Page 38 of As the World Falls

He stops next to me and kicks his chair out from behind me, letting it slam loudly into the wall and making me jump. “Leave. You’re done here today,” he practically snarls, and I don’t argue. Where I felt a small amount of warmth from him earlier, all I could feel and see now was his icy cold exterior—the real James Kingston.

I quickly walk around his desk, his silent presence overwhelming and threatening as I grab my purse and run from his office. I heard his door slam shut once I was near the elevator, and it wasn’t until I was off of it and walking out of the lobby into the cold fall air that I felt like I could catch my breath again.

I’d never seen him so angry and hostile, and I was starting to wonder if this entire thing between us had been a foolish game that he was now done playing.

It’s only about five in the evening when usually I’d be here for another couple of hours. I should have taken a taxi back to the hotel where I was staying, but I was feeling overly anxious now,and the last thing I wanted was to be cooped up in a hotel room. I was thankful it was a Friday and that James and I had the weekend to get some much-needed space from each other. Being with him every day was starting to take its toll on me in ways I didn’t anticipate.

I hug my blazer around my body as I walk down and around the block. It was a particularly cold fall season this year in the city, and I was kicking myself for thinking I could keep getting away without wearing a jacket.

Around the corner, I spot an old Italian-style bar sitting on the corner. Deciding I had nothing better to do, I sat down inside. Soft jazz is playing inside, and I find its tune immediately relaxing.

“What can I get for you?” The bartender asks.

“I’ll have a glass of white wine, please.” He nods, setting a wine glass in front of me, and pours some inside.

“Put it on my tab,” a voice says to my left, and I look over to see a man sitting down next to me. He was older, in his late fifties, and was a little heavier set. His nose was noticeably large, and his skin looked thick and worn. His hair was straight and slicked back, reaching the nape of his neck, and his eyes were thin and beady, regarding me with too much interest for my liking.

More anxiety slams into my stomach, and I fight to keep it at bay as I give him a polite smile. “Thank you, but that’s okay. I’m having a glass and then leaving.”

“I think you’ll want to stay a little longer,” he says, nodding at the bartender, who seems to know his usual and pouring him a glass of whiskey.

“I think I won’t,” I rebuke, ready to stand and leave now.

“My name is Hodge. Hodge Wiseman.”

I freeze, a sense of recognition floating through my head. I’ve heard that name before but couldn’t exactly place it. “Should I know of you?” I ask curiously.

“You’ll want to. I own Wiseman’s, Labyrinth Crystal’s competitor.”

“Oh,” I chime, remembering now. I’ve heard some on-and-off talk about him throughout the office, but it wasn’t much. “What makes you think I want to know you?”

“Because I can help you with your brother,” he says, sipping his glass. I try to keep my shock from registering in my expression. How does he know about my brother, and how does he know I’m trying to help him?

“What makes you say that?”

“Listen, we can help each other here. I want Labyrinth Crystals out of the game, and you want your brother out of the game.”

“What game? It’s just a jewelry industry, right?”

He shoots me an unmistakable look, and unease fills my stomach. “You don’t believe that, though, do you?”

I shrug, trying to remain indifferent. “I’m not sure what I believe.”

“Well, when you decide,” he says, reaching into his suit jacket and pulling out a card that he slides against the bar toward me. “Give me a call. James Kingston isn’t the man he claims to be, and sadly, neither is your brother. If you want to help him, then let me help you.” He then downs the rest of his drink, stands from his chair, and leaves.

I picked up the card and read it, seeing his name and phone number printed. I then tuck it safely into my purse and down my wine like he had, feeling all kinds of stressed and restless now. I pull my phone out and search Hodge Wiseman, and the same man’s photo pops up, and I can’t tell if I’m relieved or even more panicked. It was nice knowing he was a legit person and notsome lying creep, but…how did he know about my brother and me, and why was he so interested in helping me and taking down Labyrinth Crystal?

I needed more facts but felt I wouldn’t like them either way. For some strange reason, I was already disappointed that I might be proven right about James. I don’t know why I suddenly cared so much, but I did, and the idea of going behind his back with his competitor wasn’t sitting right with me.

But then I think back to just a little while ago. The way he regarded me and raised his voice. His cold and unfeeling gaze on mine made me feel like I was nothing to him. It was the way he treated everyone, and I was no different. I needed to remember why I was doing all of this in the first place.

I wanted to keep my brother safe, and if that meant taking down James Kingston…then so be it.

Chapter Thirteen

Cecilia

I shiver in the cold night air and hug my arms tighter around myself as I lean over the curb, scouring the streets for my brother's car. It was Saturday night, and my brother called me this morning, acting like an excited child, raving about some party he wanted to take me to.

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