"I still can't wrap my head around why!" Harry said more to himself by now but Charlie groaned nonetheless. "I refuse to believe that this is true!"

Charlie motioned at his friend's head as if he wanted to hit him with the phone in his hand. The cab driver had refused to drive them directly to the house they were looking for, so they had to walk down the pretty empty side road and look for it.

"I've asked around and only if all the informants are lying or your eyesight was pretty bad at night would mean that it wasn't Vento. But if we trust in both, yes, the gold eyed bloke with the weird curl is definitely Vento."

His eyes went back to his phone screen and Harry snorted angrily.

"It is unusual, but we will have to accept it for now. I don't think a boss like him would let his subordinates joke like that" Paddy said to the younger one who only snorted again. "There's not much we can do anyways – "

"Wait!" Charlie called, slapping Harry on the chest that he yelped and Paddy raised an eyebrow.

Charlie looked up from his phone, eyes then rolling upwards for a few seconds while Harry cursed "What the fuck Charlie."

His friend nodded: "There we are."

Harry's eyes wandered over the building in front of them. It was at least 40 years, if not older. Not as run down and decrepit as many of the others in the street but its best days were clearly over.

Harry raised one of his thick eyebrows: "Are you sure this is it?"

"The text message says second floor and this address and google maps says it is here, don't argue with google maps, Frecky" Charlie replied and his friend quickly turned his head to glare at him. "Also, the cab driver asked like five times what we want in a shady area like this, that's proof enough for me."

"They are shady people, but a friendlier welcome would have been nicer" Paddy argued. "This Vento sure has strange approaches."

Harry looked at the door, made out of a metal frame and toned glass. As he pushed his sunglasses down he could see his reflection.

The messy hair was as neat as it could be. Clusters of a few of his thousand freckles had been getting more intense and were clearly visible.

Harry decided he looked fine enough for a business meeting and took a step towards the door, wondering if he should ring or if the door was open – it actually wouldn't have surprised him if it would come off its hinges when he touched it.

But it didn't when he opened it and behind the door a large room awaited them, a single desk at the back of it, light shining through the windows on the left, chairs lined up beneath them and several doors on the right wall. The one in the middle was a double door – and it was open.

The walls were in a light blue and the black floor tiles looked pretty worn out.

Charlie, who, just like Paddy, had lowered his sunglasses, pushed them upwards again: "And I always thought Italians had a good fashion sense."
Harry only rolled his eyes and stepped inside, the other two following.

"Lads, I wonder if he means American second floor or our second floor" Paddy said when they spotted that the double door was the entrance to the staircases. "Just remembered that."

"We'll find out, what's the worst that could happen if we open the wrong door?" the younger bodyguard replied and followed his boss up the stairs, the older one shoving his hands in his suit pockets and giving back "A lot" before doing so as well.

The door to the first floor was locked so they went up another.

It wasn't locked there and the corridor, lighted in a sick green light due to the lack of windows, lead to only one door and made Charlie reach for his glasses again:

"I prepared my eyes for a lot of sun, but not for horrible locations!"

"How about you prepare your mouth for shutting the fuck up, Charlie!" Harry snarled and the other, surprisingly enough, replied nothing so he nodded and whispered "There you go" before walking towards the door, grabbing the doorknob -

He stopped, hand hovering over the round brazen knob.

Do I wait until somebody calls me in? Could wait forever if this is the wrong room. And if it's the right then still what? Do I have to make myself known? Dammit Vento, can't you just have a normal office with a damn secretary or something?!

"Just come in, Signore O'Connel. I won't bite you."

Charlie snickered and Harry rolled his eyes.

Fuck you, too, Vento.

He opened the door and stepped in.

In the room was nothing but a small plastic table and two chairs and on one of them sat the man from the harbour, Harry immediately recognized his face. That the same overly confident, mysterious smile was part of it made it easier.

His legs lay crossed on the table, his hands lay folded on his stomach and left and right of him stand two men, wearing black suits just like him and a bored expression on their faces.

He put his legs from the table and sat up straight, opening his arms and widening his smile:

"Buondì Signori! Excuse the circumstances of our meeting, but due to some recent incident I had no other option than these rather sparse facilities."

Harry pulled the other chair back and sat down, Vento responding with a cocked eyebrow but nothing else.

"Of course." The Irish didn't wonder if it was a false pretence why he was here or what the incident was if it was true after all. He didn't want to know either way. "The surroundings don't matter in the end, do they?"

A small smile wandered onto his face again: "Of course, Signore O'Connel. But before we start, let me introduce my partners here ̶ the Signori Bontade."

The two men didn't say anything, only lowered their sunglasses. It was so synchronously that it made Harry's heart skip a beat. Like puppets, hethought as Vento carried on:

"My guards and loyal helpers."

"Ah" was all Harry could get out before clearing his throat. "Pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is all ours" they said in unison once more with a grin this time before sharing a look. Their features softened, looking impish and Harry lost any bad feeling he had about them before.

"Or all yours?" the one to the left asked.

"We always mix it up" the right one explained.

Vento put a hand up; the smile on his face was gone: "That's enough you two."

They pushed their sunglasses back on, but the puppet effect was as gone as their displayed boredom.

"My company can introduce themselves" Harry said, way more confident than before.

A second passed before the Irish could hear his best friend and the cocky grin in his voice:

"The name's Higgins. Pleased to meet you as well."

Paddy's heavy voice was probably the only one who sounded as professional as the situation was requiring it: "I'm O'Neill." After barely a break: "Likewise."

"The pleasure is all mine, Signori" Vento said, eyes on the two, before he turned back to Harry:

"After all the formalities it's time we start business, don't you agree Signore O'Connel?"

"Definitely. I've heard your looking for partners?"

"Exactly."

"And I am looking for one as well, this sounds great already."

Vento chuckled and Harry's smile froze for a second.

"It does" the Sicilian answered. "And what makes it sound even better is that I am able to help you with your problems."

Harry's answer was quiet, but still perfectly audible in the small room:

"Do you."

"I have what you need and it comes with little conditions. Almost none, actually."

"You don't know what I need better than I do myself."

"Let me make a presumably accurate guess – money."

Harry knew that he wasn't pulling a very professional face. Pouting was never professional unless you were a child movie star.

"An elephant is small, almost nothing compared to a mountain" the Irishman gave back after he regained his composure, voice not only reserved but even slightly hostile. "What are those little conditions?"

"Don't make a mountain out of a molehill, Signore O'Connel. It's just the usual loan talk."

"The usual loan talk already has enough trap and back doors" Harry responded. "Besides, I am looking for a partner, not for a loaner."
Vento just kept smiling undeterred: "Well then, let's take a step back and you tell me what you are looking for in a partner."

"Connections" the Irish responded. "A back up, somebody to work with. Financial support, all well but this isn't why I'm here."

Something was seething deep down inside of him.

We have barely talked, calm down. Play it low. Be professional.

"I am looking for somebody who wants to cooperate."

"So do I, Signore" Vento gave back. "But I think that you can't say no to a loaner right now, do you?"

It seethed. He still couldn't exactly name what it was, but it was only getting worse.

"I can do whatever I want and one of those things is saying no to this loaner bullcrap."

He heard Paddy sigh and saw Vento tilting his head with a questioning look.

Even if it took his voice a few seconds to get as steady as before, he carried on:

"I mean, I can change my mind if you tell me how your financial support looks like but I am pretty sure it won't really change something."

"How can you be so sure of it? Besides – I wouldn't bite the hand that wants to feed you, Signore O'Connel."

"I will bite every hand that wants to put me on a leash."

The Sicilian frowned but whatever had seethed inside of Harry, it had reached the surface and burned away most of his tact.

"I don't want a loan, I don't want to owe anybody money. I don't want to be bought. I won't end up as outpost for you to gain more territory."

A short sparkle appeared in the eyes of the Sicilian, only for one second, but Harry felt uncomfortable immediately.

"And that all because I offered you help? You sure got a short fuse, don't you Signore O'Connel."

Harry's lips twitched, he wanted to grind his teeth, he wanted to shout, he wanted to slap himself for letting his temper get the best of him. And most of all, he wanted to slap the Sicilian.

"Apologies" he instead snarled. "But I don't think that we will reach an agreement with this approach."

"Apparently not. We might be able to find a better one if we could talk a bit more freely."

"A bit more freely?"

"Just the two of us. A short talk in private."

"What for?"

"Like I said – to talk more freely. Conversations like that are usually way more productive."

The sly small smile was back. The one that said absolutely nothing about you – except that you were sure of having the upper hand: "Or do you have any objections?"

Synchronously, his bodyguards leant down to him and said something in Italian before Harry got the chance to reply.

Instead he took the opportunity to turn around, his bodyguards also leaning down to him.

"Can you hear what they are talking about?" he whispered to Charlie who looked over to the three.

"I have no idea what he's playing at but he gets more suspicious any second" Paddy meanwhile muttered and Harry nodded.

"Your opinion on his idea?"

"No clue, he gains nothing from separating us. If he hopes to make you uncertain – "

"Then he's mistaken."
The knowing smile in Paddy's face only made him more self-confident.

"I can't understand much, but it seems that the Bontades are also clueless" Charlie reported quietly.

Vento shrugged and gestured towards his bodyguards: "Cosi va il mondo."

"And now he said 'That's life'" was Charlie's final comment before everyone returned to their former position.

"Well, now that we have cleared things up, what do you say?"

It was quiet in the room before Harry grinned:

"We agree with your proposal. Let's talk, you and I."

Vento smiled victoriously.

"Fine. They're gone" Harry said after Charlie and Paddy as well as the Bontades had left. He noticed how alike they even moved. They had to be twins.

"Sí. Now we're alone" the other man said and silence ensued.

Did I involuntarily sign up for a lousy skit?

"Free to talk without having to worry what anybody else will think."

"You still should worry what I think of what you're about to say" Harry retorted and Vento chuckled. It sounded exactly like one would have expected it from his rich, smooth voice.

"That's true, of course. But you don't really care much about what I think of you, do you?"

"My poker face is not the best, I admit" he gave back with another grin.

He hoped Vento could not tell a pissed off smile from the self-confident he had shown before.

"No, nor is your word choice at times, it seems" Vento said and stood up, hands on the table. A faint smile on his lips and this sparkle in his eyes again, he carried on: "You're just saying what comes to mind when it bothers you too much, Signore O'Connel."

"What can I say, I am straight forward" Harry gave back and Vento's smile grew wider:

"I hope that is the only straight you are, Signore O'Connel."

Harry frowned at the comment while the other slowly walked around the table.

He cleared his throat: "Scusi. But I really have to say you have taken my interest in you to a whole new level."

"We are alone so we can talk about business, not that you make me some other immoral offers."

"It's about immoral things either way" Vento replied still grinning and took another few, slow steps towards Harry. "You seem extraordinary, truly one of a kind in our business."

"Sweet talk" Harry snorted and Michele chuckled once more:

"You can take my words without a grain of salt, Signore O'Connel."

"Of course, if you say so."

Vento cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head: "You are really not like one of the others."

"Nobody ever gave you as good as you got?"

He grinned once more and the fact that Harry had to look up to him now made the expression almost sinister.

And yet, the Sicilian still came across as charming with it. Faked or natural, he didn't know, but the smile suited him. As bespoken as his suit.

"Not in that way." He had toned it down but still looked joyful: "Everybody's so guileful if they want something, no one tried getting what they want with …"

"Without kissing your arse?"

"With such determination."

He giggled: "And without kissing my ass, yes. You and your temper is something that I just can't help but be drawn to you."

"So now I am the one getting my arse kissed until I say yes. It's not going to work, Mister Vento."

He took another two steps towards him, and Harry wondered if he had even planned this little walk.

"By no means."

Standing beside his chair now, the Irish had to lean his head back to look at him now. The small smirk on his lips made him seem even more superior.

Stop looking down on me, you bastard.

Harry's fingers started to tap on the armrest.

Vento took a step behind Harry as well as putting his hands on his shoulders. For a second, a train of thought rushed through Harry's head as he cringed.

A predator circling its prey, always in great posture, a vulture finally putting its claws into its target –

Vento interrupted him: "I felt you cringing. Scared of me, Signore O'Connel?"

"As if" he hissed. "But would you be so nice to tell me why you put your hands on me?"

The Sicilian leant down to him: "To emphasise my following point, Signore O'Connel. Because you as a person, not business partner, have also sparked my interest. With your bold attitude …"

Harry cringed again when he chuckled, right next to his ear. Vento moved on with his right hand, sliding down to his chest:

"And your handsome face. Truly, some sort of untypical sort of beauty, but that just makes it all the better."

Immoral offers my arse, I am not your damn tart!

"May I know the full name of the man who clouded my mind like that?"

Harry grabbed the arm on his right chest and his tone was almost bored unlike his firm grip:

"Alright pal, the only one who needs my full name is the police when they ask who broke your arm. Or you de-cloud your damn head and get your hands off me."

Vento straightened up: "Okay, I got it. Apologies – I still need you to let go of my arm …?"

The last word was weirdly drawn out and Harry bothered to look upwards at him.

Vento was still looking amused by the situation and Harry had half a mind to squeeze his arm until it left a bruise: "What?"

"I'd still really like to know your first name. I mean, if we are holding hands already – "

The sentence ended not with a period but with a yelp when the Irish gave his arm a strong tug before letting go.

"It's Harry before you annoy me any further."

"What a lovely name."

Vento took a step to stand beside him and leant down again.

Harry hadn't seen the golden eyes up this close yet but he had to say that even when lidded, they were a unique sight.

"Mine is Michele since we are on first name terms."

"We aren't" he replied when the other straightened up. "You wanted to know it because you had to flirt with me, not because it had anything to do with business."

He grinned, sad that Michele showed no reaction to it: "And we are here to do business, right?"

"Of course, bello."

"Bello?"

"A term of endearment – meaning handsome, beautiful one."

He grinned and it clearly made Harry show an reaction: "Or are those kind of things also forbidden, Signore O'Connel?"

"If you say those kind of things while the others are around then you can say arrivederci to your bloody arm."

Michele laughed for a second, laughed loudly, before clearing his throat and sitting down:

"My, how I love your fiery temperament already, bello!"

Harry gnashed his teeth and his fingers dug into the chair's armrests.

"This wasn't to talk about business from the start, am I right?"

Michele frowned but still smiled on:

"The entire trip or this little private talk? To both I must say that you are wrong. I don't mix private life and work – at least not in that way. No, Signore – Let's talk about business."

"So this guy wants to get into my pants and that makes me wanting to get into the next plane to Dublin" Harry ended his report about his private talk with Vento to Charlie and Paddy, the three being on their way to their hotel.

"Well, I wouldn't mind" Charlie hummed and Paddy just rolled his eyes about that comment but Harry glared at his friend, who stared back grinning: "What. Yeah, I know that'd be bloody unprofessional, but have you seen that man? I mean," he shrugged, "I know I wouldn't pass that chance."

"You might have missed the point, Chaaarles" Harry started and the other cringed upon hearing his 'real' name before throwing a hate filled look at him, who ignored it:

"As if I'd care right now that it is unprofessional, the fact that I'm not gay like you could be a bit more of a reason to not shag a man, don't you think so, too?"

"Wait, if you'd be queer you'd do him?"

"I swear to god Charlie!"

The other only laughed: "But really, think a bit more outside the box, not so straightforward, Frecky!"

Harry kept staring at him, now mouth tightly pressed shut and a scowl in his eyes.

"I refuse to laugh but that was a nice pun."

"Thank you."

"But seriously Harry, don't think too much about it at all" Paddy joined the conversation. "He said you should come up with a good offer so let's focus on that instead, okay blokes?"

Harry tilted his head to the side, looking upwards before he shrugged and nodded.

After only walking few metres however, he stopped.

"Do you know what I just realised" he said in a dry tone.

"That we barely got something that Vento would consider a good offer?" Charlie replied in the same voice.

"Damn right. Or rather, I'm afraid that's the case we got right now."

Paddy rubbed his chin: "Hm, the most of the credits are still going well."

Harry looked at him: "Well enough for Vento?"

"Good enough to call it a security, that's for sure. Besides, we just have to show that we're lying level with him. Gotta show him some Irish fighting spirit."

Harry grinned and cracked his knuckles: "Oh, I've got plenty of that."

"I keep saying that if Frecky would have lived back in 1919 our independence would have been a one-man army matter" Charlie said and the others laughed.

"Damn right" Paddy said with a broad smile. "And since we eat Englishman for breakfast we should only worry about what to make out of those Sicilians."

While Harry chewed on his bottom lip, Charlie sounded as if he was about to puke, causing only Paddy to look at him questioning.

"I'm sorry, I threw up a little in my mouth at the thought of eating Robert."

The older man laughed once more, patting his back that Charlie stumbled a step forwards: "Don't take things to literal lad, sometimes it's shite."

"But sometimes it's incredible funny" Charlie replied and Paddy laughed quietly once more:

"You say it, but I'd never eat any of them, not if my life would depend on it. They must give you stomach cramps anyways."

Even Harry laughed this time before sighing:

"Let's just get to the hotel and sort things out there. I am tired and need to think about all of this."

He nestled with his suit jacket and hissed "And get me out of this infected suit" before starting to walk again, Paddy and Charlie looking at each other for a second before they followed.

"And if we don't come up with something good soon, you just give him the runaround" Charlie suggested with a wink which was answered by Harry through a dumbfounded stare before he turned to Paddy: "Can you believe that guy?!"

But much to his dismay, the older man looked like he was actually considering it as well.

"You can't be serious!" he hissed, the other tilting his head and scratching his chin again:

"According to what you told us, Vento did say that he wanted to get closer to you, right? So, just playing along a little – "

" – play hard to get Frecky, that'll work great for us –"

" – is an idea we should indeed keep in mind as an emergency plan."

"Okay, okay, I just want to mention something at that point – beside you telling me that I shouldn't worry too much about it at all" Harry announced, one hand raised with pointed index finger, taking a deep breath – before he rounded Paddy up:

"None of you wankers, be it you, dad or Gavin told me that 'Fuck a lad' would be something I'd have to face in this bloody business!"

Paddy groaned while Charlie snorted with the laughter he so desperately tried to hold back.

"We never said 'Fuck Vento'" he snickered. "Yeah, I said I'd do it but that was not our Back Up plan – Which it totally should be though, by the way."

"And to be honest Harry, this bloody business isn't just doing illegal things like money laundering or contract murder, sometimes you have to do the really nasty stuff and get along with people you'd rather punch in the face" was Paddy's tired share.

Harry was so glad when he saw the hotel, because now he could finally get a rest.

"Alright, but to be clear – I am not the offer we are going to make Vento."

He slapped his own bottom: "This sorry arse is not for sale."

"Okay, please, you won, I'll take one for the team."

"CHARLES!"

"Frecky!"

"Lads, would you please stop shouting?" Paddy said, paying a closer look to the metal latters spelling "Villa Igiea Palermo" beside one of the gates to the hotel. "It's a five star hotel after all."

He tilted his head, looking at the building. It looked like an Arabian fort.

"Well, Frecky started."

"Oh shut the fuck up your Gayesty, you're one to talk."

"Oh dear lord" Paddy simply muttered, entering the hotel grounds. "This is just a great start for this mission."