There had to be a point to this. Lucky gritted his teeth. This man had threatened to kill him, taught him much of what he knew about sex, had spoiled him, taken him places Lucky never knew existed, and had been the reason for Lucky’s downfall.
He’d wondered from time to time what he might say if he got the chance, recalled the years of torment and regret. “I carried around a load of guilt, thinking you’d killed yourself because I’d testified against you.” There, he’d spoken his ugliest secret, but unlike what all those TV shrinks said, confession didn’t make him feel any better.
Victor’s eyes went wide, then he carefully schooled his features back to neutral. “I didn’t know. I wish I could’ve told you the plans I’d put into motion for you, plans that nearly fell through.” He paused, staring at Lucky without saying a word.
Lucky couldn’t meet his gaze anymore and studied his coffee cup instead.
So low he strained to hear, the man who’d cut his heart out by faking suicide said, “I’m sorry. I had no idea you’d blame yourself. If I had…”
Against his better judgement, Lucky glanced up.
Victor shook his head. “No, there was no way to let you know what I’d planned. If I could, I would have. I did my best to make sure you didn’t serve long on your sentence.”
It might be rude, but Lucky had to know. “How long were you in prison?”
Victor’s eyebrows reached for his hairline. He showed so much more emotion than he used to with most people. Could it be that he let his guard down with Lucky, reverting to old habits given their familiarity? “Technically, I’m still in prison.” He drummed the fingers of one manicured hand on the tabletop. “I received a life sentence, if you recall. After twenty years of acting as a consultant to various countries in their wars on drugs, I might get to retire, if I continue to play nice.”
Try as he might, Lucky couldn’t fight a snicker. “You? Play nice?”
Victor’s smirk woke a storm of emotions in Lucky’s heart. Gratitude he hadn’t killed the man, the irony of someone from his past who might not want to kill him, but not anything he’d expected to feel. No conflict, no lingering feelings.
A stranger sat before him.
“Do you remember the night we met?” Victor asked.
Lucky snorted. “How could I forget? You threatened to kill me.”
A half-smile tugged up the corners of Victor’s mouth. “I did, didn’t I?” The smile fell. “I’d watched you for weeks, how you carefully plotted and carried out your plans like a seasoned car thief. I was so impressed that I allowed you to take my car simply to see an artist at work. You showed so much promise. I wanted to be the one who helped you become who you could be.”
“What? An ex-con?” Lucky tried to summon anger but couldn’t blame his choices on Victor. Even if Victor had let him walk away that night, he’d have found plenty of trouble on his own.
“No, Lucky, someone who put their whole heart into whatever they did.” He swept a hand toward the walls. “Look at what you’ve done. You’ve not only served out your time, you’ve risen to the top of your game, come farther than even you knew you could, didn’t you?”
Heat rose around Lucky’s collar. He was tired, hungry, and needed to see Bo. “Would you get on with whatever you have to say?”
“Ah, impatient, are you?” Victor cut his gaze toward the door. “I suppose you don’t want to keep your partner waiting.”
“What the hell business is it of yours?” Lucky snapped.
Victor held up a hand. “I merely wanted to say that you’ve done well for yourself. Mr. Schollenberger is a lucky man.”
“I’m the lucky one,” Lucky blurted without thought.
“Indeed. As you bore guilt for me, I’ve spent a good number of years deep in regret over you.”
Lucky choked on his mouthful of coffee, barely avoiding a spew. “What?”
Victor even managed to make a sigh sound elegant. “I didn’t give you a choice when I offered you a job, and it’s occurred to me that you might have stayed with me for so many years out of fear for your life, nothing more.”
No. After the first few months, he’d worried about Victor tiring of him, not of being killed. “I stayed because I wanted to.”
“I realize that now. Which is why I’m here, speaking to you.”
Oh, God. Surely, he wasn’t about to suggest…
Crinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes when Victor gave Lucky a fond smile, one Lucky remembered from years ago, only with less crinkles. “I cared for you a great deal. I’m not sure if I ever told you that.”
“No, you didn’t. In the end, you tried to take me with you to Rio.” A passport in another name, with Lucky’s picture, the evidence that had made him realize he’d been conned into testifying against Victor.
