Johnny and Ricky started as two 11 year old kids caught up in a black hand scandal. Almost becoming roadkill by 3 men inside Mr. Castillucci's store, they are now part of the Mano Nera as worms, just learning the ropes. Ricky, secretly wanting revenge on these morons, decided to play along and become part of the operation to see what they were about. Johnny, on the other hand, did it for the sheer pride of being part of something. He had no idea what his best friend was up to. Sitting on a park bench, the two junior mobsters are talking about something they probably shouldn't.

"Isn't this exciting?" Johnny asked his friend, "We get to be part of something important! I can't wait for our first gig!"

"Ok, first of all," Ricky explained, "lower your fucking voice. What we do isn't a bunch of 'gigs', as you call them. Secondly, this is a grown up operation, okay? We're lucky we didn't get killed back there - the boss was ready to cap our asses. Furthermore, all these rules we have to follow...bizarre. Who's gonna believe us when we walk into the bank and try to rob it? We'll get laughed outta the joint. Grow up, Johnny. This is serious shit."

Johnny thought about his friend's true blue statement. He knew a lot of this talk is because of what happened with his father. Being sensitive, he tried to be there for Ricky.

"I'm sorry about your dad, buddy. He did try to save us. Let's do this for him, if nobody else. We'll be alright out here."

"You said that the last time. Look where we ended up." Ricky folded his arms and smirked sarcastically. "I told ya so."

Walking downtown, the boys ran into their favorite magic shop, The Hall Of Disguises. Going in and trying to keep their mind off the past for a few minutes, they looked around for new tricks to play on their friends. This shop wasn't just a magic shop, however, as it also superstitiously carried spirits and some sort of dark evil. The boys never believed this myth, but the owner always spoke something of it.

Just as the boys were about to walk out the door, saying farewell to Mr. Fabio, some quite unwelcome, yet extremely familiar company showed up. The three men shoved the boys back and closed the door behind them. They walked up to the owner and the boss pulled out a picture. The second boss held a gun to the man's head, while the head honcho showed the owner the photo.

"Do you know this man?" He asked with a very sure look on his face.

"Y-y-y-yes. I recognize him. He came in just a couple days ago asking for a wig and a moustache. I thought it was for his kid or somethin'... Honest."

The boss put the gun down. He knew Mr. Fabio would never lie to him.

"Thank you. He used the disguise to get into the ba-- never mind. More than you need to know. Have a nice day, sir. Don't skip town."

Ricky realized the man's statement made sense as to what happened to his dad. He clinched his fists, but said nothing. The 3 men looked at the boys and smiled.

"Are you boys ready for your first task?"

The boys looked at each other with horror on their faces.

"Yes." Of course, Johnny spoke up first. "What do we have to do?"

"Alright, brave one. Boys, here's your task." The boss looked at them with shit-eating grins.

The men handed the boys a note. It read:

An appreciation for 25 years of service to us. Thank you, Mr. Lambourghini.

Mano Nera

"Remember the man from the bank? The one they called 'big dog'? That's who this goes to. He's done a lot for us." The boss taped the note to a small package, and gave it to Ricky. They gave the boys each a knife for self defense, and a $100 each to spend on their own time. "Come straight back. Don't let Hobbes catch you."

"Who the hell is Hobbes?" Ricky spoke up on this one. He was getting more and more angry with each moment he was part of this whole shenanigan, but knew he had to play it cool for a while.

"Fathead, you didn't tell the worms about Hobbes? He's corrupt as fuck, and has been on our tails since day one. Acts like a mobster, but is actually an undercover cop. If he catches you, we all go to the joint. This is what he looks like." The boss hands Johnny a picture and the boys take a good look.

"I've seen this guy before." Johnny said. "He talks to everyone trying to get info. He's a no-wires kind of guy, meaning he likes only facts. Not really much for small talk. He talked to my dad once, but nothing came of it."

"Yeah, that's him." Noted the boss, "Watch out for that guy. He's no smarty-pants."

The boys then headed out toward the bank. Looking around every corner, Johnny was nervous. More than ever, Ricky wanted to slug him, but remembered that they weren't supposed to act in any way out of the ordinary...wait, slugging him was the ordinary.

"Ouch, dude!" Screamed Johnny.

"We're supposed to act normal, remember?" Ricky smiled his half smirk and Johnny slugged him back.

"How's that for normal?!" The boys laughed it off, and went back to concentrating on the task at hand.

Ricky reached for the package in his coat as they approached the bank. A big, beautiful brunette woman was at the front desk to greet them.

"Hello boys. What can I do for you today?"

"We need to speak to Mr. Lambourghini. It's for a--" Johnny stopped, remembering what the boss had said about confidentiality. "It's just for a minute, please."

The woman nodded and spoke through the phone. "Mr. Lambourghini? There are 2 boys here to see you."

The big dog walked into the lobby and saw Johnny and Ricky standing at the front. "Boys! How great to see you both. Growing up nicely, I see. Come on back to my office."

In the office, the boys sat down and Ricky set the package on the man's desk.

"Another gift. Those Mano Nera guys are quite generous if you stay on their good side. Here, take this to them."

It was another note. It said

Here's one for you guys too. Thanks for allowing me to serve you.

Mr. Lambourghini

 "Don't let Hobbes catch you. If he does --"

"We know." Ricky spoke up "We'll all be in the joint, or worse."

"...exactly."

Heading out of the bank with a package to bring back to the guys, the boys decide to race back. After all, nothing suspicious about 2 kids racing home, right?

"Last one back is a rotten egg!" Ricky said to Johnny, both boys laughing all the way...

In their moment of fun, they stopped suddenly. A man, tall with dark, curly hair, was hiding in the corner taking pictures. He saw Johnny and Ricky throughout the whole day's movements, but nobody knew except him. He walked out in front of the kids, trying not to sound shady.

"Hello, boys." Said the man, "Whatcha got there?"

They had to think fast. If they were caught working for the black hand, they'd all be toast.

"My mama gave me some cash to get flour and eggs. No biggie. My friend was just tagging along." Johnny lied, and he was good at it when he had to be. Ricky nodded, playing along.

"Your mama let you out all by yourself? Don't you know how dangerous this neighborhood is? Come on." The man knew what was going on. He had to gather enough evidence to put them away, but played along to catch the big fish. The families of these kids probably have no idea what's happening here.

"It's true, sir." Ricky added, sounding as innocent as he could. "His mama is sick and he's just obeying. Aren't we supposed to obey our parents, sir?"

The man laughed hard, but put on a serious look to phase them. "Ahem. Yes, most definitely. Run along, now. Your mama is probably worried sick, and you probably shouldn't be talking to strangers either. Allow me to introduce myself. Robert Hobbes is the name. I do some pretty heavy work on these streets, but I very rarely see kids running the streets like this."

The boys looked at each other with wide eyes. "RUN!"

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Mr. Fabio went home for the day, but the mobsters hung around. Fathead, munching on his own stash of cookies, stood guard and waited for the boys to return. Not seeing them after a bit, he spoke.

"The worms aren't back yet, boss. Do you think Hobbes got em?"

"Maybe," Said the boss. "It's not too important anyway. This is just a test run. If that package was as important as I said it was, I would have done the task myself. I just wanted to see if they could handle our business. I'm sure --"

"Boss" Fathead interrupted, "They're back, and they're running." 

The boys ran inside and locked the door behind them.

"Hobbes." Johnny said, all out of breath, "He caught us. We ran from him. Here's your package, sir."

"Never mind the package, son," said the boss, "We're fucked if we don't hide. He knows where we are now. It's not your fault, though, boys. He's done this for many years. I know where to go."

The second boss pulled a string and it lead to a stairway into the basement. In the basement was a fully furnished room with a corner full of storage from the shop, a full bar, tv's, a billiards table, and a music player. Also, it had another underground stairway into a tunnel. The tunnel was about a half mile long, and lead into the basement of a local casino. It was about 6 feet in circumference, which was just big enough for a person to comfortably crawl through, and camouflaged with the carpet as to not be suspected.

"Come on, slowpokes. Hurry, and keep your pieholes shut."

When they got through the tunnel, they saw a fully furnished room with a poker table, a fully furnished bar, and a gun shelf. They grabbed a drink, and laid low for a minute. The boss took the package from Johnny's hand.

"Well done, boys. Now, here's one that's a bit tougher. I know you can handle yourselves now."

The boss handed the boys a box. It was wrapped and the note was in an envelope.

"This is for Mr. Fabio, back at the shop. Your task is to get this to him tomorrow morning. You can rest for now...Hobbes should be gone."

Johnny and Ricky looked at each other with great hesitation.

"Gee boss, don't you think that's a little much for these kids? They're just starting out...Maybe just let them sort our mail or something..." The second boss was just as hesitant, and he was right to be. If they were seen too much in the city, they might be just as suspicious as the rest of the gang. "Just a thought, boss."

The boss thought about it for a second. "Perhaps you're right." He pulled out his gun and shot the second boss. "...or perhaps not. Don't tell me how to run my operation." Shooting him again, the rest of the gang fled.

"I think you boys will be just fine here. Don't let others tell you different."

Johnny and Ricky looked at each other again, this time in sheer terror. They had witnessed their first murder! That was the straw that broke Ricky's back. It was time for revenge. "This ones for you, dad." He thought.

The next morning, the gang went back to the Hall of Disguises. Johnny placed the package on the counter where Mr. Fabio could see it, and left.

"We'll be right back," Said Ricky.

"Boys? Where are you going?" The boss asked.

"We're hungry. Just going for a burger, if that's ok with you sir?" Ricky was starting to get cocky, and the boss didn't like it one bit. He played along.

"Lunch is always good. We should join you...if that's ok?" Fathead could always go for a burger.

"No," said the boss, "We have food here. Besides, the boys need some time alone, I'm sure. Let the kids go. Boys, have your lunch. Be back in one hour. I have one more task for you to do today."

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"Alright, Ricky. What's going on?" Johnny knew when his friend had something up his sleeve.

"I've had enough. Whispered Ricky, They killed my dad, and I'm out for revenge. You don't understand, man...he's all I had. At least you have your mama to back you up."

"Are you fucking crazy?! These guys will kill you too if you aren't careful. There's more than just the two of them. I think everyone in town is a part of them, and just don't say much, ya know?" Johnny tried to talk him out of it, but Ricky was just too far gone.  

"I have a plan for those two. They'll be gone by the time we're done. I need your help." Ignoring Johnny's warning, he started to tell his friend what to do.

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Mr. Fabio was running the shop like normal. Business was dead today, but he didn't care. He just stocked shelves and minded his own. Every day he did this, and he was just happy doing it. Johnny and Ricky walked back in, but didn't see Fathead or the boss.

"Hello, sir."

"Ah, boys. The boss is waiting in the basement for you. Please, hurry. They don't seem happy."

The boys walked quickly into the basement. The boss and Fathead were waiting for them. The boss was holding up a gun, and he looked pissed as ever.

"Hello boss. We're back." Said Johnny.

"Welcome back. We had a little...mishap...with one of our people. I had to go take care of it. I'm not happy. I'm glad you weren't with us, though. It got pretty messy. Where did the other boy go?"

Ricky sneeked behind the boss with the knife they had given him for self defense. He slashed the boss's throat, then fathead's. They both fell to the floor, drowning in blood.

"That's for you, dad." Whispered Ricky. He couldn't be prouder of himself. He got his revenge.

"Are you NUTS??? Those guys were helpin--" Johnny stopped, remembering what his friend had told him. "Let's just not get caught, ok? Let's go home." 

The boys went their separate ways. Will we see them again? Perhaps. Ricky, although he got what he wanted, was feeling a bit guilty. Johnny was scared too, both for himself and his friend. He was an accomplice in all this. Will they get away with it? Who knows. Are they still a part of this thing called the Black Hand Society? Absolutely. The only way out of this was with a bullet or a slash, and eventually someone else will find them and either make them pay, or pay them. Either way, they were screwed for life.