Part I: Discovery

Chapter 1: Rescue

March, 1933

"Luck, there's somebody back here."

The sound of one of his men's voices snapped Luck back to attention, stepping away from the bloody corpse. This old, decrepit brick house was (had been) a Runorata hideout. The Gandors had attacked it in retaliation for the deaths of some of their men a few weeks ago, and Luck had come to see the damage. There was only one guy who'd been killed, and while Luck was left feeling that there was some kind of injustice in that, he followed the other man down the hallway.

Upon reaching the room at the end of the hallway, Luck's hand hesitated at the doorknob. It was already half-open; Luck could see the shape of a man on top of the bed inside. The figure looked familiar, but Luck didn't recognize him at first.

Pushing the door all the way open, Luck quickly realized the severity of the situation. Squaring his jaw, he turned to his underling.

"Bring one of the cars around. Leave it out front, and tell the other guys to stay back." It was an order, the other man recognized that, and he nodded resolutely as he dashed off.

Now moving fully into the room, Luck crouched beside the bed, pushing the man lying on the bed's hair from his face, in or der to properly identify him. He was sure of who the man was now.

Lying on the bed, motionless except for ragged breathing, sheets thrown half-heartedly over his naked form, was Dallas Genoard.

Luck was nearly taken aback in shock at the man's condition. He was fairly certain that Dallas wasn't there of his own accord; he was lying on his back, wrists tied to the bedpost. It appeared as though he'd been there for some time, but even when Luck touched his face, Dallas didn't respond. Though he did give a tiny, thin whimper, he made no active attempt to escape.

All at once, Luck was overwhelmed with two very different, yet equally strong voices: the one that said "Leave him," and the one that said "Take him." Dallas had been an enemy of the Gandor family since they'd met. There was absolutely no real reason for Luck to help Dallas, other than pity. Even so, it wasn't pity that made Luck untie Dallas's wrists. It wasn't pity that made Luck gently cover him with the bed sheet. It wasn't pity that made him carry Dallas out to the waiting car. It wasn't pity that made him take Dallas to the Coraggioso and put him to rest in the back room on the bed.

Rather, it was a sense of understanding, and remembering his own struggles, that made Luck Gandor save Dallas Genoard.