The Beginning

Nicky

"Hello?" Uncle Dom's surprise was evident even through the phone.

"You win." I replied simply. My hand wrapped around my steering wheel. I parked off to the side of the school to make sure Tess made it to her car safely.

Santi had been by, shortly after I went down to Ava's room, to give Tess her new keys.

"You're staying?" Uncle Dom perked up.

"Tell me something, how'd you hear about Hannibal? His release isn't on the internet anywhere. Why isn't the local media reporting on it?"

"The officers inside work for us. I've kept an eye on Romero since he was put away. The state has given him a chance at a fresh start. He will reenter society as David Longoria."

"A fresh start? He's paroling out to his mom's house."

"We know this. On paper, however, David Longoria purchased that house from the previous owner." Uncle Dom paused as his desk chair whined under his weight. "All these little things tell me that he's in deeper pockets than us. It's the only way that I can make sense of it."

Tess emerged from the building, already changed out of her professional dress. She clicked the remote a couple of times. Lights flashed and when she caught sight of the vehicle, she scurried to it. Jumping inside, Tess took off.

I wasn't sure if she was truly freaked out or if she thought speed made her invisible. I realized it was neither when I saw Jessica poke out of the side door. Tess was avoiding our favorite receptionist.

"That or he's back to his old tricks." I noted. "Listen, I need you let Roni go back to Riverside after Rico's funeral. She can hold it down until I figure out what to do with Hannibal."

"I didn't want my daughter out there in the first place. If I fought her about California, you two would've gone to Portugal. Roni stays."

"I'm missing payments, Uncle Dom. We're hemorrhaging money right now."

"I understand. I'll find someone to replace Roni. Until then, you both stay."

A moment of silence hung in the air before I found the ignition on my car. Speaker phone connected via Bluetooth. "I'm sorry about last night. I should've been listening." Whether or not I meant it didn't matter to Uncle Dom. His acceptance smothered the flame between us. Our truce, however, may only last until Rico is six feet deep. If it meant my mom got to grieve in peace, I had done my job. "I need a favor."

Uncle Dom's knowing chortle filled the car. "Is that why you apologized, Nicky?"

"I apologized because my mom was right." It was like looking in a stained, broken mirror. All the parts of me that tried to heal were reopened through Uncle Dom. "Can you do me a favor or not?"

"What do you need?"

"You know the server from the restaurant?"

"The one with brown hair or the curly headed girl?"

"Curly." I answered quickly. Though, when I envisioned her there was much more to add. "I need a guy to keep an eye on her. I think Hannibal knows that she's Tati's teacher. He might be trying to get to the girls." It wasn't a lie, but I wasn't prepared to admit the whole truth to anyone, especially Uncle Dom.

"How did you come to this conclusion?"

"Last night her car was vandalized. She got a note about it being her second warning. I'd hate to see what the third looks like."

"You seem to know a lot about this woman."

"Tess Bowen." I gave her name instead of fueling his line of questioning. "She's got a busy schedule. If your guy can't watch her, give me a call. Thanks, Uncle Dom." I hung up before he could say anything else.

I slowly rolled by Tess's apartment. The car she borrowed parked in her usual spot. I parked around the corner and gave her a call.

"What, Nicky?" She answered through fatigue.

"I heard you needed a cuddle buddy."

Tess's laughter was a mere croak. "I never thought I'd hear a man like you say the words 'cuddle' or 'buddy.'"

"I need a nap, too." I reminded her.

"I don't know, Nic." She sighed. "Everyone has seen us together. I'm driving your car. Maybe we should get some distance, so this stalker eases back."

My heart sank. "I like the way you say that." I changed the subject.

"You're hitting on me? Right now?"

"What's done is done, Miss Bowen. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

I had never been taken by love. Blinded a thousand times by it, willing to overlook indiscretion in the name of loyalty. After the last woman squashed every last butterfly in my stomach, it occurred to me that love wasn't for someone like me. Silly emotions had no home in the life a man that turned people inside out in the name of missing payments.

She had already made her apprehension of my profession well known. Would it matter to her that these are the people who rob the destitute to buy their seventh yacht?

Tess's angelic viewpoint on the world gave me hope that people like her truly existed in the world. Though, it didn't leave much faith for the future of our relationship.

"You're making it hard to not like you." She observed playfully.

My heart thrummed in my chest. "You're just making me hard."

"Don't even."

"Can I see you?" I asked again. "Please?"

"Yeah, come on."