Chapter 15 #2
The big guy grumbled and moodily turned to face the front. “If anything happens to her, it’s your neck on the line, Prescott. I will literally crush your windpipe.”
“There is to be no windpipe crushing. Zip it. Count me in, Reed,” Harper announced breezily, making the zip-it motions with her fingers at her man.
After a beat or two of glaring down at her determined expression, Nix gave in. “Fine. OK. So, how do we get in?” Going against his girl was clearly way too much of a headache.
Following the GPS, I pulled off Broadway and parked the car against the sidewalk, around three hundred yards from where Phoenix had told me his father and Theodore Remmington’s offices were.
Jasper now used his father’s office and was heavily involved in the business.
I wasn’t sure what they all did together; something to do with political consultancy, Nix had advised.
Cutting the engine, I took off my belt and faced front.
“This is the part where you tell us the plan.”
And of course, I had nothing. “I’ve not got that far yet. I was hoping you’d know how we could get in.”
Phoenix looked offended. “How the hell would I know how to break into someone’s office?”
Motioning towards him with one hand, I pointed out. “You’re a fireman. Surely you break into buildings all the time?”
He grunted and crossed his huge arms over his chest. “Pfft. Yeah, brainiac, by breaking through the door with a fucking Halligan bar and a flat head. I’m thinking we’ll be needing entry with a bit more finesse than that,” he huffed.
Phoenix had a great sense of humor on a normal day, but could be a moody bastard when he didn’t have all the answers.
I scrubbed a hand across my jaw, hating that he was right. Another thought came to me. “We could always break in and then make it look like a burglary.”
Nix puffed out a breath, shaking his head. “Even so, burglars don’t go crashing into a building: that makes noise, dipshit. And how do we even know that the file they were talking about will be there?”
“We don’t. So, we’re going to have to carry out a general snoop.”
“Maybe Jasper has it on him or at his apartment?” Nix pointed out unhelpfully.
“He has an apartment?
“Yes, a rental.”
“Then we’ll go there straight after,” I explained, itching my chin. “Storm is going to keep him busy, remember. That will give us the chance to go there next if needs be.”
“Fuck me. That’s a lot of breaking and entering for one day.”
Dude had a point, but I was desperate.
Phoenix suddenly punched me on the arm, his face suggesting a lightbulb moment as he added with a thoughtful expression. “We could do with Hudson onside.”
I leaned back against my door with a horrified expression, rubbing feeling back into the dead arm he’d just given me. “No way. We are not involving Hudson in this. He’s too unpredictable.”
Nix and Harper exchanged a look. “I’m just thinking about his history.”
His girl's brow furrowed as she stared at Nix with a blank look. “His history?”
Her boyfriend went on in earnest. “Yeah. With Tommo. They used to steal cars and shit.”
Harper’s face lit up as if she’d just been told the meatiest of secrets. “I didn’t know that.”
Nix cut her a scowl. “And you still don’t. If he found out I told you, he’d hang me from my fire truck ladder by my balls.”
“You should write horror books,” I added with a smirk.
“Says 00 fucking 7.”
“Will you two stop?” Harper cut in, chastising us. What could I say? We were as close as real brothers. Our banter and piss-taking were always done out of love and with the best intentions.
I continued down the same path, but with a seriousness, “No. He’ll either do something crazy, or he won’t approve, and he’ll try to talk me out of it, and I can’t take that chance.”
Harper grunted. “Since when did Hudson become the voice of reason?”
“Since he became wifed-up with Molly,” I explained.
She pursed her lips and leaned back. “Good point. Molly would also have his balls as earrings if he did anything her father wouldn’t approve of. He’s already in the sin bin after last night's events.”
“Why don’t we try it another way. Maybe Storm could take Jasper’s keys, and we could get one cut?”
“No. I don’t want her taking too many risks,” I explained, shifting against the leather of my seat, suddenly as uncomfortable as fuck.
“But you told her about the plan, right?”
“No. I left her a voicemail telling her part of the plan. I added nothing about the breaking-and-entering bit.”
“You know, we could just walk in the front door?”
“Are you on crack?”
“Nope. I’d never smoke anything named after my ass,” Phoenix replied in a measured tone.
“You need to take this seriously, or we’re definitely going to spend the night inside,” I grunted, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“I am being serious. I’ve been here before, you know. As I mentioned last night, it’s my dad’s building, for Christ's sake. The other residents will recognize me. Let’s be ballsy about it, as Harper said.”
“Do you know the codes for the keypad?”
“No.”
“So, your ‘I’ve been here before’ comment is bullshit then, as we still need to break the fucking door in.”
“God, you’re a naysayer. You’ve let your dick of a brother rub off on you.”
“He’s your brother too, asswipe,” I huffed.
Suddenly, Nix’s attention was stolen as a guy crossed the street and walked towards his father’s building.
“What?” I asked, slapping him on the arm. “Do you know him?”
“No, but I’ve seen him before. I think he lives in one of the apartments next to the office block.”
“Shit, let's go then,” I belted, leaning across Nix’s legs to open the glove compartment to retrieve some gloves.
After showing Harper how to flash the lights on my car, we exchanged places and scrambled out.
We left Harper in the front seat and casually made our way across the road. As we reached the building’s entrance, the weight of uncertainty grew heavier. Phoenix tried the handle, but the door was locked.
“Shit, now what?” We had clearly missed our window of opportunity, as the man we had seen moments ago had already entered the building.
I dragged a hand across my face, wondering whether our best option would be to go around the back. We couldn’t very well break in through the front in plain sight.
The street behind us was quiet and empty, with grassed embankments and tall trees.
The shops that lined the street were closed, with shutters pulled down over the windows.
A dog walker was waiting for his dog to finish its shit on the opposite side of the street, and the only sounds were the faint rustle of leaves and an occasional sound of a car driving past. It was still broad daylight, and so very little could be done without attracting some attention.
With a huff, Nix pushed his face against the glass panel by the door to peer inside. I rocked back on my heels, glancing up and down the deserted street, deciding that this had to be the worst fucking plan in the whole of history.
I jumped as Phoenix banged on the glass with his fist and then waved. With a frown, I stepped towards him and squinted a look over his shoulder.
The man from earlier was standing in the lobby next to the mail pigeonholes. He clasped a pile of letters in his hand. Luckily, Nix had caught his attention, and he walked over to the door and released it, pulling it wide.
“Thanks, man. I can never remember the code.”
“You live here?” the guy replied, his face suggesting he did recognize Phoenix. I glanced between them, eager to get into the building.
“No, my dad has offices on the eighth floor. He asked me to collect his briefcase.”
With an understanding nod, the man stepped back, and we moved past him with a nod of thanks. “Ah, OK. No problem.”
Just as he was about to turn away, his eyes caught mine, and his entire face lit up. “Dude, Reed Prescott? What the actual hell? You played on another level last night, man.” He bounced up and down on the spot, his mail forgotten.
“Thanks,” I replied, shaking his offered hand and ignoring Phoenix’s eyeroll as we all shuffled further into the space. The door hissed closed behind us.
“Oof, tough tackle, I take it,” the stranger added, motioning towards my face with a grimace.
“Something like that,” I replied with a smile.
“Brad Thompson,” I’m a big fan. Almost shit myself when I heard you were transferring from the Giants.”
We talked shop for a few minutes, which was unavoidable unless I was prepared to be rude.
He asked for a selfie, but I declined, motioning to my face.
I didn’t think it was a good idea if a photo existed of me in the lobby of Dominic Summers' offices on the day someone broke in.
I autographed the envelope of one of his letters as a compromise.
Brad babbled for a bit longer and then reluctantly backed away. Nix’s expression was probably the reason for that. He had one of those looks that suggested we were short of time. He then left through the door that led to the apartments. It had a sign saying: Residents Only.
Once he had vanished, Phoenix turned to me with a look that said what the fuck?
I held out my hands. “What?”
“Why didn’t you invite him to supper?” my brother snarked, clearly put out that I’d spent more time than necessary talking to a fan.
“I couldn’t exactly tell him to fuck off, could I?”
“No, but you could have cut it shorter. We’re on the clock here,” Nix grunted as we walked towards the elevator.
I felt like saying, sorry, but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to act when I’ve been caught somewhere I shouldn’t be. Fucking asshole.
Moving to stand behind the annoying lug, I gave the clean carpeted space a once-over.
The lobby hummed with a controlled energy.
It had polished marble floors, mirrored walls, and there were various doors on either side of us.
I sure hoped no one else turned up. Nix would probably implode from impatience.
From the set of his shoulders, he was itching to get in and out, fast. Yeah, well, me too fucktard!