Chapter Eighteen
(Cesare)
Cesare had an itch that would not go away on its own.
He’d received Sabrina’s text message and her facetious note.
If it had been anyone else, he would have assumed she was bratting out on purpose.
But she was so used to being on her own he could see how his attempt to help could have been misconstrued.
He returned to the rescue hoping to speak with Sabrina, only to find her gone and her phone sitting next to the note. This was unacceptable.
With no way to reach her and zero fucks left to give, he opened the background check his office ran on Sabrina, skimming for her home address. Like an absolute creep, he drove by her house, but she wasn’t home, and she wasn’t at Society. He checked there too.
Cesare was pacing on the dock of the rescue when Dante finally called him back for an update on Tom Crawford and any further information about social services.
Tom seemed to have disappeared, though a neighbor had overheard mention of a temporary construction job out of town.
Dante had called in a favor from a colleague to find any information about Tom’s last supervisor, and was waiting for them to call back with intel.
Cesare fed Freckles again, with the help of a repairman. This happened much to the seal pup’s consternation, who had been napping peacefully through the construction sounds. Cesare would have thought he was deaf if he hadn’t begun chirping in unison to the sounds of the drilling after waking.
It occurred to Cesare as all of this unfolded that the noise and activity of the repairs was definitely a disruption to the animals' normal environment, and he could only hope that the temporary upset didn’t create any permanent problems. As it was, the damn birds wouldn’t stop screeching, so everyone had taken to wearing earplugs whether or not the power tools were in use.
Cesare was on the phone with a District Attorney’s office for another case when Sabrina walked through the door.
Their eyes locked as she stood hesitantly in the entryway, examining him with what looked like equal parts hope and trepidation. He had a sneaking hunch that he wore a similar expression.
He looked away, staring out the window just in front of him. “I hear what you’re saying, but frankly this is the only trial my client is ever going to have, so I’d appreciate it if you could do them the basic courtesy of doing your job.”
He disconnected the phone, then turned back to Sabrina once more, angry at the sight of her visible hesitancy, and angry at himself for feeling so anxious. What was wrong with him?
He reached his hand out, relieved when she immediately stepped forward and took his hand in hers. “What do you need from me to fix this?” He asked.
Sabrina swallowed thickly. “Can you give me a hug, please?”
Cesare pulled her to him and held her close.
She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, pressing herself to him. When he squeezed her tighter to him in response, she immediately relaxed.
“You smell really good.” She mumbled into his shirt.
Cesare chuckled, leaning down to kiss the curve of her neck. “You smell like brown sugar. And beach salt.”
“I’m sorry, I overreacted.” Sabrina replied, pulling back just enough to look up at Cesare’s face. “You have been nothing but generous and kind, and I was rude and then I shut you out.”
Cesare closed his eyes for a split second with relief.
“I could have talked to you first about the repairs. I thought it would be a good surprise, but I can see how that may have come off as overkill. You don’t owe me anything.
The repair service has already signed the form I’ll send to my accountant for a tax write-off. ”
“A cup of coffee.” Sabrina muttered.
Cesare tilted his head. “You want coffee? I still have a stack of cases I need to review, but I could order something to be delivered. What do you want?”
Sabrina gave him another long look, and Cesare watched as the last of her hesitancy melted away. “No, I’m fine. Thank you, though.” She answered.
Cesare squeezed her once more. “Let’s talk more after the team lead gives us a walkthrough.” He nodded towards a man standing on the other side of the room, reviewing paperwork on a clipboard, pretending not to listen. It would have looked quite convincing if the paperwork wasn’t upside down.
Sabrina went pink and stepped back, but to Cesare’s delight didn’t pull completely away.
“Mr. Stanley, thank you for everything.” Cesare spoke up, addressing the team’s supervisor. “Allow me to introduce to you Ms. Hamilton, the Director of Maine Marine Rescue. Ms. Hamilton, this is Mr. Stanley.”
“Call me Sabrina.” His tesoro smiled as she shook the other man’s hand.
“Joe.” He nodded. “If you’ll follow me, I can walk you through the upgrades we made. The front windows had considerable damage to sealing, were missing locks, and were a few decades old. So we replaced them with double-paned windows. Very secure and energy efficient.”
“They look well done.” Sabrina nodded, touching her fingers to one of the windows.
“We kept the originals intact as much as possible. Mr. Lombardi mentioned that the building has some historical significance.”
Cesare watched Sabrina blink up at him with appreciation. “It does, thank you.” She answered Joe, though her gaze was still stuck on Cesare.
“All the windows were replaced with double paned units that securely lock. They’re wired to a system that will go off if they’re opened when the security system is on.”
“Security system?” Sabrina frowned, looking at Cesare.
“You’re here all night long sometimes. If you’re sleeping in the back, you should have an alarm to alert you if someone tries to come in.”
“What if it’s someone who is supposed to come in?” Sabrina asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Cesare gave her a look. “Then you unlock it.”
“There’s also a camera in the main room and at the front and back entrances.
They’re hard wired in- Bluetooth is easy to hack, but this is a closed system, so it would be almost impossible for someone to access, but if by some miracle they do, any unauthorized remote access will trigger an alarm just as if someone were coming through a physical door. ”
Cesare nodded. “And what about the office?”
Sabrina stiffened.
Cesare soothed a hand down her back. “Trust me.” He pleaded quietly.
Sabrina released a pent-up breath, holding her tongue.
“As discussed, there are a series of measurements along the door frame that looked sentimental, so we installed the steel door halfway down the hallway. Reinforced framing will keep any attacker out. It’s made to blend in.
If you aren’t using it, you won’t notice anything.
If you need a bulletproof door between you and the rest of the world, it’s right here. ”
Joe patted what looked like a massive storm door that had been painted the same shade as the hallway. True to his word, Sabrina hadn’t noticed it recessed in the wall.
“Inside the office, as requested, we also installed a fireproof safe and bulletproof windows.”
Sabrina raised a brow at Cesare, but thankfully said nothing.
Cesare signed the paperwork and gave a copy to Sabrina. “It’s all under a ten year warranty. Just in case.”
Sabrina cleared her throat. “How much was this?”
Cesare shook his head. “Please let me take care of you. Let me keep you safe.” He insisted, unable to hide the intensity he was trying to dampen.
The repairman chose this moment to excuse himself with a final nod; paperwork in hand.
Cesare and Sabrina stood alone once again.
“Why do I need bulletproof windows?” Sabrina frowned.
Cesare stared at her for a moment in silence, his jaw tensing. “It is my job to go after other people. Legally. But sometimes that means they go after me. If I’m going to be around you, I want to make sure you have safe places to go. Just in case.”
Sabrina eyed him carefully and pursed her lips. “There’s more to it than that.”
Cesare neither confirmed nor denied, pulling her bodily towards him. “I need to know that you’re safe. And comfortable.”
Sabrina allowed him to pull her into his embrace and lifted her arms up, wrapping them around Cesare’s neck. “I can see that.” She answered.
“My parents used to fight like cats and dogs.” Cesare muttered.
“They loved each other, but they both ran hot. Any time Pops pissed off my mom, she’d pack a bag and leave for a few days.
No warning, no contact, no nothing. Pops would spend the whole time trying to track her down and bring her back, screaming the whole time that she’d run off with another man. ”
Sabrina listened silently as Cesare stared off into the distance.
“There was never another man.” He added, looking back at Sabrina.
“And she always came back a few days later with an SUV full of shopping bags and new toys for us boys.” He frowned.
“When I came back and saw your note, and your phone on the desk, I thought maybe you didn’t want to see me again.
And then I was worried you wouldn’t be able to call if something happened and you needed help. ”
Sabrina nodded, feeling more and more guilty.
“My parents weren’t perfect, and they argued too, but if they were upset, they’d take some time apart.
But they always came back and figured it out.
” Sabrina traced her fingers up the lines of his shoulders.
“I just went for a walk with Marie to clear my mind.”
“Next time you need to clear your mind, I need you to take your phone.” Cesare answered. “I need to know you’re safe.” He answered, running his hands down her arms. “If you want space, that’s fine, but I don’t want to feel cut off.”
“That would make you feel safe?” Sabrina asked.
Cesare blinked, as if Sabrina’s question had hit a factory reset button on his brain. After a moment, he cleared his throat. “That would make me feel like I can breathe.” He answered lowly.