by A. L Long
Even though it was dark the streetlights provided enough light to see that she had been hit it in the face, and more than once. Her eye was slightly swollen and was beginning to bruise and there was a small cut on her upper lip. The only thing I could think about was getting her to a safe place as quickly as possible. Lifting her in my arms, I carried her to my car. Without releasing her from my clutches, I managed to get the passenger door open before gently lowering her onto the seat.
I had no idea why she had reached out to me, but I was thankful that she had. As soon as we were safely at my place, there were some questions that she would need to answer, but for now all that mattered was getting her away from Colin, who I was sure was the cause of her injuries.
Shifting the car into drive, I turned the wheel and began heading in the direction from which I came. The quicker I got out of here, the better it would be for both of us. Looking in the rearview mirror, a sigh of relief escaped upon seeing that no one was following us. I knew that the minute Colin found out that she was gone, he would be looking for her. I could tell that Tessa was anxious about getting far away from Colin by the way she was biting her nails and shifting her body so that she could look out the rear window.
Pulling her hand away from her face, I gazed over to her. “It will be okay, Tessa. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“You don’t know Mr. Colin. He is a very powerful man. He will stop at nothing to find me,” she asserted.
“Let me worry about Colin.”
I wasn’t sure if what I said comforted her, but she did seem to relax a little. She was no longer biting her nails and it had been at least ten minutes since she looked out the rear window. With her face turned toward the passenger window, even then I could tell that the swelling on her eye was becoming more noticeable. My anger was getting the best of me and before I exploded completely, I had to find out who did this to her, even though I was pretty sure it was Colin.
“Tessa, is Colin the one who did this to you?” I asked point blank.
“I shouldn’t have talked back to him. He hates it when I talk back.”
“He had no right to hit you. No man has the right to hit a woman,” I stated firmly.
“But if they misbehave they need to be punished, and Mr. Colin said I needed to be punished.” she replied hesitantly.
“What has he done to you, Tessa?” I questioned. It wasn’t a direct question to her, but to myself. I was angered that a man could have so much control over a sweet, innocent woman.
Out of nowhere, she stated defensively, “I would have died if it hadn’t been for Mr. Colin. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea calling you.”
“Why did you call me?” I interjected, my curiosity taking over.
“You were the only name I recognized under his contacts,” she admitted.
Reaching the parking garage to my building, I pulled into my spot and looked over to Tessa. “Let’s get some ice on that eye.”
Tessa didn’t say a word. I brushed it off to her being aware of my feelings towards Colin. Even though I had only known him for a year, I knew exactly what kind of man he was. He was ruthless and only did things for others with an ulterior motive in mind. Just as he did with me. Just as he did with Kyle, and now with her. The only difference was, I didn’t know what his game was with Tessa. What could she possibly offer him? A light finally came on. He wanted her to command; his little fuck toy.
When we reached my apartment, the first thing I did was grab a small bag and fill it full of ice. Leading Tessa over to the couch, I waited until she took a seat before I applied the cold bag to her left eye. She flinched a little before accepting the comfort that the ice provided. Knowing that I wasn’t going to let her go back to Colin, I decided to make sure that the guest room was ready for her. Standing to my feet, I looked down at her and said, “It’s late. I’m going to get your room ready. Tomorrow we will need to talk.”
Leaving her on the couch, I headed down the hallway to my room to grab a shirt before heading to the guest bedroom. I didn’t think I was gone long, but it was long enough for her to contact Colin to let him know where she was. When he showed up at my door, it didn’t surprise me that her loyalty to him was deeper than I thought. Either that, or she was terrified of him and what he might do for leaving.
Eye to eye we were staring at each other when Colin said sharply, his ice-cold eyes piecing mine. “I’ve come to gather Tessa and take her home.”
“I’m not going to let you anywhere near her. You will never hurt her again” I cursed.
“I suggest you rethink your position, London. It appears that Tessa has become a little confused. Her fall must have clouded her memory,” he threatened.
Before I could say another word, Tessa was behind me tugging on my arm. As I gazed down at her, I could see it in her eyes, she was more than terrified of this man. I thought for sure she had called him to come get her, but when she said, “It’s no use. He will always find me,” I knew that she hadn’t.
Handing me my jacket, she walked past me and out the door. Colin placed his arm tightly around her as they walked away. It was when she looked back at me that I knew she was now in survival mode. The only thing I could do was watch her being led away. As much as I wanted to go after her, I knew I needed to stay put when Colin called out over his shoulder, “You have four days, London, to complete the job. Maybe you should focus on that.”
~*~*~*~
Looking out the living room window as the sun began to rise, all I could think about was Tessa and the look on her face as she entered the elevator. If ever there was a scared woman, it was her. I could have kicked myself in the ass for not standing up to Colin and protecting her from him. I might have been stopped by his two goons that were waiting down the hall. It was unfortunate that I never got the chance to find out as they all entered the elevator before I could get to them.
Pushing to my feet, I walked over to floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out over the city as it began to come alive. It was times like these that I wished the city would just swallow me up so that I could just disappear again. If it wasn’t for Tessa, a woman that I hardly knew, but felt an overwhelming desire for, I would be doing just that.
Tucking my thoughts in the back of my mind for the time being, I walked to my office where I knew a manila envelope would be waiting for me. Colin had clearly reminded me that I only had four days to complete the job that he had given me. Even though he requested that the subjects be extinguished, I was very careful to make sure that they disappeared, at least, that was, until my last job. When Colin mentioned, “No more mishaps,” I hoped that he was referring to Jeffries’ body being found and not the fact that I didn’t follow through with killing him.
As I emptied the contents onto my desk, I began going through the documents to figure out why it was so important for Colin to see this man dead. His name was Jonathan Evans, aka Viktor Sokolov. Born in 1964, raised in the United States as a Russian immigrant until his parents gained their citizenship in 1975. He was in and out of trouble since the age of fifteen and now appeared to be a co-partner of a textile company. There wasn’t anything in the documents that gave a red flag that this gentleman was a threat to Colin. Then again, no one that Colin requested be killed appeared to be a threat.
Picking up his picture, there was something familiar about this man, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was as though I had met him before. Studying his picture, I was giving myself a headache trying to remember if I ever had. It had to have been the lack of sleep that was making me so uptight about him. Instead of torturing myself, I decided to dig a little further into this guy’s history. Booting up my laptop, I entered my password and waited for my wallpaper to appear.
Entering “Jonathan Evans” into the search engine, I waited as the information on him began downloading. Clicking on one of the links, I sat patiently as the information appeared. It was amazing all the information you could find out about a person on the Internet. My eyes stayed g
lued to the screen as I read every sentence. It was beginning to make more sense why this man seemed so familiar. Even more so, it made sense why Colin wanted him dead. What I couldn’t understand was why he waited so long and why he hadn’t taken care of Jonathan Evans himself.
Shutting down my computer, I took the information I had written down on a sticky note and headed to my bedroom to change clothes. There was no way that I could kill this man. If anything, I needed to protect him and make certain that no one could find him, specifically Colin. I also needed to let Jonathan know the truth about what he had been hiding. I only hoped that I was doing the right thing.
~Five~
The warehouse that was the home of Evans’ textile business was a little more than what I expected. By the looks of the building, he was doing very well for himself. I never knew that weaving a couple of threads together would be such a booming business. Parking my car in the “Customers Only” parking area, which was located a short distance from the entrance, I began heading towards the glass double doors that were surrounded by even more glass to make an impressive entry into the building. What was even more impressive was the reception area that greeted me once I opened the door.
Approaching the young girl that was seated behind a tall counter, I rested my hands against the marble surface and waited until she was finished with her call. While I waited for her to finish, I studied the rest of the space. The waiting area was nicely put together with large leather chairs that rested on an expensive-looking rug exhibiting a contemporary look. Magazines were neatly stacked on accent tables that were tastefully placed in between some of the leather chairs. On a high glass table, a large glass water dispenser was filled with sliced oranges, which sat next to a fancy silver coffee carafe accompanied by white porcelain cups. If that wasn’t over the top, there was an assortment of pastries for customers to help themselves to.
Turning back to face the young girl behind the counter, I was given a welcoming smile. “Welcome to Criss Cross Industries, how can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Jonathan Evans,” I responded candidly.
“Can I tell him who is here to see him?” she asked sweetly.
“Xavier London.”
“Please make yourself comfortable, Mr. London, while I let him know you are here.”
Heading to the inviting waiting area, I took a seat. Picking up a new issue of Sports Illustrated, I began skimming through the pages while I waited to see him. After getting through the first few pages, the young receptionist came over. “Mr. London, Mr. Evans will see you now. Please follow me.”
As I began following her, I took in more of my surroundings. After ascending a flight of stairs, I was led down a short hallway until the young girl stopped and knocked lightly on a closed door. When a strong voice sounded on the other side, giving us permission to enter, she opened the door and allowed me to step past her. Just like the waiting area, Jonathan’s office was over the top. The walls were covered in abstract art created with fabrics of different textures. Joining them were gorgeous models wearing what appeared to be designer clothes. My guess would be that Criss Cross provided the material to create them.
Moving closer to where Jonathan sat, it was even more evident that he was related to Tessa as he suggested that I take a seat by holding out his hand. My hunch was confirmed when I spotted a picture on the corner of his desk of a little girl with the same hair color as Tessa and the same beautiful eyes.
Holding out my hand, I introduced myself, “Mr. Evans, my name is Xavier London and we really need to talk.” His eyes met mine with a confused look as I continued. “Do you know a man named Colin Gates?”
The confused look turned to rage at the mention of his name. He immediately stood from his seat and circled his desk. “Mr. London, I’m not sure what your game is, but this conversation is over.”
“Just hear me out,” I replied, feeling inferior to him while sitting.
When I stood up so that I was at the same level, he offered, “You have five minutes.”
“I’m going to go with my gut feeling that you are an honest man. So, my question to you is, do you know what the reason would be that Colin Gates would want to see you dead?” I asked bluntly.
“Colin Gates is a ruthless man. He took everything from me. Do you know how long it has taken me to build a reputable company after he destroyed it?” Jonathan began. “He was my partner until I found out that he was using the business as a front to export his drugs. When I threatened to turn him in, he took everything I had, even my only child. Tusya was my world.”
“Is that why you changed your name?”
“I had no choice. It was the only way I could start over.”
“So, you have no idea where your daughter is?”
“I know exactly where my daughter is. She is buried somewhere beneath the Pacific Ocean.”
With what Jonathan just disclosed to me, I decided to hold on to what I knew about his daughter a little longer. The last thing that I needed was for him to get himself killed in the process of finding her. My only concern now was to make sure he was safe until I could bring them together. “You aren’t safe, Jonathan. Somehow we need to get you out of LA and somewhere secure.”
“I can’t just leave my business. I have orders to meet.”
“I suggest you find someone that you can trust to run your business while you’re gone. You have three days.”
~*~*~*~
When I left Criss Cross Industries, I knew that I had my work cut out for me. If I was right about the kind of man Jonathan Evans was, he wouldn’t hesitate to find a way to go after Colin even after everything Colin did to him. More importantly, if he knew that his daughter was still alive and with Colin, it would be the tipping point to act on it. This alone was reason enough to find a place to keep him safe until I could figure out how to get Tessa away from Colin. It was going to take some doing on my part.
Taking a chance, I decided to head to Colin’s home in Woodland Hills and make up some excuse to see him so that I could get a better idea of his security. Since it was early enough in the day, I was confident that he would still be around. Heading out on Hwy 101, it was going to be at least a forty-five minute drive with the traffic I was sure to encounter before I got there. I could have taken an alternative route, but it would only delay my arrival.
My timing couldn’t have been better. Just as I pulled up to the gate, one of Colin’s drivers was heading out. Stopping long enough to watch him pass, I glanced over to see that the back window was moving downward. There was no mistake who was occupying the back seat. Sitting in all his arrogant glory was Colin dressed in a designer suit.
Trying to compose my anger, I lowered my window and said, “We need to talk.”
When I heard him command, “Paul, turn the car around,” I drove through the open gate and headed down the short driveway, making sure that Colin was close behind.
Parking in front of the house, I turned off the engine and waited for his driver to pull up. When Colin stepped out of the car, I wasn’t sure how I could have missed Tessa sitting beside him. As she got out of the car, her head was low, seemingly trying to avoid eye contact with me. There was something strange going on with her and I knew that Colin was behind it.
Looking around the property, I could see that there wasn’t any security to speak of. There were no additional men on the ground and it seemed that the only security cameras were located by the entrance gate. This was a good thing for me. Getting Tessa away from Colin would be a lot easier than I thought. I just needed to find a way to get inside without being seen. There had to be a way, especially since Tessa was able to get outside the gate unnoticed.
Following Colin up the steps, my eyes were pinned on him as I watched him take hold of Tessa’s arm. I almost jumped between them when Tessa pulled her arm from his hold. I had a funny feeling that later she would be paying for her animosity towards him.
As we entered the house, I took note of my surroundings. The e
ntrance expanded to an open area with a wide staircase to the right leading to the second floor. The entrance floor had marble tile with a diamond-shaped design centered in the middle of the room consisting of different variations of black and gray. To the left of the entrance was a large living area, decorated in darker tones of browns and tans. The décor, although very masculine, was appealing to the eye. Heading into the large room, I quickly scanned the length of the hallway adjacent to the staircase, which I assumed led to the kitchen or dining area. Watching Tessa head up the stairs, my main concern at that point was the upper floor. To get a better look around, I needed to come up with an excuse to leave the living room.
Before our conversation began, I faked having a coughing attack, which would allow me to excuse myself.