2

Jager

Just a few more clicks and one more password and the entire National Bank of Washington was in my hands. All five billion dollars would be mine in three…two…one…

I pressed one final key, and my laptop lit up. Hundreds of thousands of bank accounts scrolled across my screen, ready for the taking. Billions of dollars and a million ways to spend it.

I leaned back and smiled.

“Ah, fuck,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “And it only took you twenty minutes to do it.”

Roger Church was the CEO of the National Bank of Washington, and he rarely swore.

“If it makes you feel better, I was able to hack into CityLife Bank last week in only ten minutes.”

There was a pause and then Roger said, “Yes. Yes, that does make me feel a little better, Jager. So, what do we do to ensure this doesn’t actually happen to my bank?”

“I’ll send you my recommendations in the morning. It won’t take long to implement them. And in the meantime, I’ll set up a firewall for you. It should hold for a few days.”

“Thank you. And I’ll be sure to thank Senator Davis when I see him, since he was the one who recommended you.”

I would forever be in Senator Davis’s debt. Not for this recommendation, but for saving my life. “My pleasure, sir. Have a good night.”

I ended the call and keyed in the firewall I’d promised to Church. When that was done, I shut down my laptop and walked over to the mini bar at the back of my dining room. My apartment was much too big. I had a study, but I preferred to use the dining room to work. It felt more open, and I hated small spaces.

As I poured myself a finger of scotch, I thought about the fateful night I met Senator Davis. I’d been upset that day, and I released my frustration the best way I knew how—through hacking. Except, I aimed a little too high that night and broke into the U.S. Department of Defense. It started as a joke. I only wanted to enlist a fake person into the army, but unfortunately, one thing led to another, and I managed to open some pretty important documents and national defense plans. By daybreak, my entire family was awoken by the S.W.A.T. team, and I found myself staring at the other end of a barrel between my eyes.

I cooperated, of course, and after I explained what I’d done, I thought they would lock me up and that would be it for me and my future. Instead, Senator Davis offered me a job. Working for the Department of Defense.

Setting the glass on the other side of the dining room table, I booted up my desktop. Despite my 31 years of age, and countless hours in therapy, my favorite way to unwind was still loading a video game and fighting a death-stricken mummy.

I’d just reached the next level when my phone rang. “Hey, River. How are you, man?” I asked as I left my desktop in search of a late-night snack.

“Good. Good. How about you?”

“Oh, I can’t complain.” Well, I could, but that’s the sort of shit people said when they wanted to keep the conversation flowing.

I pulled out a loaf of sliced bread, then some cheese, tomato, lettuce, and turkey.

I was spreading some mayo on one of the slices when I heard a female voice in the background. “Go on. Ask him.”

River cleared his throat.

It didn’t take a therapist to realize that River was having a hard time spitting something out. “What is it? Do you need a favor or something? You don’t have to hesitate to ask.”

“It’s not really a favor. It’s more like a job opportunity. For you.”

“Ok.” I didn’t understand River’s hesitation. If he was recommending a job to me, why would he be uncomfortable about it? “What does the job entail?”

“There was a security breach at the offices of the new social media platform, Grapevine. The CEO is looking for around-the-clock detail until the police can figure out what’s going on.”

That didn’t sound too complicated. “Sure. I can look into that. When does he want to start?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I know it’s last minute, but I need the best guy on this.”

I chuckled. “I didn’t realize you were that close with the CEO.” Chewing off a bite of my sandwich, I waited for River to make some glib comment back.

“Lizzie works there.”

Ah. “Oh, I get it now.”

After a pause, he added, “And Bianca.”

I nearly choked on a piece of turkey.

That was when I understood his hesitation. Bianca Rimoli was River’s sister and my ex-girlfriend. We had come to blows over her. When River found out I was dating his sister, he made it clear he was not going to let it happen.

I coughed out a chunk of bread and managed to squeeze an “oh” through my throat.

The feminine voice continued, “Tell him.” I realized this was Lizzie and wondered how much she knew of the situation.

“Bianca doesn’t know that I’m calling you right now.”

“Ok.”

“She hired another bodyguard, and Lizzie tells me the guy isn’t working out, but Bianca won’t budge. I don’t want some stupid adolescent drama to cost me the lives of my girlfriend and sister.”

“I understand.”

“So, will you do it?”

I put the sandwich down, having lost my appetite. My stomach knotted, and I closed my eyes. How would it feel to see Bianca again after all these years? Was her brown hair long and her temper still short? Did she still love the first snowfall, or did she prefer the summer now?

“Will Bianca be all right with this?”

“I don’t know. It was a long time ago. She’s never mentioned you since.”

A muffled voice interrupted River, but he pressed on. “I’m pretty sure she’s moved past it.”

Pretty sure, huh? Well, I guess I was about to find out.

“Text me the address. I’ll be there in the morning.”

“Thanks, man.”

“I don’t know if you should be thanking me yet. If I remember your sister, there will be hell to pay for going behind her back.”

“Yeah. But at least she’ll be safe and I can live with that.”

Me, too.

“Talk to you later, River.”

Returning to my desktop—my sandwich forgotten—I continued my game. Some of my friends were online, and we chatted while we killed mummies. My mind went blank, and I didn’t think of the past or what had happened. Before I climbed into bed that night, my only thought was what would it be like to see her again?

*

It took me twenty minutes to drive from my Park Avenue penthouse to Grapevine’s head office. It took me less than five minutes to walk past the security guard stationed at the entrance, ride the elevator to the tenth floor, and reach the CEO’s desk without having one person stop me. For a company that was under threat, it was at best humiliating. At worst, deadly.

A white-haired man sitting at the desk with two panels of windows behind him asked, “Who are you?”

I surveyed the office. I’d located a layout of the building last night in my research, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a hidden room just behind that bookshelf.

“A potential assassin, for all you know,” I said as I walked closer to the bookshelf.

“Excuse me?”

I ignored his question and placed my hand on the wooden shelves, looking for a lever.

“Steven! Get the hell in here,” shouted Towers.

A tall, muscular man with a neck the size of my thigh ran into the room. He wore a black suit and tie, and I shrugged. At least the man looked the part.

“How did this guy get in here?” asked Towers.

Steven looked at me and then at the open door behind him. He wavered back and forth, stuttering before finally spitting out, “I don’t know, sir.”

I stuck out my hand. “Mr. Towers, I presume?”

Hesitantly, he shook it. “Who the hell are you?”

“The name is Jager Payne and I’m a bodyguard. One of your employees said you are in dire need of security detail after an unfortunate delivery incident.”

The hulk of a man stepped forward. “Thanks, my guy, but as you can see, Mr. Towers already has a bodyguard.” He smirked.

I gave him a wide smile, then turned to Mr. Towers. “As I said, you’re in desperate need of security detail, and as luck would have it, I’m free to take this job.”

The bodyguard cracked his knuckles behind me. “What the fuck, man?”

When I ignored him, he reached for my neck, presumably to throw me out, but I caught his wrist and squeezed a familiar tendon that would shoot pain up to his skull. I twisted the arm behind his back and whispered harshly in his ear.

“I reached my target in less than five minutes of entering the building. You’ve installed no new cameras or security devices and on the first attempt at apprehending a would-be assassin, you find yourself in an armlock. I suggest you leave now before I show you what I can do with my pinky.”

The man’s chest heaved, and spit formed at the corners of his mouth, but he didn’t respond.

Dumbfounded, Mr. Towers picked up his phone while still staring at the two of us.

“Janis. Call the front desk and let them know that Mr. Jones will be leaving soon. Thank you.”

“I’ll escort him out myself, sir. If that’s all right with you.”

Mr. Towers nodded, and I ushered the man toward the elevator. A few heads peeked out from the glass offices as we made our way down the corridor. People whispered and others scurried to get a closer look.

“You can let go of me now,” the man said through gritted teeth.

“Only if you promise to behave.”

He grunted noncommittally, so I held him until we reached the elevator where I felt he could harm no one in there.

After escorting Mr. Jones to the front of the building, I left strict instructions with the guard that he was not allowed back in. “And you are?” the guard asked.

“Your new boss.”

He glanced back at the previous bodyguard standing outside on his phone and probably figured he didn’t want to lose his job as well, so he nodded. “All right.”

By the time I returned to the tenth floor, a crowd had formed outside Mr. Towers’ door. At least a dozen faces turned when the elevator doors opened. Then, just as quickly as I’d seen them, they were gone, scattering like leaves as soon as they saw me approach.

They all returned to their cubicles and offices, except for one. The redhead lingered by the door and raised her hand in salute as I drew near.

“Hey, Jager.” She smiled. “Glad to finally meet you.”

“Lizzie?” I asked and when she nodded, we shook hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“I’m happy to help.”

She looked behind me. “Bianca isn’t here yet. She had a meeting outside of the office this morning.”

Bianca’s name wasn’t a surprise. I knew she would be here, but hearing it still made my chest constrict a little.

“Lizzie! Do you know this man?” Towers shouted from his desk.

Lizzie widened her eyes in mock annoyance, but pasted a smile on her face. “I do, sir. He owns the best security company in the country. They’ve protected governors, pop stars, you name it.”

“All right, Mr. Payne. I’ll give you a shot.”

I hid my grin behind my hand to allow the man the dignity of thinking he had a choice in the matter. I coughed. “Thank you, sir. Glad to be of service. Now, I’ll need a few minutes of your time to go over some new rules and security measures I’ll be implementing over the next few days.”

“I’ll leave you two to your chat,” said Lizzie, and left.

Mr. Towers motioned to the seat in front of his desk, and I politely took it, although I didn’t mind standing.

“Effective immediately, only employees will be allowed inside the building. I will install thumbprint scanners at the door. There will be no visitors until this situation is handled. If your employees have a meeting, they are to take place outside of the office. Any meetings with you will have to go through me first. I will do a background check on the individuals before admitting anyone in.”

Mr. Towers nodded. I was pleased he was taking the threat seriously.

“Second, all packages will be put through a scanner at the entrance. I will hire a man to check the packages before any are delivered to the offices. What happened three days ago will not happen again. I promise you that.”

Towers nodded and folded his hands on his desk. “That all sounds great.”

“Good. Now—”

I heard her voice down the hallway. I don’t know what she said, but she laughed, and I would recognize that sound anywhere.

“Now?” Mr. Towers prodded.

I cleared my throat. I thought back to what I was going to say, but I’d completely lost my train of thought.

“Mr. Payne? Are you alright?”

I blinked. “Yes, sorry. I just had a thought, but we can discuss it later. For now, let’s get started on those fingerprints.”

I pushed off the chair and reached the doorway in two strides. My eyes immediately searched the hallway. It didn’t take long to find her. She leaned against a cubicle wall several feet away, wearing a tight black skirt, a loose white blouse, and three-inch black heels. She pushed her long brown hair away from her face and tucked a loose strand behind her ear. It quickly escaped, and she flipped her hair to the other side.

Bianca laughed again, and I was transfixed. I couldn’t move. I could only stand there and watch her like some sort of creep.

She must have felt my stare because I hadn’t made a sound, but she turned in my direction. That was when our eyes locked.

Those golden-brown eyes stared at me and my heart pounded in my chest. Each beat grew faster with every passing second. Sweat gathered at my nape and my left eye twitched. I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands, annoyed that I didn’t know what to do next. I had wondered what it would be like to see her again. Now, I knew.

It was torture.

I never planned what I would do next. I didn’t think of the words that could smooth over a decade of absence. How did one greet one’s ex after not having seen them in more than ten years?

She turned back to the colleague she’d been chatting with and said a few words. Then she squared her shoulders, tossed back her hair, and walked toward me.

I was about to find out.