Page 81 of Jackass

My father worked on Wall Street. He did what he could to climb that ladder. The elite men of New York used him to move their money around. He thought he was necessary to them. He believed they couldn’t function without him.

In reality, he was their scapegoat, should anyone question how they made their money or where they hid it.

Growing up, I was the middle child. The invisible one. The one no one noticed. That was how I honed my skill. The older I got, the more I challenged myself to get into places withoutbeing seen or heard.

It started with sneaking into the kitchen at night. We had cameras everywhere, so I snuck into a few places I knew were off-limits, so I would have a baseline, knowing my father saw me.

Then, I perfected getting in and out without being seen on camera. Once that was done, I snuck in and out of meetings, parties my parents held, even my father’s office to listen to phone conversations.

That was how I found out my brother was fucking my girlfriend. I don’t know if they ever knew I saw them. I never said a word.

When I found them together in his room, I slipped back into mine, packed a bag, and left. It had been thirteen years since I spoke with any of them. I doubted my parents even noticed I was gone.

I missed my baby sister, though. She was only eleven when I left, and the only family I had worth caring about. She was too young to leave with me. That didn’t stop me from regretting leaving her behind.

I gave her name to Nav and asked him to keep tabs on her. I didn’t want to know anything unless I absolutely needed to. So far, he said she was doing well. I was happy with that.

Joining the Shadows, I knew my skill would come in handy. I didn’t tell them about it right away. Sneaking around the clubhouse, I investigated the Shadows. I needed to know everything they were involved in before I aligned myself completely.

The guns didn’t bother me. The loansharking was fine. Even the drugs didn’t deter me. Skin would have been a no-go for me. That shit would never be ok.

Once I decided I wanted to be a part of the Shadows, I went to Steele and told him what I could do and convinced him to shorten my prospect period. He realized what a valuable asset he had in me.

He didn’t want me to move to the new chapter with King. Hedidn’t want to lose my skill set. I offered to teach a brother of my choosing how to do what I did. That is exactly what I did.

Mostly.

Hey, a guy can’t give away all his secrets.

Being invisible meant I was the one chosen for surveillance. I didn’t mind; I enjoyed working alone. It wasn’t always glorious, and especially this job. Following Samantha to work and back wasn’t exciting. It wasn’t dangerous and stimulating. But it was important.

I hadn’t told Jack about her conversation with Carrie. He knew Carrie called, but he didn’t know I bugged the phone at The Diner.

I’m nothing if not thorough.

I knew today was the day that Samantha would lose her tail and drive north to meet Carrie at a coffee shop. I could wait at the coffee shop, but I wanted to follow her and make sure I didn’t miss a last-minute change of plan.

Like I said, thorough.

I watched her slip out the back door with the trash. She was good. No one would think twice about her taking out the garbage. She made sure the door shut behind her and slinked over to her car. I knew she’d left her purse and keys hidden under the seat. She took a chance that paid off.

Since I knew where she was going, I could stay back further than I normally would. She wouldn’t be looking for me. She’d be watching for a bike. That mistake would keep her preoccupied while I followed.

The forty-five-minute drive to Scottsbluff took a little over an hour because Samantha backtracked a few times. She made sure no one followed her. She’d been doing this for four years. I’d been doing this a hell of a lot longer.

She pulled into the coffee shop and got out. Standing by the door of her car, she looked around. I knew she could feel me watching. She had to, given how long she’d been looking over her shoulder. She wouldn’t be looking for me, though.

She walked in, ordered, and sat at a table in the corner. Ihadn’t seen Carrie yet. I had time to slip in, grab a coffee and a seat near Samantha.

I stepped out of my Mercedes G-Class in my tailored Brioni suit. Leaving my shades on, I stepped into the shop and walked to the counter. I ordered my coffee and sat two tables away from Samantha.

We sat there together, but separate, and waited for Carrie to arrive.

Unfolding the newspaper I brought, I then slipped my air pods into my ears. To anyone watching, I was just a businessman drinking a coffee and reading the newspaper. However, the tech I had on my phone allowed me to hear everyone in the room. Once Carrie arrived, I would hear their entire conversation.

We didn’t wait long before Carrie walked in. Samantha had bought two coffees; one she handed to Carrie. I sat there listening to their conversation, recording the whole thing to go over later with the club officers.

At one point, I thought I might have to blow my cover and step in. But the voices that rose lowered back down. Knowing the conversation was ending, I stood. Making a show of stretching to linger a little longer, I wanted to look like I was leaving before they were. I couldn’t stand at the same time Samantha did, or she might become suspicious.