An outraged Sonny Steelgrave accuses Vinnie of betraying him to his arch-rival, then realizes the devastating truth--that his paisan is an undercover federal agent.
Vinnie and his record producer Johnny Medley try to steal Eddie Tempest, a hot property, from Winston Newquay. Newquay has Medley beaten severely. In a no-limit poker game, Newquay wins Shakala Records from Isaac Twine. Vinnie convinces Newquay to keep him on in the company.
The pieces of the diplomatic puzzle begin to come together for Vinnie as General Masters puts the final touches on his plot to make Vinnie the fall guy.
After the funeral of the assassinated economist Andrew Valenti, Vinnie accelerates his investigation into the covert plot behind the professor's murder.
Sonny's impending marriage to a syndicate boss' daughter begins a supposedly businesslike realignment of "families, " but Vinnie learns that the wedding is a pretext for a bloody gang war.
Vinnie goes undercover for the O.C.B. as a garment-center security consultant to keep the new wave of organized crime leadership from destroying a father-and-son business.
In order to avenge his disruption of the plot to takeover Isle Pavot, Vinnie is drawn into a plot to destabilize the Japanese economy led by Admiral Strichen and General Leland Masters.
After Susan is arrested for Mel's murder, Vinnie refuses McPike's order to pull out of the Profitt case, because Susan, who has seemingly lost her grip on reality, has told him she is pregnant with his child.