Less than an hour after that first meet up, Hal found himself knocking on the door to Prosper’s house once more. This time, it was the big man himself who answered. Silently, Hal followed Prosper to his office where Gianni had remained and was waiting.

Without preamble, Hal reached into his leather backpack and withdrew a silver cigarette lighter, a small bottle of perfume, and a flash drive.

“Cazzo!” Gianni let out the expletive as he rose from the table towards the offending items.

When Hal looked at Prosper for translation, Prosper lifted his shoulders in a shrugging gesture that clearly said, “Your fucking guess is as good as mine.”

Hal took out his pack of smokes, leaned pack in his chair and gave Gianni the minute he seemed to need to compose himself. When G sat down in his chair and focused his attention back on Hal, Hal began to speak.

“I don’t know what the hell Cazzo means, but I’m guessing it’s not good. So, before you go having a bilingual meltdown, let me give you the low down. I was in and out in twenty minutes, and that includes taking a piss in the downstairs bathroom—nice hand towels.”

“No fucking way.” Prosper looked at him in astonishment. “Even you’re not that good.”

Gianni shook his head in disgust, leaned forward in his chair and gave Hal his full attention.

“Getting past your security detail stationed at the front of the house—that was child’s play. You might want to have a talk with your paisans about having a few glasses of import while they’re on the job.” Hal’s tone was full of repugnance.

“Good help’s hard to fucking find these days—that’s for damn sure,” Prosper muttered and gave Gianni a glance of commiseration.

“The security station itself?” Hal continued, “The building is fenced in but it isn’t guarded, and it’s not well-lit. If you’re not gonna put a rotating team on it, then you’ve got to illuminate. I found a dark corner just off the monitor grid and was able to scale over the fence, pick the lock, and gain access in under four.”

Hal paused here for questions. When none were forthcoming, he continued, “The system itself isn’t bad, but with a few tries I was able to bypass the main artery with a fairly simple encrypted Trojan. The Trojan left the perimeter security intact, but that didn’t matter because I was already inside the property. I got into the main house by jimmying open one of the windows in the atrium. From there I gained easy access to the rest of the house, took what I needed, and was out before the system fired back up.”

“You were in my daughter’s bedroom.” Gianni’s eyes held the perfume sitting on the table.

“I was in your daughter’s bedroom.” Hal confirmed unflinchingly. “I stood just outside the bathroom while she undressed and bathed. I could have just as easily walked in, raped her, and slit her throat.”

Gianni was half way out of his seat before Prosper put a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Wasn’t this the whole purpose of the exercise, G?”

Gianni’s face had turned purple with outrage. Hal didn’t blame him one bit. He understood misplaced anger when he saw it. What was really frying Gianni’s nuts was that the system and the men he put his trust in could be so easily breached.

Hard damn pill to swallow.

“Look,” Hal conceded, “I had an advantage. Back when I was out at your house watching over the women, I took some time to talk to your crew and look over your system, so it was easier for me than it might have been for someone else. And without tooting my own horn, the Marines gave me a pretty special set of skills, not easily come by. So, what I’m telling you, Gianni, is that while I was in and out quicker than a whore can shake her ass, I’m probably the exception to the rule.”

Gianni nodded wearily, then he steepled his fingers and paused while deep in thought. When he spoke, it was with heavy disappointment. “But it doesn’t change the fact that you were able to gain access to my daughter with little difficulty.”

“No, it doesn’t change that.” Hal agreed. He scrubbed his hand over his face before he continued, “I can definitely help you fix that lighting and those tech security issues. If you want, I can come by tomorrow morning and do a quick evaluation. But I’ll tell you right now, you’re gonna have to light the shit out of that security hut and surround it with barbed wire fencing. I’d put a rotating crew out in the yard too. Separate alarms should be installed on all the windows in the house. I could get that place buttoned up nice and tight for you, but it’s gonna take time and money. Money, I know you got, but I’m thinking time is going to be your problem. So, if you’re worried about retaliation against your family, I think it’s a smart idea to get the women—all the women— out.”

Nods from Prosper and Gianni. When they didn’t add to the conversation, Hal asked the obvious question.

“So, you never said what you’re doing with your daughter? If Valentina shouldn’t be away from her doctors and she can’t board a plane, where are you stashing her while your crew hashes this out?”  

Hal looked at Gianni—who looked at Prosper—who looked at Hal.

An awkward silence filled the room.

“Well, that’s where you come in.” Prosper reluctantly grunted

“That’s where I come in where?”

“Valentina is comfortable with you …” Gianni began to explain.

“Your daughter barely knows me.” 

“Yet, your voice is the one she responded to when she was in a …state.” Gianni’s voice was low and his expression was pained.

In a state? That’s one word for it, Hal thought as he remembered the terrified woman going through one of the worst PTSD episodes he had ever seen. Yeah, he helped her out of that, but it was not something he wanted to make a habit of. He barely had his own demons under control.

“So, what exactly do you need from me?”

“I’d like you to see to the safety of my daughter while we straighten out this mess,” Gianni told him.

“Like I said, I can button up that security system nice and tight for you, no problem.” Hal’s offer was guarded.

“Thank you. And of course, that would-be part of it, yes,” Gianni told him.

“What’s the other part?”

“I would like you to act as my daughter’s personal security detail.”

WTF?

Hal threw his boss a look that clearly said, you have got to be shitting me, but Prosper only shrugged and scowled in answer.

“Look, I appreciate your vote of confidence. But if you’re asking me to be Valentina’s body guard? With all due respect, Gianni, the answer is absolutely fucking not,” Hal said in no uncertain terms. Then because his president had thrown him right under the moving bus, Hal decided to return the favor.

“You good with this, Boss? Because I believe you might have forgotten that conversation we had not too long ago.”

“Conversation?” Gianni asked. “Have I missed something?”

Prosper narrowed his eyes and threw a murderous glare at Hal.

Hal met that glare head on.

Yeah, G, you sure did. You missed the little lecture that your buddy here gave me about eye-fucking your daughter. The one where he told me in no uncertain terms to stay the hell away from her.

Gianni tracked the murderous glare between the two men, then he interrupted the tense silence.

“Your president took some convincing to go along with my request, if that is the kind of conversation you are referring to.” Gianni offered.

Yeah, I fucking bet he did.

“You mind if I have a word with my brother?” Prosper asked, but it wasn’t a question.

Gianni nodded at Prosper. Then he stood up, straightened his tie, and said, “Please take all the time you need. I have a few calls to make.”

“Front room is private and it gets the best reception in the house. We’ll see you out there in a few.” Prosper walked Gianni to the door. Then he closed it hard behind him

“Boss, I—” Hal began to pace the floor.

“Shut the hell up and sit the fuck down.” Hal opened his mouth to retort but at the expression on his president’s face, he closed it again. “You need me to remind you?” Prosper kept his voice controlled, but the thread of anger that ran through it was heard loud and clear. “You need me to remind you of that patch you’re wearing, and what that means?” Prosper began his rhetorical rant.

“No sir,” Hal’s response was automatic.

“You need me to remind you of the shit that you didn’t have to do? The bowing and scraping prospect bullshit that you didn’t have to go through to have the honor—the honor—of wearing those colors?”

“No sir.”

“Do you remember going through that humiliating, exhausting, year-long bitch phase that is a requirement, a fucking by-law of being considered for membership into this club?” Prosper leaned in and gripped the edge of the table.

“No sir.”

“You want to tell me why you don’t fucking remember that?” Prosper growled.

“Because you put a motion on the table.” Hal’s voice was tight.

“That’s goddamn right. I put a motion on the table to skirt the by-laws and asked the boys to disregard years of tradition for you. And now I’m wondering if I made a big damn mistake.” Prosper snarled out.

“You doubting my loyalty, Boss? Because I think I’ve already proven that more than a few fucking times.” Hal shot up out of his chair and began to pace the floor again. He sputtered out with anger. “Or is it my value to the club that you’re questioning? You want to tell me, you want to explain what quality being the club bitch would have given me that I don’t already have?  I sure as hell would like to know just what it is you think I am lacking?” Hal was all riled up now because this little goddamn lecture had gone far enough.

“Humility, brother.” Prosper shot back out. “You could use some damn humility.  Maybe a year of washing bikes, serving beer, and otherwise putting up with everyone else’s shit for a while would have been good for you. Maybe making you a prospect would have bled out some of that arrogance of yours, because that’s what you are—one self-important sonofabitch. And what’s more? You know that it’s true.” Prosper clamored, “Now sit the hell back down and relax.”

Hal worked to remain silent, because all things considered, the boss was not wrong. It wasn’t the first time Hal had been called arrogant, but that didn’t bother him even a little bit. As a matter of fact, his arrogance—his ability to lead, command, and serve with complete confidence in his own ability, had made him a fearless motherfucker and had saved his life and the life of the men who served under him more than a few times. Until, of course, it hadn’t.

Hal wisely sat his ass back in the chair and listened to Prosper while he continued with his rant.  “This man is a friend of the club’s. He came here because he needs something from us, and he trusts us to provide it. A man like Gianni Abruzzi doesn’t put his daughter’s life in the hands of just anybody, and I take it as a big goddamn compliment that he trusts us to keep her safe. This club is going to do everything we can to help him. We fucking clear?” Prosper ranted.

“Yeah,” Hal muttered.

“We clear?” Prosper shouted.

Hal spoke up. “Damn, Boss, calm the fuck down. I said okay.”

“You should have said okay the goddamn minute this was put on the table! And about that other thing, that conversation? I haven’t forgotten a single damn word of it. You keep your eyes on the prize and your dick in your pants as far as Gianni’s daughter goes. You got that? And this is the fucking end of any discussion on the matter. And the next time your president asks you to do something and you question that order?  Then you’re sure as hell right that I’m going to question your fucking loyalty and your damn value to this club.”

With that, Prosper threw open the door and stormed out, leaving Hal no other choice but to follow.