Page 8 of Special Agent Joseph

Later, after dinner and their first comedy which had her grinding her teeth through many of the love scenes at the end, she looked down at his face where he’d laid his head in her lap. Gently, she smoothed the hair away from his face. “What’s up, Micheal? You’ve sighed so many times that I suspect it’s not the bullshit in the movie that’s getting to you, although I noticed the tears in your eyes at the stupid finish.”

Micheal pushed upright, swinging her way with a fighting grimace covering his face. “My dear girl, how can you say that? After everything they went through, the lovebirds finally found each other.”

“Well of course they did. It’s a romance for Christ’s sake. Now stop hedging and spill. What’s happened?”

Micheal formed fists, tightening and loosening them like a fighter preparing for a match, a favorite action of his when something serious came up. Then he began rubbing his hands over the knees of his flannel pajama bottoms he often wore when hanging out at home.

Knowing something important was coming, Megan sat quietly and refused to speak. Scared to say anything that might stop himfrom confiding, understanding how difficult Micheal found it to share a critical moment, she waited. Finally, her patience paid off.

“Jesus, Meggie, today was the worst yet. As we taxied the runway before takeoff, we came really close to getting rammed by another plane. Look, I’m as sick as the next guy of the FAA making excuses, yet I understand, it’s not just one problem. The air-traffic controller skills are deteriorating every day, and that’s not just their fault either. With so many flights in and out all the time from LA, and the tower often being filled with overtime employees, not counting the newbies, it’s amazing we haven’t had more collisions. I just don’t want to be the pilot of a plane crash filled with dead bodies. Imagine the nightmare. Keeps me breaking out in a cold sweat sometimes.”

“I’m sorry, Mikey.” Using her nickname for him, the one she kept for special times, she reached across and kissed his cheek, and at the same time she rubbed his hands to still them. Not used to showing affection, it being hard for her because she wasn’t brought up like that, when it came out, it was sincere. “Shouldn’t you talk to someone about this, someone high up in the company?”

“Trust me, Meggie; I did. More than once. After what happened today, you can bet your bootie, I’ll be making a fuss again. These close calls have to stop.”

Megan leaned her head on his arm, her soft voice encouraging. “You go get ‘em guy. And remember, if you need backup, preferably someone with a gun to get them to listen, I’m your gal.”

Chapter Six

A day later, on her way home from her final hours at the bank – after successfully carrying off her reason for quitting as being an emergency with her ailing mother – Megan hoped they hadn’t discovered the trending video or the lies she’d told.

Still in her wig and banking attire, Megan sauntered toward the train station. Suddenly being approached and forced into a black SUV by two very large, severely grim men didn’t bode well for her safety. If she hadn’t seen the familiar young girl watching from the car’s rear window, she’d have put up a fight rather than just a pathetic struggle and some swear words.

Instead, she followed their directions to get into the vehicle. Once there, she turned to the sixteen-year-old teenager she now knew as Lucia Farina and questioned, “Hey, you… what’s this all about?”

“My Nonno wants to talk to you.”

“Your grandfather?”Whoa, what?

“Yes. Vinnie Farina. I doubt you’ve met him, but I wouldn’t waste my time arguing. He always gets his way.” Her voice held a sad note that she tried to cover with sarcasm.

Having been a teen herself with a lot of parental complications, Megan sat back prepared to listen. She also allowed her trepidation to show. “What does he want to talk to me about?”

“A job.” Lucia stuck her sharp little nose in the air, her manner that of a person trying to appear as not to give a shit about the answer. “Because of that douche-nozzle on the train, Vinnie caught me running away and brought me back into his disgusting prison.” She faced Megan, her face tense and her brown eyes flashing. “I told him I’d just run away again first chance I got.”

“Oh-kay. But what’s that got to do with me?”

“He said he intended to slap me with a bodyguard to stop me from going anywhere, which for me means a prison guard. We argued. But he wouldn’t back down. So I told him I’d only stick around if it was you.”

Megan’s fake, sapphire-blue eyes widened. “Me? Why me?” Instantly, her mind flew from thought to thought, making her dizzy. One thing she accepted as a certainty. No one in her line of work had ever gotten close to Vinnie Farina before.

Lucia’s words broke through her preoccupation. “Because you saved me yesterday. You didn’t condemn me; I saw it in your eyes. You cared about what that monster was doing to me.”

“Kiddo, I felt bad, yes. But I already have a job.” No way would she admit to working for the FBI.

“No. You just quit. Oh don’t look so surprised. My Nonno found out you work at the bank and just now gave your notice. He knows the manager. If you hadn’t quit, he would have had them let you go anyway.”

Stunned, Megan wanted to play along but wasn’t sure which direction she should go. Carefully, she confirmed her resigning by admitting, “I hadn’t told them about the Navy. And it’s not up for discussion. In fact, I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Fine. Your fighting skills were what helped me talk Vinnie into letting you take the job. We’re heading to the house now, and he’s going to ask you to work for us. Would you?”

“Jesus, kid. I don’t know. You’re grandfather’s a dangerous man. I won’t pretend not to know a bit about him. I read the papers like everyone else. Plus, getting hijacked like this isn’t my idea of good communications.”

Lucia’s face dropped, her shame obvious. “Blame me. I had to talk to you first. Look… Idetesthis reputation. I hate him for doing what he does. But he’s my only family. And until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know about his corruption. To me, he was just Nonno.”

Megan could see the girl’s discomfort with the subject, the abject misery she felt in having to admit to her grandfather’s criminal background. “Hey, I believe every child has the right to be their own person and live by their own rules. Christ knows, I had to. So, what he’s done has nothing to do with you or the choices you might make.”

As she talked, she watched Lucia’s serious, dark brown gaze turn her way. At the end of her spiel, their eyes caught and held.

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