The Misters Series (Mister #1-7)

by J. A. Huss

  “Whatever.” West sighs. “They’re not coming here, so no need to dwell.”

  “Hey, you know what?” Ariel says, a devious glint of mischief flashing in her eyes. “There’s a house for sale on Mountain Avenue, right down the street from mine. You should go look at it, you guys.”

  “No—”

  “Oh, man. I love that street,” Tori pipes up.

  “Houses never come up for sale,” Ariel continues, undeterred.

  “No,” West repeats. “We’re not buying another house. I just paid off the one we have in Burbank, Tori. We don’t even have the money. And who the fuck needs a headhunter in Fort Collins, Colorado, anyway?”

  “Oh, we have lots of million-dollar tech companies down in the metro area, Weston.” That’s Ariel. And now I see what West was talking about. These two are definitely up to something. “And FoCo airport isn’t far away. You guys have that jet, right? You don’t even have to drive down to Denver International to get out of here. You can fly anywhere you need to go.”

  “Did you put her up to this?” West asks Tori.

  Another innocent batting of her eyelashes from Miss Arias. “Me? Why, no. We’re just good friends. Don’t friends want to live close to each other? And besides, Ellie and Mac already live in Colorado too. I bet Cindy comes home.” Tori looks at me. “Don’t you think Cindy will move home, Oliver? And that Pax, he’s smitten with her. He’ll live anywhere she wants.”

  “No,” West says, determined.

  “We could sell the Burbank house. It’s worth a lot more than the houses here, for sure.”

  “Tori, no.”

  “What’s going on?” Every head turns towards the stairwell where Cindy and Paxton are walking into my office.

  “Shit,” West and I say together.

  “Look!” Tori says. “See! I told you!”

  “Oh, my God,” Cindy says. “I feel like I haven’t been home in forever.” She runs over to Ariel and they hug, like they didn’t just see each other two weeks ago.

  I glare at Pax. He glares back. “What the fuck happened to you?” I ask, motioning towards the black eye he’s sporting.

  “Um—” Pax says.

  “Dad got a little crazy this morning,” Cindy says, her shuffling feet giving away her apprehension about the encounter.

  I can’t help it. I laugh. “Is that why he was outside waving his arms around like a maniac twenty minutes ago?”

  “That would be correct,” Pax says, walking over to the little makeshift bar I have set up in a corner. He pulls down a glass, gets some ice from the mini fridge-freezer, and then drops it in with a clink. He reaches for the bourbon and pours.

  “You do realize it’s not even nine AM?” I call out to Pax. He ignores me.

  “I think the meet-and-greet went really well,” Cindy says, nervous smile all over her face. “It was over in like ten seconds.”

  “Ford pulled him off.” Ariel laughs. “Belle called me.” And then she deadpans a look over at Pax, who is too busy gulping down his liquor to give a shit. “You had that coming, Mysterious.”

  “Uh-huh,” he says, refilling his glass. Cindy walks over and starts making an ice pack for his eye as I picture that fight in my head.

  I smile and feel sorta satisfied that my big, bad friend got slugged by my big, bad father. “Did you hit him back?” I ask, wondering.

  Pax shoots me a disgusted look over his shoulder, then goes back to his drink.

  “Anyway,” Tori says. “Isn’t it great that we’re all here?”

  “You know what would be even greater?” Cindy calls from the bar. “If Ellie came up too.”

  “Right?” Ariel says. “And Ivy. Oh, let’s go call Ivy. I’m sure she could use a nice vacation from all the stress.”

  All three girls are suddenly on the move and a few seconds later it’s just me, Pax, and West.

  “We’re in big trouble,” West says.

  Pax slumps down into a chair in front of my desk, drink in one hand, other hand holding the ice over his eye. He sighs. “I got a call from Liam Henry just before we left California.”

  West and I shoot each other suspicious looks. Then direct our attention to Pax.

  Pax stares at me for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. His gaze tracks to West. Eyes red and bleary. Filled with fatigue, like he hasn’t slept in a while. “Says he’s gonna tell me what’s going on.”

  “Yeah?” West says, that one word laced with suspicion. He narrows his eyes at Pax and I start to get a very bad feeling about all this.

  “Yeah,” Pax says, swirling the ice around in his glass. “Says all I gotta do is finish the job I started and every question about that night will be answered.”

  Chapter Four - KATYA

  “Katya,” Oliver says in the video. Just the sound of his voice is enough to make my whole body tingle. I have to pause it and swallow hard, butterflies taking over inside my stomach.

  “Get it together,” I say out loud. “Keep calm and don’t lose your nerve.”

  Easier said than done.

  I have to close my eyes and take deep, deep breaths. How can one word affect me like this? After almost four years. One word.

  That word is your name coming from the lips of the only man you ever cared for. And you have a job to do. So focus.

  The voice in my head isn’t mine, though. And that’s equally as unsettling.

  I get up and go to the kitchen, take out my bottle of Stoli vodka from the freezer, and set it in front of me. The bottle isn’t pretty like Grey Goose. It’s not something you keep to admire like Crystal Head. In fact, the label screams Cold War communism. But it’s got a lot of memories. Good memories. Stoli is like grilled cheese and tomato soup when you’re sick.

  Comfort.

  I grab a long-stemmed cordial glass and pour. Just one ounce. I don’t want a buzz, I just want… comfort.

  “To coming home,” I say, then down the shot.

  It goes down smooth, replacing the chill with fiery heat. I carefully set the glass down and turn to face the computer.

  This is why I’m here. This is what I’ve been planning for. This is the moment of truth.

  I go back to my desk and press play.

  “Why did you come back?”

  “If you really don’t know why,” I say, “you will soon.”

  His hand is wrapped around his thick cock. Tip of his thumb sliding up and over the crown of his head with each stroke.

  “I know it’s you,” he says. “Katya Kalashova. I really never thought I’d see you again.” And then he laughs. “Well, I can’t see you yet, can I? But you’re here for a reason.” A pause. “I will see you and if you try to leave town again, sneak away like a fucking coward…”

  But he doesn’t finish. He stops talking and closes his eyes. His hand busy on his cock. Sliding up and down, slowly at first. Then faster.

  His head tips back, his breath becoming heavier, louder.

  I watch. Unable to take my eyes off him. He looks up at the ceiling, then closes his eyes—the relief of release all over his face as he comes on his stomach. The semen is milky white. A steady bursting stream like it’s been a while since he’s had this pleasure.

  “Oliver,” I say. My fingertips are touching him on the screen. “Oli—”

  My phone rings. Not the cell that Lily calls me on. But the disposable one I keep in the kitchen drawer next to the stove. I know who it is by the ringtone, but I don’t want to talk to him. Not yet, not now. I don’t want to think about why I’m here—other than one last chance to get what I want out of life.

  The ringing stops and I don’t wait for the voicemail. He would never leave a voicemail. This is all too sketchy to leave evidence behind.

  Besides, he’d gloat when I gave him the update. I tried to convince him that Oliver would delete my account straight away. Wouldn’t even notice me at all.

  He disagreed. “He loves you,” he’d said. “He has always loved you. What kind of woman is perfect for a m
an like Oliver Shrike? Think about that, Kat. Think about that long and hard, girl. He’s not looking for someone sweet. He’s looking for you.”

  I get what he was saying. Someone like me. Someone from a crime family, like Oliver’s. Someone who’s seen more than she should, like him. Someone with a lot to gain and even more to lose.

  We both know we’re perfect for each other.

  And Oliver did notice me once. I barely had to try. All I had to do was take a seat on a bench four years ago. And I wasn’t even there to meet him. It was a total accident. Who knew fate would intervene just when I thought it had abandoned me?

  But that fateful opportunity passed me by four years ago. The me I am now has almost no resemblance to the girl I was then. This is my life. There is no getting out of the trouble I’m in.

  The video stopped while I was lost in the past, so I take a deep breath and wander over to the window.

  There are three of them standing there now. Mr. Corporate. Mr. Mysterious. And Mr. Match.

  None of them look anything like I remember. Not even Oliver. The only time I saw them together was on TV and they were all wearing suits. It was something to do with the pre-trial stuff. Long before I ever met Oliver on that street corner.

  But here they are in the flesh looking well. Looking rich. Looking almost… happy.

  Almost.

  Just two more Misters to make a set. And once Perfect and Romantic show up things will never be the same.

  I go back to my computer with my camera and upload the video I made earlier to Hook-Me-Up. I wonder how safe he thinks he is? That website fronting as a dating site.

  It is a dating site. One of the biggest.

  But that’s not all it is.

  It’s a place to find people, for sure. Find people to do jobs you can’t advertise anywhere else. Find people you ran into long ago, but don’t know where to look for them now. It’s not a place for your neighbors and friends—unless your neighbors and friends are part of the underworld. It’s low-key, it’s highly secure, and it’s all illegal as hell.

  “Oliver,” I say, just to hear his name on my tongue. “I hope you’re ready for what comes next.”

  My phone rings again. I get up and walk into the kitchen, opening up the drawer next to the stove. I stare at the number on the screen, wondering if it’s time to own up to what’s really happening.

  But I don’t answer it. I close the drawer and walk to the back of the apartment to the master bedroom, dropping the silky robe to the floor as I enter the bathroom and start the tub.

  I don’t need to answer it yet. I have a few more days before he will start getting worried about my commitment.

  I am committed. One hundred percent.

  But the heart wants what the heart wants.

  And my heart wants Oliver Shrike.

  The timing is perfect. I couldn’t have planned it any better if I tried. It’s dumb luck that Oliver saw those videos today. They’ve been up there for weeks. It’s dumb luck that no one else deleted them before I got this far.

  I get an idea. Something that might speed things up a little. So I go back out to the living room, grab the camera and tripod, and then set it up in front of the tub.

  He put on a show for me, maybe I should return the favor?

  Chapter Five - OLIVER

  “What exactly does that mean?” I ask Pax. I’m sorta still pissed off about him dating my sister, but I can’t be a broody bitch about it forever. Might as well get over it now.

  Pax gets up from his chair and walks over to the window, scrubs a palm up and down his unshaven face, and then puts his hands in his pockets.

  I look at West, who’s looking at me. We both shrug.

  “Pax,” I say. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  “Give me your best guess.”

  “He’s supposed to kill me, Oliver,” West says. “Finish the job. Liam Henry got his ass handed to him on a silver platter. He’s justifiably pissed off. He thinks I still have that treasure and he wants it.”

  Pax turns away from the window very slowly. He trains his gaze on West and asks, “Do you still have it?”

  “I told you I didn’t. It’s still in that cave. I can’t fit in there.”

  “But you have a kid now, right?”

  “What?” West says, his eyes narrowing.

  “Come on, Pax,” I say, letting out a long breath.

  “Come on what?” Pax says, turning to me. “Does he or does he not have a kid just the right size to swim down into that cave?”

  “It’s not that easy, you dumbass. What do you think I’m gonna do? Throw Ethan into the ocean and say, ‘Hold your breath, kid. Find that underwater cave, wiggle your way into it—there may or may not be air inside there so you don’t die—and then grab as many gold coins as you can, and bring back up to me so we can repeat that sixty more times and get our money back?’”

  “Sounds like you put a lot of thought into this,” Pax deadpans back.

  West lunges at him, but I grab his arm and hold him back. “Don’t,” I say, looking into his eyes. “Don’t feed him, man. He’s fucking with you.”

  “I’m dead serious,” Pax says.

  “Look,” I say, still holding on to West. “Let’s just have a drink—”

  West jerks his arm away and says, “Fuck that. It’s not even noon. If you fuck-ups want to get drunk before lunch, go ahead. But I’ve got a family to think about.”

  West straightens his shirt and walks out, jumping down the stairs two at a time.

  “Hey,” we hear him say on the third floor. “Let’s go, Tori. I told Ethan we’d take him ice-skating in Broomfield today.”

  I look back at Pax. “Smooth, motherfucker. Real smooth.”

  Pax shrugs and takes a seat in the chair in front of my desk. “You and I both know he’s lying about that gold.”

  “I never said that. All I said was that I can understand why Liam Henry thinks he got fucked over.”

  “Same thing.”

  “It’s not the same, Pax. I don’t think West is gonna use that kid to get his money back, OK? You went too far. You never know when to stop.”

  “Yeah? Well, not knowing when to stop is what saved your sister’s life two weeks ago. So stop trying to make every choice I make sound so questionable.”

  He’s got me there. So I just sigh and say, “Where the fuck are you guys staying, anyway?”

  Pax smiles. “Ariel offered.”

  “Oh, fuck that. You can’t stay in the same house as Weston.”

  He shrugs. “She offered.”

  “Well, decline her offer. My dad has a condo a few blocks over that he hardly ever uses. You two can stay there. And if you make one joke about him using it to cheat on my mom, I will—”

  “Don’t be a dick,” Pax says.

  “Me?” Fucking asshole. I walk over to the desk, open the top drawer, and go looking for the keys. “I’ll let him know you’re staying there so he doesn’t come blow your head off if the neighbors report suspicious activity.” I find the keys stashed in the back, and toss them over. “Go tell Cindy. I got shit to do, so I’ll see you guys later.”

  Pax stands up and stretches his arms up toward the ceiling. “You coming to dinner then?”

  “Dinner where?”

  “Ariel’s house, I guess. We’re all invited.”

  I squint my eyes at him.

  “What? Wasn’t my idea. I think the girls have some kind of thing going on.”

  “So West mentioned. Tori isn’t convinced the Conrads are on the up and up.”

  “Are you?” Pax asks.

  “I dunno. I haven’t really thought much about it, to be honest.”

  “Well, I have. And I have a pretty good feeling that Liam Henry knows something about them. I’m not convinced this is just about those gold coins, you know? I think there’s something much bigger going on with him and Weston’s family.”

  And then he tosses the key ring in t
he air, catches it, and walks out.

  I slump back into my desk chair and let out a long breath.

  Why the fuck can’t this shit just go away already?

  I glance at my desk, spy the folder with Katya’s profile on the top of the pile, and wonder if Pax was taking notes while he was here. That’s all I need. Him digging into my past.

  “Relax,” I tell myself. “Just relax.” Paxton has no idea I have a history with this girl. He’s got no idea what’s happening. Hell, he’s my best friend and he doesn’t even know what I really do for a living.

  I’m still good. Everything’s cool.

  I open up my laptop and Kat’s face pops up again on her profile. A little red check mark indicates she posted a new video. My fingers can’t tap the pad fast enough. I click the play button and… holy fuck.

  She’s naked from waist to shoulders again. Sitting on a couch. No sound, even though I fuck with the volume control for several seconds. Her fingertips stroke circles around her nipples, then she pinches them, making them bunch up like hard, little spikes.

  It’s not long, only about a minute thirty seconds. But I play it on loop, over and over again, until Ariel calls up from down below.

  “We’re all going to lunch for Lisa L’s birthday, Oli. You gonna come?”

  “No,” I yell back. “No. I got too much work to do here.”

  “You want us to bring you anything back?”

  “Pass.”

  “OK,” she says. When I look over at the stairwell, she’s standing there on the top step. “But you better show up at my house for dinner tonight. We have shit to go over.”

  Ariel doesn’t wait for my reply. Just skips back down the stairs and then there’s a bustle of bodies and voices down below. The sound of all the office girls leaving.

  I start my webcam, stand up, kick the chair back, and then reach behind my head and pull my thermal shirt off. “You like that, Katya? Have you been waiting to see me like this all these years? Well, why stop there?” I reach down and unbuckle my belt. The leather comes apart, the buckle clinking as my hand bumps it trying to undo the button on my jeans.