Alianna sat inside of a cozy little coffee shop across the street from Libertà, a club owned by Jax Boveri. Today was her third day undercover in New York City under the alias of Alianna Rose, a 21 year old girl from California who needed money to go to university. 

She was surprised that Marino created an alias with her real name, Alianna that is, Rose was a fairly common surname. She didn't know her birth name, the one her parents gave her. She spent the first two days arranging her apartment, buying food and clothes using the meagre starter allowance she was given. As so called "security measure", she could not get money from Marino while she was undercover, "it would arouse too much attention". She scoffed before focusing on her surroundings.

Magnifique Journée was definitely a couples' hangout with groups of girls scattered here and there. Alianna definitely stood out as she sat in the coffee shop alone. She opened her book; the cover depicted an innocent romance but the words on the pages held all the information Marino had on the Boveri family; never judge a book by its cover.

Jax Boveri had established Libertà to hide a meeting place for his men, accomplices and business clients. Despite its primary function, Libertà was one of the hottest nightclubs at the moment, critics praised every aspect, the food, the well-stocked bar even the lounge chairs in the washrooms were appraised. She flipped through pictures of the interior of the club, she approved of Boveri's modern chic style. Even here in the coffee shop, she heard numerous couples and friends decide to go on a night out clubbing at Libertà. That must be one of the reasons for a constant stream of patrons, a smart move by Boveri.

"We're partying at Libertà tonight," a girl declared. Her statement was met with immediate agreement from her friends; the group were sitting close enough for her to hear their conversation. Alianna didn't mind the girl's statement; she'd heard said many times, many ways in the hour she'd been sitting there.

"Do we really have to go there?" a voice protested. "It'll be like I'm working there all over again." Some of her friends laughed good-naturedly. This piqued Alianna's interest and she actively listened to their conversation. "I'm so happy that my student loan is finally paid off so I could quit serving drunks and start looking for a real job," the same girl continued. "Something's going on at that place; some of those men give me the creeps." The girls laughed at the over dramatized shudder their friend gave.

"Not Jax Boveri though," another girl said with a dreamy sigh. "He's one fine man." This was met with approval, further discussion and swooning over Boveri which Alianna promptly ignored.

She wasn't going to deny it, there was a picture of Jax Boveri in the file and just looking at the picture stirred a foreign emotion in her. But he was her victim, she could not get involved. She slipped her book into her bag and went to trash can to deposit her cup of coffee. In her peripheral, she assessed the former Libertà employee. The slim brunette could not be older than 27 and was dressed to impress. Alianna gave herself a look over as she exited the coffee shop. Dressed in a green tank top with a white blazer, blue skinny jeans and ballet flats, she was ready to face the enemy.

~

Evan sat in his office with Rex, his friend, co-manager and Jax's consigliere. Right now they were handling family matters, making arrangements for the movement of goods that they took from Marino. The two men worked in silence, a silence that was interrupted by a knock on the door. Evan frowned as he turned to Rex; Rex raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Evan snorted, the only person Rex spoke to was Jax.

"Enter," Evan switched off his monitor and stood, he fixed his brown hair and stretched to his full 5'11" height.

"There's a lady here," Evan looked at Libertà's bouncer, "she would like to speak to you about the vacant bartender position."

Evan looked at Rex who nodded, "Send her in."

Hopefully this interview went well, it'd save him some headache of running a short staffed bar on a weekend. The door opened again, he looked up and his mouth fell open slightly. Standing before him was a beauty, even though he preferred blondes, he marvelled at the black waves that tumbled down from her ponytail. Her tan skin suited her brown eyes and her slim yet curvy frame made her desirable. Rex cleared his throat causing him to snap back to reality. "Please sit," he gestured to the chair in front his desk.

"Thank you," Alianna smiled. Her façade was up, she was going to be smiley and happy so no one would guess who she really was and what her intentions are. She looked at the men in front of her. Both in their late twenties, one was tall, brown hair messy on top of his head but his skin was worn and calloused, the other was quiet, lanky, blonde hair swept to the side as he never spared her a glance.

"I'm Evan Rossi and that's Rex Alvarez and we're the co-managers of Libertà," Evan flashed his megawatt smile, the one that had ladies falling at his feet, literally. His smile dimmed slightly when he got no reaction from the lady seated in front of him. "And you are?"

"Alianna Rose," she answered brightly with her megawatt smile on full power. She smirked inwardly as she saw his fingers twitch lightly on his desk. "It's a pleasure to meet you both," she inclined her head to Alvarez and surprisingly got a nod in return.

"So bartending," Evan slipped into his "Mr Rossi" persona, he knew that Jax would have his head if he made the slightest slip-up in employment, "why are you interested in it?"

"I would like to go to a performing arts school," Alianna replied with enthusiasm. "But my family doesn't view it as a worthwhile profession," she looked down slightly with her upset tone. "So I've got to find some way to fund my studies. I'm not going to let them stamp out my passion," she brought her voice back to exhilaration.

Evan smiled genuinely, he couldn't help it. Alianna's determination was rare, he was happy to see that she wouldn't bend to someone wishes. "I applaud you," he grinned. "But let's see how good you are behind the counter." He invited her to join him as he made his way to the door. Dually clever, he assessed the talent of his prospective employee and gave Rex sometime to run background checks. It also gave him an excuse to drink on the job.

Alianna whistled lowly they approached the black granite bar. Set along the eastern curve of the black expanse of dance floor, the glass shelves of the 20 foot bar were stocked to roof. She could tell that the bar was divided into five stations.

"We have 5 bartenders," Evan explained, "helps cut down a crowd; three bartenders attend to patrons who are on the dance floor or actually at the bar. The two bartenders on either end serve the tables and booths on either side."

Alianna looked at the tables and booths in the wings of dance floor. "Clever," Boveri was smart; she had a good impression of him and she hadn't even met him yet. Evan chuckled before gesturing for her to step behind the counter.

"You'll be working in the centre station," Alianna stepped in place. She felt exposed here but she shrugged off the feeling, attention was the last thing she needed but she'll survive. Evan nodded mentally at Alianna's confidence, he imagined her in Libertà's uniforms, she would definitely add to the aesthetic of the bar. "I would like a mojito, a Cuba Libre and a Manhattan please." He settled on one of the stools by the bar.

Alianna worked with precision and confidence. She knew her every move was being judged by Evan. Back in training school, they taught her how create a wide array of alcoholic drinks, bartender was a role one would often assume while undercover. She prepared the drinks with expertise, only stopping intermittently to tuck her bangs behind her ears and placed them in front of Evan. She was curious why he requested three drinks. Was Jax Boveri here? If so; where? She looked up as she placed the napkins and straws alongside the drinks. Her eyes trailed discreetly to the glass in the western wall above her. She had located her prey. Smiling, she focused her attention on Evan.

Evan sipped his Manhattan. His eyes widened as he downed half the glass. "Careful Mr Rossi," he heard Alianna tease. He chuckled before nodding.

"This is good," he looked at her expectant face. Next to him Rex slid onto the stool before sipping the mojito. Another nod of approval, but with double meaning, in appreciation of the drink and also notifying Evan that her background was solid and clean.

"You're hired," Evan said. "We expect you here Monday to Saturday at 5 o clock to prepare before doors open. On Sundays you should be here at 11 am as we open for lunch. You leave after closing and you can return tomorrow for your uniforms."

Alianna smiled brightly, "Thank you so much Mr Rossi and Mr Alvarez." She bade them goodbye before walking to her apartment 2 blocks away. As soon as the door closed behind her, her phone began to ring. She sighed and answered the private number call.

"I'm in."

~

Jax stepped out from the exit of his hideaway office. He chuckled at the sight of his friends dressed impeccably sipping their drinks. They stopped talking as he approached and took an appreciative sip of his Cuba Libre. He had watched Alianna prepare it with ease. When Evan brought the girl to the bar, he couldn't take his eyes off her. There was something about her that snared his attention. Was it her eyes? Her hair? The hint of curves she showed? No, it was look in her eyes that he saw when they unknowingly met. There was something about her that made him want to get to know her.

Evan studied the look on Jax's face. He was clearly thinking about Alianna, just as he was but somehow, he knew Jax was thinking of her not as an employee. "Think we can make the move?" he asked chuckling as Jax's eyes snapped back to reality.

"Yes, we move tonight and follow the usual procedures," Jax replied he knew Evan. He was trying to get a rise out of him. "I'll be going to Miami to personally oversee the transcations." Rex nodded his approval.

"And what about Alianna?" Evan said causally. He hid his playful smirk with his glass.as he drank. He wanted to gauge Jax's feelings and thoughts on her.

"What about her?" Jax kept his tone platonic, not falling into Evan's trap.

"Don't you meet with employees after we hire them?" Evan grinned.

Jax turned to him, "After a month, it's my protocol." He looked at Evan.

Evan nearly flinched as he saw Jax's eyes. It held a dark fire in them and Jax's messages were clear.

One: don't mess with Alianna, treat her like everyone else but ensure that no harm came to her.

Two: back off, he had an interest in her.

Evan chuckled before nodding. Jax nodded in return leaving Rex and Evan by the bar again. Rex chuckled as well.

"Oh Alianna, I hope you're ready for what's in store for you."

Author's note:

For an idea of Alianna's outfit: http://www.polyvore.com/causal_professional/set?id=61068531