He most likely expected gratitude for putting together such a perfect match, and instead he’s stuck with vague answers and a complicated mess. Well.
After he hears about my blocked bank account, he surprises me by handing me some cash to get by, and even lets me use his old car, the same one I used before.
I guess he feels at least partly responsible for how my life turned out, considering he’s the one who pulled me off the streets, dragged me to that contract fair, and talked me into both programs. I take what he offers, promising myself quietly that one day I’ll pay back every cent.
My first night at Storm’s place is a special kind of nightmare.
The thing is… I’m forced to listen to the constant serenade of their moans as they happily have their enthusiastic TM sex. On top of that, my mind is in turmoil. The pain of Mate Rejection Syndrome breaks through my mental defenses and tries to literally kill me, stealing my breath. A good two hours pass with me chanting the same words over and over:
You can do this. Push through this.
Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
Eventually, sleep takes me.
The next morning, I am woken by a call from Ennio, who goes straight to the point.
"I spoke to my contact in the police. He gave me Daniel Tanner’s address. He still lives in the same house, and I also got a list of all the properties Tanner owns, just like you asked."
"Thank you! I’ll get on it right away."
"Write everything down. I’m not sending this by text. These are not things that should be digitized."
I move quickly around Storm’s kitchen and manage to find sticky notes and a pencil, probably meant for grocery lists.
Ennio dictates the addresses, then asks, "When are you planning to make your move?"
"As soon as I get a good sense of Tanner’s daily routine, his habits, where he goes. Then I’ll call you. You’ll help me with that, right?"
"I will. I hate rapists," he adds dryly.
Hearing that is a relief to me. I am well aware that Ennio is the kind of mafia man I will never be. Yes, he’s far more moral and has a much stronger sense of justice than Rocco, and even Luca, but he has no problem putting a bullet in the head of someone he considers evil.
I’ve always believed in handling things the legal way. I grew up seeing what happens when justice is taken into private hands, and it was ugly. Anzo and Rocco executedsoldatifor disobedience or stupid mistakes without a second thought, and sometimes those men turned out to be innocent. Rocco would just shrug it off. The image of someone dying, begging for their last breath, is burned into me. I’d rather let the authorities deal with criminals and make sure the punishment fits the crime.
As soon as Ennio hangs up, I get dressed.
I leave Storm’s house, lock it with the spare key he gave me, and get into his old car to drive to Tanner’s place.
On the way, though, I stop at a store that sells Halloween supplies, wigs, costumes, all kinds of disguises. I buy a blond wig and a black jacket. Dressed like that, I head to the street where Tanner’s house stands.
If I thought surveillance would be easy or even remotely pleasant, I was very wrong.
The start is not bad. I find a good vantage point. The neighboring property is abandoned, so I break in and set myself up by one of the windows, watching Tanner’s front door.
But not much happens. Tanner shows up a few times throughout the day. I know exactly what he looks like. I studied his photos online from the time of Salt’s trial.
He comes home, then leaves again. Nothing remarkable.
Three days pass. Then five. Eventually, a full week, and I still cannot find any pattern in his behavior. His routine is unpredictable. Sometimes he leaves after an hour, sometimes after two. Sometimes he is gone all day, other times only fifteen minutes.
I realize that if I do not make a move, I will stay stuck in this dead end.
Over the next few days, I check two apartments that used to belong to Daniel Tanner’s brothers. They were all killed by Salt, and the apartments are now in the possession of the eldest brother. Both are rented out, with tenants living in them.
The second week passes, and I still have nothing.
I start to feel stupid, practically imposing on Storm and Damian, taking up a room in their small house. True, I am mostly gone during the day and only come back in the evenings, but still, it cannot be comfortable for them. Every night I hear them having passionate sex, and it… doesn’t let me forget what I’ve lost.
