"How about a second opinion? My R&Ds were developing various hospital equipments and applying some highly advanced medical treatments for cases like yours.", Roarke suggested. "Or if you want, I can refer you to one of the best cardio specialists in the world."

"No need, Roarke. Several doctors offered me some alternate solutions, but I decided not to undergo surgeries anymore.", Don Miguel replied.

“Even though I have a congenital heart disease, got few bypass surgeries, and then nurtured in a mafia world wherein killings and criminal activities were norms, I’m lucky I survived this far. But what happened three years ago changed my views, and that accident - or should I say, a murder attempt – had me thinking; what would be the first thing that I will regret of not doing if I die? The answer? Her."

Don tapped a finger on his cane’s sculpted handle. "I was comatosed for a month, and almost fell into half paralysis. And even though that’s not the first time I escaped death, the situation was an eye opener – that no matter how rich and successful a person was, without a thing called 'family', he's nothing."

Roarke sensed Eve's hand linked to his, feeling her golden band on his skin.

He clasped her firmly.

Eve was Roarke’s first family, and she to him. And despite the careers and friends they have, both lived an empty life before they found each other.

That’s why it was easy for them to empathize Don Miguel.

“I have several cousins and distant relative. I built a strong clan, a famiglia that’s willing to die for my sake. They have showed me an overwhelming love that’s been denied to me since childhood, yet still, I feel empty.”

There were gleaming tears on the Don’s eyes. “That’s why I wanted to see her. Not only because I have some health complications, but because after all these years, I still loved her.”

Eve wanted to say something but interrupted when her communicator beeped. It was Peabody.

“I guess my one-hour lunch date with you is over.”, Don Miguel chuckled, dabbing a tissue on his eye. He raised his hand for the bill. “Don’t even attempt to refund me, Roarke. I promised the Lieutenant that this will be my treat.”

“Of course.”, Roarke sighed.

“Don Miguel.”, Eve suddenly spoke. She wanted to reach his hand and touch him, but stopped herself. Instead she clenched her now-muted communicator. “If ever we found her, and you realized she’s not what you expected her to be, that she’s fucked-up and damaged – will you still accept her?”

“What kind of assumption is that, Lieutenant?”

Roarke wanted to say it, but the Don beat him first.

“She’s mine – no matter what.”, the Don answered with a smile. “You may not believe this, but this is my first time sharing a personal information to a cop, even asking some help to a cop. We live to bend the laws, Lieutenant, but instead of having an awkward feeling towards this conversation, I feel relaxed. It’s weird.”

“Same goes to me, Don Miguel. Hearing a confession from a mafia boss.”, she grinned.

When she got up, Ramon walked towards them and bowed like a thank you gesture. She and Roarke was about to leave the table when the Don called her name.

“Eve, if ever you found her, and if she realized how bad I was leaving her with that woman, after learning about my murky life, will she ever forgive me?”

It took her an ounce of strength and control to look back and reply. “She will only see a loving father who did everything to save her.”

When they’ve reached the DLE’s parking slot, Eve tagged Peabody. She creased her brows when she saw her eating a soydog.

“Since when did I allow you to indulge yourself eating shamelessly while reporting?”

Peabody gulped the last piece. “Hey, I tagged you before. You disconnected it. Besides, it’s lunchtime.”, she reasoned, then creased her brows towards the monitor. “You’re not in Central.”

“I have something to assist.”, she replied. “What’s Morris’ take on our vic?”

“Our Spanish dude suffered lots of trauma and mutilation pre-mortem, earning you an A+ from Morris. He said you don’t need a ME anymore.”

“Tell him I don’t have an inclination to shift a career.”

“Roger that. Anyways, vic has several burned scars from an electrical wirings, then punched needles like the one used in acupuncture, aiming the muscles instead of veins. Blunt object was used to break his joints and ribs, and it was post. Some details were quite morbid, and I don’t want to discuss it further while eating my lunch, so I forwarded the whole autopsy data to your unit.”

“How about my theory about drug-poisoning?”

“I’m on my way to Dickie now. I don’t have any mag vehicle or even a desire to bust some traffic.”, Peabody said, then went serious. “I got the Unsub’s autopsy result from McQueen’s case. I forwarded you a copy to your unit as well.”

“What’s the report?”

“You know what”, Peabody began, “I can’t believe how mag ME nowadays for checking women’s corpses. They have this device that can read when’s her last menstruation, how many abortions she took and when, or even live births if it’s in normal or CS…”

“Peabody.”, Eve growled.

“Unsub gave a single birth during her mid-twenties. Normal delivery. No more prior and after that.”, she blurted. “Dallas?”

Eve closed her eyes. “Thanks Peabody. I’ll wait for your tox update.”.

Then she hung up.

When Eve slipped inside her DLE, Roarke was already sitting inside the passenger seat. He was toggling something on his PPC but stopped to observe Eve’s paled face.

“You got a transmission from Peabody?”

“Yeah. We bumped a hot case this morning – a Spanish dude who came from nowhere. No background or any visa records here, meaning he’s an illegal alien. Tortured to death and mutilated afterwards. Body was left to decompose in an alley where illegal busts often happened.”, she said while tapping a finger to the steering wheel. “I was supposed to do a house visit to his next kin at this moment, but his family’s in Spain and his work employment’s in Greece – in which I see bullshit. How can this guy be in Greece then gone to New York to be butchered? I tagged Feeney for verifying our internal records, and if there’s a tamper – ”

“I was referring the other one.”, Roarke interrupted and held her arm. She shivered.

“Stella gave birth only once. She might have subjected to several abortions but she gave birth to a single baby, Roarke, and it’s during her twenties. No more.”

Her voice hitched and looked at the warm blue eyes staring at her. “Do I have to be happy for the fact that I’m luckier compare to the babies she aborted, babies that could possibly be my brother or sister? That I owed my life to Richard Troy, the man who raped me, that if he didn’t think of using me for their illegal means, I will never be born in this world?”

He pulled her closer as she shuddered in his arms, calmed her and waited for a few minutes to speak.

“I have the DNA test results.”

She sprung away from him and shook her head. “I though the result will be in tomorrow.”

“I tagged it as urgent, after Don Miguel visited me this morning. We mainly discussed about business, but he shared some things about his woman, and his daughter. He confessed everything to me with complete confidentiality to protect the child’s welfare, and if abandoning his dark lifestyle and have a full-cooperation with the law could ensure her safety, then he’s willing to sacrifice everything.”

She looked at him and saw the warm blue eyes filled with tears. He was crying.

Roarke rarely cries, and Eve could count it with her fingers – one when she almost died when her vehicle exploded, another when his friend Mick died in his arms, then another when he told her about her biological mother Siobhan. And like her, his pouring emotions were overwhelming.

“Eve, I love you, and I don’t want to lose you. I haven’t open and read the results because I respect your decision in this, but I wanted you to know that no matter what happens, my feelings won’t change.”

She cupped his damp face and gave him a long, passionate kiss.

“Having you is enough.”

They looked at his PPC to read the authenticated DNA test result while holding hands.

It was positive.