This is the LAST chapter for the main story. The next three chapters after this one will be the epilogue for some happy news given to Angela, the wedding, the reception, and a continuation into 1987 of a little bundle of joy, hehehehe. :3 Enjoy! ^_^
Chapter 9
Keep Your Friends Close...
(*Angela's POV*)
Just a few days had passed since the problems with the Forelli collectors that were trying to steal our money and the beating that Earnest Kelly had taken for defending the Print Works business. Tommy and I weren't sure when Sonny would arrive in the city, but I had a feeling that it would be very soon...
As Tommy drove the Stinger, I leaned my head back and looked up into the sky. Sunshine and blue skies with fluffy clouds was all I saw. We continued on until his phone rang and he picked it up. He pressed the speaker button so both of us could hear the caller's voice.
"Yeah, what is it?" Tommy asked, placing the phone on the dashboard.
"Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, I just had Sonny on the phone, ok, are you with me?" Ken asked, on the other end. "I don't know about you, but there's something about a man threatening to murder my family which really scares the crap out of me. Now, what are you and Angela gonna do?"
"Ken, take it easy and calm down." Tommy said.
"I am calm, calm as a man can be when he's fearing for his life!" Ken exclaimed.
"Just stay off the 'idiot fuel' and look after yourself," Tommy demanded.
He began to ramble over the phone and I looked over at Tommy while both us were thinking that the lawyer was starting to go nuts. Ken eventually hung up after his paranoid babbling and we continued to enjoy the relative, quiet peace.
"It's so gorgeous out today," I said, looking over at Tommy as he put his phone back into his pocket. "If only the weather was like this in Liberty City."
Tommy smiled back at me and reached over, taking my hand in his. "Babe, do you wanna go see Mr. Kelly?" he asked.
"Yeah, that would be great," I said, smiling.
We drove over to the hospital in Ocean Beach, enjoying the music that played on the radio and the gentle breeze of the wind. Arriving, we walked in, heading towards the gift shop and purchased a vase of carnations and a bag of Jujubees. Taking the elevator, Tommy and I made our way to Mr. Kelly's room. I knocked on the door and heard his voice.
"Come in," Earnest said.
We walked in the room and Tommy and I both gave the elderly man a gentle hug. Setting down the vase of flowers on the bedside table, I gave Mr. Kelly the bag of candy. We pulled up two chairs and sat down beside the bed.
"You kids are too kind, how can I ever repay you two?" Earnest asked, smiling.
Tommy's voice sounded so gentle as he spoke. "No worries, you owe us nothing," he said.
I smiled at Mr. Kelly, glad that he was ok after the beating he took from Forelli's men. He was recovering from a mild concussion, a few bruised bones, and a cracked rib. That bastard Sonny is gonna pay tenfold for what he did to this poor old man.
"So," Earnest said, looking at me, then at Tommy. "Anything new between you two?"
"Well, actually yes," Tommy said, taking my hand in his. "Angela and I have talked about getting married and we would like to know if you would attend the wedding."
"It's about time you two finally settled down," Earnest exclaimed, his mustache rising as he smiled. "It's evident that you kids were meant for each other and you can't keep your hands off one another. Hell, I'm even surprised that she doesn't have a little baby bump yet!"
I felt my face go hot and I looked down at my stomach. Well, I've noticed that my cycle was a bit off due to stress from the past few weeks. I'm scheduled to start soon, but there was also that time after the Sunshine Autos race, Tommy and I had sex in the backseat of my Cheetah. It was the one time that we didn't use protection, and we've always used protection. We haven't talked about having children, and I'm not really in a big hurry to start a family. But if I really was pregnant, what would Tommy say?
Tommy looked over at me and I quickly looked back up. I could feel that my cheeks were still red.
"Sorry, Mr. Kelly, I just sometimes get bashful real easily," I said, trying to hide my embarrassment. "But when we do get married, we would like to know if you will attend."
Mr. Kelly smiled at me. "Of course dear," he said.
"And Earnest," Tommy said, his voice taking on a serious tone. "Angela and I will make sure that Sonny Forelli and his men suffer the consequences for what they've done to you."
"Thanks you guys," Earnest said, smiling.
As we engaged in conversation, laughter broke out in the room when Mr. Kelly told us a few jokes to lighten the mood. I wiped tears of joy from my eyes, almost forgetting how good laughing felt. We continued talking until a few nurses and doctors walked in.
"We'll call tonight and check on you alright Earnest," Tommy said, as we stood up to leave.
"All right, kids!" Earnest said, gleefully. "Thanks again, and congratulations."
Tommy and I walked out of the hospital, making our way to the car in total silence. Starting the engine, Tommy looked over at me. I sat there silently, my hands clasped together.
"Angela, you were looking at your stomach for a while," Tommy said. "What were you thinking about?"
I looked up at him and heaved a sigh. "Well," I said. "It's just what Mr. Kelly said about being surprised that I didn't have a baby bump yet. But about that, do you remember about a week ago after the Sunshine Autos race that we had sex in the backseat of my Cheetah?"
"Yeah," Tommy said, urging me to go on. "What about it?"
"We didn't use protection that time," I said, my voice low as I spoke. "Well... except for when we got back to the mansion afterwards and we used protection..."
I guess I began to ramble a bit because Tommy took my hand in his and looked me in the eyes when I stopped talking.
"Angela, listen to me," Tommy said, his face taking on a serious look. "If you are pregnant, I'm not gonna cut and run. I was raised better than that. It just means that we'll have someone else to spoil rotten."
I began to relax, knowing that he would take it smoothly, but deep down, the thought of having children never really crossed my mind, not even when I was a teenager. I mean yeah, someday I would love to have children and raise a family. When I was a child, I once asked my mother what having children was like. She had told me that it was an absolute blessing.
Laying my head down on Tommy's shoulder, he wrapped his arm around me and we drove away from the hospital. We decided to go to a restaurant for a bite to eat. About halfway there, my phone rang.
"Hello?" I said, answering the phone.
"Angela, you and Tommy need to back here right away," Ken said, sounding very nervous and paranoid once again.
"No, Tommy and I are about to go get something to eat," I said. "What's the matter now?"
"It's Sonny," Ken said. "He's arrived in the city..."
I tensed and my heart plummeted to the ground. Dear God, it's going down today. I looked over at Tommy who had a look of concern on his face, waiting to hear the news.
"Ok," I said finally. "We'll, uh, be there soon." I hung up the phone and turned to Tommy. "Sonny's in Vice City."
Tommy gripped the steering wheel and turned the car around, heading back towards the mansion. He held me close to him and I placed my hand on his chest, feeling the beat of his heart.
"This bullshit ends today," Tommy said, coldly. "We'll give him the counterfeit cash and send him on his merry way. And I swear, if it doesn't go as planned, we kill the bastard..."
(*end of Angela's POV*)
Back at the mansion, Ken Rosenberg and Lance Vance sat in the office, waiting for Tommy and Angela to return. Just getting off the phone with a not so happy Sonny Forelli, a nervous Ken began to babble away, talking to himself. Sitting next to him, Lance began to think that the lawyer was going nuts. But Ken was always nervous and paranoid due to his cocaine addiction, which of course Tommy called it 'idiot fuel.'
"Oh man, we are so screwed," Ken said, after he snorted some powder up off the table. "I did not go to law school for this. Now Forelli and his men are gonna come down here and fit me with cement shoes. Fuck! Shit! What in the hell are gonna do Lance?"
"I guess we have no choice but to fight back," Lance suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "Plus, you gotta just calm down, man. Gettin' coked up is not the answer."
Just as Ken was about to protest, they heard the front doors of the mansion open, followed by the hurried footsteps of Tommy and Angela heading upstairs to the office. They walked into the room and saw a rather-worried looking Ken, and Lance sitting calmly.
"What's going on?" Tommy asked, as he and Angela stood there, waiting for the obvious truth to come.
"Tommy!" Ken exclaimed, bolting up from his chair. "Oh good, good. Listen, listen. Uh, listen, I like fish. I love fish. I love them as pets in bowls, or as food on a plate, but as much as I love 'em, I don't wanna sleep with them. Okay, but right now, your Italian brothers are coming from up there to fit me with some cement shoes, and I..."
Tommy wheeled around on his heel and glared at Rosenberg. "Shut up Ken!" he shouted. "Sit down." He looked over at Lance and crossed his arms. "Lance what the hell's going on?"
"It's your friends up north, Tommy. They ain't too happy you capped their man," Lance said, sounding a bit too calm. "They're comin' down to see the business today."
"They took longer than I thought," Tommy said. "Guys, we gotta make this final. We gotta leave no doubt that this is my operation. Mine! Ken, you get the first run of counterfeit cash, and put three mil. in briefcases. Lance, you get the guys together."
Angela and Tommy watched as both men left the room. She looked over at Tommy as he walked over to her, putting his arms around her and holding her in an embrace.
"Tommy," Angela said. "Lance seemed way too calm. I've noticed that he's been acting weird these past few weeks."
"I know babe," Tommy said, as he and Angela parted from the embrace. "Now you listen. I want you to get a gun and go hide in the bedroom, and if you hear gunfire, you do not leave the room! Am I clear?"
"Fuck that!" Angela protested, clenching her fists. "Tommy, I am staying by your side until this ends, no matter how bad it gets."
"Alright," Tommy said. Pulling her close, he slipped a gold band onto her left ring finger as she unclenched her hands. "With this ring, this is my promise to you that we will make it. And I swear, after this, we are free from Sonny."
After sharing several soft kisses, Tommy walked over to the gun safe and retrieved a pistol and a .357 Colt Python, along with two bulletproof vests. He handed the pistol and a vest to Angela. Putting the vest on under her baggy t-shirt, she could feel her hands begin to tremble. She placed the pistol in the waistline of her jeans, hiding it beneath her shirt. She watched as Tommy did the same, hiding his gun and vest underneath his soiree blazer. Walking back over to Angela, they held onto each other in silence, both feeling there heartbeats until Ken appeared at the door.
"S-Sorry Tommy... they're here," Ken said nervously.
Angela looked up at Tommy and he noticed that her eyes were glistening with tears. He pressed his lips to hers, pulling her close and caressing her cheek with his hand. At that moment, Lance walked back into the office, and sneered at them being in an embrace.
"Tommy, they're here," Lance said. "Let's go."
Lance waited for them, leaning against the doorjamb as Ken stood at the top of the landing.
"You ready for this, babe?" Tommy asked, quietly.
Angela silently nodded. Hand in hand, they walked out of the office with Ken on Angela's right and Lance on Tommy's left. At the bottom of the stairs, there stood Sonny Forelli, and three of his bodyguards.
"Tommy!" Sonny exclaimed happily, extending his arms out for a hug. He pouted childishly when Tommy made no move to greet him. "What? No big hugs for your old buddy?"
"I've had fifteen years out of the loop," Tommy said, coldly. "I'm a bit rusty on family etiquette."
"Always angry, eh Tommy," Sonny said, noticing the sharpness of Tommy's words. "Didn't I say your temper would get you into trouble? Huh?"
"There's three mil. in the cases," Tommy said, steadying his jaw as he watched Ken set the briefcases down on the floor.
Sonny began to look around the mansion, taking in the decor, and he began to chuckle. "How many was it?" he asked, looking back over at Tommy. "Ten? No, eleven men. That's how you get to be called The Harwood Butcher! Heh-heh-heh!"
"You sent me to kill one man. ONE MAN!" Tommy protested. "They knew I was coming Sonny..."
"Tommy, Tommy, watch your tone," Sonny said, narrowing his eyes. "Anyone would think you blame me for that unfortunate set of circumstances."
"Just take the money!" Tommy snapped, letting go of Angela's hand and taking a step forward.
"Get the damn cash," Sonny ordered one of the bodyguards. "You know, Tommy, I did what I could for you. I pulled strings, called in favors. I was your friend, Tommy. I hoped you'd see sense; see what's good for business. I trusted you, but you and Angela here disappointed me. But at least someone in your chicken shit organization knows how to do business. Isn't that right, Lance?"
Angela and Tommy looked over at Lance who had a smirk upon his face. Ken grabbed Angela's arm as she took a step forward, her face contorted with anger and disgust. She couldn't believe what was happening. The empire that she and Tommy had built together was being taken away from them.
"You son of a bitch!" Angela screamed out, biting back the urge to attack Lance.
"I'm sorry Tommy," Lance said, walking over to Sonny's side, his voice making a high sound of supremacy. "This is Vice City. This is business."
"You sold us out," Tommy said, his voice low.
"No," Lance said, taking a step forward. "I sold YOU out, Tommy. I sold you out! The real cash is upstairs in the safe."
"Tommy, what was the big plan?" Sonny asked. "You thought I would just take the fake cash, save face, and run away with my tail between my legs?!"
"No." Tommy said, taking a step towards Sonny, as a murderous glint appeared in his dark eyes. "I just wanted to piss you off before I kill you."
Sonny took a step back and looked over at Angela who was standing by Ken, her hand tightly grasping his arm.
"Angela, come here," Sonny said to her, extending his hand out. "Leave Tommy's side and you won't get hurt. Your father needs you back in Liberty City with the family."
"I don't think so, Sonny," Angela scoffed, walking over to Tommy's side. "I'm staying here with him and I'll be damned if you try to split us up. So, you can go fuck yourself."
With a smirk on her face, Angela raised her middle finger at Sonny, making sure that he could see the gold band.
"You little whore, your wearin' his ring!" Sonny exclaimed. "You know something Angela, ever since you were a little girl, you were nothin' but a spoiled little bitch!"
Taking advantage of Sonny's outburst, Tommy grabbed Angela's hand and together they ran up the stairs as Forelli continued ranting and raving. Hurrying into the office, she ran behind the desk.
"Stay there and defend the safe!" Tommy ordered her.
Pulling out his gun, Tommy ran to the doorway and open fired on the three bodyguards that were heading up the stairs to go after the cash in the safe. From behind the desk, Angela looked out towards the other side of the balcony as she heard Lance yelling.
"No one to cover your ass now, eh Tommy!" Lance yelled out.
"You're going down, you backstabbing prick!" Tommy yelled back, his anger rising.
"Oh, you think so?!" Lance replied. He took off running through the hallway that lead to the rooftop.
Tommy looked back at Angela, who had the gun in her hand. "Stay here," he said. "I gotta go after Lance. I love you, babe."
"I love you too," Angela called out after him as he took off running to the rooftop.
Hiding behind the desk, she could hear the footsteps of Forelli's men running up the stairs. Standing up, she open fired on both men, and watched as they fell to the floor. She saw another man coming up the stairs. Angela squeezed the trigger of her pistol and watched as he fell backwards over the banister of the staircase, where she could hear as his body hit the floor below.
Angela waited behind the desk for a few more moments, listening for any more sounds of footsteps. Everything was eerily quiet. Walking out from behind the desk, she made her way past the two dead bodyguards. At the doorway, she saw Tommy appear from the hallway where he went after Lance. His soiree blazer was covered in blood.
From downstairs, Sonny Forelli appeared through the front doors, holding a Kruger assault rifle with a look of pure anger upon his face. Next to him stood two of his bodyguards with pistols in their hands.
"You took fifteen years from me Sonny, and now I'm gonna make you pay!" Tommy yelled out, as he stood at the landing, his gun raised.
"You still don't get it do you, I OWN you Tommy!" Sonny yelled. "Those fifteen years were mine to spend! Get him boys, he never understood a thing!"
Forelli and his men open fired at Tommy. He dodged out of the way, where he stood to the right of the balcony. With his Colt Python, he shot both of the bodyguards. They collapsed to the floor, dropping their guns.
"Oh Angela!" Sonny called out, walking up the stairs.
"Sonny, I'm warning you!" Tommy yelled out, pointing his gun at him. "Stay the fuck away from her! NOW!"
"Be a good girl and go on home," Sonny said, as he entered the office with the assault rifle at his side.
Appearing from the corner of the office, Angela jumped out and began to fire at Sonny with an Uzi machine gun. She let out a yell and watched as he stumbled backwards, collapsing to the floor.
Tommy appeared at the doorway of the office, and watched as Angela threw the Uzi to the floor, pulling her pistol from the waistline of her jeans. She walked over to Sonny, and stood tall over him.
"You had no right to ruin Tommy's life," Angela said coldly, pointing her gun at the dying Forelli mafia Don. "And I'm not gonna stand by and let you ruin future generation lives. I am the one who will kill you now. Do you have anything to say before you pass?"
"Fuck you," Sonny gasped out.
"You go straight to hell," Angela said.
With her finger over the trigger, Tommy walked over and slid his finger over the trigger as well. Together they fired the gun and watched as the bullet penetrated through his heart. They stood there, looking down at Sonny Forelli who lay dead before them.
Throwing the gun to the floor, Tommy and Angela made there way past the bodies, and together they walked to the bottom of the staircase, where they sat on the last step.
"Are you okay, Angela?" Tommy asked, reaching over and taking her hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, smiling at him. "What about you?"
"A few grazes and bruises, but I'll live," Tommy said.
Just then, a crash was heard from the parlor room. Tommy raised his gun and pointed it towards the doorway.
"Show yourself!" Tommy called out.
"Don't shoot, it's just me," Ken said, his hands raised above his head. He looked around and saw the bodies of Forelli's men, his eyes widening. "Tommy, Angela? Oh my God, Tommy! Wh-What happened?!"
"What does it look like?" Tommy asked, rolling his eyes at the lawyer who began to flip out before him.
"It looks like you ruined your suit, and Tommy that was a beautiful suit!" Ken cried out. "Tommy, what on earth happened?!"
"We had a disagreement with a business associate," Angela said, as a smirk spread across her face. "You know how it is."
"Tommy, I have a disagreement, I just send them an angry letter," Ken said. "Maybe I pee in their mailbox. I don't start World War III. You know, maybe you should speak to my shrink..."
"That stupid prick Lance..." Tommy said, clenching his fists.
"Tommy, I never liked that guy, okay," Ken said, his face taking on a sympathetic look. "He's neurotic, he's insecure, he's self-centered, the guy's an asshole! I'm glad you took him out."
"I don't think we're gonna be getting any more heat from up north either," Tommy said, as he and Angela stood up. "'Cause there ain't no 'up north' anymore. It's all down south now."
"Wait, does that mean what I think it means?! Tommy, baby!" Ken exclaimed, looking like an excited puppy dog.
"And what do you think it means?" Tommy asked, grinning at Ken who was practically prancing.
"That were in charge... I mean that you guys are in charge!" Ken said, gleefully. "Oh, Tommy and Angela!"
Angela ran over to Ken, jumping into his arms, and they spun around in celebration.
"You know Ken," Tommy said. "I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful business relationship... After all, you're a conniving backstabbing two bit thief, and I'm a convicted psychotic killer and drug dealer."
Ken laughed. "Heh-heh-heh... I know," he said. "Ain't it just beautiful?"
Together, Tommy, Angela, and Ken walked outside, listening to the beautiful sounds of Vice City. As the sky turned orange and pink, the three of them stood there and watched the sun began to set on the horizon. Angela looked over at Tommy and he pulled her forward. Sharing a soul searing kiss, they knew only one thing: the city finally belonged to them...
September, 1986
~2 weeks later~
About 3 miles from shore in the Vice City Harbor, Angela and Tommy sat on there small yacht, listening to the sounds of the birds and staring out into the sea.
Two weeks had gone by since the demise of Sonny Forelli and his men, along with Lance Vance. A majority of the bodies were cremated and sent back to Liberty City to there families. With a little persuasion, Angela was able to talk Tommy into burying Lance beside his late brother, Victor Vance. As for Sonny, his body was incinerated and his ashes were dumped into a bonfire. Angela suggested it that way, seeing as he didn't deserve a proper burial for the kind of person he was.
"It's gorgeous out today," Angela said, looking over at Tommy.
Tommy looked over at Angela and smiled, taking her hand in his. "Oh I almost forgot that I have something for you," he said, reaching into his back pocket.
"What is it?" Angela asked.
He turned to face her, holding a small red velvet box. It was his proposal to her. Angela could feel her heart pound as Tommy opened it up, revealing a gold ring with a sapphire diamond. He took the ring out and slid it onto Angela's finger.
"Tommy, it's beautiful," Angela said, looking down at the ring.
She looked back up at Tommy, her blue eyes glistening with tears. He smiled as they leaned in close, sharing a passionate kiss. Just as they parted, the phone rang. Picking it up, he pressed the speaker button.
"Yeah," Tommy said, answering the phone.
"Tommy Vercetti, how's it going, Mr. big shot?" Kent Paul said on the other end. He sounded very drunk. "I hear all these things about you, some kind of player in town, now eh…"
"Paul, you're drunk," Tommy said.
"Nah, you stupid prat, I ain't drunk," Paul exclaimed. "I only had a couple and some treats, ain't been to bed for a couple of days, you know. Anyway, don't give me that, I ain't a mug. Who set you up in this town? Who? Me. That's who."
"Really," Tommy said, raising his eyebrows. He glanced over at Angela and she shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't give me that. Don't!" Paul exclaimed. "I introduced you and Angela to people. I showed you the ropes, did a lot of stuff for you, and this is how you repay me. You ignore me. You won't give me a way in; after all I did for you! What do you think I am, a div or something?"
"Paul, just take it easy," Tommy said. "I've been busy, don't be an idiot."
"I ain't no idiot, mush," Paul said. "That's what they said in borstal. Are you asking for trouble son, because you're going to get it! Tommy, mate, please, you was me big hope! Please don't laugh at me!"
"Uhh, Paul, get some sleep, seriously," Tommy said. He hung up the phone.
"What's with Paul lately?" Angela asked.
"I don't know," Tommy said, shrugging his shoulders. "Poor guy sounded really drunk. Maybe we should go and see him later. But right now, we should head back to shore; it looks like it's going to rain."
Angela looked up into the sky when Tommy stood up and walked to the driver seat. Off in the distance, she could see that the sky was turning dark along with some heat lightening. As the boat was restarted, Angela stood up and walked to the passenger seat. Sitting down, they sailed off back towards the city's shore, and as they did, Angela reached over and turned on the radio, just as Foreigner's 'Waiting For A Girl Like You' began to play. Looking at each other, they smiled.
"I remember this playing when we were on our way back to the mansion after helping the Colonel," Angela said, smiling at Tommy. "When we get married, can we have this song play at our wedding?"
Tommy's eyes twinkled as they cruised over the diamond like glittering turquoise water. "Anything for you, baby…" he said, smiling back at Angela.
"I've been waiting for a girl like you, to come into my life. I've been waiting for a girl like you, a love that will survive. I've been waiting for someone new, to make me feel alive. Yeah, waiting for a girl like you, to come into my life."
Tommy and Angela sang the ballad together, ignoring the odd stares from the people who were walking near the docks. They were gonna sing loud and proud, free to live out their lives as Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Vercetti.
***end of main story***