by Jade Powers
“So you got here. He didn’t follow through, and you have no money to get home.” Gail guessed.
She was almost right.
“Worse. I got here, stepped off the plane and walked right into a trap. My captors knew where I would be waiting. He had armed guards, the whole works. The worst part was that the bank account was real. I was paid blood money to trap Dad.”
“He really paid you? That doesn’t make sense if you were kidnapped.”
“Tell me about it. Fifteen thousand dollars in my name. I checked once I was free. I was never the ultimate target. Now they have Dad, who stole technology from his boss to save me. I feel like a complete idiot.”
“This Kendall fellow? Is he from around here?” Gail asked.
“Yeah, SpaceTech’s offices are in Miami. They have three research facilities scattered across the company. I thought I might have a bit of adventure, maybe face real danger, but I didn’t think I’d be locked in a room for months so they could send videos to my dad.”
Gail tilted her head with a credulous look, “So, how much of what you just told me is actual truth?”
Bryce put his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. He said, “All of it. My dad brought the tech I told you about and hid it on campus. He gave me a note telling me exactly where to look. I grabbed it, not knowing I had been followed. When I saw the goons, I hoofed it. I knocked over this girl on the sidewalk and tucked it into her bag. My dad turned off the tracking device, so they shouldn’t have been able to find it.”
“Is that the girl who was grabbed earlier today?”
“I don’t know. I think so. The time and place seem right. I know what she looks like and could tell if I saw her.”
“Wait, she would be on the news. Dang, we missed the six o’clock. Would you want to stay until eleven? You can crash out in the living room tonight if you want.”
Now it was Bryce’s turn to be suspicious. “What’s going on? You don’t even know me. This is freaking Miami. I could be a murderer or drug dealer or something,” Bryce began, taking a deep breath to continue his lecture to Gail.
She held up a hand. “I’m not the one who agreed to get on a plane without telling anyone. You can’t exactly lecture me on safety.”
“It just doesn’t seem right, given that we’re complete strangers, and if I may say, you’re a woman.”
“I’m glad you noticed,” Gail said dryly.
“I’m just saying...” Strangely enough, Bryce wanted to stay with Gail for as long as she would take him.
“I trust you. There’s no reason for it. It’s not logical, but I do. My roommate recently fell in love with a guy off-campus and moved out. I’ve advertised for a roommate, but mid-semester is a terrible time to find a new roommate. I could use the company, and you seem like a decent enough fellow,” Gail leaned back on the sofa, her finger still holding her place in the book.
“I wish you’d come to that conclusion before you maced me,” Bryce said. He had a huge goofy grin on his face which took the sting out of the complaint.
“What can I say? I’m impulsive.” Gail said. She added, “I just ate, but I bet you’re hungry. Want me to order a pizza or something?”
“You are a goddess. I hope not one of the scary ones. Your ability to read minds is beyond compare.” Now that they were relaxed and chatting, Bryce discovered that he really liked Gail. She was absolutely comfortable with him, no qualms, no fear.
“I’m scary. Let me read your mind again...all meat pizza?” Gail guessed. It was that or something like Supreme.
“Works for me,” Bryce said.
“But is it your favorite? What’s your absolute favorite?” Gail asked.
“Hawaiian, if you must know.” Bryce said. He realized that he wanted to ask Gail out on a date. How would that work? Hey, Baby, I know you maced me, but let’s go to a concert next Friday.
“Hawaiian, it is.”
Gail called it in and then spent another half hour asking him questions about his family and answering questions about hers.
“Siblings?” Gail asked.
“One sister, you?” Bryce volleyed back.
“Me too. My little sister, Jana. She’s only five. It’s why I’m so fearless. I was an only child throughout my formative years.” Gail said. She laughed and her eyes sparkled.
Bryce grinned. It seemed like a good moment for the segue. He asked, “Will you go out with me? Once my dad is safe and I’m settled into the hotel or whatever, I’d like to take you on a proper date to Coconut Grove,”
Gail stopped laughing. At least she rejected him with a gentle tone. She said, “I’m pre-med. I don’t have time to date.”
“That’s a shame. I’m really not a stalker type. You’d probably like me if you got a chance at the better me,” Bryce said.
Her lips pressed together, Gail shook her head. She said, “I’m sorry. We’re cool just hanging out like this, but I’m not all that eager to jump into a relationship. Friday is my night to myself. Otherwise, my life is studying, classes, tests, and more study.”
The doorbell rang. Pizza had arrived. Bryce didn’t know whether to be annoyed or grateful.
Chapter 2
BRYCE STAYED WITH GAIL Friday night. He spoke with Sven, giving him more details and making plans. The hardest part was admitting to his green and how he came to Miami.
Gail listened while Bryce dug into his mistakes. She said, “You really were telling the truth, weren’t you?”
Bryce shrugged, “It makes for a better story than a lie.”
The pizza sat between them. Gail took a slice just so that she would have something to nibble on while Bryce ate. He asked, “Why premed? That’s a ton of schooling.”
“My little sister was born premature. She’s blind. I thought if I could get a research grant, I could find something that would fix her.”
“Wow, that’s ambitious.” Bryce bit deep into his pizza, tearing into the slice with gusto.
“I know it sounds far-fetched, but someone has to be the first. I’m going to figure it out. I’m going to give my little sister her eyesight back.” Gail spoke passionately, her voice rising to defend her decision. Bryce imagined it wasn’t the first time.
“I wasn’t saying that you couldn’t. Maybe Drake can help. I’ll ask if there’s anything that can help your sister. The government is decades ahead of the rest of us.”
“That would be so awesome. Do you think they would?” Gail’s question cut Bryce’s heart, the hope in it, the fervent desire to help Jana.
“I honestly don’t know. They keep that stuff super quiet, but I’ll ask.” Bryce realized that the chances were slim to none that any of them would share, even if it were possible, but he would try.
Gail studied Bryce. Her gaze drank in the possibilities. He felt a little uncomfortable under the weight of it. Did she really expect him to be the key that unlocked her sister’s blindness?
What she said next was a huge surprise.
Gail asked, “Will you be my roommate for the rest of the year? You can use this as a base of operations while you try to help your dad. I already know of the potential danger, and I could use help on the rent. What do you think?”
Bryce thought he was severely attracted to this woman and about to decide his future based on that and little else. He also knew a gift when he saw it. said, “Sure. I’ll pay half the rent for the next two months if it’s not too much.”
“Five hundred a month for your half.”
“Agreed.”
Just that easy and Bryce’s life changed. He had a new roommate and a place to stay while he rescued his dad.
They talked for hours until the news came on. When Bryce saw the picture of the woman who had been kidnapped, his heart sank. He said, “It’s her. Oh my God, I did this to her.”
“No, you didn’t. Bad things happen.”
“It’s my fault, though. What I did caused this. Can I use your phone again? I know I’m being a nuisance here.”
; “It’s fine. Besides, it’s our phone for a couple of months at least.” Gail said. She went into the bedroom, coming back with an armful of blankets and a pillow. In the meantime, Bryce was confirming with Sven what he had seen on television.
After Bryce finished, Gail said, “Here. You can crash on the couch. I’m going to bed now.”
“Thanks.” Bryce yawned as if the idea of sleep had just occurred to him.
It was a long and sleepless night, punctuated with bouts of guilt, recrimination, and remorse. Bryce’s actions had directly resulted in his Dad’s kidnapping, and then his further actions caused some random stranger’s kidnapping. He was also the reason that Sven and Drake had to land a whole freaking team of soldiers in Miami to get them back.
The worst part was that Bryce couldn’t tell his dad. Well, he could, but how? Dad, sorry, I got on a plane because Kendall told me he’d give me fifteen thousand dollars. Yeah, you raised me to be smart. Sorry I didn’t turn out that way. Maybe he’d be lucky and get knocked out at a key and convenient moment, and Sven and Drake could share the news with his dad.
Bryce watched as lights danced across the ceiling. He rolled again. The sofa wasn’t exactly comfortable. He would rather sleep on the floor, but he didn’t want to get Gail’s blankets dirty.
After hours of tossing and turning, Bryce closed his eyes. Finally, he dozed. When he woke up, it was still dark outside. He had no sense of time, just endless darkness stretching out before him while he waited.
When morning finally came, Bryce wondered what in the hell he had been thinking, staying in some stranger’s house. Worse, he had agreed to pay two month’s rent. It was weird and awkward, and he was totally attracted to Gail, which made his squatting in her living room lame.
She came out with her hair all messed up in slippers with dog’s heads on them. Gail blushed when she saw him notice them and said, “Good Morning.”
“Morning. Thanks for letting me crash. May I take you out to breakfast as a thank you?”
Gail shook her head, “That’s okay. I’m glad I could help, but I need to study.” She went straight for her book bag and dragged it to the kitchen table. Carefully pulling out her notebook and a chemistry book, Gail settled into the chair.
“Will you be here in a few hours? I’m going to go to the bank and do some shopping. I should be back by late afternoon.”
“I’ll be here all day. I go to the cafeteria at noon and six for food. I’m planning a trip to the library, but I won’t be gone too long.”
“Thanks. I guess I’ll see you later,” Bryce said.
Bryce left the apartment building with a strange sense of disquiet. For the first few hours, he cased the hotel where he and his dad had been held, watching for movement, noting who entered and exited. He didn’t know what he was looking for, which made him feel utterly useless.
By noon, it was hot outside, and he was frustrated. He didn’t even know if his dad was still held at the hotel or if they moved him. When he couldn’t bear another moment watching, he strode inside and up to the counter.
The clerk wore a black shirt with a name badge. Her smile was cheerful. Some people are just meant for the service industry. They had non-stop smiles. Bryce had to force his smile to deal with her. She said, “Do you need a room?”
“Nah, are you hiring?” Bryce asked.
Sliding open a drawer, she pulled an application out of a green folder and pushed it across the desk, “We’re always hiring for the cleaning crew. Nothing in maintenance, management, or the desk is open right now.”
“Thanks.” Bryce took the page wishing he had thought to bring a folder. He had a lot of shopping to do.
His second stop was the bank. The ATM had a sticky note with a code written on it. Bryce could just imagine the police arresting him for using a stolen ATM card. It would serve him right for trusting Kendall with anything important.
At the ATM, he started by withdrawing three hundred dollars with a requested summary. The money popped out of the ATM, which frankly shocked Bryce. So Kendall would completely destroy his family, and yet give him a large sum of money as part of the aftermath. Blood money? Did Kendall really think Bryce would be content with payment when his own father was taken in exchange?
In the end, Bryce took the Metrorail a few stops down to the large mall, application in hand. He just didn’t feel like going all the way back to the apartments to drop off the application. It was a warm day. He bought a folder at an office supply store and made three copies of the application. Then he bought the basics, underwear and socks, t-shirts and shorts. Two hundred dollars goes fast, and he wanted to save the last hundred for Gail. It was only fair that he give some amount of money to her today. It was a shame about the daily ATM limits.
Bryce decided to buy pillows and a sleeping bag on Sunday. One more night of suffering on the couch, but this way he could prove his worth to her. She was putting a lot of faith in him, especially for him being a stranger who showed up on her doorstep like a feral cat. She probably felt guilty about the mace.
Bryce carried his purchases back to the apartment and knocked on the door, grateful when Gail opened. He handed her a hundred dollars and said, “I can only withdraw so much each day, but I’ll have more tomorrow. Mind if I use your washer?”
“Cool, thanks. Back here,” Gail led him to a cubby hole with a stacking washer and dryer. They were tiny, but then he only had to wash the clothes he was wearing. She pushed open the door to the second bedroom. It was completely empty. She said, “I kept hoping someone would want the room, so I never moved my stuff in there. Are you sure you want to actually rent here? You don’t seem set up for it.”
“It’s this or a hotel room for two weeks for an exorbitant amount. This will work perfectly, if you don’t mind,” Bryce added. They had already established that Gail wanted a roommate, but Bryce wanted her to feel that she could back out if she changed her mind.
“Not at all,” Gail’s bright smile relaxed Bryce.
He had been thinking about his dad non-stop. His thoughts crested and broke on the events of the past few months, a tidal wave of guilt, a never-ending and all-consuming fear that his actions might directly lead to his father’s death. He couldn’t leave Miami without his father. Sitting in the living room watching a college student fighting her way up the ranks so that she could give her little sister eyesight, Bryce was inspired. He would stay in Miami until his dad was safe, and he would find a way to help Gail and Jana.
It was time to do something positive with his life. A brutal and intense reflection had led Bryce to the conclusion that he had been a mooch after graduation, letting his parents cover all of his costs. That had to change, and it would start here with Gail.
That first Saturday promised a peacefulness that relaxed Bryce if it didn’t erase the lingering pain of his dad’s capture. Gail studied most of the afternoon, and Bryce became her study-buddy, setting up questions for her, quietly making her snacks when he thought she might need a break, and leaving her alone while she wrote her essay. He made a list of things he needed.
All of Bryce’s stuff was still home, and home was his parents’ house across the country...which made him look like a total loser compared to Gail. They were both the same age, but she was a junior with a part-time job and full-time class load, taking two more classes than the minimum. Bryce...he took two classes a semester at the community college because his mom and dad breathed fire like Level 50 dragons when he didn’t. In his free time he had played an endless supply of video games. He had sometimes worked for Drake or Sven in mundane and useless jobs, which kind of sucked because his dad was pushing him to work full time at AIT, as a janitor because he wasn’t qualified for anything else.
Helping Gail study was the most Bryce had studied...ever.
AT FIRST GAIL DIDN’T want any distraction at all. Gail’s wall of frigidness crumbled when Bryce cut little cheeses and brought her a plate of crackers, cheese, walnuts, and grapes after she’d been working for tw
o hours. She had been studying Organic Chemistry until she was cross-eyed. His solicitousness touched her. She was so used to doing everything herself, to being the strong one. He was good-looking in a boy-next-door way. Not like super muscles or anything, but handsome with a cute smattering of freckles across his nose and auburn hair with a tint of red.
She felt so comfortable with him that Saturday flew by. He pulled out another three hundred dollars on Sunday early in the morning and gave her two hundred. There was no way he could have known that she was one month away from not making rent. She didn’t say that; she didn’t want to obligate him. And there he was giving her just what she needed to make it.
Although Gail’s family lived fifteen minutes out of the city, she drove home every Sunday to see her little sister, towing a laundry basket full of dirty clothes. Stepping through the door, she cheerfully called out, “I’m home.”
“Gail!” Jana pushed from the chair, trailing her fingers along the table and then using the wall to make her way toward her sister. Jana’s grin made up for the long hours of study. They were very similar in face and form, Gail and Jana. Gail sometimes thought that but for a twist of fate, she could have been the one born prematurely instead of Jana.
As full of energy as any five year old, Jana held her arms up to Gail, eager to see her older sister. Sunday visits were a ritual. Gail dropped her basket by the door and pushed it out of the way. Every Sunday, she did the same thing. She started the laundry and then played with Jana. She would finish her clothes during Jana’s snack-time. Taking Jana into her arms, Gail said, “Hey Sunshine, what are we doing today?”
Sometimes it was books. Sometimes it was blocks. Sometimes they explored the yard. Today, Jana wanted to play with lock-blocks. The blocks were rectangular and came in all sizes. The plastic pieces were cheerfully bright. Unfortunately, Jana couldn’t experience that part of the toys. Gail swung Jana on her hip, called a bright hello to her mom who grabbed her purse.