The best part about New York City, in Madeline’s opinion at least, was how easy it was to just disappear. There were millions of people living across the five boroughs, and Manhattan was the center of it all. Thousands of people walking the streets, everyone having somewhere to go and something to do. It was one of the fastest growing cities in the nation and she loved living there.

Typically, she stayed in the slummier parts of town, keeping to the crime-ridden streets where she did her work. The New York Police Department was as corrupt as it could be and so it was easy enough to pay them off and keep a couple men under her thumb at all times, at least in her neighborhood. She felt that the people there were real; they had one purpose and that was to survive. Everything they did was in the quest for food, supplies, money. They had ambition but they also knew how to be real with each other.

Still, occasionally she liked to dress up and head into the ritzy parts of town, the places where the rich liked to dine and relax. Her personality was fluid and she never seemed out of place – after all, in a different life, she had learned how to fit in with these sorts of people. It was amazing to her how opposite the two sides of the city could be; but money really did make the world go round, she had learned that a long time ago. Things here were bright, clean and glitzy, not like the drab brown that dominated her neighborhood. But while the diamonds and gold that draped the people here might be real, the people themselves were fake.

Besides, if one learned to be observant, they would see that the crime world was everywhere. Not just in the slums where the thugs and gangsters lived, but even here, among those who thought they were above such things. After all, would a Don or Godfather walk her neighborhood? Or would they do their business here, where the silver was shined and their safety was more assured?

Madeline liked to people watch. She would go to a restaurant and watch, taking guesses at which men were out with their mistresses instead of their wives, which women were secretly unhappy in their marriages, which couples were putting on fake airs, trying to outdo the couple sitting across from them while secretly being broke. She liked to guess what men were making business deals, legitimate or not. There was so much you could learn about human behavior if you simply observed.

That’s what she was doing tonight. Dressed in a little black dress, sitting at the bar of a ritzy hotel in Times Square, Madeline was sipping a glass of wine and watching. She's already made up a handful of stories of varies people she had seen coming and going, and she had a clear view of the dining room from where she was sitting. She'd do this for a few hours before heading home; she might even lift some jewels or wallets before leaving, she hadn't decided yet. Who knew what the night would bring? 

Manhattan was bustling, as usual. Tara and Gavin had been crisscrossing the country incessantly for the last week, and they'd reunited in New York to catch each other up prior to returning to Philadelphia. Well, Tara was trying to catch up on business.

"And the meeting with Joseph Ligambi went well? Organized by this... DiVasio woman? Your acquaintance?"

"Yeah, it went great."

"And the meeting with Los Angeles?"

"Went fine. Look, we've been doing business for a week. You really want to talk about this stuff right now?"

"Gavin, we sit at the right hand of Jack Mezzo. It's important that we debrief each other to ensure we're on the same page."

Gavin slunk down in his chair, sighing. Tara seemed to sense that further discussion would have to wait. She leaned back in her chair and rested his hands in her lap, fighting exasperation.

"Okay, Gavin, what you would rather do?"

"That blonde. Right there. Three times. Once for me. Once for her. Once for the memories."

"Crude."

"Maybe, but honest... you never have fun, Tara."

"Business is fun."

"Business is not fucking fun. They even ask you when you're going somewhere whether you're going for business or pleasure. Because they are opposite goddamn things."

"Well, it's fun for me. I enjoy working with Jack."

"Okay. Well you sit here and have fun working. I'm going to go talk to that dirty blonde whose legs stretch into New Jersey."

"Gavin Byrne, just because a woman is wearing a shorter dress doesn't mean you can assume she's dir-"

"Her hair color. Christ. You need a drink tonight. Or four. I'll be back."

Gavin stood up lithely and started snaking his way through the crowd toward the dirty blonde. As he moved, he watched her eyes. You could learn a lot from what a woman spent their time looking at. This woman seemed to be watching the crowd with interest, scoping out individual people. He recognized her behavior as something he did consistently as well. With a smirk on his face and a gleam in his blue eyes, he leaned on the bar next to the woman, waiting for the bartender to approach him. He looked forward first, pretending to scan the bottles, before turning his attention to the woman next to him and resting his elbow on the bar.

"Never gets old, does it? Being the wolf among the sheep?"

Of course she noticed the man who leaned on the bar near her, pretending to be more interested in the drinks than anything else. Madeline was no stranger to men approaching her on a night like this; after all, she was a single woman sitting at a bar. In all honesty, it was part of the appeal of coming here and she couldn’t deny that on some nights she didn’t go back home until morning.

He took the time to order a drink first before he turned his attention to her. She’d seen him interacting with a pretty young woman earlier; they’d seemed familiar with each other, so she was surprised that he approached her. His question was intriguing, causing her to chuckle softly.

“I prefer tigers, truthfully. Far more elegant animals.” She smirked, letting her light green eyes meet his. “But no, to your point. It doesn’t. There's nothing like watching people who really have no idea what is happening at the table right next to them. Everyone so caught up in their own world that they can't imagine something bigger might be lurking just out of their reach.”

Gavin grinned.

"No, these people have no idea. Because they're not like us, are they? And a tiger? I can see it. More grace than a wolf. More power. And while wolves only have their teeth, tigers have more variety in how they can take you down. But tigers... more lonely, perhaps? At least the wolves can run in their pack. Still, you have a fine choice in predators, Miss...?"

Fishing for a name, Gavin was interrupted by the bartender's arrival; he glanced back at his new acquaintance.

"And what are you drinking tonight? I'll have three."

Madeline noticed that he'd used the word us, meaning he saw himself as a predator as well, which she found interesting. Still, his comparison between the two animals brought a smile to her face, and she had to admit she was a little impressed at his descriptions. 

"You can see them as lonely. I prefer to see them as independent. They choose their company, but they don't need others to feel complete." 

The bartender approached and the man asked her what she was drinking. She glanced at her almost empty wine glass and smirked. "It would be amusing to try and watch you drink three glasses of wine all at once. One in each hand and the third would be....?" She left the question open, grinning as she finished what was in her glass. 

"My name, by the way, is Madeline. And you are?"

"Around you, Miss Madeline. I could find a place for the third glass. I'm quite resourceful when properly motivated."

Gavin continued to grin; it seemed like his default setting was a sardonic smile. Or perhaps that was just the company he was keeping. 

"And the name's Gavin. Gavin Byrne. Regarding the drinks: one for me, one for you, and one for my sister."

He slid one glass over to Madeline.

"Pinot noir. You seem to have excellent taste. I can run and drop this other glass off and return, if you'd like? Or, if you'd prefer, please feel free to join my sister and I. We have a private booth in the corner- excellent for people watching. She will, I have no doubt, be leaving shortly. Almost past her bedtime."

Gavin checked his watch nonchalantly.

"Whereas I woke two hours ago in search of adventure." 

Madeline grinned at his first comments about how he could find a place for the third glass. She liked his level of sarcasm, it seemed to match her own – witty, with a slight undertone, but not too rude.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Byrne,” she said as she picked up the glass he slid over towards her. When he mentioned that the third glass was for his sister, it made sense. So she wasn’t wrong to think that they were close but it was just a different kind of close than she had assumed.

“It seems silly to make you go back and forth; I’d be happy to meet your sister, assuming you tell me about kind of adventure you happen to be in search for. I just might be able to help you; the city is my home after all.”

Sliding from the stool she had been sitting on, she picked up her glass and motioned for him to lead the way. “Of course, something tells me that your sister is the kind of woman who wouldn’t like being sent off to bed by her brother. What if she wants to join in the adventure?”

Gavin couldn't help but glance for a few moments as Madeline stood up, revealing her to be the tallest woman Gavin had ever seen. He topped out at 5"9', 5"10 on a good day. Still, they were roughly at eye level. He smiled to himself, trying to plan out how they might line up with each other. Soon, he was leading her through the crowd toward his booth, a wine glass in each hand. As they walked, he spoke over his shoulder.

"I don't get too picky when it comes to adventure, Madeline. I wouldn't mind a tour of the city later, if that's what you're proposing. I also wouldn't mind a little action of any sort."

He halted, blocked by a stocky man who didn't seem to know where he was going. Momentarily halted, Gavin used his long fingers to hold two glasses in one hand; with the glasses slightly tilted, he was able to pull it off. Reaching backwards with his empty hand without looking, he took one of Madeline's hands and led her around the obstacle as the booth came into sight. At the comments about his sister, Gavin chuckled. After a few moments, he halted and leaned against an empty spot on the wall, gesturing with the wine glasses, now with one in each hand.

"She's a workaholic. Not saying she's never had any adventures... but she likes to plan her adventures. And plan. And plan. But me? I'm a leaf on the wind, ready to blown in any direction you desire."

He grinned as they started moving again. Reaching the booth, he placed the glass he'd already consumed a third of in front of his sister.

"If you'll excuse the metaphor. Tara, this is Madeline. Madeline, Tara. Madeline will be joining us for some practiced people watching."

Tara laced her hands as she waited for her brother. God, he could be so frustrating sometimes. The worst thing is that he wasn't totally wrong. She'd been working much too hard, with far too much on her plate to leave any time for fun. It was just easy to fall in the habit of diving into paperwork.

Oh, I'll just pop in and do 15 minutes of work... and then that would turn into two or three hours. 

She sighed, wishing she had a drink in front of her- then she smiled. Gavin didn't know what she'd brought back from Seattle in her meeting with Chelsea Uccello. God, if he knew she had marijuana he'd probably... shit a brick? Whatever the right expression was. Not that she could be too proud of herself; she still hadn't smoked any of it.

Then again, the fact that one is working so hard that narcotics were introduced an attractive option for sleep may not necessarily inspire jealously.

Looking over her shoulder, Tara saw Gavin chatting up a beautiful woman at the bar. In fact, Tara did a double take when she saw the woman in question. Gavin was good with women, but this woman in particular looked like she should be chiseled out of marble in a museum somewhere. She tried to keep herself from sighing as Gavin headed back, with the woman in tow. Oh goody, he's made a friend.

Tara hoped that she gave off the desired impression: an attractive, serious woman in her mid twenties. Tucking a rogue strand of chestnut brown hair behind her ear, she smiled at the newcomer and spoke.

"Good evening; I'm Tara Byrne, and I apologize in advance for my brother."

He seemed startled when she stood up, which wasn’t anything new to her. Madeline was above average height for a woman and she loved it. When she was younger she’d been self-conscious about it, but eventually, she came to realize there was nothing wrong with her but instead it was other people’s insecurities that caused them to take issue with her height.

His comment about finding a little action, of any sort, caused her to laugh. This was New York City, after all, so she could find any level of action, from some easy to handle robberies to actual murder, if that was more his kind of thing.

The room was growing more crowded – the side effect of it being a Friday night in a popular part of town. They were stopped by people crossing every which way, though he seemed to handle the crowds with ease, even taking an opportunity to sip from one of the glasses he was holding. When he reached back and took her free hand, perhaps as a way not to lose her in the crowd, she raised an eyebrow.

He stopped when they were close to their destination and he motioned to his sister while he explained a bit about her personality. Madeline wasn’t much of a planner herself, not these days at least. She much preferred to live life in the moment, but she didn’t fault the other woman for preferring to have things under control.

“To be fair,” Madeline said, while they stood still for those few moments, “It’s often women like your sister who save the day when people like us get blown in the wrong direction without a plan b.”

When they approached the booth, Gavin introduced her to Tara and vice versa. His sister was a pretty woman, although rather serious looking. Still, her comment made Madeline laugh. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tara. But really, I think I should be apologizing to you, it seems I stole your date for the evening.”

Madeline was an only child and she had married an only child so she had no real experience with a sibling relationship, which meant she wasn’t really sure what to expect between these two. She'd always wanted brothers and sisters; to Madeline, it seemed that siblings were your one true friends, no matter what. Then again, it was probably for the best that she didn't have any, as she'd have lost contact with them long ago or risk dragging them into her mess. 

She shook the thought from her mind, smiling at Tara and motioning towards the booth. Although Gavin had invited her, she didn't want to impose on the other woman, so her voice was genuine when she asked: "Do you mind?"

Gavin shrugged noncommitaly about his sister saving the day. Maybe it'd happened a few times, but that didn't mean he liked to admit it. When they returned to the table, Gavin started to answer first before Tara cut him off with a look- she was still the only person who could do that. She waited a moment before speaking.

"No need to apologize to me, and I don't mind your company at all. My brother and I were trying, and largely failing, to discuss some business with each other- but the time and place seem to make that a futile endeavor. I'd actually enjoy spending some time with another woman; it's relatively rare in our line of work. Sometimes it seems like I spend all my waking hours herding men."

Gavin, suddenly wishing he'd taken Madeline to the other side of the bar, tried to speak, but Tara jumped in first.

"So tell me, Madeline... What sort of business are you in?"

Madeline chuckled quietly at Tara’s statement, nodding in agreement as she slid into the booth. “Tell me about it. No organization, no planning, just flying by the seat of their pants?” Of course, that could also be describing Madeline herself but she wasn’t going to tell this nice woman that – she much preferred to make a new friend. Although to be fair to herself, Madeline was very different at work then she was in her personal life. She planned her jobs rather thoroughly, although not always successfully. Like the bank job she’d done recently that hadn’t gone quite as planned.

Coming back to the present, Madeline sipped her wine while thinking of an answer to Tara’s question. “My business is…people watching.” Which wasn’t all that far from the truth – after all, people watching led to information gathering, information gathering led to better run crimes, and better run crimes led to more money. Besides, a criminal couldn't exactly go around saying they were a criminal. 

"And you two? What brings you to New York City?" Because it was obvious they weren't from here, otherwise, Gavin wouldn't have been talking about a tour. 

Gavin resigned himself to at least a brief conversation about the shortcomings of men and put a steady dent into the amount of wine in his glass. Tara listened to Madeline with interest before responding.

"People watching... interesting. Well, based on that response I'd have to guess that you were either a salesman, politician, con artist, thief, or prostitute."

Gavin choked, very slightly, on his wine as he hurried to respond, but Tara continued speaking before he could.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Gavin. To be honest, I feel quite comfortable eliminating that option. I just can't get a read on you further; perhaps you're just a pure opportunist?"

Tara grinned; everything she was laced with a playfulness, with no negativity towards Madeline at all.

"Honestly, we're not in New York for a particular reason. Both our flights routed through here on our way back to Philadelphia. I was hoping to have a business discussion with Gavin before we returned home and he disappeared, but... well, you saw how that turned out."

Gavin leaned forward, grinning, and his sardonic voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Speak for yourself, sister. I came to New York looking for a good time; you're the only one who showed up with a business agenda. And here I am, making a new friend... and you insult her? Call her a p- I can't even say it, I'm so offended."

He paused, finishing his wine, before whispering at Madeline with a pained look on his face.

"A politician."

Madeline looked between Tara and Gavin, wondering just what she’d gotten herself into here. At first, her face was serious, as if she had possibly been offended by Tara’s blunt and rather feisty nature. She thought about the list of possible careers…a salesman, a politician, con artist, thief or prostitute. Well, the woman had hit the nail on the head on two of them at least. Even the pure opportunist remark wasn't far off track, to be fair, but who wasn't in this business? 

After letting the silence linger for a moment, Madeline burst into laughter. She was not that easily offended and really, Tara was an interesting woman. The green-eyed beauty sipped her wine and then said, teasingly, leaning forward slightly and looking the other woman in the eyes “I guess you’ll just have to give me a chance to figure out which one of those categories I fall into.” She winked before turning her attention back to Gavin.

“If it makes you feel any better, I can assure you I am no politician.” She might have slept with a few over the years, but she certainly would never be one. “Despicable creatures that they are.”

"Really, I'm not the slightest bit offended. My business is rather complicated and hard to explain to just anyone." Besides, who knew if she'd see these people ever again? No reason to give away her secrets so early. 

Tara chuckled as she stood up, leaving her glass of wine half-finished. Gavin quickly slid it over in his direction.

"Well, Madeline, it was a truly a pleasure meeting you. I'm in New York quite often, so I hope to cross your path soon. But it's rude for a sister to spend so much time talking when her brother is with a beautiful woman."

With a genuine smile, she takes her leave of Madeline and Gavin. When she's gone, Gavin grins.

"Well, looks like we've got the booth to ourselves. You mentioned people watching- see anyone interesting here? Present company excluded, of course."

Madeline smiled warmly at the woman as she stood and said her goodbyes. “It was a pleasure to meet you as well Tara, enjoy your evening and get home safely to Philly. I hope we do run into each other again soon.” She was genuine, as she was always found of finding other females in this world. Although she couldn’t be positive that Gavin and Tara did the same kind of work as her, she was fairly certain that they did.

Once Tara had left, Madeline focused her attention back on Gavin. He asked her about anything in particular that had caught her eye and Madeline smirked. “Well, before you distracted me, I was intently watching a couple in a heated argument. From what I could tell, she was his mistress and wasn’t satisfied with the amount of time she was getting from him.”

Madeline took a sip of her wine and looked around for the couple, smiling as she saw them. They seemed to be finishing desert and neither one looked especially happy. “There see. He’s wearing a ring and she isn’t.” There were others she had noticed as well, but she figured she’d start with the lighthearted drama. "I like to make extravagant stories in my head sometimes, just for amusement. For example, maybe she's pregnant and she wants him to leave his wife for her. But he can't because his wife is the rich one and if he leaves her then he loses all the money. Maybe the mistress doesn't realize that and thinks he's just being difficult."

She looked over at Gavin and grinned, realizing how silly it all sounded when she said it outloud. "It's a way to fill the boring evenings. Besides, it helps me practice my perception skills." 

Gavin sipped his wine as his eyes scanned the room, looking for the couple she was pointing out. As he leaned forward and his face came into the light, the red of wine was a sharp contrast with the blue of his eyes- keenly focused like a predator as they darted through the crowd. When he saw the couple in question he smirked.

"God. Why even get married in the first place? Well, I guess the money thing you just mentioned. But what's the fun of having money if you just have to sit on a pile of it. Where's the action?"

He finished his wine, placing the glass on the table. After a moment, he pointed to a young couple leaning against the bar.

"Honeymoon, I'll bet. Guy has a nice suit, but he borrowed it. Two sizes too big. And the shoes he's wearing are shit; couldn't walk in a bigger man's shoes or he'd trip. Besides, they're both so stupidly happy. I guess that's why you get married, eh? Shared delusion? Stupid fun? I'm tempted to buy them a couple rounds. I'm also tempted to try to seduce the bride."

Gavin shrugged, but his grin didn't fade.

"I don't really get invited to weddings much anymore."

Madeline’s eyes lingered on his as the light hit them just right, although when he spoke of why people bothered to get married they shifted, losing focus as she thought back to her own wedding. Why did people get married? Why had she gotten married? She had been in love, wasn’t that the answer? No. That was a fool’s answer.

Eventually, she shifted her gaze to the second couple he pointed out, taking in the observations he pointed out. She noticed the well-worn shoes, a stark contrast to the polished suit the man had obviously borrowed. The woman too – the way she took care of the dress she was wearing, you could tell it was a splurge. Her feet had red marks around the edges of her heels, showing that they were a new pair, not well-worn in. She probably wasn’t used to wearing heels at all. Still, the couple was oblivious to all of this, so caught up in one another that they didn’t seem to care about anyone else in the room.

For their honeymoon, Vernon and Jenny had taken a cruise. She remembered boarding the ship, bound for several Caribbean destinations, as happy as the couple they now watched. It was nauseating really, to think how little she knew of the man she’d married. She turned her lip up, rolling her eyes at the two before looking back to Gavin.

“People get married to have a different life. They think that life will be better, but more often than not they are wrong. They settle and try to make the most of it, a boring and sad existence.” She answered, even though she didn’t think the question actually needed to be answered.

His comment about seducing the bride made her smirk and she shifted her gaze back to him. “I can understand why if that’s your end goal. But if you try to go seduce that bride, you’d end our night short and I can’t say I like that option.” She winked at him, finishing off her wine.

“Speaking of which, how about we ditch this place and go find that fun we were talking about earlier?”

Gavin had nodded during Madeline's statement about marriage, but she mentioned "fun" his face was suddenly dominated by a wolfish grin as he turned away from the newlyweds. 

"I seem to recall that we hinted at a couple different kinds of fun. I'm game for all of the above- but what precisely did you have in mind?"