King of Evanston Page 4

  Frowning, Dro asked, “How so?”

  “She has relatives here, so if she has to leave the baby for a short time—”

  With a shake of the head, Dro stopped him. “Clearly, you have no small children in your family.”

  “Why d’you think that?” Shaz asked. “I have cousins on my mother’s side of the family.”

  “If you were in touch, you’d know it would kill Camilla if she has to leave that baby with anybody. I don’t care who it is.”

  Shaz ran the gold chain and medallion in his pocket through his fingers. The memento was a constant reminder of why he chose to work with immigrants. For years, his father had worn the chain as a reminder of the promise he’d made to their family. Shaz should have known better than to think that approach would work with Camilla. “I hear you, man. Talk later,” he said.

  They walked in silence to the parking lot, and when Shaz powered up the Alfa Romeo and sat inside, Camilla’s lack of options hit him square in the chest. Before he drove away, his phone came to life. Camilla’s numbers showed on the screen.

  With a smile in his voice, he said, “I hope you haven’t done anything I’ll have to undo.”

  “Since I can’t help Ayanna from a jail cell, I took your advice.”

  “That’s good to know.” A pleasing warmth spread in his chest as he asked, “So, what d’you need from me?”

  A beep interrupted and he asked Camilla to hold on. The incoming call number wasn’t familiar, but Shaz could make an accurate guess about the identity of the caller. He pulled in a deep breath and his lips twisted in a half smile as he said, “Shaz Bostwick. What can I do for you today?”

  CHAPTER 6

  The man across Shaz’s desk had flat, pale-blue eyes.

  Like they belong to a dead fish.

  Peter Milholland’s bald head carried a fringe of wispy brown hair and his pleasant smile hid a sharp, calculating mind. When he called earlier, Shaz promised him a half-hour slot at 5:00 p.m. rather than putting him off for another day. Only because of Camilla.

  He didn’t ask how the man came by his cell number. In his line of work, nothing surprised Shaz and people who needed to find him stopped at nothing to make contact.

  Milholland laid a file on the edge of Shaz’s mahogany desk and glanced at Darryl Bennett, seated next to him. “Thanks for seeing us at such short notice.”

  “You did say you had an urgent matter you needed to resolve today.” The only reason Shaz agreed to fit in the Alderman and his lawyer was to find out how far along they were with the bogus adoption arranged by Ayanna’s father. Shaz raised one hand, palm up, in a gesture for Milholland to state his case.

  The man cleared his throat and tapped the file on the desk. “We urgently need to tie up my client’s adoption, but we’ve encountered some hitches.”

  Elbows on the desk and fingers steepled below his chin, Shaz said, “Including the fact that the child in question is not up for adoption?”

  Milholland lips pulled into a dry smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “There must be a misunderstanding.”

  “I’m sure there is.” Shaz sat back and moved his locs over one shoulder. “Another thing I’m sure of, is that you’re here to give what you believe is a rational explanation.”

  “Yes, there is.” The lawyer sat forward with an earnest expression in place. “Derrick Porter gave express permission for this to happen. In fact—”

  Shaz shifted his attention to Bennett. “Apparently, your client forgot to inform you that I told him whatever deal he struck is off.”

  Pointing to the file, Milholland said, “These documents are perfectly legal—”

  “They may very well be.” Shaz rubbed his jaw, but kept his gaze locked on Milholland. “But can you explain to me how the mother of the child has no prior knowledge her daughter is about to be adopted?”

  Bennett, who’d sat motionless, shuffled and exchanged a warning look with his lawyer.

  “I’m certain that you’re mistaken.” A dull flush crept up from Milholland’s collar and suffused his pasty face. He threw another glance sideways at his client before meeting Shaz’s gaze. “Given the circumstances …”

  Shaz didn’t move, other than to pull in a breath. He was growing irritated with the verbal gymnastics. “Now would be a good time to explain these circumstances.”

  Milholland straightened his tie and cleared his throat. “The situation is, the child needs treatment for a heart condition and Porter doesn’t have the resources to handle her care and the medical bills.”

  Nodding slowly as if in thought, Shaz met the man’s eyes. “About the mother … ?”

  Bennett leaned forward. “Porter said she was dead—”

  “But you know she isn’t.” Shaz laid both hands on the desktop and lowered his voice. “So explain to me, how you plan to give her child to the alderman without her permission.”

  A beat of time went by before the lawyer hedged, “I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding. We can get Porter and straighten—”

  “No.” Shaz’s voice was like the crack of a whip between them. “What you’re going to do is stand down. This adoption is illegal and if you persist—” “What exactly are you going to do?” Bennett asked with a sneer, his eyes blazing. “How is she going to take care of her child when she’s deported?”

  His gaze strayed to the eggshell-blue wall behind Shaz. “It’s in my power to protect Ayanna from deportation if she’s in my care. Ms. Gibson is another matter.”

  Lasering the alderman with a glare, Shaz said, “So you know about that, huh? Seems you’re filtering the information you give your lawyer.”

  Bennett dropped his gaze and heaved his shoulders. “It’s not a secret that she’s in a difficult situation.”

  “Any way you take it, as good as dead, eh?” A trace of humor colored Shaz’s voice.

  Milholland winced and cleared his throat a second time. “Now that we know she’s alive, we can simply get her permission. The difficulty of her situation is sure to make her think about the best interest of the child.”

  “Don’t let these locs fool you.” Shaz glared at Milholland. “I’m not a country bumpkin on his first outing in the city. Nor do I smoke weed. One thing is sure, Camilla Gibson isn’t going to agree to you taking her child simply because you struck a deal with the man who fathered that baby. A man who barely acknowledged he had a child and hasn’t contributed much of anything to her welfare.”

  “Wouldn’t it be simpler for her to agree to the adoption?” Bennett opened both hands in the air as though his proposal was perfectly logical. “With all the bills piling up …”

  “That’s not your business or mine.” Shaz pushed back his sleeve to look at his watch, then neatened the papers on the desk. “Gentlemen. You’ve taken up more time than I have to give. I have another appointment elsewhere.”

  Milholland’s skin flushed and his eyes glinted with frustration. “But what about our business? My client—”

  “Your client would do better to find another baby to adopt.” Shaz’s gaze locked on Bennett. He stared at him long and hard before asking. “Why this particular child?”

  A tic beat at one corner of Bennett’s eye. He squared his shoulders and rested a finger over the spot. “My wife does volunteer work at the hospital. She met Ayanna there.”

  “Hmm. And I suppose she asked the relevant questions and you made the required moves.”

  Bennett pressed his fleshy lips together, then sighed, sounding wearier than he appeared. “We have no children and my wife—”

  Shaz mulled that over. “Save it,” he said, getting to his feet. “This baby is her mother’s only child too. Since you kicked this off on the wrong foot, it shouldn’t be too hard to start over with the right parents, speaking of which …” He gestured toward the door. “New Visions is too much of an exclusive outfit to be part of anything underhanded. If news should filter to the media …”

  Bennett shot to his feet, scowling. “You wouldn’t da
re.”

  “I’m not one for making threats. I simply take action when it’s required.”

  Milholland flapped both hands in the air as he stood. “Now, Mr. Bostwick, there’s no need for that. I’m sure we can work this out like the gentlemen we are.”

  His cold eyes and false smile irked the hell out of Shaz, who wanted the two of them gone. “Don’t tell me what I am or am not,” he said, “This meeting is over.”

  Milholland’s narrow nostrils widened and he pulled his head back and if he’d been slapped. “Now look here, young man …”

  Hands shoved into his pockets, Shaz tipped his head toward him. “Yes?”

  After a silent battle of wills during which nothing was achieved for the visitors, Milholland backed down. “We’ll be in touch.”

  As both men went through the door, Shaz landed a parting blow. “I’m not sure why, but when you do, I hope it will be about another matter. Please close the door when you leave.”

  Bennett sent a vicious glare over his shoulder as waves of annoyance and something darker flowed off him.

  This wasn’t Shaz’s first time around the block, so it would take a bit more than that to frighten him. He shook it off, but couldn’t do anything about the unease that slithered through him, leaving goose bumps on his skin. His scalp also prickled, as if someone had walked over his grave.

  CHAPTER 7

  When the door closed, Shaz picked up the phone. While waiting to connect with one of the Kings, he drummed a staccato beat on the edge of the desk. One good thing his appointment to the board had done was to reconnect him with his brothers from the Macro International Magnet School.

  The other was to bring him back under Khalil’s influence. Shaz owed him much for changing the trajectory of his life. Teddy Bostwick had taught him about integrity and how to love and care for family, but Khalil had broadened his mind. He’d given him a list of required reading that changed the way he looked at life. Even now, he still had a couple of those eye-opening books in his possession, including Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography.

  “Shaz, what can I do for you?”

  “Everything good in tech land?”

  “Never a dull moment.” The calm, assured response was typical for the engineer-turned-security-consultant, Daron Kincaid.

  “I asked you about New Visions today, but now I need information on a couple of men involved in the adoption agency. Names are Darryl Bennett and Peter Milholland.”

  “Are we talking FBI kind of details?”

  “Everything you can find on these guys, including stuff that’s under the radar.”

  Daron chuckled. “If I were a doctor, you’d be asking for a complete history.”

  One side of Shaz’s mouth lifted in a grin. “Something like that.”

  “How soon? I sense that you need it a lot earlier than you indicated today.”

  “Fast track it.” With his gaze on the laptop screen where he’d pulled up an adoption file that had red flags all over it, Shaz added, “I need this like yesterday.”

  With quiet assurance Daron said, “I’ll be back with you by morning with everything.”

  “Thanks, Bro.”

  “You know it’s all for one and one for all.”

  Shaz nodded at Daron’s quip and made a sound of agreement. They’d all pledged that they would do everything to protect each other and Khalil Germaine since their appointment at The Castle a month ago. To a man, all nine of them were involved in turning over every stone to clean up The Castle and its operations. But their biggest assignment was unravelling the mystery of which members of the previous board were involved in the assassination attempt on Khalil.

  The phone buzzed at Shaz’s elbow, bringing his focus back to the office. He hit the hands-free button. “Yes, Elise.”

  “You need to leave.” Her firm tone was the one she used when he’d committed to be elsewhere and shouldn’t bury himself behind the desk.

  “Thanks.” He eyed the clock on his desk. “I’m on my way.”

  He closed the laptop, picked up his phone and iPad, then strode through the office. On his way out, he bade Elise goodbye.

  “Remember you have an early meeting tomorrow,” she lectured, as he walked by her station in one corner of the lobby.

  He nodded and held up the iPad and smartphone. “As if I’d forget. Thanks all the same.”

  Her cheeky grin preceded a smart remark. “Whatever Boss Man. I’ll call you at seven.”

  “Thanks, Elise.”

  The spunky woman—with skin the color of cocoa beans was as thin as a rail and wore a neat afro—wasn’t about to let him forget that whenever he went to the gym, he pushed hard and tended to get off to a slower start on the following morning.

  As soon as he pulled out of the parking lot, he let Chris know he was en route to the center. Shaz could have used any of Evanston’s gyms, but he believed in having the boys know there was nothing wrong with where they came from. Plus, they should support their community. Always.

  Within fifteen minutes, Shaz was inside the locker room. Changed and ready to work out, he gathered the boys and split them into groups according to which muscles they were working on that day. The instructor he hired worked with the boys, giving them individual attention.

  While wrapping his mind around the best angle to work Camilla’s case from, Shaz concentrated on his abs routine. He had an impressive six pack but never slacked off on abs days. Shaz believed in honing his body, same as his mind. Khalil had impressed on the Kings the importance of balance.

  No matter what you do in life, ensure body, mind, and spirit are in a harmonious relationship.

  The session lasted an hour, after which the boys showered and got snacks while Shaz quizzed them on school and what was going on in their lives. Some of them spent each weekday afternoon on the property, which functioned as a homework center and a place where they were off the streets between the time they left school and when they were picked up, or when it was time to walk home.

  Half the boys came from dysfunctional families. Others lived in single-parent homes, so the center provided some level of stability in their lives. Their outfit operated through a few volunteers, as well as paid staff who showed up in the afternoons and worked into the evenings.

  “Everybody all right?” Shaz asked, on entering the rec room.

  A rumble of voices agreed they were good.

  “See you on Wednesday, all being well.” He added that rider because the boys knew his schedule was unpredictable.

  Another chorus rose in the room. “Bye, Shaz.”

  Shaz touched base with Chris, whose career path as an ex-basketball star and investor in the music industry allowed him to spend more time with the young men. With the assurance that Chris would be in-house on Wednesday, Shaz was free to leave.

  Before he stepped out of the gym, he scanned the adjacent buildings. The wall of tinted windows at the front of the brick and glass structure allowed for privacy inside the club. Aside from the Alfa Romeo and Chris’s Escalade, only a few other vehicles remained in the area.

  Across the street, a guy sat slouched in the driver’s seat of a black Toyota Camry. Frowning, Shaz recalled that he’d noticed the car while he was resting after a set of leg presses and it still hadn’t moved. The vehicle wasn’t familiar and very few of the boys’ parents had rides.

  When he realized Shaz had eyes on him, the man in the car sank lower in the seat. On a hunch, Shaz pushed the door open, taking slow, even steps until he stood next to the car.

  “You’re waiting for someone inside?” he asked, gesturing over his shoulder.

  “Why you asking?” The man said, moving the toothpick in his mouth from one side to the other.

  “Since you’re answering my question with a question, I have a right to be suspicious.” Arms folded, Shaz curled one corner of his mouth. “So, like I said, are you waiting for one of the boys?”

  “No.” The guy sat up and ran a hand over his beard. “You security or the
police?”

  “No, but I figure they’d be interested in someone loitering here for at least an hour.”

  Panic flashed in the man’s eyes, but he blustered, “The last time I checked, this was a free country.”

  “Well, I’m here to tell you that in this zone, we view any loiterers with suspicion.” Eyes narrowed, Shaz folded his arms. “Unless you’re here for a specific reason.”