Page 18 of Havoc

“Lennon!”

Turning my head, I saw the wise men sitting at a table out on the alfresco area of the café. The wise men, I hadn’t seen them in years. Named for their inability to keep their heads out of gossip, they knew everything going on in town and we came to them for information when we needed it.

“When did you get back to town?” Leo, the eldest one of them, asked.

“Not too long ago, Leo.”

“You look a fine young man now,” Harris, the old ladies’ man, said with a wink.

“Thanks, man. It’s been a long time. I’m surprised you’re all still alive.”

That garnered a laugh from all three. Tom, the dubious one who always suspected everyone was up to no good, was still tense. He knew the terms of my prison sentence because he’d been there that night. He’d been one of the ones to sentence me.

“Same old Lennon!” Harris croaked. He’d looked better if I was being honest.

“Why are you back? Vying for Gideon’s seat?” Leo asked with a smirk.

“Not me. I’m just visiting an old friend.”

“I did hear a rumour Presley was back.”

The sound of her name on Tom’s lips made me curl my fists but I hid it well. “Is she?”

“Don’t play coy with us,” Leo said. “I know the look of love when I see it. You two had it poor, old man should have let you two be.”

“That’s old news,” I said, hoping to push the very raw subject from my mind. “It’s good to see you alive and kicking.”

Another barrel of laughs. “Any time you need a chat or a drink, you know where to find us.”

I nodded and headed inside to order my coffee. My appearance in town wasn’t going to go unnoticed now. The wise men knew everything and told everything. They were the ones you went to when you needed information. I may have to move up my plan.

As I headed inside and took a seat, I ordered a coffee and sat down to read the twenty messages Hendrix had sent this morning. He was erratic, which could only mean he was losing his patience. I sent him a quick message back, telling him I would update him every day but the phone going off every two minutes was a distraction.

No answer.

He was pissed.

I sent a message to my boys Pierce and Caelan and told them to come down south. I needed backup now that my presence had been noticed.

Quick replies of “On it” were received and I knew I’d have to make Presley see my side of it all before they got here. Once they left, Hendrix would surely follow and I couldn’t have him mess up my plans, no matter if he was the man who saved me from homelessness all those years ago or not.

Tonight, I’d seduce Presley and show her I wasn’t a threat, I was the one she needed to have by her side, because I know she had plans for this organization, plans that meant she needed to trust someone to have her back.

Presley

I sat in Jervis’ luxury leather chair and put my feet up on his desk, waiting for him to return. York had given his assistant the rest of the day off, which hopefully meant she’d told her boss to get back to his office asap. I was ready for him. He’d always been a sleazeball, one I’d hated being in front of, but he was easily controlled.

York sat on the couch by the door, and waited, flicking through his phone. I’d never been here before, most of his dealings with Gideon had been conducted at the chateau but this office was just as creepy as Jervis was himself.

The door finally burst open, and a red-faced, exasperated Jervis appeared. He threw his briefcase down to the side of the room and moved to the desk, unaware of York sitting behind him.

“Presley, what the hell are you doing in my office?”

“Waiting for you, of course.”

“Then why not make an appointment?”

“I don’t make appointments. When I want to see someone, I see them. Now, sit your ass down, we need to talk.”

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