Luca was sitting in his office when Charlie came in and rushed over to talk with him. 

"Boss I have been told by our guys that work the docks that some of Tylers men have been there," he said to Luca

Luca took a moment to think, it had been a long time since the Durdens had been in Chicago. They have mounted raids but never "hung out" here for very long

"Are we sure they are Tylers men? Did they say what they were doing at the docks?" he asked Charlie

"Yes, sir it is Tylers men. They say it seems they are waiting for something to be delivered." Charlie said

"Thank you, Charlie. Go and get the car ready I have to make some calls," he tells the man

Luca watched Charlie leave and close the door to the office. He picked up the phone and called MarieCosta. 

"Hello Marie, we need to meet are you free?" he says to her

"For you, of course. What's up?" Marie says to Luca

"Not over the phone, this is work related. I can be there to pick you up in twenty min is that ok?" he says seriously

Picking up on the seriousness of his tone, her own voice changes to match his. "Sure, I will be ready."

"Ok I will see you then," he says to her before hanging up the phone. 

Luca grabs his gun and holsters it and heads to his car. If the Durdens are here and waiting for something it can not be good and they needed to find out what is going on. 

He gets into the car and they head straight to Marie's place. Once they arrived Luca got out of the car and walked around to Marie and gives her a quick hug and a kiss. Then he heads over to the car and opens the door for Marie. 

Marie waited to ask any questions until they were both in the car.  Not knowing what to expect she had dressed warmly and in pants to allow easier movement.  It was not like Luca to be so cryptic.  She wondered what in the tarnation was going on.  When he had gotten in and settled she asked.

"What is going on that you could not tell me over the phone?"

She reached out to take his hand.

Luca takes her hand and smiles briefly to assure her. 

"I received news that the Durdens are awaiting a shipment at the dock." He told her

"I did not want to talk about it on the phone cause you never know who is listening," he told her with a smile. 

Luca leaned over and kissed her gently. 

"I am sorry if I worried you. I am worried about why they are here or what they are planning," he tells her. 

Luca relaxed a little as it was a long drive to the docks.

"How are things going?" he asks. 

"Things are going good for the most part.  Trying to find a LHM is turning out to be a pain in the ass." She chuckled and then smirked at an idea that crossed her mind.  Instead of acting on it she patted his hand as it held hers.  "How are things going with you?  Is your crew starting to take shape into what you want it to become?"

"They are coming along. Yeah, I finally picked a Left-hand man. He is doing well." he said to her. 

Luca sat and enjoyed this. It had been a long time since they had time to just talk. Most of the time when they are together there is a reason. While they were together for a reason they had time on this drive to just chat. 

"So tell me more about you and your passed. I know you became a bootleger but I don't know much more than that," he tells her. 

Marie shrugged her shoulders, "There really is not a whole lot to tell, really.  My mother died during child birth with me.  My Uncle has a successful gin and bootlegging operation and my dad worked for him.  Even before there was a prohibition there was a need to bootleg things.  Well my dad, he started teaching me how to work on the cars when I was old enough to hold a screwdriver and then when my feet could reach the petals he taught me how to drive them.  Apparently I had a knack for driving and I started making runs.  At first it was runs with my father, then after a while I got my own route.  They called it the Triangle -- Chicago, Indianapolis, and St. Louis."

"My father passed away a year ago," Marie became sad as she talked about her father's passing.  "He drank some of the spirits that the Feds had gotten too and had put poison in it.  I mean can you believe that?  They actually put poison in to kill anyone who drank it... and they call us murders."  She shook her head and look down at their hands.

"After that I told my Uncle I had to get out of here and he started giving me some of the open road runs down to Vegas and out to Cali.  Soon I met MasqCharlie after she found out what her father did for a living and the rest of my history you already know about."

She looked up at Luca and smiled a bit.  "How about yourself?"

"Well, my story is similar. My father was in the life and made it Left Hand Man for Don Capazzo before the war," he says thinking back

"I had shown a lot of interest and ability in the life growing up. My father was proud that I wanted to join the life but he never hid the dangers from me. He also wanted me to earn my way on my own so he set me up to join with Uncle Joe."

"My mother was around until shortly after my father died. She had gotten sick," he said with a little sadness. 

"So basically I grew up in this life and always loved it."

Luca lit a cigarette he had not talked much about his parents and it dredged up feelings. When his father died while it saddened him he died protecting his boss and family and that made Luca proud of him. His mother passing was something that still hurt, he was close to her and she also prepared him for this life. She knew what his father did and was proud of him as well, the kind of wife a man in Luca's life only dream of. 

The car sped down the streets of downtown still little ways from the docks. 

"So I had a run in with Marla Singer today.  She wanted me to switch to Tyler's side over Joe's in exchange supposely Tyler was going to give me all of southside."  Marie laughed remember it all.  "It was a wonder she did not shoot me instead of just yell at me when I poked her with a stick.  The woman just can not take a joke."

Looking up at Luca she became sober once more.  "Whatever is going on down at the docks, has to be whatever Tyler has planned to try and stop Uncle Joe."

"She has always been more bark than bite. Shooting you would do no good just make me wipe them out," he said with a serious look. 

Luca takes a min to calm himself. He thinks to himself "How dare those bastards to threaten her.. I am going to murder everyone one of them and burn their shit to the ground." he takes a second to come up with a plan. 

"I just can't see what they are planning. They have to know we control the docks. I am wondering if its a distraction?" he says to her. 

"Once we get there I think I will have my guys take one or two of them so we can ask them some questions," he says with a smile.

"Tyler has some explaining to do." 

Marie takes notice of the long pause between them.  She had wondered how he would take the news.  For herself she knew the risks associated with this life and accepted them.  It was another thing to accept that possibility for a loved one. 

"Some information from some thugs might prove somewhat useful."

Once again an awkward silence arose between them.  After a mile or so Marie pushed into that silence.  "Is it going to be a problem?  I am a crew leader, I am going to get threats from time-to-time.  You are going to be threatened from time-to-time.  It won't do either of us any good to not talk about this and get it worked out together."

Luca snapped out of it when he heard her speak. 

"Marie you are a Crew Leader and a very strong and capable person. Me getting worked up is a simple reaction to the news."He says sincerely

"I understand these things are going to happen, it is a part of the life we chose, it doesn't make it any easier though."

"This isn't a problem. And you are right we need to be able to tell each other these things. We also need to allow that person a min to go through the anger that they will feel when they hear the news." he says to her. 

Marie nods and looks down.  "You are right, of course. I am sorry."  She smiles a bit, "Are relationship always this difficult?"

"Yes they are I guess, Really this is my first one that matters anyway." Luca says

She chuckled and looked at him grinning.  "I don't know about you, but I have thought more about what I should do with my hands these past few days when I have been around you than I have thought about them in the past 2 decades of my life."  She shakes her head evidently finding it all rather humorous.  "I mean I feel like a blind person stumbling around as I try to figure out what to say or what to do.... and now I am babbling.... great."  She shakes her head and looks out the window as she somehow stopped the flow of nonsense coming from her mouth.

Luca leans over and kisses her to help stop her from rambling. 

"I know what you mean. but we are here time to get to work," he says to her sitting back up

The car pulls up to the gate leading into the docks. Charlie has a quick conversation with the guard and the guard waves them through. They pull into one of the warehouse's that Luca owns. When the car stops Charlie gets out and opens the doors, first for Marie and then for Luca. Outside the car, they were joined by several of Luca's men. 

A gentleman walks up to Charlie and then is led over to Luca and Marie. The man points to a warehouse near the edge of the complex. Luca issue the order with a nod of his head and his men rush off. After a few min and a few gunshots, Charlie comes back and tells them that the warehouse is clear but its empty. 

"Well either it hasn't shown up yet or its already gone," he says to Marie. 

The kiss actually did her a world of wonders.  Instantly her nerves were abated and she felt more clear headed.  When she got out of the car she was back to her old self again and ready for business.  She removed her coat and threw it back into the car before reaching back behind her to adjust her holster a bit.  She let Luca and his men work.  She did not need to interject herself into the action.   

When Luca told her what his men had reported she growled, "Damn.  Either way is not good.  If we were early than they know we know and will alter their plans.  If we are late than we have no idea where they have gone and what they plan to do.  Did they capture anyone that could give us any information?"