Chapter 10 × Another Clean-up Job ×

× 4:38AM ×

Formaldehyde.

Water.

Ten milligrams of wolfsbane.

That should be enough.

Jenson stood next to the door and made sure no one else would find the girl in here. He checked the big padlocks again before he headed towards the stairs.

He didn't have the right kind of embalming fluid for a deceased human body, so he had to improvise for the time being.

The situation called for it. Preserving the poor girl's corpse for at least half a day would give him more time to think of the best plan of action.

He doubted Darren would be able to come up with a good plan to address their current conundrum, considering Darren's mental state at the moment. But at least Darren had been able to keep his piehole shut all night. For now.

The formalin should work. Jenson repeated the words in his head until his anxious thoughts lessened to a manageable amount.

He'd done the same thing countless times before...just not with human bodies. Mostly wolves. Other animals in the wild. At times, defiant rogues, especially the murderous kind.

The solution should be effective enough to keep the girl's body from decomposing quickly in this basement. He'd set the temperature close to freezing as well.

Stuffing the body into his big freezer could do the trick, but he didn't want the girl's DNA all over it. Jenson breathed out a noisy sigh and proceeded to the empty kitchen.

It had been days. Charmaine still hadn't called him.

It was likely she was still upset and wouldn't be back till next week. Or the next. From what he recalled, she was too busy securing a deal with a big prospect based in Beijing. Too busy for him. Almost as often as he was too busy for their relationship.

With the lights still off, Jenson yanked the fridge door open and drank some water. The ice-cold liquid froze his senses for a second or two, but not his loud thoughts.

He just committed a crime. Again.

It was not the first time he got rid of evidence. Or a body. Money was always involved somehow, but he mostly did these things alone. He always preferred it that way. Involving another person just made room for more errors. It more often than not messed up the secrecy.

This time, though, he had to involve Darren because he was the one who caused the whole thing. Jenson swore under his breath and checked his phone.

Darren had left him five new messages. Two were audio clips. The first one was fifteen seconds longer.

"Evie just texted me." Darren sighed, letting out a shaky breath. "She said she hasn't heard from Magnus, and she doesn't know where he is. Maybe in Serbia again. I dunno. I'll just, uh, get some sleep. You too."

Serbia? Why? Jenson scowled. As far as he knew, Magnus avoided his father, Ilya, a businessman in Serbia. Ilya was also the pureblood Alpha of their vampire clan. The two hadn't been on speaking terms for more or less a decade now, last he heard.

Jenson ignored the texts and moved on to the second audio recording Darren just sent.

"So I'll, uh...see you later. At the shoot." Darren paused. "Thanks, man."

Thanks? The reckless idiot. It was clear Darren still couldn't grasp the reality of what he just did to that girl. Or maybe the guy was used to getting away with the consequences of his heedless actions.

While his skull throbbed, Jenson stood still against the cold granite counter, his temper and nervousness ratcheting up by the second.

Darren's texts didn't say much, just stupid questions about their promotional shoot this morning.

Reply:

"Don't tell Evie or Magnus yet. Don't need to remind u everything's on the line. Get a grip."

He hastily sent the text to Darren and walked out of the kitchen. Jenson massaged his forehead and glimpsed the time. It was almost dawn.

The shoot was scheduled at 10AM. He hadn't touched his bed since the other night. More than 24 hours now.

His heart was clearly palpitating from the exhaustion and sleep deprivation. His eyelids felt much heavier and his vision was starting to get blurry. His head and his joints still ached like he just did five marathons, but the new stocks of the wolfsbane potion should arrive today.

Should he call up the pharmacy again to confirm the new delivery?

Shit. This had better be the last time he forgot to restock his supply before they ran out.

The truth was even more obvious now; he definitely needed someone to keep him organized. A new assistant. ASAP.

×

× Photo Shoot ×

Big lights.

Busy photographers and crew.

Strangers chattering all around him.

Darren laughing in the corner with a female stylist helping him put on a leather jacket...

The guy didn't appear shell-shocked or even remotely afraid of going to jail. The heck.

It was like nothing happened. As if the enormity of what he did last night was now a thing of the past.

Was the guy simply pretending? Putting on his actor slash famous celebrity persona?

Perhaps. Jenson checked on his friend every now and then as he sat still in the makeup chair. He had arrived an hour past call time.

He'd slept past sunrise after taking a dose of his meds, his newly delivered stock. He'd woken up half an hour before the scheduled photo shoot today. No one scolded him for his tardiness, though.

He was one of the big bosses around here. He was often the one who helped keep these people in line. He helped pay for their salaries as well, to some degree.

Today was just a promo shoot, anyway. Then he, Darren, and the rest of the main cast would be doing some interviews. Just another part of the job.

Jenson reclined in the chair and waited. And waited. Thanks to his meds, his full-on bitching headache last night was gone, and his joints no longer ached badly. They no longer felt like they would burst through his skin at any second.

"Hi. Sorry for the wait."

He glanced up from his phone and met a familiar pair of brown eyes.

They appeared friendly, and also quite striking. In an aesthetic sense. She had on warm-colored makeup but not a lot. She looked shorter than he remembered.

He glanced at her feet. It was because she wasn't wearing high heels this time. Just plain white sneakers. Jenson put on a smile for the young woman before he shook her hand.

Soft, smooth skin. Pale. Almost porcelain-white. It promptly reminded him of Charm. Except the younger woman in front of him now was a complete stranger.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen her, though. But from the looks of it, she didn't remember the first time they'd met. Or was she just pretending?

"Jessi. Or just Jess." She smiled wider at him and let go of his hand. She looked so fresh and put-together in her blazer-shirt-slacks outfit. Her long dark hair was in a neat ponytail, and she just gave off a "vibrant young professional" vibe.

"Jenson." He nodded slightly and couldn't help but fidget in the makeup chair. He glanced behind.

Everyone else seemed to be busy with their own thing. Lots of makeup kits. Hair products. Lots of chatting. Bright lights and photo shoot equipment. The place looked authentically busy.

"I just got done with Margaux and I'll be doing your makeup today. Ready?" Jessi stood before him with another polite smile lifting her shapely lips. They looked pinkish and she had small dimples below her mouth.

Cute. He nodded in response. "Yeah. Ready if you are." Jenson placed his forearms on the armrest and inhaled a lungful of air.

Her floral-smelling perfume overwhelmed his nose a little, but it didn't mask her natural scent. "Great." Jessi turned her back to him and grabbed some wet wipes. "Just a quick question: any allergies to certain cosmetic products? Any brands you prefer?" she asked in a pleasant tone as she started wiping his face clean.

"Nope. All good," he replied with a small grin. With his eyes closed, he kept still in his seat and appreciated the lightness and gentleness of her hands, as if she was trying her best to put the least amount of pressure onto his skin. The cool wipes were cleaning his forehead now.

"Okay. Thanks. What about...um...some lip balm? That okay with you?"

Jenson opened his eyes and almost smiled at the uncertainty in her soft voice. He could definitely feel her nervousness and some anxiety from her tone alone, but he wasn't quite sure what caused it. "Yeah. Fine. Just nothing too pink or red, please. Just trimmed my beard this morning. Don't wanna look more baby-faced than DJ over there."

"DJ?" Jessi grinned at his joke but had creased brows now. Her brows looked naturally thick up-close. Long lashes and almost puppy-dog eyes. They were beautiful, and her skin had a youthful glow. In fact, her entire face would be perfect for any makeup product brochure.

"Darren. I call him DJ. They call him Dar or just D."

"Oh. Okay. Sorry. Very new here." She started putting toner on a round cotton pad. "I don't even know the others' names yet, honestly."

Was she talking about the rest of the cast members? Most likely. He put on a quick smile and regarded her apologetic expression. It looked genuine enough. "New here in LA? Or newly hired by Steinway?"

"Both." Jessi nodded and wiped his cheeks now using the toner-drenched cotton pad. Her strokes on his skin were rushed but also quite careful.

Maybe she was still that nervous. It could be her very first time working with actors, if his hunches were right.

"First job?" He squinted at her.

"Yeah. As a professional makeup artist. Was just a small-time freelancer before this." Jessi smiled at him again. "Nervous but really glad to be here, in all honesty."

"Cool," he muttered while her face got nearer. He kept still and inhaled her natural scent again. All he could smell was her pureness and a distinctly human scent.

Fats, glucose, and some mild-smelling sweat. Not a hint of dishonesty. Apparently she wasn't making up stories about her background, from what he could tell. No hints of werewolf or vamp blood in her system, either.

If Magnus actually sent her to spy on him, why would he send a young, fragile, naïve human to do the job?

Her background sheet also said she was a temp assistant in a corporate company for a couple of months, but perhaps her passion was doing makeup.

"So your new boss is Zach? Right?" he asked after a moment of silence between them. His eye bags were being shrunk by cold gel patches now.

"Yep." She was applying some pale beige foundation on his cheek, perhaps still testing if it was the right shade. "I like him. So nice," Jessi commented, mumbling as she flicked a makeup brush onto her dainty wrist. She looked slim in her clothing but not a size zero.

Some nice curves, but she was rather petite. He recalled her forehead barely reached his chin as they stood in front of each other in that convenience store.

That was only a few days ago. But maybe she just didn't remember talking to him that afternoon?

"First time you seen us in person?" Jenson mumbled while she continued doing his makeup.

"Yeah. Except you. Actually..." Jessi backed off a little and giggled. She was clutching a puffy brush now. "I saw you the other day. In a store, near here."

He stared at her face again, quite surprised by her admission. "Really?" He feigned confusion.

"Yeah. The convenience store in the corner."

"Ah..." He nodded. "I just remembered. I was buying booze," he said, forcing a grin. "You wore your hair differently."

"Yeah." Jessi smiled at him again. It looked somewhat bashful. She was even blushing a bit. "Funny you remember that. You gave me your spot, in the queue."

I remember a lot of things, he wanted to say. He kept his mouth shut and kept faking a grin. Damn. This one was honest to the bone. His total opposite. Almost too nice for his liking.

No way would she be able to work for someone like Magnus. The man never hired inexperienced mentees. He plainly had no time for it, busy boss that he was.

"Small city," Jenson joked. "I guess you've never met Zach before?"

"Yeah. Met him in person just this morning. In his office." Jessi was styling his hair now with some sticky product. "Kinda looks like my old boss. Weird."

"Also a makeup artist?"Jenson asked.

"My old boss? No," Jessi replied in a quieter voice. She also frowned a little, scrunching up her cute nose. Her feminine features and slim build told him she had Asian genes, but maybe not entirely of Asian descent.

"Not in this industry?"

"Not at all," was all she replied.

"Ah." He kept staring and noted the uneasiness in her reaction after he asked about her previous employer. When she didn't say anything more about her old boss, he tried to smell her again. There was some anxiety coupled with shame in her demeanor now.

It made him think harder. Was there something unpleasant about her previous experience working for that corporate company?

If so, he should back off now. Jenson sat back in the makeup chair. It was quite obvious she felt uncomfortable talking about the subject. It was none of his business, too. He was basically her new boss' boss, but he had no right to ask her personal questions.

While she finished his makeup and styling his hair, they didn't chat much about her and instead talked about the show. He even gave her some tips and information about their schedules during shooting days after Jessi asked about him being one of the producers.

She also mentioned she just came back from New York after Zach sent her there for a quick makeup gig, which she thought was a test run.

Jenson kept up the small talk while he glanced at Darren in the corner every minute or so. Darren had said the dead girl used to work with Zach.

Could Zach be looking for the girl now? Did he catch Ramona leaving the party with Darren?

Had anyone reported her missing yet? Well, shit if someone did.

Jenson checked his phone. No new emails or calls from any unregistered numbers. No new texts from Magnus, either. Perhaps Magnus still had no clue about what happened.

Jenson breathed a quick sigh of relief at the thought. For now, he and Darren had to figure out whether anyone else on Zach's team knew Ramona personally.

He hadn't done the research yet, but he already paid someone to delete the video recording of Darren entering the hotel room with Ramona. Too incriminating.

So far, no one among the hotel staff thought Darren walking out of the hotel room by himself was cause for suspicion. For now.

It was almost lunch time. Jenson tapped on a familiar name on his contacts list. He should call the hacker again. Just to double check.

Better sure than sorry.

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