Page 29 of The Associate
I must have looked at him like he’s an alien because all he does is laugh at me and then glances over to the waitress who has just appeared at our booth.
“What will it be today?” she asks, a hint of a southern accent slipping through. She looks to be around my mother’s age, her eyes wrinkling slightly as she smiles.
“I’ll have a coffee, black, one sugar and a stack of the blueberry pancakes,” Mason responds. She starts writing his order down.
“And you, dear?” She looks in my direction.
Picking up a menu, I scan it quickly. “Uhh, I’ll have a latte with two sugars and the strawberry pancakes, with some ice cream on the side.” I place the menu back into the holder on the table.
“Alright, I’ll be back in a moment,” she says, putting her pad back in the pocket of her apron and walking back over to the front counter.
“So, what information did you want to know?” Mason asks, his elbows resting on the table.
“Why has Blackmere sent threats to Father?” I ask.
“They are trying to assert their dominance, and they know that you are your father’s weak spot.” He watches me as he answers. “So if they can get you —”
“They have the power over my father,” I finish for him.
“Exactly.” He nods.
“So if they can get me, then they force my father’s hand in handing over Murwood.” He nods again. “Why do they want Murwood?”
My next question makes him think. “It’s a power thing. Rico, the boss of Blackmere, is around my age. If he takes you, then he has it all.” He glances up towards the order window, trying to judge if he can finish his answer before continuing. “He would have the girl, both jurisdictions and all the power.”
“Here you go, dears.” The waitress places our coffees on the table before walking away and returning only a few seconds later with our food.
“Thank you so much.” I smile, and she gives me a small smile in return before heading back to the front counter.
“Ok, so who did my father give you as your next target last night?” I say as I cut into my stack of pancakes and place a forkful into my mouth, moaning with satisfaction. “Oh my goddess, these are divine.”
He chuckles. “They are the best pancakes around.” He sips his coffee, eyes closing for a moment, savouring the taste before placing the mug back on the table. “As to your question, how did you know I was given a target last night?”
I blush. “I may have been eavesdropping after I stormed out of the office yesterday.”
“Naughty, naughty,” he smirks. “But also, nice work. Normally, I can tell if there are prying ears or eyes around, but I couldn’t sense you at all.”
“So who was the target?” I press.
“It was Carlos. Rico’s little brother.” His eyes are on me now, observing my reaction. “I was only meant to be on surveillance last night, but the dumb fucker had other ideas and I had to intervene earlier than planned.”
“What did he do that caused you to deviate from your plan?” I ask, shovelling another large mouthful of pancake into my mouth. Not very ladylike, I know, but these pancakes are like crack. I can’t stop.
“Your friend that works at the bar. Amber, I think her name is.” I nod, still shovelling food into my mouth as he continues. “Well, young Carlos decided it was a good idea to follow her out the back and try to have his way with her.”
My hand covers my mouth as I shake my head. Poor Amber. She does not deserve any of this. “Then what happened?” I need more information. I need to know she’s ok.
“I got to him before he could do anything worse than the slap across her face.” He takes a small bite of his food, following it with another sip of coffee. “I called Atlas and asked him to come down to the bar to keep an eye on her while she was closing up and to make sure that all his friends didn’t try anything with her either.”
Under that tough exterior, he has a soft spot for helping people who are in danger and also taking out those who cause said danger. “So, Carlos is —” I can’t finish that thought.
“Dead? Yeah.”
“Why was he your target?” I have an idea of the answer, but I need to hear it.
“To send a message to Rico. To show him that we can get to him and his family just as easy.” He finishes off his pancakes.
I inhale a deep breath and exhale quickly. It is now or never for me to ask for his help. “One more question.” I look into his eyes, hoping he can read my mind with what I want to ask.
