The Arrival

by Riley Moreno

  Darren sighs so depressingly that he goes to leave the room to finish it off. “I think, seeing you like that is sending me insane.”

  “Dare-”

  “Get some rest, Lee. We need to leave when Hona and Angelina arrive.”

  ...

  Lee lies on-top of the covers and sleeps for the few hours that she was permitted to exploit. It was a restless one though. And the main attraction was Darren in all his glory upon the bed as she remembered him just gawping at her with his eyes blowing pretty raspberries and making her feel special. She sits up and sighs at how much care Darren needed from her. But how can she give him what she doesn’t know how to express?

  When she had... when Lee wanted to hug Darren, it was because she wanted human bodily contact with him. But she knew that he would stop. And it would make her lose the confidence that she wished he would just blurt out and say, and then their awkwardness propelled them to just laugh and let it float away.

  Darren reached for that touched but didn’t follow it through. She can’t blame him. After the short period that they’ve known each other, there has never been a romantic viewpoint for Darren to climb and see. Lee’s liked it that way. Kept it simple. And it’s worked for them. A lie. A boldfaced lie as she gets up shuts her suitcase.

  It’s too bad that when it comes to relationships...her phone is ringing: private number. “Henny.” Lee’s eyes become frisbees and one knock comes to her door, knock! The phone or the door? That’s the choice Lee must make. It’s not a grand national slam, but Henny specifically asked her to wait for his call. And now it’s here, the ride-out of Torbelli and onto their next destination where Henny so badly wants them to visit.

  But Lee can’t help it...Shaka must be ... he must be here? She checks the phone and Henny isn’t going to stop until she answers. Another knock comes to the door and Lee stuffs it into her free fitting jean pocket and goes to answer the door.

  “Hona!” Lee is happy to see him with Angelina by his side. “Do you both want to come into the room?”

  Darren shows up behind them. “Sandra is waiting in the car. Lee, I need to speak with you?”

  After Darren. Hona and Angelina come inside, and he follows.

  He takes her aside, “Henny wants us to leave tonight. He says we can head to the airport, Sandra can take us, and we’ll be on a flight back home.”

  “Home?” Lee’s temple strains. “Henny has no intention of sending us home. He says we have to go after Shaka in a new location.”

  “I heard home in his finishing sentence.”

  “Did he say he was going to call me?”

  “No. I don’t think he intended to. He just said to let you know that the flight was ready, and we should make our way there. The same airport we came in.”

  “But ...”

  Hona interrupts them. “We can’t waste much time if we’re going to head to Shandi town.”

  “I think we should go home, Lee?”

  Angelina and Hona both say, “Home!”

  Darren nods. “Yes. Shandi town...Peacock...it’s not safe for us to be there.”

  “They won’t touch you if you’re with us.”

  Darren and Lee spot Angelina agreeing to this behind Hona. “They won’t. And how can you go home if the airport is closed until further notice? Albastor is not allowing anybody to leave right now.”

  “Our boss. He says he has a flight waiting for us.”

  “But where!?” Hona is adamant that this cannot be.

  Lee stops Darren from hampering on about it. “Darren, we can’t go back! There’s Ringo.”

  Hona looks back to Angelina who sighs inwardly. “Camila. And also Shaka.”

  “We can’t stay here, Lee. No way.”

  “But we’re getting closer.” Lee pleas with his heartstrings.

  Hona nods. “Closer than anybody has dared to try and go before! It’s never an easy task to try and break through. But you’ve both survived murder attempts from rebels and the organization out here. Me and my daughter think with some more pressing, we can get to the top of it all.

  Angelina nodding again. A car horn blows from the outside. Angelina checks out the window. “Ha. Sandra is restless. Have you two made up your minds?” Another beep and then it goes deadly silent.

  “What were you and Angelina hoping Camila would do? Talk to me about that?” Darren needs convincing. And Lee does too.

  Angelina and Hona stand side-by-side for this declaration. Hona delivers it to them both, “I think it’s safe to see that me and Angelina are your opposites out here. We came over with Ringo, whose real name is Diego. I told you, Darren, about where I came from and how corrupt it was. Well, Ringo found me, through the help of Camila, and he contacted me to bring me over because I was one of the best at helping to control what was happening out here. The N.O. have crossed over and landed in Torbelli, and they are looking to bring back slave labour just for the sake of oppressing and grinding the people to the ground. When they successfully do that, you’ll be able to tell that they can do as they wish.

  They ship over parts for planes, but they carry more than just that. It’s the new currency out here that they are now shipping. Keeping places like my hometown flocking to it. And to have it steady, they need to fund it through gold that they have over here. Which is why many are refusing to bow down to working under poor conditions.

  Camila worked for the N.O., and she knows everything about their plans. You see, she didn’t last long enough for us to hear what she had to say. When she reached Shandi town, she disappeared. And Ringo, who is something of a spy, heard that there was another cop who had cracked a case with a man named Eric.”

  Lee blinks the image of Eric away. “Was it Ringo who exchanged the planes and flew us here?”

  Angelina nods. “He said that was his plan. Just like he did with Camila who was corresponding with him. He needs to find her. Which is why, on that day, he had to leave so quickly when Darren wouldn’t let him leave. Without her, we don’t have names to bring to other areas who may be able to stop this currency that they want to secretly flourish.”

  “And what of Shaka?”

  “He could be under a list of names, but this man must be a member of the N.O.”

  Darren rubs his head. Lee watches him do that and stops after it begins to irritate her. “It’s coming together, Darren.” Beep! “We should see it through” Beep!

  “We’ll leave you two to decide and go wait with Sandra in the car.” Angelina leaves the room first.

  “There’s no pressure from our end. If you want, we can drop you to where you need, and we’ll go on and to try and find both Camila and Diego ourselves.” Hona leaves the room, but just as he’s about to close the door behind him he says, “Camila thought you were a talented cop, Lee Coil. And she knew you would rattle their coops. She even believed you would mash it all down! I think the same.” He shuts the door.

  “We can’t go home. And you can’t stand taking orders from Henny so I’m surprised that you’re even suggesting that.

  “I want you back to safety.” Darren clams up. “I...”

  “Don’t change the subject. For once.”

  “We haven’t got time to talk about my feelings...”

  “Well, I do. Henny ... Bennie ... Lotan. Just say they each have a hand to play in this? What if we can bring them down?”

  “It’s not going to be...”–

  “I need you here. With me. And together, Darren Webb.” She takes his hand into her own. “We can help these people and stop it all at once”

  “So, you’re saying that you want to get into that car, and drive to Shandi town?”

  “Yes. And we’ll discover more than we bargained for. I can promise you that.”

  End of Part 2.

  Read Part 3.

  Out now on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

 

 

 
;