Page 112 of The Protection Agreement

“I ate too much and had to sleep,” I say.

“And you drooled,” Ice says.

“No, I didn’t,” I snap back.

“Ice,” Bruce warns.

“Fine. You didn’t today. But next time, I’ll get it on video,” he says.

“I’ll be watching you,” I reply.

I get up, go to the kitchen for more drinks, and return to sit with them for the movie. I’m at peace as long as I’m with Bruce.

Chapter sixty-six

Bruce

I have talked to the woman who was poisoning Ice. It turns out she was being threatened to poison him, or her son might not make it home from school. I showed her Aspen’s picture, and she nodded in fear, telling me he was the one threatening her and forcing her to take the money as an accomplice. Malik dug into every aspect of her life and concluded she was just a tool in Aspen’s hands.

I asked her if she had anywhere to go for a while. She said her family lives in Atlanta. My guys followed her home while she packed a bag with her son. I got them a one way ticket to Georgia. I will have someone move and ship all her things to her in a month.

I had someone keep an eye on the place to see who would show up. Sure enough, Aspen did, and he was livid when he found she was gone without a trace. Chicago is a big city. The next question is how they found Jola.

I had a conversation with Clarke, and he informed me he did not know any of the men, but Aspen had tried to get him to work with him in kidnapping Jola. He had refused when he found out she was under my care.

“Did he say how he was going to pay you?” I had asked.

“No. All he said was the funds would come in through his source in California.”

I nodded my understanding but felt like there was more he was not telling me.

“Anything else?” I asked, probing.

He shrugged.

“I got this feeling that whoever is paying him might be a woman, because he slipped once and said she. I also sense that the person wants your client dead, but Aspen is somewhat obsessed with her and wants her to himself. The look in his eyes when he talks about her is not about a job. It is something else. Obsession.” He sighs. “Either way, I turned it down. It was too messy.”

“When Lloyd called you about needing protection, did he tell you where she would be?”

“No. He just said he wanted to hire my services for round the clock protection for his girl and asked for my fee. When he called back, he said you took the job. I was surprised, knowing how much you two dislike each other. I did not want to get in the middle of whatever mess you both had going on.”

“Good. Do you know where Aspen got his men from?”

“No clue. Since I did not want his business, I stayed away from him.”

“Thanks, Clarke,” I said.

“Good talking to you, Bruce. And keep me out of whatever is going on.”

I nodded and watched him leave the restaurant.

Smith and I returned to the building with the new information. It would be easy to pick Aspen up and take him out, but we need to know who is paying him. If we kill him, she might just send someone else. We need to cut off the head of the snake before Jola is safe.

I had Malik go through the information we have gathered from a different angle. This time, I told him to dig into Jonah’s mother. He was surprised when I said that, but going by what my father said, and what Clarke just hinted at, it may be time to take a closer look at Claire.

Chapter sixty-seven

Lexi/Jola