The Mysterious Mr. Hastings

After she left, I caught a cab back to the other side of town. I lived in a two-story mansion behind a high security fence, complete with a sprawling garden and indoor-outdoor pools. I owned the farmland across the road, too-ensuring no one could hide out or spy on me. Beyond the back fence lay a dense, impenetrable forest. Thick, towering thujas lined the perimeter, masking the security fence. From the inside, all I saw was a wall of lush evergreen; the high-tech barrier was invisible, but its protection was absolute.

The cab pulled up to the gate, and the guard stepped out of his booth.

"I have an appointment with Mr. McAllister," I said. My guard let me in immediately; my staff knew the drill when I arrived in a cab. The wrought-iron gates swung open, and we drove past the towering hedges. I had the driver stop at the fountain-a sculpture shaped like a blooming bouquet-where the driveway looped. We never allowed cabs past the fountain.

I paid the fare, the driver pulled a U-turn, and I started walking toward the house.

"Boss," Theo called, hurrying toward me as the cab disappeared.

Theo was a few years older than me-thin, bespectacled, and nearly as tall as I was. His hair was elegantly trimmed, his stubble was on point, and his suits were always perfectly tailored, though right now he was just in a black tracksuit.

"Hope you had a nice trip," I muttered. He just laughed.

"You're the one who insists on going undercover," he said as we walked inside.

"If I recall correctly, I start tomorrow," I said. Theo nodded.

"You've been hired as a toy designer," he replied. "Carol Monroe in HR has been setting the stage for a year." I nodded.

"And tomorrow the merger is announced," Theo continued. "In a few days, I'll introduce myself as the interim CEO."

We walked into the spacious living room where Simon was having tea. Theo and Simon lived in the mansion with me; with ten bedrooms, there was plenty of space, and I preferred the company.

"Tell the super at the apartment to evict Benji," I said, sitting down as Aunt Sydney, my housekeeper, set a bowl of soup in front of me. Aunt Sydney was a petite, silver-haired woman with glasses. She had lived at the orphanage her entire life, first as a child and then as a staff member, until they let her go when she reached retirement age. I took her in after that; she handles the cooking and she's been a mother figure to us all for many years. She stays in the ground-floor guest wing-she's never been one for stairs.

"What happened?" Simon asked. "He's been terrified of you since you broke his nose."

"You're moving into his place," I told him. "Remember that woman from the plane?" Simon smirked.

"Hard to forget those curves and those eyes," he laughed. "What about her?"

"She was waiting at my apartment," I said. "She returned Chris Stewart's wallet. It fell out of my bag when we landed."

"How did she know the address?" Theo asked.

"The boss wrote it down months ago so he wouldn't forget it," Simon laughed. "Changing apartments every year is hard to keep track of. So, where does Benji come in?"

"He was drinking again and he spooked her," I said. "I didn't buy that building for scum; I bought it for people in need. Tell the super to toss him and fix up the place, or I'll find a new manager. Simon, move into the unit and keep an eye on things. All the rent goes back into building repairs." Simon nodded.

"So that's why you're so late," Theo grinned. "I assume you got laid."

"She used my bathroom and tripped over a chair-but not yet," I said with a grin. "But I'm going to. She's incredibly sexy when she laughs."

"We don't even know her name, and she won't even have dinner with you," Simon laughed.

"Dinner is rarely a requirement," I smirked. "Track down her name from the flight manifest. I'm not used to asking, but hers interests me. She didn't even flinch at my 'boy-with-a-dog' photo."

"I'll look into it," Simon said.

"What kind of sedative did she give me?" I asked. "The flight didn't bother me at all."

"Multivitamins," Simon laughed. "You believed it was a sedative, and the placebo effect did the rest." I let out a laugh.

"A remarkable woman," Theo noted with a smile as I laced my shoes back on to head over to Sonny and Jade's.

Sonny took me in when I was a kid; he was my mentor, and I owe everything to him. He and his wife have been like parents to me since I was twelve. My mansion was only a few minutes from their estate-we were neighbors. I deliberately bought the land that way years ago.

Theo was my other neighbor. His house will be much closer once it's finished, but right now, there's only a small structure on his lot with a cellar and a tunnel leading to my basement. The tunnel was built by previous owners; we'd bulldozed both original houses but kept the foundations and the tunnel intact.

I hopped on my sportbike and tore down the private path between the properties.