Chapter 4: A Hidden Agenda

When Jamison stepped outside, being the last to exit the conference room, he made sure to leave the door ajar just enough that he would be able to catch the words being spoken inside. After just losing his Don, he wasn’t sure he trusted anyone to be alone with Kade just yet. It concerned Jamison that the Chiefs may try to take advantage of him since he was the youngest boss they ever had. Not to mention because he hadn’t taken his position as heir seriously sooner, Kade lacked the experience that he might need in this situation.

It was especially crucial to keep their guard up if Warren’s death had indeed been an inside job. Someone among them wanted the Monroes dead. While the motive and culprit were still unclear, Jamison wanted to take every precaution he could in order to protect Kade. As Warren’s only son, he was the last of the Monroe family, and after all the years Jamison spent working alongside Warren, he felt he owed it to the old man to look after that legacy.

For this reason, once he shut the door enough to convince Angelo that he was left alone with Kade, Jamison took a step to the right of the door. He stood peering over his shoulder and in through the little gap in the door. From here, he could see Kade’s back and Angelo standing in front of him.

The blonde moved a hand up to brush back the few loose strands of hair from his face while he beamed at Kade. He stood a few inches taller than him and his frame, while wider than Kade’s, was thinner. He would have been better suited to be a model than he was a low ranking boss of dangerous criminals. This was someone who took extra care in the way he looked. That much was clear by the pressed white suit he wore which clung to his thin frame and fit him like a glove.

“You look a lot like your father, you know?” Angelo said, his smile widening.

“I don’t see what that has to do with what we were discussing,” Kade replied coldly.

“I mean you have that same intensity in your eyes that he did. I can tell you mean business. But, you’re not too experienced in this line of work, are you?” Angelo went on without a moment of hesitation, despite how Kade had snapped back at him.

“I trust my team to aid me as needed until I get used to my position,” Kade answered. His tone was even an obvious indication at his effort to remain professional.

“Taking a risk trusting your father’s associates to blindly follow you. That’s certainly a power move on your part,” Angelo chortled.

“My associates have been working with the Monroe family for years, so I trust them to honor my father’s memory,” Kade answered simply.

Through the gap in the door, Jamison watched as Angelo took a few steps towards Kade. He held his breath when the Chief stopped just a few feet from Kade. The new Don stood his ground despite the approach, a move Jamison could only imagine was made to make a statement that he wasn’t going to allow himself to be intimidated. An action that would have been better celebrated if it wasn’t for the fact that Angelo reached out and ran a finger slowly down the side of Kade’s face.

“You still are lacking in allies though. And I wouldn’t mind being an ally, but there has to be something in it for me,” Angelo cooed the words at Kade, and then flashed him another smile. That same finger gliding down his chin to the front of his shirt.

Jamison’s hand inched towards his gun while the distinct sound of a button popping open cut through the silence. His teeth gnashed together and blue eyes glared in through the gap in the door at the interaction. Angelo was as sleezy as they came, he thought. Thinking it was appropriate to try and take advantage of their boss like that on the lines of forming an alliance with him. It was a mockery to the strength of the Monroe family. He couldn’t just stand by and allow this to be the basis of the first solid connection Kade made. The Chiefs needed to respect him, not think of him as a play thing.

At the sound of another button being undone, Jamison had enough. He burst through the cracked door without a second thought. In an instant, his hand drew the weapon from his waist. He moved around Kade, carefully keeping his gun aimed at Angelo. At the sight of the weapon, Angelo slowly raised his hands up as if to surrender, but he kept a wide smile across his face while he considered Jamison. He kept his weapon readied, even as he came to stand at Kade’s side. He refused to lower it until he was instructed to do so.

“One wrong move and I’ll make sure I paint this room’s walls,” Jamison warned. His voice was low and cold, those blue eyes unblinking while he watched Angelo.

“I see you’ve got Warren’s old dog already trained well,” Angelo chuckled. He took another step back and kept his hands up. “I meant no harm.”

“If you meant no harm, you wouldn’t have put your hands on him,” Jamison growled his response. “I said don’t move.”

“That’s enough, Jamison,” Kade chimed in. The tone he used wasn’t demanding, but soft and stern.

Jamison turned his eyes to Kade for a moment. “I saw what he was trying to do. You can’t just let him get away with it.”

“I don’t intend to let him get away with it. But he’s not worth wasting a bullet over on this matter,” Kade answered coolly. “However, there will be no alliance formed today. In fact, I’d like to talk with the others about having the northern territory investigated first for my father’s death.”

“You can’t actually think that myself or one of mine were responsible for your father’s death,” Angelo protested in a scoff of disbelief.

“I don’t know for sure, as you said, right now I have no one on my side. I do know that your attempt to take advantage of me was a risk. So, either you’re trying too hard to hide something or you truly believe I’d be so easy to sway with a little touching. I guess we’ll find out,” Kade said, and with a glance to Jamison, he nodded before turning and walking out of the room.

Jamison gave Angelo another warning look before he lowered his weapon and tucked it back into the waist of his pants. Without another word to the Chief, he turned and followed after Kade. He had to admit that for someone who wasn’t experienced in dealing with criminals on this level or conducting serious business deals, Kade was doing well to maintain himself. Again, he found himself impressed with his new boss. So much so, that he felt inclined to mention his work so far to him, despite everything that they were dealing with.

The car ride back towards the manor was silent for the most part. Kade kept his eyes turned away from Jamison and directed out the window. Next to him, Jamison looked over his disheveled suit thanks to Angelo’s doing. His tie was loose from around his neck and a few of the buttons of his undershirt were undone. He couldn’t imagine what Kade must have been thinking when it was happening. It was hard to say with how well Kade seemed to be keeping himself composed.

“That was quick thinking back there,” Jamison said, finally breaking the silence.

“I did what I had to in order to understand what my first move should be,” Kade answered without looking at him.

“You should be more careful. Next time coming onto you might not be what they’re after to make a point,” Jamison replied. Impressed or not, he still had to protect Kade.

“I trusted you would be there if it went south,” Kade said, still without looking at him.

Jamison studied him for a moment in silence. He wasn’t sure if he was saying that to test his loyalty further or because he meant it. Whatever the reason, he could tell that beneath that calm demeanor, this wasn’t a topic Kade felt like discussing just now.

Perhaps it could be touched on again at a later time. If Jamison was reading him right, he thought that his young Don might just want to head home and try to relax after an eventful day. Jamison could handle arrangements of starting the investigation.

“You can always count on me," Jamison confirmed, both for the test of his loyalty and understanding of what Kade needed at that moment.