"You were late! Flyer says 10 minutes or pizza is free?"

Harley stared blankly at the balding and overweight gentleman with slight annoyance, "Sir. Yous called at exactly 9:35. I took the downtown route and still made it here in under 8 minutes. That is what one might call a fuckin' miracle. Myself. I call it pure bonefide talent. Now give me the money you owe, so I can get back in enough time to clock out and go home."

He gave a greasy smile and grabbed the door, "You was late, cutie! I'm not paying, and you can tell your boss that if he wants his money, he should send a guy who knows how to drive in time."

Harley grit her teeth, "You son of a..."

Suddenly the door was shut in her face and she clenched her fists, rage bubbling just below the surface. Motherfuckin' scumbag! A minimum wage for fucking this.

She let out a breath before she turned heading down the apartment stairs out into the streets, kicking a garbage can over as she made her way to her car. It was a rusty black Camaro, but she loved it more than anything in the world. She had wasted two years worth of savings for it, and she treated it like it was her pride and joy. She slammed her hands onto the wheel still fuming. Now Fario is going to take that out of my paycheck. Shit. I'm gonna be late on rent. AGAIN! It's just my night!

She took in a breath then started the car making her way back to the pizza shop. After arriving, she explained the situation to the boss only to hear her wages would be shortened. AGAIN! She just nodded then headed back to the locker room, pulling off her red and yellow visor and blouse, replacing it with an Iron Maiden T-shirt, leather jacket, and her backpack. She kept on her jeans and black converse all-stars before heading out into the front room of the joint. She had almost made it to the door when she noticed Freddie sitting in a corner. She turned to look at him, noting his tall thin form. He was handsome with roughed brown hair, green eyes, and light stubble. His puppy dog expression was lit up by the neon 'OPEN' light shining over her face, and she knew that this visit could only mean one thing. Trouble. A small silence grew until he opened his mouth and she pushed the door open, "NO Freddie!"

She headed out into the parking lot moving over to her car when he was caught up to her, "I haven't even asked you yet! Come on..Sis..."

She stopped, "So you are gonna ask me somethin'. You've been gone for a month, Freddie. Look...I don't have any money. I don't have any savings. I sold Ma's apartment. I ain't got nothin'. Okay."

He bit his bottom lip, placing down a black case he was holding, "Look. I'm not here ta ask for money. It's nothin' like that. I'm clean. I promise. No more drugs. Look at my eyes. Clean."

Harley looked away then looked up at him, noting that he didn't look like he was on anything. He was a king of liars and she had been burned multiple times, "Then what do you want?"

He leaned down grabbing his case, "I just need you to deliver this. Just bring this case over to an address and then that's it. Last thing I will ever ask of you. Promise."

She looked at the case, shaking her head, "Of course. It's always one more favor with you. Why can't you take it yaself?"

He gave her a charming smirk, "Cause. I slept with this guy's sista alright! I owe him some money...and if I show up there to give it to him, he is going to kick me ass. Yous tougha then me. Plus he won't do anything to you."

Harley groaned, "I can't believe I'm even considerin' this. You always do shit like this Fred! When the hell are you going to grow up. I CAN'T KEEP DOIN' THIS SHIT FOR YOU!"

He grabbed her hand and stared at her with soft eyes, "Harley. Please. I really do mean it this time. You've been like a second mom to me, and I know you've done everything you could to try for me. I appreciate it and I love you more than anyone. This is the last thing...Really."

Harley stared at him, taken aback by his honesty, "Fred...I."

He gave her the case then pulled her into a hug, "I need you to do this for me...I love you alright." He pulled back and gave her a napkin, "Here. These are the instructions. Go to this address and give the case to this guy. Make sure he opens the case in front of you, and get confirmation that he agree's to tha deal. Okay?"

Harley lifted up her hand and placed it on his cheek, "Al..Alright, but this is it, Freddie. Alright. No more after this."

He kissed her hand then pulled away, "I promise. Love ya Harls..."

She shook her head, "Love ya Fred."

She headed to her car with the case thrown into the seat beside her. She turned to look at her brother, who seemed to be holding something back, his expression soft, only cracking into tears when she had driven off to her destination and a whole new world, she never knew existed.

Antonino sat and drummed the fingers of his right hand on the desktop in silence for several minutes while purposely avoiding eye contact with the man sitting on the opposite side of the desk. He didn't look at the man for the simple reason, that for the moment, he needed to control his temper and keep from actually reaching out and slapping the dumb bastard across his face. He glanced over to Ms. Holloway, it was clear by her mannerisms, she wanted to hurt the dumb bastard as well, and hurt him badly, she'd been overprotective of her girls since day one and on a few occasions had gone she-grizzly bear type mad protecting her cubs and nearly put a few customers in the hospital. He watched as she curled her long toned legs as if poised to spring up from her chair and strike, her sultry eyes narrowing with malice toward the man sitting in front of her Boss's desk.

Antonino's deep baritone voice broke the silence in the room with such sudden unexpectedness that both Ms. Holloway and the man flinched and both looking at him in surprise. Antonino continued to ignore the man as he raised the palm of his left hand up toward Ms. Holloway in a 'halt' gesture and fixed his dark eyes on a steady gaze with hers, "Be a dear and pour us a glass of Scotch, would you please", his words were more of a statement to do so rather then a question if she would, and having worked with him long enough to know that the underlying intent of the statement was to keep her from doing something rash, so she rose to her feet without protest and went to the bar, the clicking of her heels echoing in the room was the only sound to be heard as silence once more blanketed the room.

Ms. Holloway sat the mans glass on the desk in front of him rather then offer it to him, then came around the desk and held out a glass for her Boss, the scent of her perfume wafted lightly on the air, she let her fingers slip across his hand as Antonino took the glass, then let her fingernails drag sharply across the top of his fingers, conveying her displeasure with the present situation before spinning on her heels and sauntering back to her chair. Antonino watched her as a cat would a prey, bidding its time before striking, but of course, he never would, for one, he valued their working relationship far too much to complicate it with sex, and two, one of his self imposed cardinal rules was never to mix business and pleasure. Antonino took a sip from the glass then set it down and now focused his attention on the man sitting in front of him, his words edged with controlled anger.

"You've been told once before not to be overly rough and slap MY girls around, have you not, Senator Thomas?", Antonino paused only a second, then cut the man off when he looked about to say something, "I told you before...if you want that kinky shit, then take your business out on the street, I run a class operation here, my girls cater to gentlemen, now because of your reckless indiscretions, Maria won't be able to work for the next three weeks, no one wants to pay for a girl with bruises on her face and body, and to be honestly candid about the situation, your fucking lucky I need the other Don's permission, otherwise I'd strap a thermite grenade to your ass and toss you out the window, or worse yet, lock you in a room alone with Ms. Holloway for about ten minutes, trust me, you'd rather want the grenade...now what I am going to do, and what you WILL do, is cover Maria's medical bills and pay for her percentage of the money she would have otherwise brought in had you not slapped her around and left her black and blue, and until such time that the payments are made, your not to set foot in my place, do we have an understanding Senator Thomas?".

The man nodded his head between sideways glances at the woman sitting on his far left, again he started to speak, but Antonino cut him off curtly, "NO...just save your bullshit for those speeches you make, Senator, and keep this one thing in mind.... the next time you hurt one of MY girls, I know a thousand and one ways to make your death look like a fatal accident, now get out of my office, Ms. Holloway will send you the bill and I expect it to be paid". Antonino grabbed his glass then spun the desk chair around so his back was to the man, who rose to his feet, averted looking at the woman who was glaring back at him the entire time he walked to the door, opened it, then stopped and turned around, the shot of Scotch seemed to of helped him find his balls, "You can't do this to me, I'm a State Senator for chrissakes, I'll have the States Attorney all over your ass, you sonofabitch", he said with false bravado.

Antonino spun the chair around and was on his feet before the Senator could bat an eye and slammed a fist straight down on the table, using the pain that shot through his knuckles to temper his anger, "You wanna play hardball with me Jackass...wasn't it the money from your Wife's side of the family that got you elected?, what do you thinks gonna happen to that money when she finds out what you really been doing on your supposed campaign trips, so go ahead call the State DA, you get my establishment shutdown for three, maybe four months, so what?....in the meantime I'll ruin your political career, I got transaction records, dates, the names of the girls and times you been here, which will match up just nicely with all those supposed trips you been taking on the taxpayers dime, you sorry piece of dogshit...fuck with me and you won't even be elected dogcatcher in that backwater piss pond town you came from, now get the fuck out of my office, before I change my mind and shoot you now", with that Antonino reached into the top desk drawer and pulled a H&K VP9 out and sat it on the desk top.

After the Senator made his retreat, Antonino sat down, shook his throbbing hand then glared at Ms. Holloway as she made a disgruntled sigh, he growled at her menacingly, "Something you'd like to add?". "MY girls is it now ?", she queried with a smartass tone in her voice, Antonino took another sip from the glass and smirked, returning her smartass tone with his own, "What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine, now get me another drink then go see that the girls are ready for tonite, some of the boys's from the "Family" will be here tonight". then smiled to himself as she made a huffed exasperation, tossed a cushion that sailed over his head as she rose to her feet, uttered a hissed, "Your legs ain't broke, and I'm not your maid, so get your own drink Asshole", under her breath and strode for the door. Antonino chuckled, then shot back, "Not gonna make Secretary of the year with that attitude, sweetness", he blew her a kiss just as she turned and shot him the finger before closing the door behind her.

Antonino turned to look at his Enforcer Bruno, if ever there was a person deserving of their name, it would be him, a big muscular behemoth of a man and absolutely heartless. "Lemme know when that Lil bastard Freddie gets here and let him in, then stick around, I'll need ya to either take some money to the safe, or break the lil fucker in half, he's had plenty enough time to make his payment", he told the man with an irritated tone.

Harley stood outside of the large building, the smell of cheap perfume, cigarettes, and booze filling her nostrils. She shivered, turning to look at her car wondering if perhaps she should just drive home. She was about to do that when a beautiful girl with soft blonde hair and blue eyes came up to her, "Hey gorgeous. Name's Candy. You want to play honey? The other girls don't do women, but I ain't restricted by what's in your pants."

Harley raised an eyebrow, "Uh..nah. I'm good, but..Thanks? I guess. Um. I'm actually here to see Mr...Corleonesi. I have something for him."

The girl raised her own eyebrows, "You want to see the boss?" ,she tried to restrain a laugh, "Alright. Not his usual type, but follow me."

Harley turned to look at her car resisting following her for a minute before she turned back to look at her, "You coming?"

She bit her lip, then nodded walking into the joint. The main room was large with various circular red couches and curtains filling the area. Scantily clad women in various sexy costumes walked around with trays of booze, food and 'toys' available for the occupants. Harley felt way out of her depth, wishing she was at home watching Star Wars with her cat, 'Pickles'. Suddenly they exited into a back room and headed through a corridor towards a large black door. Two large men, who seemed to be of Italian descent stood in front of it. They looked at Candy then at Harley with cocky smiles. Candy smacked one beneath the chin whilst turning to the other one, "Girl wants to see the boss. Says she has something for him!"

Harley waved awkwardly at them from behind Harley, before they opened the door. One of the men smacked Candy in the butt before they entered into a lavish rose red office where a gorgeous lady sat behind a desk. Candy smiled at the woman, "I have a girl for the boss, Madame."

Miss Holloway stood up and came around the desk looking down at Harley with questioning eyes, "We weren't expecting any girls tonight."

Candy was about to speak when Harley perked up, her accent highlighting her words, "Uh..Yeah sorry. My brother Freddie, was supposed to show up, but he sent me instead. I have a case for Mr. Corleonesi! Something about a debt or somethin.."

She gulped as Miss Holloway looked her up and down, "Ahh...Raise your arms."

Harley did as she was told, before Miss Holloway proceeded to feel her arms, torso and legs, her nails lingering in certain spots. Harley shivered, about to speak up when the seductress before her pulled away moving to the door. She knocked once, before opening the door and walking in. Harley turned to Candy and gave her a soft, "Thanks" before she entered the room.

She held the case in front of her, rubbing her nose as she walked into the dark room. Her eyes immediately focused on the man behind the large oak desk. He was handsome. Like dangerously good looking. She tried to remain confident, but the obvious attention of the room was on her and that was unsettling. She assumed the guy was the man she was looking for. She stared at him, awkwardly overamiling as a brief silence ensued. Miss Holloway broke the silence by speaking up, "Freddie's attache. Apparently."

Harley spoke up, giving a large awkward smile, "Sista actually. I ahh.. I'm Harley! I just came to drop off a case. This case, actually..H..Here."

She took a few steps forward and placed it on the table in front of the handsome boss before taking a step back, "It should settle, everything...Freddie says. I mean...that's what he tells me. I just got off shift at Mario's Pizza so I am a little beat right now."

She rubbed her hair, gulping nervously as she let out a small scared giggle, waiting for the guy in front of her to say something.

Everyone in the room muscles went tense and bodies poised to strike, his Enforcer went for the cannon he called a pistol holstered under his left arm, Ms. Holloway pulled her switchblade out from someplace on her person, given her style of dress, he could never figure out how she kept it hidden. His own hand slipped toward the pistol that was still on his desktop, clearly, the girl was oblivious to how close to being dead she had just come by walking up without permission and then dropping an unsearched case in front of him. His fingers again strummed upon the top of the desk, his aggravation level was already high after the previous meeting, now it was near the redline with this turn of events. He studied the girl, if she was indeed related to Freddie, there was no resemblance, except for the naive and nonchalant manner in which she was conducting herself.

Antonino waited till everyone calmed down, then when he spoke, his tone of voice was low, even and betrayed a hint of his irritation. “ I swear on my dearly departed Mothers grave, may she rest in peace”, he quickly made the sign of the cross across his chest, “I will never do a business deal with a friggin crackhead ever again”. He fixed his eyes on the girl and continued,” Not only does your Brother insult me by continually failing to uphold his end of a bargain, but now he insults me by sending his Sister to handle his obligation to me and not only that he then disrespects me by given someone whom I do not know, the address to my home...I suggest young Lady, that when you leave, you quickly forget how it was you got here”. He didn't wait for a response from the girl, but instead motioned for his Enforcer to examine the case then had him slide it over after the man determined it was safe.

If Antonino's irritation was on the borderline of red before, it was well above it now once he opened and found the case empty, except for a folded piece of paper. For the next few minutes, he forced himself to take deep, measured breaths to calm himself as he glared into the empty case. Once his blood pressure lowered to where he didn't feel the dull pounding at the back of his head, he took the note, unfolded it and read what was written. He blinked twice, read it again, then with a cocked eyebrow, he read it a third time, then looked up at the girl again.

“Tell me, Miss Hartford… what would you say your relationship with your Brother was like, hmm?... typical Brother Sister,...ehh, maybe not so much perhaps?... the reason I ask is that from what I read on this note, your Brother apparently has little to no regard or concern for you what so ever”. He cleared his throat, took the brief moment to study her reaction to gauge whether or not she was totally clueless before continuing. “Allow me to explain… what should be in this case that isn't in this case, is a very substantial amount of money… payment on a very large sum of money your dear beloved Brother owes to me… what is in this case that should not be in this case is a note, on this note, your dear beloved Brother informs me that he does not have my payment, and furthermore, he is offering you to me in place of his debt owed me”.

Antonino rose to his feet, walked around the desk to the girl and stood next to her the top of her head just under his chin, he circled her slowly like a stalking cat ready to strike its intended prey, looking her up and down from head to toe, then once directly behind her he stopped, reached up and grabbed a handful of hair and pulled her head backward, then lowered his face so his lips just barely grazed her left earlobe, his breath warm, his voice a harsh whisper and laced with malice, ”if your attempting to pull some kind of scam on me with your Brother...I...will...kill...you both...personally”.

He let her go then turn to Ms. Holloway, “ Ms. Holloway, your assessment if you please” he said reverting back to a more business-like tone, then stood and watched as Ms. Holloway essentially done exactly as he just did, then step back and gave her answer while still looking the girl over, “well, she could use just a little more weight on her, flare out her hips a bit an add some roundness to her ass, we can put her on a good diet for that, then get her in the gym tone her body some and those legs, defiantly a new hairstyle and make up, she looks pretty enough now, but I’m positive she’ll be quite attractive when I'm finished with her”, Ms. Halloway told her Boss confidently.

Antonino folded his arms across his chest as Ms. Holloway gave her assessment of the girl, then with a disgruntled sigh he gave his own feelings on the matter, “That's all well and good, but I don't care if you're able to make her more beautiful than Helen of Troy, she’ll never even come close to earning the amount owed me by her...dear beloved Brother”, he said adding a sneer as he spoke the last three words. He spun about going to the bar and pouring himself a double Scotch, then returning to his desk, his thoughts a jumbled mess at the moment as to how to deal with the situation at hand.

Antonino drank the Scotch then sat the empty glass down and sat back in the chair, then stated his intended course of action,” This is what we are going to do, I’m going to give you the benefit of doubt that it's likely you were unknowingly placed in this situation by your Brother, therefore, Miss Hartford, I’m going to allow you twenty-four hours to contemplate on the situation he has placed you in, then after twenty-four hours I expect you WILL tell me where I can find your Brother… should you even consider lying to me as to where to find him, that very large man standing there behind you will make sure you never lie to me again”, he paused a moment for that to sink into her brain before continuing to speak.

“In the meantime, you may consider yourself a guest in my home, however, should you attempt to leave, run or try to escape, that very large man behind you has my permission to strip you of your jeans and paddle that cute lil bottom red”, he paused once more then turned his attention to the large man behind her, “Bruno escort our guest upstairs if you would please”, then as a last thought he turned his attention back to the girl and spoke point blank his tone making it very clear as to his meaning as he looked her directly in the eyes. “Just so there's no misunderstanding or doubt between us… Until I'm returned what is owed me by your Brother, with interest, your ass is mine… you can thank your Brother for that should he live long enough for you to see him again”.

Antonino motioned for Bruno to take the girl then watched as the Enforcer nodded his head in compliance, take two steps toward the girl then reach out with a hand the size of a grizzly paw and grab a handful of her hair, spin about for the door and begin walking away, uncaring as to whether or not the girl had caught her balance and was on her feet following him, or had fallen and was now being dragged out of his Bosses office.

Harley stood oblivious to the reactions in the room when she handed over the briefcase, only raising her guard when ‘the big boss’ started to speak about how her brother insulted him. She frowned, speaking in a light calming tone, “Already forgotten! Promise.”

The Enforcer moved to open the case then handed it over to his boss. She noted that a small handwritten note was inside and figured that it was possibly some high-level information or perhaps an address to some money. Either of which she didn’t care. However, the way the boss was looking at it she could tell it wasn’t good. She took a step back, about ready to ask to leave when suddenly Corleonesi let her know exactly what it said. As the man spoke, her smile and heart dropped to the floor. She listened quietly, her breath hitching as she began to shake her head. Freddie wouldn’t do that. Not her Freddie. He had stolen from her and on a few occasions blackmailed her into helping him, but he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn't go that far. She basically raised him. She was the only family he had left. Harley took a step towards the note when Antonino stood up and walked up to her. She took a step back, trying to keep an eye on him, when he walked behind her grabbing her hair roughly, telling her that if this was some sort of scam she would be in deep shit. She shivered, his tall form intimidating her. She wasn't a meek type though and a certain defensive edge came over her as she tugged her body away from him.

She turned reaching up to touch her hair as she gave a glare at the boss, before turning to look at Ms. Holloway who seemed to be reading out her faults one by one. She finally started to speak up, anger brewing up through her, “HEY! I…”

Suddenly she was caught off, by Antonino who implied she couldn’t pay off her debts the same way, that she assumed those girls out there did. Now she was really getting pissed. She spoke up harshly, her voice confident in the room, “I am not a fuckin’ whore!”

No one seemed to admonish she had said anything. After Antonino drank his scotch, he spoke to her directly, letting her know she was going to get some time to evaluate her situation, and if she chooses to run away from the situation, big boy behind her was going to make her regret it. She turned around to look at the big guy behind her with a raised eyebrow, before turning back to Antonino, her green eyes boring into him as he made claim to her ownership. This was bullshit. She didn’t deserve this. She sacrificed everything for her brother and now she was OWNED by some asshole, mind you a handsome asshole, who was considering setting her up for a life of prostitution. She grit her teeth, intense rage glistening behind her expression as she clenched her fists, her words cold as she raised her chin slightly, taking a step towards the desk. “I have a feeling not enough people tell you off MR BIG BOSS MAN or whomever you are!, but let me make MYSELF clear. I belong to no one!”

Suddenly Bruno grabbed her hair and basically half dragged her out of the room. She resisted at first, kicking at the desk then the door as she was pulled out of the room. She groaned painfully, as she moved into the hall then up some stairs. She growled at the big lug pulling her, “I can walk on my own, asshole! OUCH!”

Suddenly she was pushed through a door, her body falling forward into a guest room. When she regained her balance she turned around to see the big man shutting the door. She listened to the door lock and pulled up her chin, sinking to her knees as she let her real emotions move over her. The realization of the betrayal really didn’t come into focus until she heard the lock and with it, she let out a harsh sob, tears broke through her expression and began to run down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe it. She really couldn’t! She had raised Freddie since their mother passed. She had given up friendships, lovers, and most of all college to make sure her family was taken care of and now she was being sold up the river to these people, she had never even heard of. Now she was being forced to make a decision to let these people kill her brother, if she had any clue where he is, or figure out a way to pay a debt she didn’t even incur. Blood debt. She rocked slowly, falling back onto her butt, as she ran her fingers through her hair. She went over all the money she had in the bank, the possibility of living out of shelters, and giving up her...car. Anger and pain seared through her, as a fresh crop of tears washed over her.

She let go for a while, just sobbing into her hands when she realized she had to stop. She didn’t have time to cry. They might be watching her now on a camera, and the thought of them seeing her this weak, made her feel even worse. She covered her mouth, trying to settle herself down. She breathed in slowly before slapping her cheek, and closed her eyes. She stood up slowly, rubbing her forehead as she moved over to the bed sitting on it. This was a mess. A HUGE FUCKING MESS! She spoke to herself alone, “You are an idiot, Harley. Soon as he gave you that look, you should have ran for the fuckin’ hills. What am I going to do? What the hell am I going to do!”

----------------------Some time later.

Harley lay on the bed quietly, her eyes boring down at a window, wishing she could just jump out of it into the streets below. The sky was now fully dark, but the city sounds still blared just outside her window. After looking through the guest room in curiosity, going through drawers and the closet she decided to just lie down and wait for someone to come get her. She held a pillow up to her chest, holding it tight as she began to prepare herself mentally for what was coming. She had an offer to suggest, but she knew a guy like him had to be convinced of a good deal. She had to sell her skills and be smart. It was a mistake telling him off like that. She would have to real in her temper if she was going to survive this, and that was the goal inevitably. Survival. At any costs. She would get out of this though. She had to. So for now, her fears just barely below the surface, she waited for the unknown.

“ Freddie you little fucking bastard”, Antonino muttered under his breath as he sat alone in his personal study hours later with a sniffer of Cognac in his left hand as the fingers of his right stroked his chin. Three months of planning for nothing because once again Freddie had to show what a pain in the ass he could be. Normally Antonino wouldn't have bothered with the likes of Freddie, but Freddie had connections and one in particular that Antonino wanted the name of was a major distributor of Cocaine and pot of the Midwest region for the Juárez Mexican Drug Cartel. The problem was he didn't want to owe Freddie any favors for giving up the name as well as Freddie having a knack Of screwing things up and Antonino could not afford to have Freddie fucking around on this one.

So Antonino had waited and bided his time, putting up with Freddie's shit, until three months ago Freddie had come to him with a scheme to hijack and sell on the black market, a truckload of Faith Hill CD’s fresh off pressing and on their way to marketing, All Freddie needed was some upfront money to set up the operation. Antonino's gut instinct was to say no, but after some thought, he came up with a plan to get the name from he wanted from Freddie and still manage to keep the bastard from getting involved short of killing him. So Antonino fronted him the money, then had Freddie tailed till it was discovered who Freddie was working with and where to find them. Antonino then went behind Freddies back, made a side deal with the people he was working with to hijack the trucks, let them keep the money in exchange for screwing Freddie over, leave him with no percentage on the profit from selling the CD’s and no front money to pay back, leaving the only thing for Freddie to keep his ass out of the fire was the name of the connection Antonino wanted. But once again, Freddie had to be a pain in the ass and toss a monkey wrench in on his plan because instead of the name, the little shit gave up his very own Sister to save his ass. Antonino shook his head, still in disbelief and Freddies shameful act.

But then another thought crossed his mind, had Freddie found out about his plan made with his hijacking partners? maybe Freddie running a scam to keep the money?. Antonino thought on that a moment the shook his head no, Freddie's brain was too fried from Crack and Meth to come up and carry out that idea unless of course, he had enlisted his Sisters help, which indeed was a possibility since he didn't know anything about her. He leaned back and pulled the cell phone from his pocket, dialed the number and by the start of the second ring, Bruno answered. “Send your crew out in the morning", he informed his Enforcer without greeting,
"I want everything there is to know about Harley Hartford… everything”. He clicked the phone off not waiting for a reply, then turned his thoughts for the moment on Miss Hartford.

Antonino smiled to himself recalling the look of green fire that flamed in her eyes as she voiced her protest and his suggesting he was going to turn her out, to be honest, her look and stance had aroused him, stirred his loins and a passion in him had not felt in some time, otherwise he would of have slapped the piss out of her for talking back. He rose to his feet, thinking it was time for a little investigation of his own, he sat the sniffer down and went out into the hallway and whistled for his two German Shepards, Romulus and Remus, patted each on the head then stepped over to the guest room door. He unlocked the door, knocked and waited a few seconds deciding to changed tactics, he lighten the countenance of his face, softened the look in his eyes and let a smile cross his lips, then opened the door to spot her on the bed hugging a pillow.

“My apologies”, he said softly, ”Bruno wasn't supposed to actually lock the door, I’m off to the kitchen for a snack, if your hungry and want something to eat, follow me”. He turned almost tripping over the dogs who were both looking intently at the one on the bed with ears perked forward. “Oh, nevermind these two”, He said looking back at her and pointing down at the dogs, ”they won't bite unless they think you're a threat to me”. He smiled warmly again the stepped back out into the hallway and lingered a moment to see if she would follow.

As soon as she heard the door click open, she wiped her eyes and looked over her shoulder to see Antonino looking over at her. Surprisingly, the first thing he did was apologize for Bruno locking the door and suggesting that she follow him for food. She eyed the dogs wearily, not sure if they were dangerous or not. He assured her they weren't and then gave her a warm smile that made her heart stop for a few minutes. God he was attractive, in a dark mysterious evil type of way. Trouble. Major trouble. Guys don’t look at her like that, which only signified he was trying to catch her off guard. She took in a breath then scooted off the bed, her expression hard, as she walked quietly to the door, peering out at him. He continued down the hallway turning the corner, not looking back, probably assuming she would follow. She did, slowly, keeping her distance as they made it to the large expensive kitchen. It was clean and filled with high-end kitchen appliances. She made her way to the island sitting down on the farthest seat, as she stared at the marble in front of her, trying to think about how to say what she wanted to say.

She placed her arms on the table and spoke up, “I..I don’t know where Freddie is. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell ya eitha. Even if he is the biggest cunt brotha in the world. I can’t even…”

She ran her fingers through her hair trying to calm down, “I also ain’t sleeping with anyone, for money eitha! That bein’ said I know you need your money...which..uh. How much do you need?”

When he told her she let out a soft, “Fuck...I wasn’t expecting...that much. My apartment won’t even cover that…”

She looked up at him, her mouth moving as if to form words then stopping as she tried to get to the point, “I uh...I don’t have too many skills, but um...the one I think would be most useful to you..is...um...I can drive. Now I know all I do is uh...deliver pizza’s but I am the fastest in the city. I promis ya. I almost got a pepperoni and spinach to a guy in southside in under 9 minutes, around mid-traffic, and if you think any driva can do that, you would be surprised! So if you perchance need...what? It’s not funny. HEY! HEY! I’m at least trying to negotiate, asshole! You think it’s easy sittin’ ere’ tryin to offer somethin, because someone sold ya. Not only someone, but...but a brotha! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD I RAISED THAT BASTARD!!”

Suddenly the dogs started barking, and Harley climbed up her seat as they came up to her growling, “Hey..Hey...I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t of raised my voice. Nice doggies. I love dogs! I swear!”

Antonino listened to her as she talked about Freddie as he went to the fridge and pulled out a pan of leftover lasagna, sat it on the counter, grabbed a plate from the cabinet, sat it next to the pan, then took the spatula still in the pan and scooped out a heaping pile of yummy goodness onto the plate, then stuck it in the microwave and nuked it for several minutes. Whether she naturally sounded they way she did or was purposely trying to sound ghetto, he wasn't too sure, either way, it was slightly irritating, but he decided to chalk it up to youth and having to live around Freddie. He gave her a ballpark figure on the amount owed, the truth was he wasn't concerned about the money since he used it to pay off Freddie's hijacking buddies, even if his plan hadn't worked as expected, Freddie was still between a rock and a hard spot.

He took the plate out and moved over to the island table after grabbing a fork and sat down and began mixing up the pile of noodles, cheese, and meat as she now went on about how she able to drive fast from one end of the town to the next. He chuckled to himself thinking, ”Nascar drivers are fast too….In lefthand circles”. She must have heard him chuckle cause she got mad and her voice went up an octave or two, which sat the dogs off only adding to the irritation, “ ALL RIGHT ENOUGH”, he bellowed then got up and went to the fridge, grabbed two chunks of raw meat, tossing one to each dog then returned to the table.

Antonino picked up the fork then looked at her to see if she had calmed down, then took a bite, chewed and looked at her again, “Ok first off, you don't wanna tell me where to find Freddie, that's fine, it'll just take a little longer for Bruno and his boys to find him, it'll just go harder on your Brother when Bruno does find him, cause Bruno don't like to feel his times wasted… as for not sleeping with anyone, well that's ok too,A willing prostitute more productive than an unwilling one, but keep in mind, your ass is still mine till I get my money”. He took a couple more bites then continued, “And yes, your Brothers a piece of shit for what he did to you today, for that alone, he deserves to sleep with the fishes, but I do have to say I admire your loyalty to the bastard regardless, such loyalty in this business is not so easily found. So since you've earned my respect by that aspect, I’ll not ‘persuade’ you to sleep with anyone”.

“Oh and by the way, help yourself to what's in the fridge, since I don't know what you like, but the strawberries ARE MINE, you’ve not gotten strawberry sharing status, touch them and I cut off your fingers and feed them to my two voracious hellhounds here”. He said pointing down at the dogs chowing down on the last bits of the raw meat, tails wagging rapidly. “So you think you can drive? Hmmm, Well as it so happens I've got a few friends that run a street racing club, prove to them you can drive and I might just give you a job, you can pay off what your Brother owes and still take home more after one race then you'd make in one year delivering pizzas if you're good of course, and… loyalty has its rewards”. He ended with a wink, then focused his attention on his snack letting her a moment to go get whatever she ended up finding to eat.

Harley tried to kick out once or twice at the dogs when Antonino interrupted her chirping. She jumped along with the dogs before she settled down on her chair, watching him and the dogs eat quietly. She remained quiet as he discussed what was to become of Freddie, and how her act of loyalty somehow, thank the gods, persuaded him to not sell her into prostitution. She deadpanned though at the mention of him owning her ass. She didn't like the idea of being owned any better than she liked the idea of Freddie being 'Fed to the Fishes' but she was grateful that this mob boss or whatever he was, was not going to hurt her or sell her to someone worse. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her head perked up when he offered food but warned her about the strawberries. She looked at her fingers then the dogs and shivered speaking quietly so as not to upset the dogs, "Jesus...Alright Princess. I won't touch your berries...What? Fine. Big Boss guy...Canneloni dude? What should I call ya, then?"

She gave him an awkward smile, truly trying to not be a smartass, but she couldn't help not teasing him. He oozed control, and poking, the man' so to speak just became habit overtime. She figured most girls just bobble-headed in front of him, telling him what he wanted to hear. You cant respect someone who kisses your ass, so she would let him know that she could hold her ground if necessary. That thought dropped cold when she thought about Bruno and the way he pulled her hair or the dogs eating their meat. She could play this with stupid pride or with her smarts. She bit her bottom lip, patronizing herself for being rude to someone who could basically end her miserable existence with a command to the hellhounds behind her. She had to be more careful. Again, fuck you Freddie for getting me into this mess! Antonino didn't seem to notice her inner struggle and started talking about racing. She began to listen intensely, her green eyes looking at him with deep interest. The thought of her racing to save her life sent a deep thrill through her. She imagined going up to the speeds she only dreamed she could go, and an wicked smile crawled up her lips. More money than she could ever imagine in a year! She bit her lip trying to hide her smile when he winked at her. She blushed, looking away from him. He was way to handsome for his own good. She snuck off her seat and walked over to the fridge taking him up on his suggestion, as he went back to his food. She took a breath then spoke up, trying to sound confident, "Believe me, I'm good." She paused looking at the handles of the fridge, "I may be shit at everything else, but I live when I'm in my car."

She shook her head then opened the fridge getting a look at what was inside. Her eyes widened in wonder as she looked over everything, "Oh. My. God. Look at all this food! There are so many options. Oh, I could eat this or...this or...OH IS THAT SPAGHETTI! Dear god! You even have steaks in here!"

She turned around, giving him a cautious look, "Can I really eat this?"

She waited for his response, then shot him a warm smile, as she grabbed down a container of spaghetti and popped it into the microwave before she began looking for a fork. When she found one she turned back to the boss, "So...I race. I earn back my money. If...If I win back what he or I owe, do you still have to kill Freddie?" She looked down at the ground then back up at Antonino, "Don't get me wrong, he's dead to me, and I will never love him the way I did...but he's..my only family."

The microwave beeped and she pulled out the spaghetti container and moved to sit at the farthest part of the island, before she reconsidered and moved to sit right in front of the boss, her fork digging into the spaghetti, before she spoke up, feeling slightly more relaxed then she should have been in this situation, "Also..umm...can I leave, or is this 'Mine' situation involvin' me stayin' 'ere? Cause I have a cat, Mr Pickles, who I feed."

She gave him a puppy dog smile, and then took a bite of spaghetti, her eyes shutting slightly in ecstasy. She finished her bite and licked some sauce off of her lips, "God, this is good. So much betta than PB and J or pizza. The sauce is sooo delicious! Who made this? It's amazing!"

She ate with gusto, taking what she could, while she waited for him to answer. She hadn't eaten a meal like this for months, let alone meat that wasn't usually found on a pizza, and she wasn't missing her chance to eat as much of it as she could, if given the opportunity.

Antonino studied her as she kicked out at the dogs as if that was really gonna save her from them ripping her to shreds. He'd come to base a lot of his opinion about people by the way his two dogs acted toward them on their first visit to his home. Thoughts soon gave way to lusty imagination creeping into his brain. Though shorter than him, she did have long legs, and from what he could tell, though covered in denim, nice thighs as well, not skinny nor too thick and shapely enough to cause his imagination to entertain the thought of what it would feel like to have those legs wrapped around his waist. Then when she started jumping around, his dark eyes roamed upward, catching glimpses of her taut belly revealed as the front of her shirt flew up and down with her jumping. Her breasts bounced nicely as well, though her shirt fit loosely they looked to be more full then perky, but not overly large, maybe a little more than a handful which he liked.

She snapped his thoughts back from daydreaming with her comment about what to call him. He set his fork down, strummed his fingers on the island table top as she hopped up and went to the fridge not waiting for a reply on what to call him, as she passed he glared at her and growled,

“That will be the first and last time you call me Princess… Antonino will do for now”.

He turned his head to watch her walk pass toward the fridge, though a little slim in the hips, she did have a nice ass that bounced enticingly as she swayed and the brief moment of angered thought faded in an instant as again his imagination took hold of his brain picturing what it would look unhindered by denim. Once again Ms. Holloway had been right, as usual, A little more meat on her bones, and a few weeks at the gym, toning and firming up and Miss Hartford would be very attractive indeed, if not stunning. He was entertaining thoughts of having her for himself when once again she snapped his thoughts back from lustful images, he gave her an exasperated sigh,

"Yes you can eat it, that's why its put up in the fridge... for people to eat, except for the strawberries, touch my strawberries and die".

She then asked him something about racing and not killing Freddie, but all he could focus on at the moment was that smile and those emerald green eyes looking back at him, and it was he could do to keep himself for going over, scooping her up, tossing her on the island table, and taking her right there and then. The only thing saving her was the microwave beep, question about leaving and a cat. He watched as she sat closer to him, seemingly oblivious to the condition in which the mental image of her withering naked under him had caused it to be impossible to stand at the moment.

Antonino gathered his composure, gave her the one eyebrow raised 'are you serious' look then asked her with a curious tone, "Pickles... you named your cat Pickles?, well I'm afraid your pussy Pickles has a problem, other than me pulling a pun at Pickles predicament ", He smirked, thinking it sounded better in his head then said aloud. He sat back and considered what she just asked, all lustful imagination pushed from thought as he went on to explain why she could not leave, "The Housekeeper made the sauce, an old Family recipe", He said in response to her last question before continuing.

" You already know too much, whats to keep you from going straight to the Cops after leaving here and cutting a deal to save your Brother from me, hmmm?", He paused and looked at her questioningly. "I mean, you've already said just a moment ago that despite what he's done, he's still Family, so with that in mind, I'm supposed to trust you and just let you waltz out of here knowing that you still think of him as Family and that your not going to the Cops just because you say you won't? no sorry, its gonna take a lot more for me to trust you not to then just your word you won't do it".

Antonino got to his feet then leaned his upper body across the island table, making sure to keep his still aroused condition from view. He then turned his head slightly, lowered his face to hers, his lips ever so slightly grazing hers, his dark eyes locked intensely on her sultry green eyes, then in a voice husky and low he said,

"The last woman that said I could trust her and in whom I thought I could trust... well... I cut her into slabs of meat that I feed my dogs... and I just fed them the last of it".

Antonino then gave her a soft peck on her lips, not even long enough for the taste of her sauce covered lips to be on his before slipping backward back onto his chair, never taking his eyes from hers until he was sitting down again. He picked up his fork and continude eating, letting his posture convey he now wanted to eat in silence,

Harley ate quietly unaware of his lingering eyes, or lustful thoughts, her mind fully fixed on the delicious food in front of her. Family recipe indeed. God, it was good! When he commented on her cat issue. She giggled despite her situation, enjoying the fact that...Antonino, so he had told her, actually had a bit of humor. He gave a soft smirk and she gulped down some spaghetti. God those cheekbones and those arms. Why is evil always in a pretty package. She shuffled her legs, trying to get comfortable on her seat when he went into a discussion about her being confined.

She remained quiet as he explained his reasoning. His points were honestly fair. She would do anything to save Freddie, insidious little cuntbiscuit he is, and even though this guy has been treating her better than she would have assumed, she didn’t know him, and would probably find a way to screw him over in her favor. She wouldn’t go to the cops though. Going to those assholes to solve a problem for her, made her want to throw up. Her mother had the same bias towards cops, and after her time in prison, she had a whole new view of the system in general. She learned that the only person she could depend on was herself to solve her issues.

Suddenly, her thoughts were shut down when Antonino stood up and leaned over the table so that he could look at her dead on. His size made her want to lean back, but she held her ground, even when his lips just lightly grazed hers. She listened to what he said about another woman who betrayed his trust and how the dogs were in the process of eating her now. She shivered, fear filling her thoughts as her eyes widened. She gripped her fork tightly, unable to move before she could even begin to think heavily about what he just said, he gave her a quick peck, then sat back down.

'DID HE JUST? THIS ROMAN GOD JUST? DID HE? NO!!! DIDN’T HAPPEN...Made it up. He didn’t. Did he? What?' she thought quietly to herself. Her lips twitched as he sat back down, her green gaze remaining stuck on him as he returned to his food.

Her gaze continued for a few more moments, not sure what to say when she just blurted something out, “Pickles...call...Levowitz. I mean...I’ll call Mrs...Levowitz..about kisses..I MEAN I WILL CALL MISS LEVOWITZ….about Mr. Pickles.”

She gulped, “She can take care of him...for a few days...or weeks.”

‘What was that Harley? You hold your game together girl! This sexy...sexy man in front of you just made your favorite pair of denim jeans uncomfortable and now he’s eating his lasagna, and you are fucking up your words! He doesn’t want you like that anyway... BITCH! Who cares if he wants you like that. He said he just chopped up a lady, you idiot.’ She paused looking at him with squinted eyes, ‘Nah. That's not true. He’s just messing with you. Put you off your game. Scare you, enough to be obedient. Right? That makes sense! Finally reason!”

Harley calmed down, and scooted her spaghetti to the side before she stood up on the lower rung of her bar chair, her mind made up to attempt something. She leaned over to him, just close enough that if he looked the right way he could potentially see down her shirt. She looked down at his lasagna, then up at him her voice slightly husky, “Is she in the lasagna as well? Just want to know what kind of guy I’m talkin’ to. Somethin’ tells me…” She paused moving even closer to him, her green eyes challenging him as she whispered, “That you really know how to eat a girl right up?”

She bit her lip slowly before she quickly pulled back to her seat, taking up some spaghetti noodles for her mouth and slurping them down. She congratulated herself on her boldness. She wasn’t the prettiest girl in the room. Hell she wasn’t even the prettiest woman in the building, with a knockout like Miss Holloway around, BUT she would be damned if he was going to think that she was just another girl he could scare off. Even if he was the best looking guy she had ever seen. Olive skin, dark sinful eyes, cheekbones for days and she was betting a chest full of muscle. She couldn't be shy though, No Harley Hartford was a confident badass! Or at least she had to make him think that she was. She moved her eyes away from him reluctantly, as she took a few more bites of food, before changing her tone to something a bit more carefree, “So do you mind if I call my neighbor to look after my….pussy, Pickles, problem?”

She gave him a wide smile, before she blushed slightly at her joke, “Also...unless you want me to wear this for the next few…um...anyway...I’m gonna need some clothes, and maybe a toothbrush?”