Quote:

Quote: from Gatac on 12:53 pm on Feb. 3, 2004
Jess grabs his arms again.

"What do you think, can I get a photo with him?"

"Uh...sure, babe. Anything you want...after we get hot and heavy."

Back in the plaza, Vercetti momentarily glances down from the sports section and finds he's one guard short of an armed entourage. He glances over the man on the phone, picks up his pastry plate and proceeds to peg the poor man in the head.

*Smash*

(Vercetti) ANGELO! Where the fuck is Lenny and why isn't his dumb ass standing next to Marco?"

(Angelo) FUCK, boss! (Clutching at his now bloodied forehead) Um, I dunno. Hey, Marco! Where the fuck is that no-good brother of yours?

(Marco) Um...yer see. He's uh...bangin' some chick in the bathroom.

(Angelo) Well, tell him to get his limp dick back here. Mr. Vercetti isn't payin' him to screw. He can do that on his own damn time.

(Marco) Yessir!

Marco leaves his post, running inside to find out where the heck Lenny went to. The other goon, who still is stuffing his face despite current events, gets whacked in the head by Angelo.

(Angelo) Stand your damn fat-fucking-pastry-eatin'-face up there until Marco and Lenny get back!

(Edited by Dieter at 4:24 pm on Feb. 3, 2004)

Marco enters the cafe and heads for the ladies' room. Hearing the scuffling behind the door, he smiles for a half second, then abruptly kicks it in.

Seeing Jess and Lenny in varying degrees of undress, he takes his time in coming up with a catchy phrase, all the while attempting to get a look at Jess' goodies.

"Lenny, it's obvious the lady doesn't want to play hide the salami with you. The boss wants you out front pronto. And for God's sake, pull up your freaking pants!"

As Ayumi sits waiting for something...anything to happen. She sees Marco exiting the cafe with Lenny appearing shortly thereafter. Jess finally shows herself, a bit dishelved but appearing no worse for wear.

Marco resumes his position at the entrance, the other goon taking Lenny's place as he is verbally abused by Vercetti. Lenny explains his situation with Vercetti looking over to Jess. He smiles with a big grin, apparently letting his underling off with a harsh warning and whispering something in his ear. Lenny leaves Vercetti's table, passing by the two goons and walks over to the recomposing Jessica.

(Lenny) Er...um. My, um...boss wants...Yer see...
(Vercetti) OH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, LENNY! BRING THE BROAD OVER HERE BEFORE SHE HITS MIDDLE AGE!

Jess appears to stiffle a giggle, then walks over to Vercetti's table.

"Oh my God, this is *so* not happening."

As Lenny brings Jess to Vercetti's table, she can't help think of how the lech is mentally undressing her...over and over again. The man's gotta be pushing 50, well old enough to be her father. His lecherous guise is only subdued by the man's magnetic personality and bright smile.

"Hey, babe. Lenny tells me you wanted to see me. What brings a hot redhead like yourself to this place? It can't be for the great SERVICE!...", Vercetti yells to the hapless waiter.

"I swear, it's not like I'm asking for him to bring me a FRESH CUP OF COFFEE or anything. I tell ya, you go anywhere outside of the U.S. and you get treated like you're going to steal something or bang their sister..."

(Edited by Dieter at 11:56 am on Feb. 4, 2004)

Jess smiles.

"It's true. But you know what I find strange? To meet really interesting Americans, you have to go abroad...But yeah, I'd not bother with Europe if I had a better way to piss off my aunt back in Boston."

Vercetti leers back at Jess,

"Boston? Please tell me you're not a Red Sox fan? That's all I'd freaking need is to travel 4000 miles and find out my future ex-girlfriend *wink* is a damn Sox fan. My name's Tommy, what's yours?"

"I'm Julia. And no, I don't do sports, at all. As for your dislike of Sox fans, the last one I knew got his hair dyed green in sleep. All of his hair. Should've known better than to miss his date with *me*."

She turns to a passing waiter.

"Latte Machiato."

And back to Tommy.

"Are you by chance named after the Apostle Thomas? That would actually fit, somewhat...oh, excuse me, the remnants of my education shining through the years of hard work at forgetting it."

Quote:

Quote: from Gatac on 12:46 pm on Feb. 4, 2004

"Are you by chance named after the Apostle Thomas? That would actually fit, somewhat...oh, excuse me, the remnants of my education shining through the years of hard work at forgetting it."

Tommy hesitates at answering, looking at his crew then choking back (no doubt) a large laugh before responding,

"Eh...I don't think so. My mother was about a Catholic as you get, but I don't remember her ever mentioning anything about me being named after no Apostle. Quite honestly, all I remember is getting smacked in the head for back-talking her while driving to Mass on Sunday. I guess you can say I got it from her...great lady."

While eavesdropping on Vercetti's conversation, Ayumi also spots Liz in the far end of the plaza, also spying on the whole thing with the telephoto lens of her camera.

Angelo looks at his watch then glances over to Vercetti.

"Um, boss. I don't me no disrespect, but we got that thing to do."

Jess waits for Tommy to be distracted by the goon, palming the vial of poison from her pocket.

(Vercetti) Angelo, can't you see I'm busy here??? The thing can wait.

(Angelo) Uh. Ok, boss. I'll let them know you have urgent business and that the thing will be done as soon as you can get away from it.

(Vercetti) Spoken like a true asskisser. I knew that was something redeeming about you, Angelo.

Angelo gets back on his phone as Vercetti turns around to look at Jess. She then proceeds directly, initiating a lively faceoff of tonsil hockey with him, pouring the vial of cyanide into his coffee cup during the manuever.

In mid-liplock, she peers down at the cup, making sure the poison has sufficiently dissipated while Vercetti cops a feel.

Jess lets loose, then grabs a handkerchief and writes down a fictious cell phone number.

"Take care, Tommy. And call me when you have time."

Vercetti seems a bit distraught at Jess' abruptness, looking like a wounded puppy.

"Bu...but. Wait a second! (grabbing Jess by the arm) We...I thought we had something going here? We haven't even discussed where you're meeting me for dinner tonight!"

"I'm sorry, Tommy, but I know when somebody has business to attend to. Besides, my cab driver must be going mad already, and I promised I'd make it short..."

She slaps down the payment for her Latte with a generous tip, then dips her left index finger into Vercetti's coffee.

"As for this, consider it a taste of what awaits you - later."

Tommy's troubled face turns agitated in a New Jersey (similar to NY) minute.

(Strong-arming Jess, compelling her to stay)

"Now, wait a freaking minute, sister! I asked you nicely, now I'm telling you to have a seat! No one walks away from Tommy Vercetti! No man and certainly no broad in a short skirt!"

Ayumi notices that his men have that Oh shit! What's Tommy gonna do? look on their faces.

"Hey, calm the hell down!"

Jess sits back onto her seat.

"Jesus. You look like you're having a heart attack."

The rush of adrenaline gives her the slight blush, and as she feels it creep into her face, she adjusts her tactic.

"Atleast I know now that you're serious."

*Snap*

The patience nerve in Brian's head goes to pieces upon seeing Jess being manhandled by Vercetti. It's like seeing his younger sister being groped by the high school badboy.

Vercetti eases his grip on Jess then takes a large consoling gulp from his coffee cup. He lights a cigarette and tries to compose himself.

"Er...sorry. I just...just get a little worked up when I haven't caved-in someone's head in a few days. My therapist says I have anger management issues. But I showed her. Look, I'm don't mean to be too forward but this place gets to you after a while."

A resounding sigh of relief falls on Vercetti's crew as the potential murder scene is temporarily downgraded into just a case of domestic violence.

Just as things begin to calm down, Vercetti's face turns a bright pinkish hue as he lurches forward and doubles-over his chair, gasping for air.

"It...it burns. Gahhhhrgh!"

Vercetti collapses to the ground and starts seizing up.

Angelo immediately comes to Tommy's aid. Being no stranger to the "offing" business, he immediately recognizes the tell-tale signs of cyanide poisoning(foaming of the mouth, smell of almonds, etc.) He looks up at Jess then at the goons.

"Kill the bitch!"

Showtime!

Brian draws his service pistol and works his way towards the cafe, dropping to one knee and taking a shot at Marco. The bullet grazes the goon like a subsonic bee sting, momentarily distracting Tommy's crew as Jess makes her move for cover.

Jess moves towards the nearby alleyway as Ayumi follows up with her own vulgar display of power, unleashing twin Colts into Marco and Lenny. The .45 slugs twist and contort the goons' bodies like rag dolls. While they are still standing, they are meer shadows of their formers selves each nursing multiples GSWs to head and extremities.

Despite the gratuitous amount of gunfire, Angelo maintains his cool, desperately trying to keep Vercetti alive. From the alleyway, Jess spots Tommy's right-hand man pull something out of his jacket as he pumps Vercetti's chest with his other hand. Her field medic training identifies it as a hypodermic syringe, probably filled with andrenaline.

Angelo must also be the "family" doctor.

On the canal side of the action, Artis and Carla sit idly by with the Brian's play-by-play being interrupted by the piercing sound of gunfire resonating through their open comm-channel.

Carla spots a docked boat aboard 30m ahead of her reacting a bit too expectant of the gun shots. A large man appears to be impatiently waiting for someone/something. The main thing that tips Carla off is the SMG the man is brandishing.

Carla pulls maneuvers her boat right behind (10m) Ivan and his comrade, keeping Jess's MP7 at the ready on the seat next to her.

Her unassuming approach towards them goes pretty much unnoticed as the men in the boat are fixated on the street in front of them.