Page 14 of Catch Me If You Can (The Mancini Way)

I watched her walk away after rejecting my offer to at least see her to her car; special agent Stone has a first class ass.

Cierra

I spent the next day going over everything I knew about Hank Mancini when I wasn’t replaying the events of the night before over and over again in my head. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that we were missing something; I couldn’t reconcile the straightforward plain speaking sex symbol of the night before with the child trafficking criminal we’d been after for a decade. Maybe it’s because the others who came after him before were men, that’s why they missed it or it could be that as a woman I looked at things a little differently; hopefully it had nothing to do with my disgusting and unprofessional attraction to him. It’s as well that I wouldn’t be giving my report face-to-face or the blush that I was sure covered my face at just the thought of him would be a dead giveaway. I was due to call Director Durant for a briefing in a few minutes and the truth is I have nothing; at least nothing new to add except my suspicions that we were on the wrong track somehow and it was too soon to go there. I couldn’t very well tell my superior that I found myself drawn to a suspect for the first time in my short career and I somehow couldn’t see him doing the things we thought him guilty of.

I stared at the picture I’d taken with my butterfly pin last night; my heart did that funny little thing it seems to do only for him which is becoming a little worrisome for me. I can’t do my job effectively if I’m sidetracked by this unwanted attraction. Wouldn’t it be just great if I lost all credibility my first time out in the field because I couldn’t see pass his handsome face and winning ways?

“Who are you really Hank Mancini and why can’t I get you out of my head?”

Chapter 10

Mancini

“The fuck?” I awoke from a deep sleep where I’d been caught in a dream of twists and turns; she was in turn chasing me and running away, enticing me with her beauty. Each time I drew near she evaded my touch laughing all the while until I finally brought her down in the garden of all places. That’s when I woke up just when things were about to get interesting.

A cold shower was in order but that’ll have to come after I had done some more research on the woman who’d invaded my dreams. If she was going to follow me even into the dream world I’d better get a better handle on her.

I did a more in-depth search on Ms. Cierra Stone going back deeper into her childhood I’d only glossed over it before in my first investigation but now it was almost as though I needed to know all. Now I looked not with the eyes of a target but with the eyes of a man who was interested in a woman.

She hadn’t had it very easy at all as a kid and the more I read the clearer she became; losing her family at such a young age and in such a horrific way must’ve scarred her somewhat I’m sure. The report on her family’s murders didn’t say too much about the young girl who’d been left behind. The fact that the perpetrator had never been caught and her subsequent enrollment into the bureau all these years later spoke volumes.

“You have a bone to pick don’t you little girl?”

It was very clichéd but still I understood the drive, the need for vengeance. Maybe after our business has been squared away I’ll help her on her hunt. I felt a pang for the little girl who had lost so much so young; what would she say if she knew that my life was about helping others who were just as she’d been? Helpless and alone.

I spent a long time studying her, trying to gauge just what it was about her that drew me. Was it the eyes? No I don’t think so, I’ve seen beautiful eyes before; was it the tilt of her mouth, those wide sensuous lips that just begged to be licked? Whatever it was I was looking forward to exploring, no matter how our business with each other unfolded, one thing was certain; the delectable Ms. Stone was going to be under me one way or the other.

The buzzing of my door intercom on a Saturday morning could only mean one thing family; I watched on the security monitor as my two brothers entered my private elevator. I didn’t have to think too hard to find their reasons for being here at this early hour. Adrien was the oldest of the three of us by a scant month and a half, I came next then Jaxxon. We’d met in grade school when some fucker had been bullying Jaxxon who was a puny little thing back then. I’d jumped into the fray after having spent the past week watching the same thing unfold time and time again.

The bully whose name escapes me now would corner Jaxx and torment him until he gave up his lunch money. Then the poor little thing would sit there while everyone else ate just looking lost. Well that day I’d had about all I could stand and I’d jumped in; pretty soon Adrien had cone out of nowhere and had joined in the fracas and between the three of us we’d put a beating on his overgrown ass. From that day to this we’ve been together through thick and thin; it hadn’t been long after that day that my parents had adopted the two boys into the family since their home lives left much to be desired.

Adrien’s mother was a drunk who’d only remembered she had a son when she needed him to make a run to the liquor store; sometimes at all hours of the night. My father had put a stop to that shit when he threatened to have the place shut down for serving a minor. Jaxxon’s dad thought it was fun to use him as a punching bag and sometimes ashtray; it only took Juliet Mancini one time seeing the telltale signs of the young boy’s abuse before he was packed up and moved in. Adrien followed not long after when one of his mother’s Johns thought he could take out what she couldn’t deliver on Adrien. He’d escaped out of a window and hotfooted it to our house and there he’d stayed.

“What’s up guys your wives kick you out or what?”

“Funny bro…so?” Adrien dropped down on the couch while Jaxx went towards the minibar to get some sparkling water. He threw each of us one before settling next to Adrien on the couch.

“So what?” Of course I knew what they were after but I enjoyed busting their chops every chance I got.

“Don’t fuck around bro we know you met with the undercover Fed last night how did it go?”

It was always Jaxx’s way to let Adrien take the lead, me I’m always the one stirring shit up and making them both crazy.

“What, you didn’t hack into the system to get a look at the report?”

“She hasn’t sent anything in yet I’m dying to see if she’s as good as they say.”

“Jaxx you’re rather quiet what’s on your mind buddy?”

“I hope you know what you’re doing bro getting close to this chick; why didn’t you just tell her you knew who she was and be done with

it?”

“How do you know I didn’t?”

“Our wives got the low down that’s why we are here at the ass crack of dawn; Wilson know what the fuck you’re up to?”

“I don’t answer to Wilson you know that.”

---