Page 24 of The Protégé

These boys were the VATV men I respected—vigilantes against the villains. My circle of trusted men was small. I’d learned a long time ago that the more successful you became, your circle of friends became smaller. Keep your circle of friends tight. In the business arena, it was difficult to trust people. The man standing next you could scheme to overthrow your business or take it over. I’d seen it happen too many times.

Remi glanced at the clock on the wall. “Is Attikus coming tonight?”

“Speak of the devil.” Remi jerked a chin toward the entrance.

Attikus walked toward us with his wooden cane etched with an intricate design. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and a silver tie. He had dark hair that appeared darker than his suit and a face that rarely showed any emotion. Older than me by five years, we met when he witnessed me stealing documents from a corrupt police detective. The officer had disrespected a minority family who was distraught and grieving for their deceased family member, who had been shot mistakenly by another police officer.

Attikus had come up to praise me because he’d seen the incident too. I told him I planned on sending the evidence to multiple news stations. He gave me the name of a reporter he trusted. We became friends that summer when I’d returned to Providence at nineteen years old to commemorate my mother’s death.

Attikus hooked the cane on the chair and slid into the seat. “Sorry, I’m late.”

“Any good reason?” I asked, knowing he was rarely late. Men like us with multiple businesses to oversee followed a tight schedule.

“There was a painting I needed,” he said.

“For your museum?” Remi asked.

Attikus shook his head. “My personal collection.”

Unlike me, who had a collection of oddities, Attikus was obsessed with fine art. Most of the paintings I’d stolen from other criminals were given to him because he’d appreciate them more than I would. I only did it for the thrill and because I didn’t like the men who’d owned them.

“You want anything to drink?’ Remi asked Attikus.

“No, thanks.” He looked at me and then at Remi. “I heard two elite members are attending a movie premier in Hollywood next month.”

“They’re funding movies so they can hide behind the glamor of Hollywood,” I said.

Attikus nodded. “I’ll monitor those members and see where they lead me.”

“Grayson and Royce also got the same intel. They’ll continue with the elite clubs around the world,” Remi said. “Arrow is monitoring an elite member who’s meeting someone at the Pentagon. Forrest is focused on a pharmaceutical company that suddenly got large private funding for a new medication that sounds too good to be true. I’m looking into a prominent hotel chain that recently filed for bankruptcy.”

“The Trogyn are probably working fast to tie up loose ends,” Attikus said.

“Or strategically placing their chess pieces against us. Anything is possible now. They know about you and your boys.” I looked at Remi.

“We’ll be ready for them.” Remi’s jaw tightened.

“I have my team monitoring a club in Sweden that hosts celebrities and wild parties.” I leaned into the table. “My team just finished the drone prototypes. You should receive yours in a couple of weeks. Test it and let me know if you’d like any tweaks.”

“That’s fantastic.” Remi beamed. “I can’t wait to see what your engineer and designer came up with from my old drone.”

Remi and his friends had given their drones to me. They’d created them when they were teens. The devices had recorded the crime that linked them to The Trogyn.

“My team had fun,” I said. “How’s Slash doing these days?”

I’d never met him, but had heard wonderful things from Remi and the others. Slash had been a member of the crime organization and given these men a second chance. He was their savior.

“He’s retired.” Remi smiled. “His wife gave him an ultimatum—retirement or divorce. They live in Costa Rica now. In the same area as Royce’s parents.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” I said.

“Slash has helped you enough. It’s time for a break.” Attikus looked at me. “Do I get a drone?”

I patted his back. “You bet. I need your feedback.”

“I heard you bought a company. What is it?” Attikus asked.

“I bought it six months ago, merging with my tech company, specializing in artificial intelligence.”

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