Chapter Two
Beingsummonedbythe boss the day after an assignment was never fun. Especially when that meant getting up at the ass crack of dawn for an eight a.m. meeting and traipsing over town to the high-rise office blocks that displayed “JONES” in bright block letters shining from the top. Most men bought flashy cars or started dating women young enough to be their daughters when overcompensating for other shortcomings bestowed upon them, but I guess having your name fixed to the outside of a skyscraper was Will’s equivalent to that. Regardless, I was here and was going to have to suffer through an unnecessary lecture from the oldest of Alex’s brothers.
I wasn’t entirely sure what sort of business Will did from here – legal or not so legal - except that I knew he worked with a lot of sketchy characters. I, however, worked off the books, in the depths of the shadows, in a rule to its own and as long as Will kept his side of the deal, I was happy.
William Jones’ office took up the entire top floor, excluding a small sectioned off corner which acted as a reception and waiting area. A petite lady dressed in an elegant grey pantsuit popped up from leaning over her computer at the sound of the elevator doors opening, a beaming smile spreading across her face at the sight of Alex.
“Alex!” Monica, Will’s secretary and sister-in-law, squealed and excitedly hurried across to us in her six-inch heels, the thin stilettos clacking loudly on the tiles as she ran and threw her arms around Alex’s neck, moulding her body his and kissed his cheek. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”
“Monica, that’s not how you greet people who are here for meetings,” Will chastised, appearing in the doorway to his office, impeccably dressed, also in a grey suit complete with a black Winsor knotted tie. His eyebrows furrowed as Monica withdrew her arms, her face turning a brilliant shade of red. She gave me a quick wave and took her place back behind her desk, typing frantically into her keyboard, trying to look busy.
Will stood to the side and ushered us along, closing the door behind us. The office itself was stupidly big for one person, but William Jones loved posturing. The room contained the usual furniture; a large oak desk, a massive leather office chair, and a ridiculously expensive computer, which I knew was custom made with the best processor, best graphics card, and best memory capacity. Best of the best of the best for Will.
Over by the left corner sat a brown leather chesterfield sofa, a drinks cart, and a granite slab masquerading as a coffee table. And across the other side was a billiards table with a flatscreen TV fixed to the wall. It was more of a bachelor pad that just happened to conduct business meetings from time to time.
Alex took up his usual spot, lying back on the sofa, head propped on the arm and his legs crossed at the ankle. Compared to his brother, Alex looked like a slob, lounging in ripped jeans, a tight V-neck Henley showcasing the ink on both of his arms, and his dark brown hair styled like he just got out of bed.
I perched at the edge of the chair opposite Will’s desk, staring out of the floor-to-ceiling window with my knee bouncing as I overlooked the city, wanting to get the debrief on operation Heartbreaker – fucking stupid name for an assignment – over as quickly as possible so I could leave. I had a long overdue Netflix binge session waiting for me at home.
Noticing my restless leg, Will raised an eyebrow and stood, waiting for me to stop. Excess energy was not something he tolerated. Pushing myself back on the chair, I gave him a dry smile as he lowered himself behind his desk.
“You’ll be pleased to hear that the body of Alessio Nissaney and four of his men were discovered in the early hours of this morning by a night janitor and subsequently collected by the Carlin Valley police department,” Will stated, steepling his fingers to his lips, hiding a satisfied smirk behind them.
The man never displayed any emotions when discussing business, but the fire behind his brown eyes was enough to tell me he was pleased.
“There was also a donation of top range medical equipment to the local hospital. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
I shrugged impassively as I dug my nails into my jeans. “Perhaps one of the doctors on the surgical team sprouted a conscience and thought since the dead bastard no longer had use for it, someone else could benefit.”
Will sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before pushing up from his chair. Walking over to the drinks cart, he reached for a frosted crystal decanter, pouring a nip of amber liquid in three glasses. Squeezing two between his finger and thumb, he took the third glass and moved to stand by Alex’s head, holding it out for him to take and then returned to his desk, handing me the other. He sat back down, letting the silence drag for a minute longer as he took a sip of the smoky alcohol.
“Stevie, you know we don’t get involved with trivial things out of the scope of the assignment.” His eyes turned cold as he calmly chastised me in a way that only Will had perfected.
All three Jones brothers had their mother’s eyes; dark and soulful brown eyes that were the gateway to their personalities. Alex; flirtatious and loving, Mac; playful and charming, and Will; closed-off and angry. At least that’s how he was whenever he was dealing with me, always a complete contrast to his brothers.
His eyes narrowed, watching me intently, and then he continued. “That is how mistakes are made. You had one objective; everything else is just collateral.”
“I don’t see how providing hospitals with cutting edge equipment is a ′trivial thing,′ Will,” I muttered through gritted teeth. Unable to meet Will’s penetrating stare, I swirled the untouched scotch around in the glass, watching it slosh up the sides. It was too early in the morning to start drinking the hard stuff.
“Perhaps we need to re-evaluate what jobs you are contracted to do if this pattern continues.”
Okay, I was wrong. It was not too early for the hard stuff when I was getting berated for a job well done.
Tilting my head back, I sunk the scotch in one, got to my feet, and slammed the tumbler on his desk. “Careful, Will, one might start to think you’re turning into your old man.”
“One should be thankful it’s me and not him sitting here now.” Will dropped his gaze, and I glared at the top of his head. The heat behind my eyes wanted to burn holes through his skull. “How is the Weston case coming along?” he asked, shuffling through some paperwork until he uncovered a manila folder. He clasped his hands over the top of it and stared, waiting for me to answer.
I thought back to the new assignment I was given last week.
Name: Jacob Weston
Age: 33
Occupation: CEO of Weston Pharmaceuticals
Assignment: Meet (Part 1 of 3)
Rate: Three Hundred Thousand Dollars per completed assignment.
“What do you expect me to do, exactly?” I asked. My blood pressure rose as I remembered how little was documented on the report. I kept turning the one-page document back to front, as if I expected more words to become suddenly obvious if I shook them out of hiding.
“What you do best, Stevie. Lie and manipulate.”
“You know I don’t touch marks.” I levelled him with a look. “Who even is this guy?”
“We know that, Stevie baby. Don’t we, Will?” Alex voiced from his position on the couch, the glass of scotch balancing on his stomach as he scrolled through his phone, barely giving us a second glance.
“Of course, I’d expect nothing less,” Will drawled, making my skin itch. “He’s just someone of interest, that’s all.”
“Mr. Weston has morning meetings that finish around mid-day every Wednesday,” Alex said, reciting what he had told me a few days ago. “From the coffee shop surveillance cameras near his offices, it appears he is a creature of habit, always getting a coffee at one o’clock before returning to his office for the rest of the day.”
“And I was going to go there today before you decided to drag my ass in here.”
Will pulled the cuff of his white shirt sleeve back to reveal a black Cartier watch. He hummed to himself and said, “We are almost done here. You will have plenty of time to do whatever it is you do to ensure that you are more adequately dressed to do your recon, Stevie. And as always, do so without engaging.”
I glanced down at the outfit I’d thrown on when I woke up, a baggy jumper and leggings, and felt my nostrils flare as I bit my tongue while he proceeded to tell me how to do my job. I clenched my jaw, deciding a saccharine smile was better than answering back, and asked, “Is that all?” dick I finished in my head as the tightening in my jaw became almost painful.
Will pushed the folder his hands had been resting on across his desk. I opened the cover and glanced down at the image of an overweight man.
“I know you don’t usually take jobs back-to-back,” he said, highlighting the key aspect of the contract I’d argued ferociously for Alex and me when Will took over from their father a little over ten years ago.
No jobs back-to-back. No jobs where Will would accompany me, and lastly, but probably most importantly, no jobs involving minors.
I sensed a big but coming…
“But I need you to work tonight, as a favour to me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So you’re the client?” I asked, thumbing through the dossier in front of me. Will laughed a humourless laugh and got to his feet, striding to the door in a swift dismissal. I picked up the folder and followed after him.
“You know I can’t tell you that, Stevie. I also need to be there. That is non-negotiable.”
I opened my mouth, about to argue, when Alex put his empty glass on the coffee table and stretched his arms up over his head, showing a hint of hair that ran from his tattooed stomach and dipped under the waistband of his jeans.
“Always a pleasure, big brother,” he yawned loudly as he walked over, plucked the folder from my hand, and then steered me towards the door. “She will read the info and see you tonight.” Alex grabbed his sullen sibling in a crushing hug that wrinkled his shirt in the process. Will pushed Alex off him and continued pushing until he was on the opposite side of the door. Will’s scowl was the last thing we saw before he slammed the door in our faces while Alex laughed.
Pissed off, I stood staring at the place Will once occupied, rumbling profanities and flipping the bird with both hands, frustration pouring out my fingertips as I did so.
“C’mon, Stevie baby,” he said and pulled me in for a stiff side hug on my part. The difference in our heights was staggering, allowing me to be tucked in neatly under his armpit, something I wasn’t too fond of with my aversion to being touched. “You know he’s only hard on you because he looks at you as his little sister.”
“He doesn’t act like that with you, and you are his little brother.”
Alex shrugged with one shoulder. “Meh, guess he’s not as invested in me as he is with you. I’m just an IT guy, you…” — he kissed the top of my head — “you are his greatest weapon.”
“Yeah? Well, his greatest weapon needs a new dress, and she’s charging it to his company account.”