Grim Ambition

by Jennifer Reinfried

  “Figures.”

  “She wants some of your sweet boning.”

  Shawn laughed, choking on a piece of dry toast with a grating cough. “No thank you.”

  “Still not interested, huh?”

  “Nah, too weird. She’s like my sister.” Plus my brother has feelings for her but won’t admit it.

  “I guess.” Jaxon’s voice moved around him. Shawn heard the subtle sound of a beer opening. “She’s also worried Vance’s people are going to come after her.”

  Shawn swallowed the bread he’d been chewing. “I thought she said Henry was—”

  “Yeah, I know, going to cover for her. I think she’s being paranoid, but fuck, these are criminals we’re talking about. They don’t have morals or anything.” Jaxon paused. “I told her to stay at my place for a bit. Just until we know for sure she’s in the clear.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “For her safety.”

  “Sure. Her safety.” Shawn bit into his toast again.

  “Fuck off, dude. She’s scared.”

  “There’s nothing to worry about. With Henry on our side and Grim on the streets at night, we’ll clear out Vance’s business in no time.” Shawn leaned back against his counter. “Nothing bad is going to happen.”

  —-

  Alex returned to his employer’s side moments before the Russian’s eyes snapped open. Ivan Vance sat up in a quick motion, the IV tugging on his arm.

  “Sir.” Alarm nagged at Alex, but he stayed where he was, hands clasped in front of him.

  “The fuck is this?” Vance reached across his large, muscular body and began to tear at the tape holding needles in place. “I do not need medication. Get this shit out of me.”

  Alex finally stepped forward. “Sir, don’t. You need to recover.” Movement to his left pulled his attention toward Grant, whose gaze was levelled at their boss, a frown on his face.

  “The hell I do. I’m awake. I’m fine.” Vance stopped pulling at his IV anyway, and shifted on the hospital bed. “What happened?”

  “The doctor said you consumed a good amount of a poisonous fish, something called fugu.”

  “Fugu? The fuck is fugu?”

  Alex’s lips twitched slightly as he attempted not to smile. “Fish, sir. We’re confident someone at the party slipped it in your sushi.”

  “Ty shutish’,” Vance cursed, his tongue slipping to his native language.

  “Sir?” Grant always looked nervous when he couldn’t understand his boss.

  The Russian ignored him. “Did you find out who did it yet?”

  Alex cleared his throat. “No. We have begun questioning everyone who was there. We also have Emma in charge of this particular case, so she can infiltrate the people in question once we narrow down our suspects. Get as much information as possible.”

  “Good.” Vance looked up at Alex. “You look funny. Why are you flushed?”

  “Sir?”

  “Your face. It is red.”

  “I just got here, sir.”

  “From?”

  “Initiating the deal you wanted with the Acerbi family. We had no idea how long you would be out, so I kept the business running while you’ve been incapacitated.”

  “Always working. How long has it been? Since this attack?” Vance tried pulling at his IV again, but this time, Grant reached forward and stopped him.

  “Sir, it just happened last night.” The cop glanced at his boss’ vitals, displayed on a large, square screen behind him. “They didn’t expect you to recover yet. Your body’s had a hell of a blow. Let me get the doctor in here before you start yanking everything to pieces.”

  “Russians are tough. You should know this by now.”

  “Yeah, no shit.” Grant said. “We have some spots to fill, sir.”

  Vance sighed. “Now who died?”

  Alex took over. “Grim attacked our people after you were taken to the hospital.”

  “How many need replacing?”

  “Eleven.”

  “Blayd’,” Vance cursed again. “Move some people around. Jack can find more if—”

  “Jack’s dead.”

  Vance closed his eyes, irritation clear on his face. “Then find me new Head of Acquisition and Enforcement first. After, we fill other open spots.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Offer the position to Isaac initially.”

  “Isn’t he a bit young to—”

  “Just get it done,” Vance snapped.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Fucking vigilante. I guess it is too much to ask that he was killed too?”

  Alex grimaced. “He got away, sir.”

  Before more curses started to fly, Grant cut in. “But he was shot. And I banged his face up a good deal.”

  Vance raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  “Bashed him across the head a couple times with a metal pipe before we lost him.” Grant’s lips stretched into a grin.

  “Good, good. How did he manage to get away from you all? I assume you were armed?”

  Grant’s face dropped the cocky grin. “Guy’s fast, sir. I’ve never seen anyone as fast as him, or as strong.”

  “Hopefully you at least broke his face. Give him something to think about next time he thinks he can attack my people.” Vance flexed thick fingers into fists. “Now get someone in here to take this shit out of me. I have a business to run and an enemy to hit back.”

  —-

  Shawn heard the door to Ralph’s Pub chime over the din of the bar’s other patrons.

  “Are we gonna order food or...?” He sipped his water, waiting for Jaxon’s response.

  “Oh. Sorry, yeah. We can.”

  “What is with you, man? You’ve been so distracted lately. You okay?”

  “Fine. I haven’t been sleeping well.” Jaxon’s voice was low. “Plus, you were out so late last night.”

  “I’ve told you so many times, you don’t have to wait up for me when I’m—”

  “I don’t care,” his brother snapped. “When I know you’re out, I worry. I can’t sleep when I worry.”

  Shawn let out a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

  Jaxon didn’t reply.

  The door chimed again, and moments later, Cassie’s familiar floral perfume wafted over him a second before she spoke.

  “Shawn, you’re up early.”

  He grinned. “My stomach told me it wanted a delicious burger. I never ignore its demands.”

  Cassie laughed. She was a light yellow blur, sans any features, as she sat at the round table between the brothers.

  “Sorry, it’s the only spot we could get.” Jaxon’s voice sounded tired.

  A dark smudge, out of place even in Shawn’s often confusing vision, flitted away and off to the right. His eyes darted back and forth in an attempt to locate the quick-moving shadow, but it had disappeared among the colorful blur that was the bar’s crowd.

  “Shawn?”

  He realized Cassie had been speaking, but her words hadn’t clicked. “What’s up?”

  “I was asking how your eyes are doing.” She kept her voice hushed, leaning close. “After using the vision for so long yesterday.”

  “Didn’t feel a single spark of pain. Maybe the more I use it, the longer it can last.”

  “I doubt that, dude.” Jaxon cleared his throat. His voice came closer as he, too, leaned forward.

  Rolling his eyes in a dramatic fashion, Shawn said, “You always have to be such a downer.” He grinned and lifted his water glass to his lips when he saw the shadow again, off to his right once more.

  What the hell? Shawn moved his gaze toward it again, but it vanished. What is that?

  “Gee, I’m sorry I’m the only one who worries about losing you.”

  “Hey, I worry, too.” Cassie sounded hurt.

  “Can we just order? My stomach is trying to eat itself, it’s so hungry.” Shawn smiled in hopes of changing the subject.

  Jaxon ignored him. “You’re going to get yourself killed. You need to
slow down, think before you jump into a fight. Can you imagine what could have happened had you gone to the hospital last night?”

  There was a short silence in which Shawn gnawed on the side of his tongue in irritation, then Cassie spoke up. “I think he gets it, Jax.”

  “Good.”

  “Look.” Shawn realized he’d been gripping his glass too tightly, and forced himself to relax, lest he shatter it. “I know you’re upset, and I know that it’s just because you care about me, but you need to chill out. I’ve been at this for two years now. We’re getting closer. You just need to let me do what I do best: be a superhero.” He grinned. “Now can we please eat?”

  Cassie laughed, and the air between the trio lost some of its tension. “Yes, let’s. Jax?”

  A pause, then: “Yeah, I’m starving, too.”

  In less than five minutes, they had placed an order for their food and had their drinks refilled.

  “God, I can already taste that big, fat burger.” Shawn chewed on the straw that stuck out from his water.

  “Settle.” Jaxon’s voice moved as he stood. “I’m going to the bathroom. Don’t eat anybody while I’m gone.”

  Shawn snorted. “So, Cassie. How’re your parents?”

  “Fine. A little rough around the edges. Last week marked two years since Julie’s death, but other than that, they’re finally getting along. Although lately, they’ve been complaining about my career choice.”

  “What’s wrong with catering?”

  “It doesn’t lead to being a lawyer.”

  Shawn laughed. “Have you told them about Henry? How he’s helping you look for an office job at a law firm?”

  “Of course. They won’t be happy until I at least start going to school again.”

  “Well, what if—” Movement to his left this time caught his eye, and he whipped his head to the side. The darkness was back, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pin it down. It’s almost as if it’s a hole in my vision. Shawn felt a spike of fear. No. Then why does it move?

  “What if what?” Cassie’s voice brought his attention back to her, and the black smudge disappeared again.

  “What if what?” Jaxon agreed, arriving at their table once more.

  “That was fast,” Shawn muttered, still distracted. He attempted to move his eyes around the room, searching for whatever he kept seeing.

  “The bathroom’s, like, five feet away.” Jaxon’s chair scraped as he sat.

  “Shawn was asking about my parents, and I was telling him how they were disappointed that I wasn’t in law school anymore.”

  “Well, why don’t you go back?”

  Cassie’s voice grew softer. “I don’t know. I dropped out after Julie’s funeral, and just haven’t had the motivation to go back again.” There was a pause. “Plus, it’s expensive as all hell.”

  “Have Shawn pay for you. He’s got loads of money.”

  He made an irritated face in his brother’s direction, then turned toward Cassie’s. “I wouldn’t mind helping, if you do decide to go back.”

  “Shawn, no.” Cassie sounded shocked, and he felt her place a hand over his. “I would never ask for that.”

  “Why?” Jaxon snorted. “Other than spending it on bills and suit enhancements, it’s not like he’s using it.”

  “Because that money is his. It’s the settlement from his parents’ deaths. Do you have to be so cold-hearted all the time, Jaxon?”

  Shawn slid his hand out from Cassie’s touch and held it up. “Hey, now. Come on, guys. We’re a team. We’re friends. Let’s not bicker.”

  “I’m sorry, Cassie.” Jaxon’s voice was higher, his words came out faster than normal. “I didn’t mean it that way. Really. Shawn, don’t think—”

  “It’s totally fine.” He grinned.

  A waft of perfectly cooked beef and fried food found its way to Shawn, and his stomach growled. His meal was placed before him, and he eagerly scooped his burger up with both hands, ignoring the barbeque sauce that dripped down his fingers. “Oh, thank you...” he murmured, taking a large bite.

  Cassie laughed. “And he’s instantly a mess.”

  “Seriously, dude. We can’t take you anywhere.” Jaxon’s chuckles joined her giggles.

  Shawn chewed, already anticipating the next savory bite when, right behind his brother’s blur, the blackness appeared. He froze, half-chewed burger suddenly heavy on his tongue. “Do you guys...?”

  At the sound of his voice, the vision vanished.

  “Do we what?” Cassie asked around a mouthful of food.

  Shawn swallowed and set his burger back on the plate. He gazed around in a slow fashion, but there was no sign of any other dark smudge. I need to tell Jax something’s wrong with my eyes. Maybe...maybe I need to lay off the vision for a little while.

  Chapter Four

  Alex stood next to Vance. He adjusted his glasses, then tugged at the sleeves of his suit coat.

  “Stop fidgeting,” his employer said.

  “My apologies, sir.” Alex clasped his hands together in front of him and trained his gaze on the door across the room. He’d been waiting for it to open for the past twenty minutes.

  “You’re sure this is a positive accusation, Alex?”

  “It is, sir.”

  “Emma is proving herself to be quite valuable.”

  Alex remained silent.

  “Sending Grant to search the homes of those present at the Blue Marlin was intelligent,” Vance continued. “And organizing that all while she is attempting to sway the DA to work for us on the side. I may have overlooked her worth.”

  A quick knock sounded.

  “Come,” Vance snapped.

  Grant entered, followed closely by Henry, the lawyer who helped the business with all real estate purchases, and Marcus, a mid-level employee used for hits.

  Alex smiled and stepped forward. He shook Grant’s hand, tossing a meaningful look at him, then turned to Henry. “Please. Sit.” He gestured to a plush red chair across from Vance’s desk.

  “Thank you,” Henry said as he lowered himself, hands in his lap. “I have the most recent figures for the land you wanted to purchase from the Acerbi family. I think if we offer—”

  “The attack on my life five nights ago,” Vance interrupted. “You were there, no?”

  Henry’s mouth snapped shut. He paused for two long breaths, then said, “I was.”

  “You did not see who poisoned me?”

  “I already told you. Three times.” Henry glanced at Grant. “Some tall, dark-haired woman was the only person I saw near your food. Other than the cooks, of course. No one else.”

  “That’s interesting.” Alex reached down and slid a folder from Vance’s desk into his fingers. “Because we’ve cross referenced the dark-haired employees from the catering company and the Blue Marlin against the information of your accomplices we found in your home. No match.” He savored the look of fear that jumped across Henry’s eyes.

  “You went to my house?”

  “Grant led a team through this morning. Brought us the information you had on those you’re working with. Funny, one of them was working for the catering company the night of Vance’s attack.” Alex opened the folder. “Cassie Saetren,” he said with the barest glance at the document he held.

  “Cassie wasn’t anywhere near the food.”

  “You know what this means, no?” Vance asked, his accented voice hard and threatening.

  “Sir, please.” Henry rose to his feet and moved away from the desk. “This isn’t—” He stopped speaking once he bumped into Marcus, and spun around. Grant reached out and grabbed Henry by the front of his suit, shoving him back toward Vance.

  “Give us Grim’s identity and the names of anyone else you’re working with,” Alex said, failing to keep excitement from his voice. “If you do, we will ensure a swift death for you as well as them.”

  “Don’t need to explain what happens if you won’t.” Marcus’ voice was gruff, hand already grippi
ng his Glock.

  “Grim’s identity?” Henry stuttered. “You’ve got to be joking. I have no idea who he is.”

  Alex stepped around Vance’s desk and approached the lawyer. Grant released his hold in time for Alex to grab Henry by the throat. A vision of Emma as he forced her down flashed into his mind, and he faltered. Rage at Henry’s betrayal, at Vance’s near death, at the fact that his thoughts wouldn’t stop focusing on his tryst with Emma four days ago, boiled inside of him, and Alex felt a familiar surge of adrenaline that rushed through him before torturing someone. He ignored strangled screams as he began to pummel Henry’s face with a fist while Vance looked on.

  —-

  The girl had long locks of copper hair that framed her face in wavy layers. She had full, sensual lips painted in the lightest shade of rust, and faint freckles dotted her nose and cheeks. She was stunning, and Isaac couldn’t take his eyes from her.

  “I still can’t believe you like classical music,” she was saying. “Almost every guy that I’ve met recently likes country or crappy pop.”

  Isaac laughed. “Well, it’s refreshing to find someone with similar tastes in wine, too.” He raised a glass of merlot to his lips, hesitated the barest moment, then swallowed a mouthful of the warm liquid. A shudder shot down his torso, and he attempted a smile that felt like a grimace. His clever mind had thought it would be a good idea to order the same thing she did, but now he regretted it, and his drink had sat nearly full for the last half hour.

  The girl sipped hers at the same time. “So how long have you been a member at Rock’s, anyway?”

  “The gym? Oh, forever.”

  “Never saw you there before. Not until you approached me a few weeks ago.”

  Isaac shrugged. “I transferred here a bit ago. Been wanting to go to the university.”

  Her eyes lit up. “What for?”

  “Advanced lit.”

  She leaned across the small bar table. “My major’s in poetry.”

  Of course it is. Isaac shifted forward slightly, sharing her excitement with a grin. “What classes are you taking?”

  As she listed them off, Isaac found his mind wandering to Emma. She’s been distant since the Grim attack. Not for the first time, he wondered if it was due to how busy she’d become with her new assignments, or if it was what he’d said about her wanting to infiltrate the vigilante on her own: “This isn’t the life you should be living, Emma. Why don’t we leave this to someone else? Maybe someone who isn’t going to leave a friend crippled by grief when they’re killed?”