Blind Copy (The Technicians Series Book 5)

by Olivia Gaines

  “While we are all here, locked in the car, Willow, please take out a notebook and let’s start making some decisions about an allowance for the girls,” he said, looking in the side mirror before changing lanes. “We also need to make some rules about how we are going to live as a family as well as how we treat each other.”

  Raphael glanced into the rear-view mirror again, and this time he saw not so much as hurt in Karli’s eyes, but a glimmer of hope.

  “As a family, at the end of the day, we are all we have in each other. No one comes between us as a family,” he said. “I shall protect each of you with my last breath and you in turn will look out for me and each other.”

  No one said anything, so he continued. “Karli, your allowance will be five dollars per week. Dusty, yours will be $10 per week. You can save it all and use it at the end of the month or spend it a little each week. That’s up to you,” he added.

  Raphael continued, “For this trip, I will give you each some money so you can buy what you want, but please budget. I’m not made of money.”

  “Thank you, Daddy,” Dusty said.

  “Thanks,” Karli said in a low voice.

  “Pooh Bear, do you have something more to say?”

  “No sir. It’s not like anyone is listening to me anyway,” she replied, pouting.

  “I’m always listening to what you say, what you’re not saying, and watching your body language. Personally, I don’t think Jamal is good enough for you and you can do better, but that’s just me. I mean, you’re going to love who you want to love, and at the age of 10, you’re going to fall in love 100 times between now and the time you marry, and you haven’t even discovered boy bands or K-Pop yet,” Raphael said.

  “What is K-Pop?” Karli asked.

  “It is Korean boy bands, doing the same moves as the boy bands of the 80s and 90s, but they are singing in Korean,” he said.

  “That’s a thing?” Willow asked.

  “Yes, it’s the latest craze among teens,” he said, looking in the rearview mirror. “We are going to have a great time this week. Let’s focus on what is in front of us and not what we left behind.”

  “Yes sir,” both girls chimed in, and he glanced at Willow from the side of his eye. Tonight, he had a big surprise for her and the girls. He didn’t want it spoiled over some cute kid with smooth low cut hair named Jamal.

  RAPHAEL HAD NEVER BEEN to a place like the Great Wolf Lodge. To him it looked like another themed tourist trap to suck all the money out of your pocket while the kids played in water until their fingers and toes were wrinkled. He checked into the hotel, getting the keys to the Grand Royal Bear Suite that gave the girls their own bathroom. A separate sleep and toilet space were one of a few comforts he didn’t plan to sacrifice, especially not having to shower and one of the girls needing to come in to relieve themselves. Those kinds of things weren’t happening on his watch.

  Willow fidgeted with her hands as the girls ran to the second bedroom.

  “Wait, girls. Willow and I will take that bedroom, and you can have this one out here,” he said, looking at Karli, “and if you don’t want to share the bed, that couch opens into a sleeper, and one of you can sleep there.”

  “Okay, cool,” Dusty said, looking out the window at the mazes of slides and water fountains. “So, are we supposed to just run around and play in the water for two days?”

  “You’re supposed to run around and be a kid for two days,” he said softly, walking into the bedroom.

  Willow had brought a small basket for every wife and a small box for every husband and he had no idea what was in each one. She seemed pleased when everything was done as she packed up all the items. As long as she was pleased, he was good with it, but her nervousness made him pause.

  “Willow, you okay?”

  “No. I’m worried,” she said, looking at him with those woeful brown eyes. “Am I going to be the only Black woman here? I mean, it’s no big deal, but I want to prepare myself to walk into a room that’s not expecting my melanin.”

  He frowned at her, then his face eased as the as the creases in his forehead disappeared. His mother had experienced a bit of blow back from the other doctor’s wives, which is why she mainly kept to herself and spent her time sewing and crafting. Raphael understood her concern.

  “Mr. Mann’s wife, Sharon, is a Black woman,” he said, looking at her.

  “You think I’m being silly, don’t you?” she asked, opening the vintage suitcase that had once belonged to his mother to unpack the items. He watched as she hung his clothing in the closet and placed his undergarments in a drawer as if they were staying more than a couple of days. The suitcases were closed and placed in the closet on the floor and bathroom items she artfully arranged on the vanity.

  Raphael cleared his throat before speaking.

  “My mother was Chilean. The more time she spent outside, the browner she became, so in the Summer, along with the heavy accent, she too became reluctant to take part in events with the wives of the other doctors,” he said softly. “She participated when necessary but never out of necessity. The gifts should win you a few points, but I don’t think these women are like that.”

  “All women are like that. There’s a pecking order,” she told him as his phone buzzed. Raphael held up one hand, pointing towards the girls who had entered the open door of the bedroom. They were probably going to ask about food. He placed a finger over his lips as he took the call while ushering them out of the bedroom.

  “This is the Exit,” he said calmly in the line.

  “Hey, we’re downstairs. Bring the family and come say hi,” Mann said in the line.

  “Roger that, five mikes, any intel I need to know?”

  “I have a cold beer. Should I order you one or would you prefer a glass of red wine with woodsy undertones and citrus notes that pop off your palate?” Mann said facetiously.

  “No, but I would like you to take my left nut out of your mouth before you choke on it. A beer is fine,” Exit said and ended the call.

  Willow peeked her head in the door. He spoke, looking about at the animals and the kitten on a leash. “We are requested downstairs.”

  “Should I bring the gifts?” Willow asked.

  “Can we bring Pierce and Daniel?” Dusty asked.

  “I didn’t ask, so yeah, bring everything,” he said, picking up the box which held the gifts for the wives.

  Willow held the box that had the gifts for the men, and the girls carried the kitten and Pierce. This was it. He was about to meet half of the Construction Crew. It was an unorthodox move, but one he felt was becoming a necessity; he didn’t know why, he just knew it needed to happen. The family was going to meet his family.

  He found himself being nervous for the oddest reason. In the elevator, he looked down at them all, including the dog. “Good behavior. Make a nice impression, but more than anything, be yourselves and have a good time,” he said.

  Pierce barked. The cat meowed. Karli gave him the side eye as if he were asking for what she was already planning to contribute, and Dusty didn’t seem to care. Willow seemed to be holding her breath. He leaned down, kissing her on the temple as a gesture of solidarity.

  The elevator doors opened, and they followed the signs from the vestibule to the Red Oak Meeting room. A door was slightly ajar and music played. He could hear the voices of a few people as he tapped on the door and entered. Immediately, he spotted the man with the scar down the side of his face and over his eye.

  “Yield,” Exit said aloud.

  “Exit,” Yield snarled back at him.

  “Everyone, this is my family. Willow, Dusty Rose, Karli, and the kitten is Daniel Craig and the pup is Pierce Brosnan,” he said factually. It was enough to break the ice as the people in the room moved forward. A little girl made her way over to Karli to pet the kitten. A second little girl, a toddler, who looked about three, made her way over as well, zoning in on the kitten and anxious to pet Daniel Craig.

  A large man w
ith wide shoulders, huge arms, and eyes that surveyed everything he saw stepped up. “I’m Stop, this here is Judy and my daughter Johnnie,” he said pointing at the older of the two girls.

  “I’m Karli. Johnnie, would you like to pet Daniel Craig?” she asked the girl. “Do they have any cookies around here?”

  “Easy on the cookies, Pooh Bear,” Exit warned, knowing the sugar would make her start talking. No one was prepared for that, least of all him. The second child said her name was Michelle and pulled two cookies from her front dress pocket, offering one to Karli, who turned up her nose refusing. Johnnie pointed towards the table where more cookies were located, and Karli led the two younger girls in that direction.

  Raphael set the box on the edge of the table. “Hey, my Willow made stuff for everybody, so when she says your name, come on forward. We can use that as the personal intros,” he bellowed.

  Willow was taken aback by his less than classy approach to introductions but it would work. She went with it.

  “Cabrina,” she said, as a fair complexioned woman stepped forward. “A pleasure to meet you. This is for you and Archangel, this one is for you.”

  She handed the two packages out, seeing that the Archangel was surprised she’d brought him a present. Willow’s confidence grew. Memorizing who was married to whom made it easier to pass out the handmade goodies.

  “Tameka, this is for you and Zeke this is for you.” When Zeke stepped forward, Willow eyed him closely. She offered a wide smile and a calm question, “Who is older, you or the Archangel?”

  “I am,” Zeke said to a room, which grew quiet. Mann and Yield knew the two were brothers. Exit and Stop weren’t aware of that bit of information. Willow continued on doling out presents as if she hadn’t revealed a secret that very few people knew.

  “Sharon, this is for you,” she said, and looking at Nathaniel, “This one is for The Mann. I will say that I had a bit of trouble with your gift, but I think I made it work.”

  Mann said nothing, looking at the box and wondering what in the world Exit’s woman had created for each of them.

  “Millicent, this is for you, and Mr. Yield, here is your box. Judy, this is for you, and Mr. Stop, this one is yours,” she said, picking up one last box in the container. “Mr. Exit, this is yours.”

  Raphael couldn’t hide his shock. Willow was a thoughtful woman with a wonderful heart. She too, had wrapped him around her finger and he didn’t give a shit if a room full of assassins knew it. He smiled at her, accepting the present.

  “You made something for me?” he asked, genuinely surprised. He opened the box to find inside a coffee mug with an exit sign on the side. Inside the mug he found a black necktie with a green exit sign stitched into the fabric. A white handkerchief was also in the cup. It also held an embroidered exit sign in the fabric. “This is very nice and thoughtful.”

  Yield asked, “Did you make these neckties?”

  “I did,” Willow replied, looking at the wives, who had removed the aprons she’d made from an old pattern left by Raphael’s mother. They were simple aprons made in colorful fabrics with a solid pocket that held the embroidered first initial of each lady. There was a matching mug and wine glass in each as well as jar of homemade jam.

  “Wow, this is impressive. Thank you, Willow. If I may, I have a few items as well,” Cabrina said, pulling out her briefcase. “I hate to pass out itineraries, but there are issues we need to cover during the next couple of days. I have scheduled an afternoon tea for the ladies tomorrow which includes the girls. I won’t torture Rocky and Chad. Tonight, we will have the White Reception here in this room at 4:30 followed by a sit-down dinner. In the morning after breakfast, I have put together an insurance plan for each family. It is not mandatory, but since there are enough of you, I’m able to do a group plan to get you better health and life coverage if you’re interested.”

  Sharon went next, “I have created a roster of our phone numbers, names and birthdays for the children. If you will be so kind, before the weekend is over, let’s take some photos, update our contacts in our phones, and make sure the list is filled in with the information. We recently purchased a small place in Florida that you’re free to use for getaways with the kids, but you will need to check the availability on the google calendar I’ll create once I get everyone’s emails.”

  Judy didn’t plan to be left out. “I’ve created a Secret Santa Club and a recipe exchange for natural herbal teas and I brought you each a set of teas. I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I don’t have any family. Mr. Stop and Johnnie are all I have. It would be nice, if possible, if my Johnnie can expect a thought gift from her Aunties on Christmas,” she said and blushed as all the women collectively sighed and said awww. “Once I’ve gotten everyone’s email addresses, we can plan to get together again in a month or so, to make this collective more productive.”

  “I made blueberry soap for everyone. I too have no family outside of the one I married into and Cabrina,” Tameka said. “Plus I have healing crystal necklaces for each wife. I will match the crystals with your auras. Willow, your blue aura is turning purple as I stand next to you. Intuitive. A visionary. Psychic. Dang, I’m feeling you, girl.”

  Willow didn’t know how to react to the warmth an acceptance of the group. She sure as hell had never had her aura read, but evidently it was a good thing. A soft smile formed at the corner of her lips as she turned to Millicent, the wife of Mr. Yield.

  All the women also looked at Millicent, who shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, I’m happy to be here and I brought two bottles of halfway decent wine. I didn’t make shit, bake shit, or rub my chakra over shit. He said the boys were getting together. Yield didn’t mention there would be a handcrafted recipe exchange and I had to bring a gift, so I tell you what, I will pour freely from the bottles into these fancy wine glasses Betty Crocker made.”

  Willow blushed. “I’m sorry, but forgive my shock. I didn’t expect all of the wives to be Black women. I thought maybe I’d be the only one, and I simply wanted to be accepted.”

  Cabrina smiled at her, “Honey, we are all we have in this world. I don’t have a large family either. I have Tameka, and like she said, the family we married into. Sharon has no other family. Millicent has no other family. I assume you don’t either. No one understands what it is our husbands do or who they do it for, so we keep silent, but we don’t have to be. We can speak with each other.”

  “Thank you,” Willow said, looking at the men in the corner who all were wearing the neckties with pride. Gabriel Neary’s tie was embroidered with an angel holding a scroll. Zeke’s tie held a man with a book who resembled a nerd. He commented to the other men that it was neat although he had no idea what it meant.

  The Archangel also had questions of Mr. Exit. “Willow, made all this stuff in a matter of days?”

  “Yep, she’s pretty amazing,” Exit said with a wide smile, keeping his eye on the girls. Dusty was with the boys, carefully overseeing the play time with Pierce. “The girls are awesome as well. I will say gentlemen, I’m surprised at the wives...”

  “Why?” Yield wanted to know.

  “They are all women of color,” Exit said.

  “My mother is Black and so was my Grandmother,” the Archangel stated.

  Zeke spoke up as well, “We have the same Mom and Grandmother, so yeah, and your point?”

  “No point, just noticing,” he said, looking at The Mann.

  “My mother is also a Black woman. My biological must be Scandinavian or some shit,” he said, making the men all laugh at his fair complexion. His son, Nate Jr., was much darker. “Yeah, Nate Jr. is the same skin tone as my Mom, so he’s going to be darker.”

  Exit’s eyes went to Mr. Yield, who shrugged. “My folks are Caucasian. Dad was a minister and Mom was a nurse.”

  Stop, who had swallowed an entire can of beer in one gulp, had a handful of nuts and was throwing them into his mouth. “My folks were White too, working class. Dad was a truck driver, and my Mom
was a waitress at a truck stop.”

  The eyes were now on Mr. Exit, who felt put out, but he did in fact start the conversation. “My father was an orthopedic surgeon, my mother a Chilean national and homemaker.”

  “No kidding! Are you bilingual?” Zeke asked.

  “I’m multilingual. I also speak French and Portuguese,” Exit said, watching the men watching him. Uncomfortable, he changed the subject, “Uhmm, I brought information for the creation of an investment group. The portfolio I created is a simple one that can produce a nice nest egg in three to five years if we do a $10,000 buy in with the understanding that nothing can be withdrawn from it for three to five years, allowing it to grow, then we sell it and split the profits.”

  “Who maintains this account?” Yield asked, eyeballing him with his good eye.

  “I have an investment guy who has handled my stuff for years. He also handled my father’s accounts which created the familial wealth,” Exit said. “We can go with the same firm or with someone else. I work with people I trust. 10 grand is no big loss for any of us, so the buy-in is low. Zeke, you can get in on it as well.”

  “What made you think to come up with this plan?” Zeke wanted to know.

  “The Mann asked. I wanted to bring my kids to this, and you know, do a special thing for my family and for us as a Crew. The whole Wrong Way thing made me start to think about the future. If we get shot or killed, there are no safeguards for our families. Mine will be fine once I get back and do some paperwork, but we have enough amongst our Crew to make some better choices. So, fuck, let’s make some better choices. I like the insurance thing your wife came up with, Archangel,” Exit said. “I have three people to add to mine already.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Archangel replied, leaning in closer to the men. “We have another issue, The Glitter Man. We tracked him to South Carolina, Mr. Exit.”

  Zeke wasn’t through with questions for Exit. He held up his hand. “Wrong Way, how is she? I was concerned after I brought her home that they were going to send someone to kill her. Did the company send someone?”