Chapter 7: Grave Digger: Chapter 7

Leon growled but Calderone hushed him quietly.

Click looked up and said, “We got movement outside the fence.”

Zeus, Leon and Delaney moved over to watch Click’s screens.

The cameras brought her brother’s and her dad’s face into focus. Delaney shook her head. Then she only saw maybe half a dozen men or so. She looked over at her grandpa. “There’s only about eight to ten men out there. That isn’t enough for them to try anything.”

Alfredo snorted. “You don’t know that, child. Your dad thinks he has a secret way in here.”

Zeus glared at him. “And we’ve got most of the tunnels blocked from the inside.”

Alfredo shook his head. “That’s good, he won’t be expecting that. He thinks he’s so smart and everyone else is stupid.”

“It’s the other way around, apparently,” Calderone stated.

“Did he really expect us to just walk away from our home?” Zeus asked. “That we wouldn’t fight back to keep what we earned by our own sweat and blood?”

Alfredo sighed. “My son has always been an arrogant jerk, even growing up, he always thought he was entitled to things just because someone else had them. Barrett always wanted something he couldn’t have.”

“Well, he isn’t getting in here and I’ll be damned if he just takes this house.” Zeus growled. “This is our home and we will fight for it.”

Leon’s phone pinged. He gazed down at the message then looked up and said,  “My men are within a mile.”

Click watched his screens and nodded. “And the men outside know it, boss.”

Zeus nodded then looked around the room. “Get up on the roof and provide cover fire. Wait until just before they reach the gate to open the gate and close it as soon as the trucks cross into the compound.” Then he turned to Leon. “Let your men know what’s going on here and hopefully we can get them in before the shooting starts.”

Leon sent his men a warning that they might be coming in under fire and to be alert there were ten men outside the walls that might start something. Ten minutes later, they all watched as a vehicle approached the gate.

At Leon’s nod, Click opened the gates then all hell broke out as the ten men outside began throwing lead at the vehicle and they tried to rush the gates. Then Zeus’s men started shooting and Barrett’s men dove for cover as the vehicle raced inside.

The gate began to close and three of Barrett’s men stood there firing at the vehicle and inside the compound. Unfortunately, they were out of range of the club house with their hand weapons but the men on the roof fired back. The three men backed off and took cover but they could hear the three men swearing.

“Boss.” Click looked up at Zeus. “We got someone trying to get in the tunnel via the still area. The original room, the one where Alfredo and Delaney were caught.” It was just on the other side of the fence line that now stood.

Alfredo shook his head. “That would be Barrett or one of the boys. Their great grandfather told them about the tunnel there. How to find it and how to get in.”

Click switched the cameras on and found all three Raggetti’s trying to break through the wall to gain access to the tunnel.

Zeus shook his head. When Memphis brought Alfredo and Delaney through that area, he had ordered his men to cement the tunnel shut. That was just beyond the place where they found the pressurized tank with all the paintings and rare books. The cement was quick-drying so hopefully, it was set hard by this time. They had also blocked this end of the tunnel with cement once they had the tank cleaned out.

They watched as the boys busted through the wooden barrier and it caught the look on their faces when they found the cement behind the wall. Barrett looked furious and began firing his weapon at the cement. They all watched as one of the boys screamed and reached for his arm before Barrett stopped firing.

He growled and stomped his feet like a child having a temper tantrum. They watched as all three men left the still room.

Delaney scoffed at what she just saw. “They’ll be back and I’m sure they’ll try to find a way to get through that wall of cement.”

Alfredo agreed. “Yeah, they’re gonna try. Barrett isn’t a man to let things go, not that easily.”

“He’s a fool is what he is.” Delaney growled. “He’s always looking for the next get rich quick scheme instead of holding a job and working everyday like the rest of us have to.” Shaking her head she said, “Sorry Grandpa, but you can’t fix stupid.”

Just then, Click swore, “Oh, fuck.” His eyes went wide and he scooted back from the table a little.

Everyone looked over at him.

He turned his head to stare at Zeus. “That man really is stupid, Prez. He just brought in a stick of dynamite. I think he’s gonna blow that wall.”

“That damn fool.” Zeus growled. “He’s gonna cause a blowout.”

Diabolus yelled to everyone present, “Fire in the hole, get everyone together and as far away from the back of the clubhouse as possible.”

The little girls looked panicked and were screaming for Marty.

Grave Digger ran for the Infirmary where Emily and Anthony were. He grabbed the boy and grasped her arm. They ran back toward the front of the house just as an ear splitting explosion hit the building.

Everyone was thrown to the floor. Grave Digger went down but he protected Anthony as he did. He tried to cover both of them with his own body as dust and debris hit them.

People were screaming as the whole building shuddered and groaned. Then it finally settled down.

Zeus got to his feet to look around for his daughter and Marty.

Marty had been caught in the corner, huddling over both girls.

Zeus saw that glass and pieces of broken wood were all over her. “Marty,” he shouted as he rushed over to her. “Are you and the girls okay?”

She looked up at him with a dazed expression and said, “I think so.” Looking down at the girls she asked, “Are you girls all right?”

Lily nodded as her hold on Marty tightened a bit.

Angel held onto Lily and Marty. She was sobbing as looked up at her dad and held out her arms.

Zeus grabbed her up quick and held her tight. “I got you baby, I got you. You guys are all right now.”

Then Angel wanted down and she called out Marty’s name.

Marty stood as glass and debris fell to the floor from her clothes. There were tiny cuts all over her face and arms from the broken glass. She had Lily in her arms as Angel wrapped her arms around Marty’s neck. She hung on to the woman like a little monkey. Marty’s arms were full.

Looking upset, Zeus just shook his head, then he looked around the room. “Is everyone okay?”

His men were still getting to their feet and many looked around.

“What the hell was that?” Scout asked.

Alfredo was being helped up by Delaney as she snapped, “That was my idiotic dad and his brilliant ideas.”

Calderone was helping his dad up off the floor.

Leon growled as he dusted off his suit. He then ordered his men to the back of the clubhouse.

He, Calderone, and several of Zeus’s men went to see what the worst of the damage was.

Grave Digger groaned as he stood and looked down at Emily. “Are you hurt?”

Emily looked stunned then shook her head. She stared up at her son as Grave Digger held him in his arms and seemed to relax when she didn’t see any blood on him. “Are you ok, baby?” she asked him.

Anthony nodded but didn’t say anything.

Emily scrambled to her feet and took him from Grave Digger. “Are you sure?” She checked him over.

“Scared mama. What happened?” Anthony asked.

“I’m not sure,” Emily told him.

Grave Digger brought the both of them over to one of the tables. He righted two chairs and sat them down. He knelt there beside them. “It will be okay.” He looked at Anthony. “It was just some part of the back building that fell down, we are at the front, far away from that…You are safe here.” He looked over at Emily. “I will keep you both safe.”

Emily’s lip trembled as she nodded.

Click got up and began hitting the keys on his laptop. “Hello, we still got eyes in the still area and the place looks trashed.”

“Can’t imagine why.” Zeus replied drolly as he strolled over to the table with the laptop. He saw the screen and shook his head. “That damn fool.” The entire room was in shambles and the stills were destroyed.

Click tried to scan the cameras but he couldn’t get them to move. He looked up at Zeus and said, “That’s all we’re gonna see.”

“What about the camera in the outer room?” Memphis asked as he came over to the table.

Click switched the cameras and found the one in the outer room was still working. They saw the room was also in shambles and there were two men down in that room. They could see the lower half of a third man in the doorway leading to the outside.

A few moments later, the two men inside the room began to wake up and one climbed to his feet as he groaned. The other man opened his eyes and groaned as well. They were covered in dust and broken wood splinters. Suddenly, the second man screamed when he tried to move and grabbed his leg as it looked like he had been impaled by a large splinter.

Delaney came over to stare at the screens. “Those two are my brothers and Romano is the one holding his leg. Alijala is the one standing.” Then she looked closer and shaking her head she added, “That must be my dad in the doorway.”

Emily heard what she said and she gasped. Taking Anthony from the chair, she propped him into her lap and wrapped her arms around him.

Grave Digger studied her. He then looked over at the table where Delaney was, as she described who was in the Still area.

The group in front of the laptop all watched as Barrett began moving.

“Damn, he’s still alive,” Delaney stated.

Zeus looked up at the men standing around the laptop. “We’d better check on this end of the tunnel. I don’t want them getting into the house.”

Everyone headed down the hall and when they got to the area where that tunnel ended, they saw a huge mess of bits of cement and broken wood. Most of the cement on their end was still in place. When Zeus pushed his hand through the hole in the wall, the remaining cement seemed to be holding strong. He peeked in through it and saw a mess beyond the cement. “Well, I wouldn’t walk through that tunnel.”

“But you aren’t Barret or his sons,” Diabolus spoke up. “They want the treasures buried here and nothing will set them back. They’ll still try to get through.”

“Ok, get some men to board up the mess as best you can,” Zeus told him. “Then set a guard on this area. Most of the cement wall is still in place but you never know what those idiots are going to do. At least, we’ll have a heads up if they do try it.”

“Maybe if they do, they’ll trigger a collapse of the tunnel and we won’t have to worry about it or them,” Memphis surmised.

“All we can do is hope but I wouldn’t count on that.” Zeus shook his head. Going back to the main room, he looked over at Alfredo and asked, “Do any of them have a cell phone? Can you call them and find out what their agenda is? They have to know this isn’t going to be easy for them.”

Alfredo nodded. “I can try.”

Delaney handed her grandfather her phone.

Alfredo made the call, using Romano’s number. When it was answered he said, “Romano, this is grandpa, just what the hell are you boys up to anyway?”

“We’re coming in to get what great grandpa promised us before he died.” Romano growled.

Alfredo scoffed, “There is nothing left for you and your brother to get. Tell your dad that I turned everything over to Leon, the gold, the diamonds and the paintings. It’s all gone.”

Barrett’s voice came over the open line, “You bastard, that wasn’t yours to give to anyone. That was our inheritance, it was meant for us, not Leon.”

“No, son,” Alfredo replied. “My father should have never had it in the first place. The gold didn’t belong to him. It belonged to the families of the men he worked with. He just never gave it back to them and that wasn’t right. I made what he did right.”

“That wasn’t for you to do, old man. That treasure was for his family to start over and live the way he always dreamed of living, with no rules except for the ones we made up. You just robbed us of our chance.” Barrett snarled. “But you didn’t get it all and I’m coming for what’s left. I will see you and the bikers dead and bleeding when I come for what’s mine.” Then the phone call went silent.

Alfredo looked up with tears in his eyes at his own son’s hateful words. He handed the phone back to Delaney, then he stood to his feet and walked down the hall to his bedroom.

They all heard the door close softly.