It’s a slow day at the winery. They're having an uncharacteristically rainy season which is scaring off the tourists and day trips. A few regulars stop in for a drink but Jia’s glad that’s all she has to deal with. Enough people have commented on her eye for one day. It’s been called a shiner, eyeliner, raccoon eyes and a few names she never needed to hear. At least the regulars like her to drink with them and her eye gives her another excuse. She’s had at least half a bottle and she’s feeling pretty good.

As the morning gets late, Shin finally makes his way over from the house. She told him he had to help today but he never showed up and she couldn’t leave the winery alone to search for him. She stares him down, waiting for him to say something. He’s unable to meet her gaze. “Sorry it took me so long to sneak over. Mom and dad wouldn’t stop talking. How's your eye?”

“Hurts like hell thanks to you.”

That gets his attention and he comes at her, looking up. “Come on. You can't give me shit for that. You're the one who asked me to punch you.”

“You didn't exactly give me a lot of options. It was that or turn you over to the police. Be glad I was feeling nice. I should have turned you in. You need to give me more info about these guys you owe money. I'm not going to find you breaking into any more houses.”

He looks away again. “You really don't want to get involved with these guys. They're dangerous and they don't play around. Leave it alone and let me take care of it.”

“Ya, that’s not happening little brother. I'm already involved.” She points at her eye. “This isn't going to be for nothing. Tell me more about them or I will turn you in to mom and dad.”

He scans the store to make sure they’re alone. “Your funeral. Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you. Have you heard of the Delux Gang? They mostly work out of San Francisco but they’re all over the state.”

Rolling her eyes, Jia says, “Sure I stay up-to-date on all the gangs around here. Who knows, I might want to join one of these days. Of course I don't know about a gang. That’s why I need you to tell me about them. Who are they, what do they do, where can I find them?”

“There really isn’t that much to tell. Drugs, guns, more drugs. You know, gang stuff. I got into a little too much debt to them and had to do an initiation last night.”

Her jaw drops. This isn’t the story he told her at first. “What do you mean an initiation? I thought they just wanted you to steal some shit. Were you trying to join their gang?”

“I mean, kind of. I don't really want to join but I’m not sure I have much choice. I owe them enough money that there’s no way I can pay them back.”

Walking to the door of the winery, Jia locks the entrance. Any customers who show up will have to pound on the door so they won’t be caught off guard. “Why were you borrowing money from a gang? You really couldn’t see how bad that would end?”

Shin shifts between his feet and shoves his hands in his pockets. “I have a friend who’s a member and she told me awhile ago they could lend me money if I needed it. There’s a few projects I wanted to work on and I needed the funds. Things were going well for awhile but then I got behind and I just kept falling deeper and deeper into things. It seemed like joining was my only way out. They told me if I became a member and did some work for them they'd forgive my debt. To become a member, I had to go through their initiation which is just robbing a house they tell you to. It was a one time thing. I wasn’t planning to become a cat burglar or anything. I think I proved last night I’m not cut out for it.”

“You’re not joining a gang. Not happening.”

Laughing, Shin nods. “After last night, I think you’re right. Got any other suggestions so I don't get killed by these guys? I'm all ears. After how last night went I'm pretty sure joining the gang isn’t an option anymore.”

”My idea is that I'm going to take care of it for you. Like always. Do they just operate out of San Francisco? I thought you were living in LA until recently?”

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“I was but I've been all over. They’ve got members around the state but to get a loan I had to drive to the bay. It’s not that bad a drive for the kind of money they were giving me.”

“Where can I find them. Do I need go over to San Francisco? I’ll do so if needed.” She sighs. How’s she going to sell her parents on this one?

“Terrible idea. If you really want to talk to them the last thing you want to do is go there. That’s their headquarters. If you try rushing that place you’ll end up dead and that’s not going to do me any good. There's actually a bar outside of town where a bunch of their members hang out. A lot of people in Napa build up a tolerance to the booze and need something harder. They do a ton of business here. There’s probably even someone there who can make a decision. Since it's not quite as high profile, there’s a chance they don't kill you on sight. Not a great chance, but a chance. It’s still a waste of time though. If you ask them to forgive my debt they’re just going to laugh you out of the place. That’s the best case.”

Grabbing her brother’s arm and putting it in an arm lock, she holds it for a moment before releasing it. He yelps but doesn’t fight back. As she releases him he rubs his wrist in pain. “I can take care of myself. Let me worry about what they're going to do. Where do I find this bar?”

Shin doesn’t have an address but he’s able to give her a general location and describe the place well enough that she's fairly certain she can find it. It's a bit of a haul by bike so she demands a ride in exchange for her services. Shin has a nice car; she saw him driving it just a few days ago. He apparently left it a few miles away at an all night grocery before his attempted robbery though. She tells him to get on her bike and go get it. He can throw the bike in the trunk on his way back. He grumbles but does as he’s told.

With Shin gone, Jia can unlock the winery and go back to playing on her phone and drinking. Not a bad way to spend a day. She’s starting to get numb to the pain in her face when her mother makes her entrance. She walks behind the counter and without a word grabs a glass, pouring herself a drink. She jerks her head in Jia’s direction. “Nice eye.”

Jia puts her head in her hands, tired of every person commenting on her face. “Thanks, it really complements my haircut. I’m thinking I might keep it.”

Pouring a second glass, her mother hands one to her. Jia takes it without complaint, not mentioning how much she’s already had today. “Your dad said it was bad. He wasn’t kidding. Believe me, I know you can’t do this without getting hurt now and then. I’m not going to give you a hard time or anything. Can you try to keep it off your face though? He’s going to give me a hard time if you keep getting hurt.”

Jia shrugs, finishing her glass already. Her mother refills it and Jia has another sip. “I’ll try, but I didn’t exactly go out planning on getting punched in the face. It just kind of happened.”

“What’s your brother gotten himself involved in?”

Jia’s taken aback at this. Her mother has never voiced a negative thought about her brother in her life, at least not to her. He literally went two years without letting any of them know he was alive and she shrugged it off as a kids will be kids situation. She badly wants to rub this in her mother’s face, to prove he’s not the perfect child she acts like he is. Jia loves her brother though and she gave her word.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What does Shin have to do with anything?”

Her mother gets closer, staring her down. “I’m not an idiot. I heard you and your brother show up at the same time last night. You come home with that and he shows up out of nowhere, without his car I might add. Where’s he at now?”

“He ran to get his car. He left it at a friend’s house not far from here apparently. He was over there drinking last night and got drunk. No big conspiracy. You should be glad he was smart enough not to drive. I ran into him on my way in last night. You should have more faith in your son.”

“Why did you tell your dad he wasn’t here when you got home then?”

She didn’t expect her mother to have heard that. It takes her a moment to come up with an answer. “Just giving him a hard time. Figured he wouldn’t want to tell dad about his drinking. Dad gives him a hard time about it.”

The older woman gets quiet for a moment before finishing her final half glass of wine in one large swig. She pours another. “Have it your way then. I expect you’ll both come to me if you need help though.”

“What would you even do mom, go put on your old costume and rough someone up? We both know that’s not going to happen.”

Her mother smiles as she starts on another glass of wine. “It doesn’t need to. You don’t do this without making some friends. Some of them still owe me favors. I wouldn’t have to lift a finger. But keep pretending there’s nothing to tell.” With that said, she walks out of the winery, taking her glass of wine and the rest of the bottle with her.