A Billionaire's Mistake

68|Empire

Lincoln

When my brother asked me to meet him in New Jersey to discuss the plans for finding Travis, I didn't know what to expect. To my knowledge, he moved closer to the city in pursuit of trying to take the company away from me to have it under his control. I certainly didn't imagine standing in the slums next to crumbling buildings and dumpsters piled high with trash.

Why the hell did he ask me to meet him here?

I'd like to classify myself as a man, but when a creaky door opens out of fucking nowhere, I jump about ten feet in the air. Jett pokes his head out into the alley behind a door that blends completely in with the brick. "It's about time you got here."

"There was traffic," I grumble. "Care to explain why you had me drive two hours rather than just meet you somewhere in the city? And also, why couldn't I bring Sienna?"

He moves his head side to side, ensuring no one else is in the alley with us before he jerks his head, opening the door up further. "Later. And don't ask questions until we're alone."

What in the fuck?

Following him behind the door, we step into a hallway that is far cleaner than the alley behind us. Lamps line the walls that lead to yet another door at the end, which has some sort of keypad attached to it. "Where in the hell are we?" I ask, looking around.

"Didn't I just say not to ask questions until we're alone?"

"We are alone."

Jett scoffs. "Delano."

"Sir?"

I whirl around to where the large-as-a-building man is now behind us. He eyes me with a dull expression that explains he's not the least bit entertained by this conversation. "How do you keep doing that? Where did you come from?"

Delano remains silent.

"Just follow me," Jett replies with a sigh. "And keep your mouth shut for two minutes. Can you manage that?"

I'm clamping my molars down so hard I fear they'll shatter, but I give a simple nod as Jett enters a code, obscuring me from view, and then he puts a finger on some type of reader. A green light flashes as it scans. When it finishes processing, there's a gentle click, allowing him to enter.

And when that door opens, I step into an entirely foreign world.

Two minutes ago I was standing in the slums, and now I'm in what seems to be an overly lavish mansion. Freshly installed wooden floors and warm, inviting brown paint plastered on the walls with artwork probably more expensive than my condo altogether. The space is almost as large as a ballroom. With no windows, the light source comes from everywhere. Chandeliers on the ceiling, lamps near the couches, and candles on a large granite island in the kitchen.

Jett continues walking, not giving me the time to take in the rest of the space as he begins to climb a set of metal, modern stairs that lead up to the second floor. He's lucky he asked me to keep my questions to myself because I have almost a thousand on the tip of my tongue.

"Delano, you're free for the next hour," Jett says when he reaches a door at the end of the hallway.

"As you wish, boss." With a two-finger salute, he disappears from the hall so quickly I'd almost think he was never here in the first place.

"Jett, what the—"

He holds a finger up to shush me, waving me into the room. It's an office of sorts with four computer screens placed on a large, rectangular desk. Bookshelves line the walls with plants and little trinkets. It's so unlike my brother's taste it's almost comical. I might have laughed if I weren't so in shock.