by Tara Brown
My kids might be safe, or not.
I might be kept alive, or not.
Nothing was left, nothing was a guarantee.
I heard a zipper and opened my eyes. Servario dropped his pants and pulled his shirt off. I closed my eyes, but he didn’t have a shower like I thought he might. He stepped into my tub, pushing me to the other side to accommodate him.
The water level rose, nearly touching the top of the tub.
“What are you doing?” I asked, not raising my voice.
“I’m enjoying my last night with you.”
My stomach sank. “You’re going to murder me tomorrow?”
He didn’t answer.
“Promise not to hurt my kids.” The words weren’t a plea. They were a demand.
“Of course.” He nodded. “I will guard them with my life.” His lip quivered as he mouthed words and I read his lips, “The secret must be kept. There is no price too high. No matter what it is, I will pay it to protect the world from the chaos it could bring.”
He didn’t speak aloud in his own home? Were we ever safe? He was always mouthing and whispering. He was always silent unless showboating his bad qualities. Then he was loud and slightly demented.
He turned on the noisy jets as he picked up one of my feet and started to rub. “Tell me something you don’t want to.”
I frowned, barely hearing what he’d said. “I like you. I don’t know why, but when it’s only you and me, and say some bubbles or a bed, I like you.” I spoke in the same low whisper.
He nodded.
“Tell me something you don’t want to.”
He grinned. “I joined the mile-high club with you. I have never had sex on my jets, ever.”
“Really?” I laughed silently. “Didn’t see that coming.”
“If you could do anything in the world for the next year, what would it be?”
I frowned.
He chuckled and murmured, “Humor me.”
Arching an eyebrow, I spoke softly after thinking for only a second, “Take my kids to an ashram in Thailand and learn to be a yogi. Let them homeschool for the year and run around on a private beach like Swiss Family Robinson, only the Thai edition. Then I’d rent a house in France and take them to museums and galleries and the ruins of France. I would winter in the Alps and ski and probably finish the year off in Australia, or Greece, or somewhere completely different. Maybe on a yacht.” Each part brought a flash of images. I could imagine every moment. I could see their faces. "And I would put worry that anyone was following us. I would show them the world and feel safe."
He nodded. “I knew you were high maintenance, deep down.”
“You know it.” My laugh was bitter.
“What about afterward? Would you return to Boston?”
I searched his face for where it was all going. “You mean if I could and be safe?”
“Yes.”
“I would. My kids are in an amazing school. They love their friends and sports. They excel in the things they do. I would go back. I would need a different house though, and maybe neighborhood. James fucked some of the neighbors as well, which means there's a chance he was doing it in my house. Maybe even in my bed. I'd burn the bed and buy a new house and let my kids settle back into a quiet life.”
“That man makes me feel things no other man does.” His words were a bit lost in the translation.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. Evie, if things were different and you were just a girl and I was just a guy, would you go to the Alps with me for Christmas?”
The question hurt my insides. “No.”
“I see.” He paused. “May I ask why?”
“I don’t think I can ever forget what happened with the whore.” I forced myself to stare him in the eyes. "So we won't ever be a normal guy and a normal girl."
A pained smile spread across his face. “Fair enough.”
We lay in silence until finally I stood up, dripping water on him. “I need sleep. Do you have some pajamas I can borrow?”
“No, you may not wear any.”
“Whatever.” I climbed out and dried myself with what was possibly the softest towel on the planet. The queen probably didn’t have as nice of a towel. I walked naked to his bed and climbed in.
He got out and crossed the room in the dim light of the bathroom.
“Should I sleep in the closet or are you not having company over tonight?”
He chuckled. “You stay right where you are.”
My stomach tensed. “Gustavo, you can’t be serious.”
He turned sharply, grinning. “You never call me that.”
“I should sleep in clothing. I just—I can’t—not with you. Not ever again.”
“We will see.” He laughed and fiddled with a drawer of things. “All I ask is for five minutes to persuade you otherwise.”
“Uhhh. No.”
“Don’t say no to me.” He pointed at me and crossed the room once more to turn off the bathroom light.
He climbed into bed, dragging me over to him. He wrapped himself around me and whispered in my ear, “You want to know my perfect year, assuming I had another one to live?”
I nodded, realizing I feared him again.
His words were breath only, tickling my ear. “It would start with spooning you for a whole night like you deserve to be. Then I’d do everything in my power to ensure your life was the way you wanted it to be. I’d say that I would die for you, Evie, but that won’t guarantee your safety. I would spend my whole year in your shadow, protecting you and earning the place I want to be in your heart. So that you would invite me for Christmas in the Alps.” He kissed my cheek. “I need one last show out of you tonight. Someone is watching me and I don’t know whom. I think I have a mole and that's how James found out about me and your dad. Please, let me play the bad guy. Can you do that?”
Tears threatened me. I gave myself the moment and then shut it off. I turned to him, speaking loudly, “You have five minutes to make me want it. But you have to stop whispering that dirty shit in my ear.”
His eyes were glossy in the moonlight filtering in. “I knew you’d come around.”
He didn't need five minutes to make me want it. He didn't need one.
There was a difference this time.
He was rough and savage and yet, more loving.
When it was over I fell fast asleep.
I woke hours later and peered over at him. He was sleeping. I cuddled in and let everything he’d said be more than it probably was.
Flashes of the night before crept into my brain, making me blush. I’d ridden him for the first time. It was amazing. My body was clenching from merely remembering.
“You’re making me sweat,” he moaned, not opening his eyes.
“You made me sweat last night.”
“I know.” He grinned. “You liked it.”
“No, I didn't.” I bit his arm lightly. “You liked it.”
He opened one very green eye. “I did.” His smile was infectious.
Sighing impatiently, I dragged my hands across his torso. “I’m hungry.”
“I’ll see if Matilda has any Raisin Bran for you.”
“Stop.” I swatted him and climbed off the bed. “I want more of Pierre’s waffles.”
“You stop.” He lifted his head and watched me pull on clothes that I’d stolen from his drawer. “Stop stealing my clothes and no more waffles for you. You aren’t allowed to come over anymore.”
“Whatever.” I inspected his shorts and black tee shirt. “These almost fit. Were you slimmer before?”
“I called ahead a few days ago and asked Matilda to get you some of my old clothes out of the bags from when I was a boy—she keeps everything in hopes I will one day have children. Anyway, I was putting them away last night when you were being rude to me.”
“Seriously?” I folded my arms. “How am I so predictable to you? How do you guess my every move?”
His eyes sparkled. “You
military people are all the same. You follow orders. I knew if I told you to do something, you would.”
“Whatever.” I snorted as I left the room in search of food. I found Coop instead.
“Hey.” He gave me a grave look. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“What did he say?”
I continued down the hall. “Nothing. That’s the problem. He hasn’t told me anything. I told him whatever happens, keep my kids safe, and that’s the only guarantee I’ve gotten from him.”
He swallowed. “The team hasn’t checked in since they went silent.”
Worry snuck in where I had told myself not to let it. I sighed. “What can we do? Realistically, what are our options?”
He shook his head and led me to the bedroom where Luce and Jack sat on a huge bed.
“Morning.” Luce smiled but there was fear in her face. She looked like herself again, no makeup or fancy clothes or big hair. I pointed to their outfits. “Where’d you get clothes from?”
Jack shrugged. “They were laid out already. The lady, who doesn’t speak any of the languages I’ve tossed at her, did it.”
“How many do you speak, Jack?” I cocked an eyebrow.
He gazed downward. “Counting Elvish and Klingon—nine.”
I grinned at Luce who shook her head. “Dude.”
“What?” He blushed.
“Nothing. We need a plan.” I motioned toward the door.
Coop made a face. “This place is bugged to fuck. I found seven between my room and this one. I’m assuming we didn’t get them all. We’ve been pretty careful of what we said.”
I pointed at the clothes. “And we all put on clothes from here. Probably sewn in the damned hems.”
Luce sighed. “Go for a swim?”
“Let’s.”
We walked back out into the main room and through the front door.
There was no one around. “Creepy how there’s no staff, huh?”
Coop scanned about. “Super creepy. Not to mention, Steve took our guns before we got on the plane.”
The path to the ocean was bricked with sand and rock gardens the entire way. The water was beautiful and turquoise.
“Where the hell are we?”
Jack smirked. “We’re in Mexico, just north of Veracruz.”
“How the hell did he get us to Mexico without passports or shit?” His skills were baffling.
Coop picked up the pace. “He’s Gustavo Servario. He can do anything.”
We ran as we got closer to the sandy beach. We all dove into the waves. They weren’t too rough. There was a rocky break out in the water, not too far from the beach. It got the worst of the moody Atlantic. The beach near the house was more of a pool. The water was warm and yet refreshing. We swam out against the current, each of us dunking and soaking ourselves thoroughly.
I flutter-kicked and stared back at the house. “He’s trying something. I don’t know what, but I think he wants to help us.”
Coop pointed. “Well, here he comes, swimming trunks and all. Maybe he’ll just offer it up.”
I laughed when I saw that Servario truly had on Bermuda shorts and was carrying a stack of towels. He dropped them on the beach, far from us, and jogged for the water. We all watched in silence as he jumped in and swam out.
Servario bobbed and eyeballed us all before speaking softly, “I had hoped you’d come out here. Let’s all pretend to swim and be playful. Whoever is the mole is watching. Unless of course, it’s one of you.”
Coop's jaw dropped. “What?”
“I have a mole. I didn’t know until recently. My staff is unaware of many aspects of my life, and when I made inquiries about the Burrow, as any arms dealer worth his salt would, I had James up my ass, right away. My plan was to put it out there and see who bit. James bit immediately.”
“Who?” I spoke to Coop, “One of ours maybe?”
“I don't know.” He ran his hands through his hair. “If there is, it’s over my head.”
Jack frowned. “Wait, who was Derringer in all this?”
Servario shook his head. “The patsy your people wanted to blame for many things related to this. It’s not him. It’s someone in my employment. My houses are not safe. My planes weren’t safe.”
I frowned. “Is the plane safe now?” I asked, recalling the conversation and the sex we’d had.
He chuckled. “I had something installed. It alerts me to issues of that nature. The plane starts and an alarm goes off. It only works in planes and vehicles.”
Coop sounded a bit confused. “Does anyone know you installed it?”
“No. Impossible.”
“So you’re on our side?” Coop asked carefully.
“No.” Servario chuckled. “I’m on her side. Whatever side she chooses will dictate if I’m on yours or not.”
Coop obviously wasn’t buying it. Jack chimed in, “That does make sense. You must have been friends with her dad and that’s why the information James found tied you together.”
Coop’s eyes widened. “Her father killed your father when you were what—eighteen?”
“A little older.” Servario’s brow lowered until his eyes had no green in them. “Let’s drop it. It’s my business, not yours. Yours is staying alive. Your government has a few key members who won’t rest until they have the Burrow. Those same people by now think you are all involved. Running with Evie, when you were told to keep her with me, didn’t help your cause. You don’t stand a chance of surviving the next forty-eight hours unless you off them and hide the evidence linking you.”
My teeth began to chatter as we floated in the water. “We know the commander is involved.”
“Yeah,” Coop agreed. “He’s been my only contact throughout the whole thing.”
Luce offered, “The eyes on the house. We know for sure that’s gonna be one team, following along. They wouldn’t risk the information getting out.”
Servario licked his lips, making a face from the salt water splashing us all. “Don’t forget, there has to be a politician in on this. There’s no way the commander got involved without someone higher up putting it in his face. The only people who knew about the Burrow were very high in the CIA, UN, MI6, and CI. One of them has opened this can of worms.”
“But who?” I questioned. “We split up and take them out?”
Coop gave me a look. “This is a top breach if we do it. We can be tried for espionage, treason, terrorism, and a variety of other really chargeable offenses. You in for that, with your kids?”
I swallowed and turned to Servario.
“No,” he spoke, “she’s out. She isn’t negotiable. She is a civilian.”
My eyes narrowed. “Are my kids safe?”
“Doesn’t matter, you aren’t in.”
“Yes, I am.” I searched his face. “I’m in. This is my father’s work, my country’s work, my mother’s work, and if this ends, my kids can have normalcy again.”
“You could die and leave them orphaned. Or worse, get caught and shame them with the lies they charge you with.”
“We aren’t talking about this anymore.” I swam to shore. “We leave here in an hour. We need to figure out your situation first.” I knew who it was—who the mole was.
“Evie!” He came out of the water after me. “You aren’t in.”
“Yes, I am.” I glimpsed back. “You ever sleep with Roxy?”
He sighed. “I told you I won’t have you disrespecting her. I truly hired her for the cooking and the OCD. She’s very clean. Yes, she’s pretty, but I don’t like to mix business with pleasure.”
“Really?” I put my hands on my hips. “You mixed it with me.”
He countered, “You have never been anything but pleasure in my mind.”
“Roxy doesn’t know that.”
“She doesn't?” He picked up a towel and dried himself off. “You think it’s her?”
“I do.” I toweled off and hiked up to the house. “She is it. She’s jealous.”
Coop, Luce, and Jack were in the water, plotting. He sighed. “No way. I never brought women on the plane, and I’ve never been that way with her.”
“You fucked how many chicks on that yacht?”
His eyes burned.
I pointed at him. “I know what it’s like to see you with your whores. What did you think? You think she’d never get tired of the constant hardcore sexathons you had on board? She told me about them, ‘women coming on board to come.’ She hates you for never picking her, and your obsession with me has only provoked that. I guarantee James got to her. She’s the weak link.”
“If you're right, you're better at this than I’ve given you credit for.”
I laughed at him. “No, you were blinded by the tight piece of ass you could pay to cook and clean and not have to spoon in the morning. And you likely assumed because she was pretty, she was dumb. Common mistake.”
He didn’t laugh. He looked like he might be sick.
16
Blood debt
We boarded the plane and immediately my stomach did flips. Roxy smiled and waved. “The pilot said he didn’t know where we’re going,” she said with a smile.
Servario smiled at her softly. “No. I wanted to keep it our secret.” He strolled past her to the pilot who I had yet to see.
A brief puzzled expression crossed her face as she went to the back of the plane. I liked her. I hated that I thought it was her who betrayed Servario, but in her defense she believed him bad and she’d no doubt feared quitting. Maybe it was then that James had come along and threatened her, using his government ties to bribe her into working with him. With no proof, I could only assume it was how it had happened.
Technically, she’d made the right choice, the just choice. But my kids were part of the things that prevented me from helping her.
Instead of helping her, I let her go to the back of the plane.
Feeling sick and nervous I took my seat, my usual seat, and waited for us to take off and for the shit to hit the fan.
Luce’s face was grave.
Steve hadn’t come. Servario had put him to work elsewhere.
It was only Roxy, the mystery pilot, and us.
I stopped paying attention to anything and everything and wrestled with my gut-wrenching tension.