The Reluctant Assistant - Book One

Coming Clean Part 49

Raymond watched as Jackson drove away, a feeling of dispair washing over him. He's made such a mess of things. How did he let this get out of hand so quickly? Taking out his phone, he turned it on, keeping his eyes on Jackson's location. Thank god he'd had the foresight to put a tracker on him.

"It seems you only visit me when you're in a bad mood or when your boyfriend is being difficult. What is it this time?" Asuka looked at a miserable Jackson, sitting with a coffee in front of him, staring into the depth of the mug.

"He's been keeping secrets from me." Jackson sighed. "Am I being over sensitive, or what?"

"Well, it would help if I knew what the secret was, so that I can give you insight into the mind of that young man." Jackson just sat and stared at his coffee. "Jackson!" She pulled him out of his reverie. 

"What?! I can't really say. It's all so messed up and complicated. He's been lying to me about what was going on. Well, not lying really, just stretching the truth to the extreme, I would say." He shook his head as if to clear it. 

"Why would he do that? He didn't seem like the type of guy to lie to you."

"Well, he didn't lie, really. He just witheld information from me. What do I do now?" he was feeling just as miserable as before, unsure of what to do.

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Asuka looked concerned. The last time Jackson looked like this was when Raymond had left without a trace.

"He's been putting himself in danger to help his uncle, who just happens to be Damon Priestly." he sighed.

"The Damon Priestly?" she asked in surprise. "I didn't even know they were related."

"Well, he's sort of been a mentor for him. I'm sure that's where he learnt to do what he's been doing. Sniffing around for information, knowing that he was in harms way. They call him the Inquisitor, you know? he shook his head, still not able to wrap everything around his head.

"Wait, Raymond is the Inquisitor?" Asuka looked at him in shock.

"What, you know about this?" Jackson sat up straighter.

"Jack, I'm not sure where you've been the last few years, but it is rumoured that Damon has a very powerful and dangerous individual working for him. They call him the Inquisitor, because there is nothing that he can't find and if he wants to, he could bring people down without much effort and without leaving a trace. Nobody knows his identity, and you're telling me your boyfriend is the same person?" Asuka could hardly believe her ears. How could the skinny, quiet and unassuming boy be someone with that much power?

"What? How come I never knew this? He's been working for me for six years, how could he get a reputation like that, when he's been glued to my side the whole time?" This didn't make sense. How is it that Raymond was so notorius that people were afraid of him? He was sweet, happy, gentle and wouldn't even dream of hurting a fly. How is this possible?

"I don't know," she shook her head, "but word on the street is that nobody even knows what he looks like. People have tried to find him, but it seems as if every alley comes to a dead end. He is not someone to mess with, and you're telling me that you've had him at your side the whole time?"

"Why would he keep this from me, though?" Jackson felt like the wind has been knocked out of his sails.

"Have you asked him?" Asuka gently prodded.

"He said it was to protect me and keep me safe and out of harms way." he leaned back in the wingback chair, closing his eyes momentarily. 

"And if you were in his shoes, what would you have done?"

"I'd have tried to protect him as well." he sighed. 

"So, you have your answer don't you?" she leaned toward him. "Jackson, if Raymond is worried enough to try and keep you safe, then there must be very good reason. He didn't get that reputation for nothing. Many people fear him, but he's also made some powerful enemies over the years, from what I've heard." she shook her head ruefully. "I can't believe that little guy is the Inquisitor. But what I do know, is that if people found out, you'd be their first target to get to him."

"I suppose you're right." Jackson still felt miserable. There was a whole part of Raymond's life that he wasn't aware of. "What should I do?" he asked, uncertain as to how to proceed.

"Well, you can either call it quits and leave, or you could go back to him and get the whole story. Does knowing any of this change your feelings for him?"

"No," he sighed again. "No, I still love him and would do anything to keep him at my side."

"Then you know what to do." she got up to give him a hug. "Jack, if he is worried, I think you should listen to what he has to say."

He nodded in agreement. He needed to go back to talk to Raymond. "Do you think that you could pack some pastries for him? I left in a huff and don't know what to expect when I get home."

"There's the Jack I know." she smiled, moving to the back of the shop.

--

Raymond sighed in relief, when he saw that Jackson was on his way home. The moment the front door opened, he threw his arms around Jackson's neck, almost knocking him over.

"I'm so sorry Jackson." he mumbled, holding him close. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Jackson pulled him in closer. They were standing in the doorway, holding each other, until Jackson pulled away. Taking Raymond's hand, he led him over to the living room.

"Sorry that I left." he said, holding out the box of pastries to Raymond. "I said that I would never leave you, and I won't. So, will you accept my peace offering?"

Raymond smiled as he took the box from Jackson. "There's no need for a peace offering. I should be the one giving you something to make up for everything."

"Cook, will you tell me everything? I need to know, so that I can understand what is going on." Jackson was unconsciously holding his breath, waiting for Raymond to respond.

"At first I thought that keeping all of this from you would keep you safe, but I can see that I've just made everything worse. This is the first time that I've been in a situation where someone I love could be harmed because of my job." Raymond was still worried about the whole situation. The more Jackson knew, the greater the danger he was in, but it would also be unfair to their relationship to keep hiding.

Taking a deep breath, Raymond started telling his story. He remembered so clearly how it started. From the moment Damon had taken him under his wing, he wanted to make sure that Raymond could fend for himself. It was a heavy blow to him, when he couldn't go to college to continue his studies, so he spent as much time as possible reading and soaking up information. Damon had taught him many things, including how to come and go without anybody knowing that he was there.

He soon realized that he had an aptitude for finding things that were hidden. He'd learnt how to harness his skill of being hyper observant to everything around him to get any information he wanted. The fact that people thought he was just a kid worked in his favor.  They never expected him to be someone to be overly concerned with and it was this miscalculation that he used to his advantage. Over the six years that he'd been working for Jackson, he'd built up a network of contacts who worked with him. None of them knew about the other, as Raymond was always the middle man, passing information along as was needed to get the results that he was looking for.

He'd also learnt how to hide things so that nobody would find them. This was why he could always keep Layla and his dad safe. The fact that nobody knew his identity made coming and going easier. But now that he had Jackson in his life, things had changed. The fact that Lilith was snooping around could spell trouble if she ever found out who he really was.

"This will be the last time, then I think I'll hang up my boots." he concluded.

"You'd do that?" Jackson was surprised that he was so willing to give up what he was obviously very good at.

"For you, I'll do that. And that's also the only way I can make sure that you're safe." he looked earnestly into Jackson's eyes. "I really love you, but you understand that I'll have to finish this, don't you?"