#1959.plot

nobody knows how the news spread. there are only a handful of people in the room when pauly’s stipulations are listed, but they hadn’t taken into account the various staff walking through the corridors. the source of the leak remains unknown, but word travels fast  ----  and right into the ears of the sullivan syndicate.

they’ve taken up a few businesses around vegas, a strip club and a flashy bar, but they have their sights set on something bigger soon enough. unlike the mancinis, they actually have a leader. a leader who has recently lost a son, something they adamantly believe happened at the hand of a mancini. now they’ve discovered that the only way they can gain control is by waging a war against them  ----  the sullivans refuse to be caught off guard.

soldiers for the sullivans track down the mutilated boy from pauly’s memorial and the failed weapons run. this time, they finish the job, and leave the body on the front entrance of the midas casino. ‘WE’RE READY’ is scribbled across a note pinned to his chest.

both sides are poised for a bloody battle, and this is just the beginning.

the delay on pauly’s will came from the multiple advisors and second opinions needed to discuss how to proceed with pauly’s curious instructions. he had always been mildly eccentric, but the orders of his last will & testament, written a month before he died, puts the entire syndicate  ----  and all of las vegas  ----  in grave danger.

physical items are left behind: his children are gifted his massive car collection and a hefty sum of money, the underboss gains access to a hideaway mansion in hollywood, his widow is left the deed of the hotel, the captain gets a yacht, various members of the syndicate are left some sort of money or prized possession, but these are all tangible things with limited purpose. everyone waited with baited breath for news of his successor: the room is cleared, save for the immediate mancini family, the underboss, and the captain.

the details are revealed: the highest ranks of the mancini syndicate had been so close that to choose felt impossible. his children, his underboss, the captain ? perhaps another worthy figure ? another thing had been on his mind -----  a brewing territory war with the sullivans, the same crew that intervened their latest weapons run. everyone thought pauly was turning the other cheek, but he had really been biding his time and grooming the situation for the new boss.

in his own words, whoever has the strength and authority to unite the syndicate and initiate a war against the sullivans is the one worthy to become the boss. always a fan of twisted democracy, the entire syndicate will vote in a week’s time on who accomplished this best. i’m dead, he writes, they’re the ones you have to win over.

to lead the syndicate, you have to thrust yourself head into war.

are the heads of the mancini syndicate ready to take this on ? are the members willing to choose between their very own ? who knows what alliances can be made in a week ?

                   some business has to be carried out as usual. a few newbies are selected to go on a weapons run, giving the seasoned contraband runners an evening to enjoy themselves. as far mancini business goes, this is fairly by the book. 

news of pauly’s memorial spread like wildfire through the city, and most of its inhabitants are living it up at the midas. however, the enemies that have been biding their time take the distraction as an opportunity. one particular gang, mobsters of the irish mafia that have slowly been filtering into the city, decide to take matters into their own hands. 

the weapons run is intercepted, and two out of the three newbies are killed immediately in a brutal fashion. the third is barely spared, though three of his fingers are cut off by the enemy’s brazen underboss   ----  not to mention beaten within an inch of his life. he’s hastily dropped off in the lobby of the hotel, barely conscious and barely recognizable. a note is attached to his bloodied coat that reads: the mancini era is over. your new kings are coming soon. some of them may already be under your nose. 

opposing gangs have always been around, but this one has always had pauly a little unnerved . . . even if he refused to acknowledge it out loud. they’ve sent dozens of threats over the years, and he simply swept them under the rug. with his leadership gone and the state of the mancinis up in the air, ravenous enemies have begun to encroach. the mancini syndicate can no longer keep going without a proper leader, though who that should be seems to be the question. two deaths have occurred under this watch, and everyone knows that’s only the beginning.

fingers are being pointed at the staff of the hotel and various associates: are they willing to go the full mile and pledge their complete loyalty to the mancinis ? or have they already been swayed by outsiders ?