Chapter 2
Laying the foundation
Tony looked at the man with a look of curiosity and wonder. He leaned against the railing and looked out at the ocean. He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, he blew out the smoke and looked back at the man. He bobbed his head a few times then looked up.
"What's the offer? What do I have to do?" he asked.
The man smiled and looked at the ground. He pulled out his own cigarette and lit it. Tony could tell from the smell of the cigarette that he had very fine imported cigarettes, very expensive. The man walked back to the car and opened up the glove box and pulled out an envelope. He looked at the envelope and smiled; he shut the glove box and walked back to Tony. He handed Tony the envelope and smiled, Tony took the envelope and opened it up.
"What's this for?" he asked.
"Agreeing to do the job I am about to offer you. You have in your hand $75,000, upon completing the job you will receive 1 million. Now this job is a very dangerous job, there are many factors that could go wrong and could affect the way this plays out. Also, you wont be working alone, I'm going to have you recruit other members for this team. 3 others to be exact, a wheel man, weapons and technician. As for you, you will control them out in the field, sort of their leader, but you will report to me. I am the controller, I tell you what to do and you do it. I tell you what to wear, you wear it, I tell you how to talk, and you talk like that. I control everything from outside the job. There's a lot riding on this job, don't screw it up." He said as he exhaled the smoke and looked out at the ocean.
Tony looked at the money, then back to the man. He walked over to the railing and looked at the ocean. What's this about, he knows I'm out of the business. I can't do this job, I've never worked with a partner before. I don't trust them. I don't trust him. Maybe this deal is legit, I got to take this deal, he thought to himself. He looked back at the man.
"What's the job, what do I have to do?"
"I knew you'd get to that eventually. We're going to, you're going to break into the federal reserve in mountain point. We're going to steal, $150,000,000 from them."
Tony dropped his cigarette to the ground and looked at the men with disbelief. He shook his head, "Jesus Christ, you're f nuts! Break into a federal reserve and steal 150 million from them? How the hell do you plan on doing that, that's not only insane, but impossible. You're crazy"
The man laughed and stared at Tony, "I knew you would say that. I have connections in that building, that's why we're taking that one. I can get you a window of time. Not a big one, but a window, use it and you can escape without raising suspicions. Now, what do you say, are you in, or are you going to let this pass you by?"
"Well, I'm going to want more money, if that's okay and I'll need a fast car and guns. Other than that, I'm in. When do we start?"
"The money is not a problem, we can discuss that later. I can get you all the supplies you need just say what you need, and I got it for you. We start today, this afternoon, we're flying out to Motor city, I'm going to get you your wheel man. Now, shall we head back to the warehouse? I know you'd like to get home and get some rest, so if you're finished we can make it back and you can head home."
"Yeah, sound's good." Tony said as he began to walk to the car.
"Oh, one other thing," the man said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone, "I'll contact you on this, it's a secure line so no need to worry about intercepts of the calls." He said as he tossed Tony the phone.
Tony caught the phone and held it in his hands. He slid the phone into his pocket as he opened the door of the Ferrari and sat down in the seat. As he sat down the man walked over and sat down. He started the car and they headed off down the long road back to the warehouse. Tony looked over at the man and something in the way he looked caught his eye.
"I didn't catch your name, what is it?" Tony asked as he stared at the man.
The man looked over at Tony and eyed him curiously, and then he looked back to the road, "You can call me Mr. Black, that's all you need to know." He said without looking at Tony.
Tony nodded and looked out at the ocean on his left. He could barley see the surface of it but he knew it was there, just below the cliff side road. He looked over at the clock on the dash, 2:21 it read. Tony leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes for a second. Thoughts raced through his head, thoughts about the life he gave up in Vice, thoughts about weather or not this was the right thing. He couldn't concentrate on the thoughts and just decided that everything would work out in the end.
Tony opened his eyes to the sound of the car slowing down and the crunching of gravel beneath the tires of the car. He looked around and saw he was back at the warehouse. He got out of the seat and walked through the warehouse back to his car. He opened the door and sat down in the drivers seat. He started the car up and drove out of the alley way it was parked in.
He drove through the warehouse district and headed back towards the main strip of town. The neon lights of the strip were brighter than ever as he approached the strip. He drove along until he found a tiny bar at the far end of the strip. He parked his car and went in the bar and sat down.
Tony looked around the bar to see if he sported anyone he knew. The bar was a tiny place very dimly lit. In the far corner a jukebox played songs from an era which no one seemed to care to listen to. There were a few people in the bar, most of which were sitting up at the bar. A small group of men sat in the back of the bar by the bathroom and consumed beer after beer, Tony thought to himself these men must be only 25. As he looked back to the bar he could see the different beer bottles lined up against a large mirror. Shot glasses lined the wall around the mirror so did pictures of famous people who had set foot in the bad.
Tony could see the bar tender over at the far side of the bad pouring a cold beer into a mug he had just pulled out from the ice chest. Tony flagged down the bar tender and he nodded to Tony. Tony sat back and looked at the pictures on the wall. Many of the people he did not recognize but a few he did. He saw the likes of Congressman Bill Polinski and esteemed director William Jack. He looked at the bar tender who was walking towards him.
The bar tender walked over, he was a tall thin man, looked about 45. His oval shaped head had no hair on it except for around the sides. He had a tiny grey mustache that hid his upper lip. He smelled of cheap beer and cigarettes. He leaned over and looked at Tony.
"What'll yeh have?" he asked politely.
"Uh-Heineken with some peanuts." Tony replied slowly.
The bar tender nodded and walked over to the far side of the bar. Tony looked around at the inhabitants of the bar, most of whom appeared to be young men who were unsuccessful in finding a woman. Tony looked over at the TV that was showing reruns of the hockey game yesterday in which the San Andreas Wildcats defeated the East city Cougars. Tony leaned his head back to the beer the bar tender had just set down in front of him.
Tony picked up the cool glass and took a sip of his beer. The beers taste woke him from his drowsy state. He began to crack the peanut shells open and eat them. Tony had been sitting there for almost an hour and a half when he paid for his beer and walked out of the bar. The night air had gotten colder and the number of people outside had dwindled to just a few, most of the clubs began to close and so did the bars.
Tony got into his car and started the car up; he left his parking spot and headed towards his spacious apartment in the hills. The traffic was very light and his drive to the apartment took only a few minutes. He could see out on the street hookers wandering the street with their tight fitting shirts and too short skirts. He continued past the hookers who looked at him and waved. He headed into the apartment parking complex that was located right behind the apartment themselves.
The apartments were located in the most upscale part of Los Santos. The buildings were very well up kept and were very modern looking, having been built only a few years earlier. Their red brick façade could be seen even in the dead of night. A few lights were on in the apartments, loud music could be heard from one of the lower apartments.
Tony pulled toward the parking structure and stopped in front of the booth where the security guard was stationed. He pulled out his owner card and showed it to the guard who looked as if they were about to fall asleep on the spot. The guard swiped the card through a card reader on his desk, the gate to the garage opened up and Tony preceded through the gate to his reserved parking spot.
He parked the car and got out. He looked around to see if he was being followed. He saw no one follow him, he locked his car and headed towards the elevator. The elevator came down quickly, the doors opened up with a hiss and Tony stepped into the brightly lit elevator. He pushed the button for floor 12, the light lit up and made a chirping sound and the doors shut and the elevator rose. The elevator stopped when it reached the twelfth floor and the doors opened. Tony stepped out and headed down the hall towards his penthouse apartment.
He arrived at the door marked 1207, he put his key in the electronic key slot and the green light flashed. He opened the door and turned the lights on. His large apartment spanned two floors. The entry way lead into a large foyer with a large stair case leading up to his room and the work out room and spa. Tony headed into the large open living room area. The large windows were left uncovered by the blinds and Tony was able to look out upon the city below.
The room was painted in a cream color and the carpet was a deep blue. The leather couches were the same cream color. The coffee table in the room had a vase with roses on it. The room was very large and had a large TV propped up against the far wall with a fireplace near it and some sitting chairs. The 2nd floor opened out into the living area and the wooden railing kept anyone from missing a step and falling.
Tony walked through the living room and headed into the kitchen. His kitchen was quite small, it just had a refrigerator, an over and a stove with a sink. It was more like a over sized wet bar. He continued through the kitchen to the 2nd stair case in the apartment that let right into his bedroom. He trudged up the stairs and entered into his bed room. He didn't bother to turn the light on, he just went right to his bed and lay down and fell asleep.
He awoke the next morning to the ringing of the cell phone in his pocket. He reached in and found the phone. He opened it up, "Yeah, what is it?" he said half asleep.
"Ready to head to Motor city, It's time to get your driver." Mr. Black said.
"Oh, yeah, give me 20 minutes to shower and I'll be at the airport."
"Oh no, I'll come by to pick you up, no airport, too risky."
"Okay, twenty minutes then, that's all I need."
Tony hung up the phone and crawled out of bed. He looked down and realized he had slept in his clothes, he shook his head and walked into his bathroom. He started the shower and began to get undressed. He stepped into the warm shower and began to wash himself. He stepped out 15 minutes later and dried himself off. He walked across his room and headed into his closet. He threw on a pair of khaki slacks and a blue polo shirt. He walked out of the closet and grabbed his leather jacket from his bedside chair. He threw it on as he walked to the elevator.
He pushed the call button and waited for the elevator to arrive. When the doors opened he was startled to find Mr. Black standing there waiting for him. Startled he stepped back and looked, Mr. Black smiled and signaled him to come into the elevator. He stepped into the elevator and looked at Mr. Black as the doors closed. The men did not say a word in the elevator until it arrived in the parking structure.
The black Lincoln Town Car limousine was waiting at the bottom when the doors opened. The men sat down in the limo and the chauffer shut the door and drove towards the exit. The smell of the interior smelled of cognac and orange glow. The interior was dimly lit and filled with wine and other delights. Tony sat across from Mr. Black; the two stared out the windows ignoring each other for a while, then finally Mr. Black took out a manila folder. He tossed the folder on Tony's lap, Tony looked up.
"What's this?" he asked holding up the folder.
"Pictures and bio on our wheel man. Name's Brian Tanner. Grew up in Motor City, has a history of illegal street racing, Grand theft auto, and drug possession. Perfect man for the job. He comes highly recommended, I suggest you brief up on him before we arrive in Motor City, get to know who he is." Mr. Black said as Tony flipped through the papers in the folder.
The limo arrived at the Air Port Outside of town, it pulled around to the hanger where the plane was waiting. The plane was a small Leer Jet that was unmarked and painted a bright white. The plane sat alone in the hanger with the exception of a few people running around the hanger prepping for their arrival.
Tony and Mr. Black exited the limo and headed towards the plane. They climbed the tiny step stool outside the Door to the plane and climbed inside. Tony looked around, the plane was filled with mahogany tables and leather seats and a wet bar in the rear. Tony picked a seat in the rear and sat down. Mr. Black walked into the cockpit and talked to the pilots for a moment then closed the hatch. He sat down next to Tony as the plane pulled out of the hanger and headed down the tarmac.
Tony could see out the window the buildings in the area becoming smaller and smaller then finally disappearing. He felt his ears pop as the plane ascended. Finally the seat belt button clicked off and he unbuckled and got up and walked around. He walked to the bar and poured himself a drink. He walked back to his seat and sat down and began to read the biography on Mr. Brian Tanner. He needed something to pass the time, the flight to Motor City was a 4 hour flight.