Until the Bartlett family came along, desperate to find someone—anyone—who’d listen to them and help them. They’d exhausted every other avenue and claimed the authorities had grown tired of hearing them ask questions.
They didn’t know it, but when they’d hired him, they’d given him a chance to make a go of the PI business. Plus, he liked them. They were genuinely nice people. If anyone deserved to find their son, they did.
So lost in thought was he, that he accidentally continued using the nail gun on a section of beam that didn’t need it, nearly getting his own hand in the process. Luckily, he jumped back in time.
Taking a deep breath, he stopped and looked up, only to find Phillip and one of the other workers eyeing him. Since he routinely made weird mistakes like this, he supposed they weren’t really surprised, but he found it embarrassing just the same. Some people just weren’t cut out for this kind of work. Apparently he was one of them. He wondered what the process would be to ask if he could switch jobs.
“Hey, you got a minute?” Phillip asked. “We need to talk.”
Here it came. Jack nodded. He followed his roommate over to the road, away from everyone else.
“It’s not working out.” Phillip sounded both nervous and regretful. “I just don’t think you’re cut out for this type of work.”
In all fairness, Jack had to agree. He could do the work, but he made mistakes, mostly because he found it boring. Yet being fired yet again rankled.
“I agree,” he said. “I was just wondering what the process would be to ask to be assigned somewhere else.”
“We don’t have a process like that.” Phillip’s tone came out flat.
“So, what now?” Jack asked, keeping his voice light. Part of him actually wondered if there would be some sort of punishment, since that had been brought up earlier.
“You tried but didn’t excel.” Now Phillip appeared miserable. “I really like you, Jack, and I’m sorry but I had to report this. Thomas has requested you be sent to him immediately.”
“Immediately? When exactly did you make your report?”
“A few minutes ago. Things like poor job performance are taken very seriously. That’s why Thomas wants to see you.”
Concerned, Jack nodded. “Friend to friend, Phillip. Tell me. You speak of punishment. What’s he going to do to me?”
“Probably nothing.” But Phillip’s answer came too quickly. “You’d better hurry and get up there. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Jack didn’t move. “Up where? I have no idea where I need to go.”
Eyes wide, Phillip shook his head. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He took off at a jog without looking back to see if Jack followed.
Of course, Jack did. Phillip led him past the residential area and into what Jack privately thought of as the upscale part of the compound. The houses were larger, more ornate. And the closer they got to the massive structure where Ezekiel dwelled, the more elaborate they became.
“Here we are.” Phillip stopped in front of a huge place right next to Ezekiel’s walled-in fortress. “Good luck. I’ll hopefully see you later on tonight.”
And he took off.
Hopefully, huh? Jack took a deep breath and pushed the buzzer. After he gave his name, the person on the other end remotely unlocked the door and let him inside.
Security measures, eh? Maybe things weren’t always so great here in paradise.
He barely had time to process the thought when Thomas strode into the large, octagon-shaped foyer. “Greetings,” he said, sounding neither angry nor friendly.
Considering what he’d said earlier about punishment and rewards, Jack braced himself.
“I understand you’ve been struggling with construction.”
Slowly, Jack nodded, resisting the urge to defend himself.
“That’s okay,” Thomas continued, surprising him. “You’re new here. With the others, we’ve had years to discover where their aptitude lies. So I’ve decided I’m going to reassign you.”
Surprised, Jack thanked him. Then mentally berated himself for allowing the other man to make him feel as if he’d been given a gift. Though in the end, maybe he had.
“Have you ever worked in the medical field?” Thomas asked. “Maybe when you were in the service?” He eyed Jack expectantly.
Though the closest Jack had come to anything even remotely medically related had been when he’d briefly dated one of the military doctors, he nodded. “A little bit,” he allowed, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake. “Nothing major. More like an aide or a therapist than anything else.”
“Perfect.” Thomas beamed. “Right now we only have two women to assist our doctor at the clinic. We’ve been thinking about having someone stronger to do the heavy lifting and whatever else is needed. I think this might be a good fit for you.”
The clinic. Where the nurse with the amazing caramel eyes worked. Maybe working there wouldn’t be as boring as construction work. Swallowing, he gave a slow nod. “Thank you.”
“Report to work there at seven tomorrow morning.” Waving his hand, Thomas dismissed him.
Jack half expected a couple of goons in suits to appear to escort him from the premises. When they didn’t, he turned and went back the way he’d come.
Only when he once again stood outside the gates did he allow himself to think—really think—about what had just happened. For whatever reason, Thomas had decided to show him leniency, at least if the punishment/reward system was to be believed. This time, at least.
Surely he could manage to do okay working as an orderly in the medical clinic. Lifting boxes and mattresses, maybe helping to move supplies. He’d done similar work before in the military.
However, he’d have to be careful. Considering the strength of the attraction he felt for Sophia Hannah, he’d need to take care to keep his distance. Especially since she was promised to the head of the entire organization. Even the most casual flirting could be misconstrued and the last thing he needed was to get that kind of reprimand.
Thoughtful, he headed back to the house he shared with Phillip.
* * *
After meeting with Deirdre, Sophia found herself a mess of nerves with what felt like a forty-pound weight nestled snuggly around her shoulders. She went back to work, but Ana had surprisingly already done everything needed to close out their shift, so she went on home.
Rachel was already there when Sophia arrived. She’d started the evening meal—chicken, rice and vegetables—which smelled heavenly. Sophia stood for a moment in the doorway to their small kitchen, breathing in the scent of curry, and tried to regain her feeling of normalcy.
“Oh, good!” Rachel exclaimed, looking up from the pot she’d been stirring. “I was hoping you’d get done early. Once we eat, do you want to sit down and start planning your wedding? I brought home one of the sketch pads from work.” Rachel taught art and music to the children.
Shaking her head, Sophia relayed what Deirdre had told her. “Basically, everything is being handled by Ezekiel’s people.”
“You don’t get to have a say in anything?” Clearly disbelieving, Rachel’s eyes narrowed. “Anyone who knows you is aware of how long you’ve waited to get to plan your wedding. This is every young woman’s dream and right. Why are they taking that away from you?”
All