Mina never let the silence bother her. It was her gift after all. She reveled in it. The closer to truly silent it was the more at peace she was. Of course the near quiet of preparing the bodies to be dumped didn't last long. Soon the man was pushing the SUV down to the end of the pier and giving it one final shove into the water. The sound of the splash marked the end of the quiet. She watched the vehicle sink with the satisfaction of a job completed. Now all that was left was to collect her money, something that the elder assassin reminded her of a few moments after he finished shifting his arm back. It looked painful. Mina sincerely hoped it was.

Fixing him with a look and that same old grin she turned and began to walk away. He would follow her. Her Jaguar was parked several blocks away in a place that wasn't easy to see and could be reached by some fairly covert paths. She hadn't needed it to get here but she'd known that she'd need it to go collect her payment once the job was done. She'd also known that she wouldn't feel like walking all the way back to her warehouse to get it. That decision was turning out to be a good one. Mina didn't want that man anywhere near her place of residence until she could be more certain about what he would and wouldn't do.

Had the man been other than he was she would be spending at least part of this walk flirting with him to get information. However this guy was one of a few smart examples of that half of the species. He probably wouldn't succumb easily and there wouldn't be any fun or profit in it for her. So she walked ahead of him by back paths that made them difficult to see. Of course she hadn't bothered to look back to see if he was following her. It didn't matter to her. If he didn't follow her she wouldn't have to share and that made her happy.

The woman was still saying nothing. Instead, when he reminded her that it was time to collect the bounty, as well as pay him for his role in the escapades, she was exceedingly quiet. It was fairly obvious that she did not like sharing money with him. Not that he could blame her. He knew he never wanted to share money with anyone if he could help it. She was probably exactly the same. That money was hard earned, why should she share it? It was always an option she could shoot him dead. But something was staying her hand…that was the million dollar riddle to Vicente: why not kill him?

There were several reasons he could think of: 1) maybe she was scared of him (which he doubted), 2) She saw a future working relationship (never), 3) she was still trying to gauge how he would cut into her world. That last one was the best possibility. It was entirely possible that she really did not know how to feel about him because she wanted to see where this would go.

Curiosity killed the cat. He knew that all too well.

Silently she led him off into the distance. This, of course, was the problem. He had no idea where she could be leading him. Either they were off to collect the money, or she would attempt to kill him and claim the entire reward for herself. As of right now, he really did not know which way she would waiver. It was a close call considering what he was able to gather from her so far. In many ways she reminded him of him: cold, calculating, unwilling to split money; but in other ways she was different. That smile for one thing, there was no one a human could smile that long without being completely psychotic.

Still though…he was intrigued. So he did indeed follow.

After all, what was the worst that could happen? If she attempted to kill him, he could just make her acquainted with one of his blades. Simple enough solution…and one that would always be at the back of his head.

Earning the respect of Cosmina was a dangerous thing. Any assassin or mercenary that she respected ended up dead. It wouldn't do to have the competition be of any sort of use but cannon fodder. She killed them to keep them from cutting into her profits.

That said, this guy was close that respect.

However that didn't mean that she'd be turning around and shooting him anytime soon. Unknowns in her business could get a person killed. Whoever he was she didn't know nearly enough about him to attempt to strike. Sure she could try and shoot him but if she missed, if the shot wasn't lethal then she'd have an angry assassin with unknown capabilities on her hands. Did he have other shifts besides the gorilla arm? Exactly how good was he with that knife? How fast was he? How strong? These and more were the questions she wanted answered before she made any sort of attempt on him.

So she would honor their deal without any immediate backstabbing. She would find out what there was to know about him. Then she'd set a few things in motion and see what happened. All too soon they came upon her beautiful silver baby. She smirked.

"Get in. Wayne and Falcone are enjoying drinks in a private room at one of their restaurants."

The meaning was clear. They were waiting for her at a restaurant that paid them protection money. Of course they probably were actually drinking too.

She was smart, she was not going to attempt to kill him yet. He got that. It was the same reason he had not killed her yet. It always pays to know a little about the competition before the maiming and backstabbing starts. That way you can more easily sneak into their world and make it crumble from the inside out because you finally listen to their beggings to slit their throats. Vicente only saw the woman as a liability right now, but she was one he could keep an eye on, one he could learn a thing or two about the city before he finally integrated himself fully into the game.

As he walked behind her, he noticed that she was leading him towards a car. She actually expected him to climb in with her. They could be going anywhere. Of course that could simply be the paranoia talking.

For now that, he would trust that she was going to be true to her world. Still, his hand would not stray too far from the knife tucked into his belt.

>> "Get in. Wayne and Falcone are enjoying drinks in a private room at one of their restaurants."

“Where else,” he mumbled as he walked to the passenger side of the car.

All crime bosses were the same. They wanted public places, normally that had their own goons packed inside just in case things when wrong. The majority of them became more paranoid than he could ever be. It must be difficult wielding that much power that can be so easily taken away. That was a crime bosses life in a nutshell. Power was hard to gain, but the second you reached the top, there was always someone waiting to knock them back down.

As he opened the car door, he surveyed the inside briefly, eyed whether this was a trap before he gently slid into the passenger seat next to the female killer. Briefly he felt like he had the advantage in here. She had a gun, but this close would be clumsy. He was faster with his knives in close quarters so the advantage would go to him during the drive. She was really going to trust him so far.

Huh, she’s smart he thought to himself.

She was purposefully giving him a little bit of power to gain some trust, at least that was how he interpreted it. She would be a tough one to take out when the time eventually came, as he knew it would.

One tense car ride later and the two killers were at the designated restaurant. It was a French restaurant of a modest sort. Mina smirked and was somewhat glad they'd avoided the Italian restaurant thing. Mina eased the car into a nearby space and stepped out. Her bag came with her as she led the man through a back entrance into the restaurant. They were expecting her so it had been left open for her use. From there, an unassuming gentleman led them to the room where the two Mafia powerhouses sat.

Wayne and Falcone were both enjoying drinks when the two assassins entered, just as Mina had thought they would be. Wayne was the younger of the two. In fact he looked as though he were too young for the position of power he held. Mina recalled how he had taken power after his friend's father, the previous leader, had passed. She was quite happy to say that she had had a very active hand in the murders that had gotten the thirty-something where he was.

Falcone was older than Wayne and had come into the leadership of his gang after a protracted struggle upon the death of its previous leader. Unlike Wayne he hadn't hired assassins to take care of the competition. He'd set them against each other and swooped in to take out what was left when they'd exhausted themselves. These days Wayne didn't give out work as often but when he did it paid very well. Falcone was more likely to contract out but paid less.

"Hey there boys. Your woman is dead. Proof is in the bag."

The two mafia men were used to Mina and her eccentricities by now. So they were unmoved by the placid smile on her face as she unceremoniously dumped the bag on the table and opened it up. The head stared out at those that cared to look and Mina tossed the bullet that had pierced it on the table.

"I'd like to be paid now."

To say that the car ride was tense is to say that the sun is only a little bright. Throughout the whole trip, Vicente attempted to his best to keep his eye on the woman, watching as she drove through the streets to the meeting place where they would be picking up THEIR money, but there was always that paranoia in the back of his mind that she was going to betray him at any second. Though she did nothing to really give him that idea, the simple fact that she seemed to enjoy money as much as him proved that she would be willing to.

But why…WHY did she allow that damn Britney Montana on the radio? Vicente would have liked nothing better than to shoot the damn stereo but he managed to hold it together. Though the whole way he grit his teeth.

When they finally arrived, Vicente was a little surprised to see that it was a French restaurant and not Italian. Maybe these guys were trying to break the mold by being different and choosing someplace unsuspecting. After all, how many crime dealings are done over a plate of cooked snails?

Vicente shrugged it off as he climbed out of the car and followed the woman inside, duffle bag in her hand. Inside was just as posh at the exterior illumination. Snooty waiters wandered left and right, men and women enjoyed dinners that they saved up months in order to eat in one bite, and all of it under the guise of a fine cuisine. The whole idea made Vicente a little sick. Maybe he’d come back and cause a little mayhem. Of course…without the crime families present.

It seemed that his presence immediately made a couple of guards jumpy. Nobody was expecting him to walk in with the female assassin. They didn’t know him, they didn’t have him for preapproval, but just the sheer aura of Vicente’s presence ran their blood cold. With a glare they backed off a little but managed to keep their eye on him.

Vicente said nothing as the woman offered the two vastly different crime bosses the head of their target. The man watched them both carefully, noting their appearances and making notes of who was who. It was not hard to figure out. Wayne had the appearance of someone of new blood, some eager for power. Falcone had to be the older man, a crime boss that remembered his roots and earned his place through experience. It was an odd matching and one he did not want to get caught in the middle of. So, he said nothing.

>> "Hey there boys. Your woman is dead. Proof is in the bag…I'd like to be paid now."

A glance to them as they investigated the bag. Wayne shunned away and Falcone only grin. Another example of their vast differences. Appreciation versus revulsion, it will interesting to see who takes over after Wayne is finally knocked off the top of the pecking order.

It was then that Wayne glanced over Vicente’s way and eyed him carefully, it was as if he were a strange alien, something that needed to be figured out rather than respected. A lean over, they whispered to each other carefully before a move was finally made. Falcone snapped his fingers, summoning over a briefcase while Wayne conversed with the female.

“Who’s the old man?” Wayne chuckled as he took a sip of red wine. “Planning on taking your father out for a good ole night on the town?”

Cosmina watched the men's reactions and wasn't surprised. Wayne could be bloodthirsty from time to time when it got him ahead but he had never liked seeing the end result. He just didn't appreciate her work. Falcone on the other hand did. The smile on his face made her own brighten. Falcone set about getting them their money and Wayne opened his big mouth.

“Who’s the old man?” Wayne chuckled as he took a sip of red wine. “Planning on taking your father out for a good ole night on the town?”

Mina's smile dropped immediately as her fury rose. There was no reason behind her eyes now, only anger. With speed helped by rage Mina grabbed the handgun she'd put in the duffel bag before they'd walked into the restaurant and vaulted onto the table. The barrel was squarely between the man's eyes before he even had a chance to blink. When she spoke her voice lacked the cheerfulness that it always held and it was instead replaced with barely contained fury.

"Mr. Wayne will die. Does Mr. Falcone want his club?"

This state of mind was the one that held the full extent of her emotions. Here was the child who had lost her daddy and didn't know why or when he'd be back. This was a child who was loyal to her father and the very insinuation that the stranger with the knife could be him infuriated her. He was not her daddy! She didn't know where her daddy was or why he was taking so long but that guy wasn't him!

Something stupid was said and immediately all the air was sucked out of the room. Vicente stood there, a small smirk playing on his face as he felt the unbound and absolute cold rage radiating off of woman next to him. There was something in that question that set her off, something that really just twang a string that led all the way down the remains of what was left of her soul. Whatever it was, it was obvious that she did not like it in the least and that whatever it was had completely set her teeth on edge.

Vicente stepped back as the move was suddenly made. The girl vaulted onto a table and pointed a gun directly between the offending man’s eyes. Her eyes were set and that anger was obvious that tinged her voice.

>> "Mr. Wayne will die. Does Mr. Falcone want his club?"

The smirk grew wider as he watched the sweat bead on the man’s forehead as well as that unbridled hatred that visible in the woman’s eyes. It was apparent that she had no qualms with killing this crime boss. Hell, she may even be commended for it. After all, Wayne looked like the squimish type when it came to seeing the end results of his handiwork, so it proved he was weak. The weak should never wield power like what he has access to. It’s useless and only means that he’ll eventually get bumped off for someone with a stronger stomach. Why not cut out the middle man and do it now?

But, even as Wayne’s men ran up, guns aimed directly at the woman, Falcone gently stretched out his hand to female assassin.

“Sweetie, I want nothing more than for this young turd to be out of my hair,” he chuckled as he reached over and gently patted his neck. “But I’m not going to take part in starting another inter-family war. It’s just not worth it.” He spoke calmly, attempting to calm her. “So please, put the gun down. The kid is stupid, he doesn’t have manners. He’s going to apologize…isn’t he?”

Wayne sweated, staring up at the gun barrel aimed between his eyes. Vicente had to wonder just how on earth he’d kept his station of power so long. Before long the crime boss nodded his head.

“S-S-Sorry…I….I’m sorry…”

Vicente scoffed, pulled a toothpick from a nearby table and began to gnaw on it between his teeth. The kid was weak. If it were him, he knew he’d put that bullet between the kid’s eyes. Unfortunately he needed jobs now that he was in New York. No use running around and killing the guys that control the wealth. Still, even as his hand drifted to the holstered knife, he watched and prayed he wouldn’t need to use it.

No one was more important than the dead man in front of her at the moment. She barely noticed Mr. Falcone's movement until his useless babble forced her to turn an enraged look his way. Mina didn't even notice Mr. Wayne's henches pointing their own weapons at her. For some reason Mr. Falcone wanted Wayne dead but not then and there. She calmed a little as the assassin in her recognized the reasoning behind it. Mr. Falcone didn't need the trouble that killing Mr. Wayne here would cause. Since he was a good client Mina grudgingly lowered her gun. She didn't move from the table just yet though.

With the gun lowered toward Mr. Wayne's chest Mina leaned in close and snarled at him .

"Mr. Wayne will die...but not tonight."

That was the best they were going to get out of her. He'd gravely insulted her father by remotely suggesting that he could be the killer behind her. Her father was a kind, loving, and sweet man who'd died because he hadn't had enough money. The thing behind her didn't even come close to comparing to him. Mina slowly backed down from the table but the gun stayed in her hand. She wouldn't be held responsible if the fool shot his mouth off again. In fact, she'd probably make that literal if he did.

>> "Mr. Wayne will die...but not tonight."

It was clear that Wayne was sweating bullets but he was trying to keep his cool in front of the hired help, which is how he really viewed the female assassin. Falcone, on the other hand, though amused by the woman’s antics, was seriously beginning to lose his cool. There was no need to go flashing a gun at one of the crime bosses, at least not in public. It was best to save those underhanded things away from the public view. Unfortunately, as much as the man did want Wayne dead, it was better it be done without him goading the young assassin on.

He smiled as he nodded as he waved his hand to bring stainless, metal briefcase over. The second it was, he had his assistant open it and showed the contents to the female. It was all the money she had been promised all in cash, all in untraceable bills. Gently he pushed the case closer towards her.

“You earned it, kid,” Falcone said with a grin. “Every last bit.”

This whole time, Vicente mere stood there, staring at the tense stand-off between all the involved parties and did not say a word. He was watching, observing and mentally making notes for possible future uses. Falcone wanted Wayne dead and the woman here…well…she definitely had some kind of father issue. That was good to know for now. Who knows, maybe some way he would be able to exploit that.

Shrugging the incident off, he really said nothing still and merely remained a shadow. The guards were watching him warily but there was really nothing they could do against him. Not only had he done nothing wrong, yet, but there was just something about him that made them all fear and take a large step back. Still though, guns can make the most cowardly of men brave.

Hands still at his side, in case he needed to reach for his blades, Vicente locked eyes with Falcone and watched as the man appraised him up and down. The old assassin didn’t even blink, only instead remained still.

Falcone grinned and turned to the female. “You can count it, it’s all there,” he said as he referenced the case of money. But then he nodded towards Vicente. “You. Been in the business a while? Who you working with?”

Vicente arched a brow as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Corinth. They found me.”

Falcone laughed heartily and shook his head. “Corinth! Now that’s a dying name.” He turned to the female and nodded to her. “Yo, this guy any good?”

Bringing the case forward when they did was a good idea. It got her attention away from Wayne and her plotting to kill him. Yes, she fully intended to kill the man for his slight against her father. Though it felt like blasphemy to say it, money be damned. She flipped through each stack of bills. The men were used to her doing so by now. If they were offended they never said anything. As she counted she sorted the money into piles. Where money was concerned she knew her stuff. She'd get the percentages exactly right and woe to whoever questioned her.

She listened to Falcone's conversation with the man so when Falcone asked her if he was good Mina thought about it and spoke while counting and dividing up the cash.

"I can't vouch for his other skills but his stealth is pretty good and the knife isn't for show. Corinth forgot to check for other bounties and sent him. I watched him take down her bodyguards after I sniped her. He's effective at close range."

Her assessment was delivered in a matter of fact voice and contained no hint of exaggeration. Of course she would say nothing about his mutation and her suspicions regarding it. That was his to tell or not tell. She could respect him enough not to reveal that part of his arsenal to others. Especially when she knew of at least three mutant-haters in the room.

>> "I can't vouch for his other skills but his stealth is pretty good and the knife isn't for show. Corinth forgot to check for other bounties and sent him. I watched him take down her bodyguards after I sniped her. He's effective at close range."

Falcone chucked and nodded a bit approvingly. “Corinth’s a moron,” he laughed and pointed to Vicente. “You know, for her that’s some hearty praise. You must be impressive.”

Wayne gasped as he continued to look at the female. He feared for his life now since he had no idea that she was going to react that way to what he had said. On top of that, she was just plain terrifying. The hatred in her eyes for what he had said had nearly made him soil himself. He would get her back later for that. A quick glance at the new guy and an idea formed. Maybe, just maybe this guy could take her out before she made a move against him. From the tone of her voice, she was not going to stop. So he would have to stop her dead in her tracks.

Wayne composed himself and cleared his throat. “Y-You should work for us,” he risked a glance at the woman before shifting his eyes back to Vicente. “You could make a lot of dough. And with some like me –“

Whirl Whirl Whirl!

STAB!!

“AHHH!!”

The silence in the room was shattered as Wayne gasped and cried out. He shook as he stared at a blade was sticking through the palm of his hand. The knife had been thrown, nearly invisibly from Vicente’s area. The movement was so quick that no one noticed it, or would have, if it were not for Wayne’s sudden cry of pain. The blade pinned his hand against the back of his side, driven all the way through and staining his hand red. Wayne gasped as he reached out to remove the blade.

“I don’t work for the weak.” he said coldly and nodded to Falcone. “You need my services…that’ll be fine. But,” he glared at Wayne, that young upstart that only got his position through payoffs and the sweat off other people’s backs. “I won’t work for that worm there.”

This immediately prompted Wayne’s guards to pulled their pistols but a quick shout by Falcone stopped them all in their tracks. The old crime boss lifted his hands up to ease everyone down and could not help but laugh. Chuklcing, he patted Wayne’s shoulder a bit too roughly that caused him to wince and cry out more in pain.

“Oh, shut up, Wayne,” Falcone cough and showed his own hand. “I received a similar wound when I was younger than you. Doesn’t hurt that much.” He coughed again and took a sip of wine as he nodded to the other guards to all stop and calm down. When they lowered their weapons he turned back to Vicente and nodded. “Alright, deal. If I have any jobs…I’ll contact you. I like your style. Very…old fashioned. Don’t make them like you anymore.” He then turned back to the female and nodded. “All there, right? You did good work.”

Mina looked up when she heard Wayne talking to the man. She knew she'd left him scared but was he really stupid enough to try an hire a killer to take her out right in front of her? However it appeared that Vincente wouldn't accept jobs from a weak man. That was a flaw in her mind but it served her well in this case. She laughed loudly as she watched the knife split the air and pierce the man's hand. She was laughing and grinning while Vincente proclaimed that he would work for Falcone but not Wayne.

She knew of course that Falcone's words would mean a decrease in her own work from him. However she was willing to forgive him that trespass for attacking Wayne. His death would still come but watching the man squirm in pain and fear made her smile. She sauntered over to where the man sat and answered Falcone as she did so.

"All there as usual Falcone. You know I always do good work for you and have for years."

Then she leaned across the table at Wayne and put on a sad expression.

"Poor baby. Did the big bad man hurt you? You want me to kiss it better?"

Mina winked at him and laughed again. Her mood was greatly improved now and it showed.

The laughter. The laughter would have been the most disturbing had Vicente had a soul to chill up. Instead, though, the man only smirked a little to himself. That woman was a cold and heartless witch and he loved every second of it. Wayne was wide eyed and panicking, slapping the hands of one of his cronies that was trying to pull the knife free from his hand without making it hurt (that was going to be impossible). It really was a funny sight though.

As he watched them, the woman leaned in and whispered to the injured crime boss…

>> "All there as usual Falcone. You know I always do good work for you and have for years.”

“Excellent, sweetie, excellent,” Falcone grinned as he swirled his glass of wine. “You can always count on Falcone. I’ll keep you and your new acquaintance in mind the next time I need some business taken care of.”

>> “Poor baby. Did the big bad man hurt you? You want me to kiss it better?"

Wayne gasped as he tried to keep his mind from reeling over in pain. He wanted to scream, to bite his lips, to tear the eyes out of that condescending woman but he couldn’t. He knew she would kill him if he tried to lay a finger on her. On top of that, now the other man was disrespecting him in public, making him look just as weak as he was calling him. It was infuriating that he was getting nothing out of this meeting. Every bit of credibility he had was fluttering out the window as he guards watched him struggle to keep his composure. He would make sure to put a bullet into the back of their heads.

But even after all this, he could only stare daggers at Vicente for what he had done. He was hurt, he was scared, but he wanted that man dead now.

Vicente knew it was risky to attack the crime boss in such an open way. But he had to take the chance. He had to showcase his power here and that he was not going to be spoken down to or be anyone’s gopher. He was a killer, cold and simple, and in his day you learned to respect killers, you never treated them like an errand boy. Vicente made sure that Wayne would remember that from now on, for the rest of his days.

Well…for a few a number of them as he had. Vicente was fairly sure that the woman was going to kill him soon. And judging by how good a shot she was, the man was not going to have long.

She merely nodded at Falcone. Mina was too busy drinking in the fear and hatred in Wayne's eyes. Her grin was stretched as wide as could be when she leaned forward, grasped the handle of the dagger, and ripped it out of the man's hand. His shout of pain was music to her ears and she giggled lightly.

"There now. That wasn't so bad was it?"

Wayne truly was a spoiled little rich boy. Falcone could easily win his followers over. He was the stronger of the two. Unless Wayne shaped up Falcone would be the sole power in the city soon enough. Not that it matter since he was going to die any case. Wayne wouldn't have time to shape up. How and why she'd leave for later. For now, she was really just enjoying watching the man squirm. Mina sauntered away from him and over to her temporary partner and handed him the knife.

"I believe this belongs to you."

She then walked over to the the money that she had sorted and checked it again to see that it hadn't been tampered with while she'd left it unattended. After assuring herself that it was fine she took the pile that she'd allocated for him and walked over to the knife wielder again.

"And this as well."

Mina handed him the money. Her portion went into the bag with the gun after she removed the head properly and set it on the table.