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Selfishly, I’d enjoyed spending time with Rick and taking care of a few light jobs to break him into what I do. I had to admit, he took to it all surprisingly well.
Now, it was time to start the hunt back up for Red Death. Fletcher just happened to be the person who could help me do that.
I’d done some asking around, and though he was interacting on the fringe of the Network, he wasn’t actually part of it. Which made it all more interesting that Dion lost clientele to him. If I hadn’t come for him that day, others would have.
The Network had its own honor code and we didn’t stray from our contacts without very good reason, and those reasons usually resulted in death to keep our secrets.
That Fletcher wasn’t fully submerged in the Network was also perfect. He wouldn’t have any loyalty or partnerships I’d have to worry about.
“I need to call Fletcher.” I tried not to smile as Rick clenched his jaw. “I need him to do another job for me, and it requires him to come here. But don’t worry, if he ever reveals our location, you can kill him.”
The blinding smile that Rick shared with me momentarily stole my breath. I hated using that as an incentive, but if Fletcher proved to be anything other than what I knew he was, which was trustworthy, then he became a liability.
We headed inside and slipped our shoes off at the door. Then Rick helped me pull out anything of value from the study and cart it up to my room. I never made a habit of leaving incriminating information unsecured, but even still, with Fletcher’s sharp mind, something I might not consider important could tell a hell of a story to a man like him.
Once it was as barebones as I could make it, I sat down in the desk chair and dialed his number. It rang four times before a huffing Fletcher came over the line.
“Why Drew, I didn’t think you’d miss me this quick.” The smile in his voice tightened my nipples. I ignored it.
“I have another job for you, but this one requires something different than before.” Then because I couldn’t stop myself, I asked, “Why are you out of breath?”
He chuckled and another burst of warmth unfurled in my stomach. “I figured it was time for a little remodel. Maybe I’ll sell this condo and get something new. A change of scenery, you know. What’s the job?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here, but you’ll be coming to my place.”
Rick came around the desk and rested his ass against it. He never intruded, but I also hadn’t exactly asked him to leave and he was capitalizing on that. I ran my fingertips over his thigh closest to me until he caught my hand and threaded his fingers through mine.
“Oh perfect! Remember when I said the next job would require a different type of payment?”
I narrowed my gaze on the desk. “Yes…”
“Don’t sound so suspicious. It’s nothing dangerous. Let’s just call it a favor of sorts.” Fletcher was enjoying this way too much. I could end the call now, except curiosity was licking at my spine. Just what could Fletcher Reed need that couldn’t be gotten by paying in hard cash? “What’s your address?”
“What’s your requested payment?” I countered.
“You wound me, Drew.” Something banged in the background and what hum had been present ceased abruptly. I traced my thumb along Rick’s hand as I tried to identify the various sounds or lack of them.
If I had to guess, it sounded like equipment had been powered off. A lot of equipment.
“You almost sound like you don’t trust me.” He huffed out another breath. Something crashed and I frowned. “But, since I like you so much—” Another crash. “—I’ll just be straight with you, yeah?”
“That would be preferable,” I murmured. “Yes. Do you need a moment?” And was someone there actually trying to hurt him? I was too far away to help him immediately, but if he could hold out…
The shatter of glass breaking was far more audible.
“No,” he said in between pants. “I’m almost done. I’m going to need a place to lay low for a bit. I’m also going to need to rebuild a couple of my systems. Don’t worry about the latter part, I can afford that.”
“Is there an immediate threat?” I stood, releasing Rick’s hand and he was a half step behind me, but when I locked gazes with him all I read in his eyes was intense concern.
“Aww,” Fletcher paused on that note. “You do care.”
Rick growled.
“And the big guy is there, too.” Laughter punctuated the sentence, though it carried more worry than humor just based on our past three interactions. Something was definitely wrong. “No, Drew, I’m safe enough for the moment, but I need to go off the map and I need to rebuild my bolt hole, as it were. I promise, I’m not bringing trouble to you.”
Oddly, I didn’t mind if he was bringing it to me. I specialized in trouble and monsters. “Do you need an escape hatch or can you get here?”
Mentally, I was halfway to the car already but instinct cautioned me to wait. Particularly since my first reaction was to eliminate whatever might be threatening Fletcher. I needed more information than, it was just a threat.
