PREVIOUSLY

Todd smiled back and followed, jogging lightly to catch up with her. “Hey, bring it on, Delgado. If I can survive that jail slop, I can live through anything you can throw at me.”

“We’ll see, Todd. We’ll see.”

*************************************************************************************************************

As she arrived at the diner with Todd, Téa was relieved to see that they were well ahead of the lunch crowd and had their pick of the tables. Todd hovered in the foyer while Téa approached the counter. Carlotta looked up, and her face lit up when she saw the young woman. “Mija, I’m glad to see you! I’ve already had two people ask me when you’ll be ready to take on a case. I think I can break away this afternoon to help….” She cut off abruptly as she spotted Todd. Coming around the counter with fire flashing in her eyes, she ordered, “You! Get out!” Todd glared at her angrily for a moment, then turned to obey.

“Wait! Carlotta, please let him stay,” begged Téa.

Carlotta was in a complete frenzy. “What’s he doing out of prison? And what are you doing with him? You told me you were through with Todd Manning!” Téa held up a hand to signal Todd to wait, then pulled Carlotta to the side and spoke in a low voice.

“Look, he just got out of jail and he asked me to take a case for him.” Téa sighed and looked over her shoulder at her ex-husband. “Carlotta, he’s so alone. I’m just trying to help him start his life over. Neither of us holds any hopes of a reconciliation any more. We’ve hurt each other too much. But I’d appreciate it if you could extend the hospitality you’ve shown me, to him. He just wants a decent meal.”

Carlotta looked past Téa to Todd. He stood by the door with his arms crossed over his chest defensively, staring defiantly in her direction. As his gaze moved to Téa, Carlotta noticed his expression soften. “Are you sure he knows that your relationship is business only, Téa?” she asked nervously. Téa turned around and smiled encouragement at her ex-husband. Facing Carlotta again, she nodded silently. Throwing up her hands, the diner owner let out an exasperated sigh. “All right. He can eat here with you, mija. I just hope you know what you’re doing.” Hugging the older woman in thanks, Téa signaled to Todd and they took the booth in the farthest corner from the door.

A few minutes later, they were waiting for their order as the booths slowly filled up around them. Todd noticed Téa’s eyes widen as she looked at someone behind him, then glance back at him with a worried look. “Jessica just came in with Will and the baby,” she whispered. Todd stiffened. He hadn’t seen his niece in almost a year. Her baby had been born while he was in jail. Glancing over his shoulder quickly, he saw her slide into a booth behind him, positioning the baby carrier carefully beside her. Will tarried at the counter, exchanging a few words with an acquaintance. Todd noticed Cristian Vega come out of the kitchen. He didn’t look happy to see Will. Turning back to Téa, Todd let a hiss escape his lips.

“I guess I should speak to her. I don’t think she’ll be happy to see me, but we’re bound to run into each other somewhere else. It’s better to get it over with now.” Téa nodded silently. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Todd approached the booth and stood quietly looking down at Jessica. She didn’t notice him right away as she fussed with her daughter, but suddenly she looked up. “Hello, Jess,” he said with a little grin. Todd almost stepped back in shock at the hostility in her eyes.

“What are YOU doing here?” she spat. Her uncle looked at her with a sinking heart.

Swallowing hard, he said, “I guess that’s my clue that you aren’t happy with me. That, and four months locked up without a visit or letter.”

“You expect me to just forget what you did to my mom? How you used the worst pain of her life and made a joke out of it? The way you lied to her and everyone else?” Todd stared into her angry blue eyes.

“You’re right, Jess. I was a jerk and I hurt your mom and a lot of other people. But Viki and I have made our peace about that, and I was hoping you could forgive me, too.” The baby waved her arms around and squealed loudly, drawing Jessica’s attention for a moment. As she wiped away some drool from the baby’s mouth, Todd stared at his great niece, melting at the sight of her toothless grin. She was dressed in a frilly pink romper and had enormous blue eyes and a soft blond peach fuzz on her head. He slowly knelt down so he was closer to her and reached out a tentative finger. Meeting her mother’s eyes, he waited for approval. After hesitating a moment, Jessica nodded and Todd let the baby grip his finger. She looked at him with fearless eyes and gurgled in delight as he made a face. “Hello, Megan Victoria,” he said. “Starr has told me all about you.”

Jessica softened a bit. “You know her name?” she asked.

“Are you kidding?” answered Todd. “Viki and Sam haven’t shut up about her since she was born. Half of our visits consisted of looking at the latest batch of baby pictures.” He tickled Megan on the stomach, watching in delight at she babbled happily. “She’s beautiful, Jess,” he said with a sigh. “You did the right thing when you decided to keep her.”

“Get your hands off that baby, you convict piece of crap,” growled a hostile voice. Steeling himself for an unwanted confrontation, Todd reluctantly disengaged his finger from the baby and rose slowly to face Kevin Buchanan. “I don’t know by what twisted loophole of the law you’ve managed to get out of the only place you deserve to exist, but you stay away from my niece and the rest of my family.” Téa fidgeted in her seat, using all of her willpower to stay where she was. Every part of her wanted to leap to Todd’s defense. She was worried that Kevin would provoke a violent outburst from Todd that could land him in a great deal of trouble, both with his family and the law. But she knew that she would have to let him fight his own battles from now on if she wanted to keep her life separate from his.

Inwardly seething with anger, Todd mulled over several possible retorts highlighting Kevin’s shortcomings. But, after taking a deep breath, he said only, “Thank you, Kevin. It is nice to be out of jail, especially with my nephew so happy to see me.” Téa let out a held breath in a slow hiss. Kevin stepped toward Todd menacingly.

“Get out of here and get away from my niece,” he spat.

“She’s my niece, too, Kevin. Well, my great niece, and I don’t think it’s any of your business whether I see her or not.”

“He’s right, Kevin,” said a clear voice from behind him. “She may be your niece, but Megan is my daughter, and as far as I’m concerned, Todd is welcome to be a part of her life,” said Will, “as long as it’s OK with Jessica.” Todd looked at the young Rappaport gratefully, then turned to his niece. But before Jessica could answer, another angry voice chimed in.

“Will, you aren’t her father; you’re just the man who got Jessica pregnant. I’m going to be the one to raise Megan when Jessica and I get married. I’m the one she’ll call Daddy. And I don’t want that….that criminal anywhere near my daughter.” Will turned in fury toward Cristian with a hot reply. Glancing at Jessica, Todd noticed her blue eyes fill up with tears as she listened to what obviously was a familiar argument. She put her head down and bit her trembling lip. Todd suddenly stepped between the arguing young men.

“Cut it out! Can’t you see Jessica is upset? And didn’t anyone tell you idiots that babies can pick up on tension like this? You work this out somewhere else.” Noticing that the waitress was serving his food, he turned to Kevin. “Look, I just got out of jail, and I don’t want any trouble with you, Buchanan. I don’t have anything to say to you, but if you just can’t stand to leave me alone, come by my office in the Manning Building. This isn’t the time or the place to settle anything between us.” With a last glare, Todd turned on his heel and joined Téa in their booth. Breathing hard, he grabbed a glass of water and drained the whole thing. Before she could stop herself, Téa clutched his hand.

“Todd, I’m so proud of you!” she said with her warmest smile. He squeezed her hand tightly in return, almost as surprised as she was by his newfound self-control. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed in hostility and quick as a flash, she jumped out of the booth and blocked the aisle. “Kevin, you heard him. Let him alone to eat his meal in peace.”

Kevin glared down at the slight woman, who looked ready to attack if he so much as took one step forward. “What business is it of yours, Téa?” he growled. “You aren’t married to him any more. Now get out of my way. I’m not finished with your lowlife ex-husband.” Téa stood her ground. Glancing with disgust at Todd’s back, Kevin slowly backed down. “What’s with you?” he muttered to Téa. “First you give up your job as a prosecutor, and now you’ve taken up with him again. It’s like you’re going through a mid-life crisis before you’re even thirty.” Téa stayed planted in position until Kevin had left the diner, then returned to her seat with a tired sigh. Before she could say anything to Todd, Jessica came to their booth with Megan in her arms.

“I think it’s best if Will and I eat somewhere else today,” she said coolly. “But don’t worry, Uncle Todd, it’s not you chasing us away.” She looked at Cristian glaring at her, then back at her uncle. “You’ve paid your debt, according to the law, and Mom forgives you. So I guess I can learn to forgive you too, Uncle Todd. It’s OK with me if you and Starr come by to see Megan sometimes.”

“Thanks, Jess,” said Todd, swallowing hard. He reached out and stroked the baby’s face. “You’ve got a great kid.” Téa watched Todd blinking back tears as Jessica left, and reached out to cover his hand with her own.

“Megan’s one lucky baby. Something tells me Great Uncle Todd is going to buy out Logan’s toy department,” she said with a smile. He smiled back as the two of them began to do justice to Carlotta’s daily special.

A short while later, Téa watched in fascination as Todd polished off a monstrous serving of strawberry shortcake. “How can you eat so much?” she asked, shaking her head.

“Try existing on jail food for four months,” he said, chewing with his mouth open. “Starvation is a step up.” He hesitated, a large strawberry stuck to the end of his fork. “I am kind of full. Here,” he said, holding out the fork for her to eat the strawberry. Suddenly, Téa blanched. She fumbled for her handbag.

“I gotta go,” she said unsteadily. Realizing that he had stirred up the wrong memory, Todd quickly tried to do damage control. He threw the fork onto his plate.

“Don’t rush off, Delgado,” he pleaded. “I’m an idiot. Look, I…” A shadow fell across them both.

“Well, well, well,” hissed John Sykes with a frozen smile. “Why am I not surprised? I heard at the station that Bo had let you walk, Manning, and something told me that you wouldn’t waste any time before starting to hassle Counselor Delgado.”

Téa rolled her eyes. A confrontation between John and Todd was the last thing she needed right now. “He’s not harassing me, John. I’m handling a case for him that we were discussing over lunch. But we’re done now and I’m on my way back to my office.” Todd glared in silence at the tall detective, using everything he had to control his temper.

Sykes gazed back, his hatred for the other man plain on his face. He turned to Téa with contempt. “Oh sure, Téa. ‘Just a business arrangement’.” His face hardened. “Well, I don’t buy it!” Téa leapt to her feet, and the look on her face caused the tall detective to take a step back.

“You know what, John?” she sneered. “I don’t give a damn what you think!” Turning to Todd she said, “I’m happy that you’re free. I’ll let you know when I have some news for you about that matter we discussed.” Still glaring at Sykes, she moved to the counter to take care of the check. Todd slowly rose to his feet, making no secret of the hatred he felt for the other man. For a long moment, the two men stood but a few inches apart, and no one who witnessed the scene had any doubt about the animosity between them.

Sykes’ thin lips turned up slightly at each end as he grinned at his rival, but his blue eyes were glacially cold. “I’ve been waiting for this, Manning,” he said in a growl low enough to be sure he wasn’t overheard by the other patrons. “As far as I’m concerned, you should be spending the rest of your life locked up, but now that you’re out, I don’t have to worry about guards and rules anymore. I can get you any time, any place.” He flung open his jacket to display the revolver in his shoulder holster.

Todd glanced at it, then chuckled coldly. “Have at it, Sykes. As you found out in the jail, I don’t go down without a fight. You can try to kill me, but others have found I don’t die easily, and I’ll make sure you never get near Delgado again.”

Sykes giggled malevolently. “Don’t be scared, Todd. Killing you isn’t what I had in mind.” Todd’s eyes narrowed dangerously as the detective took a step forward, giving up any pretense of humor. “Oh no. Death is too easy for you, and I’ll have to fight your memory again like I did all those months after you ran out on your wife. No, nothing so subtle. You see, I made a few phone calls and I know all about the little package the Chicago police dug up in the backyard of your boyhood home.” His clear eyes flashed in satisfaction as Todd’s face dissolved in fury.

“You shut up about that, you disgusting….” He raised his hands to the detective’s neck, stopping just short of grabbing him. Several diners turned to look at the two men, their eyes wide. After standing posed like that for a few moments, Todd slowly lowered his hands to his sides, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

“Hit a nerve, did I? Well guess what? I don’t buy that bull about your old man offing the girl. I’m going to make it my goal in life to dig up some evidence that will put you away for the rest of your life, Manning. After that it won’t be hard to convince Téa and everyone else around you that you made up that little ‘recovered memory’ to save your ass. After all, you are a convicted perjurer.” Todd stared at him, struck dumb by the overt evil in the man’s eyes. Sykes licked his lips. “Oh yes, you won’t have your lovely ex-wife visiting you in prison and lamenting your fate when she finds out what a conniving liar you really are. It will just blow her little world to pieces, finding out you duped her again. She’ll need someone to lean on during the crisis. Someone like the cop who discovered just what depths of sewage you’ll sink to, Manning.” Sykes stepped past Todd, who stood rooted to his spot, trembling with rage. Twisting his head as he went by, Sykes leaned over to whisper in his ear. “But this time, Counselor Delgado is going to get a little surprise. I’m through being her doormat. First, she’ll pay for keeping me waiting for months while she mooned around over scum like you. Then she’ll learn that I’m not such a nice guy……….in the bedroom.”

The final shreds of Todd’s self control snapped, and he whirled around, murder in his eyes. He lunged for the tall detective, but came up short as Cristian Vega stepped between the two men, holding them apart and showing amazing strength for one so young. Sykes immediately stepped back, leaving Cristian to struggle solely with an enraged Todd. The two of them scuffled back and forth, drawing the attention of the whole diner. Gaining partial control of himself, Todd spotted Téa staring at them with tears in her eyes. She whirled and ran out the door, her lip trembling. Todd pushed Cristian away from him, locking eyes with Sykes, who was watching them with a satisfied grin. “Get off of me,” said Todd through gritted teeth.

“Fine. Téa paid your bill, so get out of here,” spat Cristian. Todd noticed Carlotta and most of the diners looking at him with a mixture of fear and loathing. Fixing his face with a look of complete disinterest, he walked down the aisle, turning toward the door.

“Not so fast, Manning,” said Sykes in a booming voice as he stepped in front of Todd. Turning to Carlotta he said, “Mrs. Vega, this man has assaulted your son and disrupted your business. You have every right to press charges. Just say the word and I’ll take him down to the station now.” He grinned triumphantly at Todd, reaching into his pocket to pull out his police radio.

Todd didn’t blink an eye, although the icy hand of fear gripped his heart. “I didn’t assault anyone, Sykes, and you are the one who disrupted my meal, not the other way around. Of course, you’ve never bothered with tiny things like the truth.” Sykes looked at him with disgust.

“Well, Carlotta?” he prompted, brandishing the radio. “Shall I make the call, and send this scum back to where he belongs?” Todd stuck his chin out and glared at the diner owner, an angry scowl on his face. But as Carlotta frowned at him, her perceptive eyes had no trouble seeing the terror that lurked just below the surface of his defiance. Her son Antonio was also an ex-con, and like Todd, his pride and his temper were a constant source of trouble. As she thought of her eldest child and the suffering he had endured in prison, somehow she just couldn’t bring herself to send another man back to jail on the very day he had earned his release. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.

“For Téa’s sake, and for your beautiful little daughter, I’ll overlook your behavior this time,” she said angrily. “But get out now and never come back here again.” Sykes began an exasperated protest as Todd strolled slowly to the door, smirking victoriously in his direction. “And stay away from Téa,” flung Carlotta at his back. “You’ve already hurt her enough. She doesn’t need any more of your kind of trouble.” Todd stopped in the doorway, flinching slightly at her words. After a brief pause, he left without making a sound, glaring at the nosy patrons one last time.

Outside, he quickly slipped into an alley, flinging himself against a wall as he shook with suppressed rage. He was enraged at Sykes for goading him into losing his temper and he was annoyed at Téa for the unspoken reproach he had seen in her eyes. But most of all, he hated himself for allowing the slimy detective to get within his carefully constructed defenses. “This has to be a record,” he thought. “Two hours out of jail and I already lose it.” He glanced at his watch. He was due at the hospital in half an hour for his first post jail therapy session with Susannah. Breathing a little more easily at the thought of his unshakable psychiatrist, he began to calm down. He mulled over the events of the day as he began the long walk to the hospital.

“Delgado may be through with me, Syko,” he thought. “But you’re not getting anywhere near her. I swear it.”

TO BE CONTINUED

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