by Imogen Rose
We finally walked down a curved staircase, which ended in a foyer that opened into a finished basement. It was huge. There was a round swimming pool in the middle surrounded by a crowd of people. As I was scanning them, one broke free and walked toward us. I let go of Kellan and met my brother halfway as I flung myself into his arms. “Oh my gosh, Harry! It’s so good to see you,” I said.
“Likewise!” he said, and put his arm around my shoulder. “Come on. Let me introduce you to the others. Come on Kellan. David, you, too.”
Harry ushered me to where Gramadea was now standing, which was next to a man who pretty much looked like Rupert, but slightly older.
“Arizona, this is Granddad.”
Granddad held out his hand. This was clearly Rupert’s dad and Harry’s grandfather, not mine. Or was he? Sort of. I supposed he was my step-granddad. I took his hand and shook it.
“I am very pleased to meet you, Arizona. I can’t wait to meet Ella and your mother. They should be here any moment. In the meantime, let me introduce you to some of the people here. Don’t feel that you need to remember everyone’s names.”
With that, Granddad walked Kellan and me around the pool introducing us to everyone from Katarina to Joel. He was right. There was no way I was going to remember the names, though I may remember some of the faces. They were all wearing Sigma-W pendants clearly displayed around their necks.
I heard a shriek from behind me as we were nearing the other end of the pool and I turned around ready for action. Something launched itself at me with such a force that I tumbled backwards and despite Kellan trying to steady me, I fell into the pool in a panic with whatever it was still attached to me. It let go and splashed about in the warm water. All eyes were on me, all mouths open in gaping guffaws.
“Arizona!”
“Ella, you monkey!” She managed to splash me a couple of times before Rupert and Harry pulled her out the water.
“Can I go swimming? Pleeeeeze?” she begged.
I climbed back out with a bit of help from Kellan, though his arms had turned into jelly as he couldn’t steady himself from chuckling so much. “Sheesh, your face, Shrimp. Priceless.”
I thumped him and stomped off toward Ella, who was now safely in Rupert’s arms or I would have thumped her as well. Seriously annoying.
“She was just excited to see you,” Mom said, stepping between Rupert and me. “We are all excited to see you, and relieved. Have you been harmed in any way?”
“No, I was treated like a princess,” I couldn’t help saying.
“You were?” Ella asked, her eyes wide. “Did you get to wear a tiara?”
I laughed. “Yeah, actually I did. A really nice one, you would have totally loved it.”
“Can I see it?”
“I don’t have it any more,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.
“Aww, that’s a poop,” she exclaimed.
“Yup, anyhow. I’m glad to see you, Ella. You did frighten the bejeezus out of me, though. And we’re both wet!”
Gramadea arrived with some towels for us. “Come with me. I’ve got fresh clothes for both of you. And if it’s tiaras you both are after, we’re not short on those either,” she smiled.
“Awesome.” Ella managed to look awfully like the Cheshire cat, smiling from ear to ear.
~
Olivia was relieved to see Amadea take charge of the two girls. She’d been slightly taken aback by Arizona’s response to Ella, her old Stevens responses almost reappeared–almost. It was a relief when Arizona managed to control them. This would give Olivia some time to talk to Rupert and properly meet her new father-in-law.
The decision for them all to come over to Spencer’s house–one of his many residences, scattered all over the world–had been a hasty one. One that was taken in order to keep Ella safe. The scary ability of Potomal’s group meant that it was impossible for Rupert and her to protect Ella. They had no way of keeping Potomal from whisking Ella away from them. The only way was to hide her, and where better to hide her than here?
Spencer Darley–Olivia looked him over carefully and was slightly startled by the uncanny resemblance he had to Rupert. It wasn’t just the physical resemblance; he also emitted a similar aura. Rupert took her hand and pulled her over to his father.
“Dad, this is Olivia.”
“I am very pleased to meet you at last,” Spencer said, with the same disarming smile that had drawn her to Rupert. “We should talk. Let’s go to the study. Everyone out here will be fine; they seem to be enjoying themselves. I’ll introduce you to them when we come back.”
The study was more like a library. A couple of large oak tables surrounded by leather-clad chairs dominated the center. Spencer led them to one of the tables and they sat down around it. Harry, David and Kellan joined them.
“I’m glad to see you all. You’ll be safe here while we work out our issues with Potomal,” Spencer reassured them. “I will be leaving tonight, but I’ll leave you in Amadea’s capable hands and there will also be a group of Sigma-W staff here to watch over you.”
“Please tell me how you got Arizona back? What happened to her?” Olivia asked.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet. She just returned here with Amadea. What I know from our Intelligence is that she was held briefly in Paris and then moved to London.”
“Held? Has she seen a doctor? Is she traumatized?”
Spencer looked to Kellan. “Kellan is the only one who has spoken to her properly since she was rescued. She has just arrived, so we haven’t had a chance to get her to a doctor yet.”
“I don’t think she needs one,” Kellan added. “She seems absolutely fine. She hasn’t shared much about what she’s been up to. Her main concern seems to be Simla and Justin at the moment. She’s adamant that we go back and rescue them.”
Olivia nodded. “Of course, that has to be our main concern right now, too,” she said, looking at Spencer.
“Dad,” Rupert said, “I know that you’re absorbed with sorting out the Potomal issue at the moment, but Justin and Simla need to be made a priority.”
“Son, they are. With Arizona safely back with us, Potomal has lost his bargaining platform. I can’t imagine that he has a backup plan without her as a pawn. He will probably try to find Harry or Ella when he sees that Arizona is missing, which is why I insisted that Ella be brought here. Potomal is not aware that I have any interest in Simla and Justin’s welfare. I would like to keep it like that. It gives us a better chance to rescue them if we catch him off guard. We don’t want him finding out that we are interested in rescuing them so he doesn’t amp up security around them and decide to use them as leverage. As far as we know, for now, they have been brought in to solidify his numbers, so that there are enough of them to make a takeover bid. From what I know, once that is accomplished he was planning to send them home, unless they want to stay and work for him willingly. What I do need to know is whether or not they want to be rescued. Will they cooperate if we send in a team? I heard that Simla was unhappy in her present life. So, it is possible that she decided to stay.”
Kellan shook his head. “From what I have gathered from Arizona, Simla doesn’t want to be there. In fact, she even tried to escape.”
“That’s useful to know and be rest assured that we’ll speak to Arizona about this as soon as she gets back from changing out of her wet clothes. I’m sure that we all want to know what she’s been through. Once she’s filled us in, we can decide on a plan. Do you have any other questions in the meantime?”
Olivia had so many questions, but now was not the time, especially with the kids here. It was, as Spencer–she would have to get used to thinking of him as her father-in-law–said, time to get the Potomal mess sorted out. “Can you tell us a bit more about Potomal?”
“Potomal used to be my second in command. I have known him for a very long time. When Rupert decided to renounce his future as Sigma-W leader, Potomal assumed that he would take over instead. I didn’t know t
his at the time, but I did notice an increased effort from him, his work was impeccable. He busied himself in every aspect of our work, learning as much as he could. I was really pleased with him and encouraged him to educate himself by rotating him through the various groups. It was clear to everyone that Amadea would take charge, should anything happen to me. The chain of command then goes to Morten–who you will meet at some point–after that. Morten is my cousin. Potomal has always resented this link in the command and assumed that through hard work I would see that he was better suited and appoint him my heir. When it was made clear that the chain of command would stay static for now, he was very disappointed and angry. Still, Potomal kept doing his duties, but with much less enthusiasm. We later found out that he’d been trying to gather enough of our members to do a takeover. When we found out, I had no option but to have him expelled from our operations. He is independently wealthy, so he has been living in his various residences with his five children. We do monitor him, as we hear whisperings of a takeover plot from time to time. None had resulted in any action, until now. I am guessing that he has finally accumulated enough staff to be able to run the basic operations, which is why he took action now.”
Olivia noticed Spencer hesitating as the door opened and Amadea walked in followed by two dry girls. Ella was wearing a very expensive-looking tiara. “Ella, my goodness! Look at your tiara!”
“Mom, isn’t it just the most beautiful tiara you’ve ever seen? It’s a bit like the ones we saw at the Natural History museum in DC, isn’t it?”
It actually kind of was, Olivia thought to herself looking at the tiara. This was not purchased at Claire’s. It had a definite Van Cleef feel to it. She looked over at Amadea.
“It’s fine, Olivia. She’s a princess after all,” she said, winking at Ella.
~
No kidding, I thought to myself. Gramadea had that right. No one could argue with Ella being a princess.
It was clear to me as soon as we walked into the library that they had been talking about me. Although this was not surprising, it was a bit disconcerting. I would have liked to have been there from the start. I looked over at Kellan, who was pointing at the chair next to him. I walked over and sat down. Ella was looking at her new grandfather with suspicion.
“But I didn’t know that I had a granddad! You’ve never sent me any cards or presents. That’s what granddads are supposed to do….”
Spencer smiled. “Tell you what, Ella, for starters, keep the tiara. How about that?”
“Well, yes, but Gramadea gave it to me, and I think she wants it back.”
Amadea smiled. “I don’t want it back-back, just let me keep it safe for you when you’re not wearing it. Okay?”
“Thank you, Gramadea and Grand… what shall I call you?” she asked, confused.
“Just call me Granddad.”
“All right,” Ella agreed. “Thank you.”
“You are very welcome. Now there are a whole lot of people waiting at the pool who want to meet you. This is Alexa,” Spencer said, nodding over at a girl who had just walked into the room.
I guessed Alexa was around fifteen or so. She was very pretty, slightly gothic-looking, wearing all black, nail polish and all. I could see Ella’s little face beaming with appreciation.
“Hi, Alexa,” Ella said shyly.
“Hi, Your Highness. It’s my pleasure to meet you. I’ve been told that you’re a talented actress and singer. Shall we head outside, so you can tell me more? I play the guitar myself.”
Ella skipped off happily with Alexa, just as Spencer expected, no doubt. Was I supposed to call him granddad as well? I guess it was slightly better than having to call him Your Highness or something equally ridiculous. All eyes were on me. They didn’t have to ask. I knew that it was time for me to tell them about my little adventure.
If there was one thing Raj hated with a passion, it was being excluded. What was the point of having a brilliant mind, like his own, sitting idle while there was work to be done? Why trust Simla to do anything? He would have been more than happy to help Potomal with whatever project he was engaged. Sitting around in this room, magnificent as it was, was getting boring. He’d even spent time in the endless pool this morning. His body didn’t need exercise; it was his mind that needed stimulation before he turned into a vegetable. Plus, he did need to get back home to deal with his own business. The buyers for the portal blueprints weren’t going to wait around forever. It seemed that Simla hadn’t managed to contact them before she became involved with Potomal. Come to think of it, how had she become involved with this? Why had Potomal chosen her? Clearly, Simla was not a willing participant. Raj had surmised that much from their meeting with Potomal. In fact, the only reason he seemed to have been transported over was to be used as blackmail to get Simla to do whatever they needed her for. Why Simla? She couldn’t even wander. Raj walked over to the couch, slumped back into it and reached for the television controls. The unit didn’t even receive any regular programs; it was set to a movie channel only. He switched it back off, as he heard a noise from behind him.
Before he could turn, he felt a firm grip on his shoulders and the now-familiar sensation of Sigma-wandering. Where were they taking him now and why? Wherever it was, it was far away. The sensation of wandering lasted at least half an hour before he felt himself roughly dropped onto something hard. He was stiff from the journey when he opened his eyes and looked down at the wooden surface he was sitting on. His knees hurt. A quick scan of the surrounding area indicated to him that that he was in some kind of outdoor patio area, surrounded by trees and flowering bushes.
“Who on earth are you?”
Raj looked up to see a small lady–probably in her late sixties–walk up to him.
“Are you all right? You don’t look well. Are you hurt? Shall I call an ambulance? Did you fall? You look like you may have broken something.”
“No. Thank you. I think I’m all right.”
“Annie! Come out here,” she called, much to Raj’s dismay. Two of them would be so much harder to get away from. He stood up gingerly as Annie emerged from the house.
“Oh, my! Who is this, Lizzy?” Annie asked, with wide eyes. She, like her friend, was probably in her late sixties or seventies.
“Ladies, I am John,” Raj replied, thinking it would probably be better not to reveal his real name.
“John? Okay. Are you sure you don’t want us to call an ambulance? I’ve got a cell phone right here, my son insists that I carry one at all times,” Lizzy said, rolling her eyes at her friend.
“Yes, I’m sure. But thank you, I appreciate your concern.”
“Well, come inside for a minute and we’ll make you some tea before you’re on your way. Are you feeling up to walking? I can lend you one of my walking sticks,” Lizzy offered.
Raj’s feet did feel like jelly, but he found his balance and showed Lizzy that he was well enough to walk, even if it was with a bit of a limp. He would love to walk right out, but he felt dehydrated and he needed to find out where he was. “I’d love a cup of tea,” he said gratefully.
He hobbled into the house through the patio doors, which led into a small family room. The place was dark, with brown wall-to-wall carpeting and dark musty-smelling furniture. An enormous flat screen television, which looked completely out-of-place, occupied one of the walls. He was startled by two cats peering suspiciously at him from the behind the coffee table.
“Oh, that’s Chuckles and Couch Potato, never mind them. They aren’t used to strangers. We don’t have a lot of visitors,” Annie said and shooed them away.
Raj sneezed. He would have to get out of here soon; he was allergic to cats. “Annie, where are we?”
“You don’t know where you are? Did you get lost walking? You are not dressed properly for that, you know. Best to wear hiking boots when walking around here. We have snakes.”
Lizzy returned with the tea and sat down on the couch on the other side of Raj, sandwiching him. He felt c
laustrophobic.
“Where are we?” he asked again.
“Lizzy, John seems to have gotten lost walking. I was just telling him that he needs to dress in better shoes for walking,” she said, pointing down at his dress shoes.
Lizzy nodded. “At least you’ve kept them clean. Drink up, there is plenty more.”
Raj sipped the over-sweetened, creamy tea. The extra sugar would do him no harm, but it was disgusting going down. “Ladies, I’d like to figure out how lost I am… where did you say we were?”
“We didn’t, not yet. We’re about half-an-hour’s drive from the nearest city–Mountain View. Is that where you’re from? Or are you from San Francisco? You look like a city person. Out on a nature ramble? City folk sometimes get these funny urges, you know, to want to experience nature and all.”
“Yes, I’m from San Francisco,” Raj lied, taking a long sip from his cup. What the heck was he doing back in Mountain View? Which dimension was he in? He couldn’t go back to Mountain View until he knew. It would be best to head over to San Francisco and lay low for a while until he found out what was going on. Why did Potomal drop him off here? Was Simla finished with her project? Potomal should have had the decency to take him back to the cottage he took him from in the first place. Raj couldn’t believe that he’d just been unceremoniously dropped off at this place! It suddenly occurred to him that he had no money. How was he supposed to manage? He looked around to see if there was anything of value around. The ladies had the big television, so they were probably not cash-poor. There was bound to be money and jewelry sitting about that he could borrow for now.
“Did you hear me, John?” Annie asked loudly, nudging him.
“Sorry, Annie. I’m a bit tired that’s all. I need to be on my way. May I use your bathroom before I go?”
“Yes, it’s through there,” Annie said, pointing to the hallway. “Do you have a car somewhere? I could drive you to it.”
“Ladies, thank you, you’ve done enough for me already. I shall be on my way soon. My car is parked up the road. I’ll find it. Not to worry.” He got up and walked toward the hall but made a quick detour when he spotted the stairs and made his way to the bedrooms. That’s where the jewelry and money would be.