“I want you here at once, Jeb,” Shaun fumed.
“I can’t drive. I’ve been drinking.” Jeb’s voice sounded muffled. He was probably still in the White Horse.
“Get a taxi.” Shaun jabbed at his phone to end the call. He wanted some explanations from Jeb. Takings were suddenly down dramatically, going by the amount of cash stashed away in the office at AKD. If Vince was to be believed, however, there should be at least thirty grand there. He was twenty grand light. Vince also alleged Jeb had borrowed the office keys earlier.
Shaun puffed away furiously on a cigar, a big fat Cuban number. It might come down to Vince’s word against Jeb’s. Then who should he trust? In his heart, he knew the answer. There was no honour among thieves; merely loose and shifting alliances. He couldn’t afford to do nothing, to be perceived as weak. They would both have to go. Vince was easy to replace; Jeb, his trusted wingman of many years, less so, but it would be possible. There were always younger, hungrier men snapping at their heels.
Jeb, when he arrived, clearly the worse for drink, put a different spin on it. “Oh Kat, what have you done?” he asked rhetorically.
Shaun looked at him warily. “What do you mean?”
“I left her in that office, didn’t I?” Jeb said. He held up his hands. “I’m sorry, boss. I made a big mistake.”
“She was alone in the office, with the keys?”
“No, not with the keys.” Jeb looked affronted. “I’m not that stupid.”
“How could I possibly imagine you were?” Shaun said, his irony lost on Jeb. “Are you telling me Vince left the desk unlocked?”
“No,” Jeb said. “You can pick that lock with a credit card, I bet.”
Shaun acknowledged it was true. He could have done it himself in a few seconds. “I should have had a safe installed. A detail I won’t overlook again. But I’m holding you responsible for your carelessness, Jeb. I want you to find your friend and bring both her and my twenty grand back to me.”
Jeb shifted from foot to foot. “She could be a thousand miles away by now,” he protested.
“I don’t care.” Shaun’s patience was almost exhausted. “Find her. You need me more than I need you. Don’t forget it.” He let menace creep into his voice, looked balefully into Jeb’s eyes. The younger man didn’t blink, but Shaun wasn’t hoodwinked. While Jeb might be enough of a fool or psychopath to show no fear, he should have no doubt: one way or another, he’d be bringing Shaun twenty thousand pounds. If he didn’t, he’d face the consequences.