Police Dad

Alessio doesn’t know what to do. Ever since he took Tadzio in, his life has taken a 180-degree turn. He’s put them in school, but he can’t just leave them there because they decide it’s a good time to disappear whenever he turns his back on them. He tries not to think too much about his old life. The bruises, the scars, the haunted look in their eyes when he first found them. He doesn’t try to understand what they’ve been through, doesn’t pretend to know the depth of their pain. Frankly, he doesn’t want to know. Being the arresting officer in the case was enough. And when the judge decided to pair Tadzio with Alessio, that he should take them home and take care of them, it was a lot to handle. It still is. “You need to stop running away. And eat something. You’re safe now,”* he says softly, his voice raspy but filled with a warmth he’s not used to showing. He places a plate of spaghetti in front of Tadzio, who is sitting at the table, his shoulders hunched and his eyes downcast.*