[06] Slade

by Teresa Gabelman

  “You don’t have to ever thank me for anything I do for Jill, sir,” Slade responded. “But I do have something to ask you.”

  “Son, you can ask me anything.” Her father gave a nod.

  Slade looked toward the door Jill had disappeared through, then to her father. This was easier than he thought.

  Chapter 21

  Jill drove to the address George gave her, feeling happy and content. After getting her license, Slade had taken her and her father out for a quick bite to eat. Her father was nervous, but excited and proud about her initiation into the VC Warriors. Jill asked about everyone, even her mom, but mostly they talked about what Jill had been going through with her training and her father’s health. Her dad also liked telling embarrassing stories about her to Slade.

  Slowing down on the street, she looked at house numbers. She had her earpiece in, which Sloan threatened dire consequences if she took it out. She wore a professional dress suit that Nicole gave her and a different choker with a small camera.

  “It’s the house with the fountain,” Jared’s voice echoed in her ear. “Black shutters.”

  Jill nodded, forgetting that they couldn’t actually see her. “Okay, I see it.”

  Pulling into the driveway, she parked behind a gorgeous blue Lexus. “Damn, no wonder George could afford to give me a two-hundred-dollar tip for his lap dance,” Jill whistled. “He’s loaded.”

  “He gave you what?” Slade growled in her ear.

  Cringing, Jill ignored him and reached for the portfolio case Sloan gave her to make her look more professional. Getting out, she straightened her suit. This time, Caroline had set her up with a short black bob wig. They wanted to make sure if Alice was involved, Jill wouldn’t be discovered. Her dark sunglasses also hid her mismatched eyes.

  Walking up the marble sidewalk, Jill whistled again. “Nice set up.” Juggling the portfolio, Jill rang the doorbell. Within seconds, the door opened. “Hey…”

  George shook his head, nodding backward mouthing ‘house may be wired’. “Right on time. Come on in.”

  “Thanks.” Jill nodded back, letting him know she understood. “This shouldn’t take too long. I know how busy you are.”

  “I have a few minutes.” He laughed and she could tell he was nervous.

  Walking into the kitchen, she laid the portfolio out on the table, opening it up. Fake plans were inside. “I’m going to leave these with you.”

  He picked them up, looking at them, then walked through the house indicating to Jill he also thought there were cameras, not just wired for sound; she was glad she had worn sunglasses. She followed him as he pointed out certain things. She nodded, agreed and played along. They actually made a pretty good team of lying their asses off.

  “I think this one is perfect.” He smiled handing it to her.

  Jill looked at it without seeing it. “Great choice. Just initial it here.” She pointed to the corner. After he was done, she slipped it in her case. “As soon as I get back to the office, I will make a copy and have it sent to you.”

  “That will work.” George walked out of the room for a moment, making Jill a little nervous.

  “Where the fuck is he going?” Slade’s tense voice sounded in her ear. “Keep your guard up, Jill.”

  “Listen, if you have the contracts and permits, I’ll take them now,” Jill called out as she closed up the portfolio, but her eyes stayed on the door he disappeared through.

  Finally, he came back in with a folder in his hand. “Sorry about that.” He handed her a large sealed envelope. “It should all be there, contract, permits and blueprints for electricians and plumbing.”

  “Great.” Jill opened the portfolio back up, sticking it inside, and then headed toward the door. “I will be in touch soon. Thanks for meeting me on such short notice.”

  “Not a problem.” George opened the door for her. “I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you.”

  Jill shook his hand, but froze when Jared’s voice sounded in her ear. “Fuck!”

  Looking up into George’s face, she knew something bad was about to go down. “What?” she hissed.

  “Limo pulling in the drive,” Jared responded.

  “George. Get that fucking look of horror off your face. I’m your decorator, nothing more,” she whispered with a smile. “Did they block me in?”

  “No,” he whispered back.

  Jill turned, her eyes going directly to the limo. Someone got out of the passenger side in the front. He was a big man with a military cut, his bulging muscles and a ‘fuck you’ attitude on his face. He scanned the area before opening the door. Jill gasped when she got a good better look at him. It was the man she drew, the man who took a shot at Jax.

  “What is it, Jill?” Slade’s voice was calm, immediately settling her.

  Turning to look back at George, she smiled up at him. “It’s the guy who took a shot at Jax. The man I drew. I know it is.”

  “Get out of there, now,” Slade hissed, but still remained calm.

  Jill turned, walking down the steps, flipping her hand up to wave goodbye to George. She made her way down the sidewalk.

  “Keep going, Jill,” Slade’s voice whispered in her ear.

  “We all have guns trained on these motherfuckers, especially the big Rambo-looking bastard. If we say run, you run your fucking ass off.” Sid’s voice was unnervingly calm.

  The Mayor climbed out of the limo, his eyes going to Jill first, then George.

  “Tom!” George smiled. “What a nice surprise, but what are you doing here?”

  “We have an important dinner we’re attending and want you to come.” The Mayor fixed his suit. “Sorry about the short notice.”

  “Someone else is in the limo, but I can’t ID.” Damon’s voice now echoed in her ear.

  Jill kept walking, hoping the Mayor would ignore her, but she just wasn’t that lucky.

  “And please bring your beautiful friend.” Tom Ferguson’s grin was lewd and made her want to gag.

  “Oh, no,” George laughed, sounding more relaxed. “I’m sorry. That’s my decorator. She just brought my final plans out for me to see.”

  “Mayor.” She didn’t know if the Mayor would recognize her voice, but she knew Alice would so Jill did her best to change it, adding a twang as she stuck her hand out. “It’s nice to meet the man I voted for.” Jill smiled, hoping that her fangs were well hidden.

  “Well, thank you, ma’am.” He winked at her, holding her hand a little longer than appropriate. “Why don’t you come with us? George never has a date and I’d like to get to know you better.”

  “Oh, I can’t do that.” Jill shook her head. “My boss would absolutely fire me if I went out with a client, but I thank you for the offer.”

  “Tom, will you please hurry up,” an all too familiar voice yelled from the limo. “Stop flirting with that woman and come on.”

  Jill’s head snapped toward the limo. That was a voice she would never forget. The large man moved slightly and her eyes met Alice’s.

  “Jill, don’t do anything stupid,” Sloan warned her. “Say your fucking goodbyes and leave.”

  Plastering a fake smile, Jill took her hand from his. “It’s really was nice meeting you, but I’m late for my last appointment.” She turned to look at George. “Mr. Groper, I will have these plans to you by the early part of the week if not sooner.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled and waved.

  Jill started back toward the car, but her eyes were on Alice. She was so fucking close she could take her out right now. Her hand tightened on the handle on her portfolio.

  “Jill, calm your breathing,” Slade ordered. “You’re almost there.”

  As soon as she reached her car, but before she could open the door, Alice opened her fucking mouth.

  “Hey, you.” She leaned toward the door looking at Jill. “Girl.”

  “Hey, dumb bitch,” the man snapped at her. “The lady is talking to you.”

  Cursing and growls fil
led Jill’s ear.

  Jill looked at the man before turning her attention on Alice. “I’m sorry. I was excited to meet the Mayor, never met one before.” Jill tried to sound like an airhead crushing on meeting a well-known political figure.

  “Jim, that was rude,” Alice cooed. “Apologize to the lady.”

  “Sorry.” He frowned at her, then looked away. Jill wanted to smack the arrogant dick with her portfolio.

  “Did I hear you are a decorator?” Alice looked at her fingernails then back to Jill.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jill nodded, wishing she could have just one second to redecorate the bitch’s face. “Are you in need of one?”

  Alice and the muscle head laughed together as if sharing a secret. “Not yet.” Jill watched the evilness she had seen in Alice before appear on her face. “But I’ll make sure I get your number from George.”

  “I appreciate the business.” Jill nodded, opening her car door. “You all have a nice evening.”

  Jill got behind the wheel, putting her portfolio on the front seat. Her eyes slowly rose only to see Alice still staring at her. Starting the car, she glanced to see the Mayor and George walk out with George wearing a nice black suit. Putting the car in reverse, Jill backed up onto the street. Taking one last look, her eyes met George’s as he got into the limo. “Please let me take the bitch out,” Jill hissed, a deep rage building inside her.

  “Jill, you need to put the car in drive and fucking go,” Slade’s voice echoed in her ear.

  Jill did just that and took off, her eyes watching in the rearview mirror as the limo pulled out, going in the opposite direction. As Jill turned onto the main road, the van with Slade and Sloan pulled up behind her, Jax at the wheel.

  Within twenty minutes, they were pulling into the compound. Jill parked, grabbed the portfolio and got out. Slade was there, opening her door. “You did awesome.” He smiled at her.

  Jill snorted. “I wanted to beat her ass.”

  “That’s what we were afraid of,” Slade chuckled, but then turned serious. “We took a photo off the camera to compare that man to see if it matches your sketch.”

  “I know it was him.” Jill handed him the portfolio.

  “Why are you giving me this?” Slade pushed it back at her. “This is your doing. You hand over the evidence.”

  Jill smiled, feeling excited that she was actually being treated like a true Warrior. It was a good feeling, a feeling of belonging. She may have found something she was actually good at. “Thanks.”

  “But please, take off that wig.” He glared at it with distaste. “Where in the hell does Lana and Nicole come up with these disguises?”

  Jill reached up, pulling off the wig. “I don’t know, but they’re pretty good at it.”

  They walked into Sloan’s office, but he was nowhere to be found. Jax sat texting. “Where’s Sloan?”

  “Guess he’s still outside. He got a call on his cell.” Jax glanced up at Jill. “You sure that was the guy from Caroline’s description?”

  Jill noticed he didn’t say his sister’s description, so she let it pass. “Yeah, I know it was.”

  A hardness settled across Jax’s face. “Should have taken the bastard out,” he growled.

  “You want to see my license?” Jill changed the subject; she knew how badly Jax wanted to kill the guy and knew why Sloan had probably stopped him from doing it.

  “Of course.” Jax reached out, taking it. “How did the parallel parking go?”

  “Not too bad. I didn’t hit the cones.” Jill took her license back examining it. “Does everyone’s license picture look as goofy as mine?”

  Sid snatched it out of her hands when he entered the room. “Not mine.”

  “Now, why doesn’t that surprise me?” Jill rolled her eyes. Opening the portfolio, Jill pulled out the envelope, laying it on Sloan’s desk. Sid handed her license back.

  “Good job today.” Sid nodded, his tone serious. “That could have been a bad situation, but you handled it like a Warrior should.”

  Jill beamed at the compliment. “Thank you.”

  Sloan arrived, heading straight for his desk. He eyed the envelope, but stuck a memory card into the computer then hit a couple of buttons. The printer buzzed in the quiet room. Grabbing Jill’s sketch, he laid it on his desk. He pulled the finished picture off the printer, laying them side by side.

  “Son of a bitch.” Jax, who had stood, slammed his hand on the desk after comparing the two pictures. “The bastard was right there!”

  “And there wasn’t a damn thing we could do without putting Jill in danger,” Sloan added, looking at the picture and sketch. “But we got the fucker now.”

  “Yeah, we sure do.” Jax studied the picture a little longer before sitting back down, his eyes black as night.

  Sloan seized the envelope and opened it. Thumbing through the contents, a large smile spread across his face.

  “You going to share?” Sid leaned in, trying to see what Sloan was looking at.

  Ignoring Sid, Sloan looked up at Jill. “Looks like I owe you an apology.”

  “Is it good?” Jill grinned, focusing on the papers scattered across his desk.

  “There is enough here to get Mayor Ferguson thrown out of office and into prison, along with Alice.” His grin widened. “There’s more, but I’ll have to go through it better, but it looks like we just hit the jackpot.”

  “That’s great!” Jill beamed, filled with pride at successfully helping her team.

  “Sounds like we owe George the Groper a steak dinner.” Sid shifted through some of the papers himself. “Damn, looks like our Mayor has some explaining to do.”

  “So does that mean George will become Mayor?” Jill also glanced at the papers, not really knowing what she was looking at.

  “Yes, I believe there’s a very good chance of that,” Sloan replied, making eye contact with her. “Excellent work.”

  “You know, I think George has a crush on you,” Sid winked at Jill. “You’d make a wonderful wife for Mayor Groper, Ms. Jillian Groper.”

  Slade growled, “Over my dead fucking body.”

  “Well, I mean, he did give her a two-hundred-dollar tip.” Sid shrugged. “He either really liked the lap dance or her, hell, maybe both.”

  “Yeah, about that.” Slade’s eyes turned to Jill. “You never told me he gave you a two-hundred-dollar tip.”

  Jill shot Sid a nasty look. “The girls said that was a pretty good tip on your first night, but normal with regulars.”

  “Yeah, well, you’ll never find out,” Slade warned with narrowed eyes, his fist clenching.

  “I guess if this Warrior stuff doesn’t work out, I can always fall back on stripping,” Jill mused, shrugging. “That is pretty good money.”

  “I think the doc has had enough, Jill.” Sid nodded toward him. “If that tick gets any more pronounced, he’s going to break his damn jaw.”

  Jill smiled, heading to Slade. Pulling him down toward her, she whispered in his ear, “I’d give you a lap dance anytime you want. You wouldn’t even have to tip me.”

  Slade’s eyes snapped to hers, then to Sloan. “We finished here?”

  Sloan, who was focused on the papers Jill obtained from George, waved them off. Taking Jill’s hand, Slade pulled her out of the office, leaving the laughter and whistles of the men in their wake. When she wasn’t moving fast enough, he picked her up and carried her up the steps.

  “The only lap you will ever dance on is mine,” He hissed into her ear sending delicious shivers throughout her body.

  Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

  Chapter 22

  The day finally arrived. She could become a Warrior. No. She was determined to think positively. She would become a Warrior, yet glancing around, she had a small tinge of doubt. She had never seen so many Warriors in one place and they definitely outnumbered the trainees. Her eyes met Slade’s briefly. He just gave her a nod of encouragement before scanning the crowd.

  She had been
doing the work of a Warrior; they all had, but after the initiation, she could earn the title. It was a surreal moment as she stood side-by-side with Adam, Steve and Dillon. Everyone was dressed in black combat clothes; the only difference was, Warrior trainees such as herself, had a vest with a large red X. Talk about standing out. Not all trainees were half-breeds. Actually, she’d only seen two others. Everyone had paintball guns, which she felt great relief about, because until that point, she wasn’t sure what would be used.

  An older man walked into the crowd, holding his hand up for silence. “In five minutes, the toughest test you will ever take will begin. You have one main objective: stay alive. The course is five-miles long. It may not seem like much to you, but throughout the course, you will have not only obstacles, you will also have highly trained Warriors hunting you. You are all teams of four. Once your whole team reaches the end, you have completed the course.” He regarded the trainees before continuing. “On the field, you have the hunters who are identified with a blue X on their vests, while the observers wear the white X. Each team will have one observer. If an observer says you are out, leave the field immediately with hands raised. Anyone with a black baseball cap is a medic.”

  “The rules are: there are no rules.” Once more, the older man looked around. “Each team has been given a confidential word. If you are captured, it is the job of the hunters to get that word from you. If they succeed, your whole team fails. Everyone knows the kill shots. Once you are hit with a kill shot, you leave the field. Each team has a different colored paintball and will be awarded twenty points for kill shots. If you end up shooting each other, it does not count.”

  A murmur went through the crowd. Jill looked at each of their Warriors. Slade, Jax and Duncan all wore a vest with a white X, indicating them as observers. Slade, of course, was the only one who wore a black baseball cap worn backward, indicating his role of medic, and he looked really hot. Who knew he’d look sexy as hell in a baseball cap. Jill jerked her attention back, trying to focus as she looked at Jared, Sid and Damon who wore a blue X. The other thing she noticed was she was the only female, and that was gaining her a lot of attention.