BIA Ch. 116

“What…?”

Isaiah narrowed his brow unconsciously.

“What does that mean?”

Mickey looked quite troubled. His restless blue eyes clearly held the anguish of someone who knew he shouldn’t reveal such inside information but couldn’t help but speak.

“It’s exactly as it sounds.”

Wiping his sweaty palms on his thighs, Mickey spoke in a hoarse voice.

“On D-day, that’s the day after tomorrow. Martino will strike the Kalisz family as they leave the church. To be precise, he’ll hit Chester and his men. Martino has a justifiable reason for it.”

“Don’t tell me… the Lombard Incident?”

“That’s right. Seven of their members died. Even if they were the ones who started the fight, the fact that there were fatalities on their side gives them more than enough pretext for a blood feud.”

That was true. Considering the Mafia culture where a Vendetta was often used less as simple retaliation and more as a means to solidify internal unity while simultaneously displaying their power externally, it even felt somewhat overdue.

If it had happened within the same Five Families, Martino’s side might have been able to claim they were showing leniency to their brothers and let it slide. But since their opponent was the rapidly growing Kalisz family, failing to respond aggressively here would surely lead to ridicule for being cowards who ignored the deaths of their comrades.

“I understand Martino’s side proposed the alliance first. They must have heard that Chester was going to become the boss. From what I heard, Martino personally requested a conversation with Bran. He even presented the terms first. Offering to turn the chapel into a bloodbath on the day, if Bran wanted.”

“He wouldn’t offer to do it for free.”

“Of course not. In return, Martino…”

Mickey swallowed dryly. His troubled expression made the next words somewhat predictable.

“He demanded you.”

Just as expected. Exactly as predicted.

“To be precise, he said he wanted the corpse of the sniper who killed seven of his men.”

Suddenly, Isaiah felt the urge to smoke. He took a cigarette pack from his inner jacket pocket. Lighting one and putting it to his lips, he asked Mickey.

“Does he not know that sniper is me?”

“Well, they found out he belongs to WD, but they don’t seem to know anything beyond that.”

Isaiah let out a short laugh as he exhaled smoke. To not realize it even when Chester openly kept him by his side. They were practically blind.

Then again, professional snipers, especially those classified as top-tier, were mostly American or Russian. Recently, Israelis were also becoming more common. In any case, an Asian was an extremely rare presence in this field. If he had at least been Vietnamese, they might have given him a suspicious glance.

“Bran apparently refused, saying it was beyond his capabilities. Instead, he proposed that if Martino wanted, he would hand over a part of the western district managed by Chester—specifically, the Lombard area where the incident occurred.”

Lombard Street was Eloy City’s representative entertainment district, the most lucrative area not just in the western district managed by Chester, but in all territories managed by the Kalisz family. Giving up the entire street, not just one or two clubs, was tantamount to forfeiting a significant portion of their revenue.

Martino had no reason to refuse. Catching the sniper in question would have been good, of course, but their ultimate target was Chester, who had hired the sniper. Eliminating Chester and his crew would already make their Vendetta a success. On top of that, they were gaining unexpected tangible benefits.

However, in such a deal, if one side gained, it meant the other side lost. In this case, anyone could see that Bran was on the losing end.

“The FBI probably didn’t like that deal much.”

“Of course not.”

Mickey rubbed his forehead and sighed. Judging by his reaction, it seemed they had gone through quite an ordeal over this issue.

“Actually, the revenue isn’t the main issue. That’s strictly an internal matter for the Kalisz family.”

What was more important to the FBI was the Kalisz family’s standing. But this way, Bran’s inauguration as the new boss would coincide with the Kalisz family losing momentum.

“Do you understand? When the FBI started this project, they had no doubt that Bran, and the Kalisz family under his rule, would come to dominate the backstreets of Eloy City.”

And they invested over ten years for that. Bran himself sacrificed several times that duration, his entire life. He gave up a future he could have lived normally and willingly chose to become a criminal.

But now, all of that was collapsing at once. No, perhaps saying it collapsed is too much. Yes, that’s too grand an expression. Bran would probably say it’s just a small setback in the plan. Because he could make up for it again soon. In fact, it was Bran who had elevated the Kalisz family to its current position. He had even achieved it while barely touching the Mafia’s staple income sources: drugs and prostitution. If he became the new boss, reorganized the businesses, and focused a little more in that direction, he could likely reclaim what was lost to Martino in short order.

But regardless, the fact remained that Bran had accepted a loss because of him. That tormented Isaiah.

“…..”

Isaiah took a long drag from his cigarette. He felt the acrid smoke fill his lungs. The smoke left traces of tar, nicotine, and a few other harmful substances on the surface of his lungs before exiting through his airways.

“Why did they let Bran do as he pleased?”

Isaiah said, flicking cigarette ash onto the floor.

“Anyone can see it’s a losing deal. Isn’t it more rational to first accept Martino’s offer, then talk to me about whether or not to produce a corpse?”

Out of frustration, he blurted it out in a slightly agitated tone without realizing it. Mickey, perhaps flustered by seeing this side of Isaiah for the first time, hesitated slightly before speaking.

“Well, I haven’t spoken to Bran myself, so I can’t really say. Only Edgar Derby speaks directly with Bran. I always receive orders through Jack…”

“Jack?”

“He’s the head of Criminal Investigation Division 1. The lowest rank among the three executives.”

The division head is the lowest rank? Then how stagnant must the other two be? Feeling dizzy for a moment, Isaiah soon understood. It was a project over ten years old, after all. The original personnel involved must have already retired or be nearing retirement age.

“Anyway, judging by Jack’s nuance, that was the case. The decision-making power effectively lies with Bran, so they have no choice but to go along with what he wants. He’s the sole operative, isn’t he? No matter how much the higher-ups pressure or threaten, it’s useless if Bran doesn’t move.”

That also meant that no matter what orders came from above, if Bran decided to act on his own, there was no way to control him.

“So, what’s Bran’s plan?”

“It’s exactly what Martino proposed. The moment the Boss appointment is over and they come out of the church, Martino’s side will attack the Kalisz family. Naturally, they’ll only target Chester and his men, but if a shootout occurs, Bran’s side will also suffer some casualties.”

Of course. Chester’s men would shoot at Bran and his subordinates right in front of them, regardless of where the bullets were coming from.

“Then there seems even less reason to exclude me from the plan. After all, taking down Chester’s gang even one person faster is the way to reduce casualties on our side.”

“I think so too.”

Mickey nodded.

“Jack shared the same opinion.”

“That Edgar Derby fellow must have felt the same.”

“Correct. But other people’s opinions don’t matter. What’s important is what Bran wants to do.”

Yes, in the end, Bran’s intention was the most important thing.

“It’s not like Bran made an unreasonable demand either. Separate from the negotiation terms, Martino is still looking for you. Meaning he could locate you and find out your whereabouts at any time. In this situation, if by some chance, on the day, unidentified bullets fly in from afar and hit a group with incredible accuracy, Martino would inevitably think of you first. While many can hit a target with one shot from a distance, few can hit multiple targets with every shot.”

Besides, this was a world where yesterday’s enemy could become today’s ally depending on the objective. Weren’t Martino himself and Bran proof of that? There was a high chance Martino would think that Isaiah, too, had ended his contract with Chester for some reason and joined hands with Bran. In a sense, that was true.

And the potential sniping spots in that area were obvious. If Martino searched just a few buildings, he could find Isaiah within months.

“Bran is right. Since you first promised cooperation with the FBI through him, we have a duty to protect your safety.”

He had only intended to kill Chester to save Bran, but suddenly it looked like he was cooperating with the FBI. And because of that, he was even receiving FBI protection. In many ways, the thought ‘Isn’t this a bit wrong?’ crossed his mind, but if this was the picture Bran wanted, there was nothing he could do.

“Bran wants you to be somewhere safe until this is over.”

What Bran wanted. Bran’s will.

That was the most important thing. Always.

“…..”

His head ached. Actually, it had been aching for a while. That’s why he had smoked, but now the headache was too much even for the cigarette to handle. If anything, the lack of oxygen seemed to have made the headache worse.

Isaiah threw the barely half-smoked cigarette onto the floor. Grinding it out with the tip of his boot, he said.

“Alright, I get it. First, take it off.”