When we arrived at the estate it was admitably with far more class than either of us was feeling and despite the professional behavior of our driver and the Benz pretending to be a cab for us Neither alexander or myself had much to say, he wanted to go ‘stash the haul’ somewhere in the manor without giving me any details, so as it was technically his money and i was in a advisory role i merely, polity, interjected that we should count it together to insure all was accounted for and verified.

And as I had suspected everything was accounted for so alexander whent and secured it in his ‘lair’ but at least now i know where it is to some extent, so off to my room i went hoping to get some work done maybe there would be some paperwork i could deal with or just relax in a nice room if i had no other option.

When I finally found my way under the impressive ceiling and elongated windows of my room they didn't feel comforting, not in the way some things do anyway.

It felt like a stressful drag of a cigarette, or driving to get fast food on your lunch even tho you brought leftovers to save money.

But, it didn't matter, after all there was work to do, so sitting at the overly cluttered desk I tried pushing through the fog the day had left clinging to me.

I cleared a space for my laptop and signed in prepared for some organising and all the tedious necessary paperwork today's shenanigans would require: I was however, met by a notification of a priority email from the company.

[Urgent]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Payment

Greetings Mr.Lamont we hope this email finds you well, and knowing your penchant for direct and efficient communication we shall take a similar approach regarding this email.

The Evercrest case will be required to pay 340,00 daily until they have payed aproxamily payed 2,100,000 or 30% of there current debit, if this requirement is not met we will be moving this case to asset reclamation where all items place under this loan as collateral will be liquidised and accounts seized.

Thank you

My phone was out of my pocket and dialing Mr.Jones office before i even formed a coherent thought the dial and cheap siriyal adds becoming a metaphorical pebble in my shoe until finally click; “Hello you have reached the office of Mr. Collen Jones my name is carle how may i assist you.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

The operator was a young kid but with the dead joy in his tone had been working this job for some time and would hopeful know what was happening with this case, after all secretaries have a knack for that kind of thing.

“Yes this is Alastor Lemont I work in asset management and was hoping”

“Oh yes Mr.Lamont, I have a message I was supposed to deliver to you from the chief concerning the new requirements for your case, It says that the email was not a mistake and the first payment will be expected by tonight preferably before midnight.”

The world was hollow, my thoughts vanishing into the darkness, “Surely, this is a misunderstanding, after all this case has been deemed a political danger by the hire ups.”

There was a typing noise, it seemed to stretch the world caring it thru space on featherless wings

“The case has been deemed safe by the board and the chief due to new evidence and if there is nothing else I can help you with Mr.Lamont I would be happy to help.”

“Can I speak with Mr.Jones about, all this?”

Again with the clicking and meaningless taps “I am afraid not Mr.Jones office has a full calendar but i will place you on the list Mr.Lamont.”

There it was again, that stage and the other who watched with me “Mr,Lamont is there anything else I can assist with.”

For a moment I just endured the hollow joy that echoed through the world around me, “I, no thats, everything.”

“Wonderfull, please have a great day Mr.Lamont.” and that was it, the line went dead and I had five days before this case was moved to asset reclamation and deemed a failure.

And what was I doing, I was sitting on the bed wasting the precise moments holding a cheap flip phone and listening to my leather covers hand creak.

The yellow phone seemed to resonate with that dead joy of that secretary still, half truths and business politics lingering on its head then there was another creak, one full of the blatant brushing aside I was just given.

And so I watched, watched as green tendrils sought it out wrapping it till the yellow was replaced by green watched as the screen cracked and keys jittered, afterall it was just a cheap phone.

I found alexander in the kitchen later that night where he was of course, grabbing a full pack of salami and a bottle from the fridge.

“Alex.”

That bottle crashed into the ground and was apparently not his first judging by how he stumbled out of the fridge and hit the tile with a slap alongside the sound of shattering glass.

“Alexander!” rushing around the marble topped isle between us I found him laying a inch away from the spray of glass with a miraculous lack of glass shards in his skin.

“awwww, why you, always gatta be sooooooo, frickin loud ,smoky.”

“Alex i am speaking at a acceptable level and we need to talk about professional… Smoky?”

Alexander rolled flopping onto his back and managed to avoid the glass yet again, “Yeah, you wear old stuff, like the secret agent hat, and you're made, of smoky stuff.”

“I, see.” he wasn't going to be much use like this better get him some where he can sleep it off.

So with little help from alexander I set him on his side on one of the living room sofas with the bag of salami slices he refused to let go of “it's too bad, we don't got, some guys to do this, crap for us, i mean no one like bein shot.”

And he was gone off to a place I had visited sparingly back when I could, the black restless slumber of a fool who had clearly made some stupid decisions, ones that would find him when he woke.

But even fools can speak a word of wisdom from time to time. “Yes, Alex it is too bad we don't have people to do this for us.”