The Enforcer or The Mafia Prince

Chapter 23

"Okay, I'm awake now," Jessica said, sounding much better.

"Good. Now, explain."

"Tristan and his friend s***h bodyguard are the two guys I told you about. They're also the men I know through my father, who offered to help you."

"That's who you were talking about? Jess, I can't get my family mixed up with the O'Sullivans. We'll never have the ability to pay them back."

"I already told you that they're doing this for me. You don't owe them anything."

"Okay, but whatever you offered them isn't worth it. Let's-." Andrea was about to say, "Let's forget about it," but Jessica cut her off.

"I didn't offer them anything. I told you. They offered to help me."

"Why? What do you have over the O'Sullivans that they'd offer to do something for you?"

"First of all, how do you know about the O'Sullivans? I had never heard of them until last week."

"You know my parents do a lot of pro bono work. Do you know how many people go to them with a contract from the O'Sullivans, looking for a way out? Plus, they go to dozens of fundraisers a year. They've met Ciaran O'Sullivan at least a handful of times."

"What? I had no idea your parents knew Ciaran."

"Yeah, they said he's a scary man." Jessica frowned. She didn't like Ciaran, but Jess couldn't deny all the good he'd done for the people that work for him.

"Look, Drea, the thing is, Ciaran is only scary to people who try to wrong him. He does a lot of good for the community and the people who work for him. He's personally put several people I've met through school, and he's Declan's adoptive father."

"I'm certain he has. I'm also sure he's responsible for several mysterious deaths and the injuries of at least two of my parents' clients. Doing a few good things doesn't excuse violence against people."

"You're right; you know you are. I'm just trying to explain that Ciaran isn't going to randomly hurt someone."

"How do you even know him, Jess? You sound pretty comfortable with him if you're defending him and calling him Ciaran."

"I'll tell you what I can." Jessica sighed; it was a long story. "You know that my mom was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and had to close her accounting firm. You also know her cancer relapsed last year. When that happened, Mom lost her insurance coverage. Dad took a loan from the O'Sullivans to pay her medical expenses. He didn't want me to have a job while in school. He only lets me help at the store when they're short-staffed. I had no idea he'd gone to them for help."

"Oh, Jess. I'm so sorry. I had no idea your family was going through that."

"Neither did I. Dad hid it from Mom and me. It's so obvious now, thinking back."

"How's your mom lately?"

"She's okay; I'll tell you more about it later. I have more to explain about my dad."

"There's more?"

"Mhm. Dad also borrowed money from the O'Sullivans when he originally opened the store. He couldn't get a proper business loan from a bank but knew he was onto something about his ideas of sustainable, hand-crafted furniture. And he was, with a few exceptions, we've been very fortunate. I think we'd be considered well-off if Mom had not gotten sick." Jessica paused to take a sip of tea. "Well, from how the O'Sullivans explained things, Dad has a decent relationship with them. He's always paid his loan on time and is close to paying it off completely. However, the store is in the red because of COVID and my mom's relapse. Dad hasn't been able to pay back what he owes for three months."

"Oh, God! Jessica, is your dad okay?"

"Drea, I promise my dad is fine. The O'Sullivans are helping out in their own weird way."

"Are you sure he's okay? They don't help in good ways. Are you okay? You've looked awful lately."

"My dad is fine; you can see him at the store if you're that worried. Plus, I'm okay. So, they do weird things. They did sort of kidnap me-."

"They did what! Jessica, call the police righ-." Jess cut her off before she could say, "Right now."

"Drea, please listen first. I promise you it's okay."

"Fine, I'm listening, but I don't like this."

"Duly noted," Jessica replied. She knew Andrea worried about her, but it was frustrating to be interrupted. "So, the short version is this: last Wednesday, while I was home studying, they broke in and confronted my dad. That's how we learned about the loan in the first place. They agreed to help my dad and give him more time to repay his outstanding loan. In exchange, I pretend to date Tristan publicly." Jessica took another sip of tea and listened to Andrea breathing on the other side.

"Andrea? Are you going to say something?"

"I don't like this. So if you didn't agree to date Tristan, would things have been okay for you? This is coercion. No wonder you're so confused about who you like. They're trying to brainwash you into liking Tristian when you don't."

"That's not fair, Drea. I liked him before I made this agreement with Ciaran."

"You made directly with Ciaran?"

"Yes, I did. We met, discussed the terms of our agreement, and I'm happy with the outcome." Jess neglected to say that she planned to sign the official agreement with Ciaran later that day. She knew Andrea would tell her not to do it, but the offer was too good to pass up.

"So, in exchange for not murdering your family, you date his son. That makes sense," Andrea scoffed.

"It's not like that. In addition to giving my dad additional time on his loan, Ciaran is paying for my tuition, including my outstanding student loans, my daily necessities, and living expenses, and they're handling my case with Greg. I've decided to press charges against him for assaulting me in the library."

"But it's all still in exchange for dating his son. Don't you see how messed up that is?"

"Of course I do, but it's not like I'm being forced to sleep with him or do something I don't want to. We just go out and make the public think he's dating me, that's all."

"You and I know that's not going to be the end of it. You also haven't answered my other question. Where are you?"

"I'm staying at a property owned by the O'Sullivans."

"Jessica, this sounds like a kidnapping. You're being held somewhere you have no conne-"

"Andrea, I can come and go as I please. I've already visited you twice. I've been going to school. I always have my privacy, internet access, and use of my personal phone. Everything is really fine. What they're doing looks shady, but they are helping my family. I know it sounds crazy, but they like my dad."

"If they liked your dad so much, why won't they forgive his debt?"

"Because that's not how this works? They still run a business, even if it's not exactly legitimate," Jessica answered.

"Not. Exactly. Legitimate. Do you hear yourself? You're making excuses for them already."

"Andrea, I know this is heavy. It's taken me several days to come to terms with it myself. However, I've made my decision, and I stand by it." Jessica stood her ground; Andrea sighed.

"Fine, Jess. I've said what I've had to say. I don't like this, but your mind is made up. Also, I don't want them to help me."

"Andrea, please. I didn't ask them to help you, nor did I promise them anything. In fact, Tristan was the one to offer. He saw how upset I was after finding you on Monday. I explicitly told him that neither of us could give him anything in exchange, but he insisted."

"He did that?"

"Yup. It was his idea. Please let him handle it. I've already met with his legal team and his private investigators."

"Fine, but if this comes back to bite me in the ass, I'm going to kick yours."

"Geeze, Drea. I've never heard you speak like that before."

"Well, what can I say? You weren't involved in the mob before." Jessica laughed at Andrea's response, causing Andrea to start laughing as well.

"It sounds so fake, doesn't it," Jessica asked.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say yes."

"Please don't mention this to anyone. Your reaction was hard enough for me to take. Plus, I don't think they want me telling everything."

"Fine, I won't say anything." Andrea sat with her thoughts, thinking about how to phrase her following statement. "You know, I think Tristan likes you more than Declan does."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, Declan is always pushing you away. It's clear he's attracted to you, but that's it. On the other hand, Tristan does stuff for you and makes an effort for you, from what you've told me."

"Go on," Jessica was surprised to hear Drea's take on things between her and the boys.

"You said that Tristan was the one to offer you help just because you were upset. You told me how you two argued the other day, and he tried his best to apologize. He even took you to a place that's part of his memory of his mother. Declan seems nice, but I think you like him much more than he likes you."

"That's an interesting way to look at it. At this point, Declan is responsible for my life, so maybe I've overthought our interactions. He did take me to his house the other day and made me a homemade pizza," Jessica giggled at the memory, "Then we played arcade games in his basement."

"That is cute," Andrea replied. "I'm still anxious about you."

"I know. Also, what do you think of my i********:?"

"What? Hold on." Andrea placed her phone on speaker and clicked over to the app. She navigated to Jess's account. "Oh my, God! You look so pretty!"

"Thank you."

"Is that Tristan?"

"It is, can't you tell?"

"He's gorgeous! I've never seen him before. The images from last night are a little blurry, or your kissy face was in the way." The girls laughed. Jess was much more relaxed now that Andrea was laughing. Though she wasn't on board with the whole thing, she'd calmed down at least.

Jessica hung up after telling Andrea how her mom was doing. Moments later, Tristan leaned out onto the balcony. His lips were pursed, and he wore a scowl.

"What's wrong, Tristan?"

"Dad called; he'll be here in about an hour." Jessica looked at the time. She'd been on the phone with Drea for over an hour now. Jess put her phone on the table and patted the chair next to her. "Come sit with me."

Tristan stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Jessica noticed his face relaxed. Tristan smiled a little when she asked him to stay. Maybe Andrea was onto something.

"Good morning," she said once he was next to her. Jessica's smile warmed Tristan's heart. He could feel himself falling for her.

"Good morning. Who were you talking to?" The sun hit the side of Tristan's face; his blue eyes were mesmerizing. "Jess?"

"What?"

"I asked who you were talking to."

"Oh, my friend Andrea."

"I had wondered why you were up early; that was a long call. Anything wrong?"

"No, our plan worked. She called me at eight to interrogate me about you."

"What did you tell her?"

"Mostly the truth." Jessica took a sip of tea. She frowned; it was cold now. "I had fun last night."

"I did, too."

"Hey, Jess?"

"Hmm?"

"What would you say if I asked you on a real date?"

"We've been on a couple of dates now, Tristan." She didn't know where he was going with his question.

"No, I mean, a real date. One I pick you up for, we're alone, I plan, and you know... you're there because you want to be and not because of a deal with my dad." Tristan's arms were on his knees as he looked down at the ground. Jess could tell he meant what he was asking and was nervous.

"I'm not ready yet, Tristan. Let me get to know you more." Jessica smiled at him. She liked him but was resolved to hold back until she knew her feelings more.

"Okay, Jess. I'll wait; I hope you decide soon." Something in the way Tristan said that felt strange, but Jess couldn't put her finger on it. "Dad will be here soon. We should get ready." Tristan walked back into the condo.

The brunch meeting with Ciaran went well. Ciaran had sent up a chef to cook breakfast for the trio, ensuring Jessica had food she could eat and that brunch wasn't all eggs and bacon. Tristan was surprised by how well Jessica got along with his dad. It was like the two had an unspoken agreement or were evenly matched. Ciaran asked Jessica about her coursework. Jessica asked him about recent business relations.

"They're going well. Why do you ask?" Ciaran took a bite of sausage.

"Last we met, you mentioned that Tristan got into trouble with a rival family last year. He'd only been seeing Sophia for a few months, from what I understand. I was curious if there was more to it."

"You are a bright young woman." Ciaran's compliment made Tristan's eyes go wide. Luckily, he was focusing on eating while the other two chatted away.

"So there is more to it then?"

"You are correct. Tristan seeing Sophia wouldn't have been too much of an issue. However, last year, Tristan made an enemy out of Liam Ryan. It seems Ryan was using his own fiancee to get dirt on my son."

"Ah, I see."

Tristan was happy Jess got along with his dad but hated being talked about as if he weren't in the room. Fortunately, brunch didn't last much longer. Ciaran pulled a set of contracts out of his briefcase. Jessica read over both, ensuring that each copy read the same and listed the details of the arrangement correctly. Once they were signed and each party had their own copy. Ciaran left for the day. Jessica had Declan and Jimmy take her to campus to clean out her dorm. She'd asked Tristan if he'd like to go, but he said he had things to do at home.