CHAPTER FIVE

"Has the client shown up yet?"

It was Dak Harris, the lead investigator at Amelia's private detective agency, on the phone.

Amelia was sitting in a booth at a swanky Baltimore restaurant. "No, not yet."

"We need more big dollar clients, Boss. For real though. Let's cross our fingers that he's the real deal."

"His secretary certainly claimed that he was. But we'll see."

"Hello Amelia."

When Amelia heard that voice, she turned to the sound. And when she saw who it was, she could hardly believe her eyes. "Dak, let me call you back," she said to her employee and ended her phone call. And when the person she was staring at sat down at her table inside the swanky restaurant, she continued to stare at him. She hadn't seen him in years. "Where did you come from?"

"Over there," he said, pointing to the back of the restaurant. "I was here before you got here. What brings you this way?'

"I'm meeting a new client."

"Ta-da!" he said with a sweep of his arms, as if he was the big reveal. "I'm your new client."

Amelia knew better than that. Atticus Wales, the man that was now sitting in her booth in front of her, was no client of hers. "I know better than this shit," she said as she began sliding over to get up and out.

"Just hear me out, Millie, damn. I came a long way."

She stopped her slide, but her disappointment was still there. "What do you want, Atticus?"

"I heard you're finally coming to your senses and divorcing the Hammer. I wanted to hear that straight from the horse's mouth."

Amelia frowned. She'd just made the decision a few days ago. "How would you know what I'm doing? I haven't seen you in years."

Atticus smiled. He wasn't handsome in the way the world called handsome. He was no Hammer. But he still had that charm. "I have connections," he said.

And that was when Amelia realized how he knew. She had told Charles because she always confided in her big brother. And Charles no doubt told Mick, who Atticus worked for back in the day. He was once the CFO of Mick's Fortune 500 corporation before he struck out on his own and became majority owner of an NFL franchise.

"I never forgot about you, Millie," Atticus said to her, his face now unsmiling and serious. "When you were married to that dreadful Bulldog Valtone, I loved you."

"I'm married, Atti. This conversation is useless."

"You're married and about to divorce that dead weight. I'll never neglect you, Millie."

"No, you won't. But you're sure as hell cheat on my ass. I wasn't with you two months before you showed your true colors. And there I was thinking I had a good dude. I turned my back one minute and your ass was cheating with women I thought were my friends. And Hammer's supposed to be dead weight? Boy bye!" she said as she stood up and began leaving.

Atticus hurried out of the booth. "Millie, wait," he implored as he hurried behind her.

Outside, Hammer was seated on the passenger seat of an SUV that was parked at the curb outside of the fancy restaurant in downtown Baltimore. Ozzie, his driver and bodyguard, was behind the wheel as Amelia, followed by Atticus, walked out.

Ozzie and Hammer were both surprised by the person that walked out behind her.

"Isn't that Atticus Wales?" Ozzie asked.

Hammer didn't respond. He didn't understand it either. But he knew Atticus had a thing for Amelia way back when. He knew that much. And suddenly Hammer found somebody other than himself to blame for his deteriorated marriage. Was that why she was divorcing him? To be with Atti?

"What's his ass doing with her?" asked Ozzie. "She dumped him ages ago. Or were they ever together?"

But Hammer wasn't answering any questions. He was too worried. Because Atticus Wales was everything he was not: normal, steady, comfortable. Everything he knew Amelia needed.

Atticus knew he had to change his approach. And he decided to do just that. "I don't want it to end like this, Millie," he said. "Can't we be friends? Can't we at least part as friends? We used to be buddies once upon a time."

Amelia looked at him. He was a good listener back in the day. And she was tired of fighting every man she seemed to come into contact with lately. He was horrible boyfriend material. But he was a decent friend. "Why not," she said.

And he smiled, and then she smiled, and then he went in for a friendly hug.

But as soon as Hammer saw him touching his wife, he saw red. And he began getting out of that SUV.

"Boss, don't!" said Ozzie as he tried to quickly take off his seatbelt and get out too.

But Hammer had already raced up to the couple and grabbed Atticus, whose eyes were shut as he held Amelia, as if he was overly-enjoying that contact, and flung him away from her. "What the fuck you think you're doing?" Hammer asked the younger man. "That's my wife!"

"Your wife?"

Hammer frowned. "Yes, my wife. You got a problem with that, Pal?"

"I own an NFL team," boasted Atticus. "You know what NFL stands for? Not for long. They don't last long in the big leagues. She's your wife right now. But not for long," he said to twist the knife.

And Hammer twisted him with a punch that knocked him on his rear.

"Hammer, stop it!" Amelia yelled out.

But Atticus got up swinging. And the two big men were at it. Until Atticus's bodyguards that seemed to come out of nowhere, and Ozzie, were finally able to break them up before people got wind of who they were and started pointing their phones to get that viral moment.

Hammer jerked away from Ozzie. But Amelia was looking at both men disgustedly. Then she walked away.

Atticus looked at Hammer and smiled a smile that made Hammer realize he walked right into that trap. And then Atticus and his bodyguards left too.

Ozzie looked around. "Let's get out of here, Boss."

But Hammer just stood there. His personal life in tatters. She'd only just filed for divorce and already the vultures were circling. Out to take his woman away from him when he did a darn good job of that himself. And the big man who had all the answers for every crisis thrown in his face suddenly felt alone.

Rudderless.

Like a ship without a sail.