"What's the matter, sweetheart?"

She didn't look her usual bubbly self. Not to her regulars. Not even to the other girls she worked with who were usually a little out of it. The brothel wasn't of the highest quality, not the type you'd come into town just to visit. It was the type you'd only really pay attention to because you really had no other choice.

Something was up. The bodyguard who manned the door that led upstairs above the dive bar grabbed her arm as she tried passing by. Her head was down, avoiding eye contact at all cost. She already felt nervous as it was. Maybe she should've just taken that hit anyway. Being sober wasn't doing her any good. Not now. Not tonight.

"Nothing, Frank." She said unconvincingly. They all knew her here. Everyone knew everyone here. Her lack of enthusiasm stood out like a transvestite with an Adam's apple.

"Come on, doll, don't be like that. Something's up. You know Freddy wont be happy if the clients ain't happy."

"Freddy ain't ever goddamn happy!"

She pulled her arm away, finally lifting her gaze and staring at the heavy framed security guard with a look that could kill a man.

"Fuck Freddy. If he wants to service these men, let him do it himself. Or, maybe you do it if you care so much about what makes Freddy happy."

She paused a moment.

"No? Then let me do my fucking job."

"Calm down, calm down. Just makin' sure you is alright darlin'. Sheesh."

She flicked her hair back and continued down the hallway. She may not have been in the right to take her bad mood out on a guy who really did care. He was a brute of a man. Worked for Freddy like a mule. Did his heavy lifting. Didn't have a problem taking out the trash and leaving some of it broken in the alleyway that ran down the side of the two-story building. But for all the hard work he did, he was a softy at heart and really did care about the girls.

She did however have every right to be pissed at Freddy. She'd worked for him for over a year now and was still being given the shit kickers. The guys who called in wanting to be a little rough with the ladies of the night. The real assholes that wanted more than just to get their rocks off. The kind that must've had some kind of fucked up mommy issues in their deranged pasts.

But that wasn't the real reason she wasn't bouncing around as a smile on legs. And boy did she have legs. They didn't just go on for days, they seemed to never stop going. If you put her in an empty potato sack and had only her legs sticking out she'd still have you mashed at the knees. Her smile was just the topping. The sultry kind that had you pitching a tent before you even knew you was camping out for the night.

She was a diamond in the rough. If she didn't have such a fucked up family life she'd probably be on a silver screen, or at the very least on a stage in a chorus line kicking her assets about. But she was here. Her abrupt momentum came to a halt, stopping outside room 36.

##knock knock##

She adjusted her white silk blouse as she waited outside. It was an important client. Regardless, she liked to dress to impress as most did, even in the red light districts. She wore a velvet black suit with a short pleated skirt up to her knees. The blouse had a sailor collar trimmed with narrow lace and long sleeves with turned back cuffs. Her little Eton jacket matched her skirt. Her real money makers were in black stockings and a leather spring heel.

The door opened to an effortless smile. Even though she'd rather be somewhere else, she played the role well when she needed to. Her livelihood depended on it. In return, he couldn't help but smile too. Her new client didn't stall and invited her into his room which he'd been waiting in for half an hour. That's how long it took for her to convince Freddy she'd be the right one for the job. She wasn't taking no for an answer. Not this time. It was this or not having her here at all.

"Take a seat on the bed. I'll close the door."

It was her time to shine. This is what she did, and did so well. An abusive father and absent mother gave her the tools for her trade. All she needed was the right motivatio and she'd take herself to places they'd be envious of. All that lack of attention and crippling loneliness would set her free. This was it. Tonight was her night.

She closed the door gently, making sure to show herself off as she did. Every movement was important. Every moment, an opportunity to shine. The slower, the better. The more exaggerated, the more she was worth. She turned and made her way over towards where he was now seated, continuing her display of sexual prowess. Her legs led the way, and she showed more and more of them as her hand pulled up her skirt, slowly edging forward, her hip movements alone enough to get her client excited in anticipation for what would follow.

He'd paid for it. So it was guaranteed. And what she was tugging out of him had him more and more charged as she moved closer and closer. Finally, she stood before him. Her right leg moved up onto the bed, to his left side. She ran her hand down her stocking, making sure to bend forward and let out a teasing sighgasm as her face neared his.

Her lips looked full. He could see them part as they moved closer to his. This was what he had asked for. Freddy told her she was the best. He wasn't wrong, but he was also in salesman mode. The money had been paid. The girl hadn't yet been chosen. The request, for a women to help him forget his troubles. To help him release his frustrations. And in return, they sent Angel.

Suddenly the door burst open and in charged Adonis. Usually the rooms were locked closed as the women entered. Not tonight. Not now. Adonis streamed forward and emptied a full clip. Angel had moved out of the way as the door burst open as instructed. As she'd been paid to do. The reason she was so out of it, her actions leading to this. Not exactly what she envisioned herself doing when she started out all those months ago. Sex was one thing. Murder, another.

The bullets found their mark. Palladino had been filled full of daylight, as Adonis would later tell it to Tara Byrne. A simple request executed without a hitch. The man was laying low and for a little too long. He'd given his fidelity to Race Street and yet made tracks to Chicago on hiatus. The problem was, he hadn't been heard from since. The solution, Adonis. And an Angel in disguise.