He'd been close. So close. But still he'd managed to arrive a day late and a dollar short.

His old man was dead and the only thing left to pry answers from had been an empty grave. He'd heard that the body had gone with the Pier in some kind of unholy conflagration that had consumed both his best hope for understanding his place in the world and half the commerce in this part of town. The second part would heal over through the steadfast work of the American entrepreneur in time, but the first was far more challenging to overcome. There were only so many leads for a story like that and the other, his mother, had died under suspicious circumstances not long after the man he'd hoped to find and in his service.

That had been the true pain of the ordeal. He'd fallen out with his mother some time ago when he'd made the decision to enter into this life with a small time group of guys from the Italian community, but he'd never stopped loving and caring about her. Regardless of the other half of what brought him into this world he'd hoped beyond hope that he could reconcile with his mother, but the man he sought had apparently managed to ruin that too.

But it wasn't a total loss, a small safe deposit box had been left unclaimed and after quite a bit of hassle with the clerk and the use of his last few hundred dollars he really couldn't afford to spend he'd left with its contents in a bag as the sole living heir of the stiff. Once he'd made his way back to his flat he unpacked it and poured over what he found within.

A copy of a deed to the now defunct Purgatory Gym...

Documents pertaining to another gym and a club of some sort in Las Vegas...

A handful of photographs and letters pertaining to business affairs with people who'd know little of what he sought...

A small sum of money and an old pistol that looked to have seen better days (these Aurelio pocketed for his own purposes, thankful for the relief of his poor empty wallet)...

A rolled up sheet of drawing paper...

His mind rolled to a grinding stop. The drawing paper seemed so out of place alongside so many business affairs. Perhaps it was a valuable piece of art? Something that the man had been holding with the hopes of sending it to a dealer or an auction and just never got around to? It was enough to dig further at least.

Aurelio took the bindings off the roll and immediately noticed a bit of a bulge in the center. Now even more curious, he rushed to unroll the paper and felt his heart stop in his chest. Only he wasn't sure which part of what he found was more the culprit:

The bulge, which had turned out to be a diamond as big around as a quarter and as clear as the summer sky, or the drawing which was a handmade sketch of the dead man lying serene and naked in a bed and signed "Until next time, xoxo Isabella Luciano".

Feeling his pulse resume, and in spite of nearly hyperventilating, he determined that the diamond was the first order of the day. He had no connections to move something so valuable as that so for the time being he hid it deep in his clothes drawer with a promise to himself that he'd make a move on it at the first possible opportunity. Then he returned to the drawing. A man as connected as his father wouldn't have allowed such a thing to exist unless it involved something special. Someone special. The kind of person who knows your personal life. Exactly the kind of person he needed. Now he just needed to find her.

A couple of discrete inquiries at local bars later and he was starting to form a picture.

The first barkeep had laughed straight to his face, but proved useful nonetheless.

"How could somehow not know about the daughter of the Luciano and Lucania families? Or Race Street? You'd have to have to be living under a rock!"

So they said. It seemed that everyone he asked knew the woman, but marveled at the fact that he had to ask for her. They acted like she was floating just in front of him and he was wearing a blindfold. At the very least he'd established that she was in fact tied to the most famous wearers of that name and that she was a big player in the Philadelphia business world. It seemed that the old man was dipping his toes into dangerous waters.

Though he'd only been in town for a couple of days Aurelio had noticed Race Street on the lips of nearly every player and businessman that mattered in this town. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that they built half the south end of town. And the two families that this Isabella was tied to were both among the architects of the great peace and its destroyers. It was a hell of a complicated legacy and surely any daughter of theirs was going to be the sort of person to take care with.

Thinking of which, it was time to move this effort south. If she had ties to the Race Street businesses then it would be best to start making inquiries closer to home. It would put him at a disadvantage for leverage but then again he'd pose no threat to them so surely they would at least hear him out. If they didn't he'd be no worse than he started and much better judging by the delightful surprise resting at the base of his drawer back home.

But again his mind was wondering. For now he'd settle on seeing this through and hopefully getting an answer to the one question that had plagued him from his birth. That would be worth more to him than any diamond.

A short drive to another bar, this one in the heart of the Italian part of town near 9th street. He pushed his way through the door and made his way to a bar stool hoping that this time it would be more productive.

The woman tending bar was older, and as soon as it was clear the young man wanted more than a drink she raised a skeptical eyebrow. When she heard the name mentioned, she started shaking her head.

"Look, son. The only people who shoul dbe throwing her name around are the ones who already know her, get me? If you need to ask about someone like that, you don't want to meet them."

As a man in a suit rose from a booth in the back of the bar and made his way outside, the bartender loudly replied.

"Look kid, I've got nothing to say to you. Get outta here."

As the young man shook his head and made his way outside, he turned left to make his way up the street to the bar. After a few steps, an iron grip and a M1911 with an ivory handle pulled the young man into an alley where he found himself up against a wall facing the man from the bar.

The observant younger man picked out a few details besides the gun in his face. The man was shorter, around 5'9. He wore an expensive looking black suit with a white dress shirt open at the collar. He seemed in excellent shape, but the crows feet emerging near his eyes suggested a man around forty. The scowl on his face and the look in his eyes were businesslike, but not particularly excited; apparently talking to a man with a gun was not a rare occurence from this one. After a moment of glaring, he growled.

"What the fuck do you want with Isabellia Luciano?"

At least this time he knew he was close. Barkeeps didn't clam up like that unless the right people were watching and listening. He'd be more surreptitious at the next joint and try to get some contacts at the bottom of the totem pole and work his way up. Surely if he could get a foothold-

Ah. His old friend the brick wall. Traditionally he'd expect the enforcer to be a bit taller, but who was he to disagree to the man's friend Mr. Colt?

The attitude and the suit suggested someone who's been working long enough to know the routine and find success. The wrinkles finding purchase on his face suggested someone good enough to survive far longer than the average gunman. This was a true professional. Well, none of the normal bullshit then.

"We've got a mutual acquaintance. Had, I mean. Name of Bowden. I found something of his that pointed to her. Hoping she might be able to tell me what I need to know. I can pay for the info and don't want any trouble."

No sense spilling the nature of the thing. A lady ought to have her privacy of course and god knows what kind of degenerate this fella might be. Besides, it would look sloppy to a professional and Aurelio couldn't afford that luxury. Especially not when it might end with him painting the damn wall with the insides of his skull.

After the name "Bowden" had crossed the young man's lips, Gavin's eyes had widened slightly. He stared at the young man for a while; there was sometime in the way the man had raised his head to challenge him, something in the eyes, not to mention the strong- yet eminently punchable- jaw. The relation wasn't obvious; if the name "Bowden" hadn't been mentioned, Gavin never would have made the connection. But now that he saw it, there was no denying it.

"I knew Will. What are you? A cousin? And what thing of his did you find pointing to her, huh?"

Gavin relaxed slightly and smirked; he didn't expect any relation of Will's to be out for revenge, as he'd assumed when he first heard that Bella's name was being bandied about. Still, why the hell would a cousin of Will's be looking for her?

The man's posture had eased ever so slightly, thank God, and he'd even dropped that he knew who Will had been. One more open path to add to the checklist. Now to get that gun pointed somewhere else.

"Mr. Bowden and I were related, you're right about that. It's actually part of the reason I'm trying to track down Miss Luciano. I'm...trying to sort out a few questions I have about the past. You see we never got to be as close as we should have been."

It was the truth with some rather significant omissions. It was something he wasn't even comfortable with himself and he didn't want to think on it harder than he had to right now, so why in the hell would he share the full story with a stranger in the street?

"You've got me at a disadvantage here. I figure you have something to do with Miss Luciano, but I don't know what. Without that, maybe it'd be better if I didn't share what I found. Suffice it to say that a lady's personal life is her business. If that's not good enough for you, then I'll make you a deal. You tell me who you are and I'll show you what it is that I found."

It was a risk, but if the man's reaction was anything to go by then he would have some patience for a long lost relative. If he chose to take things more aggressively, then he'd just have to play his only card and show what it was that led him here. It would severely hamper things with his actual mark, but then again if this man knew William then perhaps there was hope right here.

Assessing that the man wasn't interested in causing him trouble- at least directly- Gavin holstered his gun. He looked at the young man for a while before speaking something more like an order than a request. As a newly minted Don, he'd had a lot of practice.

"Gavin Byrne. Show me what you've got. Then we'll talk."

Byrne. He'd heard that Race Street was run by folks named Byrne. What a fucking lucky draw.

Now he'd have to put his money where his mouth was though and that was both a little embarrassing and worrisome. Not too many folks would probably want to see his old man like that, but if this Gavin was indeed one of the heads of Race Street then he'd be poorly served by further refusing him.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Byrne. I'm Aurelio. Just remember that you asked for this."

With that warning, Aurelio reached into his jacket and drew out the rolled up paper. As with all things of this nature it would be best to rip the bandage off quickly and get the sting out of the way. At the very least he figured he'd get some consolation out of the other man's reaction.

A few quick flicks of the wrist and the binding was off. With a glance in either direction to make sure no one was peering into the alleyway he cringed a bit and rolled the picture open facing his new acquaintance, exposing his father's likeness in more ways than one.

"It was in a safe deposit box I tracked down. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about me from the fact I was able to claim it, but it clearly points to Miss Luciano as a rather personal associate of his. I was hoping she'd know a few things about him to fill in gaps about where he's been for...well, forever. And why he left."

Gavin nodded a greeting as the young man introduced himself, and he cross his arms as he waited for 'the big reveal'. Shit, this kid was treating this like he had a map to buried treasure, or-

As the paper opened, Gavin arched an eyebrow as he stared; his poker face cracked and his mouth dropped open slightly in confusion. After a string of very confused moments, Gavin broke out into uncontrolled laughter. 

With his hands on his knees, he glanced up at the young man.

"Shit. Oh God."

He slowly got himself under control, still chuckling every now and then.

"Okay. Who put you up to this? Isabella?"

Aurelio shook his head, seemingly ready to protest, but Gavin waved him off.

"Fine. Fine. Let's go, I'd like to see her reaction as well."

After a few moments, they'd arrived at Gavin's car and were driving toward Bella's office. Byrne tapped his knees, still chuckling.

"Shit, I haven't laughed so hard in months. Thanks, kid."

Aurelio followed Gavin in stunned silence. He could have imagined dozens of ways this might have played out but being laughed at like this picture was a joke wasn't one of them. Surely his old man wouldn't have stashed a prank wrapped around a diamond would he? It'd be a hell of a fuck you on the way out the door.

At least he'd get to meet his father's "friend" face to face and have a chance to sort this out. In the meantime he wondered about this man who seemed so familiar with the rich and famous of the seedy underworld of Philadelphia. He seemed far too at ease with both the situation and the strong-arming for Aurelio's taste.

"So how is it you knew William if you don't mind me asking. And is there anything I should know about meeting with Miss Luciano?"

He'd been fairly open and personable so far so maybe he'd be willing to open up a bit more. There'd been that unpleasantness with the gun and all, but no shots were fired so as far as Aurelio was concerned it was all good fun between friends. Friends who sometimes considered homicide. Perfectly normal.

"By the way, I'm sorry if I stepped on any toes in your territory. Normally I wouldn't be so open about these things, but this one is important to me and I didn't want to wait months to make connections and let the trail get cold."

I've been down that road one time too many already. Now lets try not to fuck this one up. Even if it involves a killer and the sort of lady that would make a joke of a naked mobster.

Gavin still had his guard up, but he presented himself in a more relaxed pose in the car.

"Listen, kid. You don't need to worry about toes. All I'm going to tell you now is that..."

He phrased things carefully.

"Isabella and I are... were... two of the people closest to Will. And I'm sure you can appreciate just how unexpected that was. So here's the deal: I'm going to take you to Isabella right now, hand her this thing, and enjoy just how surprised she is. I figure I've got a decent chance of her just staring in stunned silence, a decent chance of laughter... shit, she might even get embarrassed and blush."

Gavin chuckled to himself.

"You give me that, and I'll tell you every single thing you want to know. About Will. About 'Miss Luciano'. About anything."

He tilted his head to both sides, as if weighing the truth of that statement.

"Well, not anything. But just about."

The car pulled to a stop; South Philly wasn't too large, and Isabella's office was close to the bar. Gavin exited the car with Aurelio, who got a long glance from the driver. After parking the car, she stood- and kept going. One of the tallest and certainly the most powerful looking woman Aurelio had ever seen, Kassandra appraised him carefully and seemed to decide he was safe, giving him a wink as they approached the door. Gavin led the way, strolling quickly past the bodyguards and practically rubbing his hands. He entered her office like it was his own, sitting on the corner of the desk and slowly moving his hand to hang up the phone call Bella was on, timing it perfectly so that she was just able to promise to call back. She looked up at him angrily, but he grinned.

"Trust me. This is important."

Walking back to her door, he summoned Kassandra and Aurelio before turning to speak in the direction of Bella.

"This young man is looking for an "Isabella Luciano" and he has something very important to show you. Aurelio, hand it over."

Aurelio had just silently listened to Gavin's plan to surprise Isabella. It wasn't that he was wholly unsympathetic to the sort of trouble the man seemed to want to cause, but this time he would have preferred something a bit more serious. Nothing he could do to change the trajectory now though so he might as well play along. He nodded in agreement to the terms and settled back for the rest of the ride.

Hot damn did they grow the ladies nice in Philly though. That driver of Gavin's was the real deal and Aurelio wondered how somebody like that ended up driving for a guy like Gavin. He had no doubt that she'd be terrifying to someone who was on her bad side, but so far she seemed friendly enough. Even seemed a bit reassuring about the whole ordeal. He was almost glad when Gavin went ahead and left them together. It made for a hell of a change of scenery and he wouldn't have complained if his new acquaintance didn't make it back to them for the rest of the day.

But he only took a couple of minutes. Aurelio gathered his thoughts away from the Amazon and just how far those legs went, and walked into the room with as much confidence as he could muster up. It was the moment of truth.

His first thought was that the woman before him was both beautiful and terrible. She exuded the sort of power that belonged to folks moving in spheres that most people would never imagine. The sort that say 'Make him disappear.' and know that it'll happen. And she look about as pissed off as a cat in a wet burlap sack. Judging by the smug look on Gavin's face he was the source of the frustration and important enough not to warrant any real punishment. Note to self.

He drew out the roll of paper and held it out to her with his head slightly inclined.

"I apologize for intruding ma'am. This was one of the few clues I had to find out about him."

He silently prayed that Gavin's assessment of her reaction was accurate. Otherwise he stood as the only valid target in the room and he knew how that would likely turn out.

Bella hesitated the moment she saw the heavy duty drawing paper. 

An artist's tools were important.  Her teacher out in LA had taught her that, along with a few other things that would have gotten him fired beyond how to draw a nude so well.  But the importance of tools left her thinking about Gavin's terribly over-eager smirk and the younger man's timid handing off of the object - combined, what did it mean?  Also his comment that it had been his only clue to find out more about 'him.'  The young man was looking for her so CLEARLY, it was safe to assume the art was her own. 

In all the years she'd been drawing, she'd given away precious few works of her art.  She could count them on one hand.  She knew who had each and the fate of at least two.  One had been destroyed with Salvatore in his home, a gift she'd given to him when she left for Philly.  Another of a private nature had been given to William Bowden and had most likely been destroyed in the recent Race Street fire.  Another was given to her art teacher, Phillip Grayson. If he was smart he had destroyed it as it was as close to evidence of his habits as anyone could ever hope to find short of catching him in the act of grooming some young female artist.  And the final one was in the possession of her very first love, Matteo, though where it was now Bella couldn't say for sure ... what with Mattie's untimely demise.  

So, which was it?  Did he come looking to learn about Mattie or Phillip?  The art seemed to be well cared for, this left her thinking Phillip as she slowly unrolled the paper, holding her breath.  It would explain Gavin's amusement.  He'd want to know who the hell the man was and why she'd drawn him as she did.  She could feel her husband leaning in closer to her and as William's body slowly appeared, she hesitated. 

Sharing this portrait felt wrong, but then she remembered both men had obviously seen it and so, she kept her hands moving.  Color rose in her cheeks unbidden as she remembered that day, but she unrolled it completely to reveal her signature at the bottom, just to be sure.  She didn't look at it long.  When she rolled it back up, she tried to bury her own embarrassment by making a joke.  Quietly, for Gavin more than the stranger she spoke, "Well, I guess this means two things." 

"The first is that I owe you something very special on our upcoming trip to Sicily."  She shook her head as if this had been a very humorous way to make her mind up about something she'd been indecisive about, "And the second is,"  Her tone became playful for a heartbeat, she even chortled as if she was sharing an inside joke that only the man on the corner of her desk would appreciate.  She looked up to meet his eyes so that he could be sure by the look on her face that her comment wasn't meant to be hurtful... but funny, "Now you know why walking away from Will was so damn hard."

She couldn't help but smirk at her double entendre.  Leaving William Bowden had been hard - emotionally devastating really and Gavin knew it... but William was a gifted man in many ways.  Now both men in the room knew more about that than either wanted.  It was somehow appropriate to make a joke praising Will's endowments one final time in front of her husband, who knew better than to read too much into it.  Clearly she wasn't leaving him for a dead man, and clearly he'd won the fight with his old rival long ago.  Still, Will would have liked it a great deal that she used this moment to poke at Gavin, and so she did it one last time in his honor.

Her eyes, holding Gavin's blue eyes, only twinkled with amusement for a moment though.  It was likely to be the last laugh Will ever got at Gavin's expense.  Her smile faded and she could see that her husband likely shared the same realization.  It felt good to laugh about William for once, it had been too long really since William's name was a source of joy and not sorrow.  She missed him terribly and in this moment, clutching a piece of their shared history, she knew she'd kill to keep this treasure if she had to.  

"Luciano was my maiden name.  Gavin and I share dark humor at times and I'm afraid today you're the victim of it.  These days most people call me Bel--"  Turning towards the boy, her amusement and sadness melted away into her business face.  And then, her eyes met his.  Having just looked at Will's eyes the resemblance hit her like a train.

"This was one of the few clues I had to find out about him."

All the air was sucked out of the room.  Everyone had a family, but Bella never anticipated that someone from Will's would be standing in front of her.  The poor fool probably had no idea who Will really was in his life or what Race Street Company had been ... but he wanted to know.  Was he a little brother?  A cousin?  A ... dear God was it possible he had a son?  Quick math suggested it was possible but Will would have to have been young.  Of course, she knew he'd been very young when he left New York.  He'd told her that much.  Now she'd wished she'd pressed him for more details!

Bella didn't know how they were related and she didn't care, because family was family.  There was nothing really that needed to be said on the matter that wouldn't likely come out in time, perhaps here in this room, today.  She opened her desk drawer, put the artwork inside and stood up as she finished saying, "Bella Byrne."

Then she began to walk around her desk, past Gavin, to stand in front of the young man.  Her eyes searching him for the familiar look of William Bowden, finding it in the shape of his jaw, his hands, the eyes... the average person might miss these things, but not an artist.  Not an artist who studied Will's body for years and loved every inch of it for longer than she would admit.

"Now... name your price."  She was - NOT - giving back her artwork.  "For the art and your silence about its existence.  Money?  Information?  Both?  I don't usually allow the seller to make terms, but..."

She put one hand firmly on each of his upper arms firmly.  She kissed his left and right cheeks, an old Italian greeting.  "I do right by family even if I don't know much about them just yet.  Gavin says your name is @Aurelio?  Aurelio Bowden, perchance?"

"Now you know why walking away from Will was so damn hard."

Ah. That explained it. She was an ex-flame of his father's. Judging by that reaction it must have been complicated, but she didn't seem upset so maybe they worked it out. Sounds like the sort of person who'd be perfect for what he was looking for.

Wait, Bella Byrne? Gavin and I? Oh fuck. That's why the guy froze up when he first saw it. I showed the ex to the husband and who the hell wants in on that? At least the lady seemed to be on the up and up about it. There was no issue letting go of a drawing he never wanted in the first place, but if she was willing to let him name his price there was no need to share that little tidbit. Her gaze seemed to say she suspected a little too much already and-

Family. She'd welcomed him as someone close. A quick thought realized he'd given enough hints to lead a blind beggar to it, so why wouldn't a big shot like this catch on? It was their job to notice the small things. Of course he could still use this to his advantage and pull on the heartstrings a little. It would just take a little bit of honestly for a change.

"I go by Aurelio, that much is true. I'm sorry for the omission Gavin, but it's not my name. Neither is Bowden in spite of what my mother may have wanted, God rest her soul. The old man didn't stick around long enough for that to be the case. It's actually Ryan Kerrington, but most folks involved in the sorts of things I do don't get much confidence from a name like that."

He hesitated at that point. It felt so strange to say it out loud. And foolish. But to hell with it, this was his chance to find out what cost him his childhood, his mother, and even a father in his life. This was no time to be worrying about how he looked to strangers.

"As for my price, I'll be happy if you match your husband's offer. What I really want is to know about the man in that drawing. I've picked up that he ran businesses here, some above board and some not so much. I know that my mother went back to him even after he left her without a word. I know that somehow he got both of them killed. What I don't know is why he left New York and why any woman in her right mind would chase a man who did that to her."

These were his friends though. They were going to tear into him for that last bit and he knew it, but the thought of his mother and all that he'd lost rapid fire was getting to him. He knew he'd be wearing a scowl by now and somehow couldn't quite bring himself to let it slide away. This had already become personal for everyone in the room and there was no sense tiptoeing around. Surely they'd understand what it was he felt.

Gavin grinned, especially as Bella blushed. He practically had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from a machine gun's pace of wry comments. But nah, he owed it to the kid to stay on track. And then he couldn't resist.

"Walk away from Will? I'm surprised Will could walk anywhere with that thing getting in the way. Hope that runs in the family, kid."

Still smiling, he tried to focus on Aurelio's request and listened carefully as the young man spoke. Gavin was more clever than most by half, but he almost missed the connection in what Aurelio said. He stared at the boy with narrowed eyes for a moment.

"Will was your father?"

The thought had never crossed Gavin's mind. A cousin, sure. But the idea of Will bailing on someone pregnant... shit, that was practically inconceivable, although he supposed it was possible Will had changed. Gavin could see Bella processing this as well, and he jumped in to give her time to recover.

"Look... Ryan... I'll keep my end of the bargain, but I've got to admit that last part has me confused. Look, Will was extremely close friends with both of us... my sister, too... sometimes closer with one or the other between the three of us. By the end, he was about the closest thing to a brother I'll ever have. So you can imagine my reaction as I'm doing my best to mourn him and then he pops up... like that."

He smirked.

"Will worked for the Race Street Company- as you said, some business above board and some less so. But who's your mother? How'd she die? And how'd she chase him? Tell us your whole story as best you can, and we'll do our best to fill in what you don't know."

Gavin, serious now, glanced at Bella.

"I think between you and Tara you've probably got all his personal effects, yea? Maybe there's some more information there?"

"Kinzie?"  Bella said thoughtfully, looking to Aurelio for confirmation.  Her eyes not hiding how much of a shock it was and how sad the revelation made her.  How could she have been so blind?  How did she not find out when she went looking her up?  How could she not have known by watching Will and Kinzie interact?  In some ways, she felt as though she'd let William down.  Had Kinzie told him?  Did he even know?  Was the baby the reason he left?  She struggled to remember Will's words about his time in New York but it was over half a decade ago now. 

Bella sat on the edge of her desk beside her husband.  "My God... there's just... so much." 

Her gaze is distant and thoughtful, consumed with all she knew and didn't know, but mostly with how she'd even begin to explain any of it to this to a stranger ... Will's son was a stranger to her.  Worst of all, he'd been a stranger to Will himself.  Memories came back to her, from the day of their last kiss.  She'd been so scared of losing Gavin, and so angry with Will for making assumptions about her, that she had largely ignored what he had been trying to tell her.  In truth, what he couldn't forgive himself for - this... this had to be it.  The black and red on his hat.  The part of his life he wouldn't let himself forget nor forgive himself for.

But why... why hadn't he tried to set things to right?  Did he think it was too late?  Did he want to shield the young man from his own life choices?  There were so many questions she wanted answers too and, looking at the boy, she supposed he had the same ones.  He probably hoped she'd would have the answers he was seeking.  The Izzy of old would have told him a pretty lie.  What harm would there be?  But Bella Byrne didn't lie much anymore... even if it would make the boy feel better and make Will seem like the person she knew him to be.

But maybe that was the point?  Maybe Will had been right that day so long ago?  Bella had put him onto a pedestal without ever knowing his whole story and maybe, just maybe, he didn't deserve the place she'd given him?  She needed more time to think.  To sort things out in her head and decide what the boy needed to know and what she might keep to herself.  More importantly, she had to think about how revealing what she did know might impact the future of not just the boy, but Race Street Properties.  She and Tara had never really discussed her past with William, it was always just the elephant in the room that didn't bear mentioning.  After all, she was with Gavin and Tara knew how deeply Bella loved her brother.  

Of course, she never knew how deeply I cared for Will either...  she could only speculate on that based on what she assumed and what Will might have told her.

Bella drew a breath and exhaled it slowly, making a point to try and not to get too overwhelmed by all the possible aftershocks of this news.  "Why don't you let me and Gavin set you up with a place here in Philly for a little while?  I'd be honored to do it.  If it feels too much like charity, I'll find some work for you to do.  There's a lot I've got to get done around town and not all of it is illicite.  I'd be happy to have the help.  We can call it an even trade.  Work for lodging, food, and such while you dig up dirt on William.  There's a lot about William here in Philly that you can learn.  I'm sure Gavin and I alone could go on about him for days and days but there are people who survived from his crew you'll want to meet too.  And as my husband mentioned there is Tara, his Sister.  She... um... well, we should let her know about you before she finds out some other way."

She looked to Gavin, "Maybe a family dinner is in order?  Or... I can take her for drinks?  I'm not sure she'd want to learn this over pot roast across the table from Aurora." 

She looked back to Aurelio.  "Will gave his life saving Tara, so, the wound is still very fresh for her.  Out of respect, it would be kind to let her know in private before she meets with you.  So... what do you say?  Will you accept lodging and such here in Philly from Race Street Properties while you do your investigation?"

Aurelio had been on the cusp of responding to Gavin with a quip about how his mother was probably following the same thing he seemed fixated on, but Isabella's interjection killed the effort on the tip of his tongue. His mother's name smacked into him like a Studebaker and left a lump in his throat that didn't seem to want to let anything out. He nodded dumbly at the name and listened carefully to the rest of what she had to say. He worked up his courage and nodded once more before finding his words.

"I'd appreciate that very much. As for the illicit bits, don't worry too much about it. I've already come to terms with doing what I need to survive. There's not a lot of money to be made for honest work these days, but folks will open their wallets to know what others don't want them to know. Either that or cutting out the middle man and using the secrets yourself. Just don't ask me to rough anybody up."

He looked between the couple seated on the desk in front of him. A pair of hardened criminals who'd made it to the top of the heap, and who talked about his father as if he'd been every bit as tied into the pulse of the city as they were. He'd known the old man was connected, but running his own show was more than a hop and a skip from what he'd been thinking. Maybe there'd be faces there that could tell him what he wanted to know.

Either that or the woman he'd given his life for. A woman that was apparently more important than his own mother who'd died for him. The very thought of it rankled him, but she'd be a resource as well. Maybe he'd even handled her the same way. After all, the tiger rarely changes his stripes and based on his own knowledge and what he'd heard so far the old man had been a tiger in more ways than one.

"I'll wait your word on Miss Tara." Inwardly he gritted his teeth as he continued, thoughts of his mother preying on the feeling if not the tone of what he was saying. "It's a tough thing to lose someone you care about and I wouldn't want to put her to any more trouble than she's already facing."

In spite of himself some little nagging voice told Aurelio that he was taking advantage of this couple. They were going out of their way to do right by him on behalf of his father, a man he'd never even met alive. They didn't know who he was, what he did, or what kind of trouble he might be but in spite of that here they were talking about family dinners, lodgings, and work. If his father were still alive it'd feel like being indebted to him, but in the current circumstances he felt like a stand in for the man they wanted to care for. It was flattering and infuriating in equal measures.

He turned his attention to Gavin and in a flat tone and with a matching expression he began to spew answers.

"You deserve to know that I never met my father alive. Everything I know is from my mother, either as a kid or from a couple of letters she wrote trying to convince me to reconcile with him. Apparently a friend of his found her in New York and she went to go work with him in his new business. She was never too particular about what it was, but when I finally caved in and came here I found out she got shot and some folks that took pity on me said she'd been trying to fight off guys who'd come after her boss. Said she died a good and honorable death, but all that really mattered was that she was gone."

It took him a few moments to compose himself enough to continue and his flat expression started to seep away into a tired drooping of his features. He'd been wearing too many masks lately and it was starting to wear on him.

"I'm sorry. I'm...really not sure what the hell I'm doing in all this. I just miss my mother and want to find something to make it feel like it was all worth it. Like she didn't die for nothing."

Bella stood up and put a hand on @Aurelio's shoulder.  "Your mother was made of stern stuff.  She didn't take shit from no one, least of all Will Bowden.  In fact, she was a mother figure to just about his entire operation and most of South Philly's wise guys if we're being blunt about it.  She was a damn good woman who cared about people and no matter what you think about how she died I can tell you without question, how she lived was a far better and more important story to every single person I know... myself included."

She tilted her head to the side, "I know something about waiting your whole life for a father figure who never arrived... mine lived long enough that I got to see the sort of flawed and very human person the asshole really could be.  I'm sorry that you didn't get to understand what kind of life Kinzie had chosen to live here ... nor all the sides of your father, the good and the bad but maybe that picture will come together in it's own time."

She looked at the floor, "My instinct is to tell you how good a man your Father was, to try and prove to you that he was someone you should be proud to be the son of ... but I've been where you are too and so, I won't.  I'll share what I can with you and, well, you'll make your own decisions.  For now, I need associates who can get shit done for me and you need a place to stay while you sort shit out.  Let's take things one step at a time.  I'll look out for you while you're here, and you'll be an extra pair of hands for me.  We'll stay square that way, until you decide where you're going in this thing of ours.  Okay?"

She looked to Gavin, "Apartment 12 is open and furnished.  Maybe you could take the kid to the lofts and let him settle in there for the time being?  I'll pop by and talk to Tara over drinks unless you want to do this?"

Gavin shook his head at Bella; he'd let her deal with Tara. Gavin didn't get confused very often anymore, but he was confused as shit as he walked out with Aurelio.

"Uh, we're going to the Sewing Factory Lofts... got a few people in the operation living there. We're on the top floor."

He paused as he got into the car. They rode for a while in silence, then he sighed.

"Look, kid. I don't talk much when I'm not sure of things, and I'm pretty damn confused right now. If you've got things to ask me, go ahead. If you want to just see how things go, we'll do what we can for you to help you get the answers you want. We owe Will that much, at least. And there's a place for you here. You do what you want... but if you need us for anything, you let us know."

If the kid had more to say, they could chat in the car. Otherwise, Gavin would get him set up in an apartment and settled in. Then have a stiff drink.