Page 41 of Learning to Love

My alarm goes off too quickly. I jump up and kiss Georgia goodbye and wave at Sasha as she goes to lay in my bed with Georgia. We jump in my truck, and head out to the practice field. I'm nervous about the meeting with Chico today. I don't know what he's going to tell me, but I imagine I'm not going to like it very much.

I bang on my steering wheel as I regrettably remember Benji will be at practice this morning. I have to act like I always do towards him, and that's to treat him as if he's invisible. That'll be hard today. I wanna kick his ass so hard. Why did the fucker have to come to our college? I hate that dude.

"Has Rod been able to talk to his uncle yet?" Dallas asks from the shotgun seat.

"He called me last night. I have a meeting with him sometime today. He was very secretive, and I was going to tell you guys after the meeting."

Axel makes a noise. "Him being all secretive is weird. What's so special about the asshat?"

I shake my head. "I don't know, man. It's not going to be good. I've got that feeling in the pit of my stomach. My gut is never wrong."

The truck goes quiet. Each of them knows I'm worried, and they know how accurate my gut meter is. I want my girl to stay safe. That's it. We arrive and I look at my phone before jumping out for practice. Still nothing!

I put all my focus and energy into throwing the ball, and I wind up having the best practice of summer session. Football has helped me in so many different ways, and once again, it pulled through for me. Hopefully, Asshat will be out of all our lives very soon.

I run to my car and hold my breath while reaching for my phone. My phone begins to ring and I almost drop it, because it scared the shit out of me. I laugh because I'd never admit that out loud, but it's true. An unknown Caller is flashing on my screen. I answer. "Hello."

"Yeah. Ditch your boys. Meet me at 5th and Congress. Stop at the light and wait for more instructions."

"Okay?!" He's already hung up the phone, so I don't know why I even bothered to reply. I wave at the boys as I pull out of the parking lot, sorry guys. I head towards Congress. I hope he finally explains after this game we're playing of cat and damn mouse. I stop at the light, and nothing is happening, no new text or call. I'm panicking. Out of nowhere, my door flies open and a man jumps in. He's about 6'7, with a gun on his hip. Cool as a cucumber, he has to adjust the seat accordingly. He says nothing. "What the hell? Get outta my truck."

"Drive."

I simmer down. It's Chico. I can tell by his voice. The light is green, and everyone is waiting for me to go. "Where to?"

"Turn left at the next road." I do as I'm told, hopefully I'll find out some much needed info soon. The suspense is killing me. Rod favors his uncle, same nose, and mouth. Chico directs me to park in the garage of the nearby hospital. Creepy but it makes sense. I guess?! I park near the top, in between two large vans. "I know this seems unusual, but we have to be careful. Follow me."

Once again, I follow directions. I'm about to be pissed off, though. I've had about enough of this hide-and-go-seek mess. Is Chico ever going to tell me anything? He walks to the side of the van and climbs in. I quickly follow. The van is stacked with all kinds of technology. There’s multiple TVs and computer screens set up. They aren't switched on, so I can't help but wonder what kind of surveillance they're doing. Maybe I can "accidentally" hit the power button on one of those screens.

A bald man in black-rimmed glasses greets me from his computer chair. He stretches out his hand for me to shake. I shake it, and he introduces himself. "Hi. I'm Sgt. Eric Marlowe." I nod my head and brace myself for whatever information comes my way. If they've brought me to a surveillance van, it can't be good. Who in the hell is this Benji guy anyways?

Chico speaks first. "Rod told us what went down yesterday. Benji's been under investigation for eight months now. His father is the notorious crime lord, Benny "The Enforcer" Bianchi. He employs the most dangerous misfits on this side of the Mississippi. The Enforcer has not been seen in public for five years now. He's careful and has other people do his dirty bidding."

Eric nods his head. "He's eluded our capture for long enough. Our Captain has given us one more chance to bring down this crime family. If we don't make an arrest soon, he's allowing the FEDS to take over officially."

"I'm sorry, but this is all so strange. Why does Benji even go to our school or play football if he's the son of a notorious crime lord? And why..."

Chico holds up his hand, halting my next question. "I understand that this sounds crazy to you. But see, Benji didn't grow up knowing his father. His mother kept it from him until one day Benji figured it out. He had already been accepted into the university when the news came. And from what we have been able to piece together, his old man encouraged him to attend. The Enforcer was looking for an opportunity to grow his already flourishing east coast drug business. He's been looking to expand to the west coast too. Texas is a better place than most to get started."

I nod. The pieces are finally starting to come together. "So, is Benji running it by himself out here?"

Eric smiles. "No, and this is the best part. We have it on good authority that his old man Benny is right here in Austin showing him the ropes."

Shit. That's not good. "Is Dani in any danger for witnessing that drug deal yesterday?"

Chico frowns at me. "I don't believe in sugarcoating things, son. She could be in trouble. We have a very serious matter on our hands. We have implants everywhere at the school. She will be protected there, as long as she doesn't wander off too far. All of you should really just stay on campus. You need to let the professionals handle this situation. Our investigation is drawing to a close."

I shake my head. "I can't just sit back and do nothing. Especially if my girl is in danger."

Eric rubs his bald head. "You will sit your ass on the sidelines, or we will arrest you for obstruction. It's just that simple."

Chico rolls his eyes at Eric. "Listen, we understand this is not an ideal situation for any of you, but we'll handle it. Please stay away from him and watch your back. If we see that you can be of any help to us, we will reach out."

Eric agrees. "We will be in touch if we see a reason. We don't have to tell you how serious this is and how discretion is imperative."

I nod my head. "I understand. Thank you for your time. I won't do anything right now, but if he comes after Dani, I won't hesitate." I jump out of the van before they can reply. I can't think. I need to get to my girl. Except for practice, she won't be out of my sight.

Chapter 24