Chapter 14
Jayce
“Are you sure you can’t reschedule?” I asked.
There was shuffling on the other end of the phone, then Alana swore. “No, I’ll be fine, Jayce. I don’t need you to be there.”
“Beg to differ.”
“It’s fine. You can’t just rush back here anyway. If I feel like it’s going to kill me, I’ll give you a warning so you can say your final goodbyes.”
“Not funny,” I grumbled.
Patrick waved at me and I held up a finger. If I’d known that Alana would have to meet with the probate lawyer this week, I would’ve considered canceling this trip. It wasn’t really up to me, though. Even though I had nearly full control over my schedule, there were still some things that were required for my job. These goddamn meetings were one of those things. I had to be here for three days to discuss our projects with the people who paid for them. The work itself wasn’t bad; it was just tedious when I knew that Alana was struggling back home.
“Alright, just tell me how it goes.”
“I will,” she agreed.
After I hung up, I joined Patrick by one of the prototype helicopters. It wasn’t one of mine, but it was beautiful. I designed mostly higher end military equipment worth more than three of these. With that came more pressure from the men in suits who thought they were better than the people who spent countless hours making these things.
They were all corrupt, if you asked me. Whether it was corporations, the military, or the federal government, all of these rich pricks had their hands in places they shouldn’t be. When you got chummy with them, it didn’t take much for them to start blabbing about their less respectable enterprises.
“Patrick,” I greeted, taking his hand firmly.
“Mr. Weste, it’s great to see you again.”
“Jayce.”
“Right, of course. Your presentation in there was quite impressive. Not that I wouldn’t expect that from you.”
I flashed him a smile. “If I do something, it’s with my whole ass, not just half.”
He laughed and gestured toward the entrance. We started in that direction, meeting up with a couple other executives along the way.
“You all remember Jayce Weste,” Patrick announced.
“I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him,” one of the men said, holding out his hand. “Viktor Campe.”
He was wearing a suit that wasn’t quite as nice as the others but still probably cost nearly what I made in a month. He was newer- young, fresh blood. It was evident in the way he held himself and glanced at the others as if looking for their approval.
Taking his hand, I smiled at him. “I’m sure we’ll see each other occasionally, Viktor. They like to drag me to these things because I don’t choke up around all of you intimidating gentlemen. My pretty face doesn’t hurt, either. Don’t worry. I saw you looking.”
The group roared with laughter. Patrick slapped me on the shoulder like we were old pals. “Last time I saw Jayce, I told him he should leave engineering behind and join the corporate world.”
“And I told him I’d need to borrow one of his fancy ties so that I could hang myself.”
“He’s something, this one. Jayce, we’re going out tonight and I’m dragging you along.”
“I can only assume this involves booze and expensive women.”
He grinned. “Only if we’re lucky.”
Even though that didn’t sound appealing, I agreed. Outside, we passed by a few more prototypes that had been set up for this event. I stopped at one in particular, a military drone that was only slighter taller than me. The sign beside it made me clench my teeth.
In Honor of Jaykob Weste
I remembered when he was working on this. He didn’t have projects as big as mine and this was one of his more important ones. What nobody here would know was that I’d helped him with quite a few of the components. He was good at what he did, but he didn’t do well under pressure. Expectations made him choke. He was weak.
Viktor came up beside me. “Weste. Any relation?”
“My brother.”
“Oh, wow. You’re in the same field. That must be exciting.”
“It was interesting.”
He looked confused, then he read the rest of the plaque. “I’m sorry.”
“Did you kill him?”
He looked at me with horror on his face. “No, uh, I…”
With a smile, I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Don’t apologize, then. It’s all good.”
I turned and rejoined the others. He’d probably think I was weird now, but it didn’t matter. He was another guppy here. The other suits were familiar with me and they’d probably band together against Viktor if I disliked him. That was how this world worked. He’d be eaten alive if he kept trying to suck up to everyone.
*****
Between the boisterous laughter and the music, it was so fucking loud. It might be better if things were less blurry. Were they blurry or was I moving? I looked down at myself. I was sitting, so it must’ve been the former.
Booze this expensive wasn’t fit for human consumption. It went down smooth and settled heavily in my bloodstream. When Patrick pushed another shot toward me, I shook my head and made a cutting motion across my throat.
“Come on, Weste. First meeting isn’t until eleven.”
“You’re the devil,” I shouted over the music. “Last one, though.”
He clapped his hands together and I blew out a breath before knocking it back. I slouched further into the seat and stared up at the ceiling. The flashing lights were actually pretty nice to look at. If I kept at it, though, I’d probably get sick.
I pulled out my phone and frowned down at the unanswered text I’d sent Alana. She’d been vague about her conversation with the lawyer and when I insisted that she tell me more, she read it, then left me hanging. I didn’t appreciate that. I pulled up her screen and saw that she was reading. She was probably trying to distract herself.
I had a better way.
Navigating to my app, I sent her a message.
Erebus: Are you ready for our second date?
My leg bounced while I waited for her to respond. The bubbles popped up a few times, then disappeared as if she was going back and forth about texting back. When the phone vibrated, I sat up straight.
Alana: Leave me alone.
Erebus: Never. What if I showed up right now?
Alana: My friend will kill you.
I laughed out loud and shook my head.
Erebus: Cute, but it’d take him a long time to get to you.
Alana: You think you know everything.
Erebus: I do. Want me to prove it?
Alana: Leave me alone.
Erebus: If you wanted that, you’d stop responding.
I waited patiently and watched her go back and forth between her e-book and the message. Morbid curiosity was a bitch and none of us were immune to it. She’d been left to wonder about me for six days without anything more than a couple of kisses left around to remind her that I still existed. I bet she’d come up with a million questions that she convinced herself she’d never ask.
It was definitely the booze that made my patience crumble so soon.
Erebus: When I take your pretty cunt, will you scream for me?
Alana: Leave me alone.
Erebus: Remember how you came for me last time?
Alana: What are you talking about?
Erebus: You have such sweet dreams, don’t you?
I watched her screen go black and laughed. My neck prickled, making me turn around. Viktor was standing behind my seat with wide eyes. When he met my gaze, he looked like a deer caught in headlights.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Just… Uh, just….” He stumbled over his words pathetically. I could tell he wasn’t drunk enough to forget what he might’ve seen. God damnit.
He scurried over to his chair and sunk into it. I kept staring at him, which seemed to make him more uncomfortable by the second.
This guy might be a problem.
*****
After moving the party back to Patrick’s suite, I slipped out for a while. Everybody was fucked up and they wouldn’t notice. I’d leveled out quite a bit- enough for me to organize my thoughts a little better. I came back carrying a bottle of vodka and made a beeline for my new friend.
“You haven’t had enough to drink,” I said, sliding a shot over to Viktor.
He eyed it and pulled his lip between his teeth. I cocked my head as I waited for him to make a decision. When he still looked unsure, I made a sound to get the attention of the others.
“This guy’s new, right?”
“Just out of college,” Patrick confirmed loudly. He nearly toppled over from the exertion.
“Well, this fucker needs to get initiated. Five in a row.”
I lined them up, triggering a horrified look from Viktor. As expected, the others circled around him and started to taunt him. Like I said before, they liked me and they weren’t sure about him yet. He chose to work in a field that was sink or swim. I just needed him to jump in the water first.
Viktor shook his head. “I don’t want to.”
“See, I told you,” Patrick slurred, slapping the back of his hand against Rob’s chest. “He’s not cut out for it.”
I leaned forward and dropped my voice low. “I’m trying to help you out here. The business world is just like college. Get in with the big leagues and you’ll be set.”
He still looked uncertain, but he nodded and picked up the first glass. I brought my bottle of water to my mouth to conceal my smile. He gagged a little, then went for the second.
I remained tense until he put back the last one. While the others cheered, I took the bottle of vodka and shut myself in the bathroom. I tipped it upside down in the tub until it was empty, then rinsed it out a few times. I’d drop it in the dumpster outside later, but I wanted to be extra cautious.
When I returned to the room, Viktor looked slightly more drunk than he had before. He’d only consumed half as much liquor as he thought and things were just going to get worse for him as time went on.
“We should do this again tomorrow,” Rob said.
“I’m busy tomorrow night,” I replied. “Next time, though.”