Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
JACK
Everyone desired something. Some wanted love, others would do anything for wealth, and there were those special few who were obsessed with vengeance.
It was a special skill of mine to procure desires for others.
For the average human, their desires ruled them for the entirety of their lifespan.
They were so boringly predictable and yet highly profitable for me, which aligned perfectly with my own motives.
I was closing in on my life’s goal, and this time I would be damned if I failed.
I walked through quiet, lush gardens. The hedges were trimmed into perfect block-like shapes.
The grass was a deep green and all blades were trimmed to the same length.
The walkway was a light-colored stone that matched the imposing mansion it connected to.
Two iron doors steadily opened as I approached the back door.
I nodded in thanks toward the camera pointed down at the entryway.
I moved through the familiar home quickly, making my way to the grand staircase.
It twisted to the side in a long, sweeping display.
The banister matched the iron doors. They were the only pop of darkness in this light, bright home.
The walls were a warm cream color that held the warmth of the sunlight streaming in.
The windows were large, with views of the crystal ocean on one side of the house and of the inlet on the other.
Everything was crisp and clean with a minimalist appeal.
I turned down a long hallway and headed toward the double doors at the end of it.
As I approached, they too swung wide open to let me in.
I came to a stop in front of a large white marble desk.
Behind the desk were floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the calm sea.
It was a view I’d grown used to over my life.
I dropped into one of the chairs across from the desk and waited.
“I’m not sure you heard me clearly.” Phillis cleared her throat into the phone.
“I do not care what it takes. You will get it for me, and you will get it for me by tomorrow.” She listened to the person on the other line.
“You’re not ?” She paused and pursed her lips, then gave a humorless chuckle.
“Aren’t you clever. Now, see if you can figure out how not to fuck this up. ”
With a growl she slammed the phone down on her desk and turned her dark-brown gaze on me. I chuckled. “How’s business going?”
“Profitable.” Her face was sharp and stoic.
In all the years I’d known Phillis, I might’ve seen her smile a handful of times. She was always serious, always determined, and always in complete control. I crossed my ankle over my knee. “Anastasia is in place.”
“How do you know?” She leaned back in her office chair and pushed her tangled midnight hair back from her face.
“She went missing for some time and now has no memory of what happened.” I sat forward. “It’s beginning.”
“How long ago was this?” She pulled a file from the locked drawer in her desk and tossed it on the table.
“Three days.” I shrugged. “I suspect it will go faster this time.”
She flipped the file open and papers flew across the table.
I leaned forward, pushing the papers around.
There she was, Anastasia in different times and a slightly different face each time—a photo of a plaster bust of her from ancient Greece, a wanted poster from her time as pirate, a painting of her during the renaissance.
All this time, all these faces, and yet it was her in every single one of them.
Phillis watched me intently as I thumbed through the papers. “You’ve been with this family a long time, Jack.”
I stopped what I was doing and sat back in my chair. “Indeed.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this next phase of life?
” She rested her hands on the desk. Even from here I could see the slight signs of her age: the thin lines around her mouth, the slightly darker circles under her eyes, and some thin strands of grey in her once inky hair.
All things I envied. All things I would never experience.
“I am positive,” I said with all the confidence I felt. This time it would work. I was sure of it.
“And where is she now?”
“Last I checked, headed to Mexico.”
Phillis’s brow furrowed. “And why would she be doing that?”
I hesitated before answering. “Cliff-diving in Acapulco.”
“She certainly has a death wish.” Her eyebrows shot up. “Do you think you can stop her before she gets herself killed? If that happens, this will all be for nothing and you’ll be back out on the street.”
“I’m confident I can.” If there was one thing that I knew about this version of Anastasia, it was that she trusted me, and if I needed her, she would come.
“Good, then bring her to me. I’d like to meet this Ana the Deathless.” She chuckled and pushed the wanted pirate posted toward me. “What a time that must’ve been.”
“She goes by Stasie now.” I chuckled and shook my head. “But I’ll bring her to you.”
Phillis’s lips turned up into a smirk. “Then we shall begin.”