"Ok, so what's the deal with these Whosits Files?" Mariah asked.
It was a pleasant, warm spring day with the promise of summer just around the corner. After the cold and rain that Mariah, a child of warm coastal Tartosa, was convinced were Britechester's constant weather, it was nice to be warm again. At the same time, it seemed odd to be spending a warm spring morning discussing espionage over a game of chess with a woman called Snow.
"The Villareal Files," Snow said with a smile. "Jacques Villareal was a major player in the underworld for years." 
"Was? What happened to him?" Mariah asked.
"Time," Snow said. "The Old Man was, like, almost a hundred when he died... of old age, which isn't usual in his line of work. Villareal was the brains behind some major heists, dirty deals and crooked schemes over the years. The Families respected him. The authorities, even the Agency, couldn't touch him. This guy shook hands with captains of industry, movie stars, national leaders and crime bosses for a couple of generations. The story has always been that he had dirt on everyone, files of dirty secrets spanning decades. He knew where all the bodies were buried, probably literally."
"Why hasn't anyone gone after these files before?" Mariah looked puzzled.
"They have," Snow said. "Hell, I have! After he died everyone was after those files. Villareal was old school... nothing electronic, nothing online.... and no one has been able to find whatever paper files he had. Lots of people don't even really seriously believe in them anymore. Current thinking is they were a bluff, a threat Villareal could hold over anyone who wanted to take a poke at him."
"But Genie's mom... Madonna, I still can't believe Genie's mom works for the Alto Family... claims to have them, and you think they're real," Mariah said.
"A man like Nick Alto might have let himself be bluffed by the Old Man," Snow said carefully, "but he's too arrogant and sexist to believe a woman, even if she is the Old Man's daughter. Luna Elderberry, nee Villareal, would have to have had to show him enough to proof to spook him."
"So, she's got the files," Mariah said, "and if we can get our hands on them."
"Checkmate," Snow smiled.
"Damn right," Mariah grinned.
"No, really, checkmate," Snow continued to grin,
"What?" Mariah looked down at the chess game they'd been negligently playing while talking. "How did you do that?"
"It's called the Tartosan Attack," Snow said. "You've got to pay attention... especially if you're going to go after Jacques Villareal's files which, like I said, no one has been able to find."
"Yeah," Mariah, a little sadly, "but I've got an inside woman."
"Do you trust her?" Snow asked.
"Absolutely," Mariah answered, "but bringing her into this... I don't know."
"Kid, her mom is the Alto's banker, her dad's deep in Nick's pocket, and her uncle is a major player, even if he is a fuck-up," Snow said. "She's deep in this already. She just doesn't know it... unless she does."
"Merda," Mariah sighed.
"Let me get this straight," Genie gasped out. "You're telling me my mom is involved in organized crime, Nick Alto is a crime boss and my grand-père was some kind of criminal mastermind?"
"Yes," Mariah winced.
"And you're a spy?" Aadi put in.
"Kinda," Mariah groaned, "yeah... intelligence asset is the term but yeah, spy."
"You want to say anything here?" Aadi looked at Miranda.
"I knew most of this already," Miranda admitted.
"This is crazy," Genie burst out. "I mean first, Mr. Alto... Nick... your Uncle Nick is a crime boss?"
"Honey, her Uncle Nick is a crime boss," Aadi said. "It's kinda been in the news."
"Oh my God," Genie gasped. "I mean... Oh my God, I slept with him."
"You what?!" Mariah gasped.
"OK, that's maybe not the important thing right now," Aadi said.
"You knew about that!" Mariah accused.
"Not the important thing right now," Aadi repeated.
"You didn't know, about your mom?" Miranda asked Genie gently.
"Sure," Genie's voice dripped sarcasm. "Miranda, my mother and I barely talk... and 'Mom are you involved in organized crime?' is right up there with 'Mom, I lost my virginity to your fitness instructor' on the list of topics we don't talk about!"
"Wait, isn't your mom sleeping with her fitness instructor?" Aadi asked.
"Can we stop talking about my sex life!?" Genie cried.
"Well, you keep bringing it up," Miranda pointed out.
"I need..." Genie sighed. "I need a minute."
"Genie, I'm sorry," Mariah started. "I..."
"Just... I need a minute," Genie repeated.
"Take all the minutes you need," Mariah said softly.
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