damn about anything. Except the booze."
"Yeah," Johnny said. "The money is rolling in, he could get a lot of work, singing or in
the movies. He gets fifty grand a picture now and he blows it. He doesn't give a damn
about being famous. All the years we've been buddies I've never known him to do
anything creepy. And the son of a bitch is drinking himself to death."
Jules was about to say something when there was a knock on the door of the suite.
He was surprised when the man in the armchair, the man nearest the door, did not
answer it but kept reading the newspaper. It was Hagen who went to open it. And was
almost brushed aside when Moe Greene came striding into the room followed by his
two bodyguards.
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Moe Greene was a handsome hood who had made his rep as a Murder Incorporated
executioner in Brooklyn. He had branched out into gambling and gone west to seek his
fortune, had been the first person to see the possibilities of Las Vegas and built one of
the first hotel casinos on the Strip. He still had murderous tantrums and was feared by
everyone in the hotel, not excluding Freddie, Lucy and Jules Segal. They always stayed
out of his way whenever possible.
His handsome face was grim now. He said to Michael Corleone, "I've been waiting
around to talk to you, Mike. I got a lot of things to do tomorrow so I figured I'd catch you
tonight. How about it?"
Michael Corleone looked at him with what seemed to be friendly astonishment.
"Sure," he said. He motioned in Hagen's direction. "Get Mr. Greene a drink, Tom."
Jules noticed that the man called Albert Neri was studying Moe Greene intently, not
paying any attention to the bodyguards who were leaning against the door. He knew
there was no chance of any violence, not in Vegas itself. That was strictly forbidden as
fatal to the whole project of making Vegas the legal sanctuary of American gamblers.
Moe Greene said to his bodyguards, "Draw some chips for all these people so that
they can gamble on the house." He obviously meant Jules, Lucy, Johnny Fontane and
Michael's bodyguard, Albert Neri.
Michael Corleone nodded agreeably. "That's a good idea." It was only then that Neri
got out of his chair and prepared to follow the others out.
After the good-byes were said, there were Freddie, Tom Hagen, Moe Greene and
Michael Corleone left in the room.
Greene put his drink down on the table and said with barely controlled fury, "What's
this I hear the Corleone Family is going to buy me out? I'll buy you out. You don't buy
me out."
Michael said reasonably, "Your casino has been losing money against all the odds.
There's something wrong with the way you operate. Maybe we can do better."
Greene laughed harshly. "You goddamn Dagos, I do you a favor and take Freddie in
when you're having a bad time and now you push me out. That's what you think. I don't
get pushed out by nobody and I got friends that will back me up."
Michael was still quietly reasonable. "You took Freddie in because the Corleone
Family gave you a big chunk of money to finish furnishing your hotel. And bankroll your
casino. And because the Molinari Family on the Coast guaranteed his safety and gave
you some service for taking him in. The Corleone Family and you are evened out. I
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don't know what you're getting sore about. We'll buy your share at any reasonable price
you name, what's wrong with that? What's unfair about that? With your casino losing
money we're doing you a favor."
Greene shook his head. "The Corleone Family don't have that much muscle anymore.
The Godfather is sick. You're getting chased out of New York by the other Families and
you think you can find easier pickings here. I'll give you some advice, Mike, don't try."
Michael said softly, "Is that why, you thought you could slap Freddie around in
public?"
Tom Hagen, startled, turned his attention to Freddie. Freddie Corleone's face was
getting red. "Ah. Mike, that wasn't anything. Moe didn't mean anything. He flies off the
handle sometimes, but me and him are good friends. Right, Moe?"
Greene was wary. "Yeah, sure. Sometimes I got to kick asses to make this place run
right. I got sore at Freddie because he was banging all the cocktail waitresses and
letting them goof off on the job. We had a little argument and I straightened him out."
Michael's face was impassive when he said to his brother, "You straightened out,
Freddie?"
Freddie stared sullenly at his younger brother. He didn't answer. Greene laughed and
said, "The son of a bitch was taking them to bed two at a time, the old sandwich job.
Freddie, I gotta admit you really put it to those broads. Nobody else could make them
happy after you got through with them."
Hagen saw that this had caught Michael by surprise. They looked at each other. This
was perhaps the real reason the Don was displeased with Freddie. The Don was
straitlaced about sex. He would consider such cavorting by his son Freddie, two girls at
a time, as degeneracy. Allowing himself to be physically humiliated by a man like Moe
Greene would decrease respect for the Corleone Family. That too would be part of the
reason for being in his father's bad books.
Michael rising from his chair, said, in a tone of dismissal, "I have to get back to New
York tomorrow, so think about your price."
Greene said savagely, "You son of a bitch, you think you can just brush me off like
that? I killed more men than you before I could jerk off. I'll fly to New York and talk to the
Don himself. I'll make him an offer."
Freddie said nervously to Tom Hagen, "Tom, you're the Consigliori, you can talk to the
Don and advise him."
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It was then that Michael turned the full chilly blast of his personality on the two Vegas
men. "The Don has sort of semiretired," he said. "I'm running the Family business now.
And I've removed Tom from the Consigliori spot. He'll be strictly my lawyer here in
Vegas. He'll be moving out with his family in a couple of months to get all the legal work
started. So anything you have to say, say it to me."
Nobody answered. Michael said formally, "Freddie, you're my older brother, I have
respect for you. But don't ever take sides with anybody against the Family again. I won't
even mention it to the Don." He turned to Moe Greene. "Don't insult people who are
trying to help you. You'd do better to use your energy to find out why the casino is losing
money. The Corleone Family has big dough invested here and we're not getting our
money's worth, but I still didn't come here and abuse you. I offer a helping hand. Well, if
you prefer to spit on that helping hand, that's your business. I can't say any more."
He had not once raised his voice but his words had a sobering effect on both Greene
and Freddie. Michael stared at both of them, moving away from the table to indicate that
he expected them both to leave. Hagen went to the door and opened it. Both men left
without saying good night.
The next morning Michael Corleone got the message from Moe Greene: he would not
sell his share of the hotel at any price. It was Freddie who delivered the message.
Michael shrugged and said to his brother, "I want to see Nino before I go back to New
York."
In Nino's suite they found Johnny Fontane sitting on the couch eating breakfast. Jules
was examining Nino behind the closed drapes of the bedroom. Finally the drapes were
drawn back.
Michael was shocked at how Nino looked. The man was visibly disintegrating. The
eyes were dazed, the mouth loose, all the muscles of his face slack. Michael sat on his
bedside and said, "Nino, it's good to catch up with you. The Don always asks about
you."
Nino grinned, it was the old grin. "Tell him I'm dying. Tell him show business is more
dangerous than the olive oil business."
"You'll be OK," Michael said. "If there's anything bothering you that the Family can
help, just tell me."
Nino shook his head. "There's nothing," he said. "Nothing."
Michael chatted for a few more moments and then left. Freddie accompanied him and
his party to the airport, but at Michael's request didn't hang around for departure time.
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As he boarded the plane with Tom Hagen and Al Neri, Michael turned to Neri and said,
"Did you make him good?"
Neri tapped his forehead. "I got Moe Greene mugged and numbered up here."
Chapter 28
On the plane ride back to New York, Michael Corleone relaxed and tried to sleep. It
was useless. The most terrible period of his life was approaching, perhaps even a fatal
time. It could no longer be put off. Everything was in readiness, all precautions had
been taken, two years of precautions. There could be no further delay. Last week when
the Don had formally announced his retirement to the caporegimes and other members
of the Corleone Family, Michael knew that this was his father's way of telling him the
time was ripe.
It was almost three years now since he had returned home and over two years since
he had married Kay. The three years had been spent in learning the Family business.
He had put in long hours with Tom Hagen, long hours with the Don. He was amazed at
how wealthy and powerful the Corleone Family truly was. It owned tremendously