TOTAL ECLIPSE: The Evolution (Sin City Heat Series Book 7)

by S. K. Hardy

  Darrell’s hand tightened on the pages, crumbling them in his grip. He could almost feel Tina’s terror; fear emanated from her words. Passing the letter to Lorenzo, he looked up and saw that Isaac had been watching him in silence, his face unemotional, giving away none of his thoughts.

  “So what did you find out?” Darrell asked him.

  “That she was a lying slut,” he said in a matter of fact tone.

  “Isaac.” Joseph frowned in disapproval. “She’s still their mother.”

  “It doesn’t make the truth any less of a reality.” Isaac’s eyes never left Darrell. “I won’t go into the details of how we extracted the information from the scum linked to Tina. It took several days to find out what I wanted to know, but by the time we finished our…conversation with him, I found out she screwed him a couple of months after she discovered she was pregnant as a way to get back at me for flaunting other women in her face.” Nostrils flaring and mouth twisting into a cruel snarl, Isaac’s entire body grew tense. “She wanted my attention…she got it.”

  “Jesus, Dad,” Lorenzo whispered.

  “She knew I wouldn’t stop until I found out the entire story. By the time I got back to the apartment, she was gone, had given my men the slip. I eventually found out that she bought a bus ticket to Chicago. Precious time was wasted searching for her there before we discovered it had been a ruse. As you read in her letters, Tina was very cunning. She’d bought the ticket to throw us off and give herself more time to disappear. It worked. I never saw her again, which was probably for the best.”

  Darrell let out a harsh snort. “Fucking ridiculous. Guess you never thought about the child she was carrying when she left.” He didn’t even want to think about what Isaac would’ve done if he’d found Tina the day he’d gone back to the apartment.

  Muttering under his breath, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he struggled to make sense of everything. Why had Tina lied to him? She claimed she wanted to start over, build a relationship. Why not just come clean and tell it the way it happened? He was so fuckin’ tired of her lies and half-truths. He’d actually hoped that this time, maybe…

  Darrell stood up abruptly, too angry to even finish that thought. Restless and agitated, he ran a hand down the back of his head and gripped his neck. He’d be damned if he sat here all up in his feelings over people who had never cared about him a day in their lives. Both Tina and Isaac had continued on as if he’d never even existed.

  “Is there anything else you would like to know?” Joseph directed the question to both Darrell and Lorenzo. “Something else you might need clarification about?”

  Darrell slanted a look out the corner of his eye and saw Joseph and Isaac watching him with unreadable expressions. He didn’t even bother to answer Joseph’s question. Clarification? Tha’ fuck outta here. Clarification fa’ what? Everything seemed pretty self-explanatory to him. He had a mother who couldn’t tell the truth if her life depended on it, and a crime boss father who was bluntly honest enough to let it be known that he would’ve more than likely half killed his mother if he’d been able to get his hands on her all those years ago. That about explained it all.

  He glanced at Lorenzo and saw that he was leaning forward in his chair with his elbows on his knees still reading Tina’s fuckery. At least she’d taken Isaac up on his offer to more or less buy Lorenzo to take him off her hands. Darrell hadn’t been so lucky.

  He shook his head again. All she had to do was be straight with him. Hell, the past, he could forgive. Everybody had a past, even him. He’d done things he wasn’t proud of, but hopefully he’d grown beyond all that into a better person. Apparently, Tina had not.

  When Lorenzo sat up, his and Darrell’s eyes met and held for a moment before Darrell cut his eyes towards Isaac and Joseph. “So now what? Is this supposed to be a bonding moment or somethin’? If it is, I ain’t feelin’ it.”

  Isaac met his youngest son’s gaze head on. “I know it’s a lot to take in, Darrell. I just felt like you should know things weren’t as cut and dried as you were both led to believe.”

  “What kind of fucked up relationship did you and Tina have?” Darrell was clearly disgusted with the both of them.

  Isaac’s eyes narrowed at his tone. “Are you trying to say you’ve never done anything that you’ve regretted and wished you could change or take back?”

  Darrell’s eyes drifted away from Isaac’s as the question struck a nerve. Uninvited thoughts of his and Jerra’s problems crawled through his head, reminding him that he was the cause of the discord currently happening in his marriage.

  Lorenzo had been studying Darrell and instinctively knew what he was thinking about. Shooting his father an irritated glare he stood up. “This isn’t about what mistakes Darrell and I may have made. It’s about you and Tina playing some sick game with each other. And then to pull kids into it? Not to mention my mother.”

  Isaac slowly stood up, never breaking eye contact with Lorenzo. “I’m still your father. I don’t give a damn what you think you might know, do not use that tone with me.”

  Darrell scoffed in disbelief. “Out of all the crap you could be worried about, you focus on how somebody addresses you? Know what, this is some bullshit.” He looked at Lorenzo before heading to the door. “Take me to the airport. I seriously don’t have time for this nonsense.”

  “Fine, then go!” Isaac roared. The patience he’d been keeping on a tight leash finally unraveled and broke free. “Get the hell out! Both of you!”

  With stiff, angry movements, he went to one of the windows in the office that gave spectacular views of the garden, and stood with his arms folded and back to the room.

  Joseph put his hands up for everybody to calm down. “Darrell and Lorenzo, wait.”

  But Darrell was already opening the door for them to leave.

  Slamming his palm on the desk, Joseph called their names again, but this time it was like the lash of a whip cracking through the air. “Darrell and Lorenzo, I said stop!”

  Darrell had his hand on the doorknob ready to walk out, but hearing Joseph’s voice, something made him pause and look over his shoulder. “What?” he sneered.

  Joseph released an impatient breath and made an effort to lower his voice. “You and your brother have a right to be angry, but I think we all need to take a minute to calm down.”

  He came over to Lorenzo and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Lo, your situation is a bit different from Darrell’s because your father raised you from the time you were a baby. You know as well as I do that he would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. He loves you. Everything he’s done, he’s done it with you in mind.”

  Joseph turned to Darrell. “Son, life isn’t fair. I wish things had turned out differently, I do. I have a feeling we missed out on a lot by not knowing you. Should Isaac have handled things better than he did? Yes. I’ve told him as much more than once.” He hesitated before sharing his thoughts. “We should have moved heaven and earth to find you, but we dropped the ball. I take as much responsibility as your father, because in this family, blood is blood. However…” Again he glanced at Isaac. “My brother is as stubborn and pigheaded as the rest of the men in this family, including yourself I see,” he smiled.

  “So you’re saying he didn’t try to find me because he wanted to save face?” Darrell glared at Isaac’s back.

  Joseph shrugged then nodded. “Something like that.” When Darrell muttered underneath his breath, Joseph held a hand up. “Again, I’m not saying it was right, but we want to make amends however we can.”

  “Psst.” Darrell shook his head. “Yeah, I see that.”

  “Think about it. Isaac could’ve easily gotten those letters to you without demanding that you come to New York to see them, and you could’ve just as easily said to hell with all of us and gone on with your life. You both wanted this moment to happen whether you admit it or not. I’m asking the two of you not to fuck it up because I doubt very seriously if any of
us get a second shot.”

  Silence fell over the room. Joseph’s words hung suspended in the air, causing everyone to pause. For the first time since his angry outburst, Isaac turned to face them, albeit reluctantly. “Darrell, my brother speaks much more eloquently than myself, but my sentiments are the same.” He looked decidedly uncomfortable, almost unsure of how to express his thoughts. “Joey is right, I could’ve very easily given you the information I had without having you fly to New York, but…I hope you’ll reconsider extending your stay a couple of days. Even if you choose not to interact with me, I’d at least like you to get to know your brother and your cousins a little better.”

  Isaac stared at his sons who both watched him through guarded eyes as if leery of his intentions. They probably didn’t realize it, but even now the stance they each adopted, shoulders squared back, chins lifted proudly, standing side by side with eyes blazing like variations of dark grey thunderclouds before a storm, was one of a united front…against him. Their bond of brotherhood was tentative at best…but still a bond. Given the chance, over time it would grow, strengthen, and become unbreakable. And that’s what Isaac wanted.

  Darrell felt Lorenzo staring at him. He already knew what he was getting ready to say and didn’t particularly want to hear it. “Renzo–”

  “A couple of days won’t hurt. Plus, this’ll give us a chance to close rank and double up on Hurricane Johnson before you leave.” Lorenzo played his trump card. “You know, scare the crap out of ‘em, and put a bug in his ear about getting his ass stomped if he makes Gabby shed so much as a tear over his ass.”

  Darrell’s mouth twitched reluctantly, earning him a quick scowl from Lorenzo.

  “What?”

  Darrell shook his head. “When I first mentioned him, your eyes lit up like it was Christmas. I thought you were gettin’ ready to start reciting his NFL stats or somethin’.”

  “I was before I found out he was trying to hook up with our sister.” Lorenzo’s voice reflected his outrage. “As much as I want to see him lead my Wolverines to the Super Bowl and win a championship, make no mistake about it, I’ll help you break both his legs myself if he hurts Gabby.”

  The corner of Darrell’s eyes crinkled in amusement, but he didn’t offer a comment.

  “You two are so much alike it’s almost scary,” Isaac commented, mostly to himself. When they looked up, he shook his head. “In any case, Darrell, I give you my word that I won’t pressure you in any way. I assume you’ll be in the city with Lorenzo if you choose to stay a while. You won’t see me again unless you decide to reach out to arrange a meeting.”

  Darrell’s reply was slow in coming, but he nodded grudgingly. “I guess I can stay one more day.”

  “Good. I’m glad that’s settled.”

  “But just so we’re clear,” Darrell continued, his gaze direct and probing. “Now that you know where Tina is, stay away from her. I’ll deal with her myself.”

  The corner of Isaac’s mouth lifted at the corner. “Even after everything you’ve found out, you’re determined to protect her, aren’t you? Very well. As long as she stays out of my way, there won’t be a problem. Now if you both will excuse me, I have business to attend to that requires my immediate attention.”

  Lorenzo’s eyes sharpened when he heard an odd tone in his father’s voice. “Something I should know about?”

  Isaac hesitated then shook his head. “Nothing that can’t wait. We’ll need to talk about your trip when you get time, though. Things seem to be… escalating quicker than we anticipated.”

  “What happened?”

  Isaac shook his head and waved him off. “You two go on and do whatever it is young people do. It’ll keep for now.”

  Darrell, alert to the fact that something was up, watched them in silence. Lorenzo made no move to leave until his father gestured them towards the door.

  Before they stepped out of the room, Isaac’s voice stopped them. “Lorenzo, before you go call Dr. Moore and have him come over to look at Darrell’s hand, maybe give him something for the pain. Enjoy your stay, Darrell.”

  With that being said, Isaac resumed his seat behind his desk. Picking up the phone to make a call was their indication that the conversation was over and they were dismissed.

  Darrell stared at his father for a moment more, trying to decipher exactly what it was he felt for the man, but deciding it didn’t matter one way or the other, he followed Lorenzo from the room determined to put him out of his mind.

  CHAPTER 20

  “What is he like? Your father, I mean?”

  Darrell leaned back on the bed so that he rested on his elbow as he thought about Jerra’s question. It was early evening and he and Lorenzo had finally made it to Lorenzo’s three-story penthouse in Manhattan. Darrell was thoroughly impressed with it. The octagonal-shaped apartment was over 6,000 square feet and included five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a formal dining room, as well as a media room. Darrell jokingly told Lorenzo that it looked like a bachelor pad on steroids.

  After they left the Pattel estate, they’d gone to a few stores so that Darrell could pick up clothes and essentials to get him through the next couple of days. He was now in one of the guest bedrooms and had finally gotten a chance to call home. He’d been disappointed when Jerra told him D.J. was spending another night at his friend’s house. Darrell had been looking forward to his son putting a smile on his face after the day he’d experienced with the Pattels. Meeting Isaac had affected him more than he cared to admit. He’d suppressed his feelings about the man for so long, he honestly didn’t know how to deal with them.

  Darrell tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. He came from this man, had his DNA running through his veins. Seeing him today had been…surreal. He favored his mother strongly, but Isaac was right, everything else he’d inherited from him. Darrell couldn’t deny that even if he wanted to.

  “Darrell? Are you there?”

  “Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m here.” He paused, not even knowing where to begin to answer Jerra’s question, explain his feelings. “In a way, he’s exactly how Tina described him, ruthless, arrogant, powerful. I didn’t spend a lot of time talkin’ to him. Met my uncle and my cousins. Found out a lot of shit. Tina…” Darrell still had a bitter taste left in his mouth from everything he’d learned.

  “What did you find out?” Jerra asked the question cautiously. “Was Isaac telling the truth about there being more to the past than what she told you, because Darrell, she…she’s packing her bags to leave.”

  Darrell sat up slowly and frowned into the phone. “What do you mean, leave?”

  “She was very cryptic, said she’s going back home because after you come back from seeing Isaac, you won’t want her here.”

  Darrell closed his eyes and shook his head. Just like Tina to run. Any remaining doubt he had about her innocence faded away. When he’d asked her point blank if there was anything she wanted to clarify to him, he’d seen the way her face flooded with guilt.

  “She’s right,” he finally answered. “I don’t want her there around you and D.J.”

  “So it’s true? She lied to you about what happened?”

  “She lied to me then sat right there and did it all over again with Lorenzo.”

  “Why would she do that? Why not just tell the truth?”

  “Who knows? This is Tina we’re talkin’ about. I should’ve known she was incapable of telling the truth. I mean, I brought the woman into my home, for God’s sake. You’d think the least she could do is finally be straight with me. Apparently she’s been putting on an act this entire time, playing on my sympathy.” Darrell took a deep breath. This conversation wasn’t doing anything but adding fuel to his anger. “She’s still the coward she always was. Let her do what she does best: leave.”

  “D.J. is going to be devastated. Darrell, maybe you should–”

  “Should what, talk to her?” he snapped. “I’ve done that, Jerra. Hell, she initiated the conversation about my father. And fo
r what? If she was just gonna lie about what happened, why even bring it up? This is exactly why I didn’t want her around my son. I knew she’d end up hurting him the same way she…”

  Darrell stood abruptly, trying not to get started on a rant because if he did he doubted if he would stop anytime soon. “Anyway, is everything okay at home?”

  “Well, I have a bit of news myself.”

  Darrell frowned, not sure if he liked the sound of that. “Okay,” he said slowly.

  “I spoke with Justin Sullivan, of Sullivan, Baker & Lewis.”

  Jerra referenced one of the named partners of the same prestigious law firm Lorenzo had mentioned yesterday. As Jerra had said, they’d pursued her vigorously when she first moved to Las Vegas. After she continued to consistently turn the offers down, she still heard from them, but the calls had trickled down to two or three times a year.

  “They called again, huh?”

  “Actually, I called them.”

  Darrell’s face reflected his surprise. “Oh?”

  “I asked Justin if the offer they’ve had on the table all this time was still good. And…it is. In fact, they sweetened it quite a bit. I think they wanted to make sure they reeled me in since they had me on the hook. I’ll come in as a senior partner, but I’m guaranteed to make name partner after my first year. That clause will be included in my contract.”

  Beyond proud, Darrell blew out a low whistle and grinned. “Damn. So it’ll be Sullivan, Baker, Lewis & St. James-Monroe. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” Jerra’s tone was quiet but Darrell detected the undertones of excitement in her voice.

  “What brought this on after all these years?”

  “It really wasn’t one particular thing. I’ve been debating it for a while.”

  “Really. You never said anything.”

  “That’s because it never seemed to be the right time. There were always issues for us to deal with, first Aleesha and Marcus and that whole Bethany/Paula debacle, then Tina’s health situation, and before we could catch our breaths after all that–”