Peter and Arthur returned from town without incident. The meeting was set for midnight. It seemed unnecessarily dramatic to Rose but when she asked Peter about that he shook it off and explained it was better to ensure the store was empty.

She served drinks and fried chicken to the regulars that night. Though hers wasn't nearly as good as Miss Lilly's. At eleven Forrest started cleaning up and when the regulars spotted him with a broom in his hand they took the hint and cleared out. Rose shook her head thinking of how many nights she had to ask people to leave long after she had swept, mopped and wiped down the whole place and all Forrest had to do was pick up a broom.

When the last customer left Rose went upstairs to get her bag. Forrest had her stash it behind the counter which was were he instructed her to stay, no matter what happened.

At exactly midnight there was a quiet knock at the door. Peter stood by and opened it. The man from Chicago stepped into the room like an actor stepping onto the stage. His eyes traveled over Rose behind the counter to Forrest sitting on the other side of his table and finally rested on Arthur who stood leaning against the counter between him and Rose.

The man came in and stopped in the middle of the room, holding his arms out to the side inviting someone to frisk him. Forrest met Peter's gaze and nodded. Peter pulled out a small hand gun and placed it on the table in front of Forrest. Forrest motioned for the man to sit.

The man smirked and did so, watching all of them with a bemused expression on his face. Forrest held up a finger signaling Rose to bring glasses. She did, placing one first in front of Forrest and the second in front of the man.

He smiled at her, a creepy, greasy smile that made Rose want to run away from him. "It was nothing personal doll face," he assured her.

She gave flashed him a sweet smile but let him see in her eyes that she would shoot him without thinking twice.

He laughed out loud and took a sip from his glass. "Now, Mr. Garrett what can I do for you?"

Forrest took a drink from his own glass and leaned back in his chair. The lamps cast flickering shadows across his face though his eyes were shaded by the brim of his bowler, pulled low, making him look even more dangerous than the man across from him.

"We have reconsidered our position in regard to your proposal," Forrest said calmly.

Arthur shifted, unable to control his nervous energy.

"I'm delighted," The Man said with a broad grin.

"We are prepared to split from the man you spotted in town and pay your boss compensation for losses on our end."

The man leaned back in his chair and clicked his tongue. "Terribly difficult to find good help these days, but mistakes do happen," he allowed.

Forrest didn't look away from the man's piercing gaze, to look away would be to show weakness. So he would have to trust his brother to keep his temper in the face of something so important. Though why the man continued to bait Arthur was beyond him.

Rose reached out and laid her hand on Arthur's biceps to quiet him when he would have opened his mouth. He glanced down at her small hand then looked back at her face. She arched an imperious brow, warning him. He snorted and shook his head, turning back to the meeting.

"Indeed," Forrest replied stiffly. "We would be willing to pay generously for your aid in separating ourselves from our current...situation."

The Man was surprised by this and it showed on his face. He wasn't as good at concealing his emotions as he seemed to think. "Is that so?"

Forrest held up his hand and gestured Peter over without looking at him. Peter retrieved Rose's carpet bag and set it on the table in front of The Man.

He smiled at Forrest, not bothering to look at Peter. He downed the rest of his drink and climbed roughly to his feet.

Arthur adjusted his stance so he was ready in case The Man decided to cause trouble. Rose retreated to the back wall and sunk down into her stool. To reassure herself she reached out and brushed her fingers delicately along the cool, smooth barrel of the shotgun.

The man opened her bag. He was silent for a few minutes, then he swallowed. "That is generous," he allowed cautiously.

"We are serious about this." Forrest replied.

"Yes, I believe you," the man said and he began to pull out stacks to count the money. After a few tense, silent moments he finally looked up and met Forrest's eyes. "I do believe we have an agreement Mr. Garrett." And he reached out, offering his hand.

Forrest stood but didn't immediately shake. "This settles our debt to your boss and you will take care of the man in town?" Forrest clarified.

The Man smiled. "Yes, yes. Your debt is settled and once I knock off your friend there I will be on my merry way back home."

Forrest nodded grimly and shook the man's hand.

"Well," the man ran his fingers lovingly over the stacks of bills. "It has truly been a pleasure doing business with you boys." His smile was real but in that sincerity Rose was able to see truly just how mad this man was. "As of this moment we will consider all debts owed to my boss settled. Should you ever require a contact in Chicago," the man pulled a business card from inside a jacket pocket and placed it on the table in front of Forrest. "Please consider our outfit. We would be more than happy to do business with you in the future." The man snapped the bag shut and with an overly dramatic bow of his head, he quit the room, taking Rose's carpet bag with him.

Forrest let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He turned to Rose, but she was looking calm and collected. Content that she was fine he turned his attention to his brothers. Arthur was still clenching his jaw, and even from this distance it made Forrest slide his back and forth sympathetically. It was not in Arthur to submit in this way, and Forrest realized his brother would need some time. He stood and clapped Arthur on the shoulder.

"Good night boys," despite everything Forrest was surprised by how easily everything seemed to be coming together. Maybe Rose was right. There was more than one way to do things and he and his brothers had been so immersed in violence they hadn't even considered another way. Of course three hundred thousand dollars bought one a lot of leeway.

Forrest headed to the stairs. He was too tired to worry about philosophy or what this would mean for him and his brothers in the future. He just needed to get some sleep. He was silently pleased when he heard Rose saying her goodnights so she could follow him up the stairs. She had had a fright that day and he would never push it, but when she followed him into his room he breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to face her then. She looked shaken up, but better than she had earlier that day. He pulled her into the circle of his arms, letting his hands range over her in the way he had wanted to do since they emerged from his bed that morning. He kissed up along her neck, trying to alleviate the tension she was carrying there and across her shoulders. Deciding that was exactly what he needed to do he let his fingers drop to the stays on her dress. They were more complicated than the one she had been wearing last night, but his struggle only seemed to increase her desire and she sighed softly when he finally dropped her dress to the ground and laid her back on the bed.

After, she was curled up against his chest looking as content as a kitten who had gotten into the cream. 

"So what happens now?" Forrest asked.

Rose didn't seem to understand what he meant because the small line appeared between her eyes as it always did when she was confused. He reached out and smooth his thumb over it.

"I mean, you bought your freedom today. No more looking over your shoulder, no more running, no more hiding."

"Is that what you think I'm doing here?" she challenged. "Hiding?"

"Isn't it?"

"Maybe at first..." she agreed. "But I would have thought you would see that this is so much more than that now."

Forrest looked away, unable to meet her gaze. He didn't want her to see how desperately he wanted her to stay. How much he needed her to stay. "You can go now, travel the world, just like you wanted."

She shook her head, and actually looked angry with him. "Forrest, I only thought I wanted to travel. It turned out, I was just looking for a place where I belonged." She laid her hand over his heart. "I belong here." She curled up beside Forrest and drifted off to sleep, certain of her place in the world.

A few short hours later Rose was awoken by the sound of a single gun shot.