9 × Just Another Clean-up Job

× 4:38AM ×

Formaldehyde.

Water.

Ten milligrams of wolfsbane.

That should be enough.  Jenson stood next to the door and made sure no one else would find the girl in here.  He checked the big padlocks again. As utter silence filled the basement, he ran up the narrow stairs.

He didn't have the right kind of embalming fluid for a deceased human body. For now he had to improvise.

The situation called for it.  Preserving the poor girl's corpse for at least half a day would give him more time to think. He needed to come up with the best plan of action. 

Darren was pretty much out of it. Shell-shocked. The idiot wouldn't be able to come up with a good plan to address their current conundrum. His current mental state might even cause another problem.  But at least Darren sobered up enough to keep his piehole shut all night. 

"Pezzo di merda." Jenson sighed out loud as he trudged back into the house. The entire property stayed quiet and dim. Too quiet.

Was Charmaine back in the city? Probably not.

The formalin should work.  He repeated the words in his head until his anxious thoughts lessened to a manageable amount.

He'd done the same thing countless times before. Just not with human bodies.  Mostly rabid wolves.   Other animals in the wild.  At times,  defiant rogues...especially the murderous kind.  

The solution should be effective enough to keep the girl's body from quickly decomposing in this basement.  He'd set the temperature close to freezing as well.

Stuffing the body into his big freezer might do the trick, but he didn't want the girl's DNA all over it.  Jenson breathed out a noisy sigh and proceeded to the empty kitchen. 

It had been days.  Charmaine still hadn't called.  It's likely she was still upset and wouldn't be back here in California till next week.  Or the next.  

From what he recalled, she was too busy securing a deal with a big prospect based in Beijing.  Too busy for him.  Almost as often as he was too busy for their relationship.

With the lights still off, Jenson yanked the fridge door open and drank some water.  The ice-cold liquid froze his senses for a second or two, but not his loud thoughts.

He just committed a crime.  Again. 

It was not the first time he got rid of evidence.  Or a body.  Money was always involved somehow, but he mostly did these things alone.  He preferred it that way.  Involving another person just made room for more errors.  It more often than not messed up the secrecy. The time frame. The entire plan.

This time, though, he had to involve Darren since he's the one who caused the whole thing.  "Cazzo." Jenson let out another noisy breath and checked his phone. 

Darren had left him five new messages.  Two were audio clips.  The first one was fifteen seconds longer.

"Evie just texted me." Darren sighed, letting out a shaky breath. "She said she hasn't heard from Magnus. She doesn't know where he is. Maybe in Belgrade again. I dunno. I'll just, uh, get some sleep. You, too."

Serbia?  Why?  Jenson scowled.  As far as he knew, Magnus avoided his father, Ilya, a businessman in Serbia.  Ilya was also the pureblood Alpha of their vampire clan.  The two hadn't been on speaking terms for more or less a decade now, last he heard. 

Jenson ignored the texts and moved on to the second audio recording Darren just sent.

"So I'll, uh...see you later. At the shoot." Darren paused. "Thanks, man."

Thanks?  The reckless idiot.  It was clear Darren still couldn't grasp the reality of what he just did to that girl.  Or maybe the guy was used to getting away with the consequences of his heedless actions.

While his skull throbbed, Jenson stood still against the cold granite counter,  his temper and nervousness ratcheting up by the second. 

Darren's texts didn't say much, just stupid questions about their promotional shoot this morning.

Reply:

"Don't tell Evie or Magnus yet. Don't need to remind u everything's on the line. Get a grip."

He hastily sent the text to Darren and walked out of the kitchen.  Jenson massaged his forehead and glimpsed the time.  

It was almost dawn. The shoot was scheduled at 10AM.  He hadn't touched his bed since the other night.  More than 24 hours now. 

His heart was palpitating from the exhaustion and sleep deprivation.  His eyelids felt much heavier and his vision was starting to get blurry.  His head and his joints still ached like he just did five marathons, but the new stocks of the wolfsbane potion should arrive today.

Should he call up the pharmacy again to confirm the new delivery?   Shit.  This had better be the last time he forgot to restock his supply before he ran out. 

The truth's even more obvious now: he needed someone to keep him organized.  A new full-time assistant.  ASAP.

×

× 11:02AM ×

Big lights. 

Busy photographers and crew. 

Strangers chattering all around him.

Darren laughing in the corner with a female stylist helping him put on a leather jacket...  

The guy didn't appear shell-shocked or even remotely afraid of going to jail.  The heck?

Like nothing happened.  As if the enormity of what he did last night was now a thing of the past. 

Was he simply pretending?  Putting on his actor / famous celebrity persona?

Jenson remotely checked on his friend and sat still in the makeup chair.  He'd slept past sunrise after taking his meds—his newly delivered stock—and arrived here past call time.  No one scolded him for his tardiness, though.

This was his turf.  He helped keep these people in line.  To some degree, he helped pay for their salaries. 

It's just a promo shoot, anyway.  Then he, Darren, and the rest of the cast would be doing some interviews.  Just another part of the job.

Jenson reclined in the chair and waited.  Thanks to his meds, his full-on bitching headache last night was gone, and his joints no longer ached like they would burst through his skin. 

"Hi. Sorry for the wait."

He glanced up from his phone and met a familiar pair of brown eyes. 

Friendly.  Also quite striking.  She had on warm-colored makeup but not a lot.  She looked shorter than he remembered. 

He glanced at her feet.  No high heels this time.  Just plain white sneakers. He put on a smile for the young woman and shook her hand. 

Soft, smooth skin.  Pale—almost porcelain-white.  It reminded him of Charm.  Except the younger woman in front of him now was a complete stranger. 

Not the first time he'd seen her, though.  From the looks of it, she didn't remember their first meeting.  Or was she just pretending?

"Jessi. Or just Jess." She smiled and let go of his hand.  She looked so fresh and put-together in her blazer-shirt-slacks outfit.  A neat ponytail tidied up her long dark hair. She just gave off a "vibrant young professional" vibe.

"Jenson." He nodded slightly and couldn't help but fidget in the makeup chair.  He glanced behind.

Everyone else seemed busy with their own thing.  Lots of makeup kits.  Hair products.   Endless chatting.  Bright lights and photo shoot equipment. 

"I just got done with Margaux and I'll be doing your makeup today. Ready?" Jessi stood before him with another polite smile lifting her shapely lips.  They looked pinkish. She had small dimples below her mouth.

Cute.  "Yeah." He nodded. "Ready if you are." Jenson placed his forearms on the armrest and inhaled a lungful of air. 

Her floral-smelling perfume stang his nose a little, but it didn't mask her natural scent.  "Great." Jessi grabbed some wet wipes.  "Just a quick question: any allergies to certain cosmetic products? Any brands you prefer?" she asked while wiping his face clean.

"Nope. All good." The cool wipes cleaned his forehead now. With his eyes closed, he kept still in his seat, appreciating the lightness and gentleness of her hands.

She was trying to put the least amount of pressure onto his skin.  "Okay. Thanks. What about some lip balm? That okay with you?"

Jenson opened his eyes and almost smiled at the uncertainty in her soft voice.  Her tone alone denoted nervousness and some anxiety, but he wasn't sure what caused it.  "Yeah. Just nothing too pink or red. Please.  Just trimmed my beard this morning. Don't wanna look more baby-faced than DJ over there."

"DJ?" Jessi grinned, her dark brows creasing.  They looked naturally thick up-close.  Long lashes and almost puppy-dog eyes.  Beautiful. And her skin had a youthful glow.  Her entire face would be perfect for any makeup product brochure.

"Darren. I call him DJ. They call him Dar sometimes."

"Oh. Okay. Sorry. Very new here." She started putting toner on a round cotton pad. "I don't even know the others' names yet, honestly."

The rest of the cast? Most likely. He put on another smile and regarded her apologetic expression.  It looked genuine enough.  "New here in LA? Or newly hired by Steinway?"

"Both." Jessi wiped his cheeks using the toner-drenched cotton pad.  Her strokes on his skin were rushed but also careful. Maybe it's the nerves.  It could be her first time working with actors, if his hunches were right. 

"First job?" He squinted at her.

"Yeah. As a professional makeup artist. Was just a small-time freelancer before this." She giggled. "Nervous but really glad to be here, in all honesty."

"Cool," he muttered when her face got nearer.  He inhaled her natural scent again.  Pureness. And a distinctly human scent. 

Fats. Glucose. Some mild-smelling sweat.  Not a hint of dishonesty.  Apparently she wasn't making up stories about her background.  No hints of werewolf or vamp blood in her system, either. 

If Magnus sent her to spy on him, why would he send a young,  fragile,  naïve human to do the job?

Her background sheet also said she was a temp assistant in a corporate company for a couple of months, but perhaps her passion was doing makeup. 

"Your new boss is Zach? Right?" he asked after a moment of silence between them.  His eye bags were being shrunk by cold gel patches now. 

"Yep." She was applying some beige foundation  on his cheek, perhaps testing the shade. "I like him. So nice." Jessi flicked a makeup brush onto her dainty wrist. She looked slim in her clothing, but not a size zero.

Some nice curves, and she looked rather petite.  Her forehead barely reached his chin when they first met in that convenience store. 

That was only a few days ago.  But maybe she just didn't remember talking to him that afternoon? 

"First time you seen us in person?"

"Yeah. Except you. Actually..." Jessi backed off and giggled. She held a puffy brush now. "I saw you the other day. In a store."

He stared at her, feigning confusion.  "Really?" 

"Yeah. The convenience store in the corner."

"Ah... I just remembered. I was buying booze," he said, forcing a grin.  "You wore your hair differently."

"Yeah." Jessi smiled at him.  A bashful reaction.  She even blushed. "Funny you remember that. You gave me your spot, in the queue."

I remember a lot of things—he wanted to say.  He kept his mouth shut and kept faking a grin.  Damn.  This one was honest to the bone—his total opposite.  Almost too nice for his liking.

No way was she working for someone like Magnus.  The man never hired inexperienced mentees.  He plainly had no time for it. 

"Small city," Jenson quipped.  "I guess you've never met Zach before?"

"Yeah. Met him in person just this morning." Jessi was styling his hair now with some sticky product.  "Kinda looks like my old boss. Weird."

"Also a makeup artist?"  

"My old boss? No." Her voice thinned out. She frowned slightly and scrunched up her cute nose.  Her feminine features and slim build hinted she had Asian genes, but maybe not entirely of Asian descent. 

"Not in this industry?"

"Not at all." 

"Ah." He kept staring, noting the uneasiness in her reaction after he asked about her previous employer.  When she didn't say anything else about her old boss, he tried to smell her again.  Some anxiety. Coupled with shame.

Why?  Was there something unpleasant about her previous experience working for that corporate company?

If so, he should back off now.  Talking about the subject made her uncomfortable.  It was none of his business, anyway. Jenson reclined in the chair.  He was basically her new boss' boss, but he had no right to ask her personal questions.

While she finished his makeup and styling his hair, they mostly talked about the show.   He even gave her some tips and information about their schedules during shooting days, after Jessi asked about his producer role. She also mentioned she just came back from New York after Zach sent her there for a quick makeup gig. 

Jenson kept up the small talk while he glanced at Darren in the corner every minute or so.  Darren had said the dead girl used to work with Zach. 

Could Zach be looking for the girl now?  Did Zach catch Ramona leaving the party with Darren?

Had anyone reported her missing yet?   Well, shit if someone did. 

Jenson checked his phone.  No new emails or calls from any unregistered numbers.  Or new texts from Magnus.  Perhaps he still had no clue about what happened.

Jenson breathed a sigh of relief.  For now, he and Darren had to figure out whether anyone else on Zach's team knew Ramona personally.  He hadn't done the research yet, but he already paid someone to delete the video recording of Darren entering the hotel room with Ramona.  

Too incriminating.  So far, no one among the hotel staff thought Darren walking out of the hotel room by himself was cause for suspicion.  For now.

Jenson tapped on a familiar name on his contacts list.  He should call the hacker again.  Just to double check. 

Better sure than sorry.

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