TOTAL ECLIPSE: The Evolution (Sin City Heat Series Book 7) (41 page)

“Ready?” Jerra stood in the doorway of their bedroom and watched as Darrell took his black jacket from its hanger and slipped it on.

Five days had passed since Tina’s death. It had been decided that she would be laid to rest in Las Vegas. That had been Gabby’s decision. She said there was nothing left for her in Philly anymore since her mother would no longer be there, so they’d decided to have a small graveside service at the cemetery, then gather at Darrell and Jerra’s house for the repass which would include family and close friends. The caterers had arrived a couple of hours ago, and Mrs. Henderson was graciously overseeing the arrangements.

Lorenzo had been staying with Darrell and Jerra ever since he and Gabby flew in. Marcus and Aleesha, along with Dominick and Keisha, had come over about an hour ago and were following them in their cars to the church. That’s where they would meet Angel and Nikki. Justin had arrived just before Darrell came upstairs.

Darrell turned around and glanced at Jerra as he straightened the collar of his shirt and buttoned his jacket. “Yeah. Where’s D.J.?”

“He’s downstairs with Giselle,” Jerra told him with a small smile as she thought about her daughter.

Giselle was enjoying her first semester of college at Columbia University and was majoring in political science. Jerra was beyond proud that her daughter was following in her footsteps and planning on going to law school after she graduated. She already knew Giselle would make a brilliant attorney.

After she’d found out about Darrell’s mother’s death, she immediately made plans to come to the funeral. Although she’d never met Tina, Giselle wanted to attend out of respect for Darrell. She’d become close with all of them since finding out Jerra was her mother, and for that, Jerra was eternally thankful. She hated the circumstances that brought her daughter home last night, but she’d been glad to see her. She’d helped out tremendously with D.J., who was crazy about his big sister. 

At first, Jerra and Darrell had struggled with the decision of whether or not to let D.J. attend Tina’s funeral service. He’d been understandably upset when they broke the news to him of his grandmother’s death, but in the end, something he said brought comfort to them instead of it being the other way around. The last time Tina had visited D.J. at Darrell’s condo, she’d told him that even if the two of them didn’t see each other for a while, she would always, always be with him. All he had to do was get the picture the two of them had taken together, close his eyes, and remember all the fun times they’d had together.

“How are you holding up?” Darrell asked, walking towards her. “Let me know if you start feeling bad, or if you need to lie down once we get back from the cemetery.”

“I will, baby, but I’m fine.” She hugged him tightly when he leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. “What about you, are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just worried about Gabby.” Kissing her, they headed out of the room towards the stairs. “How does she seem to you? I know you two stayed up late the last couple of nights talking.”

“She’s having a hard time, but that’s to be expected. It helps to talk about her mother, though.” Jerra looked up at him. “I was surprised when Cane flew in this morning to attend the funeral. He had told Gabby he wasn’t sure he would be able to because they have a game in LA day after tomorrow, but I’m glad he was able to.”

“Yeah. I respect him for makin’ that happen and being here for Gabby.”

A slight frown marred Darrell’s solemn, but handsome face. He still wasn’t clear on the nature of Gabby and Cane’s relationship. Lorenzo said she’d told him the same thing she’d said to Darrell, which was she didn’t think she wanted to deal with Cane’s world. He couldn’t go anywhere without cameras flashing, autograph seekers gathering, or groupie “thots” vying for his attention. However, what she said and the expression Darrell witnessed on her face when she saw Cane this morning were two completely different things.

“What’s wrong?” Jerra asked, noticing his frown.

“Nothing. Just…thinking.”

He slipped his hand around hers as they walked into the family room where the rest of their family was waiting. Darrell’s eyes followed Jerra as she went to D.J. and started tucking his white dress shirt into his black pants. His gaze snagged and paused on his sister and Cane. The two of them stood off to themselves talking quietly. Darrell watched as Cane lifted a hand and gently wiped a tear from Gabby’s face before pulling her into his arms. When Cane looked up, he locked eyes with Darrell. His body tensed until Darrell gave him a slight upnod to let him know he appreciated Cane looking after Gabby. Relaxing somewhat, Cane returned the gesture.

Darrell turned around when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Marcus beside him. “Hey.”

Marcus glanced down at his watch. “You about ready?”

Darrell’s lips parted to respond, but his only answer was to shrug his shoulders helplessly.

Marcus’ lips tightened in a commiserating grimace. “I know. We’ll talk later. Just concentrate on getting through today.”

Darrell nodded, grateful for Marcus’ presence. Ever since they were kids, he’d understood Darrell when Darrell didn’t understand himself. He always had been and always would be his brotha’s keeper.

Ten minutes later, everyone filed out of the house to go to their respective vehicles. Darrell slipped his shades on, and had just locked the front door when he heard Lorenzo, who stood a couple of feet away, curse under his breath. Darrell turned around and saw that everyone had stopped walking and were staring towards the street. Marcus, Dom, and Lorenzo took a few steps forward while everyone else hung back.

Following their gazes, Darrell frowned when he saw a black stretch limousine with dark tinted windows, followed by a black Cadillac Escalade, slow to a stop in front of his house.  Darrell went to stand on the other side of Lorenzo, his eyes never leaving the new arrivals.

“What tha’ hell…” Darrell looked at Lorenzo and saw the grim expression he wore. “Renzo…”

But before Darrell could ask the question he already knew the answer to, the chauffeur was out of the car and opening the back passenger door of the limousine. Darrell’s mouth tightened when he saw Isaac Pattel climb out of the vehicle, followed by his Uncle Joseph, then Lucas, King, and Hawk. Two men dressed in all black stepped out of the Escalade looking around and scanning their surroundings.

Darrell glanced at Lorenzo and tried to keep his anger in check. His cousins had called him almost an hour ago to tell him their jet had landed. Darrell gave them directions to the church, and had expected to see them–
and only them
–there. They hadn’t breathed a word of the fact that Isaac and Joseph were with them.

Dominick and Marcus moved closer to Darrell, their eyes glued to the men walking their way.

“D.? What’s up?” Dominick asked.

Darrell shook his head and muttered in a low voice. “My cousins. I knew they were coming. What I want to know is why the hell my father and uncle are here.”

“You and me both,” Lorenzo added quietly.

“Did you know they were coming?” Darrell asked his brother. He didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but…

“Of course not,” Lorenzo replied, his voice taut with anger as he watched his father and uncle confidently stride up the circular driveway. The elder Pattels’ broad shoulders were squared, and their heads tilted up at a naturally arrogant angle.

Lorenzo cursed again, his own body tense and his face strained, because he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the proverbial shit was about to hit the fan.

CHAPTER 49

Jerra, Aleesha, and Keisha’s eyes tracked the group of smartly dressed men coming up the driveway wearing expensive black suits. The three younger ones wore dark shades that remained in place as they followed the two older men.

Jerra frowned. She knew Hawk from being introduced to him at the condo. Although she hadn’t met Lucas or King yet, she recognized them from a photo Darrell had shown her that they’d all taken in New York the night they’d gone out to dinner. Jerra instinctively knew the two older men striding forward with a natural air of authority were Darrell’s uncle…and his father.

Her heart raced. There was no mistaking which man was Isaac Pattel. He and Darrell had the same walk, the same build, and the same proud carriage. Darrell and Gabby looked more like Tina, but Jerra had seen the exact stubborn expression that Isaac now sported on Darrell’s face more times than she could count. Jerra glanced at her husband. With a sinking feeling, she realized he hadn’t known they were coming with his cousins…and he wasn’t pleased at all.

“Who are they?” Aleesha asked.

“Two of them are Lucas and Hawk Pattel,” Keisha answered, having remembered them from Angel’s house.

“Yes. The three younger ones are Darrell’s cousins. The older men are his uncle and father,” Jerra added.

Gabby came and stood behind the women as Cane and Justin, feeling the tension, took a few steps toward the others. Although they stayed a few feet back, they were close enough to offer backup…just in case.

“The one in the front is Darrell and Lorenzo’s father, isn’t he?” Gabby asked, her eyes riveted to the group of men who seemed to be squaring off with each other. “That’s Isaac Pattel.”

“Yes, that’s him.” Jerra reached in her purse and got her keys. Walking over to Giselle, she gave them to her and said, “Sweetie, will you do me a favor and take D.J. back inside? I’ll come and get you in a minute.”

She sighed in relief once her children were safely in the house. She didn’t want them to witness the ugliness she was sure was about to happen. Returning her attention to her husband, Jerra started praying long and hard to give him the strength to exercise patience and control…two things that flew out the window when Darrell was as angry as he was now.

“Hello, Darrell.” Isaac came to a stop in front of his youngest son.

Darrell’s eyes ran over the group before resting on Isaac and Joseph. “What are you doin’ here?”

“We came to pay our respects. I hope that’s okay.”

Darrell reached up and snatched his shades off and glared at his father. “You hope it’s ‘okay’? Tell me, what the hell could possibly make you think it would be?” His anger extended to include his cousins. “And why didn’t any of you tell me they were coming when you called?”

“Because neither my nephews nor my son speak for us,” Isaac snapped. When Lorenzo gave him a sharp look, he sighed and reluctantly added, “I had hoped we could put our differences aside…at least for today.”

“No. We can’t.” Darrell’s tone was firm and unyielding. He lowered his voice, not wanting Gabby to hear. “I’m not doing this with you today. I’m on my way to bury my mother who was murdered. However, you and me?” Darrell growled through lips that barely moved. “We’ll definitely talk. And soon.”

“Darrell,” Joseph interjected softly. “We didn’t come here to cause trouble. We’re not denying we had our differences with Tina at one time, but that was in the past. You’re family. As your father said, we only came to pay our respects and lend our support.”

“Your respect and support?” Darrell laughed rudely. “Let me tell you what you can do with your–”

Marcus grabbed Darrell’s arm, his eyes narrowing on Isaac and Joseph. “I think you need to leave. This isn’t the appropriate time to have this conversation.”

Isaac’s eyes turned frigid with warning. “I don’t know who you are but–”

“Dad!” Lorenzo cut in. “You need to leave.”

Isaac’s brows bunched together in a fierce glower. “Excuse me?”

Lucas stepped between them. “Okay, let’s all just calm down.” He looked at Darrell. “We didn’t know my father and uncle planned on coming with us until we got to the airport and found them on the plane,” he said dryly, glancing at the two older men. “We didn’t let you know ahead of time because we didn’t want to upset you.”

“Good lookin’ out, Lucas. I’m not upset at all,” Darrell snapped sarcastically.

His eyes narrowing, Lucas continued. “I was hoping that everyone could put their differences aside for just a few hours. Whether you like it or not, we’re all your family, Darrell.”

Darrell snatched his arm away from Marcus and glared at Isaac and Joseph. “
Family
? Okay,” he nodded. “Since we’re all one big happy ‘family’, as an act of faith why don’t the two of you tell me this secret Tina found out about that you didn’t want anyone else to know.”

“As I told Lorenzo, I know nothing of this ‘secret’ Tina supposedly had,” Isaac sneered.

“From what she said, it was part of the reason you didn’t look very hard to find her when she left New York. You wanted to make sure it didn’t come out and stayed buried.”

“Are you serious? Can’t you see this is just another one of Tina’s lies?” Isaac laughed. “Son, listen–”

Darrell’s entire body tensed. “Do
not
call me your son.”

“Okay, enough.” Marcus stepped in front of Darrell and this time forcibly turned him around and pushed him towards their cars. “Let’s go. Come on.”

“Nah, Marcus.” Darrell tried to go around him. “I want an answer. I wanna know what Tina found out. I wanna know what in the hell was so bad that they had to ki–”

“D.!” Dom caught his eyes and subtly jerked his head back to remind him that Gabrielle was listening. “Not now, bruh.”

Marcus turned around and pointed at Isaac. “You need to leave.”

The two bodyguards took a step towards Marcus, but King held a hand up to halt their approach.

Marcus’ eyes skidded over them dismissively. “Yeah, you best call ‘em off before I slap a muzzle on their rabid asses.”

King tilted his head. “You got a big mouth. I’m advising you to watch what you say before it gets you into trouble.”

“And who the fuck is you?” Marcus unbuttoned his jacket. “I don’t need you to advise me of a mu’fuckin’ thang, pot’nah.”

“Oh shit,” Aleesha whispered. “When he starts speaking ebonics, he’s pissed. Marcus please just let it go,” she mumbled.

Dom moved to Marcus’ side and stared King down. “This ain’t the time nor the place, bruh.”

“You need to step back…
bruh
.” Hawk frowned, his eyes flashed in warning. “Angel’s not here to save you this time.”

Outraged when she heard Hawk’s diss, Keisha glared, her hands balling up into tight fists. “Beat his ass, baby,” she whispered. “Beat his ass.”

Dominick’s face darkened in anger. “I don’t need my brother to save me. But you might.”

“Enough already!” Lorenzo spat out angrily. “Everybody needs to fall da’ fuck back and take a breath!” He divided his attention between all of them before letting his gaze rest on his father. “Pop, come on. Like Dom said, this isn’t the place for this. Not today.”

Isaac opened his mouth to deliver what would no doubt have been a scathing reply, but before he could, another car pulled up and stopped in front of the limousine. Everyone turned and watched as two men got out of the car.

Darrell cursed vehemently under his breath when he recognized Detectives Lowe and Thomas. “You have
got
to be kiddin’ me…”

As the detectives headed their way, they studied the group with expressions full of interest while whispering quietly to each other.

Jerra and Justin were by Darrell’s side in an instant. Placing a hand on Darrell’s arm, she whispered to Darrell, “Not a word, baby. Let us do the talking.”

Justin frowned at her. “No, let
me
do the talking. Not a word from
either
of you.”

Jerra grimaced, but nodded reluctantly. That’s when she saw Isaac’s gaze resting on her stomach. Jerra covered it protectively and stood immobile under his intense scrutiny, absently wondering whether or not Isaac had been aware of the fact that she was pregnant.

Justin immediately took control before either man could speak. “I’m Darrell’s attorney, Justin Sullivan. And you are?” After they introduced themselves, Justin asked, “May I ask why you’re here?”

“Yes, what is this about?” Jerra fired out. Justin sent her another look of warning to let him handle things.

Recognizing the razor sharp edge in Jerra’s voice, Detective Thomas barely suppressed a sigh. “Mrs. Monroe, we’re here to speak to your husband.”

“I don’t think so, Detective,” Justin said. “Please leave.”

Lorenzo frowned. “Are these the detectives investigating Darrell?”

“And you are?” Detective Lowe inquired.

“Don’t worry about it. You heard what his attorney said. You need to leave.”

Gabby had joined them as well by this point. All of her attention was on the detectives. “I’m Gabrielle Gibson. Are you the policemen investigating my mother’s death?”

The detectives looked at her in surprise. “You’re the deceased’s daughter. Our condolences on the loss of your mother, ma’am.”

Gabby nodded in acknowledgement. “Why are you here? What do you want to speak to my brother about?”

“Whatever it is will have to wait, Gabby,” Darrell said. “We’re already going to be late.”

Detective Thomas was quick to apologize for the interruption “As we said, it won’t take very long, but we’d prefer to do this in private.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Justin said with an underlying ring of authority. His blue eyes cool and calm, he pinned the detectives with a piercing glare. “I’m telling you once more to leave.”

“We’ve arrested the man who killed Ms. Gibson,” Detective Lowe said in a rush.

“What?” Darrell said glancing at his father.

“Thank God,” Jerra whispered.

Justin’s eyes narrowed. “Who? Has he confessed?”

“Did he say why he killed my mother?” Gabby’s voice was paper-thin. Cane slipped an arm around her in support.

Detective Thomas held a hand up. “Please. Again, our apologies, we didn’t know you were burying Ms. Gibson today, so we’ll be brief. The assailant was caught after he was brought in yesterday for trying to attack another woman. We ran his prints and got a hit. They matched the ones found in your mother’s hotel room. After interrogating him for several hours last night, he gave a full confession.”

Still unconvinced, Darrell glanced at Isaac and Joseph. “Are you sure he’s the one who did it?”

“We’re positive. He’s a career criminal, just got out of prison a year ago. Says he followed Ms. Gibson back to the hotel with the intention of robbing her the night of her murder. There was skin under your mother’s fingernails. We’re pretty sure that once the DNA results come back, it’ll be a positive match.”

“But–” Darrell still didn’t look convinced. He’d been so sure…

“Darrell, please. It’s over.” Jerra’s eyes silently begged him to let it go and just accept the fact that the police had definitive proof of who committed the crime and leave it alone.

“Your wife is right, Mr. Monroe. We stopped by to tell you you’re no longer a suspect.”

“A suspect?” Gabby gasped, grabbing Darrell’s arm. “What are they talking about?”

Darrell kept his voice as calm as he could manage. “It’s nothing. We’ll talk about it later.”

Gabby whirled around to face the detectives. “Are you saying you suspected my brother of…of…”

“Sweetie, it was just a stupid misunderstanding,” Lorenzo said softly.

“Of course I know that, Renzo. Darrell and my mother may have had their problems but I know he would never do anything like…like that.” Her face reflected anger, but mostly hurt when she turned back to Darrell. “But you shouldn’t have kept this from me, Darrell.”

“I was just tryin’ to–”

“I know. You were trying to protect me, but I’m not a child, so stop treating me like one.”

Darrell nodded. “You’re right, Gab. I’m sorry.”

She stared at him without flinching. “Is there anything else you need to tell me? Anything else, I should know.”

Darrell’s eyes flickered away from her trusting ones and briefly landed on Isaac. Returning his gaze back to Gabby, Darrell shook his head. “No. There’s nothing else.”

When he saw the relief that flashed in her eyes, Darrell knew he’d made the right decision. He couldn’t lay anything else on his sister, especially if he didn’t know whether or not Tina had been telling the truth about his father and uncle. That’s what was so messed up about the entire situation. He sure as hell didn’t trust Isaac, but…he couldn’t trust Tina either. She’d told him so many stories it was difficult to differentiate her lies from her truths. The police had found the man responsible for her death; for Gabby’s sake, he would leave it at that…for now.

Darrell glanced down at his watch and said quietly, “Come on. We’re already late.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “You ready? You okay?”