Dragon Hunts (7 page)

“Probably because I know too much. We lived together for four years, and during that time, I heard some things I shouldn’t have. Names. Business dealings. Secrets.”

“Did the Feds ever approach you?”

I nodded. “Once. I turned down their offer.”

Declan grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “We’ll handle this together. Don’t worry. Braden will get you and Bobby new IDs. We have the connections to make that happen. We’ll put Bobby in a new private school. We’ll hire a security company to monitor you and Bobby’s safety. Everything is going to be okay.”

“What about my job?”

“Why do you need a job? You have me. You don’t need to worry about your finances anymore. I will take care of you and Bobby well.”

“I feel like a freeloader.”

“Jessie,” he chided. “I love you. When I said I wanted you to consider me a part of your future, this is what I meant. I want to be with you and this is part of my responsibility. To protect you and make you safe.”

 
“I… I don’t know what to say.”

“You’re still rattled by this whole thing. How about you relax and take a nap? We’ll talk more about this later. Bobby is safe and now you can rest your mind.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

Declan kissed me on the lips. I closed my eyes and savoured it.

“Shall I show you your new room? You’ll be living in this house for now.”

“This big house?”

“Yes. Or do you want a bigger house?”

I grinned. “No. This one is good.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Chapter Five

Even though Declan said everything was going to be okay, deep in my mind, I knew things weren’t as simple as he made them out to be. Declan’s offer to shelter me and my son was a tempting one but, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t accept. Before Scary Joe had popped up uninvited in Bobby’s school, I’d thought I could keep my new life and my new lover. But the game had changed. If I didn’t tread carefully, someone was going to get badly hurt. If Scary Joe knew where Bobby’s school was, it was only a matter of time before he found out where I worked and the nature of my relationship with Declan.

In Lorenzo’s twisted mind, since the accident, I was the only woman for him. I’d never ridiculed him for his problems and I was submissive enough to live under his iron-clad thumb. If Lorenzo ever found out I had taken a new lover, he would hunt Declan down and kill him.

I shuddered.

Sometimes, the nightmare was too vivid to be forgotten.

Lorenzo, breath reeking with alcohol, had pinned me down in bed while he’d raped me with the handle of his favourite knife. My back had been bleeding and I’d wondered just how badly he’d cut me this time. He’d asked me how I liked it. Told me I was his favourite bitch whore. And if I ever left him, especially for a new cock, he would make that man’s face look worse than my already scarred back.

Declan was sweet and caring. He was everything I ever wanted in a man. He accepted me for who I was. But he was a mere businessman. He didn’t know how things had worked in that side of my past life.

He had no idea just how crazy Lorenzo really was.

So I made my decision.

I had to leave Declan and discard this life to start over again. Hopefully, this time, I could elude Lorenzo forever.

I checked my bank account and withdrew all my savings. I had about three thousand dollars. I had always been frugal and I’d carefully saved every penny I’d made. It would be enough to hold me over until I got a new job, in a new place. I was thinking about Los Angeles this time. The city was big and crowded with all kinds of people looking for a slice of the Hollywood dream. It would be easy to disappear into the general population.

Two days after arriving in Alpine, I packed my bag and sneaked out with my son from the Cairne’s summer house. Bobby didn’t ask me anything as I told him to get quietly into the taxi. The driver drove us to the nearest Greyhound terminal. Only when we were on the bus did my son look me into the eyes and ask quietly, “We’re going away because of Dad?”

I nodded. My chest felt constricted.

“I like Declan,” he said. “I like Braden and Curran, too. They’re super nice.”

I bit my tongue and tried hard not to cry.

As Alpine faded into the night, I slept restlessly through a nightmare about Lorenzo and his knife.

We settled in a small motel in the outskirts of Los Angeles. The room cost me two hundred dollars per week. It was dingy and gloomy and totally awful. This was the second time I had subjected my son to a crummy environment like this. I had no choice. I had to watch every penny I spent until I got a new source of income.

I left Bobby in the room, entertained with a bunch of comics, while I went job hunting. The room came with TV and microwave. Bobby was self-sufficient. And the Nintendo DS he’d got from Declan helped him to pass the time until I got back.

There were quite a few places in Los Angeles who would hire someone without papers like me. They, of course, paid me under the table and asked me no questions. On the fifth day after our arrival in Los Angeles, I got hired to work in a Mexican restaurant. I tended tables and took orders. I helped out in the kitchen when needed and cleaned up the bathrooms and the floors. The pay barely sustained us, but I thought I was only going to do this temporarily, until I knew someone who could get me new papers so I could hunt for a better job.

My feet were killing me as I left the restaurant for the night. The weekend had been particularly busy. My mood was slightly elevated because of the tips I’d received. It could buy us groceries for a week. I walked to the motel, which was only a few blocks away from the restaurant. I stopped by at a convenience store to buy Bobby the Lunchables he was so fond of.

When I entered the motel’s courtyard, I felt like I had been punched in the guts.

I saw Braden leaning by our door, smoking a cigarette.

I felt numb as my feet carried me to my room. Braden saw me. He nodded.

“Evening, Jessica.”

I looked towards my door and back to him again. The invisible lump in my throat became harder to swallow. “Does Declan know you’re here?” My voice was shaky.

“He’s inside with Bobby.”

“How did you find us?”

Braden lifted an eyebrow. “I have my ways.”

“Seriously?”

“Relax, Jessica. I wouldn’t be the head of security if I couldn’t take care of simple things like this, would I?”

Oh God.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to do.

“Go on. My brother is waiting for you,” Braden urged.

Taking a deep breath, I turned the doorknob sideways and opened up the door. Declan was sitting on the bed, reading a book with Bobby.

“Hey, Mom, look who’s here,” Bobby greeted me cheerily.

“Bobby. Didn’t I tell you not to open the door to anybody but me?”

“I know, but it’s Declan!”

Goodness. My son
was
fond of my former boss.

Declan got up from the bed. “Bobby, why don’t you go outside with Braden? Your mommy and I need to talk.”

Bobby jumped from the bed in an instant. “Okay. Can Braden and I get some ice cream?”

“Sure.”

“No,” I said at the same time.

Declan shot me a sharp look. “It’s only ice cream, Jessica.” He turned to Bobby. “Go on. I’ll call Braden when your mom and I have finished talking.”

He opened the door and spoke to his brother. Bobby climbed into Braden’s car and waved at me happily. Braden threw me an unreadable look and promised me he would watch my son very, very closely and safely. The luxury sedan purred like a cat and left the driveway.

Declan closed the door, turning to me.

“Why, Jessica?” he demanded.

I bit my lower lip.

“Why did you leave me?”

I’d never seen Declan this pissed. I couldn’t blame him.

“No notes. No anything. Do you know how worried I was? I thought something had happened to you. I thought you were kidnapped by your ex!”

“I’m sorry,” I squeaked.

“And this place.” Declan brandished his hands in disgust. “This environment is not fit for a child. Do you know there are prostitutes on the street corner? And people dealing drugs a few doors over?”

“Well, sorry,” I snapped back. “It’s not like I have enough money to stay in the Four Seasons.”

Declan’s jaw twitched. He stepped closer. I took a step backwards.

“Why did you leave?”

“I didn’t want Lorenzo to hurt you.”

“I’m not a child, Jessica. I can take care of myself.”

“You’re a businessman. Lorenzo is the mob. You don’t know him.”

Declan shook his head. “So little faith you have in me.”

“I’ve seen Lorenzo beat a man into a pulp. I don’t want him to do that to you. Or your brothers. Or your family.”

“And you think by running away from me you’ll be safe from Lorenzo?”

“I’ve survived so far, haven’t I?”

“Jessica. Stop being stubborn and let me handle this. Have faith in me. In us.”

I stood rooted to the spot.

“Pack your bag. We’re leaving.”

“You leave. You’re not the boss of me. Not anymore.”

“If you care about your son, you will pack your bag and leave with us. This place is unfit for a child. He needs to be in school and socialise with kids his age. You can’t leave Bobby alone in here while you are out working. There could be a drive-by shooting and you wouldn’t know. There could be a drug addict busting down this door and robbing the place and you wouldn’t know. This place is not safe for Bobby.”

I hated his logic. Declan was always right.

“Come on. Don’t be stubborn.”

I sniffed.

“You can’t get rid of me this easy, Jessica. I won’t let you go. Now, pack your things and come with me.”

Declan possessed amazing skills of persuasion. With grace and eloquence, as if he were putting his case before the board of directors in an important meeting, he explained to me the terrible cons if I chose to be stubborn and refuse to take his advice. By the time he’d finished, I felt like I was the worst mother in the world. So I packed my bag and went with him.

Bobby and I sat in the back seat. My son grinned at me. “Mommy, does this mean tonight we get to sleep somewhere that isn’t stinky?” he whispered. The toilet in our room had broken. No matter how many times I’d tried to flush it, it emitted noxious odours from the pipe that were quite bothersome.

I covered my face in shame. I wanted to crawl under a rock and die.

Declan didn’t say anything. He fixed his gaze on the road. His face was grim.

I held my son’s hand and whispered back, “Yes. We get to sleep somewhere clean.”

Bobby leaned over to me and said quietly, “Are we going to live with Declan from now on?”

I sighed. “Looks like it.”

“Awesome.” Bobby covered his mouth with his hand and giggled.

God
.

It was apparent that Declan was not only in control of my situation, but he also had won my son’s heart. I caught Declan’s eyes in the rear view mirror. He looked so smug I was itching to smack him.

Braden drove us to an affluent residential area and entered the driveway of a grand, two-storey house. Tall palm trees flanked the Spanish-style gate. Roses and wisteria climbed and flourished on the front pergola. Was this also a Cairne home? I’d thought we were going to stay in a hotel or something. I supposed I shouldn’t have been surprised that the Cairne family owned properties everywhere.

I was surprised to see Curran open the door.

“Welcome back, Jessica. Hey, Bobby. It’s good to see you, buddy.”

Curran and Bobby traded a high five. My son chattered with Declan’s youngest brother, like they were old friends. I felt a hand on the small of my back. It was Declan.

“Come.” His voice was curt. I could see he was still angry with me.

I trudged along.

We went to the kitchen. Curran was making Bobby chocolate sandwiches. My son sat on a tall stool and ogled his surroundings with wide eyes.

“A TV in the kitchen,” he exclaimed. “How cool is that?”

“That’s not a TV, Bobby. That’s our security system monitor,” Braden said. The image on the screen mounted on the wall changed every ten seconds, showing different inner and outer parts of the house. “See this? You and your mommy will be safe here. If a bad guy comes, we can see him before he enters the house.”

“Wow.” Bobby gaped. “But can you watch SpongeBob from this TV, though?”

Braden only smiled. “No, you can’t. You have to watch it from the TV in the living room. Or the ones in the bedrooms.”

Bobby nodded eagerly. His attention diverted to the plate before him. He snatched the sandwich and took a big bite.

I shifted from foot to foot, waiting for what Declan was going to say. I felt like a child who was waiting to be grounded.