“What changed your mind?” Ricky asked as he turned onto the main road.

“A couple things, but it may take a while to share,” Ella said, turning in her seat.

“We have a long drive ahead of us.”

She gave a half smile and glanced out the window. “For starters, the picture on your table.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that picture, too.”

“Have you met the guy who was holding me?”

“Funny you should ask that.”

“I’m not finding any of this situation funny.”

“I was being facetious,” Ricky said and turned on his blinker. “The guy in the photo was the owner of a popular Italian restaurant. The place was considered a hidden gem with the locals in the heart of Toronto.”

“He’s been living a normal life and running a restaurant?”

“Well, from what my partner shared, nothing about what he did was normal.”

“What do you mean?”

“When he bailed, the Emergency Task Force ransacked the restaurant. They found many of his secrets he had hidden.”

Ella turned her head to the side. “Does this include the brother part of the story?”

“It does.”

“Do I have a mom somewhere in this equation?”

“You did.”

She rested her head back in the seat.

“Ella, I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “No, I get it. If you get messed up with the likes of Giano…well, you know the rest of that sentence.”

Ricky did know the rest and all too well. The family he was assigned to protect several years ago was the answer to what can happen when you let your life get tangled with the mob. He could still see the father begging for his life. Ricky learned the hard way that Giano didn’t care; you could beg till you were blue in the face.

As he took the exit that would dump him onto the freeway, he thought about why he left law enforcement. He failed to protect his assignment, and four lives were lost in the process. After fifteen years serving his community, he realized he was in the wrong field. If he couldn’t save four lives, how could he save anyone else?

“Ricky?”

“Huh?” He turned toward Ella.

“I said you may want to slow down. We are trying to stay under the radar not on it.”

He backed off on the gas. “Sorry.”

“Giano did something to you?”

“It was a long time ago.” He cleared his throat. “You mentioned a few things changed your mind?”

Ella let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I fucking hate Dego.”

“Should we be more concerned about him?”

“You should be worried about both Giano and Dego. They don’t hesitate. They shoot to kill.”

* * *

“What can I get you both?” the waitress asked, tapping her pen on a pad of paper.

“Turkey club and hold the fries,” Ella said, closing her menu.

“I’ll take the special and add her fries to my order.”

The waitress winked and reached for the menus. “Coming right up.”

“Have you met my brother and cousin?”

“I have,” Ricky said, reaching for a spoon to stir the sugar in his iced tea. “They have been in hiding for close to a year now.”

“Wow, really? Can you tell me anything?”

“I really can’t, but I didn’t work the case.”

“Why are you now?”

“Vikki.”

“Wait, are you the guy she was all hot and bothered over?” Ella’s eyes went wide. “Oh, my God, you are.”

Ricky turned his head to the side. “Care to elaborate?”

“Ricky. The Ricky. I just didn’t put two and two together. Holy shit.”

“So, Vikki has had a thing for me for a while?”

“More like full-on orgasm at the mention of your name.”

He had the same problem but didn’t plan to share that with Ella anytime soon. “Okay, let’s discuss something else.”

She straightened up in the booth. “Listen, Vikki is a good person. I couldn’t follow through on my orders. That’s all, plain and simple.”

“Simple, eh?”

“Well, not simple, but it’s the truth.”

All through lunch, Ricky was scanning the place, looking for anything out of the ordinary. When they were done eating, and the check was dropped off, there was a black SUV that pulled up in front of the restaurant. He watched as the two men hopped out and made their way into the place.

“Hey,” he whispered. “Can you wait to use the restroom?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“That SUV seems out of place.”

Ella played casual and reached for a napkin that was in the same direction as the vehicle. She turned her head a fraction and sucked in a breath. “It’s them.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Trust me, I know.”

Ricky placed two twenty-dollar bills on the table. “We need to act calm, but let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Ella stood from the booth and kept her head bent. Ricky followed closely behind with his hand on the small of her back. The moment they reached the vehicle, they scrambled to get inside.

“Buckle up. This could get bumpy,” Ricky said as he backed out of the parking space.

“How did they find us so quickly?”

“It’s the Nesta mob.” Ricky glanced in the rear-view mirror. “Fuck.”

“Quick pull into that alley.”

He turned the corner quickly and parked behind a restaurant that was next to several other buildings and about a mile from the freeway. There was enough distance between them and the assholes to hide. When Ricky pulled into the alley, he turned off the vehicle to ensure all the lights were off. There was a dumpster in front them and one directly behind to keep them hidden. They stayed there for about two hours.

“Think it’s safe to leave?” Ella asked.

“They have to be long gone by now,” Ricky said, buckling his seatbelt. “Let’s take another route.”