The Don: Rebirth of a Family

[Coral_City]

 

 

Brief Introduction: Hey all. I've decided to resurrect an old fan fic of mine simply because I think it needed a proper closure. I thought it was a good concept at the time, but after looking it, I tore it down and rewrote portions of the story.

 

As you may note, it is called "The Don: Joey Leone's Tale". Yes, I am well aware of the COUNTLESS number of fan fics revolving around Joey Leone and his taking over of the Family. What seperates mine from the rest? Well, it's up to you to read and find out! f*ck

 

I've also taken the liberty to use a picture device in the fan fic. "Criminal Profiles" are rampant throughout the first few chapters, so definitely check them out. They don't necessarily help FLESH OUT certain characters, but they should give an idea what the character is like.

 

 

Background: Joseph Leone AKA Joey - son of the late, great Don Salvatore Leone - was a simple car mechanic. Now, the time has come for Joey to be christened the Don and help bring back the influence & affluence his Family once had. Joey must undertake the great responsibility of engraving the Leone name back onto the heart of Liberty City and make sure it stays. What stands in his way? The Irish, the Sindaccos, the Forellis -- they all want a piece of the same pie. Follow Joey, as he steps into the fight of his life, filled with: lies, betrayal, death and partial nudity.

 

 

UPDATES:

Date	Chapter
April 26th, 2007	Chapter 1: Takin' Care of Business
April 30th	Chapter 2: Orange Meets Red
May 7th	Chapter 3: The Departed
May 15th	Chapter 4: The Devil's Nature, Part I
May 30th	Double Feature: Chapter 5 & 6

 

January 9th, 2008Chapter 7: King's CourtJanuary 9thChapter 8: The Smile, Part IJanuary 16thChapter 8: The Smile, Part II

 

 

Prolouge:

Liberty City. Now it was a city under a serious case of chaos of mob rule and gang violence. A month had passed since the assassination of Don Salvatore Leone. During the month, the Leone Family was in a chaotic state with them losing a number of their rackets along with their territory. Suspicion was the case throughout the Leone ranks, caporegimes (or capo for short) were executed, high-ranking members were put under protection by footsoldiers and businesses were failing miserably. The Yardies, along with what was left in the Columbian Cartel, left with their interests to begin new with Tommy Vercetti in Vice City. The Triads headed back to the West, their interests in Liberty were ruined with the destruction of the mackeral factory. The Diablos were pushed to Shoreside Vale, they were now warring with the Red Jacks. The Yakuza had a small territory left that was around the Staunton Casino and new Families were moving in. The Forrellis, the Sindacco's had come out of their respective cities to go back to Liberty to take back what was once their's and the Irish Mob from the State's Capital, Guernsey City -- they were all muscling the Leone's. Gang wars and bloodshed became a mundane routine for Liberty City all caused by the lowly thug who shot Salvatore outside Sex Club 7.

 

It was a quiet day at the Leone Mansion but in the Gentleman's Club, there was something brewing on the cold Autumn day. It was the same old story, or at least that's what it felt like. Another Don dead, who was to take the spot? Were things to be ran like the old days? Should the blood line be followed? Ridiculous questions -- but this is how things were ran in Liberty City. There was no Commission to look over things, it was one city in a large state. It was to be decided, a week after the fall of the Cartel, that Joseph Leone, better known as Joey, would take over his father's position. It was not the life he was meant to have, but circumstances were dire.

 

In the Gentlemen's Club, Robert Seragliano and his associates from Carcer City were seated either smoking cigars or drinking. At the doorway, Luigi stood in a pinstriped suit overlooking the club, while two new faces to the Family were playing cards to pass the time: Paul "Paulie" Romero and Vincent "Vinny" Rizzuto . Since Toni Cipriani went away for the murder of the made man back in 1995, Paul Romero and Vincent Rizzuto ran the gambling and extortion rackets that Toni had left behind. They were soldatos then, now, they were going to be promoted.

 

As for Joey himself, he learned about the Family business with disinterest when he was young. Now, he knew it was more important than ever to preserve the Leone name and engrave it in those that dared cross his path. Although, it seemed he was not all that intelligent while running the Family garage -- he knew the tricks of the trade; of being Don. Toni Ciprani had grown close to Joey in the time, teaching Joey what his father, Salvatore, had taught Toni. In that sense, Toni had become a consigliori, while also running his own business as the Underboss of the Family.

 

It was then Joey Leone and Toni Cipriani were seen walking outside of the Leone Mansion, and Luigi, being the lookout, quickly informed the rest of the team.

 

"Eh, there he is. Vinny, Paulie, stop that sh*t and look presentable" said Luigi

 

Joey was adorned in a black suit and took his seat in the leather arm chair that once belonged to his father. Toni stood next to him, while Luigi, Paulie and Vinny acknowledged their new Don by kissing him on the his hand. It was a momentous occasion for Joey Leone, for becoming Don meant the mourning process had ended. It was time for business.

Edited January 20, 2008 by Coral_City

[Coral_City]

 

Chapter 1: Takin' Care of Business

Gentlemen's Club - 12:45PM

"Va bene, take a seat guys. Now, as you guys know already, I've taken over the Leone estate and the Leone Family assets. Toni and I have made sure that every little thing has been taken care of, 'cause I'm not gonna go down over some legality bullsh*t, y'understand? Alright. Let's talk business guys. Bubby, what brings you to Liberty?" Joey asked Robert Seragliano - head of the Seragliano Family

"Joey, word is, those f*ckin' Irish bastards are comin' to Liberty. My boys caught wind they're talkin' with the other Families. You're father was a wise man, and when news like that came around, we would always make sure to take care of the f*ckin' problem"

Joey frowned upon this, "Bubby, we ain't got time to butt heads with some Mick bastards right now. I gotta deal with these lunatic Italians first"

"I understand Joey, but I'm just here to remind you, if you need any help, we're always gonna extend that olive branch. Anyway, me and the boys have to leave now, it was good to meet you Joe'"

 

Robert "Bubby" Seragliano got up from his seat, and put his drink down. He embraced the young Leone Don with a hug and whispered in his ear: "It took me ten years to get rid of those assholes" and that was that. Joey fell back onto his seat and let out a sigh. Toni and Luigi took a seat on the couch, opposite of Joey, while Paul and Vincent came over.

 

"Paulie, Vinny. Take a seat here. Okay, y'good? Alright, I'm gonna be frank here. You guys are some of the best earners the Family's ever had. How old are you f*ckin' guys? Huh? Thirty? Twenty nine? You guys been doin' good since Toni went underground and it's time to have much more. You guys are gonna be caporegimes, for the time being in Portland. I want Paulie takin' care of the Docks and warehouses out near Atlantic Quays and takin' care of our gambling spots. Vinny, you crazy sonuvab*tch, you're gonna get a part of the extortion rackets, some of the Red Light District and make Chinatown...Little Italy"

"Ay, Joe', I'm grateful. It's good to see you goin' places," said Paulie

"Yeah, the f*ckin' perks must be good?" said Vinny, as he threw his head back and laughed

 

The three men got up, and Paulie and Vinny shook hands with their new Don. Joey Leone was ushering in a new era, he was making moves, he was quickly moving the Family along. His father's death brought a great burden on Joey -- when he died, a piece of Joey went along with him. But it was Joey's realization that his father would be happy with the afterlife, along with his mother. It was Joey's time to shine, and he would certainly make his father proud. At this point, Paulie and Vinny left the Gentlemen's Club while the only ones left were Luigi, Toni and Joey.

 

"Luigi, I suggest you do a roundup of the whores and see what's what. Make sure they're still intact and everythin' is runnin' fine, got it?"

"Got it Joey, I'll see you guys later at the Club. Toni," Luigi saluted the two and he left the estate. He was a pimp. He knew he would not be involved in Family affairs

 

Joey gave a great sigh, a sigh of relief. Toni looked at him and smiled, like a proud father watching his only son that made it. Although, this smile turned sour as it was time to get down to real business.

 

"So Joey. What the hell are you gonna do about the hit?"

"What do you mean what am I gonna do? I'm gonna find the rat-bastard or bastards that killed pop, and I'm gonna bury them alive, that's what I'm gonna do. The only question is: who?"

"Well, let's think of it like this. The Forrellis wouldn't have done that, especially with the money they owed you and the two brothers wouldn't have been enough reason to kill Salvatore. The Triads, I wouldn't think 'em of being that brazen -- they're a buncha f*ckin' pansies who do laundry and fish all day"

"Okay, then who did it, huh? Who the f*ck would whack my father in broad f*ckin' daylight?"

"I'm gonna go out on a hunch Joe. Maria left after his death, right?"

"Right, so? Doesn't mean she did it"

"Joey, smarten the f*ck up kid. She's our best lead right now! We find Maria, we can find our killer"

"Sh*t"

"What is it Joey?"

"Remember that thing that went down over at the Dam? They said one gunman and some dark haired women left the scene"

"Ain't you have a guy work for you? The 'fixer'"

 

It dawned on Joey that the man simply disappeared after the incident, Salvatore's assassination, never to return to Portland again. Same with Maria, Salvatore's love interest. Everything clicked and a lightbulb went off in Joey's head. The man that had worked for Luigi, himself, Toni and even his own father, had done illicit things for the Family. His interests lay elsewhere when he did the jobs, he was heartless, which is why he was not hesitant. Joey put his head down.

 

"Joey? The 'fixer', who was that guy?"

"Alright Toni, strap up. You and me are going over to Shoreside, I'm changing outta this f*ckin' suit"

"Whatcha thinkin' Joey? Think you can bang on some doors and blaze everythin' you see?"

"I know one thing. The police seized a mansion out in Cedar Grove after that dam bullsh*t, and you know the God damn police, they don't wrap it up tightly"

Toni was intrigued, "Alright Joey, you got it. Get changed and meet me outside. We'll stop over by the restaurant and pick up a few tools"

 

 

Red Light District - 12:50PM

Luigi pulled up to an empty alleyway, opposite the Sex Club Seven, to park his Leone Sentinel. It was then a black Rumpo pulled around the back, Luigi noticed it. His heart rate went a little bit faster, slowly he grabbed the .38 revolver from under his seat and tucked it away. He got out, cautiously eyeing the van - the engine stopped. Luigi slowly made his way towards exiting the alleyway, opposite the black Rumpo - and he made it, much to his surprise. It was then, a Mundano pulled up along side Luigi, it's tires screeching to a halt. Four men, dressed in all black and balcava masks, quickly got out and grabbed Luigi before he got the chance to grab his gun. One man produced a pistol and whipped Luigi, knocking him out. The group carried the body over to the Rumpo, threw him in the back and jumped in, shutting the doors. Both the Rumpo and Mundano were out of sight, did people notice? Barely. The kidnapping happened in less than fifty seconds. The pimp was gone.

Edited May 8, 2007 by Coral_City

[Eminence]

Sorry that it took a while for me to reply!

 

I'm liking the idea of the profiles, it's an interesting and original idea. I wouldn't use them as ways of explaining the characters though - make sure you still include it in the actual text, if you get what I mean?

 

It's pretty well written, there's some good references to GTA3 in there too, obviously. Good job!

 

One thing that I noticed right at the end is this one line:

 

 

did people notice? Barely.

 

You've switched from a descriptive narrative, and then asked a question to the reader ... it just seems to be stepping out of the story a little, disrupting the flow. I'd avoid using that sort of device in a story like this - I think it makes it a little too informal, if you will.

[Coral_City]

Ahh, okay. I usually like the question-asking in cases like this, but if it disrupts the flow then I'll stop. I'll take your advice about the characters and all. Thanks for the reply

 

Edit: Expect Chapter 2: Orange Meets Red by the end of the weekend or tonight

[GameChristopher]

I like the idea, but I have some suggestions...

 

 

Luigi pulled up to an empty alleyway, opposite the Sex Club Seven, to park his Leone Sentinel. It was then a black Rumpo pulled around the back, Luigi noticed it.

 

Right here I was just thinking "Why do I care about every car's name?" It's just about immersing the reader in the GTA world for your story, I know, but use the theme as a basis for your story - and work up. Fan fiction doesn't have to be strictly tethered to the rules of the original.

 

And really, other than the whole did people notice thing, I liked it. Keep it up, kid.

[Coral_City]

 

Chapter 2: Orange Meets Red

Coral City ~ 1:00PM

 

"Boss, we got the pimp," said a mysterious voice

 

On the other end of the phone was a man, who was wearing a blazer, a shirt and a pair of pants -- on him was a gold chain and rings that established him as being a pezzonavante. Very casual and very flashy compared to Italian mobsters. He was James "Jimmy" Cohen, head of the Irish mob. He was in the penthouse suite of the Casino De Coral, the city was known for it's massive amount of casinos -- it was situated off the shores of Carcer City. Jimmy was in the living room, with him were two Mob figures: Vito Domenico Sonnetti and Henry Sindacco.

 

Vito D. Sonnetti was head of the now defunct Forelli Family. He was the former underboss of the Family since 1989, but after the deaths of Mike Forelli and the Forelli Brothers, Vito decided to take over the Family. It was now known as the Sonnetti Family, although much of the soldiers and caporegimes remained the same. The only other Forelli member that was still alive was Fredrico "Fredo" Forelli -- although Vito sent him to Las Venturas in order to run the Flamingo Casino. It was Vito who took the intiative to extend the olive branch to both Henry Sindacco and Jimmy Cohen and bring the peace between the Italians and the Irish.

 

As for Henry Sindacco, he was the brother of the longstanding Don, Paulie Sindacco. Henry's brother died in a boat explosion at the hands of the dreaded Toni Cipriani and the orders of Salvatore Leone. Henry never swore revenge, simply because the manpower available would surely be crushed by the Leones, and Henry did not want to be absorbed by the Forellis as the Sindacco power slowly diminished. This new alliance would surely do something to bolster the crumbling Family's reputation.

 

These two figures led what remained of the other Mafia factions in the state, the newest edition being the Irish mob. The gang was led by the one and only -- Jimmy Cohen. Notoriously known for his axe, Jimmy ran the mob since the late eighties. He established himself in Guernsey City since 1992; prior to that, Jimmy and his small army raised hell in Carcer City against the Seragliano Family. In Guernsey, business was stable, Jimmy always looked for new opportunities to amass wealth. The Irish mob in the East Coast was supported by the Irish Republican Army back in Ireland -- Jimmy got this connection through his uncle, Thomas McCormak. The main trade going on the blackmarket, between Ireland and the United States, were guns. Anything from pistols, assault rifles to Army-grade artillery.

 

The three men all hoped for the same thing -- to take over every single racket available in Liberty City. But at the same time, they wished for each other's demise.

 

"So what's the new Jimmy?" asked Sonnetti

"Well, my boys got that pimp. They're bringing him over to Coral now. I suggest you get in contact with that boy, Joey, real soon"

"Don't worry about it, I'll handle the call"

"Alright then, Henry, your boys gonna get the sh*t ready for tomorrow?" asked Jimmy as he took a seat

"It's as good as done. So, Sonnetti, how the f*ck is this thing gonna work?" asked Henry Sindacco

"So Jimmy's kidnapped the pimp. We hold him. You blow up that piece of sh*t restaurant over in St. Marks. Joey gives in, we call a meeting"

"How do you know he's gonna go so easy?" Henry asked

"You're tellin' me that this sonuvabitch won't give into two Families and the Irish right here?"

"And if worst comes to worst, we've agreed to whack Joey. You make sure their capos, their soldiers, their whores are quieted down then we take over Liberty three ways. Then I'm gonna head back to Carcer and take care of that fat f*ck, Bubby," said Jimmy with contempt, "Y'know, I don't get how the city gets by without a Commission"

"This ain't Guernsey Jimmy. This is Liberty, we have our own playbooks. Y'know Salvatore Leone? He got shot right outside the f*ckin' Club. They still haven't figured out who whacked him!" Sonnetti laughed at this, "well guys. If we're done our business, I'm gonna go now. I got business in Carcer, so I'll talk to you guys another time, eh?"

 

Sonnetti was a bald man, so occasionally, the soldiers and others referred to him as: Bald Man Sonnetti -- he was in his late fifties and his business in Carcer was to shoot a man, point blank in the eye. Simply because he called him Bald Man Sonnetti in his own presence, without realising it. This was life though. The slightest things would set anyone off in these dire times.

Jimmy got up from his seat again to walk over to the large windows, he looked out to see the city.

 

"So when's that pimp gonna be arriving?" asked Henry, he felt a bit uneasy being alone with Jimmy

"Soon. You know what Henry? You should get a move on yourself...I'm gonna handle this prick the Irish way, okay?"

"Fine by me. Just remember, you keep him alive, my boy here -- he's gonna be watchin' how you handle this, y'understand? If he dies, then you're gonna be the one explaining to Joey at the sitdown why one of his earner's is dead. Got that?" said Henry sternly, he was dead serious about this business

"No problem, no problem at all" Jimmy replied, as he smirked at Henry, as the old Don began to leave

 

He picked up the phone, soon after. Jimmy frantically dialed the number to the goons that picked up Luigi.

 

"Change of plans. Bring the pimp over to the place on Hagenville Rd., that old warehouse, y'know the place? Okay. Good. Be there, I'll be there in about half-and-hour." Jimmy put the phone down to see the bodyguard staring at him

"Hey, what the f*ck are you doin'? What are you plannin' to do?" asked Henry's bodyguard

"Don't worry about," replied Jimmy, cooly

"Well you ain't leavin' 'til I know what's goin' on"

"Okay, fine, we'll play it your way. Let me go get my stuff, and I'll tell you everything"

 

The bodyguard stood there, prominently, he was calling some shots for once. Jimmy went into the bedroom and headed straight for the closet. Opening the large doors, it was revealed that he had an arsenal of weapons in there. Mainly guns. He took a sawn-off shotgun and laid it on the ground, while suiting up in a kevlar vest. Shortly, he opened the door slightly to peek at what the bodyguard was doing. His back was turned. Jimmy stepped out quietly and sure enough, he aimed the shotgun at the man's head.

 

"Alright, let's roll," said Jimmy

"Finally, wh--" the bodyguard turned around and looked down the barrel, Jimmy smiled

"Open your mouth," and the bodyguard did so, Jimmy emplaced the sawn-off into his mouth, "Okay, good. You got anythin' else to say before you order me around you chickensh*t bastard?"

 

The bodyguard shook his head, slowly but surely. Jimmy removed the shotgun from the man's mouth; he was clearly relieved. What happened afterwards was brutal. As soon as the bodyguard turned his back and headed towards the door, Jimmy fired. The pellets tore open his spine and he fell to the ground, coughing up blood. In a matter of moments, the man would be dead. A second shot was fired, much closer, at the man's head. His skull exploded into pieces; brain fragments spread out far, splattering anything in a close distance. The smoking sawn off was dropped next to the body and Jimmy walked out of the suite, kevlar vest, blood and all.

Edited April 30, 2007 by Coral_City

[Eminence]

Nice chapter, good work.

 

It kinda gets slowed down at the start with all the background on the characters and whatnot, but I suppose that has to happen at some point, and once it's out of the way ... well, it's out of the way! Well, saying that, it's not really bad anyway because it's told in a pretty good way, so well done on that one. Guess I had no point there afterall.

 

Decent description at the end too, quite gory. Nice.

 

Good job. Looking forward to seeing more of it!

[Coral_City]

Thanks for the comment

 

Although, I could've made the ending much more gory, I decided against it. I figured it was unnecessary to go any further into detail -- simply because it would've been distasteful.

 

Edit:

Yeah, Chapter 3's been posted below and it's a bit longer compared to the other two. Hope you guys like it, oh and expect Chapter 4 coming next week.

Edited May 8, 2007 by Coral_City

[Coral_City]

 

Chapter 3: The Departed

Abandoned Warehouse ~ 1:45PM

Various cars were parked outside an abandoned warehouse. It was the Industrial Zone of Coral City, off in the distance, the Carcer City skyline could be seen by all. It was a beautiful sight really. On the exterior, from a certain angle, the warehouse looked like it was in good shape, on the inside it was a different story. Floors were cracking open, the foundation was sinking yearly, parts of the roof were falling off and it was damp as hell for some unusual reason. In the middle of a large office, found within the confines of the warehouse, was a chair and a man -- Luigi. He was tied up, dazed and confused. His face was swollen from the pistol whipping he got earlier. Above him, a single dull lightbulb. Around him, several guards with assault rifles. In front of the beaten Luigi was Jimmy Cohen.

 

"Ay Luigi," said Cohen, "Luigi! Get the f*ck up"

 

Jimmy slapped him a few times, until Luigi awoke from his beaten slumber

 

"Wha-" Luigi was dazed and confused "Wh-where am I?" he asked

 

Jimmy smiled, "Luigi, you're in Coral City. The gambling capital of the East Coast. The brother of Las Venturas. Right now, you're with me, head of the Irish mob"

"Head of the what?"

"The Irish mob"

"What th-"

"Shutup a minute. I'm gonna explain something to you briefly. Joey's gonna die"

"Die?...W-"

"I said shutup," Jimmy's facial expressions went flat, "I need you to call your buddy Joey up and tell him who you're with"

 

It was apparent now, Luigi had regained some conscientious -- he simply shook his head violently.

 

"Why don't...why don't you go f*ck yourself?" uttered Luigi, finally -- Jimmy simply smiled

"You're a funny man"

"When Joey gets word of this bullsh*t --"

 

Jimmy backhanded Luigi, right across the face. Much like a pimp would do to his prostitutes; Luigi hated the irony. It was then, the Irish revealed a tape, a cassette tape. He emplaced it within an old Vice City branded boombox. Little Green Bag by George Baker Selection began to play with an awfully nice bubblegum opening. He signalled for his men to leave the warehouse, and as they were leaving, Jimmy took out an axe from underneath the dust-riddled desk and stood there. Luigi's eyes grew with alarm.

 

"Now, I'm not asking. I'm tellin' you -- call Joey," Jimmy lifted his axe up, "Or else"

"Okay, fine, gimme a phone and cut me loose," Luigi was cut loose by Jimmy and handed a cellphone -- he dialed the number calmly as he could, "okay, it's ringin'"

 

Yeah

 

Lookin' back on the track for a little green bag

Got to find just that kind or losin' my mind

Outta sight in the night, outta sight in the day

Lookin' back on the track, gonna do it my way

 

Luigi stared at the floor, for a moment. He noticed that the floor was cracking apart and the paint was tearing. As Luigi eyeballed the ground he also noticed a dark burgundy colour, spots and blotches everywhere. He knew it was blood.

 

Outta sight in the night, outta sight in the day

Lookin' back on the track, gonna do it my way

Lookin' back

 

On the other end of the phone -- a voice, "Speak"

"Ay, Joey, I'm in...in Coral City. It's this place...filled with casinos"

"Shut the f*ck up Luigi -- you know damn well this is Vinny!" on the other end, Vinny laughed as he always did

"Listen. I'm with the head of the Irish mob here and he don't look too happy"

Vinny's laughter went dead silent, "The f*ckin' head of the Irish mob? What the f*ck is that supposed to mean?"

"What it means! What do you think I mean?!" Luigi was getting anxious and beginning to yell into his cellphone

"God damnit! Alright, where the f*ck are you?"

"Uhh...Jimmy, where are we?"

 

Lookin' for some happiness but there is only loneliness to find

Jump to the left, turn to the right

Lookin' upstairs, lookin' behind

 

"You're at 29 Hagenville Road," said Jimmy cheerily -- he was whistling along with the song

 

"29 Hagenville Road," Luigi repeated

"F*ck! It's gonna take us an hour to get there! Alright Luigi, youse do what you gotta do to stay alive, ey Paulie--" Vinny cut off the phone and Luigi slowly put his phone away, scared and unaware of what would be the outcome

 

Lookin' for some happiness but there is only loneliness to find

Jump to the left, turn to the right

Lookin' upstairs, lookin' behind

 

"Okay, it's done," said Luigi, depressingly

"Why you lookin' sad for Luigi, huh? You got a great song playing...you should really be lookin' for that happiness," Jimmy snickered, "anyway. Could you throw your cellphone this way?"

"Why?" Luigi inquired

"I wanna know if you called Joey or if you called some f*ck of a caporegime" Jimmy said the word in a terrible Italian accent

"Well, you know what you can do? Like I said before, f*ck yourself, because you ain't gettin' my phone" Luigi said with authority, "I may be a pimp but I sure as hell know a thing or two about what I'm doin' here and what's gonna happen to you!"

"You're speakin' outta your ass," Jimmy replied, "it's nothing really. Just a big ol' plan."

 

Yeah

 

Lookin' back on the track for a little green bag

Got to find just that kind or losin' my mind

Outta sight in the night, outta sight in the day

Lookin' back on the track, gonna do it my way

Lookin' back on the track for a little, little green bag

Got to find just that kind or losin' my mind

 

"Have you ever seen someone in pain, Luigi?" Jimmy continued -- Luigi's response was silence, "Well okay. I'll tell you something anyway. Seeing someone in pain when you're young, allows you to be desensitized when you're older. Although, that's been the case with me, y'know? But that's life. I've been surrounded by pain and seeing it doesn't affect me as much anymore. It's cold and disturbing but that's how it is these days, lookin' back, it's kinda funny."

 

Jimmy's axe had been above his shoulders for quite some time. It was then he decided to put it into action. Luigi, who sat there while Jimmy ran his mouth off, was becoming bored with what was going on. Before Luigi could even react -- Jimmy slammed the axe straight to the ground and split Luigi's feet in half. The blood did not splatter everywhere as Luigi's leather shoes acted as some sort of shield. Luigi, on the other hand, screamed loud enough to be heard outside -- pigeons were seen in the sky as they quickly flew off the roof. The bones, the flesh, the blood -- the leather shoe -- all of them quickly detached and spread on the deterioating floor. Luigi fell to the ground, and curled up into a ball, grabbing for his bloodied feet. He continued screaming like a maniac, tears rolled down his red, pulpitating face and a vein in his skull was about to go off. Luigi tried feeling his toes, but all he felt was the blood, gushing away and pieces of bone that was still there.

 

Lookin' for some happiness but there is only loneliness to find

Jump to the left, turn to the right

Lookin' upstairs, lookin' behind

 

"Okay, you see Luigi?" Jimmy crouched down to speak to the screaming Luigi, "if you want some painkillers, they're over on the other side of the building. If you can make it, HEY, good for you. You probably won't though, just guessin' here. I gotta go now, so I'll talk to you later. This is really gonna f*ck up my plans with those goombahs and all, oh well."

 

And on that note, Jimmy departed from the deteriorating warehouse, leaving Luigi to suffer -- still screaming. He sulked in agony for more than five minutes, until finally, he bit his tongue and decided to withold on screaming. Luigi looked at his surroundings; a grey, muddled office with botches of blood, dust and cobwebs everywhere. He glanced over to his feet, still bleeding, then over to what was cut off. It was then, Luigi decided to crawl out of the office by simply using his arms, elbows more like it, and slide on his belly. It would be an hour before Vinny and Paulie reached the warehouse.

 

 

Cedar Grove - 2:00PM

The cold steel was parked across the street in the beautiful neighbourhood of Cedar Grove. Rows and rows of pink and white houses, surrounded by gardens and a beautiful view of the rest of Liberty City. The one mansion in the neighbourhood was once owned by Catalina Ramiréz, the former head of the Colombian Cartel. A month after the Cochrane Dam attacks, the mansion was covered in police tape -- although, they had already come and gone. It was abandoned now and it was certainly not up for sale, even if real estate prices were golden. Joey Leone sat back in his car and sighed, he looked at the mansion from afar. He knew this was the house, it was the only one the long street that had police tape everywhere. The area failed to be busy at this point in the day.

 

Toni finally broke the silence, "That the house?"

"Positive Toni," Joey replied eventually, "we gotta get in there"

Toni smiled, he recognized anxiousness in the young Don's voice, "Hold on Joey, we don't wanna get in there and get our f*ckin' guts spread all over the concrete. Put on the vest and we'll head around the back"

 

Joey decided to do a small u-turn and parked the car parallel to the other side of the street. The two men got out of the car and put on the kevlar vests that Toni had acquired from his restaurant, along with a pair of pistols and two submachine guns. The two men proceeded by pushing forth the gates and sneaking inside quietly. They traversed through the bushes, weeds and vines that had grown in such a short matter of time. The pool in the back had accumulated fallen leaves that floated past by the sky. Joey noticed everything -- every single detail. He had not been on a mission like this since he made his bones when he was eighteen. Joey had not fought for the Leone name since he was twenty-two, during the last Family war. All of this had changed, as he and Toni approached the backdoor of the mansion.

 

"You ready?" asked Toni, calmly, though it was noted that even he was sweating

"Ready as I'll ever be, Toni."

 

Toni opened the door as quietly as he could, it creaked loudly, while Joey made his way in first and looked around at the place he was in. The kitchen. Joey looked around slowly and stepped in cautiously. He noticed the large butcher knife lying next to the sink, it was used earlier, then the half-eaten sandwich left on the table with a little bug buzzing around it, finally landing. Toni came in and signalled that he would go ahead, before he made a step -- the sound of tires screeching. Someone had pulled into the driveway of the house. Various loud bangs were heard, until the sound of something crashing silenced it all. A woman muttered something in a shrieking voice.

 

"sh*t Toni! We better get ready..." whispered Joey, his heart beating rapidly

 

A silhouette was seen in the distance, a man holding a hand gun with a woman holding onto him, the shadow continued to grow bigger until finally, the man was revealed. The thug. He wore the same tattered rags he always had; the leather jacket and green cargo pants, on his arm - Maria. He scanned the room, eyeing every possible nook and cranny in the dark room. The lightbulb was out and for good reason. The thug did not notice one thing -- Toni's heavy breathing when he got nervous, he was hidden behind the refrigerator, while Joey took the liberty of hiding underneath the table.

 

"There's nothin' here! C'mon! We gotta get outta here!" Maria protested and the thug turned his back to walk away

 

It was then Toni decided to reveal himself, "MARIA!"

 

The thug turned around nearly knocking Maria to the ground, he pointed the gun and gripped it tighter, the man was ready to pull the trigger. Joey revealed himself after rolling from underneath the table. Two submachine guns were aimed at one man, who seemed almost defenceless; it was truly an Italian-American Mexican standoff.

 

"Maria, tell your lapdog to put the gun away," said Toni calmly, "it's gonna be messy if you let him on like this"

 

At that point, Maria dropped to the ground -- she had fainted. The lone man saw the opportunity, and quickly took off before Joey fired the first few rounds; the bullets shattered the glass mirror. Joey took after him, hopping over Maria's body while Toni decided to go around the back entrance. Joey continued firing in front of him, but before he got outside the man already got into his getaway car -- a Banshee -- and sped away. Toni finally arrived to see Joey standing, disappointed and angry.

 

"F*CK!" yelled Joey, "GOD DAMNIT. WE HAD HIM TONI!" His face was beginning to turn red, as Joey threw the gun to the ground

"Joey calm the f*ck down! We got Maria! Okay...just, just calm down for a minute," explained Toni, "he's still out there and he knows were after him"

"Exactly why he's gonna f*ckin' leave town before we hit him!"

"Damnit Joe! We got Maria! We're gettin' somewhere with this bullsh*t!"

"We got a f*ckin' broad, that's f*ckin' amazing Toni. Grade A work! We shoulda hit him when he was there!"

"Joey, you're startin' to piss me off! You're not usin' your God damn head!"

 

The yelling and arguing was finally muted when Joey's pager began to beep. It was from Vinny:

 

Luigi's been kidnapped, he's in Coral City

 

Joey looked in disbelief and finally muttered, "Jesus Christ."

Edited May 8, 2007 by Coral_City

[Eminence]

Not bad, some good description in there!

 

I didn't really get the whole thing with the song at the start, including the lyrics between the dialouge seemed a little pointless to me. The whole scene seems like an homage to the scene in Reservoir Dogs with the music playing in the background - was that your intention or is it just a coincidence?

 

Yeah, if so, I don't think it really works with text, hehe.

 

With regards to the actual text, one thing I didn't like was this line:

 

 

It was a beautiful sight really.

 

Similar to the question before, it just seems a little informal and jumps out at me as hindering the flow of the narrative. There were a couple other incidences of that sort of thing in there, but it's nothing too big really.

 

I did like, however:

 

 

Above him, a single dull lightbulb.

 

Nice short sentence, very simple, yet effective. Jumped out at me as a ... good line, I suppose!

 

Looking forward to the next part.

[Coral_City]

Okay, I'll work on fixing those tiny details in the next chapter, can't help it! Guess I should've written a first-person narrative, huh?

 

And yes, it was an homage to Reservoir Dogs except I used the OTHER song instead of "Stuck in the Middle". I guess it doesn't work well within text, breaks away from flow. Oh well, it'll be the only song anyhow!

 

Expect Chapter 4: The Devil's Nature in the coming week. -- hopefully by then, a ... wider fanbase shall appear.

Edited May 9, 2007 by Coral_City

[Coral_City]

 

Chapter 4: The Devil's Nature, Pt. I

Sex Club Seven ~ 3:20PM

Clouds had gathered in that three hour period and the skies grew darker by the minute. It had not dissuaded him from doing his job. The drive to Portland was around two to two and a half hours, but the wait was absolute murder. He stayed close to the staircase, waiting. The alley was dark, cold and empty -- much like he was; no person would be caught dead alone at this time, venturing around. His car, an old Manana, was nearby and he simply walked over, popping opening the trunk of the car. On top of the mess, lay a sniper rifle, already assembled, and a box of bullets. He grabbed his tools and ascended the stairs with his weapon in hand, when it began to rain. The man, for a moment, lifted the sleeve of his jacket to check the time: 3:25PM. He continued walking up the stairs, while the rain continued to pour on him. While loading the bullets, he looked at the rooftop; it was littered with paper, cigarette butts and for some unusual reason, condoms. The man made his way to the edge of the rooftop and looked over, to the right he saw two black cars approaching. They stopped in front of the club. The rain got heavier, while he got into position, kneeling down to one knee. The man learned how to use the sniper like a professional from his friend in Harwood. It was then men adorned in blacksuits appeared, umbrellas in hand, waiting outside. His watch beeped -- it was time.

 

He watched keenly as he seen his target slowly appear. Feet first, until the entire body could be seen. The old man was in a brown suit, smiling and laughing it up with his guards. On the rooftop, he took aim. Thunder crackled as the first shot was fired, he was concealed in the shadows. The rifle burst, the bullet flew and lodged to the right of the old man's chest. He flew backwards, clutching where the bullet hit. In an instant, the mafioso guards looked around, but they could not see where the shot came from. Two more shots were fired, thereafter, each bullet tearing the throats of the bodyguards. The thunder continued rumbling as the man looked down below for more guards -- at this point, the cars disappeared, having fear of sniper fire hitting them.

 

The man with the rifle zoomed in for one final look at his work. A masterpiece. Finally, he decided it was time to leave and so he did, driving by the work he had done, for he wanted a closer work. Salvatore Leone was shot at 3:30PM, and died in the same spot where he lay. The killer had a smile on his face -- the final image Salvatore seen.

[Eminence]

Nice little chapter explaining exactly what happened to Salvatore in your version of events ... very little, may I say! Nah, short but sweet, there was some decent description in there.

 

I must say though, what a dangerous city Liberty City must be. You wouldn't be caught out in the streets at ... 3 in the afternoon?! I think you meant 3:25AM, which would indicate 3 in the morning.

 

Oh, and one last thing. You're getting a little mixed up with the usage of the word 'seen' towards the end. You use it correctly once, but the other two times are incorrect:

 

 

He watched keenly as he seen his target slowly appear. Feet first, until the entire body could be seen.

 

- the final image Salvatore seen.

 

Here, the first and last usages should be saw, while the second one is fine. So it should be:

 

 

He watched keenly as he saw his target slowly appear. Feet first, until the entire body could be seen.

 

- the final image Salvatore saw.

 

Sorry that nobody else seems to be reading it. It's a shame, because this is better than a lot of the stuff here that gets huge numbers of replies ... not to name what they are.

 

Stick at it!

[Coral_City]

Ahh, okay! Thanks for the writing help there. And yeah, it was short...there shall be a part II to complete the chapter though, so no worries .

 

As for the fanbase, oh well. I'm gonna stick with the story 'til it's completely done. Guess people like quick reading and less description.

[Gus Vite]

Nice dude, I like the way you write and describe stuff and also love Mafia stories

Please keep it descriptive and detailed, I don't care if it takes me a long time to read it.

I'm expecting for some more of this material

 

 

[Coral_City]

Gee, thanks for the reply! It's good to see someone other than Eminence or Wingman reading this . Anyhow, expect Chapter 5: The Devil's Nature, Pt. II & Chapter 6: FORGETABOUDIT!. Of course, it won't be rushed, but do expect the chapters in two weeks time.

[Gus Vite]

 

Gee, thanks for the reply! It's good to see someone other than Eminence or Wingman reading this . Anyhow, expect Chapter 5: The Devil's Nature, Pt. II & Chapter 6: FORGETABOUDIT!. Of course, it won't be rushed, but do expect the chapters in two weeks time.

Sure, I'll convince some friends to read this too. And if you can please title it chapter 6 "FUGGETTA 'BOUT IT" instead of "FORGETABOUDIT" it really sounds more like Italian-American slang and I've seen it written like that a lot lately. Just a suggestion though.

 

Ah and send my regards to the Don ha ha.

Edited May 23, 2007 by Surfin' Dude

[Coral_City]

 

Chapter 5: The Devil's Nature, Pt. II

Sex Club Seven ~ 3:30PM

"SH*T! LUIGI, HE'S DOWN!" yelled a man with sunglasses on -- moments later, a bullet pierced his skull

 

The commotion at the front entrance prompted Luigi and Mickey to head out, only to see two cars screeching off, a few guards and their Don dead. The two quickly dragged the blood soaked man over from other possible gun fire. Salvatore was coughing up blood, while clutching onto his chest. Joey Leone quickly appeared, followed by Toni Cipriani to assess the situation.

 

"Sh*t! Mickey, call a f*ckin' ambulance!" ordered Luigi, as Joey came running over to see his dying father

 

"Pop! God damnit pop!" Joey yelled -- he was in disarray

"Jo--Joey, c'mhere," the dying Salvatore beckoned for his boy to come closer, "Joey."

"Yeah pop?" Joey was holding Salvatore in his arms, while he continued to cough up blood

"You was-- you were a..." Salvatore continued coughing, "you were a good son. Just remember...always think with your brain, not your dick."

Joey was confused by this, but smiled, "Okay pop...will do..."

"Joey. I'm-- I'm dyin' - I just... there just wasn't enough time"

 

Again, Joey was confused -- it seemed as though Salvatore was speaking in tongue. Joey simply smiled and his father the same, and finally, Joey felt the warmth in his arms slowly fade away and his father stopped coughing up blood. Salvatore Leone had died in his arms and Joey was to remember the day for as long as he could live.

 

 

Chapter 6: FORGETABOUDIT!

Outskirts of Coral City ~ 4:00PM

The sun was beating down upon the earth on which the three men were standing on. The sun was slowly setting of course, but it continued to blaze, with mosquitoes buzzing around and vultures flying around in the area -- the harbingers of death. Joey Leone, Paulie Romero and Vinny Rizzuto all stood near their car, with a body in the back. Luigi. The stretch of road went on for miles and they were all in the middle of nowhere.

 

"So, whaddaya wanna do Joe'?" asked Vinny

Joey scratched his head, then ran his fingers through his hair before responding, "Just bury the body somewhere"

Paulie was caught off guard by the response, "What the hell do you mean?"

"What do you think it means?"

"Joey, I don't mean any disrespect...but he's one of our guys"

"Paulie. If you trust me, do what I say. Keep it under wraps too"

"You can't keep that under wraps," Paulie said, "I mean, why all the secrecy anyway?"

"Damnit Paulie, don't question what I do, alright? You'll know all the sh*t's that's going down soon enough. In the mean time, take care of the body, while I figure out what to do with this broad"

 

Joey walked away, while Paulie scoffed at the idea of burying one of their own -- in the middle of nowhere.

 

"F*ck this" said Paulie, "I ain't doin' this sh*t"

"Whaddaya mean you're not gonna do this?"

"I ain't malleable Vinny. I ain't diggin' a hole. You can dig it for all I care -- 'sides, it was my car -- shovel's in the back"

"Fine. I'll dig the f*ckin' hole! I've been diggin' holes since I was fourteen anyway. It ain't like this is my first f*ckin' hole! I don't really give a f*ck...but you go 'gainst the Don like that again, I'm gonna bury you f*ckin' alive!"

 

And with that, Vinny hurriedly went over to the trunk of the car to retrieve a shovel and threw it against the ground. He then dragged Luigi's now stiffy body and chucked it over towards the shovel. The digging process began while Paulie waited inside the car. Joey, on the other hand, travelled to where Toni and Maria were. Maria was bound by rope, while her hands and feet were duct-taped -- although, it was not an unusual scene for her.

 

"Alright, Toni, what's the news?" Joey asked

Toni nudged Maria lightly, "Go 'head, tell him what you told me"

 

Maria was hesitant, she was staring at the face of a man's son, whom she was responsible for murdering. Joey had a look on his face, though -- the 'Thousand-Yard Stare'. He was disillusioned, even till this point, how someone could have infiltrated the ranks of the Mafia so rapidly and then whack the Don, so simply.

 

"Well," she gulped, "it all started when Salvatore hired this guy. You know, the one that worked for the all of youse. Well, Salvatore was getting paranoid, y'see. He knew that the guy--"

"Did this guy ever have a name?" interrupted Joey

"Apparently not," replied Toni, "it doesn't really matter at this point"

Maria continued, "Well, I told Salvatore that...me and this guy were an item. Sooner or later, he would probably kill Salvatore, I mean, why not? He's done everythin' else- right? So, it turns out that Salvatore made plans with the Cartel. In order to make things even, Salvatore was willing to kill him. Then he would've gotten rid of me! And - and things just went downhill from there."

"So, who'd you guys go to, huh?"

"I had a friend in the Yakuza. I mean, you guys should know this stuff, you guys were in Staunton!"

 

Joey and Toni looked at each other for a second before Toni spoke, "We weren't in Staunton Maria"

"Yes you were! Guys were posted up watchin' Yakuza business!" Maria was yelling, she wanted to get her point across

"Look, as much as I knew about certain things, me or Toni didn't send no guys to Staunton. We didn't know who whacked my pop, alright? That's beside the point. Now your boyfriend is runnin' around Liberty and he's probably gonna skip cities. You know how much of a problem that is for me? F*ck. So you say the Yakuza were behind all this bullsh*t?"

"With their problems with the Cartel, yeah, I guess they were," replied Maria, "so, what happens now?"

 

Joey wondered the same thing. On one hand, there was a dead associate; a dead friend; a dead Leone -- killed by the hands of an Irish gangster, while being backed by two diminishing crime Families. On the other hand, was the man who killed his father and the group that backed him up -- the Yakuza. War was not for the weak minded, which meant Joey had to play it smart or he would wind up dead.

 

Finally, Joey answered, "Toni's gonna drive you back to the city, okay? Once you get there, I want you to get the f*ck out of Liberty. You understand me?"

Maria noted the tone in Joey's voice and took it as a blessing in disguise, "Alright Joey. Well, it was nice knowin' you..." she had nothing left to say

 

Toni cut her loose and threw the garbage in the back of the car, while she put on her seatbelt. Toni waved goodbye to Joey as the two headed towards Liberty City. Joey sighed, as usual, and looked over towards Vinny and Paulie. Vinny had just finished dumping the body in and was getting ready to throw back the dug-up dirt. Joey walked over to the car and signalled Vinny to stop.

 

"Vinny, forgetaboudit. It's good enough" said Joey, his tone was placid

"What the f*ck is goin' on!? You can still see the body!" Vinny protested, he had an exasperated look on his face

"Don't worry about it Vinny. We're gonna head back to the city, I got a job for you guys."

 

Paulie wondered why the sudden change -- secrecy lost its importance in less than ten minutes. Vinny complied with the orders, and threw the shovel into the back of the trunk before hopping in the back. The dirt had accumulated on his shoes and pants, at this, Vinny grimaced and muttered on.

 

"So, what's the job?" asked Vinny

"The airport," replied Joey, "change outta that f*ckin' suits after the job though, the both of ya. I don't want you guys to walk around with a red dot on your foreheads, y'understand?"

 

Paulie continued driving the car, smirking at the idea of being walking targets. Although, he had a sense of what was going to happen in Shoreside. Someone had seriously pissed Joey off.

 

 

Outskirts of Liberty City - 5:00PM

Toni was driving along the only wooded area in the state -- it was still lush in green, and the trees stood strong, rooted to the ground for what seemed like hundreds of years. In the distance, the large mountainous areas of Shoreside Vale were visible and just beneath that, the Porter Tunnel, which linked Liberty City to the rest of the state. However, Toni decided to pull the car over and make a complete stop. He checked the rearview mirrors and seen one lonely truck pass by.

 

"What the hell, why'd you stop?" questioned Maria

 

With no response, Toni pulled out his nine millimetre pistol and Maria's eyes grew in shock.

 

"Oh Toni...you -- you can't be serious, right? I swear to God Toni, don't do this! I'll scream! I'll do anything Toni, please, just don't do this!" Maria protested, at the same time she decided to make haste

 

Toni saw Maria run into the wooded area and decided to get out of the car. Although, she had a head start, her pace was hindered because of a broken heel. Maria began screaming for her life, as Toni picked up the pace. He could hear the sobbing and screaming -- nothing would deter Toni from doing his job. It would be a fair amount of kilometres before Maria finally let up the chase and Toni eventually caught up. He was a bit out of breath and red in the face, and saw Maria on her knees, pleading for her life.

 

"Toni, I'm beggin' you. We have history Toni! Don't do this!"

 

Without hesitating Toni lifted his gun up and fired two shots into Maria's chest, as she toppled backwards. She clutched her life threatening wounds, while he approached her. Maria took a look at Toni, as she felt the life being sucked out of her. The blood was leaking, drop by drop, and she knew it was over -- the amount of pain was immeasurable to her.

 

"My only regret, Maria, is not having done this sooner," Toni said coldly, while crouched down he emplaced the gun in Maria's mouth, "this one's for you Sal'" -- and fired a shot, point blank.

 

Toni took out a white cloth and wiped the gun down, leaving it next to Maria. He did not bother to look back at the mess he created, instead, he continued walking out of the forestry and towards civilization. The aroma of the area was still the same -- pinetrees were littered across the vast amount of land. It was all familiar to Toni now, as it was seven years ago. Giancarlo DiMaggio was whacked and buried, his body was not far off from Maria's corpse.

Edited January 9, 2008 by Coral_City

[Eminence]

Another good chapter, it's progressing nicely. Again, some great description, especially towards the end when Maria is shot. One thing I have to enquire about, though ... why would they have to secretly bury Luigi? They've done nothing wrong - he's been murdered by a rival family, so wouldn't they mourn his death and have a funeral after he's been whacked so brutally? That whole thing just didn't seem to make any sense.

 

One line I noticed as well,

 

 

The sun was beating down upon the earth on which the three men were standing on. The sun was slowly setting of course

 

Firstly, both sentences start with "the sun". Variation!!

 

Secondly, the end of that line, "of course", is a little informal. "The sun was slowly setting of course", it just doesn't seem to fit well. I think it would be better to incorporate the fact that it was sunset in the first sentence when you initially mention the sun ... just fit it in, if ya get me?

 

Other than that, good chapter. I look forward to its continuation.

[Coral_City]

Ooh! I didn't even notice that @[email protected] gotta take better measures in re-reading things over, thanks for the look-out. As for the burial of Luigi and the secrecy surrounding it - it'll be explained soon enough. I mean, Paulie was wondering the same thing, so it's just begging to be explained

 

Edit: Expect the next few chapters Load 'em Up..., Cock Back... & Squeeze... to be posted in the coming month. It's gonna take a while, so the many fans of the story shall have to wait just a little bit.

Edited May 31, 2007 by Coral_City

[Gus Vite]

Yeah nice one man.

[Oxidizer]

Doh! I knew there was something I was forgetting.

 

I've been keeping up with this fic and was meant to comment but got sidetracked. Sorry about that.

 

Dude, this is very good! So much in fact that now I feel like playing GTA3. Great job!

 

Can't wait for the following chapters.

[Coral_City]

Just a little status update! Won't be seeing one for a while now, so, just stick with it for now. The next chapter should come near the end of the month, hopefully

[Gus Vite]

Hmmm...

[Leprechaun]

Keep it coming!

[Archaon, Lord of End Times]

I haven't bothered with a fanfic in a long f*ckin' time. But this, this is damn good. The best written piece of work I've seen yet. The story is incredibly captivating. I can see your influenced by some of the "gangster greats" as some of your scenes pay homage to certain mob movie classics. I'm tellin' ya, man. Keep this up. It's f*ckin' great.

 

If you ever need a bit a of help with mafia based material, drop me a PM.

[Coral_City]

A very nice, large bump. I'm guessing this story's going to be off "hiatus" -- I'm going to post a chapter tonight and slowly but surely, I will finally get around to finishing it!

[Coral_City]

 

Chapter 7: King's Court

Vito Sonnetti's House, Cedar Grove, Shoreside Vale

 

"sh*t! You killed the pimp!" exclaimed an alarmed Vito Sonnetti

"Yeah, I killed him," casually answered Jimmy Cohen, "I killed him real good. Chopped his f*ckin' toes off so the bastard couldn't even walk"

 

Vito stood aback for a while, and gave Henry a glance, who simply shrugged. Bald Man Sonnetti rubbed the upper portions of his head and sighed. The two Italians knew that even an Irishman could not control himself from the temptation of murder. It was in Jimmy's blood. At least, that's what their belief was.

 

"So... what are we, f*cked or something?" asked Henry impatiently

Jimmy intervened before the Bald Man opened his mouth, "Not necessarily, paisano. See, we whacked one of their guys, so now we basically go to war. You know? Basically." Jimmy spoke with a certain elegance; a relaxed tone

 

The room was empty and Sonnetti was staring outside of the window looking towards the backyard. He let out a sigh and finally took a seat; the old Don was beat. Murdering one of the Leone's racket men meant certain death. War was to take place much later in the plan, but the Irishman decided to speed things up.

 

"Alright look. Jimmy's right Henry, we do go to war. We go to war but we gotta do it right. Now I seen how the old guys, I seen how they did things. It wasn't wise, it wasn't smart! We gotta destroy everything their is in Little Italy before he decides to hit back -- or else, we're all f*cked," spoke a defeated Sonnetti, "what we gotta do now is stock up on explosives. Tons of explosives."

"Attaboy Sonnetti! That's it. My guys will hook something up from a little shipment, the sh*t's comin' through Guernsey... so we'll get it in a few days"

"You planned explosives already?"

"Well, just in case somethin' went awry. I ain't goin' out without a fight believe me. The stuff's comin' from Ireland! Uncle Connie got ready to blow sh*t up, but I ringed up first!"

 

Jimmy smiled at the two old Dons, who returned it with a nervous smile and a nod. Behind Jimmy's smile, however, was a much more cynical plot -- nobody knew what he was going to do next.

 

 

Leone Gentlemen's Club, Little Italy, Portland Island

 

Joey Leone was seated, slouched in the leather arm chair, downing scotch like it was water. The young Don was contemplating his next action -- "unknown heavenly forces" were at work, wishing for his downfall. The day was slowly winding down and already things were going terribly downhill. Joey's grasp on power was shortlived, as he believed, it was all over. It was then, Joey heard a sound -- a car had pulled up into the driveway and it was none other than the trusted Underboss -- Toni Cipriani. The bulky man had a grim look on his face and the dirt was noticeable on his shoes. He took a seat across from Joey and stared at him diligently.

 

"Maria's been taken care of," Toni blurted out, "how's Paulie and Vinny?"

Joey smiled, "I don't know Toni. I haven't heard from them since I sent 'em to Shoreside - the sh*t was hours ago"

"You feelin' okay Joe?" Toni felt compelled to ask

"Yeah I'm fine... feelin' real fine. I mean, one of our guy's are dead, two of our guys went to Shoreside for a simple gun-and-run, I get the feelin' that those f*ckin' Irish and old farts are plannin' somethin' big -- other than the killin' of our guys. But hey, that's just me. I"m completely fine Toni, thanks for askin'"

"You're a real piece of work kid, real piece of work. So, things've gone wrong, what the f*ck does it matter? You make up for the mistakes everyone else make's, c'mon Joey, I know you ain't that stupid!"

"You wanna know somethin'? I don't give a damn right now. What I need now is a helicopter - no, wait, I need two helicopters. I want our guys from the department in on this, it's a simple job"

"Joey, what the f*ck is the plan?"

"Don't worry Toni, I have it figured out. We just need to figure out where that Irish prick is hiding."

 

Toni stared at Joey with a sort of uneasiness he never encountered before. But he left anyway, complying with the Don's orders. Toni realized that things were rapidly escalating since Joey's "Christening" into Donship; however Joey was acting a bit overboard for his own taste.

 

 

Aspatria, Staunton Island

 

A convertible pulled into the dark alley way and sped towards the blocked path. The lone man quickly got out of his car and headed towards the elevator -- the thug had nothing left in Liberty City. His plan, now, was to gather his belongings, whatever he had and the cash he had accumulated. But the fear of death gripped him; squeezed him - enough, which was enough to make him vomit. It was certainly not the first time someone wanted to kill him -- that was not the fear that pinched at his stomach -- it was the fact someone wanted revenge. Although, he dished out his own vengeance while living in Liberty City, his time had come. The only hope now was a plane trip to anywhere in the country -- anywhere but the dreaded place he had lived in for so long.

 

His passport read, Claude Conway, but it was the streets that called him by "Speed", simply because of his abilities in completing jobs quickly and with just enough bloodshed. The cash he acquired was in unmarked bills, ranging from simple fives to hundreds. He decided everything else in the small apartment was worthless, it would do him no good wherever he was going. The entire place was drab; unorganized; filthy. Boxes of things stacked on top of mountains of clothes, unfinished takeout food, used condoms, it was all worthless to him. Claude stuffed a wad of bills in his left coat pocket, and tucked a 9 Millimetre away in his waist.

 

The only thing left to do was to survive. Although, making it from point A to point B was never an easy task.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Coral_City

[Coral_City]

 

Chapter 8: The Smile, Part I

Francis International Airport, Shoreside Vale

"There he is!"

 

Before fireworks rang off at Francis International Airport, the night was relatively calm. Flights were landing, planes were taking off, everything was running as clear as the night was. The moon illuminated, what would otherwise be, the very gloomy and dingy streets. Though operations never come to a close at the airport, it was usually inactive, with the usual group of Japanese tourists coming to explore the bowels of America. In the wooded area, a car was parked, with the headlights off and with two figures inside: Vinny & Paulie.

 

"When's this guy gonna come? We've been waitin' f*ckin' hours now." complained Vinny as he took another sip of the black coffee, the day certainly wore him down

Paulie's answer was simply a shrug, "we just gotta keep truckin' and hopefully he'll come through"

"I could've banged a broad in the time that we're waitin' here. Jesus. Y'know, I think Joey's goin' a bit crazy with the sh*t"

"Oh, you think Vinny? Really? Joey's goin' a bit crazy?" replied Paulie sarcastically, "he's actin' more than just crazy. He told us to bury Luigi for God's sake. He's sendin' us to get guys who could easily take a f*ckin' boat outta the city! Who needs this sh*t, honestly. I mean, granted, he gave us a promotion and all, but he's actin' out of line -- out of order!"

"Maybe you got a point Paulie, just maybe. But, you know, just trust Joey on this. He might've been the Salvatore's, may he rest in peace, son and we might've put more work than him -- but he's Don. There's not much we're gonna do about it, except get our kickbacks and get our pay."

 

Paulie glanced over at Vinny, though he was explaining the obvious, it was true. Paulie simply grunted as a reply and they went back to their quiet solitude. The night was beginning to stretch on, until finally a black Humvee was heard skidding as it turned the corner. The noise awoke Vinny, who eyed the car as it came to a screeching halt. Out walked a man, who quickly grabbed his belongings and headed inside the airport; Vinny noticed he was in quite a rush, leaving his car running.

 

"Paulie," Vinny said, smacking his friend in the arm, "get your sh*t ready, we're headin' inside"

 

Paulie opened his eyes slightly, but clearly heard what Vinny said and heeded his words. He punched the glove compartment and inside were two very large handguns; a Desert Eagle from the streets of Israel and a .357 Magnum from the streets of Liberty. The pair concealed their weapons beneath their shirts, and in their slacks -- eventually, they found themselves in a somewhat crowded airport, looking for the one man known as Claude.

 

The pair decided to split up and cover the entire airport, no matter what. The airport was a behemoth and Paulie simply scanned the crowds of people, looking for Claude. The face was all that he had to go by. It struck Paulie that checking the baggage lines would be much more beneficial than simply looking around like a lost puppy of sorts. With that, he shoved every other person out of the way, ferociously looking for the man that held so much importance. Paulie spotted Vinny in the crowd and gave him a small wave -- the mobster mentality allowed all members of La Cosa Nostra to think alike, apparently.

 

The search began to grow weary as a plane, unloading the passengers, baggage and anything else on board, landed. The light crowd began to grow, and the sea of heads were beginning to confuse the two gangsters. Hawk eyed and vigilant, Vinny glared at the many faces and finally spotted his mark. Baggage in hand, the man was looking around suspiciously, seemingly waiting for a signal to do something. Vinny signaled to Paulie and they made their way closer to the desired target, when finally, short tempered and fed up, Vinny exclaimed:

 

"There he is!" he snickered, "I found Waldo, that stupid f*ck!"

 

As quickly as he shouted, Vinny produced his pistol and aimed, firing only three times -- which was enough to down him. Two of the bullets lacerated the man's triceps, violently swinging him, so the third bullet was able to go through his chest, piercing his lung. The body collapsed and Paulie quickly ran to further inspect, while Vinny, still excited, fired shots into the air. The crowds began screaming in horror and everything rapidly degraded -- the nightshift security were called in to help secure the situation. However, it was to Paulie's dismay, that Vinny had simply shot an innocent bystander who looked like the mark.

 

"Vinny! Stop firing, it ain't him!" Paulie shouted at the top of his lungs, speaking over the bodies being trampled, people screaming and feet shuffling around, while Vinny frowned and put his arms toward the ground. It was the kind of news, a man of his stature just did not want to hear.

 

Suddenly, another gunshot burst into the air. At that point, the large, terrified crowd began dissipating.

 

The shot was followed by another, only this time the aim was better. Vinny Rizzuto was hit on the arm and toppled to the ground, in pain. Paulie glanced up at the shooter, and it was no brainless security guard, it was their mark: Claude "Speed". The marksman wasted no time in saving himself; he continued firing at Paulie, who was hit in the face, numerous times, fracturing his cheek and nose bones. The other bullets ripped through his throat in mere seconds, leaving Paulie gasping and squirming for air. Eventually, he stopped and laid on the ground like a stillborn baby, who choked on his own blood.

 

Vinny did not give up with out a fight, in his attempt to get up and aim, Claude pistol whipped the short man. Before feeling anymore pain, Claude fired two more shots, this time, into Vinny's legs, who only began to scream even more profanities. The blood on the floor began pouring into what seemed like a river, Vinny kept squirming around trying to get away from it. His revolver was lost in the crowd of bodies, which left him weak and vulnerable. Claude kicked Vinny in the stomach and turned him over and, as elegantly as possible, pointed the gun in his face and smiled sickly. Vinny stared on, with what little toughness he had left and Claude pulled the trigger.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Coral_City

[Stefan.]

Hey man, are you going to continue the story about the Yardies? Or is that gone, 'cause I really enjoyed that story.

 

As for this, this is great. I'm really enjoying it; I haven't read the full story yet, but I've read the first two chapters so far. Don't worry; I'll be sure to get around and read the next ones soon. Keep it up.