Ranger left and about five minutes later brought back my parents. Mom looked a little timid, but Dad just looked quiet and prepared for anything.

Ranger introduced the different people to my parents and talked about the situation that Steve and Val were in. He did a good summary of what had happened over the last few months, and the solution they had agreed upon. "The option we have selected is to let Val and Steve have the life they have been striving for, to let them move forward and experience the choices that they made."

"But they are getting back together", said my mom. "We need to give them a chance to have a good life."

"Mom", I said gently, "Val told me that the only reason that Steve got back together with her is her promise that I would fund them, and she said that I will ruin her life if I don't give them five thousand dollars a month again. Mom, that is extortion and is a criminal offense. I don't want to charge her, but what she is doing is wrong. She is treating me terribly and, quite frankly, I don't deserve it. So, in short, Val is committing extortion and should be put in jail. Val has committed assault many times and should be put in jail. Val was soliciting her profs like a common prostitute and … should be put in jail. She's not making good choices with her life, and perhaps if she has Steve to help cheer her along and support her, she will make more sustainable choices. Similarly with Steve. He committed fraud and broke his professional ethics. He tried to kill someone. Instead of taking the punishment, as soon as he got his MBA – for free, through the state penitentiary system – he wiggled out by providing evidence against the head of the local mob. The fact of the matter is that he committed a very big crime, and he chose not to pay the price for it. That was his choice to make and it got him out of jail, but the mob doesn't like snitches. They want you to take responsibility for what you've done. They did not force Steve to break the law or to start working for them. However, Steve has not taken responsibility for his crimes. The government knows that and despite Steve having defrauded the government, the government offered him witness protection. He turned it down. He then came to Trenton. Since the mob had him in their sights, he brought the danger to Val's doors and Val's house was torched. There was a car bomb put in Steve's car and, with all his wisdom, Steve brought that danger to Scotland. The mob has offered a one-time deal – they are free to live their lives. However, to protect their lives, they cannot settle in an area where there is the mob. Other branches know that he is a snitch, and they will not honor our agreement with him. We cannot give them money, or the mob will be in their rights to turn their focus onto us and burn our houses down and turn their wrath onto us. Steve and Val have a million dollars to their name. They have the money to survive. They don't need money, as much as they cry hard-up. They can settle in a nice small town and start again. They have all the makings of a good life. Now they just have to learn how to live it."

"They have a million dollars?" said my mom.

"To be more precise, Val has over a million dollars and a house in California, and she has had access to it all along. All that time when she told Albert she didn't have any money, when she was extorting money from Ranger and me, when she was begging you to empty out your savings for her, she had access to a million dollars and a five-bedroom house on a golf course."

My mother swiped away some tears.

"Mom, I know that you are hurt. I am too. But even though I am hurt and angry and feel used, I don't want her dead. And that is the other option. She and Steve can die, or they can start again in an area where they can stand on their own two feet and learn what it is like to live a life without supports or being a criminal. To live a life like you lived, like millions of other people live every day. Steve's CA designation has been stripped, but he still has his MBA. He was given his degree the day before he offered to become a snitch. They have a large nest egg to rely on, they have their intelligence and each other, and as long as they stay away from major cities, they have their freedom. So we will offer them the option of life or death – but if they pick life, we are going to force them to live a life that is sustainable, responsible, and legal."

My mom and dad thought about that for a moment. "Steph, do you think that you could keep tabs on her, so that we know if she is going off the rails or not? I don't want to be blindsided again", said my mom.

"I could definitely do that for you", I said with a small smile. I had been going to do that anyway.

"This means that I won't see her often."

"No, but unlike the other option you'll be able to talk to her on the phone. Mom, you don't mess with the mob, and Steve has worked for the mob long enough to know that. You don't need to be scared of them, but they do deserve respect. These aren't kids hopped up on drugs and illogical in what they will do to obtain power. There are rules with the mob and you have to follow them. If you don't, there will be retribution - and Steve knew that going into the position, as his father worked successfully for the mob. He knew the rules and chose to break them anyway. As far as retribution goes, the option to live your life in an area where there is no Family, relying on your education and your wits, and knowing you have a million-dollar nest egg to fall back on? That's a damn good option."

My dad looked around the group. "Thank you for offering that option. What do we have to do for it?"

Harry smiled. "Nothing other than to make sure you don't offer any support other than emotional. I have worked with Ranger and Steph for years, and I have the utmost respect for them. They have fought for this option and we have talked it backwards, forwards and inside out. Like you, the mob has given Steve financial help over the years. Like you, we are hurt by the way he has treated us. This is our way of washing our hands of them while, at the same time, protecting ourselves. The only qualification for saving their lives is that no one helps them and they have to do it alone. They have been helped extensively in the past by every single person in this room, and they have taken advantage of that help. As Vito said, Ranger's afterschool program taught his grandson respect for himself and pride in what he can do. He is willing to do the same for Ranger's brother-in-law and sister-in-law. But we all have to be in agreement that we will do what it takes to teach them how to stand on their own two feet, and that we will practice tough love and therefore let them live a real life, a life where they are supported by themselves rather than supported by their parents or by their siblings. Because that isn't right."

"Harry told us of your program", said Stavros. "Guido puts a huge emphasis on helping others. Yes, we are Mob but we have incredible skills that can be used in service. That was something that Steve always disregarded as being important. We are impressed by your program and because you serve others and give people's lives back, we'd like to try it this way. If it doesn't work, we can revisit this decision in another year and see what is happening. Steph, would it be possible to run those reports every month and send them to Harry and Jimmy and the three of us as well as your parents and yourself?"

I smiled. "Absolutely. I always like sharing research."

"Ranger", said Harry, "Vito wanted you to know that he still owed you for his grandson's life. He said his grandson's life was worth far more than these two little shits."

Ranger smiled slightly. "I appreciate that. Are we ready to present the options to Steve and Val?" We looked around the circle, and everybody nodded. Ranger turned to Grant, who was standing at parade rest inside the door. Grant smiled and left to retrieve my sister and her ex.

"What program do you fund?" said my mother to Ranger.

"ASE. It is a free afterschool program that supervises kids from three in the afternoon to six. It provides a healthy snack and numerous extracurricular activities to expand their learning, from sports to music, from art to homework help. It is a popular program that over five thousand kids in Trenton use. I tried to get Val to let her kids go there rather than using your services, and she said her kids weren't playing with all those losers. Meanwhile, kids who use the program have higher marks in school, fewer mental health problems, greater self-respect and self-management, and so on. They are exposed to expanded arts and sports programs that the schools can't afford to offer in their programming and are encouraged to make friends with other kids who are working hard to have a good life. Overall, Trenton has had a significant decrease in youth crime and it is largely attributable to this program. Vito, the head of the Trenton mob, had a grandson who was going off the rails. As a last-ditch effort, his mom put him in the ASE program. He developed a love for basketball, a love that was encouraged in the program, and he is now attending college on a basketball scholarship."

Harry smiled. "Vito is very proud of his grandson. His grandson has a 3.79 GPA and wants to be a social worker and work with troubled youth."

Ranger smiled. "That makes me very happy."

I turned to my parents, who were looking a little gobsmacked. "Ranger and I donate every single spare penny we have, and because of that, we fund eighty-five percent of the program. Ranger goes out and speaks on behalf of the program regularly, and he fundraises the other fifteen percent. We believe in what the kids are doing and how hard they are working. When we were funding Val, we were taking money from that program to support her and quite frankly, five thousand a month covers a lot of food for the kids and makes a difference in what we can offer. More importantly, the kids appreciate it while Val does not."

Harry turned to my parents. "It saved Vito's grandson's life. He was getting into drugs, had joined a punk-assed gang, and was starting to shoplift, jack cars, and talk back to Vito and Vito's daughter. Vito had talked to him until he was blue in the face. Within two months of Vito's grandson starting in ASE, he was helping around the house, one of the counselors was mentoring him, and he had pulled up his marks at school. Vito could hardly believe it. Vito said the counselor that was mentoring him was named Eduardo."

Ranger smiled. "He is actually a soldier on my team who, when he was overseas, put himself through college to get a social work degree. He then was involved in a fire and when he did his master's, he specialized in PTSD and other trauma injuries. He's here at the castle and has been helping Steph a lot with everything that has happened to her. When we go back, he will be switching from being a soldier to working out of our Medical Office and supporting our soldiers through their trauma issues. He's a good man. You'll meet him at dinner."

"I will have to pass on my appreciation. Vito's grandson is my godson, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate seeing him smile and be productive."

"That will mean a lot to Eduardo."

Val and Steve came in and, although they were filled with bravado, they also had enough sense to look a little scared.

We looked at Harry. "I get to do it?" he said, and he smiled. He turned to Val and Steve. "You have two options in front of you. We can whack you, which is what we came to do, or we can let you live. However, if we let you live we will require a few things from you. First, you cannot live in an area where there is any mob. You are hiding, and if we see you, we will kill you. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it is only through Ranger's and Steph's negotiations and calling in favors that you are being allowed to live. All the Families in the USA have been put on alert and have been told that you are a snitch and they will not honor our agreement with you. Secondly, you are doing this on your own. No financial help from friends or family or strangers. No staying with family or friends to reduce costs. You want to be on your own? Okay, be on your own and live without a safety net like so many other people in this world. You have both abused your safety nets in the past, and we aren't going to support you doing it any longer. We will be watching. You said you wanted to disappear, and we are letting you do that. But you must disappear totally. Thirdly, you two must stay together. It is only by you two learning to work as a team and value teamwork that you'll survive and prosper. So we are giving you a chance, but this is the only chance you will get and we will all be watching to make sure that you are living according to your agreed-upon restrictions."

"But how are we going to support ourselves? We don't have jobs", said Steve.

"And that has been your choice. You can still make that choice, but if you make the choice not to work you won't have enough money for rent or food. You have a significant start-up fund that can help you until you get on your feet and that is better than most people have when starting out."

"But where are we going to live?" said Val.

"There are small towns all across the States that have no connections to the mob. I'm sure that you and Steve can find one to live in."

"You bitch", said Steve to Val. "I joined up with you and paid your bail because you promised that Steph would pay our expenses. Now I am fucking tied to you for the rest of my goddamned life, and there is no money to be found."

"Steve", I said quietly, "there are no shortcuts in life, and that is something you need to learn. Settling down with someone in the hopes that their sibling will pay for their expenses is disgusting and pathetic. How you can look at yourself in the mirror and say you are a man is beyond my comprehension. Similarly, Val, you have been living on handouts for the last two years. How you can look at yourself in the mirror and have pride in yourself I don't understand either. Both of you need to take a hard look at yourselves and think about what you are doing. Dinner is going to be in a few minutes. You have until the end of dinner to decide as to whether you'd prefer to die or you'd prefer to live while following the rules that we have set out. That is your decision. If Grant could take you back to your bedroom, we'll come and get you when dinner is served. That will also give you some privacy to talk about your options."

"What option? There is no fucking option there, Steph. Be reasonable", yelled Val.

"I don't know", I said. "This is a much better solution for you than our first choice we came up with – die by gunshot wound or by poisoning. If you were smart, you'd be kissing our feet and thanking your lucky stars that we all were willing to work together to come up with a solution that let you live."

"If you're so fucking powerful, why can't you tell the mob to piss off?"

"I never said I was powerful. However, Ranger called in a few favors for this and, if you don't want to do it, that's fine with us. We prefer to not waste our favors on you anyway. Besides, we don't care about you. No offense, but with your past behavior, you're dead to us. However, we care very much about Mom and Dad and we don't want to upset them, and we suspect you getting whacked would."

"I just don't understand how we are supposed to survive."

"I would suggest getting jobs. If you both get a job, you should be able to support yourselves without having to go into your retirement fund. That is, of course, your choice. Maybe you prefer to live a more lavish life and go into your retirement fund to finance it. It is up to you. I'm not telling you what to do. That is your decision. However, we have told you what we are going to do and, now that you know how this game will be played, you can decide accordingly. As I said, Grant is going to take you back to your bedroom to let you discuss it between the two of you."

Grant helped them to their feet. Both Steve and Val looked a little stunned, and Grant escorted them up to their bedroom. As they left, Harry turned to us and smiled. "I don't think that is what they expected you to say."

I smiled. "To tell you the truth, I don't care two hoots what they expected me to say. The option we presented them with is fair and just, and I think that everybody in this room agrees with that."

Stavros smiled. "Do you have kids?"

I grinned. "We have four. A twenty-year old, a five-year old, and two three-year olds. All girls."

"I suspect that they are well-behaved."

I grinned again. "I am very proud of all of them."

"What does the oldest want to do?"

"Julie is at UPenn and is doing a criminology degree. She wants to go to law school and, at this point anyway, wants to become an FBI agent when she graduates."

"If she ever wants to do a report on the mob, tell her to talk to me. She couldn't use my name, but I could probably give her quite a bit of information. To tell you the truth, I went to law school myself."

"How did you get into being an enforcer?" I said.

Stavros smiled. "My wife was a member of the mob. Guido is actually my brother-in-law. I met my wife in my last term of law school and, when I graduated, there wasn't a role as a lawyer in the mob at the time, and my father-in-law really wanted me to work for him. I became an enforcer, but my specialty is finding non-violent punishments. Usually, those punishments are worse over time than if you had simply lost a finger. We have mostly switched over to the less-aggressive options. What you have come up with is entirely the kind of thing that we do."

I smiled. "I like that kind of punishment. It is fair and just and has a perfect sense of karma. As Ranger and I have often said, we both believe in karma but we also both believe that karma needs a little nudge at times as well." I paused. "And we are just the people to offer that nudge."

The enforcers all laughed.