It was tempting to bail on the day, but he pushed his ethics forward. Don’t be a cheat like your father.
The man grinned as if his answer impressed him. Parker wondered if his comment had been some sort of a test. “Slade Bishop.” He held out his hand.
He shook the proffered hand and introduced, “Parker Hughes.”
“Hughes, that’s a big name around these parts.”
“Used to be,” he remarked dryly. He hated his name. It was the last link he had to his father.
“Any relation to Crispin Hughes?”
Parker grimaced. He could lie, but the man’s vibrant blue eyes seemed to be reading him keenly for any falsehoods. “He was my father.”
“No kidding,” the man said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. “Quite an impressive man your father was. I’m sorry about what happened. He led a decent life up until the end.”
Until he shot himself and left his family bankrupt, Parker silently finished. “My father was a crook.”
“He wasn’t the first to dabble in insider trading and he won’t be the last.”
This was not a conversation Parker expected to be having. The car moved. “Uh, look, I just wanted to make sure you got your wallet, but I really gotta go.” He sat up and the man gestured for him to stay put.
“Stay. I’m sure your boss will understand.”
He snorted. “Doubtful. It was Lucian Patras who gave me the job, and he and I aren’t on the best of terms.”
The other man cocked his head curiously. “Why offer a job to someone you aren’t on good terms with? Well, regardless, I’m just as much your boss as he is. I’m his silent partner.”
Parker hadn’t realized Patras was owned by partners. Before he could remark on his statement, Mr. Bishop asked, “What did you do to piss Lucian off? Usually he doesn’t keep employees he doesn’t like.”
“He didn’t have a choice.” His answer came out a little too arrogant and he regretted the show of emotion.
Mr. Bishop laughed. “Really? I’d be very interested to hear how a doorman maneuvered Lucian Patras into an uncomfortable predicament. Lucian has a reputation of always coming out on top.”
“I made him a deal. He owes me. Half of our bargain was for a job. The other half’s a little more valuable, but I’m not ready to collect on it.”
“And you trust Lucian to keep his word with this other valuable half of your deal?”
Parker nodded. “I do. A man like Lucian Patras doesn’t get as far as he has unless his word’s worth something.”
Mr. Bishop tapped his chin and eyed him peculiarly. “You seem rather sharp for a doorman.”
“Probably because I never intended to be one. I was already taking college-level courses when my father killed himself and we discovered the courts and banks owned everything we had and then some.”
“Impressive. That would’ve made you what? Seventeen at that time?”
“Fourteen.”
His brow shot to his hairline. “Fourteen and college-level courses? What the hell are you doing holding doors?”
“I wasn’t in a position that made people eager to hire me.” He’d also been content until Patras had stolen Scout away. After that, the asshole owed him. “Mr. Patras did me a favor by giving me a job.”
“Some favor,” Mr. Bishop laughed. “The way you tell it, he didn’t have a choice.”
The car continued to move, now out of traffic. Parker figured he was safe since this guy was also his boss. He relaxed a little. “He had a choice. He chose what was in his power to give me.” The man smirked and Parker continued, “And now he owes me.” He shrugged.
“And what does Lucian owe you?”
He pressed his lips tight.
Realizing Parker wasn’t going to answer, he then asked, “Okay, how about what did you have that he wanted?”
He shrugged again. “It wasn’t so much what I had as much as it was my knowledge of where something Mr. Patras wanted was hiding.”
“Scout,” the other man whispered and Parker stilled.
How the fuck did he know about Scout?
“Holy shit, that’s it isn’t it?” Mr. Bishop’s eyes narrowed. “That’s why you look familiar. You’re from St. Christopher’s.”
Knowing he’d blown his hand, Parker asked, “How do you know Scout?”
“Anyone associated with Lucian knows the woman who managed to wedge his head up his ass.”
“Excuse me?” He wasn’t following.
“He thinks he’s in love with her and hasn’t been himself since she showed up.”
Parker’s jaw popped. He hated thinking of Lucian Patras loving Scout. Nothing about Patras was right for her. Scout had an unhealthy obsession with money. She thought of it as security. Little did she know that the kind of money a man like Patras had wasn’t the kind of security she was after. Money at that level was power, entitlement, ownership, and it always led to corruption.
Parker needed a little more time, and he’d secure a place to live and be able to provide food on the table and other necessities, and she’d see that kind of life was better than one of such extravagance, simpler. There was too much expectation when one dealt with real wealth, too much society and judgment. The public eye, once you were in it, never blinked.