My aunt owned an airport bar in an era and place of high mafia activity. There was a racket at the time to extort vending machine profits with protection scheme

My aunt owned an airport bar in an era and place of high mafia activity. There was a racket at the time to extort vending machine profits with protection schemes. When they came to my aunt to offer their protection, she implied that a rival gang had already extorted her, and that they owned/protected her vending machines. This was apparently enough to get them to leave her and her bar alone.