The Enforcer or The Mafia Prince

Chapter 51

"Boss, there's a car following us," Jimmy said from the front seat.

Tristan and Jessica sat nestled in the back of the usual town car on their way to B'Gabs for brunch. Jessica hadn't been paying attention and was looking out the window. Since they were going out in public, an extra security guard was in the front passenger seat. Jessica hadn't seen him before and didn't know his name. He was a large man, like Declan, but was darker. When Jimmy mentioned a car following them, the guard pulled out his phone. He called for a backup vehicle to meet them at breakfast. Tristan, meanwhile, didn't stop reading the file in his hands. This next week would be busy, and he didn't want it to get out of control.

Without glancing up, Tristan asked, "Is it a red Altima?"

"Yeah," Jimmy responded, spinning the wheel right. He would take a more circuitous route to the restaurant. It was the easiest way to confirm someone was on their tail. He couldn't make too many moves in the wrong direction, though. It would be useless if the other car knew it had been made.

"It's one of Liam's," Tristan explained, still not concerned enough to look up. "He thinks that using midrange cars makes it harder to spot his people. At least, that's what Ryan says. I think he's just cheap. Don't worry. It's only surveillance. Keep an eye out for a secondary car. If he had something planned, there would be more than one."

Jessica heard the conversation between Tristan and Jimmy. Her heart began to race. Jess figured she'd be used to things like this by now. She wasn't.

"Tristan?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I get a list of cars to watch out for? Classes start back up tomorrow, and I'm already anxious enough."

"I'll hand it over to Li tonight."

This was a side of Tristan that Jessica didn't like. She knew it was unreasonable to want his full attention at all times. Tristan did have to work. But he could at least look at her when she spoke. Besides, he had given her more information without context.

"Who's Lee? I thought I was getting a female bodyguard," Jess asked. She'd assumed the Li that Tristan mentioned was her bodyguard.

"Not Lee. Li. L-I. It's short for Liliana. She's coming in from Los Angeles. You might recognize her when you meet her," Tristan explained.

"Oh? Why? Wait, answer that later. What are we doing about being followed?"

"Nothing," he said, finally looking up at her. "The car following us isn't going to get any more information other than we are going to brunch. If a second car joins, then I'll get concerned. Acting worried because of a surveillance team would make Liam think we have something to go after."

Jess turned to face forward and sat back in her seat. Tristan's explanation made sense. She didn't like the situation but would need to learn to accept it. Even More so now since Jess was Tristan's girlfriend now. Jess listened as the bodyguard upfront read off the car's license plate.

Jessica looked down to see what Tristan was reading. The document title said FORM 10-Q and listed a company name she didn't recognize. The numbers below the header made her head spin. Tristan was looking at the financial details for another company. It must have made sense to him, but it looked like gibberish to Jessica. She turned back to look out the window.

"So why would I recognize Li?"

"She's a bodyguard in LA, but she picks up bit parts here and there. She studied acting and now pretends to be a struggling actor. But Li works for us as a sort of undercover bodyguard. Some of our security team get assigned to buildings. Some get assigned to specific people. We have a third group that gets assigned to situations."

"Situations?" Tristan turned in his seat so he was snuggling against Jess. He picked a piece of lint off Jessica's cream silk blouse.

"It'll sound silly to explain it this way, but they're kind of like spies. Li is good at many things and goes where she's needed. If we want to ensure someone is safe but not surrounded by security, we call in people like Li. You're her first assigned person."

Jessica didn't quite understand what Tristan meant but got a general idea. It was easier to protect someone in secret if the person watching them were unseen.

"It's like this," Tristan continued. "Everyone watching me knows that Declan was my bodyguard because he was always with me."

"Now," he said, gesturing to the bodyguard up front, "Marcus will be that person."

Marcus grunted. He said nothing because he was still on the phone, waiting for the security team's reply.

"Boss," Marcus called. "The central security team says they don't recognize the plate on the car. But all our intel says it belongs to the Ryans."

"Must be a new car," Tristan shrugged. "Give them the vehicle's details and tell them to save the information."

A short while later, Jimmy pulled the car to a stop by the curb. They parked outside of a crowded restaurant. Marcus got out and held the door open for Tristan. He stepped out, followed by Jessica. Marcus followed the couple, sandwiching Jessica between the two men. Jessica didn't know if he'd called ahead or passed a wad of cash over. Somehow they got seated right away while Marcus found a dark corner to hide in. If the staff thought the situation was weird, they didn't say anything.

Tristan perused the menu while Jessica ordered coffee and tea. They could use the caffeine after the night they'd had. The waitress was a tall Asian girl named Marie with her hair in a bouncy ponytail. Marie took their orders and menus. Tristan's order surprised Jessica. This was the first time she'd seen him pick something outright vegan, as it was all the restaurant offered.

"A Buddha bowl," she asked after Marie left the table.

"Mhm," Tristan rubbed his thumb across Jess's hand. "I like vegetables and don't always need meat. It's easier for you to pick if we go somewhere vegan, right?"

Jessica blushed. It was sweet the way he always thought about her. For a brief moment, she felt a bit guilty. This time, she realized it was unreasonable to feel guilty. Tristan liked her and showed it by his actions. Jess could do the same thing. She'd have to figure out how to make him feel good, too.

"What did you get," he asked.

"I got the Alkaline bowl. It has a ton of veggies. Gia told me she wanted me to keep eating like I had started last week." Jessica rolled back her shoulders and took on Gia's countenance. "Even though you're starting classes next week isn't an excuse to stop all the progress you've made. You're going to keep working out and eating right."

Tristan laughed. He'd never seen Jessica do an impression of someone, but it was adorable. She was so good at it, too.

"I've never seen you do an impression before!" He clapped, still laughing. "Can you do one of anyone?"

"Sure," Jessica shrugged. She hadn't thought about it. It was something that came naturally.

"How about Declan?"

Jessica nodded and made her expression impassive. She hunched her shoulders a little bit to make herself look like a large person trying to fit in a small space. She squinted her eyes to look more intense and clasped her hands before her.

"What do you need, boss," she said gruffly. Tristan laughed harder.

"That's spot on! You're full of surprises, Jess."

Tristan's laughter was infectious. Jessica couldn't help but giggle along with him.

"How about my dad?"

Jessica sat up tall and tucked her chin down. Her eye line was below Tristan's. She gave him the distinct feeling of his father looking down at him. She pursed her lips and rubbed her chin. Jessica feigned an air of exhaustion.

"What'd you do this time, Tristan?"

Tristan stopped laughing and looked awestruck, "Jess, that's exactly like him. How do you do that?"

"I don't know," Jess chirped. "It's something I've always done without thinking about it. I don't use it for entertainment. I guess it helps me tell a story better."

Jess dug into her bowl as soon as it hit the table. She hadn't realized how hungry she'd been. Tristan, too, focused on eating. The table was quiet for some time as the couple dined. The silence felt comfortable. Surrounded by the noisy restaurant, enjoyed their meal in peace. No one felt upset or angry. No one interrupted them.

The morning was joyful for Jess and Tristan despite the cold weather. The sun was shining, and they felt happy and content being together. It had been a while since they had felt this way, and they were grateful for the moment.

"I'm going to go wash my hands," Jessica said. She excused herself from the table and made her way to the restroom. It was a beautiful day. What should she and Tristan do next?

Jessica did her business and turned on the tap to wash her hands. The door swung open. Jessica met a woman's eyes in the mirror before everything went black.