Chapter 4 - Underworld Amalgamation
The imposing figure of Florida's most prominent drug lord sat staring intensely at Vince, while his brutish associate stood just feet away pointing a colt python at his face. Tommy Vercetti had made himself comfortable in Vince's lazy-boy, "Twenty years ago I'd have whacked you before the door had closed behind you, but it seems I'm mellowing as I grow older and wiser." Vince didn't reply but simply stared defiantly at Vercetti. "So I'll let you plead, beg and protest your innocence before my good friend Rosebud here pulls the trigger. My therapist says this approach makes me a more complete person." At this Tommy roared with laughter as Vince started to squirm nervously. He waited for the laughter to subside,
"I didn't kill the lawyer," he coolly replied. Tommy remained silent and rolled his eyes, both him and Rosebud shared a glance of boredom. He rose from the chair, strode over to Vince and lowered to meet him slumped against the wall. Tommy then began to speak softly,
"I was expecting you to be a bit more, well, impressive. After all the bombing of a building that size surely requires some talent!" Vince didn't reply. Vercetti then sighed to himself and gestured to his bodyguard, "I'll wait for you in the car Rosebud, but don't take too long yeah?" Rosebud simply nodded. As Tommy made for the door Vince started,
"Twenty-four hours. Gimme twenty-four hours and I'll have the punk who killed Rosenberg. It was him that shot me. I know plenty of sources who'll help me track him down." Vince was starting to sweat profusely in anticipation of his death and Tommy's reply.
"I'll give you two. Two hours to gimme some answers. Now get up off the floor and enlighten me!"
The mafia, yakuza, cartel, they were all the same Darkel thought. All guided by rules and traditions of pomp and circumstance, the underworld had now become a thing of glamour, not like it was back home. Back there it nay not have been pretty but it was efficient. It pained him to have to deal with these amateurs but he was under order and it was part of Love's great scheme of things. Representatives of all three of these organisations had been called to a meeting he was holding, they had been battered into submission by that gunman and no longer hold any authoritative weight in the underworld. "None of you know me, nor need to. I'm simply a mouthpiece that is here to put forward an offer. I'm sure you are all aware of the mayoral elections that take place in a few days and how likely it is that Donald Love will be elected. You're all smart enough to know that Mr Love is a worldly character and isn't always above the law. So it wouldn't be surprising to know he would like to offer your organisations the chance to continue in operating but in a more regulated fashion." The three listeners looked puzzled, Darkel passed folders to each of them, "These are Mr Love's proposals, in a nutshell he wants you to form into one body with each faction controlling a certain aspect in the city." This provoked a degree of anger in the ambassadors, the mafia member spoke,
"You expect Sicilians, Japanese and Colombians to work in peace and harmony? Ha!"
Darkel responded, "Well from where I'm sitting it seems you have no choice. Either you all work under Mr Love in a profitable and safe environment or enjoy the luxuries of a jail sentence you will no doubt receive when a tougher policy of law enforcement is drafted." Now the Japanese ambassador responded,
"Bastard! You can't blackmail us! I should have you killed for such dishonour!" Darkel began rasping uncontrollably, then his tone changed from amusement to menace,
"Oh you fools! I'd rather see you all dead and crush your pitiful operations, and that will be arranged if you don't agree." The three ambassadors knew they had no choice, they were too weak to fight each other let alone the LCPD. It was with heavy hearts that they signed.
Vince's banshee screeched to a halt outside a decaying tenement block in Newport. "So who are we here to have a friendly chat with?" Tommy enquired.
"A Yardie informant by the name of Marcus. The junkie's nclued up and will sing like a canary" Vince replied. All three left the car and stepped up to the door, Vince buzzed the intercom.
"Who there?" an absent voice asked.
"It's Vince."
"SHIT!" the intercom went dead and a door slammed somewhere inside the building.
Vince instinctively hurled himself into the door in a bid to chase Marcus down. "Stand back ya prick!" Tommy shouted. He pulled out his colt python and blasted the door by the lock, it lurched open. Vince charged through and up the stairwell, "I'll bring him down" he yelled back. Rosebud followed him while Tommy waited patiently. Tommy was busy reloading his gun when a Yardie appeared from round the corner, the guy stopped in his tracks at catching sight of him,
"SHIT!" he squealed. Marcus grasped a pistol from his jacket and took a pot- shot at Vercetti while fleeing. Bullets soared above Tommy's head as he fell to his knees. He slowly took aim at the running Yardie and shot him in the calf, he fell like a rag doll. Tommy walked to car and started it up, he drove straight for his target stopping the vehicle on his legs. The Yardie lay half-crushed under the banshee gasping in pain and writhing on the floor.
"Now then Marcus you're going to answer a couple of questions for me, ok?" The junkie nodded desperately. Vince and Rosebud had reappeared from the flat to witness Tommy's interrogation. "Now tell me, who the hell blew up the AmCo building punk?"
Marcus quickly answered, "He have no name man, but d word goin round is dat he heads d three big players in Liberty. Dat's hot off the press, only just found out. Now please! Get the motor off me legs!"
Tommy raised his colt at the informant and put him out his misery, he then turned to Vince. "Well it seems you were right but you ain't out of this mess yet. We've got vengeance to wreak." He lowered his gun and offered his other hand, the pair shook. "Now Rosebud, find me another god-damn car!"
The imposing figure of Florida's most prominent drug lord sat staring intensely at Vince, while his brutish associate stood just feet away pointing a colt python at his face. Tommy Vercetti had made himself comfortable in Vince's lazy-boy, "Twenty years ago I'd have whacked you before the door had closed behind you, but it seems I'm mellowing as I grow older and wiser." Vince didn't reply but simply stared defiantly at Vercetti. "So I'll let you plead, beg and protest your innocence before my good friend Rosebud here pulls the trigger. My therapist says this approach makes me a more complete person." At this Tommy roared with laughter as Vince started to squirm nervously. He waited for the laughter to subside,
"I didn't kill the lawyer," he coolly replied. Tommy remained silent and rolled his eyes, both him and Rosebud shared a glance of boredom. He rose from the chair, strode over to Vince and lowered to meet him slumped against the wall. Tommy then began to speak softly,
"I was expecting you to be a bit more, well, impressive. After all the bombing of a building that size surely requires some talent!" Vince didn't reply. Vercetti then sighed to himself and gestured to his bodyguard, "I'll wait for you in the car Rosebud, but don't take too long yeah?" Rosebud simply nodded. As Tommy made for the door Vince started,
"Twenty-four hours. Gimme twenty-four hours and I'll have the punk who killed Rosenberg. It was him that shot me. I know plenty of sources who'll help me track him down." Vince was starting to sweat profusely in anticipation of his death and Tommy's reply.
"I'll give you two. Two hours to gimme some answers. Now get up off the floor and enlighten me!"
The mafia, yakuza, cartel, they were all the same Darkel thought. All guided by rules and traditions of pomp and circumstance, the underworld had now become a thing of glamour, not like it was back home. Back there it nay not have been pretty but it was efficient. It pained him to have to deal with these amateurs but he was under order and it was part of Love's great scheme of things. Representatives of all three of these organisations had been called to a meeting he was holding, they had been battered into submission by that gunman and no longer hold any authoritative weight in the underworld. "None of you know me, nor need to. I'm simply a mouthpiece that is here to put forward an offer. I'm sure you are all aware of the mayoral elections that take place in a few days and how likely it is that Donald Love will be elected. You're all smart enough to know that Mr Love is a worldly character and isn't always above the law. So it wouldn't be surprising to know he would like to offer your organisations the chance to continue in operating but in a more regulated fashion." The three listeners looked puzzled, Darkel passed folders to each of them, "These are Mr Love's proposals, in a nutshell he wants you to form into one body with each faction controlling a certain aspect in the city." This provoked a degree of anger in the ambassadors, the mafia member spoke,
"You expect Sicilians, Japanese and Colombians to work in peace and harmony? Ha!"
Darkel responded, "Well from where I'm sitting it seems you have no choice. Either you all work under Mr Love in a profitable and safe environment or enjoy the luxuries of a jail sentence you will no doubt receive when a tougher policy of law enforcement is drafted." Now the Japanese ambassador responded,
"Bastard! You can't blackmail us! I should have you killed for such dishonour!" Darkel began rasping uncontrollably, then his tone changed from amusement to menace,
"Oh you fools! I'd rather see you all dead and crush your pitiful operations, and that will be arranged if you don't agree." The three ambassadors knew they had no choice, they were too weak to fight each other let alone the LCPD. It was with heavy hearts that they signed.
Vince's banshee screeched to a halt outside a decaying tenement block in Newport. "So who are we here to have a friendly chat with?" Tommy enquired.
"A Yardie informant by the name of Marcus. The junkie's nclued up and will sing like a canary" Vince replied. All three left the car and stepped up to the door, Vince buzzed the intercom.
"Who there?" an absent voice asked.
"It's Vince."
"SHIT!" the intercom went dead and a door slammed somewhere inside the building.
Vince instinctively hurled himself into the door in a bid to chase Marcus down. "Stand back ya prick!" Tommy shouted. He pulled out his colt python and blasted the door by the lock, it lurched open. Vince charged through and up the stairwell, "I'll bring him down" he yelled back. Rosebud followed him while Tommy waited patiently. Tommy was busy reloading his gun when a Yardie appeared from round the corner, the guy stopped in his tracks at catching sight of him,
"SHIT!" he squealed. Marcus grasped a pistol from his jacket and took a pot- shot at Vercetti while fleeing. Bullets soared above Tommy's head as he fell to his knees. He slowly took aim at the running Yardie and shot him in the calf, he fell like a rag doll. Tommy walked to car and started it up, he drove straight for his target stopping the vehicle on his legs. The Yardie lay half-crushed under the banshee gasping in pain and writhing on the floor.
"Now then Marcus you're going to answer a couple of questions for me, ok?" The junkie nodded desperately. Vince and Rosebud had reappeared from the flat to witness Tommy's interrogation. "Now tell me, who the hell blew up the AmCo building punk?"
Marcus quickly answered, "He have no name man, but d word goin round is dat he heads d three big players in Liberty. Dat's hot off the press, only just found out. Now please! Get the motor off me legs!"
Tommy raised his colt at the informant and put him out his misery, he then turned to Vince. "Well it seems you were right but you ain't out of this mess yet. We've got vengeance to wreak." He lowered his gun and offered his other hand, the pair shook. "Now Rosebud, find me another god-damn car!"