AN – Thank you so much for all your reviews, what a nice welcome. I've never had so many reviews for just one chapter!
***
"You've never called me on this before," Roma raises a brow. "Why now?
"Because I need to." Face said simply.
"Sit." Roma says briefly, nodding at the overstuffed leather chair.
Face rises gracefully from his knees, meticulously smoothing the non existent creases in his jeans, before sinking into the chair and crossing his legs, as if this was an afternoon at the country club, rather than the office of one of the most dangerous criminals in LA.
"You want me to kill someone?" Roma asks.
He sounds like he's offering to run down to the grocery store. It takes all my self control not to drop him where he stands.
"If that was all I needed, I could do it myself." Face assures him smoothly.
I see B.A. raise his eyebrows at that.
"So, why are you here?" Roma sits behind his desk.
I listen as Face outlines the problem. Normally, I would go out of my way to avoid dealing with a man like Roma. But this time its necessary. And its not like we're actually asking for anything. All the plan requires is that he turns a blind eye and let us do our stuff.
"You want to call in your marker for that?" Roma frowns.
"Well, if you feel like being neighbourly .." Face smiles his most charming smile.
Damn me if the kid isn't trying to scam Roma after all. I'd be proud, if I was so busy feeling pissed, right now.
"You want me to do this out of the goodness of my heart, Vinnie?" Roma clarifies.
I frown, not recognising the name as any alias I've ever heard Face use.
"Only if you want to." Face shrugs.
Roma gives him an appraising look and the corner of his mouth quirks just a little.
"My offers still open you know. Anytime you wanna come work for me, I'll make it worth your while."
"Is that a yes?" Face pushes his luck.
"I guess, I owe you that." Roma agrees.
"How is Joey?" Face asked, as if they were still having the same conversation.
"He's good." Roma smiles, a little sadly. "I take good care of him."
"He's lucky to have you," Face stands up, as if bringing the meeting to a close. "Mind if I let myself out?"
"Why don't I ask the boys to escort you?" Roma offers, leaning over to press a buzzer. "This is a big place. It wouldn't do to get lost."
"Ah," Face said diffidently. "I don't suppose I could have my guns and things back?"
***
B.A and I make it back to the van without incident. He waits until we are safely inside and on our way to the rendezvous, before voicing what we are both thinking.
"That weren't like no scam Faceman ever pulled before."
"Well, at least we know why he wasn't bothered about wearing a disguise." I sigh.
"How'd he ever hook up with a dangerous low life like Roma?" B.A. worries. "It ain't right Hannibal."
I've been worrying about that myself. If Face has been meeting with the likes of Roma, then as his commanding officer, I want to know about it.
Although, I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something.
And then I realise. "Roma called him Vinnie." I declare.
"Faceman use all kinds of crazy names." B.A. dismisses that.
"B.A.," I grin smugly, having arrived at, at least part, of the answer. "What was Face's name when he first arrived at the Orphanage?"
"Weren't no body who knew what his name was," B.A. recalled. "So, they called him after that Priest, who'd just died .."
"Alvin Brenner." I nodded.
B.A. giggled. "Faceman sure don't look like no Alvin."
"And if you wanted a nick-name for a kid named Alvin, growing up in an Catholic Italian neighbourhood?"
"He knew Roma when they were kids?" B.A. frowned. "That don't make no sense Hannibal. What could a kid do, that a guy like Roma would remember all this time?"
"I don't know, Sergeant," I reply, cupping my hand as I light my cigar. "But I intend to find out."
***
He's waiting for us, as arranged, at the Beach House that we are using this week.
"You forget to pick up Murdock." He quips nervously.
"That's because he still back at the V.A., fool," B.A. retorted. "Weren't nothing on that roof opposite, but pigeons and they didn't have no rifle."
"Roma didn't know that." Face shrugs.
"Give us a moment, will you B.A?" I ask smoothly.
"Aw, c'mon Colonel, what did you expect?" Face has obviously decided that the best defence is a good offence. "You think I learnt to pick locks and crack safes on a Sunday School outing?"
"Who's Joey?" I ask casually.
His head comes up sharply and its clear that isn't the question he was expecting. I feel a small glow of satisfaction at having caught him off guard.
It might actually mean I get some answers.
"Um. He's Roma's younger brother."
"How do you know him?"
"He lived at the Orphanage for a while," Face sighed. "Till they found him a place in a special school."
"You mean like reform school?" I blink, not having expected that.
"No, Joey was ..different," Face explained. "They said he was just born like that, Roma always said it was because their Dad had beat up on him when he was little. He was good at football and stuff, but you had to go slow with him. Make sure he understood things right." Face shivered.
"Where was Roma when Joey was in the Orphanage?" I pushed a little.
"Around," Face ran a hand through his hair, an uncharacteristically nervous gesture, "He was sixteen when their Mom died, so when they refused to let him keep Joey he took off on his own, but he'd come visit and bring us sodas and ice-creams and stuff."
"Did you kill someone for him?" I ask lightly.
"No! Hannibal!" he looks at me, his face covered in shock.
"Steal something?" I amend.
"No." he shakes his head, but he can see where I am going with this now.
"Find his lost cat?" I offer.
"No." He rolls his eyes.
"Then how bad can it be?" I ask gently.
He goes sheet white. And I realise that, whatever it is, it is very bad indeed.
***
"We weren't supposed to be in there," Face pressed his lips together. "We'd been told time and time again. No playing ball in the Church. But it was cold and raining and we'd just run inside for a few minutes, … and then someone started tossing the ball around .."
Face paused.
"You know, I can't even remember his name. He didn't stay long .. afterwards. Father Maghill saw to that."
"Afterwards?" I bite down hard on the end of my cigar. I don't like the sound of this. Don't like it at all,
"Its not like we hadn't been warned." Face sounded like a child, trying to justify the actions of a parent. "I remember, when he first set the Bible up on the lectern, he told us over and over about how rare, and precious, and expensive, it was, and we'd get the hiding of our lives if we laid so much as a dirty finger on it." Face shuddered.
"What happened kid?" I ask gently.
"It wasn't Joey's fault .." Face faltered. "He didn't mean to miss the pass, but the ball hit the lectern, and the Bible went flying across the room. We tried to fix it, but all the pages were ripped and torn. We were just sitting there trying to work out what to do, when he came in . God, he was so angry .. Joey had no idea what he had done wrong .. I couldn't let him take the blame …and it wasn't like I'd never been punished before .. I figured how bad could it be?"
I didn't need to ask.
We all have scars, from Nam. Some more visible than others. But Face brought his with him. In his pain and in the thin white scars on his back, like someone had taken a belt to a terrified kid and beat the crap out of him.
He never said anything about them. And after the Camps, frankly, I had other reasons to worry about him.
But I'd never forgotten.
And, neither, it seemed had Roma.
"You know, I look at Roma and I think, there but for the grace of God .." Face said quietly.
For a moment, I'm at a loss how to answer that. They grew up in the same neighbourhood, meeting the same people, acquiring the same unorthodox skills. It would have been all too easy for Face to have followed in Roma's footsteps as a bona fide full blown criminal.
Except for one crucial difference.
"You are nothing like that low life, kid." I say with quiet sincerity. "And you never have been."
"Hannibal .."
I cut him off. Turning slightly so I can look him straight in the eye.
"Ask yourself this, Face. If that had been someone else's brother, would Roma have volunteered to take the punishment in their place?"
"Probably not." Face admits reluctantly.
"Probably?" I'm not letting him off the hook that easily.
"OK, he wouldn't, alright?" Face makes a face at me. "Happy now?"
"Not quite," I say smoothly. "There's still the little matter of you putting yourself needlessly at risk, Lieutenant."
"Aw, c'mon Colonel .." Face tries to protest. "Its not like Roma was any real threat and .."
"We'll see if you still feel like that after a couple of circuits of my new obstacle course."
"What? Hannibal!" he splutters.
"You want to try for three circuits?" I raise a brow. "Or maybe, one circuit for each of the weapons you gave up?"
"Ah. Does this mean I shouldn't tell you about the ones I took off Roma's goons?" Face offers innocently.
"You didn't?"
I feel the proud grin spread across my face before I can stop it.
"Face, my boy. You never cease to amaze me."