Dragon Hunts (6 page)

We washed our feet with water from the big earthenware bowl at the bottom of the step and climbed up the open and airy pavillion. We sat side by side on the edge of the structure, our feet brushing against the stalks of rice plants. Declan wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I rested my head on his chest.

We watched the sunrise together.

Declan hadn’t been kidding. The sunrise was spectacular. On the horizon above the tree line, the sun slowly ascended, painting the sky with glowing hues of orange and red. Birds chirped and roosters crowed from afar. I might have heard the low grunt of the water buffalo that local farmers employed to till the fields. There was an air of magic in this place that made every fibre of my being mellow and relaxed. People said Bali was an island of paradise.

It was true.

After watching the sunrise, we headed to the in-house restaurant to have breakfast. Always business-like, Declan had the whole day planned. He took me shopping in the capital, which was a couple of hours’ ride away, for casual dresses and shoes. I had only packed my business clothes, with the company meeting in mind. Then we went window-shopping from one art gallery to another. Declan bought a few Balinese paintings and sculptures. We had a nice lunch at a restaurant in Sanur beach, and spent the whole afternoon lounging on the sand. We went back to our hotel after sunset. I was too tired even for dinner. Declan hustled me off to bed when he noticed I could barely open my eyes.

* * * *

My cell phone rang at about four in the morning, jolting me awake. I trudged across the room, looking for my purse. I found it on the table. I rummaged through it impatiently and fished out my phone. I didn’t recognise the phone number on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Mommy?”

“Bobby? What’s wrong?” My motherly instincts flared up. I had just spoken to him a few hours earlier before I went to bed and he’d been fine. Last night Curran had introduced him to a popular multi-player online game and they had been on a quest for dwarf gold. I checked the time. Bobby was supposed to be at school at this hour.

“I’m fine, Mom. I don’t want you to worry. I can take care of myself.” My son was mature for a boy his age.

“I know, sweetie. Did something happen? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

“I’m playing hooky. I borrowed a cell phone from my friend to call you. I told Marcus my mom would pay the bill.”

“Why did you do that?” My son was quiet, not the type who liked to stir up trouble.

“Well…” he paused. “When I went to get a hall pass from the principal, I saw Scary Joe in her office.”

“You what?” My voice raised an octave. “You saw him?”

Scary Joe was Lorenzo’s wingman. He was big, ugly and as scary as his nickname. He handled most of Lorenzo’s dealings and had a rap sheet as long as ten rolls of toilet paper.

“I ran back to class before Scary Joe could see me. Then I borrowed the phone and played hooky in the girls’ bathroom. Scary Joe won’t find me. If my voice sounds kinda funny, I have to talk like a girl so nobody will suspect.”

I gripped the edge of the table. My heart filled with numbness. My son had always found humour even in difficult situations. He’d got used to cheering me up—he was the adult instead of me.

“But you’re okay, right, sweetie?”

“I’m fine, Mom. What should I do?” Behind me, I heard Declan stir from the bed and get up.

“Call Curran to pick you up from school.”

“But Curran is at work. I don’t want to bug him.”

“I’m sure Curran wouldn’t mind.”

Declan sneaked up behind me and snatched the phone from my hand. “Bobby? Hi, this is Declan. Where you at, Bobby?”

I tried to grab my phone back, but Declan was too tall. “Declan!”

He motioned me to be calm. “What you did is very clever, Bobby. Super. I’m so proud of you. Now, listen carefully. I want you to sit still in the stall, and I want you to put your feet on the toilet so no one will know you’re not a girl. I’m sending Braden to pick you up. You just stay there quietly. Don’t say anything until you hear Braden talking. Okay? Think you can do that, Bobby?”

Declan nodded at me. His expression was grim. “Yes, just like in the spy movie. I know you can do that, easy peasy. Super. I’ll talk to you again when you’re with Braden. You’re a brave boy, Bobby.” He disconnected.

“I still want to talk to my son!” I was furious and worried sick.

“You’ll endanger him by talking too long. He’s a smart boy. You need to calm down a bit.”

“But—”

“Jessica. Let me handle it.” Declan herded me back to bed. “I’m going to make a few phone calls and take care of this, okay?”

I swallowed a lungful of air and nodded. I didn’t want to cry in front of him.

“I’ll be a minute.” Declan gave me my phone back and slipped into his boxers. He had been sleeping naked. He grabbed the land phone from the cradle and went into the other room. He closed the door.

I paced around like a caged animal while Declan handled the situation. I eavesdropped on his conversations. He seemed to be talking to his brothers in New York. To Braden, especially. Then he called somebody whose name I didn’t recognise. By the time he’d finished and opened the adjoining door, I was ready to pounce on him.

“Well?”

“I have told Braden and Curran to pick Bobby up from school. We have a summer house in Alpine. I told Braden to bring Bobby straight there. He’ll be safe.”

“I need to get back to New York.”

“I know, baby. We’ll arrange that as soon as day breaks.” Declan pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. “Don’t worry. Bobby is a smart boy. I’m sure he’s going to be okay.” He released me. “Why don’t you sit tight and I’ll order you some tea? I’m waiting to hear from Braden as soon as he gets Bobby.”

I couldn’t sit tight. My son’s life was in danger. If Scary Joe knew where Bobby’s school was, then Lorenzo must have got wind of my whereabouts. I’d thought I had made a clean gateway when I left Nevada. My childhood friend, Christine, had got me the papers and been extra careful about wiping my former identity. Christine wasn’t a rookie in dealing with forgery. She made a living providing papers for illegal immigrants and people like me who needed a fresh start. I’d met her a couple of weeks before I decided to leave Lorenzo. I’d given Christine almost all of my savings.

When Bobby and I had arrived in New York, I’d only had enough money to stay for a week in a crappy motel. I’d been working as a waitress in a café frequented by professionals in Wall Street when I’d overheard my customers talking about a financial firm desperately looking for a temporary secretary. The pay was exorbitant. It would enable me and Bobby to move out of the sleazy motel and live decently for a while. I dared myself to apply, even though I had no office skills at all. That was when I’d first met Declan and unexpectedly got the job.

How did Lorenzo know we were in New York?

Had Christine been compromised? I hadn’t told Christine where we were going. As soon as I had my papers, we’d climbed onto a Greyhound bus and left hot and arid Nevada behind.

“I’ll take a shower and start packing,” I said. I was too overwrought to just sit idling. “As soon as it’s business hours, I’ll call the airline to change our departure.”

“All right. In the meantime, I’ll call room service. You seem like you could use some hot tea.”

I could have used a stiffer drink in a situation like this. But I needed a clear head. With my deranged ex on my tail, I had to make a decision about what I was going to do. Declan had offered me a safe haven, but he didn’t know what kind of monster Lorenzo Filocamo was. Declan was a businessman and came from an upper-crust, prestigious family. He didn’t know how things worked in the underground world of thugs, drug dealers, and Mafiosi. My ex had a beef with me. My connection with Lorenzo could get Declan and his family killed.

I couldn’t let that happen.

Not in a million years.

“I’ll take a shower now.” I excused myself to the bathroom.

I cried silently under the hot shower, lamenting my life. I tried not to be full of self-pity, but I couldn’t help it. Just when everything had started to look bright for me and my son. I had a well-paid job, a cosy apartment, and I had been able to put my son in a decent school. I’d met Declan and he was pretty much crazy about me. And then this had happened. The past had finally caught up with me. I wondered when life was ever going to give me a break.

Declan heard from Braden when I was packing my things. A surge of relief washed over me to hear that Bobby was in Braden’s custody. I talked to my son. He seemed calm and unaffected by the incident. Probably because he had seen worse. Bobby and Braden were heading to Alpine. They would be there when we returned to New York.

The rest was a blur.

As soon as the airline opened, I booked the earliest flight home. Twenty-five hours later, we touched down in John F Kennedy Airport. Braden picked us up at the arrival gate. I was antsy to see my son.

I almost broke down in tears when I saw Bobby. He protested when I hugged him too hard. He tried to be cool and mature by not acting like a normal eight-year-old would.

“Did you bring a souvenir for me?” Bobby asked.

I slapped my forehead. I’d been so worried I’d forgotten to pick up a little present for him. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I was in a hurry to get home to see you. I didn’t think to buy anything.”

“That’s okay, Mom. Maybe next time?”

“Yes, next time.” A fat tear almost rolled down my cheek. I looked away and rubbed my eyes.

Declan put down his luggage and patted Bobby on the back. “Lucky for you, I didn’t forget.” He reached into his pocket and took out a gift-wrapped box.

Bobby’s eyes brightened. “Wow. What is this?”

“Why don’t you open it and find out?”

Bobby tore open the box. “A Nintendo DS! Is this really for me?”

“Yes. It’s for you, for being a brave boy.”

Bobby laughed happily. “Thank you, Mr Cairne.”

“Call me Declan.”

“Mommy said it’s not polite.”

Declan gave me a sidelong glance. “Mommy won’t mind.”

“Where did you get a Nintendo DS?” I asked Declan when Bobby was out of earshot.

“Duty free shop in the airport.” Declan tugged my hand and herded me into another room in the house. “Come on. I know you’re tired, but we need to talk.”

The room turned out to be some kind of home office. Dark mahogany panelling covered the walls. It was filled with bookshelves from floor to ceiling, lined with fat tomes with gilded edges. I sat on a burgundy leather sofa. I felt much better knowing that Bobby was fine and he was with me. Scary Joe wouldn’t hurt Bobby physically. But Lorenzo was a different story. During the four years we’d lived together, fortunately, my ex had never laid a hand on Bobby. But he had threatened to teach Bobby a lesson whenever I’d displeased him. He’d called it moulding the boy into a real man. And that included ‘hard love’.

I had always distracted Lorenzo and shielded Bobby so that Lorenzo wouldn’t have the opportunity to show Bobby what his hard love was. Bobby, who had always been on the small side, had avoided his father like the plague. I didn’t think they’d ever exchanged more than two words together. He was frightened of Lorenzo. Each sudden movement from Lorenzo had made him flinch. He’d never looked happy, either. His eyes had been burdened with fear and worry for my sake each time he looked at me. A child his age should never have had to endure that. I’d known then that I had to get him out of Lorenzo’s clutches. My relationship with Lorenzo had been dysfunctional. If I couldn’t give my son everything he deserved, I should, at least, provide a healthy, abuse-free environment for him to grow up in. It was my duty as his mother.

Declan sat next to me. “Tell me what you know about Lorenzo.”

“Well, he’s the biggest son of a bitch I’ve ever known.”

Declan gave me a look.

“He’s the Don’s son and he’s taking over the family business. He’s involved in prostitution rings, illegal gambling, drugs, money-laundering—you name it. The Feds have been trying to nab him and his father for years, but they’ve had no success. He has a lot of important friends. But he also has plenty of enemies.”

Declan frowned slightly. “I read about him when we did a background check on you. I know of him, but I didn’t know the extent of his”—he made a tiny gesture—“obsessions. I presume it’s because Bobby is his heir and you’re the mother of his child that he wants you back so badly?”

I sighed. “Lorenzo is the only son in the family. He needs his heir.” I shifted my leg. “You must have wondered why I consorted with a man like Lorenzo. It was a one-night stand and, trust me, he was charming back then. Lorenzo didn’t want anything to do with me when I told him I was pregnant. So I raised Bobby by myself. I was surprised when he came looking for me and wanted to start over.”

“That was after his accident.”

“Yes. It was stupid of me, but I thought getting back with him would be good for us. I needed someone to help shoulder the financial burden and Bobby needed his father. But it was a mistake.”

“Is there any other reason why he wants you back so badly?”