"So, did you enjoy yourselves?" Paul asked while Murphy, Connor, Romeo, Angelica, Angelina and Angelique entered the room and Connor closed the door. Eunice was sitting on the chair in front of the desk and Sibeal was sitting on the couch near the door.

"Aye," Connor said.

"Did anything happen?"

"Nothin' we couldn't handle," Murphy said.

"What does that mean?"

"We walked 'round, took in th'sights, got involved in a shootout…," Connor said and Smecker's eyes widened.

"You got involved in a shootout?!"

"Yeah," Romeo said.

"It wasn't our fault," Connor said as he explained what happened and Smecker said back in the chair.

"Shit," Paul whispered.

"Look… If we hadn't shown up, Romeo and…," Murphy said while looking at Angelina.

"Angelina," Angelina said and he nodded.

"He and Angelina would've been killed."

"I get that. But you wouldn't have had to save their asses if you hadn't followed those assholes to begin with," Paul said as he sighed while he tossed his hands into the air.

"Smecker, calm down. They're fine," Eunice said.

"That isn't the point! They were seen!"

"No one got a good look at us," Angelica said, but she flinched at the glare he was giving her.

"And the ones who did see us are dead," Angelique said, but she didn't react to his glare.

"Why didn't you stop them?!" Paul demanded.

"Are you talking about those assholes?"

"Them!" he said as he pointed to Connor, Murphy and Romeo.

"There wasn't time," Angelica said.

"There wasn't time." he repeated as he placed his head in his hands and he scraped his fingers through his hair. He looked up at them as they waited for him to say something and he pointed to the door. Nodding, they headed for the door when Connor opened the door and Angelica, Angelina and Angelique walked by him. Connor and Romeo left the room while Murphy looked back at Smecker and Murphy held the door in his right hand. "You got something to say to me?"

"Don't you ever look at her like that again," Murphy said with a growl then he slammed the door closed after he left the room.

"Nice going. You pissed him off," Eunice said as Smecker sat back in the chair then he blew out a puff of air.

Milan - the Yakavetta Estate

"What do you mean they're dead?!" Lucinda demanded as Giovani stood in front the desk and she slammed the palms of her hands on the desk.

"They're dead," Giovani said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Tell me you killed whoever did it"

"No. They got away."

"They got away," she repeated when she walked around to the front of the desk and she stood in front of him. "Did you get a good look at them?"

"I was looking out the window."

"Do not take that tone with me," Lucinda said while glaring at him.

"Right," Giovani said with a sigh then he turned, headed for the door, opened the door and he left the room. Lucinda looked at the portrait of "Papa Joe" Yakavetta as she growled and she balled her hands into fists.

"Shut up," she whispered and she crossed her arms under her breasts.

Giovani walked down the hallway as he shook his head and he puffed out a breath of air. He entered the meeting room as he looked at the men sitting at the table and he closed the doors. He walked to the head of the table as he looked at the men and he placed the palms of his hands on the table.

"Well!?" he asked as he looked from one man to the other then his eyes stopped on Dante. "Have you found out who those assholes were?"

"Not yet," David Corzella said with a shake of his head.

"We were able to get some of the bullet casings before the cops arrived," Antonio Marchelli said.

"Have you identified them?" Giovani asked.

"Some of them were ours. The others are still being identified," Peter DeFloro said.

"We are also trying to get the license plates on those motorcycles," Dante said.

"We think they might be rentals."

"Which means they could've gotten them from anywhere," David said.

Giovani frowned as he sat down when he shook his head and he rolled his eyes. They looked at him when Giovani sat forward and he placed his elbows on the table. He steepled his fingers together while he scanned them with his eyes then he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Get out," Giovani said in a flat tone and the men quickly got up and ran out of the room. He sat back in the chair as he looked up at the ceiling and he flipped his hands up.

Safe Haven

Connor walked in the room while he watched Angelique pounding her fists into the punching bag and her ponytail moved back and forth. She kicked the punching bag as she made a soft grunt and she moved back. He watched her for a few minutes then he headed for the mat and he removed his sneakers. Angelique glanced at him when she noticed he was just wearing shorts and her eyes slowly moved over his toned arm, chest and stomach muscles. He had a white towel around his neck as he held the towel in his hands and he arched his eyebrows up, giving her a small smile.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, slightly breathless.

"Jus' admirin' yer fightin' style," Connor said as he walked closer.

"Uh… Thanks."

He sat on the mat then he nodded for her to continue and Angelique looked at the punching bag. She silently admitted she didn't like being watched while she trained. It reminded her of when her father would watch her and how he would critique her every movement.

"Harder!"

"Faster!"

"Higher!"

"No! That is all wrong! Again!"

Connor saw the look on her face as he slowly rose to his feet and he walked to her.

"Hey. Are you alright?" Connor asked with a concerned look.

"I'm fine," she said as she slammed her fists into the punching bag several times then she swung around to kick the punching bag. He watched her punching and kicking the punching bag until she sat on the mat, pulled her legs up and she placed her wrists on her knees. She was breathing a little hard and Connor walked to the small table near the door, picked up a small, plastic bottle of water, walked back to her and he held out the small, plastic bottle. She took the small, plastic bottle from him when she removed the cap, took a long drink of water and he sat down next to her. "Thanks."

Nodding his head, Connor looked at the punching bag then he rose to his feet and he walked to the bench. He picked up the boxing gloves which were on the bench when he walked back to her and she looked up at him. She stood then helped him place the boxing gloves on after she had placed the small plastic bottle on the mat and he walked to the punching bag. Angelique watched as he started punching the punching bag and she folded her arms under her breasts.

"Harder," she said and he punched the punching bag harder. She watched how his body moved while a small smile moved across her lips and she nodded her head. "Try kicking it."

Connor looked at the punching bag as he kicked it and she nodded.

"Harder."

"Harder?" he asked as he arched his eyebrows up then he kicked the punching bag. He switched legs as he kicked again and she nodded.

"Try kicking it as high as you can."

"I will end up on my ass."

"Chicken."

Growling, Connor raised his right leg as high as he could when he kicked the punching bag and she had gone behind him to stop him from falling.

"Not bad," she said while he looked back at her and their eyes locked. He wasn't sure why, but he felt himself getting lost in her dark eyes and he moved back.

"Thanks," he said.

"Try again," she said while pointing to the punching bag. Nodding, Connor moved his head side-to-side then he bounced on the balls of his feet and he kicked the punching bag. She watched him as Angelique nodded and he kicked the punching bag a little harder.

Captain's quarters

Angelina sat at the desk as she checked her charts on the computer screen and she placed her chin on the palm of her left hand. Her mind replayed what happened in the alleyway as she sighed and her anger returned.

A knock on the door made her mind return to reality and she rose from the chair, walked to the door, opened the door then she saw Romeo standing in the hallway. He had a plastic tray in his hands as she looked at the covered plates and he gave her a shy grin.

"Hey," Romeo said.

"Hey," she said then she pointed to the tray. "Is that for me?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod then he looked at her. "I wanted to apologize for nearly getting us killed."

"You don't have to apologize."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

She stood back to allow him to enter the room and Romeo walked to the desk. He looked for a spot to place the plastic tray down as she quickly headed for the desk, cleared away the mess away so he could put the plastic tray down then she sat on the chair. He placed the plastic tray in front of her then removed the covers from the plates and she looked at the plates of Mexican food, a glass of red wine, a cloth napkin, the silverware and a small vase with a daisy in it.

"Did…? Did you do all this?" she asked, looking at him.

"Yeah. I learned how to cook from my Uncle Caesar and I worked at his restaurant until I hooked up with Connor and Murphy."

"Looks good."

He watched her pick up the fork as she scooped some of the food then she started eating. He waited for her to say something as she took a sip of the red wine, sat back and he felt his stomach tightening

"Damn. That's delicious," she said with a grin and he puffed out a breath of air.

"Thanks," he said with a nod.

"But you still don't have to apologize. It was my idea to go check out that sedan."

"But…," he said as he sat on the edge of the desk. "It was my idea to confront that guy."

"I was sure you were gonna get killed."

"Me, too."

"The weird part was none of you did get hurt. It was… It was like there was this forcefield around you and the bullets just bounced off of it," she said while she spread her hands out.

"Connor told me it's because God protects us. And, if I'm honest, I believe him. I mean… How else do you explain why I'm still here? I was sure I was dead. I was at peace with it. But, instead, here I am."

Nodding, she started eating again as Romeo looked at the screen and she waved her left hand for him to turn the screen toward him. Romeo turned the screen so he could look at the charts and he tilted his head to one side.

"Got any idea where that house Smecker showed us is?" he asked as he turned the screen back to face her.

"Hang on," she said while she used the napkin to wipe her fingers then she typed on the keyboard. He had stood then walked around to stand next to the chair as he leaned the palm of his left hand on the desk and he looked at the screen. Angelina looked at the screen when she smiled and she sat back in the chair.

"What is that?" he asked while pointing to the round area near the dock. She typed on the keyboard while he scooped some food on the fork and she opened her mouth. He fed her as she silently admitted she was enjoying being fed and she chewed, swallowed then she looked at the screen.

"That is a helicopter pad," she said.

"Y'think we could land a chopper there in case we need a quick exit?"

"Yeah, we could," she said as she opened her mouth and he fed her. He gave her a wink as the blush moved over her cheeks then she frowned. "The problem is finding a chopper or how to get hold of their chopper, if they have one."

"Well, I don't think we're going after him any time soon."

"Yeah," she said while taking a drink of wine then she placed the glass down. "You know what? If we can't get hold of their chopper, we could use the yacht."

"What yacht?" he asked as he looked at the screen. She pointed to the small image of a boat and his eyes slightly widened. She noticed how he was looking at her when he leaned closer and she gave him a small nod.

"Captain, you're needed on the bridge," made Angelina looked at the ceiling as she growled and Romeo sat back, placing his hands in his lap.

"Sorry about that," she said, saving the information. She turned the computer off then she rose to her feet and Romeo stood.

"That's ok," Romeo said as he walked to her.

"Wanna come with me?"

"Sure," he said with a shrug of his right shoulder as they headed for the door then they left the room after she opened the door.

The lounge

The door opened while Angelica walked outside and she headed toward the pool area. She was wearing a dark blue bathing suit and she had a white towel around her shoulders. She heard the sound of splashing water as she stopped and she watched Murphy swimming. The muscles of his back rippled as he moved his arms and the water splashed while he kicked his legs. He was wearing black bathing trunks and his dark hair looked almost black when wet.

"Shit," she thought as she sat down at the edge of the pool and her feet and lower legs slid into the water. Murphy dived under the water as she tried to see where he was when he suddenly appeared near her legs and she jumped.

"Hey," he said, giving her a crooked smile. She looked at the water droplets rolling down the bridge of his nose and the sides of his face and she swore her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Hey," she said.

"Wanna join me? Th'water's nice."

"I don't want to interrupt."

"You're not interruptin'," he said as he pushed up to sit next to her. He lightly kicked the water as he waited for her to say something and she glanced at him. "Wanna know summat?"

"Sure."

"I really don't like th'way Smecker treats you, Angelina an' Angelique."

"We're used to it."

"It's still not right."

They sat in silence as she watched him brush his fingers through his hair and the hair stuck up slightly on the top of his head.

"You forgot to tell me something," she said.

"What was I supposed t'tell you?" he asked.

"Norman," she said and he looked down. Water droplets slid down his chest and stomach as he looked at the tattoo then he smiled.

"I guess I did."

"So, who is Norman?"

"He is…," he said as he turned to look at her. "Look. I only had three friends my whole life. Connor, Sean an' Norman. We've been friends since… Since forever. We met way back in Baby School…"

"Baby School?"

"I think you'd call it either preschool or nursery school or kindergarten," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "We were inseparable."

"Sounds nice."

"It was," he said with a snorted laugh. "Th'shit we'd get into."

"Why do I have a feeling you and Connor instigated most of it?"

"Nah. It was mostly Connor an' Sean. Norman an' me? We jus' went along fer th'ride," he said with a pause and she saw the sadness moving across his face. "When we were fourteen, Sean's da got a new job an' they moved t'America. The day before he left, we were at his place an' we went through his comic book collection. He gave some of them t'me, some t'Connor an' some t'Norman. Norman gave him three of his favorite albums. Connor gave him one of his movie posters. Me? I gave him a couple of my favorite t-shirts."

He became quiet as she waited for him to say something and he looked down at his lap.

"Two years later, Norman's parents got divorced. His mom was going to take him an' his sister t'London. Before he left, we decided we were gonna do summat crazy."

"You decided to get tattoos?"

"Well, Norman an' I did. Connor cut off all of his hair an' shaved his head."

"He what?!"

Angelica tried to picture Connor bald and she blinked her eyes a few times.

"He cut off all his hair an' shaved his head. He told Ma it wasn't as permanent as a tattoo, but she was still fuckin' pissed off," he said.

Angelica snorted a laugh as he shrugged his shoulders then he lightly nudged her.

"Norman decided his tattoo was going t'be in th'shape of a cross with his, mine, Connor an' Sean's initials."

"On his chest?"

"No, on his right forearm."

"And you had his name tattooed on your chest?"

"Ma told me yer friends live in yer heart an' this was a way t'remind me that he's there."

She heard the sincerity in his voice as he felt embarrassed and he lightly kicked his legs.

"What do you tell your girlfriends when they ask you about it?" she asked.

"I told them it's Da's name," he said as he slid into the water, turned and looked at her. He held his hands out as she placed the towel on the deck then she slid into the water. She watched him swim away as she smiled, lightly shook her head and she swam after him.

In the security room, Smecker sat at the desk while he looked at the monitors and he watched Connor, Romeo and Murphy interacting with Angelica, Angelique and Angelina. He sat back in the chair as he placed his hands behind his head and he frowned.

"Spying on them?" made he nearly push the chair backwards when he turned and he looked at Eunice standing in the doorway.

"You scared the shit out of me!" Paul said.

"Sorry," she said as she walked to the chair, looked at the screens and she smiled. "Looks like they're finally getting along."

"Yeah," he said with a sigh.

"Got a problem with that?"

"Of course, I have a problem with that."

"Why?"

"They need to be focused on the mission. They can't do that if they're worried about their girlfriends."

"Who says they're Connor, Murphy or Romeo's girlfriends?"

"Look at them!" he said as he pointed with his hands toward the screens. Eunice watched Angelina and Romeo laughing about something, Connor and Angelique smiling at each other after she pinned him to the mat and Murphy laughing when Angelica stole his bathing trunks after she had dived under the water.

"What do you want to do about it?" she asked as she crossed her arms under her breasts.

"I think we should get rid of them."

"You want to get rid of the head of our medical team, our captain and our head of security? Do you know how long it would take to replace them?"

Smecker looked at the screens when he sighed and Eunice saw the anger in his eyes.

"Still don't like it," Paul said with a frown. She gently patted his right shoulder then she headed out of the room and Smecker glared at the screens.

Milan

Interpol Agent Rory Callahan got out of the sedan as he walked toward the police tape and he showed his identification to the police officers. He ducked under the police tape after the officer lifted it up and he headed for the other police officers.

"Hullo," Rory said as he looked at the bodies covered with tarp, the forensic team picking up bullet casings or taking photographs and the blood drying into the ground.

"Who are you?" Captain Franco Melletti asked. Callahan showed him his identification as Melletti nodded then he looked at the crime scene. "As far as we can tell, it looks like a hit."

"It doesn't look like a hit. It was a hit," Rory said with a small growl.

"How do you know?"

"That building belongs to Giovani Yakavetta," Rory said as he pointed to the building across from them.

"Yes, we know that, but it's just a shipping house."

"Any idea of what they ship?"

"Mostly office supplies."

"An awful lot of security for office supplies," Rory said as he walked off and he headed for the first body. His blue eyes scanned the body then he looked around and he headed for the large oil drum. He noticed the bullet holes in the metal as he walked away then he looked at the rest of the crime scene. His mind began to formulate a scenario as he nodded, but his thought process was interrupted by the soft pinging sound of his cellphone. He removed the cellphone from his suit jacket pocket when he pushed the button then he looked at the screen.

I know who killed Yakavetta's men

He looked around when he typed on the keyboard then he pushed the button.

Who was it?

The Saints.

Callahan growled when he placed the cellphone away then he walked by Melletti as he headed for the sedan. He got into the sedan as he closed the door, looked at the steering wheel then he slammed his fists against the steering wheel.