Clover Undercover

STAY FOR A WHILE

Bitter notes of stale coffee permeating throughout the decently sized precinct turn my already nervous stomach a painful kind of sour. With each step further into the building, perspiration forms at the nape of my neck, leaving a touch of dampness around the collar of my cream colored silk top.

Ignoring my own discomfort, I push on with unmatched determination because I've arrived at the Laguna Beach PD with a purpose to fulfill.

I cannot fail.

In each hand, I have a tight grip on the most important possessions I've ever acquired. The circumstances surrounding how I came to be in the care of such delicate things was in and of itself a terribly sensitive topic. However unfortunate, they were circumstances that also brought me to Detective Luciano Cavella.

I was taught that if you do something with enough confidence, you'll look as if you're exactly where you're meant to be even if you're actually out of place. So despite the questioning looks, no one stops me as I waltz through the precinct.

Stopping right outside of Detective Cavella's office, I take a deep breath before freeing one hand to knock on his door. The cold wood feels uncomfortable beneath my knuckles and a chill runs up my spine when a deep, gravelly voice bids me in.

I open the door and quickly shut it to maintain as much privacy as possible because I'm coming with life changing news, and I'm unsure of how it will be perceived.

With one arched brow, the detective slowly lowers the piece of paper in his hand onto his desk. "Can I help you, miss?"

Pushing my sunglasses up into my hair, I give him what I hope looks like a warm smile as I secretly assess him, just as I know he's assessing me.

I note how his mop of thick, wavy hair looks unkempt in an intentional way which gives him an aura of professionalism yet approachability. Its color of dark espresso paired with his deep olive skin tone makes his bright green eyes seem far more intense than I anticipated, but his overall appearance is exactly as described: handsome and intriguing.

"I hope so. Are you Detective Luciano Cavella?" I ask in an innocent tone despite knowing he is.

He smiles bright, perfect white teeth at me and nods. "Please, call me Luca. Would you like to sit?"

The detective stands up and gestures to the sitting area on the opposite side of the room and I'm slightly taken aback by his true size. He's close to 6'5 and pure muscle—a gross understatement of simply being labeled a 'large' man, and he's certainly far more intimidating up close.

I shake my head. "That won't be necessary, this won't take long."

"Okay," he smiles and rounds the front of his desk only to lean into a partial sit atop the surface casually. "What can I help you with?"

"Are you familiar with a woman named Elaine West?"

The amount of time it takes for the name to beckon forth recognition within his eyes surprises me. Within mere seconds, he nods. His smile falters and his entire body stiffens as he leans forward ever so slightly in piqued interest.

"Yes, I know her."

"I'm sorry to be the one to inform you of this, but she's dead."

The loaded statement rolls off my tongue so easily, one would never know it sent a pang of anguish like a serrated knife to my gut, tearing apart my insides.

I ensure that everything about me remains stoic and collected. My voice didn't so much as waver, but my hand squeezed gently upon the tiny one held within my grasp, to comfort the four year old little girl who sniffed sadly at the harsh reminder.

My other hand feels the pull of the 13 year old boy wanting to be released from my hold all together, no doubt wishing to be anywhere but here. Though I'm absolutely gutted, I can't show my true feelings because wearing an emotionless mask is the safest thing to do.

With Luca stunned into silence, I take the opportunity to speak further.

"It's a very long story that I can recount for you at a later date should you like to know the specifics, but I'm afraid there's a far more pressing matter to contend with at the moment."

The detective clears his throat, nodding his head in a silent bid for me to continue. I release the smaller hands and place my palms in the center of each back to offer comfort. "These are her children."

Luca's eyes drift back and forth between the children's faces before him. Now that he's truly looking at them, he can tell they really are her children.

They both have a dusting of freckles across their noses and dimpled chins, just like their mother, but it's their dark hair and green eyes rimmed with thick, black lashes that are making his breath catch. Both features that are clear opposites of Elaine's sandy blonde hair and deep brown eyes.

His eyes go wide and I can see the very moment he realizes they are also his children.

He opens his mouth and I can tell he's trying to tactfully broach the subject when a little voice chirps the words that leave him stunned into a second silence.

"And you're our Daddy!"

"Bella!" I harshly whisper.

She instantly brings her small owl stuffy up to cover her face.

"Well he is," she cautiously whispers back from behind a single fluffy wing.

I sigh before giving Luca an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, that was... abrupt."

"Yes," Luca looks at the little girl and nods slowly. "Very abrupt."

I stroke Bella's hair, knowing she was just too excited to hold it in much longer. "I can provide their birth certificates and DNA samples for paternity tests."

Luca merely nods his head, still in a bit of a daze as he looks to the boy who could pass as himself at that age.

He looks back to me and stands to his full height. "I'm sorry, what did you say your names were?"

I shake my head. "I didn't say." My hand leaves Bella's hair and I extended my arm to Luca for a shake. "This is Bella, Elliot, and I'm Clover. I'm their—"

"Big sister," Bella says, running her fingers atop her owl's head to fluff its tuft.

Luca's eyes dart from me, to Bella, then back to me where his gaze settles into deeper observation.

I share the same light brown eyes as my mother. My hair is an obvious fresh-from-the-box red and I can tell he's wondering if my natural hair color is the same honey blonde as Elaine's as well, but its his calculating gaze that's factoring my age in comparison to my siblings that makes me shake my head.

"I'm of no relation to you," I quickly say.

Luca slowly nods but stares at me skeptically. Years of working in law enforcement taught him what people trying to omit information look like, and he can tell I'm holding something back.

He keeps his voice calm and even as he asks, "But you all need my help, don't you?"

I run my hand over Bella's dark wavy hair again, then look to Elliot. My little brother was really the one who convinced me to come. In my opinion, we could have made it just fine on our own, but the pain in his eyes has been almost more than I can withstand at times. So when the thought arose that seeking out Luca could ease his heartache, I couldn't ignore it no matter the cost.

No matter how much the odds are stacked against me successfully pulling off the life I'm intent on building for myself—for us.

I give Elliot a slight nod, then square my shoulders as I face the man who could very well take the two most precious people in my life away from me if he so chooses.

With a regretful smile, I nod, knowing my carefully devised plan did in fact require help from the man standing before me... he just doesn't know it.

Swallowing my pride and allowing that small feeling of hope to rise, I voice my admittance without wavering.

"We do. We need a place to stay for a while."