"Do you want me to stay?"  She asks.  "Belittling him in front of me might have the opposite effect of making him stand up and fight for me.  Men never handle that sort of thing well and, if I'm being really honest with you, I've had my fill of watching men break down this week.  If he were to cry over anything you did... I might shoot him without apology."  She smirks, clearly some of her dark humor is still lurking behind her confused mind.

"Yes, I want you here. I want him to know who saved his life," he said sitting down 

"Tiny and Junior go find him and get Elias here NOW.," he said to his two men. 

Lucky walks over and picks the chair he threw across the room and sits down to wait for Elias. 

"Elias did bring up one good point while we were in lock up though..."  She said thoughtfully as she went back to her non-bullet riddled chair.  "How the fuck did Gerard find out about McNally the Union Leader?  He knew too much about shit no one should have known."

"No one was there Dad... I swear to you. I wouldn't make a rookie mistake like that no matter how green I am to this.  I know who saw what.  It was just me, Tim, Tiny, and Nails.  Gerard said someone saw me and would testify but... it makes no damn sense how that could be.  Do you think we can get him to give us a name or to come clean on how he found out?"

Lucky sat and thought about that for a min. It was done in the plant there were many ways someone could have seen or could have been a good guess. 

"Well, he won't be a threat anymore. But you are right there has to be someway he found out. Could be he put it together after seeing you there. No one saw me so pointing that kill to me would be hard. Or there could be a rat. We will have to do some digging to find out." he said.

Lucky knew it wasn't one of his guys. They had seen enough to burry Lucky in prison sentences forever. 

Isabella nodded.  She supposed it was possible that Tiny or Tim might have been reporting to the FBN, but after all this time it seemed really unlikely.  And, if they had snitched, her father would have been the one they brought in.  That left Nails.  Neil was a simple minded fellow and everyone his his neighborhood knew him.  She thought for sure he was grateful to her and owed her his mother's very life - she never would have guessed such a sweet man could be anything but what he seemed.  

But what if he was?

The thought of it made her already weary heart even more sore.  To have failed in picking a bodyguard, to have picked a man who would turns state's evidence against her and the family, it was a failure she might never recover from.  And yet, he was a simple man... perhaps he'd been tricked?  She never should have brought him in.  She was already cursing herself for thinking he'd understand enough to keep his yap shut.  If he'd sold her down the river she'd never trust another soul quite the same way again.

Silently, she prayed she was wrong as they waited for Elias.

Elias had just came out of the Pretzel shop, wiping the crumbs away from his mouth when he saw Don Salvatores men approach him once again..it was a feeling of Deja Vu, however this time it was more expected than the last..'your presence is requested once more Consigliere, please can you come to the Dons office immediately..'

'Of course' said Elias, 'I'll be there in the next 10 minutes' and with that he got in a taxi and gave the destination to the driver.. 

Elias got to the family HQ, and headed upstairs to the Dons office straight away without delay, he knocked on the door before walking in, there he saw the Don standing over his desk with both hand palms leaning over, he bellowed for Elias to sit down in the chair, which Elias noted had bullet holes in it...bullet holes that weren't in the same chair a couple of days ago when Elias was last in the office.. It was at this moment that Elias checked to see if it was the same chair when he saw Isabella sitting down also, in the back of the office..Elias obviously knew this was going to be about what had happened in the evening when Isabella came to him..

'Don, please let me start by saying something...Isabella had no idea about our previous meeting, and my official request, to which we'd agreed couldn't and shouldn't happen.. I wanted to have this conversation with her last night, I planned to drink some dutch courage before telling her that family business had to come first, I served you and foremost before any other. I respected your decision, not that I agreed with it.'

Elias continued as he turned towards Isabella...

'My dear I've thoroughly enjoyed bumping into you time and time again...I asked your fathers permission to take you out, for the day or evening, but this was denied, and I promised him that I would keep you safe..we both know what happened in the cell, and I'm most pleased to see that you're out now... nothing makes me happier than to see you safe, and I must say you do still look exhausted from what's happened, and for that I apologise, and I'll have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life...

'Don't be so sure of that, you piece of shit' screamed the Don at Elias...I told you exactly what I expected, and . you've gone behind my back, you've betrayed me..I told you to keep my daughter safe, to protect her against the vermin that crawls our world. I fucking know you kissed outside the car when it pulled over, who the fuck do you think you are??'

Elias pondered his thoughts before replying, 'Don Salvatore, you only have what you saw through others eyes, I drank far too much for liking, I blacked out on two occasions, and barely remember the evening..but I do remember that I kissed Isabella, I knew after our meeting that it was the first and only time I'd be able to do it, as much as I feel for her, without your auth I won't ever proceed with taking her anywhere, I will always keep a close eye to keep her safe. But getting arrested and thrown in a cell was most unexpected, and that had nothing to do with me...maybe we've got someone working against us, close ranks?'

I understand how this looks, it looks like I've gone behind your back but it was anything but, I got myself in a drunken state, Isabella came to help me out, and it only confirmed why I've got feelings for her, I trusted my gut..I knew she's a good person, and if I have to work with heartbreak for the rest of my days. I will, but I can tell you now for damn sure, I will earn your respect, and what you believe happened....did, but it was under completely different circumstances. I let my emotions toll my head, but Isabella wasn't aware of our chat, I was going to explain all to her that night...about my feelings...why I'd felt the way I did...but that unfortunately I had a job to do before anything and anyone, and even she couldn't come before it...no matter how hard I would find it. But you said those two words to me ...'for now' and one day, when the time is right, I will ask you again. But not before I've proved that I can work my ass off for the family, and die before I'd let any harm come to a strand of hair on her head.'

Lucky stood and listened as the man graveled. He couldn't stand it anymore and signaled his men to grab Elias and put him in the chair. Watching as his men forced Elias to sit Lucky walked over to him without saying a word and pulled his revolver from his pocket, He placed the cold steel of the barrel to the mans forehead and cocked the hammer back. 

"I told you this would be the last thing you saw if you failed me." he said with no emotion. 

Lucky slowly squeezed the trigger.. "CLICK" is what is heard as the hammer slams home on an empty chamber. 

"She is a great person and she is the only reason you are still breathing." He says 

Lucky flipped the pistol in his hand and brought it down hard across Elias's head knocking him unconcious. 

"GET HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT." he ordered his men 

Lucky walked over to Isabella as Elias was being hauled out of the office. 

"I hope your right about him Isabella. There will be no saving him a second time." he says before kissing her on the forehead and walking out of the building. 

Isabella wince as the blow knocked Elias out.  She sighs as her father says there will not be a second time for him, but she nods her agreement to her father's words so he knows she understands (albeit she certainly didn't agree.)

Elias was clearly a talker when he was in trouble - she'd have to find  a way to talk to him about what Joli told her regarding trouble and running at the mouth.  Certainly it had served her quite well.   

"Thank you, Daddy."  She said to her father after his lips left her forehead.  Turning she followed the bodyguards out of the room to make sure that Elias was put somewhere comfortable to sleep off Lucky's disappointment.