Dragon Hunts

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.