by S. K. Hardy
After closing the door, he sauntered back into the sitting room to find Darrell sprawled back on the sofa. “Where did you find the Paris and Kim K. lookalikes?” he drawled in amusement.
“Rode up in the elevator with their dizzy asses.”
Lorenzo glanced at Darrell’s hand again before going over to the phone and calling room service. “Yes, this is room 2021. I need a bucket of ice brought to my room along with a couple of ace bandages.” As an afterthought he placed a hand on his flat abs and added. “And can you please bring several club sandwiches and beer as well? Thanks.”
“If I have to tell another person my hand is alright one more time, I’mma lose it,” Darrell growled when Lorenzo hung the phone up.
“If that were really true, you probably would’ve given me the finger while saying that.”
Darrell saluted him with the middle finger of his uninjured hand. “Better?”
Lorenzo grinned and sat down in one of the chairs opposite the sofa. “Why don’t you use a punching bag to let off steam next time instead of choosing something that’ll mess your hand up like that.”
“Didn’t have a punching bag handy so I improvised.” Darrell stared down at his hand and flexed his fingers. “Shit,” he hissed. It hurt like hell. “It’s probably just sprained,” he said hopefully.
“Maybe. Let’s hope no more than fractured. We’ll wrap it up tonight and have a doctor look at it in the morning when we get to New York.”
“Speaking of, what time we leavin’?”
“Few hours from now. Around 4 a.m.”
Darrell nodded. “Good.”
Lorenzo studied Darrell before casually asking, “What does Jerra think about you going to New York?”
“Haven’t told her yet.”
Lorenzo’s brows slashed together in a frown. “Don’t you think you should?”
Darrell’s eyes cooled significantly before sliding away from Lorenzo. “Look, don’t worry about my wife. She’s off limits.”
Lorenzo blew out a drawn out sigh. “I can already tell where your mind is going, so let’s get something straight right now. Jerra and I–”
A discreet knock at the door interrupted Lorenzo. Shaking his head at Darrell, he went to the door and let the waiter in. After giving him a tip and closing the door after he left, Lorenzo picked up the ice bucket and took it to Darrell. When he made no move to take it Lorenzo set it on the coffee table in front of Darrell with a loud thud.
“Stop being stubborn. Do whatever you want but you need to ice that hand down to decrease the swelling.”
After hesitating a few moments more, Darrell leaned forward and grabbed the bucket. He scooped some of the ice to the side with his good hand then carefully placed his injured one inside.
“Thanks.”
Lorenzo opened a couple of beers and handed one to Darrell before sitting down. After taking a long sip, he picked up the conversation they’d been having before they were interrupted.
“Like I was saying, I want to clear the air about something. I think you have it in your head that Jerra and I used to be involved but–”
“Look, we ain’t even discussing that. I know nothing happened between ya’ll, so it’s cool.”
Lorenzo hesitated, unsure if he believed him. “It’s just that you were clearly a little hostile when you found out Jerra and I knew each other from way back. I didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings.”
“Sheeit, I was a lot hostile.” A half-smile crossed Darrell’s lips. “But like I said, it’s cool. She and I…well, we kinda talked about it, so…”
“Good, ‘cause you were ready to bite my head off when she stumbled a little outside your house and I tried to help her.” Lorenzo lowered his voice and mockingly repeated the warning Darrell had given him with just the right amount of emphasis. “‘I got it, I can help my wife, mu’fucka’.”
He sounded so much like him that even Darrell had to smile. “Hey, all I can say is I don’t play when it comes to Jerra St. James-Monroe. Anybody who knows me knows that if nothin’ else. That woman is my heart, man. My baby.”
“Cool. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. There’s not many out there like her, I can tell you that for a fact. Hold on to her with both hands.”
Darrell sobered quickly when he heard Lorenzo’s words. “I know, man. I plan on doin’ just that.”
Lorenzo heard the subdued undertones in Darrell’s voice. He thought about the argument he’d witnessed between them earlier, but he’d interfered enough. It wasn’t his place to pry if Darrell didn’t want to discuss it. Glancing at the covered dish that held the sandwiches he’d ordered, he got up and placed one on a plate for Darrell and another on a separate plate for himself.
After giving Darrell one, Lorenzo remained standing and took a bite of his sandwich. “Left a message with my pops. Wanted to make sure he was available when we got there in the morning.” He watched Darrell closely to gauge his reaction to his next statement. “You can best believe the rest of the family will make a point of being there as well.”
Darrell didn’t blink. “I figured as much. So tell me: whose ass am I gonna have to kick first?”
CHAPTER 15
Lorenzo burst out laughing when he heard Darrell’s question. Eyes glittering like silver sparklers, he laughed under his breath and asked, “Why would you think that, man?”
Darrell lifted his shoulders up in a shrug. “It’s true, ain’t it?”
Still smiling in amusement, Lorenzo nodded. “Yeah. Pretty much. They’re gonna test you for sure.”
“Figured that too.” Darrell stifled a yawn, clearly unconcerned for what awaited him in New York.
“Aside from our father, you’ll meet his baby brother, Uncle Joseph. Uncle Joseph pretends to sit back and let Dad run shit and stay in the spotlight, but when it comes down to it, he’s more of a threat than anyone.”
“It’s usually the ones who say the least that will fuck your shit up,” Darrell said, thinking about Marcus.
“Exactly. As far as whose ass you’ll probably wanna kick first?” Lorenzo smiled. “That would be the youngest. Hawk.”
Darrell’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not surprised. Dominick told me the two of them exchanged words at Angel’s during a meeting. I put up with even less shit than Dom, so if Hawk got under his skin, I can only imagine how quick he and I will bump heads.”
Lorenzo saw no reason to dispute Darrell’s comment because it was true. “Yeah, it’s not gonna take long at all. Hawk could provoke a saint. We all love him to death, but ever since we were kids, he’s always been the one to intentionally antagonize us until we finally lost our tempers.” Lorenzo shook his head and picked up his plate to finish his sandwich. “Ain’t nothin’ changed.”
“I’m telling you now, I’m not for his shit. This ain’t the time for him to see how far he can push me because I guarantee he won’t like it when I push back.”
“I know. I already expect some shit to go down between you two. Just watch out for him, he practices that martial arts shit. Has since he was six years old. He’s the only one who stuck with it after we all moved on to something else.”
“Renzo, let me tell you somethin’, I will lay him out on his ass if he fucks with me. I don’t give a damn what he studies.”
“Just sayin’, bruh.”
“What about the others?”
“There’s Lucas. He’s two years older than me, although you would swear it’s a lot more than just a couple of years. He’s the serious one out of the group. Very analytical and detail oriented. But if I were ever in trouble and needed somebody to have my back, it would be him in a heartbeat.”
Darrell nodded. “Who else?”
“Last but not least, there’s Kingston. His father was best friends with Uncle Joseph. King was eight years old when his father was killed. Uncle Joseph immediately moved him in with us and eventually adopted him. He’s as much a part of the family as any of us. Then there’s everybody’s little princess, L
eah.” Renzo’s smile gentled when he mentioned her.
“Will she be there too?”
Lorenzo’s expression turned brooding. Whatever thoughts had pushed their way inside his head were not pleasant ones.
“No, she won’t be there. She doesn’t live in New York.”
“What’s her story?”
Renzo seemed to snap out of his reverie. The next instant, his expression closed up at Darrell’s question. “It’s complicated. Anyway, that’s the rundown of the family, so at least you’ll know what to expect.”
“Cool. Appreciate the information.”
Lorenzo hesitated before adding his next statement. “As far as Tina goes, I have to tell you, I don’t think she’s being completely honest about everything either.”
Darrell had just taken a bite of the sandwich, but suddenly lost his appetite. “Yeah. Looked like she was gonna pass out when I asked her if there was more to the story than what she told me.” He gave Lorenzo a speculative look. “You two didn’t talk for long, though. What makes you think she’s hiding something?”
“Something wasn’t adding up in her version of what happened in the past. I’m not saying my pop is a saint or anything. Far from it, but…I can’t see him just turning his back on his own flesh and blood like that.” Lorenzo slowly finished chewing and placed his plate down beside Darrell’s. He seemed to have lost his appetite as well. “Like Angel said, maybe between what Tina told us and what we find out in New York, we’ll be able to piece together what the hell really happened, you know?”
Darrell raised his eyes and looked at Lorenzo. “I’ve learned to take anything she says with a grain of salt, so I shouldn’t be surprised. I just thought…I don’t know, thought it might be different this time.”
Lorenzo’s eyes darkened a shade. “D., I just want you to know, I’m sorry you had to go through everything you did. And for him to lie to me my entire life about my mother…” He ran a hand over his mouth, still unable to completely grasp something so fucking bizarre. Lorenzo knew his father had his faults, but he looked up to Isaac Pattel more than anyone else he knew. What the hell was he supposed to think now?
Lorenzo walked over to the glass wall of windows that allowed him to visually feast on the lights that dazzled the city at night. “You know, Darrell, family has always been so important to the Pattels. It’s where our strength lies, because if we can’t count on nobody else in this world or trust another motherfuckin’ soul, we can always depend on family. This was drilled into us from birth. Now I find out that my father has done nothing but make a mockery out of something I believed in so deeply.”
Darrell got up and grabbed a couple of more beers. He gave one to Lorenzo when he joined him. They were both silent as they drank and stared out at the view, but it was clear that their thoughts were on things they were struggling to get a grip of.
Renzo shook his head, totally baffled. His expression hinted at the battle he was fighting with himself. “If it turns out that what Tina told us is the truth, he’s no less culpable in this entire mess. If anything, that would make him more so because he could’ve easily changed the way things played out.”
Darrell glanced at Renzo. For a second, he wondered what their relationship would’ve been like if they’d been raised together, but quickly dismissed the notion. He was a man who tried to exist in the here and now. It was no use thinking ‘what if’ because it wouldn’t change anything. The past was dead and gone.
“Was it bad?” Lorenzo asked. “Living on the streets, I mean. How old were you again?”
Darrell’s eyes flickered downward before he took another long swallow of his beer. “Fifteen. And yeah, it was bad. At times, worse than bad,” he answered honestly. There was no need to sugarcoat the truth. “But it could’ve been a hell of a lot worse if I’d had to go through it all on my own. Marcus and me watched out for each other on the streets, same way we did in the orphanage. We been havin’ each other’s back since we were ten years old.”
Lorenzo squinted thoughtfully. He’d heard Marcus’ name several times from Darrell. Angel had mentioned him as well. “Marcus.” He repeated the name. “That wouldn’t be the same heart surgeon you told me about who installed Tina’s pacemaker, would it?”
“Yep. That’s him.” The pride Darrell felt for his brother was evident.
Lorenzo was suitably impressed. “No shit?”
“My boy told me the first day I met him that he was going to be a doctor when he grew up, just like his father. He didn’t stop until he made it happen.”
“That’s amazing, man.” He folded his arms and stared at Darrell. “Tell me, how the hell do two kids, alone, homeless and living on the streets, turn out to have the type of mega success you both have now?”
Darrell laughed. “It might sound crazy, but everything aligned itself in our favor. No other explanation for it. I’m not saying it was easy. Far from it, but whatever happened, whatever we went through, it was the way things were supposed to have gone. I mean, we did what we had to do to survive, but we always knew we were destined for somethin’ more than the hand life dealt us. It was just a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities that came our way.”
Lorenzo nodded slowly, understanding completely. “Makes sense. Seems like you both have figured out something that a lot of people never understand in a lifetime.”
“It would seem so.”
Lorenzo’s lips parted to say something else, but apparently decided better of it because he remained silent and continued to peer out at the darkness.
Darrell frowned a little bit. He started to let it go, but his curiosity got the better of him. “You might as well say whatever it was you wanted to say.”
Renzo glanced at Darrell for a second, then shrugged. “I was just going to ask you to tell me about Gabrielle, but then thought better of it. No need to undo the little bit of progress we’ve made.” He turned away and headed back in the room. “Come on. Let me get you some ibuprofen for the pain in that hand, then I’ll wrap it for you.”
Darrell’s eyes grew thoughtful as he watched Lorenzo disappear into the bedroom to get the medicine. He was actually beginning to kinda like the dude and that surprised him. Under different circumstances, the two of them probably would’ve been friends. Maybe they still could be, but he was reluctant to think that far ahead. Who knew what turn things would take once they got to New York? As Lorenzo told him, the Pattels were a tight group. Family. He wasn’t a part of that equation. If it came down to Lorenzo choosing family over him, Darrell already knew what decision he would make, and it wouldn’t be in his favor.
As far as Gabby was concerned, it bothered the hell out of him to allow her to even be associated with the Pattels, but he couldn’t do the same thing Tina had done to her for so many years. It wasn’t up to him to make her decisions for her. He couldn’t keep her in the dark about someone who was a part of her family, then claim it was for her own good…even if that was the truth.
Darrell turned to look at Lorenzo when he came back into the room with the aspirin. Lorenzo quirked a brow when he noticed Darrell staring at him. “What?”
Darrell took the bottle of ibuprofen that Lorenzo had opened. He brought the bottle to his lips and shook out about three or four in his mouth. Ignoring the bottle of water Lorenzo held out to him, he washed the pills down with several gulps of beer. Lorenzo scowled much the way Darrell figured Marcus would’ve if he’d seen him doing it.
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he said to Lorenzo, “You know how you just talked about your family, the love and loyalty ya’ll have for each other?”
Lorenzo’s expression grew cautious, but he nodded in answer.
“Well, I feel the same way about Gabby. I would lay my life down for my sister without a second thought. Swear to God, if anything happens to her because of your family…” Darrell let the sentence trail off, but his meaning could not have been any clearer.
Lorenzo’s first instinct was to bristle at Da
rrell’s unspoken threat and return it with one of his own, but he realized he couldn’t fault Darrell for wanting to protect his sister. Their sister. Lorenzo would do the same and he hadn’t even met Gabby yet.
He gestured for Darrell to hold his hand out. Once he did, Lorenzo carefully started wrapping it with the bandage. “I understand what you’re saying about Gabrielle. When I tell you no harm will come to her I mean that with everything.” He glanced up at Darrell before giving his attention back to his hand. “You’re just going to have to trust me on that.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Darrell muttered loud enough for Lorenzo to hear. When Lorenzo deliberately pulled the bandage harder than necessary, Darrell’s eyes shot fire. “Dammit! What tha’ fuck?”
Lorenzo didn’t even try to hide his grin. “Sorry.”
Darrell started to curse his ass out but decided to wait until he’d finished. Once Lorenzo had wrapped it up, Darrell turned his hand over and inspected the job.
Lorenzo drawled sarcastically, “Does it pass?”
“It’ll do. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“Anyway, an introduction to Gabby is gonna have to wait. She’s on an overseas business trip. Sucks because I was hopin’ to check out this clown she’s been talking about lately.”
Lorenzo’s gaze sharpened when he heard the dislike in Darrell’s voice. “Who is he?”
“Quarterback for the New York Wolverines.”
A quick look of surprise flashed across Lorenzo’s face. “She’s dating Hurricane Johnson?”
“Not yet, but he’s been pursuing her for a while. The last couple of times I talked to her I noticed she brought his name up more than once. Now that Miami’s traded him to New York, I’m sure it’s only given him more opportunity to go after what he wants, and that would be Gabby.”
“You don’t like him?”
“Don’t know him but I know his type, nah mean? Young, good-lookin’ kid, money to burn, women throwin’ pussy at him left and right? I lived that life and enjoyed every minute of it. Especially the women. So you tell me, does that sound like the type of man you’d want your sister dating?”
