Pearce Hudson: #1 My Italian Devil

8.New kid on the block

I laid in bed in the fetal position. I didn't know why. And I didn't care why. I knew why: Dante. I was ready to shoot him, yesterday when we were states apart. Now that we were in the same city I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't want to get up. Max jumped on the bed and began licking my face. Someone pounded at my front door and there was a muffled voice. I looked up to the side to realize I wasn't in my apartment. I was in Boston.

"Pearce!" It was Jake's voice. "Are you up?"

"I'm coming!" I shouted back.  

I walked into the living room and was nearly blinded by the sunlight pouring through the drawn curtains. I opened up the door and Jake was standing outside with two cups of coffee on his hand. He was dressed, differently, I should put, in a gray pullover sweater, leather jacket, jeans and brown shoes. 

"Wow someone woke up on the wrong side of a parallel universe," I commented.

He looked down at his clothes and smiled a little, "Yeah well I'm undercover I thought I'd change up the look."

"I like it."

"Thanks."

I moved away from the door to let him in. 

"Jones, Osbourne and Ross will be here in a few minutes."

"What about the Viv and Green?"

"They're setting up the office for Terry Price Private Investigators, somewhere near Cambridgeport. This is for you."

I took the coffee from him and sipped it. "Mm, how did you know I like my coffee dark?"

"Wild guess."

"It's impressive. I like you Newman."

The door swung open and Jones, Osbourne and Ross came through with black cases. 

"Morning Pearce," Derek said, setting the cases down.
"No time for chit chat hurry up now. Set up surveillance," Jessica popped open the cases and took out a bunch of wires, cameras and Bluetooth devices.
"You," she pointed to me. "Come with me."
I followed her to the bedroom. She opened up the closet and went through the it before pulling out a yellow summer dress that wasn't mine. In fact nothing in the closet was mine. It was all supplied for the mission.
"Where am I going? And what am I doing?"
"You are going go to the cafe across the street and have breakfast."
"Okay...why?"

"We need you to be seen around the neighborhood. So Dante can make contact with you."

"I'm not going to prance around the neighborhood in a sunny yellow dress."

"Why not?"

"It clashes with my personality."

"Well you are just a ray of sunshine," Jessica's voice dripping with sarcasm.

I grunted in protestation but slipped on the dress. It was lacy and wrapped around my body. The boys had completely transformed the living room when I came back, long range cameras were pointing at windows and headphones dotted the sofa.

"Here slip this in your dress," Jones handed me a wire.

Jessica snatched it from his hand, "She's not going to wear a wire. Give her the Bluetooth device."

"Last I checked I was still running this operation," Jones hissed.

"Last I checked Dante Capaldi was a drug lord, weapons and sex trafficker and a murderer. He isn't an amateur who can't spot a wire," Jessica stood her ground.

Jake looked from Jessica to Derek holding both the wire and the black and blue Bluetooth device. Derek threw up his hand, "Bluetooth."
Jake fit the Bluetooth device in my ear. His fingers brushed against my neck leaving a tickling sensation.
"Testing, testing," his voice vibrated in my ear.
"Loud and clear," I reported. "So what are my weapon of choice."
"Not much," Ross replied. "A baton, peppery spray, a taser and a Micro Desert Eagle."
"A miniature gun?! What am I going to do with that? Blow him kisses?"
"Those are standard defense weapons for an private investigator," Jessica said. "When Dante meets you, we can expect him to search your belongings. He won't find these suspicious. A FBI issue gun he might."
"I'm going to see him to day?!" My heart leaped.
"No. No. No," Jessica quickly reassured me. "Just as a precaution."

I dumped the contents in a purse along with my phone. I threw on a black flats and a cardigan earning a disapproving look from Jessica. "Take the mutt with you!"
"His name is Max."

It was too warm outside to be nearly the end of October. I took a deep breath and crossed the street.
"Okay hearing and listening check. Tracker is on," hearing Jake's voice in my head, calmed my heart rate. "Operation Diavolo Italiano is a go."