Pearce Hudson: #1 My Italian Devil

12.The past

(Pearce's P.O.V)

In the 5 years, Dante left me I had dreamt of 3 things: Dante coming back for me, saving Alessandra from Dante and killing Dante. For the first time, it was different.

I was standing in our FBI interrogation room, behind the glass. Jake was with me. "Let him go," he said. I looked through the glass, behind it Dante was there, in a suit with his hair slicked back. Beside him was Alessandra. Both of them stood there like statues and had blank expressions.

"I can't," I replied.

"Why not?"

"I love him."

"Let him go and find her."

"I can't let him and I do want to find her."

"Choose."

"I can't-"

"Pearce," he said firmly. I looked up. He's face wasn't playful and smiling as it always was. Instead it was blank and cold.

"Jake," I pleaded.

"Pearce," someone shook me awake. "Pearce."
My eyes opened, and Jake's golden green ones stared back at me.
He smiled, "Time to get up. Your apartment was sweeped, they found a lot of bugs and spy cams."
"Thanks," I leaned to the side and grabbed my phone to check the time. "Shit! I'm gonna be late for work!"
I grabbed my stuff of the floor and began pulling on the my pants and jacket over Jake's T-shirt.
"Can you look after Max?"
"Sure. I love dogs."
I danced on each leg as I slipped on my shoes.
"I'll see you this afternoon," Jake said as I opened the apartment door.
"Hey thank you," I said before walking out the door.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I started my car. It was Jack Bloom.
"Hey," I said.
"I don't have much time and I won't be able to contact you very often," he said. "So listen carefully."
"I'm listening," I replied.
"The only way to get Dante is to get that red book."
"Well I'm guessing you don't know where it is."
"He keeps it on him."
"I'm not sure how we're going to get it then. Can't you get it?"
"There are some boundaries when it comes to being a bodyguard. I can't exactly take it off him without being attacked by his other bodyguard."
"Is there anyway we can bring another guard on our side?"
"Jeff is too loyal to Dante. He has worked the longest with Dante, than any of the other bodyguards."
I didn't reply because I didn't have one. All my plans included some form of danger for Jack and I couldn't afford to lose him. If we do catch Dante, Jack's testimony would the final nail to seal the coffin.
"So what are we going to do?" Jack asked.
"I'll think of some. In the meantime be careful, if Dante even smells betrayal on you...God...I can't imagine what he'd do."
"Okay. I'll talk to you later."

I pulled up to our firm 'office'. It wasn't anything big and fancy but would get the work done. It was an old 4 stored apartment with large industrial windows over looking the Charles River. The elevators were old fashioned with rusty gates with instead doors. I pushed the button and the whole cage shook as it moved up. It stopped on the fourth floor and I got out. Our office was the only one on that floor so we had plenty of privacy.

"Good morning guys," I said walking in.
The north wall was covered in pictures, maps and diagrams. Jessica brushed past me, her nose in a cast.
"You're late," Crawford said.
"I slept over at Jake's. Dante bugged my apartment," I replied.
"So we heard," Jessica said. Her voice was muffled because of her nose.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"Jared and Brad are staking out the mansion," Jones informed as his phone rang. "That's them right now. Hey guys you're on speaker."
"A man just walked into the mansion," Brad said. "Man security's tight here. There are two guards at the main entrance and definitely more inside."
"Did you get a look at the man's face?" I inquired.
"Yeah we sent a picture," Jared spoke up as one of the laptops on the table dinged. The man was in his early forties with salt and pepper hair. He was dressed in an expensive looking suit.
"That's Miles Foreman," I said. "Dante's attorney."
"Either Capaldi is in some legal trouble or something is going on," Ross commented. "How do you want us to continue Jones?"
"Get as close as you can to the house without getting caught," Jones replied.
"Not really the house is well guarded we spotted some motion sensors earlier," Green replied.
Jones said and slapped the table, "Okay wrap it up and come back."
Jessica had moved away to the window and started taping pictures to the windows.
"Jessica," I stood behind her.
"I'm listening," she said.
"I'm sorry for hitting you. I didn't mean-"
"You did."
I couldn't argue. It was true.
"I lied to you. I know I did but I'm not going to apologize. I did what had to be done. How long would you have waited till you made contact with him, or at all? I know he was your husband and he's a criminal so act like a FBI agent not a high school teenager avoiding her ex."
"I think... I might have an idea on how to catch him," I stuttered.
"I'm all ears."
"The red ledger he has we need to get that."
"Well we can't march up to him and demanded he handed over."

"No but I have an inside man."

Jessica laughed sarcastically, "When were you thinking of sharing that bit of intel with us? Or ever?"

"Look I don't want him involved. He helped me in the past and I don't want him wrapped up in this?"

"So what is this grand plan of ours?"

"We're working on it."

"Perfect," Jessica sneered and went back to taping pictures on the window.

"Hey guys the DA sent over some of their the files they had on Capaldi," Crawford said.

We all grabbed some freshly printed paper from the stack in Crawford's arms.

"These cases would've never stuck," I said. "They didn't have sufficient evidence, all they had was witnesses and circumstantial evidence." I collapsed onto the nearest chair. "How did he get away with so much?"

"He's not getting away this time," Jones reassured as he flipped onto another page. A picture caught my eye.

"Hey can I see that?" I reached for the picture. It was a picture of police officer in full uniform, he was Caucasian with blonde hair and blue eyes. "I've seen him with Dante once at the house."

"Detective Kevin Smith, he was the lead detective on nearly all of the drug and prostitution cases Capaldi was tied to," Jones informed. "He retired five years ago. Here's his forwarding address."

"Anyone smell a dirty cop?" Vivian arched her eyebrows.

"Viv and Crawford check it out," Jones said. 

"I can't I'm trying to get the DA to ship the rest of the files," Viv replied.

"Pearce go with Crawford." I grabbed my jacket and followed Crawford out the door.

Crawford wasn't much of a talker. I knew he had a dislike towards me just didn't know why.
"So how many years on the job?" I asked.
"Twenty."
"Do you enjoy it?"
"Yes."
"So-"
"Would you cut the crap and ask me what you want to ask?"
"Alright why do you hate me?"
"I don't hate you. I think you're clueless and ditzy."
"What?!" I stopped the car at a red light.
"How do you not know you're husband is a drug Lord and sex trafficker?"
"Look I don't have excuse but I was in law school okay? My priority was passing the bar. I didn't see into what Dante was doing because I didn't think I needed to. He was my dad's friend's son, I trusted my dad."
"Maybe we should be looking into your dad."
I stopped the car across the street from Smith's house and turned to Crawford.
"Hate me all you want, call me names but don't accuse my dad."
Crawford opened the car door, "Stay in the car."