"No, not for nothing.". replied Tommy quietly. "And lets make sure Vincent knows that too; we are in this for something; for each other.".

As the Italian dragged himself down the street Tommy pulled himself out of the car to follow.
"You're brave paisan no doubt about that, but stupid sometimes!". He smiled encouragingly. "Will you just sit down and rest? I can call Avery.".

"Then, lets get to that safe house.".

Moretti blinked in surprise as Cotton came up behind him. He considered a moment, then nodded. "Alright, paisan, you win. I'll stop for a bit."

He pulled out his memo pad, wrote down a number, and handed the slip of paper to Cotton. "But do me a favor. Call that number after you talk to Avery. Give the person who answers the password, 'In barca a vela'. Tell him Vincent Moretti needs to know where the Frenchman's shop is."

He took a draw on his cigarette, exhaled. "He's a veterinarian. Got into some kind of trouble in Paris. Fled to London. Now he sews up Derby Sabini's soldatos when things go wrong. He can carve the bullet out of me. You can drop me off there on the way to the safe house."

He paused, then smiled. "Thanks for seeing this through, Tommy. This kind of danger, most guys in your position would be in the next boat back to New York. You're a true friend."

He sauntered back to the car. Finishing his smoke, he dropped it to the street and crushed it, then slid into the back seat. A chill had taken hold of his chest and he drew his coat tightly about him.

When Vincent returned to the car, Rosalie shifted in her seat to study him.  After a moment, she finally spoke.  "I'm sorry for slapping you.  You didn't deserve that, Vincent.  I know you were just trying to do the right thing; to keep us safe."

She paused, searching for the words.  "You were wrong back there, however.  I know what you do for a living, Vincent.  I've known for quite some time, and I could never despise you for it.  I would prefer if no one else had to die, but that isn't the world in which we're currently living."

She turned, glancing out of the driver's side window, her face silhouetted by the street lights.  "What truly upset me is that you put your own life at risk; that you don't value yourself like we do.  You are fearless, and that scares the hell out of me."

Her attention shifted back to him, blue eyes seeking his in the darkness.  "I care about you, Vincent.  Uncle Leo does, too.  You're as much a part of our family as Jackson or Stanley or Bo.  I hope... I hope that you'll one day let yourself believe it."

After helping Vincent back to the car he left the keys in the ignition and made his way to the phone box near by. Taking the opportunity to make sure there was no one else near by, or watching, he picked up the handset and asked to be put through to Avery at the hotel.

OOC:

Tommy, please play out the call in the Docks thread.

It wasn't the first time Moretti had been thankful for the dark. In this case, it served to conceal some of the surprise that had overtaken his expression, ruining the well controlled demeanor that had seen him through so many negotiations and card games. He was momentarily speechless, uncertain of how to answer her. In his mind, it was akin to Masseria abruptly treating him as an equal, instead of an underling, and it left him without a frame of reference.

"You don't...you don't have to apologize, Rosalie," he said slowly, "You were upset, in shock. And my actions, they made you angry. You were just expressing your displeasure. It's something you're entitled to do."

"I shouldn't have spoken to you harshly. That was wrong of me. Inexcusable, really. I know you understand who I work for and what I do for them And I believe that you hold me in some regard in spite of it. But...I think if you had followed me around over the last few years, your opinion might be different."

Finding himself suddenly unable to look at her, he turned his attention to the window, watching Cotton as he made his calls. "I've justified what I've done, because of my mother and my sister. When Papa passed, the only thing I cared about was taking care of them." He looked down at his hands. "I've kept the code. Omerta. Honored it since I was seventeen. Last year, right around this time, in the deep of winter, Joe Masseria told me that because of my service to the family, I'd earned the care of my mother and Emily for life. No matter what becomes of me, they'll be watched after and protected."

He looked back at, giving a small smile and a shrug. "So, I'm finished. I did what I set out to do. Whatever's left is just finding an ending. Maybe trying to wipe away a few of the black marks I've collected. When I learned about Jackson, I knew that trying to find justice for him was the right thing." He swallowed, his throat thick. "He always treated me with kindness. Like a brother. I wanted to put a stop to the people that hurt him and, grace permitting, earn a little redemption along the way."

"But Rosalie...I'm not like Stanley, or Bo, or Tommy who's more than earned a place at your family's table. Were I to show up at your uncle's home on a holiday, in a suit and tie, looking all respectable, it would be just appearance. An act. Because deep down, I am corrupt. A criminal, just one of several dozens in Italian Harlem. And I'm well beyond saving."

"I'm honored to do this. To help avenge Jackson. To stop the evil he discovered. But I don't belong among the Elias family, no matter how much I wish that I did. I don't...I don't deserve it."

"None of us are angels," she said quietly.  Her gloved hand slid over the back of her seat and opened in invitation.  "But no one is beyond saving.  You were given a difficult choice and made the best of your circumstances, but the simple fact that everything you've done has been to keep your family safe is proof enough that there's more in your soul than darkness and corruption.  You volunteered for this, like all of us, and have already put your life on the line more than once to keep others safe.  You aren't the monster you think yourself to be, Vincent.  If it is redemption you seek, helping us find Jackson's killers, stopping this cult, will go along way toward that.  We're lucky to have you with us."

Moretti regarded Rosalie for a moment, genuinely surprised by the kindness of her words. "I think you're giving me more credit than I deserve," he told her. He took her hand with deliberate care, just as he would that of a person due considerable honor and deference. "I'll do everything in my power to find justice for Jackson and keep your family protected, Rosalie. You have my word."

"I believe you, Vincent."  She smiled sadly into the darkness and then gave his hand a firm squeeze.  "How is your wound?  Has the bleeding slowed?  We need to get that bullet out as soon as we can." 

Moretti waved a hand dismissively. "I'm holding up fine, I promise. I've already taken steps to get it taken care of. You and Leo won't have to trouble yourselves."

He glanced out the window at Cotton. "Tommy's going to call one of my contacts with the Sabini family. There's a man they use to sew their soldatos up, a former veterinarian. He can drop me there before you two drive to the safe house."

"Alright.  He can probably do a much better job in a clinical setting than we could do in a kitchen.  Have you been to this safehouse before?  Is it truly safe?  Unknown to anyone?"  She threw a worried glance out toward the phone booth.  "Gavigan definitely isn't bluffing.  If he means to rid himself of us, he will surely attempt it."

Moretti shook his head. "I've never had cause to stay at one of the Sabinis' safe houses here in London," he explained, "but I know that the family uses them when their members or associates are in danger from rivals, or being actively sought by the police. In my estimation, Scotland Yard is more persistent in such pursuits than the authorities in New York."

"Understand that in extending its use to me, Derby Sabini is, by extension, providing it to my employer. With the amount of imported liquor that the family in New York purchases from the Sabinis, Derby will not want to do anything to jeopardize that relationship. So I trust that the home is safe and known only to a very few."

He looked down at the floor. "The accommodations will likely be...humble. Not the sort of place that Dr. Elias, or Stanley, or...you are used to. I'm sorry. It's meant for people like myself who are on the run."

She snorted in amusement.  "Really?  You think I've stayed only in high class accommodations for the entirety of my life?  While I do prefer a hotel with reliable hot water and a comfortable mattress, I've endured far less and was extremely happy to have it.  Jackson's expeditions into the wilds aside, where tents failed, blew away, or were impracticable, my father enjoyed dragging my mother and I all over Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean for months at a time on his expeditions.  Tents, huts, and tiny, vermin-infested apartments were the rule rather the exception."

"Also, I think there's a saying that clearly states that 'beggars cannot be choosers'.  None of us would balk at safety at this point, no matter how humble the accommodations."

He did not look up. "I apologize Rosalie. I suppose I regarded la famiglia di Elias, at least in part, through my perception of your uncle's residence. It seemed an entirely different world to me as a child. It still does."

"If the house is sufficient to keep Sabini's men hidden from the vendetta of rivals, it should serve as a safe harbor from the Brotherhood. If all goes well, it will give us the opportunity to locate the Misr House, and Gavigan, before he has the chance to do you, or any of your loved ones, harm."

Finishing his call to Avery and Leo the reporter fished in his back pocket for the number Vincent had given him and tried it next.
As he waited to be put through he peered up the street toward the Blue Pyramid.

Tommy finishes his call to the hotel, and then subsequently contacted the dentist, who confirmed what Vincent had told him earlier and provided an address.

She fell silent for a moment, gazing out into the night, watching the street and the Blue Pyramid.  Knowing that the cult's planned ritual was for another night was something of a relief and gave them a little room to breathe.  However, Rosalie knew that they were still in danger.  Gavigan and his followers could be looking for them, even now, and his first stop would probably be the hotel.  Vincent is right.  We need the safehouse right now.  It's too risky otherwise.

She threw the Italian a glance.  "Vincent, do you think that the woman that works at this establishment, the one that Thomas is sweet on, might know the location of Misr House?"

The call to Vincent's fixer-upper was brief and pulling up his collar to shield against the cold night Tommy hurried back to the car.
Swinging round to face his companions he moved to start the ignition.
"Something is up with Leo-he didn't want to talk openly on the phone, but maybe it's just for the best and he's playing it safe. No big news from their end; I told them to meet us in an hour sharp by the scoop.".

He shrugged. "I didn't want to give out the full safe house address if Leo had reason to think the call could be monitored so needed some meeting place we'd all know.".

Anyway, I got the address for your 'dentist'. I say we head over there now and see if we can get you patch up a bit better buddy.".

Moretti was considering Rosalie's question when Cotton reentered the vehicle. He nodded slowly.

"She very well might. I'll go ask."

He climbed out of the car, lit a cigarette, then cracked open the driver's door. "Tommy, go ahead and head over to the Scoop. You don't want to keep Leo and the others waiting. The quicker everyone is at the safe house, the better."

"I'm going to try to intercept Zubaida. It's late, so maybe I can catch her when she leaves. See if she can tell me where the Misr House is, or point me to someone else who might know. Once I've talked to her, I'll go over to the Frenchman's."

He glanced over at the Egyptian restaurant, then back at Cotton. "Don't worry about me, paisan. I will be just fine. Capisce? Get yourself and the Elias family to safety. I know where the house is. I'll catch up."

"Vincent, are you sure?  I don't like the thought of leaving you out here alone.  We can wait for you to come out and drop you off at the doctor's place."  Concern tinged her voice.  "You know it isn't safe."

"Its your call paisan. I reckon you're just trying to put off that visit to the dentist eh?

I like Rosalie's suggestion. We will wait here for 40 minutes; then head over to the rendezvous with the others. If you catch Zubaida before then, you know where to find us. But I imagine you may be waiting a while for her to finish her shift, in which case we will see you at the safe house tomorrow morning. Agreed?"." The dentist might offer Vincent a bed and there was no need for him to rush to the safe house if sleep tempted him first.

"If for any reason we don't see you there, leave a message at that pub we met Zubaida in. The York Minster wasn't it?".
Always good to have a backup plan.

"Oh, and give Zubaida my love.".
Tommy grinned in an effort to lighten the mood. He was glad Leo and the others seemed safe for now.

"And please don't over do it...".

Moretti was quiet for a moment. "Don't worry about me, Rosalie," he said, "I'll be okay. You two meet up with the others, get to the safe house. Please."

He nodded at Cotton's suggestion. "If anything unexpected comes up, I'll do my best to leave word at the York Minster. If I don't turn up by morning and there's no message there, don't waste time trying to locate me. Just know that something went wrong and move forward with whatever course of action that's been decided on."

He found a grin. "I'll be sure to tell Zubaida that not an hour passes without you thinking of her, paisan."

He clapped Cotton on the shoulder then pushed the car door closed. Taking a pull on his cigarette, he pulled his coat tight around him and drifted down the street, into the shadows.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:14, Fri 07 Apr 2017.

It was pointless to argue or try to stop him.  He was right, and she accepted it.  Leaning back into her seat, she pulled her coat around her and watched Vincent until he disappeared.  Turning to Tommy, she tilted her head at the road in front of him.  "Let's go.  The sooner we meet up with the others, the sooner we can make sure that everyone is alright.  Vincent can handle himself.  We've waited out here, exposed, for long enough.  It's time to regroup and get to someplace safe."

Watching Vincent slip into the night Tommy and Rosalie lingered in silence. The reporter realised how tired he was and after 10 minutes turned the key to the ignition.
"Alright; unless he comes back in the next minute, we're off.".

Vincent still hadn't returned by the allotted time, so as planned, Tommy and Rosalie left, heading towards their rendezvous with Leo.

OOC:
This thread will now be closed.

Please proceed to Chapter 2.4: Aftermath [02/01/1925]