Nikki was in the audience waiting in anticipation for the announcement that Godfather-Chairman Mikhail was about to make. There she was - sweating like she just finished an intense tournament of football – but she was delighted to be there, nonetheless. The suspense was just killing her. And then finally, it happened. She reacted in such a way that the corners of her mouth pulled up.

“...Jadon and NikkiOsavkovska have been granted permission to set up in Corktown...”

At the mention of her name, Nikki felt a mixture of emotions. It was joy first, of course. But then it was confusion and excitement and shock and even a little sadness that it meant she’d have to leave her current crew, The Golden Company. But as her tiny yet determined self stood in that huge crowd, she started to realize what potential she’d been keeping secret all this time. She would make it a point later to speak with Mikhail thanking him for the wonderful opportunity.

As soon as the crowd was dismissed, she immediately set off to scout for her potential hands.

The first letter was sent to an esteemed leader from NY requesting permission to take Donnacha_Myrick with her. Nikki had gotten to know her well since she had arrived to the shores. Despite Donnacha being brand new to the life of crime, Nikki couldn’t help but notice how excellent it’d be to have her in the crew. Communication game was strong. It was a no brainer. When Donnacha received the blessings from her former leader to leave, Nikki wasted no time and appointed her as the left hand lady.

Chicago was Nikki’s next destination. Luckily, the flight from Detroit didn’t take too long and as soon as the plane touched down, she hailed a cab for The Loop. She met up with Ray_Keech at a local café to discuss future plans for the crew. “I’d like to hand you the offer to be second in command. Take it or leave it...” Nikki raised an eyebrow as she waited for an answer. This was another no brainer. She looked up to him as not only the big brother she never knew she needed but also as a mentor.

However, Nikki wasn’t all that pleased to know that he hadn’t been investing as much time as Nikki wanted him to into the life of crime. On the way to the main headquarters, she had told him in a stern manner. “Ray, you know I love you. But Imma need your ass to stop slacking. Cuz we got a crew to build.”

His reaction was nothing short of a snicker.

***

The black vehicle pulled into the metal gates of the newly renovated HQ. It was a high building that included 11 floors, heavily secured and not easily noticeable unless you were given the true address. Nikki had sent Donna on a plane to Detroit while working on more paperwork for the family. There was much to do. Rest assured, Nikki knew not to rush herself or else she would be bound to get something wrong.

As soon as most of the paperwork was done, Nikki took it upon herself to look for potential recruits. Luck was definitely on her side that day as she saw a familiar presence down the street. “F-forcey?” Nikki gasped. She raced towards him, a light jog turning into a full sprint as she embraced him in a warm hug. It was just like old times. And she couldn’t believe that she was seeing him finally after such a long time.

She smiled sheepishly. “I’m so glad I’ll be able to be working alongside you. Welcome back Forcey. Here’s my card, get in touch whenever...” Nikki gave him the address on a white business card. It wasn’t properly done yet. She’d arrange for a business card maker to come by soon.

Another productive hour had passed. Nikki sat in her office as she blew a breath of frustration. Gee, setting up a crew was fun, sure. But prior to setting up she had been made aware of what she’d have to be prepared for. Endless nights of damn paperwork. However, she wasn’t going to give up! The excitement for tomorrow was hard to contain. As she sat in her chair, she started to think about what to say. It was late. She needed to stop before her mind was going to explode.

***

It wasn’t all that hectic. Maybe just a bit. Nikki had gathered all her close friends and family to the main HQ building as she stood in front of a mic stand. Her body tensed as she looked out into the open crowd. Public speaking was supposed to be her forte, but in that exact moment she felt like she forgot what English was. For a minute she just stood there wide eyed and red faced but not long after she found the words that were buried deeply in her heart.

“I’ll be honest. I didn’t expect to make it here, standing in front of you with this kind of announcement to make. I wanna say first that I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given to lead a family in Corktown alongside Jadon. As well as Mikari, SeanCallan and Sharpe. And as we attempt to build from the ashes, let this be one step closer to rebuilding the future of Detroit.”

Nikki smiled softly.

“The Full Send is now open.”

Mikhail noticed how quickly NikkiOsavkovska took off after the announcements were made. She seemed to be in a hurry to get a jump start on things. Seeing this, it made him happy that her application go through the selection process successfully. An empty city needed that enthusiasm to get back on its feet. It truly looked like Nikki had it all. Mikhail wanted to give her his bests before he drank with his comrade, Pints.

"Nikki, I'm proud you put your name forward to help rebuild the Motor City. Its people like you that are going to turn it into something great again. Its going to take some time and energy to get it to a even a fraction of what history has shown us. Detroit was once a power house with some of the most notorious names in our history. I hope to see it get to that point some day in our near future. Good luck lady comrade."

Sean looked across the street as Godfather Mikhail chatted to Nikki...it seemed like just yesterday that he'd been watching across a different street....one in Los Angeles where she'd opened a donut shop, of all places. He'd known there and then that she was going places.

Once the awkwardness of their initial encounter was gone, they'd grown closer as friends, and then good friends. Sean still felt a sense of confusion – sure he was delighted that her potential had finally been recognised by someone else....hell, he'd lost track of the number of times he'd told her that she could do so much more! But there still lingered a profound regret – they were in the same city yet he felt a million miles away from her.

Seeing that she'd noticed his presence, and that Mikhail was attempting to drag Pints towards a bar, Sean had to go and congratulate his old friend...

"NikkiOsavkovska  - damn, just look at you now....."