Fragments of Grey [Book Five of The Alexis Stanton Chronicles]

by Phelps, J. C.

  “Helix was trying to be helpful, Eric,” Jake said.

  “The hell he was. He made it very clear he thinks she’s too good for Mesa. If she’s too good to work with us, then I say get the fuck out.”

  “And this is my fault?” My headache wasn’t getting any better.

  “Hell yeah, it’s your fault. You’ve got all the men fooled. They can’t see past your tits. I don’t think you ever quit working for White and Associates.”

  “Why the hell would I be here if I were still working with White and Associates?”

  Jake shot Eric a look that indicated he should shut up.

  “You can’t tell me she doesn’t know, Jake.”

  “Know what?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” Jake said.

  “What is it I’m supposed to know? I’ve been with you guys for a while now. If you think I’m hiding something, I have a right to know what it is.”

  Joe wheeled in a tray of food.

  “Lunch,” he said into the hot silence.

  He took a step back, raised his hands, and shrugged. “What?”

  “What is it I’m supposed to know that has Eric accusing me of still working with White and Associates, like I’m some kind of spy?” I asked.

  “Have no idea. We going to eat?”

  I moved to the tray and took a sandwich. Then I rolled the tray out the door. “Out.” I pointed at the men standing in my room and drew a line from them to the tray standing outside the threshold.

  Eric was the first to leave, then Joe. Jake hung back.

  “Alex, it’s nothing. Eric is just hung over.”

  “Forget it. I’ll be out this afternoon.” I put my hand on his chest and backed him out of the room while he tried to object. As soon as he was out I shut the door and locked it.

  I sat at the table and ate my sandwich. Jake spent most of that time knocking on my door. When it finally became quiet, I packed up my things.

  At least I don’t have much.

  I put two filled bags on the bed, stuffed my laptop under my arm, then picked up the bags again.

  Eric met me right outside the door.

  “You know if you leave it’s just going to prove my point.”

  “What is that point, Eric?” I dropped my bags and was pleased to see I timed it just right for my laptop to land on top of them without hitting the ground.

  “You don’t give a shit about Mesa.”

  “All you had to do was ask and I would have told you. I don’t give a shit about Mesa. It’s just another company with another prick who owns it. I’m only here so I can work regularly. No other reason.”

  Jake came around the corner, followed by Joe.

  “Alex,” Jake started.

  I held my finger up in an attempt to stop him.

  “No. I will not find myself in the same situation twice. Actually, I have, but I’m leaving sooner rather than later.” I turned back to Eric. “Eric. You better back off or I’m going to kick your ass. Just give me an excuse, actually.”

  Eric’s top lip curled up and Jake hurried to reach us.

  “Don’t get involved, Jake,” I warned.

  Jake didn’t slow his advance and Eric cocked back his arm before Jake could cross the distance.

  I smiled and waited for it.

  Eric’s fist came for my face and I ducked just in time. He buried his hand into the wall up to his wrist.

  I kneed him in the groin and watched as he doubled over, all his air escaping. The only things that kept him upright was one hand on his knee and the other stuck in the wall.

  “I wasn’t sure kicking you in the balls would have any effect. I have to admit, I’m surprised.”

  Eric growled at my comment.

  Jake had covered the distance and Joe was right beside him.

  “I’m playing with Eric, not you two. Either of you gets involved and I’ll start taking this fight seriously.” I felt my nostrils flare.

  Jake and Joe took a couple steps backward.

  Eric had caught his breath and was working to get his fist out of the wall.

  “Hurry your ass up. I’m not done with you.”

  Eric freed his hand and took a stance. “Let’s go, bitch,” he said. He shook his hand as if to shake away the broken bones.

  “We have jobs—” Jake didn’t get to finish his sentence before I kicked Eric in the knee. He went down on top of my bags.

  “Alex!”

  I started pacing while Eric tried to stand.

  “I should have done this to Red when I left. You’re worse than he is, though. So, you’ll definitely do.”

  I shouldn’t be enjoying this so much.

  I kicked Eric in the gut and he was back on the floor.

  “Get up.”

  “Alex! Enough!”

  “Stand his ass up so I can break his nose and then I’ll quit.”

  “Someone get over here and help me up so I can break her nose!” Eric demanded.

  “You heard the boy. Help him out.” I pointed to him on the floor.

  Neither of the guys went to stand him up so I walked back into my room and brought back a chair for him to steady himself on.

  “Here. Use this. I promise I won’t hit you until you’re upright.”

  Eric growled again, but used the chair to steady himself.

  “You think you can get a punch in?”

  He dove for me and knocked me to the floor.

  The pain, when I hit my head on the floor, made me see stars and I could feel the hot blood gush through the split stitches. I laughed.

  “Finally. I could have killed you four times already.”

  I squirmed out from under him and pushed his face into the floor, hard. I heard bones crunching and he yowled.

  “How’s it feel to get your ass totally kicked by a girl, you dick,” I said.

  Joe and Jake watched as I picked up my bags and laptop.

  I started to walk away and was met with Posner in the middle of the hallway.

  “Pardon me,” I said as I tried to step around him, but he wouldn’t let me pass.

  “That’s what I like to see, Ms. Grey,” he said.

  “Good for you. Maybe you should get yourself some tickets to the fights, then. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a road to get down.”

  I tried to pass again, but he snapped his fingers and, almost like magic, Joe and Jake stood on either side of him.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  I dropped my bags again and this time my laptop didn’t make such a smooth landing.

  “I’ve had my reservations about you, but it’s good to see you won’t hold back.”

  “If I hadn’t held back he’d be dead.”

  Jake and Joe both smiled, surprising me.

  “As you can see,” he continued as if I hadn’t even spoken, “I’m down a man and could actually use the help. I’d be pleased to keep you on at Mesa.”

  “As you can see,” I pointed to my bags, “you are down two men. Now, let me pass.”

  “If you insist. However, I’d appreciate it if you’d consider completing the jobs you’ve already been contracted for, and possibly keeping me in your Rolodex.”

  I relaxed somewhat, assuming this meant I wouldn’t have to fight my way out.

  “I could consider freelance.”

  “Good, Jake will get you set up. I’m sure he can still use the help with this upcoming concert security job.”

  Posner left me standing there, waiting for Jake and Joe to move so I could leave.

  “You’re still doing the concert job?” Jake asked.

  “Is it still minimum wage?”

  “Yep.”

  The smirk on his face told me he was impressed.

  “You have my number. Call me with the time I need to show up for work this weekend.” I stepped between him and Joe.

  “Good to see big guns aren’t all that you’re good at,” Joe said.

  Chapter Thirteen

  My head wound was bleeding s
teadily as I marched away from the facility. I waited until I got a significant distance down the road and around a couple of corners before I stopped to rest.

  My stomach was protesting the sandwich I’d eaten and the sun seemed extra bright. I couldn’t decide if it was my hangover causing these sensations or if I ended up with a concussion after the second blow to my head.

  Whatever was going on, I didn’t feel well enough to continue to walk so I sat on one of my bags beside the road and put my head in my hands.

  Less than five minutes later, I heard a vehicle approaching.

  I stood up and put a pack on each shoulder. I didn’t want anyone to see me feeling sorry for myself on the side of the road.

  Helix’s Cadillac sped up to me.

  “Hey. Hop in,” he said after rolling down his window.

  I pulled open the back door, noticed the back seat was still covered in blood, and tossed in my bags on top of the mess.

  “Jake called and asked me to come out this way and make sure you were okay. He said you left on foot. You didn’t get far.”

  I slid in the passenger door.

  “Damn. You’re bleeding again. Eric did this?”

  He wasn’t very gentle when he pushed me forward to take a look at the back of my head.

  “Why would you assume Eric did it? What if I just fell and hit my head?”

  “Jake told me you taught Eric a lesson and walked out. So, you’re a free agent now?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Good for you. If you won’t go back to Black, freelance is the next best thing. Mesa is okay for the start-ups or the guys who don’t care how they make their money, not fitting for you.”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t mind it. The guys seemed like good guys. All except Posner and Eric, anyway.”

  “So, tell me Eric looks worse than you do.”

  I laughed.

  “Much worse. He won’t be walking for a while. If I didn’t break his kneecap, I know I over extended his knee. Plus, he broke his hand when he missed my face and punched the wall, and—” I laughed again, “I broke his nose.”

  “Eric’s had it coming to him for years but everyone’s been afraid to touch him.”

  “I don’t understand why. He’s pretty worthless at hand-to-hand. The only reason I’m bleeding is because he tackled me and my stitches broke when I hit my head.”

  “He’s Posner’s nephew.”

  Helix laughed deeply.

  “All humor aside, you’re going to need a place to stay. Somewhere away from Posner’s radar. When he hears about this, you’re probably going to have to dodge a few more punches.”

  “Posner was standing right there when it happened. He’s the one who asked me if I’d work freelance when I refused to stay at Mesa.”

  “He actually let you leave the facility?”

  I shrugged in answer to his question.

  “He’s very protective of family,” Helix continued. “The last internal fight involving Eric landed the other guy in the hospital for a month. You can guess it wasn’t Eric who put him there, either.”

  Helix and I rode along in silence for a few miles before his phone rang.

  “Yo! Jake.” Helix answered via the Bluetooth in his Caddy.

  “You get her?”

  “Yep.”

  “Hi, Jake,” I said.

  “Take me off speaker, man.”

  “Can’t. I’m driving.” Helix winked at me.

  “Fine. Give me a call when you get to the hospital.” He disconnected.

  “I don’t want to go back to the hospital.”

  “I’ve already got a doctor on the way to the gym to take care of ya. But, if he says hospital, you will go.”

  “Fine.” I rested my head in my hands.

  “Lean your head back, it’ll be more comfortable,” Helix said.

  “No. I’m done getting blood all over your car.”

  “Don’t you worry one little bit about that. I’ll get it taken care of tomorrow.”

  “You told me Jake took care of it,” I lifted my head to confront him.

  “I know it. He will. Just not until tomorrow.”

  “The longer it sits, the harder it will be to get out.”

  “It’s all good. Just relax. We’ll be at the gym in about half an hour.”

  “So, is this you telling me to shut up?”

  “On this subject, yes.”

  His deep rumbling laugh made me smile.

  True to his word, we pulled up behind the gym in about half an hour.

  Helix hurried to the passenger side to help me out of the car.

  “Helix, I’m fine.” I refused the offered hand.

  I couldn’t stop him from opening the gym door for me and walked in without objection. He led me past the gawking patrons toward his office and had me lay down on his couch.

  “The doc should be here soon.”

  When he left me alone, I sat up and wondered how I’d clean up the bloody mess off the leather couch. I searched around the office and found a small pile of towels in the corner. I imagined they had to clean up bloody messes from time to time, like when Jake and I’d broken each other’s noses.

  I wiped up the mess before it could dry and pressed the towel to the back of my head. The pain from pressing on the back of my head made me slightly lightheaded, so I put my head between my knees, being sure to keep the towel in place.

  When Helix’s office door opened again, I didn’t look up.

  “The doc’s here, Alex.” Helix said.

  “Just have him stitch me up,” I answered.

  “How’d this happen, Helix?” Blue’s voice held no hint of forgiveness.

  I sat straight up and the change in blood flow made me swoon. I had no better word for it. My vision started to close in around me and weakness surrounded me. I fought against falling forward on my face, but only managed to deviate my fall a few inches to my left before I lost all motor control.

  “Whoa,” Blue’s voice was tinny. I felt his hands on my shoulders, steadying me before I went all the way down. I fought to remain conscious.

  When my eyes focused in on his face, I felt a wave of terror come over me.

  “You gonna stay with me?”

  I blinked several times, then nodded.

  “Still lightheaded?” Blue dug around in his bag for his pen light.

  “No. I think I just sat up too quickly.”

  “You’ve lost quite a bit of blood. You going to be able to relax for a couple days?”

  “Probably.”

  “Make sure you do. I’m not in a position to give you orders any more, but I hope you’ll take a doctor’s advice.”

  I was subjected to the exact same exam I’d had the night before, but Blue checked my reflexes and asked me more personal questions. “How long ago were these stitches put in?” Blue asked.

  “Last night.”

  “So, you got into a fight last night?”

  “No. The fight was just a little while ago.”

  “How long ago?”

  “I don’t know, maybe an hour ago?”

  Blue looked at Helix for confirmation and Helix nodded.

  “So what happened last night?”

  “We’d just got home from Sudan and were drinking to the memory of the seven guys Lance lost over there.”

  “What were you doing over in Sudan?”

  “Helping Lance, and the guys he had left, get out of the country. What does this have to do with my head?”

  “Just checking your long-term memory. If you can remember a couple days ago, it’s a good sign.”

  Blue looked up at Helix. “I’m going to stitch her up now. Can you leave us alone for a bit?”

  “No prob, doc.”

  Blue instructed me to lay on my stomach so he could get a clear shot at the back of my head.

  “Can you make it quick?” I asked.

  “We have to wait for the local to take effect.”

  He stuck me with a needle. It
felt like he stuck it right in the middle of my wound and I winced. “Hold still. I’m almost done.” He jabbed me again. “It’s good to see you, Alex. We were all worried for a long time. Where have you been? I know you haven’t been with Mesa all this time.”

  “Here and there,” I said through clenched teeth.

  “Do a lot of jobs as, you know? I haven’t seen any mention of anything like that in the news.”

  “Nope. Put that life behind me. White won’t be my handler any more,” I cleared my throat to try and get rid of the lump. “I guess I’m retired.”

  “You okay, Alex? I mean, are you happy at Mesa?”

  “I don’t work for them any more, I’m a free agent again.”

  “Good. None of us really liked the jobs you were doing for Mesa, anyway. Can you feel this?” He poked something sharp into the gash.

  “Yes! I feel that.”

  “Okay, I’ll give it a little more time to numb up. So, why did Helix call me to stitch you up?”

  “I have no idea. Maybe he wants me to kiss and make up with the company.”

  I could feel Blue pushing around on the back of my head.

  “But why? Helix is his own man and he rarely does anything that doesn’t bring him some kind of gain. I don’t know how this would benefit him.”

  I didn’t get it, either.

  “Okay. All done.” Blue said.

  “What?” I thought we were still waiting for it to get numb.

  “All done.” He stood up from the couch and sat on the edge of Helix’s desk.

  I reached back to feel my stitches.

  “Don’t touch them. You can wash your hair later today. Just wait until you can feel the area. I don’t want you to rip out your stitches again. That was a mess back there.”

  “Thanks.” I stood up.

  “Where are you going? Helix brought us together for a reason, we should try and figure it out.”

  “I thought I might ask Helix.”

  Blue grinned. “Good idea.”

  “Helix,” I called out the door, then motioned him to us.

  “Get her all fixed?” He asked Blue when he came into the office.

  “Yep.”

  “You two talk?” Helix asked.

  “That’s the thing, Helix. We don’t know what we are supposed to talk about. Maybe you can fill us in,” I said.

  “I just wanted to remind you that the company will always be here for you, if you need them.” Helix told me.