Neil opened the door to the Duesenberg and Brigitte bounded out, blonde curls bouncing, his large hand palmed her head instantly so she couldn't dash far from her mother's side.  Aurora, dressed in her usual fare of t-shirt jeans and leather jacket concealing her M1911s, smoothly slid out behind her daughter and cast her eyes around the loading bay until she spotted the man she'd come to see.

Nicholas 'Toothpick Nicky' DiPalma was a man just shy of Gavin's height, and half-a-dozen years his junior and Aurora was honestly surprised to find he'd survived her mother's demise in Philly.  He was Race Street t& Tara Byrne's man to his very core, having served Jack Mezzo's operation as a teen, Tara in his twenties, Louis Mezzo in his thirties and her mother up until her death.  She would have thought the man would have caught a bullet just for having his name tied so tightly to the Byrne family - but somehow he'd managed to get out of Philly just as she had and Aurora was thankful for it.

Aurora took long strides quickly towards Nicky, throwing her arms out to embrace her old friend. "God Damn, it's good to see you!"  She exclaimed.

"Look who's all grown up."  Nicky laughed patting her back and then taking her by the shoulders, "Left-Hand Man of your own operation?  Married to a Don?  Fuck, when I met you the first time you weren't no bigger than that little tyke there."

Aurora waved Neil and Brigitte forward, "Nicky, I'd like you to meet my pride and joy, my Brigitte."

Nicky gave a quick nod to Neil before kneeling down to Brigitte's level and offering his hand.  "Another Byrne woman... watch out world.  Good to meetcha kid, I'm Nicky.  I'm an old pal of your Granddad's, emphasis on old."

Aurora met his eyes as he shook hands with Brigitte and she clarified, "I'm not a Byrne woman, my name is Brigitte Mastrosimone and it's very nice to meet you, Sir."

Nicky chuckled standing up.  "I sure as hell hope your Aunt Tara got to meet that one before she passed..."  

Both her own and Nicky's smiles faded at the mention of Tara.

"I was real sorry to hear about her.  You have my condolences.  How's your pop holding up?  He's taken some hits lately."

Aurora nodded grimly, "You have no idea."  

Neither the Lioness nor her old friend could see the pair of blue eyes watching them from a rooftop nearby, but in the back of her head, Aurora knew the moment she put Brigitte in the car that he'd be there.  Gavin didn't have much to do these days and he took the safety of her kids seriously... it kept his skill sharp she supposed and she'd never tell him NOT to do it.  Still, if he had just asked, she would have invited him along.  Maybe it would have been nice for him to have seen an old friend... or maybe, just maybe, it would have proven too painful.  The loss of Tara was still fresh and one of her old goons wasn't going to do much other than reminding her father of what he was missing in this life.

"Well.." He ran a hand across the back of his neck and let his eyes drift away from Aurora over to the building.  "Why don't we go on in and chat.  Let your kiddo check out that truck with Neil... she can have whatever she likes off it."

Aurora smirked remembering the way he used to spoil her with things falling off his trucks.  

"What's on the truck?" Brigitte asked excitedly.

Nicky dropped down to her eye level again, "Why don't you go find out?"

Brigitte looked to Aurora and, knowing it was likely toys or clothing for children else Nicky wouldn't have offered, she gave her girl a nod.  The little blonde giggled and began to sprint towards the truck, Neil hot on her tail.

Nicky stood up and looked at Aurora, "She reminds me of Eunice at that age."

"How is she?"  Aurora asked as she joined Nicky walking towards the warehouse.

"Lives in Poughkeepsie."  He said pulling out a toothpick to put between his lips,  "Her husband sells real estate.  Has two kids I've never met."

Aurora arched an eyebrow.  "Aggie never forgave you?"

He shook his head.  "Can't blame her.  I don't hate her for leaving me like she did.  This life isn't for everyone, not everyone has a marriage like your folks.  In fact, not too many mobsters the age of me and your dad are still happily married.  Most leave behind widows or end up nursing broken hearts while they slowly become cynical old fucks like me.  So, no... you gotta just be happy that they're happy, even if it's not with you."

Her mind wandered to her brother.  "Yeah,"  she said.  "It's still hard to watch them walk away knowing it's for good, though."

Nicky held open the door beside the loading dock, casting his eyes around for anyone who might be watching.  Not seeing anyone he followed Aurora inside just as Neil was helping Brigitte into the opened back end of a big rig full of toys.  Her squeal echoed through the whole damn parking lot.

"So, what's the gig?"  Aurora said looking around the cluttered office with the name 'David Brown' on the small nameplate at the front of the desk.  "Still running the shipping rackets I see.  You on anyone's payroll?"

"About that..."  He said settling into the chair behind the desk and pulling out a metal locked box from the desk.  Entering a combination he opened it and threw down in front of her a thick envelope.

Aurora tentatively picked up the envelope.

"Your cut, Boss."

"You want to work for my husband?"  she arched an eyebrow, noting how heavy the envelope was.  He had to have been keeping her mother's tribute aside since he fled Race Street!

He shook his head.  "I got into this working for the Byrne family, and that's how I'm going out.  Since your Dad and your brother are out, that leaves you."

"Nicky..."

He leaned back in his chair sucking on his toothpick.  "Your father pulled my ass out of the fire more times than I care to think about.  Your Aunt put in the good word for me and my business with Mezzo before the market crashed.  If not for him, my kid would have gone without.  And I'll never forget your mother's kindness after Aggie left me.  Do you know that she made sure that I had dinners brought to me for two weeks straight and sent over whores to pick up my house and wash my clothes for a month after that?  She made sure that my drunk, depressed ass didn't ruin a good thing and she never asked a fucking thing of me for it.  She was tough as nails your mom but no one loved her people more than her - God rest her soul."

He shook his head.

"I'm your man Lioness, no offense to that husband of yours, I'm sure he's a good fella... but I only work for him because you do.  I'm yours until the day I finally give up the ghost.  You get me?"

Aurora pocketed the envelope of cash.  "I get you, Nicky."

"Now, since you didn't know that I was eventually going to do that... maybe you tell me why you came down here today?"

"We're building a Casino."  she said with a smile.  "I need people looking for work, all sorts."

"With the number of people looking for jobs out there, you're gonna be a god-damned hero opening a place like that."  He rolled the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other.  How many people you suppose you're gonna employ?"

"A few hundred.  We'll need to recruit from outside Vegas.  Was hoping you might be able to help me with that?"  She gave him a smile. "I seem to recall when my mother needed a few hundred extra sets of hands you had them in short order.  Think you can work another small miracle when I need one in a few months time?"

He chuckled.  "You got any preference where I should be recruiting the talent from."  Her guess, by the look on his face, was he already knew what she was going to say.

She smirked.

"Thought so."  He said and then sat forward on his seat.  "I'll see who I can round up.  You might find reactions to you asking for able bodies get you more than card dealers and cigarette girls though.  I'm not the only one who feels they got a debt to your family still."

"Maybe, but you need to be clear - so there's no trouble for my husband, that's not what this is.  I am NOT running anything out here.  I'm just helping out where I can."

"You're a left-hand man."  Nicky corrected.

"I'm a mom."  

Nicky laughed, "A hitmom."

"Not funny, Nicky... I'm serious.  Do you know what sort of shit you might bring down on us if you make a run over to Philly waving a flag with my family's name on it?  We need people and I don't mind helping folks out who might be up shit creek in the absence of Race Street, but you can not make this about me.  Do you understand?"

"I getcha."  He said holding up his hands defensively.  "We're good.  You're not running anything.  The Byrne family isn't running anything... this is your husband's operation.  You're just helping out.  All Calico.  I gotcha."

Aurora sighed.  "Good.  So yeah... if you know some folks who need help, no need to reinvent the wheel.  Gather 'em up.  Get them out here to Vegas.  Mom had some cheap apartments bought up here, I think she meant the property for other uses but it's close to where we're building the Casino so... it'll work for temp housing.  At least until we can build and offer to rent nicer stuff to them."

"When's my deadline?"  Nicky asked grabbing a scrap of paper and writing down some notes.

"Four months.  We're trying to move fast on wrapping up the construction.  No dilly-dallying.  This could be the biggest thing to hit Summerlin in a while and all of us want it done yesterday.  The whole damn crew is busting our humps to make it happen."

Nicky smiled.  "Always good to see a family coming together.  Alright... I'll get on this, and you can expect weekly tribute coming up through you just like I used to for your Ma."

She smiled.  "You overestimate how much I knew about what my mom had going on Nicky."

"And you always undersold how much you learned from that broad.  Always too busy watching your father's antics... but you got more of your mom in you than you know, I think."

Aurora shook her head, "Why do people insist on saying such things?"

"You might start to wonder if it's true if enough of us keep saying it."  He stood up and offered his hand to Aurora.  "Thanks for everything."

She shook her head, "It's you who is doing me the favor, Nicky, really."  

Aurora's hair was perfectly coifed.  She'd gone to the trouble of putting it into curlers the night before and pinned each one in place in a smart looking up-do.  Normally she never did her hair in this way, nor did she take the time to apply make-up or wear a dress... but she'd done all these things today.  She'd done these things to make a very visible point, one she wasn't sure she'd made at her first meeting with Nicky... that her husband, Don Mastrosimone, was the boss.  She was his wife.  She did what she did daily for the benefit of her family but first and foremost to please him.  That she did these things because it pleased her to hold her husband up in the spotlight was irrelevant.  What mattered was that Nicky (and every man, woman, and child who had relocated knew) understood, and accepted this basic truth.

She laced her fingers into her husband's and gave it a gentle squeeze.  In her lap, she held baby Gavin who wore a blue sailor's suit that matched the navy and white dress his older sister wore.  Brigitte stared out the window as the car pulled into the parking lot which was alive with activity.  Several large trucks were being unloaded by a hundred or so men, women and children and watching it all was Nicky and three other guys Aurora was sure she would never see again.

As Don's car came to a stop, Charlie got out and immediately went to open Aurora's door.  Putting her son on her left shoulder, Aurora exited the vehicle and smiled in the warm noonday sun.  It was a perfect day with big white puffy clouds giving shade from time to time.  She smiled brightly at Nicky and her old friends and moved to greet them knowing Billy was close behind.

"Blonde!"  Luca roared with laughter.  "You're right Nicky!  She does look like one of those Hollywood starlets from all the picture shows!" 

"And you still look like someone fished you out of the Delaware..."  She came up and kissed Luca's cheeks.  "How the hell are you, Luca?!?"

"Better now that I'm here with you," Luca's laugh died but his smile never faltered.  "Is this...?

"My son, Gavin."  She said showing the baby to the boys who immediately came round to make appreciative noises at the adorable baby.  "And my beautiful daughter," She turned and motioned for Brigitte - who was holding her Papa's hand - to come forward, "Brigitte Mastrosimone."

"You had it all wrong Luca," Marco said with a bright smile for Brigitte, "This blonde is the Holllywood Star!  She looks like Shirley Temple!"

"Holy Shit - I thought she WAS Shirley Temple!"  Pietro said, making a show of bending down to take her hand and kiss it, "I'm utterly enchanted to meet you, Miss Mastrosimone."

Brigitte giggled.

Aurora took her husband's arm and began to introduce her friends.  "Gentleman... if I can be so bold as to call you that?"

The guys laughed and stood up straighter, realizing who they were standing in front of before she began.

"My husband Don Billy Mastrosimone of Summerlin District here in Las Vegas, Nevada,"  Aurora noted a few of the people unloading taking notice as she introduced her husband.  A lot of Italian was being spoken among the folks moving in but Aurora had eyes only for her old friends.

"Billy allow me to introduce you first to Toothpick Nicky DiPalma,"  Nicky threw away his toothpick before offering his hand to Billy.  "One of my mother's favorite guys to go to when she needed to acquire goods and sometimes even services.  If it crosses this country by truck or rail, Nicky is the man who can make sure some of it lands in our warehouses.  Dad and he go way back to his early days working for Jack."

"Good to meet you Don Mastrosimone."  Nicky said inclining his head respectfully.  The other men were removing their caps as she introduced Nicky - something Aurora smiled a little brighter at.

"This here is Luca Canali.  Luca went to school with me, a few years my senior..."

She was cut off by Luca,  "And I'll never be done thanking her for introducing me to her late mother, God Rest Her Soul."

"God rest her soul."  The men intoned out of sync with one another but seeming in genuine sympathy for the loss of Godmother Isabella Byrne.

Luca took Billy's hand then and kiss his wedding ring quickly, "Thank you for bringing us here, Don Mastrosimone."

Aurora beamed at Luca who stepped back, seemingly unaware of how uncomfortable his action had made the Don.

"Marco Rinaldi," Aurora said motioning to Marco.  "... used to work at Purgatory with Will Bowden.  He trained fighters."

"Trained you in a few things,"  Marco, a man almost as old as Nicky, smirked at Aurora and then - having seen Luca's folly - offered his hand to the Don instead.  "Honor to meet and work for you Don Mastrosimone."

"And last but not least... my dear Pietro Genovese."

"These days most people call me Peter.  Damn Americans."  The man, in his early 30s, chuckled offering his hand to Billy.  "Pleasure to meet you Sir, we've heard a lot of good things about you from Rory."

"Who?"  Billy immediately asked.

Aurora blushed.  "It's one of my old nicknames, only used by old friends.  So... this is impressive Nicky.  Tell me what the hell we're looking at here."

Nicky came up alongside Aurora and motioned to the people unloading the trucks, the guys stayed nearby and listened.

"Well, you asked me to what was... 'not reinvent the wheel' and 'just pick up people who might have been left out in the cold after the shut down of Race Street'  ... well, turns out that's a lot of folks.  They didn't just shut down a few dozen businesses.  A good deal of folks, many of the immigrants lost everything without your mother there to protect and look after them.  Consequently, you got a lot of fans here right now.  Some of these folks were out of options and almost out of time when I showed up offering them a new home, a fresh start, and a job working at your casino..."  He nodded to Billy.

Aurora's brow furrowed.  "I'd heard that Race Street Operations were shut down but I didn't realize..."

"How many folks did you suppose Race Street Operations employed?"  Marco chimed in.  "It wasn't just the criminal operations you know.  All the businesses, legit ones too... all the employees at the docks who had less work now because of the vacuum and it keeps going from there.  One business is gone so another can't work and another and so on.  It's not just one shop that closes, it's all the people who work to supply the damn shop, it's the people who work making the items... and so on."

Aurora's mouth slack, "How many were under the umbrella of Race Street... do we even know?"

"Best guess," Nicky said with a shrug.  "Hundreds."

Aurora looked to Billy, the full weight of the loss of Race Street finally occurring to her... it wasn't 30 made men and dozens of associates who were impacted with a crew and city fell... no, it was so much more than that.  It had never occurred to her to think about it, which was strange considering the pile of deeds in her safe and the casino her husband was building.  She had the lives of hundreds in her own care... many of whom she'd never met.

It was then people began coming closer.  Old men and women, children... many of them carried with them baskets of food, handmade goods, and other forms of traditional - she realized after a moment of hearing the first one talk to Billy in Italian - tribute.  Listening to the people greeting her husband she kissed her son's brow and took in the full weight of what she'd done here and what had been done back home.  It hadn't been her life and the lives of her family alone which had been shattered by the bullets that took down Godmother Byrne... the collateral damage was far higher than them alone.

Billy watched and stood and waited and people came up one by one to kiss his ring, or in his case, shake his hand or, in the case of the old women, kiss his cheek. They left bread, cheese, olive oil, blankets for the babes, shoes, dolls, one old woman even left a photograph of Isabella. Billy pocketed that himself into his breast pocket of his suit. Sitting right between his money and his heart was now the faded image of Isabella Byrne.

'Thank you' was the most common thing he heard, and the most common thing that was said between any of the people coming forward. Billy though, furrowed his brow as often as he smiled. These people had just uprooted their lives to come across an entire continent to start a new life doing something that none of them, or at least no more than a handful of them, knew how to do. Yet here they were, gladly handing over the last bits of what they could spare.

Billy turned and motioned to his wife. He took a basket of bread with a smile and let the woman who had given it to him kiss his cheek. He then put up a hand to stop the next person.

"Aurora, I know these people mean well, and I also know it's rude if I don't take this stuff, but do you think maybe I can have some food, and clothes and extra blankets trucked in here? Would that offend folks? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but if it's a gift from the Don, maybe it goes over alright?"

He leaned down and kissed Brigitte on the head then who had taken out a pair of dolls and had begun to make them fight each other.

Charlie meanwhile watched.

One at a time. All but a few of the baskets we open-topped. The ones with the bread all had cloths covering most of the bread, but never all of it. It was the one man in line that bothered him. A man with a slick jet-black comb-over. That one had no basket. Maybe an envelope, but his hand never left his pocket and his eyes kept darting around. Not to mention the fact that he made eye contact with Charlie twice already. Not once, twice. Once was a coincidence. Once was a glance. Twice meant the man was looking to see if Charlie was paying attention.

Charlie was always paying attention.

The two rag dolls clutched tightly in Brigitte's hands were fighting to dance with the third dolly, a girl.  One of them would be the hero.  The other, he'd go away.  That's what bad people did, they went away.  In the instant that people began to scream, Brigitte was moving - up, up, up so fast that she was nearly sick.  Her father's massive hands clutching all the way 'round her small chest.  

"PAPA!?!" She cried out in confusion and fear, catching sight of the absolute calm on her father's face as the world exploded into motion around her.  When she came free of her father's hands, her scream continued, not verbal just an auditory expression of terror as she felt herself flying through the air toward an unknown destination.  Her father turned from her almost in the same second he released her.

CAUGHT!

Two hands, not quite as big as Papa's held her tight and stopped her flight through the air.  Again she was moving, this time in the grip of Neil she realized.  She could not even say the man's name before she was pulled tight to him and his whole body seemed to hide her away from the world as he moved her towards, and then into, the backseat of the car.  

Brigitte was crying now.  Neil covered her, whatever was happening outside was still happening, she could hear people talking loudly and screaming.  If her parents were okay, she did not know.  If her baby brother was okay, she did not know.  

__________________

Aurora inhaled the scent of Gavin and nuzzled her son nodding finally to Billy's question.  "I think," She said looking to Billy, "that most of these people would not turn away a gift from the Don.  However, many folks might think it puts them into your debt.  We might offer each household some basics and say it's an employment perk?  Or simply give them pay during the training period so they can buy whatever they need?  If you worry that they'll be ripped off on some goods - we can make sure that Nicky has a few trucks of basic goods come by and let them buy them at really steep discounts."  She shrugged.  "There are ways to make it happen.  I and Addie will figure out the details."

She'd only JUST finished speaking when pain blossomed in her left arm and then the ground came rushing at her right side.  She had just enough wherewithal to wrap herself protectively around Gavin and shield him from any harm. 

"PISTOLA!" And other similar screams indicating someone with a gun had been seen, melded with the shrill wail of her son.  Aurora's body was trying to move before she'd even thought better of it.  She'd wanted to throw the weight atop her - Charlie, she realized - aside and give chase to the gunman.  

Gunshots.

"DOWN!"  Charlie snarled at her.  She realized now that he was covering almost every inch of her and the baby.  "YOU'RE THE TARGET STAY DOWN!"

People were stampeding all around her, she looked to her left only to see the discarded rag dolls that her daughter held only seconds ago. 

"BRIGITTE!"

Billy's large feet ran past her and then she couldn't even see him anymore.  All she could do was an attempt to comfort her son and hope to God that whoever was trying to kill her was caught because wearing her dress, heels, and with no weapon left her ill-equipped to do it.  She had wanted to play the part of mother and Don's wife today ... to downplay her own strengths.  It had worked, but the cost had been a very real and dangerous vulnerability which apparently some unknown enemy had exploited.

__________________

Marco had seen him first.  The way he reached for it, body language and muscle movement... he'd spent a lifetime reading such messages.  Intentions telegraphed in how a man moved.  He didn't even see the gun yet when he called out, "PISTOLA!" but he was moving.  Running at a man with a gun, which appeared a heartbeat after Marco had called out his warning, with no plan other than stopping him.

The children, other than the one on Aurora's shoulder and the one at the Don's feet, were all out of the way.  The women were out of harms way too, the last of the old ladies in the line had given her tribute.  This made it clear to Marco, the man was Cosa Nostra.  All of these things observations and thoughts convalesced in his head between the rapid footfalls bringing him closer and closer to his target.

Marco watched in horror as the gun leveled in the direction of his boss, knowing he would not reach the gunman before he squeezed the trigger.  Two shots and the man was turning to run.  Marco dared not look back to see if the unassuming assassin hit his mark.

The panicked residents of the apartment complex were working to the gunman's advantage, blocking Marco's direct route but Luca and Pietro had been smarter.  The two younger men sprinted around the trucks and past the chaos, moving to intercept the gunman.  Meanwhile, Nicky, appeared beside him a moment later helping to push people out of the way.

Luca caught the greasy haired asshole first, throwing himself atop the gunman causing the gun to fly out of his grip and skitter away on the pavement.  He only had to struggle with the young man a moment before Pietro was there to assist.  Each man grabbed an arm and pinned him down to the blacktop - disregarding his curses and threats.

Reaching them at last, Marco finally dared to look back towards the Don who was only three or four steps behind them having taken advantage of the path he and Nicky cut through the crowd.  Marco could see the Don's man atop Aurora, he did not see Shirley Temple though.  He supposed she'd run... or another of the Don's men grabbed her?  The only thing that would have made his heart falter was if he'd seen a body or blood - neither of which caught his eye as the Don loomed over Pietro and Luca holding the now silent gunman.  Nicky picked up the gun from the gutter where it had come to a stop.

Every eye that hadn't run inside or behind vehicles for cover now turned to Don Billy ... expectantly.

It was a split second. He watched Charlie tackle his wife and that could only mean one thing. Billy was about to get shot again. He picked up and tossed Brigitte to Neil.

"NEIL! CAR! NOW!"

Those were the only things he said as he spun back toward the crowd only to see a man running in the opposite direction. Billy charged. The crowd had already begun to part, and scatter for the most part. There were old women, children huddled to the side, but there was plenty of room for Billy to make his way to the guy in question. To his slight dismay the gunman was lying on the ground, pinned down already. He didn't need more than a few seconds.

"Take him to the studio, Charlie will show you where it is." He growled through gritted teeth. There was no way he was going to do anything here in front of the people he was supposed to be lord over now.

He turned back and walked over to Charlie.

"Get up, take the guy back to the studio, take some of the other guys with you, keep him awake and alive. He's mine. Anyone else touches him and they answer to me, unless he fights back I want him ready for me."

He leaned down then and helped his wife up off the ground. He rarely saw her in the state she was currently in. Fighting, fiesty, ready to lunge at someone or something. It meant she was a little scared, at least, that's what it meant to him. Not for herself, never for herself, but the baby in her arms? Always afraid for Gav. That boy was going to be spoiled and protected just like Will had been. Billy felt bad for his son in that moment. Will was a genius. There were no geniuses in the Mastrosimone family line.

"Roar, you need to get the kids home safe. Neil is already in the car with Brigitte. It was only one guy. You need to explain to her what's going on. I am going to take care of this guy, but I need you to be mama today. Can you do that? I will be papa later, but you need to be mama now."

He smiled as she slowly nodded and he reached up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Bastard messed up my wife's hair when she was lookin' all pretty for me. Don't think that will go unnoticed."

He pulled Aurora in to kiss her then and to hold baby Gav between them. Once again, he had almost lost them, and yet, here they all were.

He made his way to the car then, Aurora at his side. He flung the door open and pulled Brigitte out into a hug. He could see she had been crying, and it gave him the only pause he had so far that day. The face of any child streaked with tears was hard. The face of hid daughter as anything but happy was devastating.

"Hey sweetheart. Everything's ok. Mama is fine, she's going to take you home."

As the words left his mouth he could feel her grip on him tighten and she buried her face into his chest shaking her head against his body wordlessly begging him to come with them.

"I know baby, I know. Everything was a bit scary for a minute, but that's ok. Everybody is ok. Mama is going to take you home and Papa is going to make sure that nobody got hurt. There's a lot of people who papa looks after so I have to make sure everybody is ok, and then I will come home and we can all snuggle together in Mama and Papa's big bed tonight ok? How does that sound?"

Her tears had not finished shedding it would seem as Brigitte pulled her head back from Billy and nodded, wiping with one hand. He set her back down into the car then and kissed her brow.

"Be good for Mama."

He kissed Aurora again before watching her get into the car and Neil drive them home. Now it was time to go back to work. The weight of the coal black steel under his jacket rarely bothered him. Though he was suddenly terribly aware of it.

Aurora kissed Billy deeply, knowing what he was leaving her to do, knowing that he was right: the kids needed her.  She'd take them back to The Den.  She'd surround them with familiar things and her love, and together they'd wait with her father for Billy's return.  Will's words came back to her as her lips parted from Billy's ... he'd been wrong or worse, Will had lied.  Lied to himself maybe, but definitely lied to her. 

He wasn't at all like her, it was why he didn't know what Order Zero was.  Mom had shielded Will from the reality that it could ever happen, likely from the first time he reacted as Brigitte was acting now.  At the time it might have seemed like the right call... but what would her mother think now?  What would she say if she knew what Will was doing in the halls of academia instead of REALLY 'getting out.'  

Aurora watched her husband stalking away from the car as the engine turned over and Neil pulled them away from the crowd.  Her eyes not leaving Billy, she pulled Brigitte tight to her side.  Her nostrils flared in a way that, if anyone had been watching knew, echoed an old reaction of Bella Byrne.  

It was never going to be enough.  There would always be more that needed to be done, that could or should be done to keep them all safe.  It didn't matter how hard, how long, or how often she trained... even if she was the image of perfection she always longed to be - it would NEVER be enough.  On the last and worst day, Aurora realized, all the things she did to protect them would fall short and all she could ever hope for was the ability to do as her mother had done. 

She leaned down and kissed the tangled mop of blonde hair next to her as her son softly sobbed to sleep against her heart.

Will was right and God help him, if he managed to do what he wanted, he might be the most dangerous Byrne ever to live.

___________
 

"Get him up."  Nicky snarled as he noted that he'd snapped clean through is new toothpick and was forced to fish another out of his pocket.  Cinnamon.  He soaked them in cinnamon water, which accounted for the faint smell of the seasoning on him at all times.  Pietro, Marco, and Luca pulled the greaser up to his feet & kept a good hold on him as Charlie approached at a fast clip, his hand flexing repeatedly as he stared at the soon-to-be dead man.

"You got a vehicle we can take?"  Charlie asked, now rubbing the knuckles of his right hand, only sparing a glance to the man he spoke with - Nicky.

Nicky nodded, "I got a truck we use for hauling equipment.  The four of them can sit in the back together, you and me in the cab."

Charlie walked up to the captive and stepped into his personal space.  For a moment Billy's most loyal man, the man who had been at Aurora's side through some of the worst moments of his life, struggled.  He stared into the man's eyes and while it appeared he might say or do something, in the end, Charlie just said simply, "Get him in the truck." in the same way he might have said 'get this piece of human garbage the fuck out of my sight before I kill him.'

Marco caught sight of Aurora kissing her husband goodbye, her baby clinging to her breast, her hair disheveled, her daughter crying behind her in the car and he found himself squeezing the asshole's arm a bit too hard.  For an instant, he remembered the woman as a little girl with her too-big boxing gloves coming at him for a wild swing... her innocence and life lighting up Purgatory like an angel descended from Heaven down to dance among the sinners.  

Then the truck doors slammed shut and he couldn't see the Don and his wife anymore.  

"You're a special kind of stupid."  Luca snarled at the captive.  "You know that don't you?  If the Don doesn't kill you, you're going to wish he had."

"Take a breath."  Marco said to the young hothead.  "She's okay."

"I don't know," Pietro said softly.  "... I think Luca's right.  We hauled this bag of dirt all the way from the east coast and put him right in front of his target.  She or those kids could ha-"

"But they weren't."  Marco inserted.  "They're okay."

The captive's chin fell to his chest and his shoulders sunk forward.  A silent tear raced down his cheek.  Marco wondered silently what he was weeping for.  Was it the fear of what came next?  Was it for fear of what his boss, whoever they were, might do to him or people he loved?  Marco found himself less angry by the moment and more, curious.  This man wasn't a hardened hitman - so what made an immigrant kid follow Cosa Nostra ways and come across a country just to take a shot like that?

The doors on the truck came open to reveal a five-story office building.  It wasn't the sort of place Marco expected Charlie was taking them to, but it wasn't his to question.  They entered a service door and went down into the sub-terrain of the building.  The sound here was different, as their feet impacted the tiles there was no real echo as there should have been.  It occurred to Marco then that no sound left this space.  The floor in the room they entered was a smooth concrete that slopped slightly downward towards an unornate drain.  

Pietro and Luca dropped the man onto the concrete and Charlie spoke, "Everyone out."

"Hell no."  Luca popped off.  "I'm staying right here.  I'm going to watch this fucker choke on his teeth when Rory's big ass husband gets his hands on this son of a bitch."

"Maybe,"  Charlie admitted, the guys had caught him for Billy it was possible he'd let them stay.  "But I'm not taking the chance that any of you gets an itchy trigger finger if he mouths off and he's likely to."  He looked to the man on the floor, "Men waiting for Billy to kill them often decided a bullet is a better option and try for it."

"Listen I ain't gonna fucking shoot the guy but he tried to kill Rory you can't expect us to just..."

Charlie stepped up to Luca and spoke in a calm but commanding tone - the sort he learned in his time as a cop.  "I expect to be obeyed in my own house and that you pride of lions will wait outside, just like your Boss wants."

Marco watched the young man on the floor swallow the lump in his throat.  He was scared but determined.  It was a frightening thing to see a man in his state.  He was capable of anything.  The body man was right.  Though he expected the kid was more likely to dive for a gun not to use on himself but to go down shooting with.

"Come on kid," Nicky said putting a hand on Luca's shoulder and urging him toward the door.  "Shithead isn't going anywhere.  We'll talk to the Don when he gets here."

Luca spit at the man on the floor cursing at him in Italian, promising him he would die screaming.  Marco and Pietro exited the room last, letting Nicky guide Luca out.  Charlie, on the other hand, kept his eyes on the man.  He wasn't taking any chances.

Billy watched as his wife pulled away, and then as the truck did and realized, he was well and truly alone in that moment. Excpet of course for Oscar.

"We don't have a car do we Oscar?"

Oscar, for all of his normal charm and light airs just shook his head.

"No Billy. Seems like a prob..."

Billy cut the man off by walking over to the nearest vehicle and pointing at it.

"Anyone here own this?"

He looked to the crowd of people and when nobody raised their hand he elbowed the window, smashing it much easier than expected. Either the car was old, or he was stronger. Maybe all that bullshit Roar put him through every day was actually helping. Maybe he was just pissed.

Either way, one thing stood out in his mind that moment. He had not for a second forgotten how to hot wire a car. He smiled a devilish grin at Oscar as the engine roared to life.

"If you turn the car off, there's no turning it back on after this, not without me getting under the dash again. So try not to stall her huh?"

Oscar nodded, slack jawed, but got into the driver's seat. Moments later they were at the office and Billy found himself confronting a few of the men who had dragged the guy away.

"Thank you boys for your help. What are you still doing here though if you don't mind my asking? I figured you would want to go back to see your families. I know I sure as hell want to see mine."

He pulled out a small pack of cigars from a box on the wall and a lighter, offering them to the men that were standing there.

"Charlie inside?"

He lit his own cigar and started toward the door.

Nicky looked at the boys, the boys looked to Nicky and then all of them looked at Billy as one by one they accepted the offered cigars.  Nicky, as he often did, spoke up first.

"Well, Don Mastrosimone, I reckon the reason we ain't home with our families is because ain't none of us got much in the way of family no more."

The guys seemed to nod in silent agreement with Nicky who went on, "My wife left me years ago.  Marco ain't never found a girl willing to put up with him."

Marco shrugged as if he couldn't argue with Nicky's assessment.

Nicky's voice changed slightly to be sweeter as he explained, "Pietro's wife passed on trying to bring her babe into the world."

Pietro found something on the floor to be looking at.

"Luca here is the young buck, he's got a new dame each week and his parents have disowned him."

"Didn't take kindly to me wanting to be a Gangster,"  Luca said flexing his hand, cracking his knuckles, eyeing the door.

"Truth is, this sorry lot before you is here for the only family we figure we got left in all this world,"  Nicky said a bit darkly.

"Rory."  Luca said.  

"The Old Wolf is out... so we follow the Lioness."  Pietro looked up and met Billy's eyes.  "You're our family now."

Marco met Billy's eyes, "I've known her since she wasn't much bigger than Shirley Temple, I taught that kid how to make a fucking fist... I die for her.  Her folks knew it, that Kid is like one of my own."

Nicky shook his head, "We all feel like Marco.  We love Aurora Byrne, so, if you're gonna make that shithead pay for taking a shot at her... and it's all the same to you, we'd sure appreciate you letting us be here for it."

Luca bent his head to the side, cracking it, and rolled his shoulders.  "If you'd let us, Don Mastrosimone, we'll take care of him for you... no need for you to get your hands dirty if you don't wanna."

Pietro put his hand on Luca's shoulder, "This one is personal Luca.  We'll be glad to play any part the Don wants us playing... or none at all, so long as he knows why we came here to Vegas."

Marco threw in, "To work for you... to protect her, the way we all told her mother that we would... though we'd appreciate you keeping that part to yourself.  Bella Byrne never wanted her daughter knowing how many man she had on the streets watching the backs of her kids, in particular, Aurora." 

The guys all nodded and Marco continued.

"Her mother always knew she couldn't keep her out of the life so, she asked all of us to do what we could to make sure she was safe in it. Truth is we all thought we'd failed.  We figured that she and her brother were dead.  Them and the Wolf too.  When Nicky told us she was alive, married, with kids and setting up shop here... shit... we couldn't get into the truck fast enough."

"Ain't a lot of options for folks still loyal to a dead woman these days, but you know, my word means something to me and Godmot-"  Pietro sighed.  "Bella Byrne saved my life.  It's still hers as far as I'm concerned, doesn't matter that she's dead and gone.  I'll give everything I got doing whatever her daughter asks of me... working to keep her safe just as I gave my word I'd do - if you'll let me."

The men looked to each other, seeming to agree they wanted the same thing: Billy's acceptance.  They'd been Race Street men, the oldest of them having served the first Don Jack Mezzo and each one joining in a different era of the legendary Philly empire.  Now, with all that had once been - just a memory, the four of them sought to join the only family that they felt they had left.  Aurora... and through her, him.

Nicky was the first to remove his hat and then, in turn, each of the other men did so as well.

"Being as things are the way they are... we'd never forget it if you let us work for your operation, Don Mastrosimone.  We each got real talents I'm sure you'd like to know more bout but ... I figure you're itching to get in that room right now.  Your guy, Charlie, he's in there.  And... if you want us... we're here too.  Just say the word."