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Ventrue

New York

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a part of Ventrue, by Seraph.

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Seraph holds sovereignty over New York, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

1,618 readers have been here.

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New York

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New York is a part of Ventrue.

17 Characters Here

Vivian Nox [17] Another bill from a killer turned a thrill into a tragedy
Giada Mariani [0] "Yeah whatever"
Simon Lancaster [0] "There are only two sides to society, the smart people who aim to do well and the little do-gooders who fool themselves."
Anya Rospev [0] "Americans are fools"
Vladimir Alexandrov [0] In all of us two wolves, which dictates our honor and recognition, and one who rules the dark part of us, which do you think I feed?
Svetlana Belinsky [0] "If you say in Soviet Russia one more time. I will make your death slow and painful"
Deanna Charboneau [0] "Give it here I'll fix it"
Alphonso Anjelo [0] "You're either S.W.A.T or you're not."
Elliot Swain [0] "Underestimate the enemy and you will die."

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#, as written by Seraph
Wisps of glossy, gray smoke filled the night club "The Grand Marquis". The threadlike contents made the room hazy, and comfortably warm to those who were used to such an environment. The smoke wasn't all from cigarettes, but from the burning of incense in small copper-bronze jars that hung from the ceiling in an ornate manner. The look was contemporary. The music was blaring, but from the VIP club's perspective, it was faint, if distant like a voice calling out over a large lake.

Nickolai was sat on one of the many plush black leather sofas. In one hand, a slow burning cigarette of fine tobacco, in the other a half empty bottle of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Whiskey. The drink had a robust flavor of vanilla and oak that he enjoyed particularly well. The stripper in front of him, a one "Athena" was a blond haired blue eyed young woman fresh out of high school. She was eighteen, and it could pay her bills. Of course, then again, so could he.

As she gyrated her hips against his groin, he pulled the material of her thong taut an slipped her two on-hundreds. letting the material go he took an other sip of his drink and looked out through the tinted glass windows. The masses were in a throng on the dance floor, gyrating their bodies, rotating their hips. He turned and smacked the woman's bottom leaving only a light stinging sensation behind along with a flush of red skin. This told the young woman to get up which she did.

He set the bottle of Jack down on the glass table and got up from his seat. He took one last drag off his cigarette, causing the 'cherry' to glow brightly and burn the tobacco and paper combination rapidly.Putting the cigarette out, grabbed his .45 ACP of the table, snatched up the two magazines next to it. Sliding one into the sidearm, he flipped the safety mechanism to "on" and tucked it into the brim of his pants. He grabbed his RB Taurus 500 and flipped open the revolving cylinder. Loaded. He carried the hefty weapon by hand. Turning and leaving the room, he head out onto the balcony. The nickel-plated finish glimmered and gleamed as the strobe lights struck it.

He had received a call earlier, telling him to meet the crew down at the pier. They had found an informant.A snitch. The bastard couldn't keep his mouth shut. He'd told his crew to wait until he got there. He wanted to meet the wiseguy personally and if need be--put a bullet or two in him to make him sing like a bird in the morning. If this was his brother's doing--his brother would have one less man to worry about.

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Nicodemus was reclined in his extravagant and lavish office chair inside the home he grew up in. It was amazing to see, so much power from one point. It literally was a throne. He now understood why his father loved spending hours in here. His hands lightly knotted together by the fingers, with his face planted lightly against the sides of them. He was patiently waiting for his men to tell him what the informant he'd sent out had to say about his brother's whereabouts. What was taking him so long? Had been caught?

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#, as written by Vault
Tommy stared at the men around him, more specifically, the crew of Nickolai. A diverse, yet cohesive group of mostly young people who didn't fuck around when it came to snitches. Tommy watched as another man, a bit younger than himself, came around the corner, closing a cellphone. Tommy raised an eyebrow, the man was nervous, and sweating. But, he was relatively new, so it was understandable.

"You make the call?" Tommy asked in a rigid, bare tone.

"Yeah..." The other man, Frankie, replied, handing Tommy the cell phone.

Tommy tucked it away, hoping Nickolai got their message soon. It wasn't that they couldn't keep the rat bastard snitch restrained, that was no problem. It was the location. The pier wasn't the most ideal location, with it seeing a decent amount of activity. Luckily, Tommy and the rest of the crew had found a secluded location far off to the right. There was much less activity, and they found a nice, cozy spot under a boardwalk to house their little informant.

Despite Tommy's anger and hate at the thought of an informant being only several feet away, he kept himself restrained....for the most part. He knew that their boss, Nickolai, would want to handle this personally, with the tension between him and Nicodemus growing more and more each day. It was hard to watch two brothers first drift apart, but then each realizing each other as the heir to their father's virtually untouchable empire, but Tommy stood in support of the rightful man who should assume control over what Leonardo had built, as did each man at the Pier, they were Nickolai's crew, ready to defend themselves and die at Nickolai's command.

Tommy smirked as he brought up a cigarette to his lips, motioning for one of the other men to hand him a lighter.

He almost felt bad for the informant if they were working for Nicodemus, there was no telling what Nickolai would do.

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#, as written by Celedia
Natalia strutted up onto the pier from beneath the boardwalk, balancing easily on her needle-thin high heeled boots as she traversed the worn wooden planks. Wearing a black lacy tanktop and black leather pants, the only thing that would attract attention to the woman in the dark night was the brilliant gold of the twin Desert Eagle's she had strapped to her thighs and even then, someone had to know where to look. Her movements were that odd mixture of grace and power seen in predators and her hips swayed slightly from side to side with each step. Spotting Tommy standing in a semi-circle with the other guys, she decided to approach, wondering if playtime would soon be over.


A smirk curved her lips as she approached Tommy, leaning her weight on one leg as she folded her arms beneath her breasts. "Is Nickolai coming or are you going to let me kill the bastard?" even though her question held a bit of heat, her tone held respect for the man. She rarely worked with him but she knew enough about him to trust him in all things. As she spoke, a skittish man standing to the left of Tommy fumbled with his pockets until he finally withdrew a zippo lighter, rushing in to light his cigarette for him with shaky hands. The movement, for some reason, caused Natalia to laugh out loud. A sensual sound which she kept short to avoid drawing attention their way.

"Please be more careful. You aren't trying to burn his face off, are you?" She had been asked to hold her tongue in check when speaking to the newer recruits but her attitude always seemed to get the best of her whenever they did something amusing. The man widened his eyes slightly, looking quickly to Tommy to see his reaction before he stared back at her once more.

"Lighter slipped. I swear! Didn't mean to...." he mumbled something, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

Natalia snickered to herself, crossing behind the man as if inspecting him. When she finally came back around to stand in front of the twitchy man, she cast her eyes down over his form then flicked her gaze back to Tommy with a slight shake of her head.

"Where do you find these boys?"

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Mona sighed and stood at the gates of the soccer fields waiting yet again for her dad to come pick her up, he was supposed to be here already for her game but yet again he didn't show. She bushed her dark hair back into its ponytail and sat on the curb wondering which one of her fathers "friends" were going to pick her up this time. With easy movements she popped in her ear buds and blasted Hollywood Undead new song "Bullet" into her ears making her smile and tap her fingers and feet to the beat singing along with the words. When the song ended she checked the time to see it was already close to seven at night and her game had ended an hour and half ago. "Come on Dad..." she said as she dialed his number but it went straight to voice mail, She slammed her phone down and sighed deeply.

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#, as written by Zukuto
"Give him a break, Natalia," came a voice from behind the three gang members. A man dressed in a black suit casually strolled up, cleaning off his brass knuckles with a handkerchief and dropping the soiled rag on the ground. "If he's man enough to join us then he should be treated as such." He clapped the skittish young man on the back, harder than necessary, and gave him a bright smile that was as menacing as his polished knuckles. The young man took several steps back, knowing a dismissal when he felt one.

Duncan's smile dropped and he rolled his arm around in its socket. After a few satisfying pops he pulled the sleeve back on his right arm and glanced at his expensive looking rolex. "Nickolai's on his way," he said pulling a phone out of his pocket to check his messages. "Had to work that guy over for a while before he finally came clean. Normally I'd have someone else do it, namely you Natalia, but I haven't beaten a snitch in months. Can't let someone else have all the fun before the boss gets here."

Looking up from his phone he grinned at Natalia and Tommy. "What have you two been up to lately?" He fixed them both with his icy blue eyes giving them his attention at last.

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#, as written by Seraph
Nickolai walked down through the quiet streets, gun in hand. You knew you owned the city when you could go waltzing around with an elephant gun and no cop would dare stop you despite the danger it may have posed. The glimmers off the nickel-plated steel revolver shone dimly. The officials were in his pockets. Police? Fuck'em. S.W.A.T? Hell, practically his whole team had been hand trained by them. There might have been one or two no names, nobodies--but the core of his trusted entourage? They were S.W.A.T in all but name. They knew their weapons, their tactics and gear.

Nickolai crossed the spacious parking lot and through the industrial park. Before he could come int view, he heard three of them, three he trusted above all else talking. He heard Natalia's laugh. Damn that woman was fine. She'd never go for him though. Too much of a playboy. Women were so complicated. Not him though. He might have been Catholic raised--but he knew he was a sinner even God didn't need to tell him that. But rather than pretend to be something he wasn't--rather than fake a smile, or make believe he was charitable--he played his part.

Rather is was the saint or the villain it didn't matter to him. He was lust. He was greed, pride envy and yes, he was wrath. Fuck the wannabe's that wet about daily life sipping at their coffee feeling good and smug with themselves. At the end of the day, most Americans wanted more in their lives. Some knew how to gain it--the rest took it at gun point.


"Give him a break, Natalia,"

"If he's man enough to join us then he should be treated as such."

"Had to work that guy over for a while before he finally came clean. Normally I'd have someone else do it, namely you Natalia, but I haven't beaten a snitch in months. Can't let someone else have all the fun before the boss gets here."


"Not if he's a damn snitch he ain't!" Nickolai called out, his voice resounding aloud like a speaker phone, playing his Bronx accent. It heavily influenced his Brooklyn tone. He may have been born in Brooklyn, but he lived and breathed the Bronx.

"They've probably had a few cigarettes, drank a little bit--had a stripper--or four. Now they're down for the game." He then implied. " Oh yeah, that was me, sorry bout that."

Nickolai wore little more than tennis shoes and black striped Adidas sport pants as he came into clear perspective. He circled Natalia, sizing her up. His eyes glancing up and down her femme fatal appearance. From her taut breasts to the heels of her shoes; her eyes to that nice round ass he loved so much.

"Mmm. Mmm. Mm. Girl your ass gets more hot each time I see you."He spoke aloud, ignoring the man who was scared to death of the group at the moment to play his usual cat-and-mouse routine with Natalia. He would lean really close, shifting his eyes between Duncan and Tommy while confessing something to Natalia. " You know...I have a leash for that choker--at least--I can have one made." He grinned waggling his eyebrows towards her. All the while, his right hand tapped the colossal S&W 500 against his thigh.

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#, as written by Celedia
Natalie centered her honey brown eyes on the skittish man, or Davey as those that cared about his name might call him. He danced from foot to foot, eyes darting between each person that spoke. As Duncan strolled into their midst and tossed his handkerchief on the ground, she focused on him instead, sighing softly as she was told to ease up on the newbie.

"Give him a break, Natalia,"
 "If he's man enough to join us then he should be treated as such."

“He looks like the rat that we have beneath the boardwalk.” She shrugged her shoulders, sliding her hands down over her sides until they rested on her hips. “You know I don’t trust anyone until they prove themselves, Duncan. It’s a habit that’s saved my ass more times than I can count.” She suddenly snapped her teeth at Davey, causing him to recoil quickly which elicited another laugh from the brunette.

“See? He’s jumpy as hell. It means he’s scared
.” She trailed off as a familiar voice rang through the night air and she turned her head in the direction of the booming statement.

"Not if he's a damn snitch he ain't!"

Natalia shook her head then nodded towards the small path that led underneath the boardwalk that hid their snitch. “Davey’s not a snitch
. Yet. Jumpy bastard but not a snitch. Your man is beneath the boardwalk, boss.”

She stuck to titles since it was one of the few ways she had of keeping her distance from the man. Try as he might, and even as interested as she might be, she had seen Nickolai with one too many girls settled on his lap to let herself cross any lines. How would she work with the man if he used her and tossed her away like he had every other woman that she had seen him with?

As if adding evidence to her thoughts, he said, "They've probably had a few cigarettes, drank a little bit--had a stripper--or four. Now they're down for the game." He then implied. " Oh yeah, that was me, sorry bout that."

Natalia let her gaze sweep over his form even as he began to circle her, knowing what came next. The whispered words. The playful comments. She had to smirk at the leash joke, though.

“Ahhh, Nickolai. I don’t know what sort of kinky games you play with your ladies at the Marquis but I doubt you would find me as submissive.” She teased back, keeping an eye on him as he stalked around her like a jungle cat. “But thanks for the offer, I’ll keep it in mind.”

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#, as written by Zukuto
"All kidding aside," Duncan interrupted after a slight cough, "I think we should get to that snitch problem boss. He's just below waiting for the rest of his punishment; took the liberty of testing out these new knuckles on him." He raised his hand and showed the brass knuckles before putting his hand back in his pocket. "Great for breaking teeth. This way, boss."

Duncan gestured for Nickolai to take the lead with the other men he'd brought with him and followed close behind with Natalia and Tommy. Davey took the liberty of appointing himself lookout, not that they needed one but he didn't think he had the stomach to see someone die just yet. He resigned himself to nervously flick his lighter open and closed. The group walked downstairs to where a circle of men parted to reveal a battered and bruised man slumped on his hands and knees. He looked to be sufficiently unconscious, welts and bruises covering most of his face.

"Guess I worked him a bit harder than I thought," Duncan said with a sigh.

Duncan reached to the holster on his right and pulled out his stainless steel 44 magnum. He loaded a bullet into the chamber and flicked it closed. He leveled the pistol at the ground before the man and pulled the trigger. The man visibly jumped, eyes rolling forward to meet the gaze of the newly arrived group. He raised his hands in a pleading manner and opened his mouth to attempt speech, revealing several missing or chipped teeth.

Duncan holstered his pistol and raised a hand at the man. "Boss, your snitch."

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#, as written by Seraph
“Ahhh, Nickolai. I don’t know what sort of kinky games you play with your ladies at the Marquis but I doubt you would find me as submissive.”

"Now Natalia," He falsely scoffed at her, while a smirk played out over his lips. "If I were to believe that EVERY woman could simply be ridden and not be a rider--well, where would the fun in that be? Besides, I love foreplay!"

“But thanks for the offer, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Nickolai pointed at Natalia, as though in a commanding way yet--his facial expression would not designate it as such. Being one of his most trusted--non Italian crew, she would know the difference between when he was actually telling her to do something for real or not. Usually when he was very passionate about something--particularly when it came to wiping out a business or a crew of his brothers.

"You had better."

Though he was a playboy, a modern day Casanova, she would have always been granted the feeling that he would more than willingly put himself at risk to protect her. Not just her, but Tommy and Duncan as well. They were like four peas in a pod. Closer than brothers it would seem because of what Nickolai proclaimed his brother had done--betrayed their father the Capo De Tutti Capi--Boss of Bosses. Sure he wanted the seat of power just as anyone born to be inherently a leader would, but to kill his own Capo? Even more, to kill his own father? Was unforgivable.

That's what made him so passionate about being the Capo. That's when he drew the line and separated those that believed him and those that didn't. He had loyalty. His brother had the respect and he was going to ruin that for him. He then turned to Tommy. Then looked at Duncan. Tommy was a Capodecima. A lieutenant, that headed a faction of 10 or more soldiers comprising a crew. Duncan was Sgarrista, a foot soldier who carried out day to day business of the family. A "made" member of the mafia. He would soon move Tommy up to Capo Bastone and Duncan up to Capodecima. But they had a lot more "business" to discuss first.


"All kidding aside," Duncan interrupted after a slight cough, "I think we should get to that snitch problem boss. He's just below waiting for the rest of his punishment; took the liberty of testing out these new knuckles on him." He raised his hand and showed the brass knuckles before putting his hand back in his pocket. "Great for breaking teeth. This way, boss."

"Guess I worked him a bit harder than I thought," Duncan said with a sigh.

Duncan reached to the holster on his right and pulled out his stainless steel 44 magnum. He loaded a bullet into the chamber and flicked it closed. He leveled the pistol at the ground before the man and pulled the trigger. The man visibly jumped, eyes rolling forward to meet the gaze of the newly arrived group. He raised his hands in a pleading manner and opened his mouth to attempt speech, revealing several missing or chipped teeth.

Duncan holstered his pistol and raised a hand at the man. "Boss, your snitch."



"Alright ladies," Nickolai said asking anyone for a light with a gesture of his hand. A nobody responded flipping a flashy zippo and with a few puffs-- Nickolai was back to smoking a gain. They guy was a train. Yet, he could run two miles like he were in it for his life. If his life were that important anyways. "What do we know? We know that this piece of trash has been giving my brother information--but what information? Like what outfits I have sent Natalia or our crew movements? Duncan?"

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#, as written by Vault
Tommy listened with keen interest the conversation leap between Natalia and Duncan, but his focus was on the nervous member of the group. His eyes fixed on the young kid, they tracked him like a fly, though his intent wasn't to intimidate the young kid, just to make sure he wasn't going to do anything stupid. The M1911 in his waistband was going to make sure of that.

Bringing the cigarette to his lips, he took a large puff off of it, inhaling for several seconds before removing it from his lips, and letting a long stream of smoke exit his mouth. He turned to face the young kid, and opened his mouth to say something....

Just before Tommy could speak to the nervous kid, Nickolai made his presence known. Tommy turned, and gave a friendly nod to his superior. He trusted Nickolai, and everything he believed in, and wasn't going to let that bastard of a brother, Nicodemus, ruin the city that Nickolai all but had control over. It just wasn't going to happen, not if Tommy and his shiny golden M1911 had anything to say about it...

His mind was wandering again, he quickly tuned back into the conversation at hand, taking place between Duncan, Natalia, and Nickolai.

"All kidding aside," Duncan interrupted after a slight cough, "I think we should get to that snitch problem boss. He's just below waiting for the rest of his punishment; took the liberty of testing out these new knuckles on him." He raised his hand and showed the brass knuckles before putting his hand back in his pocket. "Great for breaking teeth. This way, boss."

Tommy followed without hesitation. Out of the present four, he was definitely the least talkative. He rarely offered his personal preference on most things, instead rolling with the flow of the others. However, in the few times he'd talked one on one with Nickolai, he didn't hesitate to offer advice on whatever current situation was going on, or who to send to do what. He made sure not to carry on, though. He didn't crack many jokes, much more of a straight-to-business type, leaving the jokes and sarcasm for downtime after a successful job or hit. Better that way, in his opinion.

Rounding the corner, Tommy got a good look at the snitch, and smirked at the sight of the poor bastard. Duncan wasn't exactly subtle.

"Guess I worked him a bit harder than I thought," Duncan said with a sigh.

Duncan reached to the holster on his right and pulled out his stainless steel 44 magnum. He loaded a bullet into the chamber and flicked it closed. He leveled the pistol at the ground before the man and pulled the trigger. The man visibly jumped, eyes rolling forward to meet the gaze of the newly arrived group. He raised his hands in a pleading manner and opened his mouth to attempt speech, revealing several missing or chipped teeth.

Duncan holstered his pistol and raised a hand at the man. "Boss, your snitch."


"Alright ladies," Nickolai said asking anyone for a light with a gesture of his hand. A nobody responded flipping a flashy zippo and with a few puffs-- Nickolai was back to smoking a gain. They guy was a train. Yet, he could run two miles like he were in it for his life. If his life were that important anyways. "What do we know? We know that this piece of trash has been giving my brother information--but what information? Like what outfits I have sent Natalia or our crew movements? Duncan?"


Tommy took a good look at the snitch, before glancing back to Nickolai and listening to his question. He would let Duncan respond, before offering his own two cents.

"He couldn't have leaked much....from what I know, we caught this bastard relatively fast. Am I right, Duncan?"

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#, as written by Celedia
Natalia watched Nickolai as he spoke, amused at how his presence inspired so many different emotions in the men and women that surrounded him. Davey was scared shitless, pacing nervously as he eyed the man, flicking open his lighter repeatedly. His whores, as she had come to refer to them, at the strip club either bedded him in the hopes of gaining power and one day being his wife or simply for the momentary rush of saying that they've slept with Nickolai DeLuca. Some of the other men held a healthy dose of reverence for him, as if he were a God among men brought down to help them carve out their destiny in New York. Tommy and Duncan were part of the old boys club, mutual respect tinged with an almost familial feeling of closeness and trust. And her? Well, she had a range of feelings for the man that were still being discovered.

A soft laugh echoed along the docks as Nickolai issued his faux command, a stern "You had better." She grinned first, bowing slightly at the waist as she played along. "Yes, sir." Letting her eyes meet his, eyebrow arched playfully until Duncan's soft cough brought them back to the reality of the situation.

"All kidding aside," he began and a sigh escaped her lips. Spoil sport.... she thought to herself, following the trio of men at first but stopping by Davey for a moment.

"Are you sure you don't want to come watch us play?" Her painted lips curved slightly as she walked around him again, wondering how a man that was so twitchy came to be accepted. As she neared his side, she let her lips almost brush his ear as she whispered into it, "It'll be fun, promise."

Davey flinched again, apparently unaware they she had gotten so close, so quickly and then a bright red blush swept his cheeks. He was... embarassed? The emotion amused Natalia and as she rounded towards the front of him again, she met his gaze for a brief moment. "No? Ah, well. It's to be expected...."

She had teased him when Duncan was out of hearing range so he wouldn't reprimand her again and then made her way beneath the boardwalk, stepping into the room behind Tommy.

"Boss, your snitch." Duncan gestured towards the rat bastard and Natalia threaded her way through the throng of men. She hadn't been here for most of Duncan's questioning but she had gleaned that not much information had actually been exchanged between the snitch and Nicodemus. That was, if he was telling the truth and not holding back. Snitches were complex bastards. Either they knew they were going to die anyway so they spewed everything in one last ditch attempt to save their own worthless hides or they clammed up, refusing to lose their respect and honor since they were going to get shot either way.

Walking towards the snitch, Savino, Natalia lowered herself so that she was at his eye level, balancing herself on her stilettos and pretending to play the good guy. As the trio of men talked in front of the snitch, she began whispering to him. Her voice soft and full of promise.

"Ahh, Savino... Look what you have gotten yourself in to. Nickolai is here. Do you think that is a good sign?" She met his eyes then let her gaze drift to the trio of men before settling back on the battered snitch. "He is the one that could save your life. Perhaps if you tell him everything, he will let you go. No harm, no foul, right?"

Savino's eyes went wide and even though he saw the men talking, he interrupted them by blurting out. "I tol' Duncan everything, I swear it! You gotta believe me!" His voice was pleading as his eyes darted from Duncan to Tommy to Nickolai, eyes wide with fear.

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#, as written by Zukuto
Duncan shrugged before responding, noticing Natalia moving toward the snitch. "Just little things like banks under our control, shipments we'd recieved in the past month and things of that nature. All of these things are things that Nicodemus should already know. If he's telling the truth he really didn't know much about our organization to report about."

"He couldn't have leaked much," Tommy said. "From what I know, we caught this bastard relatively fast. Am I right, Duncan?"

"Yeah," Duncan replied glancing over at the snitch and Natalia talking softly to him. "But the problem is that he will tell Nicodemus anything he hears. The fact that he told him about the small stuff means we can't trust him with any information. Just imagine if he actually knew something of value. And yes, I did interogate him myself but theres always more information to be had when the boss is here."

"I tol' Duncan everything, I swear it! You gotta believe me!" His voice was pleading as his eyes darted from Duncan to Tommy to Nickolai, eyes wide with fear.

"Shut the fuck up," Duncan said waving a hand casually in his direction. He eyed Natalia, then the snitch, hoping she'd get the hint to keep him under control, by force if necessary. "That's all I got out of him boss. I'd say do whatever you're going to do to him and lets get out of here. I've got some dinner plans this evening." He checked his expensive rolex again and looked back toward the snitch, leveling his cold gaze on the man that wouldn't be leaving this place.

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Layla made her way into the front door of the Venture mansion, the large red wood door creaked on it hinges as she opened it. She had just come back from one of her shopping trip to the mall. Her escort/body guard Vinnie came in carrying a couple of bags behind her. Nico never let her go anywhere now-a-days without a body guard, not that she minded with Nick being such an idiot lately and fighting against his brother. All the crazy shit he had pulling lately it wouldn't surprise her a bit if he didn't have a hit on her head right now, her being Nico's girl and all. "Hey Vin just set those two in my room will ya, your a doll you know", she said as the very muscular man made a growling noise as he carried the Victoria Secret bags.

Layla walked down the long hallways of the mansion, the various expensive works of art, sculptures and fine Italian furniture. When she made it to Nico's office door she saw Garry, Nico's personal guard sitting outside the door playing with a switchblade. He would flip the blade out and then back again toss it up and catch it he did this several time in secession before he noticed Layla standing there. "Can I go in or is he busy?", she asked Garry, he stood up the guy had to be at least seven foot or taller, and he was built like a Panzer tank. He made Layla look like a midget even thought that wasn't to hard she had gotten her height from her mother and was only a little over five foot. "Yeah, I guess you can go in", said Gary in a low baritone voice, "Thanks hun", she said as he opened the door for her, she patted him on the shoulder it was like smacking your hand on a boulder.

Nico was sitting at his desk and looked to be contemplating something, she went to the desk and leaned on the top with her elbows down placing her face in her palms. "So penny for your thoughts", she said with a soft smile Layla had always enjoyed Nico's company. Unlike his brother he could be very caring and kind, she had been with both brothers when you first start as on of the Venture's girls you don't get a choice. If one of them picks you out of the group you go with that one, but Nico picked her more often and eventually she became his main girl. She sleeps in his bed almost every night and she has her own room just a couple of doors down from his bedroom. She always dreaded when Nick would pick her she knew he would do it just to piss Nico off and she often came back feeling sore and sometimes bruised. It was one of those instances that Nico insisted she stay in the bedroom down from his. She couldn't complain all she had to do was ask and Nico would give her just about anything she wanted. Not that she asked for anything often she was easy to please, and really she didn't spend allot of money. She didn't see the point if everything was already at the mansion.

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Seated in a chair across from one of NYC’s most influential bank managers was a young woman in her early twenties with her long chocolate brown hair swept back into an elegant French twist. She was dressed in a fitted white button-front dress shirt with three-quarter length sleeves and a black form-hugging pencil skirt as well as a pair of brand new Jimmy Choo satin sandals upon her feet. The picture of classic elegance, she trained her hazel eyes upon the bank manager as she listened to him twist the conversation into yet a third story about his workday.

“Father,” the young woman, Lilianna, said with a smile, “Don’t get yourself too worked up over such things. Now, close up and get home. Mama will be worried that you’ve stayed this late already.” A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she stood up, pushing her seat back so she could walk around the large mahogany desk. Reaching out, she hugged Agostino Sisieti with one arm, providing her cheek to him for a kiss and then pulling away after a moment.

“You’re right, Lily.” He was the only person to call her such things, bringing a smile to her lips again.

“Give Mama my best? Tell her I will try to stop by sometime within the week.” A loose strand of hair escaped the bondage of her French twist, sweeping down to hang by her face. Slightly irritated, she pushed the piece back behind her ears which were adorned with large diamond drop earring before lifting her hand in a slight wave.

“Of course, Lily. Don’t be a stranger! It’s always nice to chat with you
.” The man’s voice boomed after his daughter and as she walked out of the door he sunk back into his enormous leather chair with a sigh.

Meanwhile, Lilianna was already flipping through her mental notes to see which pieces of the conversation she could pass onto Nicodemus. It seemed that there was a jeweler downtown which never seemed to make their deposits on time at night and usually had to go for the overnight drop. An easy target for the boys if Nico decided that it was worth the slight risk and not without reward. The jeweler was the newest ‘hot’ designer of engagement rings in the city and had garnered the interest of many celebrities and socialites in the area.

As she exited the bank, she smiled at her driver, Frankie, as he opened her door for her, allowing her to slip into the back seat with ease. “To the DeLuca estate, please.” She informed him of their destination and he gave a curt nod before closing the door. Once they were en route, Lilianna stared out of the window, her eyes barely taking note of the passing scenery as her thoughts settled on her cousin, Duncan. Where had he been the past few days? They had a dinner appointment set up for tonight but she wasn’t even sure if he would make it since he had failed to contact her recently.

She was interrupted from her silent reverie as her driver announced to her that they had arrived and she waited for him to open her door so she could exit. “Just pull around into the garage, Frankie. I don’t think I will be long
” she flashed a smile at the driver as she ascended the grandiose steps into the mansion and a man with at least 4 visible weapons bowed to her as she approached.

“Ms. Sisieti. We weren’t expecting you today.” His voice was low and as he bowed, his gaze swept over her long legs, then up along the rest of her form until they met her eyes.

Lilianna smirked a bit and inclined her head to the gentleman as he opened the door for her.

“Ahh, yes, I do apologize. If you could just have someone tell me when Nicodemus is free? I just have a bit of information for him. I will wait in the kitchen.” She passed him, walking into the grand foyer and then off to the right where she knew the kitchen to be located. The woman was in desperate need of a drink. Her long conversation with her father had parched her throat.

As she passed through the dining room with its family-friendly 16 seat table, she passed through another arch into the large eat-in kitchen and took her place on a barstool at the middle island, smiling at the in-house chef, Delilah.

“Evening, Del. Could I bother you for something to drink? A limoncello spritzer?” The cool, tangy beverage was like a lemonade for adults and she crossed her legs, leaning back in her seat as Delilah rushed about the kitchen to fix her drink.

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Nickolai shifted his lips to the right, and exhaled slowly. He had his right hand--his gun hand--tucked precariously under his heft elbow. His left arm was parallel with his head and shoulders. A slow, jet of glossy gray smoke plumed into the night air; dancing around his dark brown eyes that looked almost charcoal black. Worse even. At least charcoal could burn red hot. This was something...malevolent. His malcontent was palpable with regards to his sudden change in demeanor.

This was why Nickolai was dangerous. No on could tell when he would just 'change'.

Slowly he knelt, positioning one leg behind him, pressing his left elbow on his left thigh while placing a hand on his firm, rigid bicep. It was no wonder women found him alluring. He was soundly fit. His years in Spetznaz training, it was nothing for him to bleed to accomplish his goals. To rip and shred his body, to mold it into the specimen that had knelt before the 'snitch'. His body was ripped. Rippling, undulating muscles along his back, sides and chest. lean corded arms quite capable of savagery.

With his fingers, both index and forefinger upon the the end of his cigarette, he directed them both at the man in question.

"I'm a force of fuckin' nature, yyou know that? I don't think about doing anything--I do it. Now you better start talkin' or Imma start getting involved in my friend Duncan's here's happy fun time. Trust me you don't want that."

The man's eyes remained terrified and fixated on Nickolai. His body quivered as it was nothing compared to Nickolai's extreme conditioning. Primal instinct had taken over, and as Nickolai sat there on one knee--awaiting an answer, the man began to isolate himself. His face bruised and bleeding, his teeth busted and chipped. Blood seeped from his lips and drizzled like chocolate dressing on the ground in heaps. Placing the S&W down, Nickolai reached up and slapped the piss out of him. Blood spewed freely from his mouth, as did a couple of loose teeth.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! You think this is a fuckin' game?! Do you?!" Nickolai shouted before placing the cigarette between his lips and grabbing the man by his lower mandible. An expression of great pain on behalf of the 'snitch' but great focus when it came to the dominant Nick.

"I--I-I don't know anything!" The man sputtered through the blood that was choking him.

"I-I-I think you do!" Nickolai mockingly stammered in return before extending one knee forwards. He then took his burning cigarette--ashes and all--and drove it into one of the man's eyes as he forced it open. The man failed wildly, kicking up sand and debris as the glowing hot 'cherry' burned away at the hypersensitive flesh of his eyeball.

"Motherfucker, you better start talking! What did my brother say?! What did he say!?" Nickolai he the man's head with one powerful hand before causing the cigarette in hand and then throwing the man back. He turned towards one of his crew. "Give me that bitch." He demanded without looking, his eyes still focused on the 'snitch' while a crew member handed him a 12-gauge tactical sawn-off shotgun.

Pumping the weapon he went after the man who was trying to crawl away. He took aim and fired. The scatter shot struck the mans feet and legs--shredding them. Blood and gore spread out about three feet and kept pumping out blood as now his shins and feet had been manipulated effectively. Nickolai was done with messing around with this prick. His buzz was gone. If there was anything Nick didn't enjoy more then Natalia's quick wits or Tommy's lackluster charm or Duncan's willingness to get his hands dirty--it was his buzz.

He pressed the heel of his Italian leather loafers to the mans side and callously, kicking him over onto his back. Hi face was swelling, and badly from the burn to his eye. It looked like a tennis ball was under his face. He casually put one foot one man's chest--already he was having respiratory problems. The cocking of the pump-action shotgun followed by the direction of it being towards his face--the man pissed himself--literally.

"What did my brother say to you--or--I'm gonna go hunting for little Mary Sue and Timmy too and that bitch of a wife of yours." Nickolai coldly asked looking down from above the barrel.

"He's...planning on burning down the manner after he kills you..he know's its what you want." the man said, his body going into shock from femoral artery separation.

"Kills me?" Nickolai whispered, turning as a member of his own crew, not Tommy, or Duncan or Natalia, but one of the soldier's came rushing down the pier. He withdrew a throwing knife first, and an M9 Beretta, but Nickolai was on him as he land after leaping off the pier at the shortest distance to the ground. The man stabbed Nick through the forearm withe the short blade as Nick lifted his arm. Nick in turn, struck him in the stomach with his elbow then pointed the shotgun up--squeezing the trigger. The top half of the man's head did a vanishing act in a shower of blood and bits of brain matter and skull pieces--Nickolai had knelt to brace himself for the ass kicking the shotgun would give him, hence the title "The Bitch".

Knife still in his arm, He walked over to the informant, put the gun square against his face and puled the trigger. The body of the man became drenched in blood, and convulsed. Stepping back towards his crew, knife STILL in his arm. His face didn't look so happy. He threw the shot gun back to the soldier. Pointed at Duncan.

"You--Go see your girl. Tommy. Natalia. You're with me. That fucker Nico is gonna blow up my house?--I don't fucking think so."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My brother may be after us for a while, we need to relocate, Layla." Nicodemus flashed a stead fast and firm grin. Even going so far to reach up and across the hard oak desk to stroke her chin with his thumb. He then calmly shut his laptop and packed it away. He gathered his documents and carefully packed them away as well.

"Please go gather your things, dear. I'll be with you shortly--we won't be able to come back here. We are going to the Waldorf Astoria." He said to Layla, placing hand at the small of her back with a suave manner and calm demeanor. He wasn't sweating--nothing could give him away. He guided her to the door and the opened it for her. "Garry, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Yes boss."

"Layla, while you get your things, I will be with Garry for just one moment then I'll be with you, okay?"

He shut the door behind them, leaving only he and his bodyguard in the room.

"Garry, I need you to set the charges like we discussed. My informant never showed, neither did my second one. I'm actually starting to believe my brother is more intelligent than I gave him credit for--however, he is still a man-whore and undeserving of this 'company'. He's too much of a risk. My father built an empire with his bare hands--not some ill mannered low tolerant child's play thing. It WILL be mine. Even if I have to kill him to prove it." Nico spoke softly, taking a sip of fine brandy as he had drifted across the room; lined with carpets of reds and golds like the Kings of France--marble fireplaces like Roman Emperors and more paintings and sculptures than the Vatican.

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Layla nodded her head, "Sure hun I'm on it right now", she said with a smile she never said no to Nico he'd given her too much in her life so much more than even her own father. She knew better than to take to many things with her, even though the place was beautiful it was better for it to be blown to kingdom come. Yeah she knew what Nico had planned he didn't know that she paid that much attention but she did. When it might have something to with her, being alive or a corpse definitely pay attention. It would be sad to see it all go but thats the game, and if Nick wanted to play dirty Nico is gonna play dirty back. Besides he wouldn't have had any respect for this beautiful mansion anyway not like Nico did. He probably would have turned it into a whore house and well that would be worse than a pile of rubble.

She went down to her room and started throwing shit in a couple of suitcases stuff can be replaced especially when you have a almost unlimited bank account to back it up. She reached under her pillow where she kept her gun she lifted up her skirt and stuck in the small holster that she had strapped to her thigh. She made sure she had all of her credit cards in her purse, she after she was done shoving clothes into the suitcases. She hefted them up with out to much trouble she had never been one to rely on the guys too much. She brought her suitcases down the stairs and set the at the foot, "I'm gonna miss this place", she sighed. She decided to double check and make sure she had her cell phone and ipod in her purse. She picked up her suitcases again and maid her way to the front door setting then down next to it.

"Well I'll go see if Nico's ready to go out with bang", she said with chuckle. She made her way through the beautifully decorated hall way to his office one last time. She came up to the door and knocked, "Nico baby I'm ready if you wanna have one of the guys bring the car around I have my suitcases next to the door. Do you want me to grab some stuff for you out of your room?", she said through the door, trying to speak loud enough so her voice would carry through the thick oak.

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Duncan arched an eyebrow. "Of course, but first..." Duncan gripped Nickolai's upper arm tightly, cutting off the circulation and yanked the knife out, a light spurt of blood spraying from the wound to drip down his arm. He tossed the knife to his right and reached into his inner coat pocket to retrieve a white handkerchief. He bunched it up and pressed it onto the wound forcing Nickolai's other hand to apply pressure before he let go. "Get that checked out. Don't want my bread and butter dying on me." He checked his watch once more and clicked his tongue disappointingly at the time. "Well I'm off. Natalia, Tommy, Boss; always a pleasure."

Duncan turned and walked from the pier, sliding his phone out of his pocket and checking his messages. He had two missed calls and a text saying, "At DeLuca's."

Damnit, he thought. She's already there.

He thumbed his speed dial and summoned his driver. As he reached the street a black limo screeched to a halt before him, a portly man getting out and opening his door for him.

"DeLuca estate Carl," he said moving an out of place hair back into formation and wiping a spec of the late snitch's blood from his chin. "Quickly please."

--------------------------------------

Duncan exited his limo and approached the door, exchanging forced pleasantries with the door guard briefly before entering the building. Increasing his speed he walked toward the kitchen to see his cousin sitting at the middle island of the eat-in kitchen sipping a drink. He straightened his coat and stepped into the room with a bright smile.

"Lily!" he exclaimed holding his arms open as he walked to the bar. "It's been too long. You look great, new earrings?" He noticed the bartender quickly lay card on the table. "I'll be paying tonight, miss. I'll take a Scotch Laphroaig; better make that two. Long day at work today." He said this last bit to Lilianna with a familiar raise of his eyebrows, translating to someone having lost their life. He took a seat next to his cousin and continued his conversation with her.

"How's your mother and father?" Duncan asked as he received his strong whiskey. "Well, I assume?" After a sip of his drink the woman left with his card his face going stern as he placed a hand on his cousin's. "We need to go, my car is waiting outside. Don't worry about the card, I canceled it on the way here." Duncan stood and lead his cousin out, draining his powerful drink with an exhale and tossed the glass at one of the door managers. He caught it in confusion and set it down on a nearby table. Passing quickly through the door and ignoring the door guard's confused farewells he opened the door for his cousin and ran around to the other side to let himself in before the limo screeched away down the street.

Duncan looked back through the rear window at the confused look on the door guard's face and back to his cousin. "Building's going to blow soon. Not the best place to have a drink in my opinion. Carl!" he said rapping on the glass before it lowered. "Take us to Cafe Brindisi please. I'm feeling Italian tonight." He winked at his cousin, pun intended.

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Natalia had been kneeling by their snitch and she looked up at the trio of men as the snitch started bleating like a sheep, pleading for his life. Duncan waved a hand at the man and shot her a look, causing the woman to flash an almost feral grin in return. Whipping around quickly, her manicured hand wrapped around the snitch’s lower jaw, forcing his mouth shut abruptly so that he bit on his own tongue, causing it to bleed. The man’s eyes widened in shock, causing her to look over her shoulder to see what he was so scared of and her gaze landed on Nickolai. If she hadn’t known the man, she would probably recoil in fear too but she had seen this side of him before. The side of his personality that made him one of the most feared men in NYC. His eyes had gone that deep dark hue and his muscles pulled taut, indicating that he was about to get seriously rough with the snitch.

She released the snitch’s jaw roughly and tried not to snicker. “Tsk tsk
 You played with fire and now you’re going to get burned. Enjoy the afterlife,” she whispered softly to the man, adding that extra level of terror as she stood up, brushing off her black leather pants as she strolled back through the crowd to stand by Tommy and Duncan.

With her honey brown eyes she watched the ensuing fight, glad to be on the winning side of it even if she wasn’t an active part in it. When all was said and done, Nickolai shot the informant, blood and meat flying every which way from the force of the impact. A mere speck of blood landed on the top of her hand and she frowned at it slightly.

"You--Go see your girl. Tommy. Natalia. You're with me. That fucker Nico is gonna blow up my house?--I don't fucking think so."

Trying to lighten the mood a tad, she held up her hand so Nickolai could see the blood speckle as she smirked playfully. “You got blood on me. Once we save your house, I call dibs on a shower.”

Duncan began playing doctor and she winced slightly as the knife was removed from Nickolai’s forearm.

"Well I'm off. Natalia, Tommy, Boss; always a pleasure." Duncan said and she waved goodbye to him as she walked with Nickolai and Tommy, pushing past the semi-circle of men that had gathered around for the bloodbath.

“Excuse us, coming through,” she growled at them, taking the lead so that if anyone else was dumb enough to try for Nickolai then perhaps she would actually get a hit in this time.

As they traversed the trail leading up to the Docks, she snarled at Davey, the skittish man, as they walked by. “You’re a piss poor lookout, Davey.” And as Nickolai came into view with his bandaged arm, Davey’s eyes went wide with fear and his knees hit the wooden planks of the boardwalk.

“I didn’t see no one from Nico’s gang, I swear! It was just us!”

Natalia rolled her eyes, bypassing the terrified Davey as she made her way to the parking lot. Coming to a standstill next to a steel grey Aston Martin v12 Vantage, she nodded to the car with an arched brow. “We can take my car, if you’d like.” She offered without hesitation.



------------------------------------------------------------------



Lilianna’s smile brightened as her cousin walked into the door and he seemed a bit more serious than usual. She twisted her torso slightly in her seat so she could embrace him and as she pulled away she laughed at his greeting: "It's been too long. You look great, new earrings?"

“It’s nice to see you too, Duncan. Really, it has been too long.” Turning her head so she could pose accordingly, she lifted a hand to show her Âœ carat diamond drop earrings to him with a grin. “And yes, thank you for noticing. Not many people do.” Her cousin was one of her favorite people, one of the few people that knew who she truly was and she relished these sporadic dinners with him.

He spoke of his own day and arched both brows, signaling that they had to kill someone that day but she didn’t let her expression change. Not here, not in front of servants. So she merely made comforting noises and patted his forearm with her hand.

"How's your mother and father?" was the next question and she was surprised at the rapid flow of the conversation tonight. Usually Duncan was much more laid back than this and she opened her mouth, about to ask, when suddenly he grabbed her hand and explained himself. "We need to go, my car is waiting outside. Don't worry about the card, I canceled it on the way here."

Lilianna trusted her cousin in everything so she grabbed her purse from the countertop, following him easily and flashing a grin at the door guard as they left. As soon as she slipped into the back seat of her cousin’s limo, she listened to him and gasped softly.

“They’re going to blow up the estate?! Why in the hell would Nickolai do that?” she fumed. Obviously not knowing the entire situation she assumed that it was the more brash brother behind the plan since Nico was the one actively living in the estate at the moment.

She picked up her phone, dialing her own driver who had pulled around into the compound’s garage. “Frankie?” she said as soon as he picked up. “Go home. Have the next day off. I’ll be out late with my cousin, it seems. Yes. Goodnight to you too.” She hung up the phone and stared at Duncan incredulously.

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#, as written by Zukuto
Duncan shook his head. "Its not Nickolai, its Nicodemus." As Lilianna made a phone call Duncan picked up a remote and hit the 'Quiet' button. The seals on the window separating driver from passengers closed with rubber soundproofing material. He pressed another button and light classical piano began to play, further muffling any sounds that would make it from the back of the vehicle. "Someone, posed as one of our guys, tried to kill Nickolai today. Naturally he was unsuccessful but the fact that he'd infiltrated into our group so far is something I can't believe. I hand pick the men we take with us to these...um, situations," he said, raising his eyebrows slightly, "and I usually catch something like this. Now with the threat of destroying the manor on the table I think its about to get very dangerous very soon in this city."

"I know you're loyal to him and all but you have to believe me, Nicodemus is behind this." Duncan opened a small hatch and retrieved a water bottle. "Is there anything you may have heard as to why he'd go so far to do this? What's the endgame?" Duncan knew his cousin was no fool and her loyalties ran deep. If he didn't receive an answer, he'd understand.

Duncan sipped his water and waited for his cousin to finish before finally speaking himself. "We'll discuss this again some other time. It appears we've arrived."

Carl opened the door, as if on queue, to the lavish entrance of Cafe Brindisi. Duncan stepped out, a false smile on his lips and helped Lilianna to the sidewalk. "I'll call for you later Carl. If anyone needs to reach me tell them to leave a message with you."

"Right, sir," Carl responded as he closed the door behind them and returned to the driver's seat.

"Good guy," Duncan said looking over his shoulder as the car left, "but I don't fully trust him yet. Not after what happened with the last driver. You ever have those kinds of problems?" He opened the door to the restaurant and followed her inside.

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Lilianna bit at her lip as Duncan tried to convince her that Nicodemus was the one behind the plot to blow up the estate. It seemed far fetched to her but then again... Who did she trust more? Nicodemus or her own cousin? She sighed, folding her hands upon her lap as she turned her head to look out the window while he explained his reasoning behind his accusations.

"Is there anything you may have heard as to why he'd go so far to do this? What's the endgame?"

Her eyes widened as she turned back to look at her cousin, shaking her head slightly. "Don't ask me that, Duncan. Ever since Leonardo died
..” she trailed off, unsure of how to finish. She had been happier when the Senior De Luca was alive and she had worked with her cousin instead of against him. But since her loyalties were to Nico, since he was the one that dragged her into the ‘family’, she had split ways with Duncan and had to go from sharing everything with him to having to arrange codes to explain how their days went. Only when they were in their private residences did they allow themselves to be fully open with one another and even then, they held certain things back to protect their comrades.

The silence stretched for a moment before Duncan broke it by saying, "We'll discuss this again some other time. It appears we've arrived."

Stepping out behind her cousin, she accepted his helping hand so that she could stand up and she smoothed out the silken fabric of her pencil skirt with her other hand.

”Good guy," Duncan said looking over his shoulder as the car left, "but I don't fully trust him yet. Not after what happened with the last driver. You ever have those kinds of problems?" He opened the door to the restaurant and followed her inside.”

Lilianna tossed a smile over her shoulder at her cousin and shook her head. “No, Frankie has been my driver since I was 16. With the money I’ve earned from my various interests, I’ve more than paid for his loyalty. At least, I hope I have
 Plus, rememember, I'm not in as deeply as you are.” It was true. She provided information, kept her ear to the ground and if it was fruitful she either got a handsome reward or a cut of the profit, depending on what her info led to.

She flashed a winning smile at the maitre’d as he approached and he looked over the cousins, smiling his approval for their appearances as he gathered a set of menus. “Ahh, Mr. Merretti, Ms. Sisieti, So pleased to see you again.” The maitre’d bowed low as he gestured with his arm towards their usual table. “Please, please. Come with me.” As he began stalking off, Lilianna followed, her shorter limbs moving more quickly to keep pace with the tall, willowy host until they came to a corner booth and he gestured once more.

“Sit, sit! I will bring out your drinks. You will be having drinks, yes?”

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Tommy gave Duncan a pat on the shoulder as he parted ways with the crew, nodding to him. Duncan was right - Nickolai was a tough son of a bitch, but that knife wound didn't look like it had stopped bleeding yet.

He glanced up, and took first notice of the small crowd that was gathering. He opened his lips to speak, but Natalia was one step ahead of him.

“Excuse us, coming through,” she growled at them.

Tommy quickly followed, staring at the people in the crowd. Letting Natalia lead the way, Tommy took up the rear, making sure none of the people decided to try anything stupid. Out of the corner of his eye, he stole a glance at Nickolai, trying to calculate his boss's thoughts. Anger? Hate? Tommy knew things were getting tense between the brothers, but what the informant had spilled, if it were true, might have been the last straw.

Tommy glanced to Davey as they passed him, casting his gaze over and shaking his head.

“You’re a piss poor lookout, Davey.” And as Nickolai came into view with his bandaged arm, Davey’s eyes went wide with fear and his knees hit the wooden planks of the boardwalk.

“I didn’t see no one from Nico’s gang, I swear! It was just us!”


Tommy sighed in disappointment, not wanting to hear any excuses or bullshit from Davey. Not now.

"We can discuss and evaluate your lookout tactics later, Davey. We need to go!" Tommy said in an urgent tone. He wasn't losing his cool, just trying to urge the others not to idle and gawk. Ironic, considering he was the one who'd been getting lost in thoughts all day.

He was quickly distracted by Natalia.

“We can take my car, if you’d like.” She offered without hesitation.

Tommy nodded, shooting Nickolai a glance, looking for conformation.

"I think that's our best option, right boss?" Tommy asked.

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"Of course, but first..."

Adrenaline had replaced Nickolai's blood. The endorphins it brought with it, actually made him forget there was a one-and-a-half inch piece of steel jutting through his forelimb. Where he had tightly bound his hand into a tightly compacted fist--rivulets had formed; long wine red streams down to his hand and was dripping rapidly. His pupils had shrank in his anger, his focus was only on one thing at the moment--his brother. Damn it all, what the hell was he thinking? Destroying a family heirloom His father's legacy? La Noir est Monté. Their mother's dream house. Where she had given them life and he wanted to simply burn it to the ground?

"Thanks..have a good time" He causally called back to Duncan. It wasn't the he was angry with his Enforcer--on the contrary. He wasn't angry at any of his cre, not even the guy that was all twitchy like he was on a high off speed. His hand applied a tight grip on his wrist, even while his arms shook with the severity of his anger. Ever cell in his body wanted ted to kill his brother. If this were a Cain and Abel story--he'd be willing to be Cain. There was no turning back now. He had gone too far. Before it was just legal shit. A filed complaint here and there, a law suit, handcuffs, prison time. Child's play.

Nicodemus had shown his truer colors now. There would be no hiding for him. Not after this. As he marched forthe with Tommy and Natalia--the picotto 'Davey' as he was referred to seemed all the more nervous.


“Excuse us, coming through,” she growled at them, taking the lead so that if anyone else was dumb enough to try for Nickolai then perhaps she would actually get a hit in this time.

As they traversed the trail leading up to the Docks, she snarled at Davey, the skittish man, as they walked by. “You’re a piss poor lookout, Davey.” And as Nickolai came into view with his bandaged arm, Davey’s eyes went wide with fear and his knees hit the wooden planks of the boardwalk.

"We can discuss and evaluate your lookout tactics later, Davey. We need to go!" Tommy said in an urgent tone. He wasn't losing his cool, just trying to urge the others not to idle and gawk. Ironic, considering he was the one who'd been getting lost in thoughts all day.

"I think that's our best option, right boss?" Tommy asked.


Nickolai strode up to Davey, stopping right in front of him. His dark eyes casting a glance down at the man that could make the devil weep in self pity."Get up boy, you're making me look bad. I don't need a pussy in my gang, I need a tough as nails soldier. You got balls on you or do I need to go get my gun?"

"Yes sir!" Davey stood up, swallowed hard and fixated his posture so that he was standing completely vertical.

"Good, now go fetch my gun. I might need to kill a few fucks before I get to my brother if that sweet ass over there don't get to'em first." Nickolai said, watching the man run off like a lunatic in the night to go fetch the revolver.

Turning around he shook his head, winking at Natalia as he glanced at her ass while continuing on by. He went directly from looking at her sleek curves, to those of her cars. He loved cars. Granted, he could have any one he wanted-no doubt there-- but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy the finer things about them; how they ran, what to do if they broke down, what parts go where. It was honestly, to him, like a woman to a degree. You had to caress it a certain way to make it purr--you had to make sure it was in tiptop shape for it to run hot for you, but most importantly--Gotta know where to stick the keys to ignite her passions.

He leaned over and popped the hood revealing 'her' glory.

"6.0-litre V12 engine producing 510 bhp, 420 foot pounds of torque with a top speed of 190 mph. Can go from zero to sixty two in four-point-two seconds." Nickolai whistled with audacity and admiration. His lips curving into a smile, as he nodded. He lowered the lid shutting it there after.

"I'm ready whenever you are sweet thing. Oh, and you can shower with me--anytime you want. Nickolai responded to her earlier statement, opening the car door. Setting in the luxury car--seats readily wrapping around him it felt like arms. Davey came rushing up, disheveled and sweating and breathless. He handed Nickolai his heavy gun, whom had his hand out already to accept it.

"Good, now go dump the bodies boy." Nickolai said, setting the gun on his leg watching Davey rush back down to the beach.

----------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nicodemus stood for what seemed like a long while with his arm lain across the marble mantle, staring into the flames while his brandy on the rocks sloshed absentmindedly in his hand. In the flames, all he could see was his brother--Nickolai. His brother was like fire. He was hot tempered, hard to contain with out first blistering your hands to a degree that they became practically useless. Is that what it would take to be Capo? Nicodemus then looked into the small reservoir of brandy before taking that last sip he'd have here. Their home.

He knew that's what his brother would probably be more enraged about. Not the fact he would try to kill him. They both knew it would come down to that.
But their father's house, their mother's sanctuary. She died within the walls. She rather have died here of her long bout with cancer, than a hospital bed. Though they both often pleased with her to go. But she didn't. What she fought for three years, took her in just one week with a plethora of conditions and ailments. By the time it was done with her--well, they both had changed from the experience. He grew more distant and his brother, he became the open minded individual that he was. Their father often acted as a mediator between the two of them.


"Nico baby I'm ready if you wanna have one of the guys bring the car around I have my suitcases next to the door. Do you want me to grab some stuff for you out of your room?"

"Alright, I'll be with you in a second. No, I've got plenty of clothes where we are heading." He called out to her, barely looking over his shoulder. He was always this way. He felt naturally separated from people. Alienated by them almost. He enjoyed the peace, the quiet. But he enjoyed the feeling of power more. That's why he chose to destroy something so beloved to him. Because he wanted it to be his and only his--as it rightfully should have been.

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Natalia smirked slightly as Nickolai popped the hood on her Aston Martin and inspected. A soft laugh escaped her lips as he recited the specs and she shook her head a bit, chocolate brown hair tousling around her shoulders.

“Stop flirting with my car, Nickolai. She’s never been touched by a man before.” Strutting over to her side of the car, she flung open the door and flipped the button so her seat fell forward, allowing Tommy entry into the backseat. “Sorry, love,” she usually tried not to put anyone with rank in the backseat but time was of the essence and it was a given that Nickolai received the other front seat. “No one drives this baby but me, hope you understand.” As Tommy settled into the back, Natalia pushed her chair back into position, one hand sliding down her thigh to make sure she had her pistols still strapped to her thigh and she recalled that her Mossberg was in her trunk. Hopefully, she would have a chance to get it out before they stormed the gates.

"I'm ready whenever you are sweet thing. Oh, and you can shower with me--anytime you want.”

The comment caused Natalia to shake her head and laugh once more. She was glad to see that Nickolai had snapped back into his teasing self again.

“You’re injured. I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself, boss.” She winked at him then swung her car into reverse, backing out of her parking spot before throwing it into gear and blazing their way down the streets to the mansion.

Their ride was swift. Natalia being one of the few females that seemed able to drive with any real skill, having participated in a few drag races down in Brazil before she had to leave the country unexpectedly. Down there she had an old school muscle car, it was all that she could afford at the time and she had built it back to its original glory with love and a lot of hard work. Now that she had the money to simply buy her toys outright, she had immediately gone for an Aston Martin. They were beautiful, sleek and powerful. Everything she aimed to be.

Pulling into the driveway with ease, she parked her car a bit away from the entrance, not wanting her lovely new ride to get shot to pieces this soon. “Anyone need a piece?” She had to go into her trunk to grab her shotgun and she had a few other guns back there as well that she had lifted off of bodies before they were tossed. After asking her question, she turned her head, settling her eyes on Nickolai as she awaited orders.

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“You’re injured. I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself, boss.”

Nickolai would hear this and promptly respond with "Strain myself? With you? I'd love to."

The care ride there was brief, but he wouldn't have called it "uneventful. Watching the way she handed the V12, he had to be honest, she was one of the best drivers he had seen. She drifted around corners of empty streets, sped down long stretches of road--the engine purring smoothly behind them. It wasn't loud and rambunctious like his straight power Challenger 1977. It had a blower and a totally different beast of an engine. It was loud alright. You knew you were in a monsters belly. It could come off the line twisting its on chassis along the way. The sound of a lion roaring.


He watched Natalia grip the gear shift, her hand absentmindedly grabbing for a clutch. He chuckled on the inside. Classy. Very classy. Even as he sat bleeding from a knife wound--he could still not draw his attention away from her graceful, swift movements. He finally looked away as she drew to a stop near his family's estate. However, before she could actually park her car--he was up and out of the still at the time, moving vehicle. He clutched the arm that had a puncture wound, tucking it close to his boy. He forced the main gate open just enough for a single person to get through and began wandering forwards--fearlessly. This was where his temper often failed him. He was reckless a lot of the time. Putting himself at the forefront of engagements when he needed to take the back seat.

He threw his S&W to some unknown corner of the courtyard, instead vying for the pistol his father had given him.A custom engraved M1911 Colt .45 ACP. He walked around the large fountain that depicted no just one or two--but several cherubs in frolic. His eyes dead set on the mansion doors. Suddenly a sonic boom swept the area, knocking out all the windows of the mansion, trampling Nickolai and sending him to the ground, and even rocking the car that Natalia drove.

The sonic boom hadn't quite made Nickolai fall over just yet, but it definitely had an impact on him. The shock-wave thereafter, would flatten him as it did the manor. La Noir est Monté would implode, collapsing into a centered heap on the earth. All the memories, sculptures, memoirs, and mementos--gone, all gone. Nickolai lie in the courtyard, soot and ash covered. He was clutching his ribs. They had most assuredly been fractured--several at the very least. He was crying out, but everything was deaf to him as his ear rung and his world spun. His eyes clenched tightly closed as he rolled over onto his chest and shakily pushed himself off the ground.

He coughed and spat blood up, it leaked from his mouth like a dry paste. His teeth and lips were covered in it. He was blind, deaf and for the moment--mute. His sensory organs had taken a thrashing and were so disturbed, it would take him ore than a few minutes of sheer willpower to recover. But still, he he held on to his Colt. Standing up like a drunk he firedseveral shots--until he cleaned his mag of bullets and the firing pin 'clicked'. But because he could not hear, he kept squeezing the trigger before he collapsed to his knees and slumped to the ground.

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Natalia had turned her head to Nickolai to ask if he needed a backup weapon and as she glanced his way, she noted that he had already bounded out of the passenger side door and was well on his way to the mansion. Alone.

Goddammit! She thought, her fiery temper flaring but before she could even crack open her own door, a loud noise echoed throughout the landscape, rocking her car roughly enough so that it tilted slightly onto two wheels before slapping back down onto the asphalt. She stared in horror out of her windows, watching as the beautiful estate imploded upon itself, crashing layer by layer until the destruction was consumed by a cloud of dense smoke and ash.

Nickolai? was the first panicked thought that flew through her brain after her daze had ended and she bounded out of her car after him, leaving the driver’s side door hanging wide open and keys still in the ignition. She ran quickly up the rest of the driveway, slipping through the opening in the gates and making her way to the now-fallen figure of Nickolai.

Natalia fell to her knees as she neared him, almost skidding across the pavement those last few inches as her momentum carried her forward. Wrapping her slender hands around his shoulders, she turned him towards her, searching the man’s body to see if he was wounded and when she saw the blood dripping from his mouth, she panicked.

“TOMMY!” she screamed over her shoulder, obviously unaware of whether the other man had approached them already or not and she bit her lip, forcing herself to wrap up her emotions and keep it under control. She was usually calm under pressure but this seemed to rattle her.

“Goddamn stubborn Italian
.” She muttered angrily, letting loose a soft, whispered string of expletives in Spanish.

“I need to call a doctor, I need to tell Duncan
.” Her thoughts left her mouth just as quickly as they entered her head and she retrieved her slim cell phone from her pocket, texting Duncan first.

-Estate blew. Nick hurt. Calling a doc now- and she hit ‘send’ before dialing up one of the many doctors that they had in their pocket.

The phone rang once, twice, then was picked up by a tired sounding gentleman with a thick British accent. "Hello?"

“Hey Doc, it’s Natalia. Nickolai needs you. Where do you want to meet us?”