Chapter Nine

So sorry for the long 2 month delay. Things have been crazy with work, school, and my personal life. To make up for it, here are two chapters :)

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"What you got for me, Emiliano?" Luca jerked his chin towards Emiliano.

"'Ey Boss." Emiliano smiled as spun back to face his desk and continued typing. Emiliano communicated best when he was already doing something. People say that multitasking was hard or impossible, but for Emiliano it was second nature. "I'm sure Alessio told you, the car accident that killed Angela's parents was in fact caused by the Russians. The accident report was written and submitted. The original report was correct, then it got altered by someone else in the department, probably a detective. Officers don't have that access. I found the original report, took a lot of digging. Who ever changed it really did not want it found." A few clicks of his mouse and the original report was the middle right screen.

Luca straightened himself from leaning against the doorway, and walked towards the desk to look at the screen. He leaned against the left hand side of the desk that had the Mac Pro on it to look at the report on the right middle screen.

"Looking at the report, it is obvious that it wasn't an accident. The brake lines were cut, and the gas tank was filled with hydrogen peroxide. This person really did not want the Kavanaughs to live. They didn't account for Angela to survive that. She went into the foster system directly following her parents' funeral, but the Russians wouldn't have any problem finding her. Why didn't they finish the job? Maybe they didn't care either way, she was too young to know anything." Luca scanned the report with his arms crossed and his left index finger tapping on his right arm.

"Yes. The officer who wrote this did his job, but I do wonder who he went to regarding this report. Did he go to a detective or the Lieutenant? We know the Lieutenant isn't under anyone's thumb, but tolerates all of us. If Lieutenant knew, there wouldn't be a fake report to cover this up. The detective that the Russians have on their payroll would had to doctor this report, and suppress what actually happened and give the press a different story." Emiliano pushed back from his desk and got up. He walked to his mini fridge and grabbed a Red Null.

"E, its almost eleven P.M., don't crack that open. As much I admire your work ethic and your laser focus, you need to rest. Haven't you already been up for twenty hours?" Luca looked at Emiliano with concern in his eyes. It was very rare that Luca called any of his men by nicknames, but he did it rare enough that whenever he did, they all knew of Luca's concern and stopped whatever they were doing.

"Boss..." Emiliano looked at the Red Null in his hands and put it back and grabbed an New Mexico Tea instead. "You took Angela in. I haven't personally met her myself yet. She has been here for no more than a couple days, but many of the guys changed. Alessio is truly treating her as a younger sister, Elia has little chats with her, Lauro is being a jokester more than usual, and Abelia has a another girl to talk to. You, don't seem as haunted anymore. Angela being here is a blessing." Emiliano walked back to his desk, set the can of tea on a coaster and sat back down and faced Luca. "I want to find out what happened to her parents. Why they were involved with the Russians. If her adoptive brothers were and why they skipped town. About Sawyer....why he took her." He placed his hands on his knees and sighed. "There is so much to find out..."

"Emiliano, it isn't often that you bare your soul to someone, much less me." Luca walked over to Emiliano's side and grasped his shoulder in a firm grip. "I appreciate having such a hardworking man such as you by my side. But I cannot have you collapsing from exhaustion. Go to bed, this will still be here tomorrow. Come back, rested and fresh eyes."

"Ugh. Fine, you win. I'll go to my fucking bed and sleep." Emiliano chuckled shaking his head.

"You knew I would though. Introduce yourself to Angela tomorrow, she hasn't meet a geek yet." Luca teased and gave Emiliano's another squeeze and then let go. Luca picked up the can of tea and placed it back into the mini fridge and gestured for Emiliano to go to his room and sleep, before he left the lab.

Luca walked down the hall to the stairs, he hesitated before climbing them because he was trying to decide whether or not to check on Angela before he went to his room and slept as well. 

I would be able to make sure she is sleeping soundly and not having a nightmare, but what if I wake her up while checking on her? What excuse would I come up with? Or rather, why would I have to make up an excuse, this is my manor. But I don't want to intrude on her privacy, while she is here, that room is hers and she had every right to privacy within that room.

Luca was pacing back and forth by the stairs when someone called out to him and interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey Boss, whatcha doing pacing by the stairs?" Lauro asked watching Luca.

"How long have you been standing there?" Luca stopped pacing and stared at Lauro with his arms crossed.

"No need to get so defensive Boss, it was an innocent question. Just about a minute or two, or maybe three." Lauro scratched the back of his head nervously.

"And you said nothing. You just stood there and watched?" Luca inquired as his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah. That is exactly what I did." Lauro said, "But, I've been worried about you Boss."

"Pray tell, why would you be worried about me, of all people Laurenzio?" Luca smirked. While he did rarely call people by nicknames, no one had ever called Lauro by his full name, he had always been Lauro since Luca met him in high school. Only a few people knew that Lauro was a nickname and Luca was one of those few.

Lauro shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Luca. Really, with the full name?" He shook his head while looking at him. "I am worried cause I think Angela can help you and I don't know if you'll let her. In the short time she had been here, she has been accepted and treated as family now. Are you going to let her stay here or send her away when you decide that she is better?"

"I don't know. I'm not going to make her stay here if she doesn't want to. But here, she'll have the family that she's has wanted since her parent died." Luca said dispassionately and ran a hand through his hair. "It is far too late to talking about this, I'm going to bed."

Without another word, Luca walked up the stairs and out of sight. Leaving Lauro at the bottom of the stairs by himself. Angela's room was on the opposite side of the hallway from Luca's room, but it couldn't hurt to check in on her. He wouldn't do anything, just open the door and check to see that she is sleeping well and then he would go to his room. Luca walked to her room and slowly twisted the doorknob and opened her door. He let a small sliver of light to enter the room as he looked inside and saw Angela sleeping on her bed, nestled under the covers. He smiled and just as slowly closed the door.

Luca went to his bedroom, turned on the light, and closed the door behind him. He stripped off his clothes down to his boxers and discarded his clothes in his hamper. He took off his watch and placed it on his bedside table along with his silver rings. He turned off the light and got into his bed and drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow would be a good day.