XXXVIII. Priority client.

I arrived at the location Alice had instructed me to. It was a very dodgy-looking back alley behind an old office building that looked like it hadn't been used in a while. I stopped my car and climbed out, looking at my surroundings.

"Maybe you shouldn't park that car there, lady," A man a few feet away from me called out. He was a bit on the short side, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He smelled faintly of sweat and cigarettes. "It might not be here when you get back," he informed me.

I raised my eyebrows at him, shoving my hands into my black coat pocket. "Thanks for the warning," I told him as I approached, walking carefully with my heels on the uneven and dirty ground. "I'm looking for someone."

"I'm someone," he said as he grinned, looking me up and down. I didn't appreciate his demeanor but he looked innocent enough. I could also tell he was a little nervous and unsettled by me. "What can I do for you, beautiful?" he questioned.

I looked around for a moment again before turning to the guy, "Are you J. Jenks?" I questioned as I raised my eyebrows at him.

A look of realization crossed his face as he tilted his chin up. "Oh," he mumbled before his eyes narrowed at me. "Why're you looking for J?" he questioned and now he was suspicious of me as well.

"That's my business," I replied in a cool tone, shrugging my shoulders with my hands still in my coat. "Are you J?" I repeated my question as my head tilted to the side.

"No." He denied as he slowly shook his head. He silently eyed me up and down and his eyes narrowed once again. "You don't look like the usual customer," he commented.

I let out a huff of laughter. "I'm probably not the usual," I admitted as I shook my head. "But I do need to see him as soon as possible," I informed firmly.

The guy silently stared at me, his lips parted. I could practically see the gears trying to turn in his head. With a soft sigh, he shook his head. "I'm not sure what to do," he admitted as he pursed his lips.

I offered him a small smile, slowly nodding my head. "Why don't you tell me your name?" I suggested as I raised my eyebrows.

"Max." he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Max," I replied, my smile remaining on my face. "Now, why don't you tell me what you do for the usual?" I questioned him as I raised my eyebrows again, my head curiously tilting to the side.

"Well, J's usual clients don't look a thing like you. Your kind doesn't bother with the downtown office. You just go straight up to his fancy office in the skyscraper." he informed me and I laughed softly. I took it as a compliment that I looked fancy and well put together. "How come you didn't go there?" Max questioned, his eyes narrowing.

"This was the address I was given by a very dependable source," I explained as I pulled my hands out of my pockets and crossed my arms over my chest.

"If you were up to any good, you wouldn't be here," Max told me as he slowly shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest as well.

My eyes narrowed at Max, my jaw clenching a little. He was asking too many questions and wasting a lot of my time here. "Maybe I'm not up to any good," I replied as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Look, lady-" Max began to argue as he held up his hand and began shaking his head.

"Ana." I corrected him as I tilted my chin up into the air a little.

"Right. Ana." Max corrected himself. "See, I need this job. J pays me pretty good to mostly just hang out here all day. I want to help you, I do, but, and of course I'm speaking hypothetically, right? Or off the record, or whatever works for you but if I pass somebody through that could get him in trouble, I'm out of work. Do you see my problem?" Max ranted on, his hands flailing through the air in emphasis to his words.

I silently stared at him for a moment before quirking an eyebrow. "I don't see how it's become my problem," I told him as I slowly shrugged my shoulders.

Max sighed softly, scratching the back of his neck. "Tell you what I'll do. I'll give J a call and describe you to him. Let him make the decision." he suggested as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

I nodded in agreement. "My last name is Cullen," I told him as he began to dial a number.

"Cullen, got it," he replied before pressing the call button and lifting the phone up to his ear. I could hear the phone being answered on the other side. "Hey J, it's Max. I know I'm never supposed to call you at this number except in an emergency..."

"Is there an emergency?" I heard J's briefly concerned voice call out from the other end of the line.

Max looked at me, his brows furrowed before turning his head away. "Well, not exactly. It's this girl who wants to see you..." he began to explain but was cut off by J.

"I fail to see the emergency in that. Why didn't you follow normal procedure?" J questioned, his voice carrying a hint of sharp anger.

"I didn't follow normal procedure 'cause she don't look like any kind of normal-" Max began to explain but he was once again cut off.

"Is she a badge?!" J yelled from the other end of the line and Max flinched away from the phone for a moment.

"No." Max replied quickly, shooting a brief glance in my direction before turning away again.

"You can't be sure about that. Does she look like one of Kaharev's?" J ranted angrily from the other end of the line.

Again Max looked at me before turning away, shaking his head. "Not at all," he admitted.

"What does she look like?" J questioned and I could hear the curiosity and suspicion in his voice.

"She looks like..." Max spoke hesitantly, glancing at me over his shoulder for a moment. "Well, she looks like a freaking supermodel; that's what she looks like," he admitted, and I rolled my eyes, glaring at the back of Max's head as he continued talking. "Rocking body, pale as a sheet, dark brown hair almost to her waist, needs a good night's sleep..any of this sounding familiar?"

"No." J snapped on the other end of the line. "It doesn't. I'm not happy that you let your weakness for pretty women interrupt your work." He warned Max firmly.

"Yeah, so I'm a sucker for the pretty ones, what's wrong with that? I'm sorry I bothered you, man. Just forget it." Max mumbled, ready to end the call and hang up the phone with J.

"Name," I quickly reminded Max as I shoved my hands back into my coat pockets.

Max looked at me over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows. "Oh right. Wait," he quickly said into the phone. "She says her name is Ana Cullen. That help?" Max questioned.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line and I heard J inhaling sharply. "Why didn't you tell me her name!?" he screamed at Max, and I could hear the scared recognition in his voice.

"Because you didn't ask!" Max yelled back defensively as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Beautiful and pale?" J questioned, the nervousness evident in his voice.

"I said that, didn't I?" Max huffed as he nodded his head, resting one hand on his hip.

"Send her to my downtown spot." J urged and I briefly squeezed my eyes shut, feeling relieved.

"But you only meet downtown clients on Thursdays-" Max began to argue but he was cut off for yet another time.

"Send her there immediately! Do not make her wait! She is a priority client!" J yelled through the other end of the line and Max flinched again.

"Okay, okay! On it." Max assured before ending the call. With a huff, he shoved his phone into his jeans pocket and then turned around to face me, a frown on his lips.

I looked innocently at Max, pretending that I didn't just hear the entirety of the whole conversation. "He wants to see me?" I asked as I raised my eyebrows.

Max's eyes narrowed, scowling silently for a moment. "You could have told me you were a priority client," he muttered softly as his frown deepened.

I quirked an eyebrow, shrugging my shoulders. "I didn't know I was," I replied as I shook my head, pulling my lips into a tight line.

"I thought you might be a cop," Max informed me and I raised both my eyebrows in surprise. "I mean, you don't look like a cop. But you act kind of weird, beautiful," he informed me. I looked down at myself, realizing how straight my back was, my shoulders pulled back sharply, my gaze intense and sometimes unblinking. "Drug cartel?" he questioned.

"Who, me?" I snorted in response as I pointed a finger at my chest.

"Yeah. Or your boyfriend or whatever." Max replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Nope, sorry," I replied as I shook my head. "I'm not really a fan of drugs, and neither is my husband," I informed him.

Max's face fell a little as he frowned again. "Married. Can't catch a break." he huffed softly as he shook his head and my eyes squinted at him as my head tilted to the side. "Mafia?" he questioned.

"Noooo." I drawled out as I shook my head slowly.

"Diamond smuggling?" Max questioned again as he raised his eyebrows.

"Please!" I scoffed in amusement as I shook my head once again. "Is that the kind of people you usually deal with, Max? Maybe you need a new job." I suggested.

"You've got to be involved in something big. And bad," Max insisted as he nodded his head firmly.

I frowned a little, the amusement slipping from my face. "It's not really like that," I said softly as I shook my head again.

"That's what they all say. But who else needs papers? Or can afford to pay J's prices for them, I should say. None of my business, anyway," Max muttered as he shrugged his shoulders.

I silently stared at him for a moment. Papers? What papers were Alice making me get? Was it to leave America? Fake ID's and all that stuff.

After getting the new address, I turned around without another word and got into my car. My heart felt heavy as I drove off, not really knowing what to expect now.