Chapter Seven: The Big Leagues

KR Manns has now become a blip on the radar of the big players of New Harmony's organized crime...

A group of four men laughed, sitting in an elegant study, listening to the classic voice of Sinatra, smoking cigars and drinking expensive liquors.They had just been discussing how they had ripped off their corrupt police informer, only cutting him half of the drugs they were supposed to to keep that precinct off their tail. 'Then I said, hey hey Marky,ya don't want them pictures of you and that tranny appearing all over the Harmony post tomorrow,huh? then the old f**k just shuts his trap and walks me over to my car!ya know these pigs are too f****n stupid for there own good. I've been robbin' them blind with dope the past two years. No wonder business has been so smooth for us!´. The fat man had slick hair, and a dark suit and matching shirt.He had one gold tooth, which contrasted perfectly with the variety of golden rings he had on his fingers. 

The man was Vincent Lamberti, a capo for the Lamberti family. The Lamberti family had been running rackets and the drug trade in south Harmony for the past forty years. The family was one of the most powerful organized crime organizations, alongside  the Paleano's and the Tomassimo's. The four families of New Harmony had been at relative peace for the past decades, many of them strengthening through unions and influential connections in the city. The rise of street criminals with no respect for any sort of code of honor, also brought them together, against a common enemy. Together they had formed the famous ´Monument sitdown´, an agreement that took place between the four dons one evening in a small restaurant in little Italy, which dictated  the territories where each family would operate and control, earning enough to keep their operations steady, while keeping a foot on the neck of petty street crime.

 Profit came in, and the streets were controlled. New Harmony was a wiseguy's playground. The Lamberti had been earning large amounts of money due to their south american connections, and tensions became high as of late when two of their soldiers were found dead on Tomassimo turf. But it didn't matter to the men that night. They smoked, they drank, they talked about their exploits, how much they gambled here, how much the mistresses were busting their balls. But business was good, and Vincent Lamberti smiled and took pleasure from the fruits of his labour. The other three men began to chatter and recommend one another different barbers, and different yachts to buy, the banter of men in control of their businesses.

 Paul  Esposito, Jimmy De Luca, and Robby Giordano were loyal associates of the family, having given the family money when they needed it, provided protection from the feds, and laundered money when necessary. The profit for all parties was always good, and being on a first name basis with a capo of the Lamberti family was something very useful in a city like New Harmony. Jimmy received a text message, and as he looked at it, his face sunk. Vincent knew something was wrong. ´Hey Vinny...you ain't gonna like this. A cop buddy of mine just informed me that one of your boys was found dead at a strip club in Golliver. Tomassimo turf.´ The mood changed in the once light hearted study. ´Are you kiddin' me? the boss has been giving this the blind eye for a while now, but this, this is just downright insulting. We're gonna start losin face if we let this s**t continue´. Jimmy began to sweat profusely. He was a short man, balding, with a large nose and a charcoal grey suit. ´You think it has to do with the rumors on the street?´, said Jimmy, clearly nervous. ´Don't be stupid Jim, these a******s are good earners, great businessmen,but risk their livelyhood for a new experimental drug? I have friends in the government, they say that s**t hasn't even been approved by the military, so getting their hands on it would be tough. You don't need heat that big when your running an operation like the Tomassimo's´, said Paul.

 Paul Esposito, a forty five year old, grey haired man with a hard expression, and a large scar across, his nose, glared at Jimmy. The men boh turned to Vincent, so he would give reason to one of them. ´I don't know. I mean, they got good earners,but ever since Sonny Tomassimo took over as don, these cafones have become hard competition. They played hardball with the Lampanelli's, took most of their turf,but we was just makin' too much money to care. It's s**t like that, little details we don't pay attention to that makes these b******s greedy. I don't know if their making a play, but I've already got about three corpses with Tomassimo stench all over them. ´Vinny. Youse gotta do what youse gotta do. Lamberti's have been nice to their friends, nice to this city, and you've been earning nice and fair for decades now. It's that greedy f**k Sonny, and Frank Garone, they've been driving this town into chaos again. The Paleano's don't do s**t, seeing youse out of the picture let's them take over some of your rackets, and their profit's will sky rocket. The Tomassimo's have an agenda, Garone and Sonny, they've been planning even before old man Tomassimo died. They want the city for themselves´,said Robby.

Robby Giordano, an old former wiseguy turned hotel manager, spoke with unrelenting honesty towards Vincent. They were both soldiers back in the seventies, Robby mentoring Vincent and helping him get liked by the right people. He wore a dark double breasted suit and red tie, accompanied by a silk white dress shirt. He had slick grey hair, heavily defined cheekbones and wrinkles that always reminded Vincent of one of the great jazz masters, Chet Baker. ´I don't know. But I'm gonna let the boss know about this. We've been earning good cash, we can't let some greedy macaroni f***s get in the way of that. And I personally want to take down that Garone idiot. Hated me ever since I fucked his sister´. The four men broke out into laughter. Robby drank his bourbon slowly, so as to savour the exquisit taste. The men now enjoyed the musical talents of Miles Davis, while Paul poured a glass of Kentucky bourbon for Vincent and Jimmy. 

´Anyway boys, I need your help. I've been noticing alot of corpses being dropped around the entire city, word is some Cuban's looking for his daughter. I don't like messes in my town, so I wanna know whoever stole that the kid and why. And I need you Jimmy, to run a backround check and find out everything you can about this spick. I don't wanna go to war with everybody in this town at the same time. War is bad for business, and I've liked the quiet years. Harmony's ours, and I wanna keep it that way´. Jimmy smoked his cigar, and sipped his drink. ´But Vin, I heard something from a friend I have down in Corktown. There's an ex cop working with the Cuban, heard he already killed a guy searching. Supposed to be ruthless´. Robby chucked. ´Manns? the cain of New Harmony's finest? he's a piece of s**t. A dangerous piece of s**t, a smart ex pig mind you, but he's small time. If you want him to talk, I can send some of my boys over. That way no one will suspect you've got anything to do with it. Just in case that Cuban tries to get us for touching Manns´.

 Vincent felt nothing but admiration for his old friend. They had eaten together, learned together, fought together and killed together. Robby even introduced him to his wife. ´I dunno why you even left us Robbie, your an excellent consigliere, but you would've been and even better Don ´. Robbie laughed and took a sip of his drink. ´You know what Vinny? sometimes I don't know neither´.The four men laughed inside the expensive estate in Ferguson, South New Harmony. The rich district full of mansions and expensive cars. History. Years and years of Lamberti family history, powerful players in New Harmony's underworld. Powerful players that would soon come knocking on Kenneth Ray Manns' door.