Page 69 of Ignacio

“Much,” his father agreed with a laugh.

Benicio’s taste ran more traditional, with dark wood finishes on all the furniture, a built-in bookcase, and a credenza.Knowing Thiago, he’d want a modern aesthetic to match his office in Brazil.

Benicio gathered a few documents from his desk, placed them inside the top drawer, and then locked it. “I’m starving,” he said, picking up his charcoal jacket from the back of his leather chair and slipping his arms into the sleeves.

“Did you decide where you wanted to eat?”

Benicio buttoned his jacket as he moved from behind the desk. “I thought we could walk to a restaurant down the street. There’s a great little Ethiopian place that I’ve eaten at twice in the past month.”

“Sounds good to me. I haven’t had Ethiopian cuisine in a long time.” Ignacio fell into step beside him.

They took the elevator to the first floor and exited a side door onto the street. As they passed by the front of the building, Ignacio told Randall he didn’t have to come and to wait in the car.

Ignacio had pulled his hair into a bun and wore a black cap low on his face. In the hustle and bustle of downtown Atlanta, he didn’t anticipate anyone paying him any attention.

As both men strolled down the sidewalk, Benicio asked, “What happened the other night between you and the music executive?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? The news said you punched him and stomped him. That sounds like something Thiago would do, not you.”

“I didn’t stomp him, but I should have.” His publicist had issued statements on his behalf to calm the frenzy after he hit Leo and insisted that he steer clear of the media and use the standardNo commentresponse if asked about the incident.

He didn’t care about himself. His only regret was that he had caused Delta more trauma. When he found her on the floor in the bathroom and she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, theworld had collapsed around him. He had seen nothing but pain and wanted to stop it. If he could, he would kill Leo Hargrove, but instead of murder, he was going to keep his promise to Delta and fix the mess he had made.

“And why should you have stomped him?” Benicio asked.

“He’s a vile human being, and a beatdown was long overdue.”

Ignacio changed the subject, and he and his father chatted about mundane topics until they arrived at the restaurant. Inside, the waitress led them through a maze of black-stained teakwood tables. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the window, creating a stark contrast to the restaurant’s dimly lit interior. Ignacio slid onto a booth seat and picked up the menu but decided to let his father order for them both since he’d eaten there multiple times.

When the server left them alone, he folded his arms on the table.

“Are you ready to tell me why you wanted to have this meeting? When you said you needed to talk right away, I was concerned.”

“I have a problem, and I need your help figuring something out.”

“Tell me about it.”

Their male server approached and placed their club sodas on the table.

When he left, Ignacio leaned toward his father. “I have a friend who has a problem?—”

“A friend?” His father arched a white eyebrow.

“Not me, if that’s what you’re thinking. The problem is really someone else’s.” He had to convince his father of this, or he’d be concerned. Despite them all being adults, his parents still worried about them and were willing to help whenever problems arose.

“Okay, go ahead,” Benicio said, pouring his water into a glass filled with ice.

“As I mentioned, my friend has a problem. Something happened to them a long time ago. It was a crime, and the person who committed the crime against them has a video and recently threatened to release it.”

His father frowned. “Isn’t the person who committed the crime worried about the release of this video? It would incriminate them, wouldn’t it?”

“It would,” Ignacio confirmed. “But the victim has an irrational fear of being exposed and refuses to accept that. They think the perpetrator may release the video, or parts of it, to make them look bad. They’re terrified of this happening.”

Benicio scratched his beard. “That’s a tough position to be in. They’re a victim being victimized again.”

“Exactly.” Ignacio lowered his voice. “I have an idea of how to help them, but I’m not sure where to turn for this help.”

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