Luca had been grinding since they came to LA, for the most part doing jobs for others and then as Adorkables LHM. He had worked hard and moved through the ranks just as Marie had done. Then when they had arranged for all charges to be dropped @RomanReigns had promoted Marie to a crew leader and he became her RHM. He was proud of her and what they had accomplished they had made a name for themselves and now would start to reap the benefits from it, But Luca needed to do something he wanted to do a job that would get them paid and also give them some more recognition as well as a bit of fun. 

Luca had spent weeks planning a kidnapping job. He had reached out and made contacts, sent people to watch and follow the target until they knew when he was most vulnerable and when is best to make a move. It took weeks of work and on more than one occasion he had to switch out men for fear of them being noticed and the plan would be dead before they could get it even started. What he was planning could become very dangerous if it was not done correctly. 

Luca arranged a flight to LV for Marie and him and when they landed he drove her to the hotel. Once in the hotel, they unpacked and he finally started to tell her the details of his plan. 

"We are here for a kidnap and ransom," he told her

"The target is apart of the Tower family here in Vegas. I am very sure they will pay well for their return," he says with a smirk. 

Luca smiled at his wife. He knew this was the trickiest part of the whole job. He knew once she got all the info of the job she would have no problem with it but he was doing it for fun... so he decided to make her sweat some before he laid out all of the details. 

"Her husband won't be harmed, and it will pay big when its all said and done," he told her. 

Marie put her hands on her hips, "Luca!"  Her voice was stern.  "Just what do you mean her husband will not be harmed?  What are you planning to do with Tony?"

Luca looked at Marie with a straight face not giving anything up. 

"The plan is to grab and go. Send Frankie a memento with ransom demand and get paid. As long as Tony goes along with it he wont be hurt." he tells her

Luca turned and packed up some gear and loaded it into a bag. Before turning to Marie. 

"Its time to go," he said to her leading the way down to a van in the parking lot of the Hotel. 

Marie crossed her arms and planted herself firmly where she stood. "Sal Lucania you are going to tell me right now and right here what it is that you have going on in that head of yours."  She would have used his middle name in that moment if he had one.  She was going to find out what the hell was going on here even if it meant throwing down the I am the leader of this crime family card.  She did not want to do that, but he was not leaving her with many options in his play at being coy.

Luca looked at her all serious and getting angrier and angrier and he could not help but start to laugh. He laughed so hard he could barely stand, he dropped the bag and braced himself against the wall with his hand. 

"The GOAT" is all he could manage to say through his laughter. 

Marie stood in stunned silence for a moment until she finally realized what he was saying.  "The goat?!? You plan to kidnap the goat?"  She began to hit her husband in the shoulder repeatedly with her fist which made him laugh all the more.  "What the hell does the goat have to do with Tony?"  She had to admit it was funny as hell and she started laughing too.

Luca stood there and laughed, he was gasping for air, he could not catch his breath he was laughing too hard. After a few minutes, he managed to calm down enough to speak again. 

"Well, Tony is the inside man. HE HATES that damn goat and is going to help us get it," he said to her. 

"He is going to take it for a walk and that's where we are going to grab it."

Marie laughed and shook her head, "I assume you have a ransom note already?  Are we suppose to do something that makes it look like Tony wasn't involved?"

She began to brush and straighten her clothing after the "attack" on her husband.

Luca turns and grabs a nice box, opens it and reveals the contents. Inside was a note. 

"yes along with the diamond collar the goat wears. I think that will be proof. we will surround Tony and take the goat by force. So that he doesn't look apart of it." he tells her putting the box away. 

Marie nodded.  "With me being there, Tony will know that the goat is not in any real danger and he will get a few days of relief from the bugger being around."

Marie was no strangers to goats.  They were everywhere back home where she grew up.  The buggers were always creating mischief.  She could understand why Tony would dislike the animal.  

"Ok let's do this."  She grinned. 

Luca and Marie headed out and got in the van. He had arranged for a few more men to ride in a separate car and head out towards the Headquarters of the Tower. 

They pulled up and parked and waited. Tony was late and Luca began to wonder if the man backed out of the arrangement. Then he spotted him walking with the goat and Luca waited till he got close. They had to do this quick and get out of Vegas before all hell broke loose. Once Tony had walked past the van they sprang the trap. They all jumped out and pulled weapons on Tony not giving him a chance to react, then two men grabbed the goat and through into the van then walked back and handed the Diamond collar to Luca. 

The jumped back into the vehicles and sped off. Luca pulled up to a police officer and handed him the box, now containing the note and the collar along with an envelope of cash. 

"Make sure you give this directly to @Frankie-Messina and no one else," he told the cop. 

Then they drove off. Luca turned to Marie once they had crossed the Vegas boarder. 

"Well, that went well. Now the note is asking for 5 million dollar ransom," he told her. 

"I've got to have everything just so."  She told Matty and SullivanBlack as she made her way down the street.  Bodyguards watched from a safe distance as she and some of her crew members walked the streets of Summerlin.  "A family dinner of this nature is no small thing.  Heathro -"  She looked over to the newest of her Made Men. 

"You know the butcher on 7th Avenue?  Maybe you could see about him getting us some really good cuts of meat and Allera why don't you see if we've got anyone on the payroll who can get me some proper wine.  None of this bathtub made swill we normally suffer with."

A cop car slowed down as it approached the group of them.  Hands went to guns, but it turned out to be less dangerous than they feared as the cop parked and came out with a gift box in his hands - not his iron.  "Frankie Messina?"  He asked.

"Mrs. DiCaprio." she corrected, still standing ready for anything.

"I was asked to give you this package."  The cop brought her the box.  Heathro tried to take it, an effort to protect her from it's contents, but the cop insisted.  "I have to give it directly to her."

Frankie was annoyed but nodded, knowing the copper would be a fool to try anything in the middle of a street in broad daylight.  Of course, the second she put hands on the box the cop made for his car.  Frankie opened the box and found a pink collar inside, diamond studded... Uffa's collar!

Her eyes went wide.  The cop car started up and peeled away.  Several of her people looked prepared to give chase, Frankie opened the letter and read.
 

We have your goat.

If you ever want to see her, outside of a mutton sandwich, you will bring $5,000,000 to the rail station on Prescott and Main here in Summerlin.  You will purchase a locker there, #1152 and put the cash inside, then walk away.  Once we have the money your goat will be dropped off at a safe location.  You will be contacted and told where to find her.

If you do not comply, we have a butcher on call and your goat will be returned to you between two slices of rye.
 

Frankie's face falls she reaches for Heathro's hand and says to him urgently,  "Take Allera - head back to headquarters, he and the goat would have been near there.  Find Tony... make sure my husband is okay!"  She says with no small bit of fear in her tone.  TonyDicaprio was a dangerous man.  Even with his guard down walking a goat he found utterly annoying.  If someone got her goat, then there were only two ways that could have happened and neither of them made her very happy. 

She turns to look at Sully, "If something happened to him..." she let her voice trail off.  She picked up Uffa's collar and looked at it sadly.  Matty touched her arm gently as if to console her.  "The fucking idiots!"  Frankie cursed.

"Idiots?" Sully asked.

"Mutton is sheep... not goat."  She sighs.  "Sully, get the cash together.  I'm not letting Uffa go out of this life served with a pickle and a side of coleslaw.  Whoever has done this to us is going to pay dearly."

Without hesitation Heathro took stride. The Tower was only a few blocks away he knew it would be best reached on foot, he had hoped Allera could keep up but didn't take much thought; Tony was the main concern. 

Heathro finally reaches the steps of the tower and storms up them as quickly as possible upon entering he find's Tony in a ... CALM MOOD??? 

"Tony!! are you okay, what just happened?" Knowing full well Tony can handle nearly any situation thrown at him Heathro still likes to make sure no matter what the circumstance.

Heathro continues before even waiting for a reply:" We have just received a letter from a seemingly corrupt officer that Uffa has been kidnapped!! They're requesting $5 Million In cash or she's as good as dog tucka'.

"I say we think this through but we should not offer up one cent, that just opens us up to more reoccurring ransoms. Frankie shall be back any moment I'd assume.. Me and you both know how she feels about that meddling goat, whom ever took Uffa may have just lifted a burden from us." Heathro smirks

"Anyhow I'll go round up some foot solider's and get back to you".

Tony nodds In agreement

Heathro then sets off to bring together a small mob of trust worthy hitters'

Luca had spies in LV and they had reported that it looked like they were not going to pay, instead, it looked like they were going to put a squad together to get the damn goat back. So he had an idea to play on this and force them to get moving in the right direction. He went down to the local deli and picked up a jar of pickles and a nice big side of coleslaw. He packed it all into a box with a few slices of Rye bread to send the point home and a note that simply says "Tick Tock". 

Luca then takes it and gives it to a package boy to have delieverd to Frankie-Messina. 

Frankie threw the pickle jar at the wall, shattering it and scattering it's contents all over her office floor. "I CAN NOT BELIEVE THIS SHIT!"  She roared, stomping her foot like a child in the middle of a temper tantrum.  She hadn't said one word to husband since finding he was largely unharmed after being 'jumped' and 'losing' her goat.  

She was furious beyond words that one part of her crew was in support of paying the ransom for a goat that never should have been taken in the first place, while another part wanted to go out and shed blood in the streets over something as stupid as a goat, and still another could care less that they'd been made fools of - instead they were actually glad Uffa was gone!  She put a hand into her long dark raven locks and pushed it up off her face.

She slowly calmed herself down.  "We look like idiots."  She muttered to no one in particular.  "We couldn't even keep a fucking goat safe in our own god damn city... whether we pay the ransom or not we're going to look fools!  So, if it's all the same to everyone else here..."  She flopped into her office chair.  "I'd like my pet back." 

She blinked back her tears and crossed her arms in front of her chest, she didn't dare look at Tony right now she might lose all sense of herself and open up on him like she use to as a little girl.

"Take the money to the damn rail station..." she said to her associates who were gathered to watch the spectacle of her Sicilian temper.  "Just pay the bastards."  Her nostrils flare out as she huffs her breath.  "But I want someone watching the drop point.  When the fuckers come for their ill gotten gains... I want a name.  I want a name so we can return the favor of this embarrassment.  DO NOT confront them at the station.  Let them enjoy this cash while they can because fair turn about is going to be a bitch!"

She muttered softly, so that only those nearest to her could hear; her eyes finally looking in Tony's direction, "And they'd better not hurt my goat or I'm cutting my bed in half as soon as I get home."

A man sat reading a newspaper just down the way from the lockers.  He had been there a good long while.  Had anyone been paying attention they would have noticed that after 6 hours he was still reading the same newsprint. A movement near the lockers caught the man's eyes and he looked up just enough to observe over the top of the newspaper.  He watched as a man opened the correct locker and put a bag in.  Johnathan's eyes followed the man as he made his way back out of the station and out of sight.  Next he scanned the crowd, still while trying to look like he was reading.  He was looking for anything that might indicate that someone else was watching the lockers.  Marie had given him a description of some of Frankie's men, but she did not know all of them and nobody seemed to stick out as being suspicious.

This is how man like me gets shot.  I don't get paid well enough to take these kind of risks, he thought to himself.  The fact of the matter was that he did get paid quite well.  Sal Lucania paid him handsomely to guard his wife and now that she was a brand new spanking CL in LA certain people where starting to know him and see the work he was doing or at least making note of who he protected. 

Finally getting up the nerve he put the paper in his briefcase and stood up.  Walking to the locker he opened #1152 and pulled the bag out.  He glanced around to see if anyone was watching him and then he quickly left the station walking.

Luca placed the new collar around the goat's neck. It was a black leather collar with an LA tag hanging down that had LCF engraved on the back of it. Luca decided that a hint as to who did this was in order since taking another family mascot came with well-deserved bragging rites. He loaded the goat into the back of a truck with the driver being instructed to take it straight to the Tower HQ in Vegas. 

They had received the money earlier in the day and now it was time to get this damn goat the hell out of here before Luca decided to put a bullet in it. He was glad to be rid of the monster especially after it ate the envelope they had for RomanReigns. He still didn't know how the Godfather was going to take the excuse of the goat ate our taxes. 

The little goat came prancing into the room as if she'd had a GREAT day and knew nothing of her harrowing brush with becoming a deli lunch.  Frankie knelt down and opened her arms, the goat came right for her and she hugged it tight, kissing it's little furry head as it's tiny tail wiggled out of control.

"Sei a casa ora."  She said to the goat. "Sei al sicuro."

The goat made high bitched bleats and danced a bit in her arms.  Frankie looked at it with absolute love.  It wasn't the original Uffa.  Nothing ever would be... hell it wasn't even the same Uffa that Tony bought her here in Vegas - the crew thought she didn't know one goat from the next like some manner of idiot... but she did.  Each goat, like a person, had it's own ticks and personality.  It wasn't really about a certain goat... not that she'd ever tell any of her crew that; she liked watching them scramble to keep her in the dark.  It brought them together in a way.  Working to keep her happy and unaware of their missteps.  That sort of unifying activity couldn't be bought, if she looked a little airheaded for that - so be it.

She kissed the goat on the forehead between it's eyes.  For Frankie, it was about having some small bit of her home with her.  The goat was who her family was at it's heart.  In a way, the goat was a symbol of Tony's love for her... of her mother's love and devotion to her father... of her grandfather's love for his son... and the simple roots from which she came.  She knew the goat was a pain in the ass, hence it's name; but just because something was hard didn't mean you walked away from it.

Finally satisfied her goat was safe, she looked at the collar.  For a long moment she sat quietly petting Uffa - a focused and serious expression on her face before something dawned on her.  She shook her head and chuckled.  Eventually, the chuckle became a full belly laugh.  She allowed herself to look up to Tony who was sitting on the couch smirking at her.  No doubt he was wondering how long it would take her to figure out that he'd allowed her cousin's people to take the goat without shooting them because... well... she was family.

She shook her head as she brought her laughter under control.  "Non pensare di essere fuori dai guai, signore." She cautioned Tony as she stood up, took the collar off the goat, and went to her desk.

"You know who it was?"  Sully asked.

"Oh yes."

"So no harm?  No foul? We're just writing off the $5,000,000?"

Frankie shook her head 'no' to Sully's question.  "On the contrary... I'm getting every penny back and then some."  She pulled out a little black book full of her most sensitive contact numbers she had.  She spun the rotary a bunch of times, entering a phone number that was CLEARLY not local.  The room was silent as Frankie put the phone to her ear. 

"Hello Syndicate - it's Frankie.  Listen... I need to head up to LA this week in order to handle some personal business; any chance I could interest your people in helping me out?"  She paused. 

"I need some information.  To get it, I'm gonna need eyes that won't get noticed as being out of place.  If my guys head up there and start nosing around... well, they'd be spotted in a second flat and I'd be done before I could begin.  I can't have that."  Another pause. 

"No.  It's nothing like that.  Nothing sinister, of course... just a friendly rivalry.  I can fill you in on all the details over drinks if you like?"  Frankie laughed.  "Well, as I'm already out a ridiculous amount of cash, at this point it's a matter of pride that I'm successful.  So... yes... I promise that I'll make it worth your time to get involved.  What do you say?  Be a sport and help a gal get some payback for a few laughs and a tidy profit?"