Thomas - Tommie's - Danielle

Thomas nodded to Demaro as he walked away, and then went to the bar, sitting on a stool. He nodded to a very dreery looking man, who sipped at what smelled like a dirty tequilla. "Charlotte, how about making me a Martini with olives?" Charlie nodded and went to work.

"So who called you outback?" Charlie asked as she pulled a glass from the under the counter. Thomas sighed.

"Uh... Francis Bertinelli."

"You two have a party?"

"It's... adult stuff." He said, with a small laugh. When Charlie was finished with the Martini, she handed the drink to her uncle. He took a sip, and nodded. "It's good... I mean, not Danielle-good, but you're getting better at this."

"Gee, thanks uncle Tom." She said with smirk. Thomas was always certain that he could joke around with Charlie and she could take it: she was tough.

When Danielle walked up to him, he smiled. "Speaking of Danielle-" She interupted, announcing that she'd been listening in on the discussion with Bertinelli. Thomas stood up from the stool, "Keep things together, I'll be right back, Charlie." He gripped Danielle by the arm, maybe too hard, and pulled her towards the alley door. He pushed it open and pulled Danielle outside. He looked at her, slightly frustrated. "What do you want?" He asked. His brow rose when she asked to join him in the job that Bertinelli had given him. "You know you'd be doing something illegal and very, very dangerous, right?" He remarked, but she explained her acclaimed skills in lying and acting.

He rubbed a hand across his beard. "Look, Danielle, I'm not stupid; I know you're hiding things from me, but thats not my buisness to see your past, but I'm already taking risks in hiring someone who has an obviously fake I.D.- Yes, I pinned it from the start. I made plenty of them back in my day - and no home, and is definitely a minor working at a bar. If you get caught, I can't pull a single string that could get you out of the thick. You get caught, you're going to prison." The man shook his head. "Fine. I'll give you one shot, kid..." He said with a sigh. "Get back inside..." He commanded. Before she closed the door behind her, Thomas stopped her, "Small fry... don't eavesdrop on me again."

Danielle - Tommie's - Thomas

Danielle looked away when Thomas started talking about her far ID's. "That's my business," she muttered, not looking him in the eye. He had never asked questions about her past before. She just assumed he didn't care and that was just fine with her.
"I can handle whatever you can old man," she said with a smirk to let him know she was kidding, at least about the 'old man' crack. "I'm not a little girl you know. I can take care of myself."
And it was true. Dani hadn't been a little girl in a long time.

She followed him back inside and started waiting on people again, helping Charlie with everything. When her break came she sat in the back and sketched on a piece of scrap paper. She drew a not very flattering caricature of Bertinelli, then cartoonish ones of Lancaster and Charlie. Danielle loved to doodle. She had never had lessons, just copied the styles of different cartoonists that she liked.

---

Maria - Apartment - Eva

Maria came out of the haze slightly. She managed to open her eyes. What she saw was enough to make her wish she hadn't.
"oh maravillosa la princesa está aquí," she groaned. She rolled over on the couch, away from the woman. "Go away princesa," she said. "If I'm going to hallucinate I'd rather it be Chris Hemsworth in a towel."

Maria yawned and reached, her fingers moving trying to feel for the bottle. "... the hell is my tequila?" she muttered, rolling back over and trying to get up only to fall on her ass on the floor. A stream of Spanish curses spilled from her mouth but they were slurred. She looked up and blinked, staring at Eva bleary eyed. "I said go away princesa. Go back to your castle with your frog-prince."

Thomas - Tommie's/Swindle Apartment - Danielle, Demaro, Baylen

Thomas held four sets of the information that Bertinelli had given him. The papers held information about the bank, their target, and bank security. He went to the bar, looking to Danielle. "Meet my in my apartment in an hour." He went upstairs to his apartment, closing and locking the door.

He lay the papers on the counter, kneeling down at the sink. He slowly pulled out the rolls of paper towels and the bottles of cleaner that were stored in the cabinet. As he finished removing the items. He slid his finger to the back of the cabinet, feeling the groove in the base board. The man pulled the board from the bottom of the sink. Stashed in the floor of the cabinet were five pistols, all of them M9 Beretta's with sixteen round magazine. The man looked at the weapons, and then to the two boxes of 9mm rounds. Below each gun was a second clip, filled and ready to be loaded.

Thomas produced three of the pistols; One for him, one for Baylen, and one for Demaro. He didn't take one for Danielle because she couldn't have a firearm on her for what he planned for her. He planned to have the girl be a distraction, something to draw attention away from Thomas, Baylen, and Demaro.

The man took his time in gathering the weapons. Once he was finished, he carefully took them to the kitchen table, laying them out. He had made sure the guns were unregistered so that the markings on the bullet couldn't be traced to a name. Baylen's gun was registered, so he couldn't use it.

Thomas went to Charlie's room, opening the door. He dropped to the floor and reached under her nightstand, feeling around. He felt the taser that was strapped to the underside of the nightstand, and pulled it out. It was small enough so she could fit it in her jacket with out being seen, but did enough damage to put down anyone that got in her way... except Demaro. He'd seen the tank of a man take a taser to the chest like it was nothing.

Baylen Denney - Swindler's Warehouse - Lancaster Render

Baylen had reached just about a quarter of the way down his side of the warehouse when he heard the faint whispery call from Lancaster. He took one hard look down his side, ensuring he wasn't seeing any figures hiding in the dark, then turned back to meet Lancaster and see why he had called him over. Baylen came to Lancaster's side and lowered his gun, carefully looking around where they stood. "What is it Lanny?" he asked quietly. He would follow his lead if they needed to enter the warehouse at this point.

Tony/Eva - The Encounter - Maria

Despite the difficulty Tony experienced at the start of his search, it all went away when Eva provided him with clear instructions. He did as he was told and bent down to look under the sink. He opened the little cabinet door and searched for the Narcan. Luckily - just as she had stated - it was very easy to find. “Alright, I got it. Headin back now” he told her through his untraceable flip-phone.

Quickly, the biker rushed out of the restroom, forgetting to turn off the light on his way out. He rushed to the entrance, which was basically an exit as well, and locked the door behind him. The engine to his bike roared in anger - symbolizing his own rage. With a quick switch of the gears, he was rolling down the street at a very high velocity, not distracted by the many wondering eyes that stared in his direction.

Street restrictions were also not a problem. He brushed away all the stop signs and red lights like they were not there. But all of a sudden Tony could see red and blue lights flashing in his mirror. “Fuck!” he cursed out loud, pulling to the side of the road and shutting the engine off. Quickly he started digging for his wallet which was stored in the inner pocket of his vest.

But even though he was hurrying, the cop didn’t feel the same form of urgency. Tony watched the police officer slowly do his thing, recording the license plate, doing the walkie talkie thing, and just sit in his car with the door open like he had all day. “Can you hurry up?!” Tony called out to the cop with his hands high. Abruptly the cop stood from his car seat and placed his hand on his holster. Tony’s eyes turned to the man’s gun, pissed off with the law’s authority in Gastown. Just like that Detective Brewer, all these cops felt they had all the power. “I got places to be, so can you hurry………..please” Tony added. The cop started to approach the biker with the ticket already written. “License and registration please” he asked, Tony handing it to him immediately. “You know why I stopped you?” the cops continued. Tony just nodded. “You ran two stop signs back there and were driving twenty miles over the speed limit”

“Thirty actually” Tony laughed. “So can I just sign and go?”

“Thirty huh? Alright, well let me fix this ticket for ya, I’ll be right back” the officer responded, taking the liberty of wasting even more time as he headed back to his patrol car. “Damn cop”

Eva nodded while Tony spoke on the phone. She could hear rummaging and inwardly groaned knowing she’d have a mess to clean up when she got back. When he said he was heading back she simply flipped the phone closed and looked up to see Maria’s eyes open. Great she thought, sighing heavily as the woman started prattling off in Spanish. Eva had no idea what she was saying, never did. She could only guess it was something against her.

Go away princesa

I wish

Eva smirked at Maria’s words and just pulled her phone back out to go ahead and tell Tony not to rush. ”Look, sorry I’m not your ideal person to wake up to? But you almost woke up to Jesus. Or satan. Whatever,” Eva smarted back at her. She jumped when Maria fell onto the floor and sighed, not moving to help her.

”Your tequila is in your bloodstream dumbass. Seriously. Tony was freaking out thinking you were dying. I gotta call him so just stay put and don’t hurt yourself more than you already have, K?” Eva said with a raised eyebrow, pressing send and waiting for Tony to answer.

Suddenly, a knock came blasting on Maria’s door. It was a melody of repetitions, knock knock, knock knock. “Open up baby! I got you sum more goooooodsss” a voice came. It was gritty and nasty, kind of like Craig’s, but a little deeper in tone. “C’mon girl, you said you were gonna buy today too, I can’t be seen around Gastown so OPEN UP!!!” the same person yelled, knocking even harder than before. Then one could hear him cursing to himself without end. He kept knocking though, seriously afraid that someone would see him so close to The Florence.

”Shit,” Eva whispered, snapped closed the phone and pointing a finger at Maria. ”You say a word, and I’ll tell Isabel. I’ll tell Harry. Ok so they won’t believe me, but Tony will tell them so just… just shut!” she said softly with a hard face before running silently to the door that was reverberating with the knocking of the frustrated man.

”Look, Maria’s dead in here from whatever you sold her. I’d leave before I call the cops,” Eva yelled at the door, hand on her phone anyway as if she really were.

As Eva yelled out, the man stopped knocking. He turned towards the window and tried to look inside. “That you Maria?” he questioned as he continued to attempt to peak in the home. Because he was already stoned, he didn’t really take Eva’s words into consideration. Primarily, he was more concerned with getting his money than anything else. And of course, getting out without being seen. “Bitch! Let me in! Let me IN!!” he yelled again, kicking the door. He then started to punch it, his knuckles getting automatically bruised from the impact. “Maria, tell your friend to let me in!! Maria! Maria!!!”

Suddenly, it all got quiet. The man’s voice was no longer heard from the door. If the people inside were to look out the window, he wouldn’t be there either. He left. But not for long because within minutes, his footsteps were heard coming back down the hall. “Whiteboys want money~ Whiteboys want drugs~ Whiteboys want bitches who pay them!!!” he transformed. He started off with a rather disturbing rhythm, but when he screamed, it all went downhill. He suddenly shot at the doorknob, loud bullets bursting the door open. He pushed himself in to find Eva standing by the door. Quickly he pointed the gun at her. “I told you to let me in you whore!” he stated with pure aggression. The man then turned to his right to find Maria laying on the ground. He turned the gun towards her and walked in her direction. “You made me come all the way here so that you can make a fool out of me huh? I brought the stuff, now where the hell is my money?!” he screamed in Maria’s face, gun pointed at her forehead. Suddenly he started to laugh insanely. “Oh my god, this is funny” he said, his eyes nearly rolled all the way to the top of his head. “I though we had something going Maria? But apparently…..” he started as he turned towards Eva, gun now pointed in her direction. “Apparently you’re sleeping with this bitch!”

“I didn’t know you rolled that way” he said, laughing yet again. “Now, one of you is gonna get my money before I have to blow this place to bits” he exclaimed, taking out a small bag of the same drugs Maria had taken the night before. “I want the same amount from before, plus a thousand more for the risk you’re making me take. Because this bitch here!” he pointed at Eva. “She wasn't in the plan Maria, this bitch wasn’t suppose to be here! You told me you’d be alone, but here I am, and here is this bitch!!” he yelled, started for Eva and taking her by the hair, dropping her to her knees. “Why Maria? Why you gotta do this to me? You know big man won’t be happy
knowing I had to cause trouble in Gastown. Ahhh man, Ima be in so much trouble cuz of you. Ohhh Maria, Maria how you disappoint me. Ooohhhh no, no, no. Your friend here is gonna tell isn't she? She’s gonna tell ur little Angel friends that I was here isn’t she?”

The man then bent down to Eva’s side and put the gun on her temple. “You’re gonna tell aren’t you?” he asked her, tears running down his face. His eyes were as red as the devil’s butt. He was so high or stoned or whatever that everything he said from when he got there sounded like a joke, but it was all serious to him.

As soon as Eva could tell how desperate the man was, she began tossing Maria’s things left and right, looking for a weapon of some kind. Preferably a gun, as she seriously doubted a knife or anything like that would even slow him down. She was not calling the cops, that much was certain. She could only hope Tony was really on his way back and could be outside any second. ”Maria seriously… gun?” she said, when it suddenly got quiet. Eva stopped, not moving as she listened, only for the man to come back. She still stayed quiet, back hitting the wall when he started shooting at the door, putting her hands over her face.

Of course he got in, and Eva took in his crazed state as she let her hands drop. She swallowed hard, seeing a gun pointed at her, and then at Maria, alarm flashing in her face. When the man went to Maria and began threatening her, Eva’s eyes looked towards the door. She could sprint away right now. Leave Maria to deal with the mess she’d gotten herself into by buying drugs in the first place. But her feet were cemented down. She had that innate trait that made her want to help people, and refuse to leave them to be hurt.

Eva almost said something when the man accused her and Maria of having a fling. The sentiment was truly laughable if one simply knew either one of them and their relationship, but she closed her mouth. Anything said right now would be twisted by him into just fueling his rage. So she remained silent and standing wishing she had the money to pay this loser. But she knew what was in her wallet. A twenty and some change. Offering it would probably just tick him off.

When the man started approaching her again, Eva’s eyes widened and she backed up, trying to move away, but his hand grasped her hair making her cry out til her hands and knees hit the floor. ”I wouldn’t tell,” she said, gritting her teeth, eyes closed and refusing to look at the guy. She almost told him one of the angels knew already anyway, but she wasn’t sure if it would play to her favor or not. ”I have nothing to gain by telling!” she said in a raised voice, hoping her honesty could be heard though she was sure her words seemed hollow to him.

Seeing the fear in Eva’s face made the man laugh again. He had this big grin, despite the tears that ran from his burning eyes. When she responded, the grip of her hair got tighter and tighter. He placed the tip of the gun on her cheek now, forcing it upon her skin. When she stated she had nothing to gain, a lightbulb lit in the man’s dark mind. He let go of her hair and picked her up by the arm. “Get up” he reissued. He then pushed her towards where Maria was. “You know what baby girl, you’re right, you ain’t got shit to gain, but I do” he smirked. “Look, this is what were gonna do. I don’t want big man pissed off at me, and neither should you. He gets pissed off because he don’t get his money, someone dies. And let me reassure you it ain’t gonna be me. Well, not before I kill you two first! I want triple the money, that means triple the usual plus three grand on top of that for all this crap! You two understand?! If I don’t get that money, ima find you, and I will make you squeal. Hahaha” he stated, breathing heavily as he put the gun in his belt. “Three times the usual, or I’ll come back! I want it by tomorrow!” he finished, running out the home and towards his getaway car.

Eva frowned heavily as the man yanked her up, opening her eyes now as he shoved her towards Maria. She landed next to the girl and kept the frown on her gaze while looking up to the man while he spewed threat after threat. She watched him leave, breathing a bit heavy herself before turning to look at Maria. In her anger she lashed out, suddenly slapping and hitting every inch of Maria she could get at. ”You stupid bitch!” she shouted, among other profanities, her temper having been unleashed and not caring that Maria could probably kick her ass if she wasn’t hungover.

And as that occurred, Tony just happened to come in to see his fiance beating up one of his closest friends. “What the hell E!” he yelled, running towards her and holding her back. “What’re you doin?!” he started, not even realizing the door had been torn open by gunshots. “Calm down” he whispered to her, embracing her in a hug. He held onto her tightly so she would stop fighting back. “What’s goin on here?” he asked, slowly feeling her wrath decrease. When she seemed calm enough, he let go of her. “Here” he said, reaching for the medicine - also in the pocket of his vest. “Naxor-whatever” he smiled. He had no idea what had happened and was trying to lighten the mood. And then came the assumption. “I know she’s a hardass sumtimes, but please don’t beat the hell out of her” he joked.

Eva didn’t even realize Tony was in the apartment until he grabbed her, pulling her away from Maria. She was huffing, still trying to get at her, cheeks bright red, but Tony was stronger than her and held her til she calmed enough to at least explain. He handed her the overdose medicine, making Eva shake her head, raising an eyebrow at him and his dorky smile. She sighed and took the stuff from him, setting it on a nearby table so it would be here in case Maria needed it again. For right now, she was fine but who was to say in the future.

When Tony asked her not to beat Maria, Eva’s eyes softened and she began to look upset. ”Tony it… it wasn’t because of her, well I mean, it was it’s just,” she hesitated, trying not to cry now that she was safe and in his arms. ”Her stupid… dealer guy showed up and shot the place up and threatened to kill me and pressed a gun to me and pulled my hair and it’s all her fault,” Eva said, looking in his eyes desperately, wanting him to realize she almost died because of Maria’s stupid actions.

When she started to explain the reason for her actions, Tony’s eyes widened. He could see her eyes start to water from the fear she had stored inside. Quickly, as she was speaking, he embraced her, his chin upon her head. “It’s okay, it’s okay” he whispered. He turned his gaze at Maria, his eyebrows tightening in anger. Eva was right, it was Maria’s fault that this had happened. He was still confused with her reason for doing it, why she would put herself and all of Gastown in risk. Drugs and illegal narcotics were one of Harry’s and the Angel’s most irritable taboo. And now these damn drugs that Maria brought into their town had caused Tony’s woman to get hurt. “It’s alright E, I’m here, I’ve got you” he whispered again. “C’mon, let’s get outta here” he stated, handing her the keys to his bike. “I’ll be right out okay?” he said after walking her to the front door. “Just wait for me outside” he smiled, trying to ease her from what had occurred.

He then closed the door to the best of his abilities and turned to face Maria. He power walked towards her and grabbed the medicine, chunking it at her shoulder. “You idiot!” he screamed. “What the hell were you thinkin?! That’s my fiance out there Maria! She’s going to marry me! And you almost took that away!” he angered, his eyes red just like the drug addict’s from before. It was the same anger just brought forth from different sources. “You better fix this Maria, because I’m done lookin after you. This…..all this here, what you’re doin, where’s it gonna get you? Huh? You want to be an Angel, yet you…...you put your own family in danger! This isn’t you. But I ain’t gonna tell nobody. I ain’t no rat. But if I hear that you got yourself involved in this mess again, I will personally end you. You understand? Fix this Maria, fix this now” he stated, not waiting for her to respond, just leaving her there all alone. She had gone too far.

After reaching up to Eva, he took her by the hand and walked her to his bike. “Let’s go get you checked” he stated, meaning they would be going to the hospital where she worked.

Eva didn’t want to cry. She hated it. But when Tony held her, head atop hers and comforted her, she let a few fall from her face, buried against him. She rubbed her cheeks against his clothes and took a deep breath so they stopped, pulling back from him and nodding as he handed her his keys. She swallowed and glanced to Maria once more, a look of ‘why?’ more than anything on her face as she glanced back to Tony before leaving. She went outside and stood near his bike, waiting for him and rubbing her cheeks a bit til he showed up not too long later. ”I’m fine Tony, really. I really just want to relax. I don’t need to go get checked out,” she said softly, shaking her head and looking up at him with puppy eyes.

Tony looked at her for a couple of seconds as his engine revved. “Alright” he nodded as he started to reverse slowly. “Let’s go home” he said as the two started down the road.

Maria - Apartment - Eva/Tony

Things started to happen so quickly. It all seemed far away, like it was happening to someone else. Voices were distant and her vision was foggy. She laughed, actually laughed when her supplier accused her of sleeping with Eva. "Don't be a fucking retard," she snapped and tried to stand up. "I already paid for the stuff I got earlier. I don't want any more. So get out."

Things took a dangerous turn, to a place she never wanted to go. She saw Eva get nearly attacked by the raving lunatic, demanding triple the amount. "Tonto loco! Qué demonios?! Tócala otra vez y voy a patear el culo pastosa!" she snarled, throwing an empty bottle at the guy but missing completely.

She grabbed her head as it spun and the next thing she knew the guy was gone and Eva was beating the shit out of her. Maria let her do it. She was winding down from her high and didn't have the energy to fight back.
Thankfully Tony stopped the woman from beating her, but the relief soon turned cold. The princesca went to her knight, crying and blaming Maria for everything. If she had just let her handle it from the beginning...
Maria grew angry as she tried to sit up, the medicine hitting her shoulder and causing her to fall back again.

"¿Qué demonios estás haciendo aquí entonces?!" she said before switching to English so they would understand. "What the hell are you here for then?! If you want to keep your princesca away from dirty people like me then you shouldn't have come! Let him come and kill me! I don't give a fuck and it sure as hell is apparent you don't either anymore! All you care about is her!" she said, pointing an accusing finger at Eva. "Ever since you met her no one is good enough for you anymore! Go away then! Run away and screw your princesca and forget all about the filthy latina! Go!"

Her screams followed then down the hall as they left. Lurching to her feet, Maria started throwing things once again, breaking whatever there was left to break, which wasn't much.
Stupid Tony!
Stupid, stupid princesca bitch!

The rage led to tears which led to intense sorrow. Maria crumpled into a ball and cried, sobbing loudly.
She had lost him.

No... he had been stolen from her.
And she was powerless to stop it.
She had lost. The princesa had used her tears and had won.
Why had she ever thought he could see anything in her? She was the dirty street urchin besides a golden angel.

Fix it? He wanted her to fix it? It made her want to laugh. What was there to fix? She had already paid the lunatic dealer. He was just crazy and trying to get more money from her.

Fix it.
Right.
Fine. Then that is what she would do.
-
It took her over two hours to get everything together. What little she had left that wasn't destroyed fit into a duffel bag. Then came the phone calls.
First call was the hardest. To the Florence.
No one answered so she left a message.

"Harry? Isabel? It's Maria. Listen, I know I've been a bitch the last few days but good news, you don't have to worry about it anymore. Long story short is I fucked up. Big time. As in 'no apology can fix it' fucked up. So I am going to save you and Tony the trouble of kicking me out. I'm leaving. You won't have to see or hear from me ever again."
She paused for a moment, her voice breaking a bit. "Damn it," she said, her voice cracking as she tried to keep it together. "For what it's worth," she managed to get out. "I'm sorry."

She hung up after that.
Tony and the Angels were the only ties she had to this place. Now both were severed forever. And it was her fucking fault. She had managed to ruin things yet again. No one in their right mind would ever want her around. Maybe she should just find people who were just as fucked up as she was. Maybe then she would finally find a place to truly belong.

The next step was to pull all the money she had from the bank and close the account. Then she shut down her cellphone service and tossed the phone to the pavement. When you were disappearing you didn't need a way for people to contact you. If anyone wanted to that is.
Next came shredding her IDs except for her driver's license and that was only until she could get a new one.
Finally she set about tracking down the lunatic dealer. Didn't take long to find one of his friends and with the mood Maria was in it didn't take very much bodily harm before he agreed to take her to the boss.
-
He led her to an old warehouse that looked like it was dealing in recycling paper, but it was obviously a front. She found the boss upstairs in the office.
"And what can I do for you chica?" he asked, his eyes running over her with interest.
Maria slammed her hands down onto his desk. "Look, I'm coming down off of a high and am not in the mood for any shit. If you can't keep a tighter rein on your dealers then you need to not have them at all."
"What are you talking about?" he asked, obviously irritated at her attitude.
"I'm talking about your boy Marvin coming to my place and trashing it, plus harming a bystander," Maria informed him. "He claimed to be looking for money for you. I bought my hit from him but I paid for it in full up front. I didn't ask the idiota to come back to my place with more, but he showed up. When I said I didn't want any more he shot up my place and attacked a nurse who was there trying to help me down off of my high."
"Marvin?" the boss asked, his brows furrowing together. "Why the hell would he do all of that if you didn't owe him money?"
"I'll tell you why, because he was high himself at the time," Maria told him. "I'm guessing your boy is using the product and then forcing people to pay more in order to cover his ass. He threatened to kill me if I didn't have triple what I paid him by tomorrow."
The boss's face turned an interesting shade of red. "And why should I believe you? You could just be a bitch who is trying to get out of paying your tab."
Maria shrugged. "Check his sales out if you don't believe me. Check on his customers, see how many hospital visits they've had the past few months. Have one of you lackeys follow him. I just don't appreciate all of the attention I got from my neighbors. If I hadn't cleared out of there the cops would have been on me and it wouldn't be long before they caught Marvin and then found their way back to you. And you better pray it's the cops and not The Fallen Angels that find Marvin first."
His face got almost purple as he realised she was right. "Get the hell out," he snarled, reaching for his phone. "Keep your mouth shut and consider our business closed."
"Pleasure," Maria snapped before leaving.

As she left the place the weight of her anger disappaited, leaving only a hollow feeling in her core. She had nothing now. She had been in this position before, losing everything, but this time hurt so much worse then the last.

Harry and Isabel would never forgive her. Neither would Tony.
Tony... he would be happy she had disappeared. Him and his princesca could live their fairytale in peace now, no street urchin to mar the beauty.

The question was... where to go now?
-
In the end, Maria decided to just start walking. She had to pass through town to get the the highway. From there she could hitchhike to wherever.
Her stomach had other plans. The smell of food and the sign of DJ's Diner made her stomach growl loudly. DJ's... she had spent a lot of time in there with various members of the Angels... a lot of time with Tony...
They had the best burgers in town. Old fashioned ones that were big and greasy and came with a large pickle on the side.
Maria went inside and sat in a booth. She'd have one for old times sake, a memory to carry with her down the road.

She ordered a large cheeseburger and fries with a large pickle on the side. The waitress noticed the marks on her face from Eva's beating but didn't say anything. Maria almost ordered a beer but changed her mind, going with a coke instead.
While she waited for her food she sat and stared at the table, replaying the last hours in her mind and for the first time in a long time she found herself praying. She prayed to a God she wasn't even sure she believed in anymore to please make this all a bad dream.

Tony/Eva - Home - Isabel

As they arrived at the house, Eva waited for Tony to turn off the engine before sliding off, sighing and handing him his helmet. She turned and walked up to the door, finding it unlocked. She hesitated for a brief moment, the druggie’s words echoing in her head about finding her and killing her, before shaking her hair about her face and just pushing the door open. ”You forgot to lock the door babe!” she called back to him, she started for the bathroom, seeing the mess he’d made of her medicine cabinet. She lifted a hand to mess with it, but then just waved her hand as if to say ‘I’ll deal with it later’. Instead, she got undressed and slipped into some plaid pj pants and a cami, wanting a shower but too lazy at the moment to take one. She walked back towards the living room and flopped on the couch, looking towards Tony. ”I’m sorry I hit Maria, ok?” she said quietly, hoping he wasn’t mad at her too.

Tony had just been sitting on his bike as Eva headed for the door. Helmetless, he ran his fingers through his hair, laying it backwards. But when he heard her call out to him, he quickly regained his senses and followed. He entered the house just in time to notice her move into the bathroom. He closed the door behind them and made sure to lock it this time. Then he just waited, back to the door and staring into space.

When she returned and stuffed herself in the sofa, Tony’s glare turned in her direction. She apologized for her earlier actions towards Maria, but Tony wasn’t thinking about that. Instead of answering her question, he decided to ask one of his own. “Who’s the guy who attacked you? Did you see his face?” He moved off the door and stood across from her, his arms crossed across his chest. “I’m going to find him E, I’m going to find him” he repeated. In his mind, messing with his family was just over the top. Though it was unintentional, it had happened. And the only way to answer was through retaliation.

Eva watched Tony and could see the wheels in his head turning. She didn’t like that. He was a smart guy, but often got himself into trouble thinking too much, in her opinion. ”Um yeah, up close and personal look,” she mumbled, remembering the man’s watering eyes inches from hers, gun at her temple. She had glanced downwards while remembering, but when Tony spoke again, she looked up at him in alarm. ”Tony what the hell? Why? You’ll just make it worse won’t you?” she said, mainly scared of him getting hurt. She could easily see that big guy hurting her fiance.

As she exploded with questions, Tony took a step back. He could see the concern in her eyes, those same eyes that he’d learn to understand so much. In addition, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for making her worry, but this is what the MC was about. Tony might have not been born to the club, but had become a full on member in an early stage of his life. Everything he learned, he learned from Harry and Isabel. And when someone like this came along, the answer - the only answer - was retaliation. That was one thing that made the Angels different than most gangs in Crown. Everyone knew that if they messed with them, somewhere along the line, the Angels would get back at them. It was inevitable.

So when she questioned his decision, questioned his judgement, Tony decided to stand for it. “If I don’t do this, he’s going to show up again. He’s going to hurt you again E. Maria. And he won’t stop. What happens next huh? I can’t let him do this. Not again. I can’t let him hurt you” he stated, coming closer to her. He kneeled down to her level and placed his hands on the side of her knees. “The only way I can prevent this from happening again is to finish him off. He’s gotta pay for what he did. Do you understand?”

Eva’s concern grew in her expression the more he spoke. As he got close to her though, she simply looked sad. She loved him so much, but this biker part of him she was afraid would eventually get him killed. She had always refrained from saying anything, since she’d never been involved in any of it before, but this time it did involve her. She still felt like she had to let him do what he wanted though. After all, he was just as stubborn as she was, and the more she would protest, the more angry and stubborn he would become. So she conceded.

”I understand you need to do this to feel like you’re protecting me,” she said with a nod, still looking a bit sad but trying to appear understanding. ”He um, had blue eyes, and a tattoo around his neck. Shortish hair… tall, white… um… kind of a funky beard I guess? White trash looking,” she shrugged, hoping that was good enough as she looked in his eyes.

Her description of him was stored into Tony’s memory. He began to dissect everything she said, thinking and thinking, somehow seemingly knowing the person - or at least thinking he did. It was that sense that he had come across this person at one point in time, but at the moment was not clear to him when.

Anyhow, he started to stand back up, adjusting his belt once he was perpendicular to the ground. He closed into her and gave her a kiss, a smile afterwards. “I’ll be back in a little bit. Don’t wait up” he whispered to her as he headed towards the door. He opened it to become startled by what was on the other side. “What the-” he said, stepping backwards. “What?! Do I have something on my face?” the female voice called back. It was Isabel, Tony’s aunt who was on the other side just about to knock before Tony opened the door. “What are you doing here Auntie?” Tony asked her, letting her come in.

The statured woman entered the home with a smile, but as she turned towards Eva, it faded instantly. “Well, hello to you too sweetheart” he said, turning to Tony and putting a kiss on his cheek. She led herself to the dining room table, sitting on one of the chairs. “I got a message today. It was Maria. She said she’s leaving us. That she fucked up or something, what happened Tony? What’d she do?” Isabel questioned him.

Tony turned to Eva, not certain if he should tell. He closed the front door and bit his bottom lip. “I don’t know” he answered. Isabel gave him a scolding face. “Boy, if you lie to me, you know I won’t forgive you” Isabel stated, that motherly fear coming off of her. Tony looked at Eva one more time, seeing if she was contempt with Isabel knowing what happened. Her eyes seemed to understand he had to tell her, so he did. “She……..Maria got into some trouble Auntie. There’s drugs in Crown” was all Tony said, not really wanting to go into details. “Oh for god’s sake Tony! What the hell is Maria thinking?!”

“I don’t know. She got herself into some deep shit. I told her to fix it, but I didn’t know she would quit. Sorry” Tony said, his gaze turning to the floor as though he’d done something bad. “You’ve gotta get her back. Bring her back home, that’s what we do” Isabel said in return. He started tapping her fingers on the table repeatedly. “Yeah. You bring her back and make it right Tony. She’s family. She messed up, but we forgive. This stays between us. You hear that sweetie? Between us” Isabel said, aiming that last question towards Eva. She even slowed down the ‘Between us’ at the end to get her message across.

Tony looked at Isabel with a frown. “I’m not doin it” Tony exclaimed firmly. “She’s gotta do this on her own. If she thought this was the right decision, then so be it. She’s the only one who decided-” he started, being cut off by the raging Isabel who started for him. “You listen to me son” she said, poking him on the chest. “Maria is part of this family. She’s been with us for as long as you have. She may not be blood, but she’s still like a sister to you. So you better get on that bike of yours and go find her right now, or else I’ll get Harry to do it.”

The biker just stood there as though he was gonna talk again, but said nothing. He just ran his tongue through the inside of his upper lip as he’d been scolded. He looked towards Eva one last time before returning his gaze to Isabel. “Fine” was all he said, fixing his vest over his shoulders. “But if she doesn’t come back, that’s not on me” he stated, storming off without saying another word. Isabel crossed her arms and smiled once he left. She knew she had won the argument and would eventually get Maria back. The only person who could get across the latina was Tony, and he never failed his family.

Awkwardly, Isabel turned to her left, seeing Eva still on the sofa. She just stared at her in confusion. “Oh right, I forgot you were still here” she joked. “What’s your name again?” she asked sarcastically, but still pausing for her to respond.

Eva watched Tony leave and rolled her eyes. ”Bye sweetheart, love ya too,” she mumbled, running a hand through her red hair before turning to glance at Isabel again who was being a bitch like usual. ”Just call me future niece in law,” Eva said with a straight face, lifting her hand to flash the ring Tony had given her yesterday. She normally would have gloated a bit more, but she was worried about Tony going after this drug guy, and now he was running off to help Maria and leaving her here after all she’d been through that afternoon, just because his aunt poked his chest a few times. Now, a woman who hated her for no reason was in her home, and Eva had to work tomorrow for 8 hours straight. So she was in no mood for any of it. ”So why don’t you get out of my house, Auntie?” she said, the ‘auntie’ part beyond sarcastic and biting.

At first, Isabel didn’t really understand what she meant by her answer. She raised a brow at ‘niece in law’, not wanting to believe what was coming. But it did. There lay a very pretty ring flashing in her face. Isabel’s facial expression was nowhere in the spectrum of any form of joy. It was just in a plain and neutral phase, unreadable. But it was sort of obvious, that despite her expression, she held rage inside her. Irritated by the fact that Tony married someone she very much despised.

Still with her arms crossed, Isabel went ahead and addressed Eva’s extreme sarcasm. “I’m hungry, let’s see what you’ve got” she said, walking towards the kitchen. She helped herself to the fridge, opening it up and strolling her eyes throughout the entity of the cold prism. She was disgusted by the fact that there was basically nothing in there but milk, a couple yogurt cups, vegetables and ham and cheese. “Did you not do the groceries?” she asked Eva from the kitchen. Isabel nodded in disappointment. “What kind of old lady are you?” she murmured to herself as she picked up the phone. She started to dial a certain number. After a couple rings, someone answered. “Hey sweetie, it’s Isabel. Is Harry there?” she asked the other person on the line. “Alright well, I’m at……….Evelyn's house. Can you have Prospect or someone bring us something to eat? yeah? Okay thanks baby. Okay. Okay. Bye” she said, hanging up. “Alright, well, they’ll be on their way shortly. So…...You plan to show me around or do I have to do it myself?” Isabel waited. She was being her usual self around this woman.

Eva frowned heavily as Isabel went to her kitchen, getting on her knees on the couch to look over the back of it towards the woman. ”Guess I’m too busy helping people instead of leaving ass prints on motorcycles all day,” she mumbled while the woman pulled out her phone. She rolled her eyes at the obviously intentional use of the wrong name, sliding off the couch and standing as Isabel asked for a tour.

A devious, yet tired smirk abounded on her lips as Eva spread her arms. ”Why of course. This is the living room. This couch right here is where Tony and I have done it numerous times, you can tell by the slightly worn leather. Oh and the kitchen! This is where I have friends over to drink and talk about how my boyfriend’s family has hated me for the last 3 years and I have no idea why. Ah, and the bathroom, where you can see all my medicine in the sink and on the counter from Tony trying to find overdose medicine for Maria while we were panicking trying to help her despite her being stupid as hell. And the bedroom. Where Tony proposed to me just last night,” she finished, crossing her arms with a sigh and leaning against the hallway wall.

The little tour was not at all what Isabel had expected. This little girl had much more froth than she expected. Isabel wanted to throw out the fact that she reminded her of herself, but couldn’t. This Eva was honestly a mirror image of herself, a good girl with the heart of a lioness. What Isabel was mostly afraid of was that sooner or later, this girl would be the one to replace her. Once Harry stepped down, Tony would become the new head, and the new old lady would be Eva. But in Isabel’s mind, she wasn’t ready for all that. She wasn’t ready for the sacrifices, the struggles, the duty that came with being the mother of the MC. It was tradition to run The Florence as the old lady, to run all the numbers for the club. This little girl wasn’t about to give up her life as a nurse for that, and Isabel knew it.

With all her spaz, she was also changing Tony. This new rebellious person he’d become in the club, Isbel truly believed it was her fault. The boy had this image to make everything right, whatever that meant. But Isabel’s husband Harry had done so much to make things the way they are now. They were getting more revenue than ever in Fallen Angel’s history. Sure, it was a different way of doing business, but they progressed from what they were and had become a major contribution to the gang life in Crown City. So Isabel is currently frightened by the club’s future, uncertain of what will happen if the new leaders are as weak as Eva.

Once the tour had come to a conclusion, Isabel peeked into the bedroom. “He did it in here? Oh god. I thought that boy would have more class than this. Tsk. Did he at least get on one knee? Even Harry got on one knee and the old man can hardly walk” she joked. She turned towards Eva and nodded side to side. “Oh well. So you’re a nurse right? Yeah that’s right, Tony told me. Are you looking to become a doctor? Or do you plan to support yourself on a nurse’s salary?” she asked, making her way back to the living room. She was just about to sit on the couch when she recalled what Eva had said about it, turning ninety degrees back towards the dining room chair. “Come sit, let’s have a talk” she gestured towards her. “How far are you willing to go for Tony?” she asked in complete seriousness. It was that same solemnity in her eyes that Tony had when he was serious. It showed where he got it from.

Eva scoffed and smirked a bit, remembering how she’d thumped Tony on the head after he’d proposed. ”Ha, no. We were in bed about to go to sleep and he pulled it out of the nightstand and proposed. Just like that. Trust me, I called him out on it,” she said, unsure why she felt the need to say she hadn’t thought it was the proposal of her dreams, but whatever. Maybe she really did care about Isabel’s approval, as much as she’d convinced herself she didn’t.

”Nurse… and nurse alone… After all, I was affording all this before I met Tony,” she said, waving her hand around the small house and following Isabel to the dining room table, chuckling softly to herself when she saw the woman avoid the couch. She sat and put her elbows on the table, looking at Isabel and searching the woman’s eyes. She wanted to understand. What was it about her that Isabel hated? She knew it would make Tony happy if they got along.

Isabel’s question almost made a lightbulb go off in her mind though. Did Isabel not think she was loyal? Or not willing to do anything for Tony? If she only knew some of the fights they’d had… some of the stuff they’d been through and she was still around… she wouldn’t ask that question. Eva frowned heavily and shook her head. ”I would do anything for Tony,” she said softly, a bit of confusion in her face.

Isabel gave a faint smile at Eva’s answer, but it didn’t satisfy her question. She still didn’t believe what she had just said. Still there was this…….disconnect between the two women. The thing was, Isabel herself believed she would do anything for Harry, but at times found herself short of the definition. So her desire is to find someone for the next president - Tony - who would be able to accomplish what she herself hasn’t. And in her mind, Eva was not that person. In her mind, Maria had been that person, but do to her recent action, lost that respect.

“So what you’re telling me is that you’d do ANYTHING, for this boy?” she asked again. Same question, just different emphasis on the certain word.

Eva hesitated when Isabel asked the question again. Taking a moment to think. ”I think I know Tony well enough to know what lines he wouldn’t ask me to cross. Anything he’d ask of me I’d do. If anything happened to where… I’d lose everything else but have him, I could do it,” she said, a determination or loyalty in her hard eyes, hoping she’d been a bit clearer.

“But even if he doesn’t ask you, are you willing to cross those lines?” Isabel started. Her tapping from earlier resumed again. She looked into the girl’s eyes, not seeing the spark yet. She leaned forwards, also placing her elbows on the tabletop. “You’re going to marry Tony, that means you also marry the Club. With that comes your duties. Responsibilities. You try and be separate from it, but it’s going to catch up with you sweetheart, believe me. Like it or not, you’re a part of the entire family, despite…….my…...feelings towards you. I want to see Tony grow up to be like Harry, better than him. That’s how the we keep the Club running. But he’s changing. I think he’s getting used to this goody-two-shoes lifestyle you both developed here. If you want him to be successful and happy, you’ll embrace the MC and let him do his thing. Don’t resent him in any way or fashion. Just abide by what he wants and ask what you can do to make it run even smoother. When you put that ring on, you became his old lady. That’s when you chose to be part of Tony’s world, chose all the good and bad that came along with it too. The better the old lady the better the member sweetheart. We are the heart of the club family. So I ask again, are you willing to do anything…...anything….for Tony and for the Club?”

Eva listened to Isabel ramble on, taking it all in. ”I do want Tony to be successful and happy. And being with me makes him happy. And I honestly think he’d be happier if everything at the Florence was on the up & up. You’re asking me to embrace the lifestyle you want. That you want for Tony. But I plan on letting him decide whatever path makes him happiest. If that’s taking over for Harry, and running the bar in the same style he’s done, fine. Is it what I want for him? No. But if chooses to do it, I’m not stopping him. I’ll be next to him. But what I really think is that you and Harry need to realize maybe Tony isn’t exactly like you. He’s not exactly like me either. He’s somewhere in between and I accept him for that. Do you?” she asked, very serious and proud of the man she loved.

The conversation had turned from one of relaxation to a serious topic. Isabel wasn’t even supposed to have stayed, her main goal in coming for Tony was to get him to find Maria, nothing more. But now she stood face to face with her nephew’s fiance, a very bright girl - or so it seemed. Isabel felt as though she was the inferior being at the time, Eva standing much taller than her - symbolically. But despite that, Isabel wouldn’t allow herself to be seen weaker than anyone, so she stood up off her chair and placed both her palms on the table, now face to face with Eva.

“Look here sweetheart” she emphasised. “You have no idea what Tony wants. He’s my nephew and I’ve raised him, so If anyone does know, it’s me. Tony wants to make this Club the best it can be. But due to you, his mind is clouded and can’t think straight. He wants to go back to what the Club was at first for God’s sake! Those old men who started the Angels have no idea what they were doing, nothing but amateurs. So you go ahead and keep thinking that you’ll be able to stay by him no matter what, but what Tony really needs is an old lady, not some stuck up lover girl who thinks she can handle it all, because she can’t” she finished, starting for the door, forgetting about the food she ordered Prospect to bring.

As she took the handle she turned and looked back at Eva. “You have no idea the kinds of things Tony has to do and deal with as a member of the Club. But you’re lucky you don’t, because you couldn’t handle it sweetheart. See ya around…….or not” she stated as she exited the house. Her nice and shiny car was parked sideways in her driveway, without a care in the world. She revved the car’s engine as though it was a motorcycle and sped off, like always.

Eva raised an eyebrow as Isabel stood, knowing she’d said something that had pushed a button. A sore spot. She would have smirked if the conversation weren’t so serious. But Isabel had her feelings hurt. Eva claiming to know Tony better than her had stopped whatever amicable emotions she might have started to feel towards Eva, but she didn’t care. Eva just watched the older woman leave like a diva in a soap opera, revving her car and speeding away. The younger girl just sighed and shook her head, mumbling about how Isabel knew nothing about her and what she could handle. She went to the bathroom and took a few pain killers for her now throbbing head. Mumbling something again about how Tony didn’t want to burden her and she wasn’t going to press, cause his time with her was when he didn’t have to worry about all the stress of the club. A soft fluttering of her eyelids and curling up on the couch, and Eva was asleep, pushing thoughts of Isabel out of her mind and letting her thoughts wander to better memories to lull her to dreams.

Iokai Tsukya, the warehouse. Aproximately 1 AM.

The only light helping Iokai in the darkness was the moonlight, which shone through the skylights onto the area around him. As silently as he could he'd rummage through the boxes, trying to find what the Swindlers were hiding in this giant warehouse. Those thieves must be hiding something good here, now the only problem was finding it. When all he found in the box was scrap electronics that weren't worth a dime, he let out a curse. “Chikushō...” The real treasure must be somewhere here, but Iokai was losing motivation to find it more and more.

He took the moment of quiet to collect his thoughts as he noticed he was getting annoyed by the lack of good stuff in here. A cigarette escaped his packet and he lit it up, inhaling the smoke and putting his thoughts back in a good order. Being under the assumption that he was alone in the warehouse, he started talking to himself in Japanese. “If I were a Swindler.. where would I hide my stuff.” Iokai pulled the cigarette from his mouth and threw it on the floor, stepping on it as he walked away to another big crate. A few quick glances showed him that he probably couldn't open this without help.. however he did notice a crowbar hanging from a wall somewhere nearby. A quick trip back and forth, and the crate was already being pried open with the crowbar. The sounds however, were loud enough to be heard the next block over. And if that wasn't enough, Iokai made sure to add to it. “Yattaa!” he said, loudly, as he noticed the contents of the opened crates. Fake watches and phones! Yeah they were fake, but they sold for good money. He pocketed a few of them, before starting to stash the rest in his bag. See, he knew the Swindlers had some stuff here.. maybe now the Hanamoto's would finally give him the promotion he deserved!

Minamoro and Yokuzin, the Akachōchin [red lantern], in a busy street. Aproximately 1.30 AM.



The small establishment with the paper sliding doors wasn't the only drinking-place still open at this time, as many bussinessmen and people that were just done with work or having a fun night out with friends were coming to the Red Lantern - a small establishment that featured 6 low tables with firepits in the center of them, all fit for a company of 10 people. The bar was similarily small - 3 people was enough to man it constantly and these people also took care of the tables.

However, in the back of the establishment, Minamoro and Yokuzin were sitting around a higher table, discussing some matters. The staff shuffled around, preparing light meals to go with the drinks. Some Yakuza small-time soldiers were standing around, doing nothing - drinking, smoking, having a laugh, flirting with a waitress who just got done with her shift.

But Minamoro and Yokuzin were having none of this cheery, happy stuff. They were chatting in Japanese, seemingly calm and friendly but if anyone cared to listen in they would realize the discussion was actually quite heated. “We need to find a way to get guns ourselves, these idiots from that stinking biker hole have been selling them to us for a way too high price. They are lucky we cannot get them elsewhere.. import from Japan would make no sense though and they are our only contacts here. We should shoot those biker shits with their own guns..” Yokuzin said, his aggressive tendencies showing lightly. But his father waved the comments away. He looked at the walls - decorated with ancient Japanese weaponry. “I'd prefer to not use guns at all - remember the Yakuza codes. We are not allowed to let anyone suffer. If you have to fight someone, DO AS I SAID. Use your fists, you idiot. We should only use guns when we really HAVE to get rid of someone, or if people start firing on us!” Yokuzin obviously had troubles maintaining a calm atmosphere. He bit his lip while he calmed down. “We'll see. We'll see when they come rolling down to the Akachōchin and kill everyone inside. We'll see you run outside and beat them up, right pap?”

Minamoro had had enough and stood up, punching his fist into the table as he rose. The others got the message because Yokuzin stood up as well, smashing his knuckles down into the table too. They hurried out the backdoor, leaving the room to just Yokuzin and Minamoro. The only thing breaking the silence was the hushed laughter in the front room where the drunkards were having a good time. “Nobody. NOBODY! In this fucking town will touch my establishment, OR MY FAMILY.” Yokuzin grinned and looked at the old man in a cocky manner. “Yeah. Nobody but the MEN WITH THE GUNS.” By now, the yelling got so loud that even the front room got silent, and slowly cleared out, people leaving one by one. The last one to leave was Yokuzin, unless you count the full glass of saké that was thrown after him, narrowly missing it's target and then rolling down the street. Yokuzin was headed for his home - a small appartment in a small appartmentcomplex, that was surprisingly nice looking.

The silence of the inside of the house was suddenly abruptly interrupted by the sound of a knock. There was no rhythm, just a constant thump on the door. One two, one two, the knock kept coming. Nobody spoke or made any form of communication. The doorbell didn’t even ring, merely knuckle to wood making the loud noise.

Eva’s mind was still hazy. The headache lingered minutely in the back of her skull, while the headache meds she’d taken still made sleep cling to her eyelids. She lazily opened her eyes at the sound of the knocking, not registering anything particular about it. Her first thought was the person who had left her home last, Isabel, but then she remembered Tony said he’d be right back. She had no idea how long she’d been asleep, but perhaps it had indeed been long enough for him to find Maria, or maybe she’d come back on her own.

Rubbing her brown eyes, she slid off the couch and walked towards the door, head dipped down slightly in a sleepy manner. She grasped the knob and opened the door without much thought. ”Mmhmm?” she mumbled before looking up.

“Hi” the man before her said, the veins in his neck popping profusely. He had a gun on his left hand even though he was right handed. The beard around his chin was irregular, going in all directions - not groomed or formed for fashion. But the man’s main descriptive modification was the tattoo over his jugular. That alone would remind Eva who he was. “I’m here for my money!” he yelled, raising the gun on his hand and forcing Eva back into the house.

Like an idiot, he turned around completely to close the door. He was obviously still high or on the drugs he was supposed to be selling, not taking. He turned the lock and returned to face Eva with the weapon. “Sooooooooo…….Where the heck, is my money?!” he yelled out again, using his right hand to throw something off a nearby counter in order to strike her with even more fear. “Hand it over” he stated, seemingly calming down from his sudden outbreak.

Eva’s eyes widened, fully awake now as she looked up into the face of the man who had tried harming her not too many hours early. She felt a shiver of dread, goosebumps running up her body as he held the gun and shoved her. She stumbled back into the house, not falling but barely keeping from doing so. Her mind began to race, and she thought of what valuables she had. Looking down at her hand, she quickly removed her engagement ring, hiding it behind a picture of her and Tony on a nearby table to prevent the man from acquiring it to get money. He turned around from the door right after she did so, her feet rapidly backing up to the bar that let one see from the kitchen into the living room.

”I don’t have any money,” Eva said, looking defiant but voice cracking softly when she spoke, heart pounding in her ears.

“Huh?” Marvin questioned. And it wasn’t sarcasm or in a joking way, it was genuine. He didn’t understand why she didn’t have the money he told her to have. The same money he also told Maria to acquire. Because of his inability to get it, the boss man had sent out people to kill him. Someone spoke out against him and now he was in a pit of problems if he didn’t get the boss’ money back.

“But I told you, I told you I needed the money, why,......why…….Dammit! Why?! You’re killing me!” he started to growl. He took the necessary steps forward to reach her with the gun, placing it on her forehead. “Get on your knees” he cried, his voice now cracking just like Eva’s. “He’s gonna kill me you know” he started. “My house is on fire. Burning. It’s probably in ashes by now, I had alllllll of my stuff. All of it in there and now it’s all gone cuz of you and your Mexican friend. Why? Why are y’all doing this to me? Why?!”

He pushed in with the end of the pistol, leaving a mark on her forehead when he suddenly pulled it away. He turned around again, placing his hands - along with the pistol - on the top of his head. “What do I do now?” he questioned himself, walking back in forth like a crazy person. He turned back to Eva. “How am I gonna get the money?” he asked her as though they were now friends or something.

Eva hesitated when the man seemed confused. She wished she was more quick thinking so she could confuse him or convince him of something clever to get herself out of the situation. But her head was still spinning slightly, and between that and her fear, her mind was frozen. She quickly fell to her knees when he shouted at her, hands on her thighs as she looked up at him with a frightened, pleading look.

”I… I didn’t mean to,” she begged, thinking about how he could possibly get some money. Her thoughts even more erratic thanks to the pistol on her head until he moved it. ”I… I really don’t think your boss wants money… but um… maybe you could rob a bank or something?” she said, hoping he would actually consider it. Then when he left, she could call the cops.

The man quickly turned back in her direction when she spoke her suggestion. And now, his eyebrows were tightly pressed against one another in anger. “You think I’m a damn robber?!” he screamed. The man felt accused and judged at what Eva said. Again he started towards her, this time, reaching for her with his free hand.

As he got a hold of her arm, he tugged her upward back on her feet. His face was right before hers, noses nearly touching. “Where’s Maria?” he asked her in a whisper. His mood seemed to be changing randomly, despite the situation and despite his own actions. He was basically spontaneous, the drug inside him running through his system like a plague.

“If you can’t get me my money, then I gue-” he said, unable to finish as he was interrupted by an out-of-nowhere knock on the door. “What the-” he said to himself, turning back to Eva. “Who’s that?” he asked her silently, gripping her arm even tighter than before. His gun had now been lowered, but was piercing into her stomach - all to make sure she didn’t do anything stupid.

”Well, you’re a druggie, not too much of a leap us it?” Eva mumbled angrily, frowning as the man got upset. She grunted as he yanked on her arm, shaking her head when he asked about Maria. ”No ide--” she started when the knock came. Alarm spread through her face, not knowing precisely who it could be, having forgotten about the food Isabel had ordered.

”I don’t know… Just let me ask them to go away, whoever it is, ok?” she said, not wanting anyone else hurt, soft eyes searching his confused ones for an ounce of understanding or humanity.

Marvin had turned to the door once more as another knock came. Then the doorbell rang, making his senses shiver. He had even turned towards the ceiling like the sound was coming from the sky or something.

Anyhow, he placed his hand over Eva’s mouth. “Stop talking” he told her, pushing her backwards towards the kitchen with the gun still in place. “It’s Maria ain’t it?” his eyes widened as he spoke, but still didn’t allow her to answer because of his hand. The knock came once again, but nobody was speaking from the other side. Marvin bit his bottom lip harshly, hurting himself. His eyes were blood red, just like on the first time he encountered Eva. “Stay here” he told the woman, forcing her on her bum. He started to walk towards the door before turning around. “You move, I kill you” he raged, going back towards the door.

First thing he did was look through the peephole, only making out that it was a young black haired woman. Because of his blurred-like vision, he couldn’t completely tell who it was. But due to the black hair attribute, he only saw one person - Maria.

In a rush, he unlocked the door and burst it open, pointing the gun towards the woman. “Where’s my money??!!!” he yelled at her - all before realizing that it was not who he thought it was. “AHHH!!” the girl screamed, dropping the large bag of food she had onto the porch. She raised her hands immediately. With the gun still pointed at her, Marvin looked outside to see if there was anybody else - anyone who saw what was happening. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked the girl. “I…...I..-....Jasmine” she responded, tears suddenly rushing down her face. “Pleas-Please don’t kill me” she begged Marvin, sobbing and falling to her knees, trying to protect herself with her hands. “Oh fuck” Marvin cursed to himself. He looked side to side again, noticing nobody had seen anything yet. With no minute to spare, he grabbed the girl by the collar and dragged her limp body into the house. Again he locked the door behind him. “Who the hell is this girl?!” he yelled across the hall, moving towards the kitchen wall. “Who the heck is this?!” he asked Eva, pointing his gun at Jasmine.

Eva let out a small cry of annoyance when she was pushed onto the floor, butt hitting the linoleum hard in the kitchen. She licked her bottom lip, looking around and wondering if there was a good way to escape, but she couldn’t abandon whoever was knocking either in case he tried to hurt them too. She growled to herself, also knowing that despite his drug induced state, he could still be a good aim and kill her anyway. So she listened, and heard the feminine voice cry out from the front, stomach sinking like a rock. Jasmine… Her heart twisted a bit. The girl was too nice to be getting into this situation right now.

Who the hell is this girl?! Who the heck is this?! Eva cringed as the man drug the girl into her home and locked the door again. ”She’s… she’s Jasmine. She’s a friend. She um… was just bringing me food for us to share. Girl’s night,” Eva said, trying to sound sincere and not wanting the druggie to associate Jasmine with the Fallen Angels. That would only make him more desperate she was sure. Her eyes flashed to the other girl, looking apologetic, and scared.

Marvin looked at Jasmine as she continued to cry. “Shut the hell up!” he yelled. He turned back to Eva. “Tell her to shut up, shut up!” he urged, once again doing his crazy-walk thing. He moved towards the dining room table and sat down on one of the chairs, placing his elbows on the tabletop. He let the gun go, letting it fall on the table as his hands ran up to his face. “Ugh” he growled then sighed. “I need the money” he stated quietly, but loud enough for Eva and Jasmine to hear. “They will kill me if I don’t get it for them. I messed up. I messed up” he broke, starting to cry himself. He covered his face though, didn’t want either of them to see.

Suddenly he stopped, wiping his face and standing up again, picking his gun up to. He pointed the gun at Jasmine and looked towards Eva. “You’ve got one minute to get me my money, I know you have it. Get it now or I kill her” he said normally, no brake, no shiver, just in his neutral voice. “Get up, get up and get me my money. I know it’s in here somewhere, get it” he repeated.

Eva couldn’t find it in her to tell the other girl to shut up, she just couldn’t. Eva watched the man carefully, her breath and heart calming slightly though her eyes remained alert. She scooted away slightly when he looked up and requested his money, biting her lip. ”O-o-okay, you got me. I… I have the money but it’s not here. So, I need you to let Jasmine go, she won’t tell anyone anything, while I take you to where I have it stored in the garage, ok?” Eva said, not knowing what the hell she was saying but just wanting Jasmine out of this mess. She stood and took a few steps closer to the ugly man, and putting her slender body between his gun and the other girl.

Eva’s slow movements towards the two did not alarm the drug addict. Because she stated she indeed had the money, Marvin didn’t feel as pressured as he initially was. Instead, he was able to exhale and smile for the first time this visit. Fortunately for Eva, he believed everything she had said, but was not going to take any chances. Though he was messed up, he wasn’t an idiot.

“The girl stays, but I wont hurt her, I promise” he nodded, telling the girl to sit in one of the chairs. Jasmine - still crying - went and did as she was told. Slowly she moved and sat down, walking sort of like a hunchback on her way there. Marvin then signaled Eva to go to the garage with his gun. “Let’s go” he also said, waiting for her to lead him to the money.

Eva was hoping Jasmine would book it out of there and run, but she had no idea what the girl would do. She chewed her lip, glancing between the gun and the druggie before sighing and turning to go to the garage. Her mind was racing with the thoughts Stupid, stupid, stupid The man would be 10x as mad when he realized she was lying. Eva could only hope to continue stalling or attack the man, and she did have some of Tony’s tools in the garage.

She was making her bottom lip bleed a bit with how much she was chewing it while going over to the tool chest, glancing back over her shoulder at the man. ”I put it in the garage for safe keeping you know, most people would search a house first right?” she said, babbling honestly. She began rummaging through the various drawers and tools, finding a hammer. She hesitated, trying to judge how far behind her he was. Gritting her teeth and terror ran through her at the thought of what might happen after this, she turned, swinging it with her body as she did until the metal collided with flesh.

As he followed her and made it to the garage, he gave her enough space. Because he’d never had to go this far to get his money, this was a first for him. Usually, whoever he struck fear into provided him with the money no problem. But unfortunately for Marvin, this was not the case this time.

Once in the garage, Marvin felt a little more comfortable with Eva, believing he could make small talk. “Yeah, I hide my money in my mattress, haha” he laughed. And that’s when his guard was down and when a sudden rod came crashing into his forearm. “Fuck!” he yelled as the gun flew out of his hand. He turned and tried to go get it, falling to his knees and reaching for it quickly. It had slid under a tool bench, so his right arm was digging for it underneath. He didn’t even think about Eva’s possibility to strike again, he was more worried about regaining the leverage by retrieving his gun.

Eva almost felt bad when the metal smashed into bone, but she knew she shouldn’t. This man would kill her if he had the reason. And Jasmine. And Maria. And Tony if he ever got caught up with him. She felt tears sting her eyes as she jumped from the sound of the gun sliding away, running up behind the man. She hesitated, but could not bring herself to swing down on him again with the hammer. ”Damn it!” she cursed herself, tossing the hammer down and throwing herself on the man’s back as he searched for the gun. She wrapped her arm around his throat, elbow bent and grasping her wrist with her other hand. She pulled her shoulder blades together, cutting off his air and closing her eyes, gripping herself so tightly that her hands were turning white. She was too scared to know what may happen if she failed to knock him out.

Just before he could reach it, Eva jumped on his back, causing him to jitter from the strike. Her arms quickly wrapped around his neck like a snake strangling its prey. He felt his airway being blocked instantly, such force and pressure that he couldn’t breathe. Instinctively, his hands retracted towards Eva’s arms, trying to get them off. He dug his fingers into her forearms, but the girl just wouldn’t let go. The man could feel himself going numb, starting with his legs, his thighs. He gasped for air, feeling cold and nauseous. He tried to speak, tell her to let go, but nothing was coming out. Due to his intoxicated system, the amount of oxygen filled blood cells were already low, but with Eva cutting them even shorter, he was done within about a minute. Out for the count.

Eva cried silently, gritting her teeth, full of fear that if she budged an inch it would mean death. She held on as he left scratches on her arms, leaning her head back so he couldn’t grasp her face or hair, until he went limp. Even after he went limp though, she continued to squeeze, not letting go right away at all. After a few moments of him being limp, she finally got up the courage to let go, and quickly backed away from the man. Her back hit a rack of rakes and brooms and what not, causing them to tumble, and she yelped, glancing back behind her at them before looking at the crumpled druggie again. For some reason, in her mind, she didn’t believe he was unconscious. Her mind was telling her he was still going to get up and grab her. She booked it back inside the house and found Jasmine, waving her arms to the side towards the door. ”Go! Get out of here before he gets back up!” she said, cheeks red and eyes still frightened.

Jasmine jumped back once she saw a figure pop out of the hallway. Initially, she thought it would be Marvin, but when she noticed it was Eva, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth in joy - tears still streaming though. But once Eva quickly commanded her to get out, Jasmine quickly stood on her two feet and rushed out without any questions. She didn’t even ask if Eva would be okay, couldn’t even think straight. Fear had overruled all of her senses and decision making skills. Jasmine didn’t even worry about the food that was dumped all over the porch, she just rushed into her little rundown car and drove off, leaving the front door open.

Eva sniffed as the girl left, satisfied, but still rummaging around for her cell. She finally found it in between the couch cushions, running outside as her stinging eyes dialed 911 and she frantically told them someone was in her house with a gun. She finished on the phone with them, sirens already blaring in the distance, before she wiped her face and tried to call Tony. She walked down the street away from her house quickly, continually looking back over her shoulder while doing so.

“Hello?” Tony answered, his little pre-paid phone not having any saved contacts in it. He had just pulled up to DJ’s Diner, parked and got off his bike when he heard his phone vibrate in his pocket. “Eva?” he questioned, not too great on memorizing phone numbers, but thinking he remembered this one.

Eva begged for Tony to answer mentally until his voice came through, and she stopped moving or looking behind her, the tone of his voice calming her fears temporarily. ”Tony!” she choked, obviously upset, a hand covering her mouth briefly. She held back the urge to sob before taking a deep breath and moving her hand. ”That guy came back for me and Maria… he, he wanted his money but I didn’t have it…” she rambled, voice higher pitched and more feminine than usual, a sign she’d been crying.

Just as she called his name, Tony could tell something had happened. Her voice alone was enough for Tony to imagine what was going on. Looking towards the diner he decided to turn back towards his bike, phone still to his ear. “Are you okay?” he asked as she started to tell him what happened. When she mentioned the man who hurt her last time, Tony felt this sudden rage formulate in him. Quickly, without a second though, he jumped back on his bike - forgetting the reason he first arrived at the diner. He backed up in order to accelerate forward, racing down the road and back home. He rode with one hand, the other still with the phone. “Where are you now? Are you alright?! Did he leave?!” he started to question, wind interfering a little with the call, but not enough to be unheard.

Eva sniffed a bit when she heard the roar of the bike, knowing Tony was coming, but she shook her head when he asked if she was alright, though she knew he couldn’t hear. She opened her mouth to respond when a loud pop rang out behind her and a searing pain went through her thigh. She cried out, falling forward and losing her grip on the phone, it sliding on the sidewalk and snapping shut, ending the call. Eva, landed on the concrete and turned over, gasping softly as the waves of pain continued, blood trickling onto the ground. She looked and there was the druggie, rushing closer, having obviously awakened and gotten out of her house. He was still far enough away and intoxicated enough to make a bad shot though, even though it had stopped her. She started to try and get up when a police car rapidly turned down the end of the street and raced closer. It was mere moments before another joined and they were out of their cars and yelling at the man to stand down.

Unable to hear her voice or any of her answers, Tony turned his eyes towards the screen of his phone. The call was still going, about three minutes and something seconds. He returned it to his ear just in time to hear a loud bang. “Eva?” he called to her through the device. Then the line died. “EVA?!!” he yelled at the damn phone. His first thought was to redial and call again, but that would only make him get there slower. He knew what had happened and was imagining the worst case scenario. His eyes started to turn red, both in fear and in irritation. His phone slid back into the pockets of his vest as he handled his bike with both hands, increasing speed to over ninety miles an hour. “Don’t leave me” he said to himself as he approached an intersection, still about ten minutes out.

In the meantime, Marvin looked towards the cops after shooting Eva in the leg. He started to back away as they got out their vehicles and pointed their guns at him. He knew that if he moved he would be shot, and though he was close enough to get her, he wasn’t close enough to take her hostage. There was also the choice to run, but of course, he knew he wasn’t going to get far enough to dodge bullets. The man just stood there, gun still in his hand though.

“Put the gun down son!” came a familiar voice. It was Chief Frank Galey and one of his deputies who arrived at the scene. Galey knew Eva was Tony’s girl and if something were to happen to her, his ass would also be on the line. “Put the gun down kid and we can help you!” Frank called out again.

Marvin still had the gun pointed at Eva. “I’ll shoot if you do Chief! I ain’t bout to die today! That’s not the plan, I need my money, I need my money” he repeated. The chief turned to his deputy and signaled him to lower his weapon. The Chief himself also put his gun back in its holster and started to walk towards Eva. “Look son, we can fix all this okay? Just let us take Eva here and we’ll go. We won’t chase you, nothing. Deal?” he old man stated as he got closer and closer, now near the mailbox. Marvin sniffed and licked his lips. “I don’t know” he stated, nodding side to side. “You’re gonna follow me, I know you will” he added, he himself also getting closer to Eva. But suddenly, both the Chief and the addict were torn from their conversation and looked towards the noise that was coming down the street.

A single Harley rushed towards the scene, didn’t even stop at any of the division’s traffic regulations. The Chief turned back towards the drug addict who’s eyes were widened as the bike revved right behind the cop cars. The biker got off and removed his helmet, throwing it on the grass. “Don’t get any closer!” Marvin yelled, rushing forward and placing his gun the back of Eva’s head. Despite her already damaged condition, she was the only thing keeping him alive.

It was odd how comforting the noise of revving engines were to Eva nowadays. When one of the bikes pulled up, she looked over with tear stained cheeks, cringing again though when the gun was placed at her head again. She pulled her knees closer to her and sniffed, but didn’t have any more tears left to cry, watching with wide eyes as everything happened around her.

“I suggest you get out of here Galey” the biker said, also removing his shades. And again, the noise of revving engines returned. Three more bikes were coming down the street. The one who got to the scene first was Charles. Thomas, Prospect, and Harry himself were the ones approaching the scene.

The Chief looked at Eva then turned towards his deputy. “Get out of here kid, I’ll take care of this” he told his second in command. “Do you want me to call for backup?” the Deputy asked. Galey noded and signaled the kid to get going. The younger cop jumped into his car and rode away without any further questions. Everyone in the town knew about the Chief’s connections with the Angels, but never questioned them. They all believed that their little contract or whatever it was worked for Gastown - kept it safe. But as the Deputy rode off, he started to question that.

As the other guys rode into the scene, Charles turned his attention towards one of his brother’s girls. “You alright down there Eva? Make sure to keep some pressure on that okay sweetheart?” he stated, noticing the blood sprouting out of her thigh. The man then turned to watch his gang join him. It was now him, Thomas, Harry, and Prospect. Marvin just stood there shaking, knowing the ability of the Angels, their history, and all the rumors that roamed the streets of Gastown, of all of Crown City. “Y’all stay back or she’s dead, I promise!” he called out in fear. He was sweating more than before, shirt soaked in body fluids.

Eva simply nodded at Charles’ directions, wincing a bit but placing both her hands tightly on the back of her thigh. Her face still appeared frightened, but she didn’t make a sound while blood seeped slower through her fingers before it would drip to the pavement.

Harry then made his way to the front of the group, putting his hand on Charles’ shoulder. “Look here boy” Harry started, addressing the addict as boy. “You know the kinds of things we can do to you. You know we don’t accept drugs in our town. Gastown belongs to the Fallen Angels, not some punk kids like you. So listen………..We will kill you. You are not getting out of here alive, believe me. But if you let this girl here go, i’ll make sure it’s quick. Now, I promise” Harry stated, his own shades still on. To him, this was just another day at work, but inside he was burning up like a raging bull. This guy went way too far, messing with his family. That’s something none of the Angels can bare.

Marvin turned towards Galey. “Man, you’re just gonna let this happen?! Ur a cop! That’s a threat ain’t it? Arrest em’! Arrest em’!” Marvin cried. He started to get this shake all over his body. His pistol was making an annoying noise as the metal quivered side to side. Galey turned to the convict. “I didn’t hear anything” he stated as he backed away slowly back to the mailbox. But then the time finally came. Harry, Charles, Thomas, and Prospect pulled out their guns and pointed them at Marvin. Each of their faces having basically the same look - all pissed, all shrugged. “One last chance son, put the gun down” Harry commanded. Marvin looked at all the guns pointed in his direction. “Alright!” he shouted in fear as he threw the gun to the side, letting it drop beside Eva. He then fell backwards on his back, hands raised in protection - similar to how Jasmine was earlier. Charles and Galey rushed to Eva’s side. “You’re gonna be alright” Charles said, helping Galey pick her up. “Were taking you to work” the biker laughed, knowing that was probably the last thing she wanted to think about. “C’mon Chief, you’re moving too slow, those old legs of yours can’t take it anymore huh?” the man joked again. Once they got her to the cop car, Galey jumped in and rushed her to the hospital.

When Charles and the Chief ran up, Eva forgot and let go of her leg, wrapping her slightly bloodied hands around Charles’ neck and clinging like a child, though she nodded when he said she’d be fine. She let them carry her, not saying anything about going to the hospital, as she knew that was coming way before he said it. ”Tony’s going to be headed this way,” she said to him quietly before they shut the cop car door, wanting the guys to know anyway. She sighed and wiped her face when the door closed and the cop got in, driving her down a very familiar path towards the hospital. She didn’t say anything to Galey, oddly quiet and rewrapping her hands around her leg once more as she thought to herself between flashes of pain.

Prospect in the meantime took the liberty to pick up Marvin’s gun, throwing it even farther away. Harry and Thomas continued to point their weapons in Marvin’s direction. The drug addict remained laying on the freshly cut grass, now awaiting what was to come. He knew he would die here, he knew he had messed up and now his life would be over. The thing is, he didn’t understand why the Angels were involved. How in the world did they know he was selling drugs in Gastown? He couldn’t help but think it’d of have to have been Maria who spoke. So he decided to mess her up before they got rid of him. “I…...I sold drugs to one of you…..to that Mexican girl, you know, that Maria girl!” he blurted out.

Charles, Harry, and Thomas rose a brow as he spoke. “What did you just say?” Harry asked, taking a step towards him. “You sold drugs to WHO?!”

“Maria…...You know, the one who works at ur bar man. I didn’t mean to though, I didn’t know he worked for y’all, I’m sorry” Marvin apologized. His entire face was as red as his eyes. So much sweat was making him heat up like an engine. Harry moved up and placed his gun on the man’s forehead. “Wait!” Charles called out to Harry. He moved up to the man and got close enough to whisper. “Tony’s on his way here” he told him. Harry looked at Marvin then back at Charles. With a tisk, the old man put his gun away. He placed his hands on his waist and moved with Charles away towards the mailbox while Thomas and Prospect kept their guns aimed.

“What do you think this means? I mean, is she a rat? She hasn’t been showing up at work lately, you think she’s talking with Leo, telling her all about the guns? If he knows, I mean, he-”

“I know Charles. I know. But why? He’s in the drug business, why would he want to know about us?” Harry questioned. He was confused as to why Maria would be involved in any of this. For so long she’d been wanting to join them, so why would she go against them. Had she been against them the entire time?

But all these thoughts and questions faded away as Gastown’s most famous motorcycle revved its way into the driveway. The loud yet smooth sound was most familiar. Despite it not being ridden as long as other bikes, it had roamed all parts of Gastown, so it was well known. Tony had finally arrived. The man quickly rushed off his bike, gun already locked in his right hand. “Where’s E?!” he questioned the others. People started to stare out of their windows, knowing not to get involved in any Angel business. “Where is she?!!” he screamed. “Calm down brother” Charles started, putting his hands on the young prince’s shoulders. “She was shot in the leg, but she’s gonna be alright. Galey took her to the hospital, she’s probably getting treated right now as we speak” Charles added. Harry then stepped in and also helped Tony calm down. “She’s gonna be alright son. Jasmine told us what happened” he said, hugging his nephew in law. “Who? Who did it? This guy?” Tony questioned as he un-embraced.

He started to walk towards Marvin, frown on his face. “Yeah, we got here in time to stop him” Harry said from behind. Marvin looked up at Tony. “Wh-Who are you?” he asked, not noticing the patch on his back. Tony raised his gun at Marvin. “Wai-”

And suddenly, in the pull of the trigger, everything was done. Like a puppet without strings, Marvin fell on the back of his head with a bullet in his skull. Blood tainted the grass below him as it seemed everything was staying still. “Let’s get out of here son” Harry stated, looking at all the people watching from their houses. He knew they wouldn’t say anything. But Tony just stood there, his gun now to his side watching Marvin bleed and bleed. “C’mon” Harry finalized, having Prospect and Thomas move the body towards Eva’s SUV. “Let’s let them handle it, you need to get to the hospital, she’s waiting for you” Harry stated as he jumped on his bike. Tony nodded in agreement as he himself started his engine. “Were gonna get them for this right?” Tony questioned before riding off. Harry smiled with pleasure. “Every single one son. Every single one of them.”

Baylen - Swindler's Warehouse/Tommie's/Thomas' Apartment - Lancaster/Demaro/Charlie/Danielle/Thomas

Baylen walked up to Lancaster and surveyed the floor where the soil had been recently disrupted. Baylen frowned, opening his mouth to say something, when the buzz of his vibrating phone sitting in his back pocket went off, cutting him off as he immediately grabbed it. Thomas wanted everyone on call at all times so his phone was never off, always charge, and he always responded as quickly as he could. A text message glowed across the front of his screen from Demaro. "Get back to Tommie's asap. I have something for you." Baylen knew Demaro was given instructions from Thomas so he didn't hesitate. He looked back to Lancaster, who had been waiting for him to tell him the message. "It was Demaro, he has something for me back at Tommie's and it's important. I don't see any forced entry so it looks like someone's just been poking their nose around. Let's get back to Tommie's for now and first chance we get we'll come back to take a deeper look. Maybe it's a better idea to do a full sweep in the morning." Lancaster agreed and led them to his car. Baylen got inside and Lanny revved up the engine, taking off as fast as they could go without drawing too much attention back to Tommie's.

As soon as they drove up to Tommie's, Baylen got out and jogged over to the entrance, walking through and meeting up with Demaro. He was easy to find despite the crowds in the bar. "Hey Demaro, what's going on? You have something for me?"

Demaro nodded and pulled from his large jacket a manilla envelope that held some papers. "Thomas has a job for the gang. Look these over and meet him in his apartment."

"Will do" Baylen said, taking the envelope curiously. He glanced to Lancaster who had come with him. "You know anything about this?" he asked, raising the envelope in question. It seemed this was something new to both him and Lanny. Baylen opened the envelope and lifted the contents up just enough to survey the first page. This was enough information for him to realize what Demaro had just given him. Baylen's throat tightened. They had plenty of heists under their belts but breaking in to a bank, let alone a volt, was a whole other ball game. They needed the right equipment for this, the right specs, and absolute perfect timing. He hoped Thomas knew what he was getting everyone in to. He turned to Lancaster and told him "Head to Thomas' apartment and I'll be there in just a minute."

Baylen tucked the envelope under his arm and began walking quickly towards the bar. When he came up to Charlie she was busy helping customers. Charlie gave him a look out of the corner of her eye and a smirk played across her lips. Baylen watched her with a soft grin of his own and patiently waited for her to finish serving the other guests. After a moment, once she was able to pull away she came to Baylen. "What can I get you sir?" she ask with a smile. Then her smile faltered as she saw the look of stress across his face. "Everything ok?" she asked in concern. Baylen leaned forward over the bar, arms resting folded across each other, envelope tightly tucked under his arm. "Yeah, everything is. Another day on the job is all. Can I get a quick shot of whiskey?" He glanced around, quickly making sure no one was looking their way or paying any attention to them. When Charlie made his drink and handed it to him he stood up and leaned forward. "Come here, I want to tell you something." Charlie looked at him a bit confused but leaned forward still. Baylen reached out his hand as their faces got close, his fingers brushing by her ear and in her hair. He leaned forward to give her a soft kiss on the lips, but short enough to lean back immediately, hoping it was quick enough not to be noticed. Charlie blushed but a smile grew on her face. "Why...?" she started, wondering what made him take their restrained relationship to the next level. Baylen grabbed his shot and downed in, exhaling deeply as the burn of the whiskey warmed his throat and stomach. He looked back to Charlie and said "If I don't see you after tonight I don't want to have any regrets." A look of concern grew of Charlie's face but Baylen only matched her frown with a smile. "It'll be fine. I promise." She gave him a weak smile in response but he knew he hadn't satisfied her concern for what he was holding back from her.

Baylen then made his way towards the back, stepping in to the break room and walking past Danielle who was drawing something. He continued past, not bothering to say hi since she didn't acknowledge him earlier, and made his way up to Thomas' apartment. He knocked on his door and waited for him to let him through, envelope in hand.

Lancaster Render - Tommie's/Thomas' Apartment - Baylen Denney, Thomas Swindle

Lancaster looked to Baylen, curious to see what was in the envelope that Demaro had given to him. It seemed Baylen was curious too, as he slowly pulled out the contents of the envelope to reveal a large sum of papers, the first one appearing to be a floor plan of some sort. He couldn't quite make it out from where he was standing, but he could at least assume what was going on. Baylen's face appeared to clench up once he took a look at the paper, almost as if he was shocked. This made Lancaster nervous all over again, wishing he hadn't ditched his cigarette before entering Tommie's.

"What is it?" He asked Baylen, but received no reply. It seemed he was too clammed up to rationalize. Lancaster took a step closer to Baylen, practically looking over his shoulder as he was still surveying the first paper. It was then that Lancaster realized why Baylen appeared so shaken. Those were floor plans for one of the most loaded banks downtown, the name of the bank printed in the top left corner of the floor plan. Lancaster knew for a fact that finding a way into this place would be no piece of cake - in fact it might just be one of the most dangerous heists they would attempt, posing serious threat of arrest and being caught. "Jesus," Lancaster muttered under his breath. This was big.

"Head to Thomas' apartment and I'll be there in just a minute," Baylen said, seeming rather detached. Lancaster nodded his head slowly, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder and exiting Tommie's before finding his way up to Thomas' apartment. He used the special knock that the gang used on the door, yet receiving no response. Unless Thomas wasn't home, which Lancaster was sure that he was, it was rare that he didn't answer when the knock was used. He resorted to fishing through his jacket pocket to find his wallet where he had a spare key to both the warehouse and Thomas' apartment. Unlocking the door, he entered slowly, finding three guns and ammunition laid across the kitchen table but Thomas was nowhere to be seen. "Thomas?" he called out.

Thomas - Apartment - Danielle/Demaro/Baylen

Thomas stood in his apartment, looking over the files once again. He looked up at Demaro, who was doing the same. "You sure Danielle can do this?" Demaro asked. Thomas nodded.

"She'll pull through... I told her that she'd be on her own if she got nabbed by the cops..." Thomas said.

"We both know that you'd shoot down the entire CCPD to keep that girl out of trouble." Demaro stated; and he was completely right. In turn, Thomas shrugged with a slight shake of his head.

"I don't know, Demaro. When Charlie came to live with me I was always doing things to keep her away from the gang." He slid his hand to his gun on the table, gripping it. He picked it up and began checking it. "After a while, I realized that she didn't want to be part of this, but Danielle wants to. She wants to be a Swindler, so I've had to be extra careful not to get her wrapped up... I'm just gonna tell her she can't come."

"Then what? You'll look like a man who doesn't keep his word." Demaro said. "Danny is a good girl, and she's loyal to you. You've gotta show her that loyalty, Tom.

Their conversation ended when Demaro's phone rang. He glanced at it. "That shipment of Jack Daniel's just arrive; I gotta run sign it. I'll be back." The man said and left the apartment. Thomas nodded and walked to his bedroom, sitting on his bed and waited for the team to arrive. When Thomas heard a knock, and then Lanny calling for him, he stepped out of the room. "Right here, boys."

"We're waiting for Danielle and Demaro. They should be here soon." Thomas motioned for them to sit at the table. A few minutes later, Demaro arrived with Danielle. Thomas nodded to the girl and motioned them to take their seats at the table as well.When they were all at the table, Thomas set his hands on the wooden surface. "Crown City Municipal Bank. Open from 7am to 6pm. One security guard; armed with live ammunition."

"I had a little chat with Frank Bertinelli... he's paying us big for this. We're looking for Personal Vault 239. Within it should be a black, 150 gigabyte hard drive. That's what we're after. Remember the rule: don't ask questions. We don't care what's on the drive, we just care that it stays in one piece. I promise you, if one of you lets the drive break or be taken, I'll make you wish you were in hell."

"In the morning, at 8am, we'll arrive at the bank. Three different cars. I'll take Danielle; Demaro, you'll go with Baylen." He glanced at Lancaster. "Lancaster, take the Corvette that's at the warehouse - The one with the fake license."

"Here's our plan..." He produced several pictures from the folder. "Before we begin; Don't think that this will be easy. I'll be surprised if the cops don't show up almost immediately. Please listen carefully: If you are arrested or identified by the police, I cannot help you. And I won't pay your bail if you're arrested." Thomas glanced at Danielle. "I know that... we haven't done something like this in a long time, but theres a reason I chose you guys."

"Lanny - You are going to pull to the block behind the bank: park the Corvette, but don't sit in it. Cross the street to the diner; I've worked out an agreement with the head waitress- she never saw anything. Once I give you the cue, you're going to round the street as fast as you can. The cops should be there, but they aren't fast enough to catch you. Fire a shot or two; enough to draw their attention. If it can be helped, don't kill anyone. If all goes as planned, the cops should follow you Lanny. It's up to you to shake them."

"If all goes to plan, you'll be enough distraction to give Demaro, Danny, and I time to get out the back door and cross the street." The man looked at Danielle and Baylen. "You two will be in the front with Demaro while I am in the back retrieving the memory drive. The two of you are going to be playing a couple. Danny, you're going to be playing a sick girl, Bay, you'll be trying to comfort her, easing Demaro. Just keep the crowd entertained enough for me to grab the drive. I'll signal Demaro when I'm done. Demaro, you'll grab Danny, use her as a fake hostage. Baylen, you're going to fight back, but let Demaro put you down; just make it look real."

"Once the three of us get out the back, Lanny's distraction should get us enough time to cross to the alley beside the diner and dump our stuff. If all goes to plan, we'll be out of the bank at about 8:45. The trash truck comes at 9:00, so the evidence should be gone by the time the cops think to check the dumpsters."

"Baylen you'll have to keep up the ruse when the cops come in. They'll take you and the others in the bank outside for medical attention and brief questioning. You'll be free to go after that."

"Any questions or suggestions?"

Baylen - Thomas' Apt - Thomas/Danielle/Lancaster/Demaro

Baylen entered Thomas' apartment when he welcomed them and looked at the table with the guns and paper work displayed out. He pulled out his envelope and the papers within and begin looking at them more carefully. He had a lot to say to Thomas but he could see the glint in his eyes and could tell he had a lot of information to download upon them for the heist. He would stay quiet for now until Thomas had laid out the plans. No doubt he had been here making the plan to complete their tasks effortlessly. Thomas was a smart individual, as were all of them as Thomas picked them for that very reason, young and smart. But Baylen worried this was a job bigger than them to accomplish. Nevertheless, despite his concern already evident for Charlie and Lanny, he kept his mouth shut with Thomas. He didn't want to disappoint him with his insecurities. Baylen joined Thomas at the table, taking a seat with his paperwork and surveying the information quietly.

When Demaro and Danielle arrived Baylen turned to look to them. At first he thought Danielle was bringing them drinks to sip on while they discussed the details. But when she arrived sans drinks with an intent look on her face his brow furrowed and he quickly looked to Thomas then back to Danielle. No fucking way was Thomas going to let this runaway kid join their tasks and impart such crucial responsibility on her to help them complete. No fucking way would Thomas take such a risk. No...fucking...way....

Baylen turned his hard gaze off of Danielle and looked to Thomas. His lips were tight, his eyes sharp and clearly upset, but he bit his tongue as Thomas began almost immediately with their plans. So he was going to allow her to participate. This wasn't the boys and girls club and he wasn't about to play babysitter. Clearly angry but still tight lipped, Baylen crossed his arms and listened intently as Thomas spoke. Although upset Baylen listened carefully and digested the information. It was clear and concise but still held a high risk. But just like gambling high risk meant a high reward. Thomas finished and asked if anyone had any questions. Baylen immediately stood up and unfolded his arms, his chair sliding back from under his legs, wobbling from the force of how quickly he stood up pushing it back.

"Yeah I have a fucking question." He turned to Danielle and glared at her, pointing a finger at her face before turning back to Thomas. "Why the hell is pipsqueak coming along with us? We're not fucking babysitters Thomas and it's bad enough how risky this heist is to start with." He looked back to Danielle. "What are you trying to prove by stepping your toes in our business anyway? Thomas isn't stupid kid, he knows you've been lieing about a lot of shit and you're definitely not 19 and I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't even 18" he snapped, his anger rising. He could feel the heat of his frustration blinding his control. He stepped uncomfortably close to her then turned back to Thomas. "You want this kid to add to our already heightened risk? She has no experience, no training, just some fake bravado because she's been on her own for a bit" he said turning back to Danielle. "If I didn't know you were a minor I'd knock the shit out of your lying ass." He was going too far but he could feel the control slipping as his anger began to blind his judgement. His hand was clenched in a fist at his side.

Danielle - Thomas' Apt - Thomas, Lancaster, Demaro, Baylen

Danielle jumped when Baylen started acting so aggressive. He obviously didn't like the idea of her coming along and helping with the robbery. He didn't like it at all.
She stepped back as he came towards her. She had this thing about personal space : she didn't like people in hers. Just like she didn't like to be touched.

Her first instinct was to fire back with either her words or her fists, but that would not help matters. It would just make them worse. So Dani did what she did best in these situations, she stood and took it.
When he threatened to beat her she couldn't stop herself from commenting.
"Wouldn't be the first time," she said without flinching. She had been beaten for stupider reasons and by a hell of a lot worse people then him. "I take orders from Thomas, not you," she added quietly, her tone even. "If he wants me here, I'm here. If he doesn't then I'll leave. Until he says so, I am staying. Because I owe him, not you."

Through Baylen's little tantrum Dani made sure she stayed calm and collected. She might have been young biologically, but mentally she was far more of an adult then he was. She had found that letting your anger take over was a common trait among adults, especially men.

Thomas - Apartment - Danielle/Baylen/Lancaster/Demaro

Thomas glanced at Baylen as he threw his fit. He waited for the man to stop, his jaw set. When Baylen stepped uncomfortably close to Danielle, Thomas took a half-step forward, ready to pounce of Baylen got physical. When his anger finally subsided, Thomas glared at him, breathing slowly. "You've got nerve, Baylen; That's what I've always liked about you. You're a good man, but you've stepped far out of place."

He set his hands on the table and leaned in. "That 'Pipsqueak' is here because I said she would be. It's my decision, and if I really felt like it, I'd kick you off. I don't want that, and I'm sure you don't want that. We've got 35 Grand coming in from this and I'm pretty sure you don't want to lose your share of the cash. Danielle is here because I believe she can provide a valuable aspect to this job."

"You hit it right on the nail, buddy. I'm not stupid, and I'm not easily fooled. That's not your concern, though, Baylen. If I hired a 2 month old baby and promoted it to the head of the gang, there would be nothing you could say to that. If I see a fault in someone, I will deal with it accordingly!" He inhaled briefly.

"People won't fight back if they see someone is being held hostage. We could take a real hostage from the bank, but that would cause possible casualties and even more risks then we're already taking. We could use you, Lanny, or Demaro as a hostage, but all three of you are are to big for it to look convincing; and we all know that Charlie's not gonna do it. So I picked the person who I thought would best suit the job." Thomas glanced at all of them. Yes, he had lied and claimed responsibility for Danielle's presence, but he didn't care. She might've asked him, but Baylen and Lanny didn't know that.

"If you have a problem with my methods, you can address me or you can leave - But don't you dare" Thomas slapped the table. "Don't you dare take it out on other members of the gang."

He looked sternly at Baylen and spoke in a threatening voice. "Now: are you in this, or are you out?"

Harry - Outside Eva's Hospital Room - Charles

The halls were noisy from the whispering doctors and nurses that roamed around. They were talking their everyday medical mumbo jumbo, which helped the biker's conversation become indistinct by anyone around. "So what are we gonna do?" Charles asked as he looked side to side to make sure nobody was eves dropping. Harry looked through the door's little rectangular mirror and could see Tony and Eva together in the room. "He can't know about anything you understand, nobody can" Harry started. "She brought drugs into Gastown. I need you to handle this as though it were anybody else" Harry continued.

Charles took a step back and swallowed. "You mean.." he simply said, eyes widening up a little. "Yeah" Harry responded. "Make it look like Leo sent you, we can't have this coming back on us in any way. And again, this stays in house, between just us. Nobody has to know........Nobody can know" Harry commanded. He again looked through the mirror at Tony's back, who was sitting beside his fiance.

"Do it tonight. You remember where I used to take Tony when he was a kid? That burger place down Shepard?"

"DJ's?" Charles asked, eyes to the ceiling as if searching his mind for the memory. "Yeah, DJ's."

"Man, I freaken loved DJ's. They're burgers were the shit. Remember that time you took Isabel down there? And that black bitch in the back 'accidentally' popped a pack of ketchup on her hair? Isabel nearly knocked that lady's teeth off if you hadn't done it yourself, hahaha" Charles chuckled. Harry smiled and nodded. "Her man didn't even bother to do anything about it" Harry recalled. "That's cuz you were wearing the patch that day, and everybody knew not to mess with the Angels" Charles stated. "Yeah, but things seem to be changing brother. We aren't as young as we once were" Harry said to Charles as he stared at Tony's patch. "He's next in line. We have to make sure he's ready to lead the Fallen to the next level. We can't go back to what this club was before we got here. Those old bastards had no idea what they were doing, they deserved what they go-"

Charles interrupted Harry by tapping on his shoulder and pointing down the hall at a familiar face. "She doesn't look too happy" Charles stated as Isabel - the fierce goddess - reached the two bikers before the hospital room. "Why the hell didn't either of you tell me what happened?!" he questioned loudly. "Well see-" Charles started, but was interrupted by Isabel's attitude. "I had to find out from Prospect? Really?!" she stomped. Charles scratched the back of his head and turned around. "Oh, mighty fine lookin' nurse, I'm out. Catch you old folk later" he laughed as he followed a nurse. "Wait up hun!"

"Is she going to be okay?" Isabel asked Harry, peeking into the room. "Doctor said she'll be just fine. The bullet went right through, so nothing to worry about baby" the old biker said, calming Isabel down. Despite her feelings towards the girl, he knew how much she meant to Tony, so didn't want him on edge. "What about the guy who shot her?" Isabel asked. "We got him good. Actually, Tony got em himself. Rode right up and boom, done and done. He hasn't changed baby, just has to find the motivation. Anything from Frank?"

"Yeah, you told that old man to call me. Ugh, I hate the guy's voice. He's so old" Isabel laughed. "He's as old as us" Harry responded with a laugh of his own. "He said nobody reported seeing anything. They sent that detective guy down there though, but he didn't find anything either. It's all clean"

"Good. Last thing we want is them up our asses. I heard from the Russians. They attacked one of the Asian's gun facilities. Made it look like Obinna and his crew did it, just like planned. I should get a call from Minamoro soon, if not, then they figured it out. He's gonna need more guns. But I'm running low on men"

"Isn't Jeremiah getting out soon? Tony's gonna be extremely excited. You haven't told him right? It's supposed to be a secret" Isabel blurred out. "No, I haven't said nothing. Having him back around might be the one thing that's gone right this month. I got his vest ready and everything for his return. Make sure he gets a massive welcome back party alright baby" Harry smiled, reaching in to kiss his wife slowly. "You know I will" she said before kissing him as well.

The two then watched their nephew for a while before heading to the waiting room and siting down in one of the lounge couches. "Do you think she's ready for this life?" Isabel questioned out of nowhere. "Huh? Who? Eva?" Harry asked, knees to elbows as he turned to her. "Yeah Eva, who else dummy" she said, slapping him on the shoulder. "I don't know, maybe. We'll just have to wait and see"

Eva & Tony - Eva's Hospital Room

Eva arrived at the hospital via the cop car, and Frank went inside and told them he had a gunshot victim in his car. Rolling out a bed they got Eva onto it, familiar faces with deep look of concern fawning over her and asking if she was alright. ”Just an idiot with a gun on my street. Don’t ask,” she mumbled.

After her wound was taken care of, the puncture determined to be clean with no remaining bullet, she was cleaned and stitched up. After a few minutes, she demanded to be taken out of surgery and to her own room where she could be visited. She knew Tony was probably already there. She let one of her friends, a fellow nurse know, to update her room number right away so he could find out from the front desk before she was left alone, pain no longer throbbing thanks to some meds she was given to dull it. She laid back on the sinking pillow and closed her eyes, red hair framing her head.

Piercing down the hall, three men in leather rushed through the entrance. Personnel was on high alert as they watched the rough riders enter their facility. First one to the front desk was Tony, elbows quickly praised on the countertop. “Eva Hardin, what room?” he asked the lady quietly sitting in her rolling chair. In response, she stood up with a smile. “Are you here to see a patient?” she asked him, as though she hadn’t heard what he had just asked. “Yes, Eva Hardin!” Tony urged her, his brow rising in dispute. “What room?” he asked again.

“Are you a family membe-”

“Lady, I don’t have time for this” Tony interrupted. “What room is she in?” he asked yet again, the girl before him gulping. He understood it was her job, but he didn’t care. “I suggest you tell em’ what he wants to know sweetheart, he’s on edge today. Meds didn’t do their thang” Charles joked. “She’s ummm…...Room 103” the girl said, knowing she’d just broke protocol. And with that, Tony rushed to where the room would be. “Thanks” Charles smiled, tapping the countertop with his left hand and following Tony alongside Harry.

Once reaching the room, Tony burst in without any further interruptions. He ran to Eva’s side quickly with relief, seeing she was fine. He leaned towards her and planted a kiss on her without any hesitation. And as he pulled back, he took a hold of her hand and kissed the top of it too. “I’m so glad you’re okay” he started, his breathing a little hurried. His heart was pounding fiercely as his nerves started to calm themselves. But then his eyes started to wonder a little. “I got him E. I got him” he whispered.

Eva was relaxing on the bed, as much as she could relax in that stupid hospital gown, when she heard a loud click. She tilted her head up just in time to see the blur of her fiance coming at her and kissing her. She kissed him back eagerly, smiling warmly when he kissed her hand. She left her injured leg laying flat but bent her other leg and used her hand to push herself sitting up. She could see the fear in his eyes, something she hadn’t honestly seen before that she could remember, and it did break her heart a little.

When he said ‘I got him’ she frowned, not understanding at first. Then it clicked he must mean the druggie. He killed him? ”Thank God. He was psychotic. I don’t think he would have stopped coming for me if something didn’t happen,” she said, eyes looking scared as fresh memories of the brute coming at her played through her mind. She squeezed his hand, the corners of her lips tugging up slightly. She studied his face, and couldn’t imagine if she’d never been able to see it again. If that stupid man had killed her and she’d never gotten to be married to Tony. She tilted her chin up and kissed Tony once more, lingering and slow, thankful to be able to do so.

The response he got from her was not the one he had in mind. He had just killed someone and for some reason - despite the events that occurred that day - Eva was alright with it. Tony decided not to show the concern for it, instead, he continued to wonder. In his mind, he questioned if she was changing, if she was starting to become apart of this club’s lifestyle. From the day he met her, he knew it’d be inevitable, but he didn’t want it to happen. She had so much going for her, her career, her house. She had a future outside the club, one Tony never had the chance of living. But anyhow, that conversation - if it ever arose - would be for another time.

So when she leaned for a kiss, Tony gave it to her. Her lips were tender, smooth and warm. It had this sense of home. Which is true, because they may have this animate house, these four walls they live in and call home, but if she wasn’t in it - then it would be nothing but a place. Eva was Tony’s home.

Tony then sat down on her bedside. The hospital bed wasn’t comfortable, but he wanted to be with her - next to her. He stared at hand for a while, then turned to look into her eyes as he leaned back. He ran his free hand through her hair, fingers swaying and playing. “The day I met you I knew” he started, smiling. “You were this…..” he continued, searching for the right words. “I knew you were my way out. When you showed up at that bar, I knew it was a sign. Like….Like another chance to do this differently, better. You taught me so much Eva. Taught me restraint. Calmness, how to smile, when to smile” he laughed. “And….I honestly don’t know where I would be if you hadn’t showed up that night” he said, his eyes now buried in hers. “If anything were to happen to you……..If...I promise. I promise that nothing like this will happen again. I will not let anybody hurt you. Nobody. Not Maria, not Isabel, not ANYBODY. I know that I’ve made mistakes, club matters getting in our way. But, I just want you to know that I’m still here. I’m changing for the better, not the worse. Were going to get this guy’s boss. Were taking their whole organization down for good. But after that…..” Tony stated, turning towards the closed door - Harry and Isabel looking through the small window. “I’m getting out. I’m leaving the club. Today I learned that…..You, my fiance, soon to be wife, is more important than this patch on my back. I haven’t told anyone, but I’ve been pushing away slowly. The club isn’t changing, and I don’t want to be apart of it anymore if this is what it brings. I love you E” he finished, kissing her on the forehead.

Eva moved a bit when Tony got onto the bed, smiling happily that he would get close to her. She rested against his body, a contented exhale leaving her nose as she was finally able to relax. As she did, she realized her muscles were sore. Apparently, the stress she’d been through today had caused her to stay tensed up and now that she felt she could let it go, as she never felt safer than when she was next to him, her body ached a bit. She just cuddled close to him though and looked up at his face. As he spoke, the more he spoke, the more her eyes sparkled and her white, straight smile widened. She didn’t know if she’d ever felt more in love with him. Until he said they were going to get the guy’s boss though. Then she got a confused expression on her face, blinking a few times. She swallowed and looked down briefly before looking back up at him, a smile once more appearing when he said the words she’d been expecting, that he was leaving the club.

”That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you,” she whispered, moving her arms around his neck and hugging him. ”All I’ve ever wanted for us… I… Your aunt stayed after you left and she made it clear I didn’t belong in this… club family. And I know I’ve never fit in with anyone but you. But I never wanted to be Isabel. I just want us to be happy. Start a family away from all this so don’t worry whether or not you’re coming home at night,” she said quietly, moving to let go of his neck and look up in his eyes.

”But… please. Please don’t go after these people… You already have done enough. The man after me was always by himself… and when he was at my house he said his boss was going to kill him, that all his stuff had been burned to the ground… I don’t think his employers want anything to do with him. If you go after them it’ll just start a gang war, Tony. It’ll just make things worse. Please. Don’t do this. Just be satisfied with the vengeance you have now, and satisfied with me,” she said, looking sad as she thought about how Tony might change if he went on a killing spree. That wasn’t Tony. That wasn’t the man laying next to her.

Tony’s smile faded as she started to become concerned about the next step. But despite that worry, it was not only settled in Tony’s individual desire to take them down, but in a club decision. “Were taking them down E. Not only because of what happened to you, but because we have sworn to the people of Gastown to keep them safe. I know in the eyes of many were outlaws, some rough housed gang, but were more than that. They brought drugs into our town, Harry nor I will let that go by. Drugs killed my family. My parents are rotting in jail for it. I don’t want these drug addicts to bring that to anyone else in this town. I can’t” Tony said hesitantly.

He understood she wasn’t nor would ever be contempt with the decision, but it was like that now. The club had been taking rash measures because it was growing old. It was losing it’s power in Crown City with all these other gangs arising from nowhere. New clients, new enemies. Soon enough, all of Crown would be in embers. But as long as Tony could do something about it, for the little time he had left to act, he would.

“Don’t worry about me too much. I’m still here. I’ll always be here, I ain’t going anywhere. I still gotta get married to this foxy nurse I found at a bar after all” he joked, trying to lighten up the mood. “Were going to get out of here. Goodbye Crown City! Live a fairytale life. Haha.”

Eva’s brow furrowed more and more as Tony spoke, arms crossing across her middle and a pout coming to her lips. A determined look was in her eyes. ”Then let’s get out of here now. Before you become a mass murderer,” she mumbled, huffing slightly.

“Hey!” he said fairly loudly as he placed his hand below her chin, pulling it upwards so her eyes locked onto his. “That’s not what I am” he assured her, that smile fading as his features became serious. “I don’t want to argue about this now E. You know I can’t leave yet. I know it may seem unjust what I’m doing. Unreasonable. But I don’t want to leave with doubt. This drug lord, Leo. He’s bad news for everyone. I still have to fix things with Maria, I have to tell Harry that I’m leaving. There’s so much on my plate. I just need you to back me on this. I can’t have you go against everything I’m doing, because it breaks me to see you this way. And you still have to heal, that bullet wound isn’t going away in a day or two.”

He then turned his hand over and had it placed on her cheek. His thumb gentle pleased her cheekbone. “I’m gonna be okay. Were gonna be okay. Just one more job. One more, that’s it. You have my word” he smiled, once again leaning forward and reassuring her with a kiss.

Eva just looked sad as Tony continued, looking in his eyes as he forced her to. She licked her lips a bit as he spoke, telling that he didn’t want her to say a word. He just wanted her to shut up and be fine with everything he wanted to do. And it wasn’t like she could stop him. She would be healing for a couple weeks. So she kissed him back half heartedly and nodded. ”Alright,” she lied softly, too tired to argue anyway. I just don’t want to lose you. she thought to herself, trying to be happy that by the time she could walk fine again, they could be out of here, and never have to hear “Fallen Angels” again.

Lancaster Render - Thomas's Apartment - Thomas/Baylen/Demaro/Danielle

Lancaster nodded calmly to Thomas as he and Baylen filed into the apartment, taking a seat as Thomas requested. Lancaster was still a bit uncertain about this heist. He knew Thomas was smart and wouldn't let them get into too deep of shit but, Lancaster had to admit, he had known Thomas since he was 17 and this decision shocked him. It was very unlike him to take such a huge risk. But, perhaps, with the warehouse unsecured and all the other shit that was hitting the fan, he figured they needed to do this. Regardless, Lancaster remained silent as he awaited what would be the plan.

When Danielle and Demaro arrived, it officially began. Lancaster had to admit, he was a bit shocked that Thomas was bringing Danielle in on this but hell if he was going to say anything. He had his wits about him and he didn't necessarily mind if the girl came along, as long as she pulled her weight and didn't make any stupid moves. The same went for the rest of them. While Lancaster didn't necessarily have a direct hands on involvement with the heist, his role was just as risky as the others. A high speed chase with the cops wasn't exactly a walk in the park. But Lancaster figured Thomas must have trusted that he would be able to shake the cops. He knew the streets of Crown City like the back of his hand, and had been into drag racing for a good part of his teen years. Sure, Lancaster Render could handle a few cops trailing his ass.

Everything seemed to be going fine. Lancaster knew what he would have to do, as did the others. Everyone silently nodded along with Thomas' seemingly well thought out plan...until Baylen spoke up. His face clenched and his tone noticeably enraged, he sprung to his feet.

"Yeah, I have a fucking question. Why the hell is pipsqueak coming along with us? We're not fucking babysitters, Thomas, and it's bad enough how risky this heist is to start with."

Lancaster sat back in his chair slowly as Baylen went at it, throwing around insults and profanities like confetti on the fourth of July. As Lancaster usually did in situations like this, he kept his mouth sealed but his eyes and ears alert. His eyes glanced from face to face. First to Baylen's, then to Thomas', and then to Danielle's. Demaro seemed detached from the whole thing. But the thing about Baylen was, the confidence came along with the chattiness. Baylen was never afraid to speak his mind, even if he would be out of line. However, Lancaster was drawn to this quality, sometimes wishing he could possess it himself. Yet, he knew he would always be a peace keeper.

As the argument escalated, Lancaster tried to inconspicuously stand from his chair and retrieve a beer from the fridge. Then, Thomas hit Baylen with the big question.

"Now; are you in this, or are you out?"

Baylen - Thomas' Apt - Danielle/Thomas/Demaro/Lancaster

Baylen took note of how Danielle reacted when he stepped so close to her. Hopefully he made her uncomfortable enough to realize he was serious with how he felt. But Thomas apparently didn't like how close he got either, as he was quick to defend her. Although Danielle remained calm during the instigation, this only fueled his anger. As far as he knew she was acting the part but had never played the part and her first test was a heist that could do them all in.

When Thomas spoke, Baylen kept his mouth shut as hard as it was. Thomas was still his boss and what he said would go, no matter how much Baylen might vocalize himself. He hated this stubborn side of Thomas. He was a border line dictator. He internally agreed that Danielle did seem to make sense for their hostage. And he wasn't going to offer up Charlie. Baylen was glaring back at Danielle, Demaro standing behind her with a look that made it clear he was ready to fight Baylen if he tried anything stupid. His attention was quickly pulled away though when Thomas slammed his hands on the table. He looked back to him, eyes narrowed.

"If you have a problem with my methods, you can address me or you can leave - But don't you dare" Thomas slapped the table. "Don't you dare take it out on other members of the gang." Thomas looked sternly at Baylen and spoke in a threatening voice. "Now: are you in this, or are you out?"

Baylen couldn't help but finish the last thought on his mind. He had a lot of respect for Thomas but when he was put in a corner he spoke his mind and would always fight back. "Oh, so she's a member of the gang now huh? Fine then. I'm in." He turned to Danielle. "Well welcome aboard sugar and enjoy the ride. Hopefully you won't get hurt with the big boys because that would be a shame, wouldn't it?" He glared down at her. He could feel his anger clouding his mind and creating terribly tempting thoughts of getting rid of her himself. He looked to Thomas then back to Danielle. He walked right up to her where his chest would meet with hers if she didn't step back and looked down on her, before moving aside and back towards Lanny who was drinking his beer. He needed something to relax him. Hell he wanted to get fucked up at this point, anything to dissipate the rage coursing through his mind, anything to make his mind shut down and forget. He grabbed a beer and turned to Lancaster, popping the lid off. "Thanks for the back up" he said sarcastically in a bitter tone, taking a sip of his drink. He knew Lanny probably wouldn't have stepped in, it's not his nature, but he secretly hoped he would. He might of come across as arrogant and aggressive but he stood by his point that Danielle was a risk not worth having. Maybe he could prove that to Thomas some day...if something were to happen on 'accident'.

Baylen drank his beer, showing his submission to Thomas as he leaned against the wall on the other side of the room next to Lancaster, waiting to begin the bank heist.

Charles - The mistake? Prelude

After his pursue for the busty nurse ended, Charles - Harry's soldier - exited the hospital and went to The Florence. There he was greater by Prospect and the new bartender, an older gentleman. Jasmine had taken a couple days off after what happened with Marvin.

Anyhow, Charles took two strong shots that enhanced his senses. The man's eyes usually shined after taking a certain level of alcohol. He was on a mission that if gone south would completely destroy the club. Not only that, but the possible death of both himself and the leading president. After a couple hours in that bar, Charles felt himself ready. But first he had to take a quick ride home to get a couple things before acting. He jumped on his bike and rode off - no longer sober.

After his arrival, he entered his rundown apartment - one that belonged to his ex-girlfriend - and rushed to the bathroom. He quickly ran his fingers down his throat and threw up into the toilet. To the viewers eyes, his body jiggled as though he was having a seizure. He wiped his lips with his forearm then moved to stand before the mirror. No longer wearing his shades, he stared at himself fiercely. Turning on the faucet, he cupped some water into his hands and washed his face briefly, then looking up at his now glimmering face. He took loud and deep breaths before saying, "Alright. It's time."

With that, he returned to his bike and road across town to the parts of it that have always been titled 'bad'. It was where the people near poverty lived, truly rundown. But because the Angels enforce all of Gastown, drugs there aren't present, or so it was supposed. It was around 7:30 pm when Charles arrived at his destination. He parked three blocks away and hot wired an old 98 vehicle. It wasn't in great shape, but it'd work for the job at hand. Charles already had his gloves on, his black ski mask covering his face, and his get-up prepared.

Charles then drove up to his destination and parked in a way it'd be easy to drive off when needed. "Dj's" Charles whispered to himself as he pulled his pistol from the belt of his pants. He made sure it was loaded, then cocked it ready. "Show time"