Page 73 of Blind Justice

“Thanks. I mean, I—” He didn’t know what to say to Thomas. The man saw past all the bluster and bullshit Duncan carried. He’d made Duncan feel welcome in a situation he shouldn’t have belonged in. Leaving him behind didn’t feel right or real.

“When you’re settled, AJ, Scotty, and I will come down and visit. We’ll go to Disney World of something.” Thomas shooed him. “You’re going to miss your flight.”

“Right.” Duncan folded the paperwork back into the envelope. “I’m assuming this is my new identification and plane ticket?” He shook the other envelope.

“Yep. You’ll receive a passport in a few months. Can’t have you stuck stateside forever,” Asher said. “Never know when I might need you and your partners in another country.”

“Sure.” He shook Thomas’s hand then Asher’s. “I’ll be seeing you.”

Even with the midday traffic, the drive to the airport didn’t take long. By the time he’d arrive in Florida, it would be early evening. Duncan must have stared at the single key taped to the sheet of paper a thousand times now. They’d included his new license and a credit card hooked to his bank account. He wondered how long Asher and Thomas had been working on the little scheme. Had he been oblivious to their machinations the whole time? Had he been so deep in his depression he stopped paying attention?

The driver stopped in the unloading zone for Duncan to get out. Once he had his bags, the man handed him a set of keys. “Mr. Kaine said you’d be needing these when you arrive in Orlando.”

Duncan stared at the fob and the attached house keys. “Right. Thank you.”

“Enjoy your flight, sir.” The man returned to his vehicle and pulled back out into traffic, leaving Duncan to stare after him.

What am I missing?Duncan went through TSA and arrived on time to start boarding the plane. Unlike every other flight, he sat in first class, a perk he received as a going away present from everyone. When he found his seat, he pulled the paperwork back out and read it again. It didn’t make sense. He shouldn’t be given a new identity. He wasn’t in witness protection. He was a criminal on loan.

Once they were in the air, the flight attendants came around to take snack and drink orders. Duncan requested a cola, knowing full well anything else would upset his already angst-ridden stomach. The flight hadn’t taken as long as he thought it would, and before he was ready, the plane rolled to the waiting gate so he could exit the aircraft. Again, he asked himself what he was doing, but he came up with the same answer as before. He didn’t know. He was on autopilot as he found the parking deck where the vehicle he was supposed to drive was located. When he found the sleek Benz, he snorted. It was the same make and model as his car sitting in the parking garage of R.O.O.T.

After throwing his meager belongings into the trunk, he got in then programmed the GPS with the address of the place he’d be calling home. As he pulled out of the parking deck, he had to admit the idea of being someone else no one knew excited him and lifted some of the guilt off his shoulders. He finally felt free. Over the last several months, he’d been tempted to find out what his father had been up to and to read the files on the thumb drive Thomas handed him, but in the end, he gave it back to Thomas. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t his father.

Duncan wanted better for himself.

As he turned the corner onto the suburban street, he was surprised by how cookie-cutter the community was. The houses were one and two story single family homes and mostly new. He slowed as he drove along the road, looking for the address where he’d be staying. When he found the house, he stopped. The place was huge. The two-story home had at least a three car garage and a large front and backyard. He pulled into the driveway and got out, not sure he was in the right neighborhood.

Duncan didn’t stay outside too long. He didn’t need the neighbors being too nosy about his arrival. The property had to be a government seizure. There was a video doorbell along with a set of smaller cameras around the perimeter, not noticeable to anyone who didn’t know what they were looking for. Duncan stuck his key in the lock and opened the door. The smell of something spicy cooking assailed him first, then soft conversation followed.

He stepped outside and checked the address once more, sure there’d been some kind of mistake. When he stepped back into the house, his knees buckled. It wasn’t possible. He was dreaming. Any minute he’d wake up and he’d be back in his apartment. Something clattered in the distance, falling to the floor. Then a round belly came into view before a woman knelt in front of him.

“Agent,” Bella whispered. “Is it really you, primo?”

His hand went to her belly. A soft kick bumped his palm, drawing him out of his stupor. He blinked several times, trying to clear the haze clouding his vision. Enzo was on his left while Bella was on his right, waving her hand in his face in an attempt to snap him back into reality. The last time he’d seen Enzo, he’d been covered in blood and fighting for his life. Bella had been crying on his couch in the club apartment, desperate for him to pay attention to her. Duncan had shut down his emotions, forcing himself not to think about them in those moments. Now, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of the pair. They were really here. He touched them, afraid if he moved his hand away they’d disappear, or he would wake alone in his room.

He took a shuddered breath, unsure of what he was supposed to do in this particular situation. He’d said his goodbyes and had pretended he was content with letting them go, but now he had them back.

“Bella?” He ran his fingers through her long black hair. “Enzo?”

“It’s Xavier and Gracella now,” Enzo said. “You’re Damian Hooks, right?”

Duncan nodded, unable to speak. Long repressed feelings swamped him. “How—How is this possible?”

“Your agent friend did it all,” Bella said, taking Duncan’s hand. “He sent me here first with a team to watch over me. After Enzo got out of the hospital, he joined me.”

He stood on shaky legs and followed them into the great room to sit on a couch. He still couldn’t believe where he was, or the fact Thomas had pulled it off. “Wow.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you tongue tied, hermoso,” Enzo teased.

“I’m a little confused is all.” Duncan braced his elbows on his knees and blew out a breath. “I have so many questions, including the baby.”

Bella rubbed her stomach affectionately. “We do too. We were all sterilized when we joined up. Raul only did it to the women, because well, you don’t want to talk about that.” She waved off the sideways track of their conversation. “A few weeks after I arrived here, I started feeling really bad, so the agent sent to watch over me took me to a local clinic, and I found out I was pregnant.”

“It didn’t take, hermoso, the sterilization,” Enzo said. “The doctor believes the clips were defective or some shit. I checked out on the technical explanation. Anyway, the doc says it took several years for the tubes to heal and then resume functioning.” He shrugged. “We’re happy.”

“H-How far?” Duncan couldn’t keep his eyes off Bella. She glowed as she sat beside him. The happiness radiating off of her warmed the dead spot in the middle of his chest.

“Six months.” She beamed. “We don’t know what we’re having, but we turned one of the bedrooms into a nursery already.”

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