Inquest

South Coast Hwy. - Black Rock Badlands




“It’s about fucking time you showed up!” Rook was already hot and tired and the extra hour he had stood outside waiting hadn’t made things any better. “I told you I would be late. If you were stupid enough to wait out here that’s on you.” Nico shot back as he got out of the car and walked around to the trunk.



“We’re in the middle of nowhere, where did you expect me to wait, under a damn rock?” He hopped off the hood of the car he was driving and met Nico half way between the two cars. “Here’s the money. It’s only 50K. You tell Tex he’ll get the other half when I get the rest of my shipment. I don’t do IOU’s.”



“We would’ve had the rest of the shipment if you had been where you were supposed to be the other night. You knew damn well it was a two car job.” Rook snatched the bag and turned to walk back to his car when Nico grabbed his shoulder. “What the hell is your problem? If you’ve got something on your mind I suggest you tell me about it now!”



Rook turned back to his brother, eyes hot with anger. The sun flashed out from behind a passing cloud, momentarily blinding him, forcing him to squint, and making his expression even surlier. He had been telling Nico the problem for weeks trying to get him to see the train wreck waiting happen. It hadn’t gotten him anywhere so far. “There’s no point in me explaining it to you again. Maybe I should tell your little princess to pass the message along. Maybe if it comes out of her mouth you’ll get the picture.”



“I told you before to leave her out of this Rook. I won’t say it again.” Rook shook his head in frustration. The brick wall was up again and there was no getting through. “I don’t want her in it; for your sake and hers. But I’m not really the one you have to worry about am I?” Rook stared at his brother for a long moment making sure he got his meaning.



“If you’re talking about her father, it’s not an issue and if you’re talking about that other asshole, he’s in jail. He knows better than to fuck with me anyway,” Nico said sternly. Rook let out an incredulous laugh. “You’re way out of the loop brother. Cross got sprung last week and if you think her daddy doesn’t know what’s up you’re a bigger fool than I thought. But you keep right on believing you’re untouchable, and since I’m suddenly the one with all the brains I’ll try to cover both our asses since you won’t.” With that he got in his car, turned on the engine while Nico stood brooding.



“By the way the cops showed up at the garage looking for you. You’d better get Bergman and go down to the station before they come back. We don’t have time for you to be held overnight again.” Nico was about to ask for details when Rook turned away from him abruptly, put the car in gear drove away, leaving him standing alone to contemplate his next move.





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DeSantos Residence - Sagebrush



Bianca had been up since dawn, restless as usual, and had run downstairs and posted up near the front door the minute she heard his car pull up in the driveway. She hadn’t seen him in days which was somewhat of a relief as she hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask him the one question she needed an answer to above all else. He came in and breezed past her with little more than a hello and a pat on the head, and went straight to his room and hopped into the shower.




She went into the living room where Rider was crashed out on the sofa, slobber escaping the side of mouth and the quite hum of his snore filling the otherwise silent house. She sat down on the floor, plucked the remote control out from its hiding place under the sofa and flicked the television on turning the volume up full blast; jarring Rider out of his sleep.



“What the hell Bianca?!” He shouted, the devious smile on her face infuriating him even further. “Don’t do that again. I thought someone had broken in or something.” She turned the volume back to a reasonable level before hopping up on the sofa next to him. “Don’t worry you’re off duty, my dad is home.”



“Good,” he said, rubbing the crust out of his eyes before shoving his feet into his shoes and getting up to leave. “I’m sick of sleeping on this damn couch all the time. Tell him I’m going to meet up with Rook at the garage. I’ve got my cell if he needs me.” He put his hands in his pockets and then bent over the sofa and began digging in the cushions freeing the loose change that had spilled out them while he slept. Just as he was about to make his way to the door Nico came down the stairs.



“Dad, I need to talk to you,” Bianca said, her voice just above a whisper. “I can’t right now baby. I have to go. We’ll talk when I come back.” He gave her a quick kiss on the check and headed for the door with Rider on his heels. “Where are you going?” Nico said to him. “Rook wanted me to meet him at the garage.” “That will have to wait, he’s got other business to deal with now. Besides I need you to stay here and keep an eye on things. If a man named Bergman calls tell him to get me on my cell. I’ll see you two later.” With that, he flew out of the door before the boy could put up a fight.



Rider let out a frustrated sigh, threw up his hands, kicked his shoes back off and slumped down on the sofa. “Give me the remote. If I have to stay her we’re not watching this kiddie shit you like.” He demanded. Bianca stared at him a moment before throwing the remote control straight at his head. “Oww! What the hell was that for?”



She got up from the sofa and walked to the other side of the room. “I don’t want you here any more than you want to be here Rider. Just go the garage; get out of here! I won’t tell my father. It’s not like I could anyway, he’s never home.” Rider studied her for a moment. Maybe this was some kind of test that Nico had put her up to just to see if he would abandon his post. He threw his feet up on the sofa, leaned back and began flipping channels. “Just stay out of my way Bianca. I mean it,” he said in a stiff voice, refusing to look in her direction.



She leveled an angry gaze at him before heading to her room, where she plopped down on the bed and began to sob. Her already strained relationship with her father seemed to be withering even further, the uncertainty about her mother was tearing at her heart, she’d been through ever emotion in the world and worst of all she had no one at all to share it with. Things couldn’t continue like this. Something had to give and she decided right then and there that the something would be her father. No matter what, she was going to make him tell her the truth tonight.

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Cross Safe House - Spanish Quarter, Downtown Las Vistas




“So you’re just going to sit there; not say anything at all? Ivy sat in her chair defiant, arms and legs crossed, refusing to look at him. “Look, I’m trying to do this the easy way with you, but if all you’re going to give me is attitude I’ll let Cross handle it. He’s going to be anything but nice.” Ivy turned to him, a look of icy contempt in her eyes, and still said nothing. “Fine! It’ll be your ass, not mine.”



“Don’t worry about it Denny. If she doesn’t want to talk she doesn’t have to.” Cross said as he entered the room. His rough voice startled Ivy even more than the door slamming behind him. He stood glaring at her from a moment before moving closer. Denny, looked down at her and shook his head before he and his counterpart moved aside to give Cross better access. “You two take a break. I’ll take care of this,” he said, motioning for them to leave. Ivy stared down at the floor trying to sneak glances of him as he paced back and forth in front of her. She was trying to see his expression, read his face to see just how angry he was and estimate the damage he might do to her. Finally he stopped right in front of her and looked down at her with a wicked smile.



“Look baby, I’m not mad okay. You love that asshole and you don’t want to cross him. I get it. Wish I could’ve gotten the same treatment but...whatever. As a matter of fact I feel bad for you. You’re just a dumb broad protecting her man; faithful to the end right?” Cross snickered slightly before moving closer to her; his quick footsteps causing her to flinch instinctually. Again he didn’t hit her, but instead, knelt down in front of her with a beguiling look of concern. He stayed there, silent for a few moments until Ivy finally turned her head to look at him. He put his hand on her knee and began to rub it slowly, almost as if he was trying to calm her frayed nerves.



“Why the hell do you want to protect that fucking coward?!” he snarled. “I know everything Ivy, how you lied for him, stole for him, held his stash, let him fuck you six ways from Sunday. What did you get for it all? Huh?” Ivy sat in a silent panic. He was acting more strangely than he ever had. She didn’t know what to think of his words or his actions, but history had proven that there was always a calm before one of his storms. Unable to control her emotions she let tears fall from her eyes and she flinched again when his hand came up to her face to wipe them away.



“It’s alright baby. I know he didn’t give you shit, did he? He broke your heart, fucked you over and left you to die. The same damn thing you did to me.” The look of concern on his face morphed into disgust for a split second before he got to his feet and started pacing again. “And after all that you still want to keep his secrets. I thought you were smarter than that baby. But I guess karma is a bitch right? You leave me for him, and he leaves you for somebody else.” Ivy’s eyes shot wide open. He did know everything about what happened between her and Nico and the condescending smile on his face made her think he knew a lot more than she did.



“What makes you think he’s got someone else?” She stammered, her curiosity getting the better of her. Cross looked at her from a moment before he answered. The hollow lump in his chest that passed for a heart felt sorry for her in one respect, but his pride was telling him to dig the dagger in deeper. “I’ve been following him around for a few days and he’s always with her, every night. I know where he lives now by the way so you don’t have to worry about spilling that little bit of info,” he said, patting her on the shoulder. “I can see why he’s with her though-- that chick is fucking hot.”



Ivy slumped over in her chair, the revelation hitting her hard. Cross ignored it and kept going. “Don’t worry, she’s not one of your slutty friends if that’s what you thought. No, this is a rich bitch, high class, no hair color kits and press on nails. All first class flights and holidays in St. Barts and shit like that. Why the hell would he stay with you when he could have all that? Why would anyone?” He leaned down, right up in her face and jerked her chin up so that they were eye to eye. Ivy was hysterical, her tears dripping down her face and running onto his hands.



“Damn it stop crying! He’s a lying piece of shit and he doesn’t want you. Nobody wants you Ivy. Not like I do,” he hissed in her ear. “Do you understand that? Is it clear now? Are you going to quit protecting that bastard and tell me what I need to know or do I have to get through to you the hard way? What’s it going to be baby? Are you with me or are you still with him?”




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Nico trudged up the stairs slowly shortening the distance to his room. It had been a long afternoon at the police station followed by an even longer night at the garage. He hated doing product inventory—legal or illicit—but he didn’t fully trust anyone to do it straight from a shipment; his micro managing costing him free time he would have rather spent with a certain beautiful blonde. Now he was dog tired and all he wanted to do was sleep.



He reached the top of his climb, pivoted into the hallway and came face to face with Bianca standing outside his room arms crossed, waiting. “Hey baby doll. What are you still doing up?” he said patting her on the head as he moved past her. “Dad, I need to ask you something?”



“Can it wait for a few hours? I really beat.” “No, it can’t wait. It’s important.” Her response and her tone were unexpected as was the stern look on her face. Whatever it was she wanted to talk about was not something he was going to like.



“What’s going on,” he said, his concern evident. “Dad,” she replied, her voice teetering between fear and conviction, “I want to know about my mother.” The question fell on him like a ton of bricks. It was the last thing he expected to come out of her mouth and the implications of the answer struck a cold stream of fear through his body. He quickly hardened his expression, trying not to give anything away, and countered her question with one of his own. “Where on earth did that come from? You’ve never wanted to know about it before.”



“I’ve asked you before dad but you never wanted to talk about it; always saying I wasn’t old enough to understand. I’m not a little kid anymore and I want to know. Who is she? Why don’t you ever talk about her? What does she look like? Where is she? Why isn’t she here? Dad I need to know!”



The pain and confusion in her voice broke his heart. He had dodged this bullet for years, naively hoping that it would never come up again; that he would never have to tell his daughter the sordid truth. But he had only been fooling himself. Of course she would want to know, she had a right to know, she needed to know. But that didn’t make telling her any easier. The anguish and guilt he felt had always stopped him from being honest with her and they were still obstacles in his path now. As much as he knew he should, he just couldn’t do it. Fears affirmed and his stomach churning, Nico turned his back to her willing himself not to fall apart. The truth was dancing on the tip of his tongue begging to be set free, but still he resisted.



“Look Bianca, I’m tired. I need to get some rest. We’ll talk about this later,” he said turning to walk away, but she grabbed his arm to stop him. “No dad, I want to know now! Why won’t you tell me who she is?” He wheeled around glaring at her, his fear morphing into anger. “I said we’ll talk about it later Bianca, now go to bed.” He snatched his arm from her grip and stalked into his room.



To his surprise he heard her footsteps following him. She stood in the doorway holding off his ice cold stare with one of her own. If he had thought they were finished he had another think coming; she wasn’t backing down. Realizing that she would have to force the issue she shelved the rest of her warning shots and came with the heavy artillery. “How do you know Isabella Monacco?” she said. Nico kept his expression tight trying not to flinch at that name, but she was on to him. “You do know her, don’t you? You’ve known her for years. I saw the picture of the two of you that you’ve got under the dresser. Is she my mother? Is she?!”



He stood in stiff silence, anger coursing through his body, desperately trying to swallow his fear, and daring any of the tears lapping at the edge of his eyelids to budge. He hadn’t expected any of this and had no idea how to answer her truthfully without making things more of a mess than they already were. She had backed him into a corner and like a wounded animal he bit back.



“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about so I suggest you drop this right now!” he shouted. Unfazed by the threatening tone of his voice and more determined than ever she pressed harder. “It’s true isn’t it? She is my mother. She’s the reason you don’t come home at night. Why doesn’t she want to see me?” Her stern face fell into despair as the revelations kept coming. “Does she even know what I look like? Why are you keeping her from me? She doesn’t want me does she? She left me with you and she doesn’t want me. How can you be with her when she doesn’t want me?



“Damn it Bianca just drop this, please!” he shouted again, his voice cracking with emotion. “Just tell me the truth! She left you because of me. That’s why you don’t want me to know about her. That’s why she looked right past me when I saw her. She left you and you want her back, but she doesn’t want me!”



The devastation on her face was killing him and his temper had reached the boiling point. He wanted this to stop…now. Not knowing what else to do he exploded. “That woman is not your mother. Your mother is dead okay? I don’t talk about her because she’s dead, I don’t have pictures of her because she’s dead. She’s gone, I can’t bring her back, and if having me isn’t good enough than I’m sorry. Case closed!”



His outburst had the silencing effect that he intended, but it came at a cost. She stopped shouting and stood staring at him in disbelief before firing off one last shot. “Liar!” she shouted as she ran out of his room; the sound of her door slamming elicited a single tear to fall from his eyes before he charged out of the house and drove away.