A Surprise Favor – Chapter 10

Nina slips her sunglasses into her pocket.

“Sorry. I tried to be here yesterday, but it turns out that getting discharged from the military is a lot more paperwork than I thought it would be.”

Processing… Processing… My brain is stuck.

“Skylar,” she says, leaning in to look closer at me, “are you all right?”

“I am very far from all right.” I move to the side, and she grabs her rolling bag. “Please come in.”

Everyone’s whispering in the other room, and I can’t hear what they’re saying. I’m sure it’s not good.

“By the way, please don’t tell Vivian or Gus I’m here. I’m still persona non grata with them.”

“Maybe because you stood in the way of their relationship and stole my ship right out from under me.”

Nina smiles and the resemblance to a snake ready to eat an unsuspecting mouse is uncanny. “Possibly. But you asked me to come here, so it’s also possible that forgiveness can happen some time in the future. And I think you need someone with my expertise, anyway. I’ve been watching the news.”

I lead her to the living room where everyone is still in a huddle, whispering.

“Everyone,” I say, raising my voice over the muttering.

Carlos pales and Lia’s mouth drops open. “Oh my fucking God,” Carlos says. It’s a rare treat to hear Carlos swear. “What’s she doing here?”

“Skylar,” Lia admonishes me. “What…?”

“Hello, everyone.” Nina waves. “I’m Nina, your new head of security.” She turns to me. “Isn’t that right, Skylar?”

“Uhhhh…”

“Surprise!” She waves her hand in the air like a debutante. “I thought you would appreciate the favor, considering everything going on now.”

“This is a favor?”

“Well, I expect to be paid, but yes. A surprise favor, just for you.”

My head smarts with an impending headache. I press my fingers to my forehead and sigh. This morning has been one thing after another.

I point to the stairs. “I’m going to go pack. Why don’t you figure out how we’re going to get out of here without being mobbed by the press? M’kay?”

I stalk off up the stairs and head straight for my bedroom.

“Sky.” Saif trails behind me. “Skylar. Wait.”

I jerk the door to my room open and head straight for my bag. Sighing at the pile of dirty clothes on the floor, I consider leaving them behind, but I have so few clothes of my own. I can’t spare them. I sweep them up in my arms and toss them on the bed.

Saif, Kalvin, and Takemo are at the door.

“Go pack,” I tell them. “And figure out how we can get to the data center today to get those backups. We can’t leave without them.” I groan as a stabbing pain shoots through my wrist and then my head. Whatever, I’ll take the painkillers and ice it later. “I can drop you all on Ossun, if you like. Kalvin, I’m happy to pay for a shuttle home to Palo Alto for you since we’re already in the same system.”

I can’t look at them. The shame I feel is so deep, so bottomless, it consumes me from the inside out. I cradle my left wrist to my chest and fold my clothes with my right hand only.

“God, when I think, really think, about how far I’ve fallen in the last couple of months, it’s baffling.” I sniff up and drag my hand up from my chin to my nose. Stupid fucking tears need to go away. “But fuck it, right? If I’m going down, I’m going down swinging. I can’t take you all out, too. That would be irresponsible of me. By the time I’m done, there’ll be nothing left. No money. No ship. Just me and my tiny closet of a bedroom at Vivian’s. I won’t be able to support a network. It’s best you leave before it’s too late.”

“Skylar.” Saif’s voice is hard, reasonable. “We expected this. We expected worse, actually. That’s why we’re here. Now, you’re going to stop with this nonsense, and we’ll figure out the next steps.”

Kalvin draws in a hissing breath as anger climbs my spine and pulls me upright.

“Nonsense?” I ask, my voice as hard as the vacuum of space.

“Watch it, man,” Takemo whispers.

“You heard me,” Saif says, ignoring Takemo and coming into the room. “Nonsense. Your actions do not make sense.” He gets right in my face. “You do not shuck off a network when things get rough. You do not pull inward. You are not getting rid of us. Do you hear me?”

I tip my face up to him and my anger dissolves quickly. My chin shakes as tears fill my eyes. “It’s a mistake.”

“A mistake is letting them get to us when we’re stronger than that.”

I turn around and set my butt on the bed. “I don’t know what to do.”

“That’s okay. We’ll do it, me and the guys.” He pushes my bag aside and sits down next to me. “We could lose the Amagi and your salary from Athens, and we would still be okay.”

“I wouldn’t be okay,” I whisper. My throat has closed up.

“Yeah, you would. Takemo, my sister, and I will buy new ships for you and Kalvin to fly. You’ll have an exclusive contract, and we would figure out the rest.”

I glance over my shoulder at Kalvin and Takemo in the doorway. Takemo shrugs. “We worked it all out at the party.”

I sniff up again. “I didn’t make you a member of the network until after.”

He shrugs again. “I’ve always known I would be with you, even if you didn’t. Since the Bridge Tournament.”

“I thought I slapped sense into you,” I point out.

He smiles. “More like you showed me what I was missing.”

Kalvin looks stuck in the middle. He glances back and forth between the wealthier men and me.

“Do you want to bolt?” I ask him. “This is not what you bargained for.”

It’s his turn to shrug. “No and no. Do I want to find employment somewhere else and never have a family? Also no.”

“You could go back to Kenzie.”

“Definitely no,” he says with a chuckle. “She’s never forming a network, never falling in love, and never getting pregnant.” He raises his hands at my blinking shock. “Her words, not mine. She doesn’t believe in any of it.”

We all sit in a stunned silence for a few minutes, my thoughts tumbling through my head faster than I can handle them. I have to make a decision quickly, but I just can’t seem to focus.

I feel like Vivian — stuck between a rock and a hard place. Vivian tried to dump Ken, Gus, and Jinzo too, multiple times. She loved them so much that she didn’t want to see them hurt because of her.

Is this what I’m doing? Am I trying to shelter these men because I love them? Do I love them? Do they love me? Why?

I still have no idea. If they abandoned me now, I would survive, but I would be heartbroken. I would never trust again. It’s amazing I’ve trusted them this much so far.

Finally, Saif breaks the silence with his gruff voice, “Skylar, you need to decide if we stay together or not. We will respect your decision, no matter what.”

He looks around at the others as if asking their opinion silently. Takemo nods almost imperceptibly, and Kalvin watches me intently with an unreadable expression on his face.

My heart is heavy as I consider all the implications of taking them along or letting them go. But either way, it seems like someone is going to suffer — me or them or all of us together.

I take a deep breath. I could let them go, but I don’t want to. “Let’s stay together.” I finally speak the words that have been lingering between us forever. They’re the right words. The tension in the room evaporates as everyone sighs with relief at my decision.

“Shit,” Takemo says, turning over his wristlet. “My mother is calling.” He leaves and walks down the hall to his room.

I wince and Saif reaches over for my hand. “Do you want to go to the beach? It’s a beautiful day.”

I shake my head. “I still think we should leave Laguna. There’s no way I can relax on the beach while my world is blowing up.”

“That’s exactly what you should do,” Kalvin says, sitting on the other side of me. “Give them all the middle finger, like you don’t have a care in the world. Like you know you’re going to win this case, and it’s only a matter of time. Be the bitch, Skylar.”

I look at him. “I’ve been the bitch my whole damned life. I was hoping for a break from it for a bit.”

He shakes his head. “Sorry.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me to him for a kiss on the temple. “No such luck yet. We know the real you. That’s all that matters.”

This time, it’s my wristlet buzzing with an incoming call.

I sigh. “Vivian’s calling.”

Saif takes my hand and squeezes it. “Answer it. She’s been through this before. She can help.”

I sit up and cross to the desk where I can pair my wristlet with the wallscreen. With a few swipes, I set up the video call, and Vivian appears on the small screen, looking tired but determined as usual.

“Hey Sky, how are you holding up? I just saw the OEN segment. That Senna Snow woman needs a dirt nap like now.”

I chuckle and the humor in her voice relaxes me a little. “I said the same thing.”

“Seriously, they are literal bottom feeders. The worst.” She sighs as she drags her hands through her hair. “I hope you’re not letting it affect you.”

I drop my head for a moment. “I’m panicking.”

“Oh, don’t, my heart.” She looks past me. “I see Kalvin and Saif are there. Hopefully they’re telling you what I’d tell you. You need to stay strong and let this roll off your back.”

I let out a deep breath and take in her concern for me. “I knew you would say that, but it hasn’t been easy dealing with all of this media attention. It’s so fucking incessant.”

Vivian smiles sympathetically and nods her head. “I know it’s overwhelming right now, but trust me when I say — You can handle this. You have strength and resilience to power through anything life throws at you. Just think of everything you’ve already been through, right? This is nothing. And when it’s over, you will come out on top.”

“I’m not so sure. Mom wants the Amagi and to garnish my wages from Athens.”

“I read the complaint, and she is way out of line.” Vivian’s jaw tenses. “Ken tells me the lawyer he hired to get the Amagi back the first time is interested in you.”

I shrug. “Maybe? At this point, he may run. I wouldn’t blame him.”

She waves her hand dismissively. “Pshaw. That man is a shark. He doesn’t run from anything. The military had lawyers breathing down his neck for weeks, and he didn’t even blink. Now, I’m going to order you to go romance him and convince him to take the case.”

I blink and behind me Kalvin laughs. “An order?”

“Yes, I am ordering you to do it.” She nods her head once. “Don’t let me down. And remember — no one is entitled to your story or your emotions except for you. If people want to poke their noses where they don’t belong, let them. And be sure to communicate to them just how much you appreciate their attention.” She winks. “Remember, don’t allow them to control how you live your life or what decisions you make.”

I consider telling her about Nina Correa, probably sitting downstairs at this moment and wondering what the fuck is going on. But no, that’s a story for another day.

“I have to go. Ilaria is calling for me.” She waves. “I love you. Be strong and kick ass. Got it?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it. I love you, too.”

Her image blinks away, and I sit for a moment.

The panicking has to stop. I can’t make it through this mess by blacking out and losing my mind every time something bad happens. I just can’t. And I can’t get through this without the guys, too. I have to hold on to them. Tightly.

I grab a tissue, blow my nose, and turn to face them. Takemo is back in the doorway.

“Well, you heard what Vivian said. Be strong and kick ass, right?”

“It’s okay to be vulnerable, too.” Saif looks tired, and I don’t blame him. He has dealt with a million shitty things from me lately.

“Not now.” I lift my chin. “I can’t panic anymore.” I look at Takemo. “What did your mother want?”

He stuffs his hands in his pockets. “She’s angry with me, as usual.” He rolls his eyes. “She’s disappointed in my choices. She’s worried about the family’s reputation. Blah, blah, blah.” He stands up straight. “It’s fine. It’s nothing new. I’ll introduce you to her later once she’s calmer.”

Well, that sounds like a problem I can’t solve right now.

And I need to solve the problems right in front of me.

I stand up and adjust myself. “Time to go deal with today’s plans.”