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by S. E. Rose

  She shrugs and looks up at me. “Call me when you get home?”

  I shake my head. “I’ll wake you up. But I’ll send you a text, OK?”

  She nods and bites her lip. I pluck it free with my thumb. “It’ll be alright, I promise.”

  And I lean down and kiss her. I pour my soul into that kiss because right now I feel like my soul and hers just intertwined in some crazy, fucked-up way that I’m trying to figure out without completely freaking about it. I really want to call my sister or Zoe.

  “Until next time,” I say to her as I pull away. I give her my million-dollar, panty-dropping smile that always lets me get away with murder, and she grins back at me after a beat.

  “I’ll see you soon,” she says and the look on her face makes me wonder if she doesn’t have something up her sleeve.

  We wave, and I turn back once more as I walk up the steps to head toward my hotel. She’s watching me, and I give her one more wave. She blows me a kiss and turns to head toward a boat.

  My day flies by after that, which is probably a good thing. All goes well at the site visit and we make our way to the airport by late afternoon.

  “Great job, guys,” Cody says as he raises a glass of scotch when we are seated on board the company jet.

  “Cheers,” Garrett and I say in unison.

  “So, you had a good week,” Garrett says with a smirk as he turns to me.

  I pause, not sure if he’s referring to Melissa or the project. “It’s been a good week,” I answer both with one statement.

  “More than good,” Cody quips. “You were an invaluable part of the project coordination this week. I couldn’t have been more pleased.”

  “Thanks, Cody,” I say. “Really that means a lot coming from you.”

  He nods.

  “Sooooo...,” Garrett says slowly. “What’s up with the hot biologist?”

  I shrug. “I’m not sure. She’s…well…it was a fun week. Unexpected,” I say.

  Cody looks at me with a raised eyebrow and then changes the subject. We talk about some local beer we discovered, and he raves over a new port he found.

  The time zips by and I’m back in my apartment before I know it. Colin is off at work, so I unpack in peace and quiet and send Melissa a text that I got back safely and hope she had a good day. I fall asleep immediately.

  Chapter 6

  Nick’s Playlist: “Something I Need” by OneRepublic

  It’s been three days, three days of meetings, of happy hours, of more meetings. I’ve sent Melissa a few texts, and she’s replied, but the distance is killing me. For the first time in my life, I want to make this work more than I ever thought possible.

  I call Lily on day four. She answers on the first ring, which is unusual for her.

  “Hey, Nicky-poo, what’s up?” she asks, using my least favorite nickname.

  “I need advice,” I admit begrudgingly. Then I notice how quiet it is in the background, no screaming children, no crying children, no blare of a cartoon, and no weird-sounding child toys. “Hey, where are the kids?”

  She laughs. “Lance took them out to the park. Let’s just say, mommy needed an afternoon of sanity and wine, lots of wine.”

  “Oh shit, are you shit-faced?” I ask.

  “Not yet, but I fully plan on being at least fully buzzed by the time they come home.”

  “Jesus, maybe I should call you back another time.”

  “No, wait. I’ve only had a glass,” she says, and I hear a clink. “See, I set it down. Talk.”

  I laugh at her. “Well, I’ll take your word for that since I can’t see.”

  I sigh. “I met someone.”

  “You met a girl?” she asks, her voice high-pitched and squeaky.

  “No, I met a unicorn. Yes, I met a woman,” I say, putting emphasis on the last word. I can practically hear her rolling her eyes.

  “And?” she prods.

  “And, I really like her. I don’t know, Lilypond. I just…I feel this connection to her. I can’t explain it,” I say rapidly, and she giggles.

  “You really like her. I can tell. Where did you meet her?”

  “Azores.”

  “Oh yeah. I’m a horrible sister. How was your first week at work, and your work trip and, uh, your second week of work?” she asks.

  I chuckle. “I think your kids have sucked every last brain cell you have available.”

  “Uh, duh,” she responds.

  “Well, I love the job. Cody and my boss Garrett have been great and the project I’m working on is awesome. It’s a wind farm on Horta. That’s where I met Melissa. She’s a biologist and is there studying dolphins.”

  “Dolphins! That’s so cool!” my sister squeals.

  “Yeah, actually it is really fucking cool. Anyhow, I met her at the beginning of my trip, but we only had a few days together. I know I’ve always said I don’t believe in that fairy-tale, love-at-first-sight bullshit, but she took my breath away the first time I saw her, Lil. I mean, I’m seriously losing my shit without her around. How can that happen so fast? I didn’t even feel this intensity with girlfriends I’ve had for months,” I ramble on as I tap my fingers on my desk.

  All I hear on the other line is Lily losing her shit and howling with laughter. “Oh God, give me a minute,” she breathes. “Sorry, it’s just…well, you know. You are you and…hold on,” she says as she falls into another fit of laughter.

  “Lil, seriously? I didn’t call so you could laugh at me,” I groan.

  “Sorry, sorry,” she mumbles as she stops laughing. “It’s just so unexpected. I thought for sure you’d be one of those fifty-year-old guys who finally grows up and settles down and has kids at fifty-five with his thirty-year-old girlfriend.”

  “Nice, Lil,” I quip.

  “OK, I’m good,” she breathes. “So, you have fallen madly in love with this Melissa biologist chick who lives in the Azores?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me more about her.”

  “Well, she’s American. Her dad’s job caused her to move around a lot as a kid, but she did live in Florida for a while where she fell in love with marine mammals and went on to study that in college. She has an older brother and…well…she’s beautiful. She’s also funny and personable and kind,” I say, suddenly realizing that I don’t know much about her.

  “Alright, that’s a start,” she says. “I think you need to spend more time with her, Nick. It’s easy to feel a connection right away, but it’s sharing your day-to-day together over more than a week that will tell you if this is meant to last.”

  “Shit, I figured you’d say that,” I mumble. “I don’t have vacation time yet, remember I just started working.”

  “Well, when do you need to be there for your project again? Soon?” she asks.

  I shrug and then realize she can’t see my shrug. “Hold on, I’m FaceTiming you,” I say.

  A minute later, my sister’s beautiful face fills my phone screen. She really is a very pretty lady, and she has a heart of gold and she’s also a total handful, but, hey, that’s Lance’s problem now. I smirk to myself as I contemplate that.

  “What?” she asks.

  “Nothing. So, I don’t think Garrett and I need to go for a few more weeks. I mean everything is going so well on site that we aren’t needed there in person.”

  “Well, what if you suggest an in-person visit?” she suggests.

  I muse over her idea. “I guess I could, but why?” I ask.

  “That’s on you, bro. You’re the evil genius of this duo, figure it out,” she says as she takes a sip of wine. “But don’t wait too long.”

  “Why?” I say suddenly feeling frantic. Would Melissa turn into a pumpkin? Would she suddenly hate me? Would she find another guy?

  “Slow down there, Romeo,” Lily says. “I’m just saying you need to make a grand gesture. Us girls, well, we like that stuff, even if we say we don’t.”

  “Grand gesture,” I repeat.

  “Yep, you’re wel
come,” she says. “Oh shit, I think I hear Lance coming back in. Damn it! I told him two hours! UGH! I gotta go. Call me with details when you figure out what you’re going to do.”

  I laugh and wave goodbye as she looks like she’s hiding in her pantry. I stare out my office window and ponder what to do next. My thoughts are momentarily distracted as my phone rings. I look down and see Jack’s name on my screen.

  “Hey, Jack,” I say. “How’s it going?”

  “Nick, are you at work still?” he asks.

  “Yeah, why? You need something?”

  He pauses and a chill runs through me. “Jack, what’s wrong?” I say slowly.

  “I don’t want you to panic, but I need you to stay in your office until Bryce can get there,” he says.

  “And why would I need to do that?”

  “Ben escaped from prison this morning,” he says.

  “Wait, what?! Ben as in Benjamin Denton, the guy involved with Alexei that Lily testified against?” I ask him.

  “Yes. I just called Lance and he is taking Lily away for a bit with the kids,” he says and now I understand why Lance came back so early. “Shit, Lily is going to freak out.”

  “She’ll be alright,” he assures me. “I’m taking your mom to Jesse’s house. It’s safer there. Do you have somewhere you can go? I haven’t gotten ahold of Cody yet. Your mom’s cousin, Izzy, is on holiday in South Africa, so she’ll be fine. They don’t even know of her involvement anyhow.”

  Then a brilliant idea forms in my head. “I have a plan, Jack. Cody and I have a project in the Azores. I’d been planning to go back over and visit again soon and perhaps now is a good time. I’ll tell Cody to bring Zoe.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Your mother mentioned that,” he says. “Brilliant. Just stay in touch. I don’t think Cody and Zoe should be concerned and I’m not really worried about you, but I’d rather everyone disappear for a few days while I gather intel.”

  “Jack, what do you mean, ‘while you gather intel’?” I ask.

  He sighs. “When you get back, I’ll explain everything.”

  “Fine. Call me if you hear any more,” I say.

  “Will do and, Nick, just be careful, son,” he says. It’s the most fatherly thing he’s said since marrying my mom.

  “I will, Jack, and please take care of Mom,” I tell him.

  “I will,” he says and we hang up.

  Shit! I go to Cody’s office and his assistant says he’s in the conference room. I follow the sound of his voice and see he’s listening to a presentation. He looks up and sees me at the door. My emotions must be on my sleeve because he halts the meeting, claiming to have something important that needs his immediate attention. He gets up apologizing and meets me in the hallway.

  “Your office,” is all I say as we walk back to his office in silence. He shuts the door and turns to me.

  “We need to go back to the Azores ASAP,” I tell him.

  “Why?”

  “You know everything that happened in Scotland, right?” I ask him.

  “Yes, of course,” he says.

  “Well, one of the assholes involved is named Ben and he just escaped from prison this morning,” I explain. “Jack has been trying to get ahold of you, and he wants us to get out of town for a few days. You’ll need to take Zoe with us.”

  “Shit,” he says, and I can see his face getting redder by the minute. “Fuck!” he yells and slams a fist on his desk.

  “Yeah, my sentiments exactly,” I murmur.

  “OK…I’ll have my assistant arrange everything. Be ready to leave tonight,” he says. I look at the clock. It’s two in the afternoon. I nod my understanding.

  “Oh, and Bryce will be here shortly,” I tell him. “Don’t leave until he gets here.”

  “Fuck!” Cody yells again. I close his door and walk back to my office to wait.

  Bryce arrives about thirty minutes later. “I need to go over some things with you both,” he says as he leads me into Cody’s office.

  We shut the door and take the two seats in front of Cody’s desk.

  “First, I just emailed you both encrypted software for your phones. It’s Lance’s software and it will help me keep track of everyone. Jack wants me and my guys staying in touch with each family member until this is resolved. Second, I’m sending a guy to each location. They won’t be following you around, but they’ll be in the background, and they’ll be close by monitoring things in case you need them. Since you all will be going together, your guy is Pierce. Jack will be with Jesse, Vanessa, and Laura. Vanessa’s security guy Dean is going to go with Lance, Lily, and the kids. Jesse’s security guy Baxter will be taking a vacation to Scotland to keep track of Jack’s family. I have a friend down in South Africa that will keep dibs on Isabelle, and I’ll be around here just in case. Hand me your phones.”

  We hand over our phones, and Bryce programs several numbers including Pierce’s into each phone.

  “We’ll be in touch. Whatever you do, stay low-key,” he says. We both nod, and I head home to pack.

  I call my sister as I throw items into my suitcase. She picks up on the second ring.

  “Nick?!” she says in a panic.

  “It’s OK, Lil. I was just calling to see how you were doing?”

  She sighs. “Lance is packing the kids. I’m not going to lie. I’m totally freaking out and am really glad I was a glass and a half into my bottle or I’d probably be having a coronary.”

  “Well, I now have that reason to go back to the Azores,” I tell her.

  “Good, at least one of us will enjoy our exile,” she sighs. “Be careful, Nicky-poo.”

  “I will. You too, Lilypond. And take care of my favorite little people,” I say.

  She laughs sadly. “Will do.”

  We hang up as I load the last items back in my bag. I feel as though I just unpacked and here I am waiting to leave again. A million things are running through my brain. Where is everyone going? Will Ben try to come after any of us? Where has he gone? What is Jack up to that he wouldn’t say on the phone? My phone buzzes and I look down to see two texts, one from my mom asking how we are handling all of this and another from Melissa.

  I can’t help smiling as I read Melissa’s text.

  Melissa: Hi! Hope you had a good day!

  Nick: Well, it’s been interesting. Guess what? I’ll be in the Azores by the morning.

  Melissa: What? Really??

  Nick: Yep. I’ll explain when I get there.

  Melissa: OK. I’ll see you soon then!

  Nick: Sleep tight, beautiful. I’ll see you tomorrow.

  Melissa: Sweet dreams, Nick.

  Another text from Cody alerting me to a driver that will pick me up shortly comes up on my screen, and I lock up, set the alarm that Jack made me install, leave a note for Colin who’s literally been MIA all week, and head downstairs.

  I sigh and text Colin as I wait.

  Nick: Have to go back to the Azores. Need to speak with you. Call me.

  Colin: Everything OK?

  Nick: CALL ME!

  My phone rings two seconds later.

  “What the hell?” Colin says.

  “Sorry, but I didn’t want to discuss this over text,” I say to him. And then I launch into a watered-down explanation of what is going on both with Melissa, who I haven’t debriefed him on yet, and with the whole “Ben” situation.

  “Jesus Christ, Nick! You could have called earlier,” he says.

  “Yeah, sorry. It’s been a crazy day, and I just had figured I would see you this weekend and we could talk about my current lady drama, but now…well…I guess I’m going to see her tomorrow,” I say.

  “Well, shit, man. I mean, I’m happy for you, but on the other issue, should I be concerned?” he asks.

  “Can you take a crazy shift or sleep over somewhere else for a few days?” I ask him.

  “Actually, yeah, I can,” he says. I can tell he wants to say more, but he doesn’t.

  “Alrighty then
, I’ll call you once I have more information,” I say. “Keep all of this on the DL for now, OK?”

  “Yep, my lips are sealed,” he says with a laugh. “Seriously, dude, be careful.”

  “I will see you on the flip side,” I say, and we hang up. I try to think if I have any other loose ends to tie up, but my mind is going a million miles a minute. I drop my phone in my jacket pocket as I climb into the car and lean back against the headrest.

  Zoe is sitting next to Cody. I look around, expecting to see Garrett.

  “Where’s Garrett?” I ask.

  “I spoke with him. I didn’t want to divulge too much information. I said I wanted to do a spot check and was taking Zoe with me to make a long weekend out of it, and I wanted you to come along as part of your training. He’s been working on another project that you’ll be helping with soon enough, and he is really needed stateside this week. He was fine with it.”

  “OK, good,” I say, feeling relieved that my boss is good with this sudden change in plans.

  After a bit, Zoe leans over to me and gives me a tight hug. I squeeze her and rub her back.

  “It’s going to be alright,” I whisper to her. She just nods, and I know she’s trying to keep her shit together. I let her go after a minute, and I can see the tears in her eyes.

  “We’ll have fun. I promise,” I say to her, suddenly feeling like I’m the older cousin. I give her my best smile, and she tries her best to smile back at me.

  “Come here, princess,” Cody says, and he pulls her into his lap. “We’re all going to be fine.”

  She sucks in a deep breath. “Sorry, guys, I just…I’m worried.”

  “We all are, but we got this,” I say to her before exiting the car which has pulled up to a jet. I take a seat on the other side of the jet to give them a bit of privacy. “Cody, I’m going to set up camp back here and get some work done before crashing.” There’s a bedroom in the back of the jet, but there are also two sofas that turn into single-person beds so that the plane can sleep four people. I pull a tray out in front of one of the sofas and pull out some paperwork. It isn’t long before we’re off and heading back to the Azores.