by Payne, Jenna
“I am alright. You were cutting it a little close, but everything is fine. Right Jack?” she asked him.
He gave a shaky smile and held up his closed hand.
“We got it,” he said.
Laura was relieved she had managed to palm the coin as she fell across the table. Brock shook his hand as if thanking him and then turned and walked down the hall. A minute later Detective Avery found them and wanted to go over what happened.
*****
Epilogue
Laura smiled at her reflection in the little mirror. She did look good in fine clothes, she thought to herself happily. Leather and silk were wonderful things. She left the little airplane bathroom and went out to take her seat. Jack poured her a drink and they toasted.
“Nice job darling. I have never met anyone who, on a first job, would have remembered to grab the coin when a gun was pulled on them. With the scattering of the chips there was no way to tell where it went,” he praised her.
The word on the street was that the Tortellis had made a deal with Jason and it had gone wrong. Between them the coin had been lost. Her name was not even coming up. From what they had learned, the Tortelli’s organization thought Jason had screwed them, so again, Laura’s name was clear. Detective Avery got the bust of a lifetime and the gratitude of Mr. Lander, so everyone was happy. She felt the humming of the engines change pitch and put on her seatbelt like the others were doing. She had never flown before and her first time was going to be on a private jet.
“I am surprised everything went so well,” she admitted.
“We got lucky. Once the job was in motion we could not get a hold of you to tell you what we learned. The detective told us that the reports on the break in at your place showed that witnesses claimed it was done by one man, one American man. The Tortellis do everything together so it wasn’t them. After that I remembered you saying that Jason gave you your tip box. I wasn’t sure how he had anything to do with it, but knew he did. Once we got a hold of Mr. Landers he checked security and we found several cameras down and Jason gone. Bingo. He had probably heard about the auction and wanted in. Stupid of him, but then again, it is Vegas,” Brock said and sipped his drink as the plane started moving.
“So even if the Tortellis had not attracted attention to themselves by assaulting me, Jason would have tried something anyway. I was just at the wrong place, at the wrong time, or right time depending on how one looks at it,” Laura told them with a smile as the plane lifted off. She looked out the window loving the feeling in her stomach as they gained altitude quickly. These little planes really moved, she thought to herself.
“How do you look at it Laura dear?” Brock asked softly. She glanced at them and saw them both watching her closely, looking concerned. She smiled for them and looked back out the window. The view from that height was amazing she decided.
“Where are we headed again?” She asked.
“Paris, France,” Jack answered.
“Then I think I was in the right place at the right time,” she told them happily. Whatever happened, she knew her life would never be boring.
THE END
Bonus Story 23 of 40
Alien Summer Blaze
The cool summer breeze was gently blowing on her face as she stood in front of the newly renovated lakefront house. With its lovely rustic-themed design in white and sky blue and a wide porch surrounded by colorful flowers dancing in the wind, plus the breathtaking backdrop of Willow Stone’s shimmering waters and stately mountain range, the place was absolutely perfect.
27-year-old Erin Bradley smiled, her dark brown eyes finally lighting up after a long time. She had a feeling this remote countryside area of Idaho could be her knight in shining armor.
With her shiny black hair pulled up in a ponytail and her heart leaping with eagerness at the peaceful summer vacation she had been longing for, she actually looked about ten years younger.
At that very moment, she heard her phone ringing. She rummaged through her tote bag and fished it out. “Hi, Mom!” she greeted cheerfully when she saw who was calling.
“Hey, honey…” she heard her mom’s perky voice say. “Are you there yet?”
“Yup, standing right in front of it,” she replied. “It’s beautiful. Tell Winston thanks for letting me use it while you guys are on your honeymoon.”
“Oh, that’s no big deal.”
“Where are you guys?” Erin wondered as she slowly climbed up the front steps and sat down on the cushioned sofa on the porch.
“Right in front of the Eiffel Tower!” her mom exclaimed. “By the way…” The signal seemed to suddenly fluctuate, masking her mom’s voice with static and cutting her off abruptly.
“Hello? Hello!” Erin said.
There was no answer, so she tapped on the End Call button and put her phone back inside her bag. She took out the keys to the lake house and was about to open the front door, when she heard some noise coming from inside- as if somebody had accidentally dropped something heavy.
Her heart began to pound madly. Just her luck that a thief had decided to break in right when she arrived!
Instinctively, she turned the door knob and was astonished to find that it wasn’t locked. She slowly crept inside, looking around with wide eyes and a fast beating heart.
I should call 911, she thought, taking out her phone again. But when she looked at it, there was no signal anymore. She was about to head back outside, when a male voice made her stop in her tracks.
“Who are you?” a low, husky voice demanded.
Shocked that he had the gall to be the one to ask that question, she turned around with an angry retort in mind. But when she saw the towering, brawny man staring at her crossly, his muscular arms peeking out of his plain black shirt, fear immediately gripped her.
He strode toward her in quickly, before she could turn around and run. She found herself frozen on the spot, her mouth hanging open.
“Who are you?” he repeated the question, this time in a less threatening tone. “How did you get in here?”
“The door was open,” Erin answered mechanically. Then realizing he was supposed to be the intruder, she narrowed her eyes and said, “I should ask you that.”
His deep green eyes which had been looking at her suspiciously a moment ago seemed to relax. “You must be Jillian’s daughter,” he muttered irritably.
Erin was dumbfounded. How did he know her mother’s name? “And you are?” she asked, eyeing him oddly.
“Kale,” he said in a brusque manner. “Kale Thompson.”
“Oh,” was all she could say when she heard his family name. He must be related to her mom’s new husband. “There must be some mistake. I was supposed to have this place all to myself for the summer.”
He simply grunted and turned away, leaving her annoyed. He disappeared into the room on the right, but did not close the door. She followed him cautiously and saw that he had been doing some carpentry work inside. There were a few boxes on the floor. One which was filled with books seemed to have toppled over because some of the books were now scattered on the wooden planks. That must have been the reason for the noise she’d heard from outside.
She drank in the scene before her. Obviously, this guy was not going anywhere anytime soon.
“Are you Winston’s nephew or something?” she inquired, trying to control her mood.
“Or something,” he said without looking at her.
Despite his huge physique and ruggedly handsome looks, she wasn’t impressed at all. She was more concerned about the fact that he may actually stay longer than one day.
“Seriously, what’s your relation to him?” she asked exasperatedly, placing both hands on her hips as she stood at the doorway.
He was pounding on what looked like a half-made wooden bed with a hammer. “I’m his son,” he muttered almost unintelligibly.
Erin was still able to decipher his reply, but she had a hard time believing it. She’d met Winston only once when he and her mom had visited her ap
artment in the city. He had never mentioned anything about having a son or even about a previous family. Even her mother had seemed to have skipped that detail about him during the many chats they’ve had over the past year. She had been seeing him for a year before they had settled down. She would have known, right?
“How long before you finish up and leave?” she asked bluntly. She was probably not being too polite especially since it was his dad who’d actually bought the house. But at that moment, she didn’t care much. She was intent on making this her recovery summer break so she could pick up the pieces of her broken heart and start over.
Kale stopped hammering then. He stood up and faced her squarely with a look of nuisance and disbelief. “I’m staying for the entire summer, stepsister,” he said in his low voice.
Erin gasped when she heard what he’d called her. He’s right!
“Don’t worry,” he assured her. “I’ll stay out of your way. You can use the master bedroom. I’m sleeping on the sofa until this other room is fixed.”
Erin could only nod her head as he returned to his work. So much for a serene, rejuvenating, and heart-healing escape by the lake.
*****
As Erin strolled along the lakeside, she contemplated just going back to the city and taking up her best friend Courtney’s offer to hook up with her husband’s foreign friend. Just thinking about it was already stressing her out. She did not want to plunge into another romantic involvement after a disastrous one that had left her so broken.
Sighing, she paused and sat down on a patch of grass in the shade of a huge tree. She gazed at the exquisite natural scenery in front of her. This was something she wouldn’t be able to enjoy in the city. Just sitting still and admiring the beauty of nature already seemed to be making her feel better.
She shook her head. “Nah, I can’t go back,” she whispered aloud. Besides, I don’t want to run into my ex and his other woman.”
Suddenly, his hurtful words came back to her along with images of betrayal that she wanted to erase from her memory forever. She closed her eyes and tried to push them away. “He’s a jerk and an asshole. I deserve better,” she declared with determination.
A ping from her phone made her open her eyes again. It was a Facebook message from her dear mom who was apologizing because she and Winston had mistakenly given her and Kale permission to use the lake house during the summer. They’d been so caught up with their impromptu wedding and travel plans that they had forgotten to fix the schedule for the use of the house.
Erin sighed, telling her mother that it was okay even if it really wasn’t. Her mom hadn’t been that happy for so many years; not since her dad had passed away in an accident. She didn’t want to rain on her mom’s parade, especially after seeing her newly posted photos in Paris.
No worries. I’ll deal with it. Have fun there with Winston! That’s what Erin typed before saying goodbye.
The surroundings were so quiet that she silenced her phone and leaned back on the tree to savor the moment. After a long drive and after her encounter with an unexpected “stepbrother”, she realized she was tired and hungry.
She stood up and brushed off the dust and blades of grass from her jeans. That was when a movement on her far left caught her attention. She saw Kale coming out of the boathouse, rowing a small boat toward the center of the glittering lake. He was shirtless, which gave her a good view of his well-built chest and torso even from a distance. She could see the muscles flexing in his arms as he rowed.
Something inside of her seemed to stir just a tiny bit. Now that she thought about it, her stepbrother was actually quite hunky in that craggy sort of way that attracted many women. Her own ex was of the same type, which was probably the only reason her eyes were lingering on Kale.
Get over it, Erin, she reprimanded herself silently. Your ex is a big, fat liar and a two-timer badass. And that attractive man you’re staring at is your stepbrother.
At that moment, she saw him look in her direction. He was too far away to see if he had seen her gawking. But nonetheless, she turned around and hurried back to the house.
In a few minutes, she had forgotten about him and was animatedly chatting with Courtney while enjoying a glass of the fresh orange juice she’d brought along. Before going over to the house, she had stopped at the grocery store to buy food, toiletries, and other stuff she thought she might need throughout the month and a half of her self-declared vacation. She was a freelance writer, after all, with no actual boss. However, she’d had to inform her regular clients.
“So how beautiful is it there?” Courtney was asking.
“So damn beautiful and relaxing,” Erin replied.
“Ooh, I sooo envy you!” Courtney exclaimed. “I’m actually pleading with Chad to take me there next weekend. Or maybe the weekend after that.”
“That would be great!” Erin said.
“It depends on his erratic work schedule… and mine too…” Courtney said. “But we’ll definitely visit before the summer’s over. In the meantime, enjoy your quiet, alone time. You deserve it.”
“Thanks, Courtney,” Erin said, grateful to have a wonderful friend like her. She didn’t tell her about Kale, though.
After she put down the phone, she got a paperback novel and a bag of chips before heading out to the porch. She positioned herself lazily on the hammock, relishing the afternoon breeze while she read her book and munched on the chips.
About an hour had passed when she heard loud banging inside the house. At first, she ignored it because she knew Kale was probably back and was working again in the second bedroom. She hadn’t even noticed he was already back.
She tried to pay no attention to the noise, but it was impossible. Frowning, she climbed down from the hammock and went inside.
“Can you please keep it down?” she said from the doorway. His back was turned and thank God he had his shirt back on.
He glanced at her wordlessly, then suddenly put away his tools. He straightened up and walked past her. She followed him with her eyes as he stretched out on the sofa in the living room and closed his eyes. He was longer than the couch, so his feet dangled over one end.
She went back to the porch, but could no longer focus on what she was reading. The sun was already setting, so she put her book down and decided to watch the spectacular play of colors in the sky and on the surface of the water. When it darkened around her, she yawned and closed her eyes, eventually falling asleep on the hammock.
*****
It was nighttime when her eyes fluttered open. She was lying on the hammock on the porch, but was surprised to find that a blanket had been strewn over her body. She did not remember getting up to grab a blanket.
A shadow in front of the house caught her eye. The figure appeared to be Kale, so she did not panic. Besides, the remote area was not frequented by people and the nearest neighbor they had lived miles away. She watched him surreptitiously as he walked toward the lake. Then to her shock, he suddenly vanished into thin air.
She rubbed her eyes and glanced at her watch. It was almost midnight.
With her heart pounding and her curiosity growing, she went inside the house to make sure he really wasn’t there. Perhaps her eyes had been playing tricks on her, or maybe she’d somehow still been dreaming. But he wasn’t in the house.
She went to the lake but did not see him anywhere. It was quite dark, except for the illumination coming from the porch lights. And when that hit her, a shiver ran down her spine. She turned around tersely and almost crashed into the bulky chest of a tall man. Looking up, she found herself standing very close to her stepbrother and gazing into his profound green eyes.
“What are you doing out here at this time?” he asked. “It might not be safe.”
She wanted to ask him where he had been but she did not want to sound like she was interested in his activities. Without any answer, she trudged back to the house. He followed her and she hurriedly locked herself in the bedroom. He was certainly too creepy t
o hang out with.
The week passed by quickly. So far, Erin and Kale had managed to stay out of each other’s way. They cooked their own food and hardly ate at the same time. If they happened to be in the kitchen or dining room together, they ate with minimal conversation.
One evening, Erin was preparing dinner in the kitchen while watching Kale intriguingly from the corner of her eye. She could see him quietly sitting on the couch, lost in his thoughts. He had a menacing expression on his otherwise good-looking face.
His weird silence and seemingly brooding nature were getting to her, so she decided to play some music on her phone to distract herself.
To her surprise, he went into the kitchen after a few seconds. “What song is that?” he asked as he sat on the stool by the granite counter.
She glanced at him, stunned that he was making conversation. “Uh, it’s called ‘My Eternal Goodbye’. It’s an old song that my dad had composed.”
“I see,” he said thoughtfully. “Must have been a talented fellow.”
“He was,” Erin said. She then placed the chicken alfredo pasta on the counter, which was more than enough for the two of them. “You haven’t eaten, right? Want some?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
It was puzzling how he was suddenly showing interest in her, asking questions and listening attentively. Maybe he realized it was high time they became friends somehow. After all, they were now family. Or maybe he was just plain bored already.
Perhaps she was bored too, or was eager for company. She found herself eventually sharing more about her life as they enjoyed their dinner. He was certainly a good listener, but she could feel that he had a lot on his mind, and that he wasn’t ready to open up to her. Nevertheless, she could not help feeling a connection with him as the night wore on. She could not explain it, but spending time with him made her feel more secure.
*****
There was something about jogging through the quiet countryside near the lake while the sun rose and draped the entire sky with vivid colors.