Page 41 of Broken
Prescott managed to get through the Jack and Jill shower by hiding his emotions. He’d mastered that skill during his early days at the Bureau, then perfected it when he’d moved to the Hostage Rescue Team, known as HRT.
He loved that job with every fiber of his being, but when it got ripped away from him, he moved on. Then, when an unexpected door had opened, he marched through it.
Despite soldiering on, he carried the mass suicide with him. Those trusting, brainwashed individuals haunted his dreams while the mishandled event fueled him ever-forward. That epic, fucking fail was the reason he refused to join ALPHA, and more recently, BLACK OPS.
If Jack knew the truth, she might not be so quick to persecute him for his actions. Life isn’t always as it seems, and sometimes situations are much more complicated than they appear.
That evening, when the group headed to Jericho Road, he canceled the private room at Asylum and drove home. There was always work to do, so he stayed up until three, grinding through Armstrong emails.
He wanted to reach out to Jack, but he had to let her go.
Just because he kept his emotions on lockdown didn’t mean he didn’t have them. He’d felt plenty for the feisty, auburn-haired beauty. But that, too, had led to another epic fail. So, he’d put her in his past.
Monday brought the beginning of a new weekanda new month. May meant warmer weather and a chance for him to escape reality on his yacht. Maybe even get in a few rounds of golf.
The morning flew by without incident.
Later that afternoon, his desk phone buzzed. “Sally Sagall is waiting in the lobby,” said one of the receptionists.
As he powered down the hall toward the elevator, his uncle stepped out of his office. Prescott stopped short of crashing into him. A woman with bright blond hair stood in the doorway.
“Prescott, I was just on my way to see you,” said Artemis. “This is the consultant from TopCon. Leslie, my nephew, Prescott.”
While giving him a quick once over, Leslie pulled her hair around to one side, and stuck out her chest. Her oversized breasts were spilling out of her tight, low-scooped shirt, but Prescott wasn’t interested in the peep show, so he shifted his focus to his uncle.
“What’s TopCon working on?” Prescott asked.
“Re-imaging some of our outdated brands,” Artemis said. “Giving them an updated look.” His uncle smiled warmly at Leslie.
“That’s right,” Leslie agreed. “I’ve been busy, busy making that happen.”
“I’ve got someone waiting in the lobby,” Prescott said. “I look forward to seeing the final product.”
The three of them rode downstairs in the elevator.
“What do you do?” Leslie asked him.
“I’m the COO,” Prescott replied.
Leslie slid her gaze to Artemis.
“Chief Operating Officer,” Artemis explained.
After they exited the elevator, Artemis pulled Leslie aside to speak with her.
Prescott spied his sister outside on the phone. While waiting, he checked in with his team of receptionists at the front desk. A moment later, Sally made her way over.
Prescott greeted her with a warm embrace. “Good to see you.”
“Thanks so much for this opportunity,” she replied.
A few months ago, Sally had reached out and introduced herself. She had reason to believe they were half siblings. Despite Prescott’s skepticism, he’d spoken with her, then video chatted. After they’d both submitted their DNA, the results had provided them with the truth.
They were related through their biological father, a man neither of them had met. He died when Prescott was an infant.
His thirty-five-year-old sister was older by a year. Her mom had been in a relationship with their dad, but had broken up with him before she found out she was pregnant. According to Sally, her mom never told their dad about her. When Sally’s mom passed away, she found a box revealing Sally’s dad’s true identity. After several internet searches, Sally found her way to Prescott.
Not long ago, she’d moved to the area with her young son, Ethan. She had a strong financial background and had expressed interest in working at the family business. Prescott had mentioned her to his HR director, who agreed to meet with her. It was the least Prescott could do for a sister who had no family beyond her son and him.
