by A. A. Dark
“Blonde, big hat, sunglasses. No clear visual. She’ll be heading your way. I’m going into town real quick. Keep an eye out. She may be the one.”
“Got it.”
The line went dead, and I dropped the phone back into my bag. If the woman was twenty-four-six-ninety, I had to play this smart. I slid on my shirt, hat, and shoes, then made my way to the exit opening to the streets. It was good for anyone keeping tabs on guests to see I wasn’t interested. My disappearance was crucial—and for more reasons than I cared to think about.
Within minutes, Aamir and the girlfriend exited the main doors. They walked hand-in-hand, oblivious to me standing at the entrance of a tourist shop on the corner. He meant to find Layla and disrupt my plans. Little did he know, I was about to put a snag in his own.
Turning to a table of snow globes labeled “Athens” on the front, I let them pass behind me. The crowds were thick mid-day, and I quickly fell in line close enough to hear their conversation.
“I was so excited about going to Aphrodite’s. Do you know how popular that club is? I barely managed to get us tickets. What am I supposed to do with them now?”
“Go. Don’t waste yours.”
“But we were supposed to go together.”
At her whimper, Aamir glanced over. “Jessa, I said I can’t. Layla needs me.”
“I need you.” A pout registered on her thin lips, but Aamir wasn’t looking anymore. He was staring down at his phone.
“I told you from the beginning I couldn’t just abandon my sister. Besides, you’ll have fun without me. You said you met a girl who was staying at the resort. Offer her my ticket. The two of you can go together.”
“Layla ruins everything. I thought coming here would mean more time for you and me, but everything we do revolves around her. We can’t even have a conversation without you mentioning her name. It’s getting ridiculous. I’ll be in the room if you change your mind.”
The couple broke apart, and I expected Aamir to chase after her, but he didn’t. The phone rose to his ear and he continued, almost appearing frantic as he brought the cell down, then put it up to his ear again. Three times he did this before jolting to a stop.
“Layla, where are you? I’ve been looking everywhere. You had me worried when you didn’t answer.”
I stopped, moving toward the threshold of another store. He spun, eying the buildings across the street before crossing it in a jog. Within minutes, I was back to following smoothly behind. It didn’t take long before he rounded a corner and slid into a chair at an outdoor restaurant. Layla’s eyebrow rose to him, but she didn’t say a word as she bit into a pastry. A man called out from across the street, drawing their attention, and I took the opportunity to move to a table nearby with my back to them. I could barely hear as they began to talk, but I put all my training and focus on listening.
“I thought I was going to miss the trip. I’m glad you stopped to eat before heading to Zeus. I’m starving.”
“Where’s Jessa?”
There was a pause.
“I told her I was staying with you tonight. She got upset and went back to her room. It’s probably for the best. She can be—”
“Consuming?” Layla asked, finishing for him.
“You always could read my thoughts. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jessa, it’s just...I need time to breathe, and I don’t feel like I’ve been able to. Take this trip for example. I figured being here with you, I’d have that. That I could figure out what I was going to do about Jessa and me. But then she showed up. I was trying to be nice, but the truth is, this vacation was supposed to be about us. I’m sorry, Layla. I really am. I’ve been so confused and torn between the two of you. I haven’t been the best brother lately, and I apologize for that. I’m hoping I can fix it. Do you forgive me?”
I didn’t have to see the girl to know she was smiling. They were close. It was in the way they talked. In the possessiveness of Aamir’s voice when he told me to stay away. She’d forgive him. Hell, she probably already had when he showed up alone.
“Of course I do. You’re hungry. Eat the rest of this while I order us a new plate.”
“You’re too good to me, feeding me after the way I’ve treated you. How did I get so lucky?”
Lucky...ha! He had no idea how lucky he might end up being. Although, I doubted he’d view it that way. Fucking one’s sister wasn’t typically on the menu, but for one fortunate Master at Whitlock, he’d be living the dream.
A waiter walked up and I glanced over the menu, ordering a coffee. No need for food. I’d eaten before heading down to the pool. Besides, if I was going to put on a good face, I needed to save my appetite for dinner.
I slid my bag into my lap, taking out Whitlock’s phone. My fingers went into action, texting Mateo.
Five: Five here. Doing a little fishing. Need any shark? Males.
Mateo: Depends. I may be running low. I thought you were sightseeing?
Five: I am. Opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Found some jewels.
Mateo: Plural?
Five: Angelfish and shark. MM-double?
There was a hesitation, and I nodded to the waiter as he put my coffee down. Aamir was talking lightly to Layla, and I caught words here and there as I stared at my screen, but I didn’t care to pay more attention. There had only been one double, and I was referring to the old Main Master with his siblings. Mateo would catch my meaning, and I wished I could see his reaction. Excitement? Oh, yes. I was betting he was scrambling to secretly get the news out and see who took the bait. And plenty would. It was a fucking dream within our world. One I wasn’t so sure our current Main Master would take lightly. He hadn’t liked his father’s slaves. Why, I wasn’t sure. Rumors were always there, but you never knew what to believe.
Mateo: Is the angelfish white or blue? Virgin or not.
Five: I’m guessing white, but not confirmed.
Mateo: Okay. Doesn’t matter. MM-Double is hot on the menu. Contact Captain Willard Fischer of the Black Double. He’ll get my fish to me.
Five: Got it.
A phone number came through, and I deleted all the messages but the last, then pushed the off button before placing the phone back in my bag. A smirk wanted to come, but I held it in, relaxing against the back of the chair. The breeze was cool, despite the heat, and my scout job here was done. A job, I had to admit, was going to have people talking even more shit about me. My twins were attractive above the norm, about to make me filthy rich, and completely in for a nightmare they couldn’t begin to imagine. My day was going great, and it was about to get a lot better.
Chapter 4
Layla
I didn’t think my smile could get any bigger as Aamir and I posed for the tourist who offered to take our picture. With his arm around me, my brother leaned in close, squeezing my shoulder with as much enthusiasm as I felt. This was it. What I had been waiting months for. We were standing right next to the rope surrounding Zeus’s temple, and although I doubted a speck of it would be visible with its colossal size, that didn’t matter to me. It was the freedom and memory I cherished. This moment would be one I looked back on, and I knew it was going to define something big. I couldn’t explain the feeling, but I didn’t care to try. I was happy, Aamir was happy, and that was all that mattered.
“Great pictures!”
The older man lowered my phone and headed back toward us. My brother’s arm dropped, and he grabbed my hand as we met the stranger halfway. He threw us a grin, then walked off as we went through the photos. Tears burned my eyes as I stared down at us. My stomach turned and I couldn’t shake the odd sensations of something being off. It was ridiculous, but there nonetheless.
“What is it? Aren’t you happy?”
Sniffling, I laughed and swiped my hand across one of my eyes before the wetness could trail down my cheeks.
“Yes, very much so. I wasn’t sure if this would happen. I thought…you’ve been so…”
Aamir pulled me into his arms, giving me a
hug. “You don’t have to say anymore. We’re here now, and the rest of this trip is me and you. Whatever you want.”
“Jessa’s not going to like that.”
Putting his arm back around me, Aamir led us to the tree-line surrounding the large open space. White chairs and small tables rested along a small section of the border and we took a seat. Anger shadowed his face only for a moment before he started talking. “I keep replaying how we left things. Jessa...she said something to me before she stormed off. She said you ruined everything.” His head shook as his face hardened. “The way she said it. The look she had. It was unacceptable, and it’s been eating at me ever since. Your presence doesn’t ruin, Layla. It enhances. It brightens and livens. When I’m mad or upset, you’re always there for me. You make me laugh. You reassure me everything is going to be okay. You’re more than my sister—you’re my other half. You’re all I’ve ever known. For her to speak in such a hateful way, I almost couldn’t believe she was the same person I fell for. She doesn’t accept you, and for that, I can’t accept her. It’s over between us.”
A sympathetic look crossed my face as I thought over how my brother had changed in the brief time they were together. He had grown distant in those months, but almost seemed more mature because of it. Older than me now, even if we were the same age. “She never deserved you. I’m not sure anyone ever will.”
“And that’s why I love you. We feel the same. God help me whenever you find someone you…” Aamir trailed off, and I followed his gaze, spotting a tall, built figure a good distance away. He walked like a God—all purpose and domination—as he headed past us toward the temple. Travis didn’t look in our direction. He had his phone up, taking pictures. Despite the confliction over my feelings, I couldn’t deny how attractive he was. His upper body was thick with muscle, yet his waist was lean in the fitted shirt. In the baseball cap, I almost hadn’t recognized him.
“We should go.”
I glanced toward my brother, detecting his impatience.
“Why should we leave? Does seeing him upset you so much? He doesn’t even know we’re here.”
Aamir’s lips twisted. “And I don’t want him to. I don’t like him.”
“Because he likes me?”
A look was thrown my way, but he went back to watching Travis.
“He’s too old for you, Layla. He’s…I don’t know. When he’s close, I get this feeling. It makes my skin crawl. There’s something about him. You know I don’t go out looking for fights, but with him, just the sight of his face makes me want to fucking—”
“Aamir,” I gasped at his language and the rage tightening his features. His fists were clenched and turning white. My brother rarely got upset, but when he did, he had a temper. We both did.
“I can’t help it. I never want to be around him again. Let’s get out of here.”
I stood as Aamir did, taking his hand and noticing Travis wasn’t far away anymore. By the time I swung my purse over my shoulder, my brother was clutching so tightly, it bordered on pain. It was almost like I would disappear forever if he let me go.
“Don’t look at him,” he said under his breath. “If he notices us, I don’t want to give him a reason to come over.”
“Did you forget I said yes to dinner?”
“I cancelled for you.”
My feet dug in and I came to a stop. “You what? I understand your concern, but it wasn’t your place to cancel.”
“It was my place. He’s not good for you. Travis Sloan—”
“Well, well, I didn’t expect to see you both here.”
Travis’s voice from behind us had my brother’s eyes closing. A deep inhale lifted his broad chest and Aamir’s lids slowly rose. The expression he wore had my hand squeezing his in a silent warning. I stepped around my brother, throwing Travis a smile as he approached.
“We were just leaving,” Aamir cut in, turning. “It’s a beautiful place. Enjoy.”
The tug on my hand had me putting resistance so I wouldn’t be moved.
“I’m sorry. My brother is in a rush to get back. We were thinking of packing and finding another resort on one of the islands. I was actually going to find you and tell you goodbye before we left.”
“You’re leaving? So soon?”
“I’m afraid so. Probably before dinner. I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to make it to the rooftop. Thank you, though, for the offer. It was very kind of you.”
Travis smiled, shrugging. “It would have been nice to have an enjoyable conversation with a beautiful woman. I’m sorry I’ll miss your company. Maybe…” he trailed off as two men approached. Their shirts were bright, and I immediately recognized them from the pool. The Hawaiian patterns were unmistakable. One man was average size, although thick in appearance, and the other was short with shaggy brown hair tamed under a fedora. The more I looked at him, the more I had to stare. Something was off. Short was my first impression, but the closer the two got, the fact only cemented even more. This person wasn’t just a little shorter than me, but also flawless in appearance. His face was like porcelain and his features were almost too beautiful for a man.
“I’m sorry,” Travis said, still stalling as he stared in bewilderment at the men. “I...should probably let the two of you go. You were leaving, weren’t you?”
No one spoke as the two got within feet of us. The shorter one had his head cocked to the side. Big blue eyes searched Travis’s face, and like an evil I’d never felt before, I nearly shuddered as his mouth peeled back into a big smile, exposing straight white teeth.
Man, woman, my mind couldn’t register what I was looking at.
“Can we help you?”
At Travis’s question, the taller one’s hand came out. “Yes, thank you. We were wondering if you wouldn’t mind taking our picture in front of the temple.”
“Oh...sure. We were all saying goodbye anyway.”
Travis was stiff and his voice was deeper than I remembered hearing. Aamir tugged my hand again, and this time, I let him inch us away.
“It was nice meeting you, Travis. Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”
“I’m sure we will. Take care, Layla.” He waved as he began walking off with the men. Aamir immediately increased our pace. Repeatedly, he looked over his shoulder, keeping quiet until we were immersed back onto the busy streets.
“What the hell was that about? Did you get the impression they knew each other? I could barely breathe around the three of them.” Aamir took another glance behind us. “Fuck, I don’t like this. I feel...I don’t know. Let’s get our stuff and get the hell out of here.”
“It was odd, wasn’t it?” I let the appearance of the smaller man come back. “I was a little scared too. That...smile. The small man...I didn’t like him.”
“Him?” Aamir gave me a wild look. “It was the bigger one I couldn’t stop staring at. He looked ready to attack Travis. They had to have known each other. Or maybe they’re all just crazy, in which case, I’m glad we got away.”
I laughed as we slowed.
“I guess we really should find a new resort. Once we get back to the room, I’ll look into different places we can stay. I’m sure Dad wouldn’t mind extending our allowance if we tell him we aren’t comfortable where we’re staying.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll let Jessa know we’re checking out. I shouldn’t after how she behaved, but it would be the decent thing to do.”
“I agree. Maybe warn her to steer clear of them too. Just to be safe.”
At Aamir’s nod, we grew quiet for the rest of the walk. Over and over, I replayed the events, glad we could finally move past Travis and Jessa and start our vacation anew. When we entered the hotel, the buzz added to the fuzziness of my thoughts and we both let out deep sighs when we entered our room. But comfort didn’t come. A knock had both of us pausing in the middle of the small living area.
“I’ll get that.”
Heading to the door, Aamir stopped to glance back at me before cau
tiously opening it. My heart leapt in my chest at the possibility of who it could be, but my fears subsided the moment Jessa came into view. Her shoulders were hunched forward and her head was slightly lowered.
“I feel horrible. I came to apologize. Can we talk?”
“We probably should. I need to talk to you, too.”
As Aamir stepped out and closed the barrier, I collapsed onto the wicker sofa. Soft pastel flowers covered the thin material and my finger traced the outline. Minutes passed as I awaited his return. Then, longer. I grabbed my laptop from the glass coffee table to browse through resorts on nearby islands. I had wanted to do this with Aamir so we could choose one together, but he hadn’t come back yet. Repeatedly, I looked up to the door. When more time went by, I stood. Worry engulfed me, and although I wasn’t sure why, it led me outside, roaming the halls, knocking on Jessa’s door. It led me to something I could have never imagined.
Chapter 5
Scout 5
From the moment I saw the two men approaching in their bright Hawaiian shirts, I couldn’t believe I’d dismissed them before. I wasn’t staring at two males. I was looking at one male, and one female. My teeth ground in anger as I’d watched Layla and Aamir disappear along the path. It had been obvious they knew something wasn’t right, which fucked up the situation if they ran their mouth to anyone. I didn’t think they would, but I couldn’t be one hundred percent positive Aamir wouldn’t at least tell his girlfriend how strange the meeting was. And that mattered, given their impending disappearance.
I snapped the picture, thrusting the camera back to the two people who were on to me. My eyes bore into blue—into someone I was almost positive was Everleigh Harper. It was hard to say. It was close, but there was a heaviness in my gut that told me I could very well be wrong.