Isabella went into her apartment over looking Lake Huron.  It was a sparsely furnished place with almost no decor to speak of at all.  Near the phone a small black and white photo of her parents in their youth was framed is one of the only truly personal touches in this place that might as well be unlived in for how little it resembled anything close to an actual 'home.'

She walk to the kitchen and begins opening cupboards which are nearly empty, pulling out the parts to make a sandwich.  "I'm starving.  He can live a little while longer, surely we can spare the time to eat now?"  She noted Elias looking at the photo, "Hard to think of him that young and innocent isn't it?"

She laughed.  "My mother loved him desperately... right up until her death.  She asked me not to tell him how much she still held a candle for him, but I think she always prayed he'd find her and they'd figure out things somehow.  At the end of her life she didn't want to interfere with his happiness.  She prayed for him and Marie to have a long life and children."  She shook her head.

"She was the strongest person I ever knew... no mafioso could hold a a candle to that woman's steel."  She motioned to the bread.  "Can I make you one too?"

Elias made himself comfortable on Isabella's sofa, picking up and looking at the old, sun damaged photograph behind the glass frame...'Wow, Don Salvatore does look so young here - it's hard to imagine someone who is so ruthless and daunting to have a different side to them, although I'm not sure that side would even exist in the Don anymore. Maybe only to yourself & Marie. But I sure as hell know that nobody in our family has ever seen it.' 

As Isabella was rather sweetly waving a slice of bread around offering Elias a sandwich, he couldn't resist 'you know my dear I am SO hungry, I'd murder for one of your sandwiches, pardon the pun if you will, and please..come and join me here Izzy' as he patted the seat next to him - smiling..

Being in Isabella's apartment did feel strange, it was almost like a different life, he was in the company of someone he cared about, there she was fixing them both lunch, but all he could think about was what had happened only the other day, when they both planned to go out for breakfast, and ended up killing someone in cold blood. Would he ever be able to detach fully when at 'home' - did he want too? Wrestling with emotions once more, he waited for Isabella to come over with the sandwiches, maybe he'd feel better on a full stomach..

Bringing a plate of sandwiches over to the couch she sat beside Elias, barely letting her leg touch his, keenly aware of her actions and how she might lead him on without meaning to.  "It's part of the job.  It's necessary for him to be as he is if he's going to keep everyone he loves safe and one day... I suspect you'll be in a similar position."

She offered the plate in his direction.  "With so much to lose you almost have to invite a new person to be, like some men put on a work uniform, my father puts on this person every morning.  If he were to let anyone see that boy in the photograph, well... how could he ever be feared and respected as a Don?  I've been reading old journals my mother kept from some of her family and there were very kind women in her past who were involved in the mob... but they didn't put on masks for the world and it landed all of them in graves.  Some as well loved heroes of the people but at least one dying in questionable state of honor."

She shook her head.  "If I were ever to become a Don, I suppose it would change me too.  I wouldn't want to make the mistakes of my mother's relatives - better that I should be feared as my father and die by the gun I live with than to end up a victim of my own naivity; don't you think?"  She bit into her sandwich and waited for Elias' thoughts.

Elias allows Isabella to finish speaking before taking a break from his sandwich - 'these are fantastic, so fresh! Thank you so much' he said to her warmly, and smiled in her direction.. 'you know with Don Salvatore I understand what you're saying, and I completely get it. I mean - everyone has a life behind a closed door, but when we're in front of family, we do create almost a secondary personality, someone not necessarily who we are, but who we have to be. You know - to get the job done? To keep everyone safe, to run a city on a day-to-day basis. I know it can't be easy, and I don't envy the amount of pressure he is under for sure. It just makes me respect him even more, but not in a fearful way. He done what he done to me - because he protected you, he didn't want me getting the wrong idea - hell I didn't want to give you the wrong idea. He provided me with safety and for that, I genuinely do owe my life to him, no matter what, and no matter who..'

Elias continued before he saw Isabella not even eating her second sandwich, she just sat there staring at him, with those eyes that always managed to almost hypnotise Elias. He was fully aware he was almost on a tangent, but carried on none the less.

'My dear - what I saw from you the other day, cemented you in my mind as a Luciano - I've told you that already. I respect you a great deal, just as much as your father. His blood truly runs in your veins, and I'm genuinely happy to see your star shining so bright, and so quickly. One day you will be a Don, and when that day comes - and if I'm still alive to see it, will make me extremely proud to see you develop into such a strong and powerful woman.'

She looked down, embarrassed.  "My father is Don, so long as that's true I will never rise higher than I am and will be very happy for it."  She drew a deep breath and sighed.  "So... does that mean you have a personality you wear for the crew that's different than who you really are?"

'No my dear' said Elias as he linked his fingers into her hand. 'You've seen enough of me these past weeks, my good, my bad, and my lake soggy end!' Elias chuckled to himself as Isabella looked at him sternly 'look Izzy, I promise I'm over that! I just couldn't resist s'all'

'I'm not at the large presence in our world that I need to shield myself emotionally away, yes I have demons, dark emotional demons - but who doesn't right? Sometimes when I drink too much they jump out, I say & do things that with a rational mind I never would. But if you're asking do I have a different personality - no of course not. I am what I am, what you see, hear and feel.' He tapped on his head & heart to symbolise this and at this point Isabella heard a paper folding and questioned what it was - Elias pulled out the torn photograph that she'd given him a few days ago. He smiled at her and said 'I'll keep this with me always, who needs guardian angels anyway?'

"I don't know."  She squeezed his hand.  "I rather like mine."  Casually she unlinked her fingers from his.  "We should get to work, don't you think?"

She stood up and made her way to the phone.  "I guess I'll call him... tell him we need a ride and then when we're in the car we'll take over where we're going via gun point.  What do you think?"

'Yes absolutely - but don't you think it'll be weird that I'm with you? I mean how could we convince Don Salvatore's driver to pick you, and me up?' Elias puzzled and thinking of something on his feet... 'what if we made it look like something non family related? Maybe that we both needed a ride due to going to a party - we're both going to get crazy drunk, and will obviously be in no fit state to drive, and we need a chaperone!' 

Elias checked his revolver to count the bullets - 'yup all present and accounted for, you know what...this son of a bitch almost cost us our lives, and freedom..I'm not sure whether to explode his brains over the god damn windscreen, or torture him like a little girl until he squeals like a pig.'

"I want to cut out that wagging tongue of his while he can still see me do it and give the damn thing to my Dad as a gift.  I want to show him that I can handle things like this, that he can trust me with the dirty but necessary things that have to get done.  I want him to know, and word to get around, that I'm every bit of a mobster as my father."

She touched Elias' arm, "That you see my father in me is the greatest compliment anyone has ever paid me."  She kissed his cheek.  "Thank you for that."

She walked over to the phone and dialed, waiting for her father's driver to answer.

"Hey Antonio... I need a favor.  My car won't start and I need to bring Elias in to see my dad.  I don't suppose you could come by my place and pick us up?"

She smiled and said, "He's plenty drunk and I don't dare put him into a cab lest he run off at the mouth like an idiot about family business."

'I can't say I'm surprised that reason worked..I do seem to have a bit of a reputation in this world about being a hapless drunk, even if I've been sober for the past month. Ever since that eventful last, I haven't had a drop. But, that's not to say I won't in the near future once again!'

'But how can I pretend to be drunk? I've never had to pretend before, it always comes so naturally to me after two bottles of bourbon whiskey! I'd love to be drunk now, but then how am I going to finish off Antonio once you've removed that wagging tongue of his? I think it'll be best if I just stumble around a bit, and pretend to be sleeping in the back, and one we're out of sight and we've got the gun on him...then he's our bitch.'

The two of them waited together until Antonio arrived and came up stairs to 'help Elias down to the car.'  True to his word he was a very good stumbler, if she hadn't known better she would have thought he had been drinking again!

Antonio bore most of Elias' weight and she raced ahead a bit to open the car door for her companion.  

"You know your father is going to be pissed as hell when you show up with him like this, right?"

Isabella was shocked that the driver thought to say anything to her, normally he would have kept his mouth shut and just drove.  This out of character behavior only put her on edge more and affirmed that he wasn't all he seemed to be.

Isabella sat in the front beside the driver while Elias was laid across the back seat, affording him the ability to hide his actions while he readied a weapon and brought it up to take control of the driver.  As he pulled out into the street, Isabella sat calmly and waited for Elias to make his move.

They'd just began the journey to the Don's, when Elias - pretending to be passed out drunk in the back heard Isabella cough, this was the signal they had pre arranged to give each other, signalling the coast was clear, there was no danger in sight and Elias was now able to start the objective.

Elias pulled the trigger back on his revolver, the sound so unique, Antonio had already realised what Elias was doing in the back, just as he was about to turn around, Elias put the revolver against the back of Antonio's neck 'right you piece of shit, do exactly what I say, when exactly I say. I don't want any sudden moves here, you need to drive out of Detroit, we're taking a little detour before we visit Don Salvatore..and Miss Luciano, do not even think of trying to take over the situation here, no sudden moves 'as he slowly moved the revolver between the two of them.. this was a move Elias didn't want to tell Isabella, purely because the fear on her face would be unexpected, and genuine. Although she must know he would die before she was ever be harmed, he believed she would be aware of why he was involving her in this. If Antonio thought for a second Isabella was in on this too, her life would been in extreme danger, Elias was stuck in the back, albeit with a revolver, but still very isolated..he screamed at Antonio 'HURRY THE HELL UP, DRIVE GOD DAMN IT. YOU DON'T SLOW DOWN UNTIL I TELL YOU TO SLOW DOWN, AND KEEP YOUR GOD DAMN EYES ON THE FUCKIN' ROAD!!!'

She looked at Elias with absolute disbelief.  'What the fuck is he doing?!?'

Her mouth hung open, and she tried to puzzle out why he felt the need to do things this way.  "You're going to regret this."  She said calmly.  Of course she never really figured he was turning on her... more likely he was trying to show how tough he was or maybe protect her from the deed... but whatever his reasons, she wasn't lying when she said he was going to regret doing it.

"Do as he says."  She told the driver.  

Antonio, to his credit, nodded and put his eyes forward.  Out of Elias sight, she watched his hand work to get to a gun.  He'd have it by the time he stopped the car and if she wasn't ready, he was going to put hot lead into Elias for his troubles.  Of course, as Antonio coyly used his eyes to direct her attention to the weapon, he had no idea he was informing the woman who was going to undo all his fine planning.

It really was too bad he'd turned rat... he was damn resourceful.  'Such a waste.'

The car headed out of the city limits and the driver just as he was being instructed to do, things were going as smoothly as she could have ever hoped for... aside from Elias' strange take over of events.

Elias & Isabella got driven far out of Detroit by Antonio, almost 2 hours out of the city, there were completely in the suburbs, there were no businesses, no houses, no job...no people.. 'it's perfect' Elias thought to himself, before instructing Antonio to pull over..this was the spot where it was going to happen. 'GET OUT THE CAR, YOU SON OF A BITCH' he screamed at him. Antonio got out of the vehicle, as instructed so before almost collapsing on the floor in fear, he still had absolutely no idea what was going on, and why Elias had almost turned bad on both himself and Isabella. 

Isabella was also very calm, and collected in getting out of the vehicle, she knew in her heart of hearts that there was no way Elias had turned bad on her, especially after all of the promises he gave her. Although he could see she was absolutely furious with him, her dark brown eyes were stabbing him from 5 yards away.

Elias went up to Antonio, picked him up from the floor, and said 'you my friend, are in a whole world of shit, but rather than me deliver this message, it needs to come from a more, personnel source' and with that Elias looked towards Isabella and handed her his revolver..

Before Elias pulled Antonio out of the car she reached over and put her hand on his gun, "I've got you."  She said as the door came open and Elias ripped the driver out.  Calmly she exited putting Antonio's gun into her purse for safe keeping.

She made her way around the car to Elias and shook her head with regard to the gun.  "Keep it on him, if he runs, shoot his knees and we take him to my dad to deal with personally... he'll wish you'd killed him."  She reached into her purse, past the gun and pulled out her knife.  

"So,"  She smiled at Antonio.  "Here's how this works.  I'm going to give you a chance to tell me about your contact with the FBN Agent Gerard and any other information you think I might need to know.  If you give me enough information that I can seal up this leak permanently, then I'll leave you with a reminder of what fucking the Don over means... and that's the end of that."

She opened the knife, "If you leave anything out, however, or if I think you're lying then I'm going to cut you from left to right across your belly button and let your guts fall out on the ground where you can stare at them until you bleed out or animals come to eat what's left of you.  Ideally that will let any other mobsters in my father's employ know how he feels about gutless sacks of shit who rat him and the family out."

"Are we understanding one another?"  She asked him.

The man was sickly pale and nodded.  "Gerard approached me a month ago."  He admitted, looking down and away from her.  "He tells me he has me on some serious shit and I'm going to do time.  The last time I was in I fucking lost my damn mind.  The cops know that shit, knew I spent a long as run in the hole and I thought I was never getting out."  The man trembled slightly.  "I can't go back, Miss Luciano."

"And..."  She said prompting him to continue.

"He said if I helped him put your father out of business he'd get them to never bring charges on me."  He looked up at her pleading, "I never knew he was going to ask me to lie about you Miss Luciano.  You're a sweet girl, fuck you shouldn't even be with a monster like Lucky, you need to get out while you can."

Isabella back handed Antonio so hard his head cracked when it swung away from her.

"I'm sorry..."  He muttered.

"Never again tell me what I need to do.  Now... who else does Gerard have working for him?"

He wet his bloodied lip with his tongue.  "A cop from New York, someone you use to know.  I don't know his name."

"And?"

"No one else that I know of.  That's it."  She blinked.  "You're SURE."

He thought for a moment.  "I know he's been talking with other mafioso, but I don't know that anyone has taken him up on any deals."

"Like who?"  Elias chimed in.

Antonio looked at him, "A few families, mostly guys from Black Bottom."

"Black Bottom?"  Isabella said with disbelief.  "That's the Godfather's own district.  His people aren't working with the FBN.  You've got to be mistaken."

"I don't know."  He admitted.  "There's this gang over there, the headhunters.  Goombas the lot of them.  I swear to god that one of their guys was with Gerard when I came by one day."

"So no one who knows or is worth a damn."  She said, nodding, satisfied that the Godfather would NEVER work with Gerard to take down her father.  The thought of it was insane.  No made man would go after another made man using the feds.  It just wasn't done."

"Is that it?"  She asked him.

He nodded.  "I only told him about the guy at Ford.  I swear, I haven't had time to fucking see shit."

She sighed.  "That's good, if you had, then my father's price would have been the eyes that betrayed you."

He seemed relieved for an instant, but then it dawned on him what she was saying.  "Oh god no..."

"I really hate it when men fucking cry."  She said coming at him and grabbing a fist full of his hair, jerking his head backwards so he had to look into her eyes.  "If you fucking bite me, I'll take your teeth as my price for your ongoing stupidity."

He sobbed and then, surprisingly, the man timidly stuck out his tongue.  She could almost admire his courage, even as tears ran down his cheeks.  It was brave, but it meant he took her at her word.  She just wanted his tongue to make a point.

Grabbing his tongue between her forefinger and her thumb she was quick with the blade - GOD HOW IT BLED!  Antonio screamed and screamed but it wasn't the sort of sound that people made when they had a tongue, it was something she was sure she'd never forget.  Walking over to the car she put his tongue on the hood, pulled out a kerchief and wiped her fingers before wrapping the small bit of muscle up and tucking it into a small box she'd bought for just this purpose.

"Shoot his knees."  She said without looking back.  Elias didn't hesitate.  One shot.  Two.

She could hear the man scrambling in the leaves, trying to pull himself away with his arms.  She didn't look back but spoke loud enough he could hear.  "The tongue is for my dad, you betrayed him with it and now it will never do so again.  However... you got my men and Elias arrested... for my two men I've taken your knee caps."

She could hear Elias walking behind the man who was trying to crawl away futility.  Putting the box in her purse she then pulled out her compact to check her make up.

"His right hand."  She said next.  

A shot rang out and he made this inhuman howl, the scrambling stopped a he no longer had something to pull himself forward with.  

"Elias is my most trusted friend.  The man I trust at my right hand above all others and for him, you've now lost use of your favored hand as well."

She looked great.  She put her compact back in her purse and turned to walk over to them, pulling his own gun as she walked.  "But for betraying me, a fucking Luciano... I get the whole damn thing."  She pointed the gun at the back of his head and pulled the trigger.  This shot, she found, was far easier than the one she'd taken on Mattie the other day.  

Much easier.

As Elias & Isabella got back into the car Antonio was driving...both were extremely calm. It was the second execution in as many weeks, they made quite a good team, and Elias, although used to this line of work, had never done missions so close to Don Luciano before..let alone with the Dons daughter Isabella by his side. As the days went by, he could see her getting sucked deeper and deeper into the underworld. She was fearless, she was hell bent on revenge and causing destruction to anyone who got in her way. She wasn't put off by anything, anyone - or by getting her hands extremely bloodied with the sins of others..

Elias looked at Isabella as he started up the car, leaving a lifeless Antonio on the floor...'after everything we've been through, did you know that you've never once referred to me as your friend, nor a trusted one..that means a lot. Even if that came out before we were assassinating a dirty, vermin rat. I will always act as your right hand, and it would be my honour Miss Luciano'

Elias started driving back towards Detroit, heading for Don Salvatore's office so Isabella could personally deliver the rats tongue, and finally explain that what led events of two weeks past, was now over..once and for all. 

She looked over at Elias, his words hanging in the air between them in the quiet car.  She considered kissing him again.  They had kissed before, but she was afraid it wouldn't stop there - not now, not alone where no one could ever see or know what they'd done.  And for an instant she felt as though she might do that, but the thought of what would come next haunted her.

She couldn't imagine Elias not wanting to kiss her and hold her again, he couldn't let it be something they did just this once... she was sure of it, and she wasn't completely sure she could leave it there either and that would lead to only one place:  a shallow grave for Elias.

"Well,"  She said with a sad smile.  "You are my friend and I meant every word of it.  It's me who's honored to have you at my side."  She then turned away to look out the passenger window, lest he notice the longing she was feeling, staring out at him through her eyes.

They drove back to the city in silence, each keeping their thoughts closely guarded.  Only once they stopped in front of the Don's home did she look at him again.  "I'm sorry if I ever gave you a reason to think you don't have a place in my life."  She reached across the seat and let the tips of her fingers touch the back of his hand.  "It's just... we both have our place in this thing and, until I earn the respect I need to change it... we just have to do what we have to do; but..."  she let her index finger stroke his middle finger, "I will try to make sure you don't forget it going forward."

"Shall we go in?"

'I won't forget anything you say to me Izzy' Elias said to her playfully whilst looking straight back into her eyes closely, knowing that she would notice his pupils dilate ever so slightly. It was increasingly difficult for him to not grip onto her fingers, and just lose himself in the moment. But in that same breath, he snapped back into reality once more and agreed to go in and see Don Salvatore - with the gruesome news that had taken place earlier that day. 

Elias was still unsure exactly how he would be received. He was confused... on the last two occasions he was firstly warned off Isabella, and secondly beaten almost to death, because he was wrongly accused of being with Isabella. Although he still kept to his word of remaining by Isabella's side, ensuring no harm ever came to her, and teaching her day-by-day how to be an incredible gangster; powerful, independent woman, and he admired her greatly as to what she became. She used intuition, and initiative to get the job done, and the lessons she'd taught her previous two victims proved that she could love & kill a person..whilst tormenting another who dreamed of death in the end.. her bloodline ran evidently with Luciano blood, and now she was back in Detroit with the rest of the family, she would blossom even further, for everyone else to see..

As they walked up the stairs together, he put his hand around her side, pulled her close before whispering into her ear 'your father will be so proud of what you have done today..I am so proud of what you've done today.' 

As he told hold of her and pulled her to him, her breath caught.  She'd expected, to be kissed, wanted it... and was denied.  She could feel the humidity of his breath on her ear as he spoke, she exhaled audibly and her heart quickened - knowing her father was a short distance away on the other side of the door.  Death was just beyond the passage they stood at - certain and unapologetic and (perhaps stupidly) all she wanted to do was kiss him, be damned what happened next.

"I want you..." Her voice was a breathy whisper, "to know how much but that means to me."  She knew what she'd told him with her pause, but she knew that was impossible... for now.

She swallowed hard and smoothed out his shirt.  "We can't go in like this."  She whispered as she tried to shake out her look of desire, to cast aside all the emotions that had been building over their days and weeks spent together.  "He'll think you've broken the rules.  Maybe I should do this alone... I'll tell him you helped."

He nodded and stepped back respectfully.  "I'll see you around."  He said.

She forced a smile and watched his back until she couldn't see him anymore.  Then, she turned to knock on her father's office door.

Lucky was sitting at his desk going over some financials from his local rackets when he heard the knock on the door. He was not expecting anyone which was unusual because if someone stopped by his men would of let him know well before they got to his door. Lucky signaled for Tiny to answer the door while he reached for the sawed-off shotgun mounted to a swivel underneath his desk. He placed his hand on the handle and pointed it at the door. 

Lucky didn't think it was a threat he was sure if it was his men outside would have reacted but he was not one to take chances. He released his grip when the door opened and he saw Isabella standing there. 

Lucky smiled and stood up walking over to her kissing her on both cheeks before addressing her. 

"Did we have something planned that I forgot about?" He asked her. 

Lucky was pretty sure they didn't have anything planned but he had been so busy he wasn't positive.