Chapter 3 - A curious woman

Jace POV

They had ordered me to attend an urgent meeting on the president’s floor.

I held my head high when I paced myself to get there in time. I did not want to wrinkle my suit or arouse suspicion from the hard-working staff of my floor. We rarely got called into impromptu meetings, so this must have been serious.

When I entered the boardroom, most directors were already there, patiently waiting for the man who called the session.

I pulled a chair near the far end and waited for the hostess to bring me something to drink. She left as quickly as she came, never looking me straight in the face.

I slowly sipped the content of my glass and purred with satisfaction while swirling the thick red liquid.

It was eerily silent in the room. No one understood why we had been called to this impromptu conference.

The spacious boardroom could hold all twenty Harrington and Leigh Corporation directors. At least the seats were comfortable. They were made of black leather and cushioned to perfection. A slick, straight table made of a massive slab of dark oak stood in the room's centre, adding elegance and wealth. The walls were bare of any decorations or pictures, but behind me was an enormous window, giving us a view of the entire city underneath the hundredth floor of the Harrington and Leigh Corporation building. With that kind of view, what else was needed?

Just above us was the penthouse, which housed the president. The elevator from the penthouse dinged, and a few bodyguards streamed out just before the president himself.

We all got up in respect, and when our boss seated himself, we did the same.

“I’ll ask once, and I better hear the answer I want. Who was responsible for bringing Michael Umbridge back here?” The president—Mr. Harrington shouted.

The members were silent and looked at each other nervously.

I continued sipping on my drink, ignoring the worried stares. I was happy for once that I hadn’t committed the mistake. I had not been the one tasked with bringing Umbridge back here. So I relished the fact the pressure was on someone else.

“Sir,” Director Ventura sheepishly said while rising from his chair. “My men were to bring Umbridge into our custody.”

“Then why is he not here? Do you realize that this man could single-handedly bring my empire down and all of us with it?” The president yelled as his fist connected to the table.

“They encountered an issue… a girl, to be more precise. She had already found Umbridge and had him detained in her vehicle. It would seem she was about to bring him to the police station. When my men intervened, she brought one down before he could take care of her. I’ve sent more men to get him out of prison. He should be within our reach in a few minutes.”

Hmm, now that was interesting. How could a girl escape from the clutches of Ventura’s men? I had seen them. They were pretty big and intimidating, much like the men the president currently had as bodyguards. I doubted that a single little lady could do much against one of them. Yet, she did, and there we were.

“How could a girl be able to leave with what is rightfully mine?” The president echoed my thoughts exactly.

“Well…” Ventura started, “It would seem she was pretty strong for a human. She was able to subdue one guard with a single move.”

“I want you to find everything you can about her, then give the information to Jace. He knows what to do. Leave now and don’t come back empty-handed again.”

Director Ventura bowed his head, then pulled away from his chair and quickly dashed out of the conference room. It slightly annoyed me I would do some dirty work again. As if I hadn’t better things to do. I rolled my eyes at this thought but returned my attention to the conversation still happening.

“What of the information Umbridge sold? What has become of that?”

This time it was Director Black who stood up.

“We’ve found the buyer and taken care of him, and we successfully retrieved the information that was sold. I have also disposed of the people responsible for allowing Umbridge to get his hands on the confidential files. The traces have been cleaned, and there is nothing to go on if someone noses around.”

“Good. Thank you for the necessary precautions. Now, Mr. Bell, would you escort Mr. Black to the basement and have him wait for me there?” Harrington pointed to one of his guards, who nodded and made for the director.

Black became paler, which was extremely surprising since he already had white skin. His red eyes drooped, and his hands clenched the table, not wanting to leave.

“I-I don’t understand. I removed the threat! Please reconsider.” Black pleaded.

He should have known that begging wasn’t something the president liked from his employees. It only made the boss angrier.

“Your team was responsible for the breach, so I will hold you accountable. Bell, take him away.”

The director pleaded once more and cried out when the big guard came over and grabbed him by the neck. Mr. Black bared his teeth and hissed, squirming to free himself from the man’s grasp. He momentarily did escape but was seized immediately after.

This only angered the president, making him reach for something in his pocket and move closer to Bell and Black. He ordered Bell to stand aside, and Mr. Black seemed relieved by the change of heart. My pulse sped up at the same time as the president plunged a stake through Black’s chest, making him disintegrate to ash in the blink of an eye.

The president turned around. His gaze was steady but promised the same fate to whoever else would do him wrong.

“Does anyone else care to make excuses for their poor work, or can we continue with our next topic?”

We all stayed silent, then the board members resumed discussing blood production and sales. Once everything came to a close, the directors were more than happy to leave the meeting still alive and return to their designated tasks.

I stayed behind since I knew the president would want to discuss his plans for the girl. I had a mind of objecting to this job. I felt they could put me to better use in the company than being a detective/hitman.

I looked at the man sitting at the other end of the table and sighed. I knew I had his utmost trust, and it would pain me to disappoint him again. My last job almost cost me my life. I thought that the only reason he did not put a stake in my heart was that I was his son.

I have to admit that having a father at the head of this enormous enterprise came with many perks, but it also came with more responsibilities than I cared to handle.

After all, I had an eternity in front of me. It was natural to wish for a more exciting future—and bureaucracy bored me to death.

When my father opened his mouth to speak, the intercom in the room rang, and the receptionist informed him that Mr. Ventura had returned with the information he had requested.

The man barely had time to set foot in the boardroom when my father pointed in my direction and told Ventura to give me the envelope and leave. The man happily obliged and hurried out. No doubt he had heard what had happened with Mr. Black and was thankful that the president hadn’t done the same with him.

“Well? What did that poor bastard find on the girl?”

I bounced through the documents but found nothing substantive.

“Her name is Maxime Ravenwood. No personal information, no picture and no address. She’s practically off-grid. Ventura was able to find her profession. It would seem she’s a bounty hunter. Most of her contracts come from Mortimer’s bail bonds. That’s why she was involved with Umbridge. I’ll start there.”

“Ravenwood, you said her name was… hmm. Intriguing.”

“Why is it intriguing? Do you know any Ravenwoods?” I asked my father.

He was silent and eventually folded his hands over the table.

“Once, many centuries ago. Edward Ravenwood was a reputable and wealthy vampire, but he fell from our graces when he took a human as his wife. He died maybe twenty-five or thirty years ago. We all thought at first that she was his pet, but… Anyway, I doubt there are any connections. The wife died on the same day he did, and their estate is pretty much left in a decrepit state. Find the girl and the information she possesses, then report back. If she knows too much, you know what to do. We’ve been living peacefully amongst humans for many centuries; I would hate that our kind gets exposed again. I have no doubts in my mind that there are still vampire hunters roaming the earth. They’ve been a pain in my side for many years. If not for them, your mother would still be with us. It would be best to let sleeping dogs rest.”

“Very well. I’ll start first thing tonight.”

I got up to leave, but my father hailed me before I was out the door.

“Oh, and don’t bring that 'dog' with you. The last mission I sent you on turned to shit because of him. I want this handled low-key.” His gaze was venomous.

I almost had the urge to agree to his request, but where would the fun be in that?

I dismissively nodded, then left. I pulled out my phone and dialled my best friend’s number when I was out of sight. There was no way in hell I was doing this all by myself.

“Lukas, get dressed. I’m on my way to pick you up. We’ve got ourselves a new stakeout.”