He wants to bring 'Brandi' into his organization.

"I hit up some of your old crew back East," Butcher said, turning over a sheet of paper in the file. Gabby swallowed, her heart pounding - the fake back story that her and Lewis had used to get set up in this town. "They all said the same thing: Rob's a loser, Brandi's the brains and the brawn of the operation." Holy shit! Those grasses and losers they'd set up back there had worked!? He hadn't sussed that they were Feds? "Need a drink?" Butcher closed the file, and looked across the desk at her. Gabby liked sitting like this, it meant she didn't have to look at Lewis's body.

Suddenly a wet dragging sound caught her attention - Big Mikey was heaving Lewis's corpse into what looked like a body bag prepared for the occasion.

"I want to bring you into something big, Miss Royal." Shit, she was getting even deeper in... and at what a terrible cost. "But I demand absolute loyalty. Loyalty to nobody but me. Anyone in your gang smart enough to see past the loss of Robert there-" she couldn't help glancing back at him again as the zip covered the bloody mess of his face, "-is welcome to join up with me too. But I'm more than able to supply you with a whole new crew of your own."

"What do you want me to do?" She controlled her breathing, and through it controlled her heart-rate. Lewis was gone, the op wasn't. That was all she had to hold onto now.

"There's a vacancy in my organization for a middle manager in the substance distribution side of things in the South of the city. Obviously it borders on your - previous - stomping grounds, so I wanted someone smart and ruthless-" he pointed a pistol finger at Gabby, "-who knows the are to run things. You'll be running Greg Stott's old area and, if you accept, your old territory too." Stott had, she supposed, been a competitor of theirs. Butcher's man in the area, she hadn't heard he'd been 'removed' so guessed it had happened very recently, hence their sudden summons.

"What happened to Stott?"

"He was a naughty bear. Took too much honey from the honey pot."

It was a hostile takeover, basically. Butcher was bringing her into his team by **** because he wanted control over their 'hood. She didn't care, of course, he could have it as long as it brought him closer to his downfall. And that downfall would be all the sweeter, now that she was burning with vengeance for Lewis.

This time when she heard the dragging of the body bag, of her former partner being taken away to be disposed of, she didn't look back.

"I'm in." Her voice was stronger and firmer than ever.

"I knew you were smart," Butcher grinned, "Let's get the ball rolling then."