It was a simple enough job. The Don’s daughter needed protection during a vanity vacation to Los Angeles and there were few people in the Family that she would tolerate, but Sonny was certainly one of them. Most of the Caporegimes were too busy dealing with the Family business to do it themselves and there were few soldiers that Don Ricci trusted his firstborn daughter with, but Sonny was certainly one of them. Then there was Giorgi, the youngest Caporegime that the Family had ever seen, who was young, ambitious, and headstrong. Honestly, Sonny just thought he was stupid.

Sonny always thought it was curious that Giorgi constantly volunteered to provide trusted protection for the Don’s daughter, but Sonny had been filling those shoes for the better part of his three years with the family. It is hard to turn down the Don’s request when he was the only one standing between you and living on the street. The trip was like any other and it wouldn't be until their return that the betrayal was discovered. All the t’s were crossed the i’s dotted, but that didn’t keep Sonny from being falsely accused of sleeping with the Don’s pride and joy.

Giorgi had begun setting the stage as soon as their plane left LaGuardia Airport bound for Los Angeles. Sonny had always booked them two different hotel rooms to give them each their privacy, but while requesting an adjoining room so he could enter easily if there was danger. Don Ricci was high profile so his daughter was a target. Sonny even went so far as to remove the door from its hinges so would be assailants couldn’t block off all access to the room. However, when they landed and checked into the Beverly Hills Hotel, they had discovered the first problem.

Apparently, Sonny had never booked the second adjoining room and the entire hotel was booked. No matter how many times Sonny tried to introduce the front desk attendant to Andrew Jackson, there was simply “nothing she could do”. Oh well, they would have to make due because they certainly weren’t flying back because of a single clerical error even though Sonny swore up and down he booked both rooms. He would sleep on the pullout couch and have to look away or leave the room whenever she needed privacy. A simple adjustment to the weeklong vacation.

Throughout the week, their days went on as scheduled and it was actually an enjoyable vacation for the both of them. He did enjoy spending time with her and had come to think of her as a little sister after his three years working for Don Ricci, so the adjustment wasn’t that hard to make. Throughout their time in the hotel room, he had noticed that the adjoining room didn’t appear to be occupied. There was hardly any noise coming from it so he thought that perhaps the people weren’t very loud or spent most of their stay out on the town.

Little did he know back at the Ricci Family Compound, Giorgi was poisoning the Don’s ear with lies and deceit. The truth behind their clerical error was a well-placed phone call to the hotel by Giorgi where a substantial bribe from his personal purse was promised if the clerk would leave the reservation, but tell Sonny that he only booked one room, and everything else was booked. The poison continued to flow as Giorgi convinced the Don that Sonny was sleeping with his daughter, using the evidence that the second booked room was never used.

Sonny had no idea what had happened until he was met by Ricci’s plane. As he ushered the Don’s daughter onto the tarmac and up the stairway to the jetliner, a Ricci soldier stopped Sonny right before he stepped onto the stairs with a piece right across his stomach. Sonny turned to look at the soldier and before protecting, the soldier began to speak.

“Hai mancato di rispetto a Don Ricci per la prima e l'ultima volta…” the Ricci soldier began, speaking heavily accented Italian.

“Di cosa stai parlando, paisan?” Santino asked, clearly bewildered.

“Non avevi nemmeno la decenza di ottenere la benedizione di Don Ricci prima di scopare sua figlia,” the foot soldier continued as he quickly raised his pistol.

Sonny was faster and before the Ricci soldier could pull the trigger, Sonny had control of the weapon and aimed it at the second foot soldier’s head right before it went off. The bullet went right between his eyes before Sonny turned the pistol on the first Ricci soldier, putting two through his chest cavity. By the time the other Ricci soldiers were able to run out of the plane or from the other side, Sonny had already commandeered a luggage train tug car and sped off in a direction unknown. He had been betrayed.

Sunshine, warm weather and a change of scenery had done wonders for Madeline. After Gavin had essentially broken up with her and Alex had packed and left New York, Madeline hadn’t been quite sure what to do with herself. She had spent the weeks after Texas spiraling down a dark path, with drugs and alcohol and reckless behaviors that were going to lead to an early death if she didn’t get them under control.

It was Nikolas who suggested Madeline take a trip. She spent much of her time in New York and Philly, she hadn’t grown any real presence on the West coast. At first, she was resistant – she couldn’t leave Southern Charm just as it was starting to take off. She still needed to touch base with Tara and show the woman the location she’d found for the club she wanted to open. And she needed to go check on the Meatball shop at some point.

But Nikolas’ had made some valid arguments. He talked about exploring some new drug routes and checking at the business districts of other cities, reminding her of her own desires to open more businesses around the country. And of course, the man had been right. Getting out of New York had been just what she needed – she’d laid out by the pool, explored the city, even found her way to some Hollywood parties while she was in town. For the most part, she stayed away from the harder substances she’d used so often in New York, but she was still drinking more than she probably should. If this were a different time, Madeline might understand that alcoholism runs in families and that with her father’s illness, she was more prone to becoming an alcoholic herself. But it wasn’t, and she didn’t; besides, she was still running from emotions she didn’t want to face, and alcohol helped to dull the pain.

Of course, the trip wasn’t all for fun. Madeline had been watching the Ricci family since her meeting months ago with a man from Seattle. She knew his daughter was in town and she figured she could do a little observation while she relaxed. From what she could tell, the girl was nothing more than a spoiled princess, a daddy’s girl who was given whatever she wanted. But she was also a weakness for the Don and Madeline had no trouble exploiting a weakness if it meant keeping her family safe.

They were at the airport today – Madeline wouldn’t be so obvious as to fly back to New York the same day as Don Ricci’s daughter. No, she was going to go to Seattle next, do a little exploring but first she’d spend a couple of more days out here in Hollywood. She’d sent a few men to watch the Don’s daughter leave, just in case anything interesting happened – and it appeared that had been an excellent decision for her.

The man telling her the story was horribly out of breath, having run to the nearest phone after seeing the incident. Madeline couldn’t help but smile at her fortune – the man would never survive without help and who better to help than her?

“Help him. Kill the men chasing him, whatever it takes. And bring him to see me.”

Even if her personal life seemed to be out of control lately, the fleeing man was from New York and her name still held weight in that city in their line of work. She was a Don and the Left Hand of the Godfather Chairman of New York and it was time she remembered that. It was time she remembered who she was and just what she was capable of. 

The voracious sound of the poor luggage tug under him being pushed far beyond its limits underneath him was quickly replaced with the ear-shattering sound of machine gun fire behind him. He nearly lost control of his getaway vehicle as he looked down frantically to see if he had a few new holes in his chest to worry about. Realizing he wasn’t the target of the machine gun fire, he slowed down only slightly and looked back to see where it had come from. What he saw left him more confused than before but as equally in danger.

The six or so, presumably Ricci men, which had started a foot chase were being gunned down by three men that had stepped out of Buick Series 40 turned sideways. The driver sat there casually watching the massacre with his elbow hanging out of the window as his three companions opened fire with Thompson submachine guns on his pursuers. They were mowed down but it was followed by another Buick Series 40 gaining speed as it came close to his guardian angels. Swerving around the first car, the second car was obviously coming after him so he turned back forward.

The Buick was much faster than the luggage handler that Sonny had taken, but he already had a considerable head start and was very close to an alleyway. He decided to head for it as there was a chance their car wouldn’t fit. His tires screeched slightly but the vehicle wasn’t designed to stop from high speeds, so it more or less gradually slowed down before colliding with the wall next to the alley. Throwing the Italian slightly he did it best to roll out of it before getting to his feet where he took off down the alley on foot.

Sonny was well conditioned but running in these conditions wore on the best of people. However, the high level of adrenaline kept him going for as long as he needed to. There was room barely for his pursuer’s car to get into the alley, but thankfully it wasn’t enough for anyone to hang out and fire which was a nice advantage. As he reached the alleyway, he heard another set of screeching tires and a third and finally vehicle stopped right in his path. The door opened and he expected this to be the end, but a surprise came.

“Entra!” a smartly dressed Italian in the back seat yelled with another waiting hot at the wheel. Without question, Sonny jumped into the vehicle and the driver took off. Were those Ricci men at the plane? Were those Ricci men chasing him? Who were the ones that helped him? And who were these two? What was going on? Was he safe? These were all of the questions that were racing through his mind.

“Tu chi sei? Sei un uomo di Ricci? Quello che è successo?” Santino asked in Italian.

“Ti stiamo portando a vedere Madeline,” answered the gentlemen sitting next to him.

The man was harder to help then she’d expected, or so Nikolas informed her when they’d finally gotten ahold of him and brought him back to the hotel suite where she was staying. She didn’t blame him, he could hardly know who was after him and who was helping him. But Madeline knew an opportunity when she saw one and this man could potentially give her inside information about Don Ricci and his family.

When Madeline stepped out into the living room of her hotel suite, she was dressed in flats, black slacks, and a light grey blouse. Her blonde hair was down in loose curls and she wore just a touch of makeup, enough to accentuate her natural beauty. Madeline had been sleeping better in LA than she had in NY so the dark circles under her eyes had all but disappeared and her skin had a healthier glow.

She saw Sonny standing there with the two men who had brought him upstairs to her. A warm smile graced her lips, as she tried to assure him that everything was fine, he was safe here.

“I’ve no doubt you have questions. I can’t promise answers for all of them. I don’t know why you were attacked at the airport, but I know it provided an opportunity for me and I seized it. Sit, please. I’ll try to explain as best I can.”

Madeline moved to the cart which had a tray with glasses, an ice bucket and a bottle of whiskey. She poured them both a glass and handed him one before sitting on one of the big comfy chairs. “What is your name?”

The car ride to the hotel was peaceful, so Sonny assumed everyone that had been chasing him back at the airport was dead or in the process of getting it. Good riddance. His adrenaline had subsided by the time they arrived and his breathing was steadier now, so he had regained him more classy composure. Although, considering what he had just gone through, he was still very much alert. The two men requesting his sidearm before they entered the suite left him uneasy, but he wasn’t in any position to refuse. Besides, was it an unreasonable request, after what they had done for him?

They hadn’t so much as touched him to get his attention for the entire ride and way up to the suite, so they seemed friendly enough. Maybe his protection had worn out or maybe this Madeline character wanted him alive. He would find out soon enough. He entered the suite and awaited her arrival. After a short sit he heard footsteps and stood up before Madeline came into view. She was smartly dressed and very attractive. As she walked in, Sonny readjusted his suit and tie a little more before watching her silently as she spoke.

“Prego,” Santino thanked her in Italian before answering her questions. “Uh, Santino, ma tutti mi chiamano Sonny,” the Italian responded before sitting down across from her.

Madeline raised an eyebrow slightly as he responded to her in what she believed to be Italian. Glancing over at Nikolas, the other man shrugged.

“I think that’s all he speaks. Don Ricci is old school, most of his people are from the home country. It’s one of the reasons he isn’t comfortable with things as they are in New York; he feels it’s drifted too far from their own people.”

She frowned and looked back at Sonny, wondering just how she was supposed to speak with him. She sighed and took a sip from her glass. “Well, I guess I need a translator then.”

“I’m a little rusty boss, but I can help.” Nikolas surprised her with that, although she supposed she hadn’t spent nearly enough time learning about the man’s history since she hired him. She was more and more grateful to him every day; really she didn't know where she would be without Nikolas. Nodding, she motioned for him to join them.

“Ask him if he knows why Don Ricci and his men tried to kill him. And, make sure he actually knows who I am.” Nikolas nodded and turned to Sonny to do as she asked. Madeline wasn't sure if the man would actually spill on his family but they had just to kill him so she was hoping for the best. 

Santino watched the exchange between the man and woman. Clearly, the woman was in charge so he knew who to pay more attention to, but his attention shifted to the man when he appeared to speak Italian. Clearly, his Italian wasn’t perfect and somewhat broken, but it was good enough to serve as a fair translator.

“Non ho idea del perché Don Ricci vorrebbe farmi uccidere. Uno di loro mi ha accusato di aver dormito con Sofia, la figlia del Don. È come una sorellina per me,” Santino began to explain. He looked between Madeline and Nikolas. While he was answering Madeline, suddenly it clicked.

“Non so cosa ho fatto per meritare il tuo aiuto, ma grazie per avermi salvato, mia signora,” Santino added at the end. He took a short step forward, taking Madeline’s hand and kissing it gently on the back before stepping back again.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips when he said what he had been accused of; sleeping with the Don’s daughter was quite a big charge. She had to admit she could understand why; he was a handsome man and she could get used to hearing that language spoken more often. But this was business and Madeline had to stay focused.

“Don’t thank me just yet,” She said, her green eyes sparkling slightly. “I saved you because I think we can help each other. You see, Don Ricci has been a thorn in our side since the Godfather took over and he has refused most of our efforts to work with him in New York. I’ve been watching his operations closely but have the knowledge of someone who has been on the inside well….it would be invaluable.”

Taking a sip from her glass she placed it on the table in front of her and looked at the man across from her. “I know it might seem difficult, to turn on your family in that way. But they’ve already turned on you and really, I’m the only one who can keep you alive. I won't kill you if you refuse, I don't want you to feel forced. But it could give you the opportunity to find out who set you up and maybe get a little revenge of your own." 

The Sicilian sat back down once he had backed away after kissing Madeline’s hand, which was a rather considerable sign of respect to the Italians. He got comfortable, feeling safe now, and took a socially acceptable drink from his glass. With the recent events, he almost wanted to drink straight from the bottle but he kept his composure. He placed the drink back down gently on the table as he thought about Madeline’s translated words. Honestly, he didn’t even know if it was Don Ricci who ordered the hit. He suddenly remembered wise words that the Don once said to him.

‘Whoever comes to you about something they don’t need to know is not to be trusted’ he would say. Sonny suddenly remembered that Giorgi had come to him about the trip days before they left. He had been asking if Sonny had everything line up as if he hadn’t done this a few times before. The Italian recalled the problem at check in when he supposedly forgot to book the second adjoining room followed by his sense that the room was never occupied at all. Everything was starting to make sense and Santino’s face seemed to go dark for a moment.

“Se Don Ricci pensa di aver dormito con Sofia, non ho niente a cui tornare a New York o in Italia. Sono stato incorniciato e ho una buona idea di chi è responsabile,” Santino explained to Madeline through Nikolas. “Don Ricci mi ha portato fuori dalle strade di Palermo, in Sicilia. Sono stato con lui per oltre tre anni e a New York negli ultimi sei anni. Un colpo come questo non accade senza la sua benedizione. Un Don che non vede una configurazione così ovvia da uno dei suoi Caporegime è vicino alla fine del suo tempo.”

Madeline smiled softly; this man was smart, and she liked smart men. He seemed to already have deduced who turned against him, although for all she knew that was a relatively simple thing to figure out. More importantly, he recognized that Don Ricci was a falling star and that staying loyal to him at that point would do him little good.

“Men are often blinded by the women in their lives, whether they be mothers, daughters or lovers. They allow emotions to cloud their normally good judgment.” That applied to much in Madeline’s life lately, but she forced the thoughts from her mind.

“We can’t go back to New York right away. Don Ricci will figure out it was I who saved you soon enough, and he won’t like it. But he can’t touch me, and he knows that.” She leaned back in her chair, nearly giddy with how well this was working out for her. Maybe her luck was finally changing for the better. “So, we stay here for a few days, and you tell me everything that you know about him and his operations. You see, Don Ricci has not been paying dues to Godfather Clement and it’s been going on for too long now. He sees himself above the Godfather because he’s been in New York longer and his operation is solid and strong. He underestimates me because I’m a woman, but that’s his first mistake.”

Madeline took a pad and paper from the side table and started to sketch out a general structure. “Let’s start with the people. I know of three, Frank Delucci, Giorgi Faugno, and Alessio Ladanza. Start with them. The more you can give me, the better we can plan our attack."

"Sì, beh, cazzo Don Ricci," Santino said with clear irritation in his voice. He had spent the better part of adult life in service to the man. He had stayed with his family, broke bread with them, was nearly a son, and a brother to his daughter. Ricci was clearly slipping if he so readily believed that nearly adopted son would sleep with his daughter. He suddenly went to thinking what killing Don Ricci would do to his daughter for sleeping, or even thinking she slept with Santino, and he got more irritable. His eyes saw red when he thought of Giorgi Faugno.

"Giorgi Faugno è una... uuuh..." Sonny began, trying to think of the Italian phrase for 'wild card'. Nikolas eventually knew what he meant and translated. Santino thanked him and continued. "È il più nuovo dei Capos di Don Ricci e ho la sensazione che sia lui quello che mi ha incastrato. Non ci siamo sempre visti d'occhio, quindi tra tutti e tre è lui quello che molto probabilmente ha fatto questo. Lo voglio tutto per me, capito?" he finished.

He moved onto the other names in her list. "Frank Delucci è un magnaccia. Non è bravo per molto altro oltre a lavorare le ragazze nei suoi bordelli o fornire muscoli per la famiglia Ricci Crime. Quelli erano probabilmente i suoi ragazzi che hanno cercato di uccidermi," the Italian explained. Sonny thought for a moment and something else dawned on him. "Immagino che abbia assunto nuovi ragazzi o gente del posto a Los Angeles perché non ho riconosciuto nessuno dei ragazzi che hanno cercato di prendermi."

"Alessio Landanza è il cervello. So che aiuta a gestire tutto ciò che la famiglia ha in mano. Non so molto altro su di lui perché è sempre in viaggio," Sonny said about the last man. He didn't know much else since he had only been around for a few months, but he was observant. He took drinks of his whiskey throughout the converation, watching Madeline for any reaction.

The man was angry, but Madeline didn’t blame him. This was a family he had seemingly served faithfully for years and they had turned on him so easily; Madeline would be angry as well if she were in his shoes. He began to fill her in on the three men she had named, and she took notes, sketching out a general plan of attack as he spoke.

He started with Giorgi Faugno, naming him as the likely culprit of his set up and telling her he’d want to take him out himself. Delucci was next and then Landanza. She was relatively quiet as he spoke, no real emotion showing on her face. When he finished, she looked at him quizzically. “No one else to note? Anyone else that could get in the way or prove a problem later?” She wondered how he would feel about killing the old man given his relationship with his daughter; even if they weren't actually intimate, he clearly cared about the girl.

While waiting for him to answer, Madeline felt a grumble in her stomach. She looked at another one of the men in the room, Johansen, and smiled. “Jo, can you run and get some food for me and my new friend here? I’m sure there’s something Italian around here, maybe a good deli? Get enough for everyone of course, you and the boys need to eat too.” Johansen nodded and then she turned her attention back to Sonny and Nikolas.

“The way I see it, we need to take out all three at once. Once the Capos are gone the Don will go into hiding, so we have to be ready to move on him immediately. I'll take that on myself." It had been a long time since Madeline had taken on a job like this, but she needed the challenge right now. Nikolas raised an eyebrow when she said that but she pushed forward before he could object.

"Delucci sounds like he would be easy – I have a few girls I can send in, act like they’re looking for work. I know you want Faugno for yourself, but we have to be careful in the approach. They know you’re alive and they will be looking for you, especially him if he’s the one who set you up. I can give you men, but they do the recon, not you; we don’t need him to see you and get tipped off.” She made notes on her paper of some men she thought would fit the job well before moving on.

“You said Landanza travels a lot. Can you tell me more about that? Will we need to go after him in another city or do you think we could find out when he’s in New York?” She realized he might not know everything, but it never hurt to ask.

"Ce ne sono alcuni che usciranno dall'ombra per cercare di vendicarsi del loro Don e Capos, ma ho degli amici negli Stati Uniti e a Palermo che penso di poter convincere a trattare con loro," Santino explained to Madeline carefully. Perhaps he would anger her by withholding information, but it was more along the lines of not diluting what he has told her with useless information that he can handle himself. He may have spent the majority of his time loyal to Don Ricci, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to win hearts and minds of his own. He nodded with a smile and finished his glass.

"Grazie, grazie, sto morendo di fame. Quasi essere schiaffeggiato mi rende affamato," Santino said with a joking smile as he tapped his lips with three fingers and his thumb pressed together. This likely indicated that his statement has something to do with food, for which he was grateful. He began to eat and then looked surprised, totally forgetting to answer her question as he stuffed his face. He swallowed and wiped his mouth off with a handkerchief before speaking of Landanza.

"Le gambe sull'assistente di Landanza sono sciolte come le sue labbra. Dovrebbe tornare a New York per qualche giorno qui tra circa una settimana," Sonny explained to Madeline before going back to eating.

Madeline softly laughed as Sonny talked about being able to handle anyone who came out of the shadows to try and take revenge. For someone who had just nearly been killed, the man was confident. Maybe too confident. But Madeline couldn’t exactly blame him, she had a habit of being overly confident herself, and truthfully, it was sometimes more helpful than harmful.

He started to scarf down the food she had ordered, and it brought another smile to her face. She was in an oddly good mood, although things were turning out even better than she had imagined they would. This man would be an asset to her, and with his information, they could end Don Ricci and his crew for good.

He said Landanza would be back in New York within a week, so Madeline knew the next steps. She took a bite out of her sandwich and grinned, taking her time to savor the different flavors before she spoke again. “So it’s settled then. We’ll have three different teams. We’ll go after each one of the capos at the same time, so they don’t have time to run or warn each other. I will be on standby, and once I’ve gotten confirmation they are all dead, I will move against Don Ricci. The three teams can meet me at one location for the final assault.”

Madeline grinned at Sonny, a twinkle in her eye. She knew this was serious and she wasn't going to take it lightly, but she was still amused. “Your assistance in all of this is invaluable; never did I think this would be so easy. We will hang out here for a few days, let the heat die down a bit, and then we will go back to New York.  Even if they realize you are with me, they won’t be able to touch you. They wouldn’t dare make such an obvious move against the godfather, not yet.”

A few more days in Los Angeles was quite all right with Madeline, she had been truly enjoying her time here. She could still get word to her people to start their preparations and by the time they got to New York, things would be ready to go.