The flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia had been Sarah's first trip on an airplane. Growing up, she'd traveled, but only by train or boat - her father didn't trust air travel at all. Her nerves had been a little raw boarding the flight, but those were calmed with a glass of whiskey offered by a stewardess. She managed to stay awake to see the Grand Canyon below, then slipped into a fairly restful sleep the rest of the way. 

In a way, Philadelphia reminded her of New York; bustling, buzzing, and busy. Though she was carrying more than $12 grand, Sarah was stingey with the cash. There was no way to know how long that would last not knowing what the next few days held for her. Mike was gone; maybe dead, maybe alive- but the sudden disappearence made her nervous. With a small bag of clothes and a business card in hand, she made her way through the airport and found a cab. 

"Race Street, please. Anywhere, I guess."

Twenty minutes later, the cab left her on the curb in front of a series of stores, restaurants, and bars. The first place she noticed was an Italian Cafe and bakery. That was as good a place as any. 

Inside, she asked if they had a telephone. The owner nodded, but insisted that she make a purchase if she wanted to use it. So, with a dozen lemon cookies now added to her bag, she asked the operator to connect her to the number on the business card. 

Unsurprisingly, the voice that answered wasn't Gavin, but likely a guard or some other employee. 

"Hello, my name is Sarah Winters. Mr. Byrne gave me this number in case I needed him...and I think I may be in trouble." 

Someone who'd known Gavin twenty or thirty years ago would have been shocked by the image in front of them. Well, at least somewhat.

To begin with, Gavin was in his office- a foreign concept to those who knew him in his youth. Secondly, his hair was greying rapidly. The silver was rapidly replacing his earlier brown. When he was younger, Gavin tended to buy stylish but cheap suits; they were often quickly destroyed or discarded. In his youth, Gavin would sometimes fly to a city impulsively, buy a few suits, and just leave them behind when he left again, always preferring to travel light. But now, the combined influence of his wife, his sister, and his friends had given him a sartorial mastery. He wore a bespoke black suit that his sister had sent from London during her nonstop travels.

Still, his old friends would recognize him easily. His feet were up on his desk, which was bare, and he was tilted back in his chair. His gentle snores were the only sound in the office outside of a small fan blowing in the corner. And even in his sleep, his face wore the hint of a smirk.

When the phone rang, Gavin was startled awake, reaching for both his gun and balancing himself against his desk with a chuckle.

It had been a late night, and he wasn't as young as he used to be. The bodyguard on the phone explained the situation, and Gavin's mind slowly caught up to reality.

"Tell her I'll meet her on the Pier. There's an old bench on the northernmost point."

He rubbed his jaw.

"Tell her I'll be there in ten minutes."

With instructions on when and where to meet, Sarah thanked the owner of the bakery, bought a cup of coffee, and headed out. Her distinctive red hair was pulled back in a bun just above her neck, and hidden under a flowered scarf. A pair of sunglasses covered her eyes, and she wore a light blue cardigan over a white shirt-waist dress with stockings and black pumps. If anyone was looking for the girl from the seedy club in LA, they wouldn't be looking for this sort of girl. 

Having gotten directions from a paper boy on the corner, Sarah began to walk casually in the direction of the Race Street pier. Remembering what Mike had taught her, she did her best to act like she belonged there. The scarf and glasses hid her most recognizable features, but past that, she looked like any other girl enjoying a late afternoon stroll by the river. 

The pier itself was just what she expected. There were families walking together, old men playing chess on concrete tables and benches, and a few fishermen with baskets of crabs and fish they pulled from the warm waters of the river. She stopped for a moment to listen to a street performer play a violin, and tossed the change from her earlier purchase into his hat. There was a good amount of construction going on all around, and the number of people out and about gave Sarah a sense that no one would try to grab her with so many eyes around. Still, she was cautious, and patted the side of her bag to check that the snub-nosed revolver was still there.

Just as she'd been told, there was a wrought iron bench at the northern end of the pier overlooking the water. Sarah settled onto one end and took in a deep breath of the fresh air. From her bag she pulled a book and flipped to the dog-eared page where she'd left off before boarding the plane in LA. She didn't have a watch, but she knew it wouldn't be too long before the well-known Wolf of Race Street showed up. She'd learned quite a bit about him from Mike, and was more than grateful to have crossed his path those weeks ago. He was a powerful ally to have, and Sarah was prepared to make any help he could give her worth his trouble. 

Gavin exited the bank that served as one of his wife's primary headquarters and started making his way to the pier. He walked alone, without the constant swarm of protection that preceded the arrival of the rest of his family. As he moved through the streets of Philadelphia, he felt the gaze of the people, but it wasn't a scrutinizing one. Nearly everyone smiled at him as he made his way down the sidewalk.

The people of South Philly had respected Tara. But they loved Gavin- just like they loved his wife and children.

Tara had run South Philly from an ivory tower, but Gavin had gotten dirty with them. He'd spent times in the bars drinking with the working men, listening to the working men, fighting with the working men because Gavin had slept with their sisters, and he'd carved out a reputation very different than his sister's. In his younger days, he'd been the most generous man in the district, as well as the deadliest. 

And now he strolled through South Philadelphia like a king inspecting his castle.

By the time he made it to the Race Street Pier in the Old City, Gavin had fully awoken. The Pier was rebuilt, but he still saw the ghostly frames of old buildings and the people he associated them with. East Cat Tavern. Jack. Massage Parlor. Stella. Meatball Sub Shop. Madeline. Purgatory. Will. Bella. Arturo. Adonis. Ilaria. Eddie. Yvette. Charlie. Roger and Jess. He'd outlived almost all of them.  

But as Gavin strolled through the Pier, he reminded himself of how well the current generation had carried the torch. Louis. Luis. Apollonia. And a lot of new faces that he promised himself he'd introduce himself to.

Another new face, or almost new, was waiting for him on the bench. He approached silently and sat next to her with a grin.

"You called?"

A smile slowly crossed Sarah's face - one of relief. She closed the book and let it rest on her lap. 

"You came. Not that I doubted you to be a man of your word, but these days I'm a little low on friends."

Sarah, outside of the confines of the club, was a very different woman. Barely 18 years old, she seemed more like a woman in her 30s; confident, collected, and cautious. She didn't immediately make eye contact with Gavin, but she pulled a necklace from beneath her cardigan and unclasped it. Hanging from the gold chain was a gold signet ring, the letters "D" and "W" intertwined and surrounded by four diamonds. She handed it to Gavin. 

"This belonged to my father, Daniel Winters. I had stolen it the day before I was kidnapped. I was going to fence it for cash. I don't remember what I wanted so badly, but Dad wouldn't buy it for me. He wanted me to work for it. But, Lou's men jumped me and hauled me to LA. Lou took the ring and kept it. I guess like since kind of trophy."

Sarah slid off the sunglasses and looked to Gavin. 

​​​​​​"A man named Mike Riddle came to the club a week ago and killed Lou. That's how I got the ring back. Mike knew my father, and had promised to help me. It seems that there are people that want me dead so that they can get their hands on his fortune and power in New York. Mike was protecting me, but he's disappeared. I have no idea what happened. He left the motel room in Jersey and never came back. I have a bad feeling it has something to do with me."

She had no intention of wasting Gavin's time with a lot of useless babble. 

​​​​​​"I need to get to New York, to my father's house, and find answers. I need to find his lawyer and claim what is mine so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands; but there is a target on my back, and I need help. I don't have a lot of money, but I can pay you when I get safely to the house."

Gavin listened carefully, more skeptical early on but increasingly attentive as Sarah continued. When she was done speaking Gavin looked out at the Delaware River and nodded to himself, thinking. After a thoughtful silence, he spoke.

"You know, I get a lot of people who call me up like you did after I meet them. A lot of them just want money. A 'small investment.'"

He grinned.

"A lot of them, not knowing I'm a happily married man, want to seduce me. They figure being my mistress would set them up for their rest of their lives. And you know, they're probably right if it did happen... except my wife would probably ensure 'the rest of their life' doesn't give them much of a chance to spend that money."

Gavin's fingers drummed against his knee.

"An apology, first. I could sense something was off in our interaction that day. My best guess was that you were confused by me not wanting to screw you, since I imagine that was a rare reaction among most of your previous clientele. If I'd known you were kidnapped or forced to be working there- or if you told me anything that day- I wouldn't have walked out of that place without you. So I'm sorry."

He was sincere in his apology, but he wasn't going to dwell on it. If Gavin focused too much on the past, he would have died decades ago.

"Some questions."

"Do you have any idea who's putting this target on your back? I assume your father was killed, yes?"

"How big of a fortune are we talking about here? What kind of business was your father in, where he was friends with a killer? Was it the business- my sort of business?"Although I'd like to act as a chivalrous knight who wanders the country doing good deeds, I'm a businessman. You mentioned paying me when you get safely to the house; I propose a different arrangement. Pay me nothing until you recover your father's wealth. If you ultimately get nothing, I get nothing. However, if you do receive the expected financial windfall, you'll provide me with... a reasonable percentage, depending on the total amount we're talking about here. Perhaps 20% of a smaller number or 5% of a larger one. All negotiable after you've received what's yours."

"How does this weekend sound, in terms of a timeline? I actually have business of my own I could attend to in New York. It might require me to bring along someone else and it will occupy some of my time in the evening, but I'm afraid I have a commitment I can't postpone or cancel. Still, I could work New York into my plans. Does that sound acceptable?"

In truth, the only thing that Gavin said that caught her off-guard was his apology for not acting at the club. It caused her to smile, genuinely, as she replied to his questions. 

"You, sir, were the perfect customer that evening. No offense, you are a very handsome man no doubt, but it was a relief to be able to keep my clothes on for a change."

Sarah sat back against the bench, lacing her fingers together. 

"My father's business was in the same line as yours, yes. He ran a rather large crew out of the upper east side. As it turns out, however, he had other business that I wasn't aware of."

She paused, choosing her words carefully before proceeding. 

"As it turns out, he was helping the CIA bring down a foreign drug ring. He wasn't a rat. He never spoke about his business to them, and they never asked. In fact, they knew everything already, which is why they approached him to help them. Mike said the drug ring was from Japan. Mike was the lead agent on the operation, and had a partner who was on the case as well, but he double crossed Mike and ended up taking money from the Japanese to throw off the investigation. Dad found out about it, told Mike, and that's when things went south. Mike thinks it was his partner, Burke, who killed my Dad, and now is after me because I know everything."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

"My father's estate is worth millions. Between his home, business fronts, and the cash he made working with Mike, I can only guess that it's near 700 million."

Now, she turned to fully face Gavin, her emerald green eyes ablaze with determination. 

​​​​​​"If you are willing to help me, I will give you whatever you want. I just don't want to see it all lost to a greedy, filthy agent and murderer. And this weekend is perfectly fine, I'm not going to ask anything more of you than you are willing to do. Except, maybe, suggest a place to stay this weekend where I don't have to worry that I'll be found. I know Burke is after me. He's already tried to kill me twice since Mike got me out of the club."

​​​​

"700 million? Not too bad at all. 5% of that... not too shabby."

Gavin nodded.

"Okay, so we're doing this. Just one other question for you, though. Let's say you get 600 million dollars in your bank account tomorrow- what would you want to do with your life? Or let's say the money's gone and you got nothing- well, what would you want to do then?"

Gavin flexed the fingers of his right hand.

"And Burke... well, we'll handle him. Is he still currently a Fed?"

"Yes. Mike said that he's playing both sides to his advantage, but that he's getting cocky, which is making him sloppy. I just hope Mike is ok."

Sarah looked out over the end of the pier, thinking for a few moments.

"I want to do something my Dad would be proud of. You know, too make up for being such a bull-headed little brat like I was. When I was working in the club, I thought that I might like to own a bar some day. A nice place, not like that crap hole Lou owned. It was a dump, even though it looked good on the surface. But, even if the money is all gone, I could still do right by him. As much as I didn't want to hear it, he taught me to work hard and be smart. I think that's how I managed to stay alive after Lou took me. I could find some kind of work, I'm sure. I'm pretty good with numbers. I used to help him with the books at his casino."

"We can make tracking Mike down a priority too, if you'd like. 30 million bucks will buy you a lot of favors with me."

He smirked, but was still listening carefully as Sarah talked about her potential future plans.

"And your plans sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders. What are you reading, by the way?"

Sarah lifted the book from her lap and ran a hand over the dark green cover, smiling.

"It's a book of poetry by Walt Whitman. He's my favorite writer."

Feeling much more confident about her situation now, Sarah replaced the necklace around her neck and slipped it beneath the neckline of the cardigan. 

"I can't thank you enough for being willing to help me. Money or no, it is rare to find a good man willing to borrow trouble for someone else."

Gavin flashed a friendly grin.

"I'm not all that good, and- as you said- I'm not really borrowing your trouble. Just buying a piece of it, really. But... perhaps there is some sort of paternal self-interest here. If my children were in your situation, the idea of them getting cheated out of what I'd left them is... disturbing. I prefer to live in a world where these things are collectively taken care of."

He shrugged.

"Not that I suppose I'll have much say in it either way. Do you have any other questions for me? Any concerns? Anything else I should be aware of before agreeing to help you? If so, let's handle all that now while we're alone. If not, I need to go collect the third member of our party and I'll meet you in a couple hours at the train station. No need to fly for such a short trip."

The pensive look on Sarah's face made it pretty clear that there was something on her mind that didn't want to traverse the boarder of her lips. Her eyes wandered toward the horizon for a few moments. 

"I've already lost one good man who was trying to help me. I've done my homework, and I know the power you have. But please, don't mistake my youth and femininity for helplessness. My Dad taught me to shoot just about anything with a trigger, and a to wield a few things without them."

Now, she returned her eyes to meet Gavin's, a grave expression on her face. 

​​​​​​"I don't want to risk another good man getting hurt on my account. And I've heard stories about your wife, and I really don't want a dragon on my tail. I would rather take the bullets myself, if they start flying."

​​​​​​

"Well, Miss Winters. Two things for you here. I plan on limiting my involvement to the boardroom here; we'll have plenty of resources to hire more direct help if needed. And regarding my wife and people getting hurt... well, I have some bad news for you."

Gavin grinned at Sarah as he stood and adjusted his suit jacket. 

"There's only one man in the world that my wife cares about more than me: our 17 year old son William. He'll be our third guest on this trip, so if things go sideways we'll really have lots of explaining to do."

With a wink, he departed, calling back over his shoulder.

"See you at the train station!"

Two hours later

The meeting with Gavin Byrne had given Sarah a cautious optimism about the immediate future. A man with such power and influence could possibly scare her opposition into backing off. After all, Gavin was a king for all intents and purposes, and the Italian mafia was a stronger force on American soil than the Irish gangs. Whoever was after her inheritance should have a storm to face with the arrival of Gavin Byrne. 

After leaving the pier, Sarah had made a few purchases. Her dress had been replaced by a pair of black slacks and a black t-shirt. Over that, she wore a brown duster jacket that concealed a double shoulder holster and a belt holding several magazines of bullets and two slender daggers. The holster held a pair of Brownings, and her snub-nosed 38 was secured to her ankle.

As she stood in the main terminal of the train station, she was not unaware of the looks she was getting from passing strangers. The hardware beneath her coat did not betray her slender, feminine form, and a usual, her blazing red hair drew the eye. Upon arriving at the ticketing area, she posted herself against a column and waited, watching with keen eyes for anyone that might be following. 

​​​​

Will Byrne rested his head back against the seat of the private car that was taking them to the train station. Raini, Will's personal bodyguard, was driving; the middle-aged Jamaican woman looked back at Will with a knowing smile as the young man sigh. Gavin, seated in the back was his son, raised a knowing eyebrow and waited for it.

His son was a talker.

"You know, Dad, I appreciate that you want to spend time with me, but you could have canceled our weekend trip here."

"I could have."

"In fact, I had some back up plans that-"

"What's her name?"

"Well I was going to be studying-"

Gavin laughed as his son's serious expression broke into a sheepish grin.

"- fine. Maybe there was a girl involved."

Gavin rested a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Hey, I could die of old age any day now. You should be more respectful for the time we spend together. Besides, this is going to be a little different than our other trips."

"Oh?"

"Well... two things. First, I registered both of us for a high stakes poker tournament taking place on a ship. Nice little cruise around the New York shore. You were complaining the other day about not being able to find good competition any more; this should be a challenge for you."

Will's interest was firmly caught as he waited for the second thing from Gavin.

"And... I have some business to take care of. A new associate needs some assistance ensuring that she's not cheated out of her inheritance. Now, Raini and I will keep you safe, and I expect that most of the 'action' will take place in the board room... but if it's anything beyond that, I think you're old enough to handle it. I wasn't much older than you when your aunt and I first arrived in Philadelphia. Depending on how bad it gets, well, we might not be able to tell your mother."

Will was firmly on the hook as the car pulled to a stop; Gavin smiled knowingly as they exited the car and walked toward the train station as his son did his best to seem less than impressed.

"Fine, Dad. I admit it. That should be okay. But have you seen the type of woman who plays in your poker games? She usually looks like a hippo and smells like an ashtray. This is still a sacrifice that you're going to owe me for."

The trio moved through the main terminal, and Will spotted a beautiful woman leaning against the wall, cutting a stylish figure. She was still out of earshot, and Will turned to his father as they walked.

"I mean look at her. Look. At. Her. This is what I'm sacrificing to spend time with you. You'd think that maybe you'd compensate me for the loss of such beauty in my life when-"

Will cut himself off as they moved closer and closer to the woman- seemingly in a straight line. Gavin looked like the cat who caught the canary as he introduced them.

"Will, this is Sarah Winters- my new associate that we'll be helping out. Sarah, this is my son, William Byrne. And his bodyguard Raini."

Will recovered quickly, removing his sunglasses and extending his hand to shake in a string of smooth motions. An easy grin, reminiscent of his father's, crept across his face like sunshine dawns in the morning: a slowly increasing dosage of light and heat. His age anywhere between 17 and 20, Will lacked muscle, but still seemed in decent enough shape. He was a young man so handsome and easygoing that it was easy to imagine him dominating any social setting; fortunately or unfortunately, he seemed to be aware of this. Still, he was well spoken and charming as he greeted Sarah.

"Miss Winters- a pleasure to meet you. My father has told me so much about you, and it's my sincere hope that we're able to assist you."

In constantly scanning the terminal, Sarah had seen Gavin Byrne arrive. Even if she hadn't been looking, the Wolf of Race Street couldn't make an incognito appearance. People noticed when he walked into a room- looking up, looking away, or parting the waters for his path. Accompanying him, Sarah noted a no-nonsense looking woman and a young man that was clearly Gavin's son. The resemblance was more than striking, and became even more so when his face broke into the same, disarming smile.

Sarah stood up straight as they approached, glancing first at Gavin as he introduced his son. She nodded to Gavin, gratefully, then looked to Will as he spoke to her. The skin of her neck blushed warm under the collar of her coat. Of course he was handsome- how could he not be? The last few months had Sarah rather wary of men; but she hadn't interacted with a man her age in, well, years. Her voice squeaked just a bit when she began to speak, but she quickly cleared her throat and started over, offering her hand to shake his, and a warm, slightly shy smile.

"Hi. Thank you for coming along. But, you can call me Sarah."

The large, ornate clock in the center of the station chimed six o'clock. Looking up to it, Sarah picked up the small shoulder bag that sat at her feet.

"I've already checked the schedule. The next train to New York City leaves at six-twenty from platform 3."

Mentally, Sarah took an inventory of her belongings, making sure that she had everything she thought she would need. Her weapons remained on her person, and her sack held a single change of clothes, a simple zipper pouch with her money, and a small ring of keys. 

Will nodded, shaking Sarah's hand and leaving it that extra one or two unnecessary seconds before releasing it. Gavin ushered the entire group toward the train. He and Raini were watchful for any threats, but none seemed to be materializing. They boarded the train without incident, and Gavin led them to a private car. There were several couches and seats and a circular table in the center. As they entered, Gavin explained to Sarah.

"Private cars are more secure. No need for a sleeper, since we'll only be a few hours. Let me know if you need anything. Food. Water. You too, Will."

The young man smiled affably, and each passenger took a corner of the train car for themselves. Gavin unbuttoned his suit jacket and stretched out comfortably.

"Anything else you wanted to discuss, Miss Winters? If not, would you prefer some quiet time to read? Or perhaps you'll indulge us in a bit of a warm up poker game?"

It took a moment or two before Sarah realized that Will had let go of her hand; she was somewhat caught in the clear blue of his eyes. When Gavin had mentioned he was bringing his son, Sarah hadn't expected someone quite so stunning. Then again, she didn't know what she'd expected. Her mind had been so deep in watching and planning that she'd probably missed a lot of the nicer sights she could have seen in Philadelphia.

When they boarded the private car, Sarah let herself breathe deeply. A private car was an excellent idea- no strangers coming in and out. For a few hours, she could relax. In fact, she decided she would force herself to do just that. Before sitting, she slid off her coat and hung it on a coat rack, leaving the holster in place. She would relax, but not that much. At the mention of poker, Sarah's green eyes lit up a bit.

"Hmm, poker sounds like a good idea, actually. I'd like to see just what I'm up against. If someone has cards, I'd be happy to deal."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Will shift in his seat, then toss a boxed deck of cards toward her. Sarah deftly caught the deck with one hand and spun it in her palm.

"What'll you have, gentlemen? Five card? Seven card? 2-7 Triple Draw?"

Placing the deck on the table, reached back and pulled her long red locks into a low ponytail, securing it with a band from her wrist. Poker was a comfort zone; something she could lose herself in and let go for a while. She smiled a little, remembering sitting on her Dad's lap watching him play the boys, and later teaching her how to deal and bet. Good times didn't have to change, just the people.

William Byrne was the sort of young man that made an impression; on meeting him, one could sense that he would either become a Senator or catch a bullet from a jealous husband. He had an unmistakable personal charisma, a well honed attractiveness, and a silver tongue. He had his father's charm and skilled handling of the opposite sex paired with his mother's penchant for language. He was the scholar of the family, rivaling even his Aunt Tara with his skills with numbers, languages, and any other academic subject he happened to put his mind to.

He was useless in a fight, but didn't see that as particularly worrisome. His sister was the warrior, and she was always on call. And besides, an understanding of strategy and psychology allowed one to avoid 99% of fights before they happened.

Will's keen eyes, while watching Sarah remove her jacket, saw the book that spilled out of her pocket. Picking it up, he handed it back to her with a grin.

"Whitman, huh? I hope it's the 1855 translation and not the 1892."

The young man sighed wistfully as he took his seat.

"They bowdlerized the deathbed edition. I prefer the original one. More... sensual. Do you have any favorites by him?"

Interrupted by Gavin's suggestion of poker, Will turned away and tossed Sarah a deck of cards, winking to her as she caught it.

"We're a No Limit Texas Hold 'em family, mostly. Seems like that's most popular, nowadays. So tell me about yourself, Sarah. What's your story? My father mentioned something about a cheated inheritance?"