Dani went about her morning routine, paying more attention to how she looked than she normally did. Her pace was quickened by her nerves, anxious about the job interview she had scheduled later that morning. Her hair was swept back, still wet from her shower; and her blouse hung open on her shoulders. As she finished brushing her teeth and spat the toothpaste into the sink, she heard a heavy knock on her door. Her watch sat on the counter top, telling her it was still early. 7 AM. Too early for any friends to come over. Her eyes narrowing suspiciously, she crept over to the door, not wanting her footfalls to give her presence away to whomever may be on the other side. She peered through the peephole, then closed her eyes with a heavy sigh when she recognized the man on the other side. She quickly buttoned her blouse, unsecured her chain lock on the door, and cracked it open. "I knew you'd find your way here eventually," she said, her tone resigned. She turned and walked away from the door.
"Dani," the man, her brother said, opening the door wider and coming in. He reached up to rake a hand through his longish hair. "Dani, we--"
"Need a place to stay," she finished for him from the bathroom. After a pause, she poked her head out into the hall to look at him. "We?" Only then did she notice the two men who had stepped into the apartment with David. One was closing the door behind him, making sure the chain was in place. She nodded slowly, beginning to understand. "So...Vincenzo wasn't a solo job, then." She smirked. "Didn't think you could have pulled that off so smoothly on your own."
"Hey, now--" David protested, coming down the hallway to talk to her. He leaned against the door frame, watching her pull a brush through her tangled, wet hair. "Look, we just need to stay here until things cool down, okay?"
She shrugged looking at him in the medicine cabinet mirror. "Fine. I'd been expecting you anyway."
"Whaddaya mean?"
Turning to look up at her brother, Dani smiled. "Come on, David. Lakeview? Everyone knows that was you. When I heard about that, I expected you to show up the next goddamned day."
David bit at his lower lip, still looking nervous and worried. "So you heard about that, huh?"
She snorted, turning back to the mirror. "Everyone's heard about it. Poppa Joe's not too happy with you, as I've heard it."
"Hey, how do you know so much? I thought they'd kill you or try to get me through kidnapping you or somethin' if they so much as saw you."
"I have my sources. Old friends who get loose lips with the promise of a nice night." She shot him a little smile before pushing past him into the hallway. "Besides, they haven't had much time to try to pull somethin' on me. It's only been a day or so, right?" She walked into the bedroom to slip into her heels before glancing into her full length mirror. Her outfit had pulled together nicely in spite of her not being given more than a day's notice. She was pleased that she still fit into the business appropriate skirt, having not worn it in a while.
"Why you gettin' so dressed up anyway? I didn't even think you'd be out of bed," David mused, his head cocked slightly to one side.
"Job interview," she replied, pushing past him again to go into the kitchen. She passed the dining area on her way, catching another glimpse of the two men who'd followed David. They were dressed identically, black peacoats, well worn jeans, and work boots. One man had darker hair than the other, but it was clear they were related. They both stared glassily at the small television she'd left on for background noise while she dressed.
"Oh, um..." David stopped her by taking hold of her arm. "Guys, this is my baby sister, Daniela. She's cool, we don't need to worry about her talkin'." The two men looked at her. The lighter-haired of them nodded, one corner of his mouth rising in a lopsided smile. The other—his brother, Dani assumed—smiled as well, raising a hand casually in greeting. David turned to his sister and finally smiled, showing he was beginning to relax. "These are the brothers I've told you about. That one's Connor, and that's Murphy," he said, pointing to them in turn.
Dani smiled, giving a little wave to the brothers. "The infamous MacManus's, eh? Nice to meetcha. David's told me a lot about your antics." She turned and went into the open kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator door and frowning at the contents.
There was a pause, then a soft "Like, how much?" She looked up to see Connor looking at her, and Murphy glaring at her brother.
"Like...I dunno, the bar fights, the giving him shit about his job, that sorta thing." The brothers visibly relaxed. Murphy rolled his eyes and slumped down in his chair. Confused, Dani looked from one brother to the other and finally to David, who looked a little nervous again. "Why? What antics should I not know about?"
Another pause. "Like...the...Vincenzo thing," David said, gesturing with one hand while running the other through his hair.
"Oh. Like I wouldn't know about that from—oh, I dunno—everyone else you've ever been involved with? Come on..." She gave David a look before grabbing a carton of eggs from the fridge, bumping it closed with her knee. "You boys hungry? I'd be happy to make some breakfast for us all before I head out." She smiled in their direction.
"Much obliged," Connor said, smiling back.
"Anything we can do to help?" Murphy asked, sitting up a little.
Dani smiled as she reached on tiptoe for a frying pan in the overhead cupboard. "No, I'm fine. Thanks, though." As she placed the pan on the stove top, she noticed David was still seeming uneasy. She turned on the heat, then walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug and laying her head against his chest. He hesitated before enclosing her in his own arms. "I'm glad to see you," she said softly.
"Why's that?"
"'Cause I thought you'd be dead by now." She looked up at him, blinking back sudden tears that surprised even her.
He sighed, then pulled her head to his chest again, hugging her tighter. "I'm okay, baby girl. It's okay." She was concentrating so hard on his voice that she didn't realize she'd started to sob until she felt someone brush by her. She looked up to see Murphy turning the stove off. She'd forgotten all about it, and the burner was red hot.
"I—I'm sorry, David...I just...When I heard about Lakeview...and then Vincenzo...Vincenzo, you stupid fuck!" She hit a fist against David's chest and looked up at him. "Poppa Joe's right hand! Why the FUCK would you think that'd be a good idea, especially when he's already gunning for you because of Anthony and Carlo at the deli!"
"I--" David opened his mouth to try to explain, but Connor broke in.
"It doesn't matter who they work for, love, or how high on the ladder they are. Evil men, dead men."
Dani looked at him angrily. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Dani, there's a lot of shit that you don't understand right now," David said, making her look back to him. "I didn't get it either until these two told me what they were doin'. And they're right. We're takin' down all the fuckers in the city who deserve it, even--" There was a slight pause, and Dani could tell her brother was trying to decide if he should finish what he was going to say. "Eventually, even Poppa Joe." David said, his voice even softer.
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. She blinked at David, then looked from Connor to Murphy and saw that this really was the plan. "You're insane, David," she said, backing away from him. "In-fuckin'-sane. You can't possibly think that the three of you can bring down Poppa Joe alone! You'd need a fuckin' army, people on the inside--"
"We'll handle it when the time comes," Murphy interrupted, leaning against the kitchen sink with his arms crossed in front of him. "Don't worry about it. None of this will involve you anyway."
"None of it will INVOLVE me?" Dani's voice was shrill now, and David placed a hand on her shoulder to try to calm her. She shrugged it off and stepped in front of Murphy, getting in his face. "You fuckers come to MY apartment to make it into your little hideout while you're getting some delusion in your heads that you're going to take down one of the biggest mob bosses in the city? Just the three of you? And it won't involve me? I'd say the fact that I'm SHELTERING you makes it INVOLVE me quite a fuckin' bit."
"Come on, Roc, we shouldn't stay here," Connor said softly, nudging David's arm. "She's right. It's puttin' her in too much danger."
"No. No, we're stayin', that's it," David argued. "Main reason I wanted to come HERE is so I can watch over my baby sister because the shit's really hittin' the fan now, and I don't want her to be touched by those fuckin' assholes. They're gonna have to get through me and you--" He poked a finger hard against Connor's chest. "--and you." He jabbed his other thumb in Murphy's direction.
Dani's eyes had not left Murphy's during the entire exchange, but her expression seemed to soften upon hearing David's words. A tense silence fell over the four of them. "So...what, you just gonna stare at each other all day?" David finally said, gesturing a hand between Dani and Murphy. His words made Murphy crack a smile and laugh, breaking the tense stare-down between him and Dani. She stepped back, still watching him, unaware of the slight smile touching her lips.
"Fine. You can stay," she said. "But only if you promise you'll be careful." The condition was directed at David.
He smiled and stepped over to her, kissing her forehead. "I promise. I'll be as careful as I can, and these two guys are good. I mean, really good. They've got my back."
"We'll take care of him," Connor said, giving her his lopsided smile again.
She looked from one man to the next, David, Connor, Murphy. Their smiles were reassuring, making her relax finally. "Fine," she said again. "Okay. Breakfast." She glanced at the clock and grimaced at how little time she had until her interview. She turned the stove back on and greased her frying pan. Murphy and Connor left the kitchen, reclaiming their places at the small table.
"So, whatcha interviewing for anyway?" David asked. "You normally dress...differently. For work, I mean."
She rolled her eyes at him as she began scrambling some eggs. "Not that kinda work anymore," she replied. "Something more...respectable. Just office work."
"You gonna be able to live off that? I might be able to help you out if you need it..."
"No," she said, putting up a hand to stop him. "You aren't helping me. I'll be fine. It won't pay as much as turnin' tricks, but I won't feel like gulping down a bottle of sleeping pills every goddamned day of my life anymore, you know?" David frowned but stayed quiet. Dani smiled at him. "Besides. You have to admit, it'll be safer." He nodded slowly, biting his bottom lip. "Now, go. Watch tv or something. I'm sure there are some cartoons you and your friends can find." She winked before shooing her brother out of the kitchen.
Breakfast was easy to put together and serve. Nerves kept Dani from eating much, and she went into the bathroom while the others finished their meal. She'd only meant to check her hair, but swore viciously when she saw how badly she'd streaked her makeup while crying. "What? What's wrong?" David called, hurrying to the bathroom.
She laughed at his concern. "Calm down. I just need to redo my face." David sighed and disappeared again. Still chuckling, she set about washing her face, only looking in the mirror again as she dried off with a small towel. She gasped to see Murphy's reflection looking back at her from the doorway. "Jesus, you fuckin' scared me!"
"Sorry." His head was tilted quizzically, and he was still taking bites from a piece of toast.
Dani turned to face him, smiling slightly. "You, uh...you need to use the facilities or something?"
He shook his head, taking another bite. "Nah. Just bored."
His penetrating gaze was making her nervous, so she turned back to the mirror and picked up her eyeshadow palette. "Afraid I won't be very entertaining either," she said with a chuckle.
Murphy shrugged. "Least you're better to look at then those two." Dani stopped what she was doing and looked at him before smiling. He smiled back, raising his eyebrows slightly as he popped the last bite of toast into his mouth. He watched her in silence as she applied her makeup until she began to put on her lipstick. "You don't need it, ya know," he said.
"What?" She looked at him in the mirror, his voice having jerked her out of her own thoughts about the interview.
"You don't need makeup. You're pretty without it."
His words made her cheeks flame. She chuckled, embarrassed. "Thanks... Just makes me feel better, you know? More confident. I really want this job." She finished with her lipstick and put it away before turning to face him. "Besides, after all my years as a hooker, I'm used to MUCH more makeup than this."
Murphy looked her up and down and smiled, the same lopsided smile his brother had. "Well, you don't need it." He finally pushed himself away from the wall and went back to the dining room. Dani stood there for a moment, wondering why his compliment affected her so strongly when she was used to men calling her beautiful all the time. She shook her head hard to clear her mind, then went to the entryway to take her coat off its hook.
"There's a spare key hanging in the cabinet under the kitchen sink," she called into the dining room while gathering her purse. "If you guys go out, could you please lock up?"
"Wait, we're going with you," David said, rising from his seat.
Dani stopped and looked at him. "Uh...no, you're not..."
"Yeah, we are," he argued, blocking her way to the door. "I told you, I need to watch over you twenty-four hours a fuckin' day. You aren't leaving here without at least one of us with you."
"You're kidding..." Dani studied her brother's face and saw clearly that he wasn't. She sighed. "Fuck...all right, come on." She knew her brother too well to waste her time arguing with him right now. She didn't have the time, and it wasn't that big a deal at the moment.
The four of them went downstairs to the underground parking in her building and squeezed into her car. Before long, Dani began to relax. It was a sunny day, and she had the windows down. The air outside wasn't warm, but the feel of it on her face calmed her. Her favorite song came on the radio; and she began to sing along softly, the volume of her voice rising as she got into it. David reached down and turned off the radio. "Hey!" she protested.
"No singing," he said, staring straight ahead.
"But--"
"No. Singing." He looked straight at her this time; and she gave up, pouting.
"Let the girl sing, Roc," Connor said, leaning forward from his spot in the backseat. "She's got a gorgeous voice." Dani smiled at that. She'd always been proud of her natural talent.
"No," David said, turning in his seat. "You guys don't understand. There's a reason she's called 'the Siren' among the other guys."
"Siren?" Connor said.
"Like the Greek sirens?" Murphy asked.
"Yeah, like the Greek sirens," David said with a nod. Dani stayed silent, but she had a smirk on her face. "See, anytime one of my friends is around and she starts singin', he falls for her. Always happens. She sings, next thing I know, he's all over her." He shot a quick glare in Dani's direction. "Problem is, he gets so caught up in being 'in love'..." David made finger quotes in the air, "...he starts getting sloppy on the job. Then, what always happens is, he fucks up and gets in trouble with Poppa Joe, or one of his lackeys. Then, he either gets demoted or rubbed out because he fucked up badly enough."
"What?" Dani said in surprised, glancing at David. "Who got killed because of me?"
"Well, no one. Yet!"
Dani rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fucker...you scared me for a second there..."
David continued. "So yeah, she's not allowed to sing around my friends. She's a siren."
Connor shook his head and sat back. "Well..." Murphy said, "she didn't have to even open her mouth to make me fall for her." Dani felt her cheeks get hot again as she glanced in the rearview mirror, and her stomach fluttered when her eyes met Murphy's.
"Oh my god," David breathed, sitting back in his seat with a hand over his eyes. Connor just laughed. Dani cleared her throat and forced herself to concentrate on driving.
