Wrath of the Sea Queen
Written By:
Cynthia Woods
Wrath of the Sea Queen is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places, and events are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places, or events is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © June 2012 Cynthia Woods.
All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-0-9837798-9-6
Printed in the United States of America
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Other books in this series
The Book of Elements - August 2011
Wrath of the Sea Queen - June 2012
Plague of Heritage - Coming soon
www.WoodsBookshelf.com
CHAPTER 1
It was a few minutes after nine, according to the big clock on the wall. Ben made his way to the bottom of the escalator with his hands deep in his jacket pockets to warm them after having just stepped inside from the chill of the morning air. The last two days had been marked by frequent rain showers. The clouds outside were beginning to let the sun's rays poke their way through, but there was very little warmth yet to be found yet on the cool, spring day.
Ben stood waiting patiently for the lady he was supposed to meet. Being six feet tall made it relatively easy for him to see above the majority of people walking through the airport terminal. He was a stand in for Caeli's husband, who had been called away an hour earlier by a panicky client regarding an urgent computer issue. Although it irked the devoted husband not to be able to pick up his wife personally, his client had been near hysterics. After detecting an edge of fear in the woman's voice, Ben's friend finally agreed to make the trip out to the client's house to help her. Therefore, with regret, he sent Ben to the airport to pick up his wife. Ben watched for her now in the most recent crowd of arriving passengers. According to the arrival board, this group included her flight.
"Uncle Ben!" A delighted voice called from midway down the escalator.
When she reached the bottom, a thin, brown-haired lady, dressed in simple blue jeans and a jade blouse, rushed over and threw her arms around the older man, smiling up at him. Her demeanor was most often happy, even bubbly, and Ben was always pleased to see her smiling face. Caeli looked at the world through the eyes of an optimist. How she managed to do so, after everything she had been through in her life, Ben did not know; yet he greatly admired that quality in her.
His new title was her idea, too. She insisted on it. Caeli had routinely called him Uncle for the past three months and seemed to take great pleasure in it. Ben had to admit that he enjoyed being included in her family, even though they weren't related by blood. Ben cared for her as he would a member of his own family. He also found the title endearing and did not discourage its use.
"Hello, Caeli. I'm so glad to see you! How was your trip?"
"It was fine. I'm definitely glad to be home though."
"Vin said you've been sick, and I understand that you don't get sick very often. So is this just a cold or should I be worried? I couldn't tell from Vin's description. It was a blurred mixture of his worry and missing you. But, you do look a bit pale."
Ben followed her as she began walking toward the baggage carousel. He noted that, although she seemed happy, Caeli did look a bit haggard. Perhaps she was still recovering.
"I have missed Vin, too. I've been homesick more than you can imagine. But, this other sickness has nothing to do with that. It's just a bad case of allergies from the climate change, I think. The trip was all right. I enjoyed the classes, and it was nice to visit with Lara again. We almost never see each other since she went back to nursing fulltime. We only communicate by email or the occasional phone call. Since she only does graphic work on a contract basis now, we don't really have much in common anymore. She only attended this conference in order to keep her design certification up to date."
"Well, people do change over the years. She has to do what makes her happy. How did you like the city?" Ben asked when Caeli paused.
"Manhattan is incredibly hectic. It's very crowded and entirely too noisy for my taste. I can't say that I will miss any of that. Besides, two weeks is a long time to be away from home. Friday couldn't get here fast enough. I got to the airport three and a half hours early this morning. I was so eager to come home that I simply couldn't sleep. Don't take this wrong, Uncle Ben; it is really good to see you, but I was expecting Vin. I had a wonderful surprise planned for him. Now I'll have to rethink it. Why didn't he come to pick me up? Is everything all right?" Caeli finally took another breath. She was definitely excited. Normally, she did not have quite so much to say, at least, not all at once. It was a trait Ben discovered that she and her aunt Salma shared.
"Yes, everything is fine. Vin got tied up with a client and most humbly begs his wife's forgiveness," Ben smiled as he improvised, knowing Vin probably wouldn't use those exact words, but the sentiment was valid. Caeli laughed at Ben's jest.
"Vin sent me as a poor substitute to welcome you home to civilization. He did ask me to give you this."
Ben reached inside his jacket and pulled out a single, long stemmed rose. It was no ordinary rose. The sapphire blue color of the bud sparkled in the morning sunlight. It was from a uniquely-colored rosebush that Caeli stumbled across at a garden show a few years earlier and now had several bushes of them in front of their house. Ben handed her the rose and leaned over to give her a quick peck on the cheek.
"Welcome home, Lass. I'm afraid anything more affectionate and both of our spouses would be a bit jealous."
They both laughed, and Caeli held the rose up to smell its fragrance. To her delight, it was not the natural scent of the bloom, but the more masculine scent of Vin's cologne. He knew how much she loved the smell and had splashed it on the bud. It was a trick she once used on a note to him when they were dating. It immediately brought Vin's image to her mind, as he'd intended; and Caeli couldn't wait to get home and rediscover how much better the scent was on him.
Ben reached down and grabbed the handle of her rolling suitcase after Caeli pointed it out on the conveyor belt. They were walking down a long, tiled hallway, heading for the parking lot, when Caeli stopped unexpectedly and looked around. Ben stopped beside her, an eyebrow raised in question.
"Forget something?"
"No. Excuse me a minute, Uncle Ben. I'll be right back."
Caeli spotted the restroom sign and hurried down the hall. She darted inside the door on the right. Ben waited in the hall until she returned fifteen minutes later, looking even more pale than she had before.
"Sorry about that. Remind me never to eat breakfast on an airplane again. Between you and me, it definitely wasn't worth it."
"Are you sure it was only allergies? Maybe you have come down with something. Did you see a doctor while you were there?" Ben asked as he glanced over at her, walking a bit slower now.
"Nah, I'm sure it's no big deal. The weather took its toll on me; that's all. I was actually fighting it most of the trip. I thought I might sneeze my head off the first three days I was there. I'm not used to all that east coast pollen. It's very different from our west coast pollen," Caeli joked.
By the time they reached his jeep, the color had returned to her face, so Ben let the matter drop.
CHAPTER 2
The blonde woman pulled the curtain aside to glance out the window, anxiously waiting to see a car pull up outside. She had called Vin with an urgent request for help with her computer. Vin had set the machine up for her two years ago, and Vicki had developed a keen interest in him. He had been heedless of her advances, of course, being completely devoted to his wife. Vin either ignored or didn't notice many of her attempts to gain his
attention over the last two years.
However, she was not discouraged. If anything, she loved a good challenge. Vicki was accustomed to getting what she wanted. And she wanted only two things - a husband and a son. After so many rejections from both Vin and the adoption agencies, Vicki no longer cared what method she employed to achieve her goals; the only thing that mattered was that she be successful in achieving them.
After many discussions and hours of listening to Vicki vent her frustration, her good friend, Lorrie, designed a plan to help Vicki attain both of her desires. Lorrie informed her that Vin's wife, Caeli, was currently out of town. Together, they contrived an excuse to get him to visit Vicki's house.
"Yes. He was reluctant at first, but finally agreed. I put on my best lady-in-distress voice. You were right. He is too much of a gentleman to say no to a lady in need."
"Who says chivalry is dead?" Lorrie joked.
"Anyway, when I added the bit about a child getting sent to foster care because my computer is down, there was no way he was going to refuse. You were right again. He must have less than fond memories of his own foster care experience."
"That was an excellent touch."
"How did you even know he had been in the system? Oh, it doesn't really matter. He should be here any minute. This black eye from my clumsy run in with the door will be just the right touch to convince him that my story is true."
"Remember, Vicki, Vin is old school. Don't be obvious. He will see right through you if you aren't careful. Let him insist on helping you. It will make him feel needed. With his wife out of town for so long, he may be feeling a little needy himself. It is possible that he may let his guard down once you get him talking. What's more, I think her trip was scheduled as an excuse for them to spend some much needed time apart. As near as I can tell, this is the only time she has ever taken a trip without him. If you play your cards right, this could be your lucky day."
"Are you saying they separated?"
"No. I can't say that for certain. I do know that she will be coming home soon, but then turning around and leaving on another trip without him. It's the one in a million shot you wanted."
"Can this be true? I find it hard to believe after hearing him repeatedly talk about how much he loves her. But, a falling out between them would greatly improve my chances of success!" Vicki exclaimed excitedly.
"I told you, timing is everything. Of course, I don't know any specific details about her trips. All I can say is that his wife has been gone for the last two weeks. You won't get a better opportunity to make this happen. Don't forget what you promised me. I need good photos for the other piece of this plan to work. Bring them with you when you fly down next week."
"Oh, here's Vin now. I need to get off the phone and get myself in the right frame of mind before he gets to the door. Thanks, Lorrie. You're the best! I can't wait to see. Until next week."
Vicki hung up the phone and rushed into the living room. The front door was wide open. She hurriedly sat down on the edge of a chair, began to stare dazedly at her blank computer screen, and let the phone dangle from her hand.
Vin walked up to the front of the house and, through the open door, saw Vicki sitting there, unmoving. He knocked on the door frame and called out to her, but she didn’t answer. He tried twice more, but Vicki still did not respond. Slowly, Vin walked inside and made his way carefully over to her. He walked around in front of her and knelt down so that he was not towering over her. He did not want to startle her when she realized he was there.
"Vicki? Are you all right?" Vin reached out and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch, and he quickly drew his hand away.
"Vin? Oh, Vin, you have to fix my computer! You just have to fix it," Vicki responded in a panicky voice. Immediately, she began to cry and threw her arms around Vin's neck, leaning so far forward in her chair that it seemed as if she might fall out of it without his support.
"Vicki, what happened? What's going on?" When Vin pulled away to talk to her, he noticed Vicki's black eye.
"The boy's father stopped by here after I called you. He was furious. He said it was my fault that his son was stuck with a bunch of strangers. I couldn't get the computer running to correct the paperwork."
Vicki cried more and reached out to Vin again. He held her lightly until she calmed down. She relaxed and enjoyed the comfort of his embrace for several minutes.
"Did he do this to you, the boy's father? Did he hit you? Vicki, this is serious. You should report this immediately."
Vin gently disengaged himself again and looked at her bruised face. Vicki seemed to hesitate and then her panic set in again. Her entire body began to shake with fear.
"I can't call the police. He was really mad. He said he blamed me and would never forgive me if I didn't fix this. Please Vin, you have to help me find the forms on my computer. I don't even know what's wrong with it. I have no idea what that man will do if I can't get his son returned to him today. This whole mess is my fault."
She reached out to Vin a third time; and again he held her politely while she cried. Vicki snuggled in close to his chin, feigning the lack of strength to even hold her head up. She inhaled a waft of his wonderful cologne, and his strong arms held her steady. She could definitely get used to this.
"It's ok, Vicki. It's going to be all right. I will help you, but you have to call the police. I know an officer who can help. He's a good friend of mine. He will make sure that you are safe. And look at you," Vin said, gently putting his hand on the side of her face to get a better look at her eye.
"You're hurt. You should go to the hospital and get that checked out."
"Thank you, Vin, but I'm ok. I don't know what I would do if you hadn't come."
Vicki leaned closer to Vin. With slow movements, she worked her way over and tried to kiss him.
Vin backed away before she could succeed.
"Vicki, you're upset. You're not thinking clearly." He stood up and moved a few feet away from her.
"Of course, you're right. I shouldn't have done that. I was just feeling so alone, and you are so kind to me. It was…I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Will you still help me with the computer?"
"Yes. Let me see what I can do." Vin moved over in front of her again, this time with his back to her as he sat on the floor to work on her computer tower. Vicki remained seated in the desk chair behind him, scooting it closer to watch him work. She placed her hand on the center of his back as she looked over his shoulder. His movements enticed her. After a short while, Vicki moved her hand up to his shoulder and leaned even closer.
Vin began to feel uncomfortable with the entire situation. Something was not right. Her computer seemed fine. When Vicki tried to kiss him again, Vin moved to get up; but Vicki leaned forward far enough to knock him off balance. She entangled his foot and fell over on top of him as he fell backward to the floor. Vin quickly set her aside, got up, and stalked to the front door, intent on leaving. Vicki rushed after him, pulling on his arm, begging him not to go.
"Please, Vin. I know you feel something for me. Why else would you have rushed over here to help me? And the way you caressed my face. I could see the emotion in your eyes."
As Vin reached the front door, Vicki threw her arms around his neck, pressing herself up against him and planting a kiss on him to which he did not respond. Instead, Vin pried her arms off of his neck and pushed her away. The wind stirred briskly around him, keeping her from getting near him again. He was angry at Vicki's attempt to deceive him and more so at the fact that this foolish game had kept him from greeting Caeli at the airport.
"No, Vicki! I have no personal interest in you. I only came over because your call seemed urgent. I thought there was a child's welfare at stake. As a friend, I was concerned about your injury. I wanted to help you, nothing more. Obviously, you lied to me about both. Clearly, we are not friends. Don't ever call me again."
With that, Vin stormed off and did not look back. He wanted to get home an
d calm down before Ben dropped off his wife. He did not spend the previous day cleaning, preparing food, and staging the house for a romantic welcome home only to let Vicki spoil it by making him angry or making him get home too late to see Caeli's reaction to the surprise. He wanted to forget about Vicki's nonsense and focus on Caeli. Vin had missed her these past two weeks and was eager to have her home. Unfortunately, he would only have her home for two nights before she would leave again early Sunday morning. Vin intended to make the most of their time together until then. Vicki had wasted an hour of that precious time that Vin could not get back.
As he stormed away from Vicki's house, Vin did not see the security camera on the corner, nor would he have cared if he had. He was already focused on Caeli and the reaction she would have when he told her about Vicki's game. Letting his anger fade away, he smiled in amusement, knowing exactly how Caeli would respond. As Vin reached his car, his cell phone started to ring. He looked down at the caller ID and chuckled. It was Caeli.
CHAPTER 3
Dr. Erickson was making her Friday morning rounds at the hospital, the last ones before leaving for vacation. She spent a few extra minutes with each of her patients, letting them know that she would be gone. To her surprise, she was getting a similar response from each of them. They were all happy to see her take some time for herself. Not a single one of them begrudged her the time away.
"Good for you. It's about time you got away from this place. In all the years you have cared for me, I can't remember when you were out for more than a day or two. Even then, it was only because they made you stay home so you wouldn't get everyone else sick," an elderly patient said.
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