26 – Alex
I’d been a week since the wedding. A whole week since I had last seen Joey and I felt like shit.
My mood seemed to be in a perpetual state of annoyance. Every little thing seemed to set me off.
We couldn’t find anyone suspicious in the building, who would have been able to get into the security feeds and shut them. off, just to break into my office. Aoto had been stepping on everyone he could think of, to find out if there were other
connections
Yuka had been calling me every day to see if I had found anything and I was starting to worry he had faltering confidence in my abilities.
My intercom buzzed and I pressed the button. “Yeah, Suki?”
“Sorry to disturb you, sir, Mister Sinclair is here to see you.”
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, knowing I could only ignore Oliver for so long, and pressed the button again. “Thank you, send him in.”
I leaned back in my chair and stared at the door, waiting, knowing my best friend was about to walk in here and chew me a
new asshole.
The door pushed open, and Oliver stepped in, closing the door behind him. “Oh, so you’re finally not busy, huh?”
I grimaced and closed my eyes. I’d been avoiding everyone for the past week, except those I had to speak to, because of my foul mood. Most of them understood. I was a busy guy normally, but with the break–in, I had ramped everything up to an
eleven.
But Ollie.. he knew when I was avoiding people. We’d been friends since we’d been ten.
“Tm sorry, Ollie.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been sitting in this office, wallowing in your own self–pity, since you got back. Barking at anything that looks remotely like it could handle it. Not to mention you look like shit.” I opened my eyes and watched Oliver as he walked across the carpet and plonked his large frame into the seat opposite me. He was literally the only one in the clan, other than Yuka himself, who could speak to me like he did, and get away with it. “So, when is Alex coming back from Miami‘ I don’t like this Alexander douche.”
I raised an eyebrow, and a smirk came to Ollie’s face.
“You know, the one who seems to have a stick up his-”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it.“I sighed, earning a chuckle. I pushed my hand through my hair and grabbed the back of my neck, leaning forward to rest my elbows on the desk. “I am sorry. I’ve just been trying to figure out this break–in. Yuka seems like he is faltering in his confidence in my abilities and I just-
“Left your brain in Miami with Rosey.”
I hissed and closed my eyes. I’d been so busy; I hadn’t told him. “Joey.”
The room fell silent, and I opened my eyes and looked at my best friend. He frowned and scrunched his eyebrows together. “What?”
“Her name wasn’t Rosey. It was Jolene.” I saw confusion flit across Ollie’s features again. “Jolene Brewster.”
It took him a moment to realize what I was saying. But when he realized, his eyes went wide. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “I didn’t know who she was, until I saw her at the wedding on Saturday… but yeah. Rosey, the girl I met and fucked the night away with was Joey.”
Ollie let out a huge whoosh of air and sat back in the chair, staring at me. “You’re not kidding.”
I shook my head and Ollie copied me.
“Oh boy..
“Yeah, that about sums it up.” I replied. “Like of all the w
women I could meet and hook up with, it had to be her.”
“Does boy bastard know?” Ollie asked and I smirked at the name he kept calling my brother. While there was no second guessing he was my parents‘ child, born after they married, Ollie hated Jake and called him a bastard, from the moment
13
he’d found out what Jake had done to his sister.
Could you
imagine how that would have gone down? I would have had to put him in hospital ”
“Fuck no “And then you would have ended up in jail.
–
“Yep, and of course, then what? The cops would have done some digging, and tried to lean on me, when they found out who I work for.
“Wow. So, it sounds like you had a fucked–up time in Miami.” Ollie chuckled.
“Well, not entirely.” I replied, leaning forward, shuffling the papers in front of me, even though they didn’t need it. “I–I don’t regret sleeping with Joey.”
Ollie fell silent and I looked up at my friend, knowing what was coming. “Did you just stutter?”
“No.
“Uh, yes. You did.” Ollie leaned forward, peering at me and I stared at him. “Oh, my fucking god, you-
“I swear if you call me a simp, I will stab you
with my newest fountain pen
Ollie burst into laughter, tipping back his head and cackling like a deranged psycho. I rolled my eyes and sat back, waiting for him to finish. When he finally stopped laughing, he looked at me, wiping the tears in his eyes. “I wasn’t going to, but now you mentioned it, you are displaying all the signs. Holy shit.”
“Feel free to fuck off whenever you want. You know where the door is. Don’t let it hit your snapped halfheartedly and he burst into laughter again.
way out.” 1
massive ass on the way
“Oh my god. You have the same look to you, as when I met Jade. “I glared at my best friend, which caused him to laugh. again, and he slapped his thigh. “Oh, this is fucking gold!”
“Ollie.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Spoilsport Oliver sighed, leaning back in the chair, chuckling every now and then, until it was out of his system. But I knew it wouldn’t be out of his mind, and he would bring it up again at the most inappropriate time. “Well, I’ll change the subject then. We have a bit of a problem.”
I blinked. “What kind of problem?”
“Someone broke into the club early this morning.”
I stared at Oliver, not understanding what he said. “Excuse me?”
“Are your ears painted on? Seriously, Joey’s fucked with your brain.”
“Oliver.”
“Sheesh. I said someone broke into the club at about six this morning. After the cleaners left, but before the day staff came in to start for the day with Clan business. The cameras weren’t cut, like here, but they were sprayed over.”
I leaned forward. “Anything taken?”
“Nope. That’s the weird thing.” Ollie pushed a hand through his sandy hair and gripped the back of his neck. “They managed to get past the morning security, break in through the back door, and toss my office, but nothing was taken
“Just like they did here.”
“Yep.
I leaned back in my chair and looked at Ollie. “Aoto said he couldn’t find anything suspicious about the break–in here. No one stood out for him. Have him go over the personnel at the club too and see if anyone matches. If anyone has worked
both sites.”
“You still think this is an inside job?”
I lifted my hand, scratching my chin. “I don’t know, just… something doesn’t sit right with it. First my office, then your office.
at the club? Either they’re trying to gain information on Yuka or dig up dirt on the both of us.”
Ollie snorted “Why us? We’re angels.
I chuckled, dropping my hand. “We’re not that angelic, and you know it.”
“Yeah, you’d be lucky to see daylight again, with what you’ve done.” The smile faded from my lips and Oliver sighed. “Sorry
man.”
20–Alex
“Nah, it’s fine. I don’t regret what I’ve had to do to survive and keep you safe.”
“And I am eternally grateful, but we’re going to have to tread carefully, especially if they’re after either of us, not Yuka.”
