“Genesis.”
“I’ll send you a text when I get to the airport. I’ll be leavin’ Jag’s in a couple hours. Meet me at Law afterwards and we’ll have dinner and talk.”
“I’ll be there.”
***
Jessa leaves a while later and finally Jag and I are alone.
“Fuck,” I rake my hands through my hair. “What a weekend.”
“Yeah. I imagine,” he says calmly, pulling out a box of cigars and opening them. “My woman will love you forever if my sister moves back to Portland. Though, we might be comin’ back, too. I get more business there than here and things aren’t going so well with her new job.” He holds the box out.
I take one and put it to my nose.
“It’d be good to have you back,” I say. “Miss kickin’ yer ass in racquetball. What’s wrong with Jem’s job?”
“Too much to get into, but bottom line, Portland might make more sense.”
“You think your sister will keep her mouth shut about Iadanza?”
“She’s not stupid. You don’t have to worry, man. You know what you’re doing about him?” he asks. “In case he spills to the cops?”
“I had all evidence of him being at the house removed. If the company that was recommended to me is as good as I hear, even if the cops do come, there’ll be no trace.”
He smiles. Light in his eyes.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothin’.”
“And he’s got no credibility. Plus I had a contingency plan, so I’m workin’ that now.”
“That’s all you’re gonna give me?” he asks.
I shrug. “For now.”
“So, what business you wanna talk to me about?” Jag asks, passing me a book of matches.
“Smoke this on the balcony?”
“Naw, here’s good.”
“Your woman won’t have a shit fit?”
“She only has a shit fit when it involves my sister. My life’d be a fuck-ton simpler if those two would get along.” He rolls his eyes.
I snicker. And then I fill him in on the conversation with the cops about New Year’s Eve at Numbers and tell him I want him to take over security for all my clubs. Hire people. Implement the latest technology. All of that. I don’t want to worry about security and surveillance. He can hire my existing security employees or fire them if they’re not good enough. I tell him I want a quote.
“I’m kinda busy,” he says.
“Name your price, Jag. I don’t want to worry about this shit and I want someone handling it who has my trust. You comin’ back to Portland would make even more sense for you to take me on as a client.”
“As I say, I’m busy. But for you, for the right price, I could make some time.”
“Glad you’re busy. Nice place. Swanky. You seem to be doing well. Not surprised at all. You’ve got skills.”
“I figured I’d do well here with my business, but Portland seems to be where the bulk of my clients are and if I add you back to the list… can I share something? This can go nowhere. Almost nobody knows this, not even my sister. But I trust you. And I’m also sharin’ not just because you’re one of my closest friends but also because you’re feeling mistrust with Jessa and so I’m giving you this to let you know where you stand with me.”
“I’m listening,” I say.
“The company you hired to clean the basement? The one Nino Rossi recommended?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s my company.”
I blink. “JC?”
He smiles. “Sometimes I’m Hugo. Sometimes Hugo’s JC. Sometimes one of my other guys poses as Hugo or JC. Not too creative, but business boomed faster than I expected and the type of business it is, I want my identity on the downlow. Besides the Rossi brothers, you’re the only person who doesn’t work for me that knows it’s actually me.”
I laugh loud. And then I slap his arm and tell him I’m proud of him.
He and I are a lot alike, why we got along so well when we met. I knew he had something when he started working for me, and I’m not at all surprised he’s hitting this level of success. Even if he can’t crow about it. Leave it to Jagger to have an elite secret company.
We shoot the shit for a while longer until it’s time to catch my flight. He runs me to the airport and we make plans to meet up the day after Christmas.
Since he leveled with me on his side business hustle, I level with him that Hoffman is no longer a threat, but that I need things believable with the cops. I also ask him to liaise with Nino on the Hoffman situation. Just like Jag can make sure a crime scene comes up squeaky clean, he can also use his knowledge to do the opposite and stage a scene perfectly.
As much as I appreciate him leveling with me about his secondary business beyond security, and it does make me feel confident about the state of my basement, I’ve never been the type to show all my cards to anyone. So while I’ve leveled with him about my plan for Iadanza and what’s happened with Hoffman, it still leaves me with unease.