01-21-2023, 10:30 PM
There were laws against an owner entering the rooms of hotel patrons uninvited. When Adrian put Jay Carpenter in the suite of his property, it wasn’t a room. The destination was by design.
He waited almost half an hour in that chair. Legs crossed one over the other, the screen of a wallet glowing dim in front of his studious gaze. When the first thuds of noise roused, he powered down the devices and waited. In darkness. In shade. It felt familiar. Sitting in the chair, relaxed and curious. Like witnessing the rise of an ally or equal fall of an enemy. Adrian himself didn’t know. Very intriguing.
Jay stumbled out in a towel. Water padded footsteps along the floor. He didn’t notice the presence of another. Intent on the hangover cure.
Carpenter had caused a stir in the lobby two days prior. Adrian’s mistake that he hadn’t taken the proper precautions. A lesson learned. He went for the medicine first. Probably felt like shit. He looked no better.
“Feeling better?” Adrian asked. Jay jumped out of his skin. Pills flying.
He didn’t rise. No reason to disturb Carpenter. His brows lifted.
“A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Adrian Kane,” he said with a bow of the head.
Recognition fluttered Carpenter’s gaze. Good.
“Adrian Kane. Started to think you weren’t real.” He frowned at the pills on the floor. But there were enough in the bottle still to swallow.
“I’m real enough,” he said. They stared one another for a few moments. But Jay was the one to break gaze first. The man dropped the salt tablets into a glass of water. Drank greedily.
Adrian waited for the man to finish the drink. “You need to sober up fast, Carpenter. Because you owe me something. More than what your boss says,” a few commands powered up the previously sleeping device.
Carpenter didn’t seem to care much. Though that would change.
The holo-screen revealed the image of a woman. She was a dark-haired beauty with winged cheeks and sumptuous lips. Carpenter’s expression was blank. This guy was already getting on Adrian’s nerves. Did he have to explain everything?
He sighed. “That’s Yasmine Amengual.”
Jay coughed.
“Amengual?”
“And she’s pissed.”
Jay rubbed his head. Not sure if it was the hangover or what her name resurrection.
“She should be. I dragged that kicking sack of shit of her husband out into the jungle and flayed him alive until he begged for mercy. He called her name right before the end.”
The look Jay gave him chilled to the bone.
“Hm,” Adrian murmured. “She’s looking for you,” he added.
“No shit, Adrian. Everyone is looking for me.” Jay downed the rest of the water like a shot. Easy to imagine him falling down drunk. Not hard to imagine a man capable of dragging a screaming enemy through the jungle. He grumbled something incoherent.
“I’m a shit teacher, Adrian,” he grabbed one of the pastries without much more than a shrug. But there was a moment that gave Adrian pause. Pain. Weakness, more like it. Was Carpenter thinking of the one that taught him? Who was that? Ascendancy?
Adrian watched him devour the delivery from the kitchen. The carbohydrates helped ease the transition. Salt tabs would blunt some of headache, but they’d need a concierge nutritionist to sober him up all the way.
“I’m aware of that,” Adrian crossed his arms. Ascendancy sent his best. This didn’t look like the best, but at the moment, it was all he had.
“How did you learn it?” Adrian finally asked.
Jay rounded the kitchen, slumping in the nearest chair. Muffin crumbs fell to his chest as he chewed.
He shrugged. “Here and there, but a friend was the one that got through,” his voice was tight.
“Whatever they did to you, you’ll have to do it to me.”
Jay laughed. “You’re shitting me, Adrian. You really want me to lock you away underground for a few months while we beat you into your senses?”
“Not really.”
“Then you don’t want me to do to you what they did to me.”
Adrian frowned.
“Channelers are crawling Moscow. Meanwhile, I can’t do anything with this power inside. You give that to me and I will give you something in return nobody else in the world can offer.”
Jay laughed. Skeptical. “What’s that?”
“Closure.” He studied Carpenter’s reaction closely.
“Yasmine Amengual wants your head in her Birkin.”
“The hell is a Birkin?”
“it’s a purse,” Adrian rolled his eyes.
“Then just say purse.” Jay snapped. After a moment, he scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Look. I don’t know if it will work, but I have an idea,” Jay said.
Adrian leaned forward. Willing to do anything.
Anything.
He waited almost half an hour in that chair. Legs crossed one over the other, the screen of a wallet glowing dim in front of his studious gaze. When the first thuds of noise roused, he powered down the devices and waited. In darkness. In shade. It felt familiar. Sitting in the chair, relaxed and curious. Like witnessing the rise of an ally or equal fall of an enemy. Adrian himself didn’t know. Very intriguing.
Jay stumbled out in a towel. Water padded footsteps along the floor. He didn’t notice the presence of another. Intent on the hangover cure.
Carpenter had caused a stir in the lobby two days prior. Adrian’s mistake that he hadn’t taken the proper precautions. A lesson learned. He went for the medicine first. Probably felt like shit. He looked no better.
“Feeling better?” Adrian asked. Jay jumped out of his skin. Pills flying.
He didn’t rise. No reason to disturb Carpenter. His brows lifted.
“A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Adrian Kane,” he said with a bow of the head.
Recognition fluttered Carpenter’s gaze. Good.
“Adrian Kane. Started to think you weren’t real.” He frowned at the pills on the floor. But there were enough in the bottle still to swallow.
“I’m real enough,” he said. They stared one another for a few moments. But Jay was the one to break gaze first. The man dropped the salt tablets into a glass of water. Drank greedily.
Adrian waited for the man to finish the drink. “You need to sober up fast, Carpenter. Because you owe me something. More than what your boss says,” a few commands powered up the previously sleeping device.
Carpenter didn’t seem to care much. Though that would change.
The holo-screen revealed the image of a woman. She was a dark-haired beauty with winged cheeks and sumptuous lips. Carpenter’s expression was blank. This guy was already getting on Adrian’s nerves. Did he have to explain everything?
He sighed. “That’s Yasmine Amengual.”
Jay coughed.
“Amengual?”
“And she’s pissed.”
Jay rubbed his head. Not sure if it was the hangover or what her name resurrection.
“She should be. I dragged that kicking sack of shit of her husband out into the jungle and flayed him alive until he begged for mercy. He called her name right before the end.”
The look Jay gave him chilled to the bone.
“Hm,” Adrian murmured. “She’s looking for you,” he added.
“No shit, Adrian. Everyone is looking for me.” Jay downed the rest of the water like a shot. Easy to imagine him falling down drunk. Not hard to imagine a man capable of dragging a screaming enemy through the jungle. He grumbled something incoherent.
“I’m a shit teacher, Adrian,” he grabbed one of the pastries without much more than a shrug. But there was a moment that gave Adrian pause. Pain. Weakness, more like it. Was Carpenter thinking of the one that taught him? Who was that? Ascendancy?
Adrian watched him devour the delivery from the kitchen. The carbohydrates helped ease the transition. Salt tabs would blunt some of headache, but they’d need a concierge nutritionist to sober him up all the way.
“I’m aware of that,” Adrian crossed his arms. Ascendancy sent his best. This didn’t look like the best, but at the moment, it was all he had.
“How did you learn it?” Adrian finally asked.
Jay rounded the kitchen, slumping in the nearest chair. Muffin crumbs fell to his chest as he chewed.
He shrugged. “Here and there, but a friend was the one that got through,” his voice was tight.
“Whatever they did to you, you’ll have to do it to me.”
Jay laughed. “You’re shitting me, Adrian. You really want me to lock you away underground for a few months while we beat you into your senses?”
“Not really.”
“Then you don’t want me to do to you what they did to me.”
Adrian frowned.
“Channelers are crawling Moscow. Meanwhile, I can’t do anything with this power inside. You give that to me and I will give you something in return nobody else in the world can offer.”
Jay laughed. Skeptical. “What’s that?”
“Closure.” He studied Carpenter’s reaction closely.
“Yasmine Amengual wants your head in her Birkin.”
“The hell is a Birkin?”
“it’s a purse,” Adrian rolled his eyes.
“Then just say purse.” Jay snapped. After a moment, he scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Look. I don’t know if it will work, but I have an idea,” Jay said.
Adrian leaned forward. Willing to do anything.
Anything.