The last thing Innocence expected to see in the morning when she opened her door was the street full of police cars. Two police officers were standing on the sidewalk in front of her house and several others were next to a car in the driveway. The mobster quickly scanned the scene. The car in the driveway didn’t look familiar. Neither did the man slumped over the steering wheel. From the doorway of her house Innocence could clearly see a bullet hole on his forehead.

“Mom, we’re going to be late for school.” Hearing her daughter’s voice pulled Innocence’s attention away from the scene outside and made her quickly close the door.

“No school today.” The mobster told her children. “Go out the back door and ask one of the bodyguards to take you to Fydora’s house. I’ll pick you up later.”

As soon as the kids were gone Innocence went to the phone in the kitchen and called her attorney. The doorbell rang at the same time he answered. “Half of the LAPD are outside my house and there’s a dead man is in my driveway.” The attorney responded with a question. “No, I didn’t kill him.” Innocence answered as the doorbell rang again. “If I did I wouldn’t have left him in front of my house for the nosy neighbors to see. Hurry up and get over here. The police are at the door now.”

An hour later two police detectives sitting on the couch in Innocence’s living room closed their small notebooks after questioning the mobster. One of them sighed and the other shook his head. They were clearly frustrated by the attorney’s presence and the advice he gave his client to not answer any questions. Innocence never said a word to police when they interrogated her. The advice from her attorney was only a formality for the police to put on the record.

“Based on your arrest record and the fact that a man is dead in your driveway you’re our number one suspect.” The lead detective said to the mobster. “You’ve managed to get out of trouble before, but not this time. You can’t make the body disappear.” The detective stood up from the couch and said, “You’re under arrest…”

“Detective! You can’t arrest my client.” The attorney interrupted and quickly stood up.

“… for first degree murder.” The detective continued and walked towards Innocence.

“This is absurd!” The attorney shouted and stepped in front of his client.

“You have the right to remain silent.” The detective raised his voice and pushed the attorney.

“Stop.” Innocence finally spoke and shook her head because of the bickering. “Sit down and shut up.” Following orders from his boss the attorney went back to his chair. The detective remained standing, but didn’t move towards the mobster to arrest her. Instead he stared at her and she coldly returned the stare.   

“Detective, you have no idea who I am.” Innocence said and reached over to the table next to her chair for her silver cigarette case. To show him she wasn’t intimidated by him the mobster deliberately took her time as she removed a cigarette from the case then slowly picked up her silver Zippo and lit the cigarette. “Tonight is the grand opening of my casino, Aces and Eights. The chief of police and the mayor are on the VIP guest list.” Innocence paused to put her cigarette in an ashtray then bluntly added, “I have more power and influence in this city than you do.”

The detective realized who he was up against and lowered his head in defeat. Innocence smirked as he went back to the couch and sat down. No longer bold enough to make eye contact with the mobster the he said, “There’s a murdered man outside. Over twenty police officers and your neighbors have knowledge a crime occurred. We can’t sweep it under the rug. We need answers.”

“I’ll answer one question you didn’t ask me.” Innocence responded. In the chair next to hers the attorney shook his head in protest. Innocence ignored him and continued, “I swear on the lives of my children, I didn’t kill that man. Someone is trying to set me up. Feel free to do your job and investigate it, but if I find out who did before you do his body won’t be found in a car in someone’s driveway.”

After the detectives and the attorney left Innocence poured herself a cup of strong coffee and wondered who killed the man left outside her house. The possibility a mobster with an old grudge crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed the thought. A mobster wouldn’t get the police involved in a revenge scheme. Everyone in the business knew a murder charge was a small problem easy to get rid of with the right connections.

The Godfather of Los Angeles arrived at the grand opening of her casino that evening in a limousine. With a team of bodyguards surrounding her the powerful mobster walked down the red carpet where movie stars stopped to pose in front of flashing cameras. Inside the casino Innocence stopped and smiled as she looked around at the crowds around the tables. After months of delays with permits and construction she was happy to see the casino was finally open.

Innocence waved at a few friends as she walked through the casino then stopped at the high rollers tables in the VIP area to personally welcome the wealthy gamblers to her casino. After playing a few hands of blackjack with the high rollers the mobster looked at her bodyguards and nodded towards the private elevator that went to her office. Shortly later two bodyguards followed her onto the elevator. As the door slowly slid to close gun shots were fired. Both bodyguards fell to the floor. Innocence reached in her purse, but the it was quickly pulled away.

“No gun for you, bitch.” A cocktail waitress said as the elevator door closed behind her. With a gun in her hand aimed at Innocence she said, “You should be rotting in a jail cell for the rest of your life thinking about what you did. That didn’t work so now you’re going to die for it.”

“Wait!” Innocence pleaded and held up her hand. Her reaction was automatic and made her realize how many times she heard the same plea when she was on the other side of the gun. The mobster wasn’t going to beg for her life, but she didn’t want to get wacked by a cocktail waitress without knowing why. “Who are you? What did I do to you?”

“I’m nobody important.” The waitress answered and took a step closer to Innocence. “My husband was the construction foreman who built your casino. He blew his brains out because you fired him, bitch. Now my kids don’t have a father and I can‘t afford to raise them alone!”

“Your husband tried to steal from me.” Innocence said as she recalled the man she fired for the construction delays. “He was never on time and charged me for labor costs when he was at a brothel instead of working.”

“Shut up!” The woman shook her head not wanting to believe what she heard. “You’re lying.”

“No I’m not.” Innocence calmly said and glanced at the woman’s hand holding the gun. It was shaking. “Pull the trigger and your kids will be orphans. You will never get out of the casino alive.” Innocence tried to ignore the nagging thought her children would be orphans too. “You won’t be a nobody anymore. You’ll be remembered after death as the woman who wacked the Godfather of Los Angeles.” She glanced at the woman’s shaking hand again and shouted, “Go ahead and do it. You came here to do a job. Finish it!”

The shout startled the woman enough to sway the aim of the gun. Innocence quickly pushed her with one hand and grabbed the gun with her other hand. The woman yelled out in shock and protest as she fell down hard on the elevator floor. When she looked up and saw the gun pointed at her she held her hand up and begged, “Please don’t. My kids…”

A gun shot to her head put a stop to the woman’s words and her life. After firing the shot Innocence took a step back and leaned against the elevator wall. The brush with death was not as exciting as being in the middle of a mob war, but it still made her heart beat fast. Reaching down on the floor to pick up her purse Innocence looked at the name of casino on the waitress’s shirt. The mobster shook her head, put the gun in her purse and mumbled, “Welcome to Aces and Eights.”

Aces and Eights

Mercury had been watching the construction of the newest business in Los Angeles for months in anticipation of its opening. She was one of the first ones there when the doors finally opened. Godfather Innocence had outdone herself. This was a state of the art, class act Casino. She really didn't expect any less from her though. Mercury dropped a couple coins and pulled a couple arms at the slot machines before she gravitated towards the VIP lounge. She had plenty of cash to drop tonight from a bank heist earlier today. Casinos always were great laundering agents.

Mercury played a couple hands of blackjack watching as Innocence and her bodyguards played a couple hands herself at the next table. Innocence stayed long enough to be polite. Mercury watched as she went towards the back. Gunshots ringing out left Mercury reaching for her gun and following after her Boss. She was greeted by a closed elevator. She motioned for her bodyguards to hit the stairs and assess the situation. In short order, one came running up to her to report a couple dead bodyguards and a cocktail waitress in the elevator. Mercury instructed them to get a clean-up crew here immediately and make those bodies disappear. She went in search of Godfather Innocence to find out what had happened.

Cory has heard the announcement about Aces and Eights and shortly made his way to the casino. In the back of his mind he knew this was the right addition for the city and exciting to see be built. He took off his coat at the door and handed it to the man, walking past them towards the bar. There was already a drink waiting on him as he scooped it up, threw some money on the counter, and walked away towards the blackjack table. Cory walked up to the first blackjack table he seen and threw mutilpe rubberbanded piles off cash on the table. The cashier counted up 200k and gave him the amount worth chips. Cory smiled as he pushed all the chips forward and nodded to the lady that he would playing it all on one single hand.

The first card turns and it is an Ace. He watches the cards flip around the table as the dealer also drawn an Ace. The second sweep of the table and Cory drew a 9 of hearts, making his total 20. Cory smiled as he watched the cards go around the rest of the circle and then the dealer hide theirs. An evil smile came across her face as she flipped the cards over to show a blackjack drawn. She reached in and started gathering the chips, looking at Cory with the disgust on his face. He lit up a cigarette and noticed Innocence standing across the way laughing at him. He walked over to her and began to laugh a little as well.

"You see that? That much money right down the drain. Well I have to say, this is a great thing to see open in L.A. and I hope it gives the customers something to do while they are waiting in the beautiful city. Hopefully they will have better luck then I do at these type of places."

He shakes the Godmother's hand as he takes a long drink from his glass.

"I hope the odd are in everyone's favor!"

After buying some petrol with his last $5 Golden walks over to the casino like a drunken Rock star and lights the place on fire

He wipes his hands clean on his lucky hanky before mumbling to himself Last time that place steals money from me

I love the west coast and now with a casino it is even a better place to run my operations and connections.

Goes straight to the blackjack table looking around for his VIP seat

Aint no party like a west coast party

After playing a few hands he nods his head to the cute waitress who is getting drinks.. ordering himself some whiskey on the rocks as he slaps the girl on the ass as she walks away

  "She's superwoman, simply amazing." Lily says slightly under her breathe as she watches Godmother Innocence walk the red carpet. "Children, godmother, and now a casino too? I'd probably hate her if she didn't have such fantastic style on top of everything else." - That she did say completely under her breathe as she continued in behind all of the flashes of the cameras.

She walked straight to the bar, still watching the Godmother move thru the room, tho now more of her attention was set on the bodyguards as her escorts. "Oh my, I wouldnt be able to have the name 'Innocence' walking around with fellas like that." As the trio disappears into the elevators, Lily orders a drink, holds out a cigarette and waits as it is lit for her. A few minutes later she hears gunshots, sees the elevator return and several people hurry to the door to cover the view until it closes back up and she sees the elevator get sent down to the lower level.  But, it didn't happen so fast that she couldnt see what was in there. "Damit. They were cute. Wasteful- Note to self, only hire ugly body guards. "

Being raised around casinos, she moves over to the black jack tables, plays a few hands, (wins- of course), then chats with Sorvino and Aaron at the same table. They are just in from a good day of work set up by Bruiser, and already a bit inebriated. She takes advantage of thier alcohol induced mood and recruits them to help her with a few heists this upcoming week.

After about an hour with the fellas, and about thirty thousand up. she glances over to her right and sees Golden. He is wasted beyond belief, and motioning in the air as tho he was setting fire to the casino. "See ya later fellas, Im going to get Golden out of here and have him dropped off at his flat before people realize he isnt intended to be entertainment."

Wanting to pay her respect, Lily walks within eye contact of Innocence as she and Mercury are chatting She can tell it isn't idle chat, something serious- likely about the incident in the elevators, so she simply nods with a smile and turns to leave with Golden.