2. CHAPTER 2
2
TYLER
Hard shoulders slam into mine, nearly throwing me off balance as I stand like a deer in headlights on a busy sidewalk in New York, staring up at the impressive building where I will now be working. Lexington Architectural Group. Fuck. I feel nauseous, and I one hundred percent blame Noah and my googly-eyed in love younger brother, Chase. Since returning from France, I can’t get what Noah said about the Kozlov family out of my head. Surely, my new bosses wouldn’t have such people as clients? Noah must’ve been joking, although humor is something that I would never associate with the serious fucker. I’ve no idea what Chase sees in him.
Focus, Tyler.
My mind is all over the place, and I must dig out the confidence I usually display. Leaving California was a huge move for me, but when one of the most prestigious firms offers you a job, you take it. Besides, my life had gotten pretty bleak in California. All I did was work my ass off for little recognition. My dating life was a complete failure, and true friends were hard to come by. I’m hoping this fresh start will change things for me. I love my work. Ever since I was a child, I loved to draw and design, using building blocks to create towers and houses. My brain loves to absorb structures, solve problems with design flaws, and create a vision I can bring to life. It wasn't easy getting here, though. Chase and I didn’t have parents who supported us, hell, I don’t even think they knew who we were when the bottle became their life source. So I had to step up as the slightly older brother and ensure Chase had what he needed. I did my best and I’m so fucking proud of him. It was hard leaving my home in Seattle when I took the job in California. I worried how he would cope, but he exceeded my expectations, and my heart swells at how we turned our shitty childhood around into a success without any help.
After a few large gulps of the cool morning air to calm my galloping pulse, I bite the bullet and head inside the opulent building. Everything will be okay. I’m getting myself worked up over nothing. Rubbing my hands together to warm them up from the winter cold outside, I approach the long reception desk in the middle of the entrance hall where an attractive woman with long blonde hair and green eyes smiles at me, automatically making me feel at ease.
“I’m Tyler Blackford. It’s my first day.”
“Good morning, Mr. Blackford. Mr. Clayson is expecting you. Here is your temporary pass that you will need to wear at all times until we arrange for security to take your picture for the ID. If you take the elevator to the thirtieth floor and sign in with Mr. Clayson’s personal assistant, Samantha, she can show you where you need to go.”
“Great. Thanks,” I say, placing the lanyard over my head and tucking it under my winter coat.
As the elevator moves, my fears over this Kozlov family fade, replaced with anxiousness and a desire to impress my new boss. I don’t want to fuck up this opportunity. Arriving on the thirtieth floor, I move toward the large desk to the left where a lady, who looks middle-aged, is sitting. When her slanted gaze hits me behind her sharp 1920s-style glasses, she is what you’d imagine a stern 19th-century headmistress at a boarding school would look like. Terrifying.
“Yes?” she says with zero patience and one hundred percent annoyance at my presence. She’s gonna be fun.
“I’m Tyler Blackford. It’s my first day.”
“Ah yes. The new Senior Architect. Follow me, and I’ll show you to your office,” she says as she stands from her leather swivel chair, her head barely reaching my shoulders, and marches ahead of me like we are going into battle.
We walk down a spacious, long and pretty quiet corridor with offices all along the left side and vibrant abstract art adorning the right side. At the end of the corridor, we arrive outside an empty and spacious office with my name on the door, and she ushers me inside. I remove my coat, placing it on the chrome coat stand beside the door, as I take in the large space with a wide oak desk to the left of the room. There are floor-to-ceiling windows that look over the city, and a design desk is placed perfectly under the flooding of natural light from the windows. Fuck. I can’t believe this is happening. This is what it feels like to have made it. I can’t help the smile on my face and the inner pride, well, that’s until I turn to see the headmistress scowling at me.
“Mr. Clayson wants to see you when you’re settled, but don’t take too long. His office is on the other side of the corridor, just past my desk. I recommend you don’t keep him waiting.”
Before I can respond, she marches back to where we came from, her steps regimented and determined. I take another moment to scan over the office, resisting the temptation to pinch myself to check that I’m not dreaming. Putting all the emotions aside, I fix my pressed white shirt and navy suit with matching tie, take a few deep breaths, and head down to my boss’s office.
When I arrive, his door is open, so I double-tap on the wood as he calls for me to enter his office. Mr. Clayson has a very regal and demanding presence. If I could guess, I’d say he was in his late fifties. He has a thick mane of dark gray hair, he is dressed in an impeccable dark blue suit, white shirt with matching blue tie. He is tall and graceful. His shrewd blue eyes are intense, always conveying a feeling of assessment and judgment. But he is the best in the business and I admire his visions and creativity that he has developed over the decades of experience.
“Tyler, take a seat,” he says as he greets me with a small smile and a firm shake of the hand, before gesturing to the large leather chair facing his desk. His office is at least twice the size of mine, with floor-to-ceiling windows and epic views over the city. As I take a seat, he moves behind his large desk and takes a moment to assess me.
“So, are you settled in your new apartment?” he asks.
“Yes. I still need to unpack, but I think I’ll be very happy there.”
“Good. Have you had time to review the new contract we discussed when you accepted the job?”
“The Kozlov project? Yes.”
“Any questions?”
The question causes me to pause, trying to decide whether to raise my concerns after that conversation with Noah and Chase or shut the fuck up and do as I’m told. But my curiosity won’t rest, so I go for honesty.
“Actually, I do have a concern. Someone informed me that the Kozlov family are…how do I put it? Umm…criminals?”
A silence fills the office, causing a chill to cover my body as if the air conditioning has been turned up. Mr. Clayson looks at me with his head slightly tilted to the left as his unblinkered stare rests on me. I swallow hard, panicking that I’ve overstepped on my first day, but the rational part of my brain convinces me that I did the right thing to raise my concern.
“Look, Tyler. The Kozlov brothers’ contract is very lucrative for us. It is not my place to research their backgrounds or morals to do work for them. We provide a legal service and are not the moral police. I’ve no idea what they do or don't do. Only rumors. Now my question is, is this going to be a problem for you? I could’ve handed this project to another person, but I wanted the best as this would benefit our business. And business comes first.”
I ponder his words, unsure if they confirm my concerns or appease them. I detect a slight threat in the tone of his voice, but Mr. Clayson is so direct and indifferent that it's hard to tell if this is just his normal way of talking. I realize that I have been silent for longer than socially normal when Mr. Clayson takes a deep sigh and leans forward onto his forearms on his desk.
“Tyler, is this going to be a continuing problem? I must say, maybe working here was not the right decision for you.”
That pulls me out of my questioning state and into a semi-panic.
“No! No. It’s not a problem, I was just curious. I can do the job.”
I’m a fucking idiot. My stomach drops with a feeling that this is going to go wrong.
“Good. The files have been uploaded to your computer already, and you have a meeting with the brothers at their home tomorrow. You can use one of the company fleet cars that we have to go out there, as they live on the outskirts of the city in a rural area. My PA can give you all the details.”
“Okay. Thank you Mr. Clayson.”
“Call me George. Is there anything else?”
“No. Thanks again for the opportunity, George. I won't let you down.”
Mr. Clayson, I mean George, stands, and I follow as he moves to open the office door. I guess the meet-and-greet is over.
“I hope not. I’m counting on you, Tyler. You can achieve great things here.”
I smile and nod as I walk out of the office and slowly trudge myself back to my office, thinking over my life choices. You know what? Fuck it. Noah was just exaggerating. I just need to do what I’m paid to and give the Kozlov family their dream home. Just get in there and get out, and never look back again. Just in case Noah was right and they are a murdering clan, I’ll keep my head down and get this project finished as fast as possible, hopefully slipping under their radar.
It’ll be fine.
After a long day of settling into my new job, meeting so many people who I’ll forget the names of, I finally arrive back at my apartment. The company secured me this place so I could move out here quicker. The rent is eye-watering, but I earn enough to cover it. However, I’m unsure how long it’ll be until I’m in a position to buy my own place. I’m reluctant to put solid roots down yet in New York, just in case this job doesn’t work out and I need to relocate again. This apartment is a dream, though. I’m so high up the views are breathtaking, overlooking the city that never sleeps. Now that the sun has set, the lights on the streets and buildings light up my apartment without the need to turn on my own. As I place my work bag and coat in the small entrance hall, I walk down the corridor into my open-plan kitchen/living room and sigh at the sight of boxes upon boxes scattered around the room. I can’t find the energy to unpack tonight. Knowing there is nothing in my refrigerator apart from milk, I make a quick food order from a local sushi restaurant and jump in the shower for a quick refresh while I wait for it to be delivered. Just as I leave the shower and dress in my gray sweats and t-shirt, my food arrives.
So far, all I have is a bed and a sofa. It's pitiful to look around at this gorgeous space with nothing filling it. It certainly screams of an empty shell rather than a home, but I’ll get onto trying to make it look like at least someone lives here on the weekend. I should’ve invited Chase out here to do it as he would love to organize my life. Little does he know it's a mess in all areas. He doesn't know how lonely I have become over the years. Date after date, disappointment after disappointment in finding someone to share a life with. I’m at that stage now where my career is where I wanted it to be, but now it would be perfect if I had someone to come home to. It doesn’t help that I’m horny as fuck and my right hand isn’t getting the job done anymore. It’s been at least two months since my last hook up and I need to get laid.
I plate up my food, collapse on the sofa, load a movie on my laptop because I’m too lazy to buy a TV, and let my mind wander into the fictitious world, relieving me of the stress that tomorrow I have to visit the Kozlovs. I really could swing at Noah right now as the fucker has me all cautious. Oh fuck it, who cares. I’m there to design and that’s all. What they do is not my business.