Chapter 3: The Bodyguard

It was a foggy evening, and Jack felt odd. He wasn't used to sitting in the back of a Stretch Limo being driven around. The car came to a stop and the driver got out to open Jack's door.

"Don't worry about it," Jack smiled as he opened the door himself. The driver gave him a polite nod.

Jack looked up and marveled at the Leone Mansion, the beautiful residence of The Don himself. He took a deep breath of late winter air and followed the driver to the front door. By now it was routine for Jack to be checked at any Mafia boss' front door. Like usual, he had his handgun taken away before he stepped in.

The inside of the house was everything he expected and more. It was just so bright compared to the darkness he had just left outside. He followed a bodyguard to the banquet hall. The sounds of jovial laughing and classic music got louder as he approached. Everyone was eating and joking around when he came in, and few bothered to look at the new arrival. It was a grand Mafia dinner, but the Don himself called Jack for business reasons.

"'Ey, Jack," Joey Leone came up to him and shook his hand heartily, "how you doin'?"

"I'm doing fine," Jack said, "how about you, Mr. Leone?"

"Jack," he said playfully disappointed, "I told you. Call me Joey. Come on, you have to go see my pop."

Joey led Jack past all the people toward the Don, who was seated at the other end of the room. Luigi called over at "Jacko" as he passed by, and Jack gave him a quick wave. Salvatore Leone looked up from joking around with the girls surrounding him and welcomed Jack.

"Jack, my boy," Salvatore said laughing, "come into my office, we'll talk business. You girls hold on a minute, I'll be right back." Salvatore chuckled as he and Jack went into the next room, "Take a seat, my boy. Alright, so I met you last week at Luigi's Club right? And I told you I had a job for you. Well, tonight's your lucky night. Unless you want to stay around for the party, I need you to drive around my girl Maria for the evening. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course, Don Salvatore," Jack said formally, "We can leave right now, if you want."

Salvatore chuckled some more, "Excellent, just excellent. You're every bit the professional Joey and Luigi told me you were. I see good things in your future, my boy. But first I have to clear up something that's been bothering me. I wont lie to you, so I'll just tell you now that my men have been checking up on your profile. But the strange thing is, nothing comes up. They say you have no hospital record, no criminal record, no personal records, and not even a last name. Tell me now, what are you hiding, Jack?

Jack chose his words carefully, "I have everything to hide, Don Salvatore. I come from Carser City. I have no record because there is nothing to record. I grew up on the streets homeless, most of the time. I tried to earn a living for myself, as a Taxi Driver. I got mixed up with the wrong people in Carser and I had to get out of there."

"Skulls?" Salvatore cut him off suddenly solemn. The name alone would explain Jacks loss of identity.

"Yes," Jack nodded and looked to the floor, "I was a driver for the Skull gang there. The whole mess with the Police Chief Shaver sent all of us running from the law. So I heard about the opportunities here in Liberty, and here I am." Jack looked at The Don's stone face. He was almost certain Salvatore didn't buy it.

Salvatore suddenly smiled, "Y'know my boy, you remind me of a young me. That's why I like you."

Jack felt relief gush through him, but he resisted showing any emotion, so as to not let Salvatore get suspicious. He knew all too well what Salvatore did to anyone he suspected of lying to him.

"'Ey, tell Maria to get in here" Salvatore said to the nearest bodyguard, and turned back to Jack, "You'll be driving Maria around tonight. For some reason, she'd rather be at that crazy nightclub over at the Atlantic Quays. You just drive her around, she already has three bodyguards protecting her, so you wont need to worry much. Just make sure she doesnt get into any trouble. Remember, if anything happens to her..."

"Daddy, can I go now?" Maria walked in.

Jack had never seen her before, but she looked similar to the other Leone daughters. Maria was the third oldest, Jack remembered. At first glance, she looked to be in her very early 20s. Jack immediately realized how beauticul she was, but remembered that her father was sitting next to him. Jack fought not to stare.

"You can go now," Salvatore said, while furiously looking at a bodyguard who was obviously staring at Maria, "Your new driver here says he can take you now. Just remember to stay away from those drugs and anyone or anything that'll cost me money. Now get outta here. 'Ey, you, ya you, were you just staring at my girl?"

"No, Don Salvatore!" the bodyguard said nervously.

Jack, Maria, and her three bodyguards drove away from the mansion in a Stretch Limo. Jack heard Maria talk nonstop with the two bodyguards in the back, but Maria didn't say one word to Jack since they had left. They reached the Atlantic Quays, and the limo vibrated to the incredibly loud dance beat within the Club. The three bodyguards got out with Maria, and they escorted her into the Club. Jack was told to keep an eye out for any trouble, and to be ready to drive at any moment's notice.

For the next hour or so, Jack listened to a news radio station, while being alert to everything going on outside the club. He looked out for anyone suspicious going into the Club. He checked his earpiece and microphone repeatedly. Then he noticed a group of what seemed like Triad gang members enter the Club. The Triads were always hostile to the Mafia, and Jack warned the bodyguards through his earpiece. A bodyguard called back and said they knew whom he was talking about. 

"Jack!" he heard one of the bodyguards a few minutes later, "Get the car ready! People are shooting! Well be out soon!... Watch it! Val, get down!"

Jack listened through broken calls in his earpiece, how the bodyguards were struggling to get Maria back outside. Jack watched as people screamed in terror, running out of the Club. By now, the music had stopped, and Jack heard the news radio reporting about the incident as he watched it unfold. He gripped the wheel tight, as two police cars arrived, and still Maria had not come out.

"Jack, drive around the back," he heard through the earpiece, "we'll be coming out a side door! Val's dead!"

Jack backed up and had to wave the flood of people out of the way, as got around to the back of the Club. He spotted two bodyguards firing, and Maria ducking as she ran to the Limo.

"It's the Triads!" she screamed as she came into the Limo, "we have to get outta here! They're trying to kill me! James! Anthony! Hurry, get in!" she pleaded for her two remaining bodyguards to get in the car.

Jack watched helplessly as the two bodyguards fired at the Club's side doorway, keeping the Triads from getting out. The bodyguards gave each other an affirmative nod, and dived into the Limo together. Jack felt the bullets hit the car, and some even made it inside the car. James continued to fire back at the Triads, who were still using the doorway as cover.

            "Anthony!" Maria exclaimed, and then she let out a scream. Anthony took several bullets to the head and torso, and his blood had gotten all over the inside of the Limo and Maria. James turned away from his dead partner. 

Jack hit the accelerator, and skillfully avoided the pedestrians fleeing the Club. The front of the Club was full of police officers now, in a firefight with the Triads. Jack drove by them, and got away from all the mayhem. James was looking over his dead friend, when suddenly a Triad Fish Van rammed them from behind. Jack tried to elude it, and was forced to turn onto Portland Docks. The van hit them again, and sent the Limo spinning into the corner of a nearby working trailer. It flipped over on the driver's side.

"Jack," James said, pulling Maria out of the car, "we have to get out of here! More Triad vans are coming!"

Jack quickly got out and James handed him Anthony's handgun and magazines. Maria told them that they could hide in the warehouse. As they ran toward the warehouse, Triad vans began pursuit of them. Maria slipped, and the Triads began to shoot at her. James dived in front of her and began shooting at the vans.

"Jack!" he said, while the both were shooting at the vans, "Take Maria inside! I'll catch up with you!"

Jack took Maria, who was still crying and in shock, and they went into the warehouse. James shot the driver of one van through it's windshield, and it went swerving into a parked car, and he shot out the wheels of the other. About four Triads were on foot, and James took them down with deadly accuracy. Not one of them even had the opportunity to fire at him before they took a bullet.

James stepped back into the warehouse doorway, while still firing at the Triads who were appearing out of the vans. He motioned for Jack to find a way out on the other side of the warehouse. Maria curled herself in a dark corner and covered her head in fear.

"Maria!" Jack said, "We need to keep moving, or they'll catch up with us."

"No," she said sobbing, "I can"t. Just go, I'll only slow you down. Just tell my daddy I..."

Jack knew he didnt have anytime to stop. James couldnt hold off the Triads for any longer. He scooped up Maria, and carried her through the dark warehouse. Jack could hear James behind him, who was now running with them. He also heard the voices and gunshots of the Triads. Jack put down Maria, and clamped his hand over her mouth, to muffle her crying. The Triads were inside the dark warehouse, and they would find them if they were not quiet.

"Jack?" someone whispered nearby, it was James. He was on the ground, clutching his bleeding side. James had been hit while running. Jack and Maria went to him, and they saw the bullet holes in his side and leg. He handed Jack his gun, and grabbed Jacks shirt and pulled him close to his face, "Jack, you have to protect Maria. You're the bodyguard now. You have to get her back to the mansion. Tell Salvatore... it was an honor... don't let them... S-s-tar rock... proj..." James voice trailed off, and he died in Jack's arms. Jack put down his body, and picked up his handgun. 

"No... James..." she said shakily, "Jack... are we... gonna d-die? "

"No," Jack held her tight and looked in her eyes, "I promise you. You'll get home to your father. I wont let anything happen to you. But you need to be strong. Just stay quiet, and trust me. Alright?"

Maria nodded her head, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Jack heard the Triads getting closer. He took her hand, and they quickly made their way through the maze of boxes and crates. At one point, a Triad spotted them and began shooting. Jack and Maria ducked and ran as bullets ricocheted everywhere. They eventually found an exit they could escape the warehouse from, but they needed to cross a wide aisle before it.

Jack peered around a stack of crates, and realized that many Triads were far down both ends of the aisle, but definitely within shooting range. He and Maria would need to run across, hoping not to get shot. He looked around for something to get them as quickly across as possible, because Triads were catching up on them from behind too. He found some wooden boards with wheels on the bottom, used to transport boxes.

"Listen, Maria," he whispered to her pointing at the boards on wheels, "we need to get across this aisle quickly, and well get shot if we run across, because there's Triads on both ends of this aisle. So we have to lay flat on these boards, and slide across with them. We'll be a much smaller target than if we run. You have to go first, because they wont be ready by the time you're going across."

"But Jack," she whispered pleadingly, "what about you?"

"Maria," Jack looked at her intensely, "If I'm not able to make it across, then you have to remember to keep running. If you go out that door, youll end up on the Docks. Just keep running toward St. Marks, you'll be safe there. Now come on, were running out of time, get on the board and lie flat."

Maria fearfully laid herself down on the board, and closed her eyes and shut her ears with her hands. Jack took a deep breath, and pushed her as powerfully as he could. She glided across the floor swiftly, and she made it to the other side in a matter of about 5 seconds. She stopped safely on the other side, near the Exit Door. But the Triads saw her go across, and he heard them running from both sides.

"Maria!" he yelled, "Get up! Get out of here! Run!"

Jack immediately put himself down on a board, and took out his two pistols. He kicked himself out across the aisle as fast as he could. As he was lying down on the board, he spread his arms out and fired each gun erratically at both ends of the aisle. The Triads dived behind crates for cover and fired at Jack from behind them. Jack fired his own guns as fast as he could, as he heard the terrifying sounds of bullets hitting the ground around him.

Before he knew it, he hit his head against the Exit Door. He got up, and didnt have time to think about how lucky he was. He burst out of the door, and ran for a nearby construction van. The driver was confused as to what was going on, when Jack pointed the gun at him to get out. The driver did so immediately, and Jack got into the driver's seat. He drove the car right into the Exit Door, as a Triad was just about to open it. Jack left the van there to hold the door.

He got out and saw a Triads severed arm lying outside the door, and heard them all trying to budge the door open. He knew it would only be a matter of time before more Triads came, so Jack ran off toward the St. Marks area of Portland.

It was foggy and dark, and Jack had doubts about if Maria had made it to St. Marks or not. He was almost nearing the fence that he had to scale in order to get into St. Marks, when he heard a girl sobbing behind one of the storage holds. It was Maria.

"Please," she said with her eyes shut and her hands on her ears. She was curled up in a dark corner, "Dont hurt me. I dont wanna d-die."

"Maria," Jack went over to her and got her to her feet, "It's me, Jack. Look at me. Its alright. We're almost there."

"Jack?" she looked up, her face was a mess of tears and mascara, "Jack, thank God." She embraced him tightly.

Jack helped her up the fence, and he scaled it himself. They got onto a street in St. Marks, where a Mafia Sentinel spotted them and brought them back to the Leone mansion.

Jack noticed at the mansion, the music had stopped playing, and the people had become serious. The banquet hall had turned into a solemn listening of what was going on at Atlantic Quays on the radio. Everyone turned to look at Maria, who walked in a mess, and ran to her father.

Everyone turned to look at Jack too, and Jack was especially afraid of the furious look on The Don's face. Just as Jack thought he was going to be executed, Maria said something to her father, which made Salvatore look at Jack differently. A nurse took Maria to tend to her injuries, and Salvatore walked toward Jack.

By the look on everyone's face, it seemed that they were all expecting Salvatore to kill Jack with his bare hands. Instead, Salvatore took Jack's hand in his own hands.

"Thank you," he said, "For saving my daughter."

Jack stood there in shock, that the Don was not angry with him.

 "Nurse?" Salvatore said, "Get our new friend here patched up. He's been through a lot tonight. We've all been. But dont worry Jack, I promise you; the Triads will pay for what they've done to the Leone family. But for now, a toast, to the newest member of the Leone Family Clan."