Cesare: Dockside
Cesare sat up, careful not to disrupt his tesoro as he quietly left the office. She was already busy enough and would need her rest for the things he had in mind.
He walked through the Rescue’s main holding room, giving the feathered guests a suspicious glare for their sudden return to polite manners the moment Sabrina had returned that afternoon.
Cesare stepped out onto the back dock, mindful of a few holes in the aging planking, and took a moment to gaze out across the harbor as he waited for Dante to arrive. The stars in the night sky reflected off the water, making both the sky above and ocean below look like an endless blanket of constellations.
Lights from Dante’s truck reflected off the side of the building as the younger Lombardi arrived, and a small wild rabbit went running from a thicket of nearby bushes into a small circle of trees to the left of the dock.
Dante walked down the drive, slowly approaching the dock. Cesare turned, giving him a wordless nod as he approached.
“What did you find out?” Cesare asked.
Dante came to a stop beside his brother, leaning against the handrail of the dock, appreciating the same view.
“I have more information about Tom Crawford’s supervisor when the baby went missing. We know who she is now, but I can’t touch her. Not as a personal investigator. You may be able to pursue legal avenues once you get all your ducks in a row, though. Once that’s in play I could pull strings at the Bureau.”
“Who is it?” Cesare asked, his brows furrowing.
Dante held up a photo on his phone, and Cesare let out a low whistle. “Huh.”
“Yep.” Dante nodded.
“That’s quite a promotion.” Cesare remarked wryly, gears turning in his mind as he turned back to look at the harbor.
“Yup.” Dante nodded. He pocketed the phone as a sly grin played across his mouth. “I met your girl today.”
Cesare grunted. “Thank you for dropping her off.”
“She seems nice. Good head on her shoulders if she’s running this.” Dante gestured to the building.
Cesare swallowed thickly, nodding. “Ma would have liked her.”
Dante eyed Cesare for a moment before nodding.
“Her friend doesn’t seem too bad either.”
Cesare scowled. “Don’t go there.”
“What?” Dante asked.
“You think two weeks is a long relationship. You are not fucking her best friend. We do not shit where we eat.”
Dante was quiet for a moment. “I can do longer than two weeks.” He grumbled.
“I’ll believe it when I see it, and Marie is not going to be the guinea pig.”
Dante frowned. “You’re a real fucker, you know that?”
Cesare shook his head. “I mean it. I’m playing for keeps with Sabrina. Don’t fuck it up.”
“I amnotgoing to fuck this up.” Dante rumbled with a scowl.
Cesare eyed him for a moment before cursing. “You already did. Fucking dammit, Dante, can’t you keep your…”
“I don’t ask you where you put your dick, so keep your fucking…”
“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing on my dock?” A man with a booming smoker’s voice interrupted their argument. A blindingly bright military flashlight was suddenly shining in their eyes, and Cesare threw his hand up, momentarily startled.
