Page 226 of The Reluctant Hero

Mikael shifts on his feet behind me, bringing attention to his presence. Owen looks up and swallows before looking back at me.

“Why not reach out to someone else?”

“Jakolski and Fullerton aren’t exactly valid any longer. To be honest, you are a long shot. If you don’t have any knowledge of it, we're done here.”

I don’t bother looking up from my cup.

I’m not sure what decides him. He certainly takes his time watching me drink. Jake glances between us with eager eyes while Cade stands behind him, glaring at his mussed curls. I pause to take in the fact that his hair is a mess. Did he not brush it after?

I shut the thought away before I have a chance to feel anything about it.

“What’s the rush?” Owen asks with a slick smile. “We’re friends here. I can help you out.”

“Can you?” I ask blandly and spare him a bored glance.

His eyes narrow at the subtle insult, but he regains his ego quickly.

“I wondered if you might have an interest. There’s certainly an interest in you.”

The benign statement is threatening. There are more of them, and they’re aware of me. I’m not surprised. I haven’t made friends with any of the higher-tier society here. I’m too busy making money to mingle, or so they say.

“I came prepared.”

That’s interesting. One meeting and I’m suddenly in the fold? It’s too easy. But I’ve already set myself on this path, and I won’t back down.

“Is that so.” I lean back in my seat to casually sip my tea. The stereotype of an Asian man always having hot tea is annoying but makes me seem more predictable. To any other shark, I appear like a thin wall of ice that’s easy to break through. More ego and flash than intelligence and substance.

“What do you have for us?” Jake asks in excitement as Owen reaches down for something at his feet. Cade watches themotion and shakes his head to let us know he doesn’t have a weapon hidden. The case he places on the table beside his plate is too thin for more than a knife.

Jake positions himself closer as if he’s too eager to see what’s inside while giving me cover.

“I have a few places you might find interesting,” Owen pulls out a sheaf of glossy pictures and startles at Jake’s proximity.

“Mr. Meyer,” I can’t help but notice how stern my tone turns as I glance at Jake. He takes the cue to back away, apologizing for his excitement.

Owen gives him a cautious smile, possibly wondering to himself if Jake is as moronic as he seems. Sadly, he’s both right and wrong at the same time.

He lays out the photo spread for me to peruse. Then, he pulls out a specific picture and slides it closer to me.

I glance at the photo to take in the large home proudly displayed. This is the mansion that Blake bought and sold to a shell company. Looking into the false front didn’t net me any leads and here it is, being offered.

“It’s a very secluded area,” he says with a slight smile. “Nothing around for miles. There have been a lot of recent renovations to the basement that I think you would find interesting.”

I slide the photo back with a raised brow. “You think I would find a basement interesting?”

Jake chuckles, playing up the idiotic sycophant personality to a tee. It earns him a subtle glare from Owen. At the look, he quiets and clears his throat, looking embarrassed at his ‘slip’.

“It’s a very unique setup. There are a lot of people interested in viewing it.”

My gut clenches as my face remains cold. Amanda said the facility was underground and hidden in the sand.

“A basement,” I push on with subtle mockery.

“Yes,” he agrees with a wide smile that looks perverted. It makes me nauseous.

“If a lot of people are interested, we should seriously think about it,” Jake says in a soft, earnest tone. His wide eyes reflect an avarice that I know is fake. He’s good enough that even I question it for a moment.

“A tour of the home would be better before purchase,” I tell him dismissively. “And I don’t see the point of wasting time on a supposedly wonderful basement.”

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