Silent Flyght – Chapter 18

“So, the news about Peter isn’t good,” Marcelo says, pulling my attention away from the autocab’s window. He glances across the car at Jinzo, and the two share a knowing look. “And I’m afraid that whatever he’s doing, he’s involved Mr. Aravena, either with his knowledge or without it.”

“Okay, give it to me.” I brush off some of Frogger’s fur from my pants and swallow a few times to keep the acid in my stomach where it belongs. I’m better after a day of rest, but I wouldn’t say I’m tip-top. I’ll be able to drink a glass or two of wine, just to stay social with Mat, but that will be about it.

“Peter Banderas has been working hard on a side business Matias started about five years ago, and he had recently expanded that business. It now generates more than twice the revenue the vineyard produces.”

What? Five years ago would have been right after his breakup with Cassidy?

“What kind of business?”

Marcelo raises his finger. “I’ll get to that in a moment. More recently, as a representative of the Casa Aravena Estates, Peter has purchased two new spaceships — cargo haulers.”

I pop my lips as I wait for more. “That’s not damning evidence. I met Mat for the first time on the Lee home ship when he was there looking at a ship to buy. It seemed legitimate.”

“The ships are fine. Their destinations? Not as much. Neve and Penha.”

“Neve and Penha?”

“Yep. Wine goes to Neve and Penha, and I suspect a lot more comes back in the cargo holds.”

Neve, I can understand. There is a colony there of scientists and intrepid explorers, and I’m sure they love wine just as much as the next person. Plus, there are a few military bases as well. If I lived on that winter hellhole, I’d drink every day to chase away the blues and keep warm.

But Penha, I don’t understand. Penha is a gas giant with a wicked magnetosphere, and its inner moons are uninhabitable. Unless the military has colonized one of its dozen outer moons in the last few decades, which, hmmm, is a possibility. The outer moons offer some interesting landscapes, though most of them are, again, frozen or teeming with acidic volcanoes.

The autocab turns into the estate grounds. We only have a few more moments before we get there.

“So, what’s the business?” I’m expecting something salacious or maybe food-oriented? Smuggling illegal fruits?

“Micro-computing. Nanites and the like.” Marcelo raises his eyebrows, and my stomach twists again. “Guess who their main client is?”

“I don’t need to guess. It’s Renata. Athens.”

Well, I wanted to find another wealthy suitor, but not someone in Athens Industries’ pockets.

“Is there anything illegal about their business?” I ask, placing my hand on my empty stomach.

“Not as far as I can tell. It’s just…” Marcelo sighs. “I have to believe it’s not legitimate otherwise why would they keep it a secret? Mr. Aravena never mentioned the business. It wasn’t on any of his declared financial records. Everything is suspicious, yet not too suspicious. You should keep your guard up, and let me know if you find anything else. I have a file, which I gave to Ai and had her work on. She assured me there would be even more details in your inbox before midnight. She’ll be looking into Peter’s past to see if there’s anything damning.”

The car glides up to the estate, and this time, Mat is waiting for me outside.

“Well, Ai is quite the detective. I’m sure she’ll find something.”

“What’s your plan then?” Jinzo asks.

“Hmmm, I’ll have dinner with him, and then, if things go well, I might be able to sneak out in the night to look around? Maybe if they’re transporting something illegal, they keep it in the warehouses.” Marcelo and Jinzo frown at this idea. “Speak now or forever hold your peace,” I prompt before the door opens.

“Fine,” Jinzo says, speaking up. “I know you’ll be careful, but call me if you go out on the estate in the middle of the night.”

“Deal.” I nod. Jinzo will not be happy if I do something stupid without him.

“Wait here,” he says as the door opens.

I’m about to protest when he alights from the car and approaches Mat with a warm smile and a handshake. I lean out to listen to them.

“Vivian is looking forward to dinner and a pleasant evening here. If, for some reason, you would like to send her home early,” — he inclines his head to make sure Mat understands him — “you must call me, and I will come for her if she doesn’t call for me first. I’ll only be ten minutes away. Do we understand each other?”

Mat nods and signs, “I understand.”

I bow my head and let the blush touch my cheeks for a moment. The guys are taking their new roles very seriously. And I should do my best not to interfere. This is the way it should be.

Jinzo’s hand appears in the car door, so I slip my hand in his, nod to Marcelo, and step onto the gravel driveway. Before I can go anywhere, Jinzo places both of his hands on my hips, and his eyes meet mine.

He whispers, “You have every right to walk away whenever you want. From Mat, from me, from this whole damned mess. But I think our love is stronger than all the rest of this bullshit, don’t you?”

I nod. “Whatever happens, I want to stick with you, Ken, and Gus. We’ll see about the rest.”

“That’s my girl,” he says, taking my face in his hands and pulling me close for a sweet kiss on the lips. When he pulls away, he nods too. “I’ll check on you later.”

Jinzo doesn’t look Mat’s way before he gets in the car. But just before the door closes, I hear Marcelo say, “Cressida put all her priorities in the wrong place.”

I chuckle under my breath as the car pulls away and Mat approaches.

“It’s going to be a beautiful night, so I’ve arranged for us to have dinner outside. Would you like to walk before dinner?”

Ah, yes. I take a deep breath through my nose. The weather is gorgeous today. Mat is in a short-sleeve shirt, and the light breeze ruffles his curls. I’m always cold, so I wore a long-sleeve knit blouse and wide-legged cotton pants. I want to be comfortable after what I went through last night.

“Sure. That would be nice.”

Mat gestures to one of his staff members waiting inside the front door, and the man comes out to take my bag.

“Thank you for the wine and the bracelet.” I hold my wrist up for him to see. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never been given jewelry before…” I swallow as I remember Ken opening the ring box to propose to me all those years ago. It was such an old fashioned thing to do, I couldn’t believe my eyes when he pulled it out of his pocket. I look down at my empty left hand.

“You’ve never been given jewelry?” His eyes widen before his eyebrows pull together.

“Oh, my parents and my aunts and uncles have gifted me jewelry. Usually pieces that belong in the family. And I’ve purchased a few necklaces for myself, but no. This is a first. Thank you.”

“Did you enjoy the wine?” he asks as he opens the vineyard gate for me.

“I did. Probably a bit too much, especially after our day of drinking together. I was hungover most of today.” I laugh and try to make the memory more palatable. “Ken finished one of my glasses because I had to go to bed.”

I reach for his hand to hold as we walk side by side, but then I realize he won’t be able to talk to me. I stuff my hand in my pocket, feeling rude for even trying. Mat covers up the moment by turning to me.

“Tell me more about the men in your network. Jinzo is your first?”

“Hmmm, it’s complicated.”

I tell him the whole backstory about my almost-engagement to Ken, meeting Jinzo and his family, and how Gus came to be onboard the Amagi. I spare no details except about our bedroom activities, which are no one’s business but my own. He gets all the stories about meeting Jinzo’s mom and family, our trip to Laguna, dealing with Cressida, and negotiating with Gus’s mother.

“So, you’ve been through the fire quite a few times already,” he fills in as we’re making our way to the house for dinner. “I have no one to stand against us, so at least you’re spared that.”

Except for Peter, I want to say.

“What about your family? Your brother, the one who stole the family fortune?” Mat asks, checking his wristlet.

I swallow. This lie has to be convincing. “My parents are living out a meager retirement on Ossun while I finish my mission. I don’t know where my brother is.”

He looks to the side at me. What if Mat heard the same information my father did? Does he know? I feel dumber and dumber every day because of Tomu. He was right under my nose for weeks, and I couldn’t see the evidence. Now that I have him, he continues to make me feel inadequate and out of touch.

“That’s unfortunate. I’m sure you’d love to deal with him, after all you’ve been through.”

Would I ever.

“It sounds like the men you’ve chosen so far are a good match for you and for everyone in your network.” He walks a little closer. “Do you think you have room for one more?”

I smile and keep my eyes on the ground ahead of me. “I think I have room for someone in particular.”

We enter the path to the main house and amble along as the sun paints the tops of the vines a rich, buttery hue. My eyes water with the memory of bringing Jinzo to my family farm during golden hour.

“Don’t you just love this time of day?” I suck in a cleansing breath through my nose. “This was always my favorite time of day to walk all over the farm. What’s your favorite part of your vineyard?”

We stop at the top of the hill, right at the entrance to the stone patio where dinner is set up and waiting for us.

“This,” he says, and turns to stare out over the fields as the sun sets in the distance. “I love the view from the house. I’m so fortunate to be here, to have this job, to live this life. I want to share that with someone, someone who will appreciate it.”

This statement has a double meaning. Not only does he mean me, that I appreciate this vineyard and all the hard work and knowledge that goes into the business, but he also means someone not from Sonoma. The people here take for granted what they have. They think this is something anyone can have, when really, this is a luxury the vast majority of Duo System citizens will only ever dream about. This is elite. He’s lucky to have it, and he knows it.

I love how confident yet humble this man is. He is a catch and a half. I would be stupid to pass this opportunity up.

“There’s a lot to appreciate here… and not just the vineyard, Mat.”

He closes in on me, the waning sunlight shining through his curls and lighting up his eyes. Taking my hand in his, he lifts my fingers to his lips and kisses my knuckles, the back of my hand, and then the inside of my wrist. My breath shudders in my chest.

His eyes meet mine again, and I can tell exactly where this evening is going.

I’m right there with him.

He inclines his head at the table on the patio, and keeping my hand in his, leads me over to dinner.

—-

I race ahead of Mat into the arboretum, fueled by laughter and white wine. I have stolen his tumbler of bourbon in an effort to be playful and carefree. It’s working. He runs after me, and I shoot a glance over my shoulder, catching his broad smile as he closes in.

A whoop escapes from my lungs as I round the fountain and hoist the tumbler into the air. “I win!”

Mat huffs a few breaths. “Fine. You get to taste it.”

“I knew you’d concede.” I close my eyes and take a generous sip. Mmmm, caramel and spice. “Oh, wow,” I say, opening my eyes. “This is delicious.”

Mat swoops in, having rounded the fountain while I sipped. I squeal as he grasps my waist, picks me up, and swings me around. All the breath in my lungs escapes in a rush of adrenaline. My laughter mixes with hysteria as the world spins with me. Another déjà vu moment, another prescient vision come true. I don’t remember seeing the glass of bourbon, just the laughter, the emotion. Happiness.

As little as I’ve known Mat so far, he makes me happy. I could see spending more days and nights with him. Thank you, Marcelo, for your excellent matchmaking skills.

“Mat! The bourbon!” It sloshes out of the glass, over my hand, and down to the floor. He sets me down, takes my hand, and sucks the bourbon from my palm. I close my eyes to stop the world from spinning — from him, the wine, and the déjà vu.

His fingers brush my cheek, and my eyes open in time to see him lean in to kiss me. After an evening full of conversation, laughter, and flirting, I knew this was coming. And yet, I keep being surprised that he’s interested in me romantically. His lips meet mine, and I inhale as the bourbon passes between us. I open my mouth and let him in. He’s an expert kisser. Leaving no room for error, he clutches my back with his strong hands and pulls me close. I lift my leg to inch closer, and his hands flow down my back to my ass. He presses in against me, and I gasp, disentangling my lips from his to throw my head back.

“Oh, God.”

He lifts me up, sends kisses up my neck, and then his eyes meet mine. A world of questions lies behind those eyes. My face heats as I tighten my legs around him.

“Are you going to show me your bedroom or what?” I ask, trying to stop the laughter that insane question brings.

He smiles, turns, and marches me out of the arboretum, past the two people who have come to clean up our dinner. One guy glances at the plate of pastries he’s carrying and mumbles, “Guess I’ll save these for later.”

I clutch the tumbler of bourbon and try to catalog my progression through the house as I’m shuttled through three hallways and eventually brought into a massive bedroom. I laugh as Mat circles me around, and I get a good look at his private space. A giant bed takes up the far wall, but I’m enamored by the fireplace. The flames cast a warm orange glow over an ancient Oriental-style rug, black velvet couch, and an armchair. An open door across the room leads to a full ensuite bathroom.

Mat lets me down to my feet and takes the bourbon glass from me.

“I’m dying to take your clothes off,” he signs, and my knees melt.

“Same.” My lips bumble over the word. One syllable, and I can’t even say it without stumbling.

I tug him towards me by his waistband, and something about the movement reminds me of pulling Tomu by his handcuffs through the ship. My smile falters, and my mood cools, but I try to force myself ahead, anyway. Mat’s lips are on my neck as his fingers trace the skin along my back. Mmmm, that’s fantastic. His fingers travel north and skirt the straps of my bra. Okay, that’s better. I close my eyes, and my breathing speeds up.

He angles away from me and lifts his hands, “I thought I lost you for a moment.”

“Sorry,” I say, returning my hands to his waistband. “So many things on my mind. I need to learn not to think.”

He shifts forward, lightly pushing me back, back, back till my legs hit his bed.

He lets go of my body and asks, “Is it me?”

“Is what you?”

“The reason you’re overthinking things. I know my disability is too much for most women —”

I reach out and set my hands on top of his. “No.” I see what I’m doing and snap my hands away like I’ve touched lava. “Sorry. That’s rude.” I sign without speaking, “I have my own troubles, and I look at you, so successful and accomplished, and I wonder why you would choose someone like me.”

“We clicked. I knew right away we’d be good for each other.” His eyes darken. “Will you let me help you get your mind off your troubles?”

“Please,” I sign, placing my hand over my heart and moving it in a circle.

His hands go straight for my pants, freeing the clasp and zipper, opening them, and pushing them down.