"Tabby. Didn't I tell you that last time?" I replied. "But don't give me all the credit. I'm sure you know that."
Bennie nodded. "Yes, but you should give your friend some advice. First off, thanks for the restraint showed. Only two dead against thirteen Latin Kings, all trussed up? Very impressive work. But he needs to watch his back. The ATF is very interested in those polymer and powder rounds. They're poking around. I can keep them distracted, but if he uses them again..."
"I understand," I replied. "You know Mr. Fernandez, he's your friend too."
Bennie shook his head. "No. You and I both know, if I had to I'd prosecute him too. He's guilty of at least four federal firearms crimes that I know of. Although that's minor considering what the DA would want him for. Thankfully, the DA is a friend of mine, I clerked in his office when I was in law school. He's more than happy to just keep putting away the scum bags. The Latin Kings alone might guarantee him a judgeship if he wants it. But if the Snowman ever gets into the public eye, he's going to have to give him attention as well."
I nodded. "And your point of view on it?"
Bennie shrugged. "I just arrested the head of the Union, which happens to include the police and fire departments. And as much as I hate to say it, even with all the good cops out there, this city needs a lot of help. But tell him, don't push it too far. There's a lot to say for just investing money and driving a riding lawnmower all day. Take care, Tabby."
It was the closest Bennie Fernandez came to saying flatly that he knew who Mark was. I nodded in understanding, and Bennie left, closing the door behind him.
Chapter Fourteen
Tabby
The night after the opening of the first of the community centers, Patrick and I were engaging in some private celebration. We were above the MJT offices, inside the strike base that resided on the fourth floor of the building. "You know, Mark would be annoyed if he caught us up here," Patrick chuckled as he poured me another glass of Castello Banfi Chianti Superiore. "Remind me to make sure we clean up before we go."
"Well, it just felt right, considering he just gave us the codes to this place today as a thank you for everything," I replied. We were about halfway through the bottle, a special gift from Vanessa. I hadn't taken her last name to imply Italian heritage, but she swore there was some in there. It was a touching gift, especially since she gave it before I promoted her to executive secretary of all the community centers. She would still be out of the spotlight, and still working for me, but able to apply her strengths more than she ever had before. I was glad she'd accepted the job.
I took a sip of my wine and chuckled at Patrick's comment about Mark. "I love the man, but his avoidance of alcohol all the time is sometimes frustrating. It's not even that he looks down on us if we did have it at home, but, well, you know how he is. He's just such an example to live up to, it's both inspiring and frustrating."
"I know," Patrick said, thinking about how living up to Mark's example was sometimes so damn difficult. If it wasn't for how much he'd seen us interact, he would have been jealous of Mark. A lot of lesser men than Patrick would have regardless. "So are you excited about tomorrow?"
I shook my head. "After all the stress of getting the centers open, giving up the in-house gym to move it all over to the outbuilding is nothing. And yeah, it'll be a bit tight while they get the wings started, but in the end, it's going to be awesome."
"Speaking about the centers opening," Patrick said as he sipped at his glass, "you looked amazing today. The Spartan girls were there in their sideline skimpy uniforms, and I don't think anyone looked at them once after you took the podium. How'd you pull it off?"
I blushed and took another sip of my wine. "I just imagined dressing up for you. After that, the choices were easy."
Patrick set his wine aside and leaned in, his lips brushing against mine. We were sitting on the floor, since the room didn't have any sort of decent table for two people. I was kind of reclining on my side, while Patrick had been sitting cross legged. "You're the greatest thing to ever happen to me," he whispered as we parted lips. "Are you sure about the campaign?"
I nodded and set my glass aside. "I love you, I know you're great for the job, and Joe thinks so too. Besides, it's not the big chair yet, just Deputy Mayor. And it'll keep whoever takes over for Joe honest."
Patrick nodded, then sighed. "But I won't be able to go out on patrol as much. The Deputy Mayor has a lot more duties than the junior member of the city council."
I laughed and kissed him again, tracing my tongue along his lips, lingering on the aftertaste of the rich wine. I licked the last little droplet off and traced his jaw with my fingertips. "You know, there are other duties that I want you to have too," I said. "You can't neglect your husbandly duties."