"Enough of that. The past is in the past. I'm so pleased you've made something of yourself."

"I couldn't have done without you," I said automatically, to his pleasure.

He leaned in closer. "Never forget that. Should the governor ever need someone, make sure you remember who brought you up."

"Of course."

Nodding, he placed his hat on his head. He stood up straighter as he walked outside. I followed, enjoying the breeze. As he got into his car, a black Mercedes pulled up. Neal unbuttoned the top button of his suit as he got out, a large smile spreading across his face. It was the type of smile that always made me smile...just not that day.

"Ready for lunch?" he asked, kissing the top of my head.

I patted down the top of his coat. "Neal, I need something from you."

"Anything."

"The deputy commissioner just stopped by to see Melody."

"Everything all right?" He frowned, glancing back over at the car, now long gone.

"Yeah." I smiled. "I just need you to kill his daughter."

"What?" He half laughed.

Standing straighter, I repeated myself. "Deputy Commissioner Cheung has a daughter, I want her dead. He also has a wife; I want her dead. I want him to see them dead before you kill him."

"Mina."

"Can you do that for me?"

"Yes." He nodded, brushing the side of my face. "But Mel-"

"I have a feeling she knows. I'm not going to talk to her about it. You can. She'll say yes. I'm sure she'll be annoyed that I don't want to do it myself, but I'm not like her. I can't be changed like Cora, but that doesn't mean I don't want blood either."

"Then there will be blood."

This was how I fucking spoke: with action.

That was the power I had now, to point to someone and order their death and have it done. That was what Mel offered me. It was worth more than gold.

One by one, everyone who had ever made me suffer, I would come for them, and one by one they would all drown in their own blood.

Mina Sung was gone.

Mina Callahan was going to have a bloodletting.

"But before you meet the commissioner, what do you want to have for lunch? I'm really feeling Thai!" I grinned up at him, taking his hand.

"But I was actually hoping to get Indian." He spun me into his arms.

"Take out from both?"

He nodded, leading me to the car.

MELODY.

"Miss my voice already?" Liam said on the other end of the line as I stood by the window.

"You really love yourself don't you?"

He snickered. "Now that you mention it-"

"We will be losing another deputy commissioner soon," I said, cutting him off before he got further off topic.

"Mina?"

"How did you know?"

"Neal just messaged me. It's taken her long enough. She's been part of this family for how many years now?"

I smiled, seeing my own reflection in the glass. "Some people are bloody animals, Liam, and others are poisonous plants. I told you she was different than Olivia. I could see it. She let him climb his way up so she could kick him down." She was the silent killer, the one you never saw coming until it was too late.

"Something could be said about the women of this family." He sighed to himself. "How will this affect you? The last thing we want is bad press."

"Don't you know I shine the most in chaos?"

"Enjoy, wife. I'll keep bringing home the bacon."

"I will pass; apparently it gives you cancer."

He groaned. "Everything gives you fucking cancer-"

"Goodbye, husband," I said quickly, hanging up before he could get another word in. Walking back to my desk, I sat back in the black leather seat, both the American and state flags standing behind me. I was reaching for the file Mina had left when there was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

"Madam Governor." Bruce, my secretary, poked his blond head inside as he pushed the black frame of his glasses up his crooked nose.

"What is it?"

"Mayor Weston is here demanding to see you."

"Demanding?" Interesting choice of words.

"Yes, Governor."

"Well don't let him wait then." I leaned back in my chair, crossing my legs. Bruce barely turned around before my least favorite mayor came barging in. "Benjamin, what can I do for you?"

"What can you do? What can you do?" He tried to contain himself, taking a deep breath. "Do you know why the governor's office has always been in Springfield and not Chicago?"

"Insignificant planning?" I replied, almost bored.

"So there wouldn't be internal strife between the chief executive of the third-largest city in the country and the governor's office! This state is still reeling from severe financial problems stemming largely from unfunded pensions for workers, something you can't possibly understand because, one, this is the first job you've ever had, and two, because you've got more money than you can even dream of."

"Are you going to keep barking at me or are you going to give an example-"

"I proposed a new budget plan. The Chicago City Council all stood behind it and it should have been green-lighted today but instead, I hear that you made a few calls. No budget. No green light. This is not a game, Mrs. Callahan!"

"I can see you are upset." I smiled; it was always amusing watching a rat run to a trap. "And I could also spend time explaining to you my reasoning, but I do not like your tone. When my children throw temper tantrums, I usually send them to their rooms. How about you go to your office and when you-"

"I am the goddamn mayor of Chicago! You will speak to me with respect!"

"No," I said, casually throwing the file Mina had gave me onto the ground in front of him. "Do you know why the people elected me even knowing this was my first 'job' and that I had more money than I knew what to do with?"

Slowly he bent down to pick up the papers.

"It's a simple reason really. Four out of the previous seven Illinois governors went to prison. Along with two U.S. Representatives, the former Secretary of State, and Attorney General, in total 79 elected official have gone to prison for depravity since 1972. Illinois has a long legacy of public corruption, all of them from men who look just like you, pretending to give a shit when you honestly don't. Men like you who grew up taking it up the ass from everyone else and now want to fuck over anyone in sight. This city, this state is tired of men like you, which is why my pretty ass is sitting so comfortably in this chair. What is money to someone who is rich? What is power to someone who is already powerful? If you wanted to take me out you should have at least kept your nose clean Benjamin. Prostitutes and bribery? You weren't even original."

He clasped his hand over his mouth, just staring at the papers. I had to give him credit; if Mina hadn't known where to look, he would have been able to keep it a secret.

"Oh no." I shook a finger at him when he tried to take a seat across from me. "We aren't going to have a civilized conversation now. You kept whipping your dick out to show me how much of a man you are. Go ahead. Prove to me why you are chief executive of the third-largest city in the country. I'll wait."

He stood there staring back at me for a moment before slowly getting onto his knees. It was a sorry sight.

His fists clenched. His jaw locked. "What...what do you want?"

"A lot of things...none of which you can give me, Ben."

"My wife...my kids...if you do this..."

"I care as much about your wife and kids as you did while fucking that pretty nineteen-year-old with the perky breasts."

"Governor-"

"Get out the fuck out of my office, Benjamin."

Rising to his feet, he spat in front of my desk. "One day, all the shit you ram down people's throats, all the bloody deals you make will come back to you tenfold. Then it will be you on your knees. I won't be there to see it, but I'm going breathe easy knowing justice has been done."

"Benjamin, even if the world was on fire and my skin was melting off my body, I would never be on my knees. Don't mistake me for a bitch like you."

When the door slammed as he exited, Bruce poked his head back in. When he saw my face, he said nothing, just closed the door.

Justice, he said? What he didn't realize was the Callahan family was justice personified.

EIGHT.

"In business, ruthlessness is righteousness."

~ Justin K. McFarlane Beau LIAM.

He sat across from me, his face expressionless as I poured a shot of Green Spot Irish Whiskey into my coffee.

"Sir-"

The moment I held my hand up, he stopped speaking, allowing me to enjoy my afternoon coffee in silence. Like always, I dipped my pinky finger in it, stirring it around before sucking the coffee off my finger. Inhaling the scent as I brought to the cup to my lips, it tasted like liquid fire going down my throat, and yet I couldn't stop until I finished every drop.

Licking my lips, I sat the cup to the side, next to the salt and pepper shakers on the diner table, relaxed back into the booth, and focused back on the man in front of me. "You're going to need to repeat what you just said one more time."

He swallowed, licking his lips. "We got jacked sir...about ten pounds worth of product and ten large."

"But you know who did it, right, Flannery?"

"They are nothing but a bunch of bone-headed kids. Viona's boys. Right after leaving her I was going to see-"

Once again I held my hand up and once again, he shut up. Scratching the side of my neck, I glanced out the window; the clouds above were slowly turning from white to gray, and from gray to black.

"So, what you are telling me is not only did I get robbed, but I got robbed by a bunch of kids, is that right?"

"Sir-"

"Is. That. Right?"

He nodded, adjusting the brown cabbie cap on his head.

"Okay." I laughed, standing up.

"Okay?"

"You said you were going to see these kids, so let's go. It's only two blocks up the road right?" I reached into my jacket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill, turning back to my favorite old waitress behind the bar and sliding it across the counter to her.

"How many times do I have to tell you the coffee is only twenty?" She grinned.

"How many times do I have to tell you that doesn't even cover seeing your beautiful face?" I replied.

She tried to make a face at me, but she couldn't stop the grin forming on her cheeks, the wrinkles on her face more prominent now than ever.