Boarding the plane to Las Vegas Frankie was getting nervous. Earlier in the day he received a telegram from Joseph-Ligambi to meet with him and AdumbT in Sin city. He got together with JohnnyChang and purchased the next tickets en route to Vegas. Surely all the boys and maybe a few from Sydney's crew would already be there at one of Uncle Joe's many businesses on the strip.

The telegram was short and to the point.

Western Union

Telegram from: Joseph_Ligambi / To: Frank_Ligambi

Date: 05/14/1931 / 02:22 pm

Mr. Frank_Ligambi - 1540 Paradise Road, Las Vegas NV 89109

Frank I need you here in Las Vegas for a little business. The boys have been notified

be here by noon tomorrow and contact me when you arrive at the airport. Bring Johnny.

Frankie arrived at the airport and went straight to the phone booth to dial Uncle Joe up. He picked up the receiver and heard the dial tone click then the voice of the operator came thru. Frankie gave the Boss' address and name and was put thru. They talked for less than a minute and Frankie was told to wait with Johnny for a car that would be sen there soon.

The car arrived before Frankie could light up and enjoy a cigarette and the associates got in. The ride thru Vegas was very scenic. It was a sprawling city with many fine buildings and casinos. They made their way towards downtown and were on The Strip when they pulled up to Uncle Joes local hangout. It was in the old Paradise district. They stepped out of the car and made their way into the nondescript building and headed towards the back where the rest of the crew was waiting for them in a small lounge.

Uncle Joe as they called him was an "old school" gangster. He liked to keep things in the shadows and not make a huge scene. No need to attract too much unwanted attention from the Feds and local law enforcement. He sat at his desk with his arms folded until we all took our seats. He got up to address the crew.

"Alright gentlemen listen up. I don't usually call you in all together so this is important. AdumbT has a little heist planned for us. I'm very happy Sydney could send me a couple of her guys, we all work together here like one family. There is a serious matter on our hands, one that will take all our undivided attention. This is the big leagues and if you're here it's because I trust in you and your abilities to get this done."

Uncle Joe was pacing around in front of us and headed over to some paperwork on his desk

He passed around some papers to each of us and rolled out a large blackboard in front of the crew.

"Next week in Paris will be held the 1931 World's Fair - they're calling it the "Exposition Coloniale Internationale" or something a rather. It's a huge undertaking even for the French government. They expect 30+ million visitors from around the world and it's supposed to last 6 months. The opening ceremony is in three days and you are all catching flights to Paris out of Vegas tomorrow morning." He said

The crew was slowly taking it all in, we were reviewing the paperwork he passed to us. It was a lot to take in, an international adventure. Uncle Joe started explaining a few more details of AdumbT's plan to us.

"Alright guys so it doesn't take a genius to figure out this is the perfect time to plan a heist. This is not just your normal heist. At the opening ceremony the city will have over 75% of it's police force and gendarmes there for crowd control and to keep the peace. The opening ceremony is happening on the famous boulevard of The Champs Elysees near the Arc de Triomphe. Each of you has a special task, some of you will be in groups of three and some in pairs."  Uncle Joe kept explaining his plan.

"I have thought this thru and thru so don't deviate from the plans or you're out and you don't get a cut. First I want you to know the target!" 

He turned the chalkboard over and there was a huge map with streets and locations marked by an X.

It was the city of Paris France.

"This is the famous jeweler Boucheron. That is our target. We have three teams. CrissCross, TheGambler and Groot is alpha team. Frankie and Johnny you are beta team. AdumbT and Kid_Ink along with John_Michael_Fear and Joseph-Clemente you make up gamma team. You each have your express instructions. You are all leaving on separate flights and not staying at the same hotels. You will not eat together or go out on the town together. The only time you will team up is when you are completing the heist."

AdumbT was quite the mastermind

"All your directions give you locations and times, miss a rendezvous and the mission is off and your head is mine. I have documents made for each of you with aliases. These fake passports cost me a pretty penny but at the end of the day it will be well worth it."

We were each handed a large manila envelope with documents and instructions, some of us got car keys. I looked over all the documents and took in the scope of this massive mission. This was gonna be a hell of a lot of fun and we could make some serious money if it all went well. Of course on the flip side if any of us fucked up we'd spend the rest of our days in jail with Bubba as a cell mate.

"Listen up crew. The master jeweler at The Cartier and Boucheron are currently completing his largest and most important order that he has ever had. The Maharadjah de Patiala arrived in Paris escorted by servants carrying six boxes full of precious stones. My buyer and his sources tell me there are over 7,000 diamonds and close to 1,500 emeralds and rubies and all types of other precious stones."

"The jeweler has already completed a majority of the work and sent back many of the completed pieces, however two years in the process and he has yet to complete the crowning achievement of the collection. The Patiala Necklace. This is the most amazing piece of jewelry and you guys and gals are going to steal it."

Uncle Joe was smiling widely and patted a few of us on the back.

Alright now head back to your rooms and review the information tomorrow is showtime!

CrissCross headed into his flat and threw the envelope on the desk. The large wad of cash inside and car keys made an audible thump as they hit the flat hard surface. He sat down on the sofa and kicked off his shoes. Criss' mind wandered off and he started daydreaming about this international adventure and the city of Paris.

He was imagining all the ladies at The Moulin Rouge with all that revelry and music. The girls kicking their legs up in the air real high. Then a knock came on the door. He got up and answered it, TheGambler was there twirling a card in his hand and holding his envelope while nodding at him.

"So Alpha Team buddy looks like we're top dog. Let's check out what it says in here" TheGambler said

He walked in and pulled up a chair around the table. They sat around the table and dug out the items from the envelopes.

Criss had a pair of keys with a jaguar key chain, there was a small logbook that had three names and addresses on them and a date and time for each one. A passport fell out, it had his picture on it and it said Henrik Olafson from Sweden. Not even fucking possible I can't speak Swedish.

There was 50,000 in cash and two airplane tickets.

TheGambler likely had all the written instructions for the Alpha team.

Criss started sharpening my knife as he listened to TheGambler go over the instructions drawn up by Uncle Joe.

TheGambler pulled out the paperwork and read the instructions Uncle Joe had left him.

There were maps and diagrams and some instructions.

"Criss got some sweet car keys, why didn't I get any?"

Emptying the contents there was a fake passport along with another 50,000 in cash, some plane tickets and paperwork with instructions. Taking a look at the passport it said he was Jean-Charles Gobain from Paris.

He started to read over all the paperwork.

Instructions for Day 1

After arriving in Paris you and Criss will go to your respective hotels. There you will wait until the next day when you will leave at 2pm. At that time you and Criss will head out to the various locations where you both will plant distraction devices. There is a list of 6 museums and restaurants where you will plant these devices. The devices will be provided to you by an associate of "the buyer" and should already be in your hotel rooms once you get there. You will get 3 and Criss will get 3. Make sure you use a knapsack or canvas bag and deposit the devices in trash receptacles or bathroom stalls somewhere inside those buildings.

There will be a woman at each hotel who will be waiting for each of you in the lobby she will have a single small child, might be a boy or a girl depends. The woman knows nothing of the plans and will only escort you to make you look less conspicuous. Again she has no idea what you are really doing, but don't trust her, excuse yourself to the bathrooms or something like that and be smart about planting the devices. They've simply been paid to just walk around with you and be a sort of tour guide so don't get any stupid ideas even if they are movie star hot. All the devices are set on timers and will go off that afternoon at 6pm. So make sure to be quick and not lag around.

Once you both have made the drop offs head to Place Vendome, take a taxi. There Criss will find the Jaguar parked in the street across from a cafe called La Petite Ecurie. CrissCross is to wait at the cafe across the street from the car and you Gambler are to head to the roof of a building across from Place Vendome where the heist will take place. The address to the building and diagrams for how to get on the roof were in the paperwork.

On the roof in a small wooden case you will find a long range rifle and grenades along with a diagram of where to look and unload. You are to take out any incoming police or bodyguards at the entrance of the jewelry workshop. Once you see Gamma team enter and come out head back down to meet with CrissCross at his car. You will be in one of the getaway cars and be headed to Bulgaria where you will board a train to Russia. Once in Russia you will take the goods and sell them to "the buyer" there.

TheGambler you are my main point man at the start of this operation I have all the confidence in the world in you. Groot will shadow you guys and be your bodyguard he is solid like an oak tree.

Reading the final line of instructions he put down the paperwork and asked CrissCross for a cigarette and a drink it was time to kick back until the flight out to Vegas. We went over to the bar and got some shots and enjoyed a smoke and some billiards. It looks like Uncle Joe had planned everything but I knew things were almost assured to not go as planned and we would have to be on top of the situation.

They would only be in Paris for that one day. Once the heist was over they would immediately fly back to Las Vegas that night.

Joseph-Clemente thought to himself "I've never flown before not in a plane that is. I mean thru the streets, pick-pocketing people and across building roofs running away from other gangsters sure yeah. But not in a plane. I wasn't sure If I could do this whole fly across the Atlantic ocean and land in some stinky country full of cheese and aristocrats. Well I'm sure the money was gonna be real good though. He had a flashback to the sheer size and ridiculous amounts of diamonds and jewels hanging off that Indian Prince's neck. It was ridiculous how could someone even get away with wearing something so luxurious and expensive."

He laid the envelope on his bed and closed the curtains to the room. Pulling out a small kit and spyglass he took out a small pouch of personal jewels that had taken him years to accumulate. The collection had 3 diamonds, some pearls and rubies. He appreciated gems they were amazing and so precious. He inspected the gems in his possession turning over the precious stones under the lamp light and looking at them with the small eye glass which magnified their brilliance. He was an expert at studying gems and telling which ones were fugazzi and which ones were real. That was one of his many hobbies. A knock came at the door it was JMFear. He returned one of the expert lock picking kits to Clemente which he borrowed a few days back.

"Here you go Clemente, it was perfect and did the trick" JMFear said smiling

"You ready to speak the French" he said in a terrible French accent.

"I'm not sure but there better be a whole lot of money in this for us to leave Vegas and all our business here to fly halfway across the world"

"Don't worry" Clemente told him

"There is shit loads of money in fine jewels. Especially when you're talking about a necklace with a hundred diamonds and emeralds and pearls. Did you see the size of that diamond in the middle of the picture?"

"Priceless, I just hope Uncle Joe has a buyer lined up. It's going to be near impossible to put that thing on the market without getting some serious heat on all our asses" he told JM Fear.

JMFear headed out and left him to his thoughts. Clemente opened up the envelope and looked thru the instructions. There was a passport and some money and one sheet of paper. The passport was from Australia and it had a picture and the name Andrew Wallaby. There was about 5,000 in cash and on the one sheet of paper it simply said.

Stick with JMFear and once you get the necklace inspect it to make sure it's real.

That was it. Simple enough. Joseph-Clemente wanted to sneak up on some people and twist their necks, oh well maybe next time.

John_Michael_Fear always loved a good old organized crime gig. Slicing necks was his specialty but also raiding a trucking depot was his favorite. His precise pitching motion always assured that any Molotov cocktail he threw would make the target unrecognizable. Like that time he burned down the Medici crime families headquarters. He remembered the parade of little wiseguys that came out running like chickens with their heads cut off.

This time though it was a little different. The were all going to some foreign country where he didn't speak the language. He wasn't stealing a truck or torching an ice cream shop. JMFear loved jewels, they were worth a lot of money and girls loved them. He wasn't sure about Indian princes though maybe he had tigers and surly bodyguards.

He went over to Joseph-Clemente's and knocked on his door. He handed him back some equipment and let him know how he felt. He seemed relaxed enough about it. JMFear went to his room and served myself a shot of some Ouzo. He took the envelope with him to the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror he couldn't recognize the face. He wasn't sure if he had aged or shaven recently it was just a regular old mug shot of a man staring back at. He went over and sat on the toilet. It was time to enjoy a nice long shit and read some of this information Uncle Joe said was real important.

JMFear looked inside the envelope at the contents of the little gift Uncle Joe had given me. He stuck his hands in the envelope and found some rolled up bills, a piece of paper and a bottle of some types of drugs. Pulling out the bottle he read the label. "Adrenaline" 12 tablets. He set it on the sink counter next to him and let a fat turd out. Splooosh! It was swimming in the tank newly born into this world. He then grabbed a clean and shiny passport, the drab nondescript picture was on it and it said he was from Greece, his name was Georgio Panalopolis. Next he pulled out a sheet of paper with some instructions on it.

Instructions for Day 1

Before you all fly out make sure to give each associate two adrenaline pills, to be taken at their discretion. This shit is the real deal it will make them shoot people between the eyes from over 100 hundred yards away, just tell them not to waste them.

Once you arrive in Paris head to the arrival terminal at the airport. You're going to wait there for about twenty minutes. Clemente will be arriving shortly after you, pick him up and head to your hotel. Give him the address to the hotel. You have separate rooms so once you meet up with him at the airport take separate taxis to the hotel. Included on the paper was the address. Spend the night as you wish go out to a restaurant or bar just be ready for the next day. Tell Clemente that he has to stay in his room and study the pictures of the necklace as well as the building layout of the jewelry workshop, very important we cant fuck this up.

Instruction for Day 2

You have to get the equipment ready for the heist and call all the other associates at 4pm to get the ball rolling. Load all the guns fill the duffle bags with grenades and Molotovs like only you know how. Make sure to bring the masks and gloves, we can't have any fingerprints left behind and nobody can see your faces. Make sure to get Clemente in his room and head to Place Vendome once you've called everyone.

There I want you to scope out the Jewelry store. It is inside Place Vendome. Don't go inside just pass around the walkway on the outside and glance inside, look to see if there are any bodyguards and check all the windows around the plaza.

The plaza is surrounded by tall buildings on all sides. You'll see what I mean when you get there.

Once you've made a run thru have a seat with Clemente on one of the park benches inside the small park in the Place Vendome. Wait there until about 5:45pm. Tell Clemente to wait for you, make sure you've given him his gloves and mask. Then head the Chez Shakespeare and find Ink he should be inside pretending to read a book. He'll probably be reading a naked women of Paris review or something like that. Give him his equipment and then head back to Place Vendome to meetup with Clemente. Precisely at 6pm all hell will break loose around the city. The opening ceremony for the World's Fair will be in full commencement and bombs will go off at the Champs Elysees, The Arc de Triomphe, The Bastille Monument and 4 other historic places and restaurants. This will be the perfect cover for you and the boys to rush in to the jewelers workshop and seize this priceless necklace. Clemente will have memorized the layout. Make sure he leads you once you've taken out the bodyguards. Keep Clementi and Kid_Ink in the front with all the heavy weaponry. You bring up the rear and keep an eye on everyone. Once you exit make a sign towards the southwest building, TheGambler should be there as a sniper for you and this is his signal to leave. Kid_Ink will take care of the rest he knows where to go and in which vehicle to leave. Do me proud John_Michael_Fear kick some ass.

JMFear finished his bowel movements then got up and washed his hands in the sink. He prepared his small suitcase for the trip and smiled to himself in the mirror. This is going to be fun.

Layfon was secretly sent by AT to keep an eye on the guys in Paris and Bulgaria. He was chosen for this mission as he was the stealthiest among them and could blend into his surroundings any place, anytime and any situation. The Boss had complete trust in everybody involved but it was always a smart and good measure to guarantee a positive outcome by whatever means necessary, in other words: The Boss always has a back-up plan. Layfon had been hanging out at the airport as all the associates arrived. He made note of what they did and had a mental list of all the crew members so as to not lose track of anyone. He was blending in perfectly at the train station dressed as a traveler either arriving or departing, or maybe in limbo since he had been there for over 2 hours. After everyone arrived, he phoned back to headquarters and gave his report.

The following day, Layfon was tasked to leave very early in the morning and setup the getaway cars and the explosives in the van. He made it to an underground garage and pulled out the Jaguar, leaving it parked for CrissCross to use. He headed back to the garage via metro and then took the Rolls Royce to the location where The Enforcer group would use it. Finally, he setup the bakery delivery van. All the explosives were inside but nothing had been wired and the timer had yet to be set. Layfon got to work and in no time had everything set up. He drove it to Place Vendome and left the van. He then headed up to a perch located in the eastern side of the Place. There he will be for some time, doing what he likes to do and what he does best, waiting silently in the shadows carefully, observing the scenes, enjoying the show and maybe sometimes when the situation calls for it, intervene to ensure success and minimum casualties. After today, Layfon could head back to Vegas and continue his plans there.

The planes landed in Paris and Sofia. The fact that there were several Las Vegas mobsters running around the streets was certainly lost to all the Parisians and police agents who were getting ready for the World's Fair. They all got straight to work.

CrissCross and TheGambler met up and headed to their hotel. They each went into their respective rooms and found the suitcases with the explosive devices. Small dynamite devices with what seemed to be some liquid additive. They would surely do the trick. The maps with the locations were clearly indicated, Criss would head to a restaurant and the Louvre and some museum called Rodin. TheGambler would go to Le Petit Palais and some bridges around the city. There was a walkway along the seine which passed under several large bridges and were not heavily guarded. TheGambler would have a breeze setting this up.

Kid_Ink arrived and headed straight to the Gare du Nord train station. He went over to the locker used the combination and took out the suitcase and duffel bag in a way as to not attract any prying eyes. He hailed a taxi and went straight to his hotel room.

Samuel_Clementi made it into Paris on the late plane. He had only 45 minutes to make it to his hotel get in his tuxedo and meetup with the agent of the buyer. He rushed thru reception and got into his room. Checked the contents of the briefcase added the money into it and put on his tuxedo. The phone rang and he was told his guest had arrived. He went down to the lobby and his jaw fell to the floor. He was in front of one of the most stunning women he'd ever seen. He grabbed his chin and pretended to scratch it and yawn to play off his amazement. She invited him into the car outside and the chauffeur drove them around Paris as she checked the briefcase. Satisfied she started some chit chat with Clementi. He was trying to make a move and put his hand next to hers but she smacked it away. She put her hand up and waved with her index finger No, No, No.

"You'd be lucky to go out with me! Come on maybe just a dinner" He said protesting the hit to his pride.

She just stared in front and talked to the chauffeur in Russian. They were back at Clementi's hotel and she pointed for him to get out.

"Hmmph, you're not even worth the trouble you Russian witch ugly as a homeless fish faced turd" 

He stepped out and the car sped away leaving him at the entrance to his hotel.

Sammy went back in and headed to his room to lick his wounds and wait for the following day.

Joseph-Clemente met up with JMFear and they headed to their hotel rooms in the center of Paris. John_Michael_Fear had made sure to hand out the adrenaline pills to all the associates before their departures from Las Vegas. Clemente was happy to get back to his room and play with diamonds and study the picture of the most expensive necklace in the history of mankind. He would soon know every detail about it the weight of it and all the carats of each and every jewel. Things were about to get real interesting.........

The sun rose in the early twilight of the Parisian sky. Kids were riding around on their bicycles and delivering the warm bread and croissants for the days clientele. The police force was out in mass and starting to setup barricades and prepare for the opening ceremony of The Worlds Fair. The entire city was buzzing with energy and all the streets were filled with people from all over the world. In this camouflage the Las Vegas associates made their moves.

Criss and TheGambler woke up near noon and got breakfast delivered to their rooms. They got ready and dressed and grabbed their suitcases. They looked like well dressed businessmen and blended in perfectly to the high society of Paris. Down in the lobby they met up with some women who had children in a stroller. Looking like families going out for a sightseeing tour they started to hit up all the locations marked on their maps. Criss walked into the restrooms of one museum and waited for the room to be empty. He lifted the lid off the trash can and slipped the device into the receptacle. He jumped slightly as it hit the bottom of the can with a thud and said a blessing thanking God it hadn't exploded in his face. Across town TheGambler told his woman to wait at a bench along the Seine river for a while and accessed the walkways underneath a bridge. He was doing the same as Criss placing the bombs. They wrapped up the first operation without a hitch and took taxis to the scene of the heist. They took the adrenaline pills so the effect would hit them during the heist.

Criss located the Jaguar and took a seat at the little cafe. He ordered an espresso and a newspaper and took position to wait for the beginning of the job. he grabbed at his pocket to make sure he hadn't forgotten the car keys, doubting for a split second his thoroughness but his hand jingled with the small metal Jaguar figurine and keys in his pockets. Groot was in the park keeping an eye on both of them disguised as a large oak tree.

TheGambler got out of the taxi and adjusted his vest. This was the first time he had used a metal plate vest but he figured this was as good a time as any. He looked around and spotted the address on the building marked on the plan. He walked around the block and stopped in the alleyway entrance perpendicular to the building. He headed into the alley and found a fire escape ladder hanging down. TheGambler looked around to make sure no one was watching and pulled the ladder towards him. He made his way up with with uncanny dexterity and climbed over the top rim of the roof. He made sure to not stop and just head up. Once over the top he crawled on his stomach towards the western side of the roof. There he found the large duffel containing the .22 hunting rifle with scope and several grenades. It was 5:37pm.

23 minutes til all hell broke loose.

The enforcer group was getting antsy. They were all waiting in their hotel room for the phone call from John_Michael_Fear. Joseph-Clemente had memorized every detail of the necklace and now was just going from page to page in the Bible that was in the side table near his bed. He flipped to all his favorite passages and read them out loud.

"The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence."

Ink was still snoring and enjoying the softness of the goose down feathers in his huge double King size bed. There were empty bottles of champagne and a naked girl sleeping next to him in the bed. Clementi was looking out his window enjoying all the people down in the streets and looking across the cityscape at the scenic view. It was 4pm and JMFear dialed the boys and gave them the address to meet at. He told them all to take the metro and which station to exit at. 5:45 pm we all have to be there capiche. Everyone was on the same page. Ink was startled awake and jumped in the shower with the girl. Samuel_Clementi headed to the fish shop at Bastille and found the delivery van. He hopped inside and looked into the back at the extensive amount of explosives packed tight. He drove over to the Place Vendome and parked the delivery van in a strategic location. He jumped out and walked around a few blocks looking for the getaway car. He found the getaway car two blocks away in a quieter section of the neighborhood. He counted the amount of paces from it to the small park and made a note in his mind.

They were all reunited at the Place Vendome. Masks and gloves in their coat pockets they took up positions at different benches at the little park just outside the jewelry store. The birds were chirping and ladies were walking their dogs. A couple of local kids were kicking a soccer ball and the bustling city sounds were all too familiar to everyone. They were bidding their time reading newspapers and books.

It was 5:53pm.

TheGambler was on the roof looking down with binoculars. He was quick and making sure to not persist longer than 10 seconds in the open. He had been scoping out the place for the last 15 minutes and things seemed way too quiet. No one had entered or left the store since he was there and he didn't like the feeling of being so high and out in the open. He loaded the rifle and looked thru the scope in the other direction. The view was crystal clear and he could pick out pigeons from buildings several blocks away, this would be perfect to pick off any unknown assailants or guards.

5:57pm.

The time was moving so slowly. Clemente had read and reread the same page on events in America. Apparently the Europeans were fascinated by the events of the mafia. The Castellemmarese War had just ended with the assassination of Joe "The Boss" Masseria. This left Salvatore Maranzano as capo di tutti i capi ("boss of all bosses") and undisputed ruler of the American Mafia. Clemente chuckled. The time dragged on and then suddenly Mikey1 got up and grabbed his hat and made a gesture to Layfon. Clemente and Clementi got the signal and also got up they all walked toward the center courtyard of the park.

5:59pm

TheGambler setup and aimed his gun at the entrance to the jewelry store.

6:00pm

Explosions could be heard at various locations around Paris but they were nothing compared to the concussion and reverberations from the delivery van packed with 2500lbs of dynamite that was on the street adjacent to the Place Vendome. Hundreds of people in all areas of the city were scattering. Police cars were scrambling. There was a complete lock down at the Champs Elysees. Several people were killed and TheGambler squinted as the evening sun descended on the horizon. The enforcer group already had their masks and gloves on and pulled out their silencers to affix to the guns they were carrying. TheGambler aimed at the entrance and picked off some large figures that were storming out of the store. 1 - 2 -3 -4 shot dead at the entrance. He reloaded for good measure and kept an eye down at the store. The enforcer group made their move. Ink was at the front with Clementi. They barreled thru the closed door and aimed their weapons. Joseph-Clemente was close behind and Layfon was bringing up the rear making sure no one would sneak up on them. He had his gun in his left hand and a large adamantium knife in his right hand waiting to be introduced into someones unfortunate skull.

6:03pm

The city of Paris was a warzone. Ambulances and police on horseback were running around to the areas where the explosive devices had ejected tons of cement and brick in the air. Fires were ablaze people were running in every direction. The unfortunate loss of human life was all a part of business. It's not everyday you get the chance to steal a 500 million dollar necklace.

6:05pm

Inside the jewelry store the moving was slow going. It was a maze of hallways and rooms. Tommy_Buscetti picked off some bodyguards with his silenced pistol. He had 4 to his count. Samuel_Clementi had taken down 3 bodyguards. The store grew quiet and Joseph-Clemente directed them down certain passageways. They arrived at a small wooden hatch on the floor and Clemente pointed at it while holding the plans of the building up in the air. This was the shop room where the master jeweler was most likely guarding the prized possessions. As Tommy_Buscetti bent down to clutch the handle he heard a large grumbling growl. There was a tiger in there.

"Oh shit boys we got some company!" He grabbed a grenade and pulled the pin.

He threw it down the hatch and closed it. Boom!! He was thrown up and crashed back down on the lid to the basement room. Smoke started rising from the room thru the small cracks in the wooden partition.

"Ok AntonioGambino you're a psycho get your knife ready and head down there and tell us if the coast is clear!"

AntonioGambino's eyes grew wide but not as wide as his smile. He put the knife between his teeth and grabbed a bandana and wrapped it around his forehead. He jumped down without hesitation and all you could hear were boxes breaking, there were loud yells and heavy thuds then silence. Tommy called down into the room and all of a sudden a severed Tiger's head was thrown up and landed on Joseph-Clemente, staining his nice pressed shirt.

"Ok guys all clear!" Tony had dispatched the tiger and there were two corpses with their necks sliced from ear to ear on the floor. Blood was pooling on the floor. Behind several bars was a little old man sitting at a wooden chair.

The guys were on the other side of the bars staring at this little old man in his leather overalls. He was a classic jeweler with a gnomish look and all types of lenses and apparatuses hanging off his little bald head.

"Alright old man I'm only going to ask you once open the goddamn door and put all the jewels on the table." Tommy yelled

They had no idea what the old man had behind him and before they could get a shot off he grabbed a long silver handle attached to a red colored hose. A stream of fire spewed forth from the nozzle of the flame thrower. Sammy and Joseph jumped behind a crate and held up the dead bodyguards over themselves, smelling the charred skin as their bodies protected them from the flames. Tommy did the same with the remains of the Tiger and AntonioGambino jumped up thru the hatch. He wasn't able to get his body completely out of the room as the flames licked his pants and burnt off the pant legs to his suit. His nice polished shoes were melted into a smelly tar stain and he was all of a sudden wearing shorts. The old man emptied out the contents of the gas tank and suddenly he stopped. Apparently he had fainted from the intense heat and good thing he did because there wasn't much left to the body armor all the guys had covering them. Joseph-Clemente got out his lock picking kit and went to work on the intricate lock.

Click! Success! The lock opened and the threw the door open. JMFear tied up the old man and hung him by the cord around his wrists. Joseph and Sammy walked into the cell and found the beautiful necklace on the work table. Clemente recognized it immediately and placed it into a special case. They ransacked the place and opened cabinets and drawers in the several pieces of furniture. More necklaces and rings, loose jewels, gold bars and all types of goodies were around. This was a real score. They filled up all their bags and pockets and got ready to leave.

6:15pm

Time was flying and they couldn't last in there any longer without raising major suspicion. TheGambler on the roof looked around the streets below several times he pointed his rifle at cop cars that were blaring down the street fully expecting them to stop at the Place Vendome and get down, but they just drove thru. Surely heading to one of the other 6 sites where the bombs had exploded. As soon as TheGambler saw his friends exit the shop he headed down the building and into the alleyway. Criss was waiting down there in the Jaguar and they sped off towards Lyon to take a plane trip out of Europe and back to the States, there was way too much heat in Paris for that.

The enforcer group ran out of the building. Before they left they took off their masks and gloves and Ink threw two grenades at the entrance pulverizing some of the evidence. Sammy threw some Molotovs and they all followed him to the getaway car. They looked around to make sure they weren't particularly noticed and there were several people out in the streets but they were all pointing at the billowing smoke in the areas around the city, not paying attention to the rag tag group of 4 Las Vegas mobsters who were running with duffel bags and suitcases. They hopped into the Rolls Royce and made a getaway toward the middle of the French countryside.

@Uncle Joe sat back in his desk chair and looked at all the paperwork on his desk. These were some intricate plans he and AT had come up with for the crew. Joe knew the ins and outs of crime and his experiences on the front line in World War I more than prepared him to lead men. His mind wandered off to those days on the Italian Front as a young man in his early twenties. He had been stationed on the border between Austria and Northern Italy, near Trentino and South Tyrol. Joseph_Ligambi had entered the war in 1915 as a young and immature 18 year old and by 1917 he had become a confident 20 year old leader of men.

When you go to war as a kid you have a flawed belief of immortality. Other people get killed not you. I was badly wounded after the battle of Isonzo. When you're almost killed you lose that belief and you know it can happen to you. After being horribly wounded two weeks before my twentieth birthday I had a really bad time until I figured out that nothing could happen to me that had not happened to all men before me. Whatever I had to do men had always done. If they had done it then I could do it too and the best thing was not to worry about it.

Recuperating for six months in a Milan hospital, Uncle Joe thought about the great war and it's causes. 

He had always been embarrassed by the words commitment, glorious, and sacrifice. He had heard them shouted in the battle front, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the muffled words came through. He had read them, on advertisements to enlist before the war.

He had seen nothing sacred, and the things that were glorious had no glory at all. The sacrifices were like what happened in the stockyards in Naples. When nothing was done with the meat they would bury it. Many words I couldn't stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity. Numbers were much the same way. Certain dates and names of places were all you could remember, they were the only things  that had any meaning now.

Abstract words such as glory, honor and courage were worthless beside the concrete names of villages. The numbers of roads, the names of the rivers, the numbers of regiments and the dates. At the end of the war Uncle Joe returned to his home in Naples a different man. His experience of travel, combat and death had changed his world. Since the return from the war he vowed to live out everyday as if it were his last. To not take anything for granted and make sure to make a name for himself.

Now 15 years later he was sitting at his desk overseeing an international heist that would net The Goodfellas over 500 million dollars in jewels. He felt much better and knew that after all these years the hard work was finally paying off.