“Jayce, I’ll go with you. What time do you want to leave?” James said, standing up.
“Now,” Jayce said, laughing. When he decided on something, that was it—he had to have it and he had to have it right then.
“I’ll be at your apartment in thirty minutes.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Jayce said, and then hung up without a goodbye.
“I’ll probably be gone most of the day, so call me if anything comes up,” James said, looking at each of them, but lingering on Cami a little longer.
“Yes, yes. Have fun,” she said, waving him away.
James knocked on the door to Jayce and Zahra’s apartment, despite having the code to let himself in. He’d designed the security for the entire building, and had his own access code, just in case. Samuel could always unlock the doors for him, but even that took a few seconds, and sometimes a few seconds was one second too many.
Zahra opened the door, her eyes sparkling like emerald gems. The first time James had seen her he was sure they were contact lenses but they weren’t.
“He’s on the phone, as usual.” She tilted her head to the side and pressed her lips together before she let out a small laugh.
Jayce was a complete workaholic and he was very lucky he’d found an independent woman who didn’t care that his work consumed his life.
“Of course,” James said, rolling his eyes. “Wow, this place is looking great.” It was an awesome apartment and James had seen it before Jayce had surprised Zahra with it. It looked the same now but it felt like a home, and it was infused with their personal touches. Being the lead interior designer for his firm, it was only natural she would design the apartment, except that she’d thought she was doing it for a client.
James looked over the photos and instantly knew they had come from Thomas Security’s surveillance. “How did you get these?”
“There was a note in the photo album you gave us for our engagement advising to email if we wanted any enlargements…I can see that you were highly involved in that,” she said, poking his shoulder.
“I put my foot in it.” James laughed. “Cami organized that for you. I honestly had no idea until she put it in my arms to take with me.”
“We sent a thank you note, but please thank her personally for us. There were some nice moments in among all of that,” she said quietly, her eyes looking at the photograph of her and Jayce.
“There always are,” James said. In the midst of a security scare, particularly one like they had, it’s hard to see the good, the blessings of life. It’s easier from the outside, for the people like James who were watching them, but all the clients see is fear and pain.
“Hey,” Jayce said, walking toward him with his hand outstretched. “Thanks for this, especially at such short notice.”
“No problem. Are you ready?”
Jayce retrieved his briefcase from the dining table and then wrapped Zahra up in his arms. “I’ll be back in time for family dinner,” he said before kissing her goodbye.
“Drive safe,” she said, closing the door behind them.
The elevator doors opened and Jayce punched in a code, which prevented the elevator from stopping at any other floor, taking them directly to the basement parking level—another security measure.
“So, what are we doing in the Hamptons?” James asked. He’d been to the Hamptons only once before, and he couldn’t say he was a fan.
James surveyed the parking lot before he led Jayce to his car. When they were both inside, James started the engine and reversed out of the parking bay.
“I got a call last night about a development site. It’s not on the market but apparently the owner has said he might be willing to sell. I’d be looking to put four homes on the site.”
“How many projects do you have going on at the moment?” James said, keeping his eyes on the traffic.
“Too many. But you know me, I don’t like to let a good opportunity pass me by,” he said, checking something on his phone. “Get this, though. If I do it, I’ll be doing it via Kyoji’s estate. Can you imagine the look on his face if he found out he was buying property in the Hamptons?”
James laughed. Kyoji—the ultimate bad-boy gangster—would not fit in in the Hamptons. His investments had tended toward seedy nightclubs and strip clubs.
“As long as he didn’t have to live there he would have been okay with it,” James said. Kyoji might have played by a different set of rules, but he was as savvy a businessman as Jayce.
“So, what’s new with you? I was very pleased to hear that Mak Ashwood is now under Thomas Security,” Jayce said.
“Yes, she is. Things change all the time, but she’ll stay with us for the time being,” James said, giving an evasive answer.
“What changed your mind?”
“I can’t discuss our clients with you—you know that,” James said.
“She’s an interesting woman. She’s beautiful, and she looks dainty almost, don’t you think? Like you could bump her and she’d fall over. But then she walks into the courtroom and is ripping these mob guys apart. I think it’s fucking brilliant,” Jayce said.
“I think most agree with you,” James said.
Jayce smirked. “And what do you think?”
“I think she’s a client and I’m not discussing her,” James said, not playing Jayce’s game.
“Oh come on, you’re a guy, so don’t tell me you don’t agree. Not to mention, I saw how you looked at her at my engagement party. You weren’t expecting her to be there—I think it’s the one time I’ve ever seen you slip up.”
“You’re reaching, Jayce,” James said.
“Whatever,” he said. “What do you think about her husband’s disappearance?”
“Missing persons are unfortunately not uncommon,” James said.
“Mm. He seemed to be a smart guy. Ambitious, too. Real estate developments in foreign countries are high-risk, especially for a twenty-two-year-old guy. Even I didn’t do that until I was…twenty-five, I think.”
What? James’ fingers tingled on the steering wheel. Her husband had designed and licensed a software program for real estate developers—he was not a developer. This information had to have come through Maya, or Mak directly, James thought. It wasn’t public knowledge otherwise they’d know about it. Why would he need to lie about his job?
“He did seem to be,” James said, lowering his foot slightly on the accelerator. He wanted to get to the Hamptons as soon as possible and get Jayce out of the car so he could make a call.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN –
MAK ASWHOOD
“Do you need anything before I leave?” Cami asked, standing in Mak’s living room. Her legs were concealed behind a box that Mak still hadn’t unpacked.
“No, thank you. I’m staying in for the rest of the night. I want to shower and do a review before court tomorrow. Can you be here at six? I need to talk with my team before the trial resumes.”
“Sure, I can be here at any time you need. If you want to leave earlier, just send me a message—it doesn’t matter if it’s in the middle of the night.”
“Thanks, Cami. Six will be fine,” Mak said, moving toward the door. They had been out most of the day. It had started with brunch, and then a few errands, finishing with her late Sunday afternoon Barre class—it was the only one she could regularly commit to, and her mental clarity depended on it.
Mak had felt better after James Thomas’ visit. She didn’t know if it was the distraction he provided, or just talking about the trial, but now the unwanted emotions were creeping back in. And tomorrow would be another big day in the courtroom.
She closed the door behind Cami and breathed a sigh of relief. Mak liked to be alone when she was in one of these moods—she didn’t like people to see her weaknesses.
She went straight into her bathroom and turned on the shower. She liked it warm, but not hot—comfortable enough to withstand the twenty-minute shower that was her everyday luxury.
Whe
n her hair was washed, legs shaved, body exfoliated and face washed, she finally stepped out of the shower. The bathroom was misty and the constant heat had gradually built to create a fog that blurred her reflection in the mirror. She dried herself and then lathered her body, head to toe, in moisturizer.
You’re helping them. You’re giving them a chance. You’re not hurting them.
They were the words on repeat in her mind as she fought for the courage she would need in court tomorrow.
You can do this.
She dressed in a clean set of pajamas and then picked up her handbag and case-note bag, and dumped them all onto her bed. She climbed under the sheets, propping her back up with pillows. Mak dragged her handbag closer to her, searching for the old-school paper diary she still used. Her hand fumbled in the oversized carry-all until her fingers hit something unfamiliar.
She froze.
No, she thought, pulling out a white scroll.
How?
She stared at it like it had been sent from Mars. And then she slipped the ribbon off.
Contact. Wait out.
Mak’s heart ran wild, leaping and hurdling as she read the note over and over again. It made no sense to her. She bit down on her thumb, thinking over her day. Cami had been with her every minute—she’d sat beside her at brunch and had walked beside her. She hadn’t been alone at all. Cami had even accompanied her to the bathroom, and someone certainly didn’t slip it into her bag while it was hanging in the stall!
Her crossed legs began to bounce, a reaction of the fear dominating her body. She had to call security, and she should call Cami, but there was only one person she wanted to speak to now.
James answered on the second ring. “Mak?”
She didn’t answer, her words caught in her throat.
“What’s wrong?” James asked.
“I don’t know…I found another scroll note. It was in my handbag. It must have been slipped in there at some stage today,” Mak said, hugging her knees to her chest.
“What?” James sounded very unimpressed and Mak hoped Cami wasn’t going to get in trouble for this. “What does it say?”
Mak repeated the words on the scroll. “The note doesn’t make sense at all. I mean, the others didn’t either, but this one really doesn’t.”
“It’s not supposed to, it’s not for you. What room are you in? Are the curtains drawn?”
Mak heard the sound of a car starting.
“I’m in my bedroom,” she said, then looked at the curtains. “Yes, they’re drawn.”
“Good. Stay on the phone with me, but go into your bathroom and lock the door. Now,” he said.
“James, what does it mean?”
“Are you in the bathroom?”
“I’m going,” Mak said, climbing out of her bed.
“Lock the door. Is it locked?”
“Yes, it’s locked. Tell me what’s going on!”
“I will when I get there, which will be in a few minutes. I’m coming up with Deacon. Do not unlock the door for anyone other than us, including our security. Understood?”
“Yes, but what the hell is going on?”
“Stay on the phone, Mak. Don’t hang up. Think about today—when did you leave your bag unattended?”
“I didn’t, and Cami was with me all day. She literally did not leave my side,” Mak said, closing the toilet lid and sitting on it. Her bathroom suddenly felt very small and the mirrors were still misted—which did nothing to ease her panic.
“What did you do? Talk me through your day,” James said.
“Um…I went to brunch and—”
“Where was your handbag while you were eating?”
“I put it underneath the table, by my feet. The restaurant was packed, so there was no room to hang it on my chair.”
“Okay, where to after brunch?”
“We walked to a few places, errands I had to run. My bag was hung over my shoulder, and I didn’t put it down at all. And then I went to my Barre class before we came home,” Mak said, completing the summary.
“Your regular Barre class?”
“Yes. But Cami was there, and our bags are in the room with us.”
“It doesn’t matter—routine presents an opportunity because it makes you predictable.”
“But I know most of those girls,” Mak said, unable to imagine any of them putting a note into her bag.
“You don’t know them, you only think you do. People can be persuaded very easily,” James said. “Open the bathroom door.”
Already? Mak hesitated, remembering she was in her pajamas, without a bra.
She put her arms over her chest and unlocked the door. James greeted her with a onceover but he didn’t laugh, or make a comment; in fact, his face was completely unreadable.
“Are you okay?” James asked.
“Not really, you’re freaking me out,” Mak said, rubbing her arms that were chilled with fright.
“I’m not trying to. Come out of the bathroom,” he said, stepping to the side wide enough to give her room to walk past.
“Can you please tell me what that note means?” Mak said, standing beside her bed.
James looked like he wasn’t going to tell her, but he did. “It’s a military phrase. It’s the first thing you say when you’ve been engaged by the enemy. The note was intended for us, not you. Someone is watching you, and they know you have protection. It’s a warning.”
“A warning for what?” Mak said, sitting down on the edge of her bed, taking the weight off her shaky legs.
“I don’t know yet,” James said distractedly. He looked over his shoulder, and Mak peered behind him to see Deacon Thomas walking toward them. He nodded at James, a silent communication of sorts—a conversation that Mak knew she was deliberately being left out of.
“Hey, Mak,” Deacon said.
“Can you please pack a bag?” James continued. “We need to move you out of here tonight.”
“What? No! It’s the middle of the night and I need to get a few hours of sleep before court tomorrow.”
“Mak, I can’t guarantee that you’re safe here. It’s not my apartment of choice for you, so it’s best if you stay in the vacant apartment at Thomas Security until we can source a better place for you,” he said calmly.
“Move again? No. I’m in the middle of the biggest trial of my life and I’ve already moved once. Can’t you just increase the security here?” Mak was standing up again, the frustration giving her body a new lease on life.
“It’s not the ideal apartment—”
“And whose fault is that? You were the one who said Thomas Security couldn’t take me on and then proceeded to set me up with a company that you then decided you didn’t like. If you had just done this from the start, we might not be in this situation.”
“I know, I made a mistake,” James said, looking directly at her.
“We made a mistake, Mak,” Deacon chipped in. “We realize this is far from ideal, but keeping you safe comes before convenience. And the sooner we get going, the sooner you can get to bed. We’re not trying to make this difficult, but staying here is really not a good idea.”
Mak rubbed her gritty eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening tonight of all nights.”
“I think it’s intentional that it happened tonight of all nights,” James said. “I don’t believe in coincidence…They’re trying to rattle you before what is going to be a big day for you tomorrow, right?”
He was right, and that fact made Mak’s ears steam with anger. And moving and sleeping somewhere foreign was only going to make it worse.
“Right,” Mak said, almost spitting out the word. “Do I have a choice about moving tonight?”
“You have a choice about doing it the easy way or the hard way,” James said, his carefree appearance not faltering. It infuriated her further. She was angry about the note, angry that she was letting them upset her, and she was anxious about tomorrow. It was a bad combination.
“What kind of a ch
oice is that?” Mak said, glaring at him.
“You’re wasting time,” he said softly. Mak didn’t want soft, she wanted him to be angry—to feel as pissed off as she did.
“Why are you so calm? It’s irritating!” Mak said.
Deacon cracked a wide smile. “I’m so glad someone’s finally said that to him,” he said, chuckling as he patted his brother on the shoulder, and then walked out of the room.
James remained leaning against the doorframe like they were discussing the weather. “Pack for a couple of days, and we’ll go from there,” he said.
Mak puffed out a frustrated sigh. She didn’t want to waste any more time, but she felt like by moving in the middle of the night, it was letting whoever sent her that message win. They wanted to cause upheaval in her life, and they’d succeeded.
“Well, can you please leave so I can change?” Mak threw in ‘please’ in order not to sound like a complete bitch, especially considering she’d just told him he was irritating. The calmness really was fury-provoking, though.
“You’ve got five minutes and I’m coming back in,” he said and then closed the door behind him.
Mak quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater, and then pulled out three suits for court and layered them into one suit bag. She dashed into the bathroom and packed three bags of makeup and toiletries. She then threw some underwear, pajamas, shoes and other necessities onto the bed. And then ran into a hurdle: she had no idea which box her overnight bag was packed in.
She was madly pulling things out of the three unpacked boxes she had in her room when James walked back in, and he looked a little shocked. “What are you doing?”
She looked around her, realizing that it looked like she’d just ransacked her own bedroom. “I can’t find my overnight bag. I don’t know which box it’s in,” Mak said, depositing even more belongings on the floor.
James came to her. “Stop, stop. You don’t need an overnight bag.” He put his hand on her forearm, gently guiding her away from the box. He looked at the bed. “Is this everything you’re packing tonight?”
Mak nodded her head, noticing her lacy lingerie was in full view.
ESCANTA: A James Thomas Novel (The James Thomas Series Book 1) Page 13