Despair…of course. Dreams don’t lie either.

Dan knew he was sleeping and dreaming. Things were happening too fast. Images swirling into voices and emotions. All of them, sad. In one part of the dream, he saw a girl hiding behind a forklift in a warehouse.

Rica?

Two girls were hiding.

Reyna? Wait, this isn’t a warehouse, it’s a school gym. Hey!

The girls vanished. The forklift too. Just an empty endless school gym. He ran through the space. There were people on the far side. He recognized one as he ran closer.

Sgt. Barnhart?

In full combat uniform. In front of the sergeant stood 2nd platoon- Bravo company, 4th of the 13th Infantry, out of Fort Riley Kansas.

My old Army unit!

“Get in formation, Capra, we’re gonna patrol the aybar valley-”

I don’t think so! “No, sarge! Not again. The last time we went out there three insurgents infiltrated the perimeter and I had to-”

Dan woke up.

Four am, Saturday

Darkness, Where am I? Oh, my new apartment. Dan didn’t recognize the white walls of his new bedroom right away. It seemed so spacious compared to the previous place uptown. And mostly unfurnished since he found a good deal on a three-bedroom apartment.

Why a three-bedroom? You know, in case family visits. I have guest rooms.

He closed his eyes, wrapping himself in his comforter. Sleepy and having dreams of despair. Choosing not to dream, he dozed off again.

9:00 AM, Saturday

Dan’s eyes snapped open to his phone buzzing. The sunlight illuminated his room. It was morning. He raised the phone from the night table to check the display as if expecting someone to contact him. He read the message.

“Danny, I attached the insurance forms for the 501-C corporation….”

An email from Rob. Charity business. Dan scrolled the rest of his messages, calls, texts. Nothing new.

Not from anyone.

He lifted himself off the bed, placing his feet on the new wood floor. Staring out at the bright sunlight of the morning, he took a breath.

A new day!

But he quickly sat back down on the bed. Crippled with sorrow so profound that he couldn’t understand what happened to him. As if whatever drug kept him afloat suddenly crashed, and now here he was. Just a regular schmo in a big ci-

Two male voices, close by.

Dan hopped up snatching his pants from the floor. He heard them again...Deep male voices. They were in his apartment. I don’t have a gun anymore, Rica took it. Crap! He grabbed his phone. But before he could dial for help he heard the men stomp around.

A second later a loud machine whirred to life...A drill? A male voice spoke with an East-Indian accent. “I got it in straight, get the anchor bolts.”

Anchor bolts? What the hell is going on in my apartment?

Dan ran out of his room and charged toward the loud drilling. The noise came from the small guest room in the back. In the hallway, he spotted a tool bag.

Da fuq?

He pushed the guest room door open and found two men in workers’ overalls. An older black man and younger man of Indian descent. They jumped up startled from their work installing something.

“Who the hell are you two and what are you doing here?” Dan barked.

“Oh? Are you Mr. Capra?” said the black man.

“Yes, who are you? What are you building in here?” Dan asked as he stood barefoot in jeans and a t-shirt.

The Indian man answered him immediately, “Mr. Capra, we’re from Chiisu’s Custom Carpentry, here to install the shoe closet for your wife. She put in the work order, and your daughter let us in.”

What? “Wife? Daughter?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” said the older man with a smile.

The two carpenters explained with pride what they were building. “This external closet will close seamlessly as a space saver for your wife’s shoes!” said the younger man. Dan nodded his head at them and heard none of it. His face held no expression. And then he smelled.

Bacon? Sigh!

With no hurry or panic in his step, Dan walked through the hallway, past the living room, and into his very nice new kitchen. But it wasn’t just bacon, but pancakes too. All presented on his new plates. And coffee...precious coffee. And the chef of this great feast, the culprit, stood by the sink.

But of course.

A raven haired teenager, wearing sneakers and jeans, who promptly turned around when Dan entered the kitchen. However, before he could shake his head at her and ask, How did you get past my doorman and into my new apartment?

Before he could say anything, she charged at him and buried her face in his chest with a hug. Squeezing the life out of him.

“Rica?”

She didn’t answer him. And in moments he felt a warmth on his shirt.

Eh? She's crying.

And not quietly. Rica erupted in loud tears, her face buried deep in Dan’s gut. She held him tight.

Oh...

Dan didn’t fight her. He just let her hold him and cry, while he patted her head. Until he heard the whir of the drill in the guest room, again.

“Rica?” he spoke softly.

“You don’t hate me do you, Mr. Capra?” she asked.

“No, honey, I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you.”

“Are you going to ask me how I got into your new place? It’s nice by the way,” she whispered, hiding her tears.

He cracked a grin, “No, I won’t ask how you got in. Although I bet somehow you got a key.”

“Two keys,” she mumbled.

Eeep! How did you get two keys in less than a day? But he didn’t ask, because it was a dumb question. They’re Rifle Girls, this is what they do.

More importantly, Rica’s presence stopped half of Dan’s pain. But the other half…

Eh? Someone’s unlocking the front door.

Rica, still hiding her face, spun Dan around and pushed him out into the hallway as the front door opened.

Reyna?

Reyna Rai opened the door with a single key and entered the apartment. Before she spoke Dan immediately noticed her curled bangs, styled hair, office lady chic skirt, and a super-cute thin jacket. But all of her fashion meant nothing. He didn’t care if she just woke up with a bedhead. He just wanted to touch her, to hold her. But Reyna scowled at him!

With her hands on her sexy hips and villainy in her face, she let the door slam shut behind her while she spoke.

“I warned you, Daniel. But you didn’t listen.” Her face, cruel and adorable.

Dan didn’t flinch, “I didn’t listen?”

“I told you I’d turn your apartment into a shoe closet if you crossed me, Daniel!”

“Oh?” He remembered, “Yeah, you did say something about shoes and other girls, and-”

“Hmph!” she pouted and pushed past him toward the guest room.

Dan smirked and followed her as she opened the door to inspect the men’s work.

“Nice job gentlemen!” she said to them, then stormed past Dan and into his bedroom. Grabbing his arm and pulling him in, she closed the bedroom door behind her. Once the two were alone, she let loose.

“Daniel, you bastard!” Reyna shouted and tackled him onto the bed.

“Ya!” He cried, falling back on his comforter with Reyna on top of him. Like Rica, she buried her face in his chest. And as firm as Dan pretended he was, he just couldn’t help himself. He had to hold her and stroke her hair.

“Why am I a bastard?” he asked, and she began to cry. But he reminded himself to, Man Up, and not let the Rifle Girls bow you.

“You’re a bastard because of how you treated me yesterday. If you were gonna break up with me, Dan, you could’ve done it to my face and not hid behind that Cantonese witch!” she said.

“Break up? I didn’t know we were dating, Reyna. In fact, I don’t know much about you! Except that you first rang my buzzer because of the situation with your daughter." He raised her head and forced eye contact with her. “Now that that’s over, what business do you have with me, Reyna?”

“What?” Confusion in her face, “What are you talking about, Dan? My business was concluded with you the first night we hung out. I had no more business with you concerning my daughter after that day, you goddamn jerk!”

He didn’t budge, nor apologize, but still held her. “So what are you saying? You continued to see me on your own after that first night?”

“Yes!” she belted.

“Reyna, how was I supposed to know the truth back then?” he asked, “How would I know that I wasn’t just a patsy to help you and your kid? Or a patsy to help your girlfriends Tara and Kitty? Hmm? How would I know that then?”

“Because it was true then and it’s true now! You lunk-head!” she sat up teary-eyed, and stared at him with a strange look, “But wait, why are you being nice to me now?”

He smirked and caressed her cheek, “Did you expect me to be rude to you because you somehow broke into my new apartment?”

“We didn’t break-in. The building manager gave us keys.”

“He did what?” Damn, you girls are good!

“Don’t change the subject, Dan!” She lay on his chest with a sad face, “Why? Why were you so mean to me yesterday? And why were you with Kitty?”

Don’t apologize, Dan.

“Because I had to know the truth about you, Reyna. I had to know if in the end whether or not I was just business for you. And if I was, then I offered you a way out, on my terms. Not yours.” He lifted her face again. “And If I wasn’t just business, then there was a chance that maybe you’d call me, and maybe we could start all over,” said Dan.

“Hunh?” She tilted her head, “But I showed up at the restaurant unannounced, yesterday. If I didn’t like you, Dan, I wouldn’t have raced over-”

He smiled, “Reyna, you’re a creature of habit. And the only reason you raced over was because Rica texted you and told you Kitty was with me. I knew that alone would get you running and not because you liked me but because of your natural instinct to compete with the outlaw sisters!”

“That's not true!” she yelped!

Dan smirked, “Reyna, I saw you coming. But I needed to know your motives were true.”

“Why you scheming son of-...What truth did you need to know, Dan? That I truly adore you, you bastard!”

“Heh heh, I adore you too Reyna. But only now do I believe you.”

That's right Dan. Let them girls chase you, not the other way around. 

Her eyes squinted, “Why do you believe me now and not yesterday?”

“Heh heh!” He grabbed her and rolled on top of her, “I believe you today, because only a bad girl in love would care enough to stalk me, force my building manager to give you a key-”

“Two keys,” she mumbled.

“Two keys! One for the wife and daughter I never knew I had! And put in a work order to build a shoe rack in my guest room, now did I miss anything?” he asked.

As if on cue Rica burst through his bedroom door, pushing a red mountain bike. “Dan, you bought me this bike?”

Dan looked over, “Oh, I bought three of them. A black one, red one, and a blue one.”

Rica smiled at him as he lifted himself off of her mother, “So you bought three bikes in case guests came over? Hmm?” she asked.

He smirked, “Yes.”

“Can I have this red one?”

“Sure, hey-”

She dropped the bike and jumped on the bed with them. To Reyna’s chagrin.

“Rica, get lost, adults are talking!” Reyna cried.

“Yeah well, I’m changing the subject!” Rica fired back.

“You little bitch! Im gonna-”

The mother and daughter went at it for thirty seconds. Dan chuckled at the scene. This is what he wanted all along.

Bad girls on my terms. And only because I can’t stop thinking about them. Although this is probably the equivalent of having pet tigers. Meaning not a good idea.

“Dan, I made you breakfast, it’s gonna get cold!” Rica cried.

“Oh, of course, let’s all go eat!"

“Yay!” she yelled, running out of the room with the bike.

Dan attempted to get up, but no.

“Oh hell no, Daniel! You still need to answer for your transgressions!” Reyna barked, yanking him back down on the bed.

“Eh? What did I do now?” he asked, smiling.

But Reyna wasn’t having it. “So you think you slick, huh pretty boy?”

“I do?”

She squinted with evil, “What? Did you think I wouldn’t find out about you kissing those psycho Cantonese sisters?”

“Oh, that?” he answered.

“Yeah, that!” she growled.

He had her now, “Kissing them was no big deal. Tara’s kiss tasted like candy, Kitty is more sweet mint~”

Reyna stopped moving. Dan could no longer see the white in her eye, as her expression switched from evil to death dealer.

“What-did-you-say-about them bitches?” she whispered.

Dan smirked, “I said,” he pulled her close. “I enjoyed their kisses.”

“You what?” she yelped.

“You heard me, however. There’s only one girl I want to kiss every day, exclusively.”

"One girl?" Reyna opened her eyes, “Exclusively?”

“Yup, and I want to make her my girlfriend.”

Reyna lowered her head, her face red as a beet. “Make her your girlfriend?”

He stroked her hair, “Yes I do. I even bought her a blue bike so she and her daughter and me can all go riding in the park.”

“You did?” her voice so gentle.

“Yes,”

“Danny?”

“Yes, Reyna?”

“I want to bike ride with you. Can I be your girlfriend?”

“I would love that so much, Reyna. But only if you let me be your boyfriend.”

She didn’t answer. She just hugged.

"Is that a yes?” He didn’t expect her next answer.

“Damn you Dan!” she kicked her feet like a two-year-old, “Hell yes I want to be your girlfriend!” she thrashed on the bed, hugging and kissing him like she hadn’t seen him in years.

He couldn’t believe it. What the heck, Reyna’s turned into a cute little ‘moe blob’. I think she broke!

“But Danny, there’s a problem!” said Reyna in a cute voice.

“Eh? There is? What is it?” he asked, on cloud nine.

“I don’t want the blue bike. I want the red one!”

“Oh,” Dan smiled, “I don’t think that's a problem, I’ll take the blue one back~”

“No, I want the red one you gave, Rica!”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes,” she leaped off the bed about to continue. “Rica doesn’t appre-”

Just then Rica stormed in the room with her knife in her hand! “Mom! You think I don’t hear you!” She waved the knife, “I’ll cut the tires on that red bike right now, old lady. You’ll never ride it, cause it’s my bike! Dan bought it for me!” yelled Rica, running out of the room.

“Dammit, Rica, you already have a red bike, take the black bike!” yelled Reyna. But before Reyna gave chase, she stopped and attacked Dan with hugs kisses. And he hugged and kissed her back. Then she let him know, “You’re gonna repent for being mean to me and kissing those girls, Dan. You get dressed because I want to ride the red bike in central park and do cute girlfriend boyfriend things today, hmph!”

“Sounds fun, Reyna,” he said smiling.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaa, my boyfriend is so cute!” she screamed, “Now come on. Rica made breakfast!”

“Heh heh, I’m coming. Let me put my slippers on,” said Dan.

“Ok!” said Reyna, stealing a kiss before running into the kitchen to harass Rica. She left Dan alone in the room.

And there he stood. With an ear to ear to smile and the full knowledge that this was the happiest morning he’s had since he stepped foot in this damned city.

New York, New York

A city of eight million stories, and Dan’s was just one. The story about a simple math teacher from Pennsylvania, who wanted to start a charity and help kids. But wound up a crime boss responsible for taking down the biggest human trafficking ring in east coast history, and falling in love with an Assassin. 

Heh heh, you really make bad decisions, Dan-

“Danny, your food’s getting cold!” Reyna shouted from the kitchen.

“Keep it warm for me, baby!” He yelled back with a chuckle and stepped out of his bedroom into a brave new future. A future with Reyna Rai and her daughter, Rica Reyes.

And if you want to know what happened to Mr. Daniel Capra next after he ate breakfast and took those girls to the park. Well my friends, that’s a tale for another day. Thank you so much for reading Dan's story, and please leave a rating if you like the story, thank you :)

 

And if you want more Rica, here is the next chapter in Rica's adventures: 

 

RICA WANTS HIM DEAD!  - by JayDirex