TOTAL ECLIPSE: The Evolution (Sin City Heat Series Book 7) (4 page)

CHAPTER 2

Darrell made it to Tina’s side seconds before her knees buckled underneath her. Catching her before she fell, he lifted her up in his arms and carried her to the couch. Looking over his shoulder, Darrell he threw a frigid glare towards Lorenzo.

“What part of ‘wait outside the room’ didn’t you understand?”

“Darrell.” Jerra uttered his name in reprimand as she carefully propped a pillow under Tina’s head and sat beside her on the edge of the couch.

Lorenzo’s eyes stayed on Tina. “I didn’t mean to upset her. I was only trying to calm her down.”

“Yeah? Great job.” Darrell’s response was loaded with sarcasm.

Lorenzo’s eyes settled on Darrell. “I didn’t do it on purpose,” he grunted through gritted teeth before he directed his attention back to Tina. “Do you think we need to get her to a hospital?”

Darrell scowled. “
We
don’t need to do a thing.
You’ve
done enough.”

“What’s your problem?” Lorenzo shot back, his concern for Tina giving way to irritation at Darrell’s attitude.

Jerra looked up at Darrell. “Maybe we
should
call Marcus. Just to make sure she’s okay.“

“No.” Tina’s protest was faint. “Please, there’s no need to bother Marcus. I…I just need to catch my breath. I’ll be fine.” She squeezed Jerra’s hand in a surprisingly firm grip. Her eyes drifted back to Lorenzo, who appeared a bit uneasy at her scrutiny.

“I’m…sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m sure my being here comes as a shock.”

“That didn’t stop you from just showin’ up without callin’ first, did it?” Darrell’s eyes ran over Lorenzo, dismissing him with a shake of his head as he walked over to D.J.

The transformation of Lorenzo’s features was instant. Irritation morphed into an icy warning as his gaze tracked Darrell across the room. “What’s your problem?”

Eyes flashing like lightning clapping in the sky, Darrell turned as if to retrace his steps, but aware of D.J. watching him with rapt interest, he remained where he was. He reached out and pulled his son close to his side.

“What’s my problem?” Darrell repeated. “I’m lookin’ at him.”

Lorenzo’s eyes darkened to an iron-grey. His lips parted to deliver a blistering retort, but pulled the words back when his eyes fell on D.J. Looking at Darrell, he backed down with obvious reluctance.

Jerra stood up and went to stand in front of the two men. “Would you two stop it,” she hissed. Dividing her glare between them both, she addressed Lorenzo first. “Tina had a pace maker installed about six months ago. That’s why we wanted to break the news to her first before she saw you.”

Lorenzo’s expression turned apologetic. “I’m sorry. Again, it wasn’t my intention to upset her.”

“Well, you did,” Darrell sneered.

“And you should know better.” Jerra stopped Darrell before he could go any further. “You’re being deliberately rude. This isn’t easy for anyone, least of all Tina. Could you both put aside whatever personal dislikes you seem to have somehow developed for each other and focus on your moth–on Tina? Please?”

Darrell stared at Jerra then let out a drawn out sigh. “You’re right.”

Lorenzo nodded. “Of course.”

Jerra inhaled a deep breath before slowly releasing it in relief. “Good.”

Darrell glanced at Tina. “You sure you don’t want me to call Marcus?”

“No. I’m feeling much better.”

“Who’s Marcus?” Lorenzo asked.

Darrell’s lips tightened in annoyance, but feeling the weight of Jerra’s stare, he reluctantly answered. “He’s my best friend and the heart surgeon who did the operation for the pace maker.”

Lorenzo nodded slowly then said to Tina, “I guess I’ll formally introduce myself. My name is Lorenzo Pattel. Everyone calls me Renzo, or Lo. My father…” He paused for a moment before plunging ahead in a slight rush. “My father says you’re my biological mother. Is that true?”

Absolute silence filled the room as they all looked at Tina and waited on her to confirm what everyone already knew to be true.

Tina’s lips trembled, nodding bravely as she forced the words out. “Yes. Yes, I’m your mother.”

The air in the room became highly charged. Renzo swallowed convulsively as Tina verified the bizarre story his father had told him. His eyes bounced around the room before lighting on Darrell, the man he now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was his brother. Lorenzo almost laughed at the notion. When he thought about brothers, images of the cousins he’d been raised with came to mind, Lucas, Hawk, and King.
They
were his brothers, not someone he disliked almost from first sight.

Jerra’s voice drew all of their attention to her. “I’m going to take D.J. up to his room and get him settled in with a movie. I shouldn’t be long.”

That was all she said, but her eyes skimmed each of them, resting on Darrell and Lorenzo. It was obvious what she’d left unspoken: Please don’t kill each other before I get back.

Grimacing, Darrell held her gaze for a few seconds. Choosing to remain standing, he gestured for Renzo to sit down in the chair to the right of the couch. Obviously, that was enough to satisfy Jerra because only then did she take D.J.’s hand and lead him out of the room.

After Renzo was seated, he studied Tina in silence. Due to what he’d learned about her health problems, he tempered the natural part of his personality that fought to show its ass by taking control of the conversation and demanding answers. But only barely.

Tina’s demeanor didn’t escape him. Although she bravely met his eyes, Renzo took note of the stiffness of her posture. She sat ramrod straight with her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Remembering her reaction when she thought his father was there to see her, it hit him that she was bracing herself for angry accusations. Admittedly, that had been his first response. Renzo was under no illusion as to who and what his father was. Isaac Pattel could be unspeakably cold and unconscionably ruthless; quite honestly, that described all of the men in his family, including himself if the circumstances called for it. Instinctively, he knew this was not one of those times…at least, not yet.

Schooling his features to show none of his thoughts, Lorenzo leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees in a deceptively casual pose. “I have to say, you hardly look old enough to have two grown sons.” Hearing Darrell’s scoffing laugh, he looked up at him, struggling to keep his voice evenly keeled. “Something funny?”

Darrell shook his head. “Nothing funny about a grown man taking advantage of a young girl.”

Lorenzo’s face froze. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what I said. She was barely sixteen years old when Isaac Pattel first started messing around with her. He was twenty-five.”

Brows knitted together in a frown, Lorenzo looked at Tina. “Is that true?”

Tina’s nails dug into the back of her hand, but she determinedly met his gaze and nodded. “Yes, but…” She sent a brief glance towards Darrell, whose expression was stiff and unyielding. “I can’t lay all the blame at Isaac’s feet. I told him I was seventeen. I’d always looked mature for my age, so he had no reason to doubt that.”

Darrell’s stare intensified. “Why do you keep making excuses for him?”

“I’m not,” Tina shrugged helplessly.

“Then what do you call it? He was an adult, he knew what he was doing.”

Lorenzo’s eyes had been going from one of them to the other. He frowned at Darrell. “Give her a chance to explain. I’m sure she knows the circumstances better than anyone.”

Darrell’s entire body grew taut with anger. “Was I talkin’ to you?”

“Whether you were or not, I was talking to you,” Lorenzo fired back.

The room was tense with hostility. Tina held a hand up to stop them. “Please don’t fight.”

It took several moments before either man reacted. With a sound close to disgust, Darrell turned to stare out the window and ignored them both.

Lorenzo scowled at his back for a couple of more beats before turning to Tina. “When did you and my father first meet?”

“In New York. I never knew my father, and my mother was a cold, uncaring woman who kicked me out of the house when I was fifteen. After months of sneaking from one friend’s house to another, I happened to meet your father. Like I told Darrell, my life changed overnight after that. I wanted for nothing. He set me up in an apartment, bought me beautiful clothes, expensive jewelry, made sure I was taken care of. To me, he was my knight in shining armor.”

“Did you know about my mother?” The question was asked with little emotion. From the time Lorenzo was old enough to understand such things he’d known his father kept mistresses. So had his mother.

Tina shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, her eyes fell away from his. “Of course not.”

Darrell’s head swiveled around to pierce her with a pointed stare. That’s not what she’d told him.

Reading his thoughts, a flush crept across Tina’s cheeks. “I…I mean, I didn’t know at first. I didn’t find out until Isaac and I were involved.”

The muscle in Lorenzo’s jaw twitched for several seconds. “So how did it come about that he and my mother were the ones who raised me and not you?” Lorenzo’s eyes turned a wintry grey when Tina’s silence stretched on. He’d already received the run around from Isaac. He wasn’t about to sit there and let Tina do the same. “I asked my father, but he wasn’t very forthcoming. That’s why I’m here. I’d like answers. I think I deserve them.”

Still feeling Darrell’s eyes on her Tina shifted uncomfortably under Lorenzo’s gaze. “When your secretary told me you were out of the country, I left my name and number. For some reason, I didn’t think she’d give you the message.”

Lorenzo barely managed to curb his impatience. Tina was stalling. Cutting his eyes away from her, he found Darrell staring at him with a mocking smirk as if he too knew what Tina was doing and was enjoying seeing him irritated. Lorenzo’s jawline hardened. He’d wanted to meet Tina in person, get her side of the story because the situation was so outlandishly bizarre. But if she wanted to go this route, that was fine with him. He had other ways of finding out the truth.

Compressing his lips into a thin line, he decided to play along with her for the time being. “In spite of my father threatening my secretary with the loss of her job, yes, she told me. She’s very loyal. I was curious as to why he would try to keep it from me so I did some investigating on my own. As soon as I got home, I confronted him about what I found out. In typical Isaac Pattel fashion, he demanded that I drop the subject and forget everything I’d learned.”

Tina shuddered as if remembering Isaac’s temper. “I’m sure he was furious.”

Lorenzo’s mouth tightened into a smile. “He’ll get over it. Needless to say his anger didn’t stop me because I’m here. Besides…”

A movement from the doorway caught his attention. Seeing Jerra entering the room, he turned his head and watched her approach. Lorenzo felt, rather than saw, the intensity of Darrell’s stare resting on him, but his gaze never left Jerra. A hint of a smile tugged his mouth upwards. Darrell had enjoyed seeing Lorenzo’s irritation a few moments ago. The devil in Lorenzo decided to return the favor.

“Got your lil’ man settled?” he asked Jerra.

“Yes, he’s watching a movie. A friend of ours is on the way to pick him up for a play date in a few minutes.” Jerra saw the silent question burning in Darrell’s eyes and added,  “Angela’s going to take them to the movies,” she told him quietly. “She offered to let him spend the night. I said it was okay.” When he nodded, she went to Tina and touched her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Tina covered Jerra’s hand with hers and gave it a squeeze. “I’m fine,” she nodded. Patting the spot beside her, she said, “Here. Sit. All of this has to be a shock for you as well.”

“Actually, Tina, Jerra and I met years ago in law school,” Lorenzo said in a casual tone.

Tina’s eyebrow lifted in surprise as she stared at Jerra. “Is that true?”

“Yes,” Jerra nodded. “He went by his mother’s maiden name, though. I didn’t know him as a Pattel.”

“That’s…unbelievable,” Tina sputtered. “What an amazing coincidence.”

“Yeah,” Darrell drawled, his eyes locked on Jerra. “Amazing.”

Jerra’s lips tightened when she heard the slight edge in his voice just as he’d intended her to. The brief glance she sent him screamed out that he had more pressing things than Lorenzo to worry about. Namely, their marriage.

Ignoring her husband’s comment, she said to Tina, “Lorenzo was in his final year of law school, but he helped out us newbies quite a bit.”

Lorenzo chuckled. “If I remember correctly, you didn’t need a whole lot of help, Jerra.” He threw a smirk back at Darrell, identical to the one Darrell had given him. “I’m sure you’re aware of the fact that your wife graduated at the top of her class in law school. Had all of the top firms in the country vying for her to come work for them after she passed the bar. I know because my firm was one of them.”

Darrell’s eyes flashed a clear warning. He knew Lorenzo was intentionally trying to goad him by hinting around that he and Jerra had been close. However, his expression softened when he switched his attention to Jerra. “I’m aware of how brilliant my wife is.”