"Here ya go, Wallace," Kora said as she sat the plate of spaghetti in front of me, "On the house".

I ate at Vinnie's Italian restaurant every week. The food was great, price was reasonable, and the place was pretty classy for a Sin City dive. Vinnie Fratelli was pushing fifty but was still a mountain of muscle. His daughter Kora, was a cute twenty-something girl with aspirations of becoming a singer. Her mother died in childbirth and all she had was her father and the restaurant. Vinnie was planning on closing shop and moving out. I didn't ask why but I knew it was because of the city. It slowly kills you. It destroys every shred of hope you might have the longer you live inside of its city limits. They were running away and that night, I found out exactly what it was.

Two thugs strolled through the front door as if they were expecting a fight. One was tall and had a shaved head. The other was short and fat. That feeling in my gut told me they were bad news so I listened carefully but pretended that I was focusing more on my spaghetti. Vinnie's eyes went wide as he hurried Kora into the kitchen, then turned back to the two men once she was out of earshot.

"What can I do for you fellas?," he asked.

The taller one grabbed Vinnie by the collar, "Don Magliozzi needs to talk to you, Vinnie."

"I'm out. I told you guys that," Vinnie was getting serious, but he was not willing to fight back. Something in his eyes told me that he had seen plenty of violence in his life and he was sick of it (a sentiment that I can relate to). There was probably a time when he would've stomped both of them into mudholes and there was a chance he still could but those days were long gone one way or another. The short one reached into his jacket and pulled a very large skinning knife, indicating that the polite part of the conversation was nearing an end.

Against my better judgment, I slipped in quietly and took the knife before taking him down with a punch to his jugular. The other one spun around, pulling the gun from his jacket. My kick sent him flailing over the counter and he was finished. The short one was coughing and scrambling for his knife, cursing me in Latin between each gasp for air. I gave him another punch to the back of his skull and he was quiet after that.

"Geez, Wallace," Vinnie groaned, "You don't wanna get involved in this."

"I don't have much of a choice anymore," I told him, "What's going on here?"

"I used to be an enforcer for the Magliozzi family. Long time ago. Before Kora was born. Right now, they're having some sort of trouble so they're trying to get all the help they can find. Since I used to be a valuable member of the family, they want to bring me back in. Obviously, they're not willing to take no for an answer. Whatever it is, it must be big."

"When are you leaving town?"

"In two weeks."

"Try to make it one. I'll see what I can do to get them off your back."

"Don't get yourself killed, Wallace."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

Don Magliozzi lived in Sacred Oaks. It's the wealthiest and cleanest section of the city. Clean, only in the sense of sanitation. In reality, it's the filthiest part. Every mafioso and corrupt politician in Sin City lives in that area, forming an incestuous cesspool of death and destruction. The stench of blood always hung in the air somehow even though they did their dirty work elsewhere. The Don's mansion was heavily guardedso I snuck over the gate and past the front guards (I decided to play it quiet). I climbed up the back and slid into the window. I chloroformed the guard there and continued down the hall. Another guard was stationed by the bedroom and saw me for a split-second as I rounded the corner. A sharp heel thrust to the forehead took care of the problem.

Don Magliozzi woke up a few moments later with a silenced beretta 92F staring him in the face. I placed my finger against my lips and he was smart enough to not make a sound. He sat up in bed with me beside him. I kept him in my gaze for a few moments before I began.

"I have no interest in killing you, sir," I explained, "But your men have been harassing a friend of mine and I would appreciate it if you left him alone."

"Who the Hell are you?"

"That's not important. I want to know what business you have with Vinnie Fratelli."

"It should be no conern to you, stranger."

"I'd hate to cause any harm to you or anyone here but if I must, I will."

"Fine. One of those barbarians from Gotham is attacking my family. He calls himself Two Face. He's trying to get into Herr Wallenquist's good graces and create an alliance. My organization is one of the few families that pose a threat to Wallenquist's business. He's not one to get into a mob war unless it's completely beneficial, but at the same time, Two Face's actions would be appreciated. Eliminating me would place him in Wallenquist's favor."

"I'll make you a deal. If I were to Two Face down myself, would you leave Vinnie and his daughter alone?"

"Consider it done."

"Fine."

"And I suppose you'd like to be paid for your assistance?"

"Keep your blood money," with that, I left.