1 Dog Days

Luke was sitting alone in his sixteenth floor apartment, staring down at the city below him. He'd been spending more and more time alone these days, since Vicky and Rose moved into Moe's old place. It was an engagement gift from Sunny. That was eight months ago. He didn't mind being alone, at least most of the time. It was nice to have some peace and it gave him time for reflection.

He would spend a long time thinking about how things used to be, especially on hot summer nights like those. Sunny gave it to them as a graduation present. She was so proud of them then. On their first night in the place, she told them that she had big plans for them. The sky was the limit, and things were only going up from there. They were going to start their own club. He remembered looking out on the southside of the city for the first time that night. He finally felt like he'd done something with his life. That was almost five years ago.

Since then, he'd been beaten, stabbed and shot at multiple times. He'd taken multiple lives, of friends and enemies alike. He'd become a raging drug addict, gotten clean and then relapsed again multiple times over. That addiction was directly responsible for the death of one of his mentors and the surrogate father of the one he loved. That same love would be, as of three months from then, getting married to someone else. Oh, how the times had changed.

Things weren't exactly bad these days. He was on the upswing again towards getting fully sober. He had been clean for almost a month; the longest stretch since his first attempt when the whole Lisa situation played out. He thought he could really beat it this time. As far as the others knew, he'd been sober for almost four months, but he had a small relapse on a particularly bad night on that very balcony.

He still thought about Lisa every now and then. He was angry for a while, but despite everything that happened between them, he actually missed her sometimes. She wasn't a bad person. If anything, they were the bad people. She just got caught up in revenge and got in way over her head. He couldn't blame her, but he still wouldn't have done things any other way. It was just how life was. You could either roll with it, or it would roll right over you.

When they took over the bakery it was his idea to split the club into two. It took the better part of a year to put together, but The Night Cap, a jazz and blues bar and restaurant, had finally gotten on its feet. It was Luke's pet project and he was proud of how it turned out. He got more of a cut than he did with the old club. It was all his except for what he kicked up to Vicky. With the new club came a new type of drug to distribute.

The jazz and blues crowd, as it turned out, liked a different flavor of high. Where the old club did nothing but sell uppers, he specialized in exactly the opposite. His customer's drug of choice was a fine red powder made from a flower that came from the badlands. They called it Fade, because the cold and stiff edges of life faded away into a nice, smooth semicircle after every hit. He tried it once, but wouldn't let himself try it again. It was like the pills but so much better, which probably meant that it was that much worse for his health.

The customers couldn't get enough of it, and he'd been stacking more credits since the club opened than he had in his whole life to that point. He'd cleared over two million since opening night, and he was just getting started. If things kept going like this, he could retire by the time he was thirty if he wanted to. Not that he did, what would he do with himself then? He couldn't leave any of them behind. They were his family. After all the bullshit that went down that winter finally started to smooth over, he got back into Sunny's good graces, and while he still didn't particularly care for Rose, and he'd always love Vicky, he knew he had to move on from all of that. Why keep breaking his own heart over and over for no reason?

The distance in business and at home was good for them. After Lisa died, she barely said a single word to him for a month. The next two months after that were short, curt sentences or the occasional greeting at best. Vicky was doubting herself, and was bitter about Moe's death, whether she'd admit it or not.

After a few months, they managed to make things clear the air after getting drinks had led to a long and sloppy conversation about their relationship. Luke broke down and told Vicky exactly what had been on his mind since Rose came into the picture. He told her that it was too hard seeing her every day, knowing how bad he'd fucked up and that they'd never be able to be together the way he wanted. That's when he brought up the idea of the new club and spending some time apart.

Vicky was sad, and didn't fully understand, but she agreed that it was for the best. Since then, their friendship had greatly improved. They had dinner together at least once a week when he brought her the take from the club. They caught up, talked about old times, and plotted the future together, just like the old days.

They didn't have any major problems after things quieted down with the whole Lisa thing. The investigation was dead, along with the ESIU agent who was leading it. Sunny were fine, they'd never be exactly how they were before, and he was almost certain that she had Vicky keeping tabs on him to make sure he didn't relapse again. It was the best-case scenario, really. If he were anywhere else, he wouldn't have left Sunny's apartment that night with his life.

Tonight would be the last time he ever sat looking out from that balcony, and he was a little sad to see the place go. He was moving up, in more ways than one. He put down a little over half a million on a deposit for a nice place on the forty-first floor of the building Sunny used to live in. It was a risk, putting that much money down and keeping up with the massive mortgage that would come with the place, but he wasn't worried. The gravy train had left the stations, and there weren't going to be any more stops, at least that's how he usually felt.

These days though, something had felt a little off, like a dark cloud was looming somewhere out on the horizon. He'd racked his brain to pin down exactly what it might be, but nothing would come. Neon had been fucking around a little bit, trying to creep into Sunny's territory here and there, but that wasn't Luke's problem anymore. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he had to kill anyone. There were a few here and there after Lisa, tying up loose ends for Sunny, but nothing since he started the club. Maybe it was just how everyone in the life who found some success felt. There was always the worry that things could go bad at any moment. He tossed his cigarette off the balcony to the street below, getting one last look before he went inside

On the other side of town, The Hop! was in full swing. Vicky was sitting with Sunny on the newly-renovated conference room on the third floor. They had done an entire remodel of the club over the last year, clearing out the empty apartments on the two floors above the club. The first floor was now the bar and restaurant area and the second floor was the dance area, with their old office turned into a VIP lounge. The third floor had a conference room, Vicky's new office and a place for the staff to relax on their break.

Vicky had been running the show for Sunny for almost an entire year now, and things had been going well. She hadn't exactly enjoyed the extra responsibility at first. It was a hard work, and there was a lot riding on her shoulders. If she failed in any way, it could mean death or life in prison for all of them. Well, maybe it wasn't that serious, but she learned to treat it that way. It kept her on her toes.

She took to leadership well, especially when she got sober. Lisa's death had changed something in her, deep down. Her last few words were something that would stick with Vicky for the rest of her life. If it was her, she would have done anything for her family, no matter the cost. She would tear down The Empress herself if she stood between her and the safety of those she loved, even if it meant catching a bullet along the way, just like Lisa had.

The other thing that had stuck with her, through everything else on that went on during that whirlwind horror-show of her life, was one simple lesson that she had learned: she had to always be on alert. Every single time she let her guard down, someone died.

First it was the people at her club when that rotten bitch April made her dirty deal with Neon. Not keeping her guard up left over thirty civilians dead, and April herself face down on the cold pavement covered in the shards of her shattered window. Then she let her guard down again with Luke. She knew that Luke had been using and was getting out of control, but she let it go because she refused to see the extent of the problem. Then the next thing she knew, Moe was dead, and they were slinging bullets down a hallway in a drug den, then dipping someone in acid and burning someone else alive.

Then there was the last time she let her guard down: Lisa. Just thinking her name brought up heavy and mixed emotions. They were friends, they had saved each other's lives, and she was a rat the whole time. But at the same time, that was all Vicky's fault, they killed her husband for Empress' sake. How could she not have seen that coming? She should have known it was Lisa from the second Sunny told her there was a rat, she just couldn't see it then. Hindsight was always crystal clear, after all, but that didn't mean that she shouldn't have known better.

From then on, she would always be looking out. She would never let her guard down again if she could help it. Tonight was going to be a good time to test that. She and Sunny were meeting with Arnie Whitelake. He was arguably the most powerful head of the Northside tribes, at least in political connections. He was a low noble and had been the Assessor for the district for decades, whatever that job actually meant. Vicky had only met him a handful of times over the year, and the only thing she really knew about him outside of the papers is what she heard from Sunny.

Sunny told her that he ran all the trucks that came in and out of the city and got a taste of pretty much everything that came through, legal or otherwise. He also was a major player in the numbers racket for all of the major sporting events, which is how he made his fortune in the first place when he was her age. He also knew that he was Neon's uncle, which was enough to put a strike against him from the start in her book.

They made peace with him after everything went down, but she still hated that fucker with just about every fiber of her being. She wouldn't tell Sunny this, but she was itching for him to fuck up so she could put him down. She never fully bought that he wasn't involved with what happened to Moe, and someday she was planning on making him admit it, just before the end.

Thankfully, she might actually get her chance. It was one of the reasons they were meeting with Arnie in the first place. Some of Neon's boys were overstepping their bounds, and it was starting to get out of hand. In the old days, she would have hit back right away, but she'd learn to play it smart, and took Sunny's council to go straight to the source.

Neon may have had his own crew, and was technically a boss, but Sunny told her that Neon would never make a move without at least consulting Arnie first, if not outright seeking permission. Sunny never trusted him, even after they first met when she was a teenager and he was just coming up in the tribes. She thought that he had probably given Neon the go ahead to orchestrate the hit on the club, but she could never prove it or do anything about it. Arnie was almost as untouchable as they came, unless she wanted to risk starting a war with every tribe in the city.

Sunny suggested they meet with him in person to establish boundaries before things went too far. She considered having a full meeting with all the heads of the tribes in the southern districts, but Sam was out of town on vacation and Nicole Deringer was always too busy to get even half an hour of free time.

party that evening. Sunny figured that it would be better for them to meet alone anyways, they could discuss things a little more frankly. Besides, it might be better to take care of it in private, they could be a little more frank if they needed to.

Before Arnie arrived, Sunny went over some ground rules with Vicky.

"Alright, kiddo, this is your introduction to the big time. Bosses don't usually meet unless it's a special occasion, but you need to learn the protocol. I want you to sit and listen, and try not to speak unless you're spoken to. Someday you'll be in my spot, but for now you're just here as an observer, clear?"

Vicky nodded.

"Good. Arnie is a little old-fashioned, and he doesn't take kindly to others talking out of turn. We need to keep cool so we can analyze this situation."

Vicky nodded again. Sunny had been giving her advice like this for a while now. She taught her about how to deal with people, when and how to react to different situations, and how to solve problems with her mind instead of her fists.

She assumed that someday she might take over for Sunny, but she figured it wouldn't be for a long time. Sunny had her on the fast track since she got her badge, and she didn't know whether to be happy or worried. She had done well with her new responsibilities, sure, but she definitely wasn't ready to run the whole thing. She wasn't even sure if she wanted it, but that was a story for another day. For now, she was going to give it her best shot.

"The key," Sunny had told her some months before, "is to never to let anyone know what you're thinking. Always keep things as close as you can, even with family. And, if you want someone dead, never do it yourself unless you absolutely have to. You've got people to do that for you now. You don't want to implicate yourself in anything. Never give them a reason to come after you."

Vicky had taken her words to heart, and had done her best to live by them. In fact, she had probably set a personal record for longest time without killing anyone. It must have been a sign that things were starting to look up for her. The best part was that she actually didn't miss it like she feared she would. Life with Rose had been enough to keep her emotions in check. Love was a funny thing.

While she was thinking about that, Arnie stepped into the room. He was an older man, in his late 60s by the looks of it. He had dark brown hair that was graying on the edges and was wearing a gray suit with a little round hat that remined Vicky of those old silent movie stars from way back in the day. Outside of a few wrinkles and bags under his eyes and his graying hair, he carried himself like a much younger man.

He sat down at the large table across from them. He took of his hat and adjusted his tie and then cleared his throat.

"Sunny," he said, his voice a high nasal whine. "It's been quite some time. About five years or so if I remember correctly."

Sunny nodded courteously. "Something like that. You've got quite a lot on your plate lately from what the papers say. How is the trial coming along?"

He chuckled. "Those fat cat pricks down at the capital are trying to burn me at the stake. They indict me once and I totally clear my name, now they're at it again. I won't go down without a fight though, that's for sure. That's actually one of the reasons that I agreed to speak with you today. I have some news, but feel free to go first."

Vicky looked from Arnie to Sunny. Sunny went first.

"Your nephew has been pushing his way into my territory again. Last time this happened, it almost led to a war. I'm sure you heard what happened to Moe. The people who killed him were under Neon's protection. We cleared all of it up, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten a single thing. The only reason he wasn't on a slab the minute I found out that he hit my club was out of respect to you. To be frank, he won't get a second chance."

Arnie nodded slowly. "I see," he said, pulling out a cigar from his coat pocket and lighting it, "Neon has always been a wild one, I'll give ya that."

He took a few puffs from before shaking off the match with tossing it into the ashtray. "However, the fact remains that you have no proof that he had anything to do with the attack on you in the first place."

"Fuck proof," Vicky exclaimed. "We all know exactly what happened back then. That prick almost got me killed."

Arnie didn't say anything at first, he just glared at Vicky. "You would be wise to remember that you are at this meeting as a guest only. I agreed to have you here because Sunny told me she was training you on these matters, not because you deserve to be here. Keep that in mind. "

Vicky was fuming and about ready to pipe up when Sunny put a hand over hers. She shook her head and gave Vicky an angry glare. It was enough to keep Vicky quiet.

"Regardless of the evidence," Sunny said, turning her attention back to Arnie, "we all know that he's guilty. He pretty much admitted it to me when he came to my office and paid me back most of the money he stole from me. Like I said, I'm not going to do anything about that, he paid his debt, and the past is the past. If he thinks that he can push my boundaries any further though, he's going to find out the hard way how I deal with the thorns in my side, and nothing is going to stop me this time."

"Alright," Arnie replied, "I'll let him know how you feel and make sure that he stays on his side of the lines. But if something does happen, you need to seek approval from the council before you make any move. Can we at least agree on that?"

"That works for me. Now, what is it that you wanted to discuss with me?"

"How about a drink first?"

Sunny motioned to Vicky, who stood up and walked over to the mini bar.

"What are you having?" She asked.

"Scotch," Sunny said.

"Good choice, I'll have the same," Arnie replied.

She poured three glasses and brought them back over to the table. Arnie took a sip from the glass and gave a thanking nod to Vicky as she sat back down. He looked at sunny, putting the glass down.

"Do you know how many people live in Beacon, Sunny?"

She looked confused.

"No, what does that matter?"

"Twenty-four million on the last census. Up about three percent from a decade ago. Do you know how many nobles there are?"

Sunny didn't answer.

"About thirty-four hundred all told, between the upper and lower houses, not including kids."

"What's your point?" Sunny asked, not knowing what to expect.

"My point is that they outnumber us tens of thousands to one. Power, as I'm sure you know, doesn't come easy. I'm also sure you know that once one has it, one will do just about anything to keep it. Would you agree?"

Sunny nodded slowly. "I would. What is it that you're planning to do to keep it?"

Arnie laughed. "Now you're getting it. The bullshit these assholes have been putting me through this last year has been hitting my accounts hard, and it's only going to get worse. Lawyers, as it turns out, aren't cheap, neither are bribes. I've been breaking the bank trying to beat this."

Sunny frowned. She was starting to get a picture of where this was headed. "Sorry about your troubles."

He took a swig from his drink. "I appreciate that, which makes this part hard to say. Unfortunately, my distribution prices are going up by thirty-five percent across the board."

Sunny gaped at him. "Thirty-five percent? You're kidding, right? You own all the trucks that go through Beacon. That's going to be nearly everything that I import! I thought you were rich?"

He laughed. "Who said I wasn't? I'm not going to blow through all of my own money on this, especially if I get fucked and have to do time. This whole process is going to run in the tens of millions by the time it's all over if it comes to that. Everything else I have is retirement money. I'm getting old, Sunny, and I didn't bust my ass for forty-five years to spend my golden years in the poor house."

Sunny was furious, but she was trying to keep herself composed. "Do you even know how badly you're fucking me right now? I just spent an Empress-damned fortune getting all of my licenses and fees rushed to get my new club up and running, let alone the massive remodel that we just undertook on this place. This could set me back years, and I'm not getting any younger myself."

Arnie was stoic. "We all have problems Sunny, but I'm sure you'll persevere. You always were one of the most capable women I know."

He put his cigar out, stood up and tucked the butt into his coat pocket. "This new policy isn't just for you, it's for everyone. I just thought that since you were one of my biggest customers, that it would only be fair for you to hear it from me personally. Not many others will be given that opportunity."

Before she could say anything else, he picked his hat up off of the table and placed it gingerly on his head. "I'll give you a month to adjust to the change, but after that I'll need the extra credits. Once the trial is over, we can talk again see if we can get things back to normal. That will all depend on the outcome, of course. Until that day comes, I hope you understand. Thank you for the drink and the time. You have a lovely club."

Sunny didn't say anything else. She knew whatever might come out of her mouth wouldn't be good for anyone, so she kept it shut. She nodded and walked him to the door, shutting it behind him. She came back to the table where Vicky was sitting, staring at her, waiting to see her next move.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She grabbed the almost full glass of scotch, and took it down in one gulp. Vicky looked away, not knowing what to do, while Sunny stared at the wall behind where Arnie had sat across the table from her.

Vicky was about to speak up when Sunny tossed her empty glass against the wall, shattering it.

"That motherfucker!" She yelled. "Just who does he think he is? Coming in here and talking down to me about how 'we all have problems'. What does that cocksucker know about problems? The only reason he's in the shit he's in, is because he's an arrogant idiot and got too greedy. Fucking prick!"

Vicky put her hand over Sunny's.

"Fuck him then. What's our next move?"

Sunny took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I need you to get Luke on the phone. Things might about to get a little hairy, and we need some new blood. Tell him to go through the neighborhood and see who he can round up."

"How many?" Vicky asked.

Sunny thought about it. "Three, maybe four. That should be enough for now. I'll have Jenny and the others do the same."

"What else do you need?" Vicky asked, lighting a cigarette.

"I'm going to get to work on securing some other form of transportation into the city. Arnie has all the roads, so that leaves the railroad. Or we can take the stuff from Endlane out to Frostbrook, get it loaded into ships and bring it to the port, but that might be more trouble than it's worth. I need to think."

She stood up, looking down through the large glass windows to the dance floor below. "In the meantime, I need you to head out to Endlane in the next few days when you have a chance. I can ask Max to look after the club while you're gone. I need you to go to our Fade contact and cut a new deal with him."

"What kind of deal?" Vicky asked.

"If Arnie is going to start jacking up our prices then we need some protection. I want you to see if you can get some kind of exclusivity from him. Make it worth his while to sell only to us. Find out what he'll need, then give me a call."

Vicky stood up and joined her at the window. "Sounds like a plan. I'll get the word out to Luke and see what he can do."

Earlier the following morning, Rose found herself at one of the premier boutiques in Beacon, getting ready for the final fitting of her wedding dress. They originally planned on getting married in the spring, but with the business expansion happening so fast, they held off until late summer. It was all fine with her.

Life with Vicky had been a dream, married or no. She had changed, and all for the better. She was kind, caring and so attentive, in more ways than one. When they started their club expansion and brought on a few more people, Vicky had made her the manager. She worked the books, and they shared an office, so they spent most of the time together, day and night.

They hit a little bit of a rough patch, if you could call it that, after Lisa left town. Vicky was distant for a while. Something was just off about her. Finally, Rose couldn't take it and asked her what happened. She told her that Lisa was working for the guard and was planning on turning them all in, so they made her skip town and told her that there would be 'consequences' if they saw her in town again. Rose couldn't believe that Lisa would do something like that. They were just trying to make a living, illegal as it might have been, but what gave her the right to try and take them all down?

Rose knew that, when it came to the innerworkings of Sunny's business, the less she knew, the better. That didn't mean she didn't think about it late at night. She sometimes got worried about Vicky, especially the thought of her going to jail, or ending up like Moe. She would also think about that late at night, watching Vicky snore the night away in her arms, picturing what it would be like to have to spend even one more night alone.

Those thoughts went away with time. Things were going well, better than she ever could have hoped actually. They had their own place, and it was nice. They were going to buy a house after the wedding, somewhere at the edge of the district, in the same neighborhood Sunny lived in. Her eyes lit up the first time they saw the place. She never had to wonder how Vicky could afford it, she saw just how much money her wife-to-be was raking in every night, and that was just from the club and their side-business. She had no idea how much Vicky was getting from Luke or the others, and wasn't inclined to ask.

With the wedding now only weeks away, her joy had turned to giddy anticipation, and this final dress fitting was making her almost burst with excitement. She was getting dressed as Fran, Vanessa and Jenny sat in the main room waiting.

Fran had pretty much gone independent over the course of the last year, just doing contracts where she could and giving a cut up to Sunny. She loved Vicky like a sister, but wasn't trying to take orders from anyone other than Sunny, who didn't mind if she was always on call and she always got her cut. Vicky didn't mind at all. All that business with the nobles wasn't something she had the mind or the patience for, at least not yet.

Fran ended up breaking her hand during an escape and spent some time hanging out around the club while she healed. She quickly became close to Rose, and was now happy to count her amongst her dearest friends. She loved her outlook on life. She was so cheery, even when things seemed to be at their darkest. She supposed Rose didn't know much about what Vicky actually got up to with Sunny, especially before they met. But they seemed happy, and Rose was as loyal as they came. When she asked her to be one of her bridesmaids, she happily accepted, and had helped with most of the planning of the wedding. It was all quite a bit of fun, much more than she had originally thought it would be.

Vanessa, Rose's maid of honor, was just getting back to a regular schedule after dealing with the early days of motherhood. Was it possible to love and hate something so much at the same time? Max had been a great father to their little boy, Salvatore. She loved the boy too but, when kids are that young, they could be quite a hand-full and it was exhausting.

With Max in charge of the bar and restaurant, they were making more money. It was enough that she could stop working and take care of little Sal full time, and used her spare time to take up writing music again. She had written a handful of songs over the past months, and just needed to put music to the lyrics. She was going to work with Luke to see if they could put something together in time for the wedding.

She still didn't exactly care for Vicky, but she was family, for better or worse, and Rose was a sweetheart. She felt bad for her. She was so innocent and nice, and she would likely end up getting corrupted by Vicky's madness. She could admit that Rose had tempered Vicky's more vicious nature, but she knew, deep down, that people don't change, or at least don't change all that much. Vicky was who she was, and that meant that somewhere along the line, people were going to die. Just like with Lisa. Max told her that Vicky told him that they ran her out of town, but she never believed it. Vicky was trouble, she just prayed to The Empress that it wouldn't end up being trouble for her and her family.

Jenny had joined mostly to make the bridesmaids a trio. She didn't really know Rose all that well, but she seemed like a good kid. Her restaurant would also be handling the catering for the entire event, something that she was grateful for. Things had been taking a downturn over the last few months, and she was finding it harder and harder to earn, but with the promotion from the wedding she figured she would be flooded with new customers soon.

She hadn't been the same since Moe died. That type of loss, a best friend for decades, wasn't something that she could ever get over. He helped her when she was at her lowest point, and made her see something in herself that she never knew was there. He was the perfect friend. She only wish she could have cut that traitor's throat herself for what she'd done. It was her fault that Moe was gone, and she would never let anything like that happen again while she was still breathing.

Rose had put on her dress and was both feeling and looking gorgeous. She came out of the fitting room and all of the girls clapped in approval.

"You look marvelous, dear Rose," Fran said with a smile.

"She's got that right," Vanessa remarked.

"Ya clean up nice kid," Jenny finished with a chuckle.

Rose wrapped them all into a group hug. "I can't thank you girls enough for this. I know we've all been through some crazy things together, and you've helped Vicky and me through it all."

She started to tear up. "When we first met, I couldn't imagine in my wildest dreams that we'd end up here. She's come so far since then, we both have, and we couldn't have done it without you. I'm so happy to call you all my friends. Thank you all so much."

They continued the hug, each taking Rose's speech with different emotions. Things were dark in those early days, but now they were better. Fran took it as a sign of hope for the future. Vanessa took it as a relief from the horrors of the past, finally happy that a new chapter could open on her life. Jenny took it as a sign that the cycle was going to start over again. She'd been through more than most in her forty-eight years in this world. She'd seen her fair share of blood and tragedy along the way, and she knew that the happy moments were bookends in chapters filled with misery. She hoped, somewhere deep down in her heart, that they'd be able to finally break that cycle, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it.

Later that afternoon Vicky and Luke were at The Night Cap enjoying a fresh cup of coffee. Across the bar from them sat the three new recruits that Luke had managed to round up in the morning. Two of them were tall, thin and looked quite similar to each other. They both had light blonde hair and radiant blue eyes. The only noticeable difference between them were their heights, and the fact that one was a man and one was a woman. The third was a short girl who didn't look a day older than 12. She was dirty and covered in scars, with a long one across her cheek up to her right eye.

"Ya gonna introduce us, Luke?" Vicky asked.

"Right, then," Luke started, taking a sip of his coffee. "These two are the brother and sister duo of Patricia or 'Pit' and Patrick or 'Pat' as they liked to be called."

Pit bowed her head. "Thanks for taking the time see us, Ma'am. It's an honor to finally meet you. We've heard a lot about you and your aunt."

"Yeah," Pat chimed in, "it's kinda like meetin' a celebrity or somethin'. Your aunt is like a hero to kids growing up in our neighborhood. You're pretty legendary too"

Vicky laughed. "Thanks, guys. I've never thought of myself as a celebrity before. But enough with the flattery. What is it that you think that you can bring to my organization?"

"We've got the street smarts and the drive to pull off whatever you need," Pit started.

"And we're not afraid of getting our hands dirty," Pat finished.

Luke turned to Vicky. "I asked around the neighborhood. These two are the best fast-handers in our little neck of the city. They'll swipe all your jewels and everything else in your pockets and be halfway down the block before you know what hit you."

Vicky smiled and reached out a hand for Pit and Pat for them to shake. "Sounds good, welcome aboard."

She turned to the girl. "What's your story there, kid? Shouldn't you be in school or something right now?"

"Mah name is Cricket, least that's what everyone always called me back home. And Ah ain't never been to no school."

The girl had a thick drawl, and was looking Vicky directly in the eyes.

"Ah was oo busy tryin' ta survive, Ah guess. The streets are all the school that I need."

"Just how old are you?" Vicky asked, pouring herself another cup of coffee.

"Ah'm old enough ta know how to take care of myself. And Ah'm old enough to know a good opportunity when Ah see one. Ah've been livin' on my own for as long as Ah could remember. Ah thought leavin' mah little town in the desert and bustin mah hump up to Beacon woulda given me some kinda opportunity, but it turns out all the places in this shitty world are the same."

"You didn't answer my question," Vicky said, putting her coffee down, "but at least it looks like you're motivated. Plus I think your accent is cute, so I suppose you can stay on. Do you have any skills that would come in handy?"

She took a second to think. "Ah can sneak in and out of just about anywhere without bein' seen. It's something Ah've been practicing for mah whole life on it and Ah'm pretty much an expert at this point, I suppose. And just so we start out on tha right hand, Ah'm sixteen, almost seventeen. Ya don't have to worry though, ain't no one gonna come lookin fer me. Mah ma died when Ah was six and Ah never met my pa."

Vicky smiled. "Well I'm sure you'll find your family here with us, as long as you're willing to work for it."

"Ah won't let ya down," Cricket said with a deadly serious look on her face.

Vicky chuckled. "I'm sure you won't, kid."

She turned to the other two. "I'm gonna be going out of town for a few days on business and I want you all to stay here and do whatever Luke needs you to do. I run a tough but fair outfit, and I treat my friends like my family. That being said, I also have zero tolerance for idiots or rats. If you end up being either one of those things, the best detective in the city won't be able to find you. Everyone good with that?"

They all nodded, so she continued. "Just so you aren't completely in the dark as to what's going on, I'll fill you in a little bit. Have any of you ever heard of a guy who goes by the name Neon? It doesn't mater either way. The short version is that he's a boss, kind of like Sunny. We've had some run-ins with him in the past that led to some unfortunate events. We thought we put that behind us, but it appears that might not be the case."

Vicky pulled out her pack and lit a cigarette. "I don't want to have any more bloodshed, at least not for now. I'm getting married soon, and I don't want those kinds of bad vibes spoiling my big day. So for now, we're going to try and resolve this little problem peacefully. Pit and Pat, I want you to head over to the burgs and see who's selling Fade. If you find someone, don't do anything, just find out where they're doing business and report it back to Luke."

She turned to Luke.

"Take the girl and go out west, to the edge of the territory and do the same. We spotted one of Neon's guys dealing out there a few days ago. He's a big fat fuck with bright red hair named Jacky or something. He knows he's out of his jurisdiction. I want you to find him, get him alone and take him somewhere for a nice private chat."

Luke smirked. "And the chat?"

Vicky gave him a pat on the back. "Flip him if you can. He's in the know in Neon's crew and could be a good inside man. Make it worth his while. If you can't, then take him out. But no barrels, it has to look like an accident. We don't want Neon making trouble where there isn't any yet. Can you all handle that?"

The new recruits nodded in unison. Vicky poured them all a shot and passed them around.

"That sounds great. For now just hang out around the club. I need to talk to Luke for a bit, then he can set you out on your assignments. Welcome to the team kids. Work hard and keep your heads up and I'll make you all rich. Fail and you'll regret it. Rat on me, and I'll put you through more pain than you can possibly imagine. Good luck."

They took their shots and Pit and Pat walked over to the pool table and started playing a game while Cricket just moved to the other side of the room and sat down in one of the booths.

"Where did you pick that one up?" Vicky asked Luke as they walked around to the back office.

Luke closed the door behind them. "I found her on the street after I met up with Pit and Pat. When I saw her, I just couldn't help it. She's got a fire in her eyes, just like we used to have. I wanted to help her."

"Aww," Vicky said with a laugh, "bless your bleeding heart. I never knew you could be so sensitive."

"Fuck yourself"

"That's more like it."

Luke sat beside her. "So, are you sure about this whole thing in Endlane? I mean, it sounds like this whole business with Arnie is going to really fuck us over. What if Sunny's contact out there doesn't go for it?"

"I don't even want to think about it," Vicky said with a sigh as she leaned back on the couch. "Best case, we bite the bullet and make less money. Worst case, and the more likely case, is that we're going to have to fight for what's ours and we'll end up in a war. I hope it doesn't come to that. Just make sure things go well when I'm gone and hope for the best I guess."

Luke agreed and they shared a drink. After they were done, Luke got to work with Cricket, and Pit and Pat went on their way to do Vicky's bidding. Vicky spent the rest of the afternoon getting things together for her trip and getting her bags packed. At the end of the day, she sat in bed with Rose cuddled up next to her. Rose was reading the newspaper and Vicky was trying to keep her eyes open.

"How long are you gonna be gone for, baby?" Rose asked, putting the paper down.

"Shouldn't be long, sweetie," Vicky replied, wrapping an arm around Rose's waist. "A few days at most. I don't want to spend any extra time away from you than I have to."

"It's almost time," Rose said with a smile. "It's so exciting, isn't it? I mean, I can't believe we're finally getting married. I love you so much, you know. I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for this. I don't know if I can wait much longer."

Vicky laughed. "I know how you feel. I never thought I could actually be this happy. I've done a lot of bad shit, ya know. For a long time, I didn't think that I deserved to even be happy, or that I could be. I don't know what I did to get you, but I don't plan on ever letting you go."

They wrapped their arms around each other and snuggled up until they fell asleep. All was right in in the world as far as Vicky was concerned. Sure, the meeting with Arnie could have gone better, but that could be handled. She was going to charm the shit out of whoever Sunny was having her meet. She would get a good deal, they'd get their product into the city one way or the other, and she would provide a stable life for her wife, and, Empress willing, their future children. Nothing was going to get in her way.

Unfortunately for Vicky, she didn't have the wisdom that Jenny had from years of tough times and tough decisions. She didn't know that not every cloud has a silver lining, sometimes the silver was just more rain about to fall, and a storm was headed her way, a storm bigger than any one that she'd ever seen before or would see again. She unknowingly clutched Rose close for the last time, and drifted off to dreamland.