The front desk sat empty, but there was a class going on. Levi stood just inside the doorway, watching children six to eight years old follow the motions of their instructor. Although Levi didn’t recognize the man in charge, he guessed the guy was a student from one of his father’s advanced classes. Leo often hired his black belts to teach the beginners.
When the teen caught sight of Levi in the mirror that ran along one wall, his eyes widened and he stopped teaching. “We have a special treat today,” he announced to the class. “Look behind you. This is Sensei Pendleton’s son, Levi, who was one of the greatest fighters in the world. Do you recognize him from his picture right there?” He pointed to a plaque on the far wall. “He has a black belt in tae kwon do and jujitsu, and he won practically all of those trophies in that case over there.”
Levi heard a ripple of “That’s him?” and “He’s back!” and “Sensei told me about him.” As the children turned to stare, he almost walked out. This wasn’t what he’d come for, to bask in the admiration of all those who’d like to achieve what he’d achieved. After what he’d done to those police officers in Nevada, he didn’t deserve their admiration.
He wasn’t sure exactly why he’d come. It’d taken him well over a week to make his way slowly up to the city where he’d been raised. Some days he didn’t want to arrive here at all, so he’d headed back or traveled inland; others, he couldn’t resist the tug of homesickness that eventually won out.
“I’ll get your father,” the instructor said, and hurried into the back.
Leo walked out a second later, chewing, as if Levi had interrupted his lunch. No doubt it was food he’d brought from home. Chances were slim that Leo would be eating restaurant fare. He was too careful about what he put in his body.
Although Leo had started shaving his head, possibly to hide the gray, he was fit and toned and younger-looking than other men his age. But he was favoring his right leg. That old injury had always given him trouble.
“I’ll be damned,” he muttered. Then he focused on Levi’s arms and the pinkish bite marks that weren’t quite healed. “What happened to you?”
Levi didn’t answer. He was asking himself what he’d hoped to gain by confronting his father again. He was crazy to expect any kind of peace with Leo, wasn’t he?
It would just be more of the same. He shouldn’t have made the effort.
He took a step toward the door, but his father hurried after him.
“Wait! At least sit down and talk to me for a minute.”
And say what? What could they say that would change anything?
Yet Levi hesitated.
“Come on. There’s a good—” Leo seemed to be scrambling to come up with something appealing “—a good restaurant down the street. I’ll take you there.”
“Looks like you were already having lunch,” Levi said.
“I just started. We’ll go there instead.”
Why not? He’d come this far. Besides, he was curious to see what restaurant his father would deem good enough for a champion’s body.
Levi waited as Leo gave the young man teaching the class some instructions. Then he followed Leo out into the sunshine and down the street to a dimly lit pub that served burgers and fries and draft beer.
“You’re willing to eat here?” Levi raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“If it’d give me a minute alone with you, I’d eat dirt.”
Levi had no idea how to respond to that. His father wasn’t typically forthcoming with such comments.
“How have you been?” Leo asked.
Lost, Levi realized. He’d been lost for so long he didn’t know if he’d ever find himself. And it was difficult not to blame his father, who’d been so damn overbearing. “Fine.”
He indicated the scars on his arms. “Those marks are...”
“I was attacked by dogs a few weeks ago.”
“Why?”
“Shit like that happens when you’re out on the road,” he said with a shrug.
The waitress came by and Leo asked for a veggie burger. The curvy blonde almost laughed. “Sorry, no veggie burgers here.”
“What do you have?”
“As far as vegetables go, we have iceberg lettuce, pickles and tomatoes. Unless you count ketchup and fries.”
“Give me whatever you think is good. Levi?”
Levi ordered a half-pound burger, onion rings and a shake. He actually preferred to eat healthy, too. His father had trained him well. But he didn’t want Leo to know that his training had been so effective.
Surprisingly, Leo didn’t complain about his selections. “I—I’ve been worried about you,” his father said.
Slinging one arm over the back of his chair, Levi struck an indifferent pose. “Why would you worry about me?”
Leo lowered his voice. “Come on, that incident in Reno was all over the news. What happened, Levi? Why’d you do it?”
He’d just left his father’s house a few days before. The residual emotion from that was part of the reason. He’d also been drinking, which didn’t help. “The one cop, the older one, was a seasoned officer. He was showing off for the rookie.”
“And?”
“I barely touched the rookie.”
Leo slid the beer menu to one side. “What made you go after the other guy?”
“I was sitting on the ground, resting outside an office building. Hungry, tired. He came up and told me to move on. It could’ve ended there. But he kicked me when I didn’t get up fast enough.”
“He didn’t realize you could defend yourself.”
“No. I think that was kind of a shock.”
His father cursed. “When I didn’t hear anything from you after that, I thought maybe they’d caught you, put you in jail somewhere.”
“Not yet.”
“I wish that incident hadn’t happened,” he said, rubbing his face.
“So do I,” Levi admitted.
His father straightened the ketchup and mustard and the napkin holder in the center of their small table. “You might be interested to learn that...I found Ellen a few months ago.”
Levi blinked at him. “My sister? How?”
“I hired a P.I.”
“Don’t,” Levi growled. “Don’t do that. Leave her alone. Her and Mom.”
The waitress returned with two ice waters and Levi’s shake. When she was gone, Leo said, “I just...I wanted to see her, to assure myself that she was okay. That’s all.”