Chapter Sixty-Three
The drive back to Yorkdare Bay had felt bittersweet. St. John's City had been his home for six years, the city had treated him well but he was also excited to go home. He had big plans for Yorkdare Bay and even bigger plans for the Elite. The only thing lacking in Yorkdare Bay would be the number of women he could potentially hook up with since his vow of never falling in love again was still firmly intact.
He'd stayed in St. John's City for two more weeks after the Detective's visit, knowing there would be no blowback from the authorities. He'd done everything right and now he was waiting for the Elites to make their next move. Mason and Lee had left the previous day and Kelley looked forward to the next phase of his life. Knocking Charles Alexander down a peg or two left him with an almost permanent smile on his face.
Kelley stood in the foyer of his childhood home, now his home and left his suitcases right there as his phone rang. He fished it from the inside pocket of his jacket and looked at the name highlighted on his screen.
“Hello, Charles.”
“We need to talk. You went too far this time, Kelley!”
“With what exactly? I’ve been quite busy the last few weeks.”
Kelley could hear the irritation in Charles’s voice and he had to smile. He loved irking the old man. “Are you still in St. John’s City?”
“No, I’m in town.”
“Where are you?”
“My house on the hill overlooking my new kingdom.”
Charles’s intake of breath was audible and Kelley waited patiently for him to recover from the shock of that news. “I’ll come to you.”
The line went dead and Kelley grinned as he pocketed his phone again. It would be an enlightening conversation. Approaching footsteps made the grin disappear and his features returned to stoic as the man stopped in front of him.
“We’ve cleared the house, no bugs and no cameras. Your security team will set up in the downstairs parlor and the crew will be busy with the outside perimeter security. By nightfall, this place will be a fortress.”
“Thank you, Connor.”
Connor had joined his team a year ago in St. John's City and had come highly recommended by Jesse. Kelley liked the man, he had nerves of steel, an expression that could scare any hardened criminal and a wicked sense of humour.
“Every member of your household staff has been vetted by Jesse and interviewed by me personally. I guarantee their loyalty. They’re in the kitchen waiting to meet you.”
Kelley nodded his head and followed Connor to the kitchen. The men on his security team were all ex-army, highly trained and loyal to a fault. He’d had personal meetings with all of them and they all knew what to do and how to do it. He hadn't had a threat from Charles in two years but that will no doubt change after today's meeting.
“This is your butler, Steven Stewart and your house manager, Colleen Scholl. They will train your staff, keep them in line and ensure that the house is run smoothly.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr Stewart and Mrs Scholl.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr Alexander, please call me Steven.”
“And you can call me Colleen.”
Kelley nodded his head, liking the fact that they preferred to be called by their first names. “Call me Kelley please.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“If there’s anything you need please see Connor.”
They nodded their heads and Kelley gave them a quick smile. The smile was meant to put them at ease and he stopped at the kitchen door and turned back to them as the butler spoke up.
“Sir …?”
“Yes, Steven?”
“We’ll need to know your schedule for breakfast, any areas of the house you don’t want staff at certain times and anything else you might prefer.”
“I’m an early riser so breakfast between seven and eight am, my study is off limits to everyone. No staff in my quarters before eight am and not after three pm.”
“Noted, Sir.”
Kelley nodded his head in approval and headed back to the foyer, pleased to see that his luggage had been removed. He liked efficiency and he liked the quiet of the big house. Kelley walked through the house surveying the work that was being done and knew that it wouldn’t be long before Charles arrived.
He was oddly looking forward to seeing him again. He'd once called him Dad, but now he was Kelley's biggest enemy, whether he knew it or not. Kelley had vowed not to rest until Charles Alexander was only a bad memory.
“Sir …”
“Connor?”
“Charles Alexander is requesting entry at the front gate.”
Kelley smiled victoriously. “Entry granted, this once.”
“Should I frisk him at the front door just to irritate him?”
Kelley laughed. “Do that.”
Connor nodded his head with a smile of his own and walked to the front door as he spoke into a mic connected to the earpiece he wore. Kelley moved to the foyer just as Charles’s car stopped in the driveway and he climbed out, seemingly alone.
Connor stood in the doorway and regarded Charles with an observing gaze. He held up his one hand to halt Charles as he walked up the steps and Charles glanced over his shoulder at Kelley. “I’ll need to pat you down, Sir.”
“Excuse me?”
“No weapons beyond this point, Sir.”
Charles lifted his arms and Connor started patting him down roughly, adding fuel to Charles’s already blazing fire. It just served to piss him off more as he now openly glared at Kelley. Kelley smirked as he watched the whole scene.
“All clear, Mr Alexander.”
“Thank you, Connor.”
Connor stepped to the side and Charles bristled past him into the foyer. Kelley lifted his arm towards the sitting room and Charles stormed inside with Kelley following behind him. Kelley didn’t ask him if he wanted to drink something but poured him a whiskey and handed him the tumbler.
