ANSWERING FOR ANTHONY
Carl Elias refused to show how much pain his broken hand was causing him as he was escorted back to his basement prison. He wouldn't give his enemies the satisfaction of knowing they had hurt him. Ignoring the Brotherhood guards in the room, he sat down in his chair and leaned back with a bored sigh, as though having his hand pounded with a hammer hadn't fazed him in the least. In truth he welcomed the pain, it gave him focus, sharpened his thinking and was a reminder of a little of what Anthony must have gone through before he died. He missed his old friend. The trust and loyalty of the man who had always stood beside him, was not something that could ever be replaced. His lieutenant would have throughly enjoyed what Elias had planned for his adversary.
When Dominic had spoken Anthony's name, had accused Elias of betraying him, he had wanted to reach across the table that separated them and rip the other man's tongue out. Elias recognized the lie for what it was, he knew in what was left of his soul that he had never betrayed Anthony. In the first few weeks after his friends death, Carl had experienced self doubt, even a sense of guilt which had crept into his thoughts. He wondered what might have happened if he had let John go into the building that day. Would both men have survived or both died? Elias had come to the conclusion that in the end, it didn't matter. Dominic had never intended to keep his word, to let John and Anthony go, like that HR worm Terney, he was an oathbreaker. Anthony had died taking as many of the Brotherhood with him as he could in an effort to save him.
Dominic had stated that he wanted to lead the Five Families, but the man had no real understanding of the word leader, of anything really, other than his own hubris. A general is only as good as the soldiers in his army and Dominic treated his soldiers like cannon fodder. No one would follow a leader who considered his people disposable. It was only a matter of time, with a little outside help of course, before Dominic's men realized this and turned on him. In direct contrast Elias made a show of giving up his own safety, even his life for his own guys. He accepted the fact that he maybe defeated, that he may lose this war but he was far from just an old man who didn't care anymore. Dominic was going to find out very soon just how much Carl Elias did care.
A slight noise pulled Elias out of his own thoughts and he looked over at John with no small amount of worry. From the looks of things he and Detective Fusco had also been...questioned...by Dominic. He regretted that they had been caught up in his plans but he had warned John to stay away, to not get caught in the middle of this war. He appreciated John's nobility, it was something he had never had, but admired in others. John and Harold should have listened to him. They should have realized that events had come too far, he was past being saved anymore. He hoped that John and the Detective would somehow be able to walk away after all of this had ended but knowing Dominic, he rather doubted it.
Elias watched in satisfaction as Dominic held the phone to his ear and walked away with his friend and lieutenant by his side. The answer to Dominic's earlier question to him about betrayal was seconds away. Thanks to some little white lies and a lot of hard work on his part, neither of the two men were going to like the answer. He was well aware that Dominic would most likely kill him when his deception came to light but he didn't really mind because unlike Dominic, he knew without a doubt that a friend was waiting on the other side.