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Protagonist:  Jack Ramsey

Jack settled back on his sofa and shook his head. "Fences are independent here. It's better for you and better for us that way."

Pat, his very distant cousin from New York, scoffed at him. "But we're family, Jack. Come on. You can't help us out?"

"I can help you out, but I don't take orders from nobody. I run my business how I run my business." He wasn't going to give in, not even for his mother's family.

"All right, so you run it how you want. We don't care what you do, not really, but help us out with this."  Pat sipped his coffee.

Jack leaned forward. "What do you want me to do, exactly?"

"Not much, just don't deal with the Scarletti Family. Tell them you're busy or on vacation."

"Sounds like you're telling me who to do business with." He had been his own man since he was seventeen and doing small time thefts. At thirty five he wasn't about to fall in line like a sheep.

Pat shook his head. "We're asking you to take a vacation and let the Scarlettis fend for themselves, just for a while."

"Why do you want to put them out of business? They're good business for me. They pay my bills." He needed the money. This couldn't have been worse timing on his cousin's part.

"Not enough to pay your brother's bills too though." His cousin gave him a knowing look.

Everyone knew his brother was a gambling addict. They didn't know that Jack had just emptied his emergency savings and sold three properties to pay off his debts to the Scarletti Family. Jack was flat broke and now wasn't the time to take a vacation.

"You didn't answer the question." He frowned at his cousin.

"They moved into our city and tried to steal our business." Pat scowled. "We're going to return the favor three fold."

"Even if I refuse to do business, and I haven't said that I will, there are two other majors in town." Jack shrugged. "Way I see it, I'd just be losing cash and making an enemy."

His cousin set his coffee aside. "I heard Scarletti thugs have been trying to muscle in on your business too."

"We all say no. We always say no." Jack forced another shrug. "It's good for business that way."

He didn't know how his cousin had gotten such accurate information so quickly. Jack hadn't been approached yet, but Mack was swearing up a storm the day before about it. He was friendly with the other fence and they gave each other the occasional heads up. When it came to the unpredictable Scarletti Family a heads up was a godsend.

"And when one of your competitors says yes, where will you be then?" Pat prodded. "You don't need an independent fence if you have an in-house fence."

"They won't, but I'll think about it." Jack was already thinking about it. Without the Scarlettis he wouldn't have to worry about thugs thinking they owned the whole city.

There was nothing to stop his own family from filling that role, however. If he wanted to be one of their thugs he'd have moved to New York.

As it stood he knew Mack had declined, even with Scarletti threats. That left Mila Salazar as the only other fence able to move Scarletti goods. She had always been independent in the past but Jack didn't know much about her personally. If she bowed to Scarletti threats, he'd be screwed. There was too much riding on an unknown.

"We're moving in, Jack. It's best if you take that into consideration as family." Pat frowned and stood up. "Talk to the other fences. Make sure they understand Scarletti's aren't the only players in town."

"That I can do." Jack escorted him to the door.

"Take care, Jack." His cousin shook his hand.

"I'll be sure to do that." He nodded and closed the door behind Pat.

Alone, Jack called his right hand man.

"What do you need, boss?" Anthony answered with his chain-smoking rasp.

"Tell everyone to avoid Scarletti men and keep their mouthes shut." He wasn't ready to fall in with his cousin, but neither was he going to lend a helping hand to Scarlettis.

"Something going down?"

"Yeah. I don't want to come down on the wrong side on this one, so steer clear," Jack warned.

"I'll get the word out. Anything else?" Anthony was efficient in that way.

"Yeah, one more thing." He hesitated, hoping he wasn't making a mistake. "Find a location on Mila Salazar. Find out everything you can about her. Quietly."

A hostile takeover was going to be bloody, but Jack had no cash and no way out. He needed to come out on top on this one or his business was finished. Hell, he'd be dead if he didn't play his cards right.

#

Protagonist:  Mila Salazar

Seated at the bar, Mila sipped her beer. She watched the door, waiting for George to bring word about her missing peon.

"So I told her she can take her fake bag, that was super tacky with her lime green shoes, by the way. Anyway, I told her she can take her bag and-- Are you listening to me?" Corrine tapped her manicured nails on her beer.

Mila flicked her employee, and friend, a mere glance. "You told her off. Then what'd she do?"

"Right in the store she told me that Jack Ramsey bought her the bag." Corrine slapped her beer on the bar with the juicy gossip.

"The fence Jack Ramsey?" The man was too charismatic to be trusted, but had never caused her problems. She kept up on the gossip anyway. She never knew when information came in handy.

"Yes, that Jack Ramsey. I cannot believe he's sleeping with that skank." She waved her hand with outrage. "He's like a greek god in bed. I shit you not. You have not had sex until you've been with that man."

Mila shook her head, amused. "I'm sure he's just like any other man."

"It's like being a virgin again." Her friend leaned in close. "If I could go back and rechoose who popped my cherry, I'd wait for him."

"Why?" Mila gave the older woman her full attention, perplexed.

She looked around before imparting the next bit of gossip. "Because he is that good. Multiple orgasms good."

The back door opened and George entered. He caught her eye, frowning, and inclined his head toward the stairs.

"I gotta go be the boss." She looked her impeccably dressed friend over as she stood. "I might have an errand for you. Stick around."

"Sure thing, honey." Corrine already turned her attention to the bartender for another drink.

In the office, she closed and locked the door.

George frowned down at her. "You're not going to like it."

"Just spit it out." She crossed her arms over her chest, already knowing what he was going to say. She'd known the truth for weeks, but needed to hear it from someone else.

"Jimmy's dead, and so is Mack." His frown turned into a grimace.

Jimmy and Mack both dead was good for her business, but spelled trouble for her independent status.

The Scarletti Family was looking to vertically integrate all the middle men in Core City. Fences in the city were picky and strong advocates of free trade, however. They worked for everyone and no one exclusively. So when her peon was approached about Mila receiving a "family position" she declined out of hand.

Jimmy, her dead peon, was her go to man for organized crime. Unfortunately for him, he happened to be skimming money off the top. Fortunately for her, when she told the Scarlettis "no thanks" Jimmy was the prime target to send a message.

"You're sure?" She wanted no room for doubt.

"Mack was killed in his shop. A card stuffed in his mouth." Definitely a Scarletti hit then. "Jimmy was hit by the same guy on the docks."

"You're sure?" She still had hoped to hear he was murdered somewhere else. Anywhere else.

"My contact at the station gave me the scoop on Mack. I saw Jimmy myself." George waited for an order.

"Okay." She nodded.

He arched his brow. "Okay?"

"She's downstairs waiting for an errand."

"Okay." George headed for the door.

"George?" Her stomach twisted with indecision.

He paused.

It was too late for Mila to back down. "Make it painless."

He nodded and closed the door behind himself.

Alone, she poured herself a stiff drink from her desk stash.

No one but Corrine had known where Jimmy was going to be, not even Jimmy. In an effort to leave zero doubt about her friend's guilt Mila had dropped him off herself.

She grimaced. Core City was a mess.

Scarlettis lost millions when their money laundering front was robbed in New York. By all accounts they were broke. The crime family was scrambling to stay afloat with New Yorkers moving into town. They were calling in all loans and leaving a trail of dead bodies in their wake.

Her friend owed more than fifty thousand and owned nothing of value to repay the debt. Information on Mila's business was all Corrine had to trade.

She knew that Corrine had no other choice. She understood the desire to live, but it didn't change a thing. Corrine had betrayed her and that was a death sentence in this business.

"Damn you, Corrine." She knocked back her drink and shuddered at the burning in her throat.

Crime in Core City was about to reorganize and it was time to plan a vacation. She didn't want to be near the bloodbath this time around. If anything, one less fence would help cash starve the Scarletti Family. She hoped it pushed the bastards into extinction.

Once the dust settled, she'd be back and free to run her business how she pleased.

#

Description
Protagonist:  Jack Ramsey

Jack settled back on his sofa and shook his head. "Fences are independent here. It's better for you and better for us that way."

Pat, his very distant cousin from New York, scoffed at him. "But we're family, Jack. Come on. You can't help us out?"

"I can help you out, but I don't take orders from nobody. I run my business how I run my business." He wasn't going to give in, not even for his mother's family.

"All right, so you run it how you want. We don't care what you do, not really, but help us out with this."  Pat sipped his coffee.

Jack leaned forward. "What do you want me to do, exactly?"

"Not much, just don't deal with the Scarletti Family. Tell them you're busy or on vacation."

"Sounds like you're telling me who to do business with." He had been his own man since he was seventeen and doing small time thefts. At thirty five he wasn't about to fall in line like a sheep.

Pat shook his head. "We're asking you to take a vacation and let the Scarlettis fend for themselves, just for a while."

"Why do you want to put them out of business? They're good business for me. They pay my bills." He needed the money. This couldn't have been worse timing on his cousin's part.

"Not enough to pay your brother's bills too though." His cousin gave him a knowing look.

Everyone knew his brother was a gambling addict. They didn't know that Jack had just emptied his emergency savings and sold three properties to pay off his debts to the Scarletti Family. Jack was flat broke and now wasn't the time to take a vacation.

"You didn't answer the question." He frowned at his cousin.

"They moved into our city and tried to steal our business." Pat scowled. "We're going to return the favor three fold."

"Even if I refuse to do business, and I haven't said that I will, there are two other majors in town." Jack shrugged. "Way I see it, I'd just be losing cash and making an enemy."

His cousin set his coffee aside. "I heard Scarletti thugs have been trying to muscle in on your business too."

"We all say no. We always say no." Jack forced another shrug. "It's good for business that way."

He didn't know how his cousin had gotten such accurate information so quickly. Jack hadn't been approached yet, but Mack was swearing up a storm the day before about it. He was friendly with the other fence and they gave each other the occasional heads up. When it came to the unpredictable Scarletti Family a heads up was a godsend.

"And when one of your competitors says yes, where will you be then?" Pat prodded. "You don't need an independent fence if you have an in-house fence."

"They won't, but I'll think about it." Jack was already thinking about it. Without the Scarlettis he wouldn't have to worry about thugs thinking they owned the whole city.

There was nothing to stop his own family from filling that role, however. If he wanted to be one of their thugs he'd have moved to New York.

As it stood he knew Mack had declined, even with Scarletti threats. That left Mila Salazar as the only other fence able to move Scarletti goods. She had always been independent in the past but Jack didn't know much about her personally. If she bowed to Scarletti threats, he'd be screwed. There was too much riding on an unknown.

"We're moving in, Jack. It's best if you take that into consideration as family." Pat frowned and stood up. "Talk to the other fences. Make sure they understand Scarletti's aren't the only players in town."

"That I can do." Jack escorted him to the door.

"Take care, Jack." His cousin shook his hand.

"I'll be sure to do that." He nodded and closed the door behind Pat.

Alone, Jack called his right hand man.

"What do you need, boss?" Anthony answered with his chain-smoking rasp.

"Tell everyone to avoid Scarletti men and keep their mouthes shut." He wasn't ready to fall in with his cousin, but neither was he going to lend a helping hand to Scarlettis.

"Something going down?"

"Yeah. I don't want to come down on the wrong side on this one, so steer clear," Jack warned.

"I'll get the word out. Anything else?" Anthony was efficient in that way.

"Yeah, one more thing." He hesitated, hoping he wasn't making a mistake. "Find a location on Mila Salazar. Find out everything you can about her. Quietly."

A hostile takeover was going to be bloody, but Jack had no cash and no way out. He needed to come out on top on this one or his business was finished. Hell, he'd be dead if he didn't play his cards right.

#

Protagonist:  Mila Salazar

Seated at the bar, Mila sipped her beer. She watched the door, waiting for George to bring word about her missing peon.

"So I told her she can take her fake bag, that was super tacky with her lime green shoes, by the way. Anyway, I told her she can take her bag and-- Are you listening to me?" Corrine tapped her manicured nails on her beer.

Mila flicked her employee, and friend, a mere glance. "You told her off. Then what'd she do?"

"Right in the store she told me that Jack Ramsey bought her the bag." Corrine slapped her beer on the bar with the juicy gossip.

"The fence Jack Ramsey?" The man was too charismatic to be trusted, but had never caused her problems. She kept up on the gossip anyway. She never knew when information came in handy.

"Yes, that Jack Ramsey. I cannot believe he's sleeping with that skank." She waved her hand with outrage. "He's like a greek god in bed. I shit you not. You have not had sex until you've been with that man."

Mila shook her head, amused. "I'm sure he's just like any other man."

"It's like being a virgin again." Her friend leaned in close. "If I could go back and rechoose who popped my cherry, I'd wait for him."

"Why?" Mila gave the older woman her full attention, perplexed.

She looked around before imparting the next bit of gossip. "Because he is that good. Multiple orgasms good."

The back door opened and George entered. He caught her eye, frowning, and inclined his head toward the stairs.

"I gotta go be the boss." She looked her impeccably dressed friend over as she stood. "I might have an errand for you. Stick around."

"Sure thing, honey." Corrine already turned her attention to the bartender for another drink.

In the office, she closed and locked the door.

George frowned down at her. "You're not going to like it."

"Just spit it out." She crossed her arms over her chest, already knowing what he was going to say. She'd known the truth for weeks, but needed to hear it from someone else.

"Jimmy's dead, and so is Mack." His frown turned into a grimace.

Jimmy and Mack both dead was good for her business, but spelled trouble for her independent status.

The Scarletti Family was looking to vertically integrate all the middle men in Core City. Fences in the city were picky and strong advocates of free trade, however. They worked for everyone and no one exclusively. So when her peon was approached about Mila receiving a "family position" she declined out of hand.

Jimmy, her dead peon, was her go to man for organized crime. Unfortunately for him, he happened to be skimming money off the top. Fortunately for her, when she told the Scarlettis "no thanks" Jimmy was the prime target to send a message.

"You're sure?" She wanted no room for doubt.

"Mack was killed in his shop. A card stuffed in his mouth." Definitely a Scarletti hit then. "Jimmy was hit by the same guy on the docks."

"You're sure?" She still had hoped to hear he was murdered somewhere else. Anywhere else.

"My contact at the station gave me the scoop on Mack. I saw Jimmy myself." George waited for an order.

"Okay." She nodded.

He arched his brow. "Okay?"

"She's downstairs waiting for an errand."

"Okay." George headed for the door.

"George?" Her stomach twisted with indecision.

He paused.

It was too late for Mila to back down. "Make it painless."

He nodded and closed the door behind himself.

Alone, she poured herself a stiff drink from her desk stash.

No one but Corrine had known where Jimmy was going to be, not even Jimmy. In an effort to leave zero doubt about her friend's guilt Mila had dropped him off herself.

She grimaced. Core City was a mess.

Scarlettis lost millions when their money laundering front was robbed in New York. By all accounts they were broke. The crime family was scrambling to stay afloat with New Yorkers moving into town. They were calling in all loans and leaving a trail of dead bodies in their wake.

Her friend owed more than fifty thousand and owned nothing of value to repay the debt. Information on Mila's business was all Corrine had to trade.

She knew that Corrine had no other choice. She understood the desire to live, but it didn't change a thing. Corrine had betrayed her and that was a death sentence in this business.

"Damn you, Corrine." She knocked back her drink and shuddered at the burning in her throat.

Crime in Core City was about to reorganize and it was time to plan a vacation. She didn't want to be near the bloodbath this time around. If anything, one less fence would help cash starve the Scarletti Family. She hoped it pushed the bastards into extinction.

Once the dust settled, she'd be back and free to run her business how she pleased.

#