by Nia Arthurs
Angel looked it over and then signed.
Handing the document back to me, she whispered, “I guess this is it.” Her gaze slipped to the balcony. She mumbled under her breath, so softly that I knew I wasn’t meant to hear. “God, I hope I haven’t made a huge mistake.”
21
Angel
It was the first time I’d seen so many zeroes in my bank account. Ever.
This kind of money couldn’t be real. And it couldn’t be safe. What if the government got wind of this? What if the police crashed my apartment demanding to know where it came from?
“I’m a babysitter,” I’d whimper, my hands in the air as guns surrounded me. “It’s my pay for the summer.”
“Bull. Who pays their babysitter this much?”
I’d tremble. “It’s the truth. I swear!”
“You’re either selling sex or drugs. Which is it?”
“Please, you have to believe me. I got that in exchange for cleaning and running after a two-year-old all day.”
“She’s lying. Take her in.”
I shuddered and mentally swatted the vision away. Sometimes my imagination was a little too vivid.
Maybe I should be scared. It’s too much money. Who just gives away this much for nothing?
Worries mounting, I chewed on my bottom lip and closed the bank app on Deacon’s computer.
Relax, Angel.
The transaction was above-board. I hadn’t sold any illegal substances, nor would I have had the opportunity to do that, sequestered as I was on this tiny island.
When it came to selling my body… well, that opportunity hadn’t presented itself either.
The day after we signed the contract, Deacon left the island. I only saw him on a pixelated screen for a couple minutes when he called Reid before his bedtime to say goodnight. After, he’d ask me how Reid was doing and I would answer.
It was all very polite, straightforward, employer-to-employee business.
So why did I still feel so unsettled?
Money had dropped into my lap like manna from heaven.
Maybe that was the problem. It was all a little too good to be true and I was stuck here on this island waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Even the bank had been cautious. It had taken them two days to approve the transfer. Now that it was there, every zero intact, I should be celebrating. Or at least scheming of a way to give the sum to my parents without sharing the details of where the money came from.
I tugged on the top drawer, searching for a paper and pen so I could brainstorm ideas. I found a pen, but no paper.
The second drawer? No luck.
I leaned down to the third and yanked at the handle. It didn’t budge.
Weird.
I pulled harder but gave up when I realized it was locked. Curiously, I tilted my head. What was Deacon hiding in there?
“Abel!” a childish voice squealed.
I turned the office chair and found Reid waddling toward me, his favorite stuffed dinosaur locked under his arm.
A smile tugged the corners of my lips. ‘Abel’ was Reid’s best attempt at saying my name.
“Hey, baby. Is your show done?”
He nodded. “Fruit.”
“You want your fruit snacks?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t be referring to the actual thing.
Reid nodded, his green eyes bright.
I smiled and swept him into my arms. “Let’s go.”
After I’d gotten Reid his snacks and a cup of water, I pulled out my cell phone. My fingers hovered over my mother’s name.
How should I tell them Dad could get his treatment without attracting a whole bunch of questions?
“You,” Reid said.
I glanced up and found the little kid extending a fruit snack to me.
“No thanks.” I smiled, shaking my head. Reid had a habit of digging his nose and I didn’t trust where that hand had been.
“Take,” he insisted.
“You’re as pushy as your dad, aren’t you?” I accepted the gift and pretended to eat it. “Mm, it’s good. Thank you for sharing.”
“Welcome,” he said and went back to happily munching.
As I watched Reid, an idea popped into my head. Just like I’d balked at accepting the fruit snack from Reid’s hand, my parents would reject massive amounts of money from mine.
Unless… I gave them the illusion it was from another hand.
“Reid, you’re a genius!” I squeezed his cheeks and kissed him.
He swatted me away.
I laughed and grabbed my cell phone, moving on my idea while he was occupied with his snack. Dialing the hospital’s numbers on autopilot, I called Dad’s doctor.
“You want me to tell your parents they got a grant from someone else?” Doctor Juarez croaked a few minutes later.
“They won’t look into it, Doctor. Trust me. My mom has too much on her plate to worry about anything but Dad’s health.”
“Why don’t you just tell them the money’s from you?”
“Because they’d waste too much energy asking where it came from.”
“And where did it come from, Angel?”
I paused. “Doctor Juarez, is that really the issue here? My dad is about to give up on receiving treatment. He’s going to die if he goes that route.”
“You do know he may die even if he does receive chemo, right?”
“At least I’ll know we tried everything.”
“If you’re sure about this…?”
“I am.”
“Alright.”
“Make the arrangements, Doctor.” I gripped the cell phone, my chest tightening. “Money is no longer an object.”
“Angel… are you okay? You’re not in any trouble, are you?”
Reid smacked the lid of his baby chair.
I spun and slanted him a stern look.
He immediately settled down.
Turning back to the conversation, I assured the doctor. “Everything is fine. How soon can you have the papers ready?”
“I’ll have your father ready for transfer as soon as possible.”
“Perfect. And please, keep this a secret. They can never find out who’s really paying for Dad’s treatment.”
“Okay.”
I hung up and pumped my fist.
Reid watched me curiously.
I picked him up and spun him around. “How about we play outside to celebrate?”
He nodded happily.
I dressed Reid in a pair of swimming trunks, slathered him in sunscreen and headed outside.
A stretch of sandy beach welcomed us. Palm trees dotted the shore and waved their green leaves to a soca rhythm. Blue skies, dotted with puffy white clouds, unfurled above us. The sea was a cerulean blue.
Reid immediately took off. I ran beside him, unable to wipe the grin from my face.
Dad would be okay.
He’d be okay now.
Drawn from the noise Reid and I made as we splashed each other in the shallows, Miguel poked his head around the bend.
I waved.
He nodded before striding back to his house.
I got the sense that Deacon had left Miguel with strict instructions to check in on us without intruding.
To be honest, I wouldn’t mind getting to know the solemn worker. I’d already started looking up American Sign Language videos online. Soon, I’d hold a proper conversation with him.
Returning my attention to Reid, I smiled. “Are you ready to go back inside?”
He shook his head. “More.”
I obliged but, after another hour in the heat, I tore Reid away from the water. It was clear he loved playing in the Caribbean Sea, but I didn’t want him getting sick.
As we had done for the past two days, Reid took a bath and then ‘helped’ me cook. Which meant he banged pots around while I made us lunch.
Playing outside had tired him and Reid’s head started bobbing from drowsiness. I held him to my chest and took him to the living room
, hoping to browse Netflix for a movie.
I was waffling between a cheesy romance flick and an action thriller when my phone rang.
Deacon’s name appeared on the screen.
I glanced at the sleeping toddler and then answered the video call, “Hey, Deacon.”
“Hey.” His face appeared on the screen. As pixelated as the image was, it still managed to make my heart thump. “How are things going today?”
“Great. You’re a little early though. It’s a few hours until Reid’s bedtime. He’s taking a nap right now.”
He smiled.
“Do you… want to call back later?” I held my breath.
“No.”
The knots in my chest loosened.
Deacon settled back. “Tell me all about your day.”
“There’s nothing much to tell. I made breakfast and then woke Reid up. We practiced our letters and watched music videos about the alphabet, and then we played dinosaurs for an hour. Exciting stuff.”
Deacon’s chuckle sent goosebumps shuttling over my skin. “I know how hard it is to keep Reid’s attention.”
“He’s energetic, but nothing I can’t handle. We have a lot of fun.” I eyed the screen, taking note of the background.
During our conversations, I never asked anything personal. Where he was. What he was doing. He hadn’t shared and I hadn’t asked. But my curiosity was growing.
“Is your trip almost over?”
“Yes. I’ll be home soon.”
My heart flipped.
Deacon on the phone was one thing.
Deacon, walking around and living with me, was another.
“I… can’t wait.”
“Is that so, Angel?” His voice lowered. “Did you miss me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
He laughed, the sound skittering over my ears like music. “I normally bring back a gift for Reid when I go on trips. What should I bring for you?”
“Nothing. You’ve already given me enough.” I paused. “I arranged my dad’s treatment today. He should be leaving the country soon to go to the hospital in Merida.” I sucked in a deep breath. “Thank you, Deacon. This wouldn’t have happened without you.”
Deacon opened his mouth to answer but stopped suddenly. His green eyes shifted and his expression turned cold. Fear danced over my chest even though I wasn’t the one on the receiving end of that glare.
“Deacon?” I called.
He didn’t respond.
“Hello, handsome,” a voice said. “It’s been a long time.”
My heart shriveled.
The stranger in Deacon’s room… was a woman.
22
Deacon
My muscles coiled. Shoulders tightened. Fingers hovered over the gun that I kept close during trips. The woman in the shadows was neither a friend nor a foe, which made her ten times more dangerous.
“Rhia.” The name slipped out automatically. Like a cube of ice sliding down the tongue.
Her lips curled up in a smirk. “You might want to hang up.”
I realized that my phone was still connected to the island, to Angel. Scrambling for the phone instead of the gun, I ended the video call.
The beep shattered the silence in the hotel room.
I hadn’t told Angel goodbye. She would have questions, but at least she would not be privy to this side of my life.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
Rhia’s flowered dress swayed around her knees as she walked to the sliding glass doors and peered at the light-studded city. “You didn’t get the penthouse? Why? You can afford it.”
“I prefer to lay low.”
“Because of guilt?”
“Because a white man showing up suddenly and throwing his money around for a penthouse suite attracts too much attention.”
“You may be right.” Rhia patted her elaborately coiled bun. A heavy accent bit into her words. “Forgive me. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the ground with an operative.”
I eyed her warily. My fingers hovered over the gun now. “What do you want?”
“You’ve still got it, Deacon. I must admit.”
I stiffened.
Rhia turned to me, a satisfied smile on her red-stained lips. “I worried that you would not be able to succeed on a mission like this.”
“The target was easy to deceive. He was… lonely.”
“And you cured him of that. Permanently.”
I ground my teeth together. It was a job, but it had not been pleasant. “What. Do. You. Want?”
“To talk.”
“We could have done so over the phone.” I jerked my chin in the direction of the burner sitting on the nightstand.
“Yes,” she tutted, “but that would have been so cold and impersonal.”
“Leave.”
“Are you upset, Deacon?” Her heels clicked against the tiles as she strode closer. “I thought you’d like a visit. Doesn’t it remind you of old times?”
I sprang out of bed, landed on my toes and pointed my gun at her head. Rhia watched me with an amused smile. Her brown eyes remained stony, eyelashes didn’t so much as flicker. For a moment, I wondered if she was even human.
“If I remember right,” she stared me down, her voice incurring a dangerous tinge, “your previous handler often met you in hotel rooms just like this.”
My hand shook.
“What did you do together, Deacon?” Rhia arched an eyebrow at the bed. “Could I have a demonstration? Maybe you and I can make our own little Reid. ”
I lowered my arm.
Her deranged smile returned. “Yes, well, perhaps I am a little too cold for baby-making. You made the right choice.”
I watched her, helpless to do anything but listen.
Rhia knew my weakness. At any moment, she could send someone to dispose of my son.
Dispose.
It sounded so clean and bloodless.
“I’m sorry, Deacon. I didn’t want to meet again, after so many years, under these circumstances. But the truth is,” she sat on the edge of the mattress, “the organization has been compromised.”
I sucked in a stunned breath. “What?”
“It was bound to happen. The organization was too big to go unnoticed. We made too many mistakes. Law and order is drawn to chaos. If I had my way, I would have jumped ship before it all fell apart.”
“Is this true?”
“The wall came crumbling down.” Her hands dove and flopped. “All the way from the top.”
“Then why…?”
“Why did I send you on jobs?” She stood. “Because you do not belong to the organization.”
My eyebrows wrinkled.
Rhia smiled, dark eyes sparking with life for the first time. “Seems your previous handler wiped you from the database before she died. You are nothing to us. To the police. To your enemies. You are a ghost to everyone but me. I see you, Deacon.” She surged forward. “And together, we can be great.”
“Together?”
“Yes.”
Understanding hit me. “You want a long-term operative.”
“As long as there is life and hate and darkness, we will thrive. I’ve still got contacts and you’ve got the skills and the anonymity. We can build something bigger than the world has ever seen.”
“Are you asking or ordering?”
“You are not a member of the organization, remember? I am here to convince you that there is no better option. That you still have purpose.”
My gaze landed on the floor and I admitted, “Tonight was hard.”
“Understandable. You’ve been out of the game for many years.”
“No, Rhia.” I took in her alabaster skin that had been pricked and prodded so many times she couldn’t laugh properly. “Before I took the shot, I hesitated.”
“You can be retrained. The block is only in your mind. Think of all the money—”
“I have more than enough money.”
“If you had so m
any doubts, why take the jobs in the first place?” she snapped.
“Because I needed to confirm.”
“Confirm what?”
I shook my head and gestured with the gun. “I left this life behind for a reason. Continuing the legacy of the organization is your dream. Not mine.”
“And your dream is what? To live out the rest of your days on an island? To squander your gifts husking coconuts during the day and screwing the black woman you’ve taken hostage at night?”
Anger surged through my veins.
I snatched Rhia by the throat and drove her against the wall in three seconds flat. Her head smacked against plaster. The painting on the hook swung dangerously.
“Do not speak of her,” I growled.
Rhia cackled, the sound akin to a creaky door in a storm. “How amusing, Reid. Then and now, you are still defeated by that thing in your pants.”
“Shut up.”
“She seems very sweet. A little too conservative for your tastes. I thought you preferred women who settled for a few romps in trashy hotel rooms, but this girl… she looks a little high-maintenance. Commitment, God, family, they are important to her. Are you sure you can live up to her perfect standards?”
“Say one more thing and I’ll snap your neck.”
“Reid,” she taunted.
My fingers tightened.
“As we speak, I have a gun trained to his head.”
“You’re bluffing.”
Rhia paused and pressed a finger to her ear. “The lamps are on. It’s glowing, orange.”
My fingers loosened.
Horror seeped through my veins.
“He’s wearing blue pajamas with puppies on them. How adorable.”
My breath caught.
“Your woman is on your bed. Reid is tucked into her side. She seems to be telling him a story. A boy. A giant. Five stones—”
I roared and slammed my fist into the wall near her head. Plaster tumbled out of the indent left by my anger.
Reid, my weakness and my strength.
Rhia could pull me like a puppet on a string and she knew it. “My goodness, Deacon. I forgot you had a temper. You’re usually so in control. We will need to get that in check. I cannot have you raging and roaring like a bull in front of clients.”
I let her go, my shoulders sagging and my back hunched with the weight of fear and anger.