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CW: mention of deaths, guns. Author's note at the end of the chapter.
James drove through the heavy morning traffic in the streets of London in a rented black car. Fingers tapped along to low blues music from the morning station radio. William sat beside while talking on the phone in his thick Russian accent. The conversation was about business, money and something much darker normal people were never going to have their reasons to mention in their normal lives.
William ended the call with a heavy sigh. James could tell he was stressed. He already was before they even took their private jet to fly over to London. He shouldn't be though. If not all of the NCA agents were executed right on place in the Russian hideout, their unconscious bodies just a pile of meat in their eyes...
They wouldn't stop to hunt them down if it so were across oceans. Which was exactly what they did.
Though he bet that his boss was as confused and furious as him, they were always several steps ahead of the cops. Never in the ratio of even getting a smell of the Russians just like it's been for years. Still it felt like they were slowly pulled backwards this time. How or even who could be the reason of that was something they needed to have an extra eye open for. A mole within the family was something they would never expect, but name one life that always went smoothly without any rocky turns. They needed to work with more caution next time, and that time would happen within a couple of hours. Not only did they come to London to see if Denise let her daughter know about who her uncle could possibly really be, if they were to late to prevent Denise from sharing any suspicious thoughts, their visit involved something much bigger.
" Pierce? " James lifted a brow as he stopped the car at a red light.
" Yes. We'll have a meeting with Vision in a few days about the new shipments with just the three of us, so we'll stay here for longer that expected. He also wants to keep the meeting more private since we don't know yet who we really can trust apparently. "
James hit the gas when the light turned green.
" So he still trust us after all that? "
William nodded. " Yes, which we handled pretty well if you ask me. I would really question how many brain cells that British man had left if he decided to turn his heel against us...no tea and biscuit for you ever again then sir. "
James agreed with a nod, pulling out his sunglasses from the inside of his suit jacket and putting them on.
" I think it's pretty clear that Denise kept the information about you unknown to her daughter. Arabella is as easy to read as an open book. Also because she didn't shoot you first thing when seeing us. "
William pulled out a gun from his waistband, refilling it with amo before putting it back inside the trousers.
" Yeah you could be right. Maybe because we handled that part before she even got a change to breathe in the London air fully after their mission. "
James looked at William for a brief second and back to the road again." So you, we, can disappear from her radar again? "
William shook his head, a hint of a smile could be seen on his lips. " Not yet. Being the daughter of Denise...oh if you only knew her boy. I hate to say it but she was a smart one, expect nothing else from Arabella. "
" You got a plan? "
" Since we'll be staying here for longer than a day as usual, we got plenty of time to get rid of any possible footprints of us. In any way. My sister and the team must've caught on to something really big since their sudden visit to us. I hate so see my name in bold letters. "
His boss's thoughts were practically on the tip of James tongue before looking ahead again. " So we're going to stay "
William sighed. " If that wasn't clear in my little speech just a couple of seconds ago, then yes. "
James didn't answer. Whatever William was planning in the moment could be risky for several parts, but that was just the little things he needed to worry about. Arabella seemed too innocent and unknown to a world that was closer to her than she could ever imagine.
He definitely didn't wanted to hurt another innocent soul. A soul that was too pure to be walking on the same ground as him.
He parked the car when they arrived outside their destination. The modern private bank made of glass stood as a entry for one of their reasons to visit the country. It stood out amongst the Victorian buildings on the street. James exited the car and adjusted his suit. He decided to wear color and go out from his comfort zone for their visit. Well, the red printed shirt under his black suit was consider as adding a lot of colors if asking him.
He walked up to the building with strode steps and stopped to wait for William to stand beside before they walked towards the entry. " Care to refresh my mind who we're looking for now again? ". James asked as he opened up the heavy glass door.
They stepped inside and looked around to take the massive and luxurious area in. The middle was a open floor area with seatings and plants filling it up along with a marble statue of a man. Two big and golden rounded lamps hung down from the ceiling. At the sides were two more stories that reached all around the inside and up to a glass roof, it did it's purpose to brighten up from the daylight outside.
Williams eyes stopped at the reception in front.
" A young woman with long blonde hair and green eyes, and Pierce's own words, one of our most skilled assassins who's also working undercover. "
James took off his sunglasses and placed it back inside his suit, eyes following his boss'. Williams description of the woman matched the one behind the reception. She was talking with one of her colleges. Their matching clothing could tell it was. Perfectly ironed white blouses with black suits.
" It was Yelena, wasn't it? "
William nodded and took the first steps to approach the reception with James. The woman who was talking with Yelena walked away as her phone rang and the two men stopped as Yelena was about to give one of her professional, sweet smile, but stopped when she spotted the two standing on the other side. Eyes widened while looking around with caution before she went back to her undercover.
That sweet and professional smile was back.
" Good morning, sirs. How may I help you? "
William chuckled as he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the counter. Yelena truly lived up to her undercover, playing an innocent, beautiful and soft lady with the best behavior. No one could believe how many lives she hadn't spared or the amount of blood that have dripped down from her perfectly manicured hands.
" Nice to see you, Yelena. It's been a while. Is everything good? "
She leaned forward and whispered with her eyes narrowed towards the boss. " What the hell are you doing here in London? I thought you were trying to stay low for a while since you almost got caught. "
William scoffed. " Yeah, about that...let's just say I got rid of the people who I needed to stay low from. " He pulled out his phone from the pocket of his suit, unlocking it to show a photo to Yelena. " And this little one is who they left behind. "
James recognized the face and the surroundings on the photo at an instant. He didn't even know how William managed to take a photo of her without her noticing, and without him. He must had done it when James walked away to make a quick visit to the bathroom, when he instead took his time to take a look around the house.
" Who's that? " Yelena asked.
William furrowed his brows. " You haven't seen her here? "
" Unfortunately not. Who is she? "
" It's my niece, and was my sisters daughter, Arabella Abbot. "
Yelena straightened up and crossed her arms, biting the inside of her cheek. Her gaze between the two men was intense. She may have been a ruthless and wreckless killer herself, but James knew that not in million years would she have the audacity to kill someone of her own blood. Words spread fast within their circle, when a not so wanted family member of their boss suddenly bursted into the eye of the business.
" You sure it was your sister that day? "
William nodded. No expression or emotion could be seen. " I had to kill them both, Yelena. I saw them, and I'm still not sure if they recognized me or not. I couldn't risk to not eliminate the changes for them to come back and take me or my men with them. I needed them gone. "
James watched his boss reaction. It was minimum, though he talked about his own, dead sister. James had learned a lot about Williams life before the mafia when he and Denise were kids. When James got to know William he could never imagine him being a shadow compared to his sister. He always held his head up high and walked with pride, being around his presence was seen as a honor to many. But before the current day, his sister was their parents little star. She was the one who got full points on each test, who attended every talent show and activity with an intention to never fail.
While William just existed. He was like James, lost and alone. Despite how horrible it sounded to James maybe that's was the reason for what he said after one of his agents, with a mission to kill both parents, called him, saying the mission was completed.
It doesn't even hurt, James. I don't feel anything. I bet they're happy to finally met their little star.
Yelena exhaled deeply. " I have a feeling you want something from me now, that's why you here right? " She rounded the reception and motioned for them to follow. She must have figured out what they wanted her to show when William mentioned his sister.
William stepped closer to her and he tilted his head. " That's one of the many reasons I'm here darling. I want you to keep an eye on her, inform me if she calls or comes in. I want to follow every single step she takes. "
She nodded. William and James followed her from behind as they walked towards a hallway.
Yelena kept her voice low as colleagues passed by.
" What are you even looking for inside?" She stopped in front of a heavy metal door, placing her palm on a scanner next to the door to allow them to enter.
His voice was low and dark. " I'm looking for the only thing that means more than money. At the moment at least. "
Yelena scoffed. The scanner turned green and the door unlocked with a click. She turned back to William. " What could be more important than money to you? "
James thought the same.
William grinned. It was wicked. It looked exactly like the one he makes when he takes down those who stands in his way. " I'll show you. "
Yelena led them to a vault and another hand scan was needed to let them inside. When opening the heavy steel door, a big safe deposit could be seen. There was just enough room for the three of them to fit inside.
She approached the deposit and pressed in a code. The door opened and revealed the inside. James looked at William with furrowed brows. A smile tugged at the corner of his boss's lips.
" You got to be kidding me...a fucking ring? "
William pushed himself past Yelena to grab the ring, ignoring the other and obviously not so important belongings inside. He pulled of the glove on his right hand and placed the ring on his ring finger. He rarely took off the gloves. It was his shield to hide for what was under, the metal, prosthetic hands held the story of a terrible mistake William made a couple of years ago. To work with the Italian mafia. They backstabbed him right away and took everything after their apparently not so shared business and cut of his hands to show their power. Shit went downhill really fast, before it turned the other way around. The Russian mafia wanted to show to who the power really belonged to. When William recovered, the Russians took down most of the Italians and their belongings were back in the right place it was from the beginning, where it should be.
William admired the ring before looking to James with an upsetting look, if his words assaulted him. " It's not just a fucking ring. This is my family's ring. My grandfather inherited it from my great-grandfather who later gave it to my father. It was ment to be passed on between the sons, but clearly as you know, my father had already picked his favorite since birth. "
" Was that all you came here for? " Yelena asked.
William nodded. " For now. Thank you darling. "
Yelena closed the vault again and led them to the entry. James and William walked out from the building and climbed inside their car. When James was about to ignite the engine, William's hand stopped him. He looked to his boss who had his eyes fixated to the side road in front.
James raised a brow. " What's going on? "
He nodded his head, making James follow his gaze. There she was, Arabella, walking inside a coffee shop.
" Get your charming face on and go after her, see what she's up to and get to know her. "
He took the car keys from James hand before getting out of the car to round it. He opened the door for James and he climbed out, looking at his boss who took a seat in James usually spot. He rolled down the window. William rarely drove, he wondered if he even remembered how to.
James sighed before pulling out his box of cigarettes, picking out one to light up. " Can't you do that? She's your niece after all. "
William shook his head. " Not in a coffee shop. For gods sake James you know I hate coffee. " He reached out to grab a cigarette from the box, pulling out a lighter from his suit before lightning it up.
" Like they're only serving coffee. " James mumbled as he looked to the shop.
William waved with a shit eating grin before hitting the gas, knowing his order would bug him. To waste his time to follow after someone, just to talk, though this time it was with someone who he didn't minded to talk with. For once.
Arabella was kind and warm, nothing like the usual people he was surrounded by.
James walked to the entry door and took a long drag before throwing the cigarette butt to the side. A doorbell announced his arrival when opening. He was only able to take the first steps inside before reaching the line to the cashier. The place was packed with people who sat on teddy bear coated lounging chairs or at the high, wooden tables at the windows. They either read or looked at their computer screens with bulging eyes. String lights hung on the ceiling above the line, as did some plants above the big windows. On the walls hung pictures of different kinds of coffees and recipes. A charcoal board was set at the wooden wall behind the front desk. The menu was written in cursive handwriting.
James definitely didn't come to these kinds of coffee shops, the cute and fuzzy ones. Nothing was fuzzy or cute about him. He felt like an outsider, more than usual. He read the menu when a soft voice stopped his questions of whether they even had regular black coffee on a place like this.
" James? "
He looked past the line to see Arabella standing at the side of the desk. A guy with short, brown and curly hair was leaning forward on his elbows on the other side while looking at James. Arabella smiled and waved him over. He walked past the line and stopped in front of her. She wore a pair of white shorts and a thin strapped top, a cloth bag hung on her shoulder. She looked more lighter than yesterday but pretty and well dressed as usual. Her long, shiny hair was loosely curled and eyes seemed brighter.
" Hi Arabella. " It was nice seeing a familiar face in a place so out of his place.
" Hi, how are you? " Arabella asked. A bashful smile was plastered on her face.
" Could be worse, you? " He shrugged.
" Okay, I guess...You can order from Peter here if you have decided yet. " She nodded her head to the guy.
James looked to the guy who reached out to take his hand, giving him a handshake.
" So, you're James I assume? Well apparently since she called your name just a couple of seconds ago...I mean, she'd told me about you and her uncle. Anyways, it's nice to meet you. " He chuckled.
James nodded and pulled back his hand that Peter hadn't stop to shake while talking.
" Yeah, likewise. "
" So, decided yet? It's on the house. " Arabella said.
James raised brows. " You know the owner?
Peter's laugh echoed in the shop, making James flinch from the ringing in his ears.
" Hah! You're looking at my boss dude. " He crossed his arms and nodded to Arabella.
" You own this place? "
Arabella looked at him with pride. " Yup, I've been my own boss for three years now. "
" So, what does she recommend then? "
" Oh! She's hooked on chai, she's drinking that like water, or wine...maybe both...anyways! I'll fix for both of you. " Peter saluted and left the two alone.
James didn't had time to answer before Peter turned away, preparing what he'd decided for him. Arabella grimaced and gave him an apologizing smile. It seemed like Peter really had a talent in talking peoples ears off.
" Sorry about him, he's just like that. " She whispered.
" It's fine, whatever you like must be good...boss. " He winked.
Arabella opened her mouth to speak but another voice interrupted her. It came from the other side of the hinged doors behind the counter, similar to Peter's.
" Did I just die and went to heaven? Because I just heard the voice of an angel! "
A guy came through the doors. Stains of flour where everywhere on his face. He looked like an exact copy of Peter.
So there's two of him...great.
" Nathan! " Arabella squealed.
Nathan extended his arms and screamed with joy, embracing her into a hug from the other side of the desk, squeezing her tightly. He kissed both of her cheeks before they pulled away.
" It's great to see you here again! We missed you like crazy. "
James mentally rolled his eyes. He knew those two could drain someone energy the minute they opened their mouths. He needed something so call himself down to not making him escape from this possibly circus scene. He didn't wanted to be rude or miss something from Arabella by going outside for a smoke, so he pulled out a toothpick from his pocket. He often used it as a compliment to a cigarette. He rolled it around his tongue and chewed on one side.
Nathan looked between him and Arabella with a smirk, hands resting on his hips. " So is this the handsome bodyguard you've talked about? "
Peter placed two take away cups on the desk and released a heavy sigh.
" Dude, come on. She was pretty clear about that we couldn't bug her about it when telling us. "
James turned to her with raised brows before a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He could see the flushness creeping up along her neck and ears turning slightly pink. It seemed like Nathan was telling the true. She widened her eyes and her face turned red as a tomato before she took a cup of her own, giving the twins a glare that could kill before storming out from the shop.
Nathan shouted as the door closed with a hard slam, acting like nothing had happened while waving. " See you tomorrow darling! "
Peter smacked his brother's head and hissed dickhead. James took the other cup before going after Arabella. He saw her walking a bit further a way and walked faster to caught up with her, slowing down beside as he took a sip from his cup. He hummed for how good it was. He usually only drank black coffee
Arabella seemed nervous from his presence, looking down to the ground to hide her face as they spoke.
" I guess they're just like that to you too? "
She took a big sip from her cup, mumbling.
" Sorry. "
James chuckled lightly. " It's fine, it's not like you said something bad about me. " He spit out the toothpick on the ground.
She cleared her throat. " Mhm...so, are you heading back to the hotel? "
It was time for him to lie, something that wasn't healthy at all for how much he'd done it.
" William had some errands to do and I decided to order take away lunch for us, any recommendation on that front too? "
She picked on the lid. " I'm actually on my way to have lunch with my friend. She's working at a burger shack. "
" Do you mind if I join? "
Her eyes found his again. His question seemed to shook her at first before she smiled softly. She seemed more calm and collected this time.
" No, not at all. "
The redness on her ears were back.
She could still be embarrassed from the scene in the coffee shop, or it could be the fact that he actually couldn't stop to make her nervous.
She should be nervous of a killer right beside her.
They reached the burger shack and walked inside. Nat was cleaning tables when she saw the two, waving with a big smile on her face before approaching Arabella to give her a hug.
" Hey, I was about to call you to check if you'd remember our date. "
Arabella pulled away. " Of course I did. " She gestured to James. " By the way, this is James, my...uncles bodyguard. " She took a deep breath.
Nat's smile faded away quickly. She looked dumb fooled, if she couldn't understand what her friends just said. " Excuse me? "
Arabella scratched her neck.
" Yeah, it's a long story and I'll explain to you later...anyways, do you have time to take an order from James before your break? "
Nat looked him up from head to toe, a smirk lingering on her lips. " Of course not, I'm Nat. Nice to meet you. " She reached out a hand.
He gave her a firm handshake. " It's a pleasure to meet you too. Feel free to make me anything you want. "
Nat disappeared into the kitchen to prepare their lunches while Arabella and James took a seat around a table. One of his big, clothed thighs slightly grazing her naked ones. He could feel her tensing up a bit so he decided to place his leg over the other instead.
The place was rather empty beside a old couple who shared a dessert and a friend group who sat at the back who one of Nat's coworkers took orders from. So beside them chatting, it was rather quite. Arabella found picking her nails more interesting than him at the moment but he didn't blame her. What was there actually to talk about between the two?
He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. She looked so small compared to him. One thigh was the size of her both, head looking around to get a glimpse of her friend to save her from the uncomfortable situation she probably found herself in.
He leaned slightly closer to her. " Am I that boring? "
Her head snapped to him. She must've zoomed out for a second.
" No, not at all. I've just have a lot of things to think about. "
" Like me? "
She chuckled nervously. He couldn't help it and he sure didn't mean to be an ass to her, but he just wanted to show that she shouldn't worry about the scene in the coffee shop. It was really just compliment, nothing more, but he also couldn't help to found her sweet by the way she acted around his presence.
He quickly erased that thought. He didn't had time for those kinds of thoughts. He was working. Being wounded deep inside, a reminder of an actual heart beating inside, couldn't be a reason for him.
" Lunch is served. " Nat shouted behind the desk.
James walked over and payed for the food. Arabella waited by the table. He grabbed the take away bag and when he walked away before opening the door, he stopped and turned to Arabella, giving her a smudge smile and wink.
" See you later, Bella. "
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