Mobsters Page #9

CURLED UP TOGETHER

in a tangle of satin, they bask in the afterglow of passion

like lizards sunning themselves on a rock.

GAY ORLOVA:

Are you frightened?

CHARLIE:

Why should I be?

A smile edges across Gay's face.

GAY ORLOVA:

You're so soft for a hard man.

Charlie pulls her closer.

GAY ORLOVA:

I had everything. Once.

CHARLIE:

So what happened?

GAY ORLOVA:

Life knocked me back.

CHARLIE:

I came into this world flat on my

ass.

GAY ORLOVA:

And now you have everything.

CHARLIE:

No. Not everything.

GAY ORLOVA:

Up down. Down up. It's the same. You

see things through both eyes.

CHARLIE:

I guess I am. Just a little.

GAY ORLOVA:

What do you mean?

CHARLIE:

Scared.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT:
LUCIANO'S BEDROOM - MORNING

Charlie's eyes flutter, then open, in response to the morning

light spilling across his face. Rolling over, he finds himself

facing an empty bed. The petty annoyance of morning sleepiness

drains from his face, unmasking a blank stare of existential

panic quite unlike any emotion Charlie has felt before.

GAY ORLOVA:

Emerges from the bathroom, a man's silk robe wrapped tight

across her breasts. She hesitates as she sees the look on

Charlie's face, then slips out of the robe and begins

dressing.

LUCIANO:

What's the matter?

GAY ORLOVA:

I must be going.

IN THE LIVING ROOM

Gay walks to the door, Charlie trailing after, pulling on

the robe that Gay discarded.

LUCIANO:

Come on. It's Christmas. At least

stay for breakfast.

GAY ORLOVA:

I'm already late.

LUCIANO:

For what?

Gay shoots him a look that says, "not this sh*t already".

Charlie pulls up short. She leans over and kisses him quickly.

The telephone rings.

GAY ORLOVA:

Answer your phone.

Charlie moves to the phone.

CHARLIE:

Don't go.

(picking up phone)

Hello.

LANSKY:

(ON PHONE)

We got problems, Charlie.

Gay waves, then pulls the front door closed behind her.

Charlie covers the butt end of the receiver and yells.

CHARLIE:

I don't even know where you live!

(back on phone)

Meyer, do I have to remind you what

day it is?

LANSKY:

(ON PHONE)

Three of our trucks were hijacked

last night. We got New Year's comin'

and no inventory.

Silently, Charlie curses his fate.

CHARLIE:

Get hold of Frank and Bugsy. We gotta

go to Atlantic City. Now.

CUT TO:

EXT:
A SEASIDE HOUSE - DAY

Under grey winter skies, youngsters frolic on a frozen lawn.

They look up as Charlie's sedan pulls into the driveway.

INT:
NUCKY JOHNSON'S HOUSE - DAY

The chaos of a family Christmas Day plays in the background,

as Johnson leads Luciano and the Boys to a quiet study. Arnold

Rothstein stands at the window, staring out at the ocean.

ROTHSTEIN:

Why didn't you tell me that Maranzano

had made you an offer?

LUCIANO:

I turned him down flat.

Rothstein turns around and fixes his gaze on Charlie.

ROTHSTEIN:

And if I had known, I would have

warned you to expect this. We could

have prepared.

LUCIANO:

Masseria's been after me too.

ROTHSTEIN:

Thank you for keeping me informed.

LUCIANO:

We were overdue to get hit.

ROTHSTEIN:

You think this is a coincidence?

Next week half your customers will

be buying their Scotch, our Scotch,

from Maranzano. In a month, he'll be

in Scotland talking to my distillers,

because you can't move product. I'll

be out of business, and you'll be

working for Maranzano.

LUCIANO:

We can operate around these guys.

ROTHSTEIN:

Not by scurrying around like a puppies

in a roomful of elephants.

LUCIANO:

Okay. I'm listening.

ROTHSTEIN:

A hundred years ago Austria was run

by a prince named Metternich. Austria

was weak, and it's neighbors were

strong. But they were ruled by

passionate men, while Metternich was

ruthless and brilliant. If one country

got too strong, he rallied an alliance

against it. He would lead all of

Europe to the brink of war, then

bring the enemies together and forge

the peace.

Rothstein cups his hands in front of him.

ROTHSTEIN:

He barely had an Army, but he had

Europe by the balls.

Rothstein's words hang in the air, the Boys a bit bewildered

by the high-flown rhetoric.

LANSKY:

Makes sense, Charlie. We gotta be

making the moves from now on.

Charlie ponders for a moment.

LUCIANO:

This is your territory, Nucky. How'd

you like ta make a lotta dough for

doin' nothin'?

NUCKY JOHNSON:

Spill it.

LUCIANO:

Rothstein gets an exclusive to land

booze on the Jersey shore. We get

protection for our trucks up to the

Camden ferry. You get ten percent

from each end.

NUCKY JOHNSON:

(to Rothstein)

There's a shipment landin' at Cape

May today. Might solve your problem

with New Year's.

ROTHSTEIN:

Who's is it?

Nucky can't help but smile.

NUCKY JOHNSON:

Don Maranzano's.

EXT:
THE JERSEY WOODS - DUSK

By the side of a two lane road, Luciano and Costello, axes

in hand, chop awkwardly at the trunk of a tree. Dropping the

axes, they push against the trunk, which finally cracks and

falls away from the road with a great crash.

UP THE ROAD:

Lansky walks along a railroad track. He steps on a lever

mechanism built into the rail.

AT THE GRADE:

where the rails cross the road, the warning signal clangs

and flashes red. Siegel waves to Lansky down the track. He

pours water from a ten gallon container down the face of the

grade.

CUT TO:

EXT:
ROAD - NIGHT

Headlights swing into view around a curve in the road.

INT:
TRUCK - SAME

A brawny DRIVER squints at the road ahead. A hawk-faced GUNMAN

rides shotgun. The railroad grading looms into view. The

warning signal flashing and clanging.

OUTSIDE THE TRUCK

As the Gunman, shotgun in hand, moves cautiously up the

grading, his breath blowing white in he cold. He slips on

the ice that has formed. The BLAST of his gun echoes through

the night. He waves sheepishly to the driver.

INSIDE THE TRUCK

The Driver shouts to the men in the back of the truck.

DRIVER:

(IN ITALIAN)

It was only an accident!

IN THE WOODS:

Costello and Luciano struggle to topple a tree. Unable to do

so, they pick up their axes and slash desperately at the

trunk.

SHOOTING THROUGH THE TRUCK WINDSHIELD

The Gunman limps toward the truck, rubbing his ass. Another

BLAST shatters the night, and the Gunman's chest EXPLODES,

splattering his guts across the windshield. As he falls, WE

SEE Siegel, a wool scarf wrapped across his face, scramble

up from the ditch at the side of the road, his shotgun

smoking.

THE PANICKED DRIVER

Slams the truck into gear, running over the body of the

Gunman.

SIEGEL FIRES AGAIN

shattering the windshield, then leaps back into the ditch.

THE TRUCK MOVES HALFWAY UP THE GRADE

where its rear wheels spin helplessly on the ice.

THE DRIVER SEES SIEGEL CLIMB BACK OUT OF THE DITCH

and calmly pull a pistol from his coat. He struggles to get

the truck into reverse. As Siegel levels his gun, the truck

lurches backward, bumping sickeningly over the body of the

Gunman.

ON LUCIANO AND COSTELLO

As they push mightily against the tree trunk. It CRACKS, and

CRASHES across the road, cutting off the path of the truck.

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