{Cameo: Ulrich and Clover from Second Chances}

Richard drives back to the diner, stopping his car he stares ahead before he sighs and grabs the bag from the passenger seat and makes his way towards the diner with the sign close.

Opening the door, he stops to look around and his eyes lands on the girl behind the counter.

"Sorry, we are closed" the girl smiles and Richard walks in.

"I said we are closed" the girl speaks again but Richard just put his bag on one of the tables, before he looks behind the girl to find a man join her.

"Love, in the back" he orders and she stares from Richard to the man and walks back.

"Yo" Ulrich nods at Richard who nods back.

"You got something to eat?" Richard asks the man and Ulrich eyes Richard for some times, when he is done staring Ulrich walks behind to the kitchen and walks out with a plate.

Putting the plate in front of Richard, Ulrich takes a seat in front of Richard.

"What's the deal?" Ulrich asks Richard who taps on the bag on the table and Ulrich zips it open as he stares in and curses.

"The man I got it from is as good as dead, either I walk out of here with it or we exchange few things" Richard points and Ulrich sits back staring at Richard.

"What do you want?" Ulrich finally asks as Richard eats his food.

"I know you have right now million-dollar worth of drugs stacked at the back of the diner, if I made one call you along with your girl back will be as good as a dead meat in or out of jail"

"You here to threaten me?" Ulrich asks and Richard shakes his head no.

"But I also know you control the drugs supply in the town, you collect, stack it up and then destroy you. You are among the good people" Richard points and Ulrich taps his finger on the table and Richard eyes the wedding ring shining on the man's left finger.

"You went to jail for something that you did not do and I also know even if you proved you were innocent, there were people involved, people who are still alive and as much in power as they were back then"

"You walk in, threaten me and you think I will trust you? Never trusted a cop and don't plan to put trust in one" Ulrich states as he picks Richard's badge and throws at the plate he was eating from.

"You can go and make that call, because even if you do, no one can touch me and my wife. These..." Ulrich grabs a handful of drugs packets from the bag shaking it.

"These are not the only thing I control in this town" he finishes getting up and Richard sighs as he sits back and stare at Ulrich before he finally pulls out a card and puts it on the table and Ulrich stops to read it.

********

"Agent Richard Russo, FBI" Ulrich reads it out loud before he glances over at Clover who walks out to stand near the counter, worried lines formed in her face.

"At the back, Love" he asks and Richard glances back at the girl and he frowns as his eyes land on her swollen belly.

"I am not here to get him in trouble" Richard smiles politely at Clover who sighs before she stares at Ulrich and walks back.

"Few years back, I was assigned a case and as witness protection I was to marry a girl named Diana, only the men from my department knew the marriage was nothing but a cover. It was an act for few months but it turned into years. My higher ups did not let me get out of it giving me excuses that her life was in danger but not once did I find anything dangerous surrounding her...

So, I got around on my own, to see what was up. I got few leads on before they started to disappear, and one day she was gone, poof. No leads, no clue, when I questioned the officers, they just said she was somewhere safer. In midst of it, I started to get death threats to stop digging...

I had a bodyguard my father had on me, he tried to kill me but before he could I killed him. Just my luck I had an eye witness, she turned out to be fiancé of a man, who once dated Diana. Long story short, things became more unclear...

Why would the chief of police ask me to pretend I was married to a witness who turned out to be involved with one of the Price men, then shocker I found she had been threatening Damon Price and Throne Reynolds all these years with something she had hold on...

And I have been going round and round to figure out the connection and it goes, spreads everywhere, from Price family to Lucero's. This was not as simple as it seems and then few months back, I get a lead on this very case...

Someone on behalf of Lucero family came to give you a visit, the chance for you to set yourself free but they never gave me a name, I dug, trust me I dug hard but lips are sealed, doors are shut on that part. So, here I am, to know what did you exchanged for the freedom you are enjoying now Ulrich....

As it seems Diana was part of a ploy that was set by people who have no face, voice yet they are in command"

*********

"I cannot help you in this, sorry" Ulrich states as he tries to walk away but Richard stands and stops him.

"I am putting everything on line to know the truth, I was set up and right now the blame of the death of a man who set me up has put me in a place where I will lose everything. The Chief of police death is the talk of the town and only he and I know that I did not kill him...

But someone talked to you Ulrich, and I just want to know what you gave in return of your freedom" Richard asks.

"Look..."

"No, you look here, I came here not because I cannot get out of this mess on my own. I came here with a hope that you would understand the situation I am in" he asks and Ulrich sighs before he thinks on it and sits back.

"While I was in, we had a new prisoner, no one saw him physically, he was up next to my bunk. The guards did not bother him, his food was brought to him, he did not even peep a word, after few months the room was making him go crazy, so they let him out...

He did not jell up with anyone, just on his own, guards warned everyone off him. Then three months in he is found dead in the bathroom stall. Few men came, not police, something was off about it and the body is taken and as if nothing happened, now words from guards and trust me they love a good gossip...

He was charged for a rape, all I gave out was that he just stayed aloof, alone and no one bothered him"

"Just that?" Richard asks and Ulrich nods his head.

"Just that, that person I talked with gave me a possibility, I used that possibility after I got out"

"Anything else?" he asks and Ulrich shakes his head no.

"Do you know who was raped?" Richard asks and Ulrich shakes his head no.

"Not that it came from me, but rumors, Lucero was involved with this case" Ulrich points and Richard takes a deep breath before he nods and gets up.

"Thanks" Richard states as he pulls a bill out and Ulrich stops him.

"I think you paid me more than enough" he pats on the bag and Richard pulls his batch out before he nods and leaves the room.

*********

Scrolling through the phone, Richard checks on the call and messages of the man he killed few hours ago, with Ulrich he thought he would get some clue but it seems it was once again a blank wall.

Calling his brother, Richard closes his eyes and listens to the ring of the call.

"Her gifts will be delivered by tomorrow" Ricardo's teasing voice makes Richard smile as he opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling.

"It's a big wall, bro. Cannot break through it" he admits and Ricardo stays silent for a moment.

"Talk to me" Ricardo asks.

"Can you not tell me where Diana is? Last she was seen in Price place" he points.

"She is a full stop, Rich trust me I tried to make her talk, all she had was the video of the night Throne's parents were murdered and nothing else"

"Maybe there is more"

"Like?"

"A rape victim, it seems Lucero were all over it, don't have name or face who went in but this guy I met says Lucero were involved"

"And you trust his words?" Ricardo asks.

"He got many things to lose if he lied" Richard sighs rubbing his face.

"Let me check out who was the victim was"

"If I do not prove my innocence Rick, I will lose my batch" Richard points and Ricardo sighs.

"Come back home, we can handle it..."

"No, I can't. Not until I catch these bastards with my own hands and snap their necks"

"This seems more deeper than we bargained, Rich"

"I know, I have killed more people in the last week then I have caught the criminals"

"You got any plans?" Ricardo asks and Richard shakes his head.

"They have been handing me shitty cases for the past three years, cases with no leads, no clues just making me go round and round. They have been playing with my head and I am sick and tired of their games"

"Rich"

"I want to be clean, bro. I just want to solve cases, walk freely without anything holding me back" Richard confesses.

"But I think maybe this is my punishment, you know. For all the years I acted like an asshole to you and mom. I treated her like shit yet she kept loving me, keeps calling me her angel" Richard sighs.

"You do not get to do this through phone, Rich. Get a grip" Ricardo scolds.

"If they dig, they will find out I am a murderer, I really am. I did kill my surrogate mother" Richard states.

"I said get a grip" Ricardo warns.

"I have not been able to solve even one case for the past three years, Rick, each of them is sitting in pile on my table. And..."

"Fuck" Ricardo's curse makes Richard stop.

"Did we get him?" Richard asks hopefully and Ricardo sighs.

"No, just like us he has been keeping tab of the time" Ricardo growls in irritation and Richard groans as they had been talking and keeping eye on the time knowing someone was tracing their calls but before they could trace that person back, he was gone.

"You good?" Ricardo asks Richard who groans stretching his legs.

"Would have been better if we caught the bastard listening to our daily chats"

"Yeah, but whoever he is, is smart just before the time hits, he cuts the line"

"So, I guess they must have traced me back to Ulrich"

"Do we need to warn the man?" Ricardo asks.

"No, he is covered. But I need to find about that victim, Rick"

"I have already asked someone to look in to it, you stay careful, we will catch him" Ricardo assures as the brothers exchanges their goodbyes.

********

Richard stares at the board he had set trying to make a sense of the points and missing dots.

"Who would be at advantage if they had control over both the Lucero and Price?" he asks staring at the board.

"The Storm's? Russo's? Volkov's?" he asks not understanding when the missing points will start to make sense.

"Storm's are all talks no game, as for Russo's, maybe but Russo's are saviors not Leaders, as for Volkov's, they have more than enough to put their head out and look over others" Paige voice makes Richard turn at once as she puts a large duffel bag on the table.

"Paige?" he frowns and she smiles.

"I was around when dad got a call from Ricardo about where to find Naomi. Wherever she was, you would be there. I must say nice trick with the bathroom and coming back for the car later on"

"You have been following me? Why am I not surprised?" he asks as he folds his arms staring at her.

"Whatever you are doing, it will do no one any good, so wrap this up and go home" Paige asks him putting her hand on the table and bending a bit.

"I am scared" he rolls his eyes.

"You should be" she warns moving where the board was and both of them stares at it.

"What are you, Paige? A Price or a Lucero?" Richard asks and she glances his way before staring at the board again.

"None of them"

"It was you, was it not?" he asks turning aside to stare at her.

"What?"

"You were the one who went to meet Ulrich when he was in jail" Richard points making her sigh as she turns to face him.

"I will help you in proving your innocence with this whole mess and in return you will have to go back to your life as usual staring at the pile of unfinished cases on your table.

"So, it was you, who has been listening to my calls with my brother" Richard grins.

"Be glad it was just me and no one else, Richard"

"Who was the rape victim?" Richard asks and she walks back to where the duffel back was.

"That's none of your business"

"Who planted Diana?" he asks next and Paige pulls out a packet before she throws few pictures out for him to stare on.

"You step out of this mess; I will clear your name and this will never be the topic of discussion" Paige points at the pictures and Richard grins cheekily as he stares at the picture of him beating the man back at the building before, he burns it down.

"My wife would find these hot" he grins and Paige folds her arms staring at him.

"We both know, Richard if Diana is brought back from Adrian's pack, things will be very messy one none of us are ready to witness"

"How much do you know?" Richard narrows his eyes at her and her shoulders slumps down as she takes a seat.

"Enough to come and warn you off"

"Why was Diana planted in my life?" he asks again.

"Will you go back home if I tell you?" she asks and he thinks on it.

"Depends on the answer I get" he states and Paige nods before she pulls another envelope and puts the pictures carefully on the table.

*******

"Diana's father ran a drug cartel, drug that we can easily find on the street. Even I do not know the full-length details but from what I gathered; she had got involved with people she should not have. He requested for a protection program for her in return he would pay with more drugs. By now, you must know not everyone in the department you worked on was clean...

The Chief of police, he became greedy, wanted all the available drugs for himself, to enjoy, sell, anything. And Diana's father needed a trusted, worthy man for his daughter, you were chosen for obvious reason...

To you it was a new case to them you were a goat that got sacrificed. Long story short, we both know where she is and let us keep it that way. Everyone was happy until you started asking question. All of the were playing their own game, so was Diana, she was trying to save the man she loved in your expense, simple"

"The Chief of Police was shot to the head by Diana's father. She has been MIA for months and all of them have been looking for her, no trace on her whereabouts, the last time she was seen it was with Damon...

Killing you would have been easier but you were lucky enough to survive this long and we should keep it that way. You were just at the wrong place at wrong time, Richard, your higher ups pressured you and you did as they asked....

But now this has to be stopped, you are digging up on the grave that does not belong to you so, please go back home"

"Whose grave exactly am I digging?" he asks instead and Paige takes a deep calming breath.

"Soon it will be yours, if you did not heed my warning"

"Are you here on behalf of Lucero? Who was the girl, anyways?" he asks making her sigh.

"I am here because Gabby is married to your brother, Richard. Because I know your ideas will bring trouble on her door and I do not want that" she pleads.

"Why are you doing their dirty work?" he asks and she slams her hand on the table, hard.

"Which part of you will get yourself killed do you not get?" she shouts and Richard raises a brow at her.

"Ricardo and Gabby's attack, it was not someone with grudge on us, right? It was a warning for me, right?" he questions and this time she narrows her eyes at him.

"You and your brother, you think you have it all figured out but you two do not know shit!"

"The Chief of Police was killed because he was starting to be a hindrance, you helping me clean my name means now Diana's father is no longer important. Exactly, whose ass are you covering, Paige?" he asks and she puts a new picture on the table.

"I did not want to use this but you give me no choice" Naomi points and Richard's eyes slowly moves towards the picture on the table.

"Before we did not know how to stop you, because you had no weakness, but now you do"

"She is your fucking cousin" Richard growls.

"And that is why I care, care enough to warn you to back off from this case. To the world Diana is dead, the man who held your leash is dead and her father is as good as dead. And we both don't want Naomi dead as well, the same man you have asked your brother to look after her is looking after her for someone else...

If tomorrow morning you do not wake up in your own bed, Richard, Naomi will not be there to share it with you" she states and Richard glares at her.

"You..."

"I have been called worse, so don't waste your breath and just go back home" Paige points as she pulls another envelope.

"Tomorrow's headline will free you from the accusation and it will also expose your identity you have kept hidden for all these years, Richard. Sorry, to inform you Agent Richard Russo, but it seems you will no longer be playing the mystery man's role" she points before gathering everything and walking out of the door as Richard seethes.

Note: You got any confusion just ask away instead of just going with whatever I write. And please do not expect updates like today, I will not promise it but I am hopeful to write at least one chapter a day.

The faster Richard gets happy ending the sooner we will rest in peace before Lucero will keep you on your toes.