She had been sitting in the car, watching a building through binoculars when the call came in. When she felt the vibration in her pocket, and heard the distinct ring tone, it was a call she thought could wait and let it go to voice mail. Mackenzie Bond, or Mac for short, was a high priced private investigator. One of the best in her field, but she didn’t feel the need to broadcast that. Mac enjoyed working for a law firm because it gave her cover that made her job that much easier to do. Without having to advertise her services, she was able to sneak and poke a lot easier without people recognizing her and it was a cover that saved her hide more often than she’d like to admit. Mac had just finished a light lunch she had delivered and was sipping on an ice coffee while watching her subject’s place of work. She didn’t mind the stakeouts, because it gave her time to think, do paperwork and keep close watch all at the same time. Mac didn’t mind the grunt work as it kept her fit and sharp, which was just the way she preferred to be in her line of work. She was sipping on her ice coffee again when the phone started to buzz/ring again. Same ringtone, the firm was tying to reach her again.
Twice in as many minutes, she thought to herself, what the hell is going on?
Mac deeply sighed as she reluctantly took the expensive smart phone out of her pocket and finally answered it.
“What the hell do you want?” Mac demanded.
“Mac, it’s Willie Rogers.” The voice on the other end replied.
Mac was so surprised that she paused for a moment. One of the senior partners was calling her personally and she just snapped at who was her boss. The man who signed all the paycheques, and authorized her crazy overtime hours.
“Sir,” She finally responded, “I’m sorry about that. I just don’t like to be interrupted when I’m working.”
“Understandable,” Willie replied, “I don’t like to be interrupted either. Your work ethic is one of the reasons why I like you, so it’s all good.”
“Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Rogers?” Mac asked.
“As a matter of fact, there is.” Rogers answered, “Another investigator is enroute to relieve you of your stakeout and will be handling your case from here on. You are being reassigned.”
“Excuse me?” Mac asked, stunned to hear her current work was done.
She never liked to be taken off a case, as unfinished work tended to make her angry. She had an obsession to make sure cases were done and put to bed, to the point where she didn’t’ trust anyone else to do that for her.
“What the hell is going on over there?” She demanded.
“A matter of grave prominence has bestowed upon our firm,” Willie said, “This morning, we landed a big fish who might be in big trouble. This new case is our firm’s highest priority, so because of that the attorney handling this matter requested for you personally. I am inclined to agree with him, and believe we need our best investigator handling this. That, my dear, is you.”
Mac took a moment to pause and collect herself. While it’s true that she was the best they had, she didn’t like be reassigned in the middle of a case. Loose ends upset her, and she was obsessed with seeing things through. Especially if it was a case she believed in. Yet this was a partner asking, not some hack lawyer.
“How big is this fish?” She asked.
“Think of our richest client,” Willed replied, “And then quadruple his net worth.”
“Holy shit,” Mac said, “That’s not a fish, that’s a fucking whale.”
“Precisely,” Willie concurred, “And that whale is your new client, and he badly needs our help, Mac. I wouldn’t pull you off a case if I didn’t think it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Time is a factor in this matter, so I need you to get to work on this as soon as possible. I would give you more time for your current case if I could, so I do apologize.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Mac said, as she appreciated Willie’s respect for her methods. “I do trust you, so if you say it’s urgent… then I’m in.”
“Thank you, Mac.” Rogers said, pleased to hear her say that. “You might also find this to your liking: unlimited overtime is approved for this case.”
“Shit,” Mac said, as those were the words she loved to hear. “And who is the lawyer running this case?”
“That would be Russell Benson,” Willie replied, “Play nice, my dear. There is a lot of money on the line, and a man’s freedom as well.”
“Dammit,” Mac said after hearing that. “This is a criminal case?”
“It is,” Rogers said, “Get back to the office, and get to work.”
“I’ll do that once I’m relieved,” Mac replied, “Thank you for your confidence, sir.”
“It’s well earned, my dear.” Willie said, “See you soon.”
When the line went dead, all Mac could do was scream. As much as she hated stepping out of a case in the middle of it, she did like the idea of being paid for every minute of her work. She opened up her phone and started to look through certain an app that allowed her to track people. It took only minutes to find out where Russell was, and the result angered her even more. He was dining at a high class restaurant for lunch, probably celebrating his new client. Typical lawyer, she thought to herself, and that seemed to upset her just a bit. Not only did she need to work for a new client, but now she had to work with Russell again, and he even asked for her! The nerve on that guy after all the history they had.
When the new investigator arrived and was briefed, Mac drove away from her spot and started to b-line for the classy restaurant where Russell was dining. She stormed right into the building and into the dining hall despite the protest of the staff guarding the door. It took mac only a few moments to spot the man she was looking for. Russell happened to be standing up from his table while another man was walking away from him. Mac started to walk towards the cocky lawyer and that when she was spotted by him.
“Oh crap,” Russell called out.
“What is it?” the man sitting at his table asked.
“You’ll find this amusing,” Russell said to his friend, “We have incoming; angry woman at eleven o’clock.”
“Oh my,” The man sitting said, “Ex-wife?”
“Oh gaud no,” Russell answered, “Not this time.”
Before either man could say anything else, Mac walked right up to Russell and slapped him right across the face with a thin open hand. The slap was so loud that everyone in the dining hall could hear it as it echoed throughout the room.
Russell was a tough guy, so he was able to take the slap with ease. He knew Mac would be pissed and was actually expecting something like that to happen. It was made Mac so great and in high demand; that determination to do the best job possible.
“Nice to see you, Mac.” Russell said, “I assume you’ve talked to Willie and have been given your new assignment?”
“Yes, I have.” Mac said, taking a seat at the table and stealing food from both Russell and Jefferson’s plates. Both men appeared to be finished do it didn’t matter to her if they were or not.
“She seems nice,” Jefferson said, still amused by it all.
“Who the hell is he?” Mac asked.
“Jefferson Jones,” Jefferson said, “Nice to meet you, Mac. You must be that investigator that Russell was telling me about, all that fire and passion was a dead giveaway.”
“Jones,” Mac said, as it dawned her. “You’re the senior partner of…”
“Yes, I am.” Jones answered, “Still a pleasure to meet you. I rather enjoyed your slapping of our friend here. Do it again.”
“That’s enough foreplay for one day,” Russell interrupted, “I’m sure Willie told you that we wouldn’t pull you for just any case. This matter is time sensitive and we couldn’t afford to wait for your current case to finish up.”
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“I’m getting that impression,” Mac said, “So what is he doing here then?”
“Sharing,” Jones answered, “I used to be the attorney for this case.”
“That explains he liquid lunch,” Mac replied, “Nice.”
“Nothing else to do right about now.” Jefferson confessed.
It was at this point where Rusell’s phone went off, and he quickly answered it.
“Shaw,” Russell answered, “What do you need?”
“I called to give you a heads up,” Shaw informed him, “Our new client is going viral on social media.”
“Son of a bitch,” Russell said as he turned away from Jefferson and Mac. “Is this case already leaking to the media or is it about Jefferson’s firing?”
“Neither,” Shaw answered, “Something happened to Xander after he left our office. I’m getting reports that he was almost hit by a bus.”
“What??” Russell said, “Are you sure about that?”
“I’m reading a lot of tweets about it, and there’s photos.” Shaw said, “I’ll forward what I have but you need to get on top of this.”
“I’m on my way back,” Russell said, as he disconnected the line. “Mac, we’re leaving.”
“Is something wrong,” Jefferson asked.
“Possibly,” Russell said, as he tossed a few Benjamins on the table. “Lunch is on me; thanks for your help and understanding.”
“Take care,” Jefferson called out as they walked away.
“What the hell is going on?” Mac asked.
“Our new client is going viral,” Russell said, “It doesn’t sound good.”
“Give me his name and I’ll search this out,” Mac said, “Who is he?”
“Xander Hopkins,” Russell replied.
Mac stopped walking and looked back at Russell with a shocked look on her face.
“Are you serious?” she asked him.
“I am,” Russell said, “He walked into our offices asking for me personally. A billionaire just fell out of the damn sky and landed on my lap.”
“Damn,” Mac said, as she was fishing around social media, “According to reports, he was almost hit by a bus walking downtown earlier this morning.”
“That was right after he met with me for the first time,” Russell said, “I haven’t even had a change to cash his fat retainer yet.”
“How fat are we talking here?” Mac said, as she loved to talk money.
“See for yourself,” Russell said, as he took out the cheque and handed it to her.
She took the small piece of paper and looked at the massive number with another stunned look on her face. This also told her that whatever matter he was being represented for had to be huge because no one tossed around money like that unless it was about to seriously hit the fan. She quietly handed the cheque back to Russell and went onto her smart phone and started to check Xander’s virtual print.
“Something did happen earlier,” she confirmed, and she found something else. “And there appears to be a video.”
“Let’s see it,” Russell said, eager to know what happened.
They opened the video, and it showed Xander stepping out in front of a bus and then jumping back out of the way with just inches to spare. The could only see Xander’s head and shoulders above the cars, so it was hard to see what was going on.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Russell said, “He looked ready to fight the charges, and not suicidal one damn bit.”
“Wait, there’s another angle!” Mac said as she opened a new video that had a much clearer view of the situation.
Both Russell and Mac watched as the new angle provided all the answers they were looking for. They watched as a young boy had attempted to walk into oncoming traffic and Xander only stepped in front of the bus to grab the boy. They both watched with awe as Xander was able to move both himself and the boy out of harms way just in time, and when the video was over they both let out a huge sigh.
“Oh my gaud,” Mac said, looking back at Russell, “He saved that boy’s life!”
“Damn, that was close too.” Russell said, loosening his tie.
“I assume this has nothing to do with his case?” Mac asked.
“It does not, but this new video will certainly help.” Russell said, “Did you drive here?”
“I did,” Mac confirmed.
“Alright, let’s go.” Russell said, as he resumed walking out of the place.
“Where to?” Mac asked.
“We’re going to visit our new client as hit office,” Russell said, “Make sure he really is alright so our firm can cash this cheque.”
“Alright, but I’m driving.” Mac insisted.
“You sure are,” Russell said, “I don’t have a license.”
“You don’t?” Mac asked, rather surprised.
“Never have, and likely never will.” Russell said, “I’m a bit of a hot head, and while that works in my profession society is safer without me on the road.”
“Fair enough,” Mac said, “Let’s go then.”
It took them only a few minutes for them to drive over to the building where Xander’s company resided. Mac let Russell out first so that he could get in as soon as possible while she looked for a parking spot, and would catch up with him later. Russell Took the lift to the appropriate floor and walked up to the front desk, but there was no one there. While he was waiting, a security guard walked over.
“Can I help you, Sir?” the man asked.
“Sure,” Russell said, “I’m looking for Xander Hopkins. And you are?”
“I’m Gregory,” The guard answered, “Do you have an appointment?”
“I do not, but I’m his new lawyer.” Russell said, handing the guard a business card. “I’m just checking in on him to make sure he’s alright.”
Gregory looked at the card and then back at Russell.
“He’s in his office, so I’d check with his secretary,” Gregory informed him, as he pointed him in the right direction. He also held up the card. “Do you want this back?”
“No,” Russell said as he started to walk away, “You keep, Gregory. And give me a call if you think Xander ever needs my help. Keep an eye out and an ear open around here too, and I’ll owe you a favor you can cash in anytime.”
“Alright,” Gregory said, smiling as he put the card away. “I’ll do that.”
Russell was walking down the hall in the direction Gregory pointed out for him, and there was no secretary in sight, but he could hear people talking rather loudly.
“That’s unacceptable!” a voice came booking out from behind the large door that had Xander’s name on it. “You’re going to call him and hire his firm back.”
“Uh oh,” Russell whispered to himself as he walked closer to the door, “Someone is not a happy camper.”
“No I’m not!” Xander’s voice called out, “Not gonna happen.”
“That a’boy!” Russell said, happy to hear the response.
“Excuse me?” the other voice shouted, “Yes, you are!”
“No, I’m not!” Xander yelled back, very defiantly. As he was saying that, Russell slowly opened the door, to sneak into the conversation and back his man up.
“And why not?” An older man in the middle of the room asked.
“Because he doesn’t want to,” Russell answered for his client, revealing his presence to both men. “And as far as I’m concerned, that’s the only reason he needs to give you.”
Russell watched with amusement as both men turned to look back at him, both genuinely surprised to see him.
“I’m sorry,” Russell called out, “Am I interrupting something?”
“Yes, you are!” the older man replied, “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Russell Benson,” Russell said, as he defiantly entered into the room and closed the door behind him. “I’m Xander’s new lawyer.”
The older man turned back to face Xander. “Is this true?”
“Yes,” Xander confirmed for his father, “I hired him a short time ago. Mr. Benson will be representing myself and this company moving forward.”
“I’m guessing from your authoritative stance and the harsh tone that you’re daddy warbucks,” Russell continued, “And while Jefferson Jones is a talented lawyer that still has Xander’s back, it’s in your son’s best interests that he retain me as his lawyer so that I can look out for his best interests without having to worry about those interests conflicting with your own.”
“Is that so?” Xander’s father asked.
“That is so,” Russell said, “I met with the attorney who submitted that settlement a short time ago, and told him to stick that deal where the sun doesn’t shine.”
“Are you serious?” the old man said, shocked.
“He is,” Xander answered for him. “There will be no deals. I’m not paying that liar a single dime. We’re going to fight these allegations.”
“That’s crazy!” his father cried out, “I’ll pay to make it go away!”
“No, you won’t.” Russell said, “Any payment made to this woman by you or anyone is a declaration that the charges she’s making are legit, and that is a false statement against my client. You so much as give that bitch a dime, and I’ll sue your ass for slander and defamation of character.”
“What?” his father said, rather surprised. “You can’t do that!”
“Watch me,” Russell said, “Do your son a favor, Mr. Hopkins. Stay on the sidelines and be a witness rather than a participant. If this goes to court, I am going to mop the floors with anyone that stands in my way. In the end neither of you will be paying anything to that woman, or anyone else that might try to take advantage of your good nature moving forward. Sound good?”
“I’ll have to speak to Jefferson about this,” The old man replied.
“That’s the smartest thing you’ve said so far,” Russell agreed, “He’s got more free time on his hands so put him to work. We need all hands on deck here if we’re going to make it out of this shit storm.”
“Alright,” The old man said, “You seem to know what you’re doing here, so I’ll leave you to it.”
Xander watched with awe as his old man tucked tail and walked out of the office without so much as a whimper.
“Shit,” Xander said, looking back at his attorney. “That alone was worth the entire retainer I gave you.”
“Well, that’s not why I’m here.” Russell said, looking back at him. “Word going around the internet is that you almost got hit by a bus after you left my office.”
“Oh, yeah.” Xander said, “Sorry about that.”
“I saw the video,” Russell said, smiling back at his client. “You saved that boy’s life. That was amazing.”
“Oh,” Xander said as he was unaware of a video. “Thanks, I guess.”
“While I’d prefer you be out of the headlines,” Russell continued, “This is the kind of press that can help us. It might even work like a Kevlar vest for when those charges eventually come forward. This could help us.”
“That’s not why I did it,” Xander said, “It was just instinct.”
“That makes it even better,” Russell said, as there was a knock at the door.
“Come in!” Xander called out.
The door opened and Mac slipped in and closed it behind her.
“Hey,” Mac said, “The guard said you came this way.”
“Who is this?” Xander asked.
“This is Mackenzie Bond,” Russell said, “And she is your guardian angel. She happens to be our best private investigator and is going to be looking into this matter for us.”
“I like the sound of that,” Xander said, pleased to hear that they were putting their best people onto his case.
“I used to be a police detective,” Mac said to him, “So if this is a criminal matter, I will dig deep into it and use all police contacts to get to the bottom of it.”
“Sounds good,” Xander said, “So why are you guys here?”
“Yeah,” Mac asked, “That’s a good question.”
“I was here to check up on that bus thing,” Russell said, “But since we’re here, let’s get Mac caught up on everything so she’s knows what we’re dealing with here. I want you to sit down and tell us both everything you can remember about that night your alleged incident occurred. Don’t leave out a single detail, no matter how small.”
“Why not,” Xander said, eager to get going. “I’ve already cancelled today’s appointments. “Where do I start?”
Mac flipped open her notebook. “What day did the alleged incident occur?”