Francesco patted the top of Oriana's head, he could still faintly smell the dye she had used.

"You need to shower more if you are going to get close to people like this, they will know that is not your natural hair color. I hope you did not do this to hide from me. You know I will find you, we are too connected for me not to know where you are."

He had wheels turning in his head though as he spoke. He had heard about the Senator, and it was very obvious that is was connected to a bad actor in some way. That is was connected to Mattaranzi, that was something else entirely. Orianna was right, something needed to be done about the man, but the Minister would need to approve such a measure, and Francesco would need to get information from him. A car bomb is not how a man of that stature would normally operate, no, that was made to instill fear, not to be swift, and not to look like an accident.

"I will talk to the Minister, I am sure we will do this together. Oriana." He pulled her from his chest and allowed her a single placement of his lips on her brow. "I will return for you, to help you. You will see me soon, do not run again or this time I will be angry, and you have sisters now to look out for."

With that he slowly turned her toward the door, reached around her, and opened it, ushering her inside. The only sound in the hallway then was that of his footfalls receding into the darkness of the early morning.

Oriana nodded as he spoke about her hair. Stupid. 

"Together. Please, Francesco, I..."

Sisters.

But he was done talking, and she was ushered inside like a child being sent to bed.

Oriana reentered the room in a trance. Even with her training, she couldn't hide her quick breaths and her pounding heart.

"I... never-mind. We're staying here. That was someone I'm very close with, and I think he can help us."

She absentmindedly rubbed her foreheard where he'd kissed her, like she'd been marked by the devil.

Aurora narrowed her eyes and was caught off guard by the changes in Oriana. 

"Oh well, I'm glad you're calling the shots now so I don't have to."  The dripping sarcasm in her voice was men to drive home the point that she noticed Oriana had changed since walking out the door and back in it.  She didn't know who the hell that was in that hallway but every instinct in her screamed that they were trouble.

Aurora followed Ori and stepped around her, blocking her path. "Stop."

It was a command if she'd ever issued one. 

"I know you don't know me... but when I was your age, trust me, I could have been you.  Or very much like you.  So, take a moment - shake off whatever happened in the hallway.  Consider where my head is at right now.  Think very carefully about all that's happened yesterday and today - about all that I have on the line."

She stepped closer to Oriana,  "Your old 'friends' show up at our door like they mean to break into this place, you warn me we're in danger and then you going out having a quiet chat with this unknown person.  I don't know anything about who this is, only that you were terrified a moment ago and now... now you're blushing like a schoolgirl and you tell me that this is help?  That I should just stay put?"

She shakes her head.

"I need to know more if I'm going to listen to your advice here.  Who was that Oriana?  What are they to you?"

Oriana halted, both at the sarcasm and the command. She was distracted, still, by the almost imperceptible scent of Francesco's cologne that clung to her. She listened to Aurora, still processing everything else, then tried to answer as best she could.

"I know it's confusing. I'm sorry. And I know how much you have at stake."

Oriana took a deep breath; her mind warred with how much to tell 

"That was a former colleague of mine, Francesco. In my former life, I handled assignments for the Italian government. Francesco was the leader of my team. He showed up like he meant to break in because, well, he did mean to. He wanted me back into the program; I'd left after a fairly major misunderstanding. He helped explain the misunderstanding to me- and he's going to help us against Mattaranzi."

She nodded, growing more confident as she continued to speak.

"I told him about the Godfather-Chairman- what he'd done. You were right, the Italian government knowing about these things... it's a problem for them, and they'd want Mattaranzi removed. He told me to be here tomorrow and he'd be in touch. I explained to him how much this mission means to me, and I explained how much it will help the government. The federal one, not the local one that Mattaranzi has in his pocket. You said it yourself: we need allies. Francesco... I know him better than anyone. I doubt the government would get directly involved... but information? That, they could do. I didn't want to draw attention to you by coming back inside and talking it over; for all I know, he might not know who you are, although I suspect he does."

Oriana's grey eyes looked steadily at Aurora's.

"He might have a way of getting us within arm's reach of Mattaranzi, Aurora, and he wants to help me complete this mission. I thought it was the right move."

She swallowed.

"You just said 'this mission is now officially about ending a threat as fast as possible and with as few losses as we can manage.' I think this will help us do that- and get you home.

Aurora listened, she tried to keep an open mind but the facts that she knew bothered her still.  Watching the girl's emotions go all over the place when she'd known her to be nothing but controlled and professional up til now... and a government agent?  That explained much.  The ability to take orders, her training, it was all making sense... except this reaction of hers. 

A misunderstanding?  Had she killed someone they didn't want killed?  Broken rank and file?  Was this man, who was her superior, also a lover?  Had he treated her poorly?  Was that why she was scared of him but also infatuated?  Aurora had known more than a few housewives whose husbands love drink too well who put hands on them... and yet, the women were loyal to them utterly.  Yes.  Perhaps that was the easiest answer.  A lover. A superior... a heavy-handed one.  But could she really blame Oriana for having a superior as a lover... she the wife and right hand to a Don in New York?

A lover though... oh Tara!  I wanted to be right about her so damn bad, but I fear I just can't read people like Will could.

This complicated matters considerably.  He wanted her back?  Explained things to her? 

Perhaps, in the same way that those abusive drunks always explain their actions the next day to their wives to get them to come home and ... Oh god! 

Aurora realized it then.  Francesco had come to retrieve something he felt belonged to him.  Someone.  Oriana.  That could only mean...

"You're going to stay when this is done?"  She asked a hint of sadness in her voice and tenderness.  The aggressive woman of a moment ago forgotten as she stepped closer to the younger woman.  She was the least qualified person to speak to a girl about leaving a man she loved, a man who mistreated her. 

She had chased men like that in her youth, dated them often before Billy and still found herself attracted to those qualities enough that she thrilled at Billy bullying others and strong-arming his enemies.  Hell, she'd just sent an associate to pick a fight with him as a matter of foreplay.  Maybe she was as fucked up as Oriana in some ways... it just had better window dressing.  

Who am I to tell her anything - and what person ever listened to me?

"Ori... ana."  She quickly added trying not to have said the nickname the girl had made clear was not fit for her mouth.  "I... I wish I knew you better.  I know Catalina cares about you and will be lost without you at her side - to say nothing of my Tara.  I want this guy dead.  I need it, but it doesn't have to play like this.  I saw that look in your eyes, I heard your voice.  I don't need to know what happened to know that this 'misunderstanding' wasn't the first one... maybe just the biggest.  And you got some good instincts and they told you to run and not come back and I made you."

Aurora shook her head, changing her mind how she should say it.  "I mean, I asked you... and you did it for your own reasons, but those reasons are pretty damn good ones and they are still waiting for you back home and they haven't had any misunderstandings with you.  All they want is for you to be happy.  I know he gave you an order to stay here.  It would be easy for us to do that, but easy isn't always right."

Rora lowered her voice, "We could leave.  Get to the plane and get you back to Catalina.  Maybe Tara was right all along.  I can take my family back into hiding.  The old man will die in a few years and this vendetta dies with him.  At that point maybe Tara returns to New York and you two can reunite..."

She looked down at the floor not wanting to give away Tara's feelings but thinking of little else.  "It could be the best thing for everyone.  My father and mother died to protect me... giving up New York for my children is the least I and Billy can do.  I know what matters in this world most of all and it's not power.  And it's sure as hell is not money."

She looked up to Oriana's eyes.  "It's people.  It's the only reason to bleed and die, but mostly to live.  Please tell me you know that this isn't the only place in the world where you could be happy?  Please tell me you know how much you're valued and wanted in New York and that you'll think about what I've said?"

"Thank you, Aurora. All of that meant a lot to me. But I meant what I said, back there, when I didn't talk on the phone. I want to focus on the mission. You're right that I got upset, and it's not like me... but I was assuming the worst. Forgive me; it's probably the combination of international travel, late nights, and concern for your family and the mission."

She smiled.

"I appreciate your concern, although I think you're reading far too much into my exhausted reactions.  I've never yet quit a mission halfway though, and I don't intend for this to be the first. And you don't need to worry. Only a fool would leave your family."

Inside, she was still unsettled, even though being away from Francesco made things a little more clear. She'd just focus on the mission, like always. Everything would be fine.

Aurora went to the bathroom in her room and found Brigitte still laying there in the tub.  Sitting down on the edge of the tub she sighed.  "You okay?"

"Other than being in a tub expecting that we might be in the middle of a firefight in the middle of the night half-a-world away from Dad and my siblings?"  Brigitte forced a smirk.  "I'm good."

Aurora shook her head and let out a chuff and offered her hand to the blonde, her pretty blue eyes took Aurora back to those early days in the woods.  The only person she had time with when Billy was gone for days on end was that little girl.  They were one another's constant companions for a very long time, raising Gavin together when Billy was out working in the woods or back in the cities.  She hadn't really acknowledged how much she'd leaned on the girl and how fast she'd grown up as a result of that.  

"I never could have done half of what we did without you."

"Mom?"  Brigitte narrowed her eyes sitting on the edge of the tub, her feet still inside, side by side with her mother.

"I was pretty messed up for a while... it must have scared you at times."

Brigitte shook her head, "I'd seen far scarier things than you, Mom."  Brigitte pushed a bit of her mother's hair behind her ear.  "You look so tired, we should get you into bed."

"We thought we were rescuing you... but we put you in danger again and again."

"You did save me."  Brigitte kissed her mom's forehead.  "Come on.  Everything will feel better after some sleep.  You're just... grieving mom.  You haven't stopped, you've hardly eaten or slept.  It's not good for the baby."

Aurora blinked.

"Dad told me, just before we left.  Now... come on."  Brigitte stood up, her silk nightgown cascading down her body like water.  She took Aurora's hand and led her out of the bathroom toward her bed.  Wordlessly, the young blonde threw back the covers and helped her mother into the bed and covered her up.

"What is it, Mom?"  Brigitte knelt down beside the bed, looking into her amber eyes.  "Did Dad say something when you called?"

"No."  

Brigitte arched an eyebrow but didn't push the issue, "Do you want me to stay here until you fall asleep?"

Aurora shook her head.  "You need your rest too."  She gave a faint smile.

"Okay.  I love you, Mom."  Brigitte made for the door.

"I love you too."  Was the whisper Brigitte heard behind her when she pulled the door shut and began walking down the hallway.  The air was cool and so her bare feet on the uncarpeted floor felt like she was walking on ice.  Her thin night garment not really providing any warmth left her body vulnerable and responding to the chill.  Tired, worried about whatever had shaken her mother so badly, and cold... Brigitte made for the kitchen to find something to warm her body and mind up with.  Locating a bottle of wine, she began to search the drawers for a corkscrew.

She was going to drink one, maybe two glasses... then, hopefully, she'd sleep deep enough to not dream again.

The morning came and went quickly. The plans had been laid. Mom and Orianna were going to just be across the street, and as soon as the men showed up Brigitte was to get out the back door and drive away with the little prince. So that morning she made sure to shower, and to put on her makeup, to do her hair just right and to wear a very light sun dress that showed her legs off just a little more than was probably appropriate. She knew she stood out because he skin was pale as milk, so the hat she put on, big and floppy like, wasn't the dead giveaway that she wasn't from around here.

While her mother and Orianna plotted. Brigitte steeled herself in the mirror. She practiced getting herself into an emotional state, and then switched to a different one. She needed to be ready for whatever came, and when her mother said it was time to go, she picked up her bag and off they went.

Brigitte sat, waiting in the coffee shop for about twenty minutes. Her nerve had been starting to wear thin when a young man finally walked in and took off a newsboy cap. He was about her age, maybe a little younger. Clean shaven with a pair of overalls and a once-white t-shirt. Armed with a toothy grin he extended his hand and lifted Brigitte's to kiss it.

She in turn gave a doe-like stare to the man who she knew she was supposed to meet. Humble sure, looking more like a farmhand than the nephew of a Godfather, but certainly the right man. More importantly, he was alone. No bodyguards, no guns, not nothing. So much for grenades.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her. "No no you beautiful thing. If you are meant for my friend Ansovino, then it is he who should hear the happiness in your voice before I. I beg you, say nothing to me, just tell me with your eyes. Tell Algiso with the bounty that god granted to your beauty that it is he that you wish to see. Tell Algiso with the movement of your head, like the waves of the Venetian waters, that you are the love that will bring my friend Ansovino the happiness he seeks. For if you are, then Algiso helps you, for Algiso finally will get to be a man when he brings you to the family."

Brigitte hung on the man's every word. So this man wasn't her love. But he would get her to him. She nodded as she spoke.

"I am, Algiso, I am the woman meant for Ansovino, I know it, it is in my heart every moment it beats. When can we see him? I cannot wait a moment longer."

She felt in that moment as if she should have taken the words back. There were times when you said something that you knew instinctively was the wrong thing to say. This was one of those moments for Brigitte, it was a scene killer, it was an audition ruin, it was...

"Yes! This is the passion I see in your eyes, this is where I will lead you! Tonight, come with me to Ansovino. I will show you to him. You must come with me tonight. You must do as you did today though, you must leave your friends at the brothel yes? They cannot join you, or he will not be allowed to see you. I can pretend that you are my girl and they will let you in, but even Algiso cannot have three girls at once of such beauty."

...working? Brigitte nodded of course. Of course it was working, she was going to find this man, and he would fall in love with her, just as she had made herself to fall for him without knowing him. This was exactly as it was fated to happen, and mom and Orianna didn't even have to lift a finger.

On the ride back, they discussed their next move.

"So what's the move, Rora? Send Brigitte to meet this guy and follow them? Or do we grab Algiso and make him talk?"

"No one cares about the messenger boy," said Aurora. "We need the Prince. The only reason I hesitate is that she's my daughter... after all these years, I've become my mother after all." She sighed. "Brigitte... you're on."

 "I'm not saying we use Algiso as a hostage," Oriana said.  "I'm saying we tie him to a chair and let me work on him until he tells us how to find the nephew." She paused. "But you're right- there's a chance he doesn't know what we need him to."

 "And every minute we have him is one more they might be tipped off to danger and move the nephew," said Aurora.

 "Fine," said Oriana.  "If you and Brigitte are both sure she's up for this."

"No one is ever ready for the first time it matters most... all the training in the world couldn't make her that confident, but I believe my girl is made of the right stuff and she's damn resourceful. She won't let us down." Rora smiled at her daughter, letting the girl see her confidence and pride in her skill.

When they returned to the apartment, Oriana and Rora had their guns out until they'd cleared every room. After that, Oriana wandered around the place, looking for some note or sign that Francesco had been there. Her heart leaped in her chest when she saw the note that had been slipped under the door. Of course he'd come through for her. Except, to her surprise, it wasn't from him.

Ladies,

I have been in contact with important figures and have been made aware of your need for transportation in safety to Milan. I have promised to get you there and return you safely at your convenience. When you are prepared, you may turn yourselves in as "prisoners" at the Police Station. An old friend of Miss Montini's will be waiting.

Senator Govoni

Oriana read it and handed it to Aurora, who read it and handed it to Brigitte. 

"It does say 'at your convenience'," said Oriana. "We can work this nephew angle tonight, then go to Milan tomorrow and try to gather allies. Ideally, tonight gets us information about a way in to Mattaranzi. Then we get back up from the Milanese and hit Mattaranzi."

She frowned.

"I just don't know if I trust this Senator. Mattaranzi owns so many politicians. Turning us in as "prisoners"... could easily be a trap. I'm assuming my 'old friend' is Francesco, though. He wouldn't betray us."

Rora shook her head and said, "That doesn't matter now. It'll be a problem for tomorrow. We've made at least some progress on this nephew lead, and we should chase it down before we lose focus. We'll handle things as we did today. Brigitte, you'll be working on finding our target. If and when you get close to him, win him over. Lure him in. I don't need to give you any hints there. You'll get picked up, and Oriana and I will follow you. She'll stay close to you, and I'll hang back."

"When you're picked up from the cafe, we won't lose you," she said. "But if we do, memorize the number for our apartment here. Just talk your way into somewhere with a phone, call us and tell us immediately where you are."

Oriana, who'd been thinking, said, "Algiso mentioned something about "my girl" and him not having three girls at once. That suggests some sort of party or gathering, right? I'll dress like you, Brigitte, which makes it hard to have a gun on me. I'll still have some knives on me..." She glanced at Rora. "But your mother will have to be packing the heavy artillery. We'll have some options in the trunk. Once we're there, Rora, you can find a place to observe us from. Preferably through a rifle scope. If there are any issues, I'll handle immediate protection for Brigitte, but you'll have to cover us."

"Fine," said Aurora, gritting her teeth. "But when we take Mattaranzi, I'm not going to be sitting on a fucking roof."

Brigitte and Oriana nodded their agreement. 

Brigitte had changed since the afternoon. She put on pants and changed into a pair of sensible black flats. She decided to wear the bolero jacket too as it might get cold at night, and it made it easier to hide the small knife that her father sent her with. Mom had shown her how to strap it on like Oriana's was between her shoulder blades, but it was weird and she could feel it, so she had it in her head that everyone could see it. The jacket would help. She also put on a little perfume and made sure her hair was still done up right, had to look the part after all.

As she stood outside on the street where she told Algiso to pick her up from a shiver did take her for a moment. There was a chill in the air, but more importantly, there was something else. Something that just didn't feel right, like she was walking into a trap. She stomped her foot to remind herself to be confident, just like her Papa and her Mama. Even at their worst, it was never not confident, it was never "I can't do this." but rather "Well how do I do this now?".

Algiso pulled up in a car this time, and was looking much nicer than he had in the afternoon, cleaner, and with a nice button-down shirt instead of the stained t-shirt from earlier.

"Well Algiso, I wouldn't mind being your girl if you looked like that more often." Brigitte batted her eyelashes and smiled to the young man.

"No, you will never want to be Algiso's once I bring you back to Ansovino. He will sweep you off your feet again as he once did. You will bring him joy and he will keep you safe, like the beautiful flower in the greenhouse. No matter what happens outside, you will be safe. Come, come."

He opened the car door from the inside and Brigitte settled into the passenger seat. She glanced into the mirror pretending to look at herself and watched as her mother and Oriana's car pulled away from the curb too.

Twenty minutes later, the car had driven out of town and into the countryside to a large walled structure. The walls themselves had to have been twenty feet high, made of solid stone, and the only gate was manned by four guards, all with guns. They took one look at Algiso and opened the iron doors for them, but Brigitte knew in that moment why she had a chill. This was the only building around. The only way her mother was going to keep an eye on them was if she climbed a tree. That said nothing for how Oriana was going to get inside.

Once inside the gate though, everything was lights and music and wine. There was a set of about half a dozen cars, and then beyond them a large fountain that Brigitte could have been swimming in. Beyond that there was a courtyard surrounded on all side by tall columns of marble, and that's where everyone was. Nobody seemed to be in the house itself, and everyone was dancing and drinking and having a wonderful time.

"Come Miss, Algiso takes you to meet your love now. The rest of the world will fall behind you and your sunshine will know no bounds again."

The engine stopped, and Brigitte's heart took up in it's place as she stepped out of the car.

Oriana was glad Brigitte had worn pants; that way, she was able to at least keep her ankle holster with the Beretta 418, as well as the knives on each of her calves and between her shoulder-blades.

Rora and Oriana were quiet as the tailed the car. Oriana had worked situations like this dozens of times- but every other time, the girl in danger was a trained operative. Brigitte had prodigious natural gifts, but... well, Oriana hoped that Aurora wouldn't regret this. Maybe that's why the older woman was so quiet.

Rora felt a chill watched the gates close behind Brigitte with a thud.

As they parked the car, Rora seemed to be struggling with what to say to Oriana. She never got a chance to figure it out; the young assassin had exited the car and headed for the trunk, where she removed the climbing equipment she'd brought from the Mastrosimone armory back in New York.

"Good luck," said Rora, closing her eyes in a silent prayer. Please let Brigitte be safe. And Oriana, for Tara's sake and for her own.

Rora watched as Oriana easily tossed the hook over the wall and scamper up the rope like a cat. With a businesslike nod, Oriana dropped from view and out of Rora's sight.

Inside, the lights and music made for a pleasant atmosphere. Oriana grabbed a glass of wine from a table to help her blend in more. She flashed a wide grin, singing along lightly in her perfect Italian; she hadn't been gone long enough for it to impact her dialect. Not yet, at least. Oriana moved through the party to keep an eye on Brigitte and to be ready to intervene if the blonde woman needed her. If she did... well, it'd certainly get interesting. Still, if Oriana had her way Brigitte would simply learn what she needed to.

The girl was a smart one. Yes, there'd been a lie about previously falling in love with Ansivo, but they'd chatted about how to cover that. Possible stories of falling in love with him at first sight at a party like this one, then lying to get back here. Or wanting to propose a business opportunity. Or, if the others failed, Aurora's bold gambit about ending the conflict.

Sipping her wine, Oriana hoped for a nice, quiet evening where Brigitte could learn what she needed to and walk out on her own.

Algiso had led her straight for the wine, and Brigitte managed to take a sip. Brigitte had never had wine directly from a barrel before, but it was delicious. Something very fruity about it too, she liked it. As she danced a little to the music with the wine in her hand, Algiso kept eyeing the door to the house as if waiting.

"Is Ansovino inside? I don't see him out here."

Algiso nodded his response, and then turned to her. "I never got your name, only your beauty has stricken my eyes. Forgive me for not asking earlier, but please, what is your name?"

Brigitte paused a second, she could give him her real name, there was no reason not to. Then again, there was that man from last night. If he knew things, and knew too many things already, maybe it was dangerous. That meant no name that was even in her family. She racked her brain, as she leaned closer to Algiso. "Sorry, the music is so loud, what did you ask?" Think. Think. Just a name Brigitte come on!

"I asked for your name. Surely you know your own name yes?"

Brigitte laughed. "Of course I do silly. You're funny Algiso. My name is Laila." She had no idea where that name came from, but there is was, Laila. She knew it too for some reason, but she didn't know why. "So is he going to keep us waiting all night? Or is he going to join the fun?"

Algiso shrugged. "Who knows, he is a very busy man you see, and very important, more even than when you last saw him I think." he winked and took her hand. "Come, dance with me till he arrives."

Brigitte, did just that. The wine was good, but she needed he wits about her, and that meant any excuse to put the wine down was a good one.

Outside of the complex Aurora watched as five men left the house, the one in the center was clearly flanked by the others, and his hat did little to cover his grey hair, or his age. He was an older man, and a distinguished man by the look of him. Older even than Aurora, could have been her own father for his age. He stepped into the car, and the four men flanked him inside of it as well as it pulled away.

Oriana read the room as she had so many times as an agent, trying to perceive the connections and patterns that would help her slip through the crowd like a fish- or a shark- through water.

A group of men on the left, younger. Boisterous. No- too risky. She could entice them, sure, but one woman in that crowd wouldn't get anything but extra scrutiny and sarcastic abuse. Each would try to one up the other in their teasing, just to show they didn't care about a pretty girl. There were too many girls around for them to care about just one- Oriana dismissed them quickly as a possibility.

The older men seated at the table seemed to be drinking and talking. Their expressions, their laughter, spoke of nostalgia and old memories. Any newcomer, even an attractive one, would disrupt their ritual recall of past adventures. They would resent her for it- and for her boldness.

The older women, the wives in their 40s and 50s, were- fuck no. They were more suspicious of a beautiful young woman alone than the bodyguards would be if Aurora marched up with a grenade launcher.

The younger women, the ones around Oriana's age, seemed like the best bet. They could be just as catty in some circumstances, but they also seemed intimidated and finding some security just in being together. Refilling her wine glass, Oriana joined them as a dark-haired beauty was telling a story.

"- e poi ha detto 'Se mi chiedi ancora dei miei soldi ...' ma in seguito non ha nemmeno detto nulla. Ma ovviamente le implicazioni sono cattive."

The girls nodded; Oriana nodded, too.

"Hai fatto la cosa giusta, tesoro," said one of the older girls offering her support. "È meglio non conoscere i dettagli. Non siamo idioti, ma l'ignoranza intenzionale può fare molto per una casa felice."

"Sento solo ... potrei aiutare," protested another girl, whose voice dropped to a whisper. "Ho sentito in America che mogli e fidanzate possono aiutare a gestire le cose. Possono persino avere il loro equipaggio."

"Una donna che gestisce il suo equipaggio! Ridicolo!"

During the conversation, Oriana kept regularly checking on Brigitte. She seemed focused on the wine, while Algiso kept glancing at the door of the house. Oriana let her eyes wander, looking in advance for a door or window that could let her enter, preferably unseen, or listen in to potentially react. She wouldn't let Brigitte get hurt; if the blonde found herself trapped in a room with someone trying to hurt her, Oriana would be prepared to intervene. Hell, it'd been a while since she'd tortured anyone for information. 

As Brigitte spun by on the dance floor with Algiso, Oriana felt a finger poke her arm, and she heard the voice of the dark-haired woman who'd spoken before.

"E chi beve in silenzio? Cosa c'è che non va? Sei troppo triste per presentarti?"

Oriana gave the woman a small, sad smile that she didn't even need to pretend to feel, then said, "Mi chiamo Lucia. Mi dispiace di non aver salutato e di presentarmi. Sono stato portato a questa festa da un uomo che ha visitato il mio villaggio e mi ha detto che ero bella. Mi ha detto di indossare i miei abiti migliori e di venire a una festa. Non sapevo nemmeno il suo nome, ma pensavo che la sua macchina fosse così bella e sorrise così bene. Ma ora siamo qui, mi ha lasciato e non lo vedo da allora."

***

Aurora watched with interest as five men walked away from the house. The one in charge- Aurora's mind suddenly went very quiet. Old. Rich. Powerful. Mattaranzi? She nearly gunned the engine out of instinct- charged across the grass field in her car, ready to rain down vengeance and bullets and death. 

She swallowed, forcing herself to think. Her heart said this was Mattaranzi, and so did her instinct. But was her thirst for vengeance fooling herself?

If it was him and she acted, she could end this all now. Even if she didn't try to kill him now, she could follow him, either to scout him out or try to take him down. It could give them the information they needed. Her hands moved to start the car, but she froze.

And what if it wasn't Mattaranzi at all? There was more than one old man in the Venetian countryside connected to the mafia, surely. 

Even if it was him, then what would happen to Oriana or Brigitte, if Rora simply charged the man the way she wanted to? Her action now might expose them, get them injured or killed. Would Mattaranzi's life be worth trading for Brigitte's? Or Oriana's?

Vengeance or Family?

The gun fell from his hand, and Gavin stumbled backwards, sliding down against the trunk of an old oak tree. She raced toward him, saw him blink and mouth the words.

"Oh... shit."

He looked up into Rora's face as her heart threatened to explode out of her mouth.

"You'll be fine, Rora," he said quietly. "You'll be fine. Family."

Blinking, he gave her a reassuring smirk as he squeezed her hand.

Sitting in her car, Rora realized she was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white. God damn it dad, she thought. I hate that you're always right. Aurora released the wheel as the old man's car drove away, praying again for Brigitte and Oriana.

As she got tired, Brigitte smiled brighter, but excused herself back toward her glass again so she could cool down.

"You're a fancy dancer Algiso. I like your moves." She flashed a smile and her eyes in his direction, and as suspected he blushed a little. She picked up her wine and sipped it as a light in the house came on and out came a man. The music halted as he came out, and everyone looked toward him then, he was clearly the head of this house, the life of this particular party.

"Amici! Sono così felice che siate potuti venire tutti stasera. Il vino è buono? La musica era eccellente e anche la danza? Chi ballerà con il povero Ansovino prima eh?"

Brigitte smiled and took one step forward, but Algiso reached out and grabbed her arm, hard. She almost yelled and snapped her head back in his direction, he simply shook his head and nodded toward a woman who made her way through the crowd. She was, well, much like Brigitte always pictured her grandmother Isabella. Dark haired and olive skinned with deep pools of brown for her eyes. She walked with a confidence Brigitte had barely ever seen in her life. More confident even then her parent's were. As if this whole world belonged to her, and none other. Algiso spoke then. "That is Olimpia. She will dance with her son first. He stands to inherit everything that his uncle has built, and she is going to run it behind him, you watch. She is going to be the real woman in charge when the old man is gone."

Brigitte nodded and watched as the band struck up a slow song and the two danced a tango. Their movements were almost as in-sync as her own parent's were, but there was no passion there. Everything was precision, and timing, and perfect execution. She felt that shiver again from earlier and wondered for a moment if her mother ever felt that shiver when she danced with her Papa. Maybe it wasn't a trap, maybe it was a sign she was going in the right direction.

Brigitte sat and crossed her legs then, simply watching, intent on learning every step they made together. If that woman was his mother, that was the real person to get to know. Just like if she planned on bringing him home for dinner, it would have to be her Papa who invited him, thought it was his idea. When the music died down and everyone clapped, Brigitte stole a moment to look around the party for help, and then she spotted Oriana and tried to mouth the word "mom" to her.

Everyone turned to the man who walked out from the house and greeted the crowd. This must be Ansovino- the girls had mentioned he was getting antsy for a real position in the family, but the rest of the conversation was inane prattle. Oriana's eyes flicked over Brigitte as Algiso grabbed her arm, but it seemed that the young man was just protecting her from making a fool of herself.

Olimpia. Quite the entrance. The woman behind the throne; in Italy, at least a woman couldn't sit there herself. But this one seemed eager to change that. You could learn a great deal from watching people dance, and Oriana studied Olimpia's precision. It reminded her of herself, her "sisters": a lifetime of training to approach perfection... but the humanity was missing. The joy.

Oriana made eye contact with Brigitte and surreptitiously acknowledged her "mom".

Perhaps she could try to catch one of them alone in the house. It would leave Brigitte alone, at least for a moment, but would it be worth it to try to get the information they needed?

Oriana stayed in the protective circle of young women, her eyes naturally and regularly flickering over to Brigitte.

After the dance was over Algiso stood and Brigitte followed. She swallowed hard too. This was the moment of truth, this was her chance, and she knew what she was going to do. It was a gamble, but here it went.

"Buona sera Ansovino." Algiso smirked as he spoke and Ansovino lit up with a smile as bright as when he came outside. Olimipia eyed Brigitte as the men embraced. Brigitte curtsied

"Mio fratello!" Ansovino's voice was happy and booming, it was as if he donned a different persona while he danced with his mother. Brigitte did not lose sight of that as Algiso nodded toward her. "Ansovino, I am sure you remember miss Laila. She has been going on non-stop about you for all of last night. She tells me of the time you spent together a few summers ago, she cannot stop." Ansovino looked Brigitte up and down and then he frowned.

"Laila I am terribly sorry. I do not know how someone so beautiful as yourself could have escaped my gaze, but I do not recall meeting you."

And Brigitte turned it on, she had been able to do this ever since she was a child. He eyes welled, her hand instinctively went to her face and wiped a tear away, and before he could finish his sentence Olimpia took her arm.

"Oh come now child, hold your head high. Come with me." And away they went into the house. "Go, go to the washroom through that door right there and I will wait for you here. When you have had your cry and washed your face someone will take you back outside." Olimpia gestured for one of the guards and the big man stood next to the door. Brigitte nodded and went into the washroom then, immediately rolling her eyes and wiping tears away as soon as the door shut.

Oriana watched Brigitte walk into the house and began analyzing possibilities in her head.

The direct approach: ask to use the bathroom to get by the guard. Get Olimpia alone. Cut her until she talks, then hide the body.

The patient approach: do nothing, wait for Brigitte. 

Oriana took a deep breath. She'd wait a little while, at least. If Brigitte got nothing from the exchange, then Oriana could signal her to leave, then try to get something on her own. If she had to, Oriana might be able to fight her way out of here. But she couldn't climb a wall carrying Brigitte.

Just as Oriana was reconsidering not going in after Olimpia, the woman walked out. Without Brigitte. Oriana's muscles tensed. 

She'd be okay. She'd be fine.

Looking at her crowd of new "friends", Oriana asked, "Chi possiede questa casa, comunque? È un posto così bello!"

The girls looked at each other and shrugged. One of the girls who'd perhaps had too much wine said, "Ansovino vive qui. Deve essere suo, sì? Olimpia vive in una casa vicina. Gioncarlo vive più vicino alla città, ha un complesso alla periferia di Venezia. Ha anche bagni romani!"

Oriana nonchalantly replied, "Uno stabilimento balneare? Mio Dio! Deve essere a Mestre; non abbiamo niente del genere vicino al mio villaggio. Quel posto deve essere fantastico per feste come questa!"

Ansovino, then, started walking towards the house and exchanged a few words with Olimpia before going inside; Oriana felt slightly more relieved. Brigitte alone with any man... she'd put her money on Brigitte. She kept an ear out, trying to listen for any potential warning signs over the soft music and discussion of the crowd. As Ansovino walked past the guard into the house, Oriana hoped that Brigitte's skills matched her prodigious confidence.

The girls all laughed with Oriana, but shrugged. "Oh nessuno di noi è mai stato lì. Giancarlo non organizza mai feste. L'intero complesso è utilizzato solo per i suoi uomini. Ha un esercito da capogiro. La gente lo chiama "Il Principe di Venezia" perché è così potente." They gigglec and continued to chatter on.

Brigitte finished re-applying her makeup and opened the door to the washroom. As she stepped outside into the hall the guard nodded to her as if to say he was ready to take her back outside, but just as they turned her eyes met Ansovino's.

"Vattene Luigi." The guard nodded and disappeared deeper into the house. Ansovino's eyes were bright hazel eyes the bore into Brigitte's very heart. She felt herself getting flush under his gaze, and although she knew that she had never seen him before, she also felt naked in that moment, as if he knew everything.

"I wanted to apologize. I was rude before, I did no mean to make you cry. I am a very popular man here though, and it is no good for me to be seen with many ladies. My mother, she says I should settle down, find a good wife if I am to ever make it in my life. I tell her, I already have a mother, what do I need a wife for?" He chuckled and then gestured toward a bench in the hall. "Please, sit and tell me of yourself. If you are lucky, I will remember you."

Brigitte nodded and took a seat. He heart was still racing, but when she spoke, she was calm, and her voice had no tremble to it. "I am Laila. I saw you a while ago, from afar, and I knew, I just knew then that you were supposed to be the man that I married. I know, it sounds foolish, but I knew it to be true then, and I do still." She reached out then and took his hand. He looked down, bemusement covering his face before fading into an intrigued look.

"Alright Miss Laila, I will listen to your plea. I will give you tonight. You will live your fantasy. We will be married tonight, and tonight alone. Not for real mind you, but we will pretend. You will be my wife, and I your husband, inseparable. We will go back outside and I will dance only with you. I will drink, only with you. And when the night is over, I will take you to my bed, and you may be my wife."

Brigitte was not acting as she blushed this time. They were already alone, and he was being so forward. If there was a chance that this man was a mobster like her family, this was a dangerous man in the making. Still, she was in no position to argue. She leaned over and kissed him then, and he returned the kiss too with all the passion that she put into it, but Brigitte felt he put not an ounce more than she gave to him. He was acting tonight, playing up to her to make this young doe-eyed girl go away. He would take her if he wanted to because she was pretty, but that was the price he would pay for it. He would pretend for the rest of the night. She could say at least it wasn't the worst date ever.

As their lips parted she nodded slightly. "Okay, yes. I would like that." Ansovino nodded and stood. "Good, then we go back to the party. Come." He took her hand and hooked it around his arm to lead her out of the house to the atrium once more.

Rora sat in the car and felt like screaming. This was hell. Sitting outside, waiting and doing nothing while her daughter and Oriana risked their lives. But Oriana was right; Aurora, at least, might be well known to some of Mattaranzi's men.

God damn it. 

What else could she do? She thought about her weapons, thought about trying to crash through the gate in an emergency... and she sat still- and waited.

***

Oriana sipped her wine and felt like screaming. This was hell. Standing with these women, waiting and watching while Brigitte risked herself to learn something. Not for the first time, Oriana wished she'd been the one to seduce the boy. By now, she would have had a knife at this throat. And his mother would be dead. 

God damn it.

For now, what else could she do? She thought about her weapons, thought about how she'd react in an emergency to help Brigitte... and she stood still- and waited.

And made inane small-talk with these girls, hoping to find a pearl in all the bullshit gossip they were spewing.

Brigitte plied her subject with food and drink throughout the night. She watched for every little thing, every move, every tell. It was difficult to find any, but there were a couple of gems.

"I didn't even know your father was a Senator, is that why you're so important?" Ansovino chuckled. "No, that is not why. I am important because of who I am and nobody else. I stand to inherit everything my uncle built, and on top of that I may be a Senator one day myself like my father. I could have the best of both worlds. It was supposed to be me and my cousin though, one man, one woman. Me the Senator, the shining beacon, waging war against our enemies from the city on a hill. She in the muck and the mire of the truth of life, guiding her husband to do her bidding and forcing her enemies to cow to her will. Sadly, one of us did not make it to our dream." Brigitte put on a sad face and kissed her husband of the night on his cheek.

Later on, as the party was waning, Brigitte pried further, when he was a little more open. More importantly, when his mother seemed satisfied enough that Brigitte was innocuous to have gone to bed already. One of his tells Brigitte had found was that as he drank, he felt hotter, both to the touch, and in his mind. His shirt was half open now and his body glistened of sweat. If she did have to stay the night with him? Well she had done worse things before. "So what is it that my husband is doing now? Just biding his time? It would seem that he has already learned all that he needs, why not begin his destiny now?" Ansovino smiled then. "I am. My uncle was here this evening, we were going over plans for the future. He trusts me, and I will use that to take the things that belong to me."

Brigitte took his face and kissed him then. "Come my love, let's get you to bed." She smiled and waved her hand toward Algiso. "Can you help him to bed tonight, Algiso?" Her friend nodded, and helped Ansovino up. "Come fratello, say good night." Ansovino nodded and kissed Brigitte again, this time with passion behind it, and it took all of Brigitte's power not to slap him when he reached into her shirt. Instead, she played along and giggled. "If you want this, you will have to earn this. I can come back. Algiso knows where to find me."