Chapter 13

Harrison

I stood just outside Tony Dellucci’s home, on my second puff of my cigarette. O’Malley stood beside me, smiling as if the world was just placed in the palm of his hands and he was ready to mold it in whatever fashion he desired. The gray sky above pushed thick clouds across the horizon like cotton balls. O’Malley removed a cigar from his case and bit the end off, spewing it onto the grass with trickles of saliva trailing it. He extended the case towards me, but I waved him off.

“Come on, Harrison. It is time for you to step up with the big boys. Take one of these cigars and inhale the aroma. This is our victory smoke.”

I squinted my eyes at the house, ignoring his gesture. I couldn’t believe that I had gone through with it. I felt like shit on the inside and out of all the times I’d had people put away, this was by far, the hardest pill for me to swallow. I slid my cigarette onto my lips and inhaled the nicotine again, then blew the thick grey cloud of smoke out of my mouth and watched it flutter into the air until it dissipated. A few officers walked by us and went into the Dellucci house as I stood with O’Malley near the pathway. It had taken a little over eight months to wrap everything up, but we had finally gotten enough information to bust Tony Dellucci. O’Malley put his hand on my shoulder as we waited patiently for our men to finish the job.

Seconds later, Dellucci came out of the house in handcuffs with a coat thrown around him. He looked right through me with a stone-faced glare as he walked by. O’Malley’s smirk never left his face.

“You did it, Harrison. This is why we pay you the big bucks. You go in and you handle a fucking job like a pro every goddamned time! You are the fucking all-star of the Chicago Police Department.”

Minutes later, his wife Maria was walked out in handcuffs with her head hanging low. Her long, straight hair covered her face as she begrudgingly walked down the path in the company of two officers. I had gotten close to her during my time undercover. She treated me like a son after the seventh month and between her and Tony, she was a lot quicker to accept my difference in nationality.

She didn’t even want to look my way as she was escorted to the squad car. Next, the two brothers emerged from the house with snarls on their faces. I flicked my cigarette into the lawn. It flipped end over end until it landed in the grass. The butt of the cigarette glowed on top of the blades.

“You fuckin’ piece of shit! We will get you, you fucking bitch! We will kill you!” Nico yelled as he tried to break free from the grasp of the police officers. His brother, Luca, was calmer but his glare was hard enough to make a statue feel uneasy. I didn’t move my eyes away from him though. I wasn’t one to succumb to intimidation, no matter what form it came in.

The front door propped open as I redirected my attention towards the sound. A light drizzle fell from the clouds above, sprinkling everything that was below it. My body stiffened as she walked out with her head down. My Carina. I didn’t know how she had gotten mixed up in everything and I hate that she was linked. If I would’ve known, I would have given her a heads up about the case. I would’ve told her to clear her name before it was too late.

The investigators found her guilty of laundering money and after that, she was seen as one of the enemies. When she stepped off the porch, the rain picked up. I couldn’t tell the difference between my heartbeat and the thunder that roared above us as she walked closer to me. I loved her. That was for damned sure. I loved her to death but it was too late for me to save her. When the investigators broke the case open, she was named as an accomplice and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

As she walked by me, she tugged at the officers, silently begging them to stop. I noticed her struggle and stepped forward.

“Hold on,” I said to them as I put my hand on one of their shoulders. The strength of the rain picked up. The baby bump had just started to become visible beneath her shirt. It was mine. She slowly lifted her head towards me. I couldn’t tell if it was the rain, her tears, or a combination of both. I wanted to die.

“I’m sorry,” I said in whatever strength I could muster. “I didn’t mean for it to come to this. I just–”

“You were just doing your fucking job, Harrison,” O’Malley said as he stepped closer to us. “This woman helped her family become what they are today. Laundering money so we could never find the paper trail. She is just as guilty as the rest of them. You just did your fucking job.”

My fist balled as the strength of the rain increased, exploding against our clothing and cement that we stood on top of. I wanted to take a swing at him. It was unnecessary for him to comment on anything I had to say to Carina. I was in love with her and little did O’Malley know, I was prepared to do whatever I had to so that she wouldn’t spend a day in prison.

“I just–”

She cut me off, “no, he is right. He is right, Harrison. You had a job to do. It was fucked up, but it was your job and you were damned good at it because neither me or my family expected a thing. I don’t know if they will ever forgive me for this.”

She looked at her stomach and laughed in a shameful way, “and now, this baby. This is the representation of what we were. A dream. A façade. A fucking lie. That is all our baby will represent. A fucking lie.”

“Come on,” one of the officers said, “let’s go. That is enough talking.”

As they led her away from me, I watched my love walk the green mile out of my life. I knew she would never forgive me and any other time, I wouldn’t have given a fuck because it was my job but now, things were different. Now, shit had gone in a direction that I never expected it to go. I watched her closely as she walked to the squad car.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky and in that same instant, one lone gunshot was fired. We all ducked and removed our pistols, aiming them as we searched for the area where the gunshot was fired. Some police officers ran behind their cars and took cover as their pistols nervously pointed in all directions.

As I looked towards the car, I saw Carina lying face down on the cement as the rain fell in droves. My mouth dropped open as I ran towards her. I dropped my pistol on the ground and turned her over. There was a gunshot wound right to the middle of her forehead. Blood poured from the bullet hole, mixed with rain water, and spilled onto the cement.

“Carina! Carina!” I yelled, cradling her in my arms. “Carina!” Just ahead, her mother screamed inside of her squad car. She knew what had just happened. Her daughter brought me into the family and it was her fault that her family crumbled.

Behind us, her father sat in his squad car with an unforgiving eye, quietly observing everything that happened. He set her up. His cold, calloused glare told me everything without having to say a word. Police officers scattered, searching for the gunman with their weapons drawn as I held Carina in my arms.

I sprang from my mattress in a cold sweat. Carina was still asleep next to me beneath the covers. I used my hand to wipe the sweat from my face like it was a cloth towel. What the fuck? I climbed out of bed and grabbed my phone, then went to the bathroom. Darkness still blanketed the sky above as the clock on my phone read 4:45 am. I quietly closed the door behind me and pressed the palms of my hands into the top of the sink. I can’t do this shit. I can’t put her in jeopardy like that.

O’Malley had been pressuring me all week to get moving on this case, so I picked up my aggression when trying to poke around and get tidbits about her family. As much as I tried, I couldn’t shake the feelings for her that had begun to develop in the short amount of time that I’d known her.

I exhaled, then turned on the water and cupped my hands underneath the steady stream. The water cascaded over my cheeks after I buried my face into the small basin I made with my hands. Drops trickled from my skin and fell into the sink as my head hung over it. I can’t do this. I can’t fucking do this to her.

Just then, there were two knocks at the door. I shut the water off and grabbed a face towel from the adjacent rack, then opened the door.

Carina stood on the other side, adjusting her eyes to the bathroom light.

“Are you ok?” she asked, standing in nothing but a long t-shirt she had grabbed from my drawer.

“Yeah, I’m good. I just had to go to the restroom.”

“Oh, ok. Well, are you going to come back to bed any soon? I was starting to get lonely.”

“Yeah, I’m coming right now.” I shut off the light, kissed her on the lips and then held her hand as we walked back to the bed. We sunk beneath the covers and she tucked her head onto my shoulder and put her hand on my stomach.

“Do you think we are moving too fast?” I asked her honestly

She exhaled. “I’m not sure. I didn’t think anything like this was possible, but now, I see that it is. I don’t want to scare you off or anything, but I do feel a strong connection to you. And no, I am not crazy.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I didn’t think you were, especially since I feel the same way.”

“Good. As long as we are on the same page.” She lifted her hand to my chest and fondled my nipple.

She chuckled, then kissed me on my neck. I fought the images of her dead body lying in my arms while she laid on the cement in front of her parents’ house. With each kiss, I held her closer, not wanting that horrific end to fall on her.

“Baby…” I tried to get her attention, but her soft lips tickled my flesh each time they connected.

“Baby…” She didn’t stop, sliding her hand down to my crotch, slowly massaging it until it hardened in her hand.

“Baby…”

Suddenly, she slithered on top of me, straddling my waist as she put her hands into my chest to help her balance on top of me.

“I just can’t get enough of you, Harrison. I don’t think I have ever wanted someone this much.”

She pulled my shirt over her head and tossed it to the ground. Her perky breasts sat perfectly on her chest. Her nipples were hard and ready, begging me to play with them. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against mine as I wrestled my silk basketball shorts below my waist until I was naked. I could feel her wetness through the fabric of her thong, dampening my crotch as she sat on top of me. Her tongue floated around inside of my mouth as I held the back of her head. We exchanged passionate kisses. My cock throbbed as it hardened underneath her.

She sat upright, reached behind and grabbed a hold of it, slowly moving her hand up and down the shaft like she was getting it ready for her. I moved my thumb to her core, pushed her thong aside and stroked her clit softly as she bit her bottom lip, moaned and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she spun around with her back facing me, moved her hips up slightly then slid onto my cock. She slowly lowered herself on my shaft as the warmth of her core wrapped around me. I leaned my head back onto the pillow and closed my eyes. She grinded on top of me, moving her hips in a circular motion as I held onto her waist.

After my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw her body in the mirror beside the bed. Her breasts swayed back and forth with her movements as she leaned forward and grabbed my ankles. I used my hand to smack her on her backside as she slammed her ass against me, moving her hips up and down. Her body shook in waves from her bottom to her hips as she moaned louder and picked up her pace.

“Yes, baby! Yes, fuck me harder!”

I moved my thumb towards her asshole and slowly started to rub it. She continued her pace with her hips and moaned louder. I slowly slid my thumb inside and I felt her body shake on top of me.

“I want you to come,” I said, smacking her ass again. “Come for me Carina!”

She continued pumping her hips as she leaned back up and grabbed her breasts. The vision I caught in the mirror turned me on more. She was fucking hot. She knew exactly what to do to keep me going. She moved her hips faster as she moved one of her hands down to her core. She started rubbing quickly as I kept my thumb inside of her, pushing my hips as far up as they would go.

“I’m about to come,” she said as she toyed with her clit. Her hand moved back and forth across her clit.

“I’m coming. Don’t stop,” she demanded. “Don’t fucking–” and in seconds, she screamed out in ecstasy and started grinding hard on my cock. She moved her fingers faster as her body shook, and called out my name. Finally, she climbed off me and fell onto the mattress with her limbs sprawled out on the mattress.

“Goodnight, Harrison,” she said out of breath.

“Goodnight, Carina.”

I laid on my back, facing the ceiling as Carina fell asleep soundly on my shoulder. I looked down at her and thought about what I was going to do with my case. I couldn’t get her involved in this and I took that dream as a warning. If I used her as my way in, I was liable to get her killed and that would have been the first death that I would have never forgiven myself for causing.