Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Rewrite)

Chapter 33: Shakedown

Hours later, Tommy and Lance had invited Avery and Ken over to look at the mansion, now known as the Vancetti Estate. The four paced the second floor and looked around. Ken was very excited for the first time since the drug deal gone wrong.

"Oh, we gotta redecorate this place," Ken said, speaking frantically. "We gotta make it look older. I can't stand this look." Ken then turned to Tommy. "Tommy," he started to ask, "whadaya say? Whadaya say we put a bar in... "

Tommy held a hand back to silent Ken. "You're my lawyer, Rosenberg," Tommy grumbled, "not my interior decorator. Got it?"

He then faced the other two. "Listen to me," he told them, "the time to take over this town is now. It's all out there waiting for us."

"We need to start seizing territory," Lance added, "let Vice City know we're the new players in town, know what I'm saying?"

"What you need is a legitimate front Tommy, real estate," Avery told Tommy. "It's never done me no harm."

"We need to start using some muscle or we can kiss all that hard work goodbye," Lance reminded. "Local businesses know Diaz is dead, and they're refusing to pay protection!"

"That hardly makes much of a difference," Tommy replied. "The people around here in Vice wanted me dead even before Diaz was taken out."

Ken thought for a second. "Ooh!" he blurted out. "We could try bribery... "

"Bribery?!" Tommy interrupted. "Screw bribery! I'll show you how to make 'em scared! I'll be back here in twenty minutes."

Tommy then exited the mansion and walked up to his Infernus. He hopped inside the vehicle and started the engine. As he put the vehicle on drive and drove out through the driveway and made a right turn on Starfish Island, he knew exactly what he had to do to get people to see exactly how he was not one to be tried: by intimidation!

Tommy's idea was to go to the mall to remind everyone who was about to run the whole town of Vice City, and by doing that, he was going to cause chaos at the mall. So Tommy drove straight and through the bridge leading to Washington Beach, making a left turn on his way to Vice Point. Tommy drove straight down the road and turned to the left on his way to the North Point Mall.

He pulled into a stop in a parking space at the parking lot and hopped out of the vehicle. He then stepped behind to go into the trunk, which had a thick machete inside. Tommy pulled out the machete, slammed the trunk of the Infernus down shut, and slowly walked into the front entrance of the North Point Mall.

The first thing he did was use the machete to break some glass around a cafe to the right. The patrons ran away in fear, and the owners hopped over the counters to escape as well.

"My livelihood, destroyed!" one of them shouted.

"Ruined... RUINED!" his partner added.

Tommy then caused even more mayhem by using the machete to destroy the glass of a clothing store called Gash, which prompted the patrons to run out of the store in fear.

"I pay through the ass for protection!" the owner of the store protested apprehensively.

"Vercetti!" Tommy shouted furiously. "Remember the name!"

He then pulled out his SMG and used it to shoot at the windows of the store on the top floor. The patrons around the mall were running away in fear, and the owners of the store were covered up behind the counters cowering.

Tommy took the escalator on the top floor to find other stores to destroy so the owners would get the message. He saw the record store called Vinyl Countdown up ahead and used his SMG to shoot down the glass windows. The patrons inside the store ran away screaming in fear.

"My beautiful window display!" one of the owners of the Vinyl Countdown store complained cowering behind the counter.

Things were looking good for Tommy from there. Soon, the owners would be begging for protection. Tommy wanted to make sure his final move would be the main message for everyone around the mall.

So for his big finale, he spotted a red Infernus on display all the way on the other end and decided to use it to make it official. He ran to the Infernus and hopped inside. Tommy used a metal hook to stick into the ignition and started the engine.

Tommy then drove around the mall and used the vehicle to run through the glass windows of The Family Jews store right on the other side.

"My store!" the owner of the store cried out in depression. "My wonderful store!"

"I run this town now!" Tommy growled, speeding away. "ME!"

He continued driving around the mall, and the other patrons and security guards quickly hopped out of the way to avoid getting hit by the speeding vehicle. Tommy drove through the food court, running over the chairs and tables over as the patrons quickly hopped out of the way. HE also drove the vehicle through the dining area at the Cheesy Crust Pizza Co., destroying everything in the area.

Realizing that there is no other way to get out of this, the owners of the stores decided to surrender and paid Tommy for protection after five minutes of mayhem.

Tommy then walked out through the exit of the mall feeling proud. Now that the owners of the stores got the message, they were going to pay Tommy for protection now that he was taking the town over. He then heard his cellphone ring and pulled it out of his pocket to answer it.

"Howdy, son," he heard Avery say over the phone. "Just thought I'd ring you up and give you some advice."

"Hey, Avery," Tommy answered. "What's eating you?"

"There's a lot of opportunity in this town if you own the right real estate, you catch my drift?" Avery replied.

"I reckon so... " Tommy replied.

"All I'm saying is keep your eyes open and you might find the perfect business opportunity," Avery reminded him. "I'll catch you later."

"Later, Avery," Tommy told him.

He stored the phone inside his pocket and walked over to his vehicle parked outside. He thought about what Avery had told him and finally saw the opportunity to own different properties around the city. After all, taking over Vice City would mean that he would finally have enough money to pay back Sonny and still be in connection to him after taking over the city.

Just as Tommy finally approached his Infernus, he heard his cellphone ring once again. So Tommy pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Get to the payphone at the airport terminal," he heard Mr. Black say over the phone.

Tommy then hung up the phone and stored it back inside his pocket. He knew that just because Diaz was history didn't mean he still didn't have his leftover allies to bring Tommy down. So Tommy hopped inside his vehicle, started the engine, and drove off.