A Surprise Favor – Chapter 11

Downstairs, I sit at the kitchen island with painkillers and an ice pack for my wrist.

“Let’s deal with one thing at a time, shall we? Nina first,” I tell Saif.

Saif heads over to the security station where Nina is reviewing everything with Marcelo.

Takemo leans in and drops his voice. “Are you sure about hiring her on? She doesn’t have the best reputation, and she’s the one who hijacked the Amagi in the first place.”

“She came around for us in the end, though. I think she’s changed,” I whisper back.

Nina glides up to the kitchen island and takes a seat next to me. She reminds me a lot of India Dellis. Same high-class lineage from one of the best families in the Duo Systems. The Correas represent Ossun and Rio nobility, like the Dellises do systems-wide. The difference is that Nina joined the military and used her influence for them. My fist clenches as anger surges through me for all the harm the military has done. They chased us through the jungle for days on end and Reformer rebels thrive in their ranks. I wish I could end the military. Forever.

“I’ve looked at the systems here, and I’m impressed with the Lees for thinking more about security than most people do.” She eyes my wrist under the ice pack. “I packed my own firearms, which I have permits for, and I plan to use them if necessary. I request to be with you or near you from here on out when we are off this property.”

I blink a few times as I consider being followed around by an armed guard. I’m not sure that sends the right message.

“Can you be discreet about it? I want to give the impression that I’m not taking any of this shit seriously.” I adjust the ice pack and hold back a wince.

“You should be taking this seriously. I’m not too worried about death threats or anything —”

“I am,” I say, and she pulls back. “My mother’s consort, Dominic, has threatened to kill me more than once now. I got him arrested on Rio because he lunged for me.” I jerk my head at Takemo on the other side of the island. “He stopped him before Dom could get too close.”

Nina nods, looking at Saif, Kalvin, and then Takemo in turn. “I will speak with you all individually, and you’ll give me your assessments and causes for concern.”

I press my lips together to stop a smile. Once a military woman, always a military woman. Nina Correa does not make requests. She gives orders.

“Talk with them all, especially Carlos. He’ll fill you in on one of the main reasons we’re here.”

“Okay,” she says, her voice rising in intrigue. “But if you’re getting death threats, then I will definitely stick close by. I would also like access to any alerts and messages you receive which might affect your security.”

Right. Well, there goes my privacy.

I clear my throat. “Ai? You heard the woman, right?”

There’s a short pause. “Yes, Skylar, dear. I will continue to prepare reports and send them to Nina as well.”

Nina lifts her eyes to the ceiling. “Isn’t that your ship’s AI?”

My smile never reaches my eyes. Nina remembers Ai from the hijacking. “Not anymore. She’s with me all the time now.” I lift a hand at her opening mouth. “I have no idea how. Just roll with it. This afternoon we’re going to the house of a man who is interested in joining my network. He’s also a lawyer, the same one who argued against your military to return the Amagi to Vivian.”

She stands up. “Not my military anymore. And I know of Declan Sanches.”

“Great. Then this shouldn’t be rocket science for you.” I turn over my wristlet and access my inbox. I’m going to check it religiously from here on out because I’m tired of being blindsided by news that’s sitting there waiting for me. Ah, yes. A message from Amira, as I suspected. She and Kenzie will be here for lunch.

“I’ll prepare for our departure,” Nina says, standing up. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, actually. I have lunch plans, and I would like for you to attend. They’ll be joining us here. Your expertise will be needed.” I tilt my head towards the stairs. “Find a bedroom upstairs that’s not occupied. I think there are a few left. We’ll discuss a salary later when I’m not in pain.”

Saif opens the refrigerator as Nina walks away. “Do you want me to call the medic? I’ll see if he can be here before lunch.” He pours me a glass of citrus juice and slides it across the island to me. I pound back the painkillers with a giant gulp.

“I need the painkillers and a nap more than a medic.” I move the ice pack off my wrist and flex it. “I’m not worried. I think I just tweaked it.”

Saif raises his eyebrows. “I’ll take a nap with you.”

“Okay,” I say, softening. “But first, I need to talk to Carlos.”

“Carlos, you’re up,” Takemo calls from the other room.

It’s Kalvin’s turn to come into the kitchen and assess the fridge. “I’m thinking we have enough leftovers in here for lunch,” he says, rearranging the containers on the shelves.

“All right, boss,” Carlos says, taking Nina’s spot next to me on the island, “there’s a situation with the backups.” He holds his hands out. “So, as you know, your mom and Dominic will be on their way here tomorrow evening. They land at around four-thirty in the afternoon the following day, annnnnnd they have an appointment at the backup facility for six. They are definitely coming here to destroy the evidence.”

I groan and sigh. “Of course they are. How did they know?”

“It’s complicated. Now, whether your mom actually knows this, or Dominic is just feeding her some lie about the situation, we can only guess. But when I logged into the backup administration portal this morning, I saw they had taken you off the account.”

“What?” My heart races and panic sets in again. “What does that mean?”

“It’s okay. I put you right back on and locked it. You may have been off the account, but I’m not. I set up a multi-factor authentication key for my account that Dominic doesn’t have access to and now your account is locked, too. He tried to delete me, but I got the alerts. This may be why they’re coming here. They know we have access, and they want to grab the drives before we do.” He sighs. “I’m sorry. I never expected your family to be such backstabbing assholes, or I would have tried harder to get an earlier appointment.”

“Neither did I. It’s not your fault.”

“So we’ll need to retrieve the data drives and leave before they arrive. The data center has a ‘no visitors’ policy. You and I can go, but anyone else will have to wait. Another unfortunate thing, our appointment is not until five, one hour before Dominic’s.”

“You couldn’t get an appointment for today or tomorrow?” Two days with this on my mind the whole time, the clock ticking? I won’t be able to relax, even if I want to.

“They only do in-person appointments twice per week. The place has hardly any staff.”

I close my eyes and hold back a groan. “Won’t the data center find it suspicious that people on the same account are coming with appointments right in a row?”

He shrugs. “They’ve said nothing. I got my appointment first, and it’s my bet their system alerted Dominic. But I’m the main account holder now.” His smile is slightly evil. “And I have first dibs.”

I drum my fingers on the island. Dominic knows we’re going for the data backups and he’s going to be too late. Yet, he’s still coming, anyway. What’s he hoping for? That we’ll forget to go? I’m glad my mom isn’t spending money to hire a private ship. They have to travel via commercial ships. Those flights depart every few days, and usually, they’re booked solid. With larger holds for more people, they fly slowly and access the jump rings in off-hours. Plus, the only way on and off the ship is via a shuttle, which adds time to the trip. This is why Flyght exists now. But knowing Vivian and Ken, they’ve banned my mother from using Flyght. There’s the competitor, Ampla, but they have fewer ships and a screening process that’s hard to expedite.

“Ai, it’s important you keep close tabs on Dominic and Mom. I want to hear about any slight deviations in their schedules. Immediately.”

There’s a long pause, and I hold back my annoyance, remembering Carlos’s warning at breakfast. “Even if you’re enjoying the best sex of your life?”

I hate that she even asks this question because it means she’s always watching. Carlos groans and rolls his eyes.

“Yes, Ai. Even if I’m having the best sex of my life. Thanks for clarifying.”

“Understood.”

I crook my arm and put my head down on the island. “I need a nap, but I’m not sure I can sleep.”

A soft hand touches my back and glides up to my shoulders. “I can take care of that,” Saif whispers in my ear.

I’m surprised by his offer, but I can’t deny the tingling sensation that runs through my body as I turn to face him. This has been a crazy morning and adding sex to it sounds like a great idea. Vivian said to have lots of sex, after all.

Yes, I will use this excuse until the end of time.

His gaze is intense and almost hypnotizing as he takes a step closer. He reaches out and takes my hand in his. “Come, let me show you to your bedroom so you can rest.”

I raise my eyebrows at Kalvin, still in the kitchen.

“Have fun,” he teases, sidling up to the coffee maker. No jealousy. I lucked out with him. Takemo watches us go from his seat in the living room. Him? He may be jealous.

My head spins with anticipation as Saif leads the way up the stairs. His presence fills the air, making it warmer and more inviting than before. My body relaxes at his careful but insistent posture. As we reach the top of the staircase, he pauses for a moment and smiles at me over his shoulder. I’m lost in a dream-like state as he guides me down the hallway towards my bedroom door.

Maybe those painkillers were stronger than I thought.

When we enter my room, Saif steps close behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. His touch sends chills throughout my body as he moves closer. I feel his warm breath on my neck, his lips caressing my exposed skin before trailing a line of kisses along to my lips where our mouths meet.

“Mmmm,” I hum as I pull away. “You’re full of good ideas.”

He brings his hands to my face and his eyes are intense. “Please hear me.”

I nod slightly, my belly clenching at his serious nature.

“You are never getting rid of us. When your heart tells you to shield us from your pain by pulling away, remember this. You, me, Kalvin, Takemo — we’re a team. We want to be with you.”

Sadness pushes down lust. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“You’ll figure it out,” he assures me.

He crosses the room to the balcony doors, closes them, and pulls the curtains. The room falls into darkness.

As he returns to me, his excitement is apparent in the shine of his eyes. His fingers skillfully undress me, caressing my skin with a hunger that stirs my soul. The anticipation of what comes next is electric; I can almost taste it in the air. Our eyes meet like a thunderbolt from the gods, and I decide in this moment that I will do my very best to not push these men away, no matter what.

I’ve said it before, but this time I really mean it.

Be better, Skylar.