Billy, for all of his size and intimidation, for all of his power in this world, could not get the image of that girl in the alleyway out of his mind. She hadn't done anything wrong per say. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that made her a witness. A loose end some would have called it. There was no way he could let her go on, it just wasn't acceptable. So, he sent a man or two to look into her, and when they found her, they sent word.

It had been years since Billy broke into someone else's home, but after all the time in the woods, it was easy. A simple lock, and then a coupld of creaky floorboards. He helped himself to a glass of water, and then positioned himself, in a chair in the room just off of the woman's bedroom. He faced her door, waiting for her to wake up and come out of her room.

There were only two ways this was going to go.

Weary of the silence surounding her, Donnacha grabbed her gun from the vanity by her bed. She also tucked her switchblade into her garder. 

She tip toed over and put her ear to the door.  She could hear someone breathing.   Her heart sank into her stomach.

He must have figured out who I am......and he's here to kill me, she thought.  Well, this isn't going to go so easily. 

Donnacha had grew up in a family of boys.  All her uncles were sharpshooters and she was pretty tough.     

She grabbed her shoes and tossed them out of the bedroom window. She had a little cash saved up so she hid it in her bra and she slipped out the window, put on her shoes and ran through the neighbors back yard to the countryside. She knew she'd be safe in the woods for the moment.  The major road that led out of the town was just through the woods.

Looking to see if she was being followed, Donnacha disappeared into the forest.  As she walked towards the road, she thought about all the memories she left in the hat box under her bed and a tear slipped from her eye. She knew she would never see them again.....she could never return to this city without being gunned down.  She had to keep her distance for now and find somewhere to lay low.

As she emerged from the woods, she saw a milk truck in the distance.  She fluffed up her hair a little and stuck up her thumb......

The truck pulled to the side of the wet dirt road. The driver leaned over and opened the passenger door, "where ya headed?'

"Anywhere but here" Dannacha said.

A knock at the door had Billy stand and walk over to open it. Charlie was standing there shaking his head.

"She left Billy, window. Must have heard you."

Billy nodded and shrugged.

"And here I thought we could bring in a nice associate. Well, if you find her, extend my offer to her. But I have to go home before my family misses me, you understand."

With that, Billy left, and Charlie made his way into the apartment to look for clues as to who the woman was, and where she might be headed. Nothing out of the ordinary gave the girl away though. Nothing that could pinpoint where she was from, or where she might be going. It was going to be a long night.

It was rare Billy lied to anyone, but especially to Charlie, so he decided, when he made his way around to the window, to poke his head in.

"Charlie!"

The other man jumped clean out of his skin then and made for his gun.

"Relax, it's only me. Seriously, would an assassin have used your name? Come on now." Billy shook his head and continued. "Looks like she ran into the woods, I'm gonna track her down, you take the car and head toward the road out of town, she was going in that direction."

Charlie nodded then, and off the two men went. Billy on foot tracking the movements of the woman like he would a bear in the Canadian wilderness. Charlie in the car, the veteran cop, trying to chase down a fugitive.

"Climb on in. The name's Benny 'No Lips' Marcone. What's your's?"

"Dona. Thanks for stopping."

"I couldn't leave a girl standing in the rain on the side of the road.  Why are you in such a hurry to get out of town?" he asked.

"Uh...oh, no hurry.....just so we get away!"

Donnacha leaned back in the seat and put her head against the window.  She was deep in thought and drifted off for what felt like a couple of minutes.   She woke suddenly when they hit a pothole in the road.

"Oh, I'm sorry I fell asleep.....hey, where are we? Why does this place look so familiar?" Donnacha said in a panic.

She knew this place.....

It was the truck depot the passed everyday when walking home from work. They had went back into the city.

"Why are we here? Why have you brought me back to the city?"  Donnacha tried to slowly back up to the door when two stocky guys came out from behind of the truck.

"What is goin on here? Please don't kill me.......just let me go and i wont say anything......I swear!"

No Lips and the others started laughing...     "Direct orders to bring you here until the boss gets here. Charlie announced on the radio to be on the lookout for you and as I came over the hill, I saw you there with your pretty little thumb sticking up."

Donnacha gasped in shock....."Who is Charlie? And what does he want with me?"

Donnacha was thinking of a way to excape when the back door swung open and two men walked in.  She recognized Billy and immediately started to scream.......

Billy winced at the sound of screaming, and then charged the men holding her.

"HEY! Get your hands off her! The fuck did you guys do to her?!" He flat out punched one of the men holding her in his gut so his grip would loosen. The other man threw his hands in the air. Thanks to his wife, a good number of the men called him Billy The Bull. Nobody liked getting the horns.

"You ok Miss?" He turned and asked the woman who they had just released.

Charlie meanwhile, stood at the door, waiting to watch the woman try to escape again.

"Am I ok?........Why are you helping me?    I thought you were going to kill me......Wshat's going on?  Who are you and why did you tell that man to bring me here?  I know you are a killer.....I have seen you kill two people already!   Why am I here?"

Billy told Donnacha to have a seat and to pipe down, he wanted to talk to her about what she thought she knew.....

Billy nodded toward one of the guards who ran off into the other room to get some water, or soda, or something for the poor girl.

"You're not wrong. I am a killer, I will admit to that. The question is, what did you see and why does it matter?"

He watched as Oliver came back in with a bottle of coca-cola, and a pitcher of water, and a couple of glasses.

"Thirsty? I could use a drink myself." Billy shook off the rain and shook his head so it would come out of his hair and his beard before turning back to the young woman.

"How about we start here. I'm Billy. What's your name?"

"My name is Donnacha  but you can call me Dona. Can you please tell me why you broke into my home? Why have you brought me here? Are you......are you going to kill me?"

Donnacha took a sip of her coke and braced herself for the worse. She put her hand down and rested it on her knife incase things started to shift again.

"I don't know anything, I didn't see anything. I'm no snitch. Just, please let me go."

Billy took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack by the office door. His hair was soaked and he was wiping water from his beard.  He didn't seem like such the monster Donnacha thought he was.     She started thinking about last night......maybe the man he killed deserved it, maybe......Billy was just taking care of business. His own business......and she just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. So why now does he have her sitting in a truck Depot.....why did he follow her.....track her down?  She needed to know.          She calmed down and drank some more of her coke, watching Billy as he walked back and whispered quietly with Charlie.

Billy nodded.

"Well, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time honestly. I needed to know who you would say something to, and if you worked for someone. My men tell me you're not currently working for anyone."

He watched as Dona slowly shook he head once.

"Right, and you seem like you sort of know what your doing, you've got a knife, a gun, and a fiery attitude toward a well known Don." He smiled then and sat across from her taking a glass of water and having a sip. "So the only sane thing for me to do here would be to offer you a job. At least, that's what I think. What do you think? I mean, yeah I could have you killed, but I really don't like doing that honestly, it's really shitty, and not fun at all. Not even if the bastards deserve it, or I have to for survival. I don't think your a bastard though, nor do I think you are a threat to my survival."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not wrong am I?"

"No sir......you are not wrong. I am no threat to any one.  What kind of job are you offering?  And....you said you're a 'Don'.....like a mobster......Oh my......what type of shit have I gotten myself into?"

Donnacha knew she couldn't say no to the 'job offer' because she would die for sure. She thought about being a part of this whole different world and how exciting it could be.  Taking a big swig of her coke she took a long hard look at Billy. 

"Ok, yes. Yes sir....I would like to work for you."