Sin sat in the passenger side of the van with Alonzo Junior, in the driver’s seat across from Clean Contro’s second most expensive substance rehabilitation centre. It boasted a luxurious cinema, two swimming pools, a gym, and twenty-four hour support from its workers. The front entrance reminded Sin of Albert’s house; the only thing visible amongst the heavy greenery was the driveway that led to the reception.
They both smiled excitedly as Sammy walked out of the driveway smoking a cigarette with his bag slung over his arm.
“Pop the boot,” Sin ordered.
Alonzo Junior pulled the lever inscribed with a picture of the boot opening; nothing happened. “Fuck.” Alonzo Junior shut the car off and removed the keys both Giuseppe men got outside the van and Alonzo Junior unlocked the back with keys.
Sin gave his best friend a hug and took his bag for him, “Good to see you Sammy.” Sin passed the bag to Alonzo Junior to throw inside the boot.
Sammy took a draw of his cigarette, “Good to see you to, I got my shit straight in there…though it felt like fucking forever.”
Alonzo Junior shook Sammy’s hand and patted him on the back, “Welcome home. Where do you want to go first?”
“I just want a fucking burger and a beer,” Sammy said.
“You allowed drink beer?” Sin asked, concerned.
“One wont set me off,” Sammy said, reassuringly.
“Tanya’s?” Alonzo Junior asked.
“Yeah Tanya’s,” Sin said, sliding open the side door for Sammy.
“What about cigarettes, aren’t they an addictive substance?” Sin asked.
“Why the fuck are you breaking my balls for? I just got out…go and ask them they encourage smoking in there, Jesus.”
“Alright, alright, let’s go,” Sin said.
“Donny going to be there?” Sammy asked.
“Probably,” Sin said, looking back over his shoulder at Sammy.
“I got to apologize to the guy,” Sammy said, clicking his seatbelt in.
“That’d be a good idea,” Sin said.
“So we got Premilli Plumbing, Giuseppe Concreting, six of my guys as supervisors, and Alonzo as a consultant?” Albert asked Ted, the builder he helped obtain the contract to the three high rises being built.
Ted took his hard hat off and traced the dirt on the ground with his foot. He was in his mid fifties and with Albert’s influence on the unions he made a lot of money, and won a lot of contracts in Contro City. “Sounds about right, we’re just waiting to cut through a bit of red tape with planning and we’ll be right to start in a couple of weeks.”
“Good. Anything I can help you with on the red tape issues?” Albert asked.
“No, it’s nothing really…just formalities,” Ted said, picking up a rock off the ground and looking around at all the dirt that would soon be getting dug up for the foundations of the building to be laid out.
“I’ll hear from you then,” Albert said, as he shook Ted’s hand.
Albert walked over toward Mike who was leaning up against the car reading the Contro Chronicles. He needed no orders; Mike opened the passenger side door for the boss to climb in and waited until Albert was seated before taking one look around and climbing into the driver’s seat.
“Shouldn’t we have Sin with us? I mean I’d feel better if we had two people watching you Al given the current circumstances,” Mike said.
“Yeah, but we got Eddie following us,” Albert subtly pointed at the black car near the makeshift driveway Eddie, was waiting patiently in.
“I know, I could handle it myself I’m just saying – with the fire power we’re up against.”
“Duly noted Mike, the kid had to pick up that loser Sammy though. Sin will be the best judge of character for that scumbag to see if he’s really cleaned his act up. For now I want to bring Eddie in with us,” Albert said.
Rolled was lit up by two neon lights; one reading OPEN, the other spelling out the tobacco shops name. A small line of customers lined up to buy cigarettes as they waited for their nicotine fix outside of the nightclubs.
“You gave me a twenty, not a fifty…don’t try that shit here you fucking scam artist now beat it,” Vincent said, as he sized up the man on the opposite side of the counter.
The customer was well built and had a tattoo of a skull on his neck, “Bullshit, count your fucking register.”
“I’ll do that pal,” Vincent put his hand up to the other awaiting customers, “Sorry everyone we’re going to have to be patient while we do a count.” Impatient drunks met his message with grunts and sighs.
“Listen you little runt, give me the money before I beat you to a pulp. It will be easier that way,” the man cracked his knuckles.
The side door to the tobacco store creaked open and the large looming figure of Mike stepped outside accompanied by Eddie. They both walked up to confront the man trying to pull the short change scam.
“We got a problem?” Mike asked, as he stared the customer in the eyes.
“Fuck off fat shit,” the man said, angrily.
Mike looked at Vincent who was sweating bullets and then at Eddie; who despite being the smallest out of everyone was rolling up his sleeves.
Mike waved his finger, “No, no. This is what is going to happen. You take your correct change and leave, or else.”
The solid man sporting the skull neck tattoo laughed, “You know who I’m with? How about go fuck yourself.”
Mike cocked his arm back and landed a heavy punch on the man’s nose breaking it; the customers standing behind took a few steps back. Eddie joined in throwing nonstop punches into the mans head; he fell to the ground and Mike dropped a kick into his stomach and then called the two bouncers standing at the front of Tony’s; one of the only nightclubs not taken over by Rai; to come over and remove the troublemaker from area.
“Sorry people, back to business,” Mike said, being met with a round of applause and cheers by the crowd of drunks.
Mike walked back through the side door and entered the counter part where Vincent was already serving the next customer. He bent down and picked up a handful of cigars, and along with Eddie, proceeded through the back door.
Albert, Carlos, Alonzo Senior, Salvatore, and the nightclub owner Tony, sat around a rectangle table; littered with ashtrays, sandwiches, and empty beer bottles. Sin was fast asleep on the bed on the side of the room, and Alonzo Junior dealt a round of cards around to the five players as the doorbell rang. Sammy, who was sitting back on the couch next to the door with his feet on a box got to his feet and pulled the two metal leavers back. Ever since Bill Darsen made a show of humiliating Albert and the captain’s; the shop had undergone some more fortifications; the door was designed to withstand a Special Forces battering ram.
“Bout fucking time,” Alonzo Senior said, putting his empty beer bottle on the table. Mike had to bend down to stop his head from hitting the door frame when he walked in holding the cigars. Eddie walked in and dropped down into another couch by the fridge stacked with beers.
“Ah, I got nothing,” Tony said, throwing in his cards.
“We had an issue with a customer,” Mike said, shrugging.
Albert took a small pile of chips and raised Carlos’s offering, and then looked at Mike, “Do I need to ask?”
Mike shook his head, “It was nothing, just some imbecile trying to pull a short change scam. Tony’s boys removed him from the area.” The big bodyguard handed each of the players a cigar each.
Tony the bald man in his late forties smiled. “They’re good boys my lot, not one of them left even when the Koreans tried their best to muscle in on me.”
Alonzo Senior lit his cigar and took a puff, “You shuffling these fucking cards?” He said angrily to his son.
The rest of the players laughed as Alonzo Senior threw in his hand; leaving three potential winners left to battle it out.
“Any more news on when Domenic, is getting out?” Carlos asked.
“No word, even when he does he’ll be in parole,” Albert said.
“Since when does that stop anyone?” Carlos laughed, looking at Alonzo Senior.
“Sin wake up,” Alonzo Junior said, shaking the soldiers shoulder.
Sin stirred about on the bed and groaned, “What?”
“Home time,” Sammy said, standing beside Alonzo Junior.
“They’re waiting for us outside,” Salvatore said, just only having joined the group.
“How’d we do today at the car wash?” Sin asked, as he collected his phone off the floor and turned it on.
“Good, the kids were flat out washing all day,” Salvatore said.
“Got the read?” Sin asked.
Salvatore reached into his back pocket and handed over the daily takings report to Sin. “I’ll go and bring the van around, so we can follow the convoy to the safe house.”
Sin nodded in and out of sleep all the way back to the safe house. Albert had arrived first and was being escorted through the gate by Mike and Eddie, as the other captain’s got out of their vehicles accompanied by their minders. A few lights lighted up the safe house and the soldiers who stayed behind moved around bored.
“Alonzo take Sammy’s bag up for him and find him a mattress,” Sin ordered, “Salvatore, I need to talk with you.”
Alonzo groaned a little but did as he was told Sammy awkwardly followed. “What’s up?” Salvatore asked, when it was only the two of them under the streetlight.
Sin yawned and wiped his eyes, “We got a big job coming up, and I want you a part of it.”
“You mean the big job?” Salvatore asked, surprised.
Sin nodded, “I’m thinking we’ll need one or two other people.”
“Alonzo, Sammy?” Salvatore asked.
“Nah, someone else.”
“Like who?” Salvatore asked.
Sin yawned again, “Irish.”
“I’ll talk to Donny first thing in the morning,” Salvatore said.
A/N: The Giuseppe's are back together, how do you like it?