Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
“The forensics guy who helped you before?”
“Right. Jay and my brother as well.” Both of whom he also knows.
“Copy that. Your father’s hand hurts and it’s not helping him cope with this situation well. He’s losing his shit, Special Agent Love-Mendez.”
“I’ll handle him.” I disconnect and dial Tic Tac.
“I didn’t find anything. Whoever I’m looking for must know where the cameras are.”
“Hold on that. Find out what is going on now, and in recent past, at the governor’s mansion before I get there. I’m meeting Adams there. And apparently my father.”
“Holy wow, Batman. What the heck?”
“Exactly.” I hang up and by the time I’m on my feet, Jay and Jack are, too. Jeez. How do I have Jay and Jack and Kane and Kit? They’re trying to kill me with word puzzles and a word puzzle to me brings out the angry bitch in me, way more than everyday life.
“I’m going,” Jacks says excitedly. “I heard that. I’m going.”
“If you don’t have a question don’t waste air,” I say, and eye Jay, who says, “Assistant?”
“You’re not my bodyguard. You want a job, get used to the title, but with Jay and Jack at my side, be prepared to become an assumed couple.” I grab my field bag and head for the door.
Andrew is waiting on me. “What the heck is this?”
“Most likely someone isn’t happy he was elected. I’m sure not.” Jay and Jack join us and two waitresses rush out to hand us all hot cocoa.
I sip the hot sweet beverage and decide it might be a shitty day likely filled with nasty notes and my nasty father, but at least when it’s over, I will be able to say there was chocolate.
Chapter Eighteen
Considering how much of a bitch my little entourage keeps telling me I am, you’d think they’d keep their distance, and I’d be walking alone but nope. Nada. Not happening. We need a subway and I walk toward the next tunnel. My entourage keeps pace while fighting over who is on either side of me. When Jay and Andrew win, Jack steps in front of me and starts walking backward.
“Your father isn’t filming for his new administration in the mansion, right? Because the 1973 horror film The House of Seven Corpses was actually filmed at the real Utah governor’s mansion. It featured a movie crew making a film within the mansion.”
“Turn around before you end up getting beat up, Jack,” I order.
“The governor’s mansion is in Albany so where are we going?”
“You’re highly uninformed, Jack,” Andrew chimes in. “The state bought a luxury property at the new Greystone on the Hudson development last year. Occupancy began last year before this term.” And reading my intent, he adds, “Which is why we need a subway. A squad car can pick us up at the closest stop. And dude,” Andrew warns, “you’re really going to fall or hit—”
Jack crashes into someone, and as we all halt, I doubt I’m the only one who cringes at the big brute of a man now scowling at Jack. Jack faces him to apologize, and the stranger growls at him, curses, and then steps around him to hurry away. Jack got lucky. The guy clearly needs to be somewhere and had no time to beat his ass, in which case, I would have had to arrest, or stab, someone and I can’t guarantee it would not have been Jack. I point for Jack to move to the other side of Jay and with his chin tucked he does as commanded.
The group of us resume walking, leaving the offended man behind, but holy fuck, Jack’s a horror freak who always manages to be my own personal horror show. My life is “catching” killers, a description I use lightly since I tend to kill them, not arrest them, but either way, said killers are busy spinning webs of lies and chaos. I don’t need a distraction. I can’t afford a distraction, which is why Rich had to go and Kane does not. One could never understand I was at war with a monster every day of the week. The other has one foot in hell with me. If I don’t tolerate distraction in my bedroom, I darn sure won’t tolerate it outside. Decision made, I cannot hire Jack. Not a chance. Not ever. And I don’t like the way he showed up right when the note showed up. At all. Though I don’t suspect Jack of leaving that note, the very idea that I had a fleeting moment of uncertainty is a demonstration of the out-of-character paranoia that note stirred in me.
Andrew motions for Jay to fall back and the two of us pull ahead. “What do you know?” Andrew asks softly.
“Not much other than the police chief and my boss will be there. Correction. They are there. What did dad tell you?” I ask. “Anything?”