A Surprise Favor – Chapter 13

The beach house stands out like a beacon, drawing the eye with its striking architecture. I gaze out the window of the car, feeling a mix of emotions. I’m excited, nervous, tired, uneasy. I wish Amira had stuck around. She left to meet someone for an early dinner. We enjoyed an hour by the pool after lunch, and now that good humor has washed away.

“What are you thinking?” Takemo asks, turning to face me from the front. Nina decided to hire a car for the whole week, one we will use and she will be in charge of. It makes sense, but it’s another waste of my spending money when people could just leave me the fuck alone.

“I’m not sure.” My chest is heavy with apprehension. “Buying weapons for self-defense seems like a good idea, but I don’t know… I’m having second thoughts.”

Kalvin and Saif exchange a look across from me.

“Look,” Kalvin begins, “we all agree that the best thing to do is to be prepared. And right now, we’re not. We need to make sure we’re all safe. It won’t be forever unless you want it to be.”

Saif nods in agreement. “He’s right. You may not want to do this, but it’s the best way to ensure your safety.”

I sigh, my apprehension slowly leading to acceptance. They’re right, of course, but the thought of buying weapons still makes me uneasy.

The car door opens and Nina appears. “It’s all clear,” she says. “We can go in now.”

We step out of the car, and I breathe in the salty ocean air. The beach house is huge, with glossy white walls and lush landscaping. French doors open onto a balcony, and large windows glow with warmth. Super classy — I like it.

We enter the house, with its modern art and gleaming hardwood floors. Ah, Declan has great taste. Cool air wafts over us and the security system beeps as Nina closes the door. I relax, admiring the couches, fireplace, and shelves of books.

“In the kitchen!” Declan calls out.

A calico cat with white fur and patches of brown and orange trots out to greet me as I approach the kitchen. Oh, I love cats. Her bright green eyes take in the room, as if she knows each of us. She purrs loudly, rubs against my legs, and enjoys my scratches behind her ears.

“What’s your name?” I ask softly and am unsurprised when she doesn’t answer. She continues to purr contentedly as I rub her head.

Declan smiles at us from the doorway. “That’s Molly,” he says fondly, grinning at the cat’s antics. “She’s actually my sister’s cat. She lives here when I’m here and travels with my sister too when I have to be elsewhere for work.”

I pick up Molly carefully in my arms and carry her into the kitchen.

Declan’s expression is pure surprise. “She hates when I pick her up. You must be the cat whisperer.”

Molly purrs in my ear as I sit down at the island in the expansive kitchen. She is content to curl up in my lap with one paw resting delicately atop my legs, as if staking claim to me.

“I had a cat once, and I’ve always wanted another one. But life has been too busy to even consider it.”

I look out the back windows of Declan’s house to the beach and notice Nina checking the surrounding area. She’s taking her surprise job seriously, and I have to wonder why. Why me? I asked her to come, but I figured we’d talk about the military and how to do something about their incessant overreach, but I didn’t expect her to become my security chief.

“So, you hired a security expert and it just so happens it’s Commander Nina Correa?” Declan asks, holding up a bottle of chilled white wine. I nod, and he pours out a glass and slides it across the island to me. “Guys, I have wine, beer, sparkling water, juice, a full bar,” he says to Takemo, Saif, and Kalvin, wandering around the open layout of the kitchen, dining room, and living room.

“Gin?” Kalvin asks, and Declan points to the bar across the room.

We are doing this vacation right.

“Yeah, she offered, so I hired her because I think we need her.” I sip the wine and it’s perfect — crisp, grassy, with notes of apples and chamomile. “And she’s not a commander anymore.”

He brings his glass of wine around the island and sits in the chair next to me. “Yes, right. She was stripped of rank when she went to prison for a year.” He stares out the window at her while she stands and scans the area, watching out for possible problems. “Didn’t she have a network? A family? I think she’s connected to your cousin, right?”

I sip and nod. “Her son, Gus, is in Vivian’s network. I don’t know what’s going on with Nina’s network. I think she had at least two men before her incarceration.” I shrug. “This is the life she’s chosen now, but I doubt it’ll last long. She came into my world unexpectedly.”

“Haven’t most of the people in your life?” Declan smirks, and it reveals a dimple I’m suddenly dying to kiss. Mmmm, ‘delicious men’ is right.

I think about his question for a moment. Kalvin was pretty sudden. He went from someone I despised to someone I love in the span of a marooning. Saif appeared out of thin air when I hadn’t seen him in years. Takemo, Takemo… He kept showing up even though I pushed him away. Declan is also a new addition.

“Hmm, yes. I believe you’re right.” Because I spent my youth not having any friends, so anyone besides family who comes into my life now is unexpected. Kinda not the best way to live, honestly. It’s disconcerting to always be wondering what will happen next.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” Declan starts, and I brace for the inevitable. “I saw the news stories this morning. You were served with papers? Do you have them with you?”

I set my bag on the island and pull out an envelope for him. I watch as he scans down the paper, his dark eyes taking everything in. So few people use paper now. Even in court, documents are both hard copy and digital.

He nods as he sets the papers down on top of the envelope. “Your mother is arguing that you’ve been her employee, and therefore, everything has always been hers.” He rubs his face. “I’ve seen this before in other domestic and familial cases. Without a written and signed contract, their case is on shaky ground, but it’s possible they can prove there was consent and an unspoken agreement based on other factors, like communications between you, the deed to the Amagi, any money that you transferred to her.” He circles his hand in the air. “That sort of thing.”

I sigh and glance away for a moment. Things change so quickly in my life. I thought my mother would be too proud to stoop so low as to drag me through court over something like this. I believed she was above all that, but it seems I was wrong.

“Do you think I could have access to your systems? See what’s going on?”

I tilt my head to the side as I stroke a hand along Molly’s fur. She continues to purr. “Does that mean you’re going to take me on as a client?”

His eyes widen. “I thought I was going to do a lot more than that.” He smiles as I look away. “At least, that’s what I told Marcelo. If you object, I will totally understand.”

“No,” I insist. “I don’t object. I just… This is a sinking ship, and I want to make sure you understand my situation.” I jerk my head at the guys making drinks on the other side of the room. “They all seem to be onboard. In fact, every time I attempt to get rid of them, they hang on tighter.” I roll my eyes and try to make a joke out of it. “They are clearly insane. You seem pretty normal, so I don’t wish to misrepresent myself or my intentions.”

He lifts his glass, so I lift mine to match his. “Nope. I don’t see any problems here.”

“Then, yes, you can have access to my systems,” I murmur, somewhat reluctantly. I sigh. “I’ll let Carlos know.”

“Don’t worry,” he says, leaning closer to me. “Your secrets are safe with me.”

I should tell him right now about the data drives we’re going to retrieve tomorrow and the abuse I suffered as a kid. But if we don’t get the data drives for some reason, the point will be moot because I’ll never be able to prove it.

We need this distraction right now.

“Why don’t you show me around your house before we head out to the beach? It’s a beautiful place, and I so rarely spend time in houses on planets. I like to see them all.”

“Of course. I’m happy to. And everyone should know where the bathrooms, extra bedrooms, and gym are, anyway.”

Declan stands and motions for me to follow him. We start with a tour of the first floor, where I see some beautiful paintings, artifacts from his travels, and a few interesting pieces of furniture. Molly trots along behind us, making her presence known by meowing and trying to rub against my leg in every room that we stop in.

“Fine,” I say, sighing. I bend over and pick her up. “You want to be carried?” I scratch her neck and she starts to purr again. “You spoiled little thing.”

We go upstairs and peek into a few bedrooms, unused except for visitors. Declan’s office has one photo: his younger sister. No other photos are in the room, not even of his mother or her network.

It occurs to me that I know very little about him, despite Marcelo’s usual due diligence.

“Come,” he says, beckoning me down a smaller set of stairs. “The gym is in the basement.”

The gym is a large room filled with equipment — weights, a treadmill, a bike, a climbing machine, and more.

“I guess you don’t have to go anywhere to stay in shape, huh? What’s your favorite thing to do?”

He gestures to the treadmill. “I like to run, though I prefer to do it outside as much as possible.” He points to the boxing equipment along the far wall. “And boxing is another favorite. A healthy way to get out aggression.” He raises his eyebrows. “Better than taking it out on people in court.”

I lift one of the boxing gloves and heft it in my right hand. My left wrist is still a little achy, though I slept most of it off this morning.

“I could learn to box,” I say, smiling at him.

He throws his head back in a laugh. “Something tells me that no one should ever fight you. You probably fight dirty.”

“It’s the only way to fight.”

Truth. If I have to fight, then I’ll do it like my life depends on it.

I set the boxing glove back down, but not without imagining myself punching the shit out of Dominic. Yeah, that would feel pretty awesome.

“It’s really great that you make time for yourself,” I tell him, impressed by his wide variety of interests. “I wish I had something like this on the Amagi, but we don’t have the space for it.”

“You can come by anytime,” he replies warmly. “There’s plenty of space here. My house is your house.”

Not yet, it’s not, but I like that he wants me here.

I really like this man, and I’m attracted to him for sure. But we haven’t clicked yet. It’s almost too easy.

But it’s early days, and Marcelo wouldn’t have set up this match if we weren’t compatible.

Movement outside catches my attention, and I see Kalvin, Saif, and Takemo descending the stairs with beach blankets and drinks in their hands.

“Want to head out to the beach?” he asks as he comes up next to me. He turns to put himself between me and the view to the outside. Taking my hand in his, he squeezes it. “I know you’re going through a lot. It’s not easy to be sued by one’s family.” His gaze drifts off, and he swallows. Oh, wait. There’s something here I didn’t know about. “I admire that you’re willing to fight this. I hate seeing this happen to people.”

I make eye contact with him despite how much I want to crawl into a hole and hide myself.

“There’s more to this than I’ve let on. I… It’s difficult for me to talk about.”

“Then don’t.” He squeezes my hand. “You’ve had a tough day already. Let’s cover more of those things later when you join me for dinner.” He reaches out and pushes my hair away from my face. Letting his hand linger along my cheek, he lightly touches my shoulder. My arms erupt in goosebumps.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Maybe this feels easy because it’s supposed to, Skylar. Not every relationship needs to be fraught with worry and tension. I squeeze his hand before letting go.

“We can head out to the beach from here,” he says, indicating the French doors on the other side of the room.

Out on the beach, the water is clear and calm, the length of the land hooking out and creating a cove here.

The sun is high in the sky, and the heat is already seeping into my skin. Ahhh. Takemo, Kalvin, and Saif are lounging in beach chairs under wide umbrellas, chatting amongst themselves while arguing over a game of soccer they all watched last week.

“Sit here,” Kalvin says, gesturing to an unoccupied chair near him.

I smile at him before taking my sandals off and placing them next to my chair. My datapad and sunhat are already there, brought out by one of them. “I want to check out the water first.”

Dipping my feet in the water, I breathe deep, in and out. The warm sand and light waves soothe me as I begin to relax. Even though I can’t let go of my worries for long, it’s nice to be here for a few minutes.

I return to the chair, and just as I’m getting comfortable, I notice someone approaching from up the beach. Eduardo is walking towards us with purposeful strides.

“Do you know this guy?” Nina asks, coming up behind us.

“Yeah, he’s a real estate developer. He was at the party last night.”

Eduardo glances briefly at me in surprise before coming to a stop before our group.

“Hello there,” he says with a casual smile. It appears he was out for a walk; he’s wearing shorts and sandals with no shirt on. “What are you guys up to?”

“Not much. Enjoying the sun and surf.” Takemo grins widely at him before gesturing towards an empty chair next to mine — an invitation for Eduardo to join us if he’d like.

“Oh, no thanks. I was just out on a walk. I didn’t expect to bump into anyone.”

After some light-hearted back-and-forth banter between him, Takemo, and Saif, I offer Eduardo a small smile before turning my gaze back to the horizon ahead of us.

I’m here to relax, and that’s what I’m gonna do. I pull the sunhat over my eyes and face, lie back, and close my eyes.