Angela Perrino sat at the kitchen table next to Julie Bracco, both with cups of coffee and portions of coffee cake in front of them. The sun was down and the dishes were piled up in the sink. Occasionally one of the last visitors would give Angela a hug goodnight, but the house was nearly empty. Sal’s reception was a huge success. There were toasts and stories and tearful memories, but mostly grieving smiles of appreciation for Sal’s sense of humor.
Now, Angela had Julie’s hand in hers, trying to settle her nerves about a Chechen stranger giving her son a baseball.
“It’s okay,” Angela assured her. “It was simply a message.”
Julie seemed embarrassed to be upset over such an event when Angela just buried her husband from a Chechen slaughter.
“I’m sorry,” Julie said. “I was better at dealing with these things when we were single. Ever since Thomas came, well, I’m not so brave.”
“It’s natural for Momma Bear to pop out and protect her family. That’s completely normal.”
Julie moved pieces of her coffee cake around her plate. “I guess.”
Angela wrapped her hands around her steaming cup of coffee and said, “Nick will take care of it.”
Julie looked up. “You didn’t seem so convinced earlier.”
“Yes, well, I can behave a little hastily at times myself. Also, my firstborn wasn’t thinking very straight.”
“It’s understandable.”
“But I know Nick will do his job,” Angela repeated.
Now Julie seemed to assess the widow with a questioning look. “I’ve heard that Nick and Tommy used to hang out with you guys.”
Angela took a sip of coffee and grinned. “They practically lived with us back in Baltimore. Heck, when too many friends would stay the night, Tommy would sleep in bed with Sal and me. He and Nick would take turns.”
“How old were they?”
“Fourteen, fifteen?”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope. And we never made it seem awkward too. Sal loved it. He wanted the kids close to home, and nothing could be closer than right next to you.” Angela’s smile grew. “That’s why they’re so comfortable sitting on my bed, making their plans.”
“The Chechens won’t stop, you know,” Julie said with concern in her eyes.
Angela put her cup down. “You ever hear about the time Cara came home from school with a bruise on her forehead?”
Julie shook her head.
“Nick happened to be at our house. I’m not sure where Tommy was. Cara had told us she slipped on some ice on the way home and Sal and I never gave it a second thought. But Nick wasn’t having any of it. Apparently he pulled Cara aside—”
“How old were they?”
Angela looked up at the ceiling. “I think Nick was at the Academy at the time, so Cara must’ve been freshman in high school?”
“Okay.”
“Anyway, Nick told Cara he wanted a name or he was going to go to her lunch period and ask every one of her friends until he got to the bottom of it.”
“Sounds like Nick.”
“Got it from his father. Best cop ever to patrol the Western.”
Angela took another sip of coffee. “Anyway, Cara finally admitted to Nick that a boy shoved her against her locker because she had turned him down for a date. He was a real bully. Some hot shot athlete who thought he was special.”
“Uh oh.”
Angela nodded. “Well, Cara got Nick to promise he wouldn’t touch the kid or even speak with him, so she gave him the name. And Nick kept his promise.”
“But?”
“That night Nick waited for the kid’s father to stumble out of the local bar he drank in every night. Nick was standing by the guy’s car and when the guy pulled out his keys.” Angela instinctively flexed her hand into a fist. “Nick gave him an uppercut right under the chin. The guy was unconscious for almost five minutes. When he came to, Nick was standing over him telling him what a shit his son was and that it was all the guy’s fault for raising such a bully. Then he told him what his son did to Cara.”
“Those Bracco boys sure hate bullies.”
Angela grinned. “The next day, the kid showed up to school early and handed Cara a bouquet of flowers. Said he was sorry for what he had done. When Cara challenged Nick about the incident, he simply told her the kid must’ve had a change of heart. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad apple after all.”
“I never heard that story. How did you guys ever find out?”
“Years later, Al Mancini told Sal all about it. His kid went to Cara’s high school. The event was legendary throughout the school district.”
Julie kept moving bits of coffee cake around her plate with her fork. A nervous tic. Angela grabbed her hand to stop it.
“It’s okay,” Angela said. “These Chechens think they’ve won. They think they’ve gotten over on us. But Nick will have the last word on this matter. I promise.”
Julie seemed to appreciate the gesture. She smiled tepidly.
“You sure you don’t want to stay the night?” Angela asked.
Julie shook her head. “I need to be with my boy. The entire Bureau could be guarding him, but he’ll still want his mom to feel really safe.”
“Well said.”
Tully came into the kitchen. “There’s an FBI Agent Greenwood here for Julie.”
“Greenwald,” Nick said, coming around the corner and taking Julie’s hand.
Julie thanked Angela and followed Nick to the front door.
Angela gave her a reassuring smile, then looked around. “Where is Cara?”