The Mob Rules

Part 3

Misfits to the Rescue

By Nick Maro

:: Writer's Note: [ ] Indicates speaking in Japanese::

Tony slowly squeezed the trigger of the sniper rifle and let out a slow breath. It was the perfect shot and he would be able to make the hit and be gone before anyone knew otherwise. A shot of piercing pain ran through his hand which caused his finger to suddenly twitch, throwing the shot off and missing his intended target. "Dammit." A matte black shuriken stuck out of the back of his hand, blood dripped down the side and pooled at his feet. He removed the throwing star with a grunt of pain and threw it on the roof. Spinning around in a rage, he looked for who or whatever attacked him, only to find the night sky and surrounding darkness.

"What happened, Tony? Did you make the shot? Answer me," Leo Scarletti's voice rang into Tony's ear. Before Tony could answer he was knocked to side by an unseen force. He rolled to his back to find a man dressed in all black. His scream of rage was cut off by a punch to the side of the head, rendering him unconscious.

Tying the mobster up and placing a makeshift gag in his mouth, Hebime made sure that Tony was secured. He read a note that he had written before placing it in the gangster's pocket. I am a bad man. I shot at the parking garage and tried to assassinate another man. Please arrest me. I will confess. If I don't, the man who tied me up will come back. Thank you, Tony the Gangster.

Hebime laughed soundlessly at the note as never got to do this sort of thing with his military unit. He secured Tony to a length of rope and began lowering him over the side of the roof after he fastened the other end to another metal pole. He pulled out a traceable cell phone and dialed emergency services. Once the operator connected he set the phone down and headed for the parking garage.

The parking garage wall behind Eric and David suddenly exploded. David tackled Eric and covered him to keep him from harm. Shin and Tommy immediately took cover by the concrete half wall and kept low. Their eyes scanned the buildings of the skyline looking for where the shot could've from. Tommy thought he saw movement on the building directly opposite of the garage. "Is everyone all right?" Tommy asked while still checking the other buildings.

"We're all whole. Just where in the hell did that come from?" David helped Eric to his feet. "It seems as if someone has lost control of their bladder." There was a puddle of urine under where Eric was standing. "Don't worry about it Eric, I'm sure it's happened to all of us." David began chuckling softly. "Okay, never to me. Tommy, Shin, either of you had this happen?" They both shook their heads no, which made him laugh harder than before.

Eric grabbed his bag and pulled out a fresh pair of underwear and pants. "Yeah, let's all laugh at the guy who was almost shot dead just now." He changed behind the car, out of sight of the other men. "I'm the one you're protecting. That shot was meant for me."

"I don't think so, Eric. Judging from where you and David were standing, I'd say the shot went wild. The bullet struck high between yourself and David. There's no telling who he was aiming at originally." Tommy looked down the side of the garage he saw Hebime scaling up the side. "Let me guess that was your doing." Hebime reached the top and climbed over the half wall before signing and telling the story of what happened to Tommy. "He says there was sniper on the other building, he threw a shuriken at his hand and made him miss. The sniper is now dangling from the building waiting for the police. Akai is watching the Gabor Estate. I suggest we get moving." Tommy and the two other men got into the car. Hebime had vanished into the night.

Tommy pulled out of the garage and turned on the main road. He drove past the building with the dangling would be assassin. Each of them, including Eric, laughed at the sight. "To be honest that was too close back there." Shin turned to his cousin. "Tommy, you've mentioned a cabin in the mountains that Hebime owns. Maybe we should bring Eric there till the others arrive."

"I've been thinking." Eric nudged David's arm to get his attention. "I'm going to the police. This has gotten way out of control."

"That's completely up to you but just remember the police aren't as well trained as we are. If you go to them Scarletti will know. Also, I think I've called in all of my favors with the Arashikage clan. I'm not telling you what to do; I'm just telling you the stakes in involved." David leaned back in the back seat and watched out the window.

"How about this then, I go to the police and you remain as my protectors."

Shin used the rearview mirror to look at the backseat passengers. "Actually I have an idea." The two men in the back turned to him. "We do what Scarletti doesn't expect. We go after him ourselves. Then after we capture him or find where he is we call the police. I'm sure they have a huge file on him. How's that sound?"

Eric smirked at David. "I love how he thinks. It's a risky plan, but then again, what's a plan without risk? My vote is yes."

"There is no vote here but the more I think about the more I agree with Shin and Eric. Alright, let's try it Shin's way." David glanced at his watch. He couldn't remember if he set it for the time change or not. "What day is it? I actually got confused by the date line."

Tommy thought for a moment. "It's Tuesday morning."

David couldn't hide his smile. "I'll be damned. We made it back just in time for The Misfits album to go on sale. Pizzazz will be happy now." David noticed that Eric winced at his sister's name which only made him smile wider.

After dropping the Starlight Girls off at school Jerrica pulled up in front of Haven House. She went up to the screen door and knocked on it. A young woman with multi-colored haired answered the door after a few moments of waiting. "Jerrica! What are you doing here?" She let her friend inside and gave her a small hug.

"I was going to call but since Haven House was closer to the office I just decided to stop by. You called yesterday wanting to ask me something, Danse."

Danse led Jerrica to her office where she left the door open just in case one of the runaway kids of Haven House needed something. Haven House was a home for runaway children to stay at until they were ready to go home. Jerrica sat on the opposite side of the desk she took the flyer that Danse handed her. "Our annual musical benefit is coming up in a few weeks. The big news is that this year we'll be on pay per view. All of the money from those who ordered is going to benefit Haven House and Starlight Foundation. Surprise!" The look of shock on Jerrica's face was just what she had expected.

"I'm stunned and honored. Thank you. Now I'm glad I stopped by instead of calling. Who are the bands?" Jerrica's smile was one that she couldn't hide.

"That's another thing I wanted to ask, I just needed your approval for Jem and The Holograms to headline the concert. Since Starlight Music is helping out, I was hoping you could help book some other bands." She looked at Jerrica hopefully.

Jerrica sat back and thought for a bit. "How about something new this year, Jem and The Holograms co-headline with The Misfits. I can ask David if they're free for this event." She chewed on her thumbnail for a moment. "I could ask him if Suzaku could perform as well. I have a few other ideas but I need to discuss them with Kimber first." Jerrica stood putting the flyer in her briefcase. "But now I really must get to the office."

Danse led Jerrica to the frontdoor. "I love the idea of Jem and The Holograms co-headlining with The Misfits. A few of the kids here have been saving up their money for the new album. That comes out today, right?"

"Yeah, I know a few of the Starlight Girls are the same way. It's funny because some of them swore to never buy a Misfits album as long they live." Jerrica started walking down the steps before stopping, turning and looked at Danse. "I almost forgot send the paperwork to my office. I'll get it back to you as soon as possible. Talk to you soon." She waved to the coordinator of Haven House and got back into her car.

Sal brought the binoculars to his eyes as he kept watch on the entrance to the clothing store a few stories below him. He pressed the button for the walkie talkie and spoke to Scarletti. "No sign of them yet, Boss. Were you able to spring Tony out?"

The speaker crackled to life with static. "Not yet, Sal. The cops say we have to wait for the judge to rule on this. As far I'm concerned we kill both Raymond and the Gabor brat. Anything on our targets?"

After five minutes of watching people come in and out of the store, the targets he was waiting for emerged. One was a purple haired African-American woman while the other was a Hispanic woman with pink hair. "They're coming your way boss. Get ready." Sal grabbed the radio and binoculars and ran down to meet up with Leo Scarletti in the car.

"I couldn't believe that crowd in the music store, Shana. I'm very happy for The Misfits though. They deserve to have a hit album like this." Raya adjusted the bag she carried.

Shana checked her bag of new fabrics. "What I'm happy about is the sale at the fabric store. These prints will be great for our next tour." She showed Raya what she purchased as they walked down the street. "That is, when we ever go on tour again. We really need to bug Jerrica about doing a new album."

"First we need to see if we can play without Kimber. I know she said the music she wrote for us was without keyboards but we really should test it out tonight." Raya pulled out the keys for the Starlight van from her jacket pocket. She turned to address her friend again but saw she was gone from her sight. "Shana? Where did you g-mmph!" She felt a cloth get pressed across her mouth as a burly man dragged her quickly off the street and into an alley. Raya felt herself beginning to pass out and was unconscious within moments.

Sal climbed into the passenger side of the car. "The pink haired one is loaded in. That was a cakewalk, Boss." He glanced in the back at the two unconscious women.

Leo Scarletti started up the car and began to casually merge into traffic. "No one saw you right?" Sal nodded. "Excellent, now we can teach Eric Raymond and David Gabor not to fuck with Leo Scarletti. Remember Sal, those two bitches are not to be harmed in anyway." Leo honked at a car to move at the green light.

"You got it, Boss." Sal leaned back in his seat rested for the rest of the trip to the warehouse.

David lay out on the couch not realizing how exhausted he truly was feeling. "Just let me sleep here for about a year or so." He moved over so Kimber could lie on the couch next to him. He wrapped his arm around her mid-section pulling her close. "Shin, what's the first step in your plan?"

"We relax for the rest of the day and come up with a plan." Shin sat next to his fiancée Kyoko. "Are you sure you want to handle The Misfits appearance tonight, Kyoko?"

Kyoko kissed Shin on the cheek. "I don't mind. I'm just doing it as a favor to David. You guys need to talk about how you're going to deal with this Leo Scarletti."

"Actually I've been thinking." David moved Kimber's hair out of his face. "I really should be at The Misfits appearance at Diskovery Records as well. It's only for two hours. You can fill me in when you get back. I trust your cousin and his friends completely. Besides, The Misfits and Kimber will be safe with me and Kyoko."

Shin rubbed his temples trying to get rid of his small headache. "Alright, I can see why you'd want to be there. You're partially responsible for The Misfits new sound and attitude. You worked just as hard as they have. This is your day too." David began to deny he did anything. "Take some credit will you? You can't be humble all the time. I mean come on I couldn't have done what you did. People do respect you for more than your martial arts ability."

Kimber elbowed David lightly. "He's right. This humble act is getting old. It won't kill you to soak up the limelight every so often." She turned her head to look at him with a smile. "Promise me that tonight you'll accept the credit that comes your way?"

Groaning to himself, David answered slowly while Kimber's eyes always melted his defenses. "Oh alright, I don't see what the big deal is. I'm humble at times. So what? But I'll try to loosen up a bit." He checked his watch. "Almost time to get ready to leave. I'm going to tell The Misfits to get ready."

David stood from the couch and went in search for The Misfits. Kimber started to follow him when the phone rang. "Hello, Gabor residence. Hi, Jerrica! Yeah, David is back, but he's kinda busy now. Tell you what, meet with him at Diskovery Records. Okay, I'll tell him to expect you. Love you. Bye." She hung up the phone and began looking for him. She found him in the backyard with The Misfits and Akai. "David, Jerrica just called and she wants to talk to you about something." Kimber saw that Akai was using her crossbow for target practice. "Akai, can I show David what you taught me?"

"Sure, remember what I said. Fire when you know you have the target." Akai loaded in a new bolt and handed the crossbow to her.

Kimber stood how she was taught and took careful aim at the target. Over the weekend she learned all about wind resistance with the bolt. She noted that today there was a slight wind blowing from the southeast. She squeezed the trigger when she felt the time was perfect. The bolt launched from the crossbow and streaked soundlessly towards the target. It pierced the bullseye dead in the center. "Oh my God!" Kimber yelled running to the paper target. "I made a bullseye, Akai!" Kimber pulled the bolt out of the post and ran back with the target. "I've never done that before, David."

"I told you could do it. Keep the bolt and the target as souvenirs." Akai looked very proud of the younger redhead. "You should have seen her, just about the whole weekend she tried for a bullseye. She has archer blood in her." She loaded a bolt in her crossbow.

David hugged Kimber. "That was incredible. You should take this up as a hobby. It suits you."

The Misfits began walking toward the house leaving the couple alone with Akai. "Hey David, we'll be ready in about an hour and meet you by the limo." Pizzazz caught up with her friends and entered the house.

Kimber watched The Misfits sign autographs at the table set up for them at Diskovery Records. The autograph session was a huge success. She loved how the fans went on about the new album. She was genuinely happy for her friends. Kimber turned around when someone tapped her on the shoulder and smiled at her sister. "Hi Jerrica! Isn't wonderful about The Misfits new found fame?" She then noticed the upset expression on her sister's face. "What's wrong?"

Jerrica sniffed back tears a few times. "It's Shana and Raya, some mobster named Scarletti is holding them for ransom. I've got to talk to David." Kimber held back a cry of shock and found David. Jerrica began talking before he could say anything. "First off, I just want to say I'm not angry at you or The Misfits, but this note came about an hour ago." She handed him the piece of paper. "I told everyone to be careful. Please help them." She hugged Kimber and cried on her shoulder.

David quickly read the letter then put it in his pocket. "Okay, I'm going to talk to the manager. I'll reschedule a new autograph session." David hugged Jerrica tightly. "Don't worry everything is going to be fine. My friends and I will get them back safely." He felt Jerrica laughing slightly against him. "What's so funny?"

"That just sounded like something out of an action movie." She looked at Kimber who giggled a little. "David, Mrs. Bailey is watching the Starlight Girls. Aja and Rio are in the car waiting for me. We'll meet you at the Gabor Estate. I want to know what's going on."

David nodded as he scanned the backroom of the store for the manager. "Alright, take Kimber with you she can introduce you to my friends at the mansion. I'll see you in about a half hour." He hugged Jerrica again then softly kissed and hugged Kimber. "Be careful on the way back. I love you." He gave her another quick peck on the lips. He found the store manager and talked with him out of sight of the crowd. He watched out the corner of his eye as the two sisters left the store. "Mr. Weinberg, I've just learned of a family emergency. I need to reschedule the autograph session for another time. When would be the best time?"

Mr. Weinberg thought for a moment. "Listen, I know how important family is. I'll get in touch with you at Misfits Music tomorrow. What do you say we give them five more minutes and then they can leave?" Not wanting to argue David nodded. "Good. I'll be happy to have them here again." He shook David's hand and went to go prepare a statement.

Tommy finished reading the note and he looked at David and Eric. "The both of you are willing to go through with this is that what you're saying?" They nodded slowly even though Eric was frightened out of his mind. "Fine, the new plan is this we'll use the tracking devices that Techrat has built. The two of you will wear them under the insoles of your shoes. That should keep them hidden well enough. Akai, Hebime and I will follow five minutes behind you." Tommy shifted in his seat. "As for the hostage exchange, it says they want Roxy and Stormer to walk you both to the middle of the street while two of Scarletti's boys will escort Raya and Shana. There they'll make the exchange." He looked at Roxy and Stormer. "Are the two of you willing to do this?"

Stormer immediately said yes as Roxy thought for a moment. "I'm really starting to hate gangsters and I hate how he referred to Stormer and I as the blue haired and white haired sluts. You bet your ass I'll do it." David looked nervous about her attitude. "Don't worry, David, I'm not doing anything stupid." She gave him a reassuring grin and shrug.

"I'm goin' too," Jetta said quietly after a few moments. "Raya is me friend but I'm goin' to help get David and Eric. I still owe David a rescue anyway. I just need me pistols and I'm all ready."

Roxy looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean pistols? I didn't know you owned any guns."

Jetta had a look of guilt on her face. "I brought them in when we got back from England. David still had that card that said he couldn't be searched and I kinda borrowed it." She looked at the floor feeling a tad guilty. "I sent the card back to Ian right away."

"How good are you at hand to hand, Jetta?" Tommy asked.

"Not bad. I learned some moves from David. I can get by on me own."

Tommy looked at Hebime and Akai for their approval. Akai nodded. "Okay, you're in also. Hebime says you should go with us since he's seen you in action." He stood and moved toward the door. "Let's get prepared. Scarletti won't wait forever." He walked out of the room, went to the room with his gear and started getting ready.

Roxy stopped the engine and watched two men climb out of the car two hundred feet in front of her. They each opened a rear door and pulled two women out. "I don't like this," Roxy said watching the two men stop in front of their car. "But let's do it." Roxy and Stormer got of the car and helped David and Eric out of the backseat. Their hands were tied behind them as stated in the letter. Roxy leaned close and whispered to David. "Are sure about this? The hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end." She stopped walking ten feet in front of the car.

He smiled a little and slightly tilted his head to her. "Don't worry, Eric and I have everything under control. You and Stormer just grab Raya and Shana and then get the hell outta here." David glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I brought everyone a gift from Japan. Give it to you later." He gave her a disarming smile that made her relax a bit.

One of the men stepped forward and shouted. "On the count of three you two bitches send those two assholes over and we'll send these two skanks at the same time." Roxy and Stormer both shouted an insult. "One! Two! Three!" The man shoved Raya forward. "Get to stepping, bitch." Raya and Shana walked at the same pace as David and Eric. They passed each other at the halfway mark and David smiled at the two women as he reassured them it was okay with a look. Eric nodded that everything was fine despite the scared look on his face. The man who shouted grabbed David while the other took Eric. "Blindfold 'em, Louie." A strip of dark cloth was placed over their eyes, blacking everything out.

"I'm required to say this next part," David said after being loaded into the back of the car. "But you won't get away with this." The man shut the door and got into the driver's side. "Sorry, but it's some law or something that I have to say it." David heard Eric and the man called Louie slightly chuckle.

"Just shut the fuck up, Gabor. You'll have plenty of time to talk or should I say beg when Mr. Scarletti deals with you." The first man started the car and drove to a warehouse.

Once there he pulled David out of the car as Louie grabbed Eric. They guided them through the doors and into a small empty room. After he heard the door shut and lock David acted quickly in loosening the ropes his hand. He was free within moments. He took his blindfold off, freed Eric and kept his voice to a whisper. "Tommy and the rest are about two minutes away. That's two minutes too long for me." He grabbed his length of rope and looked around the room. It looked it was used as a utility storage room. He found a roll of duct tape and some nails on a shelving unit.

"What are you doing those?" Eric asked whispering as quietly as he could.

David looked at him for a second. "Improvising." He pushed a couple of nails in row through a strip of duct tape. He placed a few pieces like that in front of the door but made sure it was out of the way of the door swinging in. David made another duct tape strip of nails, folded his and Eric's ropes in half. He wrapped a strip of nails around each rope and made a handle with the tape. David tested the swinging speed of the weapon. He felt it was a little slow but should be effective. He handed the other one to Eric and showed him how to swing it properly.

"Here's my plan, you stand on the inside of the door so when it swings open you're hidden. I'll be on the other side waiting to strike. When the first goon comes in hopefully he'll step on the nail field. That's when you hit him with the rope. Try to hit him in the hand or arm if he's holding a gun. Hit him in the crotch if he isn't holding any weapon. Trust me it'll work. I'll be vulnerable if there's back up but I've handled worse. Hell, my sister is Pizzazz and she makes these guys look like bumbling simpletons." David put his empty hand out.

Eric shook his hand without any hesitation. "I've been wrong about you, David, you're a good man. And yes I can go through with this plan. I managed Pizzazz, so you're right about these guys being bumbling simpletons in comparison."

They each heard footsteps slowly walking towards the room. Eric took his position and David tried his best to press himself against the wall. The handle jiggled a few times then unlock. The door slowly opened and Eric got ready to strike. He heard David whisper no and then saw him roll a black clothed person out of the way of the nails. It was Jetta. "Cor, David, I always knew you liked me but you coulda asked a girl first before goin' fer a roll." She accepted his hand and got to her feet. "The others are takin' care of the help. Blimey they move fast. But let's get Eric-boy to safety first, yeah?"

Jetta began to head out of the door when Eric grabbed her arm. "I'm going with after Scarletti I'm through running from him." Jetta and David both glanced at him then waved for him to follow their lead. "Jetta, did you call the cops?"

"Yeah, right before we came in, Hebime just called nine-one-one on his cell phone and left it on the ground. They'll trace it here." Jetta stopped the two men at a t-section while she pulled her twin pistols out. "Hang on." She peeked around the corner where she spotted one of the goons. Quietly Jetta walked up behind him and clubbed him in the back of the head with the butt of the weapon. She caught the man as he went down. David and Eric followed her lead again.

They walked down the corridor with Jetta in front, Eric in the middle and David covering the rear. David felt someone approach behind him. "Get down!" He tackled Eric as shot rang out and hit Eric in the leg. Jetta spun around and pointed her pistols at Scarletti. David looked up at the man while protecting Eric. He had his weapon pointed at David's chest.

"Well, if it isn't my lucky fuckin' day! Both David Gabor and Eric Raymond are in my sights." He looked at Jetta quickly. "Drop the pistols, bitch, or your friends have had it."

"Fuck off, Scarletti. The minute I drop me guns you'll shoot 'em."

Scarletti laughed deeply. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't or just maybe I'll do it now." He pulled the hammer back on his gun and aimed at David's head. "Now drop 'em!" Jetta looked at David and Eric as she slowly placed the guns on the floor. "Stupid trusting bitch!"

"No!" Eric pushed David out of the way and blocked him with his body. Scarletti pulled the trigger as Eric closed his eyes and braced himself for the bullet. Instead he heard a click and heard a body thud to the wooden floor seconds later. He opened his eyes and found Scarletti knocked out by Hebime who now stood over him. "Wh-why wasn't I shot? What happened?" Hebime held up Scarletti's pistol and showed him there was a shuriken stuck between the hammer and the firing pin.

David pulled himself out from beneath Eric. "Well, looks like Scarletti has been taken care of."

"Yeah, looks like he has been." He took David's hand again and shook it firmly. "Listen, I just want to thank you. I've done many terrible things to you and your family, so I'm not asking for us to start going on fishing trips. I just want to say I'm sorry."

"I should be thanking you, Eric. You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save me, so thank you." He shook Eric's hand again. "However you do owe apologies to all of The Misfits and most importantly to my mother. I forgive you for the small things but the larger ones will take more time. I think we can be business partners in time. I just don't approve of your boss Kevin Ross."

Jetta walked up to Eric, helping him to his feet and helped him stand with his injured leg. "I just want to say I hope you keep goin' in this direction. It beats bein' a bloody snake all the time. Let's tie this fucker up and get out of here, I heard something about gifts from Japan." She winked and smiled at David.

David and Eric each made their statements to the police as Eric had the paramedics dress his leg. He was only grazed by the bullet. David felt that Eric may have turned over a new leaf in life. He watched Eric get into the back of a waiting squad car that was going to see him home. He then watched the police put the now handcuffed Leo Scarletti and his crew into several different police cars. "Thank you for coming to our rescue, Sheila." He embraced Jetta tight and let out a sigh of relief.

The next morning Shin, David and The Misfits said their good-byes to Tommy, Hebime and Akai. Kimber was wearing the kimono he bought her and the rest in Japan. Tommy gave a bow of respect to David before shaking his hand. "If you ever choose to join up with us you'd be very welcomed, David." He handed him a business card.

David looked at the card and put in his pocket. "Thanks but I'll decline for now. Thank you for all of your help. You three take care and I hope to see you around."

"You bet. Stop by the dojo anytime." Tommy hugged his cousin. "Take care of Kyoko, Shin, she's a great woman."

"You know I will. It was great to work with you on this." He bowed to Akai and Hebime. Everyone said their good byes and the three new friends headed to their car.

Tommy opened the backseat door as he looked back at the group. "Yo Jo-ow!" Akai smacked him upside the head, cutting off his battle cry. He rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. "I don't get it. I always have to be the serious one but the moment I decide to crack a joke you smack me. Dammit O'Hara! I'm talking to you." Tommy climbed into the car and Hebime drove through the gates of the Gabor Estate.

TO BE CONTINUED IN "RENOVATIONS AND RESTORATIONS"

PART 1 OF REVELATIONS