Lucretia sat in her new Las Vegas office sorting through her messages, responding to all her letters. She scribbled on a piece of paper: Thank you for your heartfelt congratulations. Yes, I will be continuing my newspaper, no, I will not be calling it the New York Post anymore. I'm not in New York any more, after all. Yes, as a matter of fact, I have gotten a lot of mail today. Sorry for the slow response, it was nice talking to you ... Who was this letter to, again? It must be the fifth she had written just like that. Oh well. In a selfish sort of way, it was good to know that people were thinking about her, even if they did all think the same mundane things. Either way, after spending several hours sorting through her mailbox only to have another pile delivered, it was time to go to work on other matters. The mail could wait, Sin City could not. Lucretia picked up the phone and called her trusted friends into her office.
A half hour later, Lucretia was speaking with Cryptic, Youngsta, Ricin, and a few others. "Hey everyone. I've called you here today to discuss the plans for our lovely city here. It seems to me that the time is right to expand business a bit. When I look around the city I see gambling dens everywhere, prostitution rings without pimps, and thriving commerce just waiting to be seized. On top of that, both Cryptic and my headquarters are so full right now people are sleeping on the floor." An uneasy chuckle filled the room. The image was humorous but all too close to reality.
"So with that in mind, first things first. Youngsta, you have served as my right hand man for several months now, always with honor, dedication, impeccable attention to detail, and even patience when required. I could not have ask for a better second in command than you." Lucretia hands him a keyring. "Take these. They're the keys to your new headquarters, a spacious derelict office building downtown. It should suit your needs nicely. If you perform your new role as street boss half as well as you did as right hand for the House of Borgia, you'll be a shining example of excellence for the eight cities. You've earned it, friend. Good luck."
Lucretia turned to her long time captain from New York, who had come with her to Las Vegas. "Cryptic. You've performed admirably as my captain in New York, and I'm glad to have you with me here in Las Vegas. In New York you were my captain, and you handled business efficiently and profitably. With my promotion comes a promotion for you. You will now serve as one of the House of Borgia's bosses in this city, no longer a captain. Part and parcel with that role, I give you the authority to set up a captain for yourself. I have complete trust in your ability to pick someone capable of doing the job whenever you feel the time is right."
"Ricin, I guess you're still stuck in the the old HQ with me. Sorry, pal." Lucretia laughs at her own joke. Everyone else tries to fake a chuckle at the overused line. Miss Borgia continues on undeterred, "I need you as my new right hand man now, but I'm sure you can handle that just fine. We get the best job of all now. We can sit back, relax, and watch other people earn us money! Good luck to everyone here, and let's make sure Vegas prospers under the Borgias!" |