Theresa "Viper" DiMarco

Overview

Theresa is a skilled pickpocket who grew up in the slums of Little Italy. She never knew her father and her mother 'Maria' was killed when she was young, leaving her to fend for herself on the streets.

Skills

• Pick-pocketing
• Hand-to-hand combat
• Communication

Background

Theresa grew up in the slums of Little Italy. Despite the poverty and crime that surrounded her, she lived a relatively happy life with her mother. Her mother worked hard to provide for them both, but they were always on the edge of destitution. She was killed after Giovanni "The Shark" Fierro, who was a small-time crook at the time, was trying to expand his territory and showed up on their doorstep. He took a liking to Maria and propositioned her. She vehemently refused his advances and told him to leave. Giovanni was furious at the rejection and tried to force himself on Maria. She fought back and in the struggle, he killed her. To try to cover his tracks, he set their apartment on fire and left. He thought he got away with his crime after he'd burned their apartment down, but didn't know that Maria had a young daughter who was a witness to her death. This allowed Theresa to remain safe from Giovanni after she survived the fire.

Theresa was taken in by a local orphanage, but despite the nuns' best efforts, she was a difficult child and was often in trouble. She joined up with a small-time gang when she was 12 and learned to pick pockets and avoid capture. She was a natural thief and quickly chose to leave the orphanage and live life on the streets. While most girls her age were taken advantage of on the streets, she was able to carve out a life for herself and survive on her skills alone.

When she was 23, she had an opportunity to gain access to 'The Shark' but didn't take the opportunity. Knowing that doing so would put her in danger, expose her life to the mob, and put her in the same position as her mother. She chose to stay away and bide her time until she could get her chance at revenge.

That chance came when she met Johnny. She met him after she stole his wallet. She left the scene soon after the theft and thought she'd gotten away, until returning home the next day to find Johnny sitting in her apartment, drinking her tea. He expressed how impressed he was and instead of having her arrested he offered her a role in the crew. She agreed to join the team under the condition that they take out Giovanni and allow her to "be the one to pull the trigger." Johnny agreed and she's been with the team ever since.

Relationship to other characters

Theresa is more of a lone wolf, but over time she's grown to trust and rely on the team. She puts up a tough exterior, but deep down she cares for the team and would do anything to protect them. She has a soft spot for Johnny, who she's grown sees as a brother, and has a deep respect for Dante and Jackie. She's naturally wary of new people and forces them to prove their loyalty.

She has a complicated relationship with Layla, who she met at The Sky Bar, and continues to see each other in secret.