Imashe sat down in the chair that she was offered and smiled at Giovanni, lifting her week old son from his pram.

"He can't eat just yet apart from my milk" she chuckled as she passed him gently to Giovanni. It was nice to get out of her apartment after hiding from the world for the past week.

Looking down at the menu as she decided to what her meal was.

Before going to a meeting, Jason decided to eat something. He walked the streets and saw Dales Burger spot. Why not, he thought to himself. He walked in and took a seat. As he sat down and took off his hat, waitress lady came over and asked what a gentleman would like. 

"Hello, Can I get a bacon cheese burger with fries and coke please?" 
She wrote it down and went to prepare the order. Jason lighted up a cigar and took a deep puff of it.

Finally the waitress came and brought his order. It smelled awesome. Jason thanked her and gave her some nice tip. Then he started to eat, it tasted fabulously. When he finished, he smoked another cigarette, as always after eating, then paid for his order and left.

3 Weeks Ago

The war had ended but Sisyphus was only just beginning on his trek to find some form of repentance for all that he had done and seen since stepping foot onto American soil. Before he could even learn his first English word he was robbing from old ladies and attempting to steal from businesses-- a lot weighed on his mind, and for a moment he wondered if he could even go on with living in such conditions of squalor where his only next paycheck came from how much faster he could run than a police officer. That's when an epiphany hit him, along with a flyer that was rolling around in the breeze outside his apartment in Detroit.

Dale's Burger Shop

This sounded like a good place to put up his feet and not think so much on his current situation, for all he knew while today he was only a small fry, tomorrow he could be commanding his own men and running entire establishments out of multiple cities. There was nowhere but up for someone so fresh to go and worrying about the future was a foolish man's game. That's why he opted to go check out the new burger joint in an attempt to ease his mind.

Making his way through the doors, Sispyhus walked up to the main counter and perused the shops menu while thinking about what he would like. One of the men behind the counter asked him what he would like, and so thinking about what to say he quickly begun spitting out an order.

"I will take a cheeseburger. Pudding, and... one coca cola, shake it a little bit and then let it sit for a few moments so that it flattens. Nothing beats a flat coke."

There it was, the perfect meal to end all meals. Finishing up, he went to stand up when a man stopped him. He was wearing all black, and seemed to be trying to keep his head low in an attempt to not show off who he was. Speaking in a weird accent, the man explained to Sisyphus that he was the type of man who could give loans to small time crooks like himself and would only expect a five percent vig in repayment. This was a deal too good to pass up, and so he went back to the loan maker's place and walked away with a couple thousand dollars in his pockets.

Hopefully he would be smart with the money....

Scott had finally made it to Detroit, his eyes narrowed for a second on a burger joint, Brisa was by his side. She shrugged, it hadn't been that long of a flight but Scott had been hankering for some burgers. She had not really wished for anything else, she just wanted to make sure he lived up to his end of their little deal, so with a smirk, they had settled down into Dale's Burger Shop. It seemed to be quite popular, though not as much with some other places...it still held a solid customer base. 

"I'll take a double bacon cheeseburger and some cheese fries, along with a vanilla milkshake."

Brisa could only shake her head, deciding to order the same for the hell of it. It did seem like the young man had quite the appetite, maybe he had gone to the gym in some fashion...yeah that could have been it. Deciding to shrug his shoulders, Scott watched Brisa for a moment. 

"I made sure to call one of my guys, they'll take care of your problem. It just can't happen again, I don't want anything getting in the way Brisa. I don't really have my own crew in the family if this is the start of one, I don't want these problems again, do you understand me?"

He was stern, almost like his old leader in some way. He had taken what he had said to them in times when he wished for them to remain on the right path for them, it was something they all knew was true in the former crew of his. He just hoped Brisa would get this, otherwise, there was no reason for her to be here. 

"I understand and thanks for this, you've taken a chance on me and I'll be sure to repay you in some form. I just don't know how."

Scott shook his head, some people would have taken the chance, knowing that she was a beautiful woman. Still, Scott didn't want that and he knew what he would wish for her. Maybe he could make some connections, having a good smart woman by his side couldn't hurt and plus, it may just hinder some thoughts of business owners in the future. 

"For now, eat your food and let's prepare for what is to come."

With a small smile, Brisa nodded and thanked the waiter for her food, while Scott had devoured his without another word. Looking back on his words, she knew that he was a trustful sort of man. She hoped she would prove to be worthy of that, for now, like he said, she would munch on her food. 

Moments later, they would leave, continuing their trek about the motor city and wondering where they would end up.

It was 7 am and The Greek was at Dale's Burger Shop meeting with Jimmy Hoffa and his sidekick Bobby Ciaro.   It was early and Adrian wasn't happy with meeting that early it fuck up his flow.  He was drinking coffee trying to read the morning paper when they walked in.  They saw that Adrian wasn't alone he had Stefano and Liam and they all looked as if someone took a crap in there breakfast.  Jimmy sat at the booth with Adrian while bobby sat with the other two.   Jimmy started telling Adrian to put the fucking paper away they had business to talk about.  The Greek put the paper down then looked at Hoffa that made him freeze.  He told Hoffa that he was there as a curtesy for a friend and that him and Hoffa were not friends and if he pushed his luck he would bury him out in a fucking field some forty miles down the road.  

Hoffa was taken back as they always joked but the tone that Adrian used was like a whisper and his stare was very serious.  Hoffa apologized for asking to meet so early in such an out of the way location.  They talked about an upcoming strike and how they would need help and that they needed cash to entice some people to join and increase their power within the union.  Adrian listen and never said a word he from time to time sipped his coffee never breaking eye contact.  Hoffa ordered breakfast for him and bobby as they continued to talk.  Hoffa told Adrian several times that the breakfast was good there and how it was the most important meal of the day.

Hoffa wiped his forehead as his breakfast came and he Adrian still hasn't taken his eyes off him then he asked was everything alright.  Then Adrian told him that the next fucking time he needed help he better call and talk in the afternoon that the shit he just asked for could have been done over the phone or at one of his joints.  That the next time he asked to meet in the middle of nowhere Michigan it would be a very bad and sad day for him and his family.  The money will be given to Bobby later that day and he will have guys there to bust heads against the scalpers and the union busters as always.  Then he told Hoffa never ever tell him how to do his job that he may run the local teamsters but he doesn't run the mob.  

The-Greek stood up as well as Stefano and Liam and they walked out, Bobby then moved to sit with Hoffa and told Hoffa that he told him waking them up that early and having a meeting out in the sticks of Farmington Hills was a mistake.  It's going to blow over as the Greek doesn't hold grudges but he also never repeats himself.  Hoffa smiled an to Bobby that The Greek can go fuck himself he had Chicago and the Teamsters to Protect him.  Bobby told him that the teamsters in Detroit would listen to the mob first.  Hoffa looked at Bobby an became upset and then told Bobby to just stop talking.   

Zesshi walked into the burger and walked up to the counter, her face was pale and blank as if a morphine cloud hung over her head she spoke in a dignified yet soft voice "i would like an Ice cream and an orange juice" after the waiter put the food tray before her she placed a 100 dollar bill on the counter for the cashier to take and before they could rummage in the drawers for her change she just muttered in a point blank tone to "keep the change".

Zesshi turns around and heads for a table furthest away from most people and sits waiting for someone she was waiting for to arrive  she muttered silently to herself "he's late" as she takes a small sip from her juice.as she twirls her silky black hair over her finger as she slowly gets lost in contemplation as the seconds turn into minutes her with ehr eyes glued to the door waiting for her friend or perhaps one of her enemies to come walking through that door either way she was going to have a good day.

A strange business deal had brought Karasu on the doorsteps of the fine establishment called "Dale's Burger Joint".

It was a lovely place to be. Neither too big or too small. The black and white disco like floor with a couple of quaint little tables scattered across the area. It looked busy and booming.

But it was not the time to be adoring the place. It was time to meet somebody. An important family member. A most of all a female family member. He didn't want to keep her waiting. 

Karasu quickly left his car outside, along with his bodyguards and hastened inside, looking around to search for the familiar face.

There she was! The very familiar ZesshiZetsumei-san.

Seated in the furthest corner of the area, twirling her hair and sipping on some juice.

Karasu burst into his usual boyish grin, perhaps as a feeble attempt at apology and pulled himself a chair.

"I hope I am not too late, Miss" He said

Zesshi smiled as she saw him walk through the door it was almost as if that morphine cloud just vanished she would not allow family to see her usual demeaner while bright, her smile had an air eeriness. "oh no you're fine i just got here" she chuckled a bit.  "so what did we need to talk about while here?, i dont think you asked little old me on a date afterall" she ate a small spoonful of her ice cream. she hoped that Karasu wouldnt catch on that she was at the burger place 30 minutes earlier than agreed upon. before Karasu could answer her question she stated softy with a hint of concern " you know, its bad form to sit with your back to the door" as she invited him to pull his chair next to hers as she smiled faintly.

Invited to be sitted next to the lovely lady, Karasu obliged while thinking "Yes, she's right. Shouldn't sit with my back towards the door."

When the shifting was over, Karasu smiled as she took a scoop of her ice cream. Karasu wished she would still have space for some burgers as his bodyguard Noel, has said that this place had awesome cheese burgers.

"How do you like this city? Perhaps we can talk over some cheeseburger?" with that he motioned towards the waiter who arrived pronto while he waited for Miss Zesshi to choose for her own. 

"May I suggest you the cheeseburger?" he added excitedly.

after thinking for a moment she nodded and said to the waiter ill have a cheeseburger before turning her head towards Karasu to answer his question "i like this city very much, its a gold mine its a shame our boss didn't set up here instead" she stated matter of factly as she adjusted her shirt and unbuttoned the top button of her blouse.

looking out of the window the usual site of an urchin bumping into a business man at full speed was a sight to behold "poor bastard didnt even notice he was robbed that is why i love this place. a bunch of banks waiting to be robbed." she giggled a bit as she took out a puzzle box (rubix cube) to begin trying to solve it.

Karasu listened carefully to Miss Zesshi's words as she described this city as a gold mine. The young mafia nodded in agreement as he too shared the same opinion. Karasu had prospective business opportunities every time he had visited this city, be it a good deal on drugs, robbing banks, pulling multiple heists with ease. When she was finished he watched her pull out a puzzle box. 

In order to win her attention back, he started telling her about the recent plan which he had hatched. It involved a petty-criminal-now-turned-druglord, the fucker named Juan who was selling new drugs to the market thus affecting the usual heroin and cocain market. 

He went on saying " so this moron needs to be taken down. Can you see the damage he is doing to the market share? We can't allow him to have a monopoly now, can we?" Every time he mentioned his name, he became agitated but since he was sitting with a lady he needed to maintain his composure.

Luckily, by that time the waiter was back with their order. He waited for them to be laid in front nicely. He offered a tissue to the lady and waited for her. He said " so what do you think? Do you wanna help me torch this rascal?" 

"I'll make sure to treat you to the next fancy place of your choice. I am sorry to talk of business, even though we are meeting after such a long time. But being someone so experienced, I need your help so ........" he waits for the lady's reply.

she set the rubix cube on the table and soon as she heard him mention this juan guy her sweet smile turned into the smile of a sadist as she contemplated the fight between her and juan as she began unknowingly thinking out loud "could this be the man who could beat and tame me?? could this man be stronger than i? " as her laughter had an eerie tone after she noticed her blunder she quickly composed herself and that sadists smile faded back into a sweet smile as quickly as it came as she answered his question her tone was obviously trying to mask her excitement as she always loved a good fight to the death "ill help you out, i was getting bored of just guarding the armory day in and day out, a girl needs to have some fun you know?" she took a small bite out of the cheeseburger and sipped her juice as she finished speaking.

That was quite an usual response, Karasu thought. "What did she mean" Her words " tame" and "stronger" striked odd to her as if she wanted a competition with Juan.

But instantly, Zesshi recomposed herself in her usual sweet self as she took a small bite of her cheeseburger.

Karasu chose his words carefully but at the same time he was curious to know what was going on in her mind.

He continued talking about his plan while cutting his burger in half with a knife. "You must be wondering how the families in Detroit must feel about this guy. But rumour has it that Juan has made strong connections with a particular family and with inner circle of the police. People say that he is untouchable." he took a small bite and was amazed by the taste as it filled his mouth.

Finished chewing he said " But we have got connections too. Infact when I approached some of my contacts in Detroit they agreed instantly. Seems like Juan gave them a hard time too." he paused to check if she was still listening. He smiled and continued, " Infact you might be interested in what I have to show" With that he pulled out a couple of photos of incognito drug labs, secret meetings and Juan himself. 

"it matters not his connections all we need to do is lure Juan out in the open and i think i know how to do it" she was alluding to her beauty which was above average, beautiful enough to get almost any man she wanted but she knew as well that when she smelled blood in the water her personality betrayed her looks. "tell me where i can find Juan wont you?" she said in a teasing manner as she placed her hand on Karasu's hand as she smiled sweetly. 

she gazed at the photos especially of Juan and she smirked as she was already coming up with a hundred plans to kill Juan in her head even the odd thought of Juan either escaping her or heaven forbid, Juan emerges victorious in their fight. but she knew what the best plan was, poisoning.

Zesshi pulled out a small container containing ordinary seeds to show Karasu,  as he looked at them he was obviously puzzled to what significance these seeds could possibly have. 

"you might be wondering what these seeds are, why they are normal apple tree seeds but i recently made a discovery when eaten in large quantities they seem to produce a very potent poison that can kill a man in mere seconds" she paused before continuing " even though poisoning would be a quick incognito way to kill him, but i cant shake this excitement at the thought of killing him in a fight/duel" she said as she moved her legs in a suggestive manner that hinted at her love for violence.

Learning about her devious plans, Karasu couldn't decide if he was surprised, shocked or confused. 

Several things were going on in his head. 

"Holy shit! She wants to fight Juan herself!"

"Apple seeds. So simple yet so effective way of killing someone incognito"

"Damn, this lady was good with assassinations"

His mind was blown!!

But at the same time it also dawned on him, that there were so many ways things could go south. He rubbed his fingers to her palm in affection as he smiled again before saying " I don't have any doubts on you. But we want to make sure we don't suffer any losses." 

His mouth has gone dry with the mere thought so he took a sip. "Let's plan accordingly, shall we? I have made the initial framework. The whole operation is divided into phases. We need to integrate you into our plan. I have already talked to my contacts in Detroit to discuss their roles. But we are still halfway. Do not worry" He chuckled " I'll give you a call when the next meeting has been arranged, Is that fine with you?" 

at this point she could read Karasu like a book she could smell is shock like a great white shark smells blood,  she was grinning ear to ear as he tried his best to conceal his surprise and shock at her suggestion as she thought to herself "oh how cute this man is" she herself knew that she had an edge in assassinations as in her own country she had assassinated numerous people too many to count, politicians, union leaders, even the average joe wasnt safe if Zesshi knew they had a bounty on their head. money was great as she couldnt have too much of money, but she place the most value of a job in how much fun she had completing said job.

"tell me something, do you know of the locations of these drug labs and hangouts of Juan?i would like to stakeout these locations and learn a few things, his schedule, his normal route to and from the labs and his home, amongst other things" she asked karasu but she was hiding one thing from Karasu a very important fact. The fact she could learn the answer herself as she had the police chief blackmailed to do anything she ever wanted. all she was concerned about was killing Juan in a way that would bring the utmost euphoria to her and she was prepared to use that "connection" regardless of karasu's rejections but she humored him for now...

"what is your plan? im interested in your plan you seem concerned about it" she was smiling as Karasu's finger was rubbing the palm of her hand 

Karasu was gulping down his drink as she asked him about the whereabouts of the drug labs. Suddenly he felt very thirsty and he signaled for the waiter to bring them fresh drinks.

"Eh..." he stammered " actually we are still trying to find the exact location. These photos which you see was bought from an underworld broker with a hefty price. Unfortunately the man vanished before we could extract more information"

Karasu didn't like when he hit a dead end. His plan must be perfect as it was the family's reputation at stake here.

The meeting was going well now that he had Zesshi's expertise. 

The shop was quite empty. Maybe it's because of the time of the day. Time really flew when they were having a good time. 

But still, Karasu looked around to check if they were being overheard. It was a good choice to have chosen this as the meeting place. 

"what is your plan? im interested in your plan you seem concerned about it" She asked.

Karasu turned towards her. He frowned at her question because he was not sure if his reply would be adequate.

"Actually, even though Juan is apparently a druglord" to which he mocked as he uttered the last word " he keeps an exceptionally low profile. He is very cautious of the people around him. His social life is almost zero. He is very careful -  almost meticulous" he sneered.

"But" he spoke triumphantly " We have pinned the bastard down." He looked around as a precautionary measure yet again and spoke in a whisper for Zesshi to hear.

"He loves his cigars. Cuban cigars. He has got a membership for the Royal Cigar club somewhere in Bricktown. I have heard he visits quite often. He has even got a special "vault" there to store his cigars." 

As the drinks arrived , he took another long sip letting out a sigh of relief. He waited to see her reaction.

Zesshi was still grinning as she heard his answer she couldn't be more satisfied knowing this bit of info, or rather lack thereof as she asked "can i borrow those pictures for a day?" knowing the police chief certainly had to know of this Juan and she knew that the chief would give her the requested information, so long as he wanted to keep a major corruption scandal far over the horizon for as long as he possibly could. 

"this drug lord do you know if he has a bounty on his head?, im sure if there is there will be a few suckers willing to "help" afterall one is born every minute!" "i also admire your vigilance in making sure no one hears us, ill be sure to reward you accordingly" she said in a tone that was both cryptic and teasing "meet me here tomorrow at 6 pm, not a minute after" she got up and walked through the door and down the street until she was out of sight as she had an errand to run

                                  *The next day*

it was 5:30 pm she had arrived with Karasu's reward she sat down in the same spot as the day before waiting for Karasu to arrive she fiddled with her puzzle box unable to solve it except for one side she placed an order for a juice as she pulled out a news paper with the headline "a box of 13 fingers were found at the home of the police chief in baffling mystery" she glanced at the headline with a slight smile as if admiring her work as she clutched a folder hidden just out of sight of prying eyes as she waited for both her juice to be given to her and for Karasu to arrive.

"not a minute after" she had ordered. Karasu was painfully reminded of her sharp words as his car honked through the street towards his destination.

He still had fifteen minutes and if the next traffic signal was open he would make it. 

It was a lucky day for him for sure. His car glided smoothly without any interruption as it stopped in front of the shop. 

"I still have five minutes. " He muttered as pushed open the doors and started looking for Zesshi.

There she was again. Exactly where she was last day.

"Good Evening." He greeted as he found her absorbed reading a newspaper. "Did anything interesting happen?"

zesshi smiled as she handed him the newspaper  for him to read the headline as she got up to go to the counter, she gave the person behind the counter a wad of bills before sitting back down. as she sat the person locked the door of the establishment and she put the folder on the table and stated "in this folder there is some info regarding juan, even the location of his drug labs and known associates" she noticed him staring at the headline of the newspaper "a box of 13 fingers were found at the home of the police chief in baffling mystery" as she chuckled

"as i told you, ill reward your vigilance" she said with a small giggle waiting for his reply.