LITMIR.BIZ

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powerful family in New York? All it had taken was slitting the throat of some busy-body corporate nobody to do it. It had felt like One was right there doing the cutting again. Feeling her fear. The quickening of her pulse. The warmth of her fresh blood covering One’s hands. One had killed her.

      One wasn’t anywhere near Tech Tower anymore. One was far away now. Walking the streets of New York, looking for a Cafe to enjoy an afternoon coffee. A good mood was something that the One cherished. It was always swift. Always fleeting. A drive-by of good energy. Then on to the next job. This was slightly different though. It was a huge deal. Taking down one third of America’s perfect family. The son. He seemed a smart kid, but naive. One had met him several times. He was impressive looking, but incredibly vain. The kind of guy that would check his reflection in his cell phone. His English accent had always gotten on One’s nerves. It grated, like nails on a chalkboard. God knows how his employees could put up with it. Ten minutes of that incessant noise was all One could take. Now that the incessant noise was locked up, One could sit in the glorious afternoon sun and bask in the plan’s success. At times like this life felt so simple. So easy. Time really did fly when everything was going right for you.

      But One knew better. One had seen it all before. The slow rise to the top and the inevitable crash back to earth. The group One led had no official name. It was not a gang because it operated under the radar. It was a collection of seventeen of the most powerful people in New York City. Their aim was to keep the rich richer and let the poor fend for themselves. They did this by identifying individuals or corporations that were a potential danger to them, find their weak spot and strike fast. A cheating partner, unpaid taxes or a hidden secret. It didn’t really matter. They found it.

      No major deals happened without them knowing about it. The group had been founded three years previously by an anonymous benefactor they called Zero. Zero was their voice and One was their face. No-one had ever seen Zero’s face. All they had ever heard was Zero’s electronically altered voice giving them instructions. Many had questioned why they should be led by an anonymous coward. Those that had questioned were found days later face down in the Hudson River. But Zero had conceded that a leader with a face was necessary. The position of One was born. The Seventeen elected their leader. Even after being elected by their peers, their position was not guaranteed. Zero would then test them to judge their suitability for the job. If they passed the test, they were One. The first One had lasted an impressive three years. The position had been vacated as One had left overseas on a mission for Zero and had not returned. That is when the present One had been appointed.

      A worthy successor. A fearless leader. Greatly respected by the Seventeen. Zero had sent four tests One’s way and One had obliterated the first three with ease. This was the fourth and last. The toughest, true, but child’s play for a mind like One’s. The request was simple. “Get the kid, Lex Archer, sent to jail in any way possible”. Zero had told the Seventeen that he believed the Archer family to be becoming too powerful. They needed bringing down. Their son being imprisoned would be the start.

      Zero’s instructions were clear. Fail to have him sent away and he was not worthy to be One. But there was no way One would fail One would bring down the entire Archer family. Lex would be just the first.

       Chapter 6

      Lex was waiting for Belle to confirm his alibi with the police. Sweat dripped down his brow. The cool, calm and collected vibe he was going for was all just an act. Inside he was freaking out. What happened if Sammie had no record of him? Or worse yet, what if something had happened to him? Lex knew he had powerful enemies. What if they had gone after Sammie? All the guy had done was fix his man claws and now he might have a target on his back. Lex wouldn’t let that happen. They could come after him but dragging innocent bystanders in was unacceptable.

      He heard a click and looked up to see Belle enter the room, head down, looking somber.

      “Did he confirm it?” he asked.

      “Erm...” she mumbled.

      “Wait, what is it?”

      She gave him a look which virtually answered his question.

      “Ah, God dammit!” he shouted. Angry with himself for getting Sammie into this situation.

      “Just hold up. I never said something had happened to him. It’s just that we can’t contact him. His cell is off and so is his work phone.”

      “Then we need to go there now,” he insisted, standing bolt upright and marching towards the door.

      “You can’t leave here Lex. You’re under arrest. You leave this room and five officers will be on you in a second. You know that’s true.”

      He did know that. But he had to do something. Then he got an idea. He couldn’t leave. But Belle could.

      “Belle, hear me out for a second...”

      She already knew what he was going to say. “No, no no no no NO! I am not going to put myself in danger to save some shady manicurist.”

      Lex just grinned at that sentence.

      “This isn’t funny Lex. I am not going to put myself in danger for you. I agreed to get you out of danger, not land myself in it.”

      “A man’s life is at stake here Belle. Just because of me. Do you know how that makes me feel? And what’s worse is I can’t do anything about it. I’m stuck here because of some false allegation and the only way to prove my innocence is to get a statement from him. Please Belle,” he said, willing to drop to his knees if necessary.

      She considered it for what seemed like a full minute. But like any sane person, she declined. Unwilling to risk her life for someone she did not know. Lex did not blame her. I mean what did she gain from this? People always seemed to ask that question. True altruism was hard to find. Some even believed that it did not exist. Not him. Altruistic acts happened every day, you just had to know where to look. But clearly Belle wasn’t in an altruistic mood. Which was fine. It just meant that he needed to give her an incentive to help him out.

      “I really didn’t want to have to do this, but I can tell I’m going to have to. If you do this for me, ArchiTech will invest in your firm. Up to five hundred thousand dollars.”

      She collapsed into the chair. Her eyes flashed left to right. Probably thinking about what she could do with it.

      “Lex, are you trying to bribe me?”

      “No, I am bribing you. You’ve already made up your mind. I saw it in your eyes. You don’t want to do something for nothing. I respect that. So I’m giving you something. It’s what you wanted, I can tell. Let’s skip the games. I am a business man after all. I know the games.”

      “I feel bad. You’re letting me stay in your building and now investing in my firm. I bet you must think I’m being ungrateful by not helping you out without something in return?”

      “On the contrary. I think you are smart business women. The right type of people for ArchiTech to put their money behind,” he said, beaming at her.

      She smiled back. They had an agreement. Even at university in Exeter she had been one tough girl. Like a girl from the bronx with all the looks and class of a girl from the upper east side. She had wavy brown hair shorter now than it had been at uni, but still down to her shoulders. Stunning deep green eyes that always shone with confidence. She’d always had a flawless complexion. She tanned in the sun but had a naturally pale skin tone, which made the contrast of her lips even more astounding. Her lips were bright crimson. Not too big, not too small. The perfect size. She still had an exceptionally elegant physique. She had been an accomplished tennis player and had obviously kept her fitness up. She was a vision. A vision that he would like to keep around for a while. As he gazed at her he mentally slapped himself on the wrists for not contacting her sooner. She had been in the city all these years and he’d known that but failed to follow up on it. Their complicated past had stopped him. He was glad that fate had brought them together. Even under these circumstances.

      She

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