A Surprise Favor – Chapter 32

The airlock door opens on a beautiful Ossun day, and Vivian stands on the tarmac, waiting. She throws her hands in the air.

“What the hell, Sky? You can’t even come in?” She’s not mad. Her face is full of concern.

“No,” I say, turning to the side. “Come on in so I can shut the door.”

She grabs the two bags at her feet and steps into the Amagi. I poke my head out the door and look left and right before shutting it and locking it behind her.

When I enter the cargo bay, Vivian sets her bags down and throws her arms around my neck, knocking me back a step.

“I have been so fucking worried.” She squeezes me and doesn’t let go. I wrap my arms around her chest. “When I heard what happened, I nearly fainted.”

“You? Never.” I chuckle as I pull away.

“Yes, me. Someone tried to kill you. Twice.” Her voice cracks on the last word.

“Uh, three times actually.” I pull away from her and shrug a shoulder. “Couldn’t take me down, though.” I blow on my nails, hoping to lighten the situation. Her stern expression doesn’t change. “Vivi, it’s okay. I’m going to be okay. We’re all going to be fine.”

“Vivian!” Lia comes bounding down the cargo bay stairs and heads to Vivian for a hug, too. She takes the young woman into her arms and squeezes her. “It’s good to be back on Ossun.”

The two pull away from each other, and Lia’s eyes shift from mine.

“Hey,” I say to her, reaching out to squeeze her arm, “are you worried I’m mad at you?”

She grimaces. “A little?” She sighs. “I’m the one who let that man into our home and…” She waves at me and the bruises around my neck. The nanites did an amazing job before I flushed them away, but the afterimages of bruising are still apparent.

“Eduardo, or whatever his real name was, targeted us. He wormed his way in because we were all vulnerable. It’s not your fault.” She doesn’t seem convinced. “I promise. Not your fault. Not even close.”

“It’s fucking Dominic’s fault, and we all know it,” Vivian says, holding out a bag to Lia. “Now, come on. I brought food so we can all sit down and work out what we do next.”

I thread my arm through Vivian’s as we walk to the lounge and galley. Entering through the door, my eyes drop to the spot on the floor we all scrubbed for hours. Turns out you really shouldn’t let blood dry. It gets sticky and gross if left out too long. But the room looks the same as it ever did now. Only a few of us can identify the bullet holes.

Lia and Vivian put the bags on the table, and I sink into a chair opposite it. I’m still exhausted. Two days of flying and spending time with each of my men has taken the life out of me. I’m in better shape than I was after the initial attack, though. It’s been a lot of sex, sleeping, and eating. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Vivian pops open a container and puts a bowl of cheesy dip and chips in front of me.

“Here. Start eating.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Don’t you ‘ma’am’ me.” She laughs and hands a casserole dish to Lia. “Heat that up, will you? It’s a chicken and pasta cheese bake.”

“What’s that?” I ask, popping a chip into my mouth.

She shrugs. “I have no idea. Gus made it for us.”

“Are they coming?”

She pulls out a bottle of white wine and a corkscrew. “No. Not right now. We have a lot to talk about first.” Opening the bottle, she sniffs the cork and then pours a little wine to taste. “Mmmm, I like this vintage.” I watch her pour two whole glasses of wine and sit next to me.

“Not pregnant yet?” I take my glass.

“Nope. I got my period yesterday. Cheers.” She touches her glass to mine and sighs as she moves her hair from one shoulder to the other. “It’ll take time. Or not. We only just started.” She raises her eyebrows at me, and I chuckle. “So, Nina. Is she here?”

“Yeah, she’s in her room.” I eat more chips and dip. “Why? You want to see her?” I dust off my hands, ready to make the call, but Vivian shakes her head.

“Tell me more about what happened.” She wants to know everything because Nina is Gus’s mom, and they have a strained relationship.

While we sip our wine and eat chips and dip, I tell her the story of how Nina showed up on Laguna and decided to be my security chief as a surprise favor. How she doubted my family problems, the subsequent attacks, and finally, how she came to understand my situation.

“I would be dead without her.” I cover my heart with my hand. “Honestly, she helped me choose the weapons we bought. She showed us how to use them safely, and then she used them to defend us. I don’t know if she’s sticking around, but she said she would divulge what the military knows about the time travel jump gates to Renata and India Dellis if they gave her a job.”

Vivian hums as she stares into the distance, holding her wine glass in her hand. “Hmmm, sounds like she’s changed.”

“I have.”

Vivian and I turn around, and Nina is standing in the doorway. She’s wearing casual clothes, not something I see often. Her knit pants are baggy around the ankles and her tank top hugs her stick straight body.

She softens, and it almost frightens me. There’s nothing soft about Nina Correa.

“It’s good to see you, Vivian.”

Vivian cocks her head to the side, and I freeze, wondering if she’s going to protest.

But no. She’s too good a person for that.

She leans forward and grabs an empty glass. “It’s good to see you, too. Come join us.”

If I thought Nina could cry, I would believe that the sheen sitting across her eyes are tears. Whatever they are, she smiles and slides into the table booth seat on the opposite side.

“Thank you.” She takes the glass from Vivian and sips. “Mmmm, this is delicious.” Her eyes narrow at the bottle. “Ah, from your network mate. Matias?”

“Mat, yes.”

“He’s Ilaria’s father?”

“Yes. Though Gus plays a significant role in her upbringing.” Vivian traces circles on the table as she waits for Nina’s reply.

“I can’t wait to meet her.” Nina’s smile is genuine, and I relax a bit. Good. This is getting off on the right foot.

“You should come for dinner tomorrow. All of my men are in town. We’d love to have you.”

Oh wow. This is super gracious of Vivian. I did not expect it.

Nina’s eyes flit to me. “I… I’m honored to be invited. I just don’t want to leave Skylar if she needs me.”

I wave away her concern. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not opening the doors for anyone.”

“The last man didn’t need you to open the doors for him,” she reminds me.

“But we’re here now. We’re in the ship, and we’re on the Kawabata land. And I have two AIs watching everything. We’ll be fine. You can spend a few hours with your family.” Both have worried expressions on their faces. “I’m serious. We’ll be fine,” I repeat.

“Okay, then.” She sips and clears her throat. “Which reminds me. We need to think about next steps.”

“Yes. Let’s consider what to do next,” Vivian says. I raise my eyebrows at her. “Oh, you’re not getting rid of me that easily. If someone puts out a hit on you, I’m going to be by your side until you’re safe.”

“Put that on the list of things I never thought I’d hear coming out of your mouth.”

“You’re welcome.” Vivian’s smile is satisfied, and I can’t help but smile back. “Now, let’s brainstorm. What can we do to counter the hit on you?”

Nina leans forward, her gaze focused and her hands clasped together in front of her. “I have a few ideas. They’re all defensive, though. Not offensive. We should hire a security detail to provide round-the-clock protection for Skylar and the ship. We should also contact the local law enforcement agency in this area and request extra surveillance for Vivian, her network, and the house.”

“Do you think we’re in danger?” Vivian presses a hand to her chest.

“Absolutely,” Nina says without hesitation. “They will come after you and your family and use you as hostages, as bargaining chips.” She gestures to me. “Anyone with two brain cells will put together how close you both are and use that to their advantage.”

My face cools as the blood drains from it. “Oh. Oh, shit.”

Vivian’s hand finds mine on the table, and her warm fingers bring life back to my dying soul. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.” This is a dagger to my heart.

“We should also be prepared to move quickly if need be,” Nina says, sitting back in her seat, “with a well-planned route that keeps us out of any potential danger zones on any planet we end up on. And lastly, Carlos needs to work overtime to get us fully encrypted. And I mean, everyone. No exceptions. We can’t give away our position or plans.”

I nod at Nina’s suggestion, already feeling more secure with each passing moment.

“Let’s also consider some offensive tactics as well,” Vivian adds. “Perhaps hiring a team of mercenaries or assassins who specialize in this sort of thing? That way, we’d have someone working on our side to take care of any threats before they even reach us.”

The ideas swirling around are growing more and more complex. I commit each to memory, but when will I have the time to implement anything?

Looking at Vivian, I remember what she went through to get her home back. She barely slept. She worked herself to the bone and nearly killed herself. I see why now. When everyone is depending on you, the only thing you can do is keep going until you succeed.

I nod as I sip the delicious wine. My days of relaxation are over. I need to tap into that workhorse child who labored night and day to protect her family. I have a family who loves me now, and I can’t let them down. I owe them peace and safety for everything they’ve done for me.

“I don’t like this silence.” Vivian narrows her eyes at me. “When Skylar is silent, something is wrong.”

Time to pull on the cheerful face and do what’s best for everyone, not just me. It’s not just me anymore.

“Well, there’s a lot wrong with my life right now, but not this.” I nod and sit back, acting confident when I am far from. “These are excellent plans. We need to account for a trip to Rio to get the data drives from Miguel but —”

“You can’t be serious,” Vivian exclaims, setting her wine glass down. “It’s a trap.”

“I agree with Vivian,” Nina says. “We can’t possibly go.”

I meet both of their eyes with steel in my soul. “We will go, and we will get that evidence. Otherwise, we might as well quit right now. Without it, I’m dead in the water. No one will believe anything I say in court without it.”

“Skylar,” Vivian starts, but I raise my hand to cut her off.

“No objections. We’re doing it.” I wave to Nina. “She needs to meet India Dellis, anyway. We’ll make a real trip out of it.”

Vivian drives a finger into the table. “Then I’m going with you.”

“Fine.” I lift my chin and dare her to test me.

“Fine,” she replies. “Though I’d prefer it if we stay out of the jungles.”

“Me, too.” I laugh.

“Me, three,” Nina adds.

I raise my glass. “To Rio. May we find the answers there or die trying.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Vivian says, touching her glass to mine.

Nina joins in. “I like you both.”

“Let’s hope we all live to regret this.”

I take a sip and stand up to join Lia in the kitchen. Time to eat dinner and get this show on the road.