Work Text:
Truth and Heartaches
by Aiden
Danny spotted a car in his private parking spot in front of his apartment building, "What the fuck." He stopped and looked at the car trying to spot if there was a sign hanging from the rear view mirror that allowed the person to park there, not that he was allowed to park his car in a private parking spot anyways. He didn't see any and honked a few times because he could see there was still someone in the driver's seat. He opened his window and started to shout, "Hey would you please move your car that's my spot!" the guy didn't budge and Danny became really angry. "Hey move it! Okay that's it," he shut his car off and opened the door, took his chair out, unfolded it and transferred from the car into it. He wheeled over to the other car ready to get into the guys face. "Hey you mother fucker get the hell…." He stopped his ranting when he spotted blood moving down the side of the guys head, "fuck," he moved further and saw him sitting there with his eyes wide open. "What the hell, he's dead."
~.~
"Hey Don, what do we have?" Mac walked up to the crime scene.
"Mac," he greeted the detective. "Male, caucasian, single gunshot wound to the head. Here is his ID," Flack handed him the victim's wallet.
"Who found him?"
"A Daniel Messer, said the guy parked in his parking spot," Mac looked at Don puzzled. "This apartment building has his private parking lot, that's Mr. Messer's spot."
Mac nodded, why did that name sounded familiar, and "where is Mr. Messer now?"
"In his apartment, ground floor number three."
Mac nodded at the detective and walked up to the building entering it. He walked trough another door and moved down a hallway, these where expensive apartments. He arrived at Mr. Messer's apartment and saw an officer standing next to the door, "Detective Taylor, my partner is with Mr. Messer. They are in the living room," Mac entered the apartment and heard voices.
"So you didn't know him?" he heard the officer ask.
"No I didn't, how many times are you going to ask me the same questions?" Mac stopped for a second, he knew that voice. No it couldn't be, what where the odds.
He walked into the room and saw the man he thought he would never see again sitting on the couch. "I'll take it from here officer, thank you."
The young man looked up and met his gaze, "hey you're the guy from Starbucks." When Mac moved closer to Danny he heard a growl coming from the corner of the room, "its okay girl, he's good people." Mac turned his head and saw the black lab he spotted in the car that morning." She can be a little overprotective," Danny smiled at the dog.
"That's okay, I'm detective Mac Taylor."
"So like I told the officer about a million times, I never saw that guy before. Have no idea what he was doing in my spot. You know who he is?"
Mac opened the wallet, "a Antonio Briagio," Mac looked at him.
"Shit," Danny cursed.
"You know him?"
"I knew his brother, from the old neighbourhood."
"And that is where?"
"Brooklyn, he was a runner for Sassone."
"Sonny Sassone?" Mac asked surprised.
"Nah his old man, Frank Sassone," it was obvious this cop knew about the Sassone's.
"How do you know so much about them?"
Danny shrugged his shoulders, "like I said we grew up in the same neighbourhood."
Mac kept looking at Danny not entirely convinced he was telling the truth. "Okay here is my card," he handed Danny his business card, "if you remember anything else contact me."
Danny nodded, "I will."
Mac stood and nodded his head before walking out, "Don," he addressed the detective as soon as he was outside, "find anything you can about Danny Messer and what his connections are with the Sassone's."
"I already did. Messer testified against Sonny Sassone, leader of the Tangelwood Boys, in a murder trial about twelve years ago." "That's why his name sounded so familiar," Mac stated.
Don nodded, "the Boys took revenge and beat him up pretty bad and Sonny is walking the streets again. His older brother is involved with the Tanglewood Boys and his dad has some business with them too. Nice family hey?"
So Mac's feelings where right, Danny wasn't entirely honest with him, "I have nothing to do with them," they both turned around and saw Danny moving towards them. A bitter laugh escaped his lips, "you know my old man didn't move a muscle when Sonny send his goons after me. Five guys against one and they had baseball bats."
"Is that how you…?" Mac started to ask.
Danny nodded, "yeah the moment I woke up in that ally I knew something was wrong, called my dad and you know what he said, 'you got what was coming to you, you're no son of mine'," Mac heard the bitterness in the young man's voice and felt his heart ache. He shrugged his shoulders, "they leave me alone now, I'm no threat to them."
"Is it possible that this is a message?" Don asked.
"I didn't even knew the guy," Danny retorted.
Mac looked at Don, "you think so?"
"It's possible, to make sure he keeps his mouth shut."
"I would never say anything and they know it, I want to stay alive."
"So you know things?" Mac asked.
"What if I do, you think I'm gonna say anything to you guys? Saying nothing kept me from ending up dead."
"And what if we could protect you?"
"Protect me against them, you've got to be kidding me. You know how many cops Sassone and my old man have in there pockets? Forget it not in a million years I'm gonna snitch on them." He turned around and entered the building.
Don looked at Mac, "if we could get him to talk we could put Sassone and the rest of them behind bars for a long time."
Mac sighed, "I know Don, I know." He looked at the building and thought about what Danny had said about his dad, still hearing the bitterness in his voice. His heart ached for this young man and he just wanted to protect him.
"Mac?" Don tried to get his attention, "Hey Mac, they're ready."
He jerked out of his thoughts, "okay let's wrap it up and get everything to the lab."
"You're okay?" Don looked intensely at his friend.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go." He glanced at the building one last time before getting into his car.
THE END???