"Philly, can you take her to the house?"

"Sure, boss." Philly said, walking up to Veronica and trying to usher her to his car.

"Wait a minute." Veronica said, pushing Philly aside and walking to Marco. "Your

just sending me off?"

"Safer then the alternative, sweet heart." He said, brushing her cheek. She slapped his hand away and he growled at her, startling her enough to step back. "Just -" He took a deep breath. "Please, just wait for me at the house, doll. It'll take me ten minutes to take these guys down and I'll be right there."

"Forget it, Marco." She fumed, stomping off and passing Philly.

Marco kicked the ground and yelled in frustration.

"Boss, you ain't goin' soft on us?" Jimmy asked cautiously.

"Shut your dirty fucking mouth, Jimmy!" He grabbed the man by the neck, nearly lifting him off the ground. "Let's get this shit over with."

"Your taking me home." Veronica instructed.

"But Marco said -"

"I know what Marco said! I am not going to his house to sit and wait for him like some little bitch. Take me home, Philly."

"Yes ma'am."

Marco led the Vipers through the Bone Yard, right to where Leon and his friends stood. The Vipers came equipped with chains and lead pipes and various other oddities to fight with while Leon and his friends only used fists.

Leon shrugged off his coat, throwing it to the ground behind him and walked up to Marco, seemingly un phased by the man's brute strength and beaming gaze. They kept walking towards each other until they were a foot apart.

"Surprised you showed." Marco snickered, not backing down.

"Had to come give you a reason to lose tonight." Leon bit back, bringing his right hand in direct contact with Marco's left eye socket.

With that, the fight was on. Viper's began jumping on the naïve little church going boys of Sunset Park, punching, kicking, and fighting dirty, which is what they were best at.

Marco seemed stunned for a moment that he wasn't the first person to throw a punch, but he bounced back quickly, punching Leon right back. Leon came forward, bring his elbow into Marco's face before grabbing his head and bringing his nose into Leon's knee. Marco came back up with blood pouring down his face. Marco didn't think twice, he grabbed his blade from his back pocket and grabbed Leon by his hair, holding his chin up and bringing the blade to his throat. "Never know when to leave well enough alone, huh Leon?"

"Fuck you, Vendetti." He spat. Marco kicked Leon's legs out till the strong boy fell to his back on the ground. Marco kicked him in the side and made sure he was down before he spoke. Everyone looked up to watch the Viper's fearless leader as he spat out blood. "I'm in a particularly good mood tonight, boys. I'm gonna let little Leon here live! But not without reminding him who's boss." He kneeled down on one knee, holding Leon down by his chest and carving a little slit in Leon's right cheek. "A daily reminder that you don't fuck with a Viper." He spat.

Marco didn't bother cleaning up when he got home, he looked around to find on Philly sitting as his table and started screaming. "Where the fuck is she?"

"She asked me to take her home."

"And you did? At what point did she become your boss?" He screamed, punching a lamp. It shattered on the kitchen floor.

"She seemed pretty adamant, boss."

"You're worthless, you know that. I give you one little thing…"

"How'd the fight go?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"How does it look like it went?" Marco's face was red and swollen with the beginnings of a pretty brutal black eye.

Philly got up and wet a rag, handing it to Marco. "Hope that fuck Leon looks worse than you."

Marco smiled to himself. "Yeah, I fucked him up pretty good. Let's just say the boy's scarred for life." He wiped the blood off his face and walked out. "Don't wait up, Philly."

Veronica had wiped off her makeup and gone to bed early, still fuming mad at Marco Vendetti and how he treated her like a play thing. She was even more angry at herself for letting him.

From her room, she could hear the banging on the front door and someone violently screaming her name. "Where the hell is she?" The familiar voice spat, now more loudly and clear than before.

"Marco, I don't think you should be here."

"Good thing you don't get paid to think. Where is Veronica?"

She sighed heavily and pulled herself up, opening her bedroom door to see him standing in the living room with her uncle. He glanced over and looked at her. Coming down the hallway now with his confident stride.

"Ronnie, do you want me to uh –"

"We're fine uncle Nino. He's not gonna hurt me."

Her uncle looked upset, but he knew he couldn't exactly do anything to control Marco Vendetti. "Alright. If you need me, just holler."

She let Marco into her room and shut the door, leaning back onto it for support. "You fucking left me?" He fumed.

"What did you want me to do, wait on you to come home like a puppy dog?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm not a plaything, Marco. I'm a girl."

"MY girl." He came forward, grabbing her wrists in a way that would probably leave a bruise. "You have no idea how lucky you are, doll."

That's what it all boiled down to. Veronica was only a girl. She'd belonged to her father until she was 18, and when he passed she was just passed along to her uncle. Now she was just the latest thing on Marco Vendetti's arm. She sighed, flopping back on the bed before she noticed his face. "What happened to you?"

"I'll be alright." He muttered. He had endured worse in a rumble.

"Come here. Let me see." He flopped down beside her on the bed and she touched his face, more gently and carefully then he anticipated. "I'll be right back." She muttered, leaving him alone in her room.

Moments later, she returned with rubbing alcohol and a rag full of ice. Marco was no longer on her bed, but the window was opened. "Needed fresh air." He mumbled as she slipped out onto the fire escape.

"Hold this on your eye." She said, handing him the ice. "You're gonna be black and blue in the morning."

"Might be a good look for me." He scoffed.

She sat beside him, tucking her knees in and feeling very exposed. She was in an oversized t-shirt and shorts that were reminiscent of boxer shorts. "Give me your hand." She shook her head at him when she saw his battered knuckles. "This is gonna sting."

"I can take it."

She dabbed some alcohol on a rag and tentatively dabbed at Marco's bloody knuckles. The man winced, sucking in heavily through his teeth which made her giggle. "Told you it would sting." She smirked.

"Still mad at me?" He asked.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Yeah. You disobey everything I tell you to do. And you've got a smart fucking mouth."

"You make it to easy to piss you off, handsome." Veronica purred, letting go of his hand and taunting him. He placed his hand idly on her bare thigh, internally thinking how nice her legs were.

He pulled the ice pack away from his face and looked at her intently. "I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you. One condition."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Come here." He grabbed the back of her head with his clean hand and pulled her forward in a rough, possessive kiss. If she had been standing, she would have melted in his hands.

She pushed him back suddenly, glaring at him. "You forgot. I'm still mad at you."

"Good, baby. I wouldn't have it any other way."