The Redemption of Rico D'Angelo

by Michelle Douglas

  ‘This one.’

  ‘And the money?’

  ‘I can take care of Joey on what I’m making now. With this job I can still be with Joey in the evenings and get him off to school in the mornings. I couldn’t if I was working nights at some fancy restaurant.’

  Her mind started to race. ‘Rico hasn’t told me of his plans, but if you want I can train you up—and when you’re ready, if Rico agrees, we can go to seven-day trading and you’ll be fully in charge for two days a week.’

  His eyes shone. ‘Really?’

  ‘I’m not making promises, and I’ll have to run it by Rico first.’ She didn’t want to get his hopes too high. ‘But we can see how things go.’

  He nodded, so eager she wanted to hug him. He was trying so hard. He deserved a break. He deserved to have something go his way.

  A cry from Joey in his usual spot in the corner had them both swinging around. Neen’s heart pounded and all her muscles bunched, but she couldn’t see Chris anywhere. Instead a woman swayed from the door to the counter, where Neen stood.

  ‘Nice ’stablishment,’ she slurred.

  The stench of liquor hit Neen right in the face. She did her best not to recoil. ‘Thank you,’ she managed, but before she could ask what she could get for her Travis had raced around the counter to take the woman’s arm.

  ‘Mum, I told you not to come here.’

  Mum!

  The woman pushed him away. ‘Give me money, you ungrateful piece of—’

  A hacking cough interrupted her flow of words. Neen closed her eyes and swallowed. When she opened them again she saw one couple rising to their feet. They paid and fled. Neen winced. She doubted they’d ever return.

  Travis’s mother eyed the till greedily. ‘I’ll have your wages, boy! You sponge off me like some parasite and I’ll have what’s owing to me.’

  The final customer shot to her feet, threw some money down and left. Joey hid beneath his table. Neen saw him crouching there, his eyes wide in his pale face, and her heart lurched. She knew exactly how he felt—terrorised—and it made her want to weep.

  She turned back to the interloper and swallowed. ‘Hello, Mrs Cooper. I’m pleased to meet you.’ She kept her voice calm and reasonable. She didn’t want any trouble. She didn’t want Joey more frightened than he already was. ‘I’m Neen—Travis’s boss.’

  The café door opened and a customer entered. Neen didn’t glance up. She kept her eyes on the woman opposite in case one of her self-defence moves was needed.

  ‘I know who you are, and I ain’t here to see you. I’m here to talk to my boy.’

  Joey tried to curl himself up into as small a ball as possible. Travis’s face darkened and both his hands clenched to fists. Neen swallowed back the torrent of angry words clawing at her throat. Yelling and ranting at a drunken woman would do no good.

  Reaching into the till, she extracted a twenty-dollar note. ‘If I give you this, will you just turn around and walk out of here?’

  Mrs Cooper eyed the money and licked her lips.

  The customer by the door let the door swing shut and started towards them with a speed that had Neen stepping back, heart in her mouth. But as she glanced up her shoulders sagged. Rico. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been so pleased to see anyone in her life.

  He reached across and plucked the money from Neen’s fingers. ‘You’ll do no such thing!’ His glare almost singed her on the spot.

  ‘Oy!’ Mrs Cooper yelled.

  He turned to her, his eyes hard and cold. ‘How much have you had to drink?’

  ‘None of your business,’ she slurred, shaping up to him.

  ‘If you don’t turn around and leave now, I will call the police.’

  Neen barely recognised this cold, hard stranger masquerading as Rico. She swallowed and glanced again at Joey, still curled up into a ball. At Travis, whose face had gone from an unhealthy grey to a dark, foreboding red.

  Mrs Cooper swayed. ‘You don’t frighten me!’

  Rico pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

  ‘Ah, you and your hoity-toity ways,’ she hollered. ‘Fine, fine! I’m going. See?’

  He walked to the door and held it open with pointed emphasis. She stormed out of it. Rico slammed it shut, locked it, and turned the sign to ‘Closed’. Then he swung to her. ‘What the hell—?’

  She shook her head as Travis let fly with a word that made her ears burn. He moved as if to punch the back wall, but she launched herself at him, grabbing his hand and hauling him to a chair. He swore again, slammed a fist down on the table.

  ‘Take a deep breath,’ she ordered, her hands on his shoulders—partly for comfort, but partly to keep him in his seat. He dragged in a great hulking breath, but she didn’t release him. Anger still rippled through him at too great a rate. ‘And another.’

  She met Rico’s gaze and hitched her head to where Joey still hid beneath the table.

  It didn’t take him long to cajole Joey out. She waited for him to hug the boy and offer him comfort. When he didn’t, she opened one arm and Joey flew to her side.

  When she finally felt the tension ease out of Travis, she relaxed her hold on him. ‘I want you to know that whatever your mother does won’t reflect on you. You’re doing a great job here and I’m proud of you. I don’t want you to forget that, okay?’

  He pulled in another breath and gave a short nod. Then he grimaced. ‘Sorry I swore. I...I thought she was going to ruin everything for Joey and me.’

  ‘Not a chance,’ she managed, the pounding of her heart starting to slow.

  ‘Travis,’ Joey whispered, ‘can we sleep in the shed again tonight?’

  What? ‘Not a chance,’ she said. ‘You two are coming home with me this evening.’ She winked at Joey. ‘Do you like dogs?’

  He nodded.

  ‘I have a huge doofus of a dog who’s going to love you.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really,’ she assured him, wincing at the mayhem she could imagine boy and dog creating.

  ‘I...uh...’ Travis cleared his throat and stared at her. ‘But...’

  She sent him a reassuring smile. ‘It’s not a problem, honest. I’ll welcome the company.’

  The relief on his face was the only thanks she needed. He swallowed. ‘I...uh...haven’t finished cleaning the kitchen.’

  ‘Well, you go get the kitchen sorted while I clear up the last bits and pieces out here.’

  He went, taking Joey with him. Only then did she meet Rico’s silent gaze.

  In two strides he was right in front of her, bristling, invading her space. ‘What do you think you were doing, offering money to an alcoholic?’

  From all that had just happened, that was the thread he wanted to pick up?

  Those cold, hard eyes bored into hers. ‘Don’t you realise how irresponsible that was?’

  She wanted to step back, but she refused to show such weakness. ‘I wanted to get rid of her as quickly as possible, with the minimum of fuss.’ For Joey’s sake. And Travis’s.

  ‘And what did you plan to do when she turned up tomorrow, spouting the same rubbish and expecting the same handout? What were you going to do when her friends caught wind of it and started showing up?’

  She swallowed. She hadn’t been thinking that far ahead.

  He slashed a hand through the air. ‘You cannot reason with an alcoholic or a drug addict.’

  ‘I...I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.’

  ‘It had better not!’

  His tone chilled her to her marrow.

  He thrust a finger under her nose, his lips twisting. ‘And let’s get another thing straight while we’re at it, so there are no further misunderstandings. If there’s the slightest hint of alcohol or drug abuse among any of the boys, I want to know
. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But immediately. You hear me?’

  ‘Yes.’

  She forced herself to hold his gaze. It was angry, bitter...disgusted. She took a step back, her heart hammering.

  ‘Do you always take the path of least resistance?’ His lip curled. ‘Is that what you did with Chris?’

  All the frustration she’d held back for Joey and Travis’s sakes clamoured through her now. ‘So now you’re going to start using Chris as a weapon against me? Well, I’ve got news for you.’ She lifted her chin and set her feet. ‘I will not be bullied like that again.’

  He swung away. ‘I’m not bullying you!’

  ‘Then what would you call it?’

  He stilled and then turned back. The disgust in his eyes drained away and it suddenly occurred to her that it had never been aimed at her in the first place. ‘I...’ He rubbed his neck. ‘Sorry.’

  She nodded and chafed her arms.

  ‘One last thing before we’re done.’

  Brilliant.

  ‘You are not taking Travis and Joey home for the night.’

  ‘You’re right.’ She let the hard ball of anger in her stomach grow and spread throughout her entire body until she hummed with it. ‘They’re not staying for a night, but probably a whole week.’

  He opened his mouth.

  ‘And unless you want an all-out mutiny on your hands you’ll shut your mouth, turn around and walk out—now.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ‘THEY’VE BEEN LIVING with you for over a week, Neen. It has to stop!’

  ‘I thought I was here to discuss the gala event, not my living arrangements.’

  Rico’s hands clenched. ‘I’m responsible for—’

  ‘The success of the café. Nothing more.’

  Her pigheaded refusal to see sense made his shoulders and back tighten up until they almost cramped. Whisking her away to his office for the final two hours of the day to discuss preparations for the Melbourne Cup luncheon had simply been a pretext to get her alone, to discuss Travis and Joey’s situation without the possibility of them overhearing.

  He slammed a hand down on his desk. ‘I’m responsible for this situation. I’m responsible for the welfare of those boys.’

  The fire in her eyes made his mouth dry. ‘Are you insinuating that Travis and Joey are in danger from me?’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

  She stabbed a finger at him. ‘You know they’re physically, mentally and morally better off with me than they are with their mother. So what is your problem?’

  ‘The problem is you’re not their legal guardian!’ Couldn’t she see she was opening herself up for all kinds of legal complications if anything went wrong? She had enough trouble in her life without adding this to the tally.

  The café would be toast too, if the press ever got hold of this kind of story. Their hard work would be for nothing!

  ‘In a couple more weeks Travis comes of age. He means to petition for legal guardianship of Joey and apply for public-funded housing. Do you doubt he’ll be granted either one of those things?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Two weeks. That’s all I’m asking for, Rico.’

  It wasn’t that simple. ‘If someone reports you...’ He let the sentence hang, hoping it would give her a moment’s pause.

  ‘The only person who would do that, Rico, is you. As long as their mother continues to receive her child allowance she’ll stay quiet.’

  That, at least, was true.

  ‘Are you going to report me?’

  He should report it. There were processes and procedures in place to keep everyone safe in a situation like this. Bypassing them was foolhardy. ‘Look, Neen, it means Joey goes into foster care for less than month. He’ll be fed, clothed and housed. It’s not like it’s the end of the world. Travis can visit him.’

  ‘But they won’t be together, and you know that’s what matters to them most! And haven’t they been through enough?’

  She burst out of her chair, paced to the far wall and then back to his desk. She planted her hands on the surface and leaned across it, eyes flashing.

  And just like that the blood in Rico’s veins blazed fierce and hot. A pulse of need pounded through him as he stared at her. He tried to force his mind back to the discussion but all he could focus on was the sweet swell of Neen’s mouth, the vivid blue of her eyes and the smooth, creamy skin of her neck.

  ‘What if Travis does a runner with Joey? Have you considered that?’

  That snapped him back. ‘Is there any danger of that?’

  She fell into her chair, shoulders slumping, and bile filled his mouth.

  ‘I think the only thing that keeps Travis going most days is caring for Joey. He’s had a glimpse of a brighter future and he’s holding fast to it.’ She gave a short laugh. ‘It’s not an easy future by any means, but it’s a brighter one, and...’

  Those amazing eyes of hers turned to freezing chips of ice.

  ‘And if you kick the chair out from underneath him, if you take that vision away from him, Rico, if you even make it harder to reach, then...’

  She swallowed and folded her arms—but not before he noticed the way her hands shook.

  ‘Then you’ll be doing him a grave disservice. You’ll be doing us all a grave disservice.’

  He was trying to make a difference! A positive difference to keep them all safe. And yet—

  She leaned towards him. He couldn’t name the expression in her eyes. It wasn’t disappointment. He’d learned early on to recognise that emotion in his mother’s face. But it was closely akin.

  ‘When did the cause become more important than the individual?’ she demanded.

  He remained silent.

  ‘You people with your causes and so-called good works! You don’t care who you trample in the process of achieving what you want, do you?’

  That was when he finally recognised the expression in her eyes—hurt. ‘Neen.’ Her name croaked out of him. ‘I’m not trying to hurt you.’ He was trying to protect her!

  ‘No? Well, you are.’ Her chin came up and she gave another one of those short, harsh laughs that scraped across each and every one of his nerves. ‘But don’t worry. I have enough experience with these things to know how it goes. I know it doesn’t make a scrap of difference how I feel, because in the end it simply won’t make a scrap of difference to your decision. I’ll just be another victim of friendly fire, right?’

  He shot to his feet. ‘What are you talking about? I’m trying to stop you from getting into a situation that could cause you a lot of trouble and grief.’ He reefed a hand back through his hair. ‘You can’t get personally involved in these boys’ lives. It’s the first rule in the book.’

  ‘Whose book?’ she snapped. ‘Yours? Is that why you wouldn’t give a little kid a hug when he needed it? Because your rotten rulebook says you’re not to get involved? That’s no way to lead your life, and I’m sure as heck not going to follow stupid advice like that.’

  ‘It’s not stupid. It’s the smart thing to do.’

  ‘Smart for who?’

  ‘For everyone!’

  ‘I’m sorry, Rico, but I refuse to live the kind of half-life you do. When I wake up in the morning I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror without flinching.’

  Everything inside him went cold. ‘This is not the way to save the world.’

  ‘I’m not the least bit interested in saving the world. I just want to help Travis and Joey.’

  They stared at each. Both breathed hard.

  ‘Rico, I have the right to choose what battles I fight. And I think this battle is one worth fighting for. I’m prepared to accept the consequences, if there are any.’

  For a moment the room spun.

/>   ‘I understand you want to protect your asset.’

  He sat, frowned. ‘Asset?’

  ‘That’s what I am, isn’t it?’ Her voice remained matter-of-fact—hard, even—but her eyes didn’t, and the accusation in them burned his soul. ‘I’m an asset to your café, to your cause.’

  He saw himself through her eyes and loathed what he saw. He recalled the way she’d held Joey close to her side, the way her hand had curved into Travis’s shoulder, and had to close his eyes.

  ‘But I will tell you this, Rico.’

  He forced his eyes open again.

  ‘If you interfere with the arrangement I have with Travis and Joey, I’ll resign.’

  ‘You signed a contract!’

  ‘So sue me. Your choice.’

  Choice? He pressed a thumb and forefinger to his eyes. He’d run out of choices ten years ago.

  That’s not Neen’s fault.

  He lifted his head. ‘What did you mean about having experience? Experience of what?’ People like him—driven, following the rulebook to get things done in the most efficient and safest way possible? His hand clenched. It did get things done.

  Her gaze slipped from his. ‘Does it matter?’

  ‘It might have a bearing on how I proceed.’

  That was a blatant lie. But if he knew more about her it might give him a clue as to how to talk her out of the course of action she was so determined to take. He couldn’t report Travis and Joey. Not if it meant losing Neen. His heart sank to his knees. And he certainly couldn’t take that course of action if it meant Travis would do a runner. That kid had a bright future and Rico didn’t want to jeopardise it. Neen was right on one score—Travis had been through enough.

  But not reporting them meant throwing the rulebook out of the window.

  Still, he knew Travis and Joey would thrive at Neen’s...

  ‘My parents—’ She moistened her lips, but she didn’t look at him. ‘They run a dog shelter.’

  He shrugged. What was so bad about that? Sure, she professed to hate dogs, but her manner with Monty debunked that claim.

  ‘All my life I’ve come second to those darn dogs.’ She gave him a tight, bitter smile. ‘Oh, I know that sounds like a bad case of sour grapes, but...’