by SUE FINEMAN
Without missing a beat, Fred brought the conversation back to money. The man didn’t care about his kids or the trip. He was only interested in Blade’s money. “How much are you thinking of investing, Blade?”
“Have you heard of The Banner-Covington Shipping Corporation?”
“Of course.”
“My grandfather was Edward Banner. He passed away recently and left his entire estate to me.” The jerk’s eyes grew, and Blade had a strong urge to throw the bastard out the door. “About the trip to New York in June. I understand you’re having a little problem coming up with enough money to pay child support, so I’ll cover all the expenses.”
Fred’s jaw clenched and his eyes turned cold. “Let’s get one thing straight, Blade. I didn’t want four kids. I agreed to one or two, and the oldest is a shrew like her mother. Robbie is the only one I want, the only one I’ve ever wanted. If I have custody of him, I won’t have to pay child support, will I?”
A mournful cry came from the kitchen, and Blade realized that Sophia had been listening. Robbie had heard, too, because he looked like he’d cry any second.
“You can’t have Robbie,” Sophia said. “He deserves a real father, and when Maria and Blade get married, he’ll have one.”
Fred gaped at Blade. “You’re marrying my wife?”
“Ex-wife,” said Sophia.
Not knowing what Maria had told her mother or the kids, if anything, Blade kept his response non-committal. “We’ve discussed it.” Blade hesitated for a brief second before saying, “On second thought, I don’t want someone who doesn’t take financial responsibility for his own children managing my money. Get the hell out of here.”
Fred jumped to his feet. “Or what, Mr. Big Shot? Are you gonna throw me out?”
Blade came slowly to his feet, knowing that Fred would swing at him. And he welcomed it. He wanted to smash the guy’s pretty nose.
Fred swung his fist at Blade, but Blade ducked, slammed his fist into Fred’s soft stomach, and then brought it up under his chin. Hard. Fred’s teeth snapped together. He swore and wiped blood from his mouth.
Robbie couldn’t hold back his tears. The poor kid was torn apart, and his father didn’t give a shit.
Sophia put her arm around Robbie. “Get out of my house, Fred. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.”
“Tell Maria she can go straight to hell. I’m not going to court again, and I’m not paying her a nickel. If she makes trouble, I’ll take my son and she’ll never see him again.”
Fred stormed out the front door and slammed it so hard the windows rattled. Blade scooped a crying boy against him and held him tightly while he sobbed. That creep didn’t want his son. He wanted to punish his ex-wife for trying to get the child support she needed to take care of the kids.
“H-he doesn’t want me. He’s just mad at Mom,” Robbie said between sobs.
“He’s a mean man, Robbie.” Sophia stroked his hair. “You’re better off here, with your brothers and sister and your mom and me. And Blade,” she added.
Robbie pulled off his glasses and swiped his sleeve across his face. “Are you really gonna marry my mom?”
“I don’t know yet, Robbie.” He kept his arms around the boy and rubbed his back until he calmed down. He wouldn’t willingly put any kid through a scene like that. It was a painful way for a sensitive kid to learn the truth.
Maria came back with the other boys. “They’re too upset to go to school today, and it won’t hurt them to miss one day.”
“Then let’s do something special today,” said Blade. “How about a ferry ride?”
“Okay,” said Jimmy. “Can we see the Space Needle?”
“Sure, if it’s all right with your mother.”
Maria gave Robbie a big hug. “I’m so glad you stayed, honey.”
“Dad said if you made trouble, he wouldn’t ever let me see you again.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure you stay with us.” Maria didn’t want to lose any of her children, especially this one. Robbie was the most vulnerable, the sensitive boy with the brilliant mind. He was also the one least like Fred, and for good reason.
If Fred tried to take him, she could ask for a DNA test, but exposing that kind of secret could set Robbie apart from the other kids. He was already different, and if anyone looked closely they could see the physical differences. Molly looked like Gina, Andy had Fred’s features, Jimmy resembled Tony, and Robbie was so much like Roberto that if anyone saw them together, they’d know. Robbie had his natural father’s mind and his slender build.
Andy and Jimmy took Daisy outside on her leash while Robbie went in to wash his face. Sophia gave Maria a blow-by-blow of what happened with Fred.
“Mom, you didn’t tell Fred—”
“Sophia said we were getting married,” said Blade. Not that we were already married.
<>
The ferry boat was an old one, with the upholstered seats facing each other. Maria sat on one side and Blade sat with Robbie facing her. The two younger boys stood in the window, watching the boats outside. The sun sparkled off the water. They couldn’t have picked a more beautiful day to be out on the water. Blade had things he should be doing, but nothing more important than this. It was one of those family bonding days that he’d never experienced when he was a kid, the kind of day he never thought he’d experience as an adult.
Blade handed his cell phone to Maria. “Call Nick and tell him your mother is alone today. Do you have a court date set up?”
“May third. Two weeks from today.”
“Your attorney should be told what happened with Fred. If you need a witness, tell him I’ll be there.”
While Blade took the boys out on the deck, Maria called Nick and then Gerry and told him what happened. “I don’t want Fred near the kids again, Gerry. They’re all upset, and Fred threatened to take Robbie and never let me see him again if I caused him any more trouble.”
“Is this about child support?”
“Yes. It won’t matter what the judge tells him. He won’t give me anything.”
“We could have it collected by the court.”
“No. I can’t risk losing Robbie. I’ll agree to no child support if he’ll stay away from the kids. All the kids, including Robbie.” She should tell her attorney the truth, but she couldn’t. Gerry was a close friend of Nick and Cara. He wouldn’t tell them anything on purpose, but he could let something slip. She couldn’t chance it. She and Blade had to keep their marriage a secret at least until after his birthday.
After Maria ended her phone calls, Blade brought the boys inside. A comfortable silence descended as the ferry threaded its way between the green hills and the buoys marking the channel, but the silence didn’t last long. Robbie asked, “Are you really gonna take us to New York to see the Statue of Liberty?”
“Sure,” said Blade. “What else do you want to see while we’re there?”
“The Empire State Building,” said Andy.
“How about a big ship?” asked Maria.
The bantering between Blade and the kids didn’t let up until the ferry docked in Seattle. Jimmy loved anything to do with the water and boats, and he had more questions about the big ships in New York than anyone could answer.
<>
After a trip to the top of the Space Needle, lunch at Ivar’s, and a shopping spree at the Pike Place Market, they boarded the ferry for the ride home. Jimmy could barely make it up the steep stairs, so Blade wrapped his arm around the kid’s waist and carried him up.
By the time they were halfway across the sound to the ferry dock in Bremerton, Jimmy had fallen asleep on Blade’s lap, and Andy lay on the seat with his head in Maria’s lap. He was almost asleep.
“We wore them out,” she said.
Blade nodded. “It was a good day.”
“Yes, it was. Did you have a good time, Robbie?”
“Yeah. Can we do it again sometime?”
“Absolutely,” said Blade.
M
aria put her arm around Robbie’s shoulders. “I’m glad you didn’t go with Daddy today, Robbie. I’d miss you so much if you left.”
“Thanks for helping us keep track of your brothers today, Robbie,” said Blade. “It’s easy to lose little kids in the city.” Robbie wasn’t that much older than his little brothers, but he needed to feel good about himself after that scene with his father this morning.
Blade gazed into Maria’s eyes and wondered if this was what it would be like to have a family, to go places together and build memories. Their happiness today came out of the heartache of Fred’s visit. He didn’t wish for any more confrontations like that one, but he hoped they’d have many more days like today.
The ferry horn blew as the boat neared the dock. It had definitely been a good day. Robbie had softened toward him, but he wasn’t so sure about Molly. He had a feeling that not many men measured up in Molly’s eyes. It would take time to earn her trust.
<>
Maria dropped Blade off at the Staff House and drove the kids home. As soon as she walked in the door, Molly threw a tantrum. “How come you guys got to go to Seattle and I didn’t?”
“We didn’t know we were going until after you went to school. Don’t do this now, honey. It’s been a hard day for Robbie.” She handed her a bunch of flowers. “Blade bought these for you, and he wants to know if you’d like to go to New York with us in June. He’s arranged a tour of one of the ships in his company’s fleet. We don’t know which ship will be in port that day, but Blade thought it might be interesting.”
“Can I go shopping?”
“You can see the Statue of Liberty, where the Trade Center once stood, the Empire State Building—”
“But can I go shopping?”
“We’ll see. Blade is paying for the trip, so we’ll do what he wants to do.”
“They’re gonna get married,” said Robbie.
Molly whined. “Mommmm, you can’t get married again.”
Maria closed her eyes and breathed deeply to regain her composure before she spoke. Molly was a headstrong girl, and she was hurting from her father’s actions this morning. Still, Maria couldn’t allow Molly to walk all over her. “Whether or not I decide to get married is not your decision to make. It’s mine.”
Molly ran to her room and slammed the door.
<>
Blade called the private investigator in New York to check on his progress. “I’ve had my phone off today. Did you find what I wanted to know?”
“Yes, I did. Colin Jacobs made three calls last month to the number you gave me in Los Angeles, California.”
“The number in LA is still in service?”
“My contact there tells me the woman still lives in the same house. The phone number, aside from a change in area code, has not changed in many years.”
Blade thanked him and disconnected. So Jacobs had been in contact with Sunny. That explained how she knew he’d inherited the estate and how she knew where to find him, but why would Jacobs tell Sunny anything?
Blade called Gerry Merlino next. “What are my chances of talking to Sunny?”
“She’s gone,” said Gerry. “The arresting officer forgot to inform her of her rights, so the charges were dropped. Apparently someone is helping her, because she retrieved her car from the impound lot and paid her bill at the inn.”
“Is she still in town?”
“I don’t know, Blade.”
They talked about what happened in New York, about Jacobs and his friends and how they behaved in the board meeting. Blade said, “Maria and I stopped in Vegas on the way home for a quick civil wedding. This is strictly confidential, Gerry.”
“Civil wedding? And Maria went along with it?”
“It wouldn’t have been necessary if someone hadn’t told my grandfather that I’d been found. Once my grandfather knew, Jacobs had to produce me, but he didn’t give up on his goal to take control of the company. Edward Banner could no longer read, so he took his attorney’s word that the will had been written the way he wanted. Nobody read the will except Jacobs, and when we had that ‘reading of the will’ after the funeral, he didn’t read anything. He told everyone what my grandfather had left them.”
“And then he didn’t give you a copy of the will. If we could prove Jacobs did it intentionally, he could be disbarred.”
“The most important thing right now is to get the estate out of his hands and keep my grandfather’s shares of the company from being sold.” Blade gave him Mort Schuler’s phone number in New York. “I’d appreciate it if you could keep on top of this, Gerry. I told Mort you’d be in touch.”
After he ended the call, Blade sat in his room wondering what had happened to Sunny. She thought he had money, and she didn’t intend to leave town without some of it. Someone gave her money to get back on her feet, probably enough for a couple bottles of Jack Black and a few hits of cocaine or whatever she was on these days. Sunny’s friend would expect to be reimbursed, and she was broke or she wouldn’t have been so shaky the day the cop arrested her in front of Blade’s house.
Sunny wouldn’t go after Maria and the kids, would she? No, probably not. She knew the cops were watching her, and although she associated with people who’d served time, she wouldn’t want to be locked up herself. The few days she’d spent in jail without drinks and drugs had probably shaken her.
But what about the man she was working with?
And then there was Colin Jacobs, the unassuming attorney who’d betrayed a dying old man. Was Jacobs power hungry, or was it all about money? How far would he go to make sure Blade didn’t take control of the estate?
<>
Saturday morning, Lucas drove Blade to Sea-Tac Airport to retrieve his car from the parking lot, and then Blade searched the newspapers for a furnished cabin to rent. If someone was going to come after him, he didn’t want to be where other people could get hurt.
Especially Maria and the kids.
Chapter Thirteen
Sunday afternoon, as Blade rolled the Harley out of his storage unit, the owner of the facility cornered him. “You can’t park that thing in there. This is not a garage, and we don’t allow anything flammable, like gasoline. Read your contract.”
“Yeah, okay.” Who read all that fine print? Blade retrieved another helmet, locked the door, and drove away. Maybe Angelo would let him keep the bike in his garage. If he left it at Sophia’s house, Andy would never leave it alone. Or maybe he’d drive the Harley and park the car somewhere. He’d be easier for Sunny to spot on the Harley, but he had no doubt that she’d track him down sooner or later. Sunny smelled money, and whether she was broke or not, she wouldn’t likely give up and go home. She had an expensive drug habit that ate a lot of money.
The sun was shining and the roads were dry, a good day for a kid’s first bike ride. Keeping an eye out for Sunny’s car, Blade rode out to Sophia’s house. Maria’s car wasn’t in the driveway, but Andy stood on the porch, wearing his helmet and leather jacket, ready for his ride. Blade smiled at the kid’s enthusiasm. He parked the bike and turned off the engine. “Where’s your mom?”
“Right here.” Maria walked out the front door with Jimmy. “My car died again. Angelo brought us home from church.”
“You can drive mine.” Until we buy you a new one.
Andy checked out the bike, while Jimmy held back. One kid was afraid and the other was so excited he couldn’t stand still. Blade showed Andy how to sit on the bike and hold on, and then he started the engine. Little arms squeezed around Blade’s waist. “Hang on tight, Andy.”
He rode slowly around the cul-de-sac and Andy screamed, “More.”
Blade waved to Maria and Jimmy and rode down the street to the main road, out of Maria’s sight. He knew she’d worry the whole time they were gone, so they didn’t go far. Three miles to the waterfront park, where they turned around in the parking lot, and back home to Mommy and Kid Number Two. Judging from the look on Jimmy’s face, the kid was afraid to go that far, so
Blade went through his little speech about how to sit and hold on, and then he took Jimmy around the cul-de-sac down to the end of the street and back. This little guy was too scared to go beyond that.
Maria plucked Jimmy off the bike as soon as Blade pulled into the driveway. “You did good, Jimmy,” said Blade. “Now it’s Mommy’s turn.”
Are you crazy?
I want you to know how it feels.
I don’t have a helmet.
Blade held up the one he’d stashed in his saddle bag. I brought a spare.
“If she won’t go, I will,” said Molly.
Blade hadn’t seen her come out. He motioned with his head, and the kid pulled the helmet on and climbed on behind him. “Hang on, Molly.” He took her to the park and back home, where Maria stood on the front porch with the two younger boys.
“Where’s Robbie?”
“He’s with Nick and Cara this afternoon. Nick is doing some work on the radar system on the boat, and Robbie wanted to help. He knows more about the internal workings of the radar than anyone else in the family.”
“Smart kid. Okay, kids, it’s Mommy’s turn. I’m taking you to get my car, so bring your purse.”
I don’t know about this.
“I’ll turn you into a motorcycle mama.” You’ll love it, I promise.
The kids giggled and gathered around, and they showed their mother where to sit and how to hold on. After one ride, they were all experts, especially Andy. Blade started the Harley, and they rode away. He stayed on the back roads and drove slowly, because although she wouldn’t show it in front of her kids, she was more scared than Jimmy.
Minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot at the storage facility and cut the engine. The owner came out, probably to make sure Blade didn’t park the Harley in the storage unit again. Blade ignored him.
Maria climbed off the back and handed him the helmet. “That was absolutely exhilarating. No wonder you love it so much.”
“The exhilarating part was holding onto your husband.” I miss you, Maria.
I miss you, too, Blade.
He walked her to his car and handed her the keys. “I circled a couple ads in the paper, someplace to rent until the house is finished. I’m going out to see them this afternoon.” We’ll find a way to be together.
