Read Online Boss by Ashley John - Free Book Online Page B

from behind, “riches beyond our wildest dreams.”
    “Erm, my wildest dreams, mate,” he laughed, “you still have your parents feeding you money.”
    “Just think,” he whispered, “we’ll be able to travel anywhere, no questions asked.”
    He wanted to get out of London faster than ever before, he just hoped it would be a quick process. He doubted he would have the money, house and company before the end of the day but he hoped they could get the ball rolling before he left.
    If Violet hadn’t made him promise that morning that he wouldn’t do a runner the second he had seen Tobias, he would be too tempted to head straight to the airport.
    He told himself not to think about Ezra but the arrogant smile forced its way through his memory. Y ou were jet lagged, you banged your head and you were drunk .
    “Let’s just get this meeting out of the way, yeah?” Joshua shook his head.
    Stop thinking about Ezra Fucking Steele!
    Yanking open the heavy door, he swallowed his fear and shrugged Levi’s hands away, ready to face his future.
    “Wait here,” Joshua turned around before Levi stepped inside.
    “Aw, what?” Levi sighed, “Really, dude?”
    “Grab a coffee next door,” Joshua tucked his hair behind his ears, trying his best to smooth it down, “I’ll meet you in there.”
    Reluctantly, Levi rolled his eyes and sloped down the street, leaving Joshua alone. The second he stepped into the office, he stopped thinking about Ezra Steele and he started thinking about Bill Silverton; he wasn’t sure who was worse.
    In the lift ride up to the third floor where Tobias’ office was, he tried to calm himself but the more he tried to force it, the more his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
    “Hi there,” Joshua approached the receptionist’s desk, wiping his sweaty palms on the back of his tight jeans, “It’s Joshua Silverton. I think we just spoke on the intercom?”
    Before she even had chance to look up from her computer, Tobias Cole appeared in the doorframe of his office.
    “Joshua!”
    Where he had expected to see a suave man in his mid-forties with thick, gelled black hair, he saw a bald man in his early fifties wearing a suit too tight for his bulging gut. He looked less like a mafia member and more like a pizza joint owner.
    “Tobias Cole,” Joshua stared in disbelief as he tried to recognise the man he used to know, “Long time no see.”
    Tobias held his hand out but Joshua ignored it, instead pulling him into a quick hug, followed by a manly pat on the back. Joshua had spent so many hours with Tobias in police stations and court rooms with both of them lying through their teeth most of the time, he felt like they were beyond handshakes.
    “I wish we could have met in better circumstances,” his face turned solemn when he sat behind his desk, “this can’t be easy for you, lad.”
    “When did we ever meet in good circumstances?”
    “True,” the thick lines around his eyes crinkled as he smiled, “like the new office?”
    “ Fleet Street ,” Joshua nodded, looking around the book lined wood panel walls, “you’ve moved up the ladder a few pegs.”
    Tobias shuffled through a couple of the papers on his desk forcing Joshua’s mind straight to the money. Tobias pretended to read something before looking under his hooded lids.
    “This can’t be easy for you,” he said, “your dad wouldn’t have wanted it to happen like this.”
    Joshua suddenly realised he didn’t know how his father had died. Violet had shied away from the details, obviously feeling guilty for never telling Joshua. The more he knew, the less easy it would be for him to detach. You can’t keep distracting yourself forever .
    “We all die one day,” Joshua straightened up.
    It sounded like the right thing to say, but it didn’t land like he had hoped, sounding unusually cold for him. He didn’t have a heart of stone. Tobias arched his faded brows, the light reflecting off of his shiny, bald scalp.
    “I must say,