She set the coffee down in front of the handsome stranger.
“I think you might have me confused with someone else,” she said. “I’m just here to work. I’ve never met you. I’m sure I’d remember if I had.”
“Are you telling me you weren’t in any way coerced into coming here?”
“In any way?” Jess asked. “That’s hard to say. I mean, being on the schedule could be coercion. I’d be fired if I didn’t show up, right? Is there a reason you think I would be here other than to work? Were you expecting to meet someone here?” She was pleased that her voice didn’t waver. The man was intimidating.
“Please, sit,” he said.
Jess pulled out a chair and sat across from the mystery man.
“I’m Wrath,” he said.
“Jess Etherton,” Jess said, settling her purse in her lap. “So, tell me who you expected to be here.”
“No one. You just stood out to me as a plant. No offense. My family can be a little on the nosey side and I wouldn’t be surprised if they sent someone here to integrate themselves into my life. A spy. I’d be very interested in knowing why you're here. You don’t sound like a local. I’d say Texas. Am I right?”
Family. She’d been told her being sent was a favor to a family member. He was likely a target and he’d found her out. Not that it was her fault. She wasn’t properly prepared for the job. Still, she didn’t know for certain he was the target.
“I am from Texas, but my family came from around here. I decided to do a little research. I’m working here temporarily. I don’t know what else to say. Why would your family spy on you? Can’t they just call like normal people?” Jess said.
“We had a falling out. I’m not inclined to answer their calls and they’re not inclined to respect my wish to be left alone.”
Her phone vibrated with a text and then with another.
“I’m sorry, do you mind if I check my phone? Someone seems desperate to talk to me,” Jess said.
“Go ahead,” Wrath said. He picked up his coffee and took a sip as she got out her phone.
Her breath caught in her throat as she read the messages from Clarence.
Get out of there.
I don’t know what’s going on, but Drake says this is a setup of some kind. You reading this? Get in your car and head to the airport. I'm getting tickets for you now. Someone will get your stuff at the apartment.
Respond goddammit!
Before she could respond, Wrath had taken the phone from her hand. He moved so fast it was a blur. He read the texts and smiled.
“Drake,” he said, handing the phone back. “Yeah, that’s my family. You’re not in any danger. Which Drake sent you?”
It was a job. No one’s fate was on the line but her own. She saw no reason to lie. The jig was up. Apart from grabbing her phone, Wrath hadn’t done anything to make her think he’d hurt her.
“Kurtis Drake,” she said.
Wrath smiled and it was like the whole world got a couple of lumens brighter. Jess felt instantly at ease. He was some kind of wizard—she was sure of it.
“My little brother?” Wrath said. “I wouldn’t have expected him to send you. But maybe it wasn’t really him. He might have been pressured by someone else in the family. How is he?”
“I’ve never met him,” Jess said. “I don’t even have his number. He’s a recluse.”
Wrath nodded thoughtfully. “Why did he send you?”
Jess shrugged. “I was literally just sent here to work at the bistro for a while. I was given no other instructions. I took the job because of the bonus.”
“He probably didn’t know. Truth is, he’s my half-brother and I’ve never met him. I’m sure he’s heard stories about me, all true but maybe lacking context. As soon as he figured out it was me you were here for, he called it off. What I wonder is who exactly wanted you here and why.”
Jess had no answer for him. He seemed to be figuring it all out on his own.
Wrath took another sip of his coffee and tapped his long fingers on the table. His hands were impossibly large.
“I have an idea,” he said, “if you don’t mind scaring your boss a little bit.”
“I’m listening.”
“Tell your boss you don’t want to come home yet because you’ve met someone. Then we’ll see how it plays out. Whatever your bonus is, I’ll double it.”
Jess smiled. “Even if it was ten million dollars?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Even that, but I doubt my youngest brother has that much liquidity. I’d need to see proof.”
“It was less than that. I don’t know about this, though. It feels wrong.”
“So was sending you to another state without knowing what kind of situation you were walking into.”
“True.”
“This could have been the dangerous situation he imagines it to be. Send the text and see what response you get. See if you get instructions on how to proceed. Then we’ll know why they sent you.”
“How could they know we’d meet or even speak to each other?”
Wrath looked down at his coffee and sighed. “You look like my dead wife. To this day I see her wherever I go, but I’ve never seen anyone look as much like her as you do. Dark hair, pouty lips. Even the smile lines beside your eyes. You’re a little taller than she was, but they chose you because you look like her.”
She felt like he was holding something back, but what he’d told her was enough. If he was telling the truth, and she was inclined to believe him, then she was sent here as part of a cruel joke. That didn’t sit well. She wanted to know for sure why she was sent. Maybe playing along
