Aurora found it ironic that at night she needed the leather jacket she pulled tight around herself. It was a god damned desert, wasn't this fucking place supposed to be warm?  How come it got so damn cold when the sun went down?  

Neil shadowed her.  She could feel his presence but not his eyes.  He wasn't watching her or what she was doing, he was watching for threats.  Since mom had been killed, Neil's mood and behaviors had changed a lot.  In truth, Aurora knew she should send him away and force him to retire... she loved Neil and she wanted him to be happy, but the truth was that he would have been miserable if she sent him away.  He regretted being in the hospital instead of with her when it happened.  He hadn't told her that in so many words, but she knew.  She could tell.  For a man who could not speak, Neil communicated with the world better than almost anyone she'd ever known.

It was Thursday, that meant it was her night to check in with William and Dad.  The conversation would be much the same as it always was though.  Quiet greetings, small talk, updates about nothing and avoiding any talk about the one thing they were all still thinking about... that long walk out of the woods and the woman they left behind.  Aurora wondered if they ever would speak about it; if she could bring herself to tell her Dad how sorry she was, or Will. 

She suspected the answer was no.  It would always be the odd unspoken thing between them in a family where nothing was ever NOT spoken about - a family where truth was treasured almost above all else - silence would reign because the truth was finally just too hard to face.

Hands in her pocket, eyes downcast, Aurora kept walking, mulling over the dark thoughts that rattled around in her mind unchecked.

"A shame to see such a beautiful face looking so sad in the city of sin. Too much sinning for your taste? Or not enough?"

It was hard to place where the voice was from. Not the country of origin- Aurora was fluent in Italian accents- but where the voice was physically coming from. She glanced around, noticing Neil tensing up as well. Then she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, above her, where an attractive Italian man was handcuffed to the fire escape.

She couldn't see his eyes in the darkness, but she saw his tall, lean physique, his suit, and his smile.

He was sitting, reaching up with a lockpick in his left hand as he tried to pop the cuffs open. He waggled the fingers of his right hand in a wave.

"Unfortunately, I am not left handed. I don't suppose you'd be willing to help me? You should know I am innocent as a lamb. A newborn lamb. At least in this particular case."

He cursed to himself in Italian.

"Stronzo! I suppose I should take it as a compliment. I cleaned out the host so thoroughly in his card game that he was convinced I cheated. They're now looking for where I stashed my extra cards, since they've searched me... do you have any experience with handcuffs, Miss?"

Aurora noted the man secured to the fire escape and found the corners of her lips turning up into a smirk.  "Well... this is unexpected."

Aurora began to move toward the fire escape only to have Neil put his hand on her arm.  She looked at it then to the large man who shook his head 'no' emphatically.

"Oh come on... I'm just being a good Samaritan.  How bad could this possibly go?  Besides... I'm bored."  The word bored appeared to send a small shiver of terror through Neil as she moved out of his grip and easily pulled herself up onto the fire escape with all the grace of a gymnast.  

"Here, let me have that.  It's been a bit since I worked cuffs but as I recall there's a little trick to it."  She took the pick and began to work.  "These are the real mccoy... not some toy set.  You must have pissed off the wrong people friend."

The lock clicked.  "My name is Aurora.  Aurora Byrne."

She glanced around him to the window, trying to see who might be inside and if they had noticed her yet.

"Unexpected for you, but eminently fortunate for me. Please, my large silent friend, do not impede this good woman."

As she stepped into the light, Silvio forgot about the handcuffs.

"My God! To be rescued by a woman who is not only kind, but beautiful! Se non fosse per quegli stupidi porci dentro, ti carezzerei e noi scuoteremmo questa scala antincendio come un terremoto. Thank you a thousand times."

"Here, let me have that.  It's been a bit since I worked cuffs but as I recall there's a little trick to it." 

"Bella donna, sarebbe mio piacere essere ammanettata con te in circostanze migliori."

Silvio paused. She had dark hair. Could she...?

"Do you speak Italian, bella donna?"

The woman shook her head.

"Ah, you must learn someday. And I may piss off some people, but I am innocent. I have never cheated at cards in my life. Incidentally, if you hear someone open the door, you should run away and save yourself."

"And it is fitting that your name is Aurora. Your face shines with its own light, illuminating a poor fool like me lucky enough to glance at it."

Under his breath, he continued.

"Aurora significa alba, sì? Forse passeremo le prossime ore intrecciate e accoglieremo l'alba con i suoni del nostro amore."

He grinned at the idea as the woman finally clicked the handcuff open- at the same time the door opened and two tough looking men glared at Silvio and Aurora.

Aurora smirked speaking to Silvio in a tone that caused Neil to reach for his gun back on the ground, "Friends of yours?"

Being a small woman, Aurora knew the large men wouldn't expect she'd take the direct route but if she was being totally honest with herself, she had DEFINITELY been picking for another chance to make someone hurt as much as she was and this was as good an excuse as any.

Aurora moved to meet the men and, as expected, got the advantage of the first strike.  Lithe and fast as hell, she dodged the man's gut reaction attempt at cleaning her clock.  Aurora dropped low and passing the man to his left managing to elbow his kidney so hard as she passed that she was sure he was going to be nursing one hell of a bruise come the morning.

Finally looking to see where Silvio had gone, she expected the smooth-talking card shark had probably fled.  No cash prize or piece of ass was worth dying.  If he was smart, he would have run, but it was always hard to tell with his type.  

Silvio saw Murphy running towards his savior... and then in an instant Aurora had dodged him effortlessly. Silvio saw her hair swing out in a graceful motion as she made a flowing movement that combined a dodge with her attack and left the larger man on the ground.

Thomas, the other pezzo di merda who accused Silvio of cheating, immediately grew more serious as he saw his friend laid out on the fire escape clutching his guts and moaning. No, Thomas approached slowly in a fighting stance, feet raised to defend himself; he was dialed in on Aurora, which is why Silvio let fly with a wild punch toward his head.

Aurora had been taught from a young age what a perfect punch should look like... efficiency of movement, concentration of power... this punch was nearly the opposite of what she'd learned. Still, it wasn't totally ineffective; Thomas parried it, but it still glanced off the side of his head.

Angry, Thomas began throwing punches at Silvio, who dodged them effortlessly. The Italian moved with a dancer's grace... unfortunately, his skills seemed always totally defensively oriented. An expert hand to hand combatant would see a man acting entirely on instinct and not an ounce of training or practice: they'd also see the potential for excellence. Before Silvio could even consider launching another clumsy punch, Aurora's fist shot out and hit Thomas nonfatally in the throat; as he dropped to his knees one of Aurora's booted feet kicked out and leveled him next to his friend.

Silvio quickly checked Murphy's pockets, removing a wad of cash and the shiniest pistol Aurora had ever seen, which Silvio quickly tucked into his own pocket. Having reacquired his property, Silvio bowed elaborately in Aurora's direction.

"Thank you, my rescuer. Aurora. Please, I insist on repaying you. What can I do to pay my debt to you? Dinner? Breakfast? Another adventure? All three, perhaps?"

Aurora looked down at the two thugs as Silvio took back his belongings.

She winced as he repeated her name in front of the goons and she prayed they weren't working for her boss or her boss' boss.  

"Let's start with your name."  She said reaching over and unlatching the ladder so that it would drop down towards the ground and make their escape a little less dangerous.

She went down first.  Neil silently watched for danger as she came down to stand beside him, his hand finally coming off his gun under his coat.

"I presume you're not a local or haven't been for long?  See I'm new to town and I could use a bit of tour, but if you're new too then... I suppose that excludes that as a way to repay me."

"Mio dio! My manners."

With a charming smile, he bowed again.

"Silvio Violante, eternally at your service. You are right in that I am somewhat of a newcomer here, but it would be my honor to give you a tour of this wonderful city. Who is your large friend here?"

Aurora looked to Neil as Silvio asked about him and she said, "Family."

Neil smiled at her, his eyes filling with emotions he could not speak.  Of course, some things surpassed a need for words and this was one of them.

"His name is Neil.  He'd tell you himself but he can't speak."

Neil nodded to confirm.

She looked to Silvio as they began to walk.  "Since you feel confident giving a tour, I'll take that as payment.  Maybe you can show me some of the places in the city where real gambling happens... outside of the casinos, I mean."  

She looked out across the town.

"When you're not playing cards, what is it you do for a living, Mr. Violante?"

Silvio grinned.

"Well, it will not take you long to see everything that this mucchio di merda city has to offer.  If I were giving you a tour of Venezia, we would need a full week to visit all of its wonders- to experience even the smallest fractions of its limitless charms. Bella Venezia, the greatest city the world has ever known. It is my heaven, Aurora- and please, call me Silvio..."

He slipped an arm around her, resting his hand on the opposite hip regardless of the risk of bodily harm; he used his other open hand to sketch a panorama in front of her.

"Imagine Venice, the floating city, as you travel by gondola past the wealth of the Rinascita Italiana, each building- each person- a beautiful work of art... and then imagine how I must feel, exiled to this... l'inferno di sabbia... this Sand Hell. Here, this is sand. Over there? More sand. And there? Very sand. But still, witness the beauty of the human spirit. Even in this lifeless, forsaken desert, we still find a way to have fun eh?"

They turned onto the Vegas Strip, and the world suddenly became illuminated by dozens of signs for various casinos and restaurants. 

"You see, unlike other grander cities that have existed for centuries, this ramshackle pile of wood and metal is barely older than you are. Except those sanguisughe avide- the greedy federali- they decide to actually spend some of their contanti- their money."

"And what do they spend it on? The hungry children? No. The widows? No. Silvio Violante? Very no. They build a big rock in the desert to hold off some water or qualunque cosa diavolo faccia- whatever it does. And they bring thousands and thousands of men here to build their big stupido wall. But these men, what do they want? Gambling? Yes. Alcohol? Yes. Whores? Very yes. And so in a few short years, BOOM BOOM BOOM Las Vegas comes out of nowhere."

They paused, and Silvio spun with his arms open, encompassing the hundreds of artificial lights lighting up the early night.

"It is beautiful, yes? But in a way that is not real- a way that is artificiale. The whole city came out of nowhere, and the desert could swallow it again tomorrow and the world would miss nothing- other than the memories we make here."

He shrugged, returning to Aurora's side, his hazel eyes excited despite his apparent disdain for the city. He reached an arm around her again, regardless of whether she'd accept it, dodge it, or slap it away.

"There's The Strip and Fremont Street. Chock full of bars, casinos, hotels, and any sort of fun you could be looking for. Summerlin and Paradise, north and south of city, have more of a mix of living spaces and luoghi di divertimento- fun stuff."

Silvio sighed as they continued to work.

"And that is it. Mostly desert outside. Los Angeles is a few hours that way. Nothing much else to speak of. Well, there's a few specific places I could show you, depending on what you'd be interested in. Food. Beverages. Gambling. A show. And, ah- one special place. My favorite place in all of Las Vegas, and the only one with a beauty that approaches your own. I could show it to you, if you're interested, but ah, that would be the privato tour. No offense, Signor Neil."

He winked back over his shoulder at the bodyguard.

Aurora turned and looked at Neil who tilted his head to the side and gave her a decidedly disapproving look.

"Take the car,"  Aurora said flatly.

Neil groaned and sighed.

"Have Charlie answer when my brother calls tonight and let him know I got caught up with some business I couldn't put off.  I'll call back tomorrow."

First giving a dirty look to Silvio, Neil nodded to Aurora's instructions.

"I'll be fine."  She said putting a hand on his upper arm, reassuringly.  "Hardly my first rodeo.  Go on now.  I'll see you later okay?  Don't wait up."

Reluctantly the older man departed and only after he turned the corner at the end of the block did Aurora turn back to Silvio and take his arm again. 

"So... where is this special place you're taking me?" 

Silvio once again rested a hand on Aurora's hip as they strolled the sidewalk.

"Ah- see. I take that to mean you thought the tour was wonderful, yes? We will need a car. Perhaps after the special place, more adventures and tour. For now, only the special."

As they strolled on the sidewalk and his eyes glanced around, Silvio glanced at her and spoke half to himself, barely above a whisper as he inhaled the scent of her hair.

"Adorerò il tuo corpo come i greci adoravano Afrodite.... le tue urla di estasi risuoneranno per miglia... quando avremo finito, sarai così profondamente scopato che il tuo cugino di secondo grado si sveglierà di buon umore...- a ha! There it is."

Glancing down an alley, Silvio grinned and walked forward; Aurora trailed slightly behind him, but there was no one else there. He rested his hand on a new Ford.

"You know how to heat these wires, yes? Next time we are in Venezia, I will return the favor and steal a gondola for you. We get in the car, then drive west."

It took a lot not to react to his words in Italian and keep her secret that she knew everything he was saying.  Never had she met a man so free with his tongue before, granted he thought she couldn't understand him, but who would misunderstand those looks?

Part of her knew she should have gone back with Neil.  It was the right thing to do, but what harm was there in this distraction tonight?  He made her smile and so often she hadn't had much reason for that of late.  It wasn't like she'd become more pregnant for having a one-night-stand with some immigrant who was likely to be chased out of the city by some angry husband or boyfriend by the week's end.  Besides, what else did she have to do tonight?

She looked at the car.  Stealing it for a joyride wasn't even a challenge, and she hardly needed to, she could probably buy the thing from the owner if she wanted to... cash money, maybe right out of her pocket depending on the person.  Still, for some men that was part of the thrill.  So, Aurora opened the car door and with purpose and thrust her backside into the air as she went under the console to work.  

She could feel his eyes on her as she worked and she pretended the task was more complicated than it was to let him have an eyeful before the engine roared to life and purred softly. 

She looked at him as she rose up out of the car, a smile on her face but not yet touching her sad amber eyes, "Do you want to drive or should I?"

"Mio Dio, quel sedere dovrebbe essere scolpito nel granito in modo che quando qualcuno lo scava nei secoli futuri, la parte migliore della nostra società sarà preservata. Le cose che farò a quel culo non sono pronunciabili in nessuna lingua. Dovrò inventare una nuova lingua solo per comunicare di un bel culo."

Glancing over her shoulder, Aurora noticed that Silvio seemed to be addressing his comments to the moon, although he did regularly glance down to peruse the object of his inspiration. As the car roared to life, he grinned.

"Ti farò fare le fusa proprio come quella macchina, la mia feroce donna guerriera pantera. Penso che sarò sulla mia schiena così veloce come se stessimo combattendo."

He paused however, as she stood up and the light overhead shone down on her. Her attitude was serious... but it was more than that. Something in her eyes- a fascinating shade- but beneath that, a pain. 

Well, there would be time to talk during the drive.

"To the victor, the spoils. If you would prefer to have a powerful machine underneath you, feeling the wind in your hair, enjoy the roaring of your engine... well, you already have me for that. But driving can be fun as well, no? I will do it, if you prefer to watch."

"I'll drive.  You can focus on distracting me."  She said matter-of-factly.  Aurora brushed past him as she got into the driver's seat and waited for him to get into the passenger's side.

"So... you hate the sand.  You miss the old country... so why are you here?  Business?"  She glanced at him as she pulled the car away from the curb.  "Pleasure?"

Rolling down the window, Aurora actually did find herself enjoying the cool evening wind coming in and across her face and through her dark hair.  Focused on the road, she waited for Silvio's story.

"Pleasure, in a very roundabout way. I fell in love with the wrong person, and in loving her too intently my city was made unsafe for me. I will tell you..."

As they drove westward and the sky grew darker, Silvio weaved the Tale of Giulia for Aurora. 

"And then I found myself on the plane here to make my fortune. Apparently Signor Mattaranzo has many contacts on the East Coast, so here I am. Also, I love to gamble. I considered Los Angeles... but I think here is my best opportunity. And someday soon I will visit California; it is not so far."

As he spoke, he draped his hand on Aurora's knee. As he continued speaking, it would nonchalantly and slowly climb higher; she could feel the warmth of his hand through her jeans, and he occasionally drummed his fingers against her in the rhythm of a song she'd never heard before. If she seemed uncomfortable at all, his hand would remove itself immediately.

"What brings you to Las Vegas? And you never answered my original question, no? Why was it that you were trudging along? Too much sinning? Or not enough? Perhaps both?"

"I'm sorry to hear about Guilia and about you not being able to go home."

Aurora glanced down briefly at his hand on her thigh but she did not seem to fear it or recoil in any way.  Instead, she sighed and considered his question before resolving to do as she normally did - she told the truth.

"I was to become engaged, but before that could happen, the man I love was killed."  She swallowed.  "I came home... and found my friends were killed.  Two weeks later most of my family members were killed and the people responsible hold my city.  It's unlikely I'll see my home again, at least not for a long while."

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the thoughts.

"I came across the country to Las Vegas because I inherited a business and some land here.  It's not much, but it's something to start from and it doesn't remind me much of the people I've lost.  So, that's something." 

She glanced at Silvio, unsure if her tale was going to kill the mood or not.

"You amuse me.  So... here we are."

Silvio's hand warmed her upper thigh, and his fingers continued gently playing their silent song.

"I'm sorry to hear about Giulia and about you not being able to go home."

"Thank you, so am I. But what else can I do? I must build a new life or get crushed under the weight of the one I lost."

"I was to become engaged, but before that could happen, the man I love was killed."  She swallowed.  "I came home... and found my friends were killed.  Two weeks later most of my family members were killed and the people responsible hold my city.  It's unlikely I'll see my home again, at least not for a long while. I came across the country to Las Vegas because I inherited a business and some land here.  It's not much, but it's something to start from and it doesn't remind me much of the people I've lost.  So, that's something." 

"I am sorry to hear of your loss as well, Aurora. I know a little of death, although I expect you experienced more of it recently than many people do in a decade. What else is there to say about death? It weighs down the living, but the dead are free. We carry their burdens for them because of our love. And eventually, the memories carry us along."

Silvio looked out the window. His hand had remained on her thigh, but it had retreated to a more respectful distance. Silvio did not think his dead mother would be offended by him actively trying to seduce a beautiful woman as he contemplated her death, but it was better to be sure.

"And you amuse me very much as well, Aurora Byrne- la signora del fuoco. As befits your name. But even chilled coals can light again, no? And tell me, when did you learn to speak Italian? Never once have you asked me what I've been muttering under my breath. Or would you prefer that I compliment the other parts of your body and pretend like we never had this particular exchange?"

Her skill with the language was nearly perfect, a native might mistake her for one of them as they heard her say,  "È piacevole sentire i pensieri non filtrati di un uomo. Pensavo che se tu sapessi che potrei parlare la lingua di mio padre inizieresti a dire bugie e lavorare per manipolarmi come fa la maggior parte degli uomini. L'ironia è che in questo caso la manipolazione è del tutto inutile."

She glanced to him.

"Non c'è bisogno di sedurre o ingannare i volenterosi."

She looked back out onto the road.

"I might have dived into a bottle and never came out for all the sadness I've faced recently... but it's a luxury I can't indulge in.  Not in my condition."  She again looked at him briefly from the corner of her eye.

"And you seem the sort of man who will neither be offended by my longing to be with a dead man nor offended when you wake alone tomorrow.  In fact, I strongly suspect you'd prefer it that way now that I hear tell of your, Amanti."

She shakes her head and smiles. 

"That and... I don't ever think anyone has ever said such nice things about my ass before.  I'm going to truly regret you knowing I can speak Italian if it stops you from lavishing such praise upon it."

This time she actually chuckled.

Silvio continued to dance his fingers up her thigh.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about in one sense: I will never lie to you. In fact, I don't lie to anyone. When I was sixteen, I created three rules for my life and that was the first one. I haven't lied since. If you'd like to hear my unfiltered thoughts about any part of you, just say the word."

"And I'd say that the willing are the ones who need to be seduced the most, no? Coloro che cercano dovrebbero essere più premiati."

Condition. Interesting. Recovering alcoholic? Or pregnant? 

"I will not be offended by your longing to be with the dead; after all, you don't seemed threatened by Giulia."

He shrugged.

"However, I do take offense if you are gone in the morning. I expect to be so good that you would wanted a third helping before you tear yourself away from me."

"And I could write sonnets about your ass. Although, perhaps, I may need a closer look to maintain my artistic integrity."

His hand finished its journey as his fingers began sliding against the denim.

"It is a beautiful thing, hearing you laugh. Why not lay your burdens down for the night? They will be there for you tomorrow to pick up again."