Page 194 of The Black Trilogy

“Or drinking more than one bottle of wine, it appears.” He slid my glass away from me, laughing.

“Nope. Better than beer though,” I giggled. What on earth…? Giggled?

He turned serious again. “I want you to come and work for me.”

“I’ve already got a job. Two, in fact. And I even like one of them.”

“I know. You’d need to leave them both, and it would be a big commitment. Jimmy told me you’re saving up to go to university, and that’s admirable. So, my offer is that if you work for me for six months and give it your all, I’ll pay you two hundred thousand pounds at the end. After that, either one of us can terminate the contract. If you decide to come back here, you’ll have enough money to study and put a down payment on a house as well.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded.

“You’re insane. You’ve only known me a day, and I’m not exactly a model citizen.”

“I understand that. But I’ve also noticed your dubious talents.” He started listing, ticking off the points on his fingers as he went. “You stole my wallet without me noticing.”

I interrupted him, ignoring his dirty look. “You did notice.”

“Only because I went to get some gum out of the same pocket. Pure coincidence, that’s all. Then you knew I was following you without looking overtly behind and judged the right moment to start running. And when you took off, you were surprisingly fast. That climb up the scaffolding…” He shook his head and smiled. “That was impressive.”

Okay, yeah, it was. I couldn’t help grinning back.

He leaned forward, elbows on the table as he continued. “I spent several years in the Navy SEALs, and I barely kept up with you. Then you broke my nose and made me doubt for a few moments whether I’d ever father a child. I’ve been in fights with grown men who haven’t come close to doing that. I seriously underestimated you. You look like an angel but you fight like the devil, and I want to harness those skills.”

“And for six months you’d pay me two hundred grand? You’ve got more money than sense.”

“Maybe, maybe not. If you’re capable of what I think you are, it would be the best money I ever spent.”

“So, just suppose I did agree. How do you see this crazy plan of yours working? Would I have to leave England?”

“Yes. You’d need to move to Virginia. But I come to London every couple of months, and you could tag along if you wanted to visit.”

“I wouldn’t know anyone. I’d be on my own.”

And I’d never been completely alone before, not the way he was suggesting. In London, I’d spent years building up a network of acquaintances I could trade favours with, from the guys at the gym to the bouncers at Silk, local business owners, kids I’d been on the street with. Did I want to be by myself in a place I couldn’t even find on a map?

“You’d know me, and I’d soon start introducing you to people. Despite your somewhat abrasive personality, people seem to like you, so I can’t imagine you’d be lonely. And if you didn’t want to live in your own place, I’ve got a spare room. Believe me, my house has got plenty of space for two.”

“Is it as big as the one here?”

“Bigger. The pair of us could be there for weeks and never cross paths. Unless you wanted to, of course.”

“What would I have to do?”

Had I gone quite mad? Why was I even considering his proper…propa…his offer? Was I that easily bought? I slumped in my chair, confused. The money sounded attractive; that I couldn’t deny. And so did the posh house, especially if it came with a fully stocked fridge. And Black… He smiled, showing me his row of white, if slightly fuzzy, teeth. Boy, he was really pretty when he did that.

“Training. Physical fitness and fight skills. Shooting and knife work. Advanced driving, flying, scuba diving, parachuting, climbing, sailing a boat.”

“Sounds like you want to turn me into Wonder Woman. Is there anything you’ve missed? Ice skating? Teleportation?” I nudged him with my foot. “Would I get to wear a cape?”

He scowled and ignored me. “Then there are the soft skills, like learning how to talk to people without swearing at them or getting them annoyed—that’ll be the most difficult part for you. And you’d need to be able to do it in several languages. Towards the end, I might ask you to do a few simple jobs if I thought you were ready for them.”

Joking aside, he was giving me the chance to do things I’d never even dared to dream about. Learning to fly cost a fortune, something that would be way out of my price range even if I did go to university and get a decent job. And the physical side of it appealed to me—the chance to take the training I’d done at the gym to another level.

Yes, I’d have to leave JJ’s, but I’d never planned to stay there forever. Plus with two hundred thousand pounds, I’d be able to give Jimmy some cash as a thank you for everything he’d done for me. Maybe I could even hire him a new receptionist?

Then there was Black. He remained an enigma, but with all the stuff I’d dished out to him, he’d never once lost his temper or intentionally tried to hurt me. Quite the opposite, in fact. He’d treated me like an equal even if I didn’t deserve it.

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