A Surprise Favor – Chapter 22

By the time the car pulls up at Declan’s house, the sun is low in the sky and the heat of the day is ebbing away. But the anger and sheer frustration building in my chest has no sign of cooling down.

What the actual fuck is going on with my life?

This trip to Laguna was to accomplish two things. One, get the data drives so I would have enough evidence to sever relations with the rest of my family. Two, relax for a few days after running for my life in the jungles of Rio for weeks.

Neither of these two things has come to be. Instead, I’m buying weapons, shooting guns, and arguing with my mom over data drives I don’t even have.

But, hell, at least I’ve had a lot of sex. Thank all the gods.

I let my eyes coast over Declan’s backside as we exit the car. It’s Takemo’s night, but I had sex with him earlier. Maybe I can salvage this day by sealing the deal with Declan.

The front door to Declan’s house opens and Takemo, Saif, and Kalvin come out to greet us.

“Hey, we heard something went down at the data center.” Saif picks up his pace and joins us in the driveway. “What happened?”

“We should talk inside,” Declan insists, his hand on my shoulder. “Just in case.”

But just inside the door, Nina grabs my arm and ushers me straight down the hall and into Declan’s office, closing the door behind us.

“Okay, I need a full accounting of whatever happened between you and your family,” she insists.

My annoyance with her shoots sky high. Nina has no business initiating this kind of conversation. She may be my head of security now, but I didn’t expect her to be so pushy and overbearing. How dare she think she can know my secrets?

“Listen, Nina,” I say, looking her straight in the eye. “This has nothing to do with you. Where did you get the idea it was your place to barge in on a family discussion?” I push down the urge to yell at her. “It’s none of your business what I decide to do or not do with my family. You. Are. Overstepping.” I drive the points home by poking my finger in the air. “You are not my friend. You are not even someone I fully trust.”

Nina takes a step back, surprised by my defensive stance, but quickly recovers her composure. “I understand this is none of my business,” she says slowly, as if weighing each word carefully. “But as your head of security, it is my responsibility to ensure your safety. And if you don’t trust me, we have a serious problem.”

“You’ve been with me, what? All of two or three days? Before that, you were in the military doing god-awful shit. And you hijacked my ship! You shat all over Vivian’s relationship with your son!” My voice has reached a high-pitch I usually reserve for my worst enemies. “For fuck’s sake, Nina. What do you need to know in order for you to feel like you’re included?”

Oops. I’ve moved into mocking territory.

But my anger at everything has just bubbled over and now Nina is going to get the brunt of it.

Nina narrows her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest, as if daring me to challenge her further on the matter.

Here we go.

“Do you need to know about how I was starved as a child? Huh?” She keeps her face a passive mask. “That I was forced into raising my brothers and sisters? That I had to teach them, but I wasn’t allowed to educate myself past the basics? That I had to clean the ship until I was so tired I dropped to the floor?”

Her chest rises and falls, but her face gives nothing away.

“I was a slave. Indentured. They held me captive, tortured me, starved me. Dominic left me for dead once. He hoped I would be dead when he returned, but I was too stubborn to die.”

My throat hurts. I’m vaguely aware that I’m yelling.

“They made me be both a mother and a sister to my siblings, and it was unfair. I never had birthdays, clothes of my own, my own bedroom.” I throw my hands up and wipe the tears from my cheeks. “I bet it was far and away a worse upbringing than what Tiffany got.”

Nina’s eyes narrow. Tiffany is Nina’s oldest daughter. “You’re lying. The Kawabata name is too pristine for this to be the truth.”

That’s it. Anger boils over, and I lunge at Nina, managing to slap her before she can react. My fingernails dig into her arm as she grabs me and pulls me away from her.

“Don’t!” she yells, fury blazing in her eyes. “You have no right to make yourself some sort of victim when you don’t even know the first thing about my daughter or the sacrifices our family has made!”

I struggle against her grip, but it’s like fighting a wall of cement. She pins my arms back and pushes me away from where we’re standing.

“You’re insane. There’s no way this is true,” she spits in disgust and turns away. “Vivian would never stand for this.”

I shake out my arm, furious energy pulsing through me. “Vivian supports me, one hundred percent.”

Nina’s stare is withering. “My son would never be involved with this kind of situation. Tearing down a huge family name for the delusions of a spoiled little girl?”

I have no breath left. It’s all been sucked away by Nina’s cold, harsh stare.

“Get out,” I gasp. “You’re as bad as Dominic. He always told me no one would believe me. I guess that’s you, too. So much for all that talk about understanding my position.”

“You can’t be serious,” she insists, taking a predatory step towards me. “This has to be a lie. You can’t hide that kind of abuse.”

“You can if you never let someone off a spaceship.” My voice climbs and cracks. I point to the door. “Go!” I scream. “You’re relieved.”

Nina lifts her chin. “I revoke my favor. I’ll be out front until a car can be dispatched here.”

She opens the door, and Lia is standing there, her eyes dark with concern.

“What’s going on in here?” she asks, but Nina blows past her.

“Fuck youuuuuu!” I scream at the open door, hoping Nina hears me on her way out. I had a feeling she wasn’t fully on board, and now it turns out she’s been doubting me for the last two days. What a fucking nightmare! She could go to the press. She could go to Vivian and Gus, make them doubt me, too. But really, I fucked this up because I was supposed to bring her to Renata and India Dellis so we could learn more about the time traveling jump rings.

“Sky, what happened?” Kalvin appears in the door, a glass of wine in his hand.

“Nina’s gone. She didn’t believe me.”

Lia directs her eyes at the floor, and I begin to worry others are doubting me too. What if I never get those drives back? I’ll never have proof of what happened to me.

“Lia, you believe me, right?” I hate the doubt in my own voice. It wavers and cracks unreliably.

“Of course,” she says, her eyes connecting with mine. “I would never doubt you. I just… I just realized this will be so much harder than I thought because people don’t know the real you.”

My heart breaks as I lay my hand on her shoulder and then draw her in for a hug. A range of emotions crash over me like a tsunami. I’m angry I had to go through all of this again, frustrated that no one else understands, and a little desperate that my story has no proof. But I’m also grateful to have Lia and the others in my corner, willing to believe me despite the lack of evidence.

But Lia still believes in me. The guys and Vivian still believe in me. I choke back tears and squeeze Lia closer in a tight hug. I’m going to get the drives back and prove to everyone I’m telling the truth. I’m never going to let my past define me again.

“Don’t worry about it,” I mumble into her hair. “The people who believe me are the ones worth keeping in my heart.” I’m usually not so sappy, but the past week has altered me. I’m softening around the edges. “Nothing changes, okay? Is dinner ready?”

Lia nods as she pulls away. “That’s why I was coming to get you. Declan’s caterer just finished setting the table for you guys. Carlos and I are going to eat in the kitchen.”

I sniff up and wipe my face. “Is Nisrine here?”

“She’s visiting friends in town.”

Lia looks at Kalvin and skirts past him to the hallway.

“Come on,” he says, slipping his arm over my shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”

I let him lead me out to the living area where a few people cook and prepare food in the kitchen. They probably heard me yelling at Nina. I can see her through the windows of the front door, reading something on a mini-datapad, waiting for her car to show up.

Well, fuck her.

I take my bag and set it on a chair in the hallway outside the dining room, turning to join the guys at the table.

My world stops and recedes.

My prescient dream has come true. I gasp and wait for the world to stop tipping to the side. The scene before me is just like in the dream. Saif, Kalvin, Takemo, and Declan are at the table, their eyes lifted to mine as I stand in the doorway. They’re the men in my network. Me. I have a network now. My memories of the dream are fuzzy and distorted, but this is very real. Their attention is sincere, genuine, and heartfelt. They want to be with me — flawed, imperfect, hot-headed, undesirable me.

I brace my hand against the nearest wall. “I… I need a minute.”

The table is set with a variety of Mediterranean entrees — baked fish, seafood paella, hummus, and tabbouleh salads. Seasoned olives and tomatoes, accompanied by warm pitas and crusty breads. It all smells delicious.

I want to eat, but my stomach wants something entirely different. I hate puking.

I need air.

Saif stands up, his eyebrows drawn together. “Sky, are you all right?” he asks, approaching me.

I hold up a hand, shake my head, and take a step back.

“I need a minute,” I repeat before turning on my heel and heading towards the kitchen.

My vision is blurry as I stumble and push through the house. My feet lead me to the back door, where I step out onto the darkened deck. The ocean breeze whips my hair into my face and the smell of salt water fills my nose. It’s enough to cool my feverish skin and slow my racing heart. A few more deep breaths and I descend the stairs with quivering legs.

I step onto the cooling sand, becoming less dizzy as the fresh air hits me. A glance around reveals an empty beach just past sunset — beautiful but lonely. Sand crabs scurry across the beach in search of food, while sea birds soar high above the crashing waves. I take another deep breath before letting go, surrendering to whatever comes next as I make my way down to the shoreline, trying not to puke along the way.

The beach is now quiet after most people have gone home. It’s a stark contrast to when the sun was still up, and people were scattered on towels or running towards the water, their voices filled with laughter. I inhale and nod. Yeah, I like it here. Daytime, nighttime, sunny skies, or rain — planets agree with me.

I think it’s settled now. I love flying spaceships, but I belong on a planet. I don’t need Nina. I don’t need acceptance from the people who hurt me. What I need is a prosperous business, the men who love me, and peace and quiet in a house of my own.

Yes, peace and quiet.

I sense movement at my back and turn to smile, sure it’s one of the guys come out to check on me.

“Hey, Skylar,” Eduardo says, approaching me. “I thought you’d be out here earlier.”

“Hey…” My skin tingles as I register his dark clothes, gloves, and the wire clutched in his hand. “What…?”

All the air rushes out of my lungs as I fly through the air and hit the sand with a thump, Eduardo on top of me.