Small World | Peter Parker

chapter twenty

"I'm serious," I protested as Sloane, and I walked down the sidewalk. His cup of coffee steamed in front of his face as he shook his head.

"I highly doubt it," he scoffed and rolled his eyes as if I said the funniest thing in the world. "My brother died when he was thirteen, I saw his body, and I went to his funeral," He said with such seriousness I was afraid he would start yelling again. "There's no way, whoever that Mitch guy is could know what we're doing. Besides, that's not my brother's name. My brother's name is Jack,"

"I swear," I threw my hands out in frustration. "He looked me straight in the eye and asked me how his big brother is, and he looked a lot like you - so close that I swore it was you next to me,"

"Look," Sloane sighed, ending the topic. "We have things to do. Let's move,"

He nudged me with his elbow, and we went inside the building. "And what are we supposed to do?" I asked, pushing my frustration deep down.

"We just talk to him," Sloane and I walked across the entry to the front desk. I scanned the room, examining the people around us in their business wear and suitcases. Sloane and I blended in with his long suede coat and my blazer and dress shoes.

"What do you mean by talk?" I raised a brow at him, and he only looked away. We reached the front desk, and the lady greeted us with a welcoming smile. She was tall and blonde, and I wondered if her feet hurt wearing high heels after a while.

"I have an appointment with Mr. Chapman. My name is Reed Summers," Sloane pulled out an identification card with his real picture and fake information. The lady looked at me, and I immediately pulled out my identification card.

"I am here for an interview with Mr. Bates," She let us enter without trouble, and soon, we were inside the elevator. I looked at my card as Sloane pressed a button. "Mary Johnson? Not very original,"

"It's either that or Penelope,"

"I actually like the name Penelope,"

The elevator doors opened, and we stepped out at the same time. The secretary stood from her chair and watched us stunned as we entered Mr. Chapman's office. She seemed unsure what we were doing but did not stop us. When we entered his office, we found Mr. Chapman sitting behind his desk, and he looked up just as stunned as his secretary did. Sloane smiled and lifted his arms, presenting himself. "Good day, Mr. Chapman,"

"Who are you?" Mr. Chapman stammered. He was a chubby white man with a receding hairline. His suite clung to him "You are not Mr. Summers,"

"Oh," Sloane grabbed his identification card from his back pocket and flicked it toward Mr. Chapman. "I disagree if you want to check,"

The card fell noisily on the ground as all three of us stared at it. Mr. Chapman rose from his chair and listed his phone. "I'm calling security,"

"I wouldn't do that," Sloane quickly interrupted, pulling out a USB drive from his inside coat pocket. "I am here to negotiate,"

"About what?" Mr. Chapman raised his voice. His secretary rushed in at the same time.

"Well, it seems like she's not going anywhere," Sloane shook his head. Smirking, he held the USB drive higher for all to see. I never knew he was one for dramatics. "Inside this USB, I have computer history that you've tried oh so hard to erase, which includes your unusual porn history, as well as your home videos,"

"Who the fuck are you?" Mr. Chapman challenged loudly, his face turning a shade of red. "I don't know who you are, but I'm calling the cops,"

"Go ahead, I'm sure they'll be curious to see what's inside," Sloane smiled, glancing down at me, and winked. "If you want to see what's inside, here you go,"