Chapter 8- Family Reunion
Tommy- My brother? I don't have a brother?
Toreno- Trust me he's your brother. Look...here's a picture of him. You two look exactly alike.
Tommy takes the photo from Toreno and examine's it. He's right. Claude is a younger version of Tommy...same facial structure, almost the same hair style.
Tommy- How come I never knew about him?
Toreno- When he was born, your mother was with another man...after your parents divorce of course. Your mother and her new lover were killed in a drive by shooting. Claude was placed in foster care. He grew up in a tough life...going from foster home to foster home...dropping out of school at age 16, and went into a life of crime. He came to San Andreas in the late 1980's, early 1990's where he met Catalina. They moved to Liberty City where they lived a life of crime for almost a decade, until she turned on him and left him for the cops to pick up after a bank robbery in 2001.
Before he got revenge on her, he worked for the Leone's until Salvatore tried taking him out because he thought Claude was screwing around with his wife Maria. With the help of the Triads, Claude proved himself to them by taking out Salvatore. Then later on, he killed Catalina. The whereabouts of Maria is unknown...she's believed to be dead. Since then, he's been laying low from the Leone's in different parts of Liberty City and Alderney City continuing his life of crime.
Tommy- Did Claude ever know about me? If he did, why didn't he come find me?
Toreno- He did, but feared that if the Leone's found out you were brothers, or if you were working together, they'd rub you both out. He did it for your protection.
Tommy- Wow...this is alot of shit to take in...I got a wife and 2 kids kidnapped by the mob. If I don't pay them in less then 48 hours their dead...my home and half my businesses are up in flames..and now I find out I have a half brother.
Toreno- Tommy...listen to me. I know in the past we haven't seen eye to eye...but you need to trust me. Go to Liberty and meet Claude. He can help. I'd bet my own life on it. 1 phone call to him, and he'll agree to meet you anywhere you want.
Tommy sits for a minute to think. He rubs his eyes, grabs a drink he brought earlier and takes a sip.
Tommy- Make the call.
Toreno grabs his cell phone and dials some digits. A man on the other end picks it up.
Toreno- Claude...it's Toreno. It's time for you and Tommy to meet. The Leone's are causing trouble all over, and they have kidnapped Tommy's wife and kids. He'll be in Liberty sometime tonight...Tommy where do you want to meet him?
Tommy- We need to meet in a borough not populated by the Leone's...there's a cafe on Broker..up the street from a taxi business. Let's meet there.
Toreno- The cafe on Broker by the taxi business...you know where it's at?...good. I'll give Tommy your cell phone number and he can text you, let you know when he arrives. Goodbye.
Tommy gathers his things and Woozie orders a car to drive him to the airport. CJ, Sweet & Cesar head back to Los Santos to gather up their homies and ese's for their fight to the death against the mob, and the Ballas who agreed to help them out. Down in Vice City, Phil has got all the weapons collected on a private Vercetti jet and is airborne for Liberty City. Meanwhile at the Leone mansion in the old section of Liberty City on Portland Island...Joey talks to his new esteemed house guest.
Joey- I'm sorry our meeting couldn't be under more enjoyable terms. We had to do this rather quickly.
Mercedes- Fuck you! Tommy is going to cut your balls off, and shove them down your skinny neck.
Joey walks over to Mercedes and backhands her face.
Joey- While you are under my roof, you will show me respect and not talk that way to me.
Mercedes spits in Joey's face and calls him a pendejo.
Joey- Boys, take her downstairs and chain her up. Once Vercetti is dead and we have his assets, let's turn this bitch out. A hot piece of ass like this doesn't deserve to die...so let's use her for what she's good at.
Thug- Sure boss.
As a screaming Mercedes is being carried away, Joey flashes a sick, sadistic smile as he looks out the window. It's the evening as 2 planes have arrived in Liberty City at Francis International Airport. The 1st one is a plane coming from Vice City. A 1 armed man exits the plane and starts loading his cargo into two bullet proof Patriots parked by the plane. The 2nd plane just landed and taxi'd down the runway to a stop next to the 1st plane. Out steps Tommy Vercetti.
Phil- Tommy! My old runningmate! Been a while since we did a job together.
Both men exchange hand shakes, and then Phil gives him a hug.
Tommy- Good to see you Phil.
Phil- I'm sorry to hear about your family...but I'm here to help. I may only have 1 arm, but I'm gonna do what I can to help you take the fuckers out.
Tommy- Thanks. 1st things first. Let's get this stuff to the hideout in Bohan. Then you and I have a meeting at the cafe on Broker. I'm meeting my half brother there. He's gonna join us and help.
Phil- You have a brother...oooowweeeee is he a hot head, gunslinging dude like you.
Tommy- From what I've heard, he's a quiet guy...but yeah. He's a murdering son of a bitch just like me.
Phil jumps into one of the Patriots while Tommy gets in the other. Phil follows Tommy as they get on the highway and drive from Broker and cross into Bohan. Once they get there, they start unloading their weapons, and their personal effects. Tommy grabs his phone and sends a text to Claude: Made it to Liberty. Weapons are unloaded at our hideout. Meet you at the cafe on Broker in 1 hour. See you then brother!
Within 5 minutes of sending the text, Claude writes back: Looking forward to it...
1 hour passed and Tommy and Phil are waiting inside the cafe when Claude walks in. He sees Tommy and goes up to him. They just stare at each other, stoned face and don't know what to say. Then all of the sudden, Claude flashes a smile and hugs Tommy. Claude looks and sees Phil. He recognizes him from a job they did together years ago and shakes his hand.
Phil- Ooh yeah I remember you. You helped me fight off those Columbian bastards over on Stauton Island, in the old part of Liberty.
Claude smiles and nods his head in agreement. He and Tommy sit back down.
Tommy- Mike Toreno told me about what you went through as a kid up to this point. He called you a quiet non talkative guy. Does that mean you just rarely talk, or you can't talk at all?
Claude motions a number 2...meaning the second thing. He grabs a piece of paper and pen from his coat pocket and writes something down...birth defect...never been able to speak.
Tommy- They've done wonders with modern medicine. Have you ever looked into getting that fixed?
Claude writes- They checked me out...vocal cords never developed properly. I can never speak..even with surgery.
Tommy- What about typing your words into a computer and having it speak for you?
Claude- Fuck that shit!
Tommy and Phil laugh at Claude's comment, and Claude smiles.
Tommy- Ok the order of business. Joey Leone tried to fuck me over and failed. But now he's kidnapped my wife and kids. I want to go after him with everything we got.
Claude nods his head in agreement and then writes the following:
Claude- It might be wise to take as many Leone associates and thugs out 1st before we go into the mansion, that way it'll be an easier mission. If we just go in now, you probably would never see your wife and kids again. Element of surprise!
Phil- Damn good idea.
Tommy- Agreed. I never thought of that. I was going to go in guns ablazing. We're gonna need more men though.
Claude grabs a clean piece of paper and writes:
Claude- I got some allies who can help. A biker gang I've worked with from time to time.
Tommy- Ok good. Let's get out of here and head back to the hideout. We need to get some sleep.
Phil, Claude and Tommy get up out of the booth. Tommy leaves payment for the food, and a tip on the table. As they head out they hear gunfire. Shots just barely miss them. 1 of the shots blows up the car they drove to the cafe. Tommy recognizes the car shooting at them as a mob Sentinel.
Tommy- Jesus Fucking Christ! It's the Leone's!
Tommy takes his colt 45 out of his holster and fires at the car. He nails one of the tires, but keeps peppering the car. He nails the gas tank and blows it up.
Phil- How the fuck did they find us so quick?
Tommy- I don't know. Maybe someone spotted me in San Andreas and followed me here. All I know, we better get the hell out of here, and get back to the hideout!
Tommy sees the taxi company just down the road and motions for the guys to come with him. They enter the office and see a foreign man behind the desk on the phone talking to someone.
Man- Cousin...this life in America is great! You really need to come here and start over! They don't call it the land of opportunity for nothing. The money, the fast cars, and the women with the great titties!...ooh look I gotta go. Talk to you later Niko! Hello gentlemen, how can I help you?
Tommy- Tommy Vercetti...we need a taxi ride to Bohan...and fast.
Man- Roman Bellic...owner of Bellic Enterprises. No problem. Malorey! I'm going to give these gentlemen a ride to Bohan, can you lock up for the night?
Malorey- Sure. See you tomorrow Roman!
Roman- Let's go!
Claude & Phil sit in the back as Tommy rides shotgun with Roman. They pull into traffic and head towards Bohan. As they drive along, Roman sees that someone is following them.
Roman- Strange...there's a car that's been following us since we left the taxi company.
Tommy looks behind them and sees the car now speeding up to catch them.
Tommy- Shit! It's a Leone Sentinel. Lose them!
Roman- The mob? The fucking mob!
Tommy- They've been fucking with me, and let's just say we're not on good terms right now. We gotta get to the safe house, get our stuff and move to another location...but we gotta take these fuckers out first! Phil..you and Claude fight these pricks off. I'll watch for anymore Leone vehicles that might turn up.
Roman hits the gas and tries to lose the Sentinel as Claude and Phil pepper it with bullets.
Roman- Mr Tommy...trouble...a road block!
Tommy looks ahead and sees that about 3 Leone Sentinel's are blocking the highway.
Tommy- Ram it!
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