"You're in luck. The exact sub from last night will be returning tomorrow night at eight p.m. and he asked to leave you a message in case you called again."
"And what message is that?"
"He said to tell you to meet him in the front of the club by the St. Andrew's cross and to let you know that there will be no rules this time."
I smile, gripping the phone tighter. "Tell him it's a date."
My hand shakes when I slide the phone back in my pocket. I exit the room unable to calm the fluttering in my chest at the thought of getting to touch Marcus again. One of my men stays behind and the other follows me to my car. He opens my car door before getting into the driver's side. "Where will we be going today, boss?"
"To Club Rio, to see my son."
The drive feels longer than it is. I hadn't seen Isaiah since he last came to my house, needing help rescuing his husband. This visit is definitely overdue. "You can stay here; I may be a while. Family reunions aren't typically a short thing for us."
Cesar pulls up in front of the club. "I'm not sure it's safe for you to go alone."
"Don't worry. I'll send you a message letting you know I'm all right. If you don't hear from me in ten minutes then you can panic."
Cesar sighs. "You have ten minutes. If I don't hear from you by then…"
"Then I expect you to come barging in, fully loaded like some mad man."
"Good." He smiles. "Because that's exactly what I plan to do, you stubborn ass."
I laugh, getting out of the car, slowly approaching the club's entrance. I inhale and exhale deeply before pulling open the door. There's a man standing on the other side collecting a cover charge and checking ID. "You know where I can find Carson? I was told he would be working today." Carson is the name Isaiah's gone by ever since he came to Kansas City to escape his troubles in Mexico.
"What business do you have with him?"
"Personal. Tell him Edmond Ortega is here to see him."
The man picks up the phone and I examine my surroundings. The club is mostly dark with fluorescent lights surrounding the dance floor and stage. "He'll meet you at the bar." The man's lips stretch into a thin line.
"Great, thank you." The music is louder the farther I walk into the club and there are a few men and women dancing in cages on the dance floor. My gaze travels around the room until it lands on a man standing at the bar in a dark suit, holding up a glass filled with green liquid. Isaiah is almost unrecognizable from when I last saw him. There's light in his eyes and his face is more alive, his skin flushed with color. He no longer appears empty, lost, and strained with worry. "Well look who decided to step away from his castle. To what do I owe this pleasure, old man?"
"I thought we could catch up and have a few drinks."
He takes a sip of his drink and sets his cup down behind him. Crossing his arms, his brows thread together. "Please. I doubt this visit has anything to do with some father-son bonding moment."
I chuckle, running a hand through my hair. "We never were really good at those, were we?"
He shrugs. "It was never our way." He reaches behind him and hands me a glass, the golden liquid sloshing back and forth as he holds it higher to the light. "You going to tell me why you're really here?"
I take the cup, glancing inside it hesitantly.
"Oh come on, you can't even trust your own son?"
"A man like me can't even trust himself most days."
He nods. "Vamos. Let's go someplace quieter. There's something I want to show you."
I send a text to Cesar like I had promised I would before I follow Isaiah to the back, flooded with curiosity. I don't askif Marcus is here, because I doubt he'd be inviting me to stay longer if he was. I’d rather not come off as alarming in any way if I don't have to. He doesn't know I found out Marcus is alive. We walk through two double doors, and he pulls a key out of his pocket. He points to an elevator in the very back and I arch my brows, eyeing it with suspicion. "Do you have some secret office in the basement or something?"
"Something like that. You'll understand when we're there. Come on, I'll even let you keep clutching your gun if it makes you feel better." He grins pointing at my hand under my jacket.
Sighing, I drop my arm and walk toward the elevator with Isaiah beside me. "You know all the brass deliveries we keep getting?"
I nod, holding onto the wall with one hand as the elevator lowers. It’s always humorous to everyone I know, for a guy like me to be afraid of heights. I'm sure they'd find it even more ridiculous how much I dread going down a metal shaft in a tiny box that could stop working at any moment. Marcus had never minded taking the stairs with me even if he did hate the piss stench that flooded our noses on the way to our room. There’s a lot he put up with because of me. If only that day I could have done more to show my appreciation. So many times I'd lie in bed, recreating the past in my mind, saving Marcus the way I should have all those years ago. It only fills me with dread more, knowing those scenarios never happened.
I take a swig of my drink as Isaiah continues to talk. "The other day, one of my men went to one of the warehouses and the doors were open when they are always kept closed. Instead of following the rustling inside, he closed the doors, locking the intruders inside and called me. I got there as soon as I could and neither of the men trapped inside worked for me. Two of my guards were dead on the floor and surrounding them were a few—"
