MIT Campus, mid-December
Leo Russo
Leo went to the Bursar's office to pay his girlfriend Rita's tuition for the upcoming semester, since her parents had disowned her over her decision to move in with him in September. They wanted her focused on her studies, and didn't like her spending time with a man with no useful connections. Rita told them she loved him and never looked back
Sharing a double in Maseeh Hall meant they didn't need to deal with anyone else and their mess and noise… And with Rita there, it felt like home. It was really nice sharing his life with someone again.
Now Rita was worried about how she would pay since being cut off, so Leo offered her a "loan"… not that he would ever ask for repayment. He still had plenty of money. He was not a big spender, and she didn't have enough time to arrange other finance options. She had finally agreed today and he was here to settle her tuition for the current semester and put down a half payment on next semester and pay for their dorm room.
After the clerk took the paperwork to the back office to process, Leo heard voices in the hall just beyond the door. An office manager was telling a man with a thick Russian accent that he was mistaken, that his nephew, Alejandro Borbón-Caballero was not a registered student at MIT.
Leo's heart froze as he slid his eyes toward the man in the haul before averting his gaze.
He had not been Alejandro Borbón-Caballero since coming to Boston. And the man in the hall was unknown to him.
It could mean only one thing…
They had found him.
He tried to control his breathing while he stood with his back to the doorway. When the clerk came back with his receipt, he thanked the girl.
How odd. His voice sounded so normal. Was he just getting used to this crazy life on the run…
And now after three semesters of hard work, he had to run…AGAIN!
He quickly made a mental list of the things he would need to do. A trip to the bank to empty the safety deposit box, and then he needed to find Rita. He owed it to her to tell her what was going on… And he would need to withdraw from next semester's classes, so he needed to see his faculty advisor.
And he had his Stats final first thing in the morning… He couldn't disappear before taking it- he did not want to take an incomplete in case he could actually return to finish his degree. At least it was his last exam…
He would need a place to crash tonight away from the dorms. At least they didn't have his new name yet. His lab partner had asked him to cram tonight... That might serve...
He was waiting for Rita after her exam, and they found a small unoccupied classroom. After he explained things to her, she was silent for several minutes. He had only ever shared the basics of his history with her, but now he asked her if she wanted to know the whole story.
"If you tell me everything and then vanish, I become a threat to you. And I never see you again."
"Rita, they can't know about us… It would make you a target." The thought of these men hurting her caused him physical pain.
"Anybody who knows you knows we are together, so I am already in danger." Rita was so calm. He didn't understand how she was so calm.
"If you run with me you wouldn't be able to talk to anyone, possibly forever. I can't ask you to do that."
"My family already gave up on me. And we can't stay here, no matter what we decide to do." Rita took Leo's hand in her own. "My exams are already finished, so I can come with you for the break. We don't have to decide everything right now."
"She is so smart. So amazing." Leo thought to himself as he fiddled with his ring. After being alone since his grandmother died, he loved the idea she might come with him. But it was so much to give up. She couldn't know what it would be like. But she was right. They needed to move, and could decide the rest later.
"Okay, take this cash and buy several pay-as-you-go phones and some clothes. After you pack only the essentials in a backpack, find a place off campus to sleep tonight. Don't go back to the dorm room in case they figure out who I am." Leo found himself ticking off the items on the list in his head.
"What about your things?" Rita asks gently.
"I always have my essentials with me." Leo spun the ring as he spoke. "I always have to be ready to walk away."
"I'm frightened for you, Leo." Rita's voice is a whisper.
Leo kissed her. "As long as we are smart, we'll be fine. I promise."
"I need a moment of your time, sir." Professor Bernstein looked up from the papers he was grading and took in the young man in the doorway. Leo Russo was a good student, very bright, earnest…He would do great things in his future. He waved the young man to the chair before his desk.
"Professor, I need to return to Europe, a family emergency has come up… But I would like to ensure I can return and finish my degree and for graduate school." Leo twisted his signet ring, a nervous habit, as he told the story he created as a reason to withdraw.
"You need to take a leave of absence, I can talk you though the process." Bernstein pulled up the page on the MIT website. "You are still interested in the Leaders for Global Operations dual degree?"
"Yes sir. My hope is to return in the fall semester."
"And you have finished your coursework for this semester?"
"My final in Statistics and Probability is in the morning. I plan to leave once I finish."
"You're in 16.09?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well this is what you will need to do…"
As Leo left the Registrar after a process that felt like he had promised away a kidney, he was withdrawn from his Spring classes and needed to center himself and calm his mind so he could complete the exam tomorrow. He had worked too hard to take an incomplete. But he was worried.
The Bank was his next stop and when the safety deposit box was empty, he headed to the Dewey library and set himself up in a corner before opening his laptop.
He started to search the personal ads in the Trentonian. Scrolling back through the months of issues, he felt his heart begin to race and grew anxious. It wasn't there- the ad he was supposed to look for, if he was in trouble. Then he came to the issue describing the murder of Vito Grizzoli and his body guard. As soon as he saw the body guard's picture, a small sob escaped him. No wonder there was no ad. No coded message of where he should go if in trouble.
The last link to his old life had been killed… months ago. As the tears fell, he shook. He felt so vulnerable.
He was alone.
Going through his backpack, he found the envelope that contained instructions for what to do if he found himself without other options. An escape of last resorts. He tucked it into the inside pocket of his long wool coat and packed up all his things- everything from this life that he would take with him.
He made his way to the off campus apartment of his lab partner, who was desperately cramming for tomorrow morning's exam. He joined his friend and they crammed till three in the morning then crashed for a few hours. On waking, they ate and dressed and made their way to the exam hall.
Leo took a seat in the middle of the lecture hall and then gave all his concentration to the exam. The Math problems, each one a puzzle, drew his mind away from the coming changes and he felt a calmness come over him. Math was solid. Reliable. Constant.
The exam was challenging, but he was still the first one finished. In fact he was finished so early that the TA thought he had a question.
Rita was waiting for him. It was clear she hadn't slept well. He led her to the Red Line station. Once on the train, he took a deep breath.
"Where are we going?" Rita asked tentatively.
"RangeMan Securities. They will be able to move us out of Boston unseen." Leo said, handing her the letter, his last from his grandfather. He looked down at the ring, given to him by the man. He spun it and said a prayer for this man he loved. "They will keep us safe."
Boston RangeMan
Ramon
It's been months here in Boston for a lot of us Trenton guys, and the guys that didn't come here are down in Miami. After what happened to Ranger, Tank decided to bring in staff that we were fairly confident were not on the list of guys the Russian were trying to locate. And while the beach in Miami is nice, I have been enjoying the change of scene.
It was also nice not to be on full alert 24/7, which was how we have been rolling since Vito was shot. I think Tank and Trenton PD was hoping things might quiet down a little with the staff change-up. I don't know if that is true or not, but I for one would like to see this whole nightmare resolved. At least Ranger is getting better… or at least he is in good enough shape to join the virtual meetings alongside Bombshell. And this week, Bombshell and Tank were here for our reviews. And after her meeting with Alexander Ramos, we had been told about the possibility of Ranger's kid reaching out to us.
So today, I am assigned to the lobby, and I am trying not to take it personal. It's just so freaking boring but they need one of us long term guys at the desks of each of our offices. My Ranger skills are deteriorating every minute I sit here acting like a doorman. Unlike Trenton, Boston was all about the upscale corporate image, calm and professional.
The lobby door swung open, and a young, maybe college-aged kid wearing an MIT sweatshirt walked in with a girl and made his way to the desk by the elevator bank where I was sitting. I wondered if they were lost.
"Excuse me, sir," The kid had an accent I couldn't quite place. Not Italian, not Greek, but as I looked him over, I noted he had a Mediterranean vibe. "I was referred to your company by Alexander Ramos. I would like to meet with your CEO, Mr. Manoso."
My mouth hung open for several minutes as I really took in the boy's features, dazzling green eyes and a face that could have been Ranger in his teens…then I picked up the phone.
"Bombshell, I need you in the lobby ASAP. He's here."
Unfucking believable!
