Action - Explosion - fürs Team

[nessaniel.livejournal.com]

Team: Morpheus
Challenge: Action/Suspense – Explosion – fürs Team
Fandom: The Expendables, Mafia AU
Titel: Cornetto bastardino
Inhalt: Don Barney Ross und seine Gang diskutieren am Frühstückstisch.
Anmerkung: Ich habe mich an einem Mafia-AU versucht, aber bis auf einen Haufen Klischees ist nichts dabei rausgekommen. Verflixt. Story is in English!


Cornetto bastardino

"How about we stop talking shit and finally do something?"

They are alone in the restaurant, all eight of them gathered around the best table and Toll is almost screaming right now. Lee wishes he would stop. His ears are still ringing from the explosion yesterday and he really isn't sure why Toll doesn't have to suffer from that, he was right next to him when they took that fucking dive in the harbour, after all.

Maybe Toll didn't hear it quite as well, but Lee knows better than to speak about anything remotely ear related with Toll Road.

Barney would kill him anyway, if he kicked up a shindy right now and Lee is very much invested in keeping Barney happy this morning. They fucked up last night, really badly too, losing two vans and a ship to Stonebanks' men, which is the reason for this emergency meeting.

"That's what we here for, bonehead", Yang suddenly screeches, in that broad accent of his. Toll glowers at him, before he angrily bites into one of the cornettos that are piled up on the plates in front of them.

They probably taste really good, but Lee is too busy keeping the nausea at bay to try them.

"Well, we wouldn't be, if it wasn't for you bastards forgetting how to work a radio!"

Oh great, now Tool is screaming too. He looks the worst of all of them, but after a night in the grimiest holding cell New Orleans PD has to offer, that's probably not a surprise.

God, last night was a bloody disaster.

Lee risks a quick glance at Barney. He hasn't said a word since they met but listened to all of them complain, nodding curtly when Doc finished listing all their losses. He made Lee drive him to the tailor's before coming here, so he is sitting at the head of the table in a posh three piece thing in light gray, looking like a nice, older athlete turned accountant and Lee can once again confirm that the "Don of New Orleans" seems like the least threatening guy on earth.

That is, until he opens his mouth and with a single word makes all of these hard-assed, broad shouldered men fall silent, Lee included. Barney Ross knows how to inspire loyalty (and fear, although he doesn't even like that) and half of this city is at his beckon call.

"You finished barking like mad dogs?" Barney grunts, while lighting a cigar. "Good. Maybe we can now talk business like fucking grown-ups."

"I don't see any," Lee mumbles under his breath and Barney throws him a tired glance, but right before he can rip his head off (deservedly, Lee thinks, but he sometimes just can't keep his mouth shut, not around Barney anyway), Doc chimes in.

"There is no real need for discussion. After this last disaster we know that Stonebanks is well and truly alive and back to be a pain in the ass, so we gotta kill him again and this time we make sure he stays dead."

"Wish I knew how he survived," Barney says with a sigh.

Doc leans back in his chair and shrugs. "Don't ask me, brother. I was in prison for the last four years, remember?"

"You make damn well sure we don't forget," Lee growls, a bit louder than necessary but he still doesn't hear himself properly. "It doesn't matter how he survived, anyway. He did and now he is fucking us over badly, so we need to blast him right into kingdom come."

"Finally someone speaking my language," Toll mutters and Lee wonders whether it is a good sign that the designated hot-head of the group agrees with him.

"Yeah, sure, let's just walk right into town hall and shoot Congressman Stonebanks in the goddamn forehead. Good idea, Christmas, really, you're worth your money."

Tool is insufferable when he hasn't gotten enough sleep, Lee gets that, but right now he just wants to bash his bloody skull in.

"Enough," Barney says before Lee can bury his fork in Tool's face. "We can't touch him right now. Those vans are gone as is the ship."

Suddenly Gunnar speaks up. Lee had almost forgotten that he is here too, which says a billion things about the state he is in and none of them positive. "What about Luna? She can get us the ship back."

"Or at least have it confiscated so Stonebanks can't get at it anymore", Doc adds hastily.

That's a far more reasonable assessment of the extent of Luna's powers and Barney gives him a nod. Gunnar scoffs, busying himself with the violin case on his lap. Nobody knows why he still keeps this antiquity with him, he doesn't even carry a weapon in there, but Gunnar has never been a stable one, so Lee pretends like he didn't see (as do the others) and focuses his attention back on Barney.

Fucking kindergarten, everywhere.

"Luna knows what she's got to do," Barney explains. "She'll get back to us as soon as she leaves the hospital."

"Any news?" Hale asks and Lee wishes he hadn't. It's bad enough that Toll and he had been caught in crossfire and explosions but Mars had taken the brunt of it. They had gotten him out of the water eventually, but it had taken them ten minutes and as far as Lee knows, he hasn't woken up yet.

"No", Barney says. "I'll tell you if I hear something."

For the first time today there is a hint of white hot fury creeping into Barney's voice. Injuries and even death are part of their business of course, but when it comes to the young guns (why do they have so fucking many of those, Lee wonders) Barney's fuse is much, much shorter.

Stonebanks isn't going to make it to next week, if Mars should die from hypothermia and dirty harbour water blowing up his lungs.

Lee sighs. He needs to keep a closer look on Barney in the next few days, because the Don might run the biggest underground empire in the history of this damn city, but he is also prone to playing insane lone hands, when he feels that it's personal.

And what in this goddamn business isn't fucking personal to you, Barney Ross, Lee thinks, but then he remembers something else.

"How about we set Trench on the vans? He still calls the shots with the police, he can check…"

"No."

Lee blinks, looking at Barney with wide eyes. Barney furrows his brow and takes another puff from his cigar, blowing the smoke high in the air, before giving Lee a hard look.

"Come again?" Lee says.

"We can't call in any favours from Trench. He doesn't owe us any."

The pounding behind his forehead had gotten better over the last few hours but it comes crashing back with doubled forces, as Lee stares disbelievingly in Barney's face.

"What the fuck?" he screams and if there was anything harder than cornettos available he would throw it at Barney. "Are you crazy? Of course he owes us. Remember last month, when we had that damn shoot-out with Vilain's French fuckers in the middle of the goddamn road?"

"Lee…"

"Don't you Lee, me! You think I went to the mattresses for Trench, 'cause I fancy him so much? He owes us!"

"I didn't ask you to come with me back then!"

Why are they shouting right now, Lee wonders, but he can't stop himself, he slams his fist on the table, making spoons and butter jump alike. Barney doesn't move an inch, though.

"No, but if I hadn't, you would have gone alone and gotten your sorry old ass handed to you, you demented bastard!"

What the fuck is wrong with him, Lee thinks, why won't he see that Trench is their best shot at this? Why would he risk giving Stonebanks even more firepower than he already has?

Before he can say anything more though, a man in a white apron appears at his side.

"Your drinks, gentlemen."

Aw, crap. Lee rolls his eyes, but he dutifully takes his hat from the table, so the waiter aka Billy "the Don's darling" Timmons, can place new cups onto the red white-striped tablecloths.

The boy is about twenty-four, huge and lean, can pack a mean punch and Barney would probably blow the UN building to pieces if anything happened to him (he already did so with a national bank some years ago).

It's not that Lee doesn't like him, on the contrary, Billy is a good guy, and loyal to a fault.

But every fucking time they come here, Barney goes all gooey inside and smiles that dumbass smile of his and they won't get any work done until Barney can put a lid on his weird fatherly feelings.

As if on cue, Barney starts grinning like the idiot he is.

"Kid. I didn’t expect you to be back for another two weeks."

Billy places Lee's order (water and two aspirin) on the table, before he turns around, answering Barney's smile with a grin and a wink. "They didn't cut off my legs, sir."

"No, just shot you in the lungs. You should be resting."

By God, Lee can't be angry at the silly boy, not when he looks so deeply touched by Barney's worry. Sappy idiots, everywhere.

"I'm not afraid, sir", Billy answers, a bit quieter than before, but everyone is too busy with their cups anyway. "They won't come here. And besides…" He bows down, bringing his mouth closer to Barney's ear. "I don't trust the new guys, yet."

He points over his shoulder at the two youngsters behind the bar, arguing about frothy milk and cappuccino, and Billy rolls his eyes.

"You want them gone?" Barney asks immediately.

"Oh no, not at all. They're good and useful."

"But?"

Billy's smile turns sheepish. "They aren't ready yet. Thorn's running his mouth and Smilee's a hot-head."

For some reason, Barney turns his head to give Lee a pointed look, before he laughs and takes a sip from his coffee.

"They'll fit right in."

"Thought so, sir," adds Billy and together they enjoy a good hearty laugh.

Lee is going to kill someone, he swears, but then Billy gets up and goes back to the counter to scream at the two idiots. He still moves slowly, uneasily and Lee can see that he grips the counter to steady himself.

That idiot boy, Lee thinks and sighs. He is going to call him later today, a little private chat about how it won't do that he hurts himself just because he doesn't want Barney to worry anymore.

He won't tell Barney though.

"Boy is fantastic," Barney says suddenly and Lee huffs.

"Yeah, whatever. You finished making cow eyes at him?"

Barney rolls his eyes, while the others try to hide their obvious smiles behind their cups (Lee prefers to see them as exasperated grimaces). He takes another drag from his cigar – and then from one second to the next, he opens his eyes and is all business, quick dirty plans and improvising.

"Here's what we do. Tool, contact Bonaparte. See if he can dig up anything or find out how Stonebanks survived."

Tool nods, slowly and gravely, but Lee can see that his eyes are sparkling with eagerness. It's as if he has all but forgotten his bad mood. The power of Barney Ross' style of command or something. "Done," says Tool. "Fell right off the shithouse, when I told him. He'll get back to us as soon as he can."

Lee isn't sure how Tool came up with that particular image but it's probably best not to ask about the specifics of this phone call. It gets a much needed smile out of Barney though, before he turns to look at Hale.

"Hale, you take your boys and torch some of Stonebanks' establishments near the river."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to do that?"

"Yeah and now he's telling you to do it anyway," groans Lee, before Barney can say anything. He laughs instead, while Lee adds: "Can't a man change his opinion, here, Jesus!"

Hale just stares at him. "Man, I just wish that one of these days, you'd really get blown to pieces. Might push that stick out of your ass!"

Lee makes an unmistakable gesture with his left hand and the whole damn band of bastards starts laughing like mad dogs.

Finally, he thinks, as he snarls at Hale, while Barney tells them all to shut their cakeholes before he continues to explain the plan.

Sure, Stonebanks got them good this time and it's not all sunshine and rainbows, more like raining fire and brimstone, but they have fought worse battles than this and nothing will be more satisfying than torching Stonebank's chair right from under his ass, Lee thinks.

Judging from the grin Barney is trying to hind behind his cigar, he is very much of the same opinion.

This is gonna be real good, Lee hopes, before taking a bite from the last cornetto.