Reputation's Play (Book 1)

Ch.22 Baby Steps

Chapter 22 Baby Steps 

Daniel watched the police officers unlock the handcuffs and toss them aside before handing him a pen and pushing forward a piece of paper.

"Sign here, here, and here," the man said, pointing to three different places.

Daniel looked down at the paper while rubbing his wrists. His head was pounding and the foul taste of blood in his mouth was making him sick. He was about to reach for the pen when the door opened and a man in a black button down shirt with a large belly walked in.

"Don't worry about it," he said, looking at Daniel.

"Sir," the police officer greeted the man before showing him the paper.

"I know what it is, officer," the man said in a stern voice. His eyes flickered towards Daniel. "He doesn't have to sign it."

"But sir-"

"Officer," the man clicked his tongue. "You better talk to your supervisor and find out how things work around here."

The young police officer hesitated as he stood awkwardly with the paper in his hand. He watched Daniel walk out of the room as the man in the black shirt followed him out.

"Here are your keys," the man said, handing Daniel his car keys. "Your car is parked up front."

"Thanks," Daniel took the keys before rubbing his forehead to ease some of the pain.

"Tell Dante we're even now," the man said.

"Will do, commissioner," Daniel let out a deep sigh before he turned towards the exit.

"One more thing," the man in the black shirt, the police commissioner, spoke up as Daniel began to walk away.

"What's up?" Daniel looked over his shoulder.

"I don't know what's going on between you and Luca Silvano..." the commissioner looked uneasy. His eyes scanned the halls of the precinct as if just saying the man's name would make him appear out of thin air. "But you're too young to be getting mixed up in all this. Leave while you still have the chance."

"That's the plan, commissioner," Daniel said.

He didn't wait around to hear what else the man had to say. No one knew the real extent of the hate that was between the Silvanos and the Dimaggios. Maybe to everyone else it was a dead feud being dragged out of years. But for the members of the families, the pain and the hurt of what happened in Del Mare was too real to forget.

Daniel walked out of the precinct and headed straight for his car. He drove around the city aimlessly for hours in the late afternoon sunlight before eventually finding himself parked outside of Gia's house. The sun was beginning to set and people were starting to return home from work. Daniel sat in his car, staring at her window wondering what Gia was doing.

He couldn't stop seeing her tear filled eyes in his memory. Every part of him could sense the fear behind them and it was driving Daniel insane. He wanted to hold Gia the way he had held her inside the cave the day she had almost drowned. He wanted to wrap his arms around her to make sure she knew she was safe and that nothing could hurt her for as long as he was beside her.

But he wasn't beside her. She was too far away.

All the confusing thoughts running through Daniel's mind was making him lose his senses. He knew leaving his car and going up to the house would be the death of him. Luca wouldn't spare him a second time. But no matter how logical Daniel tried to be with himself, he found his mind wandering back to the idea of walking into the house and stealing Gia away.