Chapter Twenty-five
~Jessie~
Jessie sat down in Knox’s office, Nik out on the floor with Knox’s right hand, the two discussing what was found in the woods with Rex.
Knox rounded his massive cherrywood desk, sinking down into his chair with a sigh.
“A bomb that can disrupt the shield of King’s Fall?
Well, I’d know a few people who might be interested in such a device and would appreciate the clean operation Big Bobby had…
if only he’d paid his bills, we’d never know about it, either. ”
“So, you weren’t on the market for such a thing?
” Jessie cocked a brow, throwing one leg over the other.
After a long day at the office, he sent Katarina home with the kiddo.
He had one of his boys sitting in his car on the corner near the house, keeping an eye on it till he got back.
While he didn’t worry about Katarina taking care of herself, he was worried about her when Isabella was on the line.
Thus, the extra set of hands…just in case.
“Me? It may shock you to know, but my work tends to do best with the Lich happy in the woods,” Knox chortled.
“How does that work? He knows about you, right?”
“As does the Lord Commander, and Lord Fowler, as do all the council. The other councilors merely turn a blind eye as my legitimate business makes them money. And the Lich…we came to an understanding.” Knox shrugged as he sat back in his seat, hands folded over his stomach.
He wore a black and purple suit with gold buttons and a pocket watch chain dangling from his stylish vest pocket.
While Jessie was in a clean shirt and jeans, he still looked like a mechanic. Just a freshly scrubbed one.
“How’d that go?” Jessie snickered.
“He showed up at my house late one night. We had a nice long chat over wine.” Knox smirked.
“Just like that?” Jessie blurted out, baffled. Knox wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, putting his hands out in a ‘what can I say’ motion. Jessie snorted, rolling his eyes. “Zrazduel, you’re something else.”
“I get that a lot.” The pair shared a deep gut laugh as Jessie relaxed back in his seat. “Frankie has yet to return, so either Bobby’s truly gone poof…or things have gone awry.”
You can say that again. Jessie grimaced as he folded his hands into his lap. “Have you been down to his lot recently? How is the business going with the boss man on the run?”
Knox snapped his fingers and the screen of illusions behind him changed. They stared at an entire car lot full of people cleaning up from a long day. Cars were being parked, the doors were being wiped down, and there was an organized woman with a clipboard barking orders across the asphalt.
“Strange, seeing as boss man is missing.” Jessie squinted at the screens, looking for a tell.
“Except.” Knox snapped his fingers and the tapes rewound.
They watched in real time as a day of sales was played in reverse till it was the night before.
Three cars came speeding in, lights cutting off within a second of passing through the front gate.
Three people were dragged out of the SUVs, and in the hazy, pixelated illusion, they saw three people brought to the front of the building.
“Is that who I think it is?” Jessie hissed.
He watched a bald-headed human jump out of the vehicle, yelling while still on the phone.
Jessie narrowed his eyes as he watched Pierre Simmone leveling a wand at the crew.
He held his breath. Time ticked by slowly as the three people were slowly un-blindfolded, asked a question.
..and when the answer didn’t please Pierre, they were blasted by the wand.
He watched three people hit in the forehead with a force blast that snapped their necks.
One by one they collapsed to the ground in a giant heap.
“Pierre was under arrest for less than 12 hours. Who freed him? Blightwood was trying to use him to get dirt on me.” Jessie scowled deeply.
“Unsure, but whoever it was made Blightwood unclench his talons. Whoever Pierre is working for either is important in the council or has friends in there.” Knox snapped his fingers again and the illusion returned to central park.
Jessie hated the feeling that knowledge left in his belly.
It made his teeth ache and his stomach twist. Whoever designed this or whoever is bankrolling this business won’t stop till they have their prototype back.
..and all loose ends cleaned up. He took a deep breath through his nose before climbing to his hooves.
“Thanks, Zrazduel, if Frankie comes home before I speak to you next, can you let me know what Bobby says? I’m going to go talk to Pierre.” Jessie extended a hand to Knox.
“A pleasure as always, Bonesaw. Thank you once more for your expedient delivery and services,” Knox snickered, shaking his hand with a firm single flick then returning to his office work.
“And, as always, if you or your boys ever want to come for a night on the town, let me know. I’ll give you the VIP treatment. ”
Jessie snorted. He left the office, following the flow of the hallways out to the casino floors.
He had no plans to come drinking with the Devil.
Though, one never knew if he would need that offer, so he never said no exactly.
As he came out of the staff hallway, he found Nik and Rex sitting at a booth, Knox’s ogre head of security Zavros leaning cooly next to them.
Zavros and Rex were deep in conversation, but Nik’s eyes were drooping.
Time for bed. He pulled out his phone, checking real quick he didn’t have any exciting news awaiting him. Thankfully, he found just a message from Katarina.
[Text Message]
Baby Girl
Made taco salad for me and the bug. Everything you need to whip up some is on the stove in containers. Use all you want then put in the fridge. It’s bath tub then bed and I’m gonna crash.
He smirked to himself as his thumbs flew across the screen.
[Text Message]
Jessie
Sounds delicious, we’re heading home soon. If I miss you, I’ll come give both my girls a goodnight kiss when I get in. Sleep tight.
Jessie raised a hand, and his boys snapped their attention to him. He nodded to the door. Nik trudged forward, his heavy work boots dragging across the glossy floor. Rex knocked knuckles with Zavros before frolicking to meet up with Jessie. “How’d it go?”
“Zrazduel showed me something interesting. We’re going to get some shut eye, then I need you at the shop tomorrow.
I’ve got to go pay a visit to a certain lemon selling jackass.
” Jessie tucked away his phone as the three left the main foyer of the casino.
There was still a sea of bodies everywhere, Knox’s business always a buzzing bee hive.
Thankfully, people tended to step aside when a massive minotaur walked like he was on a mission with two big muscle men on his heels.
They passed slots and tables and trays of bar drinks, but something gave him pause.
He stopped on his hooves, staring at one of the vendors at the front door selling individual roses in plastic.
He grabbed Rex and Nik by the arm, forcing them to hit the brakes before walking over.
Dropping off a handful of coin, he took one ruby red rose for Katarina and a baby pink one for Isabella.
Plus one more. Nik furrowed his brows, eyeing him with confusion as he returned with his newest spoils.
“You starting a garden?” Nik teased with a loud, jaw cracking yawn.
“Nah, just wanting to surprise the girls with a rose.” Jessie winked at his best friend, before producing a blue rose that had purposeful black edges around its petals and a black stem.
Nik blinked rapidly. Sluggishly, he took the offered rose and stared at it.
Well...that was anticlimatic—oh, wait. Jessie’s eyebrows shot up on his face as Nik’s lips tugged up at the edges.
Glancing up from the rose, Nik cocked his head to the side.
“Does this mean you think I’m pretty?” Nik snickered.
“I think you’re the prettiest fucking bugbear I’ve ever seen.” Jessie grinned, sauntering past him with a flirty flick of his tail against the back of Nik’s thigh.
“What do...” Nik trailed off, rushing to catch up with him. “Do I eat it?”
“What! No!” Jessie huffed.
“Then what do I do with it?” Which, in of itself, was a great question!
“I dunno, put it in a vase and appreciate it?” Jessie’s skin grew embarrassingly hot as he realized that he didn’t have a good answer.
He’d never received a rose himself. What was I thinking.
Jessie and Nik weren’t the kind of people who got given flowers.
Their hands were too rough and edges too jagged, what did they do with sweet things like roses or forehead kisses.
But, maybe, that was exactly the reason Jessie wanted to make sure Nik got one?
Nik, this whole time, walked around without a chip on his shoulder.
It’s like he said, We’re both sleeping with Katarina now—cool, got it.
He went with the flow and never let anything trip him up.
Except for the time he got us into this whole mess by inviting her to stay with us.
Nik deserved to be treated just as affectionately as Katarina.
Jessie wanted to make sure he made it clear that while they were both in it with Katarina.
..that Katarina and Jessie were in it with Nik. That Nik was special to him.
Always has been...always will be.
Nik stopped an arm’s length from Jessie and shoved the rose back at him. Jessie groaned, “No, it’s for you.”
“I’ll just ruin it.”