Ladyfish

by Andrea Bramhall

  “I expect that information within the next five minutes, or Marissa will not be thanking you.” He paused and listened to the heavy breathing on the other end of the phone. “Are we clear, Dr. Lyell?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Sterling replaced the handset and called Susan again. “Get Jack in here, now.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He was pouring himself a coffee as the well-dressed young man stepped into the room. He held up the pot and poured a second cup when Jack nodded.

  “Jack, we have a situation.” His e-mail program signaled the arrival of new mail. He rounded the desk and printed off the information. “This gentleman needs some persuasion to give us his best efforts. He seems to think I have the time to wait months for a piece of equipment. I expect it to be delivered and installed in Lyell’s lab by the end of the month.”

  “Are there any restrictions, sir?”

  Sterling sipped his coffee. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Sir, it depends on the circumstances.”

  “I want you to do what’s necessary.”

  “Do what we’ve done with Lyell.” Jack sipped his coffee, looking thoughtful.

  Sterling liked the cold steel in Jack’s eyes. He was no-nonsense and did what he was told when he was told to do it. “And if there’s only a wife?”

  “I’ll encourage her to be my guest for a while. If there are children too, he may be more cooperative if we make our purpose clear with the wife and keep the children as our guests.”

  “And if neither is an option?” Sterling asked, not because he really cared, but because he wanted to make sure all the options were covered.

  “Money. I’ll either pay him a sizable bonus for his efforts or find a skeleton in his closet to use as leverage.”

  “Why go to the family first?”

  “It’s the fastest option and the most reliable. Fear keeps them from thinking straight, especially if a child is involved.” Jack rinsed his coffee cup, dried it, and set it in its precise place on the table.

  “Very good. Keep me informed.”

  Jack recognized the dismissal and left the room, the page firmly in hand.

  Chapter Nine

  Oz sat at one of the tables outside the dive school, sipping her coffee as she leafed through Finn’s file again. She had a small stack of papers in front of her weighted down with her saucer to keep them from blowing away, ready for Finn to fill out when she arrived. One was an application for a house share. Mrs. Richmond is only three doors down, and she’s mentioned looking for a tenant. That’ll be perfect for Finn. And she’ll be close to me. Close enough to see every day, if I wanted to.

  Mrs. Richmond had been a longstanding friend of the family. Her husband was the commander of the naval base before he retired, and both her father and uncle had served under his command. They had all become good friends, and now Oz considered Mrs. Richmond a member of her family.

  “Good morning.” Finn dropped into the chair opposite her and smiled broadly. “What’s with the frown?”

  Oz felt her tension dissipate at the sound of Finn’s voice. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. God, that accent’s cute on her. “I was just thinking about something.” She moved the saucer out of the way and pushed the stack of papers over to Finn. When Finn had them in her hand, Oz rummaged around for a pen and tossed it over the table. “Are you ready to get started?”

  “Sure.” Finn began filling out the forms. “Thank you for last night. I had a really good time, and I’m sorry if I talked your ear off.” Finn glanced up and Oz’s heart stuttered slightly at the warmth in her eyes.

  Oz waved her hand. “Not a problem. When I first met you at the airport, I thought you were going to be really quiet, which would make working on this course with you really difficult. I’m glad I was wrong.”

  “Does that happen often?”

  “What?”

  “You being wrong?”

  Oz laughed. “More often than I’ll ever admit to.”

  “This one looks like a tenancy application.” Finn indicated the page on top. “Do you know somewhere I might be able to rent?”

  “It’s possible. It’s a house share, but there’s only one other person in the house. It’s a big house though, with plenty of space for two people. There are four bedrooms as well as the living areas.”

  “It sounds great. Where is it?”

  “It’s the other side of Key West. It’s still a drive from here so your car won’t be obsolete or anything, but it’s pretty close.”

  “What’s the rent?”

  “I need to double-check with the owner, but last time I spoke to her about it she said two hundred a month.”

  “What?” Finn’s eyes opened wide.

  “Is that too much? Maybe I can get her down a bit. How about one fifty?”

  “Are you kidding me? When I was looking online before I came here, everything seemed closer to five or six hundred a month. What’s wrong with this place? Does it have rats or something? Is it falling down? Or is it a crack house?”

  Oz stopped laughing long enough to answer. “No, it’s a nice house, in a nice neighborhood. The owner said that she doesn’t really need the money, but she would really like the company.” Which is exactly why I was thinking about inviting her to my house first. Why the hell is that? I’m going to be working with her every day. Do I really want to spend my off time with her too? She looked at Finn as she mulled the thought over. Yeah. I really do. Shit.

  “Oh. That still seems really cheap. What are the extras? Phone, utilities, and stuff?”

  “Nothing, two hundred a month, everything included but your food. There’s Internet and everything already installed. You get your own groceries.”

  “It sounds too good to be true. Is she an old lady or something?”

  “Compared to you, I guess you could say that.” Oz grabbed her coffee cup and took a sip to hide her smile. Mrs. Richmond was preparing for her seventieth birthday party. Everyone and their dog had received invites just last week to the party she was planning.

  “Well, if she’ll have me for two hundred a month, I don’t really care if she smells like wee and lavender.”

  “What?” Oz almost choked on her coffee, barely managing to get her hand to her mouth and stop it from spewing across the table.

  “Maybe old people smell different here, but I always find they smell a bit like stale wee with a strong hint of lavender or rose water to cover it up.” Finn laughed along with Oz.

  “Stop or I’m gonna smell like wee.”

  “Can you take me to meet her later? See if she likes me? I’ll let you drive the Mustang again.”

  “No problem. I’m sure if you let your landlady drive the Mustang she’ll definitely let you stay. Maybe even for free!”

  “Wow, it really is more than a car.”

  “Yup, I told you that. Now get back to those forms or we’ll never get out of here and on to the fun stuff.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  “It’s admiral, actually,” said a male voice.

  They both looked up as a tall, uniformed sailor stopped next to the table. He twirled his cap in hand, a broad grin on his face as he watched Oz jump up from the table.

  “Uncle Charlie. What are you doing here?” Oz wrapped her arms around the big man. He slung an arm around Oz’s shoulders easily as he towered over her by at least five inches. His broad chest and shoulders were obviously solid muscle and his blond buzz cut accentuated the open features of his face. There was no question about a family resemblance, and Oz suddenly wondered what Finn saw when she looked at her.

  “Well, I got a call from your dad last night and I thought I’d pop down and see you.” He offered his hand to Finn. “I’m Admiral Charles Zuckerman. I have the honor of looking after the base over at Key West, and of being uncle to Ladyfish here.”

  “Daniela Finsbury-Sterling. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

  They shook hands before he turned back t
o Oz. “You got a few minutes for your old uncle?”

  “Sure. I’ll be right back, Finn.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got more paperwork to fill out. It was nice to meet you, Admiral.”

  “And you.” He followed Oz as they headed into the dive shop and into a small office in the back.

  “So that’s who all this is for, eh?”

  “She’s a friend. She’s doing some training here, and she’ll be here a while. Her dad wants other things for her, and she doesn’t expect he’ll be very happy when she says no to him. She’s expecting trouble, and if I can, I want to help her. There’s nothing sinister going on.”

  “I didn’t say there was darlin’. But I’ve dealt with William Sterling myself, and that man is colder than a witch’s tit and twice as nasty.”

  “Wonderful imagery, thanks, Uncle Charlie.”

  “You know exactly what I mean. What is she expected to do?”

  “Marry her gay best friend Pete and make lots of babies.”

  “Is he up for it?”

  “Pardon the pun, hey? No, he isn’t”

  “Is it just him she’s against marrying?”

  “No. She doesn’t want the life he has planned out for her in any way that I can see. She’s happy enough to give it all up right now and walk away.”

  “Is she strong enough to do that?”

  “I don’t know. She says she is, but I don’t know her well enough to be sure yet.”

  “She looks mighty young. I can see exactly why you feel protective of her.”

  “Yeah, but she’s not as young as she looks.”

  “I know. It’s all in here.” He handed her a large manila envelope. “There’s very little about her in here. It’s like she doesn’t exist in a lot of ways. Almost like he doesn’t know she exists. Maybe he’ll just let it go.”

  “I don’t think so. From what she’s told me, his pride won’t let him if nothing else.”

  “That’s what I thought too. Do you think he’ll try to hurt her? Physically, I mean.”

  “Not sure. Mentally? Definitely. Financially? Absolutely. I’m not sure he’ll go so far as to hurt her physically.” Oz glanced back at Finn, noticing the way the sun fell across her hair and highlighted the different shades in it.

  “Do you know about her mother?”

  “She told me her mother died when she was a child.”

  “Did she tell you the circumstances?”

  “No.”

  “Very suspicious circumstances. Never found a body.” He pointed to the envelope she was holding. “The report is in there. Along with some newspaper clippings and a police report I managed to get hold of. A lot of it she may not even know, so you may want to be careful about what you say to her. Oz, this guy is a real piece of work. And I mean that in the worst way. He’s got a lot of legitimate businesses, but there are more rumors of underground illegal stuff than I can shake a stick at. I had to go through some serious channels to get some of that stuff for you. And there was more than one government agency calling my office this morning when I did, asking why I was snooping around.”

  “CIA?”

  “Throw in Interpol, MI6, and the NSA.”

  “Wow, full house. I’m gonna really hate this bastard, aren’t I, Uncle Charlie?”

  “Yes, baby. You really are.” He handed her a card with a number penned on the back while she fought back her own revulsion. “That’s my sat phone number. Any time, Oz. You need anything. And I mean anything. You call me on that number. You understand?”

  “Yes, sir.” She threw her arms around him again. “Thank you, Uncle Charlie.”

  “You still have a weapon?”

  “Yes, sir, I have a few.”

  “You keep ’em ready, you hear?”

  “Yes, sir. Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

  “Thanks, but no. I gotta get back to the base. It’s Thanksgiving next month. Why don’t you invite her over?”

  It’s only the second of October, Uncle Charlie!”

  “That makes Thanksgiving next month. She’s still going to be here, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where is she staying?”

  “She’s at the Ocean Key Resort at the moment, but she’ll be moving pretty soon. I was thinking about Mrs. Richmond—”

  “Old lady Richmond?”

  “Yup.”

  “You spoken to her yet?”

  “No, I was going to give her a call in a little while.”

  “Tell her we’ll all be at her pool party on Sunday.”

  “Sure.”

  “I think that’s a good idea, having her with Mrs. R. She’s got more guns than I do!”

  Oz chuckled, knowing it was probably true. “It will make her harder to trace and easier to protect. She’s only a few doors down from me then, and Mrs. Richmond is always looking out those curtains at what’s going on.”

  “You’ve been spending a lot of time with her?”

  “Only met her two days ago, but I took her out to dinner last night.”

  “Dinner? Like a date?”

  “No, like an apology.” Oz chuckled. “I was an asshole to her yesterday and invited her to dinner to say sorry.”

  “Right.”

  “I don’t know what it is, Uncle Charlie, but whenever I’m around her, I just want to protect her, and I fly off the deep end with it.” Oz ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “I say things without thinking, and then I try and find something to say to her just to stop her from looking sad or being mad at me. Or better yet, to make her smile. Or laugh. She has this wonderful laugh. It’s like music or something.”

  “Right.”

  “Anyway. Thanks for the info, and the help.”

  “No problem, Ladyfish.” He gave her a tight hug and gave her a long, searching look before kissing her forehead and striding off, flipping open his cell phone as he walked away.

  Oz watched him go and contemplated her next move. She didn’t want to scare Finn off by letting her know she was digging into her family life. But she also felt like Finn had a right to know Oz was snooping. She looked at Finn, still signing paperwork, the sun making her skin glow. Her stomach flipped and she pressed a hand to it. Shit.

  Chapter Ten

  Finn was still working her way through the forms when Oz took her seat again. She shuffled the manila envelope to the bottom of the stack and started looking over the information in front of her, though she didn’t really see any of it, absorbed as she was with the turn her life had taken.

  “Oz?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “What?”

  “With your uncle? Is everything okay?”

  “Oh, yeah, it’s fine. I asked him to get some information for me, and we haven’t seen each other for a while, so he decided to pop down and see me.” She turned back to her papers.

  “Oz? What’s a ladyfish?”

  “It’s a fish.”

  Finn snorted. “I guessed that much. Why did your uncle call you ladyfish?”

  “It’s just a stupid nickname. It’s renowned to be a particularly difficult fish to catch, has a tendency to take the bait from the hook, and when it is caught, it’s supposed to be more difficult to land than a barracuda or a shark.”

  “Ah, okay. I can see that, I guess. So, Ladyfish. No long-term girlfriend?”

  Oz stared at her before slowly shaking her head.

  “Ever?”

  “Never.” Oz looked back down at the papers in front of her and didn’t notice Finn move until she felt a hand resting gently on her shoulder.

  “It’ll be a lucky girl who finally finds the right bait, Ladyfish.” She squeezed her shoulder gently and then made her way toward the bathroom. Oz sighed as she watched Finn saunter away from her. Shit, shit, shit.

  She couldn’t drag her eyes away from the sight of the loose-fitting black board shorts and forest green tank top that hung loosely on Finn’s small frame. Her long auburn hair hung do
wn her back, almost to her waist, the sun catching highlights of red and gold. A gentle smile curved her lips, but it was her laughing eyes that made Oz shiver. She had eyes that shone like emeralds in the sun, and Oz wondered what they would look like in a moment of passion. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice Finn come back.

  “I finished with those papers you gave me, so what’s next?”

  “Swim test.”

  “I did one back in the UK. They said they sent the results to you with the other paperwork.”

  “I think there may have been a mistake with the times so we have to repeat the tests. Sorry.”

  “What did they put down?”

  “Twenty-six point two one.”

  “For the fifty? That’s about right.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “No. I told you I swam when I was younger.”

  “Not in the Olympics, you didn’t.”

  “Not quite. I couldn’t break twenty-six seconds. I needed a few more inches in height, really. Don’t say it.” She wagged a finger in Oz’s direction.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said as she smothered her laughter.

  “So do we still need to do the swim test again? I really want to start getting into this, and I know there’s a lot to learn.”

  “I’ll let it go. Here.” She pushed a book in front of Finn. “This is what you need to start studying. We’ll go over it tomorrow with the rest of the class, but if you can prepare ahead with the material you can also be looking at the presentation for teaching styles and techniques too. That will help you later on when you have to teach the course you’re going to attend tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Is there somewhere I should go out of the way or am I okay to hang out here?”

  “You can hang out here or there’s a training room empty today, so feel free. If you want to go back to the hotel, that’s cool too. We can always meet later so I can show you the house if you like?”

  “No, I’ll hang around here.”

  “We also need to get your equipment. Wet suit, dry suit, your buoyancy control device or BCD, fins, mask, et cetera. I would recommend a dive computer too, but you don’t have to do this all at once. For now, you can borrow stuff from the dive center and then buy when you have the money.” Oz looked away, suddenly aware that she might be intruding on Finn’s personal space and unsure why she felt the need to take control. She let all her other students and divers make their own purchases.