It was five years later and Dolcé had now been in the family business ever since that night she had the talk with her father. She didn't really have a choice if she wanted to or not. Her family was all she knew and all she had. She was in charge of the money they took in. It was better for a woman to have such a job rather than heading things or being the one to kill someone. Yet, they had her get used to that quickly. She watched her father kill innocent people that didn't deserve the ending they received. She slowly became cold to death as it began to mean nothing to her.

Filling her time with collecting dues and keeping track of how much was missing, there wasn't much time for her to really know anything else besides this life. At first she felt terrible that she would have to report to her father who was withholding money or who had their last chance and didn't take it, but it didn't take long for her to no longer pay much attention to it. 

Her brother got the worst part of it all. He was next in line as the families Don. He was the fastest gun with the brains to match. He could run circles around their father, but until their father died he was to obey his every word. She looked up to her brother and found comfort in him. They were extremely close and best friends. Every night they would talk in his office about the family's business and how they hated it. They had watched two of their cousin's try to leave only to be murdered by their own family. The one wanted to pursue college and a career. The other had fell in love with a local teacher, but right before her wedding she was found murdered.

Making her way to her brothers office one night she had no clue what he was about to tell her. Smiling as she saw him he had a very concerned look on his face. Frowning, she knew something was up. He began to tell her his plan to leave. She shook her head and looked at him like he was crazy. She knew he would be killed for attempting this. Yet, he was dead set on it. He had a plan. Telling her how he had a ticket to England she continued to argue with him. Shaking her furiously she stopped her fearful crying. He promised her it would work. He was going to change himself into a new man and then when the time was right he was going to return for her. Knowing the conversation should stay short in case anyone came near, he nodded to her that this was over. Hugging him she quickly walked out. He stayed behind to finish up his paperwork for the family, little did she know it was the last night they would ever speak.

It had been two days and Dolcé hadn't seen or spoke to her brother. Something was wrong and she could feel it in her bones. Walking into her house her father gave her a look that she could easily read. Her brother had died that night. Her family knew what he was going to do and now also knew that she was there with him. Turning to look at her mother she could feel the sense of disownment. Acting like nothing was different she told her father that the new paperwork was on his desk and she was going to take a short nap.

Heading up to her room she grabbed a bag and put a few pairs of clothes in it. She had to leave quickly before her brothers fate was her own. Taking a deep breath she tried to hold back the tears from the pain she was now feeling. Her brother was gone...her best friend and only person she cared about had been torn away from her. Then a new feeling came over her, it was anger, the want for revenge upon her family. Shoving that aside she knew she would get none of that if she died here.

Taking her bag she quickly headed to the store. Picking up a bottle of L’Oreal which was the new brand of hair dye that girls were using she then made her way to a local spa. Walking in she went to the showers and stared at herself in the mirror. Her long golden locks were about to be no more. Sighing she grabbed the box and opened it. Quickly beginning she waited for the dye to soak in and then showered to wash it out. 

Coming out of the shower she grabbed her pair of scissors and stared at herself before she cut off a few inches. Drying her hair she put it up in a tight stylish updo and then grabbed a pair of clothes out of her bag. Getting dressed and heading out she no longer was the golden sunshine of her family. Not letting her thoughts stop her she now headed towards the court. They would be able to grant her a name change. Dolcé was having to completely reinvent herself, just like how her brother was planning to.

The court handed her the papers she needed. Quickly filling them out and choosing her new name to be known as she returned them and they gave her a piece of paper to confirm the change had been made. It was amazing how simple things could be so complicated. Nodding and thanking them she was now on her way to the train station, but she could feel someone watching her. Even though she changed how she looked her family was very good at finding people. It was only a matter of time if she stayed in the city much longer.

Buying her ticket she sat down and waited for the train to arrive in the station. The feeling that she was being watched still followed her. Yet, she knew it would be a foolish thing to do if she looked around trying to find the person. Her family looked for that. Telling herself she would deal with that issue after she got to Chicago calmed her worries for the time being. Hearing the train whistle she grabbed her bag and waited to board.

Kimble sat outside Chicago Union Station for what seemed like forever.  The hot asphalt was starting to stink up the car it had sat there for so long.  Of course no policemen were going to question the men in the car for loitering.  They were all very well known by the Chicago PD, but none had a rap sheet.  Kimble had gotten the intelligence from one of his spy’s in Cleveland that one of their members was on the lamb to Chicago.  His spy had followed her to the train station and found the train time.   12:04 was the scheduled arrival time, but he had still seen nothing of his spy who was supposed to meet him here.  By 12:10, Kimble decided to walk alone into Union Station to see what the hell was going on.

As he moved his way through the crowd to Track 13, he heard a conductor yell “Train leaving for Cleveland in 1 minute!  1 minute!”  Something was clearly wrong.  He looked around the gate trying to find his associate.  Trying to look over the crowd, he noticed the green hat Giovanni always wore.  He quickly shuffled through the group until he was behind Giovanni.  Upon looking in front of him, he noticed a woman no older than her early twenties.  The women seemed to be the person he was tailing.  Kimble grabbed Giovanni’s shoulder and he turned with a look mixed with relief and nerves.

Sir!  Thank god your here.  I was expecting to be trailing a Mafioso like you said, not a little girl!  The Godfather over there gave me this envelope before he said to track her down, you see.  I don’t understand what he wants, all that was in the envelope was $187 and a small dead fish.  Kimble grimly looked at Giovanni and then slowly to the woman in front of him.  He knew exactly what was supposed to happen, and suddenly things were starting to make sense.  Kimble had heard that the old Godfather of Cleveland’s son was found dead in the back of a warehouse, burnt up pretty good.  The old man must be cleaning his criminal house, and this was his only daughter.  Chicago would not allow an innocent woman to be killed due to a senile mans worries.

“Go home Giovanni, your family would love to see you I am guessing.  I can handle this from here.” Kimble growled.  Giovanni looked at his as if he was going to object, but must have though better of it and turned and walk down the stairs to the lower level.  Kimble turned back to his target and saw that she was just stepping out of the front door of Union Station and onto State Street.  Kimble went to follow when he noticed another main staring intently after her as well.  Cleveland must have sent their own button man to take care of her, the honor-less pricks.  As the man stepped to go after her, Kimble followed him out.

As he stepped out onto the street he saw the woman with the brown hair walking east into the heart of down town.  Another man was now conversing with the first Kimble had noticed; them both talking in quick, hushed voices.  He let them walk ahead of him, constantly observing.  The two men sped up their pace, getting closer and closer to the woman who was unsuspecting.  Kimble nodded to his men in the car parked at the curb and SpuffWaffle jumped out. 

Him matching Kimbles pace, they approached the two men right as the goon on the left grabbed the woman by the hair.  Spuffs first knuckleduster covered hand caught the target right on the neck, making a sickening gurgling noise as the man stumbled into his partner, both off balance now.  Kimble withdrew a blackjack and set to work on the other man, hitting him first in the chest and then over the back of his neck.  Repeatedly, Kimble and Spuff hit them men who were about to murder an innocent girl.  These monsters didn’t deserve any better than this.  By the time they finally stopped neither of the men had much of a face left.  Eye sockets badly broken, eyeballs ruptured.  Teeth littered the ground in the growing pools of blood.

Blood stained the front of their suits as Kimble and Spuff stood up.  "Stuff some cab fare into their mouths.  It’s going to be a long ride home for them."  He then turned to the woman standing in the middle of the sidewalk

I think you should come with us

Looking at the men that had just stopped her father's guys she shook her head. Yes, they had just probably saved her life, but they made a decent scene. The only good part about it was that it was pulled back into an alley so only a few locals had noticed. She glared at the couple who had stopped in their tracks, making them quickly move onto their destination. Then looking back to the man that spoke to her she gave him a small smirk. They wouldn't of stopped the murder unless they knew it was going to happen. So instead of playing coy she decided to follow along.

This had to be the family that controlled Chicago. You don't usually run into random men who know how to beat the life out of trained killers. Checking them over she began to figure both of them out. One seemed to be purely brute force, but the other was like her brother. He had the brains and the strength. Smiling she brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear that had fell out of the updo before walking out onto the sidewalk.

"I hope you know that your man trailing me isn't the best at it. I could sense he was there from the moment I arrived at the train station." 

Looking over at them her smile turned into a smirk. She knew that they would probably come back with, "Well if we weren't here you would of died." Granted that is a great possibility, but she was trained to kill if needed. Her father taught her that and she was very ready to use it against him. 

Taking a look around at the city her eyes lit up a bit. All she had seen was what her father would let her. Here she could watch the hustle and bustle of daily life. The people moving around her and bumping into her made her laugh a bit. They all were on a mission to get somewhere. Some looked worried as if they were late to a meeting and other's looked like they were carefree, without worries. Yet, she didn't forget about the two men with her. Looking over to the one she waited for him to take the lead. She would hopefully be able to come back and enjoy what she was never gave the right to have.

Making sure to remember that she was no longer Dolcé, she grabbed the paper in her coat pocket that confirmed it. She had to make sure to use the name she chose or things could end up going terribly wrong for her. Especially, if these men wanted to use her to get to her father. Not that he would care much since he wanted her dead. Slipping her left hand in her other pocket to make sure her gun was still there under her dress, she then nodded that she was ready to follow them whichever way they went, but among seeing them head towards a car she could feel her nerves act up. She much rather walk incase she needed to hit the ground running. Looking at them she could tell there wasn't much of an option for that.

"No more talking until we get inside."  Kimble whispered as they headed east down State Street before ducking into an alley with Simplicity Spuff in tow.   They ducked into a maintenance door that exited into the alley.  The hallway was nicely furnished with red doors matching every apartment.  Spuff stepped ahead of Kimble and pulled out a ring of keys, selected a key, and fit it into the lock to room #451.  Inside was a two roomed apartment with a complete a kitchen and living room attached with a bathroom a short hallway down.  "Take a seat please.  We have a few things to discuess."

Kimble sat in an armchair opposite the couch there she sat.  The young woman sat across from him, unflinching, never taking her eyes off of him.  Her hand rested inside her dress pocket.  He guessed there was a small caliber pistol in there.  Smirking a bit, he looked her in the eye.

"Firstly, the man following you wasn't one of my men.  He was one of your fathers.  Though we both attended the same school in New York as children, he moved to Cleveland in his late teens, where as I stayed.  When he called, he said that he had been ordered to trail someone in Chicago, though he didn't tell me who.  Your father gave him an envelope regarding you.  It contained the numbers 1, 8, 7 and a small dead fish.  I hope I don't need to spell that out for you.  I would say, you are now fairly disenfranchised with your family at this point.  Secondly, I am sorry that you had to see such brutality.  It is not without good reason.  Mainly, that will teach your father and his men to think they can stroll into Chicago and kill innocent people.  Godfather Roman doesn't put up with such bullshit and neither will I."

Kimble reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his Lucky Strikes, striking a match and watching the smoke circle around the ceiling.

"My family could use a person like you Dolce.  You are clearly well versed in our way of life, and I doubt you are the type of person that would be content cleaning houses or being a house wife.  So, I am here to offer you employment with my organization here in Chicago.  You can start by doing small, simple tasks for us as all of us started doing.  I do not promise a rich life, at least not yet.  If you decline my offer this is your last chance to walk right through that door and to get on another train to anywhere but here.  What ever you decide, I suggest you drop your birth name from this day forward and chose a new one."

He sits back in his air chair dragging on the end of his now deminishing cigarette, trying to size up the womans reaction.

Looking at him she felt a bit conflicted. She had ran to get away from this life, but at the same time it was all she knew. She was good at it and she knew anything else wouldn't work out right for her. Yet, she didn't want to live with the fear that her family was always one step behind her. Being apart of this city and its crime family it would give her the protection and safety she needed. Her family wouldn't dare try to step foot here again after what the two men did to her father's guys.

The thoughts of how he reminded her of her brother then entered her mind. She barely knew the guy, but because of this she trusted him and respected him. He seemed to have a kind heart, but looks could be decieving. So she didn't dare take her guard down.

She had one question though and it was the most important one to her. Waitng a few seconds to calm her thoughts she then asked him.

"I do not want to be weighed down and locked up like some prisoner. I wanted to be free to roam and do as I please, with certain guidelines of course. My brother was murdered for wanting this and this is why I ran. I wanted the right to choose my own path. Can you offer me this?"

She was very strong willed, but her father had broke that in her with the fear of being beaten or killed. Coming here she began to be her own person. Her own personality was forming and coming to life. She had already chose a new name and him mentioning that made her smile. Nodding she told him what she was called.

"Dolcé is no more," Taking out the paper she had in her pocket she handed it to him. "My name is, Simplicity."

She was now becoming herself, becoming...Simplicity.