STELLA

"And?" I grip onto Annalisa's hand tight, in anticipation of what happened next.

"And nothing," Annalisa laughs, leaning her head back against the couch, sighing.

"What do you mean, nothing?" I ask confused and slightly deflated.

"Well, we kissed and cuddled. I mean, obviously there was touching involved, but it wasn't salacious, it was...perfect, Stella." She looks at me with a dreamy smile on her face.

"He was so sweet, tender. I never felt the way I did when he kissed me and held me the way he did. Don't get me wrong, the desire and want was definitely there, we both felt it. But I think we both knew we didn't want to rush it. He kept whispering how beautiful, brave and strong I was."

I watch as she brings her arm over her eyes and she laughs quietly. "It's not the type of thing you'd imagine him saying in a moment like that." She turns her head sideways to look at me.

Her face turns solemn. "We haven't really talked about this, but...I sometimes think I won't ever be ready to be intimate, with anyone, again. Like as much as I wanted Joey, in that moment, I was scared...scared if I'd open my eyes, I'd see Alfonso or Jimmy looking back at me."

I nod in understanding, remembering how I felt during my first assignment, when the target was kissing and touching me. But then the Halloween night with JP flashes in my mind. Not to mention what happened with Sean this past weekend. I didn't have the urge to recoil or feel sick when he touched me or kissed me either...

"I'll tell you what, though...elevators are lethal, girl." She laughs shaking her head. The memory of Sean kissing me in the elevator makes me nod in agreement.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

I look over at her. "What?"

"You were smiling, just now. Like you were remembering something. Did you and JP have your own make-out sessions in elevators, too?" She asks me, grinning.

I look away and shake my head. "No, we never did that, actually." I tell her as I play with the hem of my shirt.

"But...that's where the latest mark kissed me, this weekend." I tell her quietly.

"And that makes you smile?" Her eyebrows raised in question. I haven't had the chance to tell her about Sean. She was so happy when she came home, that we've spent most of the evening and night talking about the wedding and the reunion between her and Joey.

I sigh and angle myself towards her on the couch and tell her about what happened with Sean. She began crying when I told her what Jimmy did to Sean's sister and how she hasn't been the same.

How it's almost been two years since he turned their world upside down and they haven't been able to move forward. They are not able to look past the physical and daily reminder, each time they look at the shell of a person that Jessie is now.

Annalisa wipes at her face. "We have to help him, your friend, Sean. It isn't fair that Jimmy is getting away with what he's been doing. Shattering peoples lives wherever he goes. He's a real life monster and he's being protected? Why? What is the reason?"

"I've been racking my brain as to why, this whole time and can't think of anything. I'm sure it has to do with Gio but I don't know what, exactly." I tell her, biting my bottom lip, thinking what the possibilities could be.

"What did Cristian say?" Annalisa asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I tell her I haven't spoken to him yet, knowing I can't avoid the inevitable. Normally, I will be reporting to him in the morning as usual, or send him his usual proof in the form of a photo, only I can't this time.

I turn to look at Annalisa. "So what happens now, I mean with you and Joey?"

She purses her lips. "I don't really know, but we pretty much told each other we like each other." She smiles widely. "I told him we would be leaving soon. But don't worry I didn't tell him where we are." She clearly doesn't remember me already spilling the beans to Enzo, during our drunken phone call to him. 

She twirls a strand of her short hair, pensively. "You know he's thinking of leaving, like, quit working for Timo..."

My head snaps in her direction. "Really? I never thought he would...I mean, if I had to guess between he and JP..." I shake my head. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm comparing them." I give a humorless laugh. "That's good though, right?"

"I thought the same thing. About Joey, I mean. He seemed like a lifer, but after what happened, his parents want him to leave. He seems torn, not knowing what he would do, if he did."

I remember he had a natural talent with woodworking or carpentry in high school. He did this off-campus apprentice program, during his Senior year.

Damien and JP teased him, making jokes, about him just using that as a reason to skip school, but he actually attended and seemed to really like it. He even received a certificate when he graduated. But then he started taking on more responsibility with Timo and moved up the ranks pretty quickly.

"I'm sure he could do something in construction. He did complete an apprenticeship in high school for carpentry."

She nods. "Yeah, that's what I said too and he said JP encouraged him to really consider it. Anyway, he did say he'd like to visit sometime, when things settle down." She smiles. I smile back, happy to see the smile on her face that's been missing for far too long. I lean over and hug her, holding on to her.

"It's so good to see you smile like this again, Anna." I tell her. "Like really smile." We continue to hold each other until Topo walks in.

"Is something wrong?" Taking in our tear stained faces. We chuckle and shake our heads at him. He raises his eyebrows and shrugs as he goes to the fridge to grab a beer. 

Annalisa's phone chimes. She glances down at it and her face lights up instantly. "It's Joey." She whispers, looking over at Topo who's busy on his laptop, on the kitchen table. 

"It is okay I gave him my number though, right? Like it can't be traced because it's a burner right?" She asks me worriedly. I smile at her, loving seeing her a glimpse of her old self. 

"It's fine. We'll be switching out soon, so don't worry." I reassure her. She bounces happily on the couch as she responds back to him. I tell her and Topo good night and head to my room.

I lay awake, thinking about how I will approach this new issue with Cristian. But my mind also travels to the advice JP gave Joey to really consider leaving. I feel annoyed and frustrated that he is urging Joey to consider leaving, but I know he's only looking out for Joey.

The night he came home from his trip to Chicago, after Enzo saved him, replays in my mind. He told me was leaving his position working for Timo, too. Only he didn't.

After tossing and turning and going in and out sleep, I finally decide at five in the morning, that I will just not be getting actual sleep. After making coffee, I bring my filled cup and my lap top with me and sit on my bed.

I type away to video conference Cristian. After a few rings his, face appears on the screen. It looks like he is outside, sitting on a deck or patio. He smiles at me as he greets me.

"Buongiorno, cara. You're up bright and early, no? Tell me, how did this last assignment go?" He goes straight for what he wants to know.

"Buongiorno, Cristian. Yes, it's early." I take a deep breath and then speak quickly, "There's complication with the assignment."

"You are paid to take care of the complications, Stella"

I roll my eyes at his attempt at tongue in cheek humor. "Yes, I am aware of what I do. However, this complication is personal. And while you do not deal with or care about personal problems. Please just hear me out, but...I just need a question answered first..."

I watch as his shoulders move from the deep breath he takes in and crosses his arms. He nods, giving me a silent go ahead.

"I need to know if Gio was the one who contracted the hit for this latest target?" I ask.

He narrows his eyes at me. "You've never cared who ordered a hit, why now?"

"I will tell you, but you need to answer me first...please." 

"No, Gio did not order the hit, but several other families did...Gio however, did learn of the hit and sent me a message of gratitude of sorts...so now tell me why that matters." He rubs his chin with his hand as he leans forward, waiting for me. 

I proceed to tell him how it went with Sean. How I know him from my childhood and mentioned Enzo so he could reference it with him, if he wanted. I informed him on what Jimmy did to his sister and that's what started Sean's vengeance seeking path.

"Jimmy will continue doing this and no one will stop him. Sean's family had a good rapport with several Italian families and associates before this happened. You know this, because you know the ins and outs of the families. Maybe not the intricate details but enough to know that I'm right.

Maybe it doesn't impact you right now, overall, but it will, the more Jimmy continues to spread his poison, wherever he goes. And eventually, it will cut into your businesses and profits as more partnerships and trades with different associates are affected.

But I think the bigger issue of concern is, why are the families protecting Jimmy. The more I thought about it, the more I know it has to do with Gio. He must be forcing the hands of the families to keep quiet. He must have something on each of them.

And now that you confirmed a theory of mine, with the families ordering the hit, I bet they want to get out from under Gio and thought that as long as the Sean is out of the picture, Gio can't hold anything over them...it's a win win for both sides."

I wait to see if he has anything to say after my long spiel. I pick up my cup of coffee and take a long sip. He continues to watch me and then I go on with the next part I prepared. "I didn't just come to you with an issue, I have a plan or more of an idea on how to proceed..." 

Again, I wait but he does and says nothing. For a moment, I think there's a technical malfunction, like the screen froze and I worry how much he didn't actually hear.

"I'm waiting." His voice comes through the speaker, startling me. A maid comes by and brings him a plate of what looks like a panini and a Tom Collins drink.

"I was...I was thinking. The meeting...or gathering that supposed to take place this week...take me with you. I want to talk with the heads of the other families."

A moment of deja vu hits me, as I listen to his boisterous laugh come through the speakers. I wait patiently, okay not patiently while his laugh dies down. He grabs a napkin from the table and wipes at his eyes.

"Oh Stella, you never cease to amaze me." He chuckles again. "You are definitely one of a kind, piccola."

He interlaces his fingers and leans forward. "First, you are correct, I do not care for personal issues when it comes to assignments. The last time I went against my judgment, it cost me my number one hitman, to be away for several months. Not to mention it also marred our reputation—."

"Yes, but the silver lining was you met me and gained me as an asset." I interrupt him, smiling.

I can see he's fighting the smile that wants to come across his lips. He clears his throat. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Stella. You seem to have a knack for attracting these types of strange scenarios, yes?"

"It's not like I go out looking for these things, Cristian." I defend myself. "Technically, you gave me the assignment so..."

He waves his hand in the air dismissively. "I can only sympathize what your old classmate is going through. However, he knowingly took it upon himself, to seek out revenge on those who didn't do the actual harm to his family. Therefore, he made himself a threat to our organization. That cannot go on or without consequence."

"What about the consequences for Jimmy's actions? He tried to rape me. He raped Annalisa. He took part in the killing of the man I knew as my father. What about that, Cristian?" I seethe, frustrated.

"Something you are not grasping, piccola, is that to the outside world, my organization does not or should not exist. The more your friend continues on his warpath, the more attention it draws, not only to the families in the states, but their association with the Fratellanza. 

My organization is my Family and its continued, inconspicuous existence, is not discretionary. It is of the utmost importance over any business partnerships and profits."

He leans back, sighing. He takes a long drink of his Tom Collins before setting it down."In the states, the mafia organization has a hierarchy and Timo sits at the top as I mentioned to you, previously. The Bracco's have been in that top position, for over a hundred years now." 

I cross my arms, seeing where this is going. But I'm surprised by his next words. 

"Never has a woman been brought into a gathering, Stella. I'm not sure you understand the immediate resistance, with just your presence alone, you'll face, let alone have you actually engaged in and participating in the meeting..."

"Wait, so you're taking me?"

"If anything, just to prove a point to you. That it will be pointless." He smiles. "Are you prepared to face Timo, again? And what about Gio? There's a good chance he'll have Jimmy with him."

"I'll be ready." I tell him, confidently.

"I will send a car then, Friday evening. Don't be late." 

******