Florentine Nights II

Part 2: Their Smiles Could Make You Cry

Nino Moretti couldn't help but to pick at the scab on his right index finger formed after gripping a pistol abit to tight more than once.
He was growing impatient as he waited to meet with Don Esposito regarding his next assignment; he was hoping that this time, he wouldn't have to work with his long-time counterpart, Lucio Rizzo.
Lately, he had been growing more and more impatient with both Rizzo, as well as, respectively, life in its entirety; he could feel his sanity slipping through the cracks little by little.
Florence had never been for him, yet neither had his home of Sicily, where crime was just as rampant and organized as it was here. He had come to Florence seeking asylum from the violent underworld of southern Italy, only to discover that it was no different to the north.

In vain, he attempted to settle down into a normal life in ancient Florence, only to have the deja vu of his entire past take a 360 degree spin when he was reintroduced to heroin.
Inevitably, after 6 months of a heavy addiction to the drug, he was both run out of the job, and run to the brink financially; that's when he rediscovered the mafia.
Around the time that the Originale Kimora collapsed in on itself, Nino saw the light of opportunity arise from Eric Esposito's Nuevo Kimora.
He arranged a face-to-face meeting with Esposito himself only three days later, during the climax of the Nuevo Kimora-Salvezza war, with Eric only agreeing to the proposal in a bid to gain extra cannon fodder for his brutal stand against the Salvezza.
Nino and Eric quickly came to an agreement; the Nuevo Kimora would provide Nino with housing, as well as protection, but, most importantly to Nino, they would provide him with a monthly supply of heroin as so he could satisfy his lethal addiction.

Through a blank-check obligation to Eric's cause, Nino was conscripted to fight on the mean streets. He showed exceptional combat skills, and due to this, he was partnered with the neurotic, yet incredibly efficient young rising star of Esposito's criminal enterprise, Lucio Rizzo.
Together, they single-handedly assassinated both the Don and Consigliere of the Salvezza, effectively ending the war and amalgamating the remainder of the now dead empire into the now flourishing and ever-expanding Nuevo Kimora.

The sound of footsteps cut Nino off in mid thought, and he looked up just in time to see his Don enter the room; "Good evening, Mr. Moretti! I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Hiding his discontent, Nino replied, "It's of absolutely no relevance, Don Esposito. I can wait as long as you need me too."
"Your as flattering as always, Nino, but still, I apologize. Anyways, I assume you're wondering why I asked you here."
Nino said nothing; he simply nodded.
"There's been a new... development.. in our relations with the Guerrilla Kimora."
Nino's stomach clenched, just as it always did when he could already tell what was coming.
"In retaliation for our defeat of the Salvezza last week, the Guerrilla's have attempted to cease our expanding influence before it reaches them." Eric said, a strange irony biting his tongue.
"Last night, they took the original Kimora headquarters from us."
"I thought the old headquarters were abandoned?"
"Generally, yes; but the location is symbolic. Whoever controls the original compound, controls the legacy of the original Kimora. As such, I took the necessary measures to protect it with an armed contingent of men."
"And still, the Guerrilla's somehow tore through it with their meager numbers?"
"Never underestimate a fellow Kimora, Mr. Moretti; as splintered as we may be now, none of the groups have lost their flare or determination to conquer."
Skeptically, Nino nodded in partial understanding.
"And my involvement in all this is what?" He asked.
"You and Lucio are going to raid their main headquarters and kill their Don and Consigliere, as well as their respective families. You're going to show them that any with war with us is a short war. No resistance will be tolerated. You're going to reunite our two splinter factions, just as we did with the Salvezza."
Nino winced as he heard Lucio's name, and his hopes of avoidance sunk.
"What about the police on that end of the city?" He asked.
"Don't worry about them; they're on my payroll now."
Nino couldn't help but to admire Eric's quick efficiency when it came to making pivotal plans like this; but he quickly realized one thing still remained. The plan itself.
"How are we supposed to pull this off?" Nino said, attempting to hold back his nervous twitches at the thought of such a deep cover mission like this.
"I'm getting to that, but first.. this is going to be a long assignment, Mr. Moretti. Do you think you're up to the task?"
"Whats the payout?"
"Big."
"How big?"
"200,000 euro."
Nino winced. He had never dreamed of such a large payout. In immediate follow-up, he replied, "I'm in."
Eric smiled; he had got both the answer he had expected, as well as the answer he had wanted.
Producing a map of the city from beneath his desk, Esposito quickly pointed to a large, fortified building in old Florence. To its left, a large, open plaza.
"Your going to infiltrate the Guerrilla's Palazzo Vecchio."
Nino winced once again, doubt quickly striking his mind.
"With all do respect, Don, how the hell are we supposed to do that?"
"How? You gain their trust. Once you gain their trust enough to enter their compound, both of you will come and see me. From there, we'll organize a date and time to plant bombs inside the Palazzo. The next day, as if you're still their simpleminded, loyal foot-soldiers, you'll set off the timed detonators. Make sure you're both far away from the area by the time the bombs go off."
Slightly offended by Esposito's statement of the obvious, Nino squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. All that was running through is mind was the fact that he was already bound to do this.
He had let money get the better of him.

"Now take this map, find Lucio, and explain the assignment to him." Eric ordered blankly.
He could no longer hold his nervousness in. As he looked up, his lip began to twitch as he said, "Ye-ye-yes.. Of course.. si-sir."