The Enforcer or The Mafia Prince

Chapter 46

"Ms. Jessica, you'll enjoy this. I made one of Tristan's favorites growing up. He called ahead to let me know that you're vegan, so it's not exactly the same."

Jessica looked down at the plate Ms. Martha placed in front of her. Ms. Martha had the makings of a five-starred chef. Nestled on a pillow of herbed ciabatta, Jess's mouth watered at the grilled tofu. Arugula and heirloom tomato topped with a balsamic reduction lay atop the open-faced sandwich. A tiny soup crock, still steaming, sat next to it. The scent of French onion soup wafted up with the steam.

Gruggle. Jessica placed a hand on her stomach as it growled. A pink flush dusted her cheeks. Everyone pretended they didn't hear anything, but the smirk on Tristan's face didn't escape Jessica's notice.

"Tristan had a refined palate growing up. I don't know a child that loves onions," Jessica remarked to the table.

"He didn't," Ms. Martha giggled. "When he was little, he only liked to pick off the cheese. I slowly added more onions and less cheese until he convinced himself he liked it."

"Hey!" The women giggled at Tristan's indignation.

"Well, Tristan, you were a picky boy. This way, we both won."

Tristan couldn't summon the acting skills to pretend he was angry. His love for Ms. Martha ran deep. Seeing her was like spending time with his mom. She'd never tried to replace Rebecca, but Ms. Martha did her best to raise Tristan with love. It was her words that convinced Ciaran to adopt Declan. Declan was the first true friend Tristan had made after the death of his mother. The boys were attached at the hip from day one. Declan followed Tristan around like the older brother he'd always wanted. She couldn't bare to think of them being separated.

Ciaran felt guilty for abandoning his son to the help. But he also couldn't muster the strength to look at his son. Everyone said that Tristan was a mirror image of Ciaran as a young man. When Ciaran looked at Tristan, all he saw was the wife he'd let down. In a moment of weakness, he'd agreed to adopt Declan as his son. It was one of the few decisions he didn't regret. Declan turned out to be a hardworking, ambitious young man. He insisted on earning respect before wielding it. Ciaran's subordinates respected Declan for all he'd worked for. Declan had also proved to be a good influence on Tristan. The boys brought out the best in each other.

"I hope you don't mind; I didn't add cheese to yours. I know that vegan cheeses have come a long way. But I've found that they don't complement the soup well enough to be a substitute. Best to do without."

"Oh, that's fine. Ms. Martha. Thank you so much for making all of this."

"You're more than welcome. I'm thrilled to cook for you."

Tristan smiled. His heart felt warm watching the two women in his life get along. The trio tucked into their hearty lunch. It was perfect for a cool spring day. Jessica adored Ms. Martha. She couldn't stop asking questions about Wales. Tristan made a mental note to send Ms. Martha on a paid vacation to see her family. It'd been too long. One day, he'd take Jessica all over the world. Anywhere she wanted to go, Tristan would find a way to make it happen.

Throughout the lunch, comfortable gaps of silence would settle over the table as they enjoyed their food. During these times, Jessica thought back to Tristan's room. It was nothing like his condo. There were posters and videogames littering the room as though a teenage boy still inhabited it. Tristan explained that he'd asked Ms. Martha not to clean it except for dusting and such. On the rare occasions he visited, Tristan wanted that feeling of coming home. As an adult, nothing could mimic the comfort that came from visiting his family's home. Still, Ms. Martha tried hard to make Tristan feel like nothing had changed. Regardless, so much had changed.

"But this is my room," Tristan said.

Jess walked around his room. Tristan had put a poster for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie across from a poster of Wrigley Field. Two large monitors sat side by side. One was hooked up to an old Playstation 3. The other was wired to a tower under the desk. Tristan saw Jessica looking at his computer.

"I built that tower myself," he told her.

"You built your own computer?" Jessica was smart, but the concept of building her own computer was beyond her.

"I did. I'd tell Ms. Martha what to order. It took three months of my allowance to build everything how I wanted it."

"That's really cool, Tristan. I didn't know you could do that."

"I've always been naturally good with computers."

When Tristan said that, Jessica remembered the day they'd found the camera in Tristan's apartment. He'd had her do something with his phone that day.

"That reminds me. We never got to talk about what happened that day we found the camera."

"I know. I've been meaning to tell you. I plan on showing you what you helped me with later."

"Okay," Jessica shrugged. Since their fight in the car, Tristan worked hard to prove himself to Jess. It was a bit over a week since then, but Jessica was starting to trust him.

A picture on Tristan's bookshelf caught her eye. Tristan was a young boy. He was in the garden with a woman that Jessica recognized. She picked it up for a closer look. Rebecca was tickling a squirming Tristan who was struggling to lift a watering can. Both people in the photo were smiling. A deep, unsettling sense of forlornness welled up in Jessica's chest. She'd never seen Tristan smile like that before. He looked genuinely happy and carefree.

"Jess," Tristan called. "Jess?" Jessica's mind rejoined the group at the dining table.

"Huh?"

"Ms. Martha was asking if you are okay."

"Huh?" Jess turned to look at Ms. Martha. "I'm fine. I just zoned out. It's been a very busy week."

"I'm going to the restroom. I'll be right back."

Tristan excused himself, leaving Jessica and Ms. Martha alone.

"Are you really okay, dear?"

"Ms. Martha, can I ask you something while Tristan is in the restroom? No one else will tell me."

"I can't promise I can answer, but go ahead."

"How did Tristan's mom die?"

"Ah, I see. I'm sure he won't tell you."

"Will you?"

Ms. Martha took a sip of her water. She leaned forward, "Ms. Rebecca was a wonderful woman. Mr. O'Sullivan, however, was a terrible husband to her."

Jessica nodded. She'd known that information for a while now.

"Ciaran was photographed out on the town with a young woman one day. That young woman was the girlfriend of a rival family. The rival family didn't take the insult lightly. It was rumored that the couple was going to announce their engagement. It would have been a financial marriage between two big families."

Jessica felt sick. She didn't like where this story was going.

"We don't know for certain, but to be honest, we know. The other party decided to get back at Ciaran for stealing away his would-be fiance. The O'Sullivan's car was attacked in town one day. It was made to look like an accident, but Rebecca was in the car, not Ciaran."

Jessica and Martha sat without speaking for a moment. The weight of Ms. Martha's recounting sank it. Rebecca was likely murdered because of Ciaran's actions. It was no wonder that Tristan hated his dad and felt that having a family of his own was selfish.

"What was the other family's name?" Jessica sensed Martha's response before she spoke.

"You know who they are, Ms. Jessica. Tristan told me all about Sophia. It was the Ryans."

The Ryans.

Tristan returned to a somber atmosphere. What had happened while he was gone?

"Is everything okay?"

Tristan worried the women had a disagreement while he was away.

"Everything is fine, Mr. Tristan. Jessica asked me a sad question about my past is all. I really miss my family."

Jessica didn't correct Martha's statement. Some things were better off unsaid. She didn't want to upset Tristan either.

While Ms. Martha launched into a line of questions about Tristan's future, Jessica glanced at him. She didn't know if Ciaran had insulted Liam's father or another person in the family. The animosity between the O'Sullivans and the Ryans ran deeper than she'd imagined. The fact that Liam tried to frame Tristan for stealing his fiance seemed perverse. Like father, like son? Tristan had to have known about this history when he met Sophia. Why did he get mixed up with her in the first place? Knowing what she did, Jessica couldn't imagine there wasn't some underlying reason. Something wasn't adding up, and she couldn't place her finger on it.