Chapter 5
Maddox punched his arms back into his shirt, whip cracked his belt in the silence as he shoved on his trousers. Jake was back through the door; by the sounds of it he hadn’t even got to his feet. An uncomfortable prickle grew in Maddox’s head. His palm pressed on the door, ready to push back in and help Jake up.
He shook that desire away, and instead delved for his phone in his pocket. His and Jake’s game was up, but the least he could do was ensure he got home safe.
The phone clicked by Maddox’s ear and a worried hello stuttered from the other end.
“Lewis, I need you to dress casual, drive by Richmond Street and when you see Jake, offer him a ride.”
Maddox tapped his foot to the floor in the extended pause, hissing through his teeth when Lewis finally replied.
“Of course, Boss.”
There was confusion to his words, but Maddox didn’t need to explain himself, only wanted to ensure Jake had a ride home. He stamped his thumb at the phone, disconnecting the call before pressing the device to his lips.
He breathed deep, slipped his face of blankness back on and exited the building.
Tom straightened in his seat the second he saw Maddox returning. “Done, Boss?” he asked through the window.
Maddox resisted the urge to glance back. “It’s done.”
He slipped into the car, refusing to look at the building he’d left Jake inside.
It was half way back to the house, Maddox remembered Jake’s clothes were in the boot of Amber’s car.
He pinched his brow with a growl. Not only had he left Jake in a vulnerable state, he was stark naked as well. The first time he’d been intimate with that level of control and he had executed it appallingly. Jake had agreed, but Maddox doubted he'd expected to be discarded, cold and bare on the floor.
He shuffled, restless at the war in his head. There was the logical part of him that knew he had to disconnect from Jake, but his chest ached knowing their fun had come to an end.
Maddox did his best to seem composed each time Tom darted a look back, but knew he’d failed when soft words travelled to the backseat.
“You didn’t kill him, did you?”
Maddox stilled his mad fidgeting. “Course I didn’t.”
“Does he need an ambulance-
“Jake is fine,” Maddox snapped, smashing his fist on the seat beside him. “Enough questions. Beethoven no. 25.”
The music rumbled through the speakers, vibrating his spine, but it did nothing to stop the jitteriness in his joints. He longed to return to the abandoned cooler and lift Jake from the floor.
It couldn’t be that way; whatever connection had formed with the other man had to be severed. Was now severed with the diamond returned to him.
Maddox slotted his fingers together with his elbows digging into his knees. He squeezed till his skin turned white. Any longing he felt towards Jake had to be pushed away for both of their sakes.
The music finally had the desired effect and Maddox sunk boneless into the leather. The world shot past his window, made more dramatic by the symphony thundering around him.
Back to his life of scam and deals, threats and intimidation. Jake had no place in that world.
Tom was hesitant to turn the track off; Maddox watched his finger shake as he reached for the dial. They were back at the house, but his reluctance to leave the car had left Tom confused.
“Where’s the diamond?” he mumbled, not knowing whether the man in the front could hear him above the rumble.
“Inside.”
Maddox bowed his head and Tom had the confidence to push the dial and silence the car.
“Carl has it.” Tom said, eyes glued to Maddox through the mirror.
“Good, go inside and wait.”
Tom unclasped his seat belt, darting a concerned look back. Maddox shot a small smile his way, hoping to soothe his fears, but by the bob of Tom’s Adam's apple he knew it hadn’t.
“Make yourself a drink, eat what you like.”
He meant his words, but he also knew by Tom’s stone face he wasn’t going to indulge in anything on offer. Tom would rather starve than accept food while he was working. Before Tom was out of earshot, Maddox mumbled through his window.
“Be sure to tell Carl.”
Tom wouldn’t eat, but the younger man definitely would.
Maddox found his discarded phone, tapping Lewis's number and growing more agitated the longer it rang.
“Boss?”
“How is he?”
Lewis made a noise of thought and Maddox rolled his eyes.
“Was he all right when you dropped him off?”
“Oh, urm yeah, he was fine...bit snappy, but okay.”
Maddox exhaled noisily through his nose, settled by the knowledge Jake was okay. He had no idea how Jake handled coming down from an intense high, and it was a relief to know he had recovered and wasn’t a shaking, sobbing mess.
“Good.”
He ended the call and sunk back on the seat. Jake was fine after their time together. Maddox wasn’t ready to replay their intimacies in his head yet, that was for when he got lonely in the night.
Shaking his head, he climbed from the car, pushing any lingering thoughts of Jake away. Once he clasped eyes on the priceless stone, Jake and the time he spent pursuing him would blur to insignificance.
Carl didn’t disappoint on the food front. The towering sandwich on the counter made Maddox smile.
“’orry, you said-I haven’t eaten today, I thought-”
The smile sagged off Maddox’s face. Even when he was amused they had no clue. When he grinned in the mirror it never looked as savage as they made out. The mirror didn’t break, and he didn’t shrivel from the hideousness of it. Yet one smile and Tom was rocking nervously on his feet and Carl’s hair was darkening from sweat.
“The diamond?” he uttered.
Carl presented him with the box, flicking his chin out for him to open it.
He sighed tiredly, popping the lid before frowning, his frown deepened the longer he stared. The clarity had gone, the colour was dulled. A millimetre too small. Just to be sure, he plucked it from the box, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. Wrong weight, wrong colour, wrong shape, wrong material.
Both Carl and Tom waited with wide eyes, needing their boss to tell them good job. He didn’t. Instead, he placed the diamond on the marble counter.
He strolled across the room, choosing one of his many grey ornaments. It held weight, was made from tungsten, the strongest natural metal. He liked the abstract shape, it was a good fit in his hand, even better for bludgeoning.
Carl and Tom watched on curiously as Maddox made his way back over. He lifted the object, and their eyebrows rose in anticipation. The ornament came down with a crack, smashing the ‘diamond’ into dust.
Just in case they hadn’t realised, Maddox ran his finger through the powder.
“A diamond would not break...”
Tom plucked at his moustache, face shaking left to right. “Boss-”
Maddox raised his hand for silence. “Quiet...”
He narrowed his eyes at Tom, his hands had curled into vibrating fists. No one was laying a hand on Jake, Jake was his to punish.
“We’ll find him, Boss,” Carl blurted.
Maddox hissed, and Carl's mouth snapped shut with a wince.
“I want to see what he’ll do.... we’ll find him, observe from a distance.”
Their heads nodded eagerly. “Yes, Boss.”
“Go start the car...”
Tom rushed for the door with Carl on his heels.
“Carl...take your sandwich.”
He halted, staring guilty at the tower of food on the counter. “Sorry, Boss.”
“Eat it, don’t waste…art.”
Maddox grinned, and Carl matched it cautiously. He really was an artist at food preparation.
Carl took the plate, taking a huge bite as he got to the door.
“No mess in the car.”
“Yes, Boss,” muffled back.
Once out of sight, Maddox released the wolfish smile that had tilted the corners of his mouth.
Then a booming laugh escaped his lips. The pup disguised as a lamb had tricked him. That didn’t happen often if ever. His mind-numbing life was still being disrupted by Jake and he’d never been so relieved.
His heart quickened in pace; the itchy feeling in his joints was swept away with a rush of heat. It had only been an hour since they’d been in the meat freezer together, but lust bubbled up again in Maddox’s veins. Perhaps he would break his set rule and enjoy company with the intoxicating man a second time. He just had to catch him first.
He followed his gut and got Tom to park across the street from the museum. Amber was trolling through the CCTV feeds they had hacked around Jake’s street, Lewis was checking Jake’s flat and Carl had driven to the Stationary Corner. That left his and Tom’s eagle eyes on the museum.
Maddox chuckled to himself when he saw Jake bounding up the path. The man was completely oblivious. He skipped across the road, hair fluffed up and shimmering. Hours after being so thoroughly wrecked, and he was bright faced again, with clean clothes hugging his body.
A stab of self-consciousness gripped Maddox. He raked his hand through his hair, sweeping it back on his head. The clothes he wore were still dishevelled from his dash to redress. He leaned forward in his seat, pushing his shirt into his trousers to smarten himself up.
“He’s going for the reward money.”
Maddox glared at the back of Tom’s head. The unaware man had his eyes fixed to the museum. He rubbed at his moustache, making an irritating noise.
“Not so clever now, are ya?” he mumbled towards the building.
Maddox shook his head. “Tricked you, didn’t he?”
Tom’s mouth popped open, but he didn’t defend himself, only hung his head.
Jake hadn’t just tricked Tom and Carl, but Maddox too. He had believed his stuttered apologies and reassurances that he had willingly returned the diamond.
“What do we do now?”
Maddox drummed his fingers on his knee. “We wait.”
As if anticipating a long stakeout, Tom switched the music on, starting at the first track. Maddox settled in his seat, patting at the zippo and removing it from his top pocket.
Hours, it had been hours, and Tom had slumped into his seat, eyes sliding closed. Maddox allowed it; he had overworked them on a job that should’ve been easy, would’ve been had Maddox gone in heavy and beaten the information from Jake at the start.
Almost three hours later and countless twirls on the zippo, his phone buzzed, and he tapped Tom’s shoulder till he woke.
The music was stopped, and the jingling ringtone filled the quiet.
“Wonder who that could be,” Maddox mumbled with a raised eyebrow.
Tom snorted in reply, rubbing at his moustache with his gaze locked on the museum.
Maddox prodded the phone. “Harriet?”
“Oh, Mr Henley, we have some great news. The diamond has been returned.”
Maddox grinned politely, using his barely used joyous tone to reply, “That really is great.”
“I hate to ask, but the man who brought it in....he’s been asking about the reward.”
Maddox tutted in disappointment. “And there I was thinking someone would return it out of the goodness of their heart.”
She barked darkly. “Everyone’s out for themselves nowadays.”
“Indeed...send him to my address. I’ll be sure he gets a fitting reward.”
She rallied out grovelling goodbyes and Maddox scrunched his face. There was only so much nicey-nicey he could fake without feeling sick.
“Tom, back to the house.”
The car purred into life just as Jake skipped from the door, analysing a piece of paper in his hands.
It was Maddox’s turn to trick the naïve little wolf cub.