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

by S. K. Hardy

  “Do you think you were able to convince him I wasn’t?” Isaac tensed as he waited on Justin’s answer.

  “Yes, I think so.”

  Isaac relaxed and released a quiet breath. “Good. I’m going to need you to keep me abreast of what’s going on with him when I get back to New York.”

  Justin’s lips tightened and his eyes froze over. Quickly finishing his drink, he practically slammed the glass down on the table in front of him.

  Isaac frowned at him in disapproval. “What in the hell is wrong with you?” he snapped.

  Justin’s voice rose a notch. “What’s wrong with me? How about the fact that I’m being forced to lie to people I consider my friends over and over again? Then, on top of that, you want me to spy on them too?” Justin shook his head. “I’m not doing that.”

  Isaac’s voice turned as icy as Justin’s. “You’re my lawyer. You’re supposed to lie. Like your father before you, you’re paid very well to do whatever the hell I need you to do without arguing with me about it.”

  “To hell with the money!” Justin snarled. “You think I give a damn about that?”

  Isaac surged to his feet. “As a matter of fact, I do. You must have forgotten that my money is the reason you’re able to wear those expensive suits and Italian shoes, drive those fancy cars, and lay your head on Egyptian sheets at night in that eight bedroom mansion you own. If I hadn’t bailed your father out of the mess he found himself in all those years ago, you both would’ve been thrown out on the streets with nothing but the clothes on your backs.”

  “Isaac, that’s enough,” Joseph inserted in a quiet voice, but neither of them gave the slightest indication that they’d heard him.

  Justin met Isaac’s glare, never once cowering in the face of his fury. “Let’s get something straight. I’m very appreciative of the help you gave my father, but I was just a kid. I’ll be damned if I let you make me beholden to you for the rest of my life. I’ve paid his debt to you. Tenfold.”

  “The debt will be paid when I say it’s paid!” Isaac roared.

  Justin took a step back and shook his head. “I’m not my father, and I sure as hell am not your lackey. Make this the last time you throw his shit up in my face and try to manipulate me with it.”

  “Or what?”

  Glaring at Isaac with an anger that was almost palpable, Justin shook his head again and strode to the door. When Isaac called his name, he waved him off, never breaking stride.

  “Justin Sullivan, do not walk away from me got dammit!”

  Justin opened the door and paused, wanting more than anything to do just that. He gripped the doorknob so tight his knuckles turned white. Finally, he slammed the door shut and swiveled around to face Isaac. “What?” he growled.

  The two men stared at each other for several tense filled moments before Isaac came over and stood in front of him. “You always were a hot headed little son of a bitch. Probably the reason why you fit in so well with this family. Every time my son and nephews got their asses into trouble, you were right there with them pulling up the rear.”

  It took several long moments, but a reluctant smile finally broke through across Justin’s face at those memories, easing some of the tension.

  Isaac reached up and squeezed Justin’s shoulder. “You’re a trusted member of my organization. Practically family. You’ve proven yourself time and time again, and you’re right. I shouldn’t have said some of the things I did just now.”

  Justin knew that was as close to an apology as he would get, but he was good with it. This wasn’t the first time he and Isaac had bumped heads over the years. He doubted if it would be the last.

  “It’s alright. And as far Darrell is concerned, give him time. From talking to him tonight, I think it’s possible he’ll reach out to you one day, but it’s not something he’ll be rushed or pressured into doing. It’ll happen when he’s ready. Not before.”

  Isaac nodded slowly. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “As far as me reporting back to you about him and his family, I’m sorry but the answer’s still no.” Justin winked at him and opened the door again to leave. “Enjoy the rest of your night, Isaac. See ya’, Joseph,” he called out over his shoulder.

  “Goodbye, Justin,” Joseph nodded. “We’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Yep.” Justin gave them a cocky salute before closing the door behind him.

  Isaac shook his head, muttering under his breath as he came back into the room.

  “He’s a good kid,” Joseph said.

  “I know. I have to give him hell every now and then. Keeps him on his toes. However, one day, he’s going to push me too far with that mouth of his.”

  Joseph chuckled. “Just admit you enjoy sparring with him. If he didn’t give as good as he got you’d lose respect for him.”

  “Yes, very true, eh? Anyway, are the boys flying out with us in the morning?” Isaac asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Everyone’s been so busy moving in different directions lately. We can use the time to talk about a few things before we touch down in New York.” Isaac glanced at his watch and rubbed his stomach. “You up to going out and getting a bite to eat somewhere? I wasn’t hungry before, but that boy made me work up an appetite just now.”

  Laughing, Joseph patted his brother on the back and followed him out the door.

  CHAPTER 55

  Seven months later…

  The mood at Darrell and Jerra’s house was boisterous and full of laughter. There was no special occasion happening, just a casual get together with friends and family to celebrate life, health, and happiness. For the first time in a long while, there were no urgent situations or life threatening emergencies looming over their heads. No blackmail attempts from ex-girlfriends, no adversaries from the past vowing revenge, and no deep dark secrets to uncover where the outcome could mean life or death. For once, everything was…normal.

  Jerra glanced around at everyone there: Marcus and Aleesha, along with their children, adorable eighteen months old Addy and Marcus Jr., Olivia, and her big brother, Dillon…Marcus’ sister, Alexis who had flown in several days ago for a visit, along with her husband Amir and their two handsome, energetic little boys. Dominick and Keisha and with their kids, Christian, Samantha, and Manny. Nikki and A.J. were there, while Angelo was out of town on business.

  Justin was supposed to have been there as well, but he called at the last minute and told them he’d have to take a rain check. Darrell was the one who had answered the phone. When he passed Justin’s message on to Jerra, she’d cut her eyes at him suspiciously. Jerra had invited a good friend of hers over with the express purpose of setting her up with Justin. Funny how all of a sudden he’d had an emergency pop up. Jerra couldn’t help but wonder if Darrell had warned him about Jerra’s amateur matchmaking scheme. She definitely intended to question her husband about it later.

  Smiling, her gaze landed on her daughter. Giselle and her father, along with his new fiancée, Tanya, had accompanied her on the trip home. Jerra was happy Robert had found someone to spend his life with, because he was truly a good person. Giselle seemed to like Tanya a lot, and that was what mattered most to Jerra. Well, that and Giselle’s new boyfriend, who was also in attendance. Darrell had mean mugged the hell out of the poor boy while interrogating him like he was a thief caught in enemy territory. Giselle’s eyes had pleaded with Jerra to intervene, but Jerra didn’t play when it came to her children. She’d pretended not to see Giselle’s distress and let Darrell have his way.

  Her thoughts were momentarily interrupted when the men inevitably started arguing while watching the game. Knowing it was all in fun, Jerra shook her head at the passion they showed for sports. Surprisingly, Dominick and Hawk were on the same side for a change, and putting forth a hell of an argument against King, Marcus, and Amir, while the other men looked on in amusement.

  Keisha noticed as well and stared at them with raised brows. “Now that’s a strange sight to witness, is
n’t it? Funny how those two seem to be getting along as thick as thieves whenever they see one another.”

  Jerra laughed. “When you think about it, it’s not really all that strange. I can see Dom and Hawk being friends. They’re a lot alike.”

  “You think so?” Keisha scrunched her nose up, not warming up to that idea at all.

  Nikki had the same expression of distaste on her face. “I agree with Keisha. If Hawk Pattel was more like Dominick, I wouldn’t worry so much about him sniffing around my sister.”

  “Raven still hasn’t ‘fessed up to anything going on between herself and Hawk?” Aleesha asked.

  “No. She continues to say it’s all in my imagination, but anyone can see that there’s an attraction, even if they haven’t acted on it yet. But ultimately, though, it’s up to her.” Nikki shook her head and looked at Jerra. “Anyway, how’s Gabby enjoying Tokyo?”

  “She likes it, I think. Getting away has been good for her, I just wish she wasn’t living so far.”

  Gabby had accepted a transfer to Japan a couple of months ago. Jerra knew that the challenge of her new position was her way of trying to ease the pain of losing her mother, but part of it had to do with Cane. Gabby admitted to Jerra that she’d deliberately pulled away from him in the months after Tina’s funeral. She wasn’t in the frame of mind to be in a relationship with anyone. As for Cane, he was living the life of a famous, wealthy bachelor and was frequently photographed in the media with a bevy of beautiful women. Jerra, however, wasn’t convinced that he was over Gabby any more than Gabby was over him.

  “Where’s Darrell?” Alexis asked, looking around with a frown, but her face cleared almost as soon as she asked the question. “Never mind, let me guess. He’s–”

  “In the room with the twins…” Laughing, all of the women finished Alexis’ sentence at the same time.

  Jerra’s happiness was clearly reflected on her face as she thought about her daughters, Harper and Hailey Monroe. Three months ago, she’d given birth to two of the most beautiful little babies in the entire universe. The pregnancy had been a fairly easy one. As a matter of fact, much to Darrell’s dismay, she’d worked up to a month before she was scheduled to give birth by C-section.

  The timing had been perfect because she’d been able to wrap the Abrams trial with plenty of time to spare. Even months later, the trial was still being talked about in the press. News shows continued to debate Jerra’s performance, calling it positively brilliant. She’d called one eyewitness after another to the stand to testify that the victim had a habit of attacking Albert Abrams whenever she got drunk or high on drugs. According to all of the witnesses for the defense as well as the prosecutor, Jerra’s client was usually laid back, intent on having fun and never the one to initiate the violence. There was even a record of him having to go to the emergency room after the victim bashed him over the head with a wine bottle with no provocation. All of the evidence given to the jury pointed to the fact that, rather than premeditation, Albert had been pushed into a sudden rage by his girlfriend. Presenting the case as a crime of passion, Jerra had been able to do the seemingly impossible: Albert Abrams III had been found not guilty.

  Because the case had generated national attention, the press had gone bananas after the verdict was announced. Jerra had done countless interviews, and gone on several news shows to discuss the case. She’d become somewhat of a celebrity, which was something she wasn’t very fond of. Jerra’s victory had silenced all of the gossipmongers at her firm. It had proven once and for all that she was deserving of having her name on the wall of the now Sullivan, Baker, Lewis & St. James-Monroe law firm.

  It hadn’t taken long for Darrell to step in and put an end to the busy schedule. She’d spent the last few weeks of her pregnancy resting until it was time for their babies to be born. She was now at the end of her three months of maternity leave and had been enjoying each and every moment.

  Standing, she grinned at the women. “I’m sure you ladies are right. I just put the babies down for their nap less than an hour ago. What do ya’ wanna bet he’s gone in there and poked at them until they woke up?”

  “Yes, but I can’t say that I blame him, J.” Nikki said. “They’re simply adorable.”

  “I agree,” Aleesha cooed. “I remember when Addy and little Marcus were that small. It seems like only yesterday.”

  “Those babies had Darrell wrapped around their tiny little fingers the moment he saw them come into the world,” Keisha chimed in. “Big ole softie.”

  Alexis laughed. “He’s not going to be able to deny them a thing. The minute they blink those big, beautiful grey eyes at him, he’s going to be putty in their hands. I mean, they look so much like him.”

  “Yeah, sorry J., all your kids are every inch the spitting image of Darrell. All you did was carry them for nine months,” Keisha added.

  “I know. You’re right,” Jerra sighed, but her expression was soft and dreamy. Realizing how blessed she was to have such a beautiful family it was hard to stop from pinching herself. “I’m going to go and see what he’s up to. I’ll be right back.”

  Smiling to herself, she quickly made her way up the stairs and crept to the nursery. Once there, she stood in the doorway shaking her head at the scene in front of her. Lorenzo was rocking one of their daughters in his arms while Lucas and Joseph looked on. But what left her speechless was the sight of Isaac sitting in one of the rocking chairs holding her other baby. Jerra had to blink to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Darrell hovered protectively close, while D.J. stood on Isaac’s other side with one hand on his grandfather’s shoulder, gazing down at his sister. For a moment, Jerra wished she had a camera to capture the moment. Three generations side by side.

  It took a while before any of the men became aware of her presence, so Jerra used the opportunity to just stand quietly and observe them.

  “Careful,” Darrell told Isaac. “Watch her head.”

  “Darrell, I think I know how to hold my granddaughter. It’s not the first time I’ve held a baby.”

  “Well, it’s the first time you’ve held this baby, so I’m makin’ sure you know what you’re doing.”

  “Why aren’t you giving Lorenzo instructions? He’s the one who doesn’t have any children,” Isaac replied with a hint of indignation.

  “Because I’ve been here several times already to visit my nieces,” Lorenzo said quietly while staring lovingly down at Harper. The corner of his mouth tilted upwards in amusement when he glanced at his father. “I now have the Darrell Monroe certificate of approval to hold his child without being monitored.”

  “That’s right,” Darrell added. Deadly serious, he kept his eyes glued to his baby. “I don’t give those certificates out lightly.”

  Jerra bit back a smile when Isaac’s gaze narrowed. Clearly insulted, his lips tightened, but he remained silent and brought his attention back to Hailey…careful to support her head.

  As Lorenzo said, he’d visited several times, and his cousins had come at least once to see their nieces. None of them had brought up the subject of Isaac being allowed to see the twins. It was Darrell’s call, and whatever he chose to do, they would respect it.

  Since Tina’s death, Darrell hadn’t so much as mentioned his father, but Jerra knew he was trying to work out his feelings regarding Isaac, and she’d given him space to do that. About six weeks after the twins were born, out of the blue he’d asked her to give a couple of 8X10 photos they had of the kids to Lorenzo so that he could give them to Isaac and Joseph. Lorenzo later told them that Isaac kept the photo proudly displayed on his desk in his office, which was where he spent the majority of his time when he was home.

  A couple of weeks ago, Darrell had shocked her even further by asking her what she thought about inviting Isaac and Joseph for a visit. Jerra knew he’d been talking to Lorenzo about it as well. The two brothers spoke on the phone at least two or three times a week. Although it hadn’t been easy in the beginning, Jerra had to give it to
Renzo, he’d stuck in there and worked at building a relationship with Darrell. Jerra had witnessed the bond between them grow and strengthen. The Pattels didn’t let outsiders in, but they’d embraced Darrell wholeheartedly and without reserve. The explanation was simple: family above all else.

  The Pattels had arrived two days before the get together. Jerra had to admit that the moment Isaac laid eyes on his granddaughters for the first time had been an emotional one. Jerra had watched Darrell’s reaction when he placed one of his daughters in Isaac’s arms. Although his expression never changed, his eyes burned like smoldering embers. Jerra knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Isaac Pattel would get one chance, and one chance only. If he screwed this up, there would be no more offered. Ever.

  Pushing away from the doorjamb, she entered the room, her expression playfully stern. “Um, excuse me, but which one of you woke them up? After I feed them they normally sleep for a couple of hours, so…”

  D.J. pointed at Darrell. “Daddy woke them up, Mommy.”

  Darrell frowned at his son then gave Jerra a sheepish grin. “I didn’t know you’d just put them down, sweetheart.”

  Jerra shook her head at the obvious lie, but before she could call him on it, Lorenzo let out a low exclamation of dismay before he carefully handed Harper to Jerra.

  “Uh…here ya’ go, sis. Looks like she needs to be changed. Number two.” Stepping back, he tried to ignore Darrell’s glare as he eased towards the door.

  “Know what, Lo? Things like that will get your certificate yanked in a heartbeat. Consider yourself on probation, bruh.”

  “Hmph.” Obviously vindicated, Isaac grunted.

  D.J. suddenly started waving his hand in front of his face. “Ughh, Hailey stinks too!”

  “D.J., go and play with your cousins.” Jerra had barely gotten the words out before he eagerly barreled out the door like a mini-hurricane. Brushing past Darrell, she gently placed Harper on one changing table while Darrell scooped Hailey up out of Isaac’s arms and brought her to the other one.