by Ann, Bry
Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.
A cry escapes my lips. That’s the picture. Oh God. No. Rain.
I'm spiraling when I feel the phone being slowly plucked from my fingers. It slides across my ear before it’s pulled into the air and away from me. I can’t move. Can’t breathe. Can’t do anything. He has Rain. His best friend has Rain.
“Kiki.” Guy. His voice is gentle but firm. “Keeks, look at me.”
I… can’t. I can’t. I have to go back. He has Rain.
“Kiki, look at me now!”
Guy is never firm with me. Never alpha or demanding or hard. So, that said, his demand has my full attention. I'm a mess when I turn my head to face him.
“He has Rain,” I whisper. “He has her. H-he…”
“Kiki,” Guy murmurs, grabbing my shoulders with strong hands. “Let’s look at the picture. We can see if she’s okay.”
“She’s not okay. He has her, Guy.”
My eyes tear up, but I can’t cry. I chose Anthony. I'm not gonna sit here and have a pity party.
“I—Do you think you could help me get back to the mainland? I just need a ride like ½ the way. I could meet them in my boat. I know your tech consult fees are expensive. I’ll pay you back one day. I—”
“Kiki.” He squeezes my shoulders lightly. “Stop. Slow down. Nothing is gonna change in the next ten minutes. Do I have permission to look at your phone?”
I squeak out a yes.
“Alright.” He glances at me cautiously, like I'm gonna run, jump in the ocean, and swim away at any moment. His hands slide from my shoulders to my cell. His eyes furrow as he glances at it, but his face shows no signs of obvious distress. That’s good, I guess.
“Mmm,” he hums to himself as he scrolls through my phone. I don’t know what he’s doing, but in three short days, he’s managed to earn my trust. I mean, we’re alone on this island. If he were evil, he could just hurt me. Easy.
“Okay, Kiki,” he looks up at me, “I know you don’t fuckin’ know me from Adam, but this kind of shit, this is what I do for a living. This is how I afford to live here. Think you can let me help?”
“If I waste time—”
“Eh,” he cuts me off, still in a stern, sure tone I’ve never heard from him before. “Smarter is the way to work this. Not faster. I promise you. Follow me. Just let me show you something.”
Slowly, I agree. He immediately takes off down the hall. I follow behind him with silent tears streaming down my face. Once in a while, he glances back, lips pulled tight, eyes furrowed, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Alright, through here, Kiki.”
He holds a door open for me. I walk in like he says. The second I enter, my jaw falls open, and for a moment, all thoughts slip away.
Oh. My. God.
A giant, TV-like computer fills the wall with at least six smaller computers surrounding it. There are several keyboards and headsets strewn about. It honestly looks like something out of a spy flick.
“How—how is this possible?”
He gives me a flat smile. “Later, ‘kay?”
“Later,” I agree.
“Good girl.” He looks me up and down and curses to himself. “Fuck, Kiki.”
“What?”
He grumbles nonsense, mostly to himself.
“Okay, I'm gonna hook your phone up to the screen. Is there anything you don’t want me to see? You’ll have to delete it now.”
He starts to hand me my phone.
“There’s nothing.” And I know I'm not thinking clearly, because there is and I'm an idiot.
“Alright, you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay.”
He quickly and efficiently plugs in a bunch of cords. Then my screen is on the giant computer hooked up to the wall. The picture on that screen is my best friend, Rain, glaring at the camera with Ajax’s hand wrapped around her from behind. My knees buckle, but I guess Guy sees it coming, because he’s there in an instant, catching me.
“Hold on for me. Alright? I know you’re scared, but I need your brain on this one.”
I take a deep breath through my teeth. Then two. Then three. Then, finally, I nod.
“You got me.”
“Good girl,” he murmurs. “Now, do you know where they are?”
“Yes, Ajax’s house.”
“Okay. How much danger is she in? Be realistic, Kiki. I get you’re scared, but I need to know if this is life or death or if I have leeway. We’re at a serious disadvantage if we don’t have time.”
“We?”
He cocks his head. “You’re on my island, sweetness. I help those that fall upon me in the wilderness.”
“You don’t have to do this,” I whisper.
“Your bruises just started healing. I'm not dumping you off back with that bastard. End of discussion. Now that that’s settled, how much danger?”
“He won’t kill her, but I'm really not sure how much danger Ajax is. If Anthony isn’t there, I really don’t think Ajax would hurt Rain irreparably, but if he is…” I trail off.
“Got it.”
I don’t bother Guy as he hunches over his keyboard and starts to type away, quickly. I'm not kidding when I say that three minutes later, the outside of Ajax’s house is on the screen.
“How did you do that?” I screech.
“These rich fucks always have security cameras,” he says noncommittedly, like this is no big deal.
“Wow.”
“Yeah, they don’t get that with the tech being what it is these days, they aren’t helping themselves, but that’s on them. Makes it easier for me to hack.”
I wasn’t saying wow to that. I was saying wow to him, but oh well.
“Let’s see if we can get in.”
“This is kinda creepy,” I say, coming up by his side, which seems to alarm him.
“I guess a bit, but I'm used to it. Besides…” He grins a cheeky grin my way. “I use my powers for good.”
“Okay, Spiderman.”
He laughs. “Seriously, I don’t creep on people’s lives unless I have a reason to.”
“I know.”
“I'm not some island guy who stalks people.”
“Guy, I know,” I say softly.
He glances at me for a moment, still hunched over. His eyes are slightly insecure, definitely vulnerable, when he nods.
“‘Kay.”
I don’t expand on what just happened. I get feeling raw and exposed.
“Look.”
He points at the screen, and there I see my best friend in designer heels and a beautiful cream dress that hugs all her curves, pacing back and forth down the foyer.
“Is it bad timing to say your friend’s hot?”
I swat him. “God, asshole, yes, it is.”
And is it bad to say I'm jealous? Everyone thinks Rain is so hot, but he’s the one person I kinda want to think I'm hot. But whatever, it doesn’t matter.
“She doesn’t appear to be harmed.”
“No, she’s not. I love Rain. She’s amazing in all her own rights, but she’s about as good with pain as I am with snakes.”
“Oh, well, shit, then she’s definitely fine if she’s walking.”
“You suck.”
“I call it how I see it, dollface.”
“I should not be laughing right now,” I laugh.
“It’s hard to resist my charm. Rain will understand.”
“Oh my God, you’re trying to make me laugh. I should be suffering with her.”
“Damn right, I'm trying to make you laugh. Seeing you sad sucks. It’s like seeing a crying golden retriever. Everybody hates that.”
“Did you just compare me to a dog?”
“Only the cutest breed, sweetness.”
“You call my friend hot and you call me a dog,” I mutter. “Welcome to my life.”
“You jealous, Keeks?”
“Shut up.”
He’s silent for a moment. A long moment where I think he’s working,
but then his finger touches under my chin and turns my head.
“Are you jealous, Kiki?”
“Stop it.” I pull my lips in tight to hide any expression, any micro expression I could let slip.
“Kiki?”
“Okay, I'm jealous. You happy? God!”
He smiles a silly, lopsided grin.
“You pout like a teenager when you’re mad. You know this, right?”
I glower at him. He leans in closer, eyes alight with pleasure.
“Your friend is hot, but Kiki, you’re stunning. You’re smart and tough and I fucking love your sense of humor. I hate having most humans around, but I love having you next to me.”
With that bomb that explodes my little beating heart, he goes back to work.
Maybe Anthony won’t kill me. Maybe Guy will.
Guy
I don’t really have much compassion for people anymore. I'm not a cruel bastard like Frances, but I'm, admittedly, selfish. But when I saw the blood drain from Kiki’s face and her now-chipped fingernails shake, I saw red.
She’s so fun. So cool. So unlike anyone I’ve ever met. I wanted to slaughter him like Frances would do if someone threatened Marley.
A few minutes ago, I forced Kiki to take a nap. After watching Rain pace on the video feed for four hours straight with no disruption, Kiki kinda realized she’s in no immediate danger, but I still had to beg her to let me strategize. Her eyes were flickering open and closed. The deal was if she napped for four hours, I’d make sure her friend was safe.
So she napped.
Now I'm gonna call Frances. I may use his help, not sure yet. Can he be nonviolent? That’s the question here. I'm not sure he can.
“Guy, what’s going on? Do you owe me cash?”
“I haven’t fucked her, old man,” I kinda snarl.
He goes quiet for a brief moment.
“Oh shit.”
“What?” I huff.
“You like her.”
“Of course, I like her. She’s funny.”
He snorts. “It’s a fuck of a lot more than that. Why’d you call? Her, I assume.”
“I'm not gonna tell you if you’re gonna be a bastard.”
“I’ll take this, thank you. Hello?” a young female voice comes over the speaker.
“Alex?” Alex is Marley’s even more insane daughter. This kid is gonna rule the criminal underworld one day. Mark my words.
“What’s going on?”
“Did you meet a woman and is she in trouble?”
“None ya.”
“Then I won’t tell you how I made this kid at my school shit his pants in front of his teammates.”
I bark out a laugh.
“You did what?” Marley screeches in the background.
“Relax,” Alex sighs. “He was bullying this poor, fat little nerd.”
Frances chuckles. “I don’t believe a word you say. Why would you defend him?”
“Maybe I'm not heartless like you?”
“Wrong, try again.”
Alex laughs such an innocent sounding laugh for someone so screwed up and, dare I say it about an eleven—almost twelve—year old, demented.
“I was practicing my skills. This kid was big prey and an ass. Bully or not. He said my hair was ugly and that’s just plain rude.”
Marley makes some kind of distressed sound while Frances chuckles. And this, friends, is my family. Yep.
“Put Frances on.”
“I’ll find out,” she warns.
“Good luck, Alex. Frances.”
She huffs like I'm troubling her and hands the phone back to Frances. The creepy part is that I have no doubt she’ll figure out what’s going on.
“Okay, seriously, what’s up?”
“I need your word you won’t do one damn thing I tell you not to.”
“I don’t know…”
“Then I won’t tell you, man. This isn’t my life I'm fucking with. It’s someone else's.”
“We care because…”
“Because I care. ‘Cause she’s cool. ‘Cause I asked you to, Frances.”
He sighs, like always. Him caring about me wears on him. He wishes he didn’t give a shit about me. He’s the first person I’ve met who truly wishes they were a sociopath. In its own way, it’s kinda interesting.
“You have my word,” he grumbles.
“I need you to swing by the address I’ll send you and see if you can get a girl out for me.”
“Without violence?” he balks.
“I mean, you can lay out a few punches. You don’t have to hug the bastard or anything, just no killing, maiming, or otherwise.”
“You’re no fun, kid.”
“It’s your fault, old man. Shoulda let me join your gang back in the day. Maybe I would have been more fun.”
“Nah,” he mutters. “Best choice I ever made, not letting you in that fuckin’ gang. I’ll get on it. Text me the address. No blood. I swear.”
“‘Kay, thanks.”
“You got it.”
“Hey, if there is a bloody job—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“It’ll be mine.”
He pauses. “Understood, kid. Good luck with the woman you don’t like.”
Click. He hangs up before I can respond.
Damn him.
* * *
Kiki comes in two hours later, rubbing her tired eyes, hair all a mess, t-shirt askew.
“Hey,” she greets. Her voice is hoarse from sleep, and damn, now that her bruises are healing, she’s stunning.
“Sleep good?”
“Good is relative. Now fill me in.”
“I have someone going to get Rain.”
“What? Who? No, send them back! You can’t send a stranger after her. It has to be me!” Kiki starts screaming. She runs to my computer and sticks her hand out to start hitting aimless buttons, but I snatch her little waist and pull her back.
“What the hell, Kiki?” I snap. I'm irritated. I’ll admit it. I mean, what the hell?
“Rain doesn’t like strangers.”
“Well, welcome to the club, but this may be an extenuating circumstance.”
“It’s not. It’s really not. Don’t let anyone take Rain from that house without her knowing. It’s bad enough Ajax is there. I have to get back to her!”
Kiki starts to cry. Like for real cry. For all the moods I’ve seen her in during these three fucking days with her, I haven’t seen her cry here besides that very first day.
“Let me text him. Calm down, okay? Calm down, Kiki.”
I should get calm down, Kiki tattooed on my wrist at this point.
I rattle off a text to Frances telling him to call the whole thing off. He sends me back a string of curses that I ignore.
“There. Done.” I show her the screen. It’s only then that Kiki calms herself.
“I swear I'm not always this crazy.”
I chuckle. “Sureeee.”
“I swear. Rain has issues. She’s had some real bad shit happen in her life before, well… Rain is adopted. No one knows what happened besides me, her, and her father. They all wanna keep it that way. Having a stranger take her and put her in a car, even with good intentions, would severely traumatize her. I can’t do that to her. Not because of me.”
“Alright. Well, he won’t go now. She’s good.”
“I have to go back, Guy,” she whispers. “Anthony will only make things worse.”
Fuck, why does that stress me out so much?
“Alright, I’ll set up a transport back. You’re not taking that flimsy little canoe-like fuckin’ thing back through the ocean alone. No.”
“‘Kay,” she whispers, turning her face so I don’t see her cry.
“Kiki.”
“No, I'm fine. Really. It’ll be fine. I'm fine.”
“Are you fine?”
She pauses, shoulders slouching.
“Can I hug you?”
“Hug?” Sorry, I don’t compute that language. Last hug I got w
as before my mother kicked me out at gunpoint.
“Yeah, you know, two hands around your waist. My face against your chest.”
I laugh at her sarcasm. “Will your tits be against me, too, sweetness?”
“Yep, full tit action.”
I laugh. “Well, now you’ve sold me. Come here.”
She squeals and runs over to me, and yes, literally plants herself against my chest with a quiet little mewl that’s cute.
“Thank you for everything.”
The hugging comes easy. I put one arm around her back and the other against the back of her head. Yet, for some reason, her words make me tear up a little. She’ll leave and I’ll be alone here… again. Forever.
“Sure, don’t mention it.”
She squeezes me tighter like she’s scared to let go.
“God, fuck Anthony!”
I laugh bitterly. “Fuck Anthony. I second that.”
She eventually lets go. Her cheeks are red. Her eyes are watery. Her face is sweet and open.
“Is it crazy that I'm gonna miss you?” She blushes.
“Not as crazy as the fact that I don’t wanna let you go.”
* * *
She doesn’t ask me to come with her. I watch as she paces back and forth with her dirty, dripping-wet knapsack over her shoulder. Her camo pants are torn at the thigh. Her hair is wild.
But that’s nature for you. It’ll make even the most poised wild.
She doesn’t ask because she knows there’s a reason I'm on this island. She knows if I didn’t feel I had to be here, I wouldn’t be. Not to mention, we barely know each other.
“Well, it’s been nice staying in your humble abode.” She fake curtsies and all. I appreciate her dedication to the joke despite the terror in her eyes.
“Bart will miss you.”
“Bart?”
“Your lovely snake.”
She giggles. “I’ll be happy if I never have to see Bart again.”
“Aw, shit. Try telling him that to his face, missy.”
“I’d rather die,” she deadpans.
“I'm offended on behalf of the snakes.”
She snorts. “Okay, Lucifer.”
“Lucifer’s only my middle name, sweetness.”
“Oh yes, and I'm Cruella de Vil.”
“I mean, the Cruella of snakes.”
She laughs harder, so hard she hunches over and clutches her stomach.
