Maybe that was why they were such good friends, because they were complete opposites. Jessica thrived on calm. Her idea of a good time was to curl up on a soft couch with a thick book. She preferred to be with friends in a quiet environment so they could talk rather than have to shout in a loud club.
Whereas Daphne had once been with two men at the same time, Jessica was perfectly happy to be with only one man for the rest of her life. Of course, that plan was on hold, having recently parted ways with her boyfriend of the last few years. That was one of the reasons she had agreed to come to the Caribbean in these last days of summer.
A new life was beginning and she was determined to start fresh. College was over, having just finished her master’s in geology, and she was about to start working for the United States Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazards Program in Colorado. For the first time in her life she would be truly on her own; it was her against the world.
So while she wasn’t keen on doing any death-defying stunts, she was willing to expand her horizons a tiny bit. Curaçao seemed like a good compromise.
“Come on, Jess! Try it with me.”
One of the operators turned to her with a charming smile. “You know, miss, this is like a regular parachute. We could hook you up to her for a tandem configuration. Look.”
He displayed a series of D-rings around the redhead’s waist and on the shoulder straps.
“No thanks.”
“You just snap your own harness into it and we could have both of you in the air. It’s less scary when you’re not alone.”
“It’s less scary when your two feet are on the ground,” she replied.
She wasn’t keen on flying. Coming to the Caribbean from Virginia had required several stiff drinks and a double dose of Dramamine to get her sleepy. But parachute jumping? Falling out of a perfectly good airplane? That was simply out of the question. She had heart palpitations merely thinking about.
“All right, let’s do this!”
Daphne clapped her hands and made her way into the boat where the operators clipped her to the towline. How could she be so happy to do this? It was madness! Jessica crossed her arms and watched the boat speed away. Before long, the rope unspooled from the winch and the parachute caught the wind.
“Woohooo!”
The redhead was airborne. Her legs happily flailing, she waved at her friend on shore. The boat zipped toward the open sea, ready to give Daphne her money’s worth.
“You’re out of your mind,” Jessica muttered to herself.
She herself felt ridiculous just being here watching her. Wearing shorts and a bikini top, she had trouble picturing herself going to the coroner’s office to identify the body. Well, at least she was getting a tan out of it.
* * *
Nothing bad happened.
Jessica felt kind of foolish about that. After all the fussing and the warning, no one had died or been seriously injured. Daphne hadn’t even broken a fingernail. She couldn’t help thinking of her mother and how she was becoming like her.
Shoot me now.
“It was so incredible, you have no idea!”
Daphne had to talk loudly over the steel drum music and the UB40 greatest hits like Red Red Wine and The Way You Do the Things You Do blaring through the bar. The hotel’s drinking area was outside facing the ocean and the sound system had to be cranked up to account for the crashing waves. They had come here after dinner and were now on their second Bahama Mamas.
“I could see the entire island from up there. I thought it would be like waterskiing but it wasn’t. It wasn’t even like skydiving.”
“Ugh,” Jessica snorted. Just thinking about the concept of skydiving made her nauseated.
“No, it was like floating in warm air. You have to try it.”
“Yeah, as soon as I win the Powerball, I promise.”
At that, Daphne sighed with desperation. “You’re a sad case, you know that?”
“What’s wrong with being a safety-minded person?”
“There’s a difference between being safety-minded and being scared of your shadow.”
“I’m not scared!”
“Please, Jess. When was the last time you did anything that wasn’t written down on your calendar?”
“That’s… t-that’s not the same!”
“When was the last time you did anything that challenged you?
“Daphne, I’m not like you with your CIA flights of fancy. You’ve been taught to think outside the box. I’m comfortable in the box, the box is very suitable for me.”
“Look, all I’m saying is that you need to loosen up, okay? You took a big plunge coming with me down here in the Caribbean and that’s great. Now you need to go just a little further out in the deep end.”
“That’s where people drown,” Jessica quickly pointed out.
“But that’s where people have the most fun. You need to forget about that thing around your neck.”
Without warning, Daphne stretched forward and unhooked the thin gold chain that was always around her friend’s neck. Jessica wasn’t fast enough to stop her and within moments the redhead dangled it between them.
“Give it back!”
“Try living without it for a day, see how it feels.”
At the end of the chain was a chunk of coal no bigger than a breath mint. It had been dipped in epoxy and polished into a small sphere. It wasn’t worth more than five dollars, including the chain, but it was Jessica’s most prized possession.
Jessica tried to snatch it away but Daphne yanked it back. “It’s not a good start, Jess.”
“This is not funny. Please, give it back.”
Her dad had given her that necklace when she was eight years old. He had told her coal was like a baby diamond, that with time it would transform into the most precious stone for the most precious little girl on earth. It took years for her to understand the only reason she’d been given this was because her coal miner father couldn’t afford anything else.
“Do you understand this is for your own good?”
Jessica barely heard her words as she focused on the shiny black jewel which swung back and forth like a pendulum. She was thinking about how her father had passed away in that mine, how the tunnel had collapsed on him and his coworkers after the earthquake.
“I know you miss your dad but you have to let go of him. I’ll just put it on ice for you, okay?”
Daphne dropped the pendant in her empty glass and slid it away on the bar, out of arm’s reach. Jessica didn’t panic because deep down she knew she was being childish. Besides, her friend really cared for her; she would never do anything to hurt her.
But then catastrophe struck!
A waiter passing by grabbed the empty glass and walked away. He was so focused on his task, so good at it, that he performed this with lightning speed.
“Hey!”
Jessica hailed him once again, frantically waving her hand, but it was unsuccessful. Even though she had been prepared, if only for a second, to not wear her precious necklace, there was no way she was willing to part with it on a permanent basis. She sprung from the stool and ran after the server.
“Wait!”
Again, the music, chatter, and the waves were too loud. She had no choice but to run after him into the kitchen. Considering the bar and hotel restaurant were adjacent, the kitchen was huge. An army of people was milling about, balancing platters while walking through narrow corridors, chopping ingredients, cooking exquisite meals.
Despite the overwhelming visual hodgepodge, she made out the waiter walking away with his own tray of discarded glassware. He rounded the corner and disappeared. Her heart threatening to burst, Jessica ran after him, twice missing crashing into kitchen employees by a hair’s breadth.
She turned a corner and then another. Before long, she saw the waiter upend the glasses into a deep cast-iron sink.
“Stop!”
This time the waiter and the dishwasher standing next to him heard her. They
both looked back while she ran to them.
“Please, stop! I dropped my necklace in that glass.”
Once she reached them, her eyes scanned the round tray. She recognized the remnants of the Bahama Mama and spotted her necklace swimming at the bottom. She emptied the glass in her hand, not caring that her fingers would be sticky. The two men observed her as if she was from Mars but nothing was surprising about tourists anymore.
“I got it!”
She rinsed her hand under the faucet and the dishwasher gave her a towel.
“Thanks. Sorry about this.”
She started walking back but was quickly baffled by a crossroads of corridors. Where had she come from? In the commotion, she hadn’t really paid attention. She turned left, certain that the sounds from the kitchen would be able to guide her but then the next junction offered noises in equal measures.
“Now what?”
She turned right and froze.
At the end of the hallway, a tall man was shoving a smaller one in a tuxedo into the wall. He talked in a foreign language. German maybe? She might not have understood his words but his tone was crystal clear. He was angry, menacing. The smaller one kept nodding and giving one-word answers.
The tall man slammed his open hand into the wall next to the guy’s head and it startled Jessica so much that she yelped involuntarily.
The two men turned toward her and it chilled her to the bone.
Chapter 2
What if she had seen something illegal? What if she was now an eyewitness that needed eliminating? There was only one thing to do, run away and hope that being in a crowd would keep her alive.
“I’m sorry.”
She turned around and fell back into the maze of corridors. This time she discovered, strangely, that she was able to focus. She remembered the way and hurried through the kitchen. Her heart was beating a mile a minute when she reached the bar and Daphne.
“Did you find it?”
Jessica put her hand on the bar and the necklace slithered down to the teak countertop.
“Oh good, you got it.” Then she noticed the weird expression on her friend’s face. “What’s wrong, Jess? You look like you missed a shoe sale.”
“There was a guy in there… Two guys, one was getting roughed up.”
She was out of breath and her eyes darted every which way. She was scared and had no clue what to do.
“Was it serious? You want to tell somebody?”
“I don’t know…”
Just as she was thinking that it might soothe her mind to contact the police, the kitchen door swung open and the man in the tuxedo came out. He looked at patrons and smiled before going to talk to them. That’s when she noticed his name tag; he was a hotel employee.
“Jess?”
“That’s him, the guy who was getting beat up.”
“Looks fine to me,” Daphne replied. “Maybe he’s bleeding internally?”
“Okay, make fun of me. I just overreacted.” Like always, she didn’t add.
Right then, the other man came out of the kitchen. A chill went up her spine. He was taller than she remembered, more robust also. He was dressed casually in a silk shirt and slacks but the quality of his clothes was evident. Looking at him she was simultaneously afraid and… aroused? No, that couldn’t be. It wasn’t the right word. She was more like intrigued.
“What now?” Daphne asked. “You’re not the type to check out guys.”
“That’s the other man.”
“You mean the one who savagely beat Tuxedo Tommy?”
Jessica averted her eyes, fully aware how stupid she appeared. Daphne chuckled good-naturedly before she gently stroked her friend’s hand.
Meanwhile, the tall man sat at the other end of the bar. The bartender gave him a drink before he could even ask for one. He cocked his head to the side and looked at Jessica.
“Oh God,” she whispered, turning away. “He’s looking at me.”
“Well, since we established he’s not a killer after all, maybe you could look at him back and make a move. He’s quite the hunk.”
“Then you make a move, Daphne.”
“No can do. I’m meeting Ricardo tonight. You know, the parasailing guy? He’s supposed to show me this local dance, if you know what I mean. Then tomorrow he wants to get me sightseeing, says the place is beautiful.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh my God, is that the time? I’m gonna be late!”
She stood up and grabbed her purse.
“Please, don’t go!”
“Jess, loosen up. This is a vacation! Wish me luck.”
She winked and walked away. Jessica exhaled and planned her course of attack. If she waited five minutes it wouldn’t look like running away. She figured she could take the long way out of the bar, toward the beach, and completely avoid the tall man. Yes, that would work.
A second later, her entire world crumbled.
“Hallo.”
She spun around and her worst fears became reality. Standing before her was the tall man. His face was neutral which was even worse for her. Was he angry? Was he mistaking her for someone else?
“H-hi.”
“Oh, English. You are visiting us from the United States?”
“Yes, I’m from Virginia.”
Oh no, why had she just divulged this information? Why didn’t she go ahead and give him her Social Security number while she was at it? At this rate, he wouldn’t have any difficulty tracking her down to kill her.
“My name is Ryker Prins. What is your name?”
“Jessica,” she replied without thinking, too scared to make up a name.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Jessica.”
He offered her his hand and when she didn’t take it right away he grabbed hers. She was so taken aback that she went through the motions. His grip was firm and yet nonthreatening.
“Can I get you a drink?”
“Uh…”
Ryker turned and waved the bartender over. He spoke to him in that same foreign language from before. The barman nodded and went about preparing a Bahama Mama which he then placed in front of Jessica before topping off Ryker’s whiskey.
“This is what you were drinking, yes?”
“Uh, yes. Thank you.”
“So, how do you like Curaçao?”
The situation was so surreal that she took a sip of the sweet concoction as if nothing was wrong.
“It’s great. The weather has been cooperating.” What was she doing? Was she really talking about the weather? “Look, I’m sorry I barged in on you before. I was looking for the waiter and I took a wrong turn and then I saw you and the other man. I promise I won’t say anything.”
He burst into laughter, his eyes closing to narrow slits in the process.
“What?” she asked.
“Do you think you are in trouble? Do you think I came here to be menacing?”
“Well, what you were doing with the man…”
“Jessica, I am not a violent person. Sometimes I act out my words. I did not mean to frighten you or even frighten the man.”
Unconvinced, she took a long swallow from her drink. He noticed her disposition and leaned forward. He put a hand on top of hers.
“Let me apologize for the misunderstanding. The Dutch are a charming people but people often fail to understand our humor. I am a distributor and that is why I was talking to the restaurant manager. We were discussing an order he has been late to pay for.”
“You’re a distributor?”
“Yes, I import goods, food, alcohol, to the islands around here. You really thought I was some sort of criminal?”
The way he asked this, with a beaming smile, completely disarmed her. She started laughing uncontrollably, thinking about how stupid she had been.
“I’m sorry, I guess I totally fulfill the dumb American tourist image you have of me, uh?”
“Yes.”
She saw in his eyes he was kidding and they laughed again. Comfort was growing around her and for the f
irst time she noticed how handsome he was. It wasn’t traditional beauty like what was found in women’s magazines but his face was rather interesting. His skin had the leathery aspect of someone who spent the majority of his time outdoors and there was a faint scar over his left cheekbone. He looked different.
He looked dangerous.
Everything in her body was telling her he was the wrong type of man to befriend but she felt a curious attraction to him. He was unlike any other man she had ever known, especially her last boyfriend. Greg had seemed to have been born in an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, the poster boy for WASP fraternity boys.
Ryker was the opposite. She couldn’t imagine him trying to conform. His clothes were stylish enough but everything about him screamed that he didn’t care about any of it. It was in his day-old beard, in his unkempt hair.
After staring at her for a long time, he asked, “Are you still afraid of me?”
“No!” she lied too quickly. Then she decided truth was a better alternative. “Maybe a little. You don’t look like a distributor.”
“That is what I am now. The past does not matter. Come dance with me, Jessica.”
“No, I don’t dance.”
“Come.”
Before she could protest again, Ryker was on his feet and dragging her along. She wanted to resist, recalling a video she had once seen of her teenage self gesticulating like a complete fool as if she was Elaine from Seinfeld.
“Ryker, please…”
She knew she could have put up a much more vigorous fight but deep down she longed to get closer to him. Daphne kept telling her that they were on vacation, that she should do crazy things. What if pressing her body against his qualified as a crazy thing?
When they got to the middle of the small – albeit crowded – dance floor, the mellow Bob Marley song Satisfy My Soul was playing. It was the kind of music that lent itself to different styles of dancing and she wondered what she should do.
The Dutchman made up her mind for her when he took hold of her waist, pulling her close to him. She followed his lead and swayed to the reggae music. It was incredible how better she danced tonight. Could it be because he knew how to lead? Could it be because she was losing herself to his strong presence and delicate cologne? Before she knew it, she was entirely peaceful.
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