by Kira Blakely
We’d reached the pool patio, and Meghan came out with Mrs. Sims. The older woman had a concerned look on her face. I had no idea if she knew anything about Collin, but it wouldn’t take much to recognize that he was related to Brayden and she certainly knew that the island was off limits to others. I hoped she’d pick up on the fact that Collin represented some danger.
I hated this feeling; being trapped. Collin would pick up on that. Bullies could smell fear, and it empowered them. I’d known him all my life and still wanted away from him. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and knew Brayden was texting back.
“Mrs. Sims, would you mind preparing lunch for us and serve it here on the patio? We have an unexpected guest with us. This is Mr. Brayden’s brother, Collin.” As I spoke, I gave her a hard look, hoping she would pick up on the danger. Her expression did not change an iota. She was either a very good actress, or it went right over her head.
“Certainly, Miss Harper. I was just telling Meghan that she’d made a mess of videos in the media room and she’s to put them back, in alphabetical order,” she turned to give Meghan a look, “before she can play tennis or join you here for lunch.” She glared at Meghan, who slowly slunk inside.
“Nice to meet you, Uncle Collin,” Meghan mewled as though she hoped he might intervene and commute the sentence.
I knew she would be fascinated by meeting her father’s other brother and yet she would be clueless how much danger that could represent. Collin was unpredictable and had it in for Brayden. He would cause trouble; there could be no doubt about that.
I nodded and quickly changed the conversation before Collin could say anything more. “You didn’t bring Stephanie with you?”
“No,” was his curt response.
“Darn. I’ve been afraid to ask her to visit, Brayden being so protective of things, and would have liked if she could see it.”
“Why?”
I looked up at him. “Excuse me?”
“Why is he protective? Who is he afraid of?”
I shrugged, taking a sip from my drink. “You should know that better than I. He’s your brother. He just seems sometimes almost paranoid. I write it off to the fact that he has so many employees and that someone could become disgruntled. This is a remote place, you know.”
He nodded. I hoped I was making logical sense. His next question took my breath.
“Why are you here?”
I hesitated. I knew I couldn’t lie; he was too smart for that. The best I could do was slant things and sometimes the truth was the best way to do that.
I looked down at the paving stones. “I’m beginning to ask myself that same question. I mean, you remember we were an item back in high school and I thought he was wanting to rekindle that. I’m not so sure, now, though.”
“Why not?”
“He’s not opening up to me. One minute, I’m his girlfriend and the next I feel like I’ve been hired as a companion to the girl.” I deliberately did not name her as that suggested a closely-knit group of which he was not a part—a fact that would further anger him.
Mrs. Sims emerged at that moment, a tray in her hands. There were only two place settings, which told me exactly what I wanted to know. She had picked up on the danger and had sent Meghan off on a chore so she would be out of the way.
Collin stood up. “Where’s the can?” he asked, and I pointed to the pool cabana.
“Right in there.”
He nodded and headed toward it as Mrs. Sims was laying the plates and glasses. As soon as he was out of hearing, she whispered, “Have you contacted Mr. Brayden?”
I nodded and slipped my phone out of my pocket. ON MY WAY. “Yes, he’s coming. Keep Meghan upstairs, no matter what. I’ll handle Collin.”
“I know,” she muttered under her breath as Collin emerged from the cabana and headed back toward me.
“Mrs. Sims, would you send something to drink down to Collin’s guide there on the dock?” She nodded and understood that the only person she could summon to take it down would be Captain Bob.
I sat back, content that I’d done all I could for the moment. Now, I just had to wait. I picked a topic that I hoped wouldn’t rev him up. “Has Brayden told you about the website I’m building?” I asked as Mrs. Sims reappeared with large bowls of salad and a platter of sandwiches. She nodded briefly to me and I relaxed a bit.
“No.”
“Well, you’ll probably find it kind of funny considering that I was pretty much a wallflower in school, but I’m building a new kind of dating website.”
“Okay.”
He clearly wasn’t interested but was using his energy to survey the island from this elevated vantage. I let him do it.
“Oh, that’s right. I promised you a tour. Well, let’s see. That building over there,” I pointed to where I was staying, “is the guest house. That’s where I’m staying.”
His eyebrows went up at that. I suppose he imagined that I would be rooming at the big house with Brayden.
“Why?”
I raised my eyebrows and lifted my chin, letting him know I didn’t understand his question.
He sighed, not sure if I was as stupid as I appeared, or whether I was pretending. “Why are you living there?”
I shrugged again. “You’d have to ask Brayden that. That’s where he put my things.”
I pointed out a few other interesting points and then talked about the red sunsets that had given the Key its name. “You know, it’s hard to believe that Cuba is only about eighty miles from here,” I said, pointing. I knew I was sounding like a tour guide, and a silly one at that since Collin had grown up here, just as I had.
I switched to the topic of whatever happened to… the conversation old classmates had. He was fairly uncooperative but it did trigger some reminiscences about his high school exploits, most of which should have landed him in prison. He regaled me with these, one after the other, and I wondered how I was supposed to respond. Should I laugh? Be in awe?
From the corner of my eye, I could see Captain Bob lurking in the shadows next to the sliding door. He was not in uniform, but sitting in a rattan chair, holding a magazine. I supposed that Mrs. Sims had given him some alternate role in case Collin should see him.
That was when I heard the motor and saw a large cabin cruiser approaching the dock. Finally! Collin heard it, too, and put down his fork with a clatter. He shoved his plate aside angrily and stood up, striding toward the boat and Brayden.
I felt a knot of fear in my gut, at least until I could see that Brayden was not alone. There were men with him, men in suits that bulged. They fanned out behind him but there was no mistaking their fitness in their walk and that their heads were looking from left to right, gauging the situation as they approached. I stood up and hurried inside, locking the slider.
Captain Bob had already been alerted and was standing, watching the approaching people from a window. He was holding a revolver in his hand.
I went to find Mrs. Sims. She was in the kitchen, and she was holding a gun in her hand as well. “Where’s Meghan?” I asked.
“Go to the media room and tell her to take you to the panic room. She knows. Don’t come out until you see one of us motion to you on the monitors. Lock the door; she’ll show you how. You’ll be able to hear us.”
Alarmed, I ran toward the stairs going down and Meghan was standing in the doorway of the media room, a frightened look on her face. She knew enough to take precautions but was confused whether she should go into hiding on her own.
“Panic room?” I asked briefly and she nodded, grabbed my hand and pulled me into the media room. The room was very dark and the floor slanted, like in a full theatre. She tugged me toward the projection screen and slid around behind it, tapping something on the wall and a door swung open.
We entered the panic room and locked the door.
I’d never been in anything like that. It was the stuff of movies. The closest thing I could describe was a sort of bunker with panels of blinking swit
ches and a set of monitors that allowed us to see all over the island and in every room of the house. Isn’t this reacting just a little bit? After all, there was only Collin, and Brayden had brought what looked like a deployment from the Secret Service. But, I understood that Brayden couldn’t handle things as coolly if he had to worry about where Meghan was, so I was content to have a seat and watch the show. Meghan seemed unconcerned.
“Have you been in here before?” I asked.
She nodded casually. “Oh, sure, lots of times. Uncle Brayden always brings me in here, or Mrs. Sims, when a big blow is coming in. According to him, the whole island could go underwater and we’d be all cozy and watertight, like a submarine.” She pulled out her cell phone, settled onto a bunk and began whatever it was that teenage girls do on phones. I could hear a tinkle of music, so I assumed she was playing a game.
I spotted the screen that showed the patio and the yard leading down to the docks. Collin was walking casually, if not jauntily, toward Brayden with his hands in his pockets. He must have been walking very slowly because it had taken a couple of minutes for Meghan and me to get down to the room. The men with Brayden had fanned out and were intently watching Collin. I could see Brayden’s mouth moving, but couldn’t hear what was being said. I saw Collin shrug, but his hands stayed in his pockets. One of Brayden’s men had circled around while he was talking and now approached Collin from the rear. As I watched, the man put a hand on Collin’s shoulder and began searching him. I was more than a little shocked to see him pull a gun from Collin’s pocket. What the fuck?
I was glad Meghan was involved in her phone and not watching. I was careful not to make any sounds. A beeping began on the console and I saw Captain Bob’s face up close in the monitor. He was signaling me to open the door.
“How do I let him in?” I asked aloud.
Captain Bob, himself, answered me. “The green button next to the door. Just flip the switch.”
I opened the door and waited for him to enter. He shook his head. “No, just came to retrieve you two. Meghan, your uncle would like you to go on up to your room for a while and Miss Harper, you can do as you please.”
I glanced back up at the monitors and saw the group, including Collin and Brayden, reboarding the cruiser. “I guess I’m going down to the guest cottage. I think I’d like a nap,” I told Captain Bob and he nodded. I hugged Meghan as we parted at the top of the stairs.
She was halfway up the stairs when she called to me. “Harper?”
“Yes, honey?”
“Was that man really my uncle?”
I paused briefly, not sure how much I should say. This didn’t involve me and Brayden had obviously told her something all these years. I didn’t want to make him out to be a liar to his own niece. She would only understand that he lied, but not why. Brayden would have to deal with this when he got back. I decided to try and walk around it.
“It’s a complicated situation, honey. I don’t know very much about it at all. What do you say let’s wait for Brayden to come home and we’ll all talk about it?”
She looked upset and doubtful. She shook her head. “It wasn’t fair for Uncle Brayden not to tell me the truth. He’s my family, too, you know.”
I sat down on the bottom step of the stairway and motioned for her to join me. She came and plopped down. “Honey, you know how there are things that happen in your life and when you were younger, you didn’t understand it? Then, that something happens and now you’re older and you suddenly understand the same thing?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“That will happen to you more and more as you grow older. And this is one of those things. But, and this is the important part, when you really know you’re growing up is when you are very sure you’ve asked all the right questions and gotten all the possible information before drawing a conclusion. This is what I’m trying to tell you. You trust your Uncle Brayden, right?”
“I guess so, but I don’t know why he didn’t just tell me.”
“If you trust him, you will wait for him to tell you why. That’s all I’m saying. Not only will he tell you, but then you can ask him questions. He’s the only person in the world who can tell you why he did what he did, or didn’t do. Would that be fair?”
She thought a few seconds and then nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”
I patted her shoulder. “I knew you would understand. Now, why don’t you do as he asked and go on up to your room. I’ll ask Mrs. Sims to bring you something to eat and I’m sure you’ve got some friends to text with. He’ll be back and then you and I will both ask him questions. Fair enough?”
She nodded again and stood up. “Harper?”
“Yes, honey?”
“I’m really glad you’re here.”
“I’m glad I’m here, too.”
Meghan continued up to her room, and I stood up and went in search of Mrs. Sims. I almost ran into her in the doorway of the kitchen. Her hands held a tray.
“Meghan?” I asked and she nodded. I gave her sort of a side hug and left for the cottage.
For now, my world had returned to normal. I had a whole ton of questions for Brayden, but it was, for the most part, normal.
Chapter 20
Brayden
Collin was standing next to the captain on the boat’s bridge. I was sitting in a side chair, pondering exactly what I was going to say. I decided to save it until we had some privacy.
We came into the Utopia dock and Collin was already at the dockside of the boat, ready to jump out. “Hey, Collin,” I called to him.
He was slow to look around, but eventually swung about to face me. “What do you want?”
“Why don’t you stick around and lets you and I have a talk?”
He looked at the captain and the security detail I’d brought with me. “Give me back my weapon. I’ve got a permit.”
They looked to me, and I nodded.
“Alrighty then, let’s do that.”
I nodded to the others and they filed off the boat and headed toward Utopia. One of the security guys walked about thirty paces, turned and stood, folding his arms across his chest. I let him stay.
“So, you want to tell me why you never told me about the girl?” Collin’s voice wasn’t friendly.
“Just exactly what were you going to do with her, Collin? You don’t have a home, you’re always off on an adventure and there’s a string of women in your past so long it would make a parade. She was just a little girl who lost her mom and dad. She needed, if anything, stability. I was the only one who could give her that. Ask yourself, did you really want to be saddled with a little girl to take care of?”
“Don’t bullshit me. You got something out of the deal. Maybe a nice little life insurance policy?”
I rolled my eyes, hardly able to believe what I was hearing. “You think I took her for money? Really? Have you looked around? Do I strike you as someone who needs money? Anyway, it was barely enough to bury them. I’ve been her support from the beginning.”
Collin was thoughtful. “I still think you should have told me.”
“Fuck, Collin, you’ve never been the warm and fuzzy type. I did what I thought was best for the girl.”
“Yeah, right.”
“So, why did you go out there?”
He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. “I knew you were holding out on me, and I wanted to see what it was. Before I leave town, I need to know who is holding which cards.”
“What you saw there and here, is mine. This morning, you sat in my office and I handed you the tools to make your own. What’s up with that, now? Just going to walk away from it?”
“Who’s walking away? Fuck, no. I’m taking it because it’s mine by right.”
I swallowed my words that threatened to choke me. “All right, if that’s how you want to think about it, makes no difference to me.”
“So? Where’s my ticket and the money to start with? I’ll have expenses, you know.”
I sighed
inside but didn’t let him see it. I knew he was trying to start something with me and I wasn’t going to let him pull it. “Go on up to Cabana. I’ll be there in thirty minutes and have it for you.”
He nodded, dropped his cigarette onto the mahogany deck and ground it with the heel of his shoe. It was just one more in your face directed at me. I wanted to push him overboard but I was so close to getting rid of him. I let it go.
When he hit the dock, I leaned over the edge and puked my guts out into the water.
* * *
I spotted Collin at his usual table. He always liked the corner because his back was to the wall, the exit was immediately to his right and he could see everything and everyone who came into the lounge.
As I walked toward him, he jabbed at a young redhead with balloon knockers who was perched next to him. She looked at me, got up and moved away. Shit, he’s brought hookers into Utopia. I felt like I was part of some old Western scene where the sheriff approached and the bad guys scattered. Why did this all feel so lethal? This guy was my brother.
“Get your chores done, bro?” he greeted me.
I sat down and waved at the bartender, who sent over my favorite glass of Chardonnay. It was cool and tart on my tongue, and I tried to relax despite the hammering of my heart. I was about to place the biggest bet of my lifetime and the stakes were high; higher than I could possibly protect.
I reached into my inside pocket and placed an envelope on the table between us. Collin reached for it. “Not so fast,” I said, placing my hand over it. “We have a few things to agree to before. Call it an employment agreement, and it favors you more than me, actually.”
“What kind of agreement?”
I opened the envelope and withdrew a document, smoothing it out so I could read excerpts to him. I motioned with my finger and my attorney, Melborne, joined us from where he’d been waiting at another table.
“Collin, may I present Mr. Dean Melborne, my attorney and yours to ask any questions. Mr. Melborne, my brother, Collin Campbell.”