CHAPTER 176 To Grieve Or To Forget

*Lisa*
*Chicago*

"I want to know everything De Vega said and don't leave anything out, Lisa," my mother instructed. "What exactly did he tell you? Did he mention anything about Pete's capo?"

"No, he didn't mention anything about Pete's capo. Our conversation was, uhm, confusing, Mother, and unproductive," I answered, sitting on the bed beside the pillow where Link's note lay.

"What do you mean confusing and unproductive?" She asked impatiently. "Tell me. What did he say?"

"As I said, De Vega wasn't entirely forthcoming," I reiterated, knowing De Vega didn't make any sense. "When I asked him if he had anything to do with Cris' disappearance, he laughed at me, Mother, and told me he wasn't stupid to touch anyone connected with an Ortiz. He, then, went on to say whatever debt Cris and Pete owed his niece was already paid in full and warned me that Pete was out for blood."

"De Vega warned... you?" My mother interjected. "Do you think Pete blames us for his mother's death?"

"I don't think that's what De Vega meant, Mother. Pete and Cris, those two were so close," I asserted. "I believe what he meant to say was stay out of Pete's way. Anyway, before he shooed me away, De Vega confirmed Pete is located somewhere near New Salem and that he is with two men. One named Nestor Villegas and another named Lorenzo." I heard my mother gasp in surprise.

"Lorenzo, that *pendejo*, is here in North Dakota?!" My mother roared. "*¡Tu puta madre*!"

"Who's Lorenzo, Mother? And why are you so angry?" I asked, startled by the rage in her voice. My mother was usually a calm woman. The only time she ever became angry with me was when I tried to weasle my way out from helping Cynthia acquire land from George Taylor.

"He's no one you should concern yourself with," my mother answered slyly, quickly regaining her composure, however, her words were laced with venom. She held a grudge against this Lorenzo. "Just leave everything to your dear ol' mama. I will fix this, even if it means I'll have to make myself available to the organization... again. What time does your flight arrive?"

"Around noon, give or take."

"I have to make several important phone calls, but I'll be picking you up at the airport, dear," she replied. "If I'm late, do not, under any circumstance, get into any other car. For now, all I can tell you is Lorenzo is here to do my half-sister's dirty work. Call me once you check in at O'Hare airport. Stay safe, *mi hija*."

"Okay, Mother. Good-" I wasn't able to say goodbye. She hung up on me.

It was all confusing and unproductive *for me*. That was my parents' fault.

I glanced at my watch. My driver was scheduled to arrive in fifteen minutes. I reverted my attention back to the note sitting pristinely on the pillow. I picked it up, gently brushing my fingers along the smooth surface of the paper, my thoughts quickly wandering back to yesterday.

"Sure, Bo, I'll see you when I get back..." I heard Link say as I reached up from behind him.

I tapped him on his shoulder, interrupting his conversation, and waved hello, happy to see him. However, I instantly regretted walking up to him once I caught a glimpse of myself in a nearby mirror.

*Fuck*! *I was dressed for a girls' day out*!

Link quickly ended his phone call without even saying goodbye to Bo and grinned, showing me his dazzling white teeth. The pinstriped blue suit he was wearing complemented his chiseled good looks. Just looking at him made me salivate.

And I wasn't the only one. I noticed a sexy blonde smiling seductively in his direction. I heaved a sigh.

*He was so handsome in his expensive suit while I looked so ordinary in this dress*.

I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, frustrated I didn't even care to tie my hair up into a neat bun to make myself look presentable... at the very least.

"Lisa! It's so nice to see a familiar face," he said, leaning down and kissing me on my cheek. The sweet gesture eased my embarrassment, allowing me to relax. "What brings you to Chicago?"

"Business," I lied, smiling shyly. I couldn't tell him I was looking for Cris. "And... I need to buy a yellow dress for Liam and Virtue's wedding. I'm a bridesmaid."

"I see. You're here with your husband I assume?" He asked nonchalantly, his eyes looking around in search of Cris.

My brow furrowed while the corner of my lips curved downward into a deep frown at the sudden mention of my husband. *Didn't he know*?

My troubled expression didn't go unnoticed. "I'm sorry, Lisa. Is there something I should know? I left New Salem quite unexpectedly last Sunday. After the, ah, incident at Highland Oaks, I decided to stay in my condo unit in Bismarck."

*Silly me*. I wanted to hit myself on the forehead. I completely forgot. At the pub, Chip made mention Link was out of town, but left out all the juicy details. Apparently, he left to recover from the massacre.

"I should be the one apologizing, Link," I said, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "The massacre... it slipped my mind."

He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. Instead, he placed a hand over mine and began rubbing his palm against the back of my hand.

That's when I saw the sadness in the depths of his eyes. Poor baby... he was traumatized. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and...

I suddenly felt this jolt of electricity from where he was touching me. It flowed throughout my body, making my skin tingle, my heart race, and my breathing shallow. For a second, time stood still, and as he continued to caress my hand, that familiar ache between my legs became so palpable, I imagined him fucking me from behind...

*Thrust*, *after thrust*, *after thrust*.

I quickly pulled my hand away, blushing to the roots of my hair. I averted my face, coughing in an attempt to hide my dirty little thoughts.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "Do you need a glass of water?" He gestured to the hotel's hostess for some water.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine," I quickly replied while regaining my composure and thinking of what to say. "I'm sorry about that. What were we talking about again?"

"I was asking you where your husband is," he answered.

I didn't know where to start or how to explain that I was now a widow. Maybe I should just blurt it out. "Right, my husband. You see, it's, uhm, a long, complicated story."

"I have time," Link replied, pointing to the recently vacated sofa. "Why don't we have a seat?"

I nodded and sat down while he took a seat beside me. The sofa was so small, our thighs touched, sending a shiver down my spine. I quickly lowered my head, hoping he wouldn't notice the red in my cheeks.

"So, tell me, what has happened since I've been away? I've been meaning to call you, but I had business to take care of," Link said, his voice gentle and coaxing. I sighed and turned my head to face him. He deserved to know a bit of the truth.

"To make a long story short, Cris, my husband, he left for a conference last week, but he, uhm, never came back home. I tried calling him on his cell, but it kept going to voicemail. So, I asked Jack to help me find him and he told me to file a missing persons report. Soon after filing a report, Jack informed me Bismarck City Police found Cris' car parked at Elk's Cliff, but there was no sign of Cris-"

I stopped, swallowing the lump in my throat. Talking about Cris was painful for me. Sensing my hesitation, Link placed a comforting hand on my arm, urging me to continue.

"They did find him, right?" Link asked, concerned. I shook my head, lowered my eyes, and took a deep breath. Although I was happy to be out of a bad marriage, the circumstances of Cris' disappearance did hurt me.

"Last Monday morning, two detectives of the Bismarck Police showed up on my doorstep and they said they believe Cris committed suicide," I answered, making the effort to sound as mournful as a widow should be.

His hand moved down from my arm to my hand, his expression deeply saddened. I knew it was wrong, but his touch sent another shiver up and down my spine. I quietly chastised myself for reacting like a hormonal teenager.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Lisa," he uttered in a soothing voice. "I can't imagine what you're going through. Is this why you flew to Chicago? To grieve or maybe to forget?"

"Somewhat," I answered, quickly thinking of a way to change the subject. I wanted to avoid the subject of my husband altogether, especially when I was around Link. "Were you just on the phone with Bo? How's everything back home?"

"Ah, yeah, everything is fine back in New Salem. We were just talking about the festivities happening and of course, the upcoming nuptials of Mayor Cohen and Ms. Sullivan," he replied, winking at me, making my heart flutter in my chest. "He also mentioned Virtue and Kiki are here in Chicago to pick up Virtue's wedding gown. I told him I'd try to find them, but since I'm leaving tomorrow, I thought I'd do some sightseeing. Would you care to join me?" My eyes instantly widened in disbelief.

I couldn't believe it. He was asking me to be with him instead of looking for Virtue and Kiki. I know Link had mentioned Virtue was out of his league, but what man wouldn't want to surround himself with beautiful women?

And they were two of the most gorgeous women I have ever met.

I decided not to tell him that I had planned to surprise Virtue at Vera Wang. I know it was selfish of me, but I wanted his undivided attention.

"Sure, but I need to buy a yellow dress first," I said, wondering if he would agree to accompany me.

"You won't mind if I tag along then?" He asked unexpectedly. I secretly pinched myself, making sure I wasn't dreaming.

"No, of course not. It would be nice to have a friend with me. Unless you need to go see Virtue or Kiki?" I asked, giving him a chance to back out.

He scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.

"I'll see them back in New Salem. Today, it'll just be you and me." He pulled me up from the sofa and placed my right hand within the crook of his arm.

Honestly, I felt anxious. What if Cris was actually here and sees me with Link? I'd probably notice him before he noticed me. A tall man like Cris wasn't hard to miss.

I pushed my fears aside and gently rested my hand on Link's muscular arm. I felt his muscles involuntarily contract under the cloth of his suit.

*I affected him as much as he affected me*! This made me feel extremely pleased.

They say, you only get one great love in your lifetime.

Maybe mine wasn't Cris. Maybe it was Link.

_______________

*Link*

"The co-pilot has asked me to prepare you for our descent," the female flight attendant announced while gathering our used ceramic cups and glasses. "We will be landing in Mandan Municipal Airport in twenty minutes."

At the sound of her voice, Sam suddenly woke up startled, as if he had forgotten he was on a plane. He rubbed his drowsy red eyes with his fingers, then shook his head vigorously to wake up.

Lou and Jake were seated across from us. Both were fast asleep and unaware of their loud snoring. If this were a competition, I'd say it was a tie.

I sighed. As for me, I couldn't sleep.

"Trouble sleeping?" Sam asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"I dozed off for a bit, but woke up. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't," I answered, avoiding his eyes.

"That bad, huh?" Sam scoffed. "Judging by that troubled look on your face... One, you like her and two, you discovered something that puts her on our shit list." He leaned towards me, covering his mouth with his hand. "I don't need to remind you why we're here, Link."

"I know why we're here, Sam, and you've got it all wrong. I don't like her," I remarked, flat out denying his *allegation*. He shook his head and laughed.

"I wasn't born yesterday, Counselor," Sam replied. "You developing *feelings* for Murdock's widow poses a problem... A problem Beaufort isn't going to be too happy about. If you betray us, Beaufort isn't going to think twice. He'll take a knife and shove it through your skull."

*Thanks for the news flash*, *Sam*.

"I'm not going to betray the organization, Sam," I vowed while I fastened my seatbelt. The plane was taking its final descent. I looked outside my window and saw the tarmac below. I'll be facing Beaufort soon.

"I'll take your word for it," Sam said, sighing. "My advice, wipe that sappy look off your face. Beaufort might not see it, but Domenico and Primo might. And watch yourself at the wedding. JT can sense a lovesick puppy a mile away."

I rubbed my forehead with my fingers.

I had to remind myself that Lisa was the enemy.