by Skylar Cross
Sebastian reeked of bullshit, but there was probably a little truth behind it.
"I'm going to trust you," he said. "I'm going to trust your word that you will bring me the locket after you talk to her. Understood?"
I bit my tongue and said "Yes."
There was a long pause on the line.
"She works at the QV Bank on Boylston Street," he said. "She works in the back at a cubicle. She does loans, opens and closes accounts, and safe deposit boxes. Valentina and I went in one day to take some money out and I saw her with another customer. The face looked familiar so I walked over and read her nametag. Right away, I knew it was her."
QV Bank!
Right here on Boylston Street.
Right under my nose all the time!
Forrester and I had been looking around the world for a 24-year old customer service girl named Kiri and couldn't find her.
But here she is right here in Boston! Walking distance from here!
A thrill went through me. The goal I set for myself while taking those first steps up that winding road away from Nuutania Prison all those years ago was in reach.
Easy, Caden. Don't get too excited. That's exactly what Sebastian wants. Don't let him play you.
"Fine," I said. "I'll go confirm it's her, then I'll call you to arrange giving you the locket."
"I'm trusting you, Caden," said Sebastian. "Be a man of your word."
I had a flash of Sebastian covered in Mrs. Huang's blood.
"Of course," I said.
Chapter 16
My plan got even better. More detailed.
On a sunny spring day, I laughed to myself at the brilliance of it.
I was exuberant. Spring was in the air. The sun was shining. The cafes along Boylston Street had put out their tables. Many office workers were taking an early lunch to enjoy the warmup.
I wore my best Anderson & Sheppard suit as I walked down the street, briefcase in hand. Every step felt lighter than air.
As I walked into QV Bank, I looked around.
And saw her.
In an instant, I had another one of those life-changing moments. Like the night on the dock watching the sunset, everything changed again.
Forever.
I had never been a believer in love at first sight. Or knowing you're "meant" to be with somebody.
But in that moment, I became a convert.
The girl in front of me, dressed in her gray pinstripe suit, green camisole, and nametag that read "Kiri" was a picture of perfection.
Make that the picture of perfection.
I truly had never seen a more attractive woman in my life.
My cock sprang to life, sending a jolt right through me. No, not now! I said to him. Down boy!
She sat at a round table with a male co-worker. They both stared oddly at me.
After what seemed an eternity, she got up and walked toward me.
"Huggh-oh," she said, then cleared her throat. "Excuse me. Hello. My name is Kiri. Welcome to QV Bank. Is there anything I can help you with today?"
"Yes, Kiri," I said as I removed my sunglasses.
She looked like she might recognize me, but I couldn't tell. I know I've changed, but certainly she would remember me, right?
Or is this someone else?
No, those are the eyes. I recognize the intelligence behind them. This is definitely Kiri Huang.
My erection was trying to cut through my expensive pants to get to her.
Stop it, Caden! This is little Kiri. You can't react this way to her!
Truth is, I felt like I had been punched in the face. Her beauty was one thing. But there was something else. A presence. A spirit that seemed to call to me.
And she is twenty-four years old. Way past the age of consent. I bet she's consented many times.
The very thought sent a thrill through my body.
"I'd like to open up a safe deposit box," I said.
"A safe deposit box," she repeated.
I know when a woman is attracted to me. Her French Polynesian skin was light enough for a flush to be visible on her face.
This is not good.
This is not what I came in here for.
"Yes, a safe deposit box," I said. "You do have those here, don't you?"
Dammit, I said that too flirty. I can't help myself.
"Oh," she said. "Yes. My goodness. Of course... a safe deposit box. Yes... I do... well, we do... I mean, yes we definitely have them... here... at this bank."
She motioned me to follow her to the circular table where she had been sitting with her co-worker. I sneaked a peek at her ass.
Oh my God, I need to be inside that!
The male co-worker with the nametag "Troy" smiled at me, jumped up nervously, and left.
"Just have a seat right here, Mister..."
"Willoughby," I said, putting out my hand. "Horace Willoughby."
For this reconnaissance job, I had a fake identity made up. I didn't want the attention that I would have received if people knew the billionaire Caden Storm was here. The publicity would interfere with my identification of Kiri.
I picked the name Horace Willoughby for obvious reasons.
As I touched her hand, I felt an electrical charge. It was like an explosion of energy that hummed and buzzed between us.
I swear I could smell her pheromones. I leaned closer to her and took a big whiff.
God, I love the scent of aroused woman!
She backed up a little.
"I'll go get the paperwork," she said. "Just have a seat right here."
I felt on display here at the circular table. Somebody was bound to recognize the billionaire Caden Storm. This was no good.
"Actually," I said, "do you have anywhere more private?"
Her jaw dropped.
"Oh, yes," she said. "Certainly. Um... let me just get us a place... an office, I mean... and… I'll be right back."
"Very good," I said.
I watched her walk past the cubicles into the back. I've never seen a more perfect ass. It's going to be all I can do not to throw her on a desk and fuck the living shit out of her.
Easy, Caden. That's little Kiri you're talking about there. That's sick.
But is it Kiri? She doesn't seem to recognize me. Shit. No, it's definitely her. Those eyes are unique. But nothing else is the same.
A woman shaped like a beach ball came waddling out of the office area in the back. I backed up to allow her room to pass. She continued on out past the tellers and the ATMs out onto the street.
Kiri had followed her out halfway, then motioned for me to join her out back.
I walked behind that perfect little body, wishing I could just walk behind it all day. I could almost feel her ass cheeks squeezing against my face as I tongued her butthole.
Stop it, Caden. Just stop it!
She brought me to an office in the corner with a narrow floor-to-ceiling window that faces Boylston Street.
"Have a seat," she said after she closed the door.
I'll have your seat, all right.
Yo Caden, stop being a horny motherfucker and cut the shit. Remember your mission here. You need proof this is Kiri Huang.
"How long have you lived in Boston?" I said.
"Six years," she said. "I went to BU and ended up staying. But I grew up in New York."
That fits with Forrester's research. This is her. But why doesn't she recognize me?
"Queens," I said.
Her eyes went wide.
"Lucky guess?" I said.
"Yes," she said as she motioned toward the customer chair. "What gave it away?"
I quickly accessed my eidetic memory for some statistics I once read.
"Many Pacific Islanders live in Queens. I had a 66% chance of being correct."
She smiled a big smile.
God, I feel the earth moving. That smile is all I ever need to be happy. Fuck all my money.
"Wow... yes," she said. "Although my family are all Thai. I was adopte
d when I was a baby."
Adopted when she was a baby? No, something is wrong here. This can't be the same Kiri.
A huge feeling of disappointment set in at the prospect. But another equally exciting wave of excitement started up. If this isn't little Kiri, then I'm definitely going to fuck this magnificent creature.
She sat down behind the desk.
"So, Mr. Willoughby," she said, "we have three different sizes of safe deposit boxes as indicated here."
"The small will be fine, Kiri," I said. "And please call me H."
"H?"
"Yes, it sounds better than Horace, don't you think? Plus, I'm quite addictive so it fits."
Now I've done it. Can't help myself. I'm in full-on seduction mode. It's over. This isn't Kiri Huang.
But I still wasn't 100% certain. As I filled out the paperwork and she checked my IDs, I stared at her. I looked for any hint of recognition.
But all I got was lust. She wanted me. I wanted her. We both knew it.
"Well," she said as she clicked off items on her computer, "it looks like everything is okay."
"I concur," I said. "Everything seems amazing from here."
Her amazing eyes met mine.
"Ha ha!"
I heard the words in my head and saw a flash of the little girl jumping out from behind a bush.
Shit, this is her. Those are the eyes.
No, I can't seduce Kiri Huang! I'm here to return her fortune to her, not to fuck her.
Let's just get this over with.
"So when do I get my box?" I said.
I held it together until we got to the vault. Inside, alone with this goddess, I lost control and flirted again.
She is twenty-four, I kept reminding myself. It's okay.
As she demonstrated the operation of the safe deposit box, the scent of her sex filled the vault. My hard-on returned. I thought about pushing her up against the wall of boxes and fucking her right here.
I bet I could have, but the last thing either of us needed was pirated security footage of a billionaire fucking a bank employee on PornHub.
In the privacy room, I insisted she stay. I wanted her to see what I was going to put into the safe deposit box.
My only concern was that when see sees the locket, she might freak out.
But wait a minute here. She said she was adopted as a baby, so this can't be her.
Unless...
Maybe she repressed the memory. Maybe she repressed a lot of memories. I hadn't thought about that, but it's a possibility.
I reached down for my briefcase and brought it up to the table. I dialed in the security code and flipped up the latches.
Here we go.
I took out the locket and my copy of Death at Sea by Konrad Gregor. It was the same one I read in Nuutania Prison. I had a friend of mine inside switch it with a fresh copy I had bought. I wanted the one that saved my life.
Kiri looked a little sick. She put both hands on the table. Her pupils dilated a little. It felt like she left the room for an instant.
Then she came back and stared at me.
Did she remember something? Did she figure it out? Does she know who I am?
"Are you all right?" I said.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said. "Sorry."
Dammit, I still can't tell. What is wrong with me? I'm the master of reading people. Half of me says this is Kiri Huang. Half says it isn't.
I closed my briefcase, locked it, and put it back down by my feet.
I picked up the locket. I heard the gunshots in my head. I saw the bloody bodies of the Huangs bob and sink in the water.
I flipped open the locket. Kiri's great-grandmother stared up at me. I looked at Kiri. I saw mild curiosity, but no sign of recognition.
I put it down on the table between us so she could get a better look at it. I peered into her eyes for any sign.
Nothing.
Fuck.
I closed the locket and put it in the safe deposit box.
Then I took my copy of Death at Sea, again thanking whatever higher power delivered me the message inside, and put it in the box. I flipped the lid shut.
"Okay," I said. "I'm done."
Chapter 17
I sat on my balcony sipping a martini watching the ships in Boston Harbor. The April air had grown cold again as the sun dipped.
I had planned on going out to dinner with Clarissa, a model I've been dating off-and-on. But I called her to cancel.
My heart wasn't in it. I could think of nothing but the events of the last twenty-four hours.
I closed my eyes, imagining the feel of the warm Pacific waters under my dangling feet as I sat on the Huangs' dock watching the sunset. The aftertaste of Mrs. Huang's delicious dinner. The cash in my pocket that she had given me to enjoy myself. Then I heard the rustle behind me as little Kiri jumped out and said, "Ha ha!"
My cell phone rang.
"Hello," I said.
"Well, are you satisfied?" said Sebastian.
"No. I'm not yet convinced that's her."
"Caden, don't play me. I don't want to kill you, but I will if I must."
"Sebastian, I seriously have doubts that's her. I need to do more research."
"You have one week. Then I will dedicate myself to killing you with every breath I have left. But I'll kill her first."
The line went dead.
I patted my Glock 19, which lay on the table beside me.
"Find my children!" said Mrs. Huang from a place deep inside me. "Take care of them!"
Yes.
But to accomplish that properly, Sebastian must die.
I had a plan for that.
But shit, what if it isn't her?
Then I will definitely go back and seduce her. But then the search for the real Kiri Huang will continue.
I took another sip of my martini.
Forrester came up behind me and sat down. He lit a cigarette.
"It's her," he said.
I jumped up.
"How do you know?" I said.
"We hacked into her mother's bank accounts to look for clues. We found a big one. Several large deposits over the years from one Martine Decoud, address Fifth Avenue, New York."
I lost it.
It's a little embarrassing in front of Forrester, but I didn't care. Tears fell down my cheeks for the first time since I watched the Huangs sink beneath the waves.
I found her!
Nineteen years later.
I found her!
I cannot describe the elation I felt.
"I found her!" I said out loud to Mrs. Huang.
Forrester snuffed out his cigarette and went back inside to his control room, giving me a moment to be alone.
Now that I know it's really her, I know exactly how I'm going to play this.
But I thought of a new icing I wanted to put on this cake.
Chapter 18
"Sebastian, I have the locket in my hand," I said. "I've confirmed the girl is Kiri Huang. I have rented a room for you at the Lenox Hotel on Boylston Street. With my compliments. Go check in and I will call you there."
I flipped open the real locket, not the fake I had placed in the safe deposit box at QV Bank.
"No no no, Caden," said Sebastian. "You don't call the shots here. I'm not stepping into your trap."
"Then you won't see where I'm putting it," I said. "Your call. Your room is waiting for you."
I hung up.
I wrapped the locket in a black velvet bag. Then I wrote a note on a card, placed it and the locket in bubble wrap, put it into a FedEx box, and sealed it up. I tore off one of the labels from my Bane Development account and wrote Kiri's mother's name and address on the box.
Fifteen minutes later, a FedEx employee picked it up and it was on its way. Then I took out my Glock 19 and cleaned it. If anything bad happened, I wanted to make sure the locket was where it belonged.