Chapter 35: Keep Your Friends Close…

After failing to forcibly tax Lincoln's businesses, Forelli Crime Family Donna Lori Forelli is heading to Vice City from Liberty City in order to deal with Lincoln in person and reclaim her "cut". Meanwhile, Lincoln, after dealing with Lori's collectors just a few days ago, has received a call from Luan Rosenberg, the family's lawyer, who decided to side with Lincoln on the whole situation and Lexx Vance who had been Lincoln's business partner since the beginning has called him to go back to the Vercetti Estate on an emergency. Believing this is the thing he feared the most, he hurriedly went back to the mansion and confronted the two who are in his office.

Lincoln spoke up immediately arriving there asking "What's going on?" Luan, who was sitting on Lincoln's chair at the time, spoke up and said to him with a slight panic in her voice "Lincoln! Oh good, good. Listen, listen." She breathed for a moment before continuing "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 want to sleep with them." Clearly indicating she's very afraid of getting killed.

She then stood up and confronted Lincoln and continued her rant "Okay, but right now Lori and your Italian brothers are coming from up there to fit me with some cement shoes, and I..." Lincoln, annoyed by her constant rambling, immediately told her "Shut up Luan." She then pointed to the sofa near her "Sit down." Luan did as what she was told, he then faced Lexx who was sitting on the table "Lexx, what the hell's going on?"

Lexx simply and calmly explained to him "It's your friends up north Lincoln. They ain't too happy you capped their man. They're coming down to see the business today." Lincoln was right, after taking down the collectors; Lori would come after him personally, but realized that she was a little late on coming after him, he then spoke up "They took longer than I thought...Guys, we gotta make this final we gotta leave no doubt that this is my operation. Mine!" pointing to himself, confident that he can take down Lori and be successful in all this, he then turned to Luan and instructed her "Luan, you get the first run of counterfeit cash and put three mil in briefcases. Lexx, you get the guys together..." They did what he asked and prepared everything for the upcoming plan, the plan was to pay Lori with counterfeit cash, so that no real cash could be taken away from him. And worst case scenario he could kill her.

One Hour Later…

Lori arrives at Lincoln's mansion along with several Forelli Family members. She then greeted Lincoln as if they were still friends, "Lincoln!" Lincoln just stood still facing her, not responding to her greetings "What? No big hugs for your old buddy?" Lincoln coldly replied "I've had fifteen years out of the loop, I'm a bit rusty on family etiquette." Lori just chuckled at the response "Always angry, eh Lincoln. Didn't I say your temper would get you into trouble, huh?"Lincoln shrugged off the response and pointe at the briefcases filled with the fake cash "There's three mil in the cases..."

Lori nodded at the response and seemed satisfied at it then spoke up about something Lincoln doesn't like to hear "How many was it? Ten?" pointing to him, who was already slowly getting pissed by what she's saying "No, eleven men. That's how you get to be called the Harwood Butcher! Heh-heh-heh!" clearly mocking him by laughing. What she was talking about was the one mission Lincoln was tasked to do 15 years ago, where she was asked by Lori to take down a man in a place called Harwood in Liberty City. But upon arriving there, there were already men who were prepared to ambush him, Lincoln somehow manages to get out alive, but was arrested after the shootout. Thus calling him the 'Harwood Butcher'.

Lincoln, now angry ranted back to her "You sent me to kill one man, ONE MAN. They knew I was coming Lori..." Lori then tried to ease him down "Lincoln, Linc, watch your tone. Anyone would think you blame me for that unfortunate set of circumstances." Lincoln just rolled his eyes and said immediately "Just take the money..."Lori then told to one of her subordinates "Get the damn cash."

Lori then started to sound sympathetic "You know, Lincoln? I did what I could for you, I pulled strings, called in favors. I was your friend, Lincoln. I hoped you'd see sense; see what's good for business. I trusted you, Lincoln, and you disappointed me." But then that tone of sympathy turned to a smugly response, and smirked at Lincoln, who at this time was clueless "But at least someone in your chicken shit organization knows how to do business," She then turned to face someone and faces back Lincoln,

"Isn't that right, Lexx?"

Surprised by this, he turned to Lexx, who was already at Lori's side standing "I'm sorry Lincoln. This is Vice City. This is business." Lincoln then darkly said to him "You sold us out..." Lexx laughed and said to him "No. I sold YOU out, Lincoln, I sold YOU out!" Grinning evilly, he pointed to the office upstairs "The real cash is upstairs in the safe." Lori then spoke up "Lincoln, what was the big plan? You think I'd just take the fake cash? Save face and run away with my tail between my legs?!" she then laughed as to how an idiot Lincoln was.

Seeing this, he immediately proceeded to plan B; he slowly walked towards Lori with a cold stare in his face, then proceeds to stare at her in the eyes and said…

"No. I just wanted to piss you off before I kill you…" ends the line with a dark evil grin.

To be continued…