FUCK! Those bastards...they did it...they wished for us to die and here he is. Dying in an underground hospital where the conditions were sloppy at best, she didn't trust these people to not sell him out...Vincent was her last remaining piece of a family...she needed him and like that. She knew it, they had to leave...they had to start over.

"Doctor, where the fuck is your phone!? I need it now!"

He pointed over to the place at the far end of the room, Vincent would still be in her eyesight. She needed to call someone and she knew who...Lily Black, she could help, she would help. Valerie hoped at the very least, she did not know the California lass, all she knew was that she had spoken with Vincent in Los Angeles and the two had hit it off, going into business with one another. 

The dull ringing had begun, before Lily could even say hello, Valerie was speaking with such speed that she had forgotten for a moment. Taking a deep breath, calming herself down...she explained herself. 

"Hello...is this LilyBlack? If so, my name is Valerie O'Neal. I work with Vincent Carelo, he's been shot and is barely clinging to life. We need some safe haven Ms. Black and I'm sorry for placing this on you but you're our only hope."

Sliding down against the wall, Valerie waited, she needed to know if Vincent and she would find a new home in the sunny state of LA. She was trusting a complete stranger but she had no other choice, she needed this to work out.

Ash pushed the phone at her the second it had begun to ring. He hated phones... actually he hated Los Angeles and the smarmy, slimy types that populated it, but he liked Lily, and he REALLY liked the money he made driving her around and doing her grunt work for her.

Just not the phones.

When Lily picked up, a young, scared female voice flooded her ear. The voice identified itself with a name Lily had never heard, but quickly explained her connection to Vincent, who had recently met with Lily and Eddie Stobart about becoming partner in Eddie's business. 

"Shot?! He's been shot? I- well of course, whatever you need, I'll arrange it. Can he be moved?? I'll send a private ambulance, if that's the case. Come to California, we have good doctors here, private doctors that can attend to him properly. I'll arrange for a place for you to stay, a permanent one if you two decide you want to stay on with us here," Lily said, snapping her fingers at Ash, who pushed a pen and pad across the desk. Lily scribbled furiously, then pushed the pad back towards Ash.

'1. Prepare ambulance transport, gunshot victim, will need 2 techs on board.'

'2. Arrange living conditions for 2 ... assume not a couple, just in case. 2 bed, 2 bath. Don't skimp.'

Lily took a second to thank Jesus above that Magda had the money to make things like this happen, and that she herself was in a position to facilitate it. 

"Valerie? Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

"He can be moved....he's just in a bit of a spot, the doctor's removed most of the bullets...he was shot three times and that leaves him in critical condition. He's alive but as I said, he's clinging like a fighter. So please, send the ambulance...whatever you can do to help, it'll be greatly appreciated and I promise you, we will pay it back."

Valerie softly whispered out, she was grateful now, she knew this was something that had been a bold move. Los Angeles, while they had few connections. This is one that could be used with such ease, she wished to make sure that Lily would be paid back. 

"And Lily, once we get there, I'd like to talk to you about that permanent place that you offered. It's something that we could really use. Thank you so much, I give you my word, we will repay you for this."

Motioning for the doctor, she stated for him to get Vincent prepared. He was safe, for right now. She was going to protect him, from whatever stood in his way. This is what she had to do, she was a fool, it was her fault and she knew it. He had protected her, he decided that she was worth it. And he paid the price. 

Finally, she hung up the phone, giving Lily their location and hoped they would be here soon. Valerie needed to make sure they were finally in friendly territory and not at the mercy of vultures.

She walked back over to Vincent, grabbing a hold of his hand and simply staring down at him. He was her mentor, the one she wished to make sure survived out of both of them. 

"You cannot die on me you fool, we have so much to do. I refuse, you're going to live and accomplish what most only dream of."

When she got the call that the private transport had arrived, and that the two occupants had been safely tucked away in a secure, tastefully decorated high-rise in Hollywood, Lily wasn't even in LA. A last-minute errand had her in Vegas yet again, and she now had a lot of time on her hands in a city that had gone unnaturally quiet. She'd hoped to make some connections out here, perhaps find some popular hotspots where Stobart's Finest could flow freely, but the city seemed not quite ready for such things, yet. 

Unfortunately, she was having to fly to Seattle next, and Lily wasn't sure she wouldn't find more of the same, there. Her pastry shoppe was a great front, if she wanted to use it as such. There just wasn't a lot going on in that town, otherwise. With any luck, time would change that. New crews were moving in and shifting around every day, it seemed.

"Alright," she was saying now, to Ash, her driver who'd stayed behind. "Call me if there's a change, but it sounds as though Vincent is on the mend. That's good news. Have Valerie call me if she needs anything, will you? Even if she just needs to talk, make sure she's got my numbers as I give them to you. Yeah, Seattle next. Lucky me, I'm going from desert to rain showers before I can come home. Hope I don't catch that bug that's going around, I hear it's terrible."

Resting up had been something that she had never been good with, it was not something she even liked, she wished to be out there. Doing something, anything, just to get her mind off of what was in the room next door. Her brother had decided that it was enough, the doctor had said that he would be making a recovery and that he would be waking up whenever he, himself, had been ready. Oh how she wished to that would be now, he needed to wake up...she couldn't be alone, she would never be brave enough to handle that all alone.

She had remembered that the guy, Kash, Bash? Ash she assumed had given her the number of Lily, Valerie assumed it wouldn't be that bad to give her the call. Someone who could help her along the way, this was something she needed, deciding to move forward with it. She rung up Lily, not wishing to be something of a disturbance, Valerie needed this. Plus, it would be killing two birds with one stone. It was easy from there pretty much. 

"I actually needed to talk with you, about many things, first, my brother is being a stubborn little prat of a man and not waking up. Second, is a permanent here in Los Angeles. We can't go back to Nevada, it's going to be brutal if we do and I have a feeling I'd rather stay here. So would he, what can we do about that Miss Black?"

A smile twitched at her lips before deciding to frown for a moment, even talking with someone, it did lift her spirits and maybe this is what she needed. Just someone to talk with, it would certainly help a lot and she was not really going to be against it. With Vince gone, Lily was going to be the only connection she could possibly have, maybe the traitor was right, maybe she did need friends outside of their life that could remove the horrid things they did for a living.

Her eyes popped open at the sound of the phone ringing. It must be important, someone reaching out to her at this hour. Lily sat up on the bed, and the book that she'd been reading slid with a quiet thump to the carpeted floor. Pulling the sheet around herself despite the heat, she reached for the telephone. 

"What's happened? Oh, Valerie! Is Vincent... I see." Not dead, no, but refusing to wake up. Lily smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Boys are stubborn, as I'm sure you are aware. I wouldn't worry too awfully much, Val," Lily said, already dropping into a nickname prematurely. It was late, she was tired, and Valerie didn't seem to mind. 

"Just give him a little more time, he's been through an awful lot. I have a lot of faith in our medical personnel. If the outlook was grim, they'd have told me, I promise you. How are other things? Are you adjusting to the city alright? Do you like your new place?" Lily could hear a soft rustle of sound on the other end, and in her mind's eye, could see Valerie actually surveying the room she was in. Her hair was down, Lily was sure of it. The certainty of it was apropos of nothing, though, so Lily pushed it aside. 

"I'm told they did a good job, found you somewhere nice. If you like the place, Val, it's yours. You're with us, now, you and Vincent both." Valerie could have called Magda just as easily, easier, actually, because the boss herself was right there in Los Angeles with them. She'd called Lily instead, though. 

Again, Lily pushed the thought aside. She needed reassurances, the girl was just scared, and probably lonely in a city brand new to her. Lily had been the first connection the pair had made here, that was all, that w- no. No, that wasn't right, either. Before Lily even knew who either of them were, she'd seen the correspondence from the Carelos on Donna Magda's desk.

Her eyes then fell onto the book on the floor at her feet. The Perfect Triangle. With a quiet sigh, she kicked the book under the bed.

A smile broke out on her face, she was definitely being some kind of spoilt person calling at this ungodly hour but she was happy with this kind of thing. Soon enough, she was asked question after question and she almost felt like she was lost for a moment. She had never dealt with this kind of thing, she had stopped breathing for a moment before calming herself down, looking around for a moment before tucking a piece of stray hair away. 

"It's no Nevada and it does not have the same look but I think I can get used to it, as long as the company and amazing people stay the same. I trust your faith in your medical personnel and that's a lot, after everything that we've been through, I don't think my trust can be easily earned anymore. Still, I have to trust someone, right?"

She spoke with a soft tone, usually, Valerie would have used a hard tone colder than the winds back home. She was not easily welcoming but she guessed here she might as well be, it was not going to hurt opening up a slight bit. She knew that Vincent would want that for her, that's what made her like this, she was sure of it. 

"Thank you, Lily, you know, here we are chatting away about my stubborn brother. I have yet to know you, just who is Lily Black, the saviour of the rogue Carelo 'twins'? You have piqued my interest, lass."

Soon enough, there was an infectious giggle escaping her as the Irish accent with ease came into play. She did wonder just who this woman was, how she saved them and just how she could repay her. She owed a debt that could never be repaid, something that Lily did not oddly mind. 

"Me? Well. It's a long story, but not a very interesting one," Lily replied as she reclined back into the hotel pillows. "I came from Los Angeles originally. It was a... very similar life before it all came down around our ears. I more or less disappeared myself for a few years, then decided one day that I wasn't going to hide anymore. Hide from it, hide from the life. So I changed my last name to one that I knew had some clout, and took up with a family in Chicago. I wasn't there long before the first of a series of unfortunate events disintegrated the crew there. It happened again in Detroit. I went to Seattle after that, had expected to remain there, but Magda Malone had just started up here and she reached out to me, so here I am. Or, there I am, rather," she smiled, but it didn't last too long. The elephant in every room was getting larger by the day, in the form of Anthony Black, the one from whom she'd taken the name. He was back from wherever he'd been all this time, and nothing in her life was certain anymore. Lily let go of a long sigh, who was she kidding, life had never been certain for her, not for one day of it.

"How about you, Val? With the exception of your collective business acumen, I've only had time to pick up on mere bits and pieces about you and Vincent. Anything you wish to share?"

"Oh? You traded up in life, I guess I could say the same, only mine was a tad more different and catholic..."

Val did nothing in hiding her hatred there, it was something that happened without her even knowing how she had bottled so much. She had been someone who was happy once before she revealed what she was, her family, had not been ready. She was removed, so that her taint would not rub off on her younger siblings, of course, she willingly left the house. 

Sighing into the phone, she knew that she had been quiet for a while. She trailed off, it was not something she liked to think about. Some things triggered that part of her, shaking her head, she moved forward. 

"I revealed to my parents that my preference with life, bed, wife, an intimate partner, whichever you wish to call it was Female. They removed me from the house, from that day...of course, it didn't end there. I was hunted down and found by Vince, he saved me. I guess you could say, from that moment, I became apart of his family."

She laughed, the life had come with it...Vince didn't even know what he was bringing her into but still, he apologized for it. Little did he know, she would follow him into hell itself and back.

"I guess we just have shitty upbringings but the people we were years ago don't matter, it's who we are now and how we spend that time moving forward."

She smiled, knowing that sounded like a motivation poster she had seen around the city here and there. It was fairly correct, she could steal it for this moment right now

Lily pondered this for a moment, how difficult maneuvering through a mostly conservative world would be for not just a woman, but a woman who preferred other women. 

"I think every choice you've made so far was the correct one, Val, because it led you right here. There. You know what I mean," Lily said, moving her fingers in a dismissive gesture, as if she could brush away the remaining late-night cobwebs from her mind. 

"If there's anywhere where it's feasible to be yourself, LA is it. Unless you're an actor, of course. Then you need to be someone else," she smiled before continuing. "All that's left for you to concern yourself with, all that you really need to do now, is focus on what it is that you want."

Famous last words.

"Ah I know it is, I have Vince here with me to prove that I always make the right choice when it comes to him and his needs. Family Above All, still I've been told that I should stop that. Maybe I do need to do so and have more fun, something that allows me to explore who I truly am in this society."

She muttered so low and decided then that she could change, maybe it would have been fun for her. Chuckling to herself, she must have sounded so one-dimensional, not wishing to have fun for herself. Only caring for the safety of her brother, she shook her head and simply listened to the other words that Lily spoke. 

"Well, I don't really know what that is, yet. I don't have that many things that need doing, Vince always took care of that. I focused on the business and less on my social skills, it may be why I am so blunt and shit at lying. Of course, my brother handled that part of what we did as a group back in Nevada."

Valerie did smile there, it was not like she could ever forget when she was told that. How she was more of a shooter than someone who could lie her way through court, she knew that she was not a woman of diplomacy. She preferred being this way, it meant that she could be herself in some way and maybe something would open up for someone like her. 

"Thank you, Lily, you've been a great help, I always wondered what it would be like to have a friend to talk with. And you gave me that, truly. I'll be sure to never forget what you've done for us and for me, so far. I only hope someday I can repay you."

Smiling to herself, Valerie leaned back and knew that she owed the Black a lot. And it would be ten lifetimes before she could truly repay what she was owed.