The Enforcer or The Mafia Prince

Chapter 4

"This will conclude our dive into the differences between equality and equity. I understand that some of you might think this was a short lecture. However, you should have already completed a more substantial analysis by this point in your academic career. For next week, please remember to turn in your research paper discussing the government's role in influencing income distribution. I do not want to read recitations of examples I gave in class. Make sure you include a solid analysis and compare at least two different political systems. I'll be in my office all day on Monday to answer any remaining questions. Do not bring your paper to me and ask me to proofread it or give you feedback; the deadline for that process was last week. Have a good rest of your day." Professor Sorninson addressed the class before packing up his teaching materials. Several students walked to the front of the class to ask additional questions, while most quickly left. Jessica sighed to herself. Principles of Microeconomics and Public Policy II was relatively easy for her. However, she still didn't feel like working on her paper. Unfortunately, she couldn't ask her professor for an extension because she was now living with the mob. He'd never believe that and hated having his time wasted.

Jessica leaned over and picked up her backpack to pack away her notebook. "Are you doing okay today, Jess?" Andrea was another 3rd year in the program. They met their freshman year and had even tried to live together last year, a procedure the housing lottery made overly complicated. Andrea was an absolute sweetheart; her parents were well-known lawyers and activists in the area. Jessica supposed this is what made Andrea so gentle with people.

Jessica looked at her friend and replied, "I'm all right. I didn't sleep well last night. That's all."

"Again? I thought you were staying at your parent's house instead of the dorms because of your insane roommate." Andrea's forehead wrinkled with concern as she tilted her head down to look at Jessica, causing her brown curls to bounce in front of her face. She studied Jessica and realized what was wrong. Andrea let loose a string of rapid-fire questions, "Why are you dressed like that? Are you not wearing make-up at all? I thought you had a date tonight. Are you still coming to my dorm to get ready, or are you returning to yours for a nap?" Jessica slung her bag over her shoulder when her friend's reminder made her pause.

"Damn," she thought, "I forgot I finally agreed to go on a date with Greg tonight."

"Andrea," she said with a tinge of panic on the edge of her voice, "I completely forgot about Greg." Jessica groaned, "I need to cancel, but he won't take it well." The two girls fell in step as they left the classroom.

"Why cancel? Didn't your dad convince you to give him a chance?"

"I just have somewhere I'm supposed to be tonight, and I can't," Jessica shrugged, hoping to sound casual. She was an awful liar, and Andrea was almost clairvoyant in her ability to suss out the truth from people.

"Hmm, be honest with me," Andrea caused Jessica's panic to rise, "You don't really like him, do you?" Jessica let out her breath, causing Andrea to give her a weird look; luckily, she didn't say anything.

"Well, it's not that I don't like him. It's more that he doesn't really like me." Andrea had a look of understanding on her face but waited for Jessica to continue. "He's just... I don't understand why he keeps incessantly asking me out. We don't like the same things. We don't have the same friends. He's rude to me if I don't automatically agree with him," Jessica continued listing off half a dozen reasons before Andrea stopped her.

"Jess, if you feel that way, then why did you agree in the first place?"

"I don't know; I tried talking to my dad about the situation after Greg had spent the better part of the day blowing up my phone while I was helping out at the store. According to him, Greg sounds like "a good Catholic boy who has a good head on his shoulders."" Jessica squared her shoulders and impersonated her dad's voice, causing Andrea to laugh.

"How'd your dad even find out he was Catholic? It doesn't seem like you'd tell him that if you weren't all that interested in Greg," Andrea asked.

"Oh, that, well, he saw my phone light up while I was with a customer. Greg had texted me complaining about how I was working on a Sunday and should have been in church." Jessica rolled her eyes so hard at the memory that her headache from this morning had started to flare up again.

Andrea rounded on her friend, "I still don't get it. You and your dad were working, so why would your dad even care about it being Sunday and think that Greg was right?"

Jessica just sighed. She and her mother had said the same thing to Manuel over and over again. "Dad doesn't even practice Catholicism anymore." Her bag slipped off her should, so instead of hoisting it back up, she swung it back and forth by the top strap. "Ever since Abbi died, he stopped going to church. He just likes to say he's Catholic because that's how he grew up." Jessica giggled and looked at her friend conspiratorially, "We didn't even finish my confirmation. That's how lazy my dad was before Abbi was even gone."

Jessica looked up and realized they were ironically standing before the divinity school, "Hey, Drea, where are we going right now?"

"I don't know. I was following you."

"Following me? I was following you." The friends giggled and turned around to go back the way they came. "Hey, what time is it?"

"Um," Andrea pulled her phone from her back pocket, "it's about 9:45. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I forgot my phone this morning and wanted to confirm we wouldn't be late for our next class. Let's stop by Harper; I could really use some tea."

While crossing the quadrangle, the girls bummed into the previously mentioned Greg walking with a few of his friends. It was a sunny morning, so his shining blonde hair contrasted sharply with his red shirt. Jessica thought he was blinding and not in a romantic sense. Greg saw Jess and made a beeline for her. Though perhaps unintentional, he stood right between her and Andrea as if to cut Andrea out of the conversation. Jessica felt confident it wasn't an accident either. She had seen him act similarly toward other people he didn't care about. The girls were outnumbered, so Jessica felt unsafe calling him out. She was sure he would make a scene and turn the situation on them. It didn't help that Jes was already worried he'd be furious when she told him she was canceling their date.

Subtly, Jess turned her body and stepped back so that she was again next to Andrea, leaving Greg awkwardly up in the middle of the group of five. The girls exchanged glances; both knew they hadn't imagined the slight. "Greg, " Jessica gave him an insincere smile, "it's convenient we ran into each other. Listen, I have to cancel tonight. I would have called you but I don't have my phone." The guys behind Greg didn't hide their laughter; he'd been trying to convince her for weeks to go out with him. Indignant, he saw her canceling the day of the date as entirely unacceptable.

Holding back his rage, Greg responded in a cajoling tone, "Jess, I know you're nervous. Even so, you can't cancel with me last minute." Andrea felt disgusted with his unctuous words. He didn't mean it, and his expression was at odds with how he spoke to Jessica. When Greg said she couldn't cancel, it was meant literally. He would not permit her to do so.

Andrea cleared her voice and cut in, "I'm sorry, Greg, it's my fault. I need Jess to help me with something, and I don't have anyone else to ask." It was Drea's turn to use flattery, though she could tell he hated that she addressed him directly. "Ugh," she thought, "Jess was right; there is something wrong with the guy. He's a bad person." Her instincts told her to keep those thoughts to herself. Andrea was unsure of Greg and didn't think he'd control himself if pushed too far. He was so close to getting what he wanted that to be told no now could make him behave irrationally.

"Can't she help you another time? You can't just dictate other people's schedules," he responded, refusing to look at her. Jess screwed up her face in the most endearing way possible. "Greg," she pouted. "Please don't be mad. Normally, I'd have told her no, but this is a girl thing." She lowered her voice as if to hide the phrase 'girl thing' from the other students who might overhear their conversation. Greg looked appalled and just nodded with a clenched jaw. Jessica knew she had him then; he was too insecure to question her on 'girl stuff.' Andrea pulled out her phone and made a production of worrying they'd be late for their next class. Before Greg could try to reschedule with Jess, the girls promptly fled.

The next hour or so passed without incident. Jessica and Andrea's lecture was engaging; they took copious notes for later reference. They left the classroom, excitedly comparing their opinions on the topic and considering whether the information would be helpful to fit into Professor Sorninson's assignment. Jessica checked the time with Andrea again; she had just enough time to return to Tristan and Declan's meeting spot. Waving goodbye to Andrea, she began the walk south.

After a few minutes, Jessica felt as if someone were following her. She stopped and took in her surroundings. It was bright, well-populated, and in the middle of the day. Not seeing anything unusual, she kept walking, increasing her pace every few minutes until she finally jogged back to the car. The situation was unpleasant, but Jessica felt grateful that the men were on time and waiting for her. She hadn't run hard, but the fear she was coming off of caused her to need a moment to catch her breath before she could explain what was wrong. Tristan rushed out of the car with Declan and met her a few feet away.

Placing his hand on her arm, Tristan looked at her with real worry in his beautiful blue eyes. "Jess, what's wrong? What happened." She knew he was being gentle with her despite the urgency in his voice.

"I'm not sure," she huffed. Declan took her backpack from her without a word, keeping an eye on their immediate area. Tristan began to rub Jess's back, trying to calm her down.

"Come on, Jess, use your words. Tell us what happened." Unsure if it was the perceived intimacy between them or if he had overheard the familiarity in Tristan's voice, Jessica was floored when Greg left his hiding spot and began berating her.

"You canceled our date for this," Greg hurled the question at her while gesturing to the men. "You and Andrea said you had to help with something, so you couldn't go. Instead, you were just some lying slut meeting up with other guys? Who are you to treat me like this?" Each accusation was like a punch to her gut. It was sickening that she had to lie in the first place, but he just wouldn't accept no as an answer. It's not as if he were a rational man she could politely reject. He had hounded her for months and dogged her every step; he wouldn't stop. Declan's heart clenched to see Jess in such a state. Both he and Tristan immediately hid her behind them and confronted Greg. He could not treat them with the same callousness he did Jess.

"Stop! Who are you, and what are you trying to do to Jessica?" Tristan was the first to demand answers from the boy harassing Jess, as was only natural for someone in his position.

"Who am I? Who are you?! Stay out of this, " he poked his head around Declan and demanded, "Jess, get over here now." She didn't even have to answer before Declan grabbed the collar of Greg's hideous shirt and slammed him against the wall of a nearby building. She glanced around to see if there were any onlookers to the confrontation between them. She locked eyes with Jimmy, who was just sitting in the car looking entertained.

"You are going to listen very carefully to what I say next," Declan's husky voice commanded with all the experience his years as an enforcer afforded him. "You will never go near, touch, speak to, or think of Jessica ever again. If you even think of contacting her in any way, let's just say your family won't have to pay for your tuition anymore." Declan shoved the lesser man back, causing him to scratch his arm against the aging brick. Tristan didn't wait for Declan to escort them to the car; instead, he took the initiative to put his arm around Jessica in a protective gesture and put her safely in the car before climbing in on the same side, sitting right next to her. Declan watched the boy scamper off, then turned to see his best friend was actually trying to calm a woman down. Hundreds of violent and terrifying experiences couldn't compare to how astonished he felt at the scene before him.