Page 59 of Mercy (The Sins Trilogy 3)
Chapter Nineteen
Anthony
I hang up, my body buzzing with sugar and lust. The flowers sit on my desk. They take up too much space, but I can’t bear to move them.
Wei walks in. He looks at the empty box of cupcakes balefully.
“I can’t believe you ate all six, boss.”
Although he doesn’t look it because there isn’t an ounce of fat on his streamlined body, Wei is a sugar addict. Everyone at the company knows if you want him to do you a favor, you bring something sweet.
“You had a big lunch too,” he adds.
“I didn’t have dessert with my sandwich.”
Wei doesn’t comment. He’s the one who brought me my food. “This came for you. Special courier and confidential, for your eyes only.”
I take the package, which is from my lawyer. “Thanks, Wei.”
“Next time, save me a bite?”
“How about you just get a girlfriend who sends you cupcakes at work?” Fat chance. Wei is a workaholic.
He shakes his head. “You didn’t used to be like this.”
True. When women I was seen with sent me sugary junk like this, I gave it to my assistant.
“I wasn’t in love.” I steeple my fingers, ready to hear what he found. “So. About what I asked you to look into this morning.”
Wei grows serious. “Your mother’s still in town, helping Marty Peacher.”
“To do what precisely?” She always considered him and his father beneath her notice, so what’s up with this helpfulness all of a sudden? I don’t think Sam’s death softened her attitude. She called Marty an imbecile only a few days ago.
“I spoke with Sam’s assistant, Peggy. She says they’re looking for something Sam left. They already ripped apart his residence, safe, desk and computer and all external and cloud storages.”
“What did he leave? A map to Atlantis?”
“She said she didn’t know what they’re looking for. But whatever it is has to be important, because they’re searching everywhere for it.”
“Together?”
“Yes.”
That’s just…bizarre. Even without knowing what the prize is, I’m certain Mother won’t share it with Marty if she finds it. Isn’t he smart enough to know that?
“How did you get Peggy to talk, by the way?” She always looks like a pinched prune, and she rarely speaks about her employer. A trait that made Sam keep her all these years.
Wei gives me a pointed look. “It might just be that she likes cupcakes.”
“Ha ha.”
“Peggy doesn’t like Marty that much. He always treated her like a second-class citizen because she’s just a ‘lowly assistant’ and a ‘glorified Xerox operator.’ With Sam gone, she doesn’t feel much loyalty to Peacher & Son.”
“What an idiot.” You never treat assistants badly. They not only manage their bosses’ time, but they know everything about their business. Loyalty isn’t bought, but earned.
“My feeling exactly.”
“Anything held up in probate?”
