Race Against Time

After processing potential witnesses, I was off to do whatever my heart desired and that sounded good to me. After nearly getting my head bitten off by my pissed off, sleep-deprived girlfriend, a break sounded like heaven. My dad had called me and wanted me to stop by to watch the game tonight. I hoped Isabella would at least call me later to apologize. I pulled up to my old childhood home and walked inside. My dad was sitting in his favorite chair, watching a game intently.
"Hey, Dad", I greeted him. He got up and gave me a hug, clapping me on the back.
"How's work treatin' ya?" he asked. I shrugged.
"Pretty good, I nearly got my head bitten off by the new girl today", I replied.
"She one of them crime scene investigators?" he asked. I nodded.
"Yeah, she just transferred from North Carolina", I replied.
"What'd she bite your head off for?" he asked.
"I'd asked her to go interrogate a suspect, but she had stuff to do at the lab. She'd been on the clock since three am after apparently working an eighteen hour shift the day before and didn't want to do her job", I replied.
"Sounds feisty", Dad said, nodding.
"Oh, if there's two things Isabella Pacino is, is feisty and stubborn", I replied. His eyes widened at the name.
"Like, the Mafia family, Pacino? What's a mobster doing working at the station?" he said.

"She's not Mafia, she's the head's granddaughter. She keeps herself on the right side of the law", I replied.
"That's good. Glad there's one good Pacino in this city", he said, shaking his head.
"Do you know the Pacinos?" I asked. He looked at me guardedly before nodding.
"Yeah, I arrested Armando Pacino Sr and his sons I don't know how many times. Jr was the worst though, before that gunfight", he replied. He was referring to Isabella's father.
"I dated one of the Pacino brothers' girlfriends before your mom. Almost married her too, before she ran off to be with Armando Jr. Man, there was nobody like Marni", he continued. My blood ran cold. Isabella's parents. That must've been why Armando didn't like me. Don Flack Jr, son of the man who nearly took his wife from him was now dating his daughter.

"Their daughter, Isabella works at the crime lab and at the station with me", I said.
"Yeah, I'd heard about that. Armando Jr was the only son who'd had kids", he replied. By now, the game was back on and I forced myself to sit through it until another commercial.
"Why are you so interested in the Pacino family history?" Dad asked.
"Because, their eldest daughter is my co-worker. I'd heard Flacks and Pacinos didn't get along", I replied.
"Well, we've had our quarrels in the past. It's all water under the bridge now. Your mother was a damn good woman, I loved her very much, Donnie", he said.
"I know you did, Dad", I replied.
"Is the daughter pretty?" Dad asked after a bit. I didn't want to talk about Isabella, I was supposed to be annoyed with her.
"Yeah, she's beautiful", I replied. I never talked about women at my work, that was my unspoken rule. I heard the door open and my younger brother, Ronan walked in.
"Donnie!" he said, slapping my shoulder. He sat down on the couch next to me.
"Hey, Ronan", I greeted my brother.

"Who's winning? Giants or Cowboys?" he said.
"Giants. Cowboys got zero", Dad replied. Time to get my head back into the game. My phone rang. I looked down and saw Isabella's name on my caller ID.
"Hey, I gotta take this, be right back", I said. I got up and went outside.
"Hey, what's up?" I greeted.
"I didn't mean to speak so harshly with you. Whether I'm sleep-deprived or not, that was no excuse", she said.
"I know, you've been on edge. I found out something a few minutes ago", I said.
"What?" she asked. She was curious.
"My dad and your mom used to date", I replied.
"Oh my God, really?" she said.
"Yep, she left my dad for your dad", I replied.
"Well, gee, now I know why my dad didn't like you. He's never cared this much about the guys I see, but this explains everything", she said.
"You off tomorrow?" I asked.
"Yeah, Mac said I deserved some time off because of how hard I'd been working. I nearly bit Adam's head off too, so don't feel so special", she said. Adam. I'd always liked him, he was awkward and funny. But now, his name formed a sour ball in my stomach.

"What're your plans?" I asked. I wanted to spend the day with her, I'd missed seeing her outside of work.
"Eh, I was thinking about taking Boomer out for a run then going to go see my grandfather. Last time I saw him, it wasn't so pleasant. He'd mentioned the Vinetti family starting to move in, so I have to go make sure one of his new dogs isn't going to go make sure that the Pacino stays on top", she replied. That was part of her unfortunate history.
"Is it legal?" I asked. She laughed.
"Duh. The Pacinos are only into retaliation. We've worked hard to stay on top, Nonno is a businessman, not a criminal anymore. Stays behind the scenes, he's too old to get his hands dirty now", she replied.
"Well, I gotta go, I'm hanging out with my dad and brother. See you tomorrow?" I said.
"Sounds good", she replied. We hung up.

"Who was that?" Ronan asked.
"Someone from work had a question about a case we're working", I replied. I didn't want to mention having a girlfriend, not yet.
"Alright, so the Giants are winning, 14-0", Dad said. By now, the game was almost over.
"This is a good game", I replied. I didn't want to drink tonight, I had to keep my wits about me.
"Yeah, only 'cause we're winning", Ronan snorted. After the game was over, we got our food. Between bites, Ronan was talking about some girl he'd had his eye on.
"I don't know much about her, but she's freaking awesome. She drives this wicked awesome truck and she always orders the same thing from Starbucks. Her name's Izzy", he said. That sounded very familiar.
"What is Izzy short for?" I asked after finishing off my steak.
"Isabella, duh. She's really pretty too", he replied. I nearly choked.
"Does she have dark hair and green eyes?" I asked.
"Yeah, why?" he said. Damn.
"I work with her", I replied slowly.

"I heard her family's mobbed up. That true?" he said. I nodded.
"Yeah, but she's not. She's just...connected", I replied. I shook my head, putting my plate in the sink. I didn't want to talk about her, it made me miss her. I looked at the clock. Ten. I could get away with a 'I'm really tired from working all day' excuse.
"Hey, guys, I gotta go hit the hay. Working today really drained me", I said.
"See you later, Don", Dad said. Ronan clapped me on the back.
"Can you put in a good word for me with Isabella?" he asked. It almost made me feel guilty to tell him the truth.
"The truth is, Isabella is my girlfriend. We've been seeing each other quietly for the past couple of months", I admitted. His eyes widened. I felt bad for telling him, but I didn't want to lead him on.
"She mentioned having a boyfriend, I just didn't know if it was true", he said.
"I'll see you later, man", I said. I walked out and caught a cab to my place. I flopped down on my bed and looked at the time. It was almost eleven. My phone rang.