Live by Night Page #3

Frank Ormino runs Tampa.

He's gonna decide he

doesn't need the headache.

- When's he gonna decide that?

- 10 minutes after you get there.

I see, so I gotta make

you and me equal partners?

No!

Frank Ormino's an equal partner.

But look what's gonna

to happen to him.

I guess I work cheap.

Can you tolerate an

Irishman in your crew?

This is America. I've lived worse.

I realized it's not

enough to break the rules.

You have to be strong

enough to make your own.

Joseph.

- How ya doin'?

- You! Look at you!

- Hey, sorry about your father.

- Yeah, sorry about your brother.

Thank you, thank you.

Listen, when Lefty Downer

found me in Montreal told me

the Pescatores wanted me

to come work for them...

I thought it was a

straight bamboozle.

Then I thought if anyone

could charm the devil..

it's my old partner.

- Look at this!

- Holy sh*t!

Would you look at this?

- Here, after you.

- Get the f*** outta here!

I work for you now,

Boss Joe Coughlin.

Reach under the seat and

you'll find a friend.

Welcome to Ybor,

The Harlem of Tampa.

The gods built this place.

What you're smellin'

now is probably bolos or empanadas.

The rest of Tampa leaves Ybor alone.

As far as they're concerned we're

a bunch of dirty Spics and Whops...

And we can f*** off

and do what we need

to do as long as we

leave them alone.

You'd think we could all get along

but it don't work out that way.

The Italians and the

Cubans keep to themselves.

But the Cubans,

they hate the Spaniards.

And the Spaniards look at all

Cubans like they're uppity Coons...

who forgot their place since

America freed them in '98.

The Cubans and the Spanish, they

look down on the Puerto Ricans...

...and everyone, I mean everyone,

shits on the Dominicans.

The Italians only respect

you if you came off the boat.

How you doing, Ladies?

And the white people think anyone

gives a sh*t what they think.

You're a f***in' piece of work.

Port of Tampa!

- Who is it?

- Fireplace.

Thanks, JT. No worries.

There is a whole network of tunnels

like this underneath the city.

Who owns this warehouse?

Frank Ormino did.

What do you mean Ormino did?

Ormino sprung a few

leaks the other day.

- That was quick.

- Look at this over here.

The best money can buy.

You gotta keep it at 186 Fahrenheit.

Yeah, these babies never lie.

Try to keep people from dying

when they drink your hootch.

Made a lot of toilet

booze in prison.

Looks to me like you're

missing two key ingredients.

- Which are?

- People and Molasace.

- Yeah, we got a problem.

- What?

Our distributor...

he's been comin' up empty.

- What is it?

- The boats have been sinkin'.

- What's his name?

- Gary L. Smith

- Gary Ellsmith.

- No. Gary L. Smith.

It's a middle initial. I don't know,

he wants people to use it.

- It's a Southern thing.

- Not just an a**hole thing?

Both!

Thank you, Miss Roe.

You must be Maso's new find.

Well, I guess, somethin' like that.

How ya doin'?

So what brings you by?

I've been asked to take

over Frank Ormino's affairs.

Hope that's not permanent!

- No offense.

- None taken. Why is that?

Folks like dealing

with who they know.

And nobody knows you.

I see.

Well, what would you suggest?

I have no ambitions for it but,

to keep continuity...

...instead of doin' it for a term.

Well, we're mostly concerned with

why the last 3 supply runs were hit.

Well, that's the Cubans.

Then let's just go

to a new supplier.

It's not that simple.

Why not?

Well, because they're all paying

tribute to the Suarez family.

That's the Cubans that are all

down in that club on 7th, right?

We're going to need

to talk to them soon.

I'm afraid you don't understand

how things are done here.

I deal with Mr.

Suarez and his sister.

If you want,

I'm sure we can arrange

a table by tomorrow

night, 9 o'clock.

Great!

Now, Gary L., tell me this. Do you

work directly for Albert White?

Or is there some intermediary,

I should know about as well?

- What?

- We marked your bottles.

- You what?

- If you distilled it, we marked it.

And all these runs that were

supposedly lost at sea...

somehow made their way into

Albert White's speakeasies.

Can you explain that?

No, I don't understand.

Dion drove me by your

house on the way over here.

You got a lovely place.

You're gonna have to

bag up all that sh*t

and send it to wherever

it is you're going.

Where am I goin'?

- Are you f***in' her?

- What? Who?

- Miss Roe.

- What?

- He's f***in' her!

- Without question.

- Definitely f***in' her.

- C'mon.

Afternoon taste of Miss Roe?

Sugar in the mornin',

sugar in...whatever.

I don't care what, who you f***.

Here's some tickets.

This is the 11 o'clock

Seaboard tonight.

I don't care who you take with you

but you gotta be on that train.

Wait a minute! Wait a minute,

gentlemen. Come on, a second here.

Look,

if you don't do the whole thing.

I can bounce your head off the

floor like a f***in' bowling ball.

But let's just make it easy.

Put yourself on that train, Gary L

Or we're gonna have

to put you under it.

Listen, I think...can we...?

Oh, no...c'mon,

fellas...gentlemen...

Let's just sit and

visit with each other.

Is this... Mr. Cou...?

Miss Roe.

When did you mark the bottles?

The f*** are you talking about?

You been with me every

second since I been here.

You see me mark any bottles?

No, that's how come I

know it was bullshit

Right.

- Dion Bartolo.

- Yes of course. This way please.

Mr Esteban is waiting.

Mr. Suarez, nice to see you.

Let me introduce

you to Joe Coughlin.

- Pleasure to meet you, sir.

- Pleasure.

Have a drink.

Thank you very much.

I never agreed with the Spanish

that the lighter rums were superior.

Of course, we Cubans went along

because of our obsession..

lighter is greater in all things..

Dion... Joseph...

My sister, Graciela.

Nice to meet you.

- We've met.

- My mistake. Of course, we've met.

Yes, we have.

How you doin'?

Hi, how are you? Nice to meet you.

God, this rum is incredible!

It would be nice if we

could sell it up North.

When your country

treats you like adults.

Oh, I'd even be out of a job.

Esteban took those.

- The working people of Miami.

- Very good!

It is a hobby. Perhaps I photograph

you someday, Mr. Coughlin?

I don't know about that.

The fewer pictures of me out there,

the better.

I'm with the Indians on that one.

Speaking of captured souls...

I am told that Mr Gary L. Smith was

seen boarding a Seaboard Limited.

with his wife in one Pullman and

that puta maestra in the other.

Well, you never know. Sometimes a

change of scenery can do a man good.

Is that why you're here in Ybor?

A little change of scenery?

I'm here in Ybor to distill

and distribute the demon rum.

A task which is made more difficult

by your erratic import schedules.

We don't control the tides.

The tides would be fine

if we were in Miami.

We know nothing of

the boats to Miami.

Senor Famosa assures me the

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