ESCANTA: A James Thomas Novel (The James Thomas Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

put Samuel to work. Three hours later he was on a flight to London.
    James reversed out of the parking bay and exited the lot, driving directly to Thomas Security—his company’s headquarters and his place of residence. Thomas Security was a purpose-built building, and it was the safest place on Earth for him and his brother Deacon, Samuel, and Cami. They had everything they needed in one building, and it was riddled with escape routes. They hadn’t had to use them yet, and hopefully they never would.
    When James pulled into the company parking lot he checked his phone: nothing from Samuel. He grabbed his overnight bag, slung it over his shoulder and took the elevator up to his apartment. He went through the motions of unlocking his door—a series of security passes that included fingerprint and retina matches—and then walked into a silent, dark foyer. The curtains were drawn, as they always were, and his apartment looked like a showroom. There was nothing personal—no photographs, no travel mementos, and no family heirlooms. There was no point collecting possessions when you might need to disappear and leave it all behind. And he had no memories, let alone heirlooms, of his family. One of Thomas Security’s best-kept secrets was that the two brothers who ran it were not really brothers at all—at least not biologically. But they had become brothers in every other sense and James thought of Deacon as his brother, as family.
    James dropped his bag onto the floor of his bedroom and walked to his ensuite. He stripped off his clothes and stepped underneath the gullying shower, but only for a few minutes. He had to be somewhere, and he was already late.
    James threw the towel over his head, drying his shaved scalp and then the rest of his body, and then hung it up, walking naked back to his bedroom. He dressed in a black suit, and debated whether he should wear a bow-tie or a tie. He settled on a tie, knotted it, and then checked his phone again: still no report.
    He ran a finger along his brow in frustration. He was itching to call Samuel and find out why it was taking so long, but Samuel didn’t take well to being pestered—James knew this from experience. James also knew that interrupting him constantly was counterproductive. But what could be taking so long? Samuel could create a basic security report in minutes—personal details, bank accounts, employment history, relationship history—it was all readily accessible if you knew where to look and had the access to the files.
    James heard his apartment door open but he didn’t panic. There were only four people with a code to his apartment, and for anyone else, it was virtually impassable. James met Cami in the hallway.
    “You scrub up nicely,” Cami said. She was one of his most valuable employees, and one of his only true friends, along with Samuel and Deacon. She pushed a wrapped gift into his hands and adjusted his tie. He shooed her away.
    “What’s this?” James asked, assessing the gift.
    “A present for Zahra and Jayce. You can’t turn up to an engagement party without a gift. You do realize that, don’t you?”
    James rolled his eyes and walked toward his kitchen. Cami followed him.
    “What did you buy?” James asked. It was surprisingly heavy and he set it down on the kitchen island while he poured himself a glass of juice. He held up the container but Cami shook her head, indicating she didn’t want one.
    “It’s a gift from Thomas Security, as such. I bought a beautiful album. It even has a glass front, and I printed a collection of photographs from our surveillance.”
    James blinked in surprise. It was a thoughtful gift, even if a little unusual. Zahra Foster and Jayce Tohmatsu were clients of Thomas Security, and their case had been one of the most difficult James had ever worked on—primarily because there were so many unknown factors, and so many elements of their past that it had been nearly impossible to know who and what they were