Danger Close by James Sumner (classic novels for teens txt) 📕

“Check out Mister Perfect Boyfriend over here, huh? I’ve taught ya well, Obi-Wan.”

Jericho frowned. “Wasn’t Obi-Wan the teacher?”

Collins shrugged. “No idea. I just thought it was a saying. It was Josh who was the nerd, with his pop culture references and all that. Hey, remember when he told us that Adrian says he has a spider sense? That was funny as—”

Jericho glared at him.

“Okay, that wasn’t funny. I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “Seriously, man, what’s ya problem with that guy?”

Jericho raised his eyebrow. “Aside from the fact he’s a hitman? Aside from the fact he kills people, without hesitation, for money? Aside from the fact he’s reckless and a danger to everyone around him? Aside from the fact he killed a sitting president?”

Collins rolled his eyes. “First of all, that president was a piece of shit and arguably deserved it. Second of all, GlobaTech pay you, right?”

“Yeah. And?”

“And… have you ever killed anyone because you thought it was for the greater good?”

Jericho held his gaze. “That’s completely different.”

Collins laughed. “Bullshit. How is it different, exactly?”

“Because I don’t like it. I don’t choose to do it. It’s just an unfortunate consequence of my job. He does it purely for profit and tries to justify it by saying he only kills bad people. That isn’t right.”

“Yeah, well, pretty sure you’d be dead if it wasn’t for him. Besides, you saw what he went through in Tokyo last year. The whole world did. Jesus, Jerry, no one deserves that.”

Jericho went quiet, staring angrily at the ground until he calmed down.

“Anyway, what the hell are you supposed to have taught me?” he asked after a few minutes of silence.

Collins placed a hand on Jericho’s shoulder. “Thanks to me and my charms, ya know how to treat a lady all proper now. Ya welcome, buddy.”

Jericho shook his head in disbelief, but before he could respond, his cell phone rang in his pocket. He retrieved it and looked at the screen. It was Buchanan.

He answered and placed the phone to his ear. “How’s it going, Boss?”

“It goes,” replied Buchanan, sounding more tired and frustrated than usual. “How was the service?”

“It was nice. As these things go.”

“And Fisher—how’s she holding up?”

“As you’d expect.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. I… there’s just a lot going on.”

“You don’t have to tell us, Boss.”

“Hmm. Yeah, fair point. Listen, I hate to do this, but I need you back here. All of you.”

Jericho pushed himself away from the hood of the car, straightening to his full height and width, alert. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing… yet,” said Buchanan. “But after reviewing the intel you and Ray got last night, I need to de-brief you.”

“Can Julie not sit this out? It’s been a tough day for her. She needs to be with her family.”

“Take the day. The two of you be there for her. Let her see her family. But at first light tomorrow, you’re all on a plane back here. She needs to hear this too.”

The line went dead. Jericho stared at the phone.

“Let me guess,” said Collins. “He’s given us all a two-week vacation in the Bahamas with a GlobaTech credit card.”

“Not quite.”

They looked up to see Julie approaching them, wiping tears from her face.

Jericho tapped Collins on the shoulder. “Listen, let me tell her we have to go back, okay?”

Collins nodded. “Of course, mate. Ya going to do it after she’s spent time with her family, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good man. See? I taught ya well.”

Jericho rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah, but I’m your idiot, sweetcheeks.”

Jericho ignored him and looked over at Julie as she neared the car.

“All set?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

Collins opened the passenger door and stepped to the side, gesturing her in. “M’lady.”

She smiled warmly and curtsied. “Why, thank you, kind sir.”

As she slid inside, Collins looked over at Jericho and winked. “Ya still got stuff to learn, Jerry.”

Jericho sighed heavily. “Get in the goddamn car, will you?”

2

May 1, 2020

Moses Buchanan sat behind his desk, staring out at the midday sun as it blazed down on the GlobaTech compound in Santa Clarita. Spread out in front of him were a handful of folders, each with a stamp on the front, marking them as confidential.

He absently stroked his chin, listening to the grating of his stubble against his hand as if meditating to the white noise. He hadn’t slept in almost thirty-six hours. He’d returned from a short-notice round trip to Washington a few hours ago.

Buchanan considered himself intelligent, organized, and composed. He had no issue prioritizing and systematically solving any number of problems. This skill likely contributed to him getting his current job. He stared blankly ahead, his vision blurring as his mind took an involuntary break from thinking. He felt more overwhelmed than ever before. So many things were happening at once. So many moving parts seemed to overlap but never stayed still long enough to reveal the big picture. What little he was sure of didn’t make for pleasant thinking.

Honestly, it scared the hell out of him.

A knock on the door startled him, snapping him from his trance.

“Yeah?”

His secretary opened the door and stepped inside. He had inherited Kim Mitchell from his predecessor, but within the first five minutes of his new role, he knew she was invaluable. With a figure not befitting her years and make-up that would’ve looked too much on anyone else, she would have been a gangster’s moll in another life. But here and now, she was his lifeline.

“Sir, you said to let you know when they arrived,” she said with a smile.

“I did. Thank you.”

Kim hovered in the doorway longer than she needed to. Buchanan looked up questioningly.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Of course,” he replied dismissively.

“How long’s it been since you last slept?”

He held her gaze for a moment, then sighed and looked away. “Almost two days.”

Kim raised a disapproving eyebrow. “And your last meal?”

“Do peanuts on the plane count?”

“No.”

“Then almost two days ago.”

“You’d better start looking after yourself, Moses. Don’t think because you’re my boss