Nightingale Investigation

2 - R.I.P Tabitha Nightingale

"Dad?" I asked, while walking down the stairs in our small but comfortable house, dragging my suitcase behind me. I'd packed all the new clothes, accessories, shoes and every other girly things Rosie, a colleague from Portland DP had shopped for me. A new identity also meant a new behavior, but also appearance. When I reached the end of the stairs, I dropped my gaze directly my father who stood up straight at the front door. His expression was unreadable for very many, but somehow me and mom have always been able to see right through him. His eyes were anxious but proud, sensitive but professional. 

"Tabitha, you look so different," he sighed out when I stood in front of him. I drew in a deep breath. This was harder than I thought. He spanned his jaws before he turned around, took something from the table behind him, and turned back towards me. In his hands was a box. I frowned slightly. 

"I want you to have this, Tab," he said, then he opened the lid and a M1911A pistol was in the box. My eyes were frozen. I did not know what to say, I was speechless. "This is one of the best hand guns in the world, it has served me well ... but I want you to have it. You are brave, incredibly smart and a damn good cop. I'm proud of you, kiddo and I know that your mother also would have been." For the first time in years, I felt the tears filling up inside my eyelids. Before he could react, I threw myself in his arms and hugged him, something I hadn't done in years, and let me tell you, the feeling was amazing. Just a few seconds later, he responded to my hug and kissed my forehead. 

"Promise me one thing, Tabitha," he whispered, I leaned back to look into his eyes, then I nodded. 

"Be safe and come home in one piece okay?" I drew in a deep breath before I exhaled and nodded again. 

"I promise, Daddy." 

"That's my girl," he murmured before he kissed my forehead, and handed me the gun. "Take good care of her, will ya?" I grabbed it and smiled somewhat. 

"That I will, dad. I will not disappoint you." He shook his head and grabbed my suitcase. 

"You could never disappoint me, Tabs." I answered him with a big smile. "Aiden is ready for set 1, everything is in the plans." Aiden (which is his undercover name, damn I don't even know his real name), is already inside Lorenzo's little "crew", which he's been in more than 1 year now. He'd received orders according to the plan to talk about his "cousin" (which is my role), to make Lorenzo think that he has a cousin. And that's our plan on how I will be able to take me into his lair. By being Aiden's cousin who must move to her cousin in Portland because her parents unfortunatley died and she has no one else.

"Are you ready, Ava Stark?" I sighed deeply before I nodded slowly. 

"I'm ready, Malcolm Nightingale." I said, in my professional police voice, a tone I would hardly use during a long while. But my tough act cases shortly apart when I desperately hugged him again. 

"I will miss you, Dad." 

"I'll miss you more, kiddo." He whispered before he kissed my forehead, and I prayed to God that it may not be the last time. 

Aiden's POV: 

I hung up the call from Tabitha Nightingale, now Ava Stark, my so-called cousin, and pushed my mobile in my jeans pocket. I turned to the guys who were hanging in the living room, sitting on Lorenzo's piss-my-ass fucking expensive couch and watched a football game, the Broncos VS the Panthers, on his 100-inch flat-screen TV. 

"Eye guys, my cousin is lost and has ended up at some bar so I had to go and fetch her." Half the guys did not even listen to what I said, too fixed in the football game to care. But Dante, Dominic and Vinicius glanced up at me.