Simon steps off the transatlantic vessel after his long trip from Rome to New York. His expensive oxford brogues making a clacking sound as he goes down the steps to dry land. He looks around and smiles:

"So this is America." he says in his thick Italian accent.

Simon had never been out of Europe, barely venturing out of Italy. But he'd made the leap and travelled across the globe to reunite with his family. 
With his suitcase in hand he makes his way to the checkpoint to have his papers checked. He waited for what seemed like hours until it was finally his turn. As he offered his papers, but the officer refused to take them.

"Sorry Sir, you're going to have to come with me." the officer said, noticeably uncomfortable with the situation. 

He made hand gestures for Simon to follow him, leaving his post and the rest of the now noisy arrivals complaining. Simon picked up his suitcase and followed. He didn't know what was happening but it couldn't be good. He accompanies the officer to a door inside the warehouse which the checkpoint was located. The officer smiled uncomfortably at him and said: 

"Please wait here Sir".

The officer knocks on the door and waits, feeling that the knock was ignored:

"He's arrived." the officer said through the door.

Hearing that sent a shock through Simon's ears. Without thinking he dropped his luggage and whacked the officer's head through the door, he takes the officer's pistol from its holster and pulls the officer back, booting the door on the locks as he did making it swing back rapidly. He lifts the weapon up and walks into the room. As soon as he steps through the door frame he feels an ice cold gun barrel against his temple and stops perfectly still. 

"Please remain calm Sir. My name is Pixo. We're here to take you to Mr. Giovanni Laurel."

Simon slowly lowers the gun and smiles. Pixo takes the gun and passes it to another man. 

The men in the room come out and accompany Simon to the expensive black car waiting for them outside the harbour. One of the men sits in the front with the driver and Pixo sits at the back with Simon. The other stays there talking to the officer that was assaulted and returns his pistol, passing him some cash. 

They make their way rapidly through the city to the airport and get a private flight to the city of Angels. Pixo accompanies Simon in the plane while the driver and the other man stays in the car. 

Arriving in Los Angeles, they get off the plane and make their way to another car surrounded by bodyguards. Pixo accompanies Simon to the car, staying by his side. As they were approaching the car, GiovanniLaurel comes out of the car. 

"Non posso crederci. Come stai, fratello mio? Ti trovo bene. La mamma manda il suo amore!" Simon says to his brother, continuing to talk in Italian seemingly unable to shut-up while hugging him with a smile from ear to ear.

Giovanni was uncomfortable during his car ride.

He enjoyed leaving the HQ only with a few of his bodyguards, the best of the best, the ones he fully trusted. But today, he wasn't riding solo, and he was picking up someone of extreme importance to him and his brother.

A few well-placed bribes guaranteed the special someone he was waiting for wouldn't have to wait too long at the immigration department. A couple of enforcers would keep him safe and sound until he could get there personally. He called out ThomasLaurel and told him:

"Brother, it's time. Our little fratello should be arriving. Shall we?"

A small committee of bodyguards followed with them. He could tell Thomas didn't fully appreciate the whole security detail around them, but there wasn't much to do. The airfield was a little too open. Security was a necessary evil.

The plane door opened and by then Gio was glued to the car window. Thomas was calmer, inside the car. He held a glass of bourbon and kept telling his brother to relax and wait. Giovanni was having none of that and just jumped out of the vehicle as soon as Simon was in hugging range.

"Fratello! Come stai?" he was met with a brotherly embrace and patting on the back. A tear lodged itself in the corner of his eye and his happiness was radiating like the sun on a summer day. As soon as they split, he said.

"Brother, welcome to the land of opportunity! You gotta get used to English now. Come, come! Thomas is in the car. He's gotten even stronger while you were away. It's all the steak he's been eating."

Giovanni rushed his brother into the car and took the front seat. He could hear the lively chatter between his two brothers.

Nothing could ruin that moment of reunion.

Nothing was more important than family.

But "family" has many meanings. Simon wasn't dumb.

He had definitely figured something was yearning to put its string around him. Another family. An untold name. Praxis, La Cosa Nostra, L'Omertá. Simon wasn't a stranger to these things. But could he live by them? They'd have to find out.

The engine roared and the car took off. Giovanni had booked a nice restaurant in Hollywood, ran by an honest Italian family. He didn't want his brother to feel homesick. And he was hoping the lights of Hollywood would ease up the news onto his brother. He held a small case on his hands, a gift for the younger brother he had so dearly missed. He would either accept that or go back to Italy sooner than he expected, with a lot less to show for.

Simon frowned when he was told to speak English. He understood why but he scoffed anyway. He sat in the back of the car and adjusted his jacket. 

"You look good Thomas! Gio was right, you look gigantesco!" he said as he gave his brother a handshake and held his hand. 

They drove through the city on their way to Hollywood, Simon was amazed at the sights of such a city. It was nothing like he'd seen back home. Coming from Sicília it was a enormous contrast. 

When they stopped in front of the little Italian resturant Simon's eyes lit up. He got out the car quickly and accompanied chatting to Giovanni with Thomas coming close behind. 

"I see my fratelli haven't lost taste for good, how you say, food!" Simon remarked with a cheeky smile to Gio. He'd never been there but, it was Italian. Must be good, he thought. 

They walked in and were greeted by the owner, Simon swapped greetings with him in Italian as had a bit of small conversation on the way to the table.

"I'll be leaving you in the best of hands with Marco, he is our best waitor." 

Simon smiled at the young boy that looked no older than 18. 

Simon ordered his food, a Fiorentina steak with a side of steamed potatoes and a salad. He waited for the rest of table to order for the waiter to leave and he spoke.

​​​​​​" My fratelli, I have a confessione. I am not here for a vacation. I've come here looking for work. I was arrested in Italy for doing some doing some work for the family. You know, get money from here, put it there. Típica merda."

The table goes quiet as the waiter brings their food and walks away. 

​​​​​​"I know how this sounds but you know I'm good at what I do. I told mamma I wasn't going to work for the family but you know me, mi pacciono i soldi." 

Simon looks intently at his brothers waiting for a reply.

Giovanni enjoyed this restaurant.

It was small, classically decorated and it had the same environment restaurants in Italy had. It reminded him of the late lunches his family had, lingering around the local restaurant. Laughter would fill the air, families would come together into a sense of community beyond what words can explain.

Tonight, he was reminded just how important family is. Seeing both of his brothers together, he was feeling emotional. He was a businessman, obviously. But he was also family oriented. He loved his brothers and he wanted to do the best possible for them.

He also recognised their relationship was symbiotic. They all had their strengths and weaknesses. How fairly similar upbringings had created such different humans was beyond him, but he knew that together, they were unstoppable.

"Thomas and I will have the usual. I know you have some wine under the counter. We'll be having that too."

He was observing, for the moment. Gio was a bit of a social butterfly. He appreciated the extra care local business owners shown him, but what he really liked was information. And information had many shapes and forms. A gesture. A tone. A stare. Everything told a tale, and Gio had a knack for always knowing the full story.

Yet sometimes, even he was caught off-guard. When Simon told him what happen back in the old country, his jaw almost dropped. When the two brothers left, they left the youngest behind. To take care of their parents, to live a peaceful life.

They would leave so he wouldn't have to.

They had left for their family, heading into the unknown with the goal of providing those back home with a good, safe life. They were always the bad boys, the con and the fighter.

Simon was a good boy, the one who studied hard and got good grades. They were the pair that conned or fought their way out of any trouble.

None of this made sense. And Giovanni was angry, he was livid at the thought that somehow the local organizations had gotten their hands on his precious little brother. Worse of all, that he managed to get caught. That he had a record in his impeccable slate of honesty.

It was a sort of hypocritical anger. Giovanni had no right to be this furious. After all, he was doing just the same. All he had to protect himself from hypocrisy was the figurative umbrella of blood. Which all in all only served to further the argument that he was being a hypocrite. But he didn't care.

None of these racing thoughts mattered, because his body was on autopilot.

He violently got up, slamming both his fists on the table and holding them there so hard his knuckles turned white. His eyes scanned the room only to notice the staff getting into the kitchen and closing the door. A half-opened bottle of wine sat on the counter, oblivious to the scene around it. The ambient in the room got so tense ThomasLaurel could knock it out with his majestic right hook. The words left his chest like a cinderblock falling down scaffolding onto oncoming traffic, and with the same eerie delivery that suddenly turns into a roar.

"How could you do this to our parents? Is this how you were taught!?"

Thomas' hand reached out to his shoulder and forced him to sit down and his piercing gaze forced him to calm. It's almost like he could read his mind and reach him without saying a word. The whole security detail had left the room, quickly realizing it wasn't their place to be. Giovanni took a deep breath. This wasn't why they were here. It didn't matter now. It couldn't matter. He got back up and opened the bottle of wine, bringing it over to the table and filling his glass and his brothers'.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper. It's now how we behave around here. We do have some work for you."

Giovanni's heart was still racing, how could it be that his younger brother was already an associate, all the way back in Europe? Perhaps he did have some potential. He was good with numbers, and he was definitely good with mathematics. But why did he risk it all for something like that? Pocket change, at best.

"Since you're already in the life, perhaps you already know what me and your brother are doing in the States, then. We're running our own crew in this thing of ours. We're under the wing of Godfather ralph_lombino. He is an honourable man doing good work for this city."

Giovanni picked a cigarette from his case and lit it. He left the silver case lying on the table since it was clear everyone really needed a drink and a smoke - like a hooker after a long night of walkin' in working boots.

"What I'm putting on the table here is an opportunity. You'll be working with us, but mostly behind a desk. I want you out of harm's way until I'm certain you can handle yourself, capeesh?"

He took a long drag of his cigarette, enjoying the calming properties of the smoke that filled his lungs. Thomas looked visibly more relaxed. For a minute there, Giovanni thought his brother would inject some peace of mind into his jaw. Wouldn't be totally undeserved, but he was glad things didn't get to that. The restaurant's staff was easing into the room once again, tranquillized by the lack of yelling and fighting.

No gunshots. That was always a sign that things went well, right? Giovanni's guess was that they got the memo. Steaming food was leaving the kitchen door, things returning to an apparently normal state of peace.

"Also, I can't have you running around as one of our own looking like that. You'll need to go shopping. In the meantime, please accept this as both a welcoming gift and an apology."

Giovanni handed him the heavy black case. Inside laid a gold watch that would certainly make SimonLaurel stand out among the rest of the population.

Seated behind the great desk in his office, Ralph looked over the days reports. Business had been picking up, and things were good. Giovanni and Thomas, who had shown so much promise, had turned out even better then that. Pasadena was in strong hands, and the work would only continue. As he checked the reports from Praxis, Ralph tried to remember what it was Giovannilaurel had said was happening today. Ah, that was it. He said his brother was to arrive. Another Laurel, Splendid. That could only mean good things for Pasadena, and the business of Los Angeles.

The knock at the door broke Ralph from his concentration. Good, Giovanni must have arrived.

"Ahem, Come in please."

The car left the restaurant and ThomasLaurel requested to be dropped off at the gym. He had some important fights coming up and he was all business. Seeing his younger brother had been fun, but he had work to do.

Simon looked at Giovanni when he instructed the driver to take them one last place, a company near the pier. He was confused, but he was trusting his brother - despite the little heat up he had a couple of hours ago.

As the car came to a halt, Giovanni opened the door and requested Simon would follow him. The guards stood by the vehicle, blending their black suits into the darkness of the night. They went by a few people who knew Giovanni, but he never stopped to make small talk. They all seemed to acknowledge he was in a hurry as if being cryptic and silent was expected behaviour.

They got to a small entry hall just before an adorned door, that looked far too well built for a simple office. A well-dressed security detail greeted Gio and nodded at him, extending their hands.

"Yeah, I know the drill. Don't mind me." he joked, as he laid his Browning Hi-Power in a small metal box. They looked at him and back at his brother, questioning. "Don't worry, he's clean."

They allowed the two men into a hallway that lead all the way up to the perplexing entrance. Giovanni knocked on the door with his ring, making a succession of knocking noises. It almost seemed like a code, but it was just Gio being silly and laid back, never breaking the straight face. He wanted Simon to understand - this was serious.

A voice called them from the inside, allowing them to come in. As Giovanni came in, he took off his hat and quickly approached the desk, shaking the man's hand.

"Ralph, how are you? I brought someone over, I think you should meet him."

He put down his hat on a hanger and sat down in front of the Godfather. "This is Simon Laurel, my brother. Simon, this is Ralph_Lombino, the man when it comes to doing business in Pasadena, LA."

Giovanni lit a cigarette, taking a long drag before resting it in the beautiful ashtray Ralph kept in his office. "I believe you guys will get along very well in the near future."

Simon wanted to spend all the time he could with his brother but he understood the reason why he was leaving. He was keeping to his passion. Beating the living daylights out of anything that is willing to fight or even unwilling for that matter. He missed his brother dearly.

The whole apparatus of the building intrigued and in all honesty, scared Simon. He wondered where his brother was taking him that had so much security or maybe it was the seriousness on his brother's face.

He followed Giovanni into the room and took his hat off down to his chest as Gio introduced him to Ralph.

"It is a pleasure to meet you sir." Simon says with shaking voice under his thick Italian accent. He extended his hand and shook Ralphs.

He glanced at his brother which pointed at the hanger with his eyes and Simon flinched as he understood what his brother was trying to tell him. He put his jacket and his hat on the hanger and joined them seated at the desk next to his brother. He locks eyes with his brother for a moment. Giovanni sighs and hands him a cigarette. He'd left his in his jacket on the hanger and was embarrassed to get up and get them after just sitting down. He lights it and says a bit calmer: "You have a very nice office sir." trying to make conversation to fill the room.

"The pleasure is mine Simon. You come from a well respected family in this city, and your brothers have done great things for Pasadena. Am I to assume that you intend to follow in the family business in this city then?"

Ralph looked up and saw that Giovanni was clearly not happy with having his younger brother here. Simon, for his part, was uncomfortable in These opulent settings. The boy was new to the shores and did not know that behind all this beauty was hard work.

"Relax Simon, I don't bite, and your brothers work has earned you the right to sit here without fear. You are welcome in my district and in this city so long as you wish, and so long as you stay within the rules of our world, that you know, they being the rules of your own home country."

Ralph slid back his chair, stood up and stepped to the cabinet behind his desk. He opened a small decanter and poured a drink for each of the men in the room. Returning to his desk, He placed the drinks down, and looked to giovannilaurel.

"How did simonlaurel end up in this city? Last I heard he was your hold down in italy, taking care of your family."

Giovanni smoked away his cigarette with a mixture of pride and worry.

Ralph_Lombino's kind words impacted him and made him very proud of he had done with ThomasLaurel and Auriel up to this moment. On the other hand, he was bringing his younger brother into a world of criminal behaviour and constant risk. He put out the cigarette butt on the same adorned ashtray he had used before, just as Ralph poured a drink for each of them.

Twirling the drink in his glass, he took in the rich smell of the liquid. The golden shine of the whiskey was enticing and Giovanni had a sip as he listened to the Godfather.

"He ran into some trouble in the old country. Rookie shit, he got busted moving money. Had to leave the country."

Giovanni glared at his brother, nodding his head into a hard no. He took another swig of the drink to tame his frustration, it was pointless now. He looked back at Ralph.

"Simon is going to keep mostly to behind the desk work, at least for the time being. Albeit we have a hard grip on LAPD, I really don't want him in trouble this soon. I never amounted to much back in Italy, you know this. What I did amount to was trouble. I came here to change that."

He looked at SimonLaurel, less angry now. Thinking of his own humble beginings made him easier and nostalgic, fading some of his frustration into understandment. He could relate, after all.

"Do not think however this means your work will be easier or less demanding. We work very hard to keep all of this you see. And we take a lot of pride on our work, even if some would frown upon it. Keep that in the back of your mind at all times."

"We can certainly keep him away from the public eye for a while, so to speak. We have a good handful of jobs that he can do that will keep him valuable, but also will be fully legal should the police decide to inquire anyway."

Ralph turned to simonlaurel, looking him up and down. With a nod, he reached into his desk, pulled out a cap, and a packet of papers.

"I've got just the thing. Simon, How do you feel about messenger work. It'll include some behind a desk work, but it will give you fully legal and aboveboard work that gets you out and about."

As Giovanni and Ralph spoke, Simon simply nodded his head along and sipped his drink. He wasn't afraid of the dirty jobs, he didn't mind them. However, if they were avoided. He'd appreciate it.

His facial expression drop and all emotion drained of his body. He was going to be a messenger? A advanced degree and master qualifications being put to work as a messenger almost reduced him to tears on the inside.

"If the man says I'm a messenger, then I guess I'm a messenger cazzo!" he thought to himself lifting the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you for this great opportunity. I am happy to be placed where ever you feel I'm most fit. I also appreciate an opportunity to get to know the city better."

He was looking for positives points to the job. He wasn't in a position to be picky and much less to complain. He was sitting on someone else's seat, in someone else's office, smoking someone else's cigarettes while drinking someone else's whiskey. He'd take what he's given.

"I don't think my frat-sorry-brother has mentioned: I'm an accountant. I'm sure you have your own people but, I have a special way with numbers. I think if you'd contact the associates in Italy, I'm sure you'd be surprised with the references."

As he finishes the sentence, he gets another sip from the whiskey in efforts to drown the cheeky smile he felt would build on his face at that moment.

"Not to worry, I can always use a man good with numbers. But do me a solid. run with this for a couple of weeks. Gives me time to take care of a few things. No one looks twice at a chap in a cap, running errands. But the guy is the white shirt doing your taxes? He's  going to get some scrutiny."

Ralph shakes his head slowly, and loks ath the two brothers.

"It'll take me a little bit of time, but between us, Giovanni and I can get you the papers that keep you from being looked at too close, capiche?"

"Thank you so much sir for your consideration!" Simon said bowing his head slightly to the man behind the desk. With all introductions made and business handled, it was time for their exit.

He was genuinely glad to hear that and felt relieved there was a progression opportunity from the messenger job. He finished his cigarette with a long pull and down the rest of his whiskey. He then proceeded to get up from his chair and shake ralph_lombino's hand. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to working with you." 

He made his way to the door, stopping to grab his hat and jacket. He got out and sparked another cigarette. Walking in silence in a somewhat slow pace next to his brother which seemed to start distancing himself. They made their way back through security, GiovanniLaurel retrieved his precious firearm.

Simon slumped into the car and looked out the window thinking. He had a plan.

"Fratello mio, I'm going to open an Accountancy firm here in L.A." nodding his head confidently to his own words.

Giovanni looked at Simon somewhat confused as a job had been assigned to him and it sure as hell wasn't accounting.

Simon simply smiled at his brother and understood the look:

"You see, if I prepare the groundwork and get enough, you know, legitimate clients: I'll be able to hide your activities in the books a lot easier. The problem is: that takes time. Sooner I begin taking care of that, the quicker I can get started when the job is assigned to me."

He took a drag from his cigarette and continued, speaking with the smoke still exiting his mouth:

"Non preoccuparti, fratello mio - I have all the funds I need for this venture. I might have spent a year in jail but I came out with a lot of money since nobody did manage to follow the money. I need to make some hires to get the ball rolling."