"So... How'd the old man kick the bucket? Cause that's the only way I see you have his baby," I asked Penny as she drove down Fifth Avenue, a few blocks from where she picked me up.

"Please," she scoffed, "I think you give the powers that be a little too much credit. The only thing that'll be his death is Mother and her incessant need to get involved in the family business."

"She could kill him for a lot worse," I said before taking a long puff of my cigarette. "I'm living proof of that."

Our conversation came to a grinding halt as we slowed at a red light. I could tell Penny glanced over at me. Her eyes were probably filled with a bit of worry. I was my father's bastard, but I loved my sister like we'd shared the womb. It's too bad "Mother" never saw it that way.

"So... How'd things go?" She asked as if itching to change the subject. "I take it since no one came screaming out of the hotel, it went quiet."

"Yeah... though it wasn't without its mess. Our poor stiff brought his nephew with him." I didn't mean to sound callous since I felt terrible for the poor guy.

"Does it bother you?" Penny asked, having to kill someone you didn't have to again?" I knew full well what Penny was doing now. Giving me the whole, "You don't have to be this person routine." While she was right, she'd been at this since I was twelve. The first time I'd killed someone.

"A little," I admitted, not wanting to hide that little shred of guilt like the other times before. "The poor guy was just trying to do right by his family. But orders are orders, and the Rotterdams aren't people you wanna cross, and an even worse and far more stupid thing to do would be to get on Father's bad side."

"Right... Orders are orders," Penny repeated as she clutched the wheel. When the light turned green, she sped off but pumped the brakes shortly after. The engine's roar echoed throughout the streets, almost like a male lion roaring to show everyone who was the king.

"Enough with the Psyche eval," I spat, "Finish telling me how you got the old man to give you the Duesy."

"Mother," Penny said. "I overheard her nagging Father's ear off about how loud the engine was. She said she preferred something a little quieter and more stylish. I guess to appease her. He let her pick out something else. She went to Grandfather about it."

"Grandpa Tony?" I asked, feigning a bit of shock. "I guess Mother is still Daddy's little princess... What'd he get."

"A Rolls Royce," she quickly answered, "I think it may have been a ghost or something. I can't remember."

"Heh," I scoffed, "the old man knows how to pick'em. Who better aid in reclaiming the tarnished Murcielago name than off the back of the illustrious Alessandra family back in the old country." I hoped Penny would say something about the apparent sarcasm.

But she didn't. She didn't even seem remotely interested in the conversation. I knew she probably didn't want to talk much about Father. I'd even bet she'd hated the idea of getting the car as a hand-me-down rather than getting her own. So to please my big sister, I decided to change gears again and maybe talk about something she'd be more interested in.

"I'm surprised Francis gave me that Weird Rune for the job," I sighed, "She was never one to like me going out on these kinds of jobs."

"It's probably because the girl doesn't want to see you get hurt," Penny groaned, her reply with, "I told you so" energy. "You're lucky any girl would care about you that much."

"I know you and Judy care," I pointed out with a cheeky smile.

"We're your sisters," Penny snapped back, "we must care about you. Otherwise, you'd be at the mercy of Mother Dearest."

The thought of being at Mother's mercy nearly added to the stress I was trying to smoke away. Grinding the cigarette into the ashtray, I sat back in the seat, trying to push that unsettling thought out of my head. It'd be a few more minutes until we reached Dogland. Penny pulled up to the curb near the shabby boarding house.

"Thanks for the lift, Pen... Give my regards to Judy and Jules, would ya?" I asked as I opened the car door, sticking one foot out.

"Why don't you give your regards yourself," she hissed, "I'm crashing here for the night."

"So you did get into another fight with the old man," I said. That would explain her disinterest in discussing him. "Even though you got a new car?"

"More like he nearly caught Becca at the Estate," he corrected, "It's OK, though… Furio found her and let her give him the slip."

"Jeez, Penny... What were ya thinking having Becca at the Estate!?" I nearly bellowed. "The old man could've killed her if he caught her."

"I know, I know... But Becca surprised me. I didn't think she'd know where the Estate was. Besides, Jules and Furio helped me out." She said that like she'd heard someone scolding her for the millionth time. "Furio said he'd talk Father down, convince him that Becca was just a bloodgiver who took a shine to me."

That certainly sounded like Furio. He was the old man's underboss and took care of me and Penny when Dad was caught up in his work. Even though at times I envied Judy and Jule's time being raised by our father, from what I heard from our older brother, Furio was the better caretaker.

"Ugh, fine," I relented, then exited the car. "Park around back and lock the doors. I'll ask Senior Martinez to put you up for the night."

She nodded and then put the car in drive. As she slowly rolled away towards the end of the street, I watched her turn into Dogland's parking lot. I'd have customarily stayed to see if she got in OK if I wasn't confident she could handle herself. As I looked at the decrepit old building, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. The place was called Dodgerland Boarding School for Boys and Girls, but the guys who owned it went bankrupt, and the building was taken from them. It'd become so run down that some letters fell off the sign, hence the name Dogland.

Before stepping up the building, I caught a familiar scent hanging near the alley to the right. "Come on out… I know you're here…"

Stepping out of the alley was a tall man in a black suit with a red necktie hanging neatly from his collar. His condescending look would typically earn someone a punch in the jaw. But I couldn't touch him, and he knew it. Big Paulie, one of Father's illustrious Capos and my handler if I were to be honest.

"Ya Father sends his regards," Paulie said as he took a cigar from his breast pocket. After striking a match and lighting it, he took a huge puff, then blew the smoke in my face. "He told me if ya sister dropped you off here, the job went without a hitch."

"That's about right," I said, trying not to sound annoyed by Paulie's presence. "The fatso is pushing up daisies. No one will know it was me."

"You sure we won't have to worry about this?" Paulie asked after taking another hit of the cigar. "The boss would be upset if his little doggy had a bite to eat out of our former friend. It would be bad if you were to slip back into your old blood-craze habit."

"If I did, I'd be covered in a lot more blood, asshole," I spat. Paulie's amused smile faded away into more of a disgruntled frown. He flicked the cigar at my chest and held up his hand, then a mass of black miasma began to seep from his skin until it enveloped his hand. The miasma then formed into a blade, and he held it close to my neck. While the magical blade didn't touch it, I could feel its edge graze my neck, causing the cool red liquid to ooze.

"I'd watch what you say, mutt," he said through gritted teeth. "Just because you're the Boss's son doesn't get you out of an ass beating."

I want to speak up and show indifference to his attempt to intimidate me. But, I knew all too well that Father wouldn't do anything to him if he did. Even though I was my Father's son, I was still the bastard. "Sorry," I let out like I was trying to release some held-up air in my lungs. "It won't happen again…"

Paulie's eyes narrowed, and he pulled the blade back, and it disappeared into nothingness. "Good… Your father said to report to the estate in the morning. He also wanted me to pass a message to that sister of yours. Says if that little negro bitch snuck into the estate again, he'd have a nasty surprise for her, understood?"

"Will do," I responded, giving him a sloppy salute. Paulie seemed satisfied enough, so he just walked off like he didn't just threaten a young guy in the middle of the street.

Climbing the steps to the door, I held my knuckle to the wood. I knocked four times and then paused before knocking two more. I then heard someone step toward the door, followed by metal clinking and sliding in different ways. When the door opened, I was met by a rather stout-looking Hispanic man with slicked black hair wearing a white tank top with some brown trousers. The thin shirt barely contained the large muscles that seemed sculpted on him. It was Mr. Martinez, the new owner of the building as of last year.

"Oh, look... The little stray doggy is back from his walk," Mr. Martinez snickered, scratching his chest as he looked beyond me to the street like he'd been expecting someone else. "You alone? That cocky wop leave?"

I shook my head, "Penny should be coming around soon. Come on, pendejo, don't you remember the code knocks." As the insult ground into his hearing, Mr. Martinez got closer, sticking his chest out more as he jammed his meaty finger into my chest.

"Look, Chucho... Little dogs like you can easily get put down if you yap too much, me eschuchas?" As I stared into his eyes, I could see the tinges of red flowing into them. His breath smells of alcohol but looks too put together to be drunk.

"Yo, Tio. Chill out already and get back inside," I heard coming from behind the man in front. Looking past him, I could see another Hispanic guy, much younger than the drunk asshole in front of me. His hair was much curlier, and he chose a more relaxed attire consisting of an open-buttoned shirt and checkered pants, with a grey bushy tail wagging back and forth. It was Iggy, the first friend I ever made in this city. Aside from our complicated first meeting, Iggy or Ignacio Martinez was a stray like me.

"Relax, Mr. Martinez," I finally say to break the tension between us. "I was just bustin' your balls a bit, honest." Mr. Martinez didn't seem amused for a moment, but there was a slight change in his demeanor. Suddenly, it was as if a magician had pulled away a curtain because his scowl turned into a friendly smile. He slapped me on the back and then ran a hand through my hair, ruffling it up and making it even more unruly. 

"I got ya this time, didn't I," He said, his smile widening as he marveled at his success. I wasn't willing to admit it, but he had gotten me. Out of all the people in Iscariot City, a few could make me shit my pants. Near the end of the list was Mr. Martinez since I've seen what he does to people who piss him off. Letting me go, Mr. Martinez stepped out the door, letting me know he was going back to make sure Penny got in. He assures me that he's got a room for her already and even mentions something about Rebecca waiting for her.

"Oi hefe," Iggy said as he threw his arm around my shoulder, "How'd the job go tonight?" He took two whiffs of me as he asked before letting me answer. "Two guys? Plus, ya didn't eat either of them?"

I shook my head, "Nah, orders were not to do anything a Paradigm would do. Had to make it look like the guy got taken out by someone normal." She could tell I had some blood, just not from the two Irishmen.

"Well... At least you got out without having to paint another room red," Iggy sighed, "I'm sure Franny would be happy to know that."

"Speaking of which," I say before Iggy could continue, "Where is Francis?" Iggy scratched his chin, the stumble making a slight sound as his fingers rubbed against it. "She's in your room like always," he answered, "Like she always does when you go out on a solo job." As we reached the staircase leading up to the second floor in the hallway, Iggy took his arm from around me as he took a different path than mine.

"So, you talk to your Dad about letting us join you for a change?" He asked as he leaned against the wall next to the staircase. His tail wagged back and forth as if he'd become even more eager than he already was when I arrived at the door.

"I did," I said, "He says that I'm to become Capo first. You can't lead anyone as a lowly soldier. Plus, you know only Paradigms can be made in our family. No Lupus or Shamans allowed."

"I know... But come on. It'd be awesome to work with you for a change." Every time Iggy brought this up, I could see the genuine excitement in his eyes. I hated to disappoint him with the same standoffish answer every time since it'll be a cold day in hell when my Dad would let a bastard be one of his capos. He said I was only a soldier because I was his son. He'd be damned if he let a Murcielago become just an associate.

"Be a little more patient with me," I said as I stepped up the stairs. "Trust me, out of our band of misfits. You'll be the third to know." I winked and even flashed a cheeky smile.

"Wow, ya cheeky pendejo," said Iggy. "I see how it is. But that's fair. I know I'm not pretty like that fine sister of yours."

"Don't let her hear you say that," I warned, "Or Becca, for that matter. You know that one gets jealous easily."

"Shit, you're right," he realized, checking around the hall for anyone else. "That Loco Chica would wear my fur as a pelt. Going to make myself scarce, give my regards to the missus."

Before I could wave, Iggy bolted down the hall. He was always too fast for his good. I started back up the stairs again, taking time with each step. Using my ears, I listened to anyone else in the house. I could hear Becca up in Penny's room giggling at something. Maybe she was knitting something for Penny or found something amusing. Only one other person was in the house besides Becca and Iggy, and that particular person had been in my room.

As I got to the second floor, I dug in my right pocket for my key. I usually locked my door in case someone snooped around when they weren't supposed to. Both Iggy and Mr. Martinez had sharp noses and tended to flock wherever there was a strange smell.

I had my room key between my index and thumb when I reached my door. It took a second for me to unlock it, but not for any mechanical reasons. It was mainly because of who was inside.

My sister's interrogation I could stand, as she was just checking to see if my head was on straight. Francis, on the other hand, was a different story altogether.