The Leone Family: The Beginning

[Bob Saccamano]

The next chapter is detailing the events that take place during LCS.

I must warn you, my take on the subject matter diverges quite a bit from the storyline portrayed in the game, introducing new characters and some new, or condensed, scenarios.

[Vanilla Shake]

That's ok with me Bob.

Can't wait!!!

[Bob Saccamano]

THE WAR OF '98 Part 1 'Home Sweet Home'

 

He never thought he'd actually say this, but Toni Cipriani was glad to be back in Liberty City. He hid in Carcer City for the past four years, for killing made man Emil Manazzio, who had ratted out Leone Family Capo Eddie Drago.

Antonio "Toni" Cipriani is a tall, well built, dark haired, rugged man in his late 30's. Although a close associate to the Leone Family since the 80's, he was not a made man yet. Although the books were soon to be opened, so he timed his return well.

Toni stepped off the bus and saw the payphone ringing, right on time. He anwsered the phone. The voice at the end was gravelly and laconic.

"Toni Cipriani?" asked the voice.

"Yeah."

"Go to the Don's house ASAP."

The voice hung up.

Although he hoped to stop and say hello to his friends and mother at his mother's restaurant, orders were orders.

He arrived promptly in front of the gates to Salvatore Leone's mansion. A big guard came to the driver's window.

"Hey Mike, how you doing?" asked Toni.

"Hey Toni," Mike said "I haven't seen you since forever."

"Is Sal excpecting me?"

"Yeah, come right along."

Mike opened the gates and led Toni through. The gates shut sharply behind them.

Mike led Toni across the drive way, on the pation, through the lounge, and to the Don's office.

Mike knocked on the door with one knuckle.

"Mr. Leone?" asked Mike almost timidly.

"What?" was the familiar voice behind the door.

"I got Toni Cipriani to see you."

"Send him right in!"

Toni entered the office. It was dimly lit, with slits of light coming from behind the blinds. Salvatore was seated behind his polished wooden desk. Standing beside the desk with his hands folded was a figure that looked very familiar to Toni, but he dismissed the idea of the person being who he thought it was.

The figure was slightly short, yet boyishly handsome. He wore a purple suit and was clean cut and suave-looking. He was everything Toni wasn't.

Salvatore sprang up from his desk and embraced Toni in a friendly manner.

"Hey, how you doing, eh? Listen Toni, I know you've been good and laid low for a long time, so I want you to sit down and put your feet up. Vincenzo will look after you."

Toni's heart turned into an ice cube when he heard the name Vincenzo. It has to be a coincidence. It can't be possible. But it was. It finally made sense. This Vincenzo was Vincenzo Cilli, the very same Vincenzo Cilli who was once a package boy and numer-runner, delivering drinks to wise guys. He bullied Vincenzo and his friend Danny Sucho, and now he was to face the repercussions. How can Salvatore 'make' Vincenzo Cilli, of all people, before Toni. It just didn't make any sense. But it didn't have to anymore. Toni was f*cked. To even Toni's surprise, he spoke out.

"But Mr. Leone, I thought we had history. I mean, I've done a lot for this family. and now you're expecting me to take orders from this, this...It just doesn't seem right.

Salvatore said, concealing some anger "I know what you did, and nobody's more grateful than me, honestly. But the idea that you come here and right away question my leadership is frankly...out of order. You Capiche?"

Toni sighed "I understand Boss."

"You need a job, need some money, ask Vincenzo down at his office in Atlantice Quays. You'll take good care of him, won't you Lucky?" said Salvatore.

"Of course Boss, anything you say. Tell you what, we can go there now." Vincenzo said in an arrogant tone.

Vincenzo walked out of the office, and Toni reluctantly followed after him.

Toni went behind the wheel of Vincenzo's Kuruma and drove him down to his warehouse/office, not making a word of conversation along the way.

Toni stopped the car in front of Vincenzo's office. Leaning against the wall was Danny Sucho, who looked like a James Dean wannabe in black Chuck Taylors. Vincenzo leaned to Toni's ear from the backseat.

"You listen and you listen good you miserable piece of sh*t. A lot has changed since you left. I ain't Vinny the package boy no more. I'm a Capo now. You work for me. You do what I tell you. You capiche, Antonio?"

Toni responded slowly and deliberately "Vinny, if you dare talk like that to me again, I will not hesitate to drag you out of this car and beat the sh*t out of you. You capiche, Lucky?"

Vincenzo just scoffed and put on a smug little grin. "You ain't even a made man Toni. I could kill you just for talking to me in the wrong tone, but I won't. I'm a generous guy."

Vincenzo exited the car.

"Oh and you can keep the car, it's busted bucket of bolts anyway."

Toni sped off anyway.

 

Mommas' Restaurant was a popular hangout for Leone wise guys, conveniently enough for Toni. He grew up around these men, and he was gonna become one of them, whether he wanted to or not.

In the restaurant were the familiar faces.

There was Angelo Alighieri, the oldest soldier in the crew and a contemporary of Salvatore Leone. He owned the profitable Leone gaming house only a few blocks away. There was Frankie Bravo, a funny and likeable senior wiseguy who could flip to cold and violent at the drop of a hat. He had a goatee, and wore black suits with red ties. There was Mario "M&M's" Meloni, a clean-shaven wiseguy with his protege, young made man Luigi Goterelli, who had a talent with pimping. And there was Michael DeLuco A.K.A. Mickey Hamfists, a feared and respected, yet loved Leone made man and enforcer. Toni was the closest to Mickey, and approached him first.

Mickey quickly caught sight of him and quickly embraced him and ordered a vodka for Toni.

"It'll be nice to have a decent vodka. The stuff in Carcer City tastes like gasoline." said Toni.

"It probably was." responded Mickey.

They laughed at the joke.

"Hey listen Mickey. Is it true what I've heard?"

"What?"

"That Vincenzo Cilli is the new Capo?."

"He's been Capo for the past two years, Toni."

"Madonn'! How did this happen?" said Toni.

Mickey explained to him that after Toni went into hiding they needed to find Salvatore Leone a new driver, since Toni used to be the usual driver, and they replaced Toni with Vincenzo. Day after day, Vincenzo would get closer to Salvatore, slowly manipulating him. Vincenzo was the one who wrestled control from the Hepburn Heights construction and sanitation contracts from the Sindaccos and Forellis, and also helped First Build Construction, the Leone construction front company, acquire the Harwood car-crusher. After one year, he managed to convince Salvatore to have him made, and only a year after that he convinced Salvatore to have Giuseppe "Geppetto" LaTravese, the Capo after Eddie Drago was sent up the river, whacked, and replaced with Vincenzo. Former Leone peon Danny Sucho became Vincenzo's aide-de-camp and driver, and is currently on the fast-track to being made.

"Oh and Toni, you're ma wants to see you." said Mickey in a foreboding manner.

"My ma?" asked Toni.

 

Toni stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to the flat that Toni and his mother lived in, and called to his mother.

"Ma?"

"Antonio?" was the thickly accented response.

"Antonio, where the hell have you been?! And not even one phone call all that time?"

"Ma, you knew I couldn't call."

"A real man would've called his mother! You father would've called me everyday, God rest his soul. Why can't you be a real man, like your father? Why can't you be more like that Sucho boy. He treats his mother with real respect. He's racing downtown tonight. If you're father was here he'd win the race, and wipe that smug grin off that Sucho boy's face."

Toni then got a good idea to get in Salvatore's good book again.

 

It was at night, when the infamous Liberty City street races are in action. Danny Sucho was the undisputed champion, his key to victory being his flawlessly mechanized Thunder-Rodd, a black Ford T-Bucket with flames painted on the side.

Danny was sitting on a crate, counting the money he won from the race.

Toni walked towards him, unblinking and tight-fisted.

Sucho bolted upright and opened his arms.

"Hey Toni how you doing?"

Toni responded with a swift punch in the face. He then kicked Sucho when he was on the ground. He bent down to Sucho.

"You listen to me. All the money you win in these races, Salvatore gets a cut of, do you understand me you little piece of sh*t?! And not a word to Vincenzo, right?"

Sucho didn't respond.

Toni dug his foot into Sucho's groin. He let out a high-pitched squeal.

"Okay!"

"Good." said Toni.

Toni took half of the money that was in Sucho's hand and walked off, leaving Sucho curled up on the ground.

He went to Mike the guard and told him to make sure that Salvatore got the fat envelope he handed to him.

Toni was gonna need all the help he could get.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

nice chapter, Bob.

 

[Rashon.]

Loved that chapter, Bob.

 

[Vanilla Shake]

I loved it too dude.

 

[TonyZimmzy]

I like, I like Can't wait to read Part 2

[Bob Saccamano]

Salvatore Leone and Vincenzo Cilli were seated in the fancy-schmancy Italian restaurant "Bellissimo's." Danny Sucho was seated in their car outside.

Salvatore barely finished his fork-full of lasagna before he said

"Mm. I want Toni Cipriani to be drive me again."

Vincenzo stopped dead in his tracks.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, I love the boy even more than my own son, and a Capo shouldn't have to drive his Boss around. It's degrading." said Salvatore.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." said Vincenzo.

"Why?" asked Salvatore, rolling his eyes. Vincenzo was a good kid, but he could be a little overprotective.

"Because Toni Cipriani doesn't know his place," Vincenzo explained. "He doesn't show respect. A guy like that in the wrong position might ruin everything. We're at war now, and it's time that people know their loyalties."

"You make it sound like he's gonna be my new Consigliere for God's sake. He's a driver." said Salvatore.

"Toni Cipriani wasn't born to be a driver. He's a thug. A punk. Just last night, my guy Sucho tells me that Toni beat him up for no good reason. He's out of control, Sal." Said Vincenzo.

"He's gonna be my driver now. End of discussion." said Sal.

Vincenzo knew better than to open his mouth again.

 

If you had never heard JD O'Toole's name, you'd mistake him for his Italian paisan. He was overweight, with red ruddy skin, an unshaven face, and his balding hair pulled tightly into a tiny ponytail. He would wear a guinea-T and slacks, with rings on most fingers, and around his neck was a cross, Italian horn, and a small medallion witha saint's image on it. Although full Sicilian on his mother's side, the quarter Irish he was on his father's side did not allow him to become a made man, despite the fact that he was a longtime associate of the Sindacco Family, and ran "Paulie's Revue Bar" for Paulie Sindacco. Paulie Sindacco would often hold meetings in the backroom which would usually serve as JD's office.

JD opened the door for Sindacco Consigliere Freddy Gazzo and Capo Louie Esposito. Freddy Gazzo was ferret-faced and mustachioed. Louie Esposito was a tall masculine man, who usually wore a brown leather jacket, having won it in a fight against a tough mobster, and a tight black shirt underneath, as well as black slacks.

Then Paulie Sindacco entered the room. Although not a soul would say it to his face, Paulie looked like an Elvis impersonator, most likely attributed to his constant visits to Las Venturas, another Family outpost. He wore his black hair in the same Elvis-coiff, he also wore a white suit, with a red shirt and black tie.

After the greetings were exchanged between the three, Paulie raised a ring-covered hand and fanned it away, saying

"You can leave now, Paddy O'Malley. And get us some drinks, mick."

JD left the room wordlessly. When walking out, he heard some words about them attacking the Leone Casino. Served the Leones right, JD thought. The Sindacco Family monopolized the casino business in the city with The Big Shot and The Doll's House. Who were the Leones to interfere?

He sat down at the bar and went over the things he had to do. He hadn't seen one of his prostitutes, Rachel, in a week. Looks like he would have to pay her a visit at her home.

She lived in a little flat in Hepburn Heights, and parked in across the street from the building in his Moonbeam. He was just in time. He could see her about to exit the building. But then he saw that she was with her toddling daughter. He did something he did not want to do.

He exited the car and took rachel by the wrist before she had time to react. He thrust Rachel away from her daughter and started to back-hand her. His rings making cuts and gashes in her face.

"Where the f*ck have you been?! Where's my f*cking money you little bitch?!" yelled JD.

"I'm sorry JD!" said rachel in tears.

"Bullsh*t! Bullsh*t you f*cking c*nt! If you don't show up tomorrow I'll f*cking..."

JD was about to finish his sentence before he looked at Rachel's daughter, frozen in shock, having no idea what to do.

A little girl shouldn't see this, thought JD. He stumbled off and peeled off in his car.

As hard as he has worked, this is what he has been degraded to in order to get respect? To beat a woman in front of her child. The Leone Family would respect him for what he did.

 

Danny Sucho drove the car through the gates to Salvatore's mansion. Salvatore was already in the mansion by the time Mike caught up with Vincenzo.

"Oh Mr. Cilli, make sure Mr. Leone get's this." said Mike.

"What the hell is this?" asked Vincenzo, recieving the fat envelope.

"It's from Toni Cipriani." Mike said.

"Toni Cipriani?" asked Vincenzo.

That's where Sucho's money went, thought Vincenzo.

[Greene]

Then Paulie Sindacco entered the room. Although not a soul would say it to his face, Paulie looked like an Elvis impersonator, most likely attributed to his constant visits to Las Venturas, another Family outpost. He wore his black hair in the same Elvis-coiff, he also wore a white suit, with a red shirt and black tie.

 

lol, So thats what you wanted his picture for.

Once again great job, this is excellant work and i look forward to the next part.

[TonyZimmzy]

Nice chapter, I hate JD Can't wait till he gets whacked

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Great chapter, Bob.

Keep em as fresh as possible.

[Rashon.]

This has made me want to play over the LCS storyline.

 

Great chapter.

[Archaon, Lord of End Times]

Simply brilliant, Bob.

[Vanilla Shake]

Fantastically Awesome!!!

Keep up the great work!!!

[Bob Saccamano]

Nice chapter, I hate JD Can't wait till he gets whacked

Really. That last passage was done to make him more sympathetic. Thank you for the compliments everyone.