CS: The Cappollas (Cont. II)

There were living rooms decorated with bearskin rugs and most rooms had fireplaces and antique clocks. Video and audio equipment lined the four living rooms of the ground floor as many of the younger generation had developed a love for loud and boisterous music, though Tony had at least taught them to enjoy the classical music which he said would forever define their legacy. He enjoyed opera himself, though he made sure to enjoy the CD versions of them rather than the live. There were several smaller dining rooms, and meeting rooms, along with a billiards room that looked more like an arcade. There was a room on the main floor, very near the center just in case of a sniper engagement, where some of Tony’s prized relics were gathered. Several antiques gathered from intercepted ships and valuable stolen artwork was kept there under lock, key, glass, and laser alarm system.

The upper floors were just as lavish, the first upper floor being the main bedroom and arming stations for bodyguards. Tony’s personal lawyer and physician also had offices that were equipped with the latest in internet, computer, and visual technology so that they could hold consultations without leaving the premise. Documents were stored within a room, the most well-protected room in the entire Cappolla mansion, at the very center of the first floor. The room had a fingerprint scanner, password system, and two key card slots just to enter the room. A voice recognition system then had to be use to disengage the general lasers and two more passcodes had to be entered in order to enter any of the file cabinets. Most of the other documents were shredded and destroyed, as the Cappolla lawyer had no need for ethics, he worked for a crime family. Also on the floor were several guest suites, fully wired and always under surveillance (tamper proof cameras were a must).

Finally, the upper most floor was where the Cappolla family’s bedrooms were, along with Tony’s den, which he kept at the top due to the fact that it was his sanctuary. Once more, it was alarmed and kept under surveillance, though the cameras could be disengaged in case of a possible problem with ‘trust’ in security. The den was exquisite to say the very least: it had been decorated in a different style, as it was Tony’s personal room. It was decorated with vintage 60’s posters and memorabilia. A beautiful hot-tub branched off on a personal foyer that could only be seen by those out near the lighthouse, which was far too far away to use a sniper. The hot-tub was shaped like a heart and was surrounded by a divine glass cage, bulletproof of course, that allowed the night sky to be seen. It was Tony’s personal area and the only point not guarded by cameras. Inside the den, Tony was gifted with a large array of video equipment, even a personal monitor which allowed him to surf the surveillance cameras, one of his favorite things to do. He also had the gift of being able to deactivate any camera from anywhere within the building with a remote which he kept in the den, something that he kept under tight lock and key and which he used often. The den also was where he greeted most of his very powerful clients and held most of his more important meetings. The splendor of his den, along with its cornocopia of weaponry and pictures with influential people, most often intimidated the lesser minded men he allowed within and it was this advantage that allowed him to negotiate and make deals with ease.

The outside of house was mostly red and green, with a slanted roof that extended out in sections, as some balconies would extend from the upper floors, while certain parts were bare and so roof was place there. It was also kept freshly painted and well maintained by the groundskeeper, who was also paid handsomely and had a room within the mansion.

Overall, the great Cappolla mansion was the diamond of the five families, though this was due to the great amount of peace and time that was allowed the Cappollas while they built up enough force to begin participating in the gang wars. Whether the mansion would serve practically during this phase of the Cappolla’s evolution was yet to be seen.

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Business was a big part of the Cappolla life, the biggest before the recent downfall of several of the prominent Italian families and the rise of very anti-Italian sentiments among the newly formed crime syndicates. Violence and negotiations ruled the day in all the families, though the Cappollas were the wisest in believing that business still was needed. It was what they relied on to keep them going in the battle, as their manpower was far too weak to hold against the larger crime groups. Tony had also cornered the market in unique areas that allowed him to keep a possible fallback in case of an overall defeat of the Italians. If the mafia died, most of the bigger names would, too, but Tony still had places to go.

There was, of course, the normal dirty dealings, though the Cappollas kept most of them to a minimum, due to the rising power of the Cubans and the Eights. Narcotics was never a large industry with the Cappollas, though they dabbled and dealt as much as they could. With such little manpower to protect their drug-runners and their money being invested in hiring mercenaries to protect their current investments, drug-dealing was not top priority. They gathered some amount from smaller raids on the Cubans, their largest stash coming during the great crush of the Cuban family, in which they still had a large amount to sell in case of an emergency. They had few dealers, mostly those working for the other families who allowed the Cappollas a small cut out of loyalty and fear. Most of the true outside workers that helped the Cappollas did so out of loyalty, however, as Tony’s arrogance was harsh, but he was the most likeable and trustable of the group, being the only crime don who would speak his mind and give you a chance to change your ways before having you killed. Overall, however, there were few dealers left who were willing to help out the Cappollas without protection.