Chapter 3

Jake

I sat still, watching my friends hold themselves as they laughed hard after they heard what happened to me. I should have known to tell my cousin, Ella, about it would mean them knowing what transpired.

Take it from me, never tell your cousin, who is dating one of your best friends, the awkward things you experienced.

"If you two don't stop laughing, I'll take my leave," I told them.

Miles and Justin ignored me and kept laughing like that was all we had to do today. I rose from my chair and straightened my jacket, preparing to leave. The look on my face, plus my checking my golden wrist watch must have told them I was serious because they immediately stopped laughing.

"We're done now. Sit back down, don't worry." Miles said, trying his best to keep his face straight. I turned my head towards Justin who immediately covered his silent chuckles with a loud cough. I didn't see it but I knew Miles kicked Justin's leg under the table.

"Ouch!" Justin yelled, bringing his leg up so he could cradle it. If there was anyone who acted like he was still five, it was him. With his green eyes and brown hair, he had this boy next door look and he acted like it too. He didn't flaunt his wealth and power, something he worked his way to, unlike me who had an empire handed down to him. I wasn't trying to belittle my achievements, it was just the truth that Justin worked his way to the top.

"Did you have to kick me?" He whined like a five-year-old, and I immediately wondered what my cousin saw in him.

"I did no such thing," Miles said before he finally faced me. "We are sorry for laughing because your nanny tried to jump you." He stifled a laugh at the jump-you part and I rolled my eyes at his childishness. "Unlike you, I honestly would have given her a good time and sent her packing after the party...or I would have tapped that for a month and then send her packing." Miles smirked his mind in another place, probably imagining tapping that with someone.

"Must you be such a pig?" Justin asked, throwing a look of disgust Miles's way.

"I am just being real, but I don't need that. Jake, on the other hand, has probably not tapped anything in months, always so focused on his work, all I am saying is, he should have used the opportunity presented to him on a silver platter. I mean have you seen his nanny!" He exclaimed, and I closed my eyes requesting patience.

"Doesn't mean that he should jump into bed with his nanny. Not everyone is a manwhore like you." Justin said in my defence, although I didn't need it. Miles scoffed, "Maybe, just maybe, if he tapped something once in a while he relax more."

"Sex isn't all there is to life," Justin answered before I could say what I wanted to say.

"Says the man that can't seem to take his hands off his girlfriend." Miles returned and Justin gave a smile at the mention of the word girlfriend.

"Just say you're jealous because Ella didn't like you back." Justin had this gloating look on his face that I could tell was pissing Miles off. The issue was already resolved, but Miles used to be super crazy over my cousin. She had given him a chance because she didn't want to lose her friendship with him after he confessed, but then Justin arrived with his boy next door charm, simple lifestyle, and big dreams with an equally big heart, and Miles was kicked to the curb. Goodbye Miles, let's stay friends.

Yeah, he got that speech.

Our friendship would have been ruined if not for Grandma intervening and putting her nose where it shouldn't even be. But I would forever be grateful she did so.

"Oh! She liked me alright, she just got sidetracked, soon she'll realise what she is missing out on." Miles returned, flexing his huge biceps as he gave a wicked smile.

One would have thought Justin would be bothered by the statement, but he wasn't even affected in the tiniest bit. I knew it was because he was super sure of his relationship with Ella. It was something that Miles, in his six feet five inches, black hair, silver eyes, and excessively muscled glory couldn't ruin.

"That's what you console yourself with, isn't it?" Justin said and Miles's face fell.

"Are we talking about my sex life?" I asked, my deep voice growing slightly deeper, catching their attention.

"Yes and no. But honestly tell me, when you saw her in her birthday suit on your big bed, didn't you feel anything? Didn't you want to just jump on her and plunge into victory?"

Justin and I wore an identical cringing expression on our faces as we listened to Miles's horrible choice of words.

"Dude! Stop talking like that!" Justin ordered his patience with Miles running out.

"Take me as I am baby." Miles shrugged, not caring if he was offending us with his less-than-stellar statements.

"It's a wonder how you get girls falling into your bed with all your weird as fuck comments," I said, actually wondering how he got the ladies he got.

He gave that wicked smile while flexing his brows this time.

"It's all about manpower. Word gets around that what is in between my legs isn't just for show." He said and Justin gagged, like a serious to-God kind of gag that made me reflexively rear back in case he threw one my way.

"Stop saying shit!" I yelled at Miles who was laughing, having the time of his life at the expense of his friends' discomfort.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth," Justin said, picking the untouched bottle of water off the table. He snapped the cap quickly and drank more than half of the water in the bottle.

"Kids, the lot of you," Miles declared and I just couldn't take it anymore. I slammed my hands on the table and they both jumped, not expecting that reaction.

"I have meetings to attend, things to do, places to be and people to meet and I am to do them all today. I would like to deal with them on time and get home before it's bedtime, so if you have anything to say say it now or else I would leave."

Miles used his hands to gesture for me to calm down by raising them to chest level and bringing them up and down repeatedly till I returned my butt to my seat.

"Fine, I'll get on with it. The reason why I called this meeting is that I ran background checks on the man that you guys were after. He came back clean, with no dirt or anything. His profile was devoid of crime."

"Doesn't mean he hasn't committed any crime. It just means he hasn't been caught." I said, shrugging as I took a sip of my water.

"Are you sure that he isn't stalking Ella?" Justin asked, his voice becoming hard. I knew he was concerned about the incident that happened during my cousin's birthday party. It bothered him that she had been close to danger even when he was there.

"Yes, he isn't. That leads me to the conclusion that the real culprit just used him as the fall guy to divert our attention." Miles bounced his gaze off Justin and me, taking in our expression. While Justin's face told anyone looking that he wanted to beat something or someone, mine was relaxed.

"Then try run checks on every person that attended the party," I suggested and Miles frowned slightly, before giving me a predatory smile.

"Don't teach me my job, Gavingstone. I don't have to remind you who the private investigator is here now, do I?" He looked like he wanted to snap me in two and I knew he could if he tried- he was that muscular.

"I won't try to teach you your job. We are just worried about someone we love here." I opted to maintain the peace, knowing Miles could get extremely testy when it came to his work. As the head and owner of a private investigator and bodyguard company, Miles was no small fish. He was known in the underworld for his lack of Mercy and thirst for justice and truth. It was the only redeeming quality about him.

Justin who had been silent all this while spoke, "I don't care what it costs, I want guards protecting her twenty-four/seven."

"My people are already following her every movement without her knowing as we speak."

"I want more on it!" Justin persisted something that was against his laid-back nature.

I gave Miles a look that said he shouldn't bother arguing with the man and just do as he wished. Miles exhaled and nodded, he then stood up and picked up his phone to go make a call.

"She'll be fine," I said after a while, wanting him to stop worrying.

"Doesn't mean I should leave her vulnerable. For all I know, they could have placed a bomb under her car too." Justin said and immediately began to apologise. "I am so sorry. That was insensitive of me."

I gave him a small smile before I got up.

"I have to go. See you guys later. Pass my goodbyes to Miles when he returns." I began to walk towards the door.

"I am so sorry, Jake. I wasn't thinking!" He yelled at my retreating figure. I raised a hand and waved his apology away.

"It's fine. Work calls." I yelled back before the door closed behind me.

I climbed down the stairs swiftly, just as my driver ran to open the door to the back of the roll Royce for me.

"Where to sir?" He asked.

"To the office," I replied as I got in. He ran to the other side and fired up the engine, ready to take me to the office as I demanded.

"Sullivan?" I called, my eyes on the road as we drove by the streets.

"Sir?" He said in that subdued voice of his, his gaze on me through the rearview mirror.

"I've changed my mind."

"Where to now sir?" He asked, not giving me grief about the suddenness of my decision.

"To the graveyard."

I knew he didn't like it, but I wasn't paying him to give me his opinion so he did as I instructed, taking a quick u-turn in the direction of the cemetery where Victoria was buried, watching me occasionally through the rearview mirror. To avoid looking at him, I brought out some paperwork I had to review and focused on it.

Big mistake.