Page 100 of Protecting Bree
“I need to tell you something,” Smiley blurted. “If it was me, I’d want to know, but…it’s not good news.”
“It’s about Castillo, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I know you’re aware that he worked with del Rio. But he said something. Bragged about it, actually.”
“He’s dead, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you for that,” Rex said. “You saved me from calling in a marker to take care of that myself.”
Smiley nodded, even though the other man couldn’t see him. “You can forget I called if you’d prefer.”
“I’d prefer you said what you need to say, what’s keeping you up in the middle of the night and taking you away from Bree’s side,” Rex said matter-of-factly.
“Right. So, I was stalling. Back in Guayaquil. Trying to kill time so my team could arrive and lend a hand. I taunted Castillo. Brought up your name. Goaded him with the fact you were going to hunt him down, and his impending death would be at your hands,” Smiley admitted. “It probably wasn’t my finest moment, but I was doing anything I could to give Kevlar and my team time to get there.”
He was stalling againnow, dragging out this conversation more than necessary. He got to the point.
“Castillo claimed he was your son’s biological father. Said he’d been with your wife enough to be certain David was his.”
To his immense surprise, Rex laughed.
“My son is just that—mine. And Raven’s. He isn’t, and never was, that asshole’s.”
Smiley wasn’t sure what to say.
“Look. I’ve made peace with what happened to Raven. Does it make me want to kill every motherfucker who dared lay a hand on her? Of course. But I can’t. I choose instead to concentrate on the life we have now. On the amazing, brilliant, compassionate, and kind son we’re raising. And Davidismine. One hundred percent. I might not have any DNA in common with him, but that doesn’t make him any less my son.”
“Right.”
“I respect you, Smiley. It couldn’t have been an easy thing to tell me. But it means the world that you cared enough to pass on what that asshole claimed. You know it wasn’t smart to antagonize him, right?”
“Yeah. Right after he made that claim, he ordered hismen to shoot me. I would’ve been better off talking about the fucking weather or something.”
Rex chuckled. “I’ve learned that it’s always better to put a bullet in someone’s head rather than hang around and have a fucking conversation. It’s just easier.”
“I’ll remember that for next time,” Smiley told him.
“See that you do.”
“What you did, what you do…it’s important,” he told Rex, with as much sincerity in his tone as he could muster.
“I think so too. Every woman and child we save is a victory. And I’ll never lose sleep over killing a man who thinks he owns women and can do with them what he pleases.”
“Amen to that,” he agreed.
“Thanks again for the call. Fuck him. Fuck them all. I’m gonna live my life, be happy, laugh, and enjoy the shit out of every day…that’s enough for me.”
He was right. Rex had been to hell and back, as had his family. If he could be happy, Smiley could too. “If you and your family ever get to Southern California, Bree and I would love to get together.”
“I’ll make sure that happens. Go back to bed, Smiley. Sleep with a clear conscience. That’s an order.”
Smiley snorted. “You aren’t my commander.”
Rex simply chuckled. Then the line went silent.
Feeling better now that he’d gotten that off his chest, Smiley stood, turned—and paused when he saw Bree leaning against the wall near the hallway.
