“I guess not,” he said. “If you talk about your criminal activity, you could go to jail.”
She laughed. “Ryan, you are...” she paused for a bit, and finally settled on, “drunk.”
“I know.”
“Let’s just get through this, OK? Neither of us is that excited, but it’s a long flight to India, and we’ve got parts to act, so let’s just focus on that, alright?”
Her words made sense, but the evening felt foggy in my mind. I nodded regardless, figuring there was no way to back out of this now. Or was there. “What would Pauly do if I backed out?”
She took her eyes off the road to look at me. We were at a stoplight, so I guess it didn’t matter. “You’re having second thoughts.”
“Maybe,” I mumbled. “I mean, it is a crime. If we’re caught smuggling, my dad may not be able to help.”
She nodded. “Then back out.” Her voice was clipped and her fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“Will you be mad if I back out?” I asked.
She didn’t look at me, just focused on the road, her hands tightening on the wheel, the strain in her muscles visible. “Does it matter to you, Ryan? Does it matter to you at all what I’ll be? Or is the only thing that matters what happens to you? Because you’ll be alright either way, won’t you? You’ll either disappoint your parents and be the same Ryan or you’ll disappoint me and be the same Ryan. It doesn’t matter what you do. You just have to decide, Ryan. You have to make a decision.”
The tires squealed as the car shot forward when the light changed to green, and a few moments later, she slowed down so as not to crash into traffic ahead.
“What the hell?” I blurted, but slower than expected.
“Sorry,” she said, a vein in her neck bulging. “I haven’t driven in a while.”
She didn’t look sorry. She sped up again as a lull in traffic permitted, her mouth a scowl.
She didn’t say it, but she was clearly mad. “I won’t back out,” I said.
“You can do what you want, Ryan, but you need to commit to something. That was always your problem, you know. Lily said you’d be awesome once you decided to commit. Commit to something other than fun and a good time. I don’t know how you got this deep into Pauly, but I do know you should get out. However, you need to, get out. And commit to do good. Lily would have wanted that.”
I stared at her, stunned. I hadn’t expected her burst of anger. The liquor was starting to curdle in my stomach. I took a deep breath, and tried not to hurl. I should have frat-boy mettle, but I’ve never been good at holding my liquor. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on anything but what I’d signed on for. It wasn’t working. It didn’t help that there was silence in the vehicle except for when the automated GPS voice gave a direction. The air felt too full. Finally, I asked, “What would you do if I backed out?”
She sighs, her eyes on the road, her face still bitter. “Find another way, I guess,” she said. “Why does it matter?”
“Because you didn’t want to do this, and I dragged you in, and if I backed out, I want to know what it will cost you.”
She shook her head. “The same thing you lost,” she said, her tone bitter. “My brother, Lynx. I need the money to help him.”
I stared at her, feeling a bitterness rise in me. She wasn’t right to compare whatever financial problems her deadbeat brother was having to the loss of Lily. “I don’t think it’s the same,” I mumbled.
She glanced at me a moment, pure hatred in her eyes, and finally said, “You’re right. It’s not the same.”
The car slowed and the computerized voice said, “You have arrived.” She pulled over, put the car in park beneath a sign that said, “No Parking Zone,” and hopped out of the car. She inclined her head across the street to a popular bar. “I’m going to wait for my Uber over there. I take it you have valet here?”
I didn’t. But I nodded anyway. I was done with Onyx.
“If you’re out, call Pauly. Otherwise, I’ll see you on Tuesday,” she said as she slammed the door.
Chapter 9 – Preparing for Success on the Suicide Mission
After my Uber ride home, I went to bed, trying not to think about the conversation Ryan and I had. I wasn’t sure what to think. Part of me knew it would be best if Ryan did back out. But, then I’d have agreed to this job for Pauly and my cover would be blown. We couldn’t do the job without Ryan. Or at least, without a Ryan-like figure.
When I woke up, I did what I did best: plan. I liked thinking things through, making plans, preparing for worst case scenarios. I went over the plan Pauly and I had discussed, and was impressed that it could actually work. It would work if his people were in place right. The only thing that was irritating is that Pauly had lied. Of course, we were stealing. Rough diamonds. But he had a guy on the inside who was going to help us. A guy I actually knew. He, too, had been a friend of my father’s.
Even if Ryan backed out, I still needed the money for Lynx. And if Pauly was going to pay me double, then I could pay for Lynx’s treatment and we could have something left over in case there were problems, in case we had to try something different. In case Dodson refused to give me leave and I had to quit my job.
With that in mind, I’d called Pauly, gotten the information I needed and gone shopping for a few supplies. He had sent over some information about the diamond factory. I had just settled into the comfy chair in the corner of my room to review it, when I heard a knock on my door.
I tucked the plans under my pillow, tried to look normal and said, “Come in.”
The door opened and my brother poked his head in. “Hey there,” he said, as he stepped fully inside. He was wearing his running shorts, a t-shirt and a headband. He was still in socks and looked fresh, so he hadn’t gone out for his run, yet. I admired his tenacity. I think I would skip my run if I knew my body was betraying me to cancer yet again. Why keep up all the healthy exercise when your body still went and let the cancer come back? I’d be eating pizza and bonbons all day.
“You never did tell me what happened with Pauly,” he said, as he sat down on the edge of my bed. “You went to Club Diamante last night, to get the details squared.”
Yeah, I guess that was what I’d told Lynx. I smiled and said, “Good news. Pauly is going to lend me the money.”
He raised an eyebrow, and looked around the room. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for though. “What did you get from the hardware store?”
Shit. He’d seen the bag in the trash. “A travel liner,” I said quickly.
“A what?”
“A liner,” I said, thinking on the fly. “Umm, it’s a plastic liner you put in your bag. Helps keep things organized. I need one, because I’m going to India.”
His mouth popped open. “What?”
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a laugh. “It’s crazy, I know.”
“You’re crazy,” he teased. “And yeah, I know.”
I frowned. “You think you’re so funny.”
“I know I am so funny.”
I stopped speaking. I would not let him flatter himself, and I also needed a moment to compose myself so I could sell the story I’d concocted in my Uber last night. I’d gone over it a couple of times on the way back from the hardware store, and it made sense.
“So, what is so crazy?” Lynx asked after a minute of silence between us.
“After I talked to Pauly, I ran into Lily’s brother at Club Diamante”
His face darkened, and he put a hand on my knee. “I’m sure that stirred up some tough memories for you.”
I shrugged. On some level, he was right. It had. “A little, but, um, that’s not why it’s important. Well, I ran into him that first time, before Pauly had decided if he could give me the loan.”
He nodded, curiosity etched on his face, waiting the point of my story.
“He called me the next day and said that the private school he and Lily went to needed an extra chaperone for a spring break trip to India. One of t
he guides had become ill. So, he wants to hire me.”
“To go to India and chaperone private school kids?”
I smiled big. “Yep,” I said. “And in addition to the free trip, I get $2,500 pay.”
Lynx offered a low whistle. “That’s pretty good for a week of work.”
“I know, right,” I said, seeming proud. “This means less I’ll have to pay back to Pauly, but it also means I won’t be around next week to help you plan for our trip.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about that.” He turned and peeked out my window, frowned. “You know, Onyx,” he said, putting a hand on my knee. “You don’t have to take care of me all the time. Taking a last-minute job instead of relaxing on your spring break isn’t necessary.”
“Yeah,” I said with a fake pout. “Poor me, traveling to my father’s homeland and enjoying the sights, all expenses paid. I sacrifice so much for you, Lynx.”
He rolled his eyes. “I know maybe this isn’t the best example, because the trip does sound good, even if it’s work. But, I mean the whole thing with Pauly. You’re borrowing money from him, when it should be me. And for a minute, I thought you were doing a job for him, that you were buying locks to practice picking them.”
Amazingly, my face remained neutral even though he’d hit on the truth of what I’d been doing.
“I’m not making all the sacrifices,” I told him. “Pauly is going to lend me the money and I’ll work it off doing certification jobs for him. And if he comes up with a job that you can do, I’ll let you work some of it off, too. You can help with this. Just think of me as the broker.”
He chuckled. “Always the spin artist,” he said, his eyes darting to the window again. His face was serious when he finally looked back at me. “I’m sick, Onyx,” he said, his voice soft.
I placed my hand on his. I hated this. “I know,” I whispered back.
“But you think you can save me, and you’re putting all your energy into this. And I love you for that, but I love you for you, too. And just like you want me to be healthy and get well, I want you to be healthy and happy and not spend all your time taking care of me. Just promise me that you’ll try to relax a bit. Enjoy your life. Don’t spend all your time worrying about me.”
Gee, he was sweet.
“I promise you,” I said. “I won’t just worry about you. I’ll do some fun stuff, too.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Go on a trip to India. Maybe you’ll meet a nice guy.”
“An Indian guy who I can have a fling with?”
He shook his head. “No flings. Maybe one of the other chaperones is a nice guy who shares your interests.”
I laughed. That was not gonna happen. There were no other chaperones. So, I was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. “Alright.”
We hugged, and then he stood up. “I’m gonna go for my run, and then later tonight, I’m having dinner with Beth.”
Beth was a coworker. I had wondered if something more was going on with them, but he’d clammed up when I asked about her, a sign that things might be getting serious. He took after mom that way. She believed you could jinx things by talking about them too much. So, whenever she was onto something new that she was excited about, she’d wait a while before opening up about it. Wait until she thought she couldn’t jinx it. I hoped Beth was jinx proof. “Sounds good,” I told him.
He nodded. “I’ll be back,” he said, and then turned and left.
I sighed. I had to practice picking this lock I’d just bought.
Chapter 10 – Eighteen Hours of Fun Flight
I’d had a dream about Lily after Onyx dropped me off. In it, Lily was there, perky and happy, her usual self. Her red curls fell to her shoulders and she had that confident smile that always made me feel better. “So, you’re helping Onyx?” dream Lily had asked as we sat at my parents’ dining room table. It was sleek glass and in front of her was an ornate saucer, with a coffee cup set on it. She was spreading cream cheese on a bagel.
“I don’t think so,” dream me had said. “It’s dangerous.”
Lily frowned, as she set down the silver spreading knife. “But she needs your help, for her brother. Wouldn’t you want her to help, if I needed it?”
And then dream Lily faded away, and there was only a half-spread bagel left, sitting lonely on a plate, next to the undrunk steaming coffee. For some reason, that had been all. No more directive or clues, just that short dream exchange and then she’d left me again.
But it had been enough to make up my mind. I would do this ultra-stupid thing, because Lily was the only person in my life who had never let me down. Lily was the only person who had ever really felt like my family. Not my father. Not my wretched mother. No one. And I should help Onyx. Oh yeah, and of course, I’d have a reprieve on the debt. No interest. Six more months to cull together the funds. That was important. Onyx had been right last night. Lily had always believed in me, never got down on me when I did something stupid. Always said I’d be great when I picked something to set my mind to. And I’d believed it.
But after she died, I’d wondered what the point in trying was. There was no point, because she wouldn’t be there to see it and mom and dad never cared one way or the other. I did stupid, reckless things, spent my way through the trust fund allowance I was guaranteed per the trust, and just asked my father for more, knowing he’d give it to me. I gambled because it was fun, because I liked the thrill of winning, and the losses never bothered me because it never occurred to me that I couldn’t borrow the cash from my father. But now I couldn’t. And I had a huge problem. I could go back to my old ways of asking daddy, or suck it up and try to fix it myself. With Onyx’s help.
So that’s what I was going to do. I was going to prove that Lily had been right about me. That I could do something right, if I set my mind to it, if I focused.
I sighed as I speed-walked through the airport terminal, carrying the small bag I’d take with me on the plane. It was an international flight and you were supposed to be there two hours early. Only I hated getting there so early. I was running a tad late, as the flight was boarding in roughly 10 minutes. First class meant you got to board first, but if you missed the initial boarding you had to fight it out with coach and business people, which I didn’t want.
I arrived at the gate, and there was Onyx, looking gorgeous as ever. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she wore jeans, a blue t-shirt and tennis shoes. She had an oversized purse in her lap and was reading a thick book. I walked over to her, my bag nestled in my hand, and said. “I’m here.” I wondered what she’d think. I hadn’t talked to her since she’d dropped me off. I wasn’t sure if she’d be angry for me not calling, or grateful I’d showed up.
She looked up from her book and a moment later, smiled big, set her things aside, stood and wrapped her arms around me. “I was worried about you,” she said loudly, then kissed my cheek, before releasing me.
I was too stunned to speak, so I didn’t. Just stared at her.
She raised a brow, trying to intimate something to me that I wasn’t getting. She motioned to the empty seat next to hers. “Saved you a seat,” she said.
I sat, placing my bag in my lap. She sat next to me, then leaned in and whispered in my ear, “The vacationing couple cover story starts now. Do better.”
Aha. I guess I thought that was for when we got to India. But, if things went south, it had to look like the real deal all along? I guess that was her thinking. I smiled back at her. “Sorry that I’m grumpy. Traffic was just a bear.”
“I told you to stay at my place last night, and we could ride over together, but you and your work. Going hard until the last minute. Did you get everything done?”
“Yep,” I said back, and noticed one of the gate attendants smile at us. Onyx was good. She’d clearly seated us near the attendant’s check-in post on purpose.
A couple of minutes later, the gate attendant called first class passengers, and when she took our tickets, the gate attendant said to
me, “I know traffic is awful, but give her a call. She was worried you would have to grab the later flight.”
I smiled and said, “I tried. Bad reception.”
We walked down the breezeway to the plane, and I looked at Onyx. “What was that about?”
“Oh, Supriyah and I talked a bit earlier,” she said. “She’s from Mumbai, and I was telling her about my family and how I was taking you home to see the sights. She’s excited for us.”
I nodded, amazed at how easily she’d melted into this lie. I wondered if she did this a lot. I wondered if that’s why Lily liked her so, because she could easily mold herself to be likeable. And then, sadly, I wondered if that was the real reason why my parents didn’t particularly like Onyx. Did they know her father was a criminal? Did they suspect she was? Did they think she was a grifter trying to somehow use Lily? My parents were never ones who trusted our judgment. The thing is, Lily never cared. She always made her own way. I always did care what people thought of me. I always wanted them to think well of me, even though they never did.
We got to our seats, and within a half an hour, the plane was taxiing for takeoff. Onyx leaned her head on my shoulder, and I couldn’t help but enjoy her warmth. As easily as she seemed to fall into the part of my girlfriend, it was just as easy to reciprocate, here on the plane, in the lush comfy seats. The flight attendant eyed us with a smile whenever she stole a glance.
Since Onyx was committed to the part, I thought I’d ask her a question that I never have, a question I wanted an answer to, but that had been too hard to bring up in real life. In the life that wasn’t a fake trip with a girlfriend. A question I’m sure she’d answered for my parents, one that I’d been too distraught to hear. But one that I suddenly felt I had to know
“Tell me about your trip with Lily.”
The doting girlfriend recoiled, her eyes widening a frown settling on her face. She shook her head and bit down on her lower lip.
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