Marie sat at her desk in her office going over the most recent financial paperwork for the family.  For the most part business was booming.  The protection racket was operating smoothly with nearly ever business owner in Southside 'hiring' their services, the unions had been brought in on the take, and the local politicians had received their campaign donations.  The only snag at the moment was the current Chief of Police.  Apparently the Chief's cousin use to be a bar owner in Southside and somehow died a few nights back.  The chief couldn't prove anything, but he was adamant in his belief that it had been one of her men and he was fit to be tied.

She had sent Rand to find Lucky.  As her left hand man she would let him take care of investigating the matter and hand out discipline as the situation warranted.  She had no doubt this meeting would be tense.  It would be the first time they had spoken since she had broken things off with him, but somehow they had to figure out what this new relationship of theirs was going to be like.  There was still work that needed to be done.

Stopping to pick up her glass of scotch she sipped the drink before putting it down and resuming her review.  Rumors were flying among the family and the associates.  It could not be helped.  They were a tight knit group who cared for each other.  Apparently, according to the rumors, Lucky had not been at Headquarters much... even when she had been in LA for a few days.  Yet his work was getting done.  She was willing to give him all the space he needed as long as the work was getting done. 

Lucky headed over to the HQ after Rand had told him that the boss wanted to see him. Lucky was puzzled as to what she needed to see him about as far as he knew there was nothing new or in need of his attention. Things with Cuba were going smoothly, he had the guys working the rackets and money was coming in. Although not in the HQ much lately he still ran things from his office in his bar, which was not unheard of. 

Walking in he passed several members in the HQ and he Shook AlbertEdwards's hand as he was the newest member of the family and headed up to Marie's office. Before entering he adjusted his tie before knocking on the door. 

Knocking was not something he normally would have done but things where different now so he waited for her to invite him in. 

"Don Marie Rand told me you needed to see me." he said before sitting in the chair across from her desk. 

The don's mouth twitched ever so slightly at the use of the formal title, but she did not say anything about it.  When Rand had closed the door behind him as he left, she got down to business.  I just had a visit from the chief of police, apparently he had a cousin that was murdered a few days ago and he believes it was one of our guys that did it."  She looked down at her desk to find the piece of paper that held her hand written scribbled notes, "A Harold somebody... owned the Green Mill Club."  She laid the note down and looked back up at him.

"I need you to find out what happened and if it was one of our guys.  The last thing we need is to get the Chief breathing down our necks right now."

"That's easy... It was me... I killed him." he said without really thinking about it. 

"He was a piece of shit and was causing problems for Kathleen. I fixed the problem and then got rid of him for good," he told her

Lucky was hoping that she would not ask any more questions or want details. He got what he needed from Harold but then Lucky made the decision to well make Harold pay severely and dearly. 

Marie blinked at how blase he was about the matter.  Keeping her emotions close, she asked him point blank, "Did you know of his relationship to the chief?"

Lucky noticed the boss getting serious toward him and could tell his last response went over like a lead balloon. 

"No, I did not. I went there to see him about getting Kathleen back the bar. She had made several offers and he flat out refused." he said trying to recall the details 

"Well I went in to see him... something about Fuck me and fuck Kathleen... I was really hungover so I don't really remember too much..." he stops when he realized he might have said to much detail.

"Well, I shot him in a kneecap then in the groin... He didn't like that... then Had him sign the paperwork..."

Lucky stops realizing he had to tell the end of the story... 

"Then we killed him a few hours later." 

Marie tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes as she tried to stay up with the story that Lucky was telling.  It was a bit difficult as the man was hopping from one things to another like a Texas Jack rabbit.  "Whoa wait... slow down... a few hours?"

Lucky cringed at Maries Question. He knew she would not like the next part. 

"I don't think you want those details... Just remember when Luca had to "Teach" you something?" he asked her hoping she would get the reference. 

Marie schooled her face at Lucky's words.  She knew what he was referring too and did not care for the memories that it brought to the surface.  "What intel were you trying to get him."  

"Nothing."

Marie sat back in her chair and for a long silent moment studied Lucky intently.  Sternly she asked the question that she was certain she knew the answer to, yet was in disbelief of it nonetheless.  "Why?"

Lucky cringed again when she asked the inevitable why. He knew it was coming and still was not wanting to hear it. It was time to come clean about a few things the don still did not know. 

Lucky stood up and walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey he kept there in case he ever needed a drink while in a meeting with the boss. He poured a glass then put the bottle away before taking a long drink. 

"With everything that had happened between me and you... the fucking Pisa vendetta shit... getting shot... I well needed to vent some anger and frustration. The man had to die anyway. I couldn't let a pissant like him live to take pop shots at me after the fact. So I used him as my target." he looked at Don Marie 

"and Yes we will get back to the Pisa thing in a minute." he said stopping her from asking the next question. 

"After we last spoke I went off and well got damn drunk... I mean waisted for like 4 days or so. It was a hell of a bender. And Kathleen came and..." stops trying to think of how to explain what happened

"distracted me," he said with a smile. 

"to help get me sober. Then I went to deal with her problem."

"What do you know about why Pisa family keeps attacking?" he asks

"With everything that had happened between me and you... the fucking Pisa vendetta shit... getting shot... I well needed to vent some anger and frustration. The man had to die anyway. I couldn't let a pissant like him live to take pop shots at me after the fact. So I used him as my target."

 Even hearing it from his own lips did little to dispell her unbelief.  She had never know this side of the man that stood before her.  It frightened her a bit.  It was one thing to do horrendous and horrible things when it was necessary.  To protect one's family often demanded one to do terrible things.  However, to torture a man for hours simply to make one feel better about them self?  Yet there was some acknowledgement of wrong doing.  Had it just been a situation of a man snapping in the moment?  Or was there a far more sinister darkness in the man's heart.

and Yes we will get back to the Pisa thing in a minute." he said stopping her from asking the next question. 

"After we last spoke I went off and well got damn drunk... I mean waisted for like 4 days or so. It was a hell of a bender. And Kathleen came and..." stops trying to think of how to explain what happened

"distracted me," he said with a smile. 

"to help get me sober. Then I went to deal with her problem."

It was obvious what he was implying.  Truth be told, Marie could care less who he slept with, but to smile... like that... to her!  Marie's anger flared within her and she wanted to smack that smile clean off his face and to give him a what's for dressing down like he had never seen, but she somehow managed to rein in her emotions and fortunately for Lucky he quickly moved on to another topic.  

"What do you know about why Pisa family keeps attacking?" he asks

With stone coldness she replied, "I know that they and my father are in a blood feud.  I know they were the ones to attack us in New York and then again at the track here in Chicago.  I assume that the blood feud has just spilled over here to the States now.  Though I have to admit it, it doesn't seem to make sense why they are coming after me.  As someone that is on track to become a Godmother shortly, surely I am not worth the political backlash it will create for them.  I pose little threat to their operations in Sicily, so my death would be nothing more than a revenge killing at best." 

Lucky could tell that his responses were not sitting well with the boss. He was not sure what to do about those issues so he decided to continue. 

"You are correct there is no reason that coming after you is worth the time, effort and cost." He tells her matching her tone. 

"They are not after you. They are after ME. Don Pisa wants me dead and he does not care about the cost." he tells her. 

Marie furrowed her brows in confusion.  Her anger momentarily displaced with puzzlement.  "You?  Why would they be after you?  I mean, yes you saved my father by taking the bullet that was meant for him; but that would not be worth the time, effort, or cost either."

Lucky sits and looks at Marie with a serious look. 

"That's not why. There is a lot of my time in Sicily that you don't know about. Things I was apart of and things I did." he says before pouring another drink and taking a moment to collect his thoughts. 

"I was responsible for deaths of Don Pisa Underboss, Consig, and a few of his Captains. But the reason he is after me is for the death of his son. I was ordered to send a message to Don Pisa but that I could not kill him, some crap about the Sicilian way and that we Americans wouldn't understand, so I arranged for him and his son to be kidnapped and then had Don Pisa bound to a chair before I dragged his son out and executed right in front him." he says before finishing his drink. 

Marie leaned forward and rested her forearms on the top of the desk.  "Damn..."  Now everything made sense.  Why they had to sneak him out of the country, why Marie had picked up the spy, why her father liked him.  "I think I need a drink," she said to herself softly reaching for her glass of scotch.  She downed what was left in her glass and then got up to go pour some of Lucky's whiskey into the now empty glassware.

"Lucky, you should have told me this before now."  Her words were not angry or accusatory, but were of deep concern.

Lucky poured himself another drink and took downed it before pouring another. His time in Sicily was not something he liked to reflect on. But that job was one that was not something he cared to ever remember doing. 

"I honestly just found out why they have been attacking. I thought like you at first that the thing in NY was not planned was just dumb luck. I reached out to some people in your fathers family and found out what was really going on. The Pisa family is in ruins in Sicily your fathers family controls most of what the Pisa family used too. Don Pisa is using what little he has left to come for me. That is why I stayed behind at the track. I knew they were there for me not you. And if, like I thought was going to happen, I died then it would be over." 

Marie stood and held her drink in her hand, but she did not drink it.  Just holding it seemed to help a bit.  

"We need to put extra men on you.  I will also assign a detail to guard your bar."  She raised a hand to stop his protest, "I know you have your own men, but you need more.  We will also put out the word to the family various contacts and see if we can get some intel that will put us ahead of them so we are not forced to merely react."

Lucky cannot help but chuckle at Marie. 

"All due respect Don Lucania I have enough men to keep me and my place safe. From what I have gathered they don't have the strength, money or influence to attack us here that's why they have always attacked when I was away. I have taken precautions to make that not an option." he says before taking a sip of his drink

"I have tickets purchased to multiple cities and different times with different routes so they would have to sit on every damn airport and hope they happen to see me. They won't catch me off guard again," he states matter of factly. 

"Fine if you think your men can secure your place I won't force the issue.  I will instead put more men on Kathleen.  If they are watching your place than she may be in danger and I can not let harm come to my new Right Hand Man."  She drank the whiskey she had been holding and then sat the glass down on her desk as she went to sit back down.  

"In the meantime I need you to fix this issue with the chief of police.  I need him to be willing to look the other way when it comes to our business dealing here in south side."  

Lucky nods in agreement with Marie on the protecting Kathleen. But he was a little shocked when she wanted him to go fix things with the Chief of Police but he will go and see him if she wants. 

"I will go and see the chief of Police," he says vaguely.