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The knock made me push the fur out of my eyes and look out the shower.

"There's a guy here to see you." William stood in the open doorway. "Said his name is Mister Orr."

I tilted an ear. I didn't know any of Arnold's brother well enough to know if one of them would address themselves as such. I looked at the mirror. "Access message center." The information appeared there. Way too many saved messages I needed to decide what to do with, but nothing new.

"Do you want me to throw him out?"

"No, you don't throw out an Orr, they don't deal well with it. Can you get my jeans? I'll dry off and deal with it." I quickly rinsed and went through a quick dry cycle, adding a towel to speed up the process.

"I take it he isn't a friend?" William handed me my jeans.

"A business associate is a close as I'd go. Last time I saw any of them there was a good amount of screaming involved." I snap the tail strap in place and headed for the entrance.

Too old, was the first thing that registered. I stopped and kept William from walking around me.

The guy had to be in his fifties, ice-blue eyes. Definitely not one of Arnold's brothers. There might be a resemblance there but nothing more. I hadn't met his uncles, but I knew Dietrich was a bodybuilder, and was unbelievably muscular. This guy was well built under that suit, but believably so. The only thing he'd heard about Dominic was that the guy never left his club.

"Who are you?"

"Denton." the tiger's smile made my hackles stand up. "You've got to remember me. I know I didn't look this good in Belize, but we had such a fun time there."

"No fucking way," I said as my blood ran cold. I reached at my back, but of course my gun was in the gunsafe in the bedroom. I ground my teeth to keep from saying anything more.

"Give me a minute," William said, "I'll get dressed and be out of here."

"Now, Now, there's no need for that," Damian said, "We're just going to have a friendly conversation. I certainly wouldn't mind something nice to look at while we talked."

"Yeah, with that tone, that ain't happening." William turned, but I grabbed his arm. "Dent, I'm not sticking around for something that's clearly personal between the two of you."

I glared at Damian. "Don't move from there." I pulled William to the bedroom and got dressed. "Stay here."

"I'd rather leave, I get the feeling I don't want to be within hearing range of what's coming."

"You're right, but that guy doesn't work alone. He knows we're friends so he could have someone on the street ready to grab you. Until I've dealt with him I want you to stay in here."

"I thought you were on an okay footing with that family, business associate is what you said."

"With them, except for that one. But he shouldn't be here, they promised me he'd never bother me again. If I wasn't already going to kill them for Stephane, this would do it." I looked at the gunsafe.

"Does this have to do with your missing friend?"

No gun. "I don't know. The few sightings of them didn't include this guy so I'm thinking not, but there's no way to be certain." I put the jacket on. "I'm serious Will, stay in here. This shouldn't take long, but don't leave until I've returned." I grabbed my phone and considered calling the office. Tom had gotten the rundown of what Damian had done, which meant he'd show up with enough armament to blow up a small country. I couldn't have that. I'd have to deal with his anger after I dealt with this.

I looked up. "Sorry, thinking."

William chuckled. "I said that I'll keep working on the food. We can eat when you get back and you can tell me what you feel is safe to say."

I nodded and realized I had no idea how I'd explain this to him. I was starting to get what Martin, and the others didn't interact much with none Society members or close associates. How was I going to explain Damian without saying anything about magic?

I headed to the entrance. "We're going out," I told Damian.

"Isn't you delicious looking friend coming with us?"

"Listen to me, you asshole," I growled. "You even think of laying a finger on him, or look at him funny and I'm going to rip your balls out. Am I clear?"

His face lost all playfulness. "You should be very careful about the kind of threats you make, Denton. I might take offense."

"Like I fucking care about your feelings." I indicated the door.

His eyes were still cold when he turned and opened it. His eyes were warm again as he motioned for me to step ahead of him, and I glared back. With a chuckle, he stepped out my apartment, and I followed him. The elevator ride was silent with him in one corner and me in the other. In the lobby Juliette looked at us, made a note and went back to reading on her phone.

Outside he looked at me while I scanned around us. If he had men posted, I couldn't see them. I cursed. He'd upgraded the quality of the people he used.

We were in public, so marginally safer, but the sidewalk wasn't the place for this conversation. Neither was a restaurant. Being inside when this blew up would put too many people at risk.

The park.

I motioned to my right and Damian headed in that direction. Having him obey without bitching didn't help my nerves. He didn't act anything like what I remembered. He was too fucking self-assured, like he knew what I was planning to do already. Fuck, was I playing in his hand? No, he wasn't that smart. And he no longer had all that power either. He was just an ordinary Orr.

Which made him only a little less dangerous than a nuclear bomb.

The park was three block long and two wide. It had been a strip mall years ago and had been repurposed. Now families came here to enjoy the warming days, lovers hid in the trees for some quality time together and kids ran around driving their parents crazy.

I imagined taking Little Eddy here and playing ball. And immediately buried the thought, I couldn't give this guy any indication Eddy existed. There was no telling what he'd do with that information.

"Okay," I said when we stood in the middle of a clearing. We were alone, and I only heard a few people out of view. No kids, since this was the middle of the week and they weren't back from school yet. I'd see anyone coming and when this blew up people would have time to run. "What the fuck are you doing here? They promised me you'd never bother me."

Damian smiled. "And you believed them? Denton, my brothers have never kept their words unless it served them. I'd have thought you would have learned that in the little time you spent with them."

"Imprisoned, they said they were going to bury you somewhere and that you'd never get out."

Again all joviality left him. "Oh they did that, alright. But did you really think they'd hold me? I found a way out of a magical prison, you think a purely physical one could stop me? Especially when they weren't around to ensure I didn't get out?" he smiled. "Thanks for that, by the way. Forcing them on the run is why I'm out."

"So you're here to try and finish what you started?"

"Started?"

"Yes, murdering my entire family."

"I did no such--"

"Fuck off, you told me as much, remember?"

The tiger was thoughtful. "Let's say, for the sake of argument, that I did remember such a thing. Do you really think I'd admit to it when your phone is set to record? There are no statute of limitation on murder. I've escaped unjust imprisonment, I am not looking to go back to it."

I took out my phone and did a hard shut down. Hopefully this would be resolved before Tom got here, because the moment my phone vanished from the network, he was going to freak and I was certain he'd hidden trackers on everything I owned. I showed it to Damian and put it away.

He looked around as if searching for someone spying on us.

"Hey," I couldn't help being offended. "You're the one who's got people hidden in the trees, not me. And you're also the lying bastard, not me. So don't even think of implying I'm trying to entrap you. I want this resolved so I can then call the police on you and get you put away properly."

Damian's smile was infuriating. "For what?"

"The Lewistons, for one thing. I expect Raphael would be happy to know you're paying for that."

He tilted an ear. "I thought their killer was already in prison. Didn't you hand him to the police yourself?"

"And all the others you had killed?"

Damian shrugged. "How are they going to prove any of it? I was never actually there, remember? I was trapped in Belize. As for 'finishing the job,' you don't have to worry about that."

"You expect me to believe you?"

"Hardly, but the reason it didn't work then is that it couldn't work. In embarking on the endeavor, I had to renounce your god. I didn't realize it at the time, but it made the magic he grants you inaccessible to me. I could have killed every Society families, and I'd never have gotten an iota of that power. It would have gone right back to Him."

"Fine, then why are you here?"

"I think it was obvious."

"Assume I'm nowhere near that smart."

"Don't sell yourself short Denton."

"Assume it anyway."

"I'm here to help you."

I laughed. "Help me? Why the fuck would you want to do that? You promised me pain the last time we met. Said you'd find me and make me pay." Again he looked thoughtful.

He sighed. "I'll admit that time isn't entirely clear. But I would hope you can see I am no longer that young, power-mad, idiot. My time of... solitude, gave me the opportunity to reflect on what I do remember of my actions. They were thoughtless and reckless. Youth and a hunger of power. I'm no longer that person."

"Right, and you have a bridge to sell me too, right?"

Damian shrugged. "If you want one, I know the deed to the Golden Gate Bridge is in our archive somewhere."

I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. I needed to wrap this up before Tom showed up. "Okay, help me do what exactly?"

"Take down my brothers, what else?"

"You expect me to believe you want to help me do that out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Don't be naïve Denton. I want them to suffer for what they did to me. If I had the resources I'd take them on myself, but contrary to what you seem to believe, I am not without anyone, without any money, or influence. So as much as I'd prefer being the one to find them and make them pay, I have to settle for offering my help to you."

"And the moment I turn my back on you, you'll stab me, right?"

"You don't trust me."

"I'm not that stupid."

"It's understandable. I have wronged you rather greatly. I can only hope that in time I can demonstrate that I am not your enemy."

"Never going to happen."

Damian nodded. "Again, understandable. I didn't come here to cause you problems. I just wanted you to know I was available when you needed me." He turned, stopped and faced me again. "But let me leave you with this. My brothers are not done with you. Whatever part you played in them losing their position as ruler of my family, they will make you suffer for it. And they will do so before they start on my nephews, because they are family and you're not."

"They're in Miami, so I think I'm safe."

"That won't last Denton. Whatever they are doing now, it's only so they can hurt you in ways you can't imagine when they do attack. When you do need help, come find me."

"Fine, what's your number?"

"I'm not that stupid, Denton." He walked away. "And you own a security firm. I'm sure you have ways of finding me, when you'll be desperate enough."

I watch him leave, regretting not having brought my gun. No witnesses, the shot could be explained as coming from a car, mechanical problems or something. It would be so satisfying to kill him, know that my parents were avenged.

I could put Tom on him.

I turned my phone on.

Of course, if I did that, there was no telling how by the crater would end up being.

I ignored the dozen message and called Tom. "You can calm down. I'm fine."

"Why the fuck did you turn off your phone?"

I heard him swerve and cars honk. "I needed privacy."

"Right, and I need to find a priest to confess. Try again."

I sighed. "I needed to make sure the guy I was talking with knew I wasn't recording the conversation."

"Okay, so how did you record it?"

"I didn't."

"Denton, I swear, there are day I don't understand how you're still alive."

"Honest living, I guess. Look, calm down, take a breath, slow down before you get in an accident and go find yourself a cop to fuck. I'm heading back to my apartment. William is going to have food ready and then I'm fucking him until morning."

"Do not move from where you are Denton. I'm two minutes away."

"Fuck off Tom. I'm the boss, not you. I'll see you in the office tomorrow."

Of course, Tom was parked outside the park before I reached the edge and glared at me as I walked by. But he didn't throw me in the trunk this time, so things were improving.