This chapter is written in Alessio's POV and should be read as such. You guys earned it.
"I-I have to think about it." She sputtered out after several failed attempts at words.
It made sense. As much as Katherine could tell herself that this was okay, that her and I, the reporter and the criminal, the cop's daughter and the mobster, that the moon and the sun could ever fall in love clearly she knew somewhere in her that it was still so very wrong. That we were wrong.
Maybe it was self deserved, she had after all spent so much time chasing me for me to push her away, turn her down. I had lathered up her naked breasts and still refused to kiss her before, maybe I deserved a little bit of rejection as well?
Except...this wasn't a little bit of rejection, it was a hell of a lot.
"It's been over twenty minutes." I reminded Simone and Siv when the time had crept too far up on me making my thoughts all too much opportunity to do the same.
"Working on it boss." Simone muttered from behind one of several computer screens and with large headphones covering his ears. It was a wonder he could even hear me from behind them.
"Work. Faster." I said sharply.
Siv remained wordless though he was doing the same, there were four computers between the both of them, the sound of my metronome kept the tempo as they typed quickly.
"Bit out of our skill level." Simone added after a moment.
"Well." I turned my wrist to examine my watch. "You have ten minutes to make it your skill level, or we will have a problem."
"Yes sir."
I tapped the bottom of my pen thoughtfully as they worked. Trying vigorously to break into the NYPD data base. This was a bit out of their pay grade, I wouldn't pretend it wasn't.
Simone and Silvano could hack, but much more minor things. They could work their way into your accounts, emails, phone records, in a world so driven by technology the two proved to be quite valuable when needing to dig up some dirt on someone or find a conversation or such. However, when it came to larger matters I had more experienced men to do this.
Men who would hack government accounts, who could weasel their way into your bank account to wire money without your consent, men who found access into street camera in the city of New York to watch your every move.
I didn't want those men today. The matter in which I wanted to see to today was much more sensitive. I was working on a whim, an insecurity perhaps even. Something the other men need not know about.
I watched the metronome tick from side to side.
Perhaps I was unmarriageable. I mean, had I found someone willing to marry me before Katherine? So perhaps there was a reason for that, a reason I was still not married.I could laugh.
But I wouldn't.
Hm. No one wanted to marry me. I hadn't given it much thought before today. Hadn't seemed like such a catastrophe before. I tapped the butt of my pen on the desk at each tick of the metronome.
I hadn't considered this. I had considering asking Katherine, her saying yes, and then coming to her senses the next time she nearly died and making a run for it them. I had considered the possibility of an outright no even. But I'll think about it.
What was there to think about? She either wanted to marry me or she didn't.
I'd taken her home essentially in silence. There was some lame small talk about my shirt, I started feeding her some bull shit story about work but could tell she was a million miles away. When I'd kissed her goodbye she'd gripped my shoulders and muttered I love you Alessio Geneovese.
I believed her. But I couldn't help being confused. So I did what I did best, ignored the situation and instead focused on work. Hopefully I would find someone to beat my frustrations out on tonight.
I tapped the bottom of my pen to my desk every time the metronome ticked keeping the tempo perfectly along with it. "How long?"
"Just over a half hour." Siv replied glancing up to meet my eye.
"I gave you only a half hour." I replied back and stopped tapping my pen to glance to Simone with a raised brow. "Did I not?"
"It's a little more high tech than usual." Siv began to explain to me calmly as if I was a child throwing a tantrum. I rolled my eyes. "You've never had us hacking into a system so advanced before."
"Did I ask you how advanced the system was?"
"Well no but-"
"Got it!" Simone finally proclaimed, he sounded proud, as if I should praise him for taking 34 minutes to hack into a system I had given him only a half hour to do.
Simone and Silvano were useful, not that I would disclose this to them. A cocky Mafioso is a dead Mafioso. "Oh thank you SImmy, you've done what I asked you to do in record breakingly slow speed. Would you like a fȕcking cookie?" So help me God if he said yes...
"What's the name of this guy again?" Simone asked pulling his head phones out of his ears and turning his attention back to me.
He should know, he was there. "Nash."
The room was once again filled with only the sound of his key strokes, my metronome ticking back and forth, and my pen connecting with the desk impatiently.
To be honest, I had no clue what Simone and SIlvano were doing. Both clicking away without halt on their computers simultaneously. "There is a Nash on the force." Simone said after a fairly reasonable time period.
"Hm." I leaned back in my chair and stuck the end of my pen in the way of the metronome to stop it.
"Everything good boss?"
"Hm." I repeated.
I had had this nagging feeling in the pit of my gut telling me something wasn't right when Katherine had said that name. She'd brushed it off easily, something about a cop on scene but it had shaken her that night obviously...
"Maybe I'm just being paranoid." I muttered. Both knew better than to agree. Maybe my paranoia is what made me so unmarriageable. Katherine used to tell me I was paranoid, to which I would tell her I was merely careful, something she certainly was not. I tapped the pen on the desk thoughtfully. I should let it go, I had my proof that this Nash was an officer, what else did I need.
But why had she been so concerned with him? Muttering about him in a delirious state, angry, apologetic, something was wrong. What if he had done something to her before Simone had got to her? Something to shake her up so much but she couldn't remember it now.
"Find out everything there is to know about him. I'm talking pictures, addresses, sister's best friend, when the last time he took a shit was. I want it all." I raised to my feet and turned my back to them as I stood before the window, hands behind my back.
"You're in luck." Simone said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Cooper is a pretty common name, but Nash isn't. There are less than a dozen Nash Coopers in the whole country."
I let out a noisy rush of air through my nose. "Then I expect you will make this quick."
"Yes sir." They said in unison.
After some time I moved my hands from behind my back and pressed them onto the windowsill. As they worked they reported to me of their findings instantly.
"Got an address." One would say and moments later the other would add in. "I've got a number. He's not listed in the books, good thing we've never been the type to follow by them." The other would get his interest peaked and tossed in a "Have you tried breaking in? Pulling up his phone records?"
All at once the room grew silent, I turned quickly to face them. They weren't done yet, they gave each other a look. "What?" I demanded. "Have you finished?"
"Not yet sir..." Simone started slowly.
"Well then what the hell are you waiting for? On with it! Sbrigati!"
(hurry up)
They were at it again, occasionally muttering curses.
Siv finally leaned back away from his computer and slapped his hands over his face. "Che macello." He muttered.
(What a mess)
"Che macello?" I repeated. "Allora? Sputare il rospo!"
(What a mess? Well? Spit it out!)
"You should come look at this Don." Simone finally said and pulled out his other headphone.
I breezed across the room quickly to take the place behind him. My eyes narrowed. "Check it again imbeciles."
Siv cleared his throat. "We have police reports. Reports from years ago. Had a girlfriend go a little crazy a few times, doped up. He's in photographs on the news clippings. We've tracked down his graduating school, his academy class. Pictures all over the place sir. He's smart enough not to have a facebook but an old MySpace page is still up."
"And his phone records." Simone said.
My eyes fell to a particular number. Her number.
"How the fuck did we miss this?" I asked more to myself than anyone else and my hand raise to my head. "Fȕck. Fȕck. Fȕck." Before I lost control of myself I turned back to the window. "Does she know?"
"I...well, we have no way of knowing that sir."
With as much restraint as I could possibly muster I put my hands on the back of my chair. She didn't know. How could she? He was obviously never at the station, even with her father and uncle there, she wouldn't' know him if he was undercover. That's the whole point of being undercover. She knew him as Matteo, the Mafioso who had saved her life on several accords. Even when he'd been shot it was his Bonnano brothers who gathered her at his request. He was Matteo to her.
Then how did she know his name.
"I want his location. Now."
"Si."
"I said now!" I roared and losing my cool I lifted the chair and threw it through the window. God help someone if it landed on my car several stories below.
Of course she didn't know. That's why she was such a disaster that night. If she had seen him in uniform, or somehow learned of his real identity, of course she'd be freaking out. She hardly remembered the night, hit her head. Our entire hospital visit was a blur to her, she insisted she didn't even remember waking on our way home and then again before I had gotten her into bed and getting sick, another friendly side effect of her concussion. She didn't know. The bastard was still playing her. Probably using her as some pawn in his investigation. Putting her in danger.
Fȕck me for bolting my desk to the ground to prevent me from giving it a toss as I had the chair.
"We...we're out of our element here sir." Simone finally muttered. "Finding out where a guy lives and who he is is one thing, but hacking into traffic cameras, trying to lock in on his phone. We could do it, but not in the time you're looking for."
I could yell at them. But it would only be wasting more time. "Where is Kate?" I finally asked as I took my cellphone out, I would have to call in special teams.
"Her phone is at home." Simone said and began typing away. "But one of the trackers in one of the cars has been on the move."
"Are they together?"
"It's a possibility."
"Call someone who can tell me more than a possibility." I ground out as I started out the door with the phone to my ear.
"Ciao." Pietro answered on the first ring.
"Car. Now. The bástard has Kate." I hung up knowing by the time I stepped outside Pietro would already have the car pulled up front and by the time we were at the end of the block my guys could give me a location on this guy.
OnNash.
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I know, this update is some hours late, but at least it's still on the same day (; Monday afternoons are way better than Monday mornings anyway!
This chapter was late simply because though it was finished, I wasn't satisfied with it, I'm still really not but I figured I'd post it anyway because I couldn't really figure a way to change it, not that would get you an update this week that is anyway. But there you have it.
An Alessio POV because you guys earned it!
Don't forget to vote and comment! And thank you to those of you who have messaged me or posted on my profile asking if I was alright. I am (: Just not digging this particular chapter.