by S. K. Hardy
“I love you too.”
After they hung up, Darrell bowed his head. Leaning forward, he placed his hands palms down on his desk. Why couldn’t she just stay away? He meant what he’d said, there was nothing else they needed to say to one another. Maybe Tina was a product of the life she’d led. Maybe she still carried around wounds from what she’d experienced, but…that wasn’t his problem. Darrell couldn’t ‘fix’ her. He refused to be manipulated again and he damn sure wasn’t going to let her shit touch his family…especially D.J.
Jerra was right. He needed to calm down, he knew that, but… his blood did a slow boil every time he thought about Tina being bold enough to go and see his son after he expressly asked her not to.
Pushing himself away from his desk, he strode out of his office. Passing Susan’s desk, his voice was terse and controlled when he informed her that he would be gone for the rest of the day.
“Don’t call me for any reason unless it’s an emergency.”
From her wide-eyed expression, it was obvious she’d heard him yelling from his office, but she only nodded and said she understood.
As he stepped onto the elevator, everything else was forgotten except for the upcoming confrontation he was getting ready to have with Tina. He was determined to get his point across this time. One way or the other.
CHAPTER 39
Darrell knocked on the door of Tina’s hotel room. While waiting for her to answer, he leaned a shoulder against the wall and thought about the phone conversation he’d had with Lorenzo on the way over.
Apparently, Tina had called him after she’d left Darrell’s condo, but he’d been unavailable to take the call. He said the message she left had sounded cryptic. Something about her needing to talk to him and tell him the truth about Isaac and Joseph, the same thing she’d told Jerra. Lorenzo had tried calling her back, but hadn’t gotten an answer.
“Any idea what she’s talking about, D.? It just sounded…strange.”
“Nah, bruh, I ain’t got no idea, and like I told Jerra, I could really care less,” Darrell had told him. “I just need to make her understand that the stunt she pulled today can’t happen again. I won’t have her involving my son in these little games she keeps playing.”
“When was the last time you spoke to her?”
“I told you, not since I left New York.
“Yeah. Same here.”
“Seriously, Lo, I got too much on my plate right now to be dealing with Tina’s bullshit.”
“I agree she shouldn’t have gone to see D.J. You know her better than I do, but just try not to lose control. Don’t let her have that much power over you, D.”
Darrell tried to remember that now, but when Tina opened the door, he couldn’t contain the surge of anger that swept over him at the sight of her. “What do you think you’re doing?” Brushing past her, he walked into the room and waited for her to close the door. “I thought I told you not to contact my family.”
Tina’s normally perfectly styled hair was messy and a bit disheveled, as if she’d been constantly running her fingers through it the same way she was doing now. “You wouldn’t talk to me, so you left me no other choice but to come here.”
“No other choice?” Darrell threw the words back at her. “I specifically told you to stay away. Exactly what did you not understand about the last conversation we had?”
“There are things I need to tell–”
Darrell shook his head and cut her off. “Stop right there. Whatever it is, I don’t want to know. It has nothin’ to do with me.”
“But it does. It changes everything! You need to realize the kind of people the Pattels are. They’re more dangerous than I think you realize. I can imagine the side they chose to show you when you went to New York, but believe me, Isaac and Joseph are far uglier than they seem.” She hesitated then added, “Especially Joseph.”
Darrell’s eyes narrowed. “What does Joseph have to do with this?”
“You wouldn’t know it just by talking to him, but he’s every bit as cruel and evil as his brother.”
Darrell had been watching her closely as she talked. “You sound like you know him pretty well.”
Tina’s eyes narrowed when she got what Darrell was inferring. “Not the way you’re hinting around at. Do you really think I would be involved with your father then turn around and sleep with his brother?”
“You don’t want me to answer that,” Darrell scoffed. “It’s not much of a stretch to believe you were not only Isaac’s whore, but his brother’s as well.”
Tina’s palm swung up and connected with Darrell’s cheek in a hard slap. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” she hissed. “No matter what you think about me, I’m still your mother.”
Darrell rubbed his cheek and laughed bitterly. “My mother?” he repeated. “I think you and I both know that’s a load of crap. You’ve never been a mother to me a day in my life.”
“ Just…shut up!” Tina’s face twisted in an ugly sneer. “You and your holier than thou attitude towards me. I’m so sick of you, do you know that?”
“Good. The feeling’s mutual!”
“You’re just like your father. Every time I see you it’s like looking into his face thirty years ago, hearing his voice.”
The provocative smirk Darrell wore fell away as a chill invaded his body. “Why do you keep saying that? I’m not him. I hate hearing that now just as much as I did when I was little. I figured out it wasn’t a compliment back then, and I sure as hell know it’s not now.” His chest heaved as his agitation increased. “I can still remember glancing across the room and finding you staring at me with that glassy look in your eyes, the same one that’s there now. I knew you were looking at me but thinkin’ about him. For the last time, I’m not Isaac Pattel!”
“I always knew you would turn out like him,” Tina continued as if she’d heard nothing he said. “There’s a side of you that’s cold and callous, Darrell. Just like him. It doesn’t take very much to bring it out.”
“You’re sick, you know that? Certifiable. When are you going to get it through your head that I’m the way I am because of you?”
“And you hurting your wife by lusting after another woman is because of me too?” she taunted. “I guess I’m to blame for this obsession you have with your ex-girlfriend as well!”
Darrell was already cruising on the wheels of anger, but when she threw that jab at him, he went from zero to a hundred in less than a second.
“Ya’ know what, yeah! Yeah, I do blame you for that!” When Tina let out a disbelieving laugh, Darrell leaned closer. “For as long as I can remember, I thought all women were like you, self-absorbed females who used men for what they could get, so I made sure I used them first. They were nothing but sport to me,” Darrell shrugged. “But then I met Roni. I knew from the beginning that she was different. She challenged me to take a good long look at the boy I was, and made me see the man I had the potential to be.”
Darrell’s eyes glowed with feeling as he stared at Tina. Swallowing hard, he took a step back. “Roni taught me how to love a woman and because of that, she made it possible for me to love Jerra as much as I do.”
“You have a funny way of showing that love. In fact, all the Pattel men do. That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Darrell. The things you think you know about that family don’t even begin to scratch the surface. I only found out because I overheard them talking one night. This…secret of theirs is one of the reasons Isaac chose to leave me be after I left him. I told him if anything happened to me, I’d arranged to have the truth come out about what he and Joseph did. He didn’t want that. It would have destroyed his entire family.” Tina’s eyes were wild, almost crazed as they glittered with triumph at what she considered a victory over Isaac. “But now? They both can go straight to hell. If he’s not going to give me what I want then–”
“Wait, what the hell is that supposed to mean, if he doesn’t give you what you want?” Darrell interrupted.
“It does matter! You…” Darrell looked around the room while laughing in disbelief. He took a huge breath, held it for a moment then slowly released it. “Never mind. I’m not doin’ this. I refuse to do this. I’m too busy tryin’ to get my own life together to be worried about some petty bullshit that happened over thirty years ago. You need to just leave it alone.”
Darrell headed towards the door. After opening it, he stood with his back to her, staring straight ahead as if working out what he wanted to say. Coming to a decision, he turned to give her one last warning.
“You’ve seen D.J. I’mma give you that one, but Tina, do not attempt to visit him again.”
“Or what?” she asked mockingly.
Darrell stared at her in disbelief, then nodded. “You’ve got a pretty cushy life right now, wouldn’t you say? I paid off your house, renovated it so that it’s practically brand new, paid off all your debts. I’d say you got it good.” His eyes gradually froze over to resemble emotionless pits of darkness. “But I swear to God, if you keep provoking me like this, refusing to honor my wishes, I’ll bring the walls of your world tumbling down around you so fast, you won’t even realize what happened. By the time I’m finished, the only thing left of your life will be a pile a trash scattered about in the dirt. Now try me if you want to.”
Tina’s face still had a look of defiance, but there was also a healthy dose of fear. As if a sudden draft had drifted into the room, she wrapped her arms around her body to stop herself from shivering, but Darrell wasn’t finished.
“You say I’m my father’s son and got the mindset of a Pattel.” Darrell’s face twisted at the unpleasant thought. “Maybe you’re right. But see, I got your blood running through my veins as well. Just imagine the kind of monster that combination has spawned, and the havoc I could wreak if pushed beyond my limits. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve permanently taken care of a problem that needed to be dealt with. Believe me, once it’s been handled I won’t give it–or you–a second thought.”
His eyes blazed over her one last time before he walked out and slammed the door behind him.
CHAPTER 40
“Marcus! Marcus, come here, please! Hurry!”
Marcus had been on his way to the kitchen, but hearing the urgency in Aleesha’s voice, he quickly backtracked and joined her in the living room. He frowned when he saw her staring at the flat screen mounted on the wall with her mouth hanging open in surprise. The expression on her face could only be described as one of…dismay.
He started to ask her what was wrong, but when he glanced at the television, he didn’t have to. Mystery solved.
Damn.
Out of the corner of her eye, he saw Aleesha turn and look at him, but his attention remained fixed on the television screen. Plus, he already knew the question he’d see glaring brightly from her eyes. It was one he didn’t have an answer for right now.
“Turn it up,” he told her when the gossip reporter started speaking.
Aleesha grabbed the remote and increased the volume. They were both quiet as they listened to the commentary and watched the scene unfolding at McCarron International Airport.
A tall, slim woman was being led through the crowd of photojournalists fighting to get that one money making shot that would bring them a lucrative windfall. The woman was absolutely gorgeous. Gently curved, she carried herself with the self-assured confidence of a person more than capable of dealing with the spotlight. Large, dark lensed glasses covered her eyes, and her hair was cut in a sophisticated blunt bob that bounced and swayed as she walked. She tossed her head to flip a lock of it out of her face, but the glossy strand stubbornly glided back to half cover her eyes.
A man several feet taller than her had a protective arm around her shoulders as they followed closely behind the burly bodyguard mowing a clear path for them through the boisterous crowd. Once they made it outside, she was rushed into a black luxury sedan with darkly tinted windows, and quickly whisked away. The cameras panned in on the car until the headlights were no longer visible before faded back to the reporter.
Marcus and Aleesha looked at each other. They’d recognized that car and the man who had opened the door for the woman to make her safe escape. His name was Big Dre…Angel’s personal driver and bodyguard.
They knew the identity of the woman as well. Aleesha had never met her, but she’d seen pictures. Years ago, however, Marcus had known her very well and had called her his friend. She was also the woman his brotha had at one time loved more than anyone else in the world before fate stepped in and changed the path of both their lives. She hadn’t set foot in Las Vegas in over eight years, but now it seemed as if she’d found a reason to come home.
Roni was back.
Darrell unlocked the door to his condo and walked inside, his features somber and his expression distracted. He kept trying to put the visit with Tina out of his mind, but he couldn’t. Just when he thought she was gone for good, she always returned and disrupted his life. What was it going to take to get rid of her?
As far as the “secret” she so eagerly wanted to divulge about Isaac, he was glad he hadn’t fed into that. Whatever it was, it could stay hidden as far as he was concerned. The last thing he needed was another situation inserting itself into his life, and causing a new set of problems to deal with.
But that was exactly what greeted him when he entered his living room.
Seeing Jerra seated on the couch watching a TV segment of a popular celebrity news magazine, his lips parted to call her name and let her know he was home. But then he glanced at the screen. Abruptly stopping in his tracks, shock robbed him of the ability to move or even speak when he saw footage of Roni making her way through a swarm of reporters at the airport.
What tha’ hell?
While the gossip reporter enthusiastically delivered his commentary, promo shots of Roni from her modeling days, then later as owner of some of the hottest nightclubs in Vegas and New York flashed across the screen.
Making an effort to break the paralysis that momentarily held him captive, Darrell took slow steps that brought him further into the room. Standing behind the couch, he folded his arms and listened to the reporter with rapt interest:
We received a juicy tip earlier today that was too good to ignore. Rumors that have been circulating around Vegas for some time now seem to be true! Veronica Winston is indeed alive and well! The stunning socialite was spotted at McCarron International Airport earlier today, and we must say she looked as fabulous as ever! For those who remember, the former supermodel used to be one of the owners of a mega successful nightclub chain that now span three amazing cities before she was tragically gunned down in a bizarre random shooting. We warn you. The images you are about to see are graphic and not suitable for young children.
The show switched to news footage of camera crews at the scene of the crime the day Roni got shot. Lying unconscious on a stretcher, EMT’s worked frantically to save her life. Blood was everywhere; Roni’s hair and the running suit she had on were saturated with it. The black luxury SUV she’d been driving was riddled with bullet holes. Standing anxiously to the side being questioned by detectives was Darrell, shirtless and barefoot, his face ashen with shock and covered in Roni’s blood. The cameras panned in, accurately capturing the anguish and fear he’d felt for Roni that day not knowing whether she’d live or die.
Jerra gasped and covered her mouth when she saw the frightening images. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize…”
A chill ran down Darrell’s spine. His face remained expressionless, but seeing the footage catapulted him back to that horrific moment. One minute he’d been on the phone with Marcus, talking about his plans to propose to Roni, the next he’d been thrust into a terrifying nightmare. If he closed his eyes, he could still hear the gunshots echoing in his head. He’d never felt that kind of terror before, or since, like he’d experienced when he realized Roni had been s
hot. His entire world had collapsed in that moment when he realized he more than likely was going to lose her. And when he saw the damage the spray of bullets had done to her body, her once smooth skin nothing more than torn, shredded flesh…
More footage flashed across the screen showing Roni’s funeral as the reporter spoke about her “death”. Although she’d been cremated–supposedly–there had been a service to allow people to come and pay their last respects. Darrell hadn’t attended. He had visited her early that morning, placing the engagement ring he’d planned to give her in the urn that held her ashes.
Blinking his eyes rapidly, he tuned back in to the report, which ended with Roni being guided from the airport to an awaiting car. Darrell snorted softly, shaking his head when he saw Big Dre open the door for her before getting behind the wheel and pulling off.
Of course. Angel.
The celebrity reporter concluded his segment:
We’re waiting with bated breath to find out the details of exactly what happened and why Roni faked her death… and what or who has brought her out of hiding. One thing is certain: she’s as gorgeous as ever! Whatever her secret is, I wish she’d pass it on to the rest of us! Beauty at its best! Love you, Roni! You’ve been missed!
Darrell bent down, grabbed the remote from beside Jerra, and turned the television off. The silence that settled over the room seemed to suck the air out of the room. He came around and kneeled on one knee in front of her.
“Hey,” he greeted her softly.
“Hi.” Jerra stared down to avoid his probing eyes.
Grimacing, Darrell ducked his head, silently imploring her to look at him. When she refused, he slipped a hand behind the nape of her neck and pulled her towards him. He leaned forward to meet her halfway, his grip gentle, but firm, when she resisted. Darrell tried to give her a kiss meant to reassure, but Jerra turned her head at the last minute so that the kiss landed on her cheek.
