A man shrouded in the dark of the night walked throughout the echoing streets of Philadelphia, here began a legacy that no one would ever forget and one of those men who built that legacy had returned, and with him, many of his old enemies were beginning to line up one by one wishing to beat him down. This was not going to the only trial that he faced, the Upstate Commission and those of the Garranzino had been left in the past for the young warrior, only now there was something worse beginning. It was going to be the end for Charlie Pavanno and with him, the empire that he was wishing to rebuild from the debris. 

The man stopped outside the Ultra-Luxe Casino and looked at the blinking array of lights, it would draw people in like a moth to a flame and that was what drew him in firstly. Not anymore though, he was here to witness something go down and he got his wish when one of the guards had stepped out, walking around the back and lifted the garage door open. The man continued watching as he noticed a couple of people step out, placing some products into a black truck.

It wasn't every day that this type of thing happened but with Mortimer out of the seat that he had graciously placed himself in, the man knew this business would change. He decided to end this little facade, stepping forward, alerting many of the guards to his presence as some spotlights shone down on him but he did not even blink. He continued going forward until one of the big burly men had placed a gun to his chest, now that would get him to stop, he was not looking to die just yet. 

"What are you doing here!? The Casino is just around in the front, back here is private and for personnel only, I will have to ask you to leave and now sir."

The guard stated in an authoritative voice before the man backed away, raising his hands in surrender, even though the guards were neither threatening or forcefully removing him yet. No, that ringed something off in them but they kept up their guard. Only sighing once the man retreated, walking away and into the Philadelphia night. 

Only the man had not left yet, he was in a payphone talking to someone in hushed whispers. There was an odd excited tone to him before he hung up, he waited for thirty minutes and then it happened. The tell-tale signs of his back-up arriving, he propped himself up against the payphone booth before smiling brightly towards them. Although it came out much more sinister than one would believe for someone that was trying to smile he needed to work with himself, a lot.

"Gentlemen. A pleasure to see you here. I did call earlier and tried to inform you all that I was doing something for the family and here we are. The Ultra-Luxe, controlled by the Pavanno Outfit and recently bloodied by civil war. It's something that he should find interesting, I would hope that he would have been here."

Out stepped a man that was the leader among these group of men, his eyes locked onto those of the caller, the one that had brought them here. 

"Arin, you do have such a way with words that many people back at the headquarters had trouble believing that you saw a shipment. Now, we've come here to relieve these people of the so-called shipment. You should be happy anyone came at all, this type of thing is beneath me and we should not be lowering ourselves to such standards. These mobsters, they have no respect for the correct way to do business but our C.O sees some value in you, how that is possible? I do not know and so, here I stand!"

Arin, as the man was revealed to be looked back at his current superior. He knew that their company was something that had never lowered itself to deal with this thing, only he saw the opportunity, he caught wind of it and now was the time to act. No longer could they be held back by the forces that would believe themselves as superior, it was time for a greater power to rise and with it, Arin too would rise as the next leader of this era.

"Here you stand because he trusts me. We've gained riches and business because he has trusted me, we have gained companies overseas because HE has trusted in me. Not anyone of you, this is because he trusts me and I find myself at his side. Nothing else. Do you wish to become one of the highest earners in the company? This is how we do it, the bad guys, the good guys, there is nothing like that here! There are only monies and the ways to make it."

Arin stared back at his superior but he held the cool gaze, many of the men looked on at the power play of the young man that had only been with the company a few months and there he was, a newly minted bastard who gained recognition for his ways of looking out and being able to get away unseen. He was unbelievable and he had earned them money because of that. 

"You're right, it does not mean that I don't see you, that the others who make up the board don't see you. We know the type of man you are Arin, you are ambitious but you are loyal, that is something that does not suit or bode well for you. There is somewhere your ambition leads you to become the leader and then there is the loyalty that can make you loyal to the power itself or the person that currently holds it. That is why he distrusts you so, his advisors and I, we warn him every day and we know the type of many you are, I repeat for the sake of my men who look at you in awe."

Arin smirked, he never expected Ross for that type of talk but here he was, protector and leader of the armed forces that was apart of The Firm. The group that he worked for and was now looking to expand into the states, now they just needed a foothold and what better way to start then drugs?

The guards at the Ultra-Luxe had watched the odd man leave and they knew that they had never seen him before those. Who he was had been a complete mystery, they never knew that with the deaths of their former enemies, new ones would rise from the ashes and that moment would have been now. The sounds of a car going full speed had been heard by all of them and it was heading towards them, suddenly the frontline guards had been run over by the cars...

Exiting was Arin who started firing at them immediately, he noticed the truck and could only begin to wonder what type of product was in that truck. He guessed guns but it could easily be Drugs, one of the two most profitable exports for the Pavanno Outfit and it was sitting right here for them to take, all that needed to happen was for all of them to be dead and the battle had already ensued. 

Arin fired once more, hitting a couple of the bastard, causing them to put up a last-ditch effort that never worked and they died without truly defending the shipment. Whoever these people were, they had some training and that is what worried these defenders. They knew nothing about these people and they were being slaughtered like pigs.

"Stay down gents, no more blood need be shed. You can all surrender and we will on our merry way, stay down, leave your guns on the ground and give up. Dying like this will not be suitable, I am sure that you all have wives and children to get back too. What would they do without you, hey?"

The leader spoke out, causing Arin to look at him like he was crazy, he was offering these fools a way out? That would not do and as if the leader of this little gang knew what he was thinking, he turned a cool gaze onto him. 

"They will be let go if they surrender, Arin get the truck and get back to the safe house. Tell the boss what happened here, understood?"

Arin nodded, already moving to get inside the truck and as he did, he looked in the back and found what happened to be Heroin. Now, this was interesting, something like this was already going to be worth quite the price for some addicts on the streets and then the distributors. It was going to be amazing and now he had a pile of it inside the back. Starting the truck, he drove off. 

"You made a good choice here today gentlemen, your bosses may not think you brave but you remained alive and conserve your strength."

The leader and his men entered their respective cars, never noticing that they were being watched by a hidden Michael Pavanno who had stopped by to collect some money for the family. 

"Well fuck...this is just going to make things topsy-turvy, how quaint and lovely."

Michael stepped out from the shadows, looking at the remaining men who survived and contrary to what the man had said, he was great that they were not stupid enough to run into the dead of the night and get themselves killed. No, they would be the ones to come with him and tell Father...the game had begun.

And so the game began, the thoughts that went through the young man's head was of riches and glory, recognition and finally something that he could call his own. Arin knew that with his superiors disliking his ways and ambition that they would be hesitant in allowing him something like this but this result had to mean something. It just had too, otherwise, he would do more and soon he would have to stop them from using him like a prized chicken who gave them golden eggs. 

Charlie Pavanno was like him in some way, he had heard rumors of the first man's job, a heist in Manchester and it went wrong, something that the man never forgot. He had worked with people that remembered the jobs said a man had done, it was a work of art and some people never really forgot what had happened to the Pavanno family on that job, 

Charlie fled to the states and he found himself working in different cities, his work gaining some eyes from the Las Vegas mob at one time. Something that he had not accepted but still surprised at it nonetheless, it was work that people never forgot until now and Charlie had solidified himself as a man on the rise, joining a new company and allowing himself to be recognized for coming out into the streets every single day and starting a new adventure or job that no one forgot. He was somewhat infamous for his grind but Arin liked it. 

Such a thing was beautiful and he often found himself trying to duplicate the success and knew that he was having little success but with this job; it would mark the change, he would become the next big thing since Charles and perhaps, surpass him. He would make sure that people knew his name, he was the next mobster to be the biggest money-maker the states ever saw and it all started with a pile of heroin!

Arin parked the car at a warehouse and noticing a few men standing there with guns in hand, he stepped out, noticing the boss. Joseph De'Monte. This was a surprise but he stepped forward, ready to receive what he would believe would have been praise and he was right partly. 

"You've done a service Arin I must commend you for that. This type of thing is not something we get mixed up with directly but it allows us to know what type of product that they transport and who supplies it, which would be the Haitians of the back roads. Very surprising to see that Pavanno is willing to work with such people, I often hear they are savages of the worst kind but that is just rumor."

De'Monte stepped around, viewing the truck and motioning for Arin to open it up, to which the young man did with great speed as he wanted to know what Joseph had to say about this.

Joe eyed the drugs in the truck with a smile before turning to his men, motioning for them to put it in the warehouse. While he did this, he motioned for Arin to follow beside him 

"Listen, kid, some of these men, they don't like you. I told you this much already and I told you it would be hard but, you need to understand that this business is not what we get involved in. We deal in legitimate stuff, maybe it's time for a change though. From this moment on you will be reporting to Crane, do well with him."

Arin watched De'Monte walk off as he effectively shoved him into the hands of the man who liked him the least in this organization, maybe he was going to be dead before his dreams come true. 

Charlie Pavanno stared out at the Philadelphia Horizon, since the end of the war, he had been taking more of his time to reflect and allow for what he would believe was peace. It helped him, kept him centered, therefore, it allowed for his son to step up and run the day to day operations of their organization. In which it had been running effectively well, the Irish had continued their support with running gangs as did the Haitians and their delivery. 

Now he had been called by his son and told of some very bad news. Their shipment had been stolen and some of their men had been killed in the ensuing gunfight, quite the bad take for them that night as the police were called. Michael handled it to the best of his abilities and now was coming back to the compound, Charlie hoped that he could shed some light on who these new people were and just who they were going to be targeting next. 

"Sir, Michael is outside waiting for you, he has news about the attacks that took place."

Charlie sighed, finally believing that there would be some alleviating of this little worry that had cut through him like a hot knife through butter. It would be truly terrifying to see that this was not the least of their troubles, maybe his son would be the next one to take over before long and this was just the start. 

He motioned for the guard to let him in and the door opened without another word as the guard had left, leaving father and son to talk about this newest situation that hit them like a ton of bricks. 

"Father, I have the news that you wish for. It seems that from the reports that the soldiers gave, a man had come moments before, looking at the shipment before walking away without another word. About thirty minutes later, a squadron of three cars had got there just as the loading process had finished and fired first on our men, starting a gunfight that left us with five of fifteen who had originally been guarding the shipment."

Charlie growled to himself, a new group was moving in, what for though? He would have believed that they were survivors of the former war but that would have stupid. Why would those who survived to want to enter another one so soon? It would have been suicide on both parts to engage, considering the amount of heat that would be down on them because of said war. 

"So, did any of our men get any distinct accent on who these guys might be or were they local? It's a different ballgame if they were local because that means they would know us and they would know our business with the Haitians which makes them and all our allies compromised to the point of suspending all supplies."

Michael went wide-eyed, there was only one time that his father had spoke of suspending the supply of their product and that had been during the war. Did he understand why then, yes, but now? it seemed a bit like his father was still affected by the war, either way, his word was the law right now and what he said, mattered to everybody. 

"If that is the course of action you believe is necessary then I will begin to make the calls-"

"Disregard that but I want the guards at all our warehouse to be upped from fifteen to 30. Double all of it, we will see who is brazen enough to attack then, if it continues, then I'll contact the Haitians and the Irish. Go, it seems our newest enemies wish to make themselves known. Let them know, we have noticed."

Cafe - Philadelphia, Little Italy 

"They've increased the men protecting their shipments and the amount going in, smart. They have good heads on their shoulders but we will no longer be needing them, we've managed to secure our very own supplier of Heroin."

Crane, a Caporegime of The Firm and staunch believer in the old way of doing things. While he worked for the company like it was truly one, he knew that the boss had yet to forget his Italian roots and had done this as a way to keep the ones who wanted the old ways happy. The ones who loved their way of killing to earn, protection, and at the end of the day, coming home to their wives with good pay in hand. 

Crane now had to deal with the newest popular member of the firm, Arin Montague. Now Arin was a good guy and had a good deal of intelligence but there was something about him, Crane disliked the man himself, not for the way he presented himself as the next big thing. The way he was going, he would very much be that way. No, he was something of a loose cannon, you would never know who you were dealing with at the time. 

Crane would be the one to deal with the growing medicinal collection that they had been trying to push right now. With the support of the Triads and some Red Dragons, they would be able to gain about five million dollars every year due to the amount being supplied. The boss would be happy and it would bring them good pay, which was the goal at the end of this life. 

"That's good news but it does not mean they will stop looking, they will eventually come across us and believe us a small group of thugs looking to make their way up the ranks in this society. I would not be surprised if we notice some bodies piling up and the police being paid to look the other way, that's the one thing that people fear about them. The way that Charlie controls the politicians and the police, they are in his pockets."

Crane knew that as well, they would have to be careful. It was something that their boss never made them forget. They were in a different territory and so for the first time, they would have to watch their steps and be sure that they could pull off certain things. No longer were they the dominant crew in control anymore, they would have to be watchful of those that had different interests in mind and like those before them, they would have to make sure they could counteract whatever plans that their enemies had in mind. 

"Indeed but we have another thing, reputation, we could establish ourselves as Crane Shipping Co. A company that ships goods across the states to hide our affairs from the Mob and the police, are they going to look at us? We are two Jewish businessmen who are from successful families. Of course, they won't, Issac, make the preparations, I believe it is time that we invested in some fine real estate."
 

"Arin is not here right now, he's going through it again and I do wonder why you trust him so much, Joe. He's not somewhat stable, I do not think anyone from his family has been stable and yet they are related to the people who we are making moves against. I doubt that he even knows but then again, blood does call to blood and what other way shows that then him robbing his dear relative's shipment?"

Sitting in the mansion of Joseph De'Monte was the Underboss of the Firm. Henry Stein was a former associate of the famed hitmen organization known as Murder Inc. Such a group had existed and was favored by the mob for its effectiveness, now the group had since been disbanded and Henry here was the last remaining member of such organization or at least, that was the rumor that was going around. 

Henry never believed it, he knew that some of his other associates were alive, living lives the way they dream and some even went back to Italy. Enjoying the peace now that they could. It was calm and no Mafia Chieftains would wish to bring the ire of  The Firm onto them if they tried to throw former members of the famed organization out of their territory, the firm had plenty influence in the world and would not hesitate to use it to defend one of their own. 

"He's useful and someone that has proven himself to me, so what he has episodes of forgetfulness, by night he will be fine and we can continue with him here. I've grown fond of him and he has proven himself ready to have some sort of overseer. Which is why I have chosen to bring forth Crane in the matter. A man like that, someone who hates him will bring the Arin will know to the forefront and possibly in full control once and for all."

Henry watched his boss and knew that this admiration of the boy had gone far. So had it with some others who saw the way that the boss was thinking, the boy was a genius in other words and had provided them with some good money-making ideas that would see their profits doubled come next month. Others did not wish to see it, believing the boy to be nothing more than an ambitious little fool who was thinking far above his station of an associate. 

Henry knew that some of these men admired the old ways but the boy was a certified man who had already seen their profits go up, he had already planted some nice doubt in some of their opponent's minds and they knew that they did not need that right now. With Crane following up on some suppliers, they would soon have their own drug game that could be worked on.

"We'll see boss but the kid, he will need a break eventually. We cannot allow ourselves to fall into the routine of trusting him too much. He is a kid and thus deserves something here and there, we cannot believe that he is ready to dedicate his life to us already. Once he joins, there is no going back, we cannot undo what we have done and we must live with the consequences of that action."

Joe smiled, walking over and pouring himself and Henry a drink, soon sitting down opposite him as he thought over his underboss' words. 

"Guards have been doubled and so have the routes, we made sure that nothing goes missing on these routes and if they do, we know there has been a foul play or one of our men has been skimming from the top. I honestly do doubt the latter and so I would like for all our contacts to be on alert. I don't care who or what happens if an anthill is so much as forms, I wanna hear about it, understood?"

Michael had called a meeting of the Outfit, the Irish to one side and the Haitians to another as the Italian mob rep here. He sat down at the head as it was him who brought many of these people here or more to the point, his father. Who had been taken a backseat as of late, the war still on his mind but everyone was wishing him the best in terms of recovery after what he had seen in terms of it. 

"We understand, speaking of it, have any of you ever heard of the Montague family? It's something that came to me once upon a time in Seattle, back when Joey was planning to leave and abdicate his throne if necessary."

Both Michael and Ura shook their heads, neither hearing or knowing of such an organization to exist, Michael was curious because why else would Devlin bring it up if it had nothing to do with the business at hand?

"There was a kid named Caeserion, he had a link to your family Michael. I'm assuming cousins of a sort, now he had a few problems, a borderline personality disorder. He went to a doctor and that Doctor went to Joey before he left, telling him about the relation. Caeserion had fled during the war that his old crew got mixed up with and so, Joey never got to meet him but I heard that he had a younger half-brother he never knew about, the doctor told me and it was all kinds of fucked up shit."

Michael raised an eyebrow, where was this going? How did this pertain to the business at hand and it seemed that his thoughts had played out in expressions as Devlin raised his hand to stop him from asking the question, motioning that he was getting there and so, Michael allowed him to continue, still curious as to where this would be going.

"The younger brother's name was Arin, now the doctor said that the Montague family had a history of people with Borderline Personality Disorder. It's almost like at night, they could be a mobster but in the day, they would think themselves a regular joe. Someone that simply works from 9-5 and when that clock strikes five, is when they will come out to play and live like the rest of us do, unleashing their true self."

Michael looked into the eyes of his associate and found that what was in them was fear, no other word for it. This man, this family of his was out there somewhere and he had one question on his mind: 'Just where are you, Arin Montague?'

Charlie Pavanno walked the streets of Philadelphia before stepping into the East Cat Cellar, it was reaching midnight and the once-famous bar of Jack mezzo always helped him forget things that had to be buried and remain in the past. He ordered himself a bourbon and sat down next to a strange gentleman who wore a black leather jacket with a black t-shirt and pants, topping it off with boots He looked every part of the mercenary that someone would think he was.

"Ah, It's not every day that a legend decides to grace us. It's a pleasure to see you here Mister Pavanno, I always had so many questions that I wanted to ask you, sorry, excuse me. I did not mean to bombard you like that."

Charlie turned his head and noticed the curious man with some boyish features, it reminded him of his son of a second before remembering that his drink had been placed down, he took a cautious sip, knowing that he had some business to get back too. He would not be allowing his son too much now, he knew eventually people would begin questioning his leadership. 

"It's alright kid, tell me though, what are you doing here? Never seen you around here, it seems like a business, like this, takes some precedence in this life of ours. I'm assuming your business is done for the day."

The young man chuckled, taking an olive from the platter that he had ordered and chucking it his mouth before savoring the taste, answering the boss of the Outfit without hesitation. 

"I am done with my business for the day and hope to find a dame, settle down for the night and see where that leads me, eh? It's always good to relax at the end of such a day, I've had to deal with a couple of wiseasses these past couple weeks, they wanna grill for some stuff I did, can you believe that?"

Charlie chuckled, remembering moments back in the day. People always wanted to put down the next guy who would be in their position soon enough, it was a move that not many people liked and right now, they would look to the new guy and find ways to haze him until he either gave up or earned respect in their eyes. 

"I can believe it, kid, I've gone through the same thing and lemme offer you some advice for this life. People will always look to find you in the dumps, they will look to have your position. You have to rise and show these motherfuckers why you got it in the first place, look them in the eye and tell them that you are here to make the boss money, to make yourself money and to earn you keep in the crew. After that, they can't disrespect you because you know your motives and if they don't, fuck 'em!"

The man chuckled before turning his head and his eyes widened in surprise, realizing that he never told the older man his name. 

"Sorry Mister Pavanno, my name is Arin, I never told you, it's been a pleasure and thanks for the advice, sir."

Charlie nodded his head before watching the kid go off, he chuckled knowing the kid was probably going to find some dame while he went back to his drink, thinking about the new people in town that caused him some trouble.

"Father hasn't been home in a couple of days, apparently he's in Philly, enjoying some of the lady luck herself. Other than that, we got no reason to worry supposedly. I got a couple of guys on the streets as well, some loudmouth running about and talking shit, talking about the new way of doing things, apparently, people on these streets gotta do business the correct way. All that bullshit, we make money and we look good doing it. That's not what I'm here for though, the rules, my family and those men who worked with you, they all came from somewhere."

Michael Pavanno walked with a favored Mob Boss in Las Vegas, Antonio Balderini. He ran the Las Vegas Outfit that oversaw the ventures of Casinos and Drug Exportation throughout Europe, he was a good man and one that believed in honor, family, and respect. Now Michael was here for some information, these new guys apparently worked with Antonio one time and it was the best chance to get some good news on these guys. They, his crew, would need to see if these people posed a threat that would need to be exterminated in the near future. 

"Who you're talking about is a bunch of people Mikey, I've met a lot of people and some of them were wiseguys like you. Others respected the code and what we stand for, the society of the chosen. This life is not given with a simple nod and you're on your way, no it's more than that. I worked with some people but you're going to give up a lot more than that, if these guys worked with me, sure I can say something that might sway them to not do it again. If they're big enough, it might mean that you gotta handle the old-fashioned way of how we do business."

Michael knew where Anthony was coming from and he didn't wanna deal with that, so he knew that he had to go with the next level way of dealing with this shit. He stopped a cafe, sitting outside and enjoying the rare Philly sun for a moment. A waitress came out and he ordered a coffee, waiting for Antonio to get used to the environment as he had made it clear that he had never liked Philly. He found it a bit too much for his tastes, enjoying the Vegas scene much more than Mikey would have thought possible. 

"Fuck man, I don't know the name but apparently they were organized and they saw a single man walk up to the garage where we were packing our shit. Apparently, he left thirty minutes before that. They did hear a name though..."

Michael cursed to himself, now just remembering the name that Devlin told him about and how he had just now made the connection, it was impossible, one of their cousins was once again working for the enemy and he might not even know it? This was not something you learned every day.

"Fucking shit! They heard the name, Arin, it seemed like something was going down between the leader and this kid. Like they had a little power play going off one another of sorts."

The head of the Las Vegas Outfit had frozen in his chair and his eyes had seemingly turned to steel as they were sharp as ever. It seemed like the boss had recognized the name, Michael leaned forward and hoped to learn more. That look was something for a long term enemy, it seems the Las Vegas Outfit had some run-ins with these renegades or perhaps, the single renegade known as Arin. 

"That man, Arin, he's something of their lapdog. He's the one they call if they need some to case a joint before they make the move or he's something that gets the shit done while he's casing the joint, he's trouble and someone that your boys should shoot on your sight. He's cost my organization twenty million dollars and that was just two years ago, his boss sorted it out but still, I have not forgotten him nor do I intend too."

Michael smirked, he still hadn't gotten the organization's name but he was going to be happy knowing that he had some knowledge on his rogue family member, the kid that had a personality disorder. Maybe the game had changed enough, family against family, it was positively medieval at this point and he was beginning to feel the bile rise in his throat. 

"What was the organization, you said that they might have worked for you. Do they not have loyalty for the one that gave them the start necessary? It would seem so but I would not wish to make judgments on something that I have yet to know, friend."

Michael ducked his head as Antonio sent him a wary gaze that had him on edge but he had already started to drink his coffee. Antonio was likely to warn him that this was a fight he could not win, maybe that was true but these people had come after his own business. They would get nothing short of his own attention, not divided, his father could handle the others, for now, this was his own money-maker. His father had since accepted the turn over of power and did or said nothing to dispute it, they would pay, dearly. 

"They are known as The Firm and they are not one of us, they are not a part or even take knowledge of the honored society. They have their own code and they consider themselves a company, something beyond the reach of the government. We may have the politicians and such but they have the legitimacy and bringing them down will prove to be no easy task that you should not do alone. This is going to be something above your paygrade, friend."

Michael himself stood up from his seat, now understanding who these new enemies were. He had more to talk about with Antonio, he finished his coffee with a gulp and gestured for them to keep walking, he needed to know more.

"This firm, is that all they are? I assume they have a structure, someone who leads them all into battle or perhaps the courtroom."

Michael now walked with his hands in his pockets and he was quite stiff in how he did so, no longer was the uncaring and wisecracking nature that he usually expressed shown. No this was the Heir of the Pavanno Outfit, the man that would single-handedly lead his own way back to his original place and standing amongst the gathered associate. Here he walked next to a Boss who could easily have him wacked, possibly starting a war but still, he walked with the confidence that only a person of power could truly exude.

"Joseph De'Monte. He worked with me one time in Las Vegas, he was a visionary. He saw something deeper and more meaningful for the mob. Something that did not have us fearing the police or any sort of prosecution, he saw what any other man wants to see, a way to turn our business legitimate. He succeeded and thus began the firm, he was a big man and soon turned into a bigger power player. No one knew what he would become but now look at him, head of the biggest medicinal hardware company and legal gun-runner."

Michael shrugged, there were things that any other kind of man wanted, business like that was always limited in some ways. That was the way he thought about it and his father had been no different in that manner, now maybe they were old fashioned in how they did that but it was clear that these other associates had been ahead of them. 

"Well then, that is quite the trade he has found himself in. One that suits him I assume but that means he does not have the power in terms of corrupt officials, he is powerless in that avenue and that is something the Pavanno Outfit takes part in. He would be like a lamb to the slaughter in that type of play and we would be there to make sure that we reap the benefits."

Anthony stopped, bringing his hand up to stop any more advances that Michael would try to make in this walk. They were in the middle of a crossing, a truck waiting there for them to pass and be on with there day but Anthony didn't care. This was the respect that he deserved and the drive would dare not honk his horn around him. 

"If you think that you're going to play Joseph here, you haven't been paying attention. He most likely has a Capo or even one of his Street Bosses looking for the situation right there. Something that we all want to know the answer to, I have my own situation that needs to be handled. A Balderini pays their debts and I am in debt to them a lot, something that will be paid back in full and in blood."

Antonio now started walking with Michael watching before shrugging, now walking beside him, knowing that he had an ally in the Las Vegas Outfit boss.

Pavanno Family Compound

"I used to tell Jimmy that I was the one meant to stay behind and be the guy behind the curtain, the one that was never meant to be seen and just helped out here and there. He never gave me a chance to deny who he thought I was, it did not matter that I was not meant to command or even fight, he made me ready. He took me by my scrawny neck and tossed me into the fucking pits of the world we call La Cosa Nostra."

Charlie spat towards a photo of himself, it looked a bit old and in the back, he could see plenty of people that had long been forgotten but he never would, a bottle of scotch in hand. His eyes were hazy and his tie loosened around his neck, maybe he had been drinking to the point of neither caring what escaped him at the point. This was his rage boiling over and soon he had started his rant once more, talking to nobody but the photo as if it could know what he was feeling at that moment. 

"We called this the honored society, a place where you are one of them, the people who come here and make something of themselves! They never tell you the truth of it though, they never admit the things you will have to do or you might have to do in the name of family and everything you stand for. It's something that can and will break you, nothing is ever forgotten. The things you stand for, they are forgotten and left to be broken in the name of this society...only I would not give back anything, this world, this place is something that no one has ever fully understood. The rules, this society is all something that can come crumbling down like a wall."

Charlie continued ranting to himself, standing to his feet and walking over to a window, leaning against it with his shoulder, barely restraining a groan as he felt himself grow more inebriated. He did not truly care, he had some tolerance, he drank and he took a quick smoke here and there. He made sure that he limited himself but sometimes, someone would need a moment to themselves. To finally process what they had done, he murdered his family in cold blood and did not even think a second about it. 

"The rules said and the rules stated so, you would believe that you had become a member of the society...a man above the rules. FUCK! The rules state that you would have to kill those who betrayed the code of Omerta, La Famiglia and the rules that hold us together. A common saying among us, I killed you both and for that, I am so very sorry, your line does die here. Maybe you were meant for more, I will never know now."

Charlie looked at himself in the reflection of the window, he sighed at what he saw and for once, he did not even look himself anymore. Gone was the once clean-shaven face of the Pavanno Outfit boss, he had stubble decorating his face and now he looked closer to a failed lawyer that got fired and was looking for a partner in the middle of the night. His hair was untamed, coming down in a fringer that concealed his dark grey eyes, he was sad and he had done a good job of hiding it but not anymore. 

"Heh...look at you now Charlie, still the same old bastard who cries to himself like a little bitch because you had to do the tough shit in life. Get a fucking grip and maybe then, your old boss wouldn't have beaten you up like a ragdoll and thrown you around the ring..."

Charlie slammed his head against the window and a small crack formed before he stepped back, a friend one time had helped him get over this shit and that friend had killed someone....they died in response to such a thing. Charlie felt....odd now, no one was there to help him and maybe that was the way it needed to be for a while. No one could help him with this, he was meant to be the rock that they looked too, that people respected without another word, was he meant to be weak? Show weakness, it meant that someone would be gunning for your throne. 

Adonis would have said something like get his ass ready and to stop moping, to get the fuck up and begin the bloody business of the day, His boss had been an action type of man and this stuff, it always got the better of him. Joe The Boss was a good man like that, maybe it was the time that Charlie took some inspiration in that direction, he straightened himself out and laid in his bed, going to sleep for now. 

"Adonis, you've never failed to give me wisdom, even in the moments that you were never here for the family. You were a boss and you did what you had to do in this life, maybe I should finally start seeing things the way you do. It's time to stop being this way and bring myself in the world that we live in. La Cosa Nostra and the rules that have held us together for centuries, may they guide us now, as they have always guided us since."

Charlie woke up the next morning, he found himself looking at one of his associates. They seemed to be cleaning up and it was only now that he realized who it was, Anastasia. A former associate who worked with the Refined Society, she came to work with them and had soon started to assist Charlie in his life. She was not someone he came to trust but he appreciated her none the less, deciding to take his own route, he headed in the bathroom with a muttered morning, preparing himself to face the day in earnest. 

Charlie left looking like his usual self or what he had looked like in his race street days to an extent. He had shaven his stubble and left his hair spiked up, looking at a bit more youthful beside the cut that had formed due to the headbutting of the window before he slept. Now the cut had remained just above his right eyebrow, he moved on and walked out to find an outfit prepared for him and Anastasia had since left the room, he would make sure to thank her for the consideration. 

"Chuck! We got some news, Michael is waiting for you in the dining room. Anastasia made breakfast for everyone, you coming?"

Freddie Kidd had asked this, walking in with a calm stride, the Capo had been looking different since the war against the little bitches known as the Upstate Commission and the former family known as Garranzino. People were grateful that the war was over and none more so than Freddie as he had finally got an idea of what it was like, people were coming every day, wishing them well and it was always a wonder of which one of them was a spy and who was being genuine. The kid had learned not to trust everybody during a war like that. 

"I'm coming, tell them to save me a plate if Winston and Hector can save themselves from such feasting. I'll be down soon, tell Michael that he better be prepared to tell me a lot. I've been out of the loop on some things and stuff like this, it's important for me to know. Do you understand that, Freddie?"

The kid looked him in the eye, making sure that he did not flinch or even avert his stare. He knew the steel in his boss' voice, it was something that could not go unnoticed, he was back and ready to take up the reins again, something that had left him with all the death and despair that had been brought to their table recently. 

"I understand Charlie, let's go and do this, make sure that we all understand what this is and what is going on then, Michael talked with some big shot today from Vegas, think it was Anthony Balderini. I hear that he controls all the Casino's and Drugs going in and out of Vegas. He's a good man to have on your side I hear."

Charlie sighed, he knew that with his absence that his son would have gone to others regarding certain information but Charlie didn't trust just anyone like his son. No one else needed to know their family business except those that they all trusted one hundred percent. He decided to let it go until he could talk to his son one on one and see what would happen. 

"Thank you for letting me know Freddie, you may go. I'll be down in a moment."

Freddie left, leaving Charlie to himself and an undone vest and shirt....he stared at himself in the mirror a moment before he grinned and finished putting on his clothing. It was time to surprise the people that didn't want to believe that he could do this again or those that just thought he should take a little more time off. 

'Time to make them all realize that I'm back and better than ever!'

Charlie thought to himself before stepping out into the hallway of his compound, walking down the stairs and heading out into the main parlor. He found himself staring at some new guards that had been posted since his seclusion, he growled on the inside, knowing that he and his son would be having a long talk before he finally walked into the dining room and came face to face with a pretty large feast with the head chair left there for him. 

"Father, what a pleasure to have you here. We've been waiting and we are glad that you are down, we do have some things to discuss but I think we can all eat first before we delve into the matters, do you agree?"

Charlie grinned, walking over with a presence that befitted him as he raked his eyes over each of his top-level associates before chuckling. Grabbing a plate and getting himself a bit of everything, he sat down with a glass of orange juice and an Oreo milkshake...he did wonder how Anastasia had known that was his favorite but he looked at his son and realized that he had one as well...clearly liking that as well. 

"No no...catch me up boys, tell me what I've missed...I'm sure that we can have a nice little dining and eating, can't we?"

Michael shrugged, enjoying the presence of his father all the same before he finally motioned for one of the boys to turn on the radio. Listening to the smooth stylings of the once-famous Trouboudor, his records was something that nobody would have ever missed and now he was gone, the last person that had met him amongst them had been his father. He wondered how that had gone but he knew that he was in no particular mood to find out. His father and Alex Knight had a rivalry of sorts, it seemed to begin back when his father was a mere associate of the Company and became a recognized face among a lot of people. 

"Well, we've got news about these guys, they're called The Firm. A legitimate company that deals in Medicinal goods and Gun Hardware, selling to the Army and some Police forces. It seems that this has got them wired up the ass, only there is something there, we've got it on good authority that they are also dealing in the less legal shit. Pardon me there. We have this now and we can nail them right now, make this quick and get it done with, boss!"

Charlie cut up a piece of bacon, placing it in his mouth and savoring the taste for a moment. He knew that Hector was a passionate man, only he was being a bit unreasonable there, they couldn't just waltz in and try to nail the bastard. They didn't even know where he was based, let alone where he would be conducting his business. This man was smart and had resources that they did not have, still, Charlie knew this was more or less, an even battle. 

"Tell me, is that a good idea and be honest. Think with your head as I know you can, Hector."

Hector shook his head before heading back to breakfast, he looked at his son and noticed a gaze turned on him. It seemed that the way he spoke was not lost on someone at this point and he knew it had the desired effect. His son was looking at him differently, they held each other's gaze for a while longer before the conversation turned back towards their enemies of the month or for the foreseeable future.

"We've learned a couple of things. The boss is named Joseph De'Monte, if we go after him, we would just look a bunch of thugs looking to make trouble. Someone like him, he will never be concerned with us. We need something different and I think that would need to be one of his soldiers. He has most likely assigned someone here to watch over his newest interest, Philly itself and this someone would be having a pretty unstable guy with him."

Michael knew there was no other way, Arin Montague was someone to be watched out for and right now, there was nothing else holding them back. He was someone that could easily bring them down if he wished and he was someone that was supposed to be family, if eyes could be placed on him and he could be subdued without having to use lethal force, it would be better that way.

"This man is known as Arin, he's known to some people to be the lookout, someone who comes in to look for weak points in the joint and sometimes robs it outright. He helps them, it is most likely that he assisted in the robbery of our Heroin as well. If so, be careful, he is not stable and is someone to subdue and not kill if you see him on the streets. Bring him in and we will see what happens from there"

Charlie now sat in his office, breakfast had since finished and he knew that he had to tell his son of the man that he had met in that bar. If that was Arin, then he gave the boy some advice that would have been useful to the normal mind or maybe not. No one knew right now and it was something that not everyone really took it to heart but the boy might. This would not be allowed to stand, he would need to be brought to heel. 

"You called for me Father? I was about to make some calls and see if I could get some information on who is new to the area. Everyone is a suspect, even some of those that we might be able to trust. I do not want us caught off guard again, especially by family, there is something that I have to tell you about the Arin boy as well, something that came as a shock to me."

Charlie motioned for his son to step forward, pouring them both a drink before leaning back into his seat. Getting a bit comfortable as he had a feeling that he would be needing it soon enough. 

"Arin is not just a simple boy, no. He is related to us, he is of the Montague family line and his family seemed to have mingled with us throughout the old country and it seems as if he is a cousin of some sort. We really need to stop meeting family like this, how many others are there that hate us!? How many even like us at this point? We are the monsters to them, while they are nothing more than the heroes, its sick but there is nothing we can do."

Charlie sighed, this was some sort of sick joke. He had seen a member of another branch once more, one that seemed so capable of nothing, he seemed like a regular joe then but something rang out to him at the end of their conversation but due to yesterday night. He could not exactly recall it perfectly, he kept himself staring ahead and looking at his son who looked back with equal worry that had both of them fearing for their very lives. It was clear that this was something they both needed, a simple nod or hum would have sufficed. 

"I met him."

Michael looked at his father in shock, sitting in his seat now and taking the glass with no hesitation before gulping it down without another word. His father was still alive and just then, Michael wondered if Arin had recognized him, maybe he did but some part of him had known something. He did not know his other relative's mind but he knew something must have happened for him to even deny the chance of killing him there, crippling them greatly, it would have left them without an equal. 

"It was at the East Cat Cellar and he seemed perfectly fine. We talked and he listened to me when needed, it was almost like he recognized me for one moment but kept himself calm, I don't know but I am sure that I felt something. He knew me, I am sure of it, that is all."

Michael shook himself from that stupor and found himself narrowing his eyes in concentration. He would never figure it out but it never hurt to try. Now he felt like it had hurt a lot and he had done nothing to prevent this from happening. He should have protected his father that was for damn sure!

"Father, how am I to take this? You met with a man that is supposed to be our family and once again, this family member is working with someone that wishes to overthrow us possibly. We do not know the end goal, maybe it is time that we got ahead of that and this one would not end with blood. No, a true peaceful sitdown between both powers for once in our godforsaken lives."

Michael was trying to come up with a way to stop himself, his father had met a bastard in the form of Arin. He was here, he was a willing weapon of the opposition. Now that was something which had scared Mael, oh he knew that this kid could easily dismantle them. He had come in with swagger said the guards of the last shipment, he showed no fear at the guns drawn or the fact they were hostile towards him. He acted as if it was another walk in the park and that is what made him a true unknown element, just what did he wish for?

"You take it how it is meant to be taken, you have to become the man that you were always meant to be. Now, these people wish to use our family member, even if they don't know about it, this will not stand. I will not lose more family to people who wish to approach us and destroy what we have built. We will react with fire and blood, they wish to get our shipments, attack us, fine, they can have that. I want all our soldiers on alert from now on."

Mael's eyes had widened in shock before bowing his head, pacing the length of his father's office as he wondered where this was going. It had to be something big, something that would shock the opposition into re-thinking this little coup of theirs. No this had to be something straight from the mind of the king himself, Charlie was back but how much of him? This was going to be fun, Mael decided, how fun? He didn't know but rescuing family and dealing damage was something he lived for. 

"We will contact all of our agents working the streets and you will bring in the Las Vegas Outfit. Make sure that they inform us of everything they know about The Firm, we will be going on the offensive soon. We cannot be forced or even for a moment begin to look like the weak ones, we wield the power in Philly right now or at least, a portion of the territory that we have collected. We need to assure these fucks that they can't just come in and try to bulldoze us...we push back and bring them to heel."

Mael chuckled, his father and his way of doing things often left the strangest of effects on some people. Some inspired and some terrified but for him, it was nothing that he had never dealt in before and maybe that was what he needed. Something to finally push the barrier. A speech that would not hold him back and in fact push him to do better, to bring the pain to those who would harm his family. 

Michael stood behind his father as a speech was to be delivered to every single man with the family at the current time, it was going to be something of a rallying call. To bring them together and let them all face the coming storm that would no doubt be the firm and their wave of power in terms of the legal system. It would be a little battle between Legal and Illegal, maybe it was destined but the deciding factor would be the Cops and Politicians, those who wished to keep the Mob and those who did not. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, you are all here and I respect each of you for that. What I am about to tell you is no easy task. This is not like the Garranzino-Pavanno war, I make the promise to all of you that we will not lose a single soul in this battle. We have lost so many people and we will lose more that I do not doubt, I will not call the associates or guards cowards for not wishing to stick around during this fight. You may wish to go home and go to your wives, your families and have one last dinner before long. That is not something I will hold against you at all."

Charlie looked at each of the remaining Capo's who in turn met his cool gaze, they knew this was a test and Charlie may have worded that in a certain way but they all knew him by now.

He admired their loyalty to him, he would make sure that they were awarded in the end. Even in the event of their death, he would take care of their families. 

The boss did not need to do that but Charlie was different, he always made sure that they had a future and they would respect that always. 

It was clear from here, the path was clear. They would always follow the cat, the lion, the man who stood in front of the daunting numbers and led them into the terrifying force of enemies that awaited them like beasts

"The Firm, a company of men that wish to bring legalism to our famous streets. The very streets that I work for and want to see people bringing funny times to them. Maybe I don't get along with certain people, maybe we don't see eye to eye but I do not give a fuck. They do what they want to do and we do what we need to do, it's the way of the business and how it has always been. We will not allow someone like Joseph De'Monte to come in here and begin to slowly turn what we built into his own little paradise. I want to know, which of you here are ready to join me in the trenches?"

No words needed to be said, every single one of them was ready to face the great enemy before them. This was just the way they worked and it would be for a long time. Charlie had instilled them with such loyalty that they would follow him into a world war if necessary, he was the leader they chose and he would always be that leader. 
 

In Bella Vista, Sean Crane had started his business and was already seeing some sizeable increase in the supply of Heroin thanks to the Asian Gangs that were supporting the Triads and Red Dragons. It provided him with an easy and sustainable amount of influence with certain people, he was already gaining some looks from some bigger members of society. Still, he knew his own plans and they did not involve the brat. 

"Have you got what was necessary moving forward Issac? The heroin will provide us with the underworld contacts but these, well, they will provide us with much more and it gives us a nice little backup to fall upon if we do get caught."

Issac stepped forward and he pulled out a black case before placing it on Sean's table. This was the moment that would change their standing if it proved to be true, it would unlock the high society to them. It would give them some needed contacts within the Hollywood Actors and many others who were trying to get their big break. Maybe it was all they needed but for now, Crane was not taking any chances. 

"There they are, my contact in New York told me that they had escaped hands here and there, it reached some new people but it came back to some Russians and a war kind of ensued over these precious diamonds. We might want to pass this up to the boss, give them to him because no one is going to think of robbing him if they know we have it, we're fucked, Crane, we need to make sure that we bring these to the boss or that we sell them straight off the fucking bat."

Crane kept his gaze ahead, this was going to be a historic moment, for the first time, he would be doing a deal without the boss knowing and he would be getting a little cut of the profits obviously. Sean was too focused on what this would mean for himself and the future of his newest business, it would be a step up and something that got the attention of Joseph himself, maybe a promotion perhaps, the future for Crane was limitless. 

"These hold the power of my fate in the underworld, the heroin is one key as I have said. These are another entirely, I would have them guarded and protected with the men's lives, this is something that we all need for the greater good for the company. Now go on, there is work to be done and there are people out there who need their own fix."

Crane motioned for Issac to take the diamonds and keep them safe as he thought about his neighbors over in South Philly, they would be planning something and it would not be for the greater good of what he, himself was planning for The Firm. Crane knew that in the coming months, pieces would be moving and the game would be played.

The waiting game, he had rallied the troops and brought them something new, that something was money. Within a matter of moments, he had armed them and made them ready for future battles. It seemed that would have been folly on his part, plenty of The Firm's listed associates had yet to make their glorious move and he was stuck here, inside the compound of his own making and people wished to protect him, only he did not need that, he was better now and had a great head on his shoulders. Maybe he was out of the loop for a couple of minutes in the past but he was not going to be held up anymore. 

His son was already leading the charge with many of the current soldiers giving him some respect.  Now Michael may not have been the best to lead his people right now against the current enemy or so-called enemy, he just wanted to make sure that his family was safe and who could insult him for that? Michael was the next leader of the family, he had to be prepared to make the difficult choice. A man like him, someone like that would be best for business and who could doubt him on that? They had seen his son work and he was a great man, ready for command. 

"Boss, we've gotten some news and Ura, as well as Kidd,  wants entry to tell you what is going on. Do you want me to let them in?"

Charlie adjusted himself, the Haitian gang leader had been someone who Charlie was beginning to respect and wishing to bring him into the fold, that of the inner circle which consisted of his heir to the family and himself. Now, some would believe that Charlie was going beyond the code, that of having pure Sicilian blood. The blood of the old country, now those ways to him had long since died. The ways of doing business had changed and he had changed along with it, wishing to involve more people and tripling his own profits. He was a man of his word and would continue being so. 

"Allow them in, please stay by the door once they enter, only if something truly urgent is happening do you need to alert me and bring me out of this meeting, understood?"

The guard nodded, opening the door and allowing Ura and Kidd inside, who immediately nodded to Charlie. They both stepped forward, with Kidd taking a position at the liquor cabinet while Ura sat down opposite Charlie. Showing that he wished to talk with the bossman immediately. 

"Don Pavanno, I am here for a simple reason. We've found out the possible names of The Firm's dealers in Philadelphia, they are known to few people but we managed to negotiate with the Colombians and some of the Asian gangs. We've found that they are working with the Triad Gangs and some of the Red Dragon's. Quite ambitious, they are already heading into the Heroin trade. They used the heroin they stole from us in order to prove that they can provide a suitable profit for the triads and red dragon's."

Charlie hummed, this was quite interesting and could prove to be useful. If they spoke with the triads and red dragon's, they could offer up some cold hard cash and an alliance with the Haitians to bring them into the alliance. Charlie knew that as he had cut out a few other elements from this little alliance that he had cut out some influential people in which The Firm could use to cripple him and his family. He would need to mend that wound and bring them to see reason, maybe the Haitians and their drugs were the keys to that little kink. 

"Hm, the Red Dragon's usually stay out of affairs like this. They must be getting some serious cold hard cash, maybe a bit of territory as well. They were always the more serious and honorable of the Asian organized crime gangs, still, they may be the key in all of this. It would be useful to gather more information, find out who the leader is and maybe we can negotiate for a meeting, bring them to the table and see what we could offer them then."

Ura smiled, a bit of arrogance seeped through his usual stoic visage. He reached inside his leather jacket pocket and pulled out a photo, along with a small note attached.  

"This is the leader of the Red Dragons, pretty standard stuff. He goes by the name Akijo, he's known as the Great Emperor. He took the Red Dragons from a minor street gang in the motor city to one of the largest Asian gangs in the seven cities, he's earned the name and now he's supplying and distributing heroin to many Crime and Drug lords. He's a businessman and not someone to be messed with. If we go at him, we best not miss and have our aim on point Charles."

Now, this got Charlie's attention, he remembered the days where Al had been forced to make some deals and wanted to make some money on the side while he was on the inside. The prince of policy had gone to work with the Asians as they supplied him with Heroin, he never heard of the Red Dragon's back then. So Ura was right on that part, they had grown in his time away from this life. 

"We would have to be smart and cautious in how we deal with him. The triads are a nonissue, they are governed by a board of directors and until someone rises up, proclaiming themselves as the boss of bosses. It will never pose a true threat besides tactics of hit and run, if they start those, we may have to react with a more deadlier force than they would have available. Leave that for another time Ura, tell me, what else is on the agenda?"