“So now what do I do?”
Reid remembered asking this, last night, and the same question popped in his brain when he stepped into the car. The minute he sat behind the wheel, he knew something was wrong. The car didn’t feel safe anymore.
So now what do I do?
Step out? Luke was inside the house. Bringing the danger to his doorstep was not an option. Okay. That was clear. Reid closed the car door and pushed a button to lock them all. There. He felt more in control now, started the car and drove towards the gate.
“Stay down, Mr. Grimaldi. I’m approaching the gate and there’s a policeman outside.” He grinned when he could hear someone holding his breath. Ha! Gotcha.
He passed the gate, greeted the man on the sidewalk with a quick lifting of his hand, and set out for the hospital.
“It’s okay now, you can come up.”
Their eyes met in his rear-view mirror and Reid raised his eyebrow. Damian Grimaldi didn’t do his mug shot justice. The elegant Italian looked old, tired and famished. More importantly, he didn’t look dangerous. Surprised. Intrigued. Confused. But not dangerous. His voice was calm.
“Dr. Oliver, I presume?”
Reid gave a nod and again used the mirror to make eye contact.
“I could say that it’s nice to meet you, but you know… it’s not.”
Damian grinned.
“Lily warned me about you and I guess she was right.”
“Isn’t she always? According to her, that is.” Reid gave him a quick smile. “And talking about Ms. Walsh, apparently soon to be Mrs. Grimaldi…Where is she? Did you put her in the trunk of my car? I’ve heard you have a thing for trunks.”
Reid saw some amusement flicker in Damian’s eyes and it gave him confidence. Make him forget he came here to kill you.
“Lily is doing fine,” Damian reassured him.
“I’m so glad.”
Reid’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on his castaway.
“I thought you would be,” Damian replied with a telling grin.
“So…Mr. Grimaldi. I assume you crashed my private space for a reason. What can I do for you?”
“You could leave my son alone.”
“Really? What a surprise! Never imagined anything like that on your wish list.”
Reid’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, as he used the mirror to give his passenger the coldest look he’d ever produced.
“So let me get this straight, Mr. Grimaldi. It’s okay for you and Lily to hurt him time and time again, but you want me – the guy that makes your son feel secure about who he is, wanted, needed and let’s not forget freaking happy – to leave, because…what? Because I’m not Noah?”
“Noah is a nice boy.” Damian lowered his head, as if he realized how lame that sounded.
“Sure. Noah is a nice boy. He sucked all self esteem, all joy and all life out of Luke, but who cares? Noah is such a nice boy.” Reid tried to stay calm – don’t make him mad now – but his eyes flashed with anger.
“Apparently you don’t think highly of me as a father.”
Reid took a deep breath.
“You’d be surprised.”
Damian looked up.
“Okay, I’ll bite. Surprise me.”
“At one point, when Luke was a little boy, you chose Luke’s welfare above your own by letting him grow up with Holden and Lily. That’s what only a true loving father could decide and I respect that.”
Reid meant every word and Damian could feel that.
“So we know it’s in there, somewhere. That unconditional love. Putting Luke’s happiness above everything else. What changed? What happened? Where did that love go?”
“Did Luke tell you that? About leaving him with Lily and Holden?”
“This is a new generation, Mr. Grimaldi. We don’t communicate. We Google.”
Damian chuckled, but immediately returned to his serious look.
“That love you’re talking about is still here.”
“Right.” Reid shrugged. “That’s why you want me to leave Luke alone. Actions speak louder than words, Mr. Grimaldi.”
“I know,” Damian gave him a nod, “and I hear what you’re saying.”
Reid didn’t answer. He just turned to Damian, after turning off the engine. It noticeably startled Damian to realize they were in front of the hospital and Reid shook his head.
“I didn’t smuggle you passed a policeman, to hand you over now. Don’t worry. That’s the advantage of my reputation. They’ll leave me alone. When our conversation is over, I’ll go inside, leaving my keys in the car and you’ll get out of here. You can drop the car off or crash it somewhere. I don’t care.”
“Why?”
Reid realized Damian wanted to know why Reid was willing to let him go, but Reid wasn’t sure about that himself, so he deliberately misinterpreted the question.
“Because it’s just a car. I can buy a new one. With my own money, I might add.”
Damian smiled. “I know what you make.”
“Ah great, the joy of being Damian Grimaldi. Knowing my bank account.”
“My son is a very rich man. I wanted to make sure…”
Reid surprised the Italian by interrupting him: “I understand completely. It doesn’t matter. You want to protect him. That’s a good thing. Trying to run his life, is not. That’s power. Not love.”
“So you’re telling me that you’re not calling the shots in this relationship?” Damian snorted.
Reid laughed out loud. “Is that what it’s all about?”
“Well, you’re lot older and obviously more experienced and extremely self-assured. So yes, I’m worried that you’re…”
“…Calling the shots? We are still talking about Luke Snyder, aren’t we?”
Damian gave him a glance of a smile and Reid continued: “You let him run your company, but you don’t trust him to stand his ground in our relationship? Really? That’s what you’re thinking? Isn’t the brain a fascinating thing…”
He shook his head in sincere amazement.
“You really don’t grasp the inconsistency of your behavior? Do you really not register how confusing it is? When your father says: I trust you to run my company, but I don’t trust your judgment in men? When your mother says she wants to see you happy, but refuses to accept the man that’s making you happy?”
Reid turned back and looked at the steering wheel. He said too much. He knew he did. But the frustration was too big to hold in. He had no clue how Damian would react, so he just sat there and waited.
“You love him.”
Reid checked the rear-view mirror to see Damian’s facial expression. Friendly? Reid couldn’t find another word for it.
He nodded. “I do. Very much.”
“I can hear that.”
Reid felt a hand on his shoulder and forced himself to stay calm. Was this it? Was his confession of love the last words he would speak? What would Damian use? A knife? A gun? His bare hands?
It took a few seconds to realize what Damian had said.
“I want you to go inside and save some more lives. I will not ruin yours, because I’m convinced it would destroy my boy. And because I like you. I like the way you came to his defense. I’m glad he has you in his corner.”
“I can’t picture myself anywhere else,” Reid admitted.
“Will you be okay?”
Damian squeezed Reid’s shoulder again.
“I honestly don’t know,” he laughed. “I know how to disappear… Well…I did okay until a certain brain surgeon decided to put a spoke in my wheels…”
Both men laughed.
“Sorry about that. I just can’t refuse Luke anything.”
“You’re forgiven.” Damian smiled when Reid whipped his forehead.
“And now leave, so I can think about my next move. I long to see Luke, but I know that’s not an option, with the police watching him.”
“No, that’s not the smartest thing to do. If you want to stay out of jail, that is.”
“I do. I’m dying in there.”
Reid looked at him again, this time with a medical eye. He did look sick.
“Do you feel ill?”
“No, not really. All I need is sleep and normal food. And lots of it.”
He pushed the back of Reid’s car seat. “So move. I don’t want you involved. I would appreciate it if you hold off your call to Margo for, let’s say, ten minutes. That gives me a fighting chance.” Damian tapped on Reid’s shoulder.
“And eventually it was nice to meet you.”
Reid turned around to shake the man’s hand.
“You beat me to it. We were planning to visit you in jail, tomorrow.”
“You weren’t.”
“We were. Luke wanted to talk to you.”
Damian smiled. “Let me guess. He is done with Grimaldi shipping…” the man shrugged. “I knew it was coming. His heart wasn’t in it. Would you tell him it’s okay? He can put it on the market and let the family fight over it. Take care of him, for me.”
Reid nodded. He stepped out of the car and walked to the door. He could hear car doors open and close, he could smell the engine, but he didn’t watch when the car pulled out.
‘Bad dad’ turned out not to be too bad, but he was glad to see him go. He took his cell phone out and made the connection.
“Hi. Your father sends his love.”
