Don't Lie To Me

Flashing their lights on their unmarked police car, the two cops drove Dan to an empty construction site under the Henry Hudson parkway. Dan sat silently in the back of the vehicle.

They’re not taking me to a police station.

The buzz of speeding traffic on the overhead parkway drowned out all ambient sound. And no witnesses walked under the dark parkway ramp.

So it’s coercion out of the public eye. But why?

Detective Brian shut off the vehicle, and both cops turned to face Dan. Brian spoke first.

“Here’s the deal Dan. I’m not interested in the explanation of things. What I am interested in is what names you know accepting money on Frank’s books, and be specific.”

“What? I’m not sure what you mean, Detective? Are you implying that Frank is bribing people? Because that kind of information is not on those books, it’s just cash flows for his club. So you kidnapped me for that?”

Detective Brian fumed as Detective Santos took over, “Hey Dan, being a wise guy is not gonna help you right now,” he pointed outside, “Look around smart ass. No ones gonna hear your sass-mouth when I whack it, you hear me?”

Yeah, I hear you asshole, but let’s just see how stupid you and your partner really are.

“Ok, how about this, Detectives. You two look like you know something and you’re just waiting for me to confirm it-”

Detective Brian hauled back and slapped the shit out of Dan with a hard, Whack!

What the fuck!

But Dan, a former infantry soldier, was no pacifist. As soon as Brian hit him, Dan reeled back and punched Brian dead in his mouth, “Fascist!” Dan shouted.

Detective Brian’s head snapped back like a rubber band.

You’ve done it now soldier, you just threw gas on the fire…

But the two cops didn’t get into a slug-fest in the car with Dan, nope. They got out of the vehicle and both cops yanked Dan out of the back and dropped him flat on his face on the pavement. Once he hit the ground they kicked the shit out of him.

Fuck!

Dan blocked and pulled himself up with his back against a ramp wall. The cops stopped attacking him while Detective Brian shouted at him.

“I’m going to ask you one more time, Dan! Tell us the names on those books! Who’s getting paid out?”

Dan stood his ground, “If you want me to tell you anything, you need to be more specific, cop! There’s a lot of things getting paid out!” Dan yelled back.

“The names of the shell companies, what are they?” shouted Detective Santos.

Bingo! That’s what you wanted you stupid cops. Now, how the hell would you know about the shell companies on those books? Damn, but if I don’t tell these guys something. I gotta stall. Think Dan, think!

Dan put his hands up in defeat and spoke in a subservient voice, “Alright, alright, officers! I didn’t understand the question, just, let me think!”

At that moment a hand grabbed Detective Brian from behind, spun him, then punched him twice in the face.

“Oof!” cried Brian, as the big cop hit the ground like a sack of bricks.

Brian’s attacker then turned and stared at Dan, and Dan faced him, “I-Ian?”

“Hey Dan, do you know how much money I’ve given this dirty cop?” Ian shouted and unleashed his fury at Detective Brian. “How much money, Brian? Hanh?” Ian screamed and kicked Brian twice in his gut.

“Ian, No! I didn’t know he was with you! Don’t hit me no more!” Brian begged with his hands up in defense.

Behind Ian, Bling grabbed Santos and backhanded him twice across his face, “Ow! Bling! Please, we didn't know he was yours!” Santos pleaded.

“Shut the fuck up!” Bling snarled and dragged Santos to the front of the police car, out of earshot.

Meanwhile, Ian stood towering over Brian, cursing him out. “Don’t fuckin lie to me you dirty cop! I swear to god, don’t you fuckin lie to me! Now, who paid you to smack up Dan here?”

The large bully cop kneeled prostrate before the ferocious Ian.

“Ian, we didn’t touch him, look at him, we didn’t touch him!” cried Brian, pointing at Dan.

Ian spun around and glared at Dan, with fury in his eyes, “Dan! If this dirty cop hurt you, I swear to god!” he turned back to Brian, “I’m gonna break his fuckin arm right here!”

Dan’s eyes widened, Really? You’d do that for me? Heh!

“No man, I’m ok! I’m good!” said Dan. “They just tried to put a scare in me is all!”

“You sure?” Ian growled, glaring down at Brian with balled fists.

“Yes. You don’t have to keep hitting him, I’m good,” said Dan averting his eyes, “And thank you, bro.”

“No problem. Now go to the truck. Somebody’s waiting for you,” Ian growled, all cool.

Dan blushed, “Ok!” Then hustled over to their black SUV, behind the police car. On the way there Dan passed Bling having a civil conversation with Detective Santos.

So Bling is the calm one and Ian is the hothead. Good team.

Baby Reyna

When Dan opened the truck door he double took at the person sitting in the back.

“Hello, Mr. Capra. It seems I have to save you this time,” said Rica, glowing with her hair down, and wearing a slim, brown fall skirt with a white blouse, and her shoes.

“Rica?”

“That’s me~” she smiled.

He climbed in the back with her, “So did you get all dolled up to stalk me then rescue me from those two cops? Was that your plan? Nice shoes by the way.”

“Thank you! And no, not exactly. We were following those dirty cops, not you,” she teased him.

Dan, still visibly shaken, managed to crack a grin, “Well, I guess I’m a little thankful, but Rica. Those cops told me James Whitaker was murdered, and that the accountant stabbed in Brooklyn a week ago worked for Frank.”

She placed her hand on his, “So what’s your point, Mr. Capra?”

“My point? Are you kidding me?” He straightened up. “I’m as adventurous as the next person, so a little under the table accounting is no big deal, but Rica…”

She looked at him, expressionless. “What Mr. Capra? Is it getting too hot for you?”

“Yes, it’s too hot! I mean I walked out of my house and two cops kidnapped me and tried to beat me up-”

“That won’t happen again,” she snapped.

“How the hell do you know?”

She shot a glare at him and whipped her hair in a pout. Dan said nothing, momentarily caught in Rica’s tone, movement, look, and attitude.

She really is Reyna’s daughter.

The front doors swung open, and Bling and Ian climbed in. Bling immediately turned to Rica.

“Boss, I-” He glanced at Dan.

But Rica assured him. “It’s ok, Bling. You can speak in front of Dan. He’s with us.”

“We got a problem,” said Bling.

“What is it?” she asked.

Ian turned and answered, “They put the hit on Frank tonight!”

A Hit? Does someone want to kill Frank?

The truck fell silent. Outside the two cops started their vehicle and drove off. When the police car left the area, Rica spoke.

“Was it Nikolai who gave the order?” she asked.

“Yeah. And I just gave those two cops twenty thousand and bad information, as you said. Either way, they don’t give a fuck, so they’ll keep their mouths shut when we do the do.”

“Good.” Her eyes narrowed. “Now who’s Nikolai sending to whack Frank?”

“Sosa’s crew. You know that big bald-headed guy. Drives a Lincoln,” said Ian.

“Yeah, I know them. Four-man hit squad out of Yonkers,” she said before gazing out the window. After a moment she turned back, “I’m gonna have to take Frank to Connecticut tonight.”

The brutes spun around, “What? Boss, no!” cried Ian.

“We can’t be there for you if you go with just Frank and his bodygu-”

“Gentlemen!” she raised her voice and Bling and Ian backed down. “I think you two need to have a little more faith in me, yeah?”

Bling spoke softly, “But Boss-”

Rica reached up in the front and squeezed their faces. “Oi! Oi! You two act like you’re my Mother and Father, nya! But let me ask you. If let’s say I was your daughter, would you ever let me go outside?” she smiled, still squeezing their faces.

They looked at each other and shook their heads, “Hell goddamn no you wouldn’t go outside!” they shouted.

“Hmph!” She let them go and turned to Dan. “These two brutes are obsessed with protecting me like they got some kind of loli-fetish or something, Mr. Capra!”

Dan moved closer to the door, “Please don’t involve me in your conversation-”

“Too late for that Dan, you’re sittin here,” said Ian, “And since you’re one of us.”

“I don’t remember asking to be~”

“You took the money, you took the job, and we come with the job, Dan!” Bling teased.

Dan smirked, “Yeah, that was before I knew you guys were flat out criminals!”

“So you’re playing the victim card, Mr. Capra?” Rica asked.

“No! I’m just saying I don’t need to get any deeper-”

She cut him off, “Bling, Ian, I forgot to tell you. Handsome Dan here is a killer! Aren’t you Mr. Capra?”

Dan gulped, “W-What makes you say that?”

Rica smiled pure evil at Dan, “Your U.S. Army service record, Sherlock! You were awarded a medal in Afghanistan after you killed three insurgents in the middle of the night on a bivouac guard duty!” She shouted with pride.

Bling and Ian lit up. “Is that right Dan? You’re a goddamn patriot protecting our freedom!”

Dan shrank away from the bluster, and painful memory, “On that night, it was them or me, I didn’t have a choice,” he muttered.

“No Dan!” barked Ian, “You had a choice, and you chose to live. Simple as that!”

“That’s right!” said Bling as the two brutes slapped five and talked excitedly about Dan, “The guy’s a Navy Seal!”

Dan shook his head. No, I’m not a Navy Seal. I’m just a math teacher who makes really bad decisions.

“Why are you bringing up my past?” Dan asked.

“Because we’re trying to make sense of you Dan. And now that I know you’re a killer that makes everything much clearer,” said a grinning Ian.

“I’m not a kill-”

“Once a killer always a killer, bro!” said Bling as he started the truck. “So Little Boss, you taking Dan to meet Frank tonight?”

Meet Frank? Tonight?

Rica wrapped her arms around Dan’s arm, and lay on his shoulder, “Yes, I’m picking Dan up later. I need him to explain to Frank what’s going on with the parasite business and all that.”

Dan tried to pull away, but Rica squeezed him tighter. She looked up at him, “Don’t worry Mr. Capra, you’ll be compensated. But more importantly,” she lay her head on him, “You’ll be there to watch over me.”

Dan pulled back, “What do you mean watch over you?”

“You and Little Boss are going to a meeting, Dan. And at that meeting, there’ll be nothing but ugly middle-aged gangsters with bones to pick. And me and Bling won’t get there till later,” said Ian, “So do your accounting thing with Frank, but while you’re there, you gotta protect Little Boss!”

“Protect her from what?”

“Exactly!” yelled Bling.

Dan scowled and turned to Rica. “Rica, are you expecting violence at that meeting with Frank? I mean, people are being killed.”

She looked at him, “That’s right Mr. Capra! And that’s why tonight we're all gonna sit down and hammer things out because violence is bad for business.”

Dan glared at her, “I’m not a fool, Rica.”

“I know you aren’t. But what I also know is you’re not a liar. And when you said you worried about me twenty-four hours a day, you meant it. And If you know I'll be in danger,” she squeezed him tight, “You’d protect me with your life," She squeezed his cheek, "Because that’s the way you're built, right Dan?” she whispered.

Dan lowered his head. “Rica, you’re taking advantage of me and you’re taking advantage of my principles. How selfish of you, you cruel girl,” he growled.

Rica rested her head on his shoulder, “It’s all your fault for being who you are, Mr. Capra. So you can’t blame me for adoring you.” She squeezed him tighter and sat closer to him, “And I know you won’t let anything happen to me.”

Dan closed his eyes and said nothing as Rica bound him with the truth.

As her teacher, and as a person. Daniel Capra would never let anything happen to Rica Reyes. Because that’s the way he was built. And Rica knew that.

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