Page 55 of Tristano

He’s dressed in plain clothes.

“Thank you for doing this,” I tell him.

“Of course, kid. It’s admirable you wanting to watch out for these girls.”

Tris clears his throat, making Ricky stiffen.

“Ricky, I want you to meet Tristano. He’s helping me move.” I leave out the details of our relationship as I introduce them.

Tris is having none of that though. He steps right into my back, reaching over me to shake the man’s hand.

“She’s too shy to say it, but I’m her man. Now I am agreeing to this because she needs it, but she refuses to let me go. So here’s what you’re going to do. I’m going to give you this card,” he holds out a card with a phone number on it, “and you are going to text me as soon as she gets out of the car and every five minutes until she is back with you. If anything happens to her, I will hold you personally responsible and come after you.”

I swallow hard, not knowing how Ricky is going to take this.

They stare each other down for several moments before Ricky focuses back on me. “You’re moving?”

“Uncle Ben kicked me out,” I admit.

“Fucker.” He looks back over to Tris. “Thanks for helping her out. I’ll do as you ask, but for her sake. I don’t normally take orders from men like you, but today we will make an exception.”

“I don’t usually trust your type, so it seems we are both doing something new today.”

“Alright. Enough measuring dicks. We have places to be. I’ll be back soon.”

I step out of Tris’s arms, letting him watch us walk away.

The silence all the way to the car is jarring.

I should have known it was the preamble to what was going to happen in the car.

“You know you’re boyfriend is part of the Italian mob, right?” Ricky wastes no time jumping into it.

“I do,” I admit.

“Glad you know so I didn’t have to break your heart. Now why the fuck are you dating a mobster? Is this why Chief is kicking you out and fired you?”

I shake my head. “Uncle Ben has lost his marbles. He doesn’t even know about Tristano. I’m hoping to keep it that way.”

“Maybe for a while, sure, but you know we are briefed on the criminal organizations quarterly. Before long, you’ll be photographed with him and added to the wall.”

“Yeah? You think that’ll piss Uncle Ben off? I mean, after he pretty much accused me of faking a kidnapping, I think I would like to see him embarrassed a little bit,” I bite out, anger filling me.

“What happened to you? You used to love this job. You would do anything to put away the bad guys, and now you’re sleeping with one?” he asks, sounding baffled.

He’s never seen this side of me until now.

“Who I sleep with is none of your business. Tristano isn’t a bad guy. They do a lot of good for the city. Shit no one else ever sees because all they focus on is the shit they do in the morally gray areas.”

“You know Tristano alone has over forty unconfirmed kills. He’s a murderer.”

“I am well aware of who he is and what he does to protect those he cares about. He’s done it for me not once, but twice. Why do you think I can look past it?”

Ricky grows silent. “When you were seventeen?”

“I escaped, but not because I was let go. Tris saved me and took care of the man who ruined me.”

He swallows hard. “The second time?”

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