Drino's Bistro - Ballard, Seattle. 

Tommy Drino, many people thought that he was a regular wiseass, someone who did not deserve a place in the honored society. He was simply a man who flaunted the cash and brought too much attention to The Life, only this was what Tommy allowed them to see. Underneath this facade lay a man of cunning and absolute power. 

Tommy ran the Drino Crew out of his restaurant in Ballard, he was made a Capo by Joey himself and ran his crew like a ship, there were few storms that took them off course, only now, this storm that was brewing threatened to take everything they worked for out. The Lombardi Family, Tommy heard of them for a small smile, he did some business with an Emilio Lombardi for a shipment of booze, it was clean and nothing happened after that. 

Only Tommy and his crew had just gotten the call to meet at the High Society Lounge, along with all his crew, not a single body was to be missing from this meeting. Now Tommy as a man of preparation, he knew what this type of thing called for, it meant gearing up for war or they were planning to remove the Lombardi's. 

"Tommy, we got a lot of booze back here, you want me to start selling this batch or wait until the coast is clear with these out of town fucks up our ass?"

Right now though, Tommy was at Drino's, his restaurant, and looking over the place. He was leaving Fat Pete in charge, the man was a genius when it came to the running of the business day-to-day. There was no one Tommy trusted more or could trust more, besides his own boss, to which that was never going to happen, he had respect for Joey Pavanno. 

"Leave it there for a while, let it sit. You stay here, call me if shit hits the fan, I don't want any of these fucks to get one up on us, I ain't having a war on my watch, go on."

Pete nodded, heading off on his own errand as he watched Tommy leave with an armed guard. Pete knew that this meeting was not going to be one of income and expansion, it was going to be bloody before it got any better, Pete guessed that was what they deserved, that is what they got for being involved in the Life they lead. 

***

Seven's Bar

If there was one thing that someone could count on, it was that the Bell Brothers would forever be the most brutal members working for Joseph Pavanno, currently the two men were beating the hell out of an associate that skimmed from their income, clearly wanting to break out and start on his own, too bad that Gino had found out and set Georgie on the fucker before long, the kid would not have an open funeral if they had anything to do about it. 

"Tell me, who told you to stop the money coming in, huh? I'll let you go, kid, this can all stop, just give me a name."
 
Technically Georgie would let the kid go but not alive, he would let the kid go into death's ever comforting embrace and finally be out of the pain that he was in. Georgie took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and began to wipe the blood from his hands, it was hard work this interrogation style of business. 

"I-I Can't! They said that I had to deliver the money with 75 Units of Cocaine from the warehouse stores, the drop was going to be in Waterfront, that's all I fucking know, I swear Georgie! I fucking swear!"

Georgie watched the kid for a while, he could see that he was telling the truth and by the note that the kid had left in his car, they knew this already. He just wanted to see if the kid knew anything more, seeing that he did not, Georgie had no more reason to keep this fucking two-timing rat around. 

"So forgiven, I'll see you soon Patty."

The man aptly named Patty by Georgie let out a strangled screech before he tried pleading for his life, only to hear the tell-tale signs of a gun being loaded and the last thing he heard was a bang before his world went dark, he had breathed his last. 

"Georgie, what the fuck is this!?"

Turning around with the smoking gun, Georgie noticed his brother, Gino. Now, it was said that Gino was the brain and Georgie, well the body explained that anyway. It was an odd relationship the two had, they were twins and often referred to as The Bell Brothers, running their own crew out of Ballard but had run it out of a bar, operating in nothing but secrecy as the life had called for. 

"A rat got caught in a trap, that's all. What are you doing here anyway? You said that you wouldn't be showing up for a while."

Gino nodded to the question and answer, remembering what he said to Georgie over the phone, he sighed. Removing a smoke from his inner coat pocket and soon set it alight as he allowed himself to take a deep inhale before resting his eyes on the body of Patty. 

"Devlin wants over at the High Society Lounge, I think he's called all the crews, even Billy. Seems like we're going on the offensive."

Georgie arched an eyebrow before shrugging, walking out of the dimly lit torture chamber that he had designed for himself, he noticed that his brother was still looking at the body before shaking his head and leading him out. 

***

The High Society Lounge 

"You seem adamant that they will arrive, Devlin, is there more to this than meets the eye?"

Turning on his heel, Devlin eyed his famed bodyguard, Big Fish. It may have been said that the man rarely said anything, only when he did, one would have to be prepared for such a question that they could not answer. 

"It is to see who respects me, Phillip, who wishes to answer my summons, who wishes to go to war for their Leader, Joseph Pavanno."

Devlin kept his eye on the streets below, he knew that these men, all Italians, did they have to bow to him as if he was better? Devlin knew that he would never be the official right-hand to Joey Pavanno, he was not even half-Sicilian, he was full-blooded Irishman.

"If you say so Dev, just be careful, these guys, they are not the type to take an order laying down. I'll be here though."

Devlin nodded, just as he heard the engines stop outside the lounge and he knew that the first batch had arrived, this was going to be the beginning of the end, the Crews of Joe Pavanno were all coming together to stop the Lombardi Family, it was now or never.

Billy Pinkman stared up at the building that was the High Society Longue, where all the crews would be meeting with Devlin and discussing what to do regarding the Lombardi Family who he had worked for, reluctantly. He was with Tony Salieri, who sat next to him in the car, it was clear that neither of them wanted to go in but knew they would have to face the music eventually. 

"You know that this shit is not going to be easy, right? Nor is it going to be fun or exhilarating, this meet ain't about you, it's about what to do about the Lombardi's going forward, they kidnapped a Made Member's wife and son, a Caporegime at that, this doesn't go unanswered, we send them a message back and we ain't pressing on the brake."

Billy watched Tony for a while, he could see the kid was pissed with him regarding the whole debacle of him betraying the family, allying himself with the greasers and becoming nothing but a stooge in their games, he was pissed too, his family was in the tender care of these mobsters that had no respect for how business was done, they were young bucks who did not deserve a quick death in his book, only he knew that would be a hard battle and he was only one Capo in the grand scheme of things. 

"I know Tony! Fuck man, I know. My Wife and Kid are hostages in this fucking war, you really think that I give two fucks if we kill every last one of these fuckers!? Cause the answer is, I don't! I just want my kid, my wife, back home where they belong, I don't need to see them dead in some ditch somewhere, alright? Business be damned."

Tony nodded, he noticed that behind them pulled up a couple of black sedans, it seems the rest of the Crews were here, the Drino and Bell Crews all dressed in a varied amount, it was clear who the business and muscle men were, Tony shrugged, finding it to be a little stupid, one could rise above the stereotype and become something else, as he did.

"Ah fuck Billy, we got company, seems like Gino is coming over to greet us, say cheese boss."

Grumbling Billy stepped out of the car, plastering a small smile that twitched at his lips with a light in his eyes that seemed to be unfit for a man such as him, yet he was pulling it off against another Capo here. Out of both Bell Brothers, Billy preferred Gino, the guy had a good head on his shoulders and knew when it called for business, then blood. 

Georgie was the muscle and the one that controlled a big deal of drugs that moved through the city, personally, Billy had taken a few units here and there from the trade before opening his own connections, starting with the triads and soon becoming a legitimate drug dealer, allowing his associates to deal with a ten percent kickback to him. 

Their Boss, Joey, he didn't touch the shit supposedly, wanting to remain with his own personal routes to the Old Country who were still stuck in their ways and didn't allow themselves to be connected with dealers or pushers, it was a thin line they crossed but if Joey didn't hear of it, he wouldn't say shit and would continue collecting his 'pharmacy' money. 

"Gino! You fuck, get over here!"

Tightly grasping his fellow Capo, Billy laughed as he felt the man stifle a gasp before simply embracing the hug, the two soon separated before nodding to one another respectfully. 

"So, it's time eh?"

Billy nodded, not having further words to discuss on the matter, everything that was going to be said or needed to be said, was going to happen here and not outside, in the shadows. While he trusted these men with his life, he would never meet off with them in secret as if they were planning a coup of some kind, many other Capo's had done it before and succeeded, others, well, they were forgotten by history. 

Billy did notice that Drino and his boys eyed him with nothing short of disgust, it seems that the business of Drugs still rubbed Drino the wrong way, he was old school, deep in with the unions, construction, loansharking, and sanitation, he was a man that had his hand in every pie but Drugs. 

"You ready for this? The Right-Hand is in there, waiting. He wants all of our opinions before he takes it to the other Bosses, he wants this Lombardi fucker done with, wiped off the face of this earth, I gotta say, I agree on that as well, Billy boy."

Billy turned his head, eying the man he saw as a brother for a single moment before sighing, walking ahead of the pack of Crews, leading his own men into the den of lust and showmanship, where everything was a secret, for a price...

"Gentlemen, I'm glad you've come here, all from your territories. I understand business is going to be down for a while, well, I'm here to say that the situation will not be improving anytime soon. We got a threat from Upstate New York, their territory is all over. Canada, as well as recent muscle down at the docks."

There were nods all around the room, people knew the Lombardi Family, there was no need to sugarcoat it. Everyone knew the price of this business, especially Gino Bell who sat by his brother at the far end of the table they were all seated at. It was never quite clear what happened but something did and now the Lombardi's were not letting up. 

"Devlin, we understand this but these fuckers cannot sit on their asses. My guys want to know when and if we're going to the mattresses, Billy here believes that we are and so do I. The Rules, we don't have a commission Devlin, you called this meeting to tell us something and we would know the reason why. Please, stand up and tell us."

Gino raised his eyes, drawing eyes from the other Caporegimes who looked at him with nothing but respect, Tommy Drino specifically. He was a straight shooter, he wanted to know what was happening with his business, even if it didn't concern him. He needed to know if and when he needed to protect his guys, these made guys looked up to Capo's, the men they were sworn too. 

"I understand Gino, trust me. I am getting to that, business will resume, the war though, it's happening. I wanted to call you all here to tell ya that the time for peace is over! The Lombardi Family have stepped on our toes for too long, wacked an associate of our primary Enforcer, the Irish Mob. Finan O'Riely wants justice. I want your opinions, I need to tell you something, something that the Boss himself has authorized me to share."

Drino looked between the Bell Brothers and Pinkman, he despised the three of them, they always got in the way of his business. Only the boss had seen fit to inform that these guys were his fellow Captains, the boys who would control the various parts of Ballard with him. He wondered where the Head Capo, oh yes, the Pavanno Crew had a Head Capo, who it was? No one fucking knew, he never came to meetings and always seemed to act in the shadows through one of his own guys or another person of interest. 

"Just what has happened? I am assuming this effects our business somehow, it also ties in with the Lombardi Family, we just want to know Devlin. We've been kept in the dark so long and now, we want to strike against these bastards, they've attacked our rackets, we attack theirs. We answer violence with violence!"

The one that clearly spoke was the muscle of the Bell Brothers, Georgie. He wanted revenge and everyone could not help but agree with him, Billy more than anybody, still, they quietened down once the Irishman raised his hand causing the whole room to cease their incessant whispering among one another.

"I know Georgie, trust me I know. Do you think that I wanna standby while one of my own is gunned down? Fuck no but there are rules and we follow them, amigo, we enforce and we make sure that they're not broken. The Boss has talked with the other Bosses, they all agree that something has to be done. So, we're having a sitdown, right here and right now. We gotta tell you guys some truths and it might not go down well."
 
This gathered the attention of the Soldiers and Capo's, all of them wondering what news could be this dire. Still, they all shut up and got down to listening, all wondering what it was that the unofficial Right-Hand Man of Joe Pavanno had to say. 

"A Couple months ago, my guy and myself went down to the docks, we robbed a truck and we soon found out that the truck belonged to Federico Lombardi, thus bringing out the death of my associate. This, later on, became a bigger problem when the boss went to a bar and started chatting up a lass, that woman told him that the Lombardi's put a hit out on him. They attempted to poison the boss when he drank at La Boisson."

Drino simply sat there for a while, watching as Devlin admitted to starting the Lombardi-Pavanno War, business was not fucking good and it was all because of this fuckhead, all because he had to prove something to the boss. Drino looked over at all the other Capo's, he did notice that Billy was looking the most pissed out of everyone. 

"So, you're telling me that you put all of our guys in trouble for your own greed!? Calm down Big Fish, you know that this is wrong, no matter where your loyalties lay."

Drino did not hold off on the attack, surprisingly though, it was not Gino or even Billy that stopped him. It was Georgie, the hot-headed brother and the one that oddly looked calm compared to everyone else. 

"Calm down Tommy, I understand your emotions are getting ahead of ya. Only can one of you say that you haven't been ambitious? That we never robbed another family!? Huh? No, you can't. Calm down and let's remember that we've all done this."

Everyone settled down before Billy stood up, he looked around the room. He stared down Gino, then Georgie. He did notice that Tony had stood behind his chair in this meeting, clearly showing his allegiance to him in this situation. Billy wanted to tell them now, he would need to inform them now. 

"Gentlemen, I need to inform you of something, this business has a way of twisting you inside out. I've recently made that mistake, I need to tell you guys now or it's gonna be the end of me..."
 

Gunnz walks by, but stops cause something very important caught his attention, so he decides to approach and ask a question

Excuse me, but did someone say Booze? 

but since Gunnz is very impatient he walks off in search of some booze

All the capo's and their guys had turned to face the man that had been the recent news recently, rumors circulated about his dealings and how he earned his 'scarole' - people were concerned and none more than his other fellow Capo's. He was something of an interesting topic as he had risen in a completely different era to them, he was new to the Captain life and they always had a feeling about him, maybe he was something special, maybe he was the next Charlie Pavanno, or maybe he was just lucky. 

"What is it, Billy? It seems like this has been eating away at you but it would also explain why you've been distant, we all understand that we gotta make money and that we all gotta do what we gotta do to survive in this life. Only that does not extend to this bond that we all share, we are family, blood over bullets!  So, tell us and we will hear you out, we will hear you out and not judge you because you are family."

Surprisingly it was Tommy Drino that had spoken in the odd defense of his fellow Caporegime, it was clear that the business of the day had come full circle, all eyes turned onto the Captain of the Drino Crew who looked bored but still, he could not hide the caring tenseness that his shoulders held, almost as if he was about to be disappointed and was bracing himself for the pain of it. 

"Thank you brother, remember that I did this for my family, not Joseph or Devlin, or anything of you. I did it to protect my family, my wife, my kid, and possibly others in the process."

Billy sat back down in his seat as Tony Salieri had stepped forward and it was a day that the two had clear respect and trust for one another. Only there was something more in Tony's eyes, maybe he saw the man as a mentor and wanted to protect him. Still, everyone could see the protectiveness that was held by the Soldier of Billy Pinkman. 

"I am not going to mince words, nor am I going to sit here and try to justify my betrayal. I sold information to the Lombardi crew, in return, they would not harm my wife or child. I did this to protect the only bond I knew at the time, I rarely spent with the family and I sold you guys out. I understand if you'll want me dead, hell, I would too. Only this business, it goes beyond blood and settling my debt, the Lombardi's is looking to muscle into Seattle and we can't allow that!"

Tommy eyed the Bell Brothers who were blank-faced for a single fraction of a second before their faces had lit up with smiles once more. It was clear that the two were not okay with this, it was well known in the family and in Seattle in general how they dealt with rats and snitches. They were the cleaners and were always ready to eliminate the next threat to the family, it was not something that was easily wiped off of their slate but for now, it would seem like their tempers had cooled and they were not in their assault mode. 

"I know this comes off as big betrayal for all of you and sanctions have been put in place. From here on out, Billy is to pay certain percentages to you and your crews, and to the people he has lost much of their time and money. This is not something we are going to brush off as a simple money dispute but for now, the Boss says that Billy is to remain untouched."

It was the tone of finality that Devlin spoke with that made many of the Italian Soldiers and Capo's look at him with a smirk of respect, they never knew the leprechaun to have it in him. He already looked like the boss of his own crew, something that the four capos were already starting to notice. 

"What do we do for now? Billy and his discretion dealt with, for now. What do we do about the fuckers at the Docks and then the blowback that will reach home? Just how do we settle this Devlin?"

Tommy once again spoke for the Capo's who was out of the loop as Devlin watched him for a moment while casually sipping a glass of scotch. It was clear to them that the Irishman already had a plan in mind but something spoke to them, it was how he was being so casual that made them have a little confidence in these little proceedings but then he uttered the single word that left them soiling their hundred dollar clothing.

"War."