Lea Foxx
Lea heard a familiar voice. The voice she was hoping to hear. She got up from her bed, still strapped to it with her arms, she looked around. There, by the side of the bed with the Jane Doe in it, was Cole. What a coincidence. Not really happy she met him while being strapped to a bed like a mental case, but it was better than not meeting him at all.

''Cole? Cole, it's me. Lea.'' she said anxiously.

But her voice was so compromised by her ill state that it only came in meager whispers. He had gone before she got the opportunity to reach out to him.

Sage thought a lot about Martin and their small greeting from a few days before. She wondered if he even remembered her. Of course, she couldn't meet him any time too soon, she was bruised and cut a little on her face. She opened one of the record books and ran her finger down the page. A lot of the time, she'd be working hard on the book, yet a lot of the other times, she was hanging out with the mummies or keeping her nose stuck inside her book.

She ripped off the tape to keep out people from her museum and tossed it away in the garbage. She slipped her phone from her pocket and quickly sent a small text. One short, but sweet.

I couldn't help but remember your voice. Give me a call sometime, okay? and with that, she sent it to Martin and slipped her phone into her back pocket.
-----------------
Hayden spent a lot of her time keeping the counters clean and washed. She kept a keen eye on every one wandering about the room.

Daniel Takahashi

As soon as the intimidating presence of the chef had gone off to the opposite end of the kitchen, Daniel fled from the kitchen. With his heart beating a mile a minute from a mixture of relief and panic he practically ran up the stairs to the second floor- a hand clutching at his still-sore ribs. Once he was safely up the stairs, sliding his glasses from his pocket onto his nose to deal with the sudden dimness of the hallway, he could finally relax. Another worry to add onto his slowly growing list had been at least some-what dealt with, and luckily it hadn't turned out nearly as bad as he'd feared. If only his other problems were so easily dealt with.

A sigh escaped him as he walked slowly down the hall, contemplating what he was going to do about Maria. He'd put off thinking about it for as long as he could, and now he had to seriously think about her offer. Daniel opened the door to his cramped closet-turned-office and shuffled in as he mumbled to himself, "She has a point about...." Another sigh, "Everything...." He yanked the string hanging from the lamp and continued to think aloud, "However, I still can't let her pay for that- it's too much money.... Maybe... I can... Maybe... UGH!" A thunk sounded as he flopped into his chair and smacked his head against the desk. The only thing he knew for certain at this point was that he knew nothing for certain. He wanted out of this life- the last few days had thrown that fact in his face- but he wasn't sure what he could do any more. Yale seemed ridiculous after all of this, and he couldn't just leave his mother in the condition she was in to return to a different state. And- damn it all- he couldn't imagine leaving Maria to this place, she'd been far to kind to him not to mention the fact that it was obvious she was on a slippery slope to nowhere good. He'd have to talk to her about that, maybe.... just maybe that could be his condition. The idea made him pop up and blink rapidly. A small grin tilted up his lips and he mumbled to himself, "That's what I'll do... I'll tell her I accept- with the condition I'll pay her back- if she gets herself out too..."

With that decision made he felt a weight lift off his shoulders, and now he could get to work. Just as he was about to search through the piles for the file he needed to finish, the phone in his pocket buzzed once more. Daniel flipped it open and smiled at the message before typing a quick reply. I'll finish my work quickly so you don't have to wait long. After he'd shut it and tucked it away once more, he searched through his files and yanked out the one he'd forgotten the night before. With his laptop out and a pen in hand, he quickly focused on his work to knock it out so he could meet Maria... after cleaning off the chef's car of course.

Less than a half-hour later he was folding up the file and creating a pile of it and the ones he'd finished with his all-nighter. Daniel stacked everything up under his chin, saved and closed his computer files, and closed up his office. On his way to drop off the finished translations he stopped by Martin's office to check if he was in and to see how he was doing after the Russian-encounter. Unfortunately the older translator wasn't in his office, so Daniel was forced to write him a quick note and slip it under the door.

Hi Martin,
Just wanted to thank you again for helping with my work the other night and make sure everything went alright with your Russian.
-Daniel

After the note was tucked inside the empty office, Daniel dropped off the folders in the usual place and headed back down through the kitchens. Peering into the kitchens to make sure the chef was still busy cleaning his surfaces, Daniel snuck in and yanked a bleach-soaked handtowel out of a bucket before heading out of the back door. Hobbling a little, he leaned down next to the sleek silver car and began to rub vigorously at the bruised bumper. It took him nearly ten minutes to get the paint to disappear and when he finally did, he was almost sweating. With the car clean, he dropped off the rag with a final apology to Terron and hurried back out to his car.

When he arrived at the hotel where he'd dropped Maria off last night, Daniel sat in his car for a few moments calming himself. Despite the decision he'd made earlier, it wasn't easy to meet the beautiful woman- it never was when it came to Daniel's interactions with the opposite sex. He gave himself a once over in the rearview mirror- his face was still a mess from his robbery and his hair was a riot. A sigh escaped him after his attempts to fix his hair did nothing but make it fall limp and flat. Oh well, it wasn't going to get much better. On his way to the door Daniel slipped out his phone and tapped a quick message to Maria. I'm here. Where should I meet you?

Of course Martin was ever the gentleman before leaving Rosa on her own, but before he left, Rosa was unable to suppress an overwhelming feeling of loneliness. There was still the problem to address about returning to Julian or not. "Ugh.." She leaned her head back into the pillow and closed her eyes, trying to shut out the world.

"I love him." She whispered to herself. Once again the girl found herself thinking of her parents. It was in moments like this she felt filled with so much rage that they had been taken from her. Why her? Why always her? It never seemed to stop, one thing after another. She never even had a chance in this world, Rosa was destined for a life that included all sorts of tragedies. She looked into the IV's in her arm, pumping her with Saline and antibiotics. "Fuck this." She murmured, angrily ripping them out.

Blood dripped down her arm as Rosalinda slowly crept out of her bed. Just once, she decided. Just once she would tear her skin in a desperate attempt to feel control just one more time. Julian used to say he would break up with Rosa if she cut ever again, maybe subconsciously she hoped in doing this she'd be cutting yet another demon from her life.

Scrambling around her, there was nothing she could utilize as a razor. "Damnit." Rosa could feel the weight of anxiety pressing on her chest, a burn across her tanned skin that could only be stopped by cutting through it. Peeking from behind the curtain, Rosa could see scissors sitting in a cup, just by a nurses computer. "Leave!" She whispered with urgency, as if hearing her, someone called the Nurse away from the computer, leaving an open goal.

She wasn't sure what she was going to do once she got her hands on the scissors, but her flesh called for the sharp edge, begging to be mutilated. However once Rosa sped walk to the station and snatched the scissors, a male nurse noticed as she scurried back to where the curtain offered some privacy.

"Hey!" was all she heard, but with that she knew she only had a few moments. Hearing footsteps behind her, Rosa without hesitation pressed the cool metal of the scissors against the skin on her wrist. She knew she wouldn't be able to die just by cutting her wrist this one time.

They were right behind her, she applied the pressure, feeling the familiar pleasure crossed with pain spread throughout her body. Someone wrapped their arms around her, Rosa let go of the scissors and instead began to fight against the arms that held her. "Get off! Leave me alone!" As she continued to fight harder, they constricted her more. She began kicking out, pulling hard against the man that tried to soothe her with his voice. "Let me go!" She wasn't sure how many times she said that, but as she struggled, the blood from her wrist had began to drip down her arm and onto the linoleum floors. Some of it had smeared onto the orderly holding her arms.

She could hear them say there was a lot of blood loss, but she knew worst case scenario she would just pass out. Nothing to serious. These people were really over reacting, so she cut her wrist? No need to treat her like a mental patient. Yet still she continued to fight out of the mans arms, they looked too much like Julian's. "Please, PLEASE, just let me go!" She screamed, everyone around her was staring. Why was she acting like this? Rosa couldn't even explain herself. "Please." She whimpered once more, sagging into his chest in defeat.

"There we go sweetie, relax."

He said, and for some reason Rosa found herself sobbing into the fabric of his scrubs. It was like the wall she had built over all these years had been demolished, releasing a range of all sorts of emotions she hadn't let herself feel in years. Desperation, helplessness, vulnerability, pain.

She felt a softer pair of arms pull her from the mans, "This poor baby does not to be man handled like that." Rosa recognized Brenda's voice as she reprimanded the orderly, letting Rosa meld into her own arms. This feeling, it was strange. She was a rape victim, it was like now everything had changed. They cut still oozed, and it's sharp pain's clarity it provided had only last a minute before the man had ruined it for her. All that for nothing.

She let Brenda take her back to her bed and wrap up her wrist, and Brenda didn't pry, instead just sort of talking to fill the silence. Once again Rosa was hooked up to the IV's, but now she felt defeated, accepting that she had to be vulnerable, if only for the moment. As Brenda mentioned that Rosa now had to keep her curtain open due to the incident, Rosa nodded wordlessly, leaning her head back and falling into sleep to escape her own reality.



Murky dreams never lingered for longer than a few seconds in Julian's memory once he woke up, and today was no different. He felt hollowed, like he had dropped roughly 117 lbs overnight. Rosa, where was Rosa? Rolling over Julian checked his phone. There was still no response from Rosa. He tried her cell again, it went straight to voicemail. He had already left several, but one more couldn't hurt, "Rosa," his voice was scratchy from sleep, "where are you?.....I won't stop looking for you, baby just call me back, just let me know your safe..." Before he could catch himself, his throat began to swell as if to forewarn his tears. "I need you..." Julian hit end call before he could say something too emasculating.

Laying in bed he realized for now there was nothing he could do. He had handled Rosa in a way he never had before, and now he very well could end up losing her for that very same reason. She won't leave you - you got her that evil little voice in the corner of his mind had an odd way of sneaking up on him. Shaking his head, Julian burrowed into the bed again. With all the adrenaline from yesterday, and looking for Rosa all morning he was beat. Plus the restless sleep he had didn't do him much good, he was missing his little bear to hold in his dreams like a good luck charm.

This time he would get help, anything to get her back. He could do therapy - sure the other guys at the station might tease him but anything was worth it for Rosa. Just thinking about her leaving him angered him, causing him to punch a pillow in rage from where he lain. Why did he always do this? There was not a single thing in the world he loved more than Rosa. His mother wouldn't ever understand, she thought Rosa was too young for Julian. She didn't realize how much the girl had gone through that had made her one of the wisest people he knew.

Shutting his eyes, he could just picture her now. Her plump lips, dark eyes with a thick fringe of lashes that seemed to bat in slow motion when she was deep in thought. Her skin was like gold, he wanted to lick every square inch of her flesh. Every curve, every line, as long as it was hers he loved it. He sighed her name under his breath, as if a prayer above that they would return his love.



The music ended, but Tesla still had on her bra and panties, bills tucked into the fabric. Hopping offstage she made sure to remember her sequined piece and return back stage. Already her bills were adding up. Every day it seemed like this life got easier. "Tesla, you got to man the floor and check when people need drinks." one of the other girls let her know, leaning into her mirror to fix her make up. "Thanks Diamond." Tesla said, changing back into the one piece, this time putting on fishnets underneath. Fluffing up her hair as she walked back onto the floor.

The bar had a few seedy looking men, but sitting like the odd one out was a woman with what looked like a carbonated beverage. She had a delicate kind of beauty, like she could be snapped into a twig. Tesla self consciously pinched the extra flesh from her abdomen from the low cut outfit. The woman seemed frail, and although she didn't have the obvious kind of bombshell beauty that Tesla had, her feminine features and dark eyes were an exotic sort of beauty where as Tesla was more of the girl next door type.

Leaning against the bar next to the woman, Tesla smiled charmingly, "What's a sweet thing like you doing in a place like this?" Funny, now she was starting to talk like the Ochetto's and it was only her third day. The bar tender pushed a tray of drinks to Tesla, "Booth 6" he said, pointing in the far corner. "Be right back, suga." Tesla winked at the woman, taking the tray and walking in the direction the bar tender had pointed her in.

The men were already so distracted with the women in their laps they didn't even notice Tesla serving their drinks. She took a detour back stage once more, digging out the pill bottle from her purse. Tesla didn't take them this often usually, but with her new job the medication felt needed, she grabbed three and put away the rest. Ignoring the girls who badgered her to stay on the floor, Tesla breezed back to the bar where she had seen the woman. Smiling to see she was still there, Tesla asked the bar tender for seltzer water. "I'm Tesla," as the glass was set before her she took it, popping two Xanax immediately. She held out her hand to the woman, "Come on, take it. It's for anxiety, you look like you've got a lot of it." She said, winking playfully.

Maria Occheto

Her long strides made the heels less painful. She attempted to mitigate her preoccuring malaise as she soaked up what sunlight was peaking its way through the upper atmosphere. Wild and long, her dark tresses fell in voluminous waves around her face to compliment the inviting, dark painted hue of her fleshy lips. Still, clouds stood in the way and threatened rain for the third time in a week. The rays from the indestructible spheroid in the sky bounced off of her sable mane. "Come on out," she called up to the sun, "Just a little more?" Her tone was pleading and kittenish.

She had to wonder then, what Cole was up to in the midst of all this distress. And if that girl from the bar had caught up with him. Was it a mistake, not giving his number to her? What else had she done wrong? Plenty of things. One of them being letting Skye fall right into the snake pit. It was her mission to make sure Daniel didn't fall much further into that excavation himself. If Maria allowed it, she wouldn't forgive herself. With the amount she had weighing on her soul already, his downward spiral into the evil and corruption under her father's hand would make the load insufferable, as if it weren't already. She huffed and then let a protracted exhale travel from her pneumatic lips.

Would Daniel even consider her proposition? Was her allure fading to the point that she couldn't even make him entertain the offer? She couldn't imagine herself being remotely charming or charismatic anymore; if he declined she wouldn't find herself shocked by it.

Continuing down the sidewalk, she neared the entrance of the hotel. She stopped short as her phone vibrated, tickling her skin and casting odd sensations about her body. Speak of the devil. In one hand she held her pocketbook while small, unoccupied fingers fetched the device to read the message aloud. "Oh. sh-!" She exclaimed as she trotted to get closer to the doors, knocking right into someone else. Don't text and drive.

Stumbling backwards, she wobbled and waved her arms a little so that she wouldn't fall. It was Daniel she had walked right into. "Whoa --- ooh, hey!" A bright grin spread across her face as she seesawed at the sight of him. His charcoal eyes were fathomless, a beautiful distinction of his face that she personally took a fair liking to. Her thoughts ran away to the girlish, swooning sector of her mind. "You made it!"

Despite Cole's best intentions, his words and chilling gaze nevertheless served to make Martin uncomfortable, even a bit nervous. This had turned into a confusing meet up at the hospital after a series of bizarre events to a suddenly serious business meeting. Generally he had no problems with such meetings, but he wasn't exactly sure what this business was. If only Jude were here now, he could imagine the Irishman chiding him with a 'I told you not to go messing with lovely ladies, Marty' and a well placed smirk.

He listened to the explanation which, really, didn't serve as much of an explanation at all. Oh, sure, it explained some things- why Cole was enquiring about Rosa in the first place, why Rosa had insisted he not call the police and not give her real name to the hospital. But he couldn't help but think that this situation was only the tip of the iceberg of today's problems. There was no way something like this would set Cole on edge like this. There must be something else, maybe dealing with their business tonight, or perhaps something more personal.

All Martin really knew was that, apparently, being a good citizen, a good person got you nowhere in Chicago. It was probably just all of his bad karma- the act of helping someone barely put a dent in it.

"I'm not sure if I do know what's going on," He replied evenly, face a mask of serenity despite his nerves. "But I can tell you what happened. I went out this morning to stop by the grocery store near my apartment and found Rosa unconscious on the side of the road under a bridge. I checked on her because she was obviously hurt, she woke up, asked me not to call the police, and then had a minor meltdown. Then I asked her if I could take her to the hospital, she said only if I didn't tell them her name, so I brought her here and gave her a fake name."

The summary left out a few details, of course, but that was at his own discretion and they weren't incredibly relevant. Like the fact that Jude had been the one to send him on his errand or that he had to run back to get his car; nothing Cole needed or wanted to know now or ever.

"I am here because I felt bad and she was scared and alone and because I'm apparently an idiot. She's already said I could go. Look, I'll just ask a nurse to grab my jacket for me and I'm done with everything," he finished with a sigh, pushing up his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

Daniel Takahashi

Maybe it was the fact that he was still recovering from his encounter a couple of nights ago or the fact that he now had a night of sleepless work and worry to contend with, but Daniel found himself standing and staring blankly at the front of the hotel as he waited for his redevue. The only sign of movement he emitted was the casual clicking and un-clicking of the phone still cradled in his hand as his fingers absently flipped the screen up and down. He was completely unaware of the nervous habit much less anything around him as he stood outside the hotel door. He was in a world unto himself, his mind a whirl of half-baked thoughts as he tried to hash out what he would say to Maria to get her to go along with his decision as well as how he'd explain all of this to his mother and what he would do if he actually did leave the organization. The last thought was such a big "if" that he barely even tip-toed around it every time it popped into his mind.

The young man was shocked from his own musing by a bump from behind. Daniel was so startled by the sudden collision that he once again dropped his phone- Good thing it can't get much more broken- as he stepped to the side and whirled around on his heel. The words were on his lips to apologize for standing in the middle of the walkway when his grey eyes lighted upon a familiar face. Maria stood behind him tilting dangerously on the pair of killer heels that were her daily wear, a bright grin on her face. As she greeted him, Daniel unconsciously reached out to steady her- his hands wrapping gently around her forearms and tugging her into an upright position. In response to the grin on her face, his lips couldn't help but tick up at the corners as well; something about Maria was incredibly infectious and despite his normal shyness and placidity he couldn't help but act different around her. However, one of his usual mannerism would never truly go away; as soon as she was standing properly on her stilettos, Daniel released her as if she was on fire- his hands retracting quickly to his sides as a slight blush colored his cheeks.


"Umm, yea- o-of course. I said I would be here, didn't I?" He responded quietly to her exuberant greeting as he leaned down to retrieve the old mobile device from the ground. After quickly flipping the screen closed to hide the damage from Maria, he slid it into his pocket and straightened up. Silvery eyes instantly flicked upward to scan her face as he stood. Despite how physically awkward it was for him to be alone with such a beautiful woman, every time he was this close to her he couldn't help but stare. After a moment he forced his eyes away and cleared his throat. "So umm.... you wanted to eat lunch or... something?"

Aurora had stared at Jackson for a long time as she stood there, listening to everything that he was telling her. Some of his words eased her fears, but there was something he wasn't telling her. She could feel it in the bottom of her stomach. Nodding her head ever so slowly, she started to move out of his way so he could watch tv.

"Yeah...okay." she said softly as she stood there, a smile falling onto her face, though he would be able to tell it was an unsure smile and that a small part of her wasn't believing him. With all the bad omens she was having that morning, it would be hard to truly ease her into anything else. "I am just going to call Cole, you know it's better when the truth comes from the horses mouth and everything." she said as she started to turn around. "Not that I don't believe I would just feel better hearing it from him." she said as she started to walk into the kitchen.

"Help yourself to the food as well, I made enough for everyone." she told Jackson. Going over to the sink, she turned around and leaned her back against the counter. Pulling out her cellphone once more, she punched in Cole's number. She looked at the screen for a moment as it told her that it was trying to connect. 'Do I really want to know?' she thought to herself. Closing her eyes, she nodded her head slightly and let out a sight. Putting her phone to her hear, she waited for Cole to pick up.

A generic ring tone disturbed Julian from his Rosa filled dreams, the blinds were pulled so the room was dark, the face of his phone lighting like a beacon on the nightstand. Fumbling at first, Julian didn't bother to look at the blinding screen before he answered, answering with a groggy, "Hello?"

"Julian - you have to get to the hospital. I just went to the emergency ward, and I saw Rosa someone dropped her off under a fake name I guess. She's pretty beat up." James, his roommate from college worked at the Loyola hospital, and had promised to keep an eye out for Rosa when Julian had called him earlier. Instantly Julian was drawn out of his drowsiness, rubbing the remnants of sleep from his face and shaking his head.

He knew he would find her, "Thanks man, I owe you one. Can you give someone a heads up I'm coming? Just tell them it's to get her statement so they don't give me any shit." Rosa probably wasn't as bad off as James was making it seem, he hadn't hurt her that bad. Julian was just so overwhelmed with relief that she had been found that he didn't even care about what it was that she was doing all night. Even if she was with those thugs he would have forgive her.

Changing back into his uniform, Julian returned to his squad car - utilizing his sirens for the fastest route to the hospital. He parked in a hazard zone by the emergency ward- a bad habit of his. However when you were the ones making the shots it was a lot easier to look over certain corners. Wasting no time, Julian walked through the double doors like he owned the place, walking at a steady pace. His face was set in a stern expression, only because the only thing he can think about was seeing Rosa.

The curtain had been pulled back from where she slept, making her easy to find but hard to recognize. Her skin wasn't the usual smooth fawn landscape for him to let his hands roam, instead she was littered with bruises and cuts like she'd been dragged across a gravel. "Oh God!" Was all he managed to say, stunned by her appearance.

A heavy set nurse came to his side, "I don't think she wants to talk to anyone." The woman side, attempting to guide him away. Julian pulled back, "I'm her fiancé, and whoever brought her in gave you false information." Julian said hotly, rounding to Rosa's side. Sleeping she looked peaceful, even with her lip busted and a blushing bruise on her cheek. With extreme caution he cradled her head into his arms, biting back the tears.

"Well just keep an eye on her, she tried to slit her wrist earlier. Poor baby...I'm going to be back with a form for you to fill out."

Julian didn't even bother looking at the woman, too focused on Rosa. What had he let happen? This was all his fault. The Ochetto's hadn't done this, that much he knew. But Julian had a burning need to know who had. "Who hurt you baby? Who did this to you?" He whispered, brushing away some hair that had fallen over her eyes. Even beaten she was perfect, a battered beauty. His eyes lingered over where gauze his where she had cut herself. Julian gently grazed his fingers over the wrapping, cursing himself for pushing Rosa to such a desperate place.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open to see Julian. If she was surprised she didn't let him know, but she wasn't. She knew he would come to her eventually. Licking her cracked lips, Rosa realized how dry her mouth was. Lazily she looked to the water fountain just yards away, then back to Julian. "Hey." She said anticlimactically, weak and low. He couldn't resist a smile, she hadn't shooed him away.

Affectionately petting her hair, Julian spoke back, "Hey you...." He was gentle as ever, half sitting next to her on the bed. Julian was reminded once more of their age difference of five years. Sometimes the issues they dealt with daily he couldn't help but to think if they were the same age she could handle their disagreements better. His temper wasn't his fault, most of the time she pushed him there. But this she didn't have coming, this was an accident. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder gingerly, feeling her sag against his frame. He smiled to himself, grateful that he could be here now to piece her back together.

Maxxie Williams

Sipping her drink Maxxie kept her eyes looking around the club, sometimes she couldn't keep her eyes off the stage as different women danced their way around it. Taking off pieces of clothing, flaunting themselves at the different men and some women while money was being thrown at them. She wasn't sure how they did it, expose themselves like that. She would probably have a heart attack if she even tried.

A soft voice broke her out of her trance asking her what she was doing here, she bit her lip, looking at the blonde beauty in front of her. "Uh well.." she stuttered a little but the women was called off to take some drinks to another booth. Her eyes followed the blonde, she couldn't help it, the girl definately had a very nice body to look at. The one piece the blonde was wearing showed off just the right curves and the fishnets just added to the sexiness of the outfit.

Shaking her head she tried to focus on something else, she finished her drink, putting it back on the counter, she wasn't sure if she shoukd just keep watching or if maybe she should try to indulge in some conversation with some of the other in the club. She was about to get up but the blonde was now in front of her, she must of come when she wasn't exactly paying attention.

The girl asked for a drink from the bartender then introduced herself as Tesla "Im Grace" she said with a smile as she watched as the girl popped something into her mouth then took a drink. Must be some kind of pills she thought. Tesla offered her hand and in the hand was a pill, Maxxie put her hand in Tesla's but didn't take the pill "sorry I can't take that." She may have anxiety but she didn't know what the pill was and she wasn't sure how it would react to her other medication.

Brining her hand back down to her lap she looked around before her eyes caught Tesla's "so is it fun? I mean do you enjoy your work" she motioned to the girls on stage "I don't think I could ever do something like that" she blushed, looking down to her lap. What was she doing? She was a virgin, had no experience with this at all but she was suppose to get information somehow. Yeah right. "What kind of fun can a girl get into?" she asked looking up to Tesla with her dark eyes with an innocent look on her face. "This is my first time in a strip club, my friend told me about it. Im new to the area and decided to see what kind of fun I could get myself into" she smiled, rubbing her palm on her leg a bit as she tried to look at least a little bit confident.

ROMEO VALLANCE

The Windy City Gentlemen's Club


“A Hundred Grand?!?” Exclaimed the outraged voice in disgust. “You've got to be shitting me!”

Romeo Vallance stretched back leisurely in his high back leather Executive Office chair, lacing his fingers together to rest on his abdomen.

“I shit you not.” Romeo drawled unaffected by the outburst.

Still on holiday mode, Romeo was not ready to lose his laxed good mood yet. Inevitable as it was, was it too much to ask for a few more days of peace? But this was the business that he chose. Sure money was easy but that didn't mean it did not involve damn hard work.

In fact, Romeo thought with slight irritation, he probably worked harder then those nine to five average Joe's. Probably even harder then his father Attorney General.

No, his was a twenty four-seven occupation. Something could come up any time day or night and he had to always be ready to drag his carcass out of bed to take care of 'business'.

But truly, Romeo had no complaints. Why, after all would he do what he did if he didn't love it? If he wasn't getting some sort of buzz out of it? It wasn't only the money (he was a trust fund baby for a lack of a better phrase). Sure, monetary gain was a big part of it but it was the power too.

Romeo Vallance was never one to grovel to others, even as a young child. Yeah, he technically worked for Antonio Occheto but truly Romeo only worked for himself. After all, it never hurt to have a little back up, but it was important to remember back up could easily turn out to be the knife in one's back.

Vallance would never forget that, he was too smart to forget something so vital. In this game no one was a true friend. As long as you kept that in mind and kept one eye open when you slept it was a good life.

A damn good life!

“I could get all this in a Gun Shop for a quarter of the price!” Spat Bud - a scrawny regular who always tired to haggle on the price - gesturing sharply to the large array of weapons scattered across the clear glass top of the Office Desk.

“I think we both know,” Romeo replied coolly. “that if you could just walk into a Store and buy these you would not be an esteemed patron of mine for all these years. No Gun Store owner in his right mind would let you through the door let alone let you walk out with enough Artillery to take out a small Town.”

Bud frowned a deep crease denting his Neanderthal like forehead.

“Fuck, but that doesn't mean you can charge a Kings fucking fortune Vallance!” He complained.

A smile worked its way up one side of Romeo's lips, setting his dimples to work in his cheeks.

Sure, he didn't have to charge the astronomical fee he was. In fact this small consignment was only suppose to go for about fifty grand tops. Occheto would take 70% while he who took the risk to store and sell would get a bare 30%. Alright, so the risk wasn't great. Romeo had more then a few dirty cops and detectives in his pockets but Occheto didn't know that.

So, he was skimming more then a small tidy sum of money off the top. To be frank it wasn't the first or the last time. In fact, Vallance exacted his own small fee onto top of every transaction he completed. Sure it was money out of Antonio Occheto's pockets but the greedy bastard had enough and if he couldn't share fairly then he could go fuck himself.

Romeo Vallance wasn't one of his underlings. He was a fair and equal partner and if he wasn't given his share evenhandedly, Romeo had not problem taking it himself.

“A hundred grand. That's my price.” Romeo stated as he ran his hands down his starch white shirt, straightening his black silk tie.

“Take it or leave it.” Added the gravelly, dark voice of his right hand man – Jarvis – from behind.

Bud bristled at the command, clearly pissed off that years of loyalty had done him little good in the way of discount.

“I'll only pay half now.” He grumbled indignant.

“Then you'll only get half the load now.” Romeo said no nonsensically.

Bud's eyes grew wild suddenly, a vain popping in the middle of his forehead and in the next instant he grabbed one of the Glocks off the desk and pointed straight across at Romeo.

“Motherfucker!” Bud spat like a rabid dog.

Romeo's eyes narrowed on the Gun in the idiot's hands but he was not in the least fazed. Bud's finger pressed the trigger tight.

BANG!

A single shot pierced the air. Bud's eyes grew even larger if that was possible. He blinked a few times and then turned his head down to look at his shoulder.

The gun clattered to the floor as Bud's hands came up to press firmly against his shoulder. Blood seeped through the wound, into the denim material of his jacket.

“You shot me!” He accused Jarvis who was replacing his gun back into it's holster. “You bastard!” Bud shouted before he screamed in agony dropping to the floor on his knee's.

“Did I forget to mention these weapons aren't loaded.” Romeo taunted innocently coming up onto his feet making his way around the table.

Casually pushing back one open side of his dark blue suit jacket leaning his hand on the glass top of the desk.

“Oh and speaking of Ammo . . . That'll cost you extra.” He smiled down wickedly.

Maria Occheto

To say she was pleased would be a vast understatement. Daniel was quite the sight for sore, tired, and sad eyes. As she glanced up at him, her body threatening to topple to the ground, she still grinned with her mouth ajar and her dark, red lips curving heavenward as a greeting. And she had to admit she really half expected him not to show up, to send her a text saying 'sorry, I'm too swamped' or 'You're kind of invading my personal space soooo…'

His hands braced her, rocking her heels back to meet with the pavement and set her back to be balanced. In the sun, she squinted and continued to grin at him like a child who had been given ample amounts of candy while being entertained with jokes at the same time. It felt so unbelievably alleviating to be able to smile in that way, to have a reason to. She was even more thrilled to see him slightly simpering back. With a brave hand, she nipped at his shirt with her thumb and index finger, "There it is."

"Umm - yeah - o - of course. I said I would be here, didn't I?"

He bent down to grab his phone. Furrowing her brow, she responded, "Yeah I mean I kind of almost figured you were going to bail on me or something." She kicked at the air, "Like maybe I was bothering you so." Her green gaze followed his quick inspection of his phone.

"Oh, Daniel - shit. Did I make you drop your phone?" She extended her palm, expecting him to show it to her. Leaning her head to the side, she continued to smile at him and take him all in. "Did you think about what I said last night?" As much as she hadn't wanted to bring it up, she kept it at the tippy top of her priorities. She wasn't willing to let him suffer a harrowing and tragic fate like the rest. There was still time, still mechanisms and approaches she could use.

Why was she, otherwise macabre and cold to these things, crumbling before Daniel's situation? Why did she care? Did she --- care for him in a different way? It began to make her brain hazy. She didn't truly want to know.

Not being graced with the phone in her palm, she retracted her fingers for a moment then reached for Daniel's own. Loosely she wrapped her hand around three of his fingers, "Forget it. Are you hungry? I mean," she started away from the hotel then stopped, "We can go somewhere or we can get room service."

Daniel was a quandary to be reckoned with. He was tricky, easily discomforted and anxious. All of this was hidden - well, not quite, beneath his elegantly handsome and slightly foreign facade. Why was she so drawn? She couldn't put her finger on it. She knew it was completely out of character for her no matter how often she leaned towards people of differential origins. Typically she couldn't be bothered with someone fidgety and self conscious.

Daniel just kept her interested and obligated to… save him?

It was at times like these that Martin was reminded of just whose son Cole was. That may have sounded terrible, and it was a thought that he would never speak aloud to anyone or anything, but it was true. That desire to have what he wanted then and there, no excuses, no exceptions. It was a stark contrast to just yesterday when Cole was thanking him quietly just for doing his job, reassuring him that he was very important to the business. It wasn't incredibly violent, but the irritation coming from Cole was almost visible and Martin didn't really know what was going on. He didn't know why Cole needed specific details. He didn't know why it mattered so, so much when there were probably ten other things going wrong this morning in the Occheto family.

He leaned back minutely when Cole stood up and stretched over the table and began speaking to him in a quiet voice. He bit back a frown at the tone, at the words- it was the way he'd seen people talk to idiots, to people who hadn't paid their dues on time, how his parents had spoken to him all those years ago before he left home and was swept up in this madness. He hated it.

That was, of course, when Cole retreated back into his seat and there was Cole again looking exhausted and as if he wasn't quite sure what to do. Apologies slipped off of his tongue with an explanation even vaguer then his own, but the very fact that he was unnerved clued Martin in to the seriousness of the situation. He couldn't be petty although, Lord, how he wanted to be. He pushed his glasses back into place.

"They haven't done any tests yet, but their best guess, and it's incredibly obvious, is that she was sexually assaulted last night. She was covered with dirt as well as large bruises on her lower body, her clothes were in a state of disrepair, she looked as if she'd been dragged through gravel, and there was a bite mark on her left breast. That was all I could see and the nurse didn't give me an exact list. I assume after she left all of you last night, she ran into some trouble, but she can't remember anything. I think there may have been some head trauma that could account for that, but I'm not sure," He catalogued, finally becoming utterly specific.

"Cole, I'm not sure what exactly is going on because it's obviously more than just Rosa. But I can tell you that I will do everything that I can to help you if you'll let me." It wasn't an impassioned declaration of loyalty, nor was he pleading for information from the Occheto boy. It was more of a reassurance that, no, Cole wasn't completely alone in what shit-hole the family had managed to dig themselves into. He wasn't going to tell him not to worry because there was obviously something to worry about. However, he could reaffirm that, whatever was going on, Cole wasn't alone in this if he wouldn't mind sharing the burden instead of taking it all onto himself.

Cleaning.

That seemed to be all she did anymore in the museum. The pile of grass was pushed away in the corner, the artifacts were dusted well and cleaned, the carpet with the art display was vacuumed and the bathrooms were swept and mopped. As soon as she finished, Sage settled herself down behind the counter after flipping the "open" sign. She gave a sigh and smiled faintly. There wasn"t much to do honestly; no one visited the museum around this time of day. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder and her lips pressed together.

"Hmm..." And yet, as if on time... the phone rang. Oh, anything to distract her from her boredom. She sprang from her seat and hurried off toward the phone. She grabbed it quickly, put the phone to her ear and answered with a "Rinaldi Museum."

"Yes...oh! A new mummy? Oh that'd be perfect. Any time is fine with me...I'll be here. Thank you" She grinned.

ROMEO VALLANCE

Jarvis was taking care of the business with Bud. The man had become unsurprisingly conformist after being shot. Weapons and money would be exchanged as soon as the bullet in Bud's shoulder was taken care of.

A smile lingered on Vallance's lips at the thought as he made his way onto the Club floor.

The plush and luxurious interior of the Windy City's Gentleman Club with its leather cushioned seats, walls and crystal clear glass tabletops, counters and chandeliers could complete with the best haunts of the Elite in Manhattan where Romeo had grown up.

He supposed he was trying to bring the comforts of home to the Club when he had bought half of it when he first came to Chicago seven years ago. But at the end of the day it was still a Whore House and he had utterly no interest in the Mistresses of this house of ill repute.

At least not anymore.

And nothing more then a quick fuck and the sating of his physical needs.

Romeo sighed heavily as he slowly made his way through the lowly lit room. Men of means leisured back in booths and seats having their desires fulfilled by scantly dressed women walking around with trays of glasses and bottles or flirted with the clients all in a bid to make money; evoking nothing but disgust in Vallance.

His return from the laid back atmosphere of the Caribbean had done little except to heighten the dreariness he felt before he decided to take a holiday. Thinking it would cure his malaise, which it did for a time while he was on the sandy beaches with nothing to worry about and a different Caribbean beauty on each of his arms everyday.

However, as soon as he had returned and it was back to business the same tedium and dissatisfaction once more dampened his spirits. It was only temporary, Romeo told himself. He would just have to plow through it.

Yes. A few more days catching up on everything he left to Jarvis and he wouldn't have time for depressing thoughts.

Making his way towards the bar, Romeo spied one of the new girls that had been hired by Occheto himself while he had been away. It didn't matter much to Romeo. He didn't give a shit about what new bitches were hired to parade around here. As long as they bought in the doe and he got his cut it mattered little to him.

The only thing that did concern Romeo was that he got his cut in every transaction that took place in his premises. It wasn't just the money, it was authority. He took a cut no matter how big or small to instate his position as respected Boss.

And what was this new blonde doing . . ? It looked like she was offering one of his customers something that was not on the Bar Menu and that too out in the open! Was she a dumb blonde or was she plain stupid? Romeo mused in frustration.

With determined steps Vallance made his way towards her. He couldn't help but notice that she looked better and better as he got closer. Damn! She was fine! High pert breasts, nice round ass and a devil may care attitude written all over her pretty face. Maybe, he would fuck her a couple times. If he felt the inclination to seduce.

Not caring he was interrupting her conversation with the plain looking woman who sat at the bar and who he barely noticed; Romeo came to stand between the two women. Leaning one arm on the Bar counter, his back to the plain women as he leaned towards the blonde.

With one hand he gently pushed the long golden strands of her hair back behind her ear.

“No one sells anything in this Club without me getting a cut.” He spoke in a deep rumble of a voice; his lips pressed against her ear. “And if I ever see you offering so much as an Advil on the Club Floor to any of the customers then you'll be out on your fine little ass so fast you won't even feel the door hit you on the way out.”

Pulling away, he looked down at her with a grin, dimples set in both cheeks.

She really was sex on legs and he couldn't help but want to touch.

With a playfully thwap he slapped a palm across her fine behind. His grin widened at her outraged features and when she parted her lips to say something, Vallance swooped down and captured her lips with his. Taking in the sweet taste of her mouth for a moment before he abruptly pulled away.

“Now get serving. I don't pay you to stand around all night to look pretty and talk to your friends. And also,” He added as an after thought. “If you're interested in a career as a 'sales girl' why don't you come and talk to me later.”

“Vallance!” A familiar voice boomed from behind suddenly, diverting Romeo's attention from the sexy blonde as he turned to face the two tough looking guys in leather jackets and jeans, almost looking identical.

“Good God man! You're still alive! We were about to put a missing persons report out for you.” Said the other.

“Doyle. Freeman.” Romeo smiled sharing manly handshakes with both the Detectives. “Yeah, well we all know how pointless that would be, especially if you were the guys in charge of finding me.” He joked.

Doyle and Freeman, were two of the many Cops and Detectives on Vallance's payroll. They enjoyed free drinks, drugs, cash and women at Romeo's leisure and in return they provided him with cover, police intel and fair warning of raids in advance.

All in all it was a small price, Romeo had decided a long time ago, for good, accurate and perfectly useful information. And they weren't bad guys. Bad Cops & Detectives no doubt. But reliable informants.

“Cocky bastard.” Doyle grinned and Freeman joined him.

“So what can I do for you Gentlemen today? Women, Liquor? Both are on the house as usual. What's your poison?”

“And how could we possibly decline such a gracious offer?” Freeman smirked. “How about that strong Irish whiskey you keep so well stocked?”

“Yes. Come join us Vallance. We have a lot to catch up on . . .” Doyle eyed him with a studied look, meaning there was some new info Romeo should be privy to.

“Why not?” Romeo replied catching Freeman's drift. “A bottle of Irish Whiskey and three glasses . . . And have her bring it up.”

Romeo turned and ordered the Bar Tender but his gaze riveted on the blonde before he led the men up to his private booth on the second floor that had the best view of the Club Floor below.

The pain drugs that Brenda had given her had Rosalinda struggling to stay awake, wishing she could figure out what to say. Here was Julian, holding her close and not even demanding she tell him what happened. It was all so foreign - him not being intrusive. "Jortiz," She said, her voice scratchy. He shifted to face her, careful not to apply any pressure to her side. He could be so caring sometimes..."please don't leave me again." She said meekly.

Julian looked to Rosa with confused expression, he had come to the hospital expecting to be kicked to the curb and forgotten about but instead Rosa was asking him to stay with her forever and although that was what their marriage would entail Julian hesitated to answer. How could he say no when she looked so vulnerable. With all the tender affection he could muster, Julian cupped her face into his hand - his thumb gently rubbing across her cheek. "I won't baby, ever again." He murmured, pulling her against him for a hug and kissing the top of her head so that she couldn't see his eyes. He was afraid - afraid to fail her. He would leave one day, Julian's job did have unfortunate possibilities including death. What if his ride were to be cut short?

Rosa let herself be held, at peace that she was within Julian's arms. Yes he was a monster sometimes, but he was her Julian. When they went out Rosa loved when people would stare at them, envious of the happiness and wholeness she found in him. Every couple had their problems, maybe theirs weren't so bad because at the end of the day they did truly love each other.

Brenda brought back a clipboard with paperwork for Julian to fill out. He detached himself as Rosa's human pillow to take the clipboard and pen. "I'll be right back, little bear." Was all she heard as she drifted off into another realm. She was weak and her body needed rest despite being knocked out all night, maybe if she had been awake she would've protested when Julian said he was going to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Instead Rosa let her head fall against the pillow and her mind go blank.




When Maxxie didn't accept the Xanax, Tesla shrugged expectantly, "More for me." She said, consuming the last one she had brought out. Drinking most of the seltzer water, she returned the glass to the bartender, blowing him a kiss of gratitude. As she turned to face Grace again, instead she was face to face with a handsome face which had twisted into some sort of authoritative expression. “No one sells anything in this Club without me getting a cut.” he said, initially causing Tesla to open her mouth in protest and explain that she wasn't selling anything, that it was just a simple pill for anxiety, however his following statement proved that maybe Tesla should just keep her mouth shut.

Expecting that to be all, when his hand struck across her behind, Tesla's face twisted into surprise and anger as she readied to launch into a speech how he could look but not touch. Dominating her, Romeo halted her words with his lips, and as a natural reaction Tesla kissed him back for a moment before realizing how she had gotten under his kiss. He pulled away before she got the chance to, then ordering her to continue serving before a couple of men gestures him to join them. Watching him carefully, Tesla remained silent as he then ordered a drink, his gray eyes raking over her like he was a starved dog and she a juicy steak.

Now Tesla wished she could stick it Romeo, show him that he wasn't all big an bad. Unfortunately though Tesla needed this job, and also Tesla responded best to aggressiveness, which Romeo seemed to embody. Plus he had the most adorable dimples when he smiled. So when it came down to it, Romeo's approach has worked despite the unorthodox method.

The woman introduced herself as Grace, "That's such a beautiful name," Tesla's brown pools eyeballed Grace's stature, "a very befitting name." The woman had spindly limbs and such a delicate sort of beauty. Grace was the perfect name for her. It seemed like beautiful women flocked to the Ochetto's like flies to honey, but this femme seemed out of place, in a good kind of way. Tesla was reminded of two nights ago when she sealed her ties to the Ochetto's and was forced to kill on their behalf. Although in her mind she was still the same girl, Tesla knew that she was no longer an innocent - like Grace. "Sorry about him, I've actually never seen him before." She said blankly, then brushing Romeo off her conscious.

"so is it fun? I mean do you enjoy your work"
Then proceeding to glance on stage and mention how she herself could never do what Tesla's job entails of. It was all to endearing, Tesla bet Grace was the type to use the blankets to cover her naked body the morning after hooking up with someone. Or the type not to hook up at all. "I'm still kind of new but so far it's been quite a ride," she chuckled, shaking her head as the bartender pushed her yet another tray, gesturing to a nearby table, "the money's great, and I actually really love dancing...and being naked. I guess this job just sort of works for me." Tesla added before turning to deliver the drinks momentarily. She returned, throwing the tray on the bar and scanning the club. Everyone seemed happy and involved with the female before them, she didn't feel that bad relaxing for a moment. Wishing she could smoke something to make the Xanax kick in, instead Tesla just looked back to Grace as she spoke.

Fun? Huh, where could a girl find that around here? Her first day included a murder, the second day she was assualted, and now she was chatting with a pretty yet seemingly shy female who was trying out the strip club for shits and giggles. "Well the type of fun we have here normally starts with at least a fifty-" Tesla said with an all knowing smirk. Before Grace could ask anything, Tesla was pulling the girl to a comfier chair in an attempt to distract her, "But I guess I can show you a little how us girls like to have our fun." Tesla mused, forcing Grace to take a seat which was much easier than she thought. Grace was a lot more fragile than she appeared, Tesla noticed.

Taking said notation into consideration, Tesla began to give Maxxie a lap dance. It started with Tesla facing the girl, winking playfully and rolling her hips seductively as she stood before "Grace". "Just relax and enjoy the free show." She said to Grace, turning around to face away from the slight woman. Lowering herself onto Maxxie's lap, Tesla somehow managed to balance herself on four inch heels while shaking her ass on Maxxie. Her hips continued to rotate as Tesla leaned back, careful not to bear to much weight on the woman. Her hands playfully mussed up Grace's brown locks, her head resting on Maxxie's shoulder. Turning her head, Tesla whispered into the woman's ear "Relax." Before pecking her cheek affectionately and returning to her previous position. The bartender motioned she had another drink order, "Alright Hun, you heard the boss. I got to go back to work." Tesla then thanked the girl, feeling bubbly as she walked back to the bar to retrieve the order.

"Martini to booth 6, the rest are for Mr. Vallance. His booth is on the second floor." the bartender instructed, directing Tesla. She nodded, unsure who Vallance exactly was but instead of asking questions, Tesla took the tray and first headed to booth six.

Yet again they all seemed preoccupied, so Tesla left the drink on the table and let a skeevy looking man slip her tip into the plunging v-neck of the long sleeved sequined one piece that stuck to her like a second skin. Glancing to Grace before she took the stairs, Tesla saw the girl wasn't where she left her. Tesla wanted to figure out where Grace was, but honestly she wanted to avoid another encounter with the handsome man from earlier, so she figured she was better off doing her job.

Much to her surprise, Tesla was walking right into a trap, or so she thought. Mr. Vallance must've been the name of the very same man she was trying to escape, because there he was now, looking out onto the club with his thugs lounging nearby. Pouring the whiskey into two glasses she served it to his thugs first, then pouring the last glass for Mr. Vallance himself. Taking the his drink into her hand, Tesla lowered the tray and approached the intimidating man with his drink held before her. "Here is your drink, Mr. Vallance." She said in an oddly formal voice, a grin tugging at the corner of her lips as he turned to face her, eyes lighting with recognition. "Anything else you might need, Mr. Vallance?" Her tone was sickly sweet, mockingly almost, Tesla couldn't control herself. Tilting her head to the side, Tesla looked up into his slate gray eyes curiously.

It dawned upon Cole that he wasn't entirely prepared for the real exposition that involved Rosa's misfortune and what exactly it encompassed. He visibly cringed at creased his brow when Martin's words hit him like a blow to the gut. "…She was sexually assaulted last night." Burdensome as it was on his conscience, the rising number of women he'd let down, he had to accept it and handle it as it were. He couldn't go back in time and change any of it.

He recalled the impotent and betrayed look in Rosa's eyes from the night before, the shock and the shame. Envisioning his sister pointing a gun at their father made his mind plummet, promptly topped off with the horrible smashing sound that ripped through the rain when he turned to find Skye run down in the street.

As a man it was his duty to keep women safe and in the span of two days he'd forced a handful to participate in murder, thrown his sister to a couple of Russian dogs so they could sexually assault her in front of him and Martin, let Rosa come into similar harm, and allowed Skye to storm off and get struck by a careless driver. His father always told him there was little time for feeling regret or sympathy but - Cole wasn't as cold as Antonio. He could turn his back on a lot of things but not when it came to deliberate danger falling upon those he cared about.

"Cole, I'm not sure what exactly is going on because it's obviously more than just Rosa. But I can tell you that I will do everything that I can to help you if you'll let me."

At the offer Cole's conscience boiled with macabre plotting. With enough people on his side, he could do anything. Martin's brains, Jude and Jackson's brute force, Maria's cunningness, Suri's blood thirst. Hell, maybe he could even sweeten the deal and bring Maya into it so she could get ahold of that Russian prick Vlad. Daniel might even prove beneficial to the entire conspiracy.

"You're a good man," Cole finally uttered with translucent, charcoal indigo eyes focused on Martin, "Tonight could get a little messy; so I'm going to brief you to the best of my ability. My dad's been fucking around - I have a little sister. Not Mae. The new waitress, Skye. All of this shit, on top of the little mishap with those Russians, and now Rosa is thrown into the mix with my cousin who belongs to the fucking Chicago department. Someone's gonna' get eliminated, someone has to. We need to eliminate the problems. That's all there is."

He choked on the sentiment he was about to reveal that entailed what happened to Skye last night, but he shook his head, "Mae pointed a gun at my dad last night. Everything's upside down right now. What we need to do is get to Windy City tonight and make sure we have Jude if nothing else. Something needs to be done about this so-called, insubstantial alliance we now have with the Russians. Cause' as far as I'm concerned," he put his hands to his sturdy chest, "I don't fuckin' want it."

Allegiance to his family came in no purer form than what Martin had just proposed. Cole was going to take all the help he could get. "We'll talk about what we're going to do with this whole association with our foreign 'pals' tonight. I can't fuckin' think straight until they're dead."

With that, he stood up and shoved the chair away from him. "See you in a couple of hours man." He turned on his heel and breezed out of the hospital to collapse into his car. The Occheto's had been steadily digging a grave for years and as it stood at that point in time, it may have been bottomless. But with a few extra hands, Cole might be able to get out of it.

He found himself parked outside of the boutique where, inside, Madame was skillfully racing back and forth in her pumps. The image of a curvy and determined femme never failed to pleasure Cole. Pushing himself from the vehicle, he strode inside, "Suit me up, my French delicacy. I got big plans tonight."

The porcelain-skinned ingenue spun to greet him, fanning her face with eager exaggeration as her cheeks turned a light pink, "Cole! Mon amour! How long it has been!"
"Tell me about it," he said flatly and scaled the racks of Armani suits.
"Do you plan on getting your hands dirty?"
"…Definitely." He smirked.

In a blur of fine fabrics, he came to find himself in a perfect suit that had a fit incomparable to anything else he wore. He smoothed the seams, looking at himself in the mirror as Chantal dangled a pair of gloves in front of him. Laughing at the over-the-top addition, he mused, "Are you for real?" The sultry shop owner only brought a finger to his lips, making him put them on.

He straighten the jacket, staring at his reflection. "Well damn," he grinned and dug out his card to hand over to Chantal. With a shrug, she again shook her head and disappeared into the dressing room, "My treat. Have a wonderful evening!"

Heads turned incessantly as he returned to his car, females making their attraction known like a dog in heat. Smiling to himself he revved the engine of the Ford before coming to notice his phone lighting up. "1 Missed Call." Grabbing for it, he scrolled through to see Aurora's name. He pulled the car away from the curb as he dialed out to see what she called for, headed in the direction of the strip club.

Daniel Takahashi

"Yeah I mean I kind of almost figured you were going to bail on me or something. Like maybe I was bothering you so."

The unexpected words made his gaze revert quickly to her face, this time for more than just a casual perusal. What he saw on her face made him blink rapidly. Every interaction with Maria surprised him more and more; despite the fact that she appeared so self-contained and confident, here was a small expression of uncertainty. Although short-lived, the expression on her face and the words she'd spoken showed something in Maria Daniel hadn't expected to see. Of course, the Maria he'd encountered last night had contained a certain vulnerability, but he'd never seen doubt like this in her before. The look was surprisingly endearing and he found himself smiling a little despite the sentiment she'd uttered. "No, y-you never.... you're not bothering me at all...," he sputtered with a cough just as the woman across from him noticed the accident he'd attempted to conceal from her.

Pale, charcoal eyes skipped downward to gaze upon the proffered hand as Daniel's fingers shoved the battered phone into the confines of his back pocket. However, before he could dissuade Maria of the notion that it had been her fault he'd dropped the device- after all it had jumped from his grasp from shock more-so than the collision- her train of thought had already moved on. "Did you think about what I said last night?" Instantly his attention shifted from her extended palm back to her face, his hand dropping away from its place behind him in shock. Even though he'd already mentally prepared for this subject to arise, he was astounded by the fact that she'd brought it up within mere minutes of their meeting.

As he floundered for an answer- the thoughts in his head racing at a million miles a minute as his mouth hung open- Maria quickly rescued him. Whither or not she had known he would react in such a manner was of no matter to Daniel, who was just relieved that he'd been given another few moments to think of a way to properly state his opinion on the subject. Unfortunately, the way in which she'd chosen to end this line of conversation left him equally speechless. When her slender fingers wrapped around his, Daniel's mouth instantly snapped shut at an incredible speed. The blush that was nearly ever-present when around the beautiful woman crept once more up his cheeks as he stumbled after her. His entire world turned to a pin-point focal point; focused completely on the feeling of the physical contact of his hand in her's. Every other thought in his head vanished as he gazed intently at their linked hands.

Daniel was so focused upon this singular moment that he hadn't even noticed Maria stop before him until he stumbled into her back. "Ah, くそ," he exclaimed as he brushed against her. Without thinking his free arm wrapped around her shoulders to keep her from tilting over once more on the dangerous heels she wore. "S-sorry, sorry.... I wasn't... paying attention," he explained as he righted her once more- his face now entirely covered in an embarrassed shade of red.

If she hadn't known Jackson, Aurora would of crowed as he loomed over her. Fearful of what he might do to her, but because she has known him for a long time, she wasn't too scared of him, even though he did shoot a bullet through her shoulder and almost killed her. "Don't tell me what to do Jackson!" she told him firmly as she stood there, an annoyed look and tone in her voice. It was odd to hear and see such a thing on a girl that is always so happy and laughing. Now instead of a smile being planted on her face, there was a frown to replace it.

"Just a little FYI, not everyone can control their emotions that well. Even though you are telling me to relax I can't. There is something in the pit of my stomach not letting me and your answers only made it worse." she told him. "You are his best friend, even more reason to hide something that is going on. I...I am not stupid." she had said the last part softly, when she got his voice mail she just hung up the phone.

Listening to Jackson as he told her not to listen to him, that he was stupid and and idiot, she wasn't about ready to let that go. She marched over to the door and threw it open as she looked at him with a hard look. Her eyes not wavering as she stood there. "Don't give me that shit Jackson." she told him, her green eyes never leaving him. "You are just as smart as anyone we work with, so do feed me that crap. You are smart enough to snake your way around anything, and hide things if you need to!" she kept talking in a firm voice, not really yelling, though the look on her face explained it more then she could. She was frustrated, she wanted the feelings she was having to go away, but it just could. Especially now after she found the note.

Aurora pulled herself back inside and closed the door once again, she was just starting to leave the kitchen when she heard her phone go off. Looking down she noticed that it was Cole and let out a small sigh. Hitting the talk button she put the phone to her ear. "Hey." she told him, her voice carrying in away he hadn't heard before, which could only mean there was something wrong some where.

With out him waiting to respond she took a deep breath and started talking. "When will you be home, we need to talk. This is important Cole. Or at least it's important to me." she told him. She was going into the living room and sat down in the chair. Slowly curling up as she put her feet into it, waiting to hear what he would have to say.

Maria Occheto

Maria was flattered to know she hadn't been a pest to Daniel. Secretly she was more drawn to him than she let on and it led her to believe she was meddlesome at times. Still, she believed even without the magnetism, she'd want him as far from her father as possible. Of course she knew she couldn't save them all, but she was priming for Daniel and a few others in particular who could be saved. Who were worth the effort.

From where Daniel stood under the sun, Maria could make out the inexorable uneasiness in his face. It was probably better that she didn't press the proposition from a few hours ago on him. But if she didn't then, when would she? She could be waiting forever for an answer.

Her phone buzzed, and she sighed with irritation as she pulled it to her face to read a text message from Cole. It vowed vengeance and asked that she invite Daniel to the get together at Windy City because she was 'more likely to convince him' than Cole was. Her shoulders slumped as she narrowed her eyes and squeezed the phone in her hand. As she was about to oblige Cole, Daniel came blundering into her back. Nearly toppling, she waved her arms a bit before Daniel braced her balance again.

"We're pretty clumsy today," she laughed in response to his foreign comment and turned to face him, unintentionally in extremely close proximity. Their noses could have touched. For a moment she was rendered a victim to his gaze but then rubbed a hand against her shoulder, looking away uneasily. Here she was, the charming and intoxicating daughter of a crime lord who never faltered, yet she was fumbling and fidgety like a school girl when opposite to Daniel.

"Hey," she crooned softly as she mulled over how to propose the invitation. Looking towards the pavement, she nibbled on her lower lip and asked, "Would you wanna'… Uh… Escort… Be my date - uh… Shit." Huffing, she continued, "Would you want to go to Windy City with me tonight for some staff party?"

If he had been any other man - under any other close circumstances, she'd have dared to kiss him. But with Daniel, his awkwardness rubbed off on her, even making her question herself. Her tan skin crawled with anticipation when she was near to him. Her feline eyes lost all their seductive luster, only to be replaced by suspense and curiosity. She wouldn't bat her ominous dark lashes, she wouldn't trail her hand down his arm or present a suggestive simper.

Suri Desmond
When Demi came walking out to the kitchen Suri let out a wolf whistle "damnnn baby your smoking" she smirked going over to the other girl she trailed kisses along her jaw line. As Demi asked for a cutie Suri poked the girls nose and laughed "Sugar you have a cutie right in front of you" smirking she shook her head "but unfortunately I have none of the fruit, stopped buying them when ya left because I don't eat them. We can stop at the store and I will pick you up some but we gotta leave and go pay a visit to Jimmy before its too late".

She grabbed a cup of coffee to go then headed out the door with Demi right behind her, they got in her car and Suri peeled out of the driveway and sped down the road "Demi when we get there I need you to stay to the side, whatever happens let me deal with it. Your just there to observe" she said with a firm voice, that held a tone that no one would want to argue with.

She took out her phone, dialing Jimmys cell number, the phone rang a couple times before it was sent to voicemail. She hung up the call, placing her phone on her lap. Jimmy has always been good about paying up but he owed toobmuch for her to let it go. She thought of Rosa, wondered how the brunette was doing. She knew she was harsh last night, holding back her emotions, she tried to get Rosa to understand. Thsn the kiss, why did she do it? She asn't exactly sure, shaking her head. She just knew that Julian was not right for Rosa or any girl, just how his actions were last night she knew what kind of man Julian was but Rosa probably wouldn't listen to her. It wasn't her problem anyways.

As she made it to Jimmy's street she parked the car on the other side of the road. She checked her gun, then out her sunglasses on and stepped out of the car. Jimmy's vehicle was in the driveway so she had a good feeling the man was home, she knew he had children so she would have to be careful, make sure they wren't watching.

Crossing the street, Demi was right behind her but said nothing as she walked up the couple of steps to the doorway. She rung the buzzer twice then waited for a few minutes. She heard footsteps, then the door opening to reveal Jimmy standing thwre with a shock on his face. He was about to shut the door but Suri put her foot up just in time to shut it.

"Uh uh uh Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy, is that really how you treat your visitors?" She clucked her tongue and moved herself inside the house. "Now Jimmy, is there somewhere we could talk privately, Id hate for your family to be involved" she whispered in his ear, hearing the voices of a couple children and a woman in another room.

"S...suri this isn't a good time. Please" Jimmy whispered looking a little frantic, "Everything alright Jim?" a womans voice called out "Everythings fine Maggie, just a co-workee". Jimmy didn't take any more time before ushering Suri and Demi into a room that looked like an office. Suri went and sat on the desk, crossing her legs, nodding her head to Demi who then stepped in front of the door so Jimmy couldn't escape.

"Now Jimmy, no time seems to be good for you anymore. I mean I came down to the bar last night for you to leave right when I arrived" she took a blade from her boot, running it across her hand. Jimmy looked like he was going to say something but Suri heald up her hand, jumping doen from the desk she walked over to Jimmy who backed himself against a wall ."Now wheres the money Jimmy" she asked as she brought the blade up to Jimmy's face, running it slowly against the guys cheek "I..uh..I..." the guy stuttered not able to form a response "going to ask you once more. Where. Is. My. Money."[/b] she pressed the blade harder against Jimmy's face causing it to cut into the skin, blood started to seep out of the small cut.

Jimmy whimpered, closing his eyes "I don't have it!" he was able to get out right before Suri sliced down the guys cheek then walked back to the desk and leaned against it. "Not the answer I wanted to hear. Twenty-four hours, thats how long you have to get the money. Ill meet you at your bars parking lot at five pm. Better have it Jimmy and don't even think about skipping town". The guy just stared at her, holding his hands against his face as Suri walked out of the room then out of the house with Demi following her.

She said nothing as she got in the car, pulling out a cigarette from a carton in a srink holder she lit it up, offering one to Demi then pulled onto the road. She had only a couple hours to get ready and be at Windy City for the meeting. She stopped at the store for Demi, handing her some money to go get some food she wanted. When Demi went into the store Suri pulled out her phone and called one of her contacts "Bo, hey I need your help with something...yeah business as usual....you know Jimmy, the guy that lives on Maple street...yeah him..was wondering if your could keep an eye on him until tomorrow evening, make sure he doesn't skip town.....yeah fucking bloke didn't pay up, gave him twenty four hours....really, thanks man. Ill be in contact". She hung up the phone just as Demi got back in the car "ready doll?"

Suri drove home, headed into the house and went right straight to her room. She put her gun and knives on the bed then peeled out of her clothes then headed for the shower, she scrubbed herself clean, letting the water relax her a bit. Her mind started to wander and wondered what the meeting tonight was going to be about. Hopefully she could have Maria take a look at her arm, looking down at the wound she grimaced. It was red, puffy and bruised. Julian didn't help when he grabbed her arm roughly last night.

Thirty minutes later she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself she headed back into her room and started sorting through her clothes. She knew she had to look presentable so she had to pick just the right outfit. Who knows what could go down. After fifteen minutes od going through her whole closet she found the perfect outfit. She wiggled herself into the skin tight pants, putting on a black spagetti strap tank then the black jacket that she zipped up. After blow drying her hair she decided to leave it down, putting out a touch of makeup she was almost ready. Next came the black heeled boots thatwere a bitch to get on with the pants but she managed. She tuck both of her blades in the top of her pants and tucked the gun in the back.

Leaving her room, she gave Demi a kiss before grabbing her black bag and her sunglasses "don't know when ill be home so don't wait up sugar". Fifteen minutes after leaving her house she was pulling her car into the parking lot of the club. She stepped out of her car and walked straight to the door, the bouncer made sure too look up and down before waving her in. Shes been here enough times to be known by the employees of the club. As she walked in she saw heads turn in her direction but she paid them no attention, going right to the bar she ordered a drink.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, her eyes landed on Cole who was heading up the stairs to the more private part of the club. The bartender gave her the drink, Suri laid down money on the bar then headed for the stairs. Once she made it to the top she grinned when she saw Romeo and Cole "ah the man that seemed to disappear is back" she took a sip of her drink then walked up to Cole's side "seems like I made it just in time".

((ignore the roxanne tag))

Aurora had listened to Jackson, and before she knew it her face was burning a bit, it had turned to a red color, almost as if she was blushing from embarrassment, tears were stinging the back of her eyes when he had yelled at her, but it wasn't because he had hurt her feelings she was...mad. The emotion had shocked her a bit as she felt it come on, sure there were days that she got irritated or upset, but it was very rare for her to actually get mad. She was sure that Cole could hear Jackson yelling in the background with the door closed, yell she thought everyone could with how loud he was being.

When Cole answered her, she listened to his voice for any small hits of distress or anything like that, yet she couldn't find a single thing. "It's just...sometime doesn't feel right. I was doing laundry and I found this note in your pants pockets. I want to know what is going on." she told him as she sat on the couch. "Sometimes is up, John is being more of a butt then usually and I feel like he is hiding something when I tried to confront him about it." the young girl explained as she sat there. Before she could even get to the part where she suspected him of cheating on her, she was cut off with the updated news of Maria.

"Oh my." she gasped softly, Cole had been correct on that part. Putting her own emotions aside for now, she started to worry and think about her friend. "That must of been why she seemed so upset the other day. She was soaking wet when she came into the restaurant." she said softly as she sat there in the chair. "I haven't heard from her all day, do you know if she is okay?" she asked softly as she sat there.

When Cole started to hush her a bit and reassure her that everything was fine, she could do nothing else but accept it. "Okay Cole, but...we really need to talk when you get home and I want you to be honest with me..about everything. Please." the last word that came out of her mouth was practically begging, pleading to him. All she wanted was the truth, no matted how bad it might of been, or how destroyed she would feel afterwords. She had to know and had to have her mind finally put to rest.

"I love you too, loser." she told him with a small smile that was heard in her voice. "Be careful and I will see you when you get home." she said before he had hung up. Sitting there, she stared at her phone for a bit longer before closing her eyes. Sinking down into the chair, she curled into it as much as she could.

Daniel Takahashi

Although the embarrassment he felt at having knocked Maria nearly off her five inch heels was nearly crippling, Daniel found himself unable to move or to even drop his arm from around her shoulders. Even the woman in his arms turning to face him completely, her nose less than an inch from his couldn't force him into movement. It could have been a the shock or of course embarrassment that held him rooted to the spot, but he had to admit that at least a part of it was that he just didn't want to let go. Never in his life had he been this close to someone that looked as stunning as Maria did, with her long black hair falling in waves to frame her gorgeous green eyes, and he couldn't help but suppose that he never would be again. It wasn't often that a gorgeous Italian woman literally fell into your arms, especially when you were an awkward nerd that felt more comfortable with books than people.

To his surprise, Maria seemed to be stuck in place as well- unable or perhaps unwilling to pull away. As much as he desperately wished it was the latter, Daniel was well aware that the likelihood of this wish coming true was slim to none. Although he had to admit that unlikely situations were happening more and more frequently to him as of late- a beautiful woman staring up at him from centimeters away being a case in point. He mulled these thoughts over in his brain for the seconds that Maria stared up at him before her eyes skimmed away from his and her entire body pulled into itself. "Ah," he thought to himself not a little sadly,"and there it is." The small movement crushed his hopes and caused his eyes to drop ashamedly. Of course she'd felt uncomfortable, there was no way she'd have chosen to be held so closely by someone such as him- she'd just been too nice to say anything about it or to hurt his feelings and pull away.

Daniel was about to yank his arm back to himself when he was stopped by her voice.

"Hey, would you wanna… Uh… Escort… Be my date - uh… Shit. Would you want to go to Windy City with me tonight for some staff party?"

Once more he found himself paralyzed, pinned in place by a hope he thought had been crushed just seconds before. Daniel blinked slowly once. And then again. Before he let out a small breath. Had Maria just asked him on a date? That had to be a mistake. But it couldn't be. Although he had next to zero experience with women- much less dating- even he had to admit that the words she'd just spoken sounded like an invitation to a date. He was under the impression that men were usually the proprietors of such sentiments, but he doubted that gender made much difference in such situations. However, he didn't want to appear a fool after having misinterpreted all these unfamiliar signals, so he paused for a moment before he answered.

Finally after careful consideration he replied quietly- his gaze focused on something just past her ear as he was unable to meet her eyes-, "Well.... In any capacity... I would be willing to escort you to the staff party.... Whither as an escort or a.... date...."

It took a while but Rob was finally a few streets down. "Shit its still early..." Rob looked uneasy as he hoped aurora is there.. Well maybe someone else could get him started. Rob suddenly stopped and stared down the street, it was Hayden's street. He smiled What the fuck is wrong with me, I don't usually act like this... Eh whatever.. After a few minutes he was in-front of the door. The place seemed empty, why wouldn't it be it was still very early. He let out a light sigh as he opened the door. Rob stopped in his tracks and stared for a few seconds. Aurora wasn't behind the bar, Hayden was. Were it any other girl he wouldn't care and just approach, but with her he had to be careful. Rob should have figured it out yesterday, connected the hints. Fuck he mumbled under his breath, thinking of all the things that could go wrong. He put all his thought's aside and approached the bar. "Hey beautiful." he said as he took a seat in front of her. For a moment forgetting what the real reason he came here for.

Hayden was used to people calling her beautiful. She was used to flirtatious pigs drooling over her...unfortunately. But as soon as she head Rob's voice, the nerves kicked in. She turned carefully and her eyes widened and her lips parted. Rob. What the hell was he doing there? She bit the inside of her lip to keep her from grinning like a fool...but she couldn't resist it. She smiled, leaned over the counter and said her hello. "What on earth are you doing here?" She asked, unable to hide her surprise. Her cheeks blushed however. All the things she wanted to say...do. But she had to behave herself, especially right then. "I mean, Hi. I can't believe you're here...I thought, well I don't know..."

Oh god. Was she rambling?