That night, twenty of the Steadman's men launched a surprise attack on Dukes Casino,
which was owned by the Clifton family. The men smashed everything insight, and the
guests fled in panic.
Many staff members were injured, and three of the Cliftons' men were badly beaten.
One of they had to be rushed to the hospital.
The news soon reached the Clifton family.
Rufus and his brothers talked it over while they waited for Jessop to join them.
They stood around the living room with several of the family's associates, many of thembsmoking as they cursed the Steadman family.
The door of the study opened, and Jessop walked in. Everyone's eyes were on him as they talked over each other.
"Dad, the Steadman family has gone too far this time! They're begging for a fight!"
"They have no right to come in here and try to take over. How dare they attack us!"
"We should have dealt with them a while ago. But just say the word, and I'll kill every last
one of them now!"
Jessop coughed as he looked around. The smoke was catching in his throat. "Put those out,"
he ordered, taking a drink of water.
Everyone stubbed out their cigarettes and cigars.
Jessop sat on the sofa. "Until now, the Steadman family have been careful not to encroach on our territory," he said.
"But they have been steadily growing in power, and now they may be strong enough to destroy us."
Everyone began to speak.
"Dad, why do you think so highly of the Steadman family?
So what if they're big news in political circles? Who cares? We can't let them take over the city. Just give the order, and we'll deal with them."
"Yes! Exactly!"
"We'll show the Steadman family that they're nothing to us!"
"Shut up!" Jessop roared, glaring at the men who had spoken. "If you had your way, you'd
get us all killed."
They bowed their heads, feeling ashamed.
Jessop was so angry that no one dared interrupt him.
"The Steadman family's surprise attack is a declaration of war," he said. "And that means
they're confident they can seize control of Baltimore."
Over the years, Jessop had recognized the ambition of the increasingly powerful Steadman family, but he had been unable to do anything about it.
He had always known that it would end in a bloody battle between both families, so he
wasn't surprised by what was happening.
Now he had to consider how to win the war.
The living room phone rang.
This number was always screened by Jessop's assistant, who let very few calls through.
Jessop could guess who was calling. He looked at Rufus, who walked over to the phone.
"Hello," Rufus said, answering the phone. "This is Rufus."
"Hello, Mr. Clifton." The voice was female. "I'm Mr. Chris Steadman's assistant. Mr.
Steadman wishes to visit your father, Mr. Jessop Clifton, tomorrow evening."
Rufus glanced over at Jessop, who nodded. Jessop had been expecting the call and had
known what they were going to ask.
"Tomorrow is fine," Rufus said.
"Thank you," the assistant said. "Mr Steadman will see you tomorrow. Goodbye, Mr.
Clifton." She hung up.
"Chris will visit you tomorrow night," Rufus said, approaching Jessop.
The others were indignant that Chris had the nerve to face Jessop, but they said nothing,
worried that Jessop would scold them again. Jessop took a deep breath and thought about
how he was going to handle Chris.
"Rufus, what do you think?" he asked.
"The Steadman family acted decisively," Rufus said.
"They're obviously not worried about
reprisals. For a while now, they've been gobbling up territory and taking over other families. Our family has been operating in Baltimore for nearly a hundred years, and we're still stronger than them."
When he paused, Jessop gestured for him to continue.
"But in the past two years, they've been in contact with the Blood Brothers gang," Rufus
said. "To launch such an unprovoked attack, they must have succeeded in getting the gang's assistance.
The Blood Brothers have a lot of excellent fighters. If that's really what's happened, we could be in trouble."
"Nonsense!" someone called. "Sure, the Blood Brothers gang is tough, but our family is
strong, and we've been recruiting our own martial arts experts. And we have Paul Novak!
He'll easily take care of any threats to the family."
"Yes," someone agreed. "The Blood Brothers gang is no match for Paul!"
Most of them had seen Paul in action, and they were confident about his abilities.
But Jessop and Rufus were still worried. They knew Paul had been defeated by Alex not so
long ago, so they were less certain about Paul's skills.
"Everyone out," Jessop said, needing some peace. "Except you, Rufus. You stay."
They all said goodbye to Jessop and left. Only Jessop and Rufus were left in the room.
"Do you think Paul can handle this?" Jessop asked.
"A month ago, I would have said yes," Rufus said. "But now, I can't guarantee it. After all,
before I went to Washington, D.C., I had full confidence in him, but then he was defeated.
I'm afraid that history might repeat itself."
Jessop sighed, agreeing with Rufus.
"The last time, his loss didn't impact on our family, but this is different," Jessop said.
"If we lose, our family business will be destroyed."
Jessop wasn't afraid of losing his wealth, but he was afraid of appearing weak in front of his family.
"There is one person who might be able to help us," Rufus said, looking at Jessop.
Jessop raised an eyebrow. He assumed Rufus was talking about Alex, but he remained silent.
Alex had to protect Debbie, and if he helped the Clifton family with their current problem,
then he would be forced to give up his position as a security guard at Johns Hopkins
University. And if anyone discovered Alex's identity, that could expose Debbie too.
Jessop knew it would be dangerous for anyone to know about Debbie.
He had always been bitter about Cynthia's death, and he couldn't allow anything to happen to her only child.
"Dad, I understand you're worried about Debbie's safety," Rufus said. "But this is a matter of life and death. We can't let anyone ruin our family legacy."
He looked over at his father, worried he might not make the right choice.
"I think Cynthia would agree with me," Rufus continued.
"I'm sure both she and Debbie would want Alex to defend our family."
Jessop sat still, feeling shaken. He couldn't bear the thought of the Clifton family legacy
being destroyed, but he didn't know what to do.
"Besides," Rufus said. "Even if Alex does fight for us, it might not cause any problems.
Maybe you're worrying over nothing. As the head of the Clifton family, you must do what's
best for all of us."
Jessop turned it over in his mind. It was a difficult choice. He had to protect the family
legacy, but he was already responsible for his beloved Cynthia's death, and he couldn't risk
her daughter's life too.
He took a deep breath and made his decision. "Speak to Alex and ask him to fight for us," he
said. "But if he refuses, don't try to force him."
"Okay," Rufus said, feeling a little excited.
"Ask him to come for dinner tomorrow evening," Jessop said, leaning back and closing his eyes.
"Now leave. I'm a little tired, so I'm going to rest."
"Yes, Dad," Rufus said, and then he left the house to call Alex.
**
Alex had just finished his shift and was walking to his dormitory when his phone rang.
"Hello, Mr.clifton ," He said.
"Mr. Ambrose, is Debbie with you?" Rufus asked cautiously.
"No, but she's safe," Alex said. "I've taken her back to her dormitory. Can I help you, Mr?
Clifton?"
"My father and I would like to invite you for dinner tomorrow evening," Rufus said.
"Is this about Debbie?" Alex asked.
"We can't have this conversation over the phone," Rufus said. "We'll discuss it tomorrow.
I'll send a car to pick you up, as it's better if no one sees you coming here." He hung up.
Alex was worried about what they might want. He and Debbie had arrived at Johns Hopkins
only a few days ago, and already the Clifton family wanted to talk to him about Debbie.
What was going on?
He was still thinking it over as he walked back to his dormitory.