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He didn’t refer to it as the penthouse or the safehouse, but home. I knew it was probably a silly thing to fixate on, but the word made the butterflies in my stomach take flight.
I sat down on the couch facing the busy street below. I couldn’t get over the view. Traffic looked miniscule, people walking along the street like ants. Jesse didn’t pay it much mind. I assumed it was because he was so used to being this high that it wasn’t as fascinating to him anymore.
The glass doors leading into his office swung open. The man who entered didn’t bother to knock. The second I laid eyes on him, I understood why. He looked almost exactly like Jesse. The same dark eyes, same dark hair. A little smaller and less muscular, but just as tall and present. He wasn’t dressed as formally as Jesse, opting for a pair of dark blue jeans and a tight black shirt. Several ID badges dangled around his chest on a Pegasus Star Security lanyard.
“About time you got here,” he grumbled, marching over with his laptop. He set it down on Jesse’s desk, turning the screen toward him. “Alright, so I pretty much had to restructure the mainframe from scratch. Whoever you hired to do this work before me was abysmal—”
Jesse cleared his throat, tilting his head in my direction. “Devin, this is Vivian Jones. Vivian, this is my younger brother, Devin White.”
I gave him a polite wave from across the room. “Hello, Devin. It’s nice to meet you.”
Devin looked me over, squinting. His scrutiny was unnerving. After a few moments he said, “Nice to meet you, too.” He returned his attention to the laptop screen, consumed with his work once again. “Were you aware that someone tried to hack into the firm’s server last month?”
Jesse frowned. “No. I didn’t receive any alerts. Did they get anything?”
“No, lucky you. They tried to breach but were unsuccessful. The failsafe I installed booted them out before they could try again.”
Jesse grunted. “The guy I hired before you reallywasabysmal.”
“Good thing you have me.”
“Yes, yes. Pat yourself on the back a little harder.”
“You could just thank me by giving me a raise.”
“No.”
“You didn’t even think about it.”
“Don’t have to.”
Their back and forth was amusing. I observed quietly from my spot, listening to them talk about… whatever. Something super techy and out of my area of expertise. Jesse had no problem keeping up with all of Devin’s jargon. At least, it looked like he was. Maybe he was just really good at pretending.
Either way, he was fascinating to watch. The concentration. The poise. The confidence imbued in the way he stood. He owned the room. In fact, he owned the whole damn building. This was a man in his kingdom, in his element. Seeing him at his place of work, I was finally offered a glimpse of a shark in open waters.
There was a knock at the door. Jesse was obviously one hell of a busy man. It suddenly made sense why Wally said he was always at work. Something or someone constantly demanded Jesse’s attention.
Another large man entered the office at Jesse’s beckon. Behind him was a young woman, probably only a few years older than me, with a baby strapped against her chest in a carrier. A boy followed close behind.
“Glad to see you’re still alive,” the man said with a chuckle, voice deep and booming. “When Devin told me you were away from the office, I thought you were sick or dying.”
Jesse rolled his eyes but clapped his friend on the shoulder. “I never get sick.”
“Hi,” the woman said to me. She had a very sweet smile. “I’m Ava.”
I rose and shook her hand. “I’m Vivian. It’s lovely to meet you.”
“Where are my manners?” Jesse said quickly. “Vivian, this is my second in command, Theo Phillips. And this is his wife, Ava, and my favorite niece and nephew, Cassie and Cory.”
The boy smiled. “We’re youronlyniece and nephew.”
Jesse ruffled the kid’s hair. “Such a smarty pants.”
“Do you work here, too?” Ava asked me.
I shook my head. “Oh, no. I’m, uh…” I wasn’t too sure how to bring up the fact that I accidentally uncovered the money laundering efforts of a dangerous cartel to her. She seemed like a nice lady, and I didn’t want to freak her and her children out by saying the wrong thing.
Ava tilted her head to the side and smiled gently. “It’s okay. I understand. I’m no stranger to being under a protection detail.”
