Big Shoes to Fill.
Joey Leone sat in a private booth in Marco's Bistro with Toni Cipriani, Luigi Gotorelli and Sam Alfredo. Joey took a swig of a two litre bottle of whiskey, it was almost empty.
Luigi looked at him pityingly, "Joey, you gotta get out of this ditch, we need to hit back and hit back hard, it's been a month already."
"The Don! He's dead. That bastard Claude!" Joey slurred his words.
This time Toni spoke up, "And it's your turn to come and get outta that bottle and start gaining back our lost ground. Hell, even the Diablo's are moving in on our turf. We can't have it; the man on the street is loosing faith in the Family."
"And that bastard 8-Ball's gone freelance, WHY ISN'T HE DEAD YET."
"Our watchers said two me came and picked him up. They lost track of him." Toni said.
"Can't you guys get anything right! You can't even watch a man let alone protect the..." Joey passed out.
Luigi turned to one of the thugs standing round with brass knuckles, "Get him up to the Gentlemen's Club." He then said to Sam and Toni, "We'll meet him there tomorrow, we gotta get something done, but now please excuse me, I need to go meet with some of my girls for some, er, business." Luigi winked and left.
Joey rolled over and saw Toni, Sam and Luigi sitting on the couch opposite his bed, "How long you been here?"
"Over an hour." Sam said tersely. He was a short muscly man with glasses; he handled the Mafia's money and was Salvatore's Right Hand Man.
"Fuck! I got a headache. Someone get me a glass of water!" A thug ran out of the room.
Toni leaned forward, "Right, let's get down to business. We need to hit back, hard!"
"The Diablo's are taking our territory and money, I say we hit them first." Sam said.
"Then we hit them, El Burro is going to the Airport today. He's going on a holiday to Vice. This is the best chance we got it whack him."
Toni smiled, this was more like it, "Okay, I'll handle getting the team together."
El Burro, sat in the back of his Stallion. Next to him where two men armed with Uzi's. In front and behind of him drove two Stallion's with more guards. El Burro wasn't scared of the Mafia anymore but the Yakuza who where jealous of his success. They turned onto the Lift Bridge between Staunton and Shoreside. He reached the middle and suddenly two Rumpo's Boxed him in, there doors slid open and ten Mafioso got out and began shooting at the Diablo Car's They where about to drive away when suddenly the Bridge began to lift up. The Diablo's got out of the cars and tried there best to kill the Mafia men but they where no match for the well trained Italians. Before El Burro knew it, only one man was left, he surrendered and the Mafia held him down. Two men walked over to El Burro and leaned in, "My brothers, surely we can come up with a deal." he said desperately.
The two mafia men looked back unfeelingly and fired three rounds into his chest.
They then turned to the captive Diablo, "You go back to your friends and tell them to leave the Mafia territory and give us a cut of what they earned in the last month otherwise we will wipe you off the map."
The scared man nodded and as the lift bridge clunked into place ran off. The Mafia men returned to there cars and drove to Saint Mark's. The astonished on lookers looked dazed at the carnage. Some tried to help the bullet ridden men but there was no chance in them living.
Tommy, 8-Ball and Ken where eating breakfast over the wobbly table in Tommy's room. Ken, again reading the newspaper looked astonished, "Some guy called El Burro and his guards where shot up last night on the Lift Bridge, the cops reckon it's the Mafia."
"That means we don't have much time to act."
"We gotta wait for at least some of the stuff from Phil otherwise we'll be blown to shit." Tommy said matter-of-factly.
"You know best Tommy, man."
"After breakfast we'll go have a look at the Cartel Mansion."
Tommy and 8-Ball sat on the roof of one of the other huge houses next to the Cartel's base of operations. Tommy had bought sensitive listening equipment he had picked up from a bent fed. They set it up and set the tape to record. They put on there headphones on and two voice's came over them loud and crisp.
"Where screwed man!"
"I know we need our meeting, first the boat now this, someone's out to get us."
"We know who it is, it's the bastard Claude!"
Tommy raised an eyebrow 8-Ball, "This guy gets around!"
The second voice spoke again, "We need a meeting, all the major people in the Cartel."
"I agree, here tomorrow? Probably about twoish in the afternoon."
"Sounds good!"
Suddenly Tommy's Cell Phone rang, "Shhhh." he hissed. But it was too late
"What was that" a Colombian voice said.
"Someone's on the roof of the other mansion! GUARDS! Get him!"
8-ball whipped his headphones off, "We gotta get out here man, there's a chopper on the mansion along if you cover me I'll bring it over to me."
"Good, do it fast!" Tommy said dropping onto one knew and clicking his Berretta off safety and began shooting at the Cartel Goons. He heard the Sparrow lift off. Tommy shot three more men in the head before jumping into the right hand seat.
"Keep shotting till we are well away man!"
Tommy nodded and took four more guys down before his bullets couldn't reach them.
8-Ball flew well and landed on the roof of the Freedom Hotel, "WOOO! That was fun. Now who the hell called ya man!"
Ken ran up the fire escape stairs, "Tommy, Tommy where have you been! I tried to ring you!"
8-Ball gawped at him Tommy grew red with anger, "Don't you remember me telling you! We where spying on the Cartel! and your phone call almost got us killed! Ken you gotta be more alert."
"Fuck man! How stupid can ya get!" 8-Ball said as he walked down stairs muttering something about a white piece of shit.
"Hey, I resent that!" Ken shouted after him.
"Ken focus. Why did you ring me in the first place?"
"Oh yeah, great new Tommy! Phil's got all the stuff ready for pickup tomorrow night."
"That's not good enough, tell him we need it tonight. We gotta hit the Cartel tomorrow afternoon."
Ken walked down the stairs pressing buttons on his Cell Phone.
Toni walked into a private room at Sex Club Seven where Luigi and Joey where already seated being entertained by three gorgeous strippers.
Toni clapped his hands, "Okay girls party's over us men have to talk business."
Joey was about to complain then shut his mouth.
"Great news guys the Diablo's have agreed to make the transfer of funds and pull back. They want to make a trade of money, they say the will give use 500k in the park in there territory. I say we do it."
Joey nodded, "Let's do it then."
Two Sentienials parked themselves in the park with the two apartment buildings looming down on them. They got out and grasped there Uzi's. A stallion pulled up next to them, three men got out, holding AK47's. One walked round to the trunk and pulled out two suitcase's.
"All 20's and 50's all used and unmarked."
The mafia men nodded and loaded the cases into the cars. Suddenly two Triad Fish Vans drove up and blocked the two exit's to the park. They got out and gunned down the Diablo's. The Mafia ducked for cover and tried to fight back but they had no chance. The Triads walked into the park, picked up the cases and drove back to Chinatown.
Toni snapped his phone shut, picked up his double scotch and let out a hearty laugh Joey looked at him.
"How can you be laughing we just lost eight of our best guys and the Triads got our money."
"That was Luigi. An informant told him that the Diablo's double crossed us. Those bills that where meant for us where marked. When the two Triad Under boss's went to bank it cops where all over the building in minutes! The Triad's are cut. But we got to deal with the Diablo's they haven't learnt there lesson."
"A guy called Alarico Alfonso is controlling them now. He owns the XXX mags store on the edge of Diablo and Triad Turf."
"Yes I know the place well."
Joey looked surprised, "Let's destroy that place."