Fisher

---

The next morning I was surprised to find Jade where I had left her on the couch. Except, she was peacefully asleep it seemed.

She didn’t stir when I left, and when I returned she was in the same spot, her feet tucked into the cushions of the couch, her head resting on the armrest.

As I watched her, I was seized with the desire to curl my body around hers, pull her into my arms.

I flinched at the thought, tried to push it away, but it was a sight that plagued me. I couldn’t shake the image from my head as I went about my morning routine, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups. I didn’t really have time for a run this morning, but I would try to get one in, even if only on the shitty treadmill in the basement.

I hated those machines and loved to be outside, feel free, but I would take what I could get.

After I showered and dressed I returned to the living room and found that Jade had stirred.

It appeared she had also showered and dressed, changing into another of her flowing tops and long skirts, with her hair pulled back today, her glasses firmly in place.

“Did you sleep okay?” I asked.

“I slept horribly,” she said.

I felt my cheek begin to tremble, but I kept my expression as it had been.

“I slept great,” I said.

“You had no reason not to. Your nefarious plan, whatever the hell it is, is coming into view.”

“Indeed it is, and it wouldn’t be possible without your help,” I said.

She flinched and I regretted the words. There was no reason to throw it in her face, but I didn’t apologize. Jade knew what she was getting into, and I might have given her a little push, but as I’d said earlier, her being here was her choice.

I cleared my throat, but cut the show of nervousness and contrition short.

“You didn’t eat any breakfast,” I said, nodding at the spread of bagels and coffee that sat on the living room table.

“What kind of animal sets out breakfast on the living room table?” she asked.

“Me,” I responded, not giving in to her dig. “You’re not hungry?”

“No I am not,” she responded stiffly.

She sat on the couch, her bearing almost regal with her skirt flowing down to the floor. But, her regal bearing, the haughty tilt of her head, did nothing to quiet the loud grumble that emerged from her stomach.

She tried to ignore it, and did a pretty convincing job, but I definitely didn’t let that pass.

“Sounds like your stomach disagrees, huh?” I said.

“Perhaps my stomach disagrees, but let me assure you that I am perfectly fine,” she said.

Her stomach rumbled again, louder this time for good measure, and Jade looked annoyed, but quickly schooled her expression and returned to the regal ice princess act.

“Jade, I have a long day ahead of me, and it’s not going to do me any good if you collapse from hunger,” I said.

“I am not your concern, and I will not collapse from hunger. I’m fine,” she said.

I couldn’t let this go, though I wasn’t exactly sure why. So I looked at her, studied her, really trying to figure out what was happening.

I waited a second, another, certain that at any moment she would relent.

Realized a few seconds later that that was a foolhardy thought. Nothing this woman had done thus far matched with anything that I would have expected, so I certainly wasn’t foolish enough to think she would give in on something as obvious as this.

“Why are you being difficult?” I asked.

“Difficult?” she said, tilting her head, her expression incredulous. “I didn’t realize that my choices of food and hunger or lack thereof would constitute ‘difficult’ in your book.”

“Look, Jade, I don’t know why this has to be a huge debate,” I said.

“It doesn’t have to be a huge debate. Let’s just go and put your evil plan into motion.”

“Don’t be so…” I trailed off, stared at her, a sudden realization coming over me.

I stomped across the room and kneeled at the table. I opened the lid on the tea I’d gotten and took a sip.

Then, I set it down and glared at her.

“See? It’s not poisoned,” I said.

“Umm-hmm,” she murmured.

I wanted to growl in frustration, but instead I took the small container of cream cheese and stirred it, slathered some of it on one of the bagels, and took a bite.

“The bagels and cream cheese aren’t poisoned either,” I said. “They’re shite, but they aren’t poisoned.”

Jade, who had turned her head to look out of the bright picture window turned to face me again and watched as I chewed and swallowed the piece of bagel.

Only once I was done did she reach for half, the one that I had bitten I noticed, and put a small amount of cream cheese on it.

“Jesus. Did you really think I would poison you?”

She froze, but then went back to smearing the cream cheese.

Then I watched as she tentatively lifted the bagel to her mouth and took the smallest conceivable bite. She chewed slowly, then swallowed, her expression pained, as twisted and concerned as I had ever seen from her. Which was saying something considering all that had happened the night before.

She took another bite similar to the first, then another until about half of the half bagel was gone. It was excruciating to watch, and the sight had me completely questioning and on edge.

“What’s your problem?” I said.

“You,” she responded.

She stood then, shoved her feet into her shoes, and then looked at me. “Let’s go, Captain Chaos,” she said.

I glared at her a moment and then grabbed my suit jacket and walked toward the door.

Jade followed silently, and just as silently got into the car.

I turned the car in the direction of our destination and drove, but I was distracted, something I definitely shouldn’t have been given what was about to occur.

But I was, and Jade was the reason. It wasn’t difficult for me to put my finger on why.

I had done nothing to gain her trust.

In fact, I had done everything to make it more than likely that she hated me, or at least wanted to see me come to harm. But for her to think that I would poison her?

That stung.

Which was stupid. Because why did she have any reason to think otherwise? I had entered her home without permission, had given her an ultimatum that left her with very little choice.

For all she knew, nothing was beyond me.

For all I knew, nothing was beyond me.

So it made no sense for me to be so taken aback, so hurt by the implication.

But I was.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I didn’t know, but one thing I knew for sure, Jade Green might prove to be far more trouble than she was worth.

---

Jade

---

I held the door handle tight, my stomach rolling and my mind racing.

I hadn’t intended to fall asleep the night before, but the instant I had leaned back against the couch, I had been gone.

Now, my back was telling me that choosing the couch instead of the plush-looking mattress in the suite that Fisher hadn’t taken might have been a mistake.

But I didn’t care, because I had a point to prove.

Had I proven it?

I glanced at Fisher, deciding that apparently I hadn’t.

I felt like I had just lain on railroad tracks all night, and he looked like he could’ve stepped off the cover of a magazine.

The fucker.

Still, my back, my annoyance at Fisher, were small in comparison to the tendril of fear that was unfurling in my stomach. I really hadn’t wanted to eat that bagel, but I really had been hungry.

Seeing him take a portion had given me the courage to try the rest, but now I was regretting that.

I half expected what little I had eaten to come back up, and I was proud of myself when I kept it down.

It was long past time for me to get over this, but it was one of the things I couldn’t control. One of so many things I couldn’t control.

But thinking about that was even worse than thinking about my current predicament, so I ignored those thoughts, my stomach that was queasy, threatening sickness at any moment, and instead focused on the world around me.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“We’re going to check out a hotel,” Fisher said.

I was so surprised that he responded that I didn’t answer immediately. But soon I regained my equilibrium.

“A hotel?” I said.

“Yes,” he replied.

I looked at him, suspicion beginning to dawn.

“Would this hotel happen to be called M. Lounge and Hotel?” I asked.

“You get a gold star,” Fisher said.

“No need to be sarcastic,” I said, amused but unwilling to let him see that.

“There’s no need for you to ask me questions,” he tossed back.

“That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. There is a need for me to ask questions and let me tell you, the price of my help comes with that.”

“Well you asked your question and you got your answer so how about giving me some of that help that you just mentioned.”

I wanted to groan, kick myself for even mentioning our deal, but instead I sighed and then looked at him.

“I don’t know anything, but ask,” I said.

“What do you know about the hotel?” he said.

“It was swanky as fuck. Burned down. Got rebuilt. Appears to be swanky as fuck again,” I said.

“All things I could’ve read in the paper. All things I have read in the paper. Tell me more,” he said.

“Tell me more,” I said, mimicking him.

He didn’t respond, and I just sighed and rolled my eyes.

“Let me see. As far as I know this is Michael’s baby. He and his wife, Eden, love this place. And they do a good job of running it. I’ve heard only good things about it. And they treat their staff really well,” I said.

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“One of them stood up for Michael in open court. Got him off on some bogus-ass murder charges,” I said.

“I read about that. I assumed one of the Murphys paid that witness off, or threatened him,” Fisher said.

I frowned, looked over at him. “Threatened him? Why do you think that?”

“Doesn’t it strike you as odd for an employee to do that for a boss?” he said.

“No, not if that employee likes the boss and the boss is good to them. And, you know, there’s the whole him not having done anything,” I said.

Fisher laughed, but it wasn’t the one from earlier. This one was bitter, made his nice voice sound twisted, angry.

I didn’t like it at all.

I wasn’t foolish enough to think that I knew him, but hearing that twisted voice come out of his mouth was disconcerting, made it far too easy to remember that he was an unknown and I was playing a dangerous game. It also took away the ability to pretend that this was something other than what it was.

That he was something other than what he was.

My frown was instant, but I bit it back and refocused on what he was saying.

“Whatever you say. But from what you told me, I’m to believe that Michael is a benevolent and wonderful boss who gained the loyalty of his employees.”

“Yes,” I said.

Fisher looked over at me, and from the expression on his face I could tell he was skeptical.

“We’ll see,” he said.