The most notorious activities occur at night.

There's something about the veil darkness offers that allows most to step out of the lines drawn by law and religion. I once read a quote by Mark Twain who claimed we were all moons with a dark side to us which we never show which I once doubted. But maybe on that particular night where there was hardly a soul in sight I believe that I truly tapped into the dark side that had been dormant.

Stepping out of the vehicle, the distinct clicking of my heels on the cement dancing in the atmosphere along with the soles of the men's shoes drew the attention of the demons lurking in the air. But even they were wise enough not to interfere with us and slinked away or chose to remain hidden in the shadows just watching us.

Keeping a file tucked under my arm with my pistol concealed in my dress I took slow steady breaths when the door to the old abandoned building swung open. The smell of rotting wood and stale piss nearly made me gag at the place that was once an apartment building. It was closed after being neglected so much to the extent it became uninhabitable for its occupants. It was going to be fixed up soon and turned into an office space. However, that night it would serve as an adequate place for a dubious agenda.

Waltzing into a room located on the first floor I can still remember past the annoying creaking of the floorboards seeing Joseph's back to me when I entered a mostly deserted room. With a single light bulb hanging on by a thread the light flickered slightly. His white dress shirt was rolled up to his elbows, hands clenched tight staring down at something.

When he heard me enter the room he turned granting me the chance to see the witness tied to the chair, blood gushing all over his face .One of his eyes was nearly swollen shut but one eye was all I needed for the imbecile to see me. "Welcome to the party," Joseph grinned gesturing to his men in the room. With one flick of his hand they vacated the space leaving the three of us in it.

Taking a seat across from the individual I leaned back waiting patiently for the captive to lift up his head after fighting to remain conscious. Once he did the sight of his eye widening in shock was notably gratifying to the point it compelled me to smirk and speak in a clear voice as I addressed him, "Hello Roland."

He frowned shifting his jaw but he quickly winced in pain after suffering many blows upon it. Recovering quickly he steeled himself and opened his mouth to spit out blood, "When I kept asking you out, this wasn't the kind of date I had in mind," he chuckled darkly the words covered in nothing but malice.

Narrowing my eyes on him I replied, "You aren't really in a position to complain." Hearing Joseph confirm it was him who had gone to the police had explained his earlier behaviour when he saw me.

He had jumped to the opportunity to frame Nicholas when approached by Lucien. Throwing the file onto the table it had been eye opening going through what Daniel and Leo dug up. Not only did Roland know Lucien but the asshole was married to his sister. With a heavyweight like Lucien in his inner circle it gave Roland the courage he so desperately sought to shift forward baring his bloody, skewed teeth at me as he seethed, "If you knew the people in my corner you –"

"I know you're Lucien's brother-in-law," I interjected wearing a bored expression whilst his face fell. I'm sure he didn't expect me knowing already but we had to be a step ahead when it came to dealing with the enemy. "I won't lie I was shocked when I found out but the nature of your relationship truly sparked my interest. I can only wonder what he would think if he knew how you truly treated his little sister," I replied reaching out to open the file.

Daniel and Leo had gone above and beyond following Roland around. The amount of surveillance led to a plethora of pictures unveiling the second family he had to another woman who lived in the Bronx. They had a child together, a cute baby girl who I pitied for sharing the same lineage as a pig. As I laid out the pictures Roland's breathing picked up, his body visibly shook at the incriminating evidence making the experience all the more enjoyable for me. "I can only imagine how a man like Lucien is bound to react if he knew you happily dive head first between any woman's legs," I continued calmly crossing my leg over the other as I grew cosy in the chair.

His eyes moved over every photo and I watched the confident man dwindle, turning to rubble under the pressure being exerted and he looked up in defeat to speak in a more demure tone, "What do you want?"

Revenge.

"It's pretty simple; you retract your testimony, give a completely different story and these pictures depicting your infidelity will never make the light of day," I concluded standing up no longer bothered in the least bit to touch those photos.

Just when I nearly blocked out his existence I stopped by the door taking one last look at him. In the past I would have winced at seeing him in such a condition because the mere thought of anyone getting hurt was unsettling. Yet on that night I felt numb to his condition. The swollen skin, marred with cuts and open gashes evoked nothing out of me but rage, "Just because your wife won't say anything about the shit you are doesn't block out the repugnant stench from the rest of the world and best believe if you try anything I'll finish what Nicholas started and pull that fucking trigger!" I spat allowing the venom to settle in the air as I stormed out of the room.

I paused in the hallway when I found Joseph leaning against the wall fighting a smile, "Nicky would be proud." Nodding my head in his direction smiling at the comment I faltered when I heard him speak again saying something that would certainly give me a sense of ease, "We got our hands on evidence they had on him." Keeping my excitement at bay I stared at him wide eyed at the news, "H-How?"

Chuckling he looked me straight in the eye and exposed the imperfections of a system that was supposedly meant to offer protection, "For some people all it takes is flashing Benjamins' to get their souls. The Chief was kind enough to give us info on the people handling the evidence." And when I walked out of that building each step I took grew lighter at the prospects looking less bleak. And it would only be a matter of time before Id have that mobster back in my arms.

***

I woke up feeling a lot better, with the sun peeking through the blinds I felt less groggy about the idea of spending another day without him. The second my head touched the pillow I was out like a light not feeling an ounce of guilt over the previous night.

Getting out of bed I padded across the room and threw on a robe over my night gown that was getting tighter. Leaving my room most of the space was bathed in an orange glow that indicated the day had just begun.

I had been feeling giddy at best with Joseph informing me that we were a step closer to Nicholas getting out. The idea of leaving everything up to chance was a gamble. I really didn't want to put complete faith in a justice system that could often be flawed.

Strolling through the house a simple idea in mind to get breakfast prepared. The hushed whispers percolated in the air and my feet on their own accord stopped whilst my ears perked at the familiar voices. I'm not sure why I stopped and why I didn't just enter the room when the occupants in the kitchen were just Eva and Sonny.

I can probably admit that I may have decided to remain glued by the wall and chose to hide behind it because I always felt there was an unspoken tension between them. And the way Sonny eyed Eva's profile as she stood by him pouring a cup of coffee for them both had me zooming in determined to figure them out.

"How does it feel being a grandma soon?" he asked keeping his eyes trained on her as she navigated around the kitchen grabbing the cream and sugar off the counter placing them on the table. Brushing a blonde lock behind her ear she smiled, her reaction warming me at seeing how genuine she was in her approach to the baby. "I'm excited. It feels just like yesterday when I held Nicky for the first time and in a few months I'm going to be holding my grandchild. Time really flies, huh?"

"And yet I'm stuck here just waiting," were the words to pass Sonny's lips, Eva's eyes widened at the phrase until a second or so passed with her expression hardening upon realizing what he meant.

"How many times are we going to have this conversation?" she inquired rubbing her temples. Sonny shifted forward, I would never forget the sight of the soft look on his face. Considering the type of person Sonny was, I never knew a man like him was truly capable of ever being tender. But there he was reaching out tentatively to touch her arm. She scooted away as if embedded within his fingers was acid and after noticing her reaction his soft side disappeared only to turn to a scowl, "We'll keep having this conversation until the outcome changes."

"It never will," she replied looking up at him. "Its been years since Vic passed; he would want you to move on and be happy," Sonny muttered, the reasoning made sense but I would like to think grief moved at its own pace and she did not seem swayed. "I don't think he'd appreciate his friend attempting to force himself on his wife." He moved forward invading her personal space once again determined to win her over, "You've always known how I felt about you even when he was alive. I'd like to think the fact you never told him means you must feel something for me."

"Rejecting you was sufficient enough and it proved pointless when you wound up getting marrie –"

The deep chuckle that resonated caught her off guard; it was off putting seeing him find humour to something that was severe. But now that I learnt what went on between them it made sense why they seemed to be at each other's throat. Sonny had been experiencing unrequited feelings for years that stretched as far back as their youth. But Eva was faithful and solely devoted to Victor, sadly with him out of the picture Sonny was hoping she had changed her tune. "I may have been married but I never stopped loving you," he corrected.

"I'm sure if Terri and your child had survived that accident you wouldn't be saying that," she bit back glaring at the man, revealing another part of Sonny's life that no one had told me about. He faltered looking away at the reminder of the obvious downfall that made his life incomplete. "You don't know that," he opposed shaking his head firmly, "I would still be there for Nicky and raise him as my own. I'd be there to love you the way Victor couldn't."

"No, Sonny! You don't know anything about how Victor loved me but best believe my choice in regards to us will NEVER change," she stressed, seeing her in such a state scared me. I had never seen her look so upset before and if I'm honest I never wanted to see her like that. "DAMN IT, EVA!" Sonny snapped making her flinch in fear as he banged his fist against the table to the point she bolted from her seat to create a distance between them. Unable to stand hiding in the corner if anything should happen I marched into the room to make my presence known, "Morning, is everything okay?" I asked directing the question to Eva who nodded her head firmly. Sonny stood up placing his cup into the sink, he sighed obviously upset considering I was in the room.

Ultimately he wasted no time in dismissing himself sensing his presence was no longer wanted and left. Left us both to soak in the deafening silence that had me looking at her in search of anything amiss but she smiled gently. It was quite unfortunate the apparent emotions Sonny felt would prove more intense than anyone fathomed.