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“No. I’ll deal with him alone, Cole,” he said, patience running thin. “Don’t make me fight you, too.”
“Mark drives us, and I wait in the car downstairs. It’s the best I can do, Jasper.”
We were dressed and driving through the night within minutes. We gave needy and clingy a whole new definition in the backseat. Mark’s gaze through the mirror weighed on us, further darkening the interior like a shadow as we kissed, touched, and professed our love. We were so close, Jasper practically in my lap, but Mark maintained his professionalism, not raising a brow or saying a word. We no longer had to hide, so we wouldn’t, not for anyone, and we both needed our minds taken off the impending confrontation.
We pulled in front of Daniel’s high-rise, and I yanked Jasper’s t-shirt down, exposing the barbaric hickey sullying up his pale neck, before sending him off with a death-defying kiss. “Hurry back.”
Then I made calls as I waited, exploring my options for cutting Parker, Mitchell, andespeciallyWard loose.
Daniel
4 Years Ago
LIGHT TAPPING SOUNDSon my open office door. I look up from the contract I’ve been mulling over to find Jessica shutting us in, a stack of files cinched under her arm.
“Is that what I think it is?” I ask, neatly arranging my paperwork to the side, capping and returning my pen to its holder, tweaking its position to my satisfaction.
“Yes it is, Mr. Ward. The top three candidates from the pool of interns.” She places the manila folders in the space I’d cleared in front of me, then steps back, clasping her hands in front of her, shimmying in her heels from excitement. She makes an excellent co-conspirator.
“Well,” I say, folding my hands on my desk, “you know the routine. Do the honors.”
The best gift my father ever forced upon me was Jessica. He once told me to plot while the rest of the world slept. It is the one piece of advice I live by. I leave nothing to chance, and oftentimes, the little things are what make the biggest differences, which is precisely why while interns are no more than copy boys and errand girls to the other attorneys here at Parker Law, I view them as my ticket to the top. It’s all about making connections, aligning yourself with the right people, setting up the playing field in advance. The world is my chess board. I control the pawns.
“The first candidate is Michael Waterbee. My amateur sleuth skills didn’t get much of a workout with that one. The name pretty much speaks for itself.”
“The cookie heir, right?” I ask, reading through his test scores and whatever other personal details we weren’t privy to that Jessica was able to glean. She hums an affirmative, and I set the folder aside.
“Now, Abigail may come from humble beginnings,” she warns as I peruse her file next, “but she runs in some pretty elite social circles, she’s smart, and she’s dating a professional quarterback’s son—”
“Until they break up, as most young hopefuls do, and then he and his crew of silver spooners will leave her in the dust. Been there, done that, and failed, Jessica. No more charity cases.” With one candidate left, and positivity waning, I don’t bother opening it. I sit back in my chair, smoothing down my tie. “It seems the pickings are slim this year.”
“I’ve saved the best for last,” she says around a self-assured half grin, preparing to blow my mind. If only I were straight. We’d be an unstoppable match made in deceit.
With my enthusiasm now renewed, I open the final file, whispering the name at the top, “Jasper Des Moines,” but it doesn’t ring any bells. I angle my head at Jessica, waiting out her pause for dramatic effect. “Who is he?”
She pulls out the chair in front of my desk and takes a seat, crossing her legs, letting me know I wouldn’t be getting the short answer. “The surname Des Moines didn’t yield any paternal hits for him, but it did trace back to one Alexandria Des Moines of Austin, Texas, a poor baker’s daughter, first generation immigrants.” Jessica flicks a hand in a show of how unimportant Alexandria is to the grand scheme of things. “Alexandria gave birth to a son in 1951, Jasper Des Moines.”
I glance at the date of birth on the sheet of paper in front of me and conclude we’re speaking of an earlier Jasper Des Moines.
“Jasper Des Moines—the first, had a daughter twenty-nine years later, whom he named Selene Des Moines. Selene’s grandmother and father died concurrently when she was seventeen. The former in a hit-and-run accident, the latter from heart issues.
“Less than two years later, Selene welcomed a son, out of wedlock, whom she named Jasper—after her late father, but she gave the babyhisfather’s last name. Yorksman.” Jessica sits up, and I lean forward in anticipation, completely engrossed by her tale.
“Eight years later, the Des Moines family name is wiped completely from future history when Selene marries, and then adopts her new husband’s last name.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense, Jessica,” I say.
“Selene Des Moines becomes Selene Kincaid. Jasper took on the Kincaid surname, too, but must have changed it to his mother’s maiden name at some point.”
Open-mouthed, I scan every piece of information in front of me. “I won’t waste your time on stupid questions. There’s only one Kincaid who’d matter, and I’m guessing you’re smart enough to not wastemytime giving me a history lesson that leads to John Kincaid the legendary Grand Central Station shoe shiner.”
Peels of girlish laughter ring out, and I grin, impressed with myself. “No, sir. I’m referring to Franklin Kincaid of Nexcom Global. The richest man on American soil, the owner of one of the largest companies globally.”
“Well done, Jessica. Call our PI friend. Get me everything you can on all three,” I say, handing the files off to her. “No detail is too small. Have him cast a web out as far back as he can go. Any information that can be used will be. Put a higher priority tag on Jasper.”
Jasper
THE APARTMENT WASeerily quiet, and I took in what I could see of it with nauseating disgust. The usual scent of bleach and pine were no longer reminders of home for me. The tolerance I’d built up for the ever-present toxic fumes, as well as the other toxins in my life, were now gone.
