It was supposed to finally come to an end, or so rumors had hinted as much. The Prohibition Era had been one of the most frustrating time-frames, particularly for the mafia families spread throughout the United States. While booze was the main thing that authorities had their eyes on, it was by no means the only things that could be confiscated if one wasn't careful. Drugs, weapons, trafficking, brothels, and many more popular vices that people tended to indulge in.
With the Vanetti, Orco, and Galassia families having steadily fallen apart, new ones rose in its place. Just as empires rise and fall, now was no exception.
Although the Veleno Familigia had most of its members linked by blood, there were a good number who were taken in after proving themselves to the don. One of these such individuals was Pat Hunter, whom was viewed as something of a prodigy given they were also the youngest Veleno member; still barely seventeen, and yet possessing years worth of skills. Particularly in their aim with a firearm. It was always a sight for the more experienced and older mafia members to behold, question, and admire all at once.
And indeed, quite a few had tried to pry and ask for how Pat had gained such skills.
Most were given a rather curt reply along the lines of "Just be glad someone here has them". Some accepted and agreed that was true. Others, naturally, didn't take too well to it. But even those who weren't overly fond of the lip they received from the young teen never dared to act on their reactions, if only to avoid incurring the wrath of their own leader.
There was, of course, a reason for these responses. It was just one of those things that no one needed to know. So, Pat ensured to keep it from everyone, even the don, despite it being a risky gesture.
Naturally, a lot of people had asked their leader why they were fine being out of the loop.
"Don't you know they're holding some shit back from you?!"
"Of course. But if it were important enough, I'd extract that information myself."
Marco Veleno waved his hand through the air, dismissing the matter. "Go get Pat and some of the others. It's almost nearing time to meet up with the other Familigia in the neutral ground and get our supplies." A scoff was the first response, but no further arguments were offered. Within minutes, Pat and three other men walked into the don's office, wearing expectant expressions.
"It's almost time, as I'm sure you all know," Marco stated, waiting until everyone gave some affirmative gesture or reply. Then he looked over towards one of the more familiar faces to him, someone who had been in the Veleno Familigia much longer than Pat. It was his eldest son, born from his own flesh and blood. "Alessandro? Are the women ready for transport?"
"As is the booze, yes."
"Good. Leonardo and Pat? Go grab the liquor. Alessandro and Lucas? Go get the women." All four nodded, though it didn't escape anyone that Pat looked less than pleased. Thankfully, everyone would stay quiet until they were out of ear shot. Then and only at that moment did Leonardo speak up, "Really not fond of selling them out, are ya?"
"No. That can be done with them still having their freedom intact," Marco replied.
"So the fuck are you doing with us then? You knew when you joined up, didn't you?" Leaning down, the young man grabbed one of the barrels of liquor and started carrying it away. An irritated scoff passed Leonardo's lips as he muttered a few words under his breath. Still, he knew they were all pressed for time, and now wasn't the best moment to begin a major argument. Minutes later, the other two Veleno members would arrive, with a dozen females walking in an eerily calm fashion behind the men. Whether they had simply accepted their fates or had them beaten into them was anyone's guess.
"Alright! Off we go!" Pat would be in the back, with Alessandro driving the van. The engine roared and slowly - but very surely - the vehicle headed to the 'neutral ground' the don had spoken of. An abandoned cinema. Since it had been shut down for a few years, it wasn't under the normally watchful eyes of the police, and thus made these exchanges easier to comply with.<|im_end|>
It was all true; with the Vanettis wiped out to nearly extinction, the Orcos disbanded, and the Galassias moved on, two families seized the opportunity to rise to power in Lawless, Illinois. One would be the Veleno and the other, Salvatori. They had not wanted their growing empires to collapse in the same fashions that their predecessors suffered, so Don Marco Veleno and Don Albert Salvatori founded a sort of peace treaty where both profit off the people's habits without stepping on each other's toes.
Lawless Heaven was still the crowned jewel, the ultimate whiskey, and its most sought after recipe sold to the Veleno from an anonymous seller. The booze trade belonged to them as well as a quarter of the women in the city who operate the brothels. What was left in the market was run by Don Albert; not a man in the city could get his hands on a gun or even an ounce of cocaine without his knowledge. An arguable claim.
To compete with Lawless Heaven, the Salvatori hustled the purest cocaine, known as Chicago Snow.
A crew of six men stashed the drugs in crates the size of gas ranges and on top was a wooden piece with a false bottom filled with soft hay and empty glass jars. The false bottom trick proved useful if ever stopped by the cops or to divert unwanted attention. It was how the family transported all their goods. Three more crates held the same packages of Chicago Snow with empty jars on top and two more crates in equal size contained revolvers and four new Tommy guns.
Among the crew was Andreas Russo and a tragic past was how he came onto the Salvatori family. He'd been orphaned at a young age and as a dear friend of the family, Don Albert and his wife, Lady Rosalina, adopted him as their own. Every day he worked harder than others in the family to live up to their expectations. Since being chosen to be the next don without a drop of Salvatori blood, Andreas had a lot to prove. He often received backlash for Don Albert's decision especially from his cousin Antonio who would also be on the crew for today's arrangements.
The two lifted the heavy gun crates and loaded them into the back of the box truck. Paolo and Tomas were inside to receive the shipment, using their brawn to push the crates further in and chain them down. With the group effort, they were packed up by 11:00 AM and ready with Paolo and Tomas remaining in the rear for unloading time, Manny would drive, Stefano rode shotgun, and Antonio and Andreas were in Antonio's black Rolls Royce as the blocker car for security.
11:17 AM
Abandoned Odyssey Theater
"If we have to wait on them, then they're late. That's that. And don't expect him to say anything about it." Antonio gestured to Andreas over his shoulder with a sharp thumb as he conversed with the men. Everyone had been huddled beside the truck in their usual spot for the trade off behind the building. There was a place where the dumpsters were located that served as an ideal blind spot. "I'll tell'em. I got things to do on a peaceful Sunday like this, you know."
Meanwhile, Andreas had finished the last of his smoke before approaching the others. His face held little emotion despite the irritation that bullied him. There was no arguing with his older cousin when he was like this.
Paolo had a softer side for Andreas, "Hey birthday boy, I hear the Don's letting you get first pick on an escort when they get here. Yeah, I even heard him say this is the finest batch we'll ever get and he paid top dollar."
Today was his 18th birthday and Andreas remembered the conversation with Don Albert well. In fact, he had said, "You don't have many friends your own age and I never see you with female company. Are you still a virgin? We'll fix that. I insist, Andreas! You're at the cusp of your manhood, surely this will bring you over. Just relax, son. I'll arrange everything for you!"
"Yeah, he mentioned it. A whole day with her in a hotel suite on fifth." Andreas answered. The jealousy was apparent on each man's face but he did not share their enthusiasm. Then they all spoke up at once, giving him tips for his first time. Antonio would rather share his own experiences that he accomplished in his early teens and said he thought Andreas was not interested in women at all. "No, no, it's not like that at all. I just... wanted things to happen more naturally."
"Such a romantic." Antonio teased and rolled his eyes.
"Wait, sounds like they're here." And Andreas straightened the creases out of his white coat and brushed off any lint.
"It's about damn time."<|im_end|>