Emily Renfroe arrived at the Willow Blue Lounge about ten minutes before the arranged meeting time. Thanks to Silvio, she'd been able to secure a lunch time sit down with the Right Hand of the Summerlin family. She had no idea if this Mr. Maione had heard of her, but that he'd agreed to meet her was a good sign. 

The hostess led her to a very specific booth near the kitchen door, as requested by Emily for the occasion. She politely refused a drink until her guest arrived. 

Dressed in a conservative looking navy blue suit with her dark hair in a neat ponytail, Emily sat and scanned the surroundings. Sheet force of habit made it impossible for her not to; but she was still alive, so that was something. 

As the car pulled up in front of The Willow Blue Lounge, three bodyguards got out and looked around the street. Satisfied, they opened the back door with their hands inside their coats.

Harry stepped from the car and fixed his tie. It was a beautiful evening for this occasion, he was meeting one of the families new recruits, Emily in a meeting set up by another associate, who asked on her behalf. Harry always enjoyed getting to know who worked for the family, so when he had some free time, the meeting was set.

As he walked into the lounge, Harry tried to remember if he had ever been here before. It looked familiar to him, but he could not place where or when. He paused upon entering and looked around slowly, taking in the people, the placement of doors and windows .... 'old habits die hard' he thought with a chuckle. A waitress was walking by and Harry ask if a Miss Renfroe had shown up yet? The server smiled at Harry in a odd knowing way, like they had met before, and points him towards a table near the back.

As he walked towards the table, Harry noted the woman sitting there. Well dressed and proper ... he also noticed how lethal her presence appeared as well. The posture, the way her eyes looked around the room (few men could reflect that as professionally as she did) ... Harry was intrigued about what possible things would be discussed tonight.

He removed his hat as he extended his hand,

"Emily Renfroe, it truly is a pleasure to put a face to a name."

She knew he'd arrived the moment the door opened across the room. The Willow Blue was a quiet place where most of the patrons were elderly snow birds or blown out gambling addicts trying to appear to have some kind of class left. All Emily needed to see were the three expressionless faces at the bar turn towards the door and stare just a little longer than usual. She followed their gazes to the entryway, where a hostess was leading a very well dressed man toward the booth. 

Emily stood as they arrived. With a warm smile, she made immediate eye contact with the powerful man and took his offered hand. 

"Mr. Maione, I cannot thank you enough for coming to meet with me this afternoon. I know you are a terribly busy man. Please, have a seat."

As they took opposite seats in the booth, a waitress appeared with glasses of water and the lunch menus. Emily nodded to her politely, and waited until she'd gone to begin speaking again. 

​​​​​​"I don't know what you already know of me; whether through Mr. Violante or by my previous business in Las Vegas, so I was hoping to use this opportunity to introduce myself properly and fill in any blanks. This family was very kind to offer me protection while I'm managing a particular situation, so I want to be very up front with you."

At that point, Emily paused and took a drink of her wate . 

As Harry was looking at the menu, he was also listening to what Emily was saying.

"Ms. Renfroe, We all have things about ourselves we are careful to talk about with others. To be honest, I know very little about you or your past. With that being said, you may tell me anything and have my word I will not repeat what you may say."

Having a past of his own, Harry knows how hard it is to connect with other while trying to keep things secret. He was very intrigued to hear what this lovely lady had to say.

The waitress returned to take their order. Not being very hungry, Harry ordered two eggs over easy and toast.

"I'll have the same, and a mimosa, please."

The waitress nodded once and disappeared toward the kitchen. Emily cleared her throat softly and began her story.

"Many years ago, after I put myself through nursing school by working as an escort. I was a high-end escort with the DiVasio Agency out of Las Vegas. During that time, I was a companion to a number of influential people; men on both sides of the law. I gathered quite a large bank of intelligence, and became something of an information broker. I was never formally connected, but much of my work was for Joseph Ligambi- directly or indirectly. Anyway, one evening, my client was an extremely high-ranking official within the FBI. He paid well, but he was an idiot. He left something in my room when he left that night. I won't give you specifics, but suffice to say that the information I found was more than damning to this man. I'm speaking of high treason, you see. Well, I was more than happy to return the folder to him, but before I had a chance, it seems he'd decided I was a liability and sent several agents to kill me. Giving the folder back wouldn't do any good, as I'd already seen what was inside."

She watched Harry's face carefully, looking for signs that he might be spooked by mention of the FBI. It wasn't uncommon.

"So, I have some heat with the FBI, but it's not because of my connections to criminal organizations. It's because of what I know. Now, I've hired a private investigator with some particular expertise in this area to help me neutralize the situation; but I need shelter well away from public life. Up until the fall of Detroit,I was posing as a nun and working as a nurse in a homeless shelter. Now, I'm ready to get on with my life, and to do so...well, it's a long road."

The waitress reappeared with their meals and quickly hurried away, seeming to sense the private nature of the discussion. Emily watched her go, wondering if this was something to be concerned about.

"Anyway, that is my story. I'm not asking for direct help in this matter from you or your organization- I do not wish to endanger anyone else. I'm simply asking for safe haven in exchange for my services as an information broker once my situation has been cleared up. But, as you can see, the nature of my problem is complicated, and that is why I insisted that I be upfront with you."

With his food in front of him, Harry took the toast and dipped it in the soft yoke. As he was eating he listen to Emily's story. When she was done, he used a napkin to wipe his mouth.

"Joe and I go way back. Have not talk to him for a bit ..." he paused in reflection. "As far as the FBI goes, we don't worry much about them. Judges, prosecutors and city officials do their best to keep them off us."

He used the last piece of toast to wipe up the rest of the eggs. Harry pushed the plate aside and looked at Emily for a bit. A remarkable woman with nerves of steel. 'She is going to do great out here' he thought to himself. Taking a sip of water to give him time to think about her words, Harry finally spoke.

"To be frank Ms Renfroe, direct help or not, that is what you get from this family. What your past is, well, is yours. We all have one. I myself am wanted in three states for murder. But that is my concern alone. I would like to thank you for being so forward though. Very rare these days."

Harry took out a pack of Chesterfields and lit one, then he offered the pack to Emily.

"Safe haven you have. No questions. As far as the information broker stuff, I will leave that up to Don Beko to decide."

Harry sat back to enjoy his cigarette to give Emily time to think about what he said.

His reaction couldn't have been better. Emily knew the risks of admitting Federal heat to a mob guy, but the fact that she wasn't a rat went a long way to ease minds. At least, that's what she figured. With a grateful nod, she took a cigarette from the offered pack and lit it from the lighter he held out for her. After sitting back, she drew in a bit and exhaled a slow, thin stream of smoke. She considered his words before answering with a smirk.

"You are a good man, Mr. Maione. And I wouldn't worry about the murder charges. I happen to know the judge in Burbank, and could talk him out of everything including his skivies if needed. As for the New Jersey and New York cases- well- lets just say they have their hands full with a bunch of racketeering cases that are taking up their time and money. I think it's safe to say you're off the hook."

It wasn't often that Emily let information like that drop, but she thought it might be a good idea for him to at least have an understanding of the depth and breadth of her resources. 

"I'm not a big enough fool to refuse help, but I do wish to keep you all as far away from this as possible. I believe Mr. Riddle will be a big help in that regard. Now, there's another matter I'd like to discuss. I'll be quick so as not to keep you any more than you can spare the time."

She took a sip of her mimosa, enjoying the refreshing fizz.

"As I mentioned, I graduated with a degree in nursing. I've been in Vegas only a few days, but I haven't yet seen a clinic or hospital that seems to have the...hm...discreetness that an organization such as yours would benefit from. I'd like to set up something to offer those services as well. I'm interested in perhaps purchasing a warehouse property and outfitting it with an emergency infirmary for private use. Is this something you think you might help me locate?"

Harry gave it some thought, a private clinic would be very helpful for folks in our line of work. Hospitals now want to report all gun shots. That does not bode well for the families. He took out a business card and wrote an address down.

"It is a wonderful idea and is much needed around here. This is a address of a man I know who has plenty of properties to chose from."

Harry handed the card to her.

"He owes me a favor, just tell him I sent you and he'll treat you right. If you need any help in procuring the place you decide on, let me know. I must say Emily, you are an amazing person. It is an honor to have you with us. Now, I must be going. I have a few more stops before my day is done."

Harry stood and fixed his jacket and tie, then he took two twenty dollar bills out of his pocket and placed them on the table.

"It might seem like a lot, but if asked, she'll not remember us being here."

With a chuckle, Harry shakes Ms. Emily Renfroe's hand

Smiling widely, Emily stood as well, shaking his hand warmly. 

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Maione. I really do appreciate it. I'll be in touch with you again as soon as my problem is solved."

She remained standing until he was out the door, then sat in her seat again to finish the last of her drink. Vegas was proving to have been a smart move this far. Hopefully, Mike Riddle would be the last piece of the puzzle.