Stir

“I will baby. I promise. But not right now. Can you give me that?” When she nods her head I let go of the breath I was holding. “Thank you baby. Now, mama and your sisters have been so excited about dress shopping for prom. We only have a few more weeks.”

“I know. But how am I going to get out of the house to go dress shopping while the shops are open.” My mom and her sisters and I discussed this and they have it under control.

“You don’t worry your pretty little head about that. Just be here, Friday at nine.”

“Alright Alex. But first, I need you again.” See. Greedy bitch.

CHAPTER 25

ONE WEEK LATER

“Son, will you please tell me what we are doing here?” My father asks, watching me pace back and forth in the office of the mayor.

“I am tying up some loose ends. Some impediments to my end game.” I tell him. He gives me the look he used to give me when I was a little boy and he asked me a question and didn’t like the answer I gave him.

“Can I offer either of you a drink? Non-Alcoholic for you of course, young man.” Mayor Cullum asks.

“Sure. I have no idea what the hell is happening, but whatever it is, it can’t be good. Do you have anything strong?” Shaking my head I check my satchel and make sure everything I need is inside of it. “Hijo, does this have something to do with who was following you?” The mayor almost drops his glass, this being the first he is hearing of this.

“You have been having trouble, young man? My son Rory didn’t mention this to me.” Shoot. I don’t want to get Rory on the wrong side of his father.

“Rory has been very instrumental in the information I am going to share here today, Sir. He has been an excellent friend and ally.” His shoulders relax and he nods his head.

“Ah. Very well. Good to hear.” My father is confused by this exchange and it dawns on me that I never told him the Mayor feels indebted to him.

I have been getting better at communicating at the behest of Imogen. She says she likes my silent exterior because it hides a soft interior, but she wants me to be more open with my family. I tried looking at it from her point of view and what I saw was a man who could run hot and cold. He could shut you out or make you feel like the center of the world. Not that I would ever do that to her and I believe she knows that, but who would want a family with someone who couldn’t show vulnerability? So, I have been working on it.

“I take it, you figured out who it was?” My father continues to probe.

“I did.” He stares at me, waiting for me to tell him but I am saying nothing right now. Talking about it will deflate the anger inside of me and I am going to need all of it.

Last Saturday night, Imogen and I went out to a late night, early release preview of Jurassic World Dominion. Afterward we went to a local diner and had dinner. It was just a fun, carefree night. Well, carefree aside from the fact she once again snuck out.

On our way back, I noticed a car that was behind us on the way to the movies, was also a few cars behind us on the way back home. I worked fucking hard not to let it show that I was concerned and frankly, pissed.

I watched it pull a block down when I pulled into our garage. After walking her home and making sure she made it in undetected, I walked the opposite direction around the block leading back to the car tailing us. He saw me coming up behind him and hightailed it out of there, but not before I memorized his license plate.

As soon as I made it inside I called my father’s friend Hagen Jorgensen from Bleak Minnesota. He and his five brothers own an Intelligence company that specialize in locating and rescuing. They dabble in a bit of military ops, but it is mostly private.

He and his brother Om came to our shop in Minneapolis, a few years ago, because they needed some custom work for an undercover cop and needed bikes. My father happened to be at that shop checking on things when they came in. They shot the shit, exchanged information and from there a friendship was born.

I called their company that night, hoping they were still in the office. “Jorgensen.” Well shit.

“My name is Alejandro Luna. I am looking for Hagen or Om.” I mean there are six of them. How the hell do they just answer the phone with their last name?