“Boss!!  Bossssss!!!!”

Cami almost ran smack into her bossman, coming out of his office.  Oh thank goodness he was here still.  She felt winded from all the running over the past half hour.

“Not sure what the hell is going on out there, but Dio Mio there is like nonstop gunfire echoing from every direction!  What the blazing hell is going on?”

She noticed Bender was still standing in Slash’s office, sporting a frustrated look.  Cami didn’t notice Artus anywhere though.  Her attention drawn back to Don Slash, the furrow in his brows causing her to mumble a string of expletives in her native tongue.

“I left word I was out shopping, but I ran into a few lowlifes trying to decorate my new dress with bullet holes.”

For a brief moment, Cami wondered if Petey had hired a new band of thugs to find her, seeking revenge for what she did to his associates in Chicago, a few weeks ago.  She drew her eyebrows upward, curious to what the hell was going on at the moment, but waited for her Don to speak.

Slash laid out all the information, explicit in what details he needed Cami to follow through on.  She nodded solemnly, understanding time was of the essence as he gave specific instructions. , With the info Slash had been given, Artus had been sent out in search for Cami once the hail storm of gunfire began, yet he himself had been cornered by three thugs.  She digested this bit of information, wondering what the fuss was over her safety. She was an associate for the Garden of Eden, yet to make her bones in this life yet, but Cami didn’t dispute anything, just eager to help rescue one of their own.

Cami’s blue eyes trailed over the BlackStone Rolls-Royce, praying softly as soon as she got in the driver’s seat.  Slash chuckling as he heard her mumblings.

“Dio mio!  Please don’t let me wreck this car...I don’t wanna face Artus if that happened.”

Cami put the car in drive, easing out the driveway, smirking as her foot gave way to the gas pedal once outta range from the Headquarters.  Her delicate fingers gripping the steering wheel as her mind raced with thoughts to the upcoming events.  Artus would recognize his beloved automobile, which was the reasoning Don Slash expressed moments before.

Within moments, she was rolling up near where her night had went crazy.  Cami ducked into the alleyway near the store she had been almost an hour ago, shopping leisurely, hoping the darkness of the seemingly empty streets would cover her presence. Mentally spewing a string of expletives as she searched for any sign of Artus, Cami noticed three guys coming out a door near the end of the alleyway.  She rolled the window down as the car purred in sync with the night sounds.  The trio stood there attempting to find the source of the soft purring engine.

Once she had their gaze fixed in her direction, Cami flashed the lights on high, blinding the fuck out of them, causing them to stagger a bit.  She revved up the Rolls Royce, hitting the gas pedal down with such force, the tires squealed an eerie sound as the distance between her and the thugs was reduced in a matter of seconds.  Cami flew her arm out the window, holding her .45 steady, aimed towards the trio, firing round after round until each one fell to the ground.

Before Cami had a moment to breathe in the success the driver’s side door flung open, and a familiar voice told Cami to move her ass outta the seat. She glanced up as Artus got in the car.

“Hah! Don Slash figured you’d recognize this old piece of junk!”

Cami smirked as she crossed her arms then scooted wayyyy over by the window, out of slapping distance.  

“I’m glad you’re okay though.  What was the big emergency in finding me earlier though?”

She watched as his hands gripped the steering wheel tighter before he put the Rolls in reverse, gliding out of the alleyway with ease then heading back in the direction of Headquarters.  His quietness unnerved her a bit, wondering what was going on...

Artus was sleeping, a rarity for him but for once he had chosen to go and rest his head in his room at the HQ. No sooner had he drifted off to sleep and someone began to pound on his door, he mumbled to himself as he groggily pulled himself from his bed.

"Whoever this is, you better have a good reason for being here or I'ma slap you about with my wet hands."

Artus opened the door to find Bender stood outside, holding out a towel for Artus to dry himself down.

"Apologies for waking you Artus, but Slash ordered me to come find you. He has something that he needs you to handle personally. I'll wait for you to dry yourself off and get some clothes on, then we can head up to the office."

Without speaking a word, Artus took the towel and dried himself off, rubbing his genitals in slow motion just to annoy Bender. 

"Okay, let's get this done then!"

The pair headed to see Slash, who then filled them in on the task at hand. Artus gave a curt nod of the head before rushing out the door. Situations like this required swift movement, Slash hated when people wasted time especially when time is of the essence. He hoped that Bender didn't mention how long he spent drying off his genitals earlier.

Artus set off on foot in search of CamillaBalistreri. Reports had circulated that she was being chased by some gunmen and Slash was concerned for her safety, especially as she was soon to be welcomed to his inner circle. Artus spent a long time searching the streets, he hadn't seen Camilla at all, but he found the people he believed were her attackers. After stalking them for a while Artus realised that they had lured him down a one way street. A short gun battle began before Artus sought some cover. His reputation as a fine marksman had them cowering at a distance, being outnumbered though Artus decided it was safer to lay in wait than try to emerge from his position shooting.

He didn't have to wait long though and he saw some headlights approaching, only then did he recognise the lovely purr of the engine. It was his own Rolls Royce! He heard the tyres screech as the driver flew down the alley stopping just ahead of him. He could see it was Camilla behind the wheel from her face in the mirror, dashing out of his cover towards the drivers door whilst his assailants were disorientated, Artus made his move.

"Hey there beautiful! Move your ass, I'm driving my car now!"

Artus flashed a smile of thanks as he urged Camilla into the passenger seat. Camilla let out a small giggle at the compliment.

"Ha! Don Slash figured you would recognise this old piece of junk!"

Artus attempted to give her playful slap for the jest, but she was too quick for him and had already slid over to the passenger seat. Not wishing to delve into what was coming next, Artus remained silent for the rest of the journey.

Slash had spent the best part of the day looking over his associates books. Checking up on who was really earning their way and who was lacking in effort. One name consistently showed up as being above expectations in every single area; @CamillaBalistreri. He had known nothing of the girl when he recruited her, but she had grown from strength to strength since joining and was proving to be a very useful addition. Perhaps even family material.

Over the next few hours Slash had been in consultation with his closest advisors Bender and Artus. Both of them were in agreement that advancing Camilla within the family was a good move. She had earned everything that was to be afforded to her with such a promotion. With the discussions concluded, Slash advised Artus to get some rest as it had been a very long day.

Bender and Slash continued to discuss other matters when a few hours after Artus disappeared a knock came at the door, news from outside the HQ of a war brewing within Vegas and Camilla was being chased by some unknown assailants. 

"Bender. I need you to get Artus for me, he knows Camilla well and will be able to track her down. Considering our earlier discussions this couldn't have come at a worse time. If her life is taken before I can give her what she deserves, I will burn these bastards to the ground."

Bender didnt even glance back at Slash as he immediately made his way to the dungeon where Artus slept. Shortly after the pair returned to Slash's office, Artus still clutching a soaking wet towel. Artus left almost as quick as Slash had advised of his assignment.

Bender and Slash sat awaiting news as Slash thought he could hear a noise in the hallway, approaching the door to check he was met by Camilla bursting straight through the entrance and into his arms.

Bender and Slash listened to Camilla explaining what had happend. It was now clear that the plan had gone awry and Artus was now the one trapped in need of help. Camilla was keen to repay Artus for his efforts and agreed to return to her previous location to track him down.

Again Slash and Bender sat patiently awaiting news. A couple of hours later and Artus returned in one piece with Camilla smiling happily beside him. Her smile quickly faded as she saw the seriousness in the faces of Slash and Bender.

"I'm glad you are both back in one piece. Now, before all this mess started there was a meeting held here today Camilla, that meeting concerned your future with Garden of Eden. Take a seat so that we can discuss this now before anything else occurs"

Artus motioned to Camilla to sit in front of the Oak desk in Slash's room, as Artus took his seat at the right hand side, with Bender on Slash's Left.

"Lets begin, shall we...."