The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros.: Box Set (76 page)

Johnny, for nearly ten years old, was very mature. She’d protected him as best she could, but Albert had been a dismissive, cold parent, and so rather than allow Johnny to fret over the lack of love there, she’d filled him with confidence and hope and stories about his real dad.

Albert still worried her though. He was devious, cunning, and careful. Well, most of the time. She hoped Gio would help her. With his background and connections, surely he’d be able to find the clues and they would be able to lay the blame of this explosion at Albert’s feet where it rightfully belonged.

There was so much that needed to be done, and other than her attorney, she had little else to hope for. But at least Gio knew the truth now, and no matter what happened Johnny would be okay. Even if it was without her, and she would fight like hell so that wouldn’t be the case, Johnny would have his father, and the Marinos to take care of him. There was nothing better than that to finally put her mind at ease.

It was well past midnight, and, with the sound of Gio’s even breathing and exhaustion, she finally faded off to sleep and found some solace for herself.

Fighting the Pull

G
io was up
and gone by the time Lisa came downstairs. A note on the kitchen table told her he’d gone to get a car.

She knew there was an Enterprise a few blocks away, but not knowing what time he left she didn’t know what to do with herself. She glanced at the clock and it was half past eight. She was an early riser normally, but last night she had been exceptionally restless.

She put on a pot of coffee, after cleaning the dusty appliance. She was glad she had purchased coffee yesterday. She lived on the stuff all day long. The prison coffee had been horrible, weak and tasteless. She grabbed a cup when it was half way done brewing because she couldn’t wait. The aroma lured her from the living room where she had dusted and uncovered the furniture. She’d also been watching the local news and was glad she wasn’t on it. She opened the refrigerator to find the bottle of creamer. She poured a small amount into her cup before the coffee, and gave it a little stir. It was manna from heaven, she thought, as she blew on the creamy blend before taking her first sip.

Just as she sat down to send her sister another quick text, she’d sent her one last night to ask her to bring by some clothes, and to let her know she made bail, she heard a car pull up out front. Glancing across the room she saw the silver charger, and Gio getting out of it. He had a few bags. He’d gone shopping again too, it seemed.

*     *     *

The door flew
open before she even had a chance to get out of her seat, but she met him half way and offered to take some of the bags.

“No, I’ve got it,” he brushed past her but not before the slight touch of his hand pushing her away sent a shock through them both.

“Can, I get you some coffee, then?” she offered, trailing behind him back to the kitchen. Her heart rate jumped at such a simple touch. And his reaction was to pull away quickly as well. Yes, the attraction was still there for both of them. That was the one thing that hadn’t changed.

“Yeah, sure,” Gio murmured as he began pulling more groceries out of the bags setting them on the table. She noticed he’d purchased some things she enjoyed and smiled wistfully as she poured him a cup.

“I got you some clothes, too. Not sure about them, but you have to see your attorney at one o’clock today, so I thought you might like to change. They are in there,” he called over his shoulder as he began to put things away now that the bags were empty.

“Thank-you. I’m sure they’ll be fine, and the fruit and yogurt as well.”

“Um, yeah. Well, you’re welcome,” he stammered finishing, and then grabbing his cup of coffee, took a sip of the brew. He pulled out a bagel from a brown paper bag that he’d left on the table. “Want to split an onion?” he asked.

“Sure. Butter?” she asked already turning back to the refrigerator.

“Yes,” came his terse reply.

Again, Lisa noticed how easily they slipped into their old routines as she pulled the butter out of the refrigerator.

Gio was slicing the bagel in half and putting them on paper plates when she came back to the table.

“I can take you to a store if the clothes don’t work, but I have a lot to do this morning before your appointment.”

Lisa wondered what he had planned. But she didn’t want to ask directly. Not yet. “I’m sure they will be fine. I was going to have my sister bring me a few things, in fact, I have to text her. She is going to see Johnny tonight.”

Gio’s interest was piqued. He couldn’t wait to meet Johnny. “Where is he?”

“He’s at school. He was with me at the Jersey shore, and when I got arrested, thank God Mary was visiting with me. He had a summer music camp all set to go, and so he stayed with her until camp started. He still wanted to go, thank goodness. He’ll be done in another week.”

“Music camp?” he asked with one eyebrow raised.

Lisa laughed at the look on Gio’s face. “He plays the guitar. He is very good. I don’t know where he gets his musical talent from, because we sure didn’t have any.”

“My mother,” Gio put in softly. His mother had been a music teacher once upon a time before she gave it up to raise the four boys.

“Yes, yes of course,” Lisa added lamely, feeling stupid for that oversight.

“Well, I’m just glad it’s not the flute or tuba.” He gave her a quirky look.

Lisa nodded. “And I’m glad it wasn’t the drums.”

They smiled across the table from each other.

After a moment of silence, Lisa’s curiosity got the better of her and asked. “So what else is on the agenda?”

“I’m going to start digging, but I want to see what your lawyer has done so far. I’m making some calls. I want to call Nikko and have him come up and work with me. Hope that’s okay?”

Lisa felt immediate relief sweep through her. He was going to help. “Sure,” she looked away feeling suddenly emotional. This man never disappointed her. “That should be okay.” She used the back of her hand to wipe away the moisture that had come to her eyes.

Gio gave her a moment to recover. He could see the relief on her face. Yes, he was going to help her, but she would have to cooperate. When she took a sip of her coffee and set it back down, Gio dropped his first request on her. “I want to meet my son, Lisa. Andreas sent me a text this morning, my name is on the birth certificate, like you said. According to the records my brother was able to access, Johnny has my blood type. He is mine.”

Lisa didn’t feel angry that he had checked into it. She couldn’t blame him for not trusting her, so she simply nodded, then added. “My sister is going to see him tonight. You can go with her. Her husband is working, so she wants to drop the kids off here. In fact, I suggested it already when I texted her yesterday.”

“When did you text her?”

“Last night, when you were out. I didn’t mention it because I wasn’t sure you would be ready.” She watched Gio’s eyes. He looked startled. Meeting a nearly ten year old boy who was your son for the first time had to be a shock to the system. She wished she could be there for that first meeting, but didn’t even consider asking him to wait.

Gio was truthful when he answered. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I am ready, but I want to go. Let her know that.” Gio popped the last bite of his bagel into his mouth and chewed slowly. He didn’t want to lose any time with his son even though he was terrified. Most fathers had nine months to get ready to meet their child. He’d had less than twelve hours.

Lisa hadn’t even started her own bagel yet. She wasn’t much of a breakfast eater, but knew she needed to eat something. She picked up her bagel and took a small bite, and then tore off a piece. She handed the rest over to Gio who took it from her hand and brought it to his lips. She’d often done this exact thing when they shared breakfast a decade ago.

Her eyes watched in fascination as Gio finished her meal. He looked up and met her eyes, and again it was like a feeling of déjà vu passed between them.

Clearing his throat, Gio continued to tell her what his plans were for the rest of the day.

“So anyway, I’m calling Nikko up first thing. Hope his fiancée does not get pissed. We just wrapped up a case in Tennessee and were away for a few days. But I need him. I want him to dig around at Albert’s garage. He shouldn’t recognize him. Albert was already in college and out of the neighborhood by the time Nikko even started high school.” Lisa nodded as Gio continued. “I also want to see if I can get one of my old buddies down at the station to look into Albert’s records, phone calls and such, and account statements. You never know what they might turn up.” Again, Lisa just nodded. She assumed her lawyer would be doing much of the same things, but felt good that Gio was going to look into these things as well. She was about to suggest he speak to her attorney when he spoke the words himself. “I think your attorney can put me on retainer, or I can work with whoever his PI is, so we can get some assistance with the legal stuff, court orders and such. No sense in us doing the same investigations and tripping over each other, getting in each other’s way.”

“Good idea. I will let him know I trust you implicitly and that should smooth things over nicely. I, of course, want to pay for all the expenses. I was able to sock quite a bit away from Albert.”

Gio looked up from his coffee in confusion. Her lawyer had alluded she had some money as well, but the last thing he wanted was Albert’s money.

She saw the unasked question in Gio’s eyes and clarified. “I had an allowance, which I rarely spent, and I worked for the first few years of our marriage although it was part time. I hardly touched it. I figured if I was trapped in this marriage, which I thought was only going to be for a year, I would get the most out of it I could. And a part of me always feared getting out might be more difficult than it sounded, so I wanted to have something to help my parents if they needed to start over.”

“Mhmm.” Gio took another sip. He didn’t want her money. For him this was personal. “Payment isn’t necessary, Lisa.”

She nodded understanding him not wanting to take her money. “I understand, but I’m sure if we go through my lawyers, they can at least cover costs.” Seeing Gio’s eyes narrow, she quickly changed the subject. “Alex Rodriguez is great by the way. As soon as I was arrested I called him. He was a friend of Blaze’s actually, and I ran into him a time or two at various charity events.” Gio’s eyes acknowledged the statement as he refilled their cups. “He showed up at the police station, and I wrote him a check for his retainer, a hundred grand. Quite hefty, but he is worth it. I knew my accounts would be frozen eventually, so I agreed to pay him up front. I can get whatever funds I need from him. He gave me some of it back yesterday so I could get clothes and such.”

Gio was staring at her. 100G was a lot of money, but he knew these high profile cases could cost millions. Hopefully it wouldn’t need to go to trial, and then it wouldn’t cost her that much. Lisa must have been reading his mind.

“I didn’t empty the account. I have a bit more, and my attorney said it would look too suspicious. But, I hope it doesn’t come down to a trial. That will leave me penniless.”

“I can help,” Gio offered.

“No, I can’t ask you to do that.” Lisa was shaking her head.

“With Johnny. I can.”

“Oh.” That startled her. He wanted to help pay his son’s way. She understood that. “Of course.”

“I do quite well myself, Lisa. But, I don’t really want him to stay in boarding school; I don’t like it.” He had never liked the idea of sending kids off to boarding schools.

“Ok.” Lisa agreed. The only reason she sent Johnny was because it was another layer of protection for him while she made the break.

“Public school was good enough for us,” Gio added as he set down his cup.

He must not have understood her silence, so she explained. “Believe me it wasn’t my first choice. It was more a matter of keeping him away from Albert. I didn’t like it either.” Her guilt at having Johnny enrolled at Brownsville Academy washed over her; even though he enjoyed it, and had friends there, she would have much rather had him home with her every night.

Gio nodded. Seeing the scars on the underside of her arms when he saw her reach for the paper plates to toss them in the trash, made it clearer. “Good. I know I don’t have a right to jump in being a dad and all, but after the camp is over, I really want to get to know him. I know you can’t be with him due to the restraining order, but maybe he can stay with your sister or parents and I can go over there each night or something,” he suggested.

“Yeah, I think I can arrange that.” Lisa felt her throat thickening. Gio was jumping in with both feet. It touched her more than he would ever know.

Carrying his cup to the sink, Gio had another thought. “Once Albert knows I’m in town, is he going to fight it? I think I need an attorney too. That’s something I should take care of right away, and I need the birth certificate to prove it.”

Lisa mulled that over for a second as Gio turned to face her. He was leaning against the counter. “Yeah, Albert might want to cause trouble there just to get to me. But then again his father is so ill, I don’t think it will be an issue. Albert’s parents, weren’t much for grand parenting either. It was more about me than anything, to keep the rumors at bay about Albert’s other lifestyle. But Albert might try to use Johnny as a weapon. Thank God I did not put his name on the birth certificate. I have a lot of old friends with Child and Protective services. I know they’ll want Johnny with family, and Mary has already offered to take him. Albert won’t want to raise him, plus the birth certificate and social security card proves he never was the father. But getting an attorney to sort out any other legal issues is a good idea. Mary will help to make the transition; she has been a godsend through all of this so far. I already mentioned this to Alex. That he would work on getting temporary custody of Johnny turned over to Mary. So, Johnny will end up there. His camp is over this Friday. I also told him one of the first things I wanted was this restraining order lifted. I need to hold my boy.”