The look on her face tells him everything. People know, it happens and itâs out of his control - they lay in wait when things are said in a way which would be considered âout of lineâ with him. She expected it to get the better of him and clearly, she was no fool - not afraid to fight and knowing damned well sheâd stand her ground. Not that self-confidence could necessarily keep someone safe from his unreasonable aggression.
   âGrazie.â And he does appreciate the cooperation, with a woman like Ana, itâs very profitable to maintain an enjoyable friendship free of underlying ill-intentions and silent reservations. âTo be honest, neither do I. Back in the day my father made them a promise, yâgotta honour that and now Iâm here to repay the debt. I canât do it without your help  - my family is gonna be very grateful to you, Ana. Besides when this shitâs over we can get somethinâ to eat. Iâm fuckinâ starvinâ my ass off over here.â Her signature was highly vital in securing all this, unfortunately. When families went way back with each other, waters seemed to mix in ownership and co-management. Â
  Finally the men returned with a briefcase, seemingly satisfied with whatever the hell had gone down in the other room. It was opened to present what Jeriko expected to be 100 large for the line of three deals heâd done across this year. Storm clouds immediately brewed over grey when nothing but a slice of meat was seen - well it looks like they werenât satisfied with his end of the bargain. Go figure. They were attempting to bully him into submission here?  â ⊠ Capicola, huh?â Oh yeah, now he was insulted, tongue dripping with venom as it pressed to the inside of his cheek. Not only were they practically slapping him in the face with a fish, but his deceased father too and that was immediately not tolerated.Â
  He gave Ana a wry look, heavily disappointed with how the way business was dealt with these days. Looks like heâd owe her wasted time as well as a favour now. With a heavy sigh and a bitter apology to his pop running on his mind, Jeriko shot all three before they knew what hit âem and stood. âIâm thinkinâ I get Ma to cook us somethinâ tonight, hm? So why donât you come over?â He questioned casually, putting the gun back in the holster hidden beneath his jacket. Sure, theyâd agreed no weapons on the premises as it was âjust friends sealing a dealâ but honestly if they were too careless to frisk him, they deserved it. And this was exactly why he didnât trust people the way his father did. This family was old, the three sat opposite him, now dead, meant nothing and this wouldnât start any fights. It was just a shame heâd be leaving without getting his money and without signing a few lease deals the Maddenteâs had promised to them.Â
   As soon as Jeriko turned to glance back at her with that look of pure dissatisfaction, she knew. She knew exactly what he was going to do next. Forcefully biting down on her lip so she wouldnât give the game away, she watched the three men carefully. Oh, they were just so confident in their decision. Offering a brazen insult to the only man who held all the real power in the room. Confident and brave and stupid. As it would turn out, she would end up getting her deaths after all. It would just be a little quicker than she wanted. She never flinched or closed her eyes as Jeriko fired three bullets into each of their chests. The blood which splattered out from their backs almost reminded her of a confetti gun, redecorating the little office in which they should have conducted their business.
   Dimly, she wondered how she might have reacted if she wasnât the woman she was. Countless other girls in the city wouldâve screamed and cowered, flinching and crying and probably shitting themselves a little as well. Was she brave? Or just broken? Changed into a world where it was fight. Never flight. She didnât want it any other way though. She was born into this world. Made to be a part of it. Not really intended to hold as much power and influence as she did, but that was only a bonus for her. She couldnât really have expected anything else though. It was hard to get out of this lifestyle without faking your own death or making some kind of world-ending deal.Â
   Maybe she might have been some maid somewhere. Cleaning other peopleâs rooms for a living, barely making any kind of wage at all. Or she could have been sold into the slave business. Made to dance âexoticallyâ at some ârespectableâ underground club. She could have come across Jeriko then. They wouldnât have had nearly the same relationship as they did now. It might not have turned out well for her. Would she have been so willing to help him if sheâd led a different life?
   She knew she loved her association with Jeriko when he turned back around to her and continued on with his life as though he hadnât just murdered three men were they stood. It was the proper type of retribution. She couldnât blame him. In fact, had it been her who was in charge, the entire situation would have become a hell of a lot messier. Ana hummed in agreement, her lips curling slightly in her appreciation of his offer. â Iâm STARVING and Your Ma has got to be the best cook Iâve ever met. I would love to join you. Thank you! Oh, do you want me to bring something? Iâm sure I could find some ancient bottle of wine or something in my fatherâs cellar. Sheâd liked that, wouldnât she? I know you would. â She sighed and then rolled her eyes. â Look, I know this wasnât your fault. You couldnât have known that these douches were going to try and intimidate you. Since I never actually ended up signing... if your Ma cooks for us, you can take that favour of the list. Only that one though. I still want retribution for the wasted time. â