New York City 9:31 AM Local time

"Yes Billy, I got it. No problem." Charlie hung up the phone and turned to Addie. "Well seems like they got there safe enough about half an hour ago. Time for us to get a move on." 

Charlie and Addie had only been given two names, two targets. One was a smuggler, and shouldn't be hard to find. His name was Jim Riley and apparently he had a direct connection to the Italians. Why Cat wasn't on this Charlie didn't know but it seemed like Billy had everything in hand.

"He's in New York right now, we know where he's docked, and don't forget, Gavin's already down there loading and unloading. He's going to stall for us till we get there."

Charlie grabbed his snub-nosed revolver, and checked the cylinder, then the barrel before sticking it into his pocket.

"Let's get the kids to Billy and then we can head down there."

Addie made sure that her shirt came over the revolver that was holster at the small of her back.  Then she slid her hands along the hem to the front where she gave her shirt a tug down.  From the half of the conversation she had heard she had deducted that they were going to have to move quickly so she had already started prepping before her husband had gotten off the phone.

"Doesn't this seem a little back-assward?  I mean what good is any intel we might get if Roar and the girls are already moving on the Don?  Are you sure Billy has not given you any more information?"

Addie moved to the hall entrance and yelled to get the kids' attention, "Mirella and Gio, you are going to be staying at Uncle Billy's for a few hours while your father and I go to work.  Last one in the car has to take the trash out for the next month!"

Moving back into the kitchen, she grabbed the keys from the counter and looked at Charlie to see if he was ready.

Charlie made his way toward the front door.

"Find a guy, handle it. Apparently he's in bed with the Venitian, and we're all going to war over Will's death. Not that I blame Billy for that mind you."

He opened the door and helped to get the kid's jackets on.

"If you're asking me what else he said, he told me to call back when we were either on our way, or it was done."

With that he ushered the children out the door.

"Am I walking the kids down the street, or are we driving to make it quick?"

Last one in the car has to take the trash out for the next month!

Last one in the car has to take the trash out for the next month!

Last one in the car has to take the trash out for the next month!

The phrase echoed in Gio's mind. He bolted as he was being ushered out the door and leaped into the back seat. He turned around and pointed at his sister laughing. It wasn't going to be him taking out the trash for a month!

Addie suppressed the growl that formed within her.  She recognized that she was angry, but it wasn’t Charlie’s fault.  He did not deserve her irk for simply not hearing her tell the kids to get into the car.  Like everyone else, he had a lot on his mind.  His thoughts must have been elsewhere. 

“The car.  We don’t know how long Gavin can stall and we don’t want to lose this opportunity.”

As they all got into the car and Addie drove them the short distance she thought about why she was really angry.  It took her a moment, but then she sorted it all out.  Billy had relegated her to stay here in the states while a pregnant Aurora was now in Venice. 

The rational side of her mind knew that Aurora was the more skilled assassin, but her emotional need for revenge was driving her at the moment.  Aurora father and brothers had been killed relatively quickly, but her brother had been slowly tortured to death over days for no other reason than to be a message to her.  There were few people on this earth that Addie could say rose to the height of hate in her mind, but Don Giocarlo Mattaranzi was one.  She hated him and prayed that his soul would burn one day for the evil he reeked upon the land.

Blinking back the tears that were threatening, Addie turned to look at her daughter once she had parked the car.  “Mirella, tell your uncle that we are on our way to the docks and we will call him when we have something to report.  After that you will need to watch over your brother as you kids entertain yourselves.  Stay out from under foot.  Your uncle has much work to do and the last thing he needs is bickering children.  Understood?"

Mirella nodded like the dutiful child she was.  "Yes Mama," she said before shooing her little brother out of the car.  "Be safe."

Gavin Mastrosimone had been working on the docks since his parents decided to move to New York. It was good work, it was fun most days in fact. Today was something different. Today was a job from his father, not from the foreman. It was not something he had expected. His dad to call him into the office and ask him to do something for him? To look out for a guy? I mean, it wasn't going to be hard. All he had to do was his normal job and listen for the name 'Jim Riley'. How hard could that be?

When he finally did hear the guy's name he realized what he was doing. The guy was a smuggler, and he was indirectly working for his dad?! Gavin knew his family was into some bad shit, but the crates he was unloading? They were full of pills. All kinds of pills, and powders. Cans of things too, he could hear metal scraping around inside once in a while and was poked more than once by some straw. He did not like the look of what was going on here.

Though he did sigh a big sigh of relief when he watched AddieMoretti- and Charlie Bryant pull up to the dock. He was easy to spot so they looked at him right away and he nodded toward the small skiff that the guy "Jim" was on. Not a word, just a nod. That's what his dad had wanted him to do.

He made his way to the foreman then as soon as his family were on the boat.

"Sir, I don't ask this often, but I'm not feeling all that well today. Don't know what it is, but I gotta head home."

The foreman nodded and pointed to the skiff. "Finish unloading that one and you can go."

Gavin nodded, and dutifully went back to work.

With the right skiff identified Addie and Charlie quickly made their way to it.  Surprise was their ally and they had to capitalize on it.  When she was 10 yards away she reached behind her back and removed her revolver, but she kept it behind her shielding it from view of Jim and whoever might also be on the boat.  She could see a person in the cabin who she assumed was Jim and with a final glance at Charlie she hopped onto the boat.

"Jim Riley?  I need to ask you a few questions."

Jim looked up from the box he was inspecting, the contents of which were covered in blankets as he lifted the lid back onto it.

"Sure thing dollface, what can I do for you?"

He sat down and crossed his legs, smiling at the woman in front of him. If she were a bit older he'd still have smiled at her the way he did just then. He glanced outside and saw a man standing next to his little boat then too.

"Well well, brought company too, just for a deal? No need for that, have a seat, tell me what it is you're buying and I'll tell you how much it costs."

Addie remained standing and causally leaned against the door frame to the cabin.  The act allowed her to drop her gun hand to her side, but still keep it from view.  

"I am looking to buy information on a certain individual with whom I have been told you have a connection with.  A Don Mattaranzi from Venice.  What kind of price would we be looking at?"

Addie could almost hear Charlie take in a sharp breath.  She knew she was being bold and direct, but that was who she was.  She would throw the dice and watch them roll and with any luck they would show 7 or 11 in the end.

Jim nodded and kept note of the fact that the woman stood in the doorway, refusing to come inside.

"Well I see why you brought the muscle now. Because if I say no, you're going to make my day a living hell until I give you what you want. The problem with that you see is that I don't know a guy by that name." He spear his hands and shrugged. "Don Mattress sounds like he's a bit above my pay grade."

He flicked his hand toward the docks then. "I ship goods up and down the east coast. Pick em up from Cuba and then make my way north. That's what I got going on. So if you're looking for something you can't normally get? Well I'm your guy, but if you're looking for a special someone to light up your life since your boy out there doesn't satisfy you." He shrugged again. "That ain't me."

Charlie watched the boat intently, and then kept his eyes around the rest of the dock. He had watched Gavin take the last of the crates off the dock and nodded to him as he put on his cap and headed home for the day. He had given a cursory glance to the other men on the dock as well and he knew that they were under Billy's thumb so he wasn't worried much, but he saw no pistols either way.

He took out a cigarette and lit it while he watched and waited.

Gerry watched as the witch got out of her car. He kept on working as that bastard corrupt cop she called a husband kept an eye out. He could feel his blood boil. They were here to kill someone again, just like they had to his brother. He knew it, he knew that Jermaine had gotten caught by these two. He knew because twins knew these sort of things. Sometimes you knew when your brother was in trouble. Years ago when they both thought they were safe this bitch followed him and murdered him in cold blood. His brother never hurt anyone, he gave people a good time. If they got addicted that was on them. Gerry did much the same, but today? Today that was going to change.

Slowly, but surely, crowbar in hand he made his way across the dock, opening one crate here, one crate there. It gave him a reason to have the crowbar as he got closer to the cigarette smoking pissant. And the asshole didn't even blink at the guy 'just doing his job'. So when Jerry swung and heard the crack of metal on a man's skull he was satisfied.

"That's for my brother Jermaine you cunt!" He screamed toward the boat as he dropped the crowbar and disappeared among the boxes of freight, glancing back only once to see the man on the ground in a pool of blood. For all of his anger Gerry never thought he would ever get that chance. He was glad he did.

Addie was about to question Jim further, when she heard the sickening sound Charlie's skull cracking.  She turned her head in time to see Charlie's body fall to the ground.

"That's for my brother Jermaine you cunt!" He screamed toward the boat as he dropped the crowbar and disappeared among the boxes of freight, glancing back only once to see the man on the ground in a pool of blood. 

The gut-wrenching scream that emanated from Addie as she called out Charlie's name was enough to set even the most stalwart to shiver.  Without thinking, she took a couple of cross-over steps give her a line of shot on the man who was now running towards the shore using the various boxes for cover.  Screaming bestially at the man, she quickly unloaded the revolver in rapid succession.  It was a near impossible shot, but one of her bullets did manage to find purchase in the leg of the man.  It slowed the man some, but not much.

Jumping off the boat, Addie quickly tore off her blouse and fell beside Charlie's life-less form.  Modest was not even a thought in her mind as she used the material to try and stop the blood that was flowing from the back of husband's head.  Desperately she cried out for someone, anyone, to help her.  She could hear men running down the dock towards them as the boat next to her roared to life.

Addie looked up to see Jim maneuvering the boat out away from the dock.  Quickly she reached for her husband's gun and used it to try and stop him.  With her husband's blood on her hands and tears in her eyes she unloaded his revolver in an attempt to take out the motor, but she was not successful.  She dropped the gun and went back to ministering care to Charlie as the foreman arrived. 

Addie knew that the foreman was on Billy's payroll so she told him, "Order someone to take a fast boat out and round him up.  Don Mastrosimone wants a word with him.  Also put the word out for that guy that did this to Charlie.  There will be a sizable bounty given to anyone that can bring him to me, dead or alive."

The words were like a dam breaking and she began to sob.  If Charlie was not dead, he would be soon and she knew it.  "Somebody help me get him into a car.  We have to get him to a hospital now!"  Two dock workers helped to pick him up with Addie cradling his head for support.  It was agonizingly slow as the trio worked to move him from the dock back up to the parking lot.  Addie had no concept of time, but it felt like an eternity when finally Charlie was loaded into the back of a car.  She climbed in with him moved him to elevate his head to make it harder for the blood to leave his body.  Stroking his face she begged him, her heart and her soul, to not leave her and the kids.  She told him to fight, to survive.  For the entire drive to the hospital she urged him to hang on and she pleaded with God to save him.

New York 4:31 PM Local Time

"Mrs Bryant?" The doctor was quiet as he asked for her attention. He knew by then who she was, who she was related to, and exactly what was at stake. He made no mention of the fact that her modesty was covered only by a hospital gown, though she had been permitted to go, she never left. She had made a phone call or two to his knowledge while waiting. He assumed those were to her family and for her children to be cared for.

She stood, but he gestured for her to sit back down and she sat in a seat across from her.

"Mrs. Bryant, I am afraid that your husband has lost his right eye. I wish i could tell you he will be the same, but he won't. I don't know how bad the damage to his brain has been, it's possible there was none, but by the look of the wound that would be extremely lucky." He sat quietly letting her take that in. "Luckily his skin will heal, and either he will have an eye patch, or a glass eye for the rest of his life, and like a very nasty looking scar. But he is sleeping now in recovery, so we can let you see him if you wish."

The doctor's words hit her like a punch to the stomach.  It literally knocked the air from her lungs.  She had wanted her husband to survive so badly that it had not once occurred to her that Charlie might live but have  so much brain damage that there was no life left in him.  She bowed her head and closed her eyes to fight off another round of tears.  Had she pleaded and begged with God that he might not die just to condemn him to a life of no worth?  She was a horrible and selfish person.  Charlie would not be in this position had she just been content to live a normal, ordinary life.

She lifted the palms of her hands to cover her face and fought back a sob.  The doctor laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and after a few moments she wiped her tears with the back of her hand,

"When will we know the extent of the damage?"

The doctor shook his head, "It is hard to tell.  It will take a few days for the swelling to go down.  We will know more when and if he wakes up."

Addie nodded acknowledging that she understood.  Standing, she told the doctor that she wanted to see him and he escorted her back to Charlie's room where he left her to spend time with her husband.  A nurse brought in a chair so that Addie could sit next to the bed.  Gently she took his hand in both of hers and she looked up at him with her glistening, red eyes.

There had been a time in her life when Charlie had sacrificed everything to care for her and to see that she recovered from a drug addiction.  Addie vowed to herself that she would be there for him, like he had been there for her.  Squeezing his hand gently she spoke softly, "We made a promise to walk with each other in this life.  I expect you to live up to that promise, you hear.  I need you to get well again so that we can walk out of these doors together and back to our family.  They need us and I need you."