“Seriously,” David chuckled warmly, “you’re offering me your home, your hospitality, and you’ve made my son a happy man. Call me David.”
“Very well,” Cold relented. “You may call me Roderick.”
“No ‘Boss Cold’?” David laughed.
“No,” Cold replied with a smirk. “Rod is also fine, if you so wish.”
“I can live with Roderick.” David hesitated, a moment of emotion warring on his face as he added breathlessly, “Thank you again. For everything.”
“My pleasure,” Cold said, finishing off his champagne with a rare and genuine smile.
“Are you hungry, Dad?” Jimmy asked, grabbing the bottle of champagne and refilling all of their glasses. “Jerry, the driver, super nice guy, he’s also a fantastic chef! He can make you anything you want.”
“I wouldn’t mind a steak the size of Texas and a cold beer,” David said thoughtfully, smiling brightly at his son, “and a scalding hot shower to wash all this prison funk off.”
“Totally doable.”
They continued to chat all the way back to Cold’s compound, and Jimmy was proud when his father let out an impressed whistle as they drove through the gates up to the mansion.
“Not bad,” David said, nodding in approval.
As they pulled up front, Jimmy saw they had people waiting outside for them. Rowena Legrand, Cold’s younger sister, was there, plus Roger Lorre and Mickey Tamerlane, two of Cold’s top Gentlemen.
Jimmy worried for a moment that his father would be put off by so many people, especially since neither Tamerlane nor Lorre exactly screamed friendly. He knew he and Tamerlane had met while in prison, but he wasn’t sure if it would be a happy reunion. To his surprise, David was all smiles as they exited the limo.
He even reached out to hug Tamerlane, laughing, “Well, look at you! Hey, Mickey!”
Jimmy cringed, thinking the assassin would not be much on hugging, but he was surprised again when Tamerlane hugged him back.
“Hey, Doc!” Tamerlane greeted with a crooked grin. “Good to see you on the outside!”
“Good to be seen,” David agreed, nodding toward Lorre. “And this must be Roger?”
“Roger Lorre,” Lorre said, shaking hands with David. “Nice to meet ya’, Doc. Appreciate you fixing up Tamerlane while he was in.”
“No problem at all,” David said with a humble shrug of his shoulders. He looked to Rowena, asking, “And this is...?”
“Rowena Legrand,” Rowena cooed sweetly, slinking over to pull David into a big hug and kiss his cheek. “It’s lovely to meet you, Daddy Poe! Welcome to the family!”
David actually blushed, saying politely, “Thank you very much, Miss Legrand. I appreciate that.”
“Come on, Dad,” Jimmy said, taking his father’s arm and leading him inside. “I’ll take you up to your room, and you can get settled, okay?”
“Sure, sure, sounds good, slugger!” David took a deep breath as Jimmy walked him upstairs.
“You okay?” Jimmy asked quietly, gently patting his shoulder. His father seemed upset, and he didn’t understand what was wrong.
“I’m good, son,” David promised him. “It’s just a lot. But I’m good. This is just...” He looked around the rich surroundings. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” Jimmy agreed with a grin. “It’s pretty crazy. I still have trouble believing it sometimes.”
He showed David into one of the spacious guest rooms, saying, “This is your room. Bathroom is through that door there. Me and Rod are down at the end of the hall. There’s clothes in the closet for you. Rowena helped me; I had to guess on the sizes.”
David was looking all around, and plopped down on the edge of the bed. He was quiet, nodding along as Jimmy spoke.
Jimmy frowned, sitting down beside him, asking, “Are you sure you’re okay, Dad?”
“Been in prison a long time,” David said, his lips pulled back in a strained smile. “Rooms seem too big, lights are too bright.” He sucked in a shaky breath. “It’s a lot, son.”
Jimmy leaned against his father, taking his hand and smiling brightly as he said, “I know, Dad. I mean, I don’t know, but I’m here. We’ll get through this together.”
David’s eyes were getting damp again, and he kissed Jimmy’s forehead as he sighed, “I love you, slugger.”
“I love you, too,” Jimmy replied, smiling sweetly. “Everything is gonna be fine, I promise.”
“Baby steps, kiddo,” David chuckled, giving his son a friendly nudge.
“Everything to your liking?” Cold’s voice called out from the open doorway.
“Great,” David said quickly and wiped at his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Jimmy,” Cold said firmly, “why don’t you let your father get settled, hmm? I’ll let Jerry know what to prepare for dinner. Steaks the size of Texas, yes?”
“Perfect,” David agreed.
Jimmy pouted a little, giving his father one last hug before getting up to join Cold. He shivered when Cold’s hand gently rested on his neck, saying, “You just relax, Dad. You need anything, call for us, okay?”
Cold squeezed Jimmy’s neck hard enough to make his knees wobble, saying, “We’ll let you get some rest, David. Dinner will be ready by six o’clock.”
“And seriously, you need anything at all,” Jimmy went on, “just let us know, okay?”
“Thanks, slugger,” David said with a tired smile. “I will, I promise. I’ll see you guys a little later, okay?”
“Okay, and there’s towels in the bathroom and soap and—”
“I’m sure David can handle it from here,” Cold cut him off sharply, shifting his fingers up into Jimmy’s hair and giving a small tug. “Let’s go.”
“Bye, Dad!” Jimmy exclaimed as Cold steered him quickly out of the room and down the hallway. He hissed under his breath, “You didn’t have to rush me out of there like that.”
“Yes, I did,” Cold replied with a snort, leading him into their bedroom.
“I just wanted to make sure he’s okay!” Jimmy protested, fussing as Cold pushed him toward the bed.
“Jimmy,” Cold scolded, “your father has been in prison for many years. He needs time to adjust.”
“He said he’s fine!” Jimmy argued. “My dad is one of the strongest people I know. If something was wrong, he would have told me.”
“No, he wouldn’t have,” Cold countered. “He’s your father, and you’re his son. He is not going to tell you how difficult this is for him. Trust me. That is a man who needs space to breathe.”
“You do not know my father better than me!” Jimmy snapped, surprised at how angry he was at the insinuation.
Cold’s lip twitched at Jimmy’s raised voice, his entire body tensing as he replied, “I may not know your father very well, but I do know criminals.”
“My father isn’t a criminal!” Jimmy argued loudly, his face flushing brightly.
“No, but he spent almost twenty years living as one,” Cold replied, reaching out to wrap his hands around Jimmy’s throat. “Adjusting to life as a free man is not easy. I’ve seen it many times and lived it myself.”