Villains or criminals for hire was not a new thing. Whether it was Skyrise or some corporation, entities needed those with expertise above street thug to do their bidding. But according to Alvin’s fanboy, those with the skillset for crowd control were recruited.
Coco was soon going to make a public declaration. She was willing to represent herself out in the open, with individuals who could suppress resistance. Violence on a major scale. But none of it was confirmed. He needed more information and the only way he would get the smallest kernel of truth or accuracy, was getting some details from Hendrix.
Or from Coco herself.
What state would he have to be in for that to happen?
They went through the double doors Hendrix first appeared through. The hallway looked a notch nicer, featuring gold-plated, framed pictures. Soft, still lives of fruits and old-world white people going about their daily business. They were in a hotel.
“Am I not seeing her or cooking right away?”
The head bodyguard was already on his second Jamaican patty by the time they were in the hallway.
“You’re a certifiable wizard, Al. What is this?”
“You’re in the Caribbean today. Made you some empanadas from the Jamaican motherland. Beef and chicken.”
“I could eat this forever.”
“That is their beauty. Grew up eating them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But tell me, you still running in those charity marathons?”
“Got my fifth in a couple weeks.”
“You’ve probably had a good portion of your calories and protein for today then.”
Hendrix stopped mid-step and mid-bite. He was several chomps from finishing his second savory pastry. Any leverage the chef could gain, even the most infinitesimal, could put the leading henchmen in a position to give Alvin just a little more in the way of what Coco was likely close to executing.
“How much?”
“Let’s just say you might care to only consume liquids for the rest of the day. Or skip lunch.”
“I was doing so well before you showed again.”
He took one more bite of his chicken patty and savored; flicked some crust flakes from his fingers into the container before he closed it. They were nearing the elevators.
“You’re still looking good though.”
“I know. But tonight is custom pizza night. I love custom pizza night. And so does my wife. Gonna be an argument when I tell her I can no longer—”
“I’ll send you some low-calorie pie options later on. It’ll still be pizza, but less of an indulgence.”
“Non-indulgent pizza feels pointless, but that’s the least you can do for getting me in this predicament.”
Hendrix pushed the ‘up’ button and silence ensued. The kind between old, reuniting friends who ran out of things to talk about. Because they did not share the same twelve to fourteen-hour workdays anymore. And the small talk ended a little too soon.
“Coco knows you’ve been hiding and traveling for a spell.”
“I’m feeling okay.”
“I couldn’t tell her that so feel free not to catch your next wind so quickly.”
A beat. Then –
“You’re staying in her suite.”
That sounded like it was going to be wonderful. But he had to focus.
“Am I still cooking for her today? I don’t know how much time I can spend away from Witsec.”
Ding. Elevator arrived.
“What’s your rush?”
“None. I’m just ready to cook some actual food.”
“Coco wants to have breakfast.”
They stepped in.
“I get it. Rest now, work through the night for service tomorrow.”
The doors closed, but Hendrix did not press any buttons. He stared at Alvin, studying him as the supreme head of Coco’s security force.
The cook remembered Hendrix’s level of cold-blooded work when his boss lady took over at the fateful dinner. He did not hesitate to do anything.
He was the manager of security operations for a reason, and his best asset was that he had control over his switch.
Alvin was the last person to deserve Hendrix’s hard professionalism in that moment though. He was sure there was nothing that betrayed his true intentions. And the only reason the cook was certain of that was because his vision of interference was not all that clear. Yet he and Hendrix were in a strange place in that elevator. More vague, more ambiguous than any momentary awkwardness before the elevator arrived.
“Look, you haven’t been around here for a while since Coco’s position changed. She is under a world’s worth of pressure.”
“I under—”
“Just listen. Your life is going to depend on it.”
Hendrix was no more serious than he ever was in that moment. Minutes ago, he held the container of his food gift like a delicate pet, over an open palm. Alvin even caught him looking down at it occasionally to make sure it was still there. In the elevator, the patties might as well have been a bag of rocks. He gripped the Tupperware, holding it on its side. Applying care was no longer on Hendrix’s mind.
“Your last day with us, all of that stuff changed her. The adrenaline wore off. She got scared, but she remained quiet about it. She couldn’t hide that it awakened something in her.”
“How?”
“You remember your black eye?”
“Yeah.”
“If one of my guys messed up, we would get some free reign to rough him up a bit, and he’d get it. Not in front of her. Not when you were supposed to do something for her.”
“I learned my lesson.”
“There aren’t any more lessons, Al. A handful of us started this thing together. And as recently as yesterday, I had to kill a man I knew longer than I’ve known my wife. Longer than my kids, and certainly longer than knowing Coco.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Be very careful. Listen to any and all her requests. You can’t afford not to.”
“Got it.”
“I don’t want to be ordered to off anyone else for much less than they deserve. So you do your job and be in and out.”
“I’ll listen.”
“Good.”
Still seeming tense, Hendrix quietly pushed ‘P’ for the very top.
“She was familiar with Jessup, didn’t care a lick about him when she ordered him to die. You, she holds in much higher regard.”
“Should I feel so lucky?”
“If you knew what was good
