would risk dragging the Prince into a war over this?" Ozpin asked me. "You might only be an associate with the Clan Mr. Arc but it's been very clear to this point that both sides have avoided murder in fear it could lead to somthing worse."
"I have no idea," I admitted to him. "War seems inevitable as far as the Clan is concerned, and most seem to think that the Atlesians want it to lead to it. They're probably just trying to test the waters and see what our first move is going to be."
"What would prevent it from escalating to such extremes?" Ozpin asked me.
"I honestly don't know," I admitted to him. "But the Atlesians seem to have the advantage at the moment, so unless somebody puts them on the back foot I don't see their disposition changing."
"I'll keep that in mind," Ozpin said. "For now just be weary with Mr. Winchester and keep your course."
Keep my course. He always told me that, like it was supposed to be some special motivator for this mission. I had no idea what my course was. I was going about this on the seat of my pants, I didn't have any course plotted. I just knew that I was supposed to get in on the dust racket and I had no idea how I was supposed to even get there. No one I knew in the Clan was even involved in that as far as I knew.
I took my new less fashy car to the same diner I had met the twins at. Looking through the window I saw that Cardin had indeed shown up and was sitting in one of the booths eating a burger. I parked and moved inside giving a wave to the waiter and ordering a burger of my own before I sat down across from him.
"Where's the rest of your team?" I asked him.
Cardin shrugged, "It's just the two of us, they don't need to be here for this." He said setting his burger down and looking at me. His face was still black and blue from the beating while mine had actually mostly healed. How the tables had turned. I was certainly a bit proud to see that my handyworks was still written all over his face.
I reached into my coat and pulled out the stack of bills. "Count it," I told him, "it's all there."
Cardin looked at the stack of hundred lien bills like it was diseased. "If I help you take care of the 24k Dragons and Michail's dealers… then we're square? I don't owe you anything else for this money?"
"That's right," I told Cardin, sliding the stack closer to him. "There's no strings attached to this money save what you've agreed to. After that we don't have to work together anymore. You can go your separate way so long as you never cross me again."
Cardin sighed but picked up the stack to flip through the bills before tucking in away. I wanted to ask him why he needed so much money but I was sure that he wasn't going to say and it didn't matter.
My food arrived and I took a few savory bites of my burger before I turned my attention back to him. "So… Michail asked you to kill Kenzo," I said to him, trying to break the ice a little.
Cardin nodded as he chewed his food. "Ryu may be the head honcho of the 24k Dragons but Kenzo apparently has a lot of support within the gang," he explained after swallowing,."He's loyal to the gang first and foremost but he's had no problem voicing his displeasure about the drugs or going against Junior and the Clan. Michail and Ryu are worried that too many members are listening to him but killing him themselves would only look bad. So he wanted me to make him disappear, or make it look like Junior's guys did it."
I nodded as I picked up one of my fries and dipped it in ketchup, "So… have you carried out hits for Michail before?" I asked him.
Cardin looked up and met my eyes. "No," he said firmly, "I've muscled plenty of people around Jaune but I have never killed anyone. I turned Michail's offer down… I knew if I took that kind of money then he would always have his hooks in me. He'd own me."
I believed him. Cardin was many things, a thug, a bully, but I didn't think he was a murderer. Not a cold blooded one at least. What's more it seemed that he really was desperate to get out from under Michail's thumb. And when you kill for someone their grip on you only tightens.
"Alright… I believe you, but that means I should probably meet with Kenzo soon before he gets someone else to shoot him in the back of his head. Can you set that up?" I asked him.
"I already did," Cardin told me. "I got his scroll number from a Dragon and asked him to meet this afternoon."
"That's good thanks," I said, nibbling on a few fries. At least Cardin was on top of things so far.
Talking with Cardin like this was strange. My anger towards him had hardly vanished with what had happened, I was only keeping it in check. A big part of me still wanted to kick him to the curb but I needed Cardin and his team if I was going to get Toshi and I's business back under control and hopefully put this territory dispute to rest.
"I'm uh… I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time at Beacon," Cardin said suddenly looking down at his plate of fries.
"Uh… yeah," I said awkwardly, not really sure what I should say to him. It wasn't like it was water under the bridge to me. I was surprised that he was actually apologizing, it was sudden for me.
"Your team… they really miss you," he said to me, a little more familiar that I was comfortable with.
"Let's not talk about that," I told him flatly. I didn't want to reminisce about Beacon, and certainly not with Cardin of all people. By now I had officially spent more time pretending to be a gangster than I had pretending to be a huntsman in training. And it wasn't even the end of the first semester.I needed to keep my mind on my objectives, thoughts about Beacon would only distract me.
"Alright," Cardin agreed, laying down the money for his meal.
I ate the rest of my food with silence hanging between us and we left together. Going out to the new sedan I had gotten from Tonen.
"Nice car," Cardin complimented as he settled into the passenger seat.
"Don't!" I told him firmly.
"What… I'm saying it's a nice car," he said confused by my frustration.
"This is nothing to my previous car," I explained, trying not to direct that frustration towards him.
"What happened to it?" Cardin asked me.
"I don't want to talk about it," I told him bitterly.
"Alright," Cardin said, returning us to an air of awkward silence.
"Where are we meeting Kenzo?" I asked him as I pulled out onto the street.
"Bella Beach," he told me. "It's just outside of town take highway thirty two west."
"The beach?" I asked, finding it to be a rather strange choice of meeting place. I was hardly dressed for the beach.
Cardin shrugged at me, "It was Kenzo's idea," he said. "It kind of makes sense, open space that you can see people coming from, and it's not like there's a ton of wiseguys hanging around in their swim trunks to recognize us."
"Alright, to the beach it is." I said, turning to get onto the highway. "Does Michail know anything about what's transpired between us?" I asked him.
Cardin shook his head, "No, I'm honestly not sure what he'll do when he learns I'm changing employers. I am keeping this all a secret from him until I know what we are next move is going to be."
I nodded, business was at least one thing I could talk to Cardin about without feeling awkward or angry. "I don't know what he'll do either so keep it a secret from him at the moment, it might come in handy if he thinks you're still loyal to him."
"Ok, but I can't avoid him for very long. What should I do in the meantime when he wants me to do jobs for him?" He asked me.
"I suppose for now keep doing them, you and your team," I explained to him. "And make sure they all know to keep this arrangement on the down low."
"They already know," Cardin assured me.
I nodded trusting that he had already talked to his team about keeping their mouths shut. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the little matchbook I had taken from the one guy that tried to nab Velvet at Junior's Club. "Do you know anything about this?" I asked him, handing it over.
"The Caboose?" Cardin asked me. "Yeah I know it, it's a bar that Michail and his guys frequent, it's close to the rail yard. I uh… used to pick up some of the drugs there to hand out to the dealers."
"I'm wondering if maybe it also has something to do with his human trafficking operation," I explained, hopeful that I might be able to find something out about it and maybe even do something about it.
"I don't know," Cardin admitted to me. "But I might be able to dig a little and find something out. I wouldn't mind taking a swing at that business."
"Just be careful," I instructed him. "Don't give Michail any reason to be suspicious of you or your team."
"I will… I'll tell the guys to keep their ears to the ground as well," Cardin promised me.
"Are you sure they can do that without raising an alarm?" I asked him, having no idea what his team was really capable of handling. All I had seen of CRDL was them fighting but this wasn't Beacon. This required finesse.
"They can handle it," he assured me. "They're smarter than they look, and they weren't exactly thrilled to learn that Michail was selling slaves. They want to do something about it."
"Just tell them to be careful," I said, pleased that we were seeming to make some progress.
We left Vale in my rearview mirror as we approached the countryside as we rode alongside the sunny coast. After spending so long in the city it was actually a strange and refreshing change of scenery to be away from all the steel and concrete. I'd never actually taken a drive through the countryside before. It was nice, despite the awkward atmosphere between Cardin and I.
I spotted the pull off for Bella beach and I parked seeing that plenty of people were here taking advantage of the warm summer day. "I should come back here sometime," I mused aloud watching as a group of kids around my age ran down the sandy path for the beach, "I bet Mel and Mil would love to spend a day at the beach."
"The twins?" Cardin asked me.
"Yeah," I said to him walking down the sandy path looking a little out of place to be wearing a suit on a beach but no one seemed to stare or even care as we walked around watching as the waves crashed up and down the shore.
We spotted Kenzo not very far off sitting on a driftwood log and he looked right at us. He wasn't wearing his 24k Dragons jacket, just some jeans and a tank top that showed off his gold dragon tattoos on his arms.
He took off his sunglasses as we got close to sit down next to him. "What is this about Cardin?" He asked looking over at me, "and why is this wiseguy here?"
"Ryu and Michail asked me to kill you," Cardin answered him flatly.
Kenzo blinked. "Why didn't you take the offer?" He asked Cardin. You need to understand that in this life your murderers come with smiles. They don't announce their intentions to kill you. They wait until your back is turned before they put a knife in it. If Cardin had intended to kill Kenzo then he wouldn't have told him about the hit, he would have just killed him.
"I got a better offer," Cardin explained to him. "That's why he's here."
I offered Kenzo my hand, "My name's Jaune," I said introducing myself, "it's good to actually meet you properly for a change."
"You two have met before?" Cardin asked us.
"Briefly," Kenzo said, shaking my hand with a firm and respectable grip. "You're the one they've been calling Gentleman."
"Gentleman?" Cardin said looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
"It's a long story," I told Cardin sitting back down next to Kenzo. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it as I watched the waves and the beach goers enjoying themselves in the water and on the sand.
"So tell me about this better offer you found Cardin," Kenzo said, taking out his own pack of smokes and letting me light it for him.
"Jaune settled a debt for me," he explained to Kenzo.
"After the twins and I beat some sense into him and his boys," I added in.
"Yes," Cardin admitted with a sigh, "and now I'm working for Jaune here… and he wants to do something about the drugs being pushed in the neighborhood."
"So that's why you want me?" Kenzo asked, taking a drag off his cigarette. "Because Ryu wants me dead?"
"Do you need any other reason?" Cardin asked him. "Don't pretend that you're not surprised, you've been speaking out so Ryu and Michail want you silenced. The way I figured it you could either help us or you skip town and leave the 24k Dragons behind."
"What Cardin is trying to say is that he thinks we can help each other out," I explained to him. "We both hate seeing these drugs on the streets of our neighborhood and would like to see it put to an end."
"It's not that easy Gent," Kenzo told me, "the 24k Dragons are in the Atlesian's pocket. We took their drugs so we have to sell them and pay for them. If the gang goes back on that then they'll destroy us and we don't have anyone to turn to or protect us should that happen. I'm sure the rest of the Clan would be happy to watch the Atlesian's tear us apart, they'd see it as karmic justice and I wouldn't blame them."
I took a long drag of my cigarette considering his position. I agreed that the Clan would find it fitting if the Atlesian's they threw in with destroyed them. "What if you pay the Atlesians back what you owe them?" I asked looking at Cardin. "We can do what I did with Cardin, settle the debt. Maybe O-Ushi or Junior would be willing to pay just to see that this ends without a war in the streets."
Kenzo blinked at the suggestio, like the very thought was shocking but intriguing. But it seemed so obvious to me. "That… that could work if Ryu was willing to give it up, all he sees is the lien in this deal, he doesn't care about what it's doing to the 24k Dragons. As filthy as the drug business is it's bringing in money, he's not going to just give that up."
"You're popular with the 24k Dragons," Cardin chimed in. "That's why Michail and Ryu want you dead, they're worried people are going to listen to you, that you can get the gang to step away from this deal. I say do it!"
"I am not going to make the Dragons rip each other apart from the inside!" Kenzo growled at him. "And even so, Michail isn't going to let us go just because we paid him, he's pushing for more and more and that's what he wants. I think he really does want this to turn into a war."
"A war will destroy the gang," Cardin told him seriously.
"I know," Kenzo admitted. "But just because Michail is pushing us off one cliff doesn't mean I'm going to blindly leap off another."
I sighed as I saw the options laid out in front of me. I reached into my pocket and touched the diamond ring that Neo had tipped me the first night I drove O-Ushi's cab. It was almost as if that little charm gave me clarity. My thoughts took a dark turn. "So what you're saying is… we need to get rid of Ryu and Michail." I said seeing the only obvious answer in front of me.
"That… that could work," Cardin said with a clear look of distaste on his face. "Michail is a big player in the Atlesian Mafiya, if he's gone then that's going to be a hell of a blow to the organization."
"You want to kill Ryu and Michail?" Kenzo asked me with a raised eyebrow.
I didn't want to kill anyone but it seemed like the only option was letting this continue to escalate into something bloodier. But things wouldn't get better with inaction, I could see a target forming right in front of my path.
"I don't see much in terms of options," Cardin said to him. "They're planning to kill you, you might as well beat them to it before they destroy you and your precious gang."
Kenzo nodded to him. "Alright… we could get them together in the same place, hit them both at the same time before they have any idea what's going on."
"How would we do that?" Cardin asked.
I stared out at the ocean. I was discussing murder, I was planning a hit. I had never thought that I would ever be in a position like this. I was horrified with myself for even suggesting it as an option. But war was coming and at this moment I saw a chance to prevent it and spare a ton more lives than the two I was planning on getting rid of.
"Go talk to Michail," I said to Cardin. "Tell him all about how I thrashed you and your boys and ran Jun out of town for using my bootleg sellers to deal his drugs. Make it seem like I'm cracking down on the petty dealers in the neighborhood."
"Are you crazy!?" he asked me. "If I make it seem like I'm losing the neighborhood then I have no idea what he'll do."
"No I'm not crazy," I assured him. "Tell Michail that I told you if he's going to use my bootleg sellers to put his drugs on the seat then I want a cut. Tell him that I want to make a deal and buy his drugs, and that I want the cooperation and protection of the 24k Dragons to do it."
"That could get them both in one place," Kenzo said looking at me. "Since they don't know that I know about the hit on me I'm sure I could arrange to be there as a bodyguard. They'll have me search you for weapons, but I could slip you a gun."
"Why does it have to be me?" I asked him. "You're going to be there and armed. You could shoot him."
"I'm not going to kill one of one Nicky's captains alone," Kenzo said firmly to me. "If you're serious about mending the rift between the Clan and the Dragons then I need a member of the Clan to be there as a part of it. If the Clan doesn't share responsibility in this then we can't make amends. I can't have the 24k Dragons taking all the risk if the Atlesian's seek revenge, we do it together or not at all."
I sighed. He had a point. Getting rid of Michail could potentially be putting the 24k Dragons right into the Atlesian's crosshairs. It wouldn't be fair to ask him to take all the risk. But my participation was hardly the first thing to figure out before anyone pulled a trigger.
"We can hash out the finer details later," I said stubbing out my cigarette on the log, "I need to run this by O-Ushi and Junior first. All hits need to be sanctioned, so until I'm given a green light this is all hypothetical. Junior has been trying to avoid bloodshed so I can't exactly go and break the peace without his authorization."
"We can't wait long," Kenzo said urgently to me. "I can't just stay in Vale waiting for Michail and Ryu to kill me."
"Just give me a day to talk things out with my superiors, until then just act natural but keep your head down," I said stepping away from the log and staring down the beach watching everyone else playing volleyball and having fun. It felt strange to watch everyone enjoying themselves while the three of us were talking about snuffing out two lives. I felt like I was standing on a different planet than those people.
"I'll give you a day to get word from Junior," Kenzo said to me. "And I want to get word from O-Ushi that she'll pay off the 24k Dragon's debt."
"Do you really think you can step up if I get rid of Ryu for you?" I asked him.
"I think so," he said. "I'll certainly do whatever I can to see that the 24k Dragons are left in good hands when he's gone, and that means the Clan."
"Alright… I'll call you soon," I said to him as Cardin and I left to go back to my car.
I climbed into the driver seat and lit myself another cigarette as I let everything hit me. "I need a fucking drink," I said letting the cloud of tobacco smoke fill the car, I was happy to breath it all back in and watch it swirl around me.
"So… are you really planning on killing Michail and Ryu?" Cardin asked me, staring at the dash.
"I don't know!" I growled at him letting my anger pour out. "But if I don't then a shit load of other people are probably going to get killed." I hadn't even met Michail or Ryu but I had seen their influence on the street. I had no love for them but still the idea of killing anyone, foul as they may be, made me nauseous.
Cardin was quiet after that. He just let me smoke and think to myself as I tried to grapple with the idea of murder. I finished my cigarette and lit another before starting the car to head back to Vale. It looked strangely both inviting and ominous in the distance. A part of me wondered if I could just leave the city behind and never look back. But that'd be leaving things I had already set in motion to crash and burn.
"Can I have one of those?" Cardin asked me pointing to the pack of cigarettes on my dash.
"Go ahead," I said to him, handing them over to him.
Cardin helped himself and took one lighting it with my lighter.
"This is fancy," Cardin commented looking at my gold plated lighter.
"It was a gift from O-Ushi," I explained to him. "She got me a lot of this fancy stuff."
"She sounds like a good boss to have," Cardin said as he took a drag off the cigarette.
"She is," I told him, I meant it too. I was more than pleased to have O-Ushi as a superior, she had been more than good to me.
"The Clan treats you well," he commented to me as I kept taking puff after puff of his cigarette.
I only nodded to him silently in agreement.
We drove the rest of the way in silence and I dropped him off downtown so Cardin could get a different ride to his place and talk to his team.
Part of me wanted to wait and think more but I knew it was already too late for second guesses. Things were already in motion and they wouldn't wait on me. Kenzo's life was already on the line and the more I thought about it Cardin and his team were already at risk as well. Even if we didn't go through with the hit there was no way Michail would just let his former muscle work against him. I hadn't realized how buying Cardin out from under him would make things move. I cast a stone into the pond and was just now seeing the ripples forming. It was too late to get advice from Ozpin, right now I needed to talk with higher powers.
I grabbed my scroll and called O-Ushi the second I had dropped Cardin off. I already started driving for Junior's Club so I could tell them everything.
"Hey if it isn't my favorite Gentleman!" She greeted as she picked up. "What can I do for you Gent?"
"I need to meet with you and Junior as soon as possible," I told her seriously. "There's been a few developments you both need to know about right away."
"What kind of development?" She asked me believing that I was indeed completely serious about this and talking to Junior.
I took a breath and tried to steel myself, "I want to authorize a hit," I told her with all the strength I could muster.
A long pause was over the line and I held my breath for her next words. "We shouldn't talk about this over the scroll Jaune. Drive on over to the club right now, I'll call Junior."
It released my breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Thanks," I said to her.
"Don't thank me for anything yet," she said seriously. "We're going to need to know what this is all about. And I mean every detail Jaune this is very serious."
"I know it's serious O-Ushi, it's very serious" I assured her. "And I'll tell you both everything, but it's kind of a long story
"It's always a long story," O-Ushi said to me before hanging up. It was a long drive to Junior's Club. I thought very hard about what I had just started the entire way there.