48
Master
Gabriel
As soon as I pass through the doors with Ace at my back, the hostess rushes to greet me. I’ve been to Le Chique several times. Even threatened to buy it out from under Andi just to watch her rant. The people here recognize me, no matter who is on staff.
“Mr. Matthias, welcome back,” she gushes with a kind smile. Her eyes dart to Cade and back to me quickly. Everyone has a type.
“Thank you. I know where to go,” I brush past her without allowing her to speak again. Yet she still finds the time to keep pace with an uninterested Cade. His usual flirtatious attitude has been tucked away, leaving the woman disappointed.
We’re all feeling frustrated from watching Jake gloat. She’s given him a chance, and the rest of us are left in the cold.
Seeing the utter chaos she created in our absence yesterday was amusing. Until I got to my room and saw that nothing was touched. Not a single paper out of place. As if she opened the door, scoffed, and walked away.
Everyone else was punished in the most juvenile way, but I was left dangling. Her lack of attention hurts more than it should. Who in their right mind would want her ransacking their belongings, hell-bent on making it hurt?
Me, I suppose.
On top of that lingering ache, Jake is all smiles and relaxation.
I should have been able to do that. I could have if I hadn’t panicked in the most humiliating way and been knocked down by the thought that she might have betrayed me over something I would have handed her, with a little taunting included.
I take a soft breath as the private doors come into view. The seldom-used business area for privacy. It’s time to return to my normal instead of obsessing over every action Amanda takes.
Mikael opens the door and Ace moves inside, giving us an all-clear sign before moving out of the way.
Caleb Owen straightens in his seat with a lawyer’s shark smile. He already has a glass of alcohol in front of him. It’s almost empty.
“Mr. Matthias,” he says in a respectful tone and stands to offer me his hand.
I don’t want to touch him, but business is business. Based on the squint of his eyes, I grip a little too hard.
“Please, have a seat,” he gestures around as if he’s in control of everything here.
He can think that way all he likes. I’m fairly certain that if he has anything to do with this mess, he’s a big player.
One piece at a time. I’ll take them all apart. This is my town now, and it’s time for everyone to know it.
I sit with Jake at my side, looking around in subtle awe. He’s supposed to be an assistant that isn’t used to the lavish lifestyle. A lack of manners can make him relatable or annoying, depending on the individual. Either way, he seems naive enough to fall for anything someone might sell him.
I still want to knock out his teeth.
I settle into my role, ordering food as a distraction to set up the scene.
We waste several hours on useless banter about business. If I have any legal troubles I need squared away, he’ll be happy to help. When he’s run out of probing questions, we’re through eating.
“So, why is it that you called me Mr. Matthias?” His tone has turned suspicious now that he’s past all of the usual reasons anyone would want to meet him. It certainly isn’t for his personality.
“I spoke with Mr. Blake a few weeks ago about some property,” I answer without a shift of expression. His hand has paused, reaching for another roll from the basket in the center of the table.
“I take it you’ve heard of his passing?” He clears his throat, taking his hand back to pick up a utensil.
“I have. I’m still interested in his pitch, and your name was mentioned in passing.” If he thinks I’m going to express sympathy for his loss he has a long wait.
Jake nods as if he’s agreeing that he heard it as well.
“That’s… interesting,” he clears his throat again. A bead of sweat rolls down his temple. He hasn’t taken a bite since I brought it up.
I met with Blake just once as a taunt to Amanda. The man was slick and self-serving. Picturing him with Amanda made me want to strangle him to death. It made the entire thing feel as if it lasted for eternity. I felt like taking a shower afterward.
The point is I’m sure he made a blatant statement that he actually met with me. Not to mention, Amanda works for me. Several things line up to make me either a player in the game or a mark to be taken out.
Mikael shifts on his feet behind me, bringing attention to his presence. Owen looks up and swallows before looking back at me.
“Why not reach out to someone else?”
“Jakolski and Fullerton aren’t exactly valid any longer. To be honest, you are a long shot. If you don’t have any knowledge of it, we're done here.”
I don’t bother looking up from my cup.
I’m not sure what decides him. He certainly takes his time watching me drink. Jake glances between us with eager eyes while Cade stands behind him, glaring at his mussed curls. I pause to take in the fact that his hair is a mess. Did he not brush it after?
I shut the thought away before I have a chance to feel anything about it.
“What’s the rush?” Owen asks with a slick smile. “We’re friends here. I can help you out.”
“Can you?” I ask blandly and spare him a bored glance.
His eyes narrow at the subtle insult, but he regains his ego quickly.
“I wondered if you might have an interest. There’s certainly an interest in you.”
The benign statement is threatening. There are more of them, and they’re aware of me. I’m not surprised. I haven’t made friends with any of the higher-tier society here. I’m too busy making money to mingle, or so they say.
“I came prepared.”
That’s interesting. One meeting and I’m suddenly in the fold? It’s too easy. But I’ve already set myself on this path, and I won’t back down.
“Is that so.” I lean back in my seat to casually sip my tea. The stereotype of an Asian man always having hot tea is annoying but makes me seem more predictable. To any other shark, I appear like a thin wall of ice that’s easy to break through. More ego and flash than intelligence and substance.
“What do you have for us?” Jake asks in excitement as Owen reaches down for something at his feet. Cade watches the motion and shakes his head to let us know he doesn’t have a weapon hidden. The case he places on the table beside his plate is too thin for more than a knife.
Jake positions himself closer as if he’s too eager to see what’s inside while giving me cover.
“I have a few places you might find interesting,” Owen pulls out a sheaf of glossy pictures and startles at Jake’s proximity.
“Mr. Meyer,” I can’t help but notice how stern my tone turns as I glance at Jake. He takes the cue to back away, apologizing for his excitement.
Owen gives him a cautious smile, possibly wondering to himself if Jake is as moronic as he seems. Sadly, he’s both right and wrong at the same time.
He lays out the photo spread for me to peruse. Then, he pulls out a specific picture and slides it closer to me.
I glance at the photo to take in the large home proudly displayed. This is the mansion that Blake bought and sold to a shell company. Looking into the false front didn’t net me any leads and here it is, being offered.
“It’s a very secluded area,” he says with a slight smile. “Nothing around for miles. There have been a lot of recent renovations to the basement that I think you would find interesting.”
I slide the photo back with a raised brow. “You think I would find a basement interesting?”
Jake chuckles, playing up the idiotic sycophant personality to a tee. It earns him a subtle glare from Owen. At the look, he quiets and clears his throat, looking embarrassed at his ‘slip’.
“It’s a very unique setup. There are a lot of people interested in viewing it.”
My gut clenches as my face remains cold. Amanda said the facility was underground and hidden in the sand.
“A basement,” I push on with subtle mockery.
“Yes,” he agrees with a wide smile that looks perverted. It makes me nauseous.
“If a lot of people are interested, we should seriously think about it,” Jake says in a soft, earnest tone. His wide eyes reflect an avarice that I know is fake. He’s good enough that even I question it for a moment.
“A tour of the home would be better before purchase,” I tell him dismissively. “And I don’t see the point of wasting time on a supposedly wonderful basement.”
“I can’t tell you all the details, Gabriel. I’m sure a man in your business can understand.”
I glance at him to take in the smug expression he’s sporting. He’s begun using my first name as if he has the right. But it isn’t the words that have caught my attention. It’s the way he said them. As if he knows more about my dealings than he should and believes I’m on par with him in some way.
Despite all my protests, my setup in this area is known to be mafia-related. There’s never any proof of illegal dealings, but I have some of the law enforcement on my payroll. If they have the rest it would raise a lot of questions. I thought that would make it hard to gain this meeting. I didn’t count on how desperate they are. Either for money or to tie up loose ends. If they know how close Amanda has gotten to me.
Blake was making an effort to sway me to his side before his death, mainly to get a read on how Amanda was doing. I thought it was to win her back, but instead, he was looking for the photos and regaining control over her.
His groundwork seems to have paved a path and their lack of funding is pushing them down it.
“In the investment business?” I lean back to take him in. He doesn’t look nervous about it.
“Come on, Gabriel,” he says in a light taunt. “We both know you dabble in a little more than investing.”
Blackmail. He thinks exposing me will get him somewhere. As if someone claiming I’m in the mafia would be something I would hide from. Then again, I set the image up myself, and I keep that information close. Someone has been talking. Likely the police force.
If that’s the source, then Amanda might not be as safe at home as I thought she would be. They have to know I had her arrested, and she’s out now.
No. Tera got her out. There’s no evidence of my involvement or hers.
“Do I?” I smirk back. Ace shifts behind me, reminding him of his presence.
Jake is giving Owen a subtle shake of his head while keeping an eye on me. I pretend not to notice.
“I have plenty of backing,” he assures me, still at ease despite the warnings. He has the majority of the judges and lawyers aligned with him if I’m guessing correctly. He’s still thinking like a gentleman. The law, or lack of it, will protect him. He would be better off investing in a bulletproof vest than relying on his contacts.
“With whom, might I ask?” I keep it going even though I already know the majority of the players.
“Your father, for one.”
That makes me pause. Nothing else could. Why is Father still poking his nose into this? It’s definitely not for my benefit. I force myself not to look at Jake in my building fury. If he hadn’t drawn attention to this, Father wouldn’t be anywhere close to this place.
“He’s thinking of expanding,” Owen taunts at my silence. “If you snuck in under the wire, he wouldn’t have a chance.”
More like he could get money from us both and get us to kill each other over it. I didn’t think about this angle when I left New York.
“I’m listening,” I pick my cup up and casually take a sip.
“How about a tour? I’ll set something up.” He relaxes back in his seat, content now that he has my attention.
“Make it soon,” I say dismissively. “My schedule is getting tight.”
After all, there are a lot of people who need to disappear. A public earthquake would be nice. A sinkhole?
“I’ll see what I can do,” he uses a patronizing tone. “In the meantime, I’ve taken the liberty to leave you a little present as a sign of good faith.”
That’s never a good thing.
I nod, and he stands, his eyes narrowing at my uncaring attitude.
“I’ll be in touch,” he leaves with his parting ominous words.
I finish my lunch, acting out a debate on the usefulness of the tour and what he could be hiding with Cade. There could be any way of monitoring our activity, and we’re fully aware of it. Now for the gift. Depending on what it is, there will be more cautionary measures.
I settle the bill, noting that Owen left me to pick up his side of the check. It isn’t until we get back to the vehicle that my gift shows itself.
A prostitute. She’s pretty and very classy. Showing enough skin to be tantalizing without being indiscreet. If it had been Amanda in that dress, I would have been salivating. As it is, I’m developing a headache. Even Cade won’t entertain her, staring out the window like she doesn’t exist. Jake is busy pretending to be jealous and hiding it poorly. Ace sneers at her, and that’s enough for her to ignore him. One glance at Mikael’s size has her eyes focused anywhere but him.
She tries to play up Jake’s supposed jealousy to perk up some fighting spirit but I can’t be bothered with the pretense. I tell her to keep her hands to herself, I’m not interested, and leave it at that.
I coldly refuse to let her come into the building and instruct the driver to drop her off somewhere. We won’t be using that vehicle again. In an office two floors below mine, we stop to change clothes. Shade is waiting there, busy on a laptop. He glances up and goes back to it without a word.
We hand the worn clothes off to Shade to check for anything untoward. He finds a tracker on the thigh of my pants. Right where she tried to slide up to my crotch. I shake my head and wave it away. Jake calls in a staff member and slaps the patch onto his back while they chat amiably.
“Fun times,” Shade deadpans. “Now get out so I can focus.”
For the first time I wonder how I can get out of this life completely. Shade is proof that it never really goes away. Trouble always finds you in one way or another. I dismiss the thought quickly. I’d rather be fully aware before an attack comes than live in blissful ignorance. That’s what antacids are for.
Jake meets up with us on the elevator, watching his phone.
“What’s she doing?” Cade asks quietly, as if he shouldn’t be allowed to know.
Jake shrugs and says, “Not her. I have an old friend waiting in the office. The real reason I tipped Matthias off.”
We all blink at him in surprise.
“What?” He looks around us with his friendly smile. “I had to get his attention somehow. Plus, he wants out, so he’ll get whatever we need done.”
“Who is it?” Ace asks, resigned.
“Heretic.”
My brows furrow. I’m not familiar with the name. A glance at Cade shows confusion. Ace is still resigned, but Mikael is stiffening up to be ready for whatever is waiting for us. If even Cade doesn’t know this friend that means Jake met him before he and Cade became partners. It makes me uneasy.
Jake was out of control at one point. On the verge of being taken out himself until Cade came along. What kind of friend would he have made in that time?
“What’s his specialty?” Ace focuses back on Jake with a glare.
“He’s clean-up crew.”
We freeze up as the doors slide open, and Jake merrily makes his way out.
Clean-up crews are the worst of us. The ones that kill without question and don’t have any loss in their lives to make it seem morally ok. When an assassin goes too far, it’s a clean-up crew that gets called to take care of it.
I don’t have to wonder how they met. It’s obvious that this Heretic was sent out to kill Jake. How did they become friends? And he wants out? There is no out for clean-up other than death. There aren’t any strings I can pull here. They’re ghosts, with only a select few aware of their existence.
Ace steps in front of me, Cade nervously taking up position right beside him, with Mikael following behind me. We all know that protesting or trying to reason with Jake won’t work. But if we remain friendly, to a point, and calm, we might be able to work out a deal. Clean-up may be unseen boogeymen, but they aren’t infallible.
Jake knocks on the door and calls out, “Five friendlies, clockhead.”
He knocks on my office door as if it’s this man’s space. Jake's polite gesture is on point, but it leaves a feeling of dread in my gut.
Cade and Ace prepare themselves mentally in their own ways as Jake opens the door just far enough for us to enter before closing it behind us.
The man has his back to us, staring down at something in his hand. His hair is longer than the usual assassin’s and hangs over his face. A ticking sound makes me pause. It’s coming from him and so evenly paced it sounds like a loud timepiece. He doesn’t look up or even act like he knows we’re here.
He’s standing in the middle of the floor which leaves me clear space to walk around him and take my seat. Ace and Cade settle in front of the desk on either side just in case they need to provide me coverage.
“This is Gabe, the boss’ son. He’s good people. You know Cade, of course, and this is Ace and Mikael.”
I glance at Cade. He acted confused before, as if he didn’t know this person. He looks even more befuddled now.
“I don’t know him,” Cade says with a scowl.
“But he knows you,” Jake wiggles his brows. “I’m sure he knows all of us. I’m being polite.”
“Why are we here, Jakob?” A bored voice pipes up from my desk phone. I frown down at the red light in confusion.
“Hey, Blue, it’s so good to see you,” Jake laughs.
“Ha. Ha,” the voice deadpans back. “You’ve got a giant mess here, from what I see. Where do we fit in?”
“I have a little imp that needs a few extra guards,” Jake hands his phone to the man in front of us.
He takes it, glances for a brief second, and hands it back.
“Jefferson, Amanda,” he says in a tone devoid of feeling.
The fact that he already knows her name has me tensing in my seat.
“The redhead stashed at Matthias Jr’s place? Big surprise,” the voice on the phone scoffs.
“I won’t tolerate mistreatment of meine Seele ,” Jake’s voice drops into a low threat as he looks at the phone.
“How active do you need us to be?” Blue asks as if Jake never spoke. I can hear some clicking in the background as if he’s typing on a computer keyboard.
“As active as necessary. She has a temper, and it’s leading her into rough territory,” Jake’s attitude flips back into happiness quickly. “Is that one new?”
I follow Jake’s pointing finger to see a toy in the man’s hand. It’s where the incessant ticking sound is coming from. A small metal block that has a metal switch that he’s flicking back and forth.
“No.” He replies in a raspy, deadened voice. It makes my head tilt. He sounds just like Ace when we first met. Two steps away from committing suicide and uncaring about whatever could happen to him in the meantime.
Jake lets out a resigned sigh. “One of us will be with her at all times, but you know how iffy that is. I’d like a little extra piece of dynamite in my pocket.”
“Fine,” Blue agrees.
Heretic’s head tilts up until he’s looking me right in the eyes. The blank black irises have an eerie effect that bothers me. He looks like death if the entity was a few minutes away from giving up his job.
“In return, we disappear.” The mouthpiece for them both insists.
“You’ve already disappeared,” I tell them coldly.
“Away from Matthias Sr. Wiped clean. We’re both old enough that he’s practically forgotten us already, and everyone knows how that goes.”
“Blue wants to be a real boy now, and he’s dragging his bestie with him,” Jake says with a smirk. “And I may or may not owe them a little. They are the ones that maneuvered things for me to be paired with Cade. So Heretic here wouldn’t have to kill me. He finds me funny.”
“I got paired with you because my team fell apart,” Cade protests warily.
“And look where they landed,” Jake holds out a hand to point at Heretic. “I doubt he was gentle when he caught them.”
His eyes move to Cade, causing him to stiffen. “You were the only good recruit in that team. Clean record getting rotted around the edges by filth.”
“He’s a sympathetic soul,” Jake nods happily.
Blue scoffs from the phone.
“You both want out. To do what?” I ask with narrowed eyes.
“To live,” Blue says simply. “Or figure out how to.”
Silence falls around me. We all know what that’s like. To be trapped in a life that’s boxed you in without notice. There are a few problems, though.
“If you stay like this, you won’t blend,” I shake my head at Heretic. “It won’t be possible unless you’re a hermit.”
Blue lays out his thoughts. “Buy the building across the street, and we’ll purchase it from you once our new identities are set. It’s currently under renovation. If you take it over before that ends, it will be cheaper. We’ll take over from there.”
“You need these two windows blacked out,” Heretic points to the panes facing the building Blue is talking about. I know it would be a tight shot from the angle, but I haven’t been very concerned about it—until now.
“You have a plan in place already?” Ace says in surprise.
“Always,” Blue tells him flatly.
“And that plan is?” I ask with a raised brow.
What he explains to me sounds absurd. Complete strangers living together to keep each other in check. Not clean-up members, which he seems to despise, random people who can’t function in society and any people who want out from under Matthias. I’m supposed to not only make them all normal civilians but also hire any person living there for job security and supervision.
“Where did you get an idea like that?” Cade asks in disbelief.
“A self-help group. Survivors of Tragedy. I’ve made donations anonymously but never joined. If I’m a civilian, I can do that, and we can use them to immerse ourselves into society.”
“I don’t think a survivor’s group would take this on,” Ace says warily.
Heretic looks at him without expression. “I kill anything that looks at the woman wrong, and we get freedom. The rest is on us.”
Jake looks at me, his friendly expression dropping to reveal his cold eyes. Standing next to each other, they could be related, given how little sanity remains between them.
“They saved me from myself instead of killing me. I’m paying them back now that I can.”
I look at the building across the street and let out a sigh. I don’t think we need this type of help, but Jake seems to disagree.
“For the moment, I accept all your stipulations. We can renegotiate after this mess is over.”
The ticking stops. The sudden silence is loud.
“Fair enough,” the line clicks as Blue ends the call.
Heretic acknowledges me with a nod and leaves.
I turn to Jake with a glare. I’m surprised to find him watching the closed door with concern.
“They really did maneuver everything to bring Cade to me. Heretic lied about being unable to kill me and was punished for it. He’s not horrible, Gabe. No more than any of us anyway.”
I’ve helped men with less. The endorsement, from Jake of all people, stifles all the voices saying this is a horrible idea.
“Fine,” I say, pulling a file closer to me. I pretend to work while my mind wanders to Amanda.