Daddy's Boy (8 page)

Driving to the coffee shop to get Rachel I almost crashed when Vinnie’s eyes popped into my head followed by his voice.
Running won’t help you Denny, unless you can find away to run from the blood flowing in your veins.
Seeing Vinnie and now hearing Vinnie’s voice was two shades past crazy, something had to give or I was going to lose it.

Chapter 7

The evening air was cool against my bare arms; Colorado was already turning to spring temperatures even though it was only the beginning of March. The night manager had taken over from me so all I had left to do was pick Lucca up from Emma’s. I was in the back, behind the coffee shop walking towards my car when Denny calling my name pierced the air.

Turning around I watched Denny jog up to me. “What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too.” Denny said flatly.

“That came out wrong. I meant why are you here?” That really didn’t sound better either.

“When’s the last time you talked to your dad?”

“Odd question Denny. But um, last week at the coffee shop I think, why?”

“And you haven’t talked to him since?”

“No.” I said starting to feel an uneasy sensation in my stomach. “Is something wrong?”

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of him all week but can’t.” Denny said using his lie voice.

“Why have you been trying to get a hold of my dad?”

“Not the point, I think your dad might be missing.”

My heart stopped for half a second before speeding up in a fear induced rhythm. Staring at Denny I noticed the hard line of his lips and the slight twitch in his jaw, something he only did when seriously stressed out. Taking my cell out I hit speed dial for my dad’s phone.

“He’s not picking up.” I said after listening to the dial tone for over a minute.

“If he wasn’t at home where would he be?”

“Work.”

“Let’s go to his work then.” Denny said grabbing my hand and pulling me towards my car.

“I need to get Lucca before we go to the station.” I said following after him like a lost puppy.

“Fine.” Denny said opening the door for me. “Lucca, then the station.”

Denny was really worried about my dad and considering how much I knew Denny hated my dad his behavior was scaring the shit out of me.

“You’re really going to go into a police station?” I asked as Denny drove towards the babysitter’s house.

“I’m not working for a drug lord anymore, I should be fine.”

It was weird to think that Denny no longer worked for Vinnie. But my God was it good. Every time Denny would come back from seeing Vinnie while we were together he would come back a little more broken. Vinnie had a way of getting under Denny’s skin. I wonder how Denny was dealing with Vinnie’s death after being emotional and sometimes physically abused by him for so long? Was he feeling grateful? No I didn’t think so, Denny looked like shit. A grateful man probably wouldn’t look like they hadn’t slept for weeks. Nor would their eyes look so dead and sad. Denny was not handling Vinnie’s death well at all.   

One year earlier…

Denny was working at Risk, so it was just Rocco and me, oh and the baby. It was still kind of weird to think that there was a little human growing inside my stomach. I was thirteen, almost fourteen weeks along, but you couldn’t actually tell unless you looked closely as I only had a very small bump.

Smiling as I patted my bump, I walked into the kitchen to feed Rocco.

Rocco was happily munching away when there was a knock at my door. It was only seven so I didn’t even think about looking to see who it was before I opened the door.

“Hello Rachel, I’m Vinnie, Denny’s father.”

Oh no. Vinnie Garcia, Denver’s most ruthless drug lord. The man responsible for Denny working in the drug scene, the man who beat Denny physically and emotionally, a man I wanted nothing to do with.

“Can I help you with something Mr. Garcia.” I said my voice holding no warmth for this asshole.

Glaring at me Vinnie put his hand to the door and started pushing, “You can invite me in.” By the time he finished asking to be invited in, he had already pushed his way past my door and into my hallway. “So it is true.” He said staring at my stomach.

Putting my hand protectively over my bump I stepped away from him. “What do you want?” I asked backing up until my back hit the wall.

Taking black leather gloves off, which Vinnie made look both intimidating and scary, he ran a hand through his hair and looked at me with dark evil eyes as he pulled a thick wad of cash out of his coat pocket. “How much to make this go away?” He said pointing to my stomach.

Anger like I’d never felt before pushed away any fear I had for Vinnie and all that was left was a need to protect my unborn baby.

Pushing myself away from the wall I pointed to the front door, “you need to leave now. This,” I said touching my stomach, “is not your business, not now and not ever.”

“That,” Vinnie hissed with disgust, “is my business. It affects Denny, which in turn affects my business. A business I worked too damned hard building to let some little bitch come and mess all up.”

 Bastard, he cared for nothing but his stupid business. “This little bitch is about to call the police if you don’t get the fuck out of my house, now.” I snapped, surprised my voice didn’t shake. Little baby was giving me strength I didn’t even know I had.

Chuckling Vinnie shoved the money back in his pocket. “Call the police Rachel or better yet just call your daddy. But if I go down Denny goes down too.” Fuck. “Didn’t think of that did you?” Vinnie said moving towards the door with a smile on his face. “This isn’t over Rachel. I want you out of my son’s life, and I always get what I want.”

Gripping the door so hard it hurt I watched as Vinnie got in his car and sped away. Once the car was out of sight my strength left me in a rush and I could do nothing to stop myself falling to the floor. Vinnie would do anything and everything to get rid of me and my baby. I was scared and I needed help, but calling the police was out just like Vinnie said. If I took Vinnie to the police Denny would go down too. What a mess. Who could I ever talk to about this? No way could I tell Denny, he would kill Vinnie, Jonah too. Mason, he’d know what to do and I could tell him without having to worry that he was going to run off and kill Vinnie before I even finished talking.

****

After I calmed down enough to drive safely I went to the town house. Denny and Jonah would be at Risk until three so I had plenty of time to talk to Mason. So far the only thing I’d come up with was to flee the State but that was stupid because Denny wouldn’t be able to come and there was just no way I was leaving him. Denny was the love of my life, why would I want to be anywhere that he wasn’t? It was like everything was dark when Denny wasn’t with me, but as soon as he showed up everything was light again. Simple things like just watching TV or cooking dinner were so much better when I was doing them with him.

When I pulled up to the town house I was surprised to see all three cars parked outside. Risk was only a five-minute walk away but normally they took at least one car to the club just in case Vinnie needed them to go somewhere. Today was also a safe house run, which meant they wouldn’t have time to come home before the club opened.

Walking up to the front door I knocked even though I had a key. It still felt weird to let myself in.

“Rachel.” Mason said opening the door only a crack. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you.” I said noticing how hard he was breathing and was that blood on his hand? “Mason are you ok? There is blood on your hand.”

Looking at his hand Mason quickly wiped the blood off on his jeans. “I’m fine, just cut myself cooking.”

If my dad wasn’t a police officer and I hadn’t spent my life learning how to catch a lie I probably would have bought Mason’s excuse, but I was a police officers daughter and I had learned to catch a lie.

“Stop lying to me and tell me what is going on.”

“Rachel−”

Screw it, pushing past Mason I ran down the hall following the noise of someone grunting in pain.

In the kitchen Denny was laying across the kitchen table, blood all over him and Jonah was leaning over him stitching a cut on his arm.

Oh. My. God.

“Rachel.” Denny whispered pushing Jonah off and sitting up slowly.

“What happened?” I asked my voice unnaturally calm considering what I was looking at.

Looking at someone who had been beaten badly was distressing; having that person be the love of your life was something unimaginable.

“Come sit down Rachel.” Jonah said as Mason picked me up and carried me over to the chair Jonah had pulled out.

“Your face is white Rachel, I need you to talk to me baby.” Denny said cupping my face with a bruised hand. “Look at me sweetheart.”

“I am looking at you.” I said through numb lips, actually my whole body felt numb.

“Baby,” Denny whispered, “you’re looking at the ground.”

I was looking at the ground and it was full of blood. Oh God.

“What happened?” I asked again.

“Nothing.” Denny said as Jonah threw a bowl full of bloody water across the room.

“Vinnie is what fucking happened.” Jonah screamed. “He’s fucking dead.”

“So this is what he meant when he said he gets what he wants.” I whispered.

“What did she just say?” Jonah said stopping his rant.

Denny pulled my face up so that I was looking at him, before his eyes were filled with nothing but pain, now they were filled with nothing but fury. “What did who mean?”

Looking at Denny’s hurt body I knew that I couldn’t tell him. One word about Vinnie coming to see me and he wouldn’t just be hurt, he would be dead. If Vinnie could beat him this badly there was no doubt in my mind that he would also kill him if needed. I hated Vinnie, hated him more than I hated anyone but to keep Denny alive I would have to play in his world. Playing in his world meant keeping my mouth shut.

“Rachel?” Denny said pulling me from my thoughts.

“My dad, he said Vinnie was dangerous. I just didn’t realize he was ‘beat his son’ dangerous.”

Looking at me with surprise Denny put his forehead to mine. “You should be running as far and as fast as you can right now.”

“I’m not running anywhere. What did I tell you the day we found out I was pregnant. As long as I get you I’ll take the good, bad and ugly. Now lay back down so Jonah can finish stitching your arm, you’re bleeding on me.”

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you. You’d think God would be pissed and give me some ugly chick for working for a drug lord.”

“I don’t think you should drink anymore.” I said noticing the almost empty bottle on the table.

“Seriously baby,” Denny said pulling my face back to his. “You deserve better.”

“Shut up Denny I, we.” I said placing his bruised hand on my stomach, “deserve you. We also need you, so whatever you did to get this from Vinnie, don’t do it again.”

“He told a fifteen year old he couldn’t buy from Vinnie anymore.” Jonah said pushing Denny back down on the table.

“Denny.” I whispered a smile spreading across my face.

“If adults want to fuck themselves up on drugs who am I to fucking care, they know better, but this kid he didn’t and that is why I told him he could buy from Vinnie.”

If I wasn’t sure I was completely in love with Denny then this would have done it. But I was already completely in love with him, so I kissed his split lip and got to work helping Jonah clean him up. It was weird, probably wrong and I had a feeling I was going to hell for falling in love with a drug runner, but Denny and his good, bad and ugly were all mine and I wouldn’t give him up for anything. Not even Vinnie.

For the love of Denny, hell here I come.  

Present Day…

Denny holding Lucca in his arms followed behind me as I rushed towards the front desk. Stan an older officer I’d known since I was in my teens was at the desk looking a mixture of bored and pissed off.

“Rachel how are you doing girl?” He said cheerfully.

“I’m Good Stan. How are you?”

“Retirement can’t come soon enough!” Stan said giving me a goofy smile.

Smiling back I ignored Denny’s huff of impatience. “Is my dad around?”

“No, Jack’s on leave. Left the State from what I’ve heard.”

On leave? Left the State? What the hell? No way would my dad leave Colorado without telling me. Hell my dad wouldn’t even take leave without telling me.

“Are you sure?”

“On leave for a couple of weeks? Yes. Left the State for a vacation? Not sure, but it’s what I heard the rookie JD say last week.”

“Is JD around for me to talk to?”

“Nope the kids out sick. Been out sick almost as long as your Dad’s been on leave.”

Not really sure what to think I turned to look at Denny. Lucca was trying to pull out Denny’s lip ring, something I imagine must be very painful, but Denny only had concerned eyes for me. A look I hadn’t seen in a long time. A look I actually really missed.

“Why wouldn’t he call and tell you that Rachel?” Denny whispered to me.

My dad would call no matter what. Something was wrong.

“Stan I think my dad might be missing.”

Standing up and leaning his weight into the counter the smile died on Stan’s face. “Do you have any evidence to support this claim?”

Oh we were serious now, good. “He’s not picking up his phone. Denny’s been trying to get a hold of him all week. I really think something is wrong Stan.”

“Rachel−”

“Don’t you think that’s weird that he just randomly took leave?” Denny said, the words a little slurred due to Lucca’s little baby fingers pulling at his lip ring.

That’s all I needed a trip to the emergency room to get Denny’s lip stitched.

“No, Jack’s retiring next year and has a lot of leave stored up. Use it or lose it, as they say.”

Shaking his head Denny stepped up beside me. “How about Jack’s apartment being trashed. Is that enough evidence?”