[i]Aw crap.[/i]

The girl's salamander gave them away. Vinny momentarily toyed with the idea of bringing back Monstrum Acerbum, but a single glance down at his vine-covered arm told him that would be a bad idea. He didn't want to risk passing out during a fight, or worse: losing control of the creature. When Vinny first summoned the beast many years ago, it had sworn that it would kill him the moment he let his guard down or grew weak. He had witnessed Monstrum Acerbum's power many times in the past. If it ever broke free of his control... He shuddered at the thought.

[b]"So, are you planning to fight me head-on?"[/b]

The girl's voice jerked Vinny from his thoughts. Oh right, she was waiting for them to come out from behind the corner. He exchanged a look with Antonio. The latter's eyes seemed to ask 'fight or flight?' Vinny sighed inwardly. Antonio shared the views of many of the young Addario men: kill your opponent or get away and find reinforcements. Vinny, on the other hand, had a wider perspective. Attacking the girl was out of the question at this point. She was too close to her own territory, Vinny had used up about half of his magic reserves, and Antonio was unskilled in battle. She already knew they were there, so fleeing was pointless. Plus, Vinny refused to run from any Campione scum, even if it cost him his life.

Before Antonio could try to stop him, Vinny stepped out from behind the cover of the wall. He raised his hands in the air, faking submission. He knew she would never buy it, but that was all part of the plan.

"All right, all right," Vinny said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Looks like you caught me. Guess, I'll just have to surrender and turn myself in." He approached the girl slowly and stopped a good distance away. He took the opportunity to examine her more closely. She looked a bit pale, which told him she was running out of energy too. That was good. Now he knew he stood a chance if he had to fight. He also had a bit of an upper hand. His tell was the black vines on his arm, but to anyone who didn't know what they actually were, they would just look like a regular tattoo. The girl wouldn't be able to judge how much magic he had left.

Now that he had weighed the scales, Vinny dropped him arms and slipped his hands into his pockets, assuming a more casual stance. He tilted his chin up and fixed the girl with an almost bored-looking stare, his lids partially drooping over his eyes and his mouth curving downward in a frown. If he had learned anything from the mafia, it was confidence.

"So tell me," Vinny said. "What's a Campione girl like you doing in Addario territory? I'm pretty sure you got your own coffee shops, so ya didn't need to make the trip all the way down here. C'mon. Spill it."