know what was going on, but whatever it was, I knew it was bad.
And that’s saying something, since Midpark was usually full of bad things already.
Because I knew Jaz, because I knew that girl was constantly in trouble and getting into shit she shouldn’t, I knew she was involved with it. I just didn’t know how much, not until my phone rang and I picked up.
“Hello?” It was an unrecognized number, but something about the voice was familiar. Deep, definitely a man’s voice. “Is this Jacob Hall?”
“This is,” I said. I was in my kitchen, trying to scrounge for something for dinner, but to be honest, I wasn’t that hungry.
“Are you available for hire? I know you’re no longer on the force, but I’ve heard good things about your PI work.” Whoever it was on the line was very formal, and yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that I knew who he was, deep down.
Technically I was always for hire, though it was up to me to judge my current load. I couldn’t take anything that would interfere with another job I’d already accepted, but as it stood now, the only job I had with a client was for Mr. Anonymous, and all that involved was keeping an eye on Jaz.
Although…I had been wondering about that for a little while, now. It didn’t feel right. Like I was spying on her. Why? Who was behind the emails and the money? Whoever it was, I couldn’t figure them out, and that annoyed me to no end.
Kind of like Jaz did.
She was…oh, I shouldn’t let my mind wander to her, not now, not while I was on the phone with another potential client. At the mere thought of her name, my mind went to her body, and my own body reacted accordingly.
“That depends on the job,” I said, gritting my teeth.
“It’s complicated. Can you meet tonight? Time is of the utmost concern.”
The least I could do was hear him out. Money was money, right? I could squeeze it in somewhere, probably. I agreed to meet him, and he gave me an address, which I jotted down quickly.
“Can you come now?” the man on the other line asked.
I glanced down at my clothes. I wore my workout stuff, so I’d have to change, probably shower, too, as my hair was a bit slick with sweat. “Yes. I’ll be right there.” And then it occurred to me that I should know who I was meeting: “You never told me your name.”
“You’ll know when you pull up.” And then the man hung up, leaving me to stare in confusion at my phone screen.
Hmm. Didn’t bode well for the job, but at this point, if I ended up turning down Mr. Anonymous for any more future spying on Jaz, I’d need more money. My plan was to get out of this town, save up for a house somewhere nice, but now…now I couldn’t leave. Leaving would mean I’d have to leave Jaz, and that wasn’t something I was willing to do.
No. Not after that girl wormed her way into my heart, my mind, my very fucking soul. Saying goodbye to her wasn’t something I wanted to do.
I thought about calling the man back, but I settled for hurrying to shower and get changed. Once I was ready to go, I grabbed the note with the address on it and headed down to my car. With the address put into my phone, I realized I was heading into the wealthier neighborhood of Midpark—though that really wasn’t saying much, since everywhere was pretty much the wealthy part.
It wasn’t until I realized what road he’d said when a nagging suspicion began to rise within me. Surely, the man on the phone couldn’t have been Oliver Fitzpatrick, could it? No. No, no, no. Why would he hire me for anything?
Jaz. It had to be for Jaz. I knew she’d been too quiet lately, especially after that dance.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Soon enough, I pulled onto the driveway leading up to the Fitzpatrick’s house. The guard at the gate gave me one look before letting me in, and I slowly drove to the front door, parking and getting out. It was an oddly warm night, spring right around the corner, and yet as I stood there, my neck craned to gaze up at the intimidating multi-story estate, I felt a chill sweep down my spine. A chill from my memory, from my time here before.