He wipes at his nose again, exhaling, any fight he had in him leaving his body. “The Bear.”
I only just control my surprise. “Directly? No middle man?”
“No middle man.”
“How does he reach out?”
“Email.”
I note James goes straight to his phone, texting Otto. “On his way,” he confirms, resting his mobile on the table.
“What has he got against you, Derek? What’s he blackmailing you with?”
“What do you think?” he asks, exasperated. “He knows we didn’t obtain our son legitimately.”
“You realize this is one mighty big fucking coincidence, don’t you?” I can’t assume The Bear doesn’t know who Daniel is to me. And I won’t. “Have you mentioned Rose?”
“God, no. But you understand why I have to stop Daniel seeing her. And you! For fuck’s sake, he’ll think I’m in your pocket.”
“You are, Derek. From now on, you most certainly are.”
His head falls into his hands. “Oh God. I knew taking on the Dorn case was a mistake.”
I frown. “What’s the Dorn case?”
“First-degree murder.” He waves a hand in the air. “Hedge fund kid with a psychotic personality disorder. The evidence was circumstantial, but you’d have to be a fucking dumbass to believe he didn’t do it. Apparently, lucky for me, the jury was full of dumbasses. Dorn walked free, I made a name for myself, as well as a few bucks, and now I’m first port of call for any fucking murderer in Miami who needs a lawyer.”
Brad peeks up at me, as well as James, both clearly thinking what I’m thinking. Could it really be a coincidence? Could it really be that simple? Because if The Bear knew Daniel was my wife’s son, surely he would have utilized that tool before now.
Time will tell. Until then . . .
“This is what’s going to happen,” I say, just as Otto walks in. He takes in the carnage behind Derek, the state of Derek’s face, and then grimaces at his half-drunk cup of tea. “You’re going to give Otto here all the email communications you have from The Bear.”
“He’ll kill me. Jesus, he already impaled Daniel’s hamster on our porch railing.”
I recoil, swinging my eyes to James. “And there’s us thinking he’s fond of animals.”
“I haven’t encountered one called The Hamster yet.” He shrugs. “Maybe he has an aversion.”
“Rodents.” Brad shudders. “I hate rodents.”
I smirk, edging forward in my chair and laying my forearms on the table. “Derek, you have to trust me on this,” I say, as James and Brad both reach for their guns, caressing them like they could be working a woman’s body. “I am not the lesser of two evils in your life right now.” I push back in my chair and kick my feet up on the table. “I know you hear me. So you will continue to represent Roake. You will forward any information you have to me, no matter how small or insignificant.”
Derek shakes his head, straightening out his broken glasses. “Do you know what you’re dealing with?” he asks, looking at me as if I just don’t get it.
“Do you?”
He swallows, looking away. “The extent of that man’s power, the size of his web of corruption. Politicians, police, lawyers, criminals. They’re all making a living because he allows it. Literally anyone who carries any clout in this city and beyond is ruled by his silent fist.”
“I’m not,” I say quietly. “And I carry a lot of clout, Derek.”
“Yes, so I can see why you’re a big problem for him. I’m not a gambling man, Mr. Black, but I would bet that coming back to life is one of the worst decisions you’ll ever make.”
My fist hits the table hard, the bang echoing around the room. I’d like to think it’s inherent anger at his audacity and nothing more, but there’s an irritating slither of frustration mixed in there too. Jesus, what the fuck would Pops make of this? He’d find the root of his problem and kill it. End of story. So that’s what I’ll do. “Me being raised from the dead could be the only thing that keeps you alive, Derek. Remember that.”
I look at Brad, because I just can’t be arsed to get up and walk the length of the room again. He reaches across to Derek’s head and brings it crashing down onto the table with a thwack. He yelps, holding his beaten face. “I don’t want Daniel to see you like this,” I say, my lip curling at his shaking form. “So I’ve arranged for someone to pick him up from school.” I stand and grab my machine gun. “He’s going to stay with us for a little while.”
“What?” He shoots up. “You’re kidnapping him?”
I look at him like the dickhead he is. “Derek, that kid is more mine than he is yours. I’m married to his real fucking mother, you deluded fuck. She’s played fair so far, let you spin your story about adopting him, let Daniel believe every word to save your integrity.” Really, it was the only way without giving Daniel the gory details of Rose’s traumatic history. She didn’t want to scar him with that. She doesn’t want him to believe the world can be so cruel. “And you repay her by trying to stop her seeing him?” I laugh, and there’s not one scrap of amusement in the sound.
“How will I explain that to Hilary?”
“I don’t give a flying fuck what you tell your wife. Lie. Whatever.”
His shoulders drop. “And what will you tell Daniel?”
“He’s coming to stay with his mum for a while. Nothing strange about that.” I pull out my cigarettes. “I bought him a jet ski. I’m sure he’s told you. We’ll have a few day trips, spend some time on the water. He loves cooking with my mum too.”
Derek gets up and goes to a nearby console table, pulls a Kleenex out of the box, and dabs at his nose. “I always wondered about you.” He exhales, looking at me. “Why there were no pictures of you from his visits to St. Lucia.”
I pout. “I’m camera shy.”
“And supposedly dead.”
“When did you figure out who I was?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“My client. Roake.” he sighs. “I was asked to deliver an envelope to him on one of our meetings about his case.” He shakes his head, wedging one hand against the wood and leaning on it, his body visibly heavy. “Inside was a photograph of you.”
So my mug shot is being passed around the recruits? Not a surprise. “So you took a peek before handing it over to Roake? Very naughty, Derek. And you recognized me how?”
He nods at my hand, and I look down, seeing the leather band on my wrist that Daniel bought for me from a market on his first visit to St. Lucia. Well, damn. “Daniel still has his too,” Green says, sounding rather sad. “He didn’t shut up about your matching wristbands and jet skis for weeks after he came home.”
I bet Derek had a heart attack when he figured it out. And now I bet he’s wondering what he’s done to deserve this. To be entangled in this web of crime, blackmail, and exploitation. And it’s not because he bought a kid on the black market. No one in Miami knows that Rose is Daniel’s mother. That’s circumstantial. What Derek actually did was win a high-profile court case. He made himself useful to The Bear, and lucky for that illusive fucker, Derek had some skeletons in the closet to hide. Something juicy to blackmail him with. And now he’s useful to me too. “Was there anything else in that delivery we should know about?”