by S. K. Hardy
Lucas exhaled before coming over to stand between Hawk and Darrell. “Alright, that’s enough!” When Hawk continued his efforts to get to Darrell, Lucas moved King aside and grabbed Hawk’s shoulders in an ironclad grip. Holding him still, he waited until his little brother came out of his anger zone and focused on him.
“Did you not hear what I said?” Lucas’ lips barely moved as he pushed the words out through tightly clenched teeth. “Enough.”
Hawk looked as if he wanted to argue, but finally grunted in anger and roughly pushed himself away from Lucas. Pacing with restless energy, he glared at Darrell and muttered quietly, “Another time, Monroe.”
“Got dammit, Hawk,” Lucas snapped.
Darrell’s lip curled up in disdain. “This ain’t Dominick. I kick ass first and ask questions later.”
“Darrell, bring it down a notch,” Lucas said, his tone as uncompromising as the glint in his eye. “We’re not the enemy.”
Darrell nodded in Hawk’s direction. “You coulda fooled tha’ fuck outta me. I didn’t come here to get into no beef, but I won’t run from it either.” Still glaring at Lucas, he pointed at Hawk. “Your brother don’t know me. He better make this the last time he jumps in my face like that.”
“Or what?” Hawk stopped his restless pacing and spread his arms out along side him.
Lorenzo had had enough as well. “Or I finish it for the both of you, that’s what!” He divided his attention between the two of them. “Hawk, cut the crap. Like Lucas said, it ends now. You too, D. I already told you what to expect. You need to control your temper instead of letting it control you.”
Chest heaving, Darrell rubbed his injured hand which now throbbed incessantly and hurt like a son of a bitch. Ignoring the pain as best he could, he turned to Isaac. “I came here for one reason and one reason only. You said you wanted to tell me about Tina in person, said you had proof that she wasn’t being truthful.”
“That’s right. But we have time to get into all of that later. Why don’t we–”
Darrell cut him off before he could finish. “We do it now. Later I plan on being on a flight back to Vegas.”
Lucas frowned. “I thought you were staying a couple of days.”
“This isn’t a social call. I didn’t come here to establish close family bonds, or turn this into a long awaited father/son reunion.” The statements were issued with straightforward candor and with no invitation for discussion. Darrell’s eyes landed back on Isaac. “Either you show me the information you claim you have about my mother…or this visit is over.”
CHAPTER 18
Silence blanketed the room until Lucas commented in a casual tone, “The weight of that chip on your shoulder must be a pretty heavy burden to carry around all the time, Darrell.”
Although his expression remained devoid of any other emotion, Darrell’s eyes turned a frosty grey. “Just to be clear, the same thing I said about your brother goes for you too. You don’t know me. I don’t need a lecture, a lesson, or an amateur psychoanalysis concerning what issues you think I might have. I could give less than a damn about yours or anyone else’s opinion in this room.” Darrell glanced around at the luxurious surroundings. “If this is how you grew up, you couldn’t even begin to relate to me and some of the things I’ve gone through in my life.”
“Like Lucas told you, we’re not your enemy, fam,” King said quietly. “Everybody in this room has been through some shit in their lives. We’re trying to make an effort here. Be nice if you met us halfway.”
Isaac slipped his hands in his pockets and regarded Darrell with a piercing stare as if trying to see behind the outer shell Darrell presented. “You have a family of your own now, yes?”
Darrell’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not discussing my family with you.”
Isaac continued as if Darrell hadn’t spoken. “Your wife, Jerra, isn’t it? Very beautiful woman. I’d like a chance to get to meet my daughter-in-law one day soon. And of course, my grandson. From what I’ve learned, D.J. seems to be an extremely bright boy.” Isaac smiled with a touch of pride. “I have to say that doesn’t surprise me.”
“How do you know about–” Darrell stopped abruptly and fired an accusing glare towards Lorenzo.
“I didn’t tell my father anything about your family.” Lorenzo hesitated before continuing. “I didn’t have to. I’m sure he made it a point to find out everything he could about them because, well…that’s just how it is.”
“Besides,” Joseph added. “Since it looks as if neither my sons nor eldest nephew there seem inclined to settle down anytime soon, it’s a wonderful feeling to know there’s a young one like your son in the family.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but you can get the thought of meeting my wife and son out of your heads. That’s never going to happen.”
“Never is a long time, son,” Joseph said with a confident smile. “I’ve been in the world long enough to know that a lot can happen between now and then to make you have a change of heart.”
“Believe me, I won’t.”
Isaac was quiet for a long while. He rubbed his neatly trimmed salt and pepper goatee as he studied his youngest son. “You inherited your stubborn streak honestly, I can say that.”
“Hopefully, that’s all I inherited.”
“I think you and I both know that’s not true. Pattel blood flows thick through your veins. It’s where you get your strength. Your tenacity. Your drive. Against the cruelest of odds, you’ve overcome life’s adversities and used what was available to you to gain enormous success. That’s a very remarkable achievement.”
Darrell studied Isaac with a wary expression. He didn’t trust the man for a second and wondered where he was going with this conversation.
“You and Lorenzo were both the recipients of the mistakes Tina and I made. I’d like a chance to rectify that.”
“Don’t you mean we were the mistakes?” Lorenzo asked bitterly.
Darrell didn’t say anything, but a flicker of understanding flashed in his eyes. The exact same retort had been on the tip of his tongue. It never occurred to him that Lorenzo shared some of the same feelings he had, but now that he thought about it, of course he did.
At least Darrell had been forced to face the hard facts from the time he was a kid; this was still new to Lorenzo. Darrell automatically assumed growing up in the lap of luxury and wealth went a long way in making life’s disappointments a lot more tolerable, but what he heard in Lorenzo’s voice as he continued to question Isaac said otherwise.
“I trusted you but all this time, you’ve been lying to me. To me. How could you let me believe the woman who raised me was my mother?”
“Amanda was your mother in every way that counted. She loved you very much, Lorenzo. You know that.”
“Did she? Or was she just forced to accept and raise the bastard you conceived with your mistress?”
Lucas placed a hand on his shoulder. “I hate that you’re going through this, Lo. We all do. We’re not going to pretend to know how you feel, but you’re still the same person you’ve always been. Nothing will ever change that.”
“He’s right,” Hawk drawled. “You’re still the same pain in the ass know it all you’ve always been.” His face remained stoic, but the love and affection he felt for Lorenzo could be heard in his voice. Hawk’s eyes slid to Darrell. “And look, you’ve doubled our pleasure and brought another know it all pain in the ass into the fold. Lucky us.”
Darrell froze. In the middle of mentally dissecting which limb he’d tear from Hawk’s body first, he remembered what Renzo told him about Hawk and his penchant for provoking a person for the mere pleasure of gaining a reaction. That’s when Darrell saw the subtle smirk that pulled at the corner of Hawk’s mouth. Devilment sparkled in his dark brown eyes as he waited for Darrell to take the bait.
Darrell’s gaze slid to King then to Lucas. Both were staring at Hawk with a look of exasperation, but Darrell saw their amusement when their eyes settled on him. He forced
himself to relax. He wasn’t a complete ass and could take a joke with the best of them, but right now, he wasn’t in a joking mood.
Still, he muttered while shaking his head. “Youngins.”
Some of the tension in the air dissipated. Lucas and King chuckled under their breaths. Joseph looked indulgently at his son, while Isaac continued to study Darrell.
A brief look of surprise crossed Hawk’s face. He’d been gunning for a reaction but he clearly hadn’t been expecting the one he got. “Touché, Cousin.”
A reluctant smile teased at Lorenzo’s mouth. “Like D. said, you’re a little shit, you know that? You love callin’ me a know it all, but that’s because…” He raised his eyebrows and looked at his cousins as he waited.
They all rolled their eyes and mumbled incoherently. Obviously this was a long running joke between them.
Lorenzo cupped his ear and leaned forward. “I’m waiting.”
“Because you’re always right,” they said in unison with deep scowls on their faces.
“Exactly!”
“Whatever, Lo. Anyway, we’re gonna get out of here and let you all handle your business.” Lucas punched his shoulder and nodded to his father and Isaac as he prepared to leave. Pausing, however, his gaze lingered on Darrell. “I hope you rethink leaving so soon, maybe hang around a couple of days. We could all go out to dinner tonight if you’re up for it.”
“Just the five of us,” Hawk chimed in. “No offense, Pop and Uncle Isaac. If Darrell stays, we might head over to Club Bliss afterwards. That ain’t your kinda scene.” He tossed a grape in his mouth that he’d plucked from the tray of fruit on the buffet table and grinned at his father and uncle before looking at Darrell. “Heard you used to own Bliss, as well the others we acquired in Atlanta and Vegas. That true?”
“Yeah,” Darrell answered with some reluctance. “We opened the other two clubs after the success we had with Ecstasy in Vegas. Haven’t been to the place in years, not since I sold my part in it almost six years ago.”
King nodded. “Cool. Maybe we can plan on doin’ that, fam. Think about it.” He slapped Darrell on the back then headed towards the door where Lucas was waiting.
“Maybe,” Darrell answered slowly. “Can’t promise anything.”
“Good enough, Cousin. I’ll make dinner reservations just in case,” Hawk said. “See ya’, Lo.”
Moments later, they were gone, leaving Joseph and Isaac alone with Darrell and Lorenzo.
Isaac glanced at his brother. The two of them exchanged a look before Isaac nodded to his sons. “Let’s go to my study. I haven’t looked at those letters in over thirty years, had forgotten I had them.”
“What letters?” Darrell asked with a frown as he followed them down a maze of hallways and around numerous corners.
Isaac answered without breaking stride. “Letters, notes Tina wrote. Some, she gave to me, others were apparently musings of her thoughts. She must have forgotten they were in the apartment I rented for her when she took off. I have no idea why I kept them. Joey reminded me that they were still locked up in my safe.”
Finally he stopped at a closed door and entered a series of numbers in a keypad that unlocked the door. “Here we are,” he said once they stepped inside. “Have a seat.”
Darrell looked around the room. Like everything else he’d seen so far, it was decorated with expensive yet understated elegance. The large, custom desk and built in shelves were made of rich, luxurious wood. The exotic Brazilian hardwood floors were a beautiful deep reddish brown, a perfect offset for the furnishings, window treatments, and décor.
Darrell sat down in one of the black, leather chairs, watching intently as Isaac went to a picture on the wall and opened it to reveal a wall safe. After entering the combination, he pulled out several old letters that he brought over to Darrell.
“Like I said, I’d forgotten all about these. I knew she’d tell you and Lorenzo everything except the actual truth of what happened all those years ago, so I’m glad I kept them.” Isaac went back to close the safe then sat in his chair behind his desk. “Let me just say that Tina wasn’t some clueless girl who I sought out and took advantage of. Those letters detail everything, her threats, manipulations, and lies.”
“And I suppose you’re totally innocent in everything that happened,” Darrell commented as he pulled the first letter out of the envelope.
“On the contrary. I’m not claiming innocence. In fact, I’m far from it. But since everything has come out now, you and Lorenzo need to know the truth so that we can hopefully move forward.”
Darrell glanced up from the letters he was holding in his hand and saw Isaac watching him patiently. Without offering a comment, he unfolded the yellowed pages of the papers, immediately recognizing Tina’s handwriting, and began to read.
CHAPTER 19
Darrell was halfway through the second page of the first letter when a slight frown marred his face. “This isn’t right. Tina told me her mother kicked her out when she was only fifteen because she was jealous and mentally unstable. Said she lived from house to house with different friends whenever they were able to sneak her in, until the two of you met.”
Isaac raised his eyebrow and leaned back further in his chair. “First of all, that wasn’t the reason Tina’s mother kicked her out,” he snorted. “Tina was disrespectful, didn’t want to listen. Her mother gave her an ultimatum, either follow the rules that she laid down for her or leave her house.”
“And she decided to leave…” Lorenzo said.
“Yes. And for the record, Tina was seventeen when I first met her. Eighteen when we got involved.” Isaac squinted as he was struck by a thought. “Did you think I was involved with her when she was fifteen years old?”
“Why would she lie about something like that?”
“Because she doesn’t know how to tell the truth, that’s why. I may be guilty of many things, but taking advantage of children is not one of them,” he said in a curt voice, obviously insulted.
Joseph, who was standing beside Isaac’s chair spoke for the first time since they’d entered the room. “Darrell, Tina apparently wanted to paint herself as the victim in all of this, but that was far, far from the case. When she left her mother’s home, she became a dancer in a strip club up in Harlem.”
“Among other things,” Isaac muttered.
“That’s not the story she told me,” Lorenzo commented in a low voice.
“Of course it’s not.”
Darrell’s eyes narrowed. “I’m still not convinced all of it was a lie.”
Isaac nodded to the pages Darrell still held. “Continue reading.”
Darrell exchanged a glance with Lorenzo before finishing the first letter, which documented her thoughts and chronicled her plan to sleep with Isaac. Just as he said, it looked as if she’d set her sights on him from the very beginning. She knew he was a rich and powerful kingpin who was well known and respected in the streets. Her plan was to become Isaac Pattel’s woman, and reap the benefits that came along with wearing such a title.
His face stiff, Darrell passed the letter to Lorenzo then opened the next one, which was a letter she wrote to Isaac informing him she was pregnant four months into their affair. Darrell shook his head. Tina sounded like a selfish, spoiled child, ranting that the pregnancy would ruin her figure and put a serious cramp in the lifestyle she’d become accustomed to. In Tina’s own words, she went on to say she would go through with the pregnancy, but only because he offered to pay her $10,000. Once the baby was born, she reminded him that she had no interest in raising it.
Darrell blinked and read it again then looked at Lorenzo who had been waiting on him to finish and pass the letter to him. When Lorenzo saw Darrell’s expression, he glanced from him to the letter with suspicion.
“What? What does it say?”
Darrell’s lips parted, wanting to prepare him for what he was about to read, but exactly what could he say? It wouldn’t change the truth. It seemed as if Tina didn’t
want Lorenzo any more than she’d wanted Darrell. Greed was the only reason she hadn’t aborted him. Tina’s main focus had been on how she could best capitalize off of the pregnancy.
His dread deepening, Darrell handed the letter to Lorenzo then slowly opened the last one and began to read the events Tina described in great detail. It seemed she got pregnant again only three months after giving birth to Lorenzo, but this time, she decided to keep the baby. She’d recently seen Isaac out with his wife and the baby she’d given birth to. Darrell could almost feel the jealousy rising from the sheets of paper as she harped on how happy Isaac seemed with his wife and the baby. She deliberately stopped taking her birth control pills and became pregnant shortly after.
Again, Isaac offered her money to have the baby then give it to him, but this time Tina refused. Not only did she plan on keeping the baby, she gave Isaac an ultimatum: divorce his wife and marry her, or stay out of her life forever and never see his baby. Never a man to give in to manipulation, he refused to give in to her demands.
That didn’t end things between them right away, but Tina noticed Isaac changing towards her after her that. He started pulling away. Seeing other women. Whenever they were together, they argued. The final straw came when the streets started whispering that Isaac wasn’t the father of Tina’s baby; his archrival was. When word got back to Isaac, he was livid. The blowup that ensued almost resulted in a miscarriage for Tina. She swore the rumors weren’t true. The last thing he told her before storming out was that she’d better pray he didn’t find out differently.
The next few pages were written over a two-day period. Tina’s penmanship grew shaky, erratic, her words channeling her anxiety. The fear of what would happen when Isaac came back prompted her to pack what she could and leave that very night. Nothing else was written after that.
