by Kyanna Skye
Erika woke that morning with a pounding headache.
She laid in bed for a half hour after she woke, without even moving. The events of the night before came back to her slowly. She was embarrassed. After basically spending the entire night talking about herself, she ended the evening by getting sick.
“I guess it could have been worse,” she muttered into the quiet of her room. “I could have upchucked on him.”
And that was when she remembered she actually pulled a gun on him.
She’d been paranoid for the last few weeks, and suspicious about anyone who approached her. Never knowing when Emery might pop up had done that to her. She thought Alec was handsome when she saw him and didn’t mind having the male attention. But that didn’t stop her from questioning his attention. While she didn’t think he was a cop, she did think he could have been one of Pascale’s men. And if he wasn’t a henchman—she believed him when he said he wasn’t--- he was something. The vibe she got off of him was a man who dressed well but lived just within the law. And yet he carried himself like a soldier. But he didn’t mention any military service in his past. The scars on his hand made her think there was more to the injury than breaking a window.
He’d given her back her gun and bullets. Obviously, he could have harmed her if he’d wanted to, in more ways than one, and he’d chosen not to. It wasn’t the way any of Pascale’s people reacted. They wouldn’t have bothered trying to talk to her. If he was one of them he’d have walked her out of the gallery, found an alley and shot her.
Erika reloaded her gun and put it back into the nightstand where she usually kept it.
Of course, the truth was not a comfortable thing. As recollections of the night came back, she realized she’d said way too much. She was honest with this man about her profession. Whenever she dated men, she had a cover story that she used. Most people expected to hear about what you did for a living as a matter of polite conversation. She usually said she was a freelance photographer or writer, something which took up a lot of time and explained her ability to keep unusual hours. But she’d opened up to this man and told him the truth, something that was dangerous for more reasons than one.
It could have been the vodka, coupled with the attraction she felt for this man. She’d half expected Alec to reveal some dark secret of his own to her because she instinctively felt he had one. There was something about him, a sense of brokenness that she picked up from him. She had seen a lot of things, and one which she could easily detect were the residual effects trauma in other people. She sensed in him the same kind of emotional damage she saw in herself. Quick to tease and joke, he was hiding something. She noticed how aware he was of his surroundings, and how he paid close attention to her.
In the living room, the empty bottle still sat on the coffee table. She’d had a couple of drinks out of it before last night. She wondered how much she’d actually consumed out of the now the empty bottle. Alec had some too, but he kept his sense about him much better than she had. She hadn’t drank heavily in a long time, just the occasional nightcap. And she hadn’t eaten anything beforehand so it was possible.
The thought occurred to her that maybe Alec slipped her something.
It wouldn’t have been in the alcohol. Had he handled her coffee when they were out? Maybe. She wasn’t clear on it, but there was a reasonable probability he could have slipped her something. It would explain how she was suddenly so forthcoming.
She didn’t think her stomach could handle too much food, but she made dry toast and that seemed to be fine. That, along with some tea, and a small bottle of water was all she dared consume. And some aspirin made her feel a little bit better. Since she didn’t have anywhere she had to go, she climbed back into bed. There were more places in town she intended on canvassing, but it could certainly wait until mid or late afternoon.
At ten she was brought awake by the ringing of her doorbell.
Since no one knew where she lived, other than Alec, she grabbed her gun and shoved it into the waistband of her pants before going to the door.
It was a delivery; a teenager with a huge bouquet of flowers asked for her signature before handing over the package. Two dozen red roses. In the kitchen, she put them in a vase and opened the note attached:
Erika,
I hope we can do things better on the second date. I’d love to try again. Can we meet at 7:00 tonight?
--Best,
Alec
The name and address of the restaurant he wanted to meet at were at the bottom of the card. She smiled. This man was persistent. She wasn’t sure if he what he was after. If he was looking for information, she needed to know why and exactly what his angle was. Beyond that, she was intrigued with him. Something in his eyes, the way he moved, the calm tenor of his voice. From what she could see of him beneath the suit he wore, he was not only thin but well-toned. He’d disarmed her easily. He was a professional of some sort, one who knew how to fight. She wouldn’t be surprised if he knew martial arts. What exactly was soldier boy hiding? It was a mystery she’d like to unravel. Either way, she believed it was better to stay close than to push him away just yet. Not until she knew why he was around and what his true intentions were.
Alec called Rick, and though he said he wasn’t able to get away from work, he was anxious to hear about what he’d found so far. Alec arrived at his office in Century City shortly after two in the afternoon and was ushered into Rick’s private office when he arrived.
“He’ll be with you in a few moments,” the assistant assured him. “He’s finishing up on a conference call.”
Alec took a seat. Rick ran a commercial real estate company. His office was plush; white carpet and white chairs, with a lacquered desk and a single laptop. He smiled. He was a little suspicious of anyone who had a desk that neat; he couldn’t imagine they were getting any work done. He thought of how many computers David would probably cram into this much space before he thought things were even slightly crowded.
As promised, Rick came in with a few minutes.
“Alec, good to see you man,” he said, closing the door behind him. “It’s great to see you. From your message I take it you have good news for me?”
“Yes, I do,” Alec smiled. “Look, I won’t take up too much of your time. I wanted to let you know that your sister entered the States a few months ago. We’re not sure exactly where she is, but before she came back, she was in South America for a brief time.”
“So, she moves around like our mother used to. Figures. In other words, you haven’t been able to contact her directly?”
“Not yet but we’re working on it. I couldn’t find a lot of information on her personal life but I can tell you she’s unmarried and without children. You’re not an uncle yet.”
“Wow. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to know even that much. I’m glad to know she’s okay. So what’s the next step in finding her?”
Alec talked to him about tracking her down, how he expected it would take two weeks before he would be able to get in touch. It went easier than he expected. Rick was so happy for the small amount of information he was given. His sister hadn’t been much more than a photograph and an idea to him up until now. He could go on living with the idea of her as an abstract idea for a little longer. Two weeks would give him time enough to figure out just how much trouble Erika was in, and what he could do about it. Until then he didn’t want his friend anywhere near her. This kind of people often used relatives as a target. As long as no one else knew that Rick was her brother, no one would bother him. In the meantime, he was going to have to figure out what to do.
Alec didn’t mind lying to protect his friend, but he did worry about what might happen when he had to tell him the truth. Enemies like Emery and Pascale didn’t just disappear, and he wasn’t sure yet what would be the best solution for Erika.
“I’ve waited this long to meet her face to face,” Rick said. “I can wait a little longer since I know she’s alright. My mothe
r had a lot of secrets and she kept and for whatever reason, my sister was one of them. I’m looking forward to hearing about how she grow up, what her ideas about our mother are, and what their relationship was like. Anyway, I know I’m babbling on. But thank you, Alec.”
By the time Alec left the office, clouds were gathering in the skies. The sunny afternoon had turned gray. The sun darted in and out of the clouds, casting beams of light on the skyscrapers and the cars speeding by on the street. There was a humidity in the air, that warm, smothering feeling which reminded him of southern weather rather than California climes.
He looked around and oddly had the sense that he was being watched.
There were probably at least a hundred people walking along, maybe fifteen or twenty crossing the bridges between Century Park East and Century Park West. Teenagers, businessmen, and women, a few young mothers with their kids in strollers. All of them seemed preoccupied with their own business. No one was looking for him. He was just another man in the crowd. Another no one.
Alec shook off the sensation. Remaining vigilant, he looked around but didn’t see any threat. He walked down to the parking lot, got in his car, and with a sigh, drove towards the freeway for the short journey home. He had a date to get ready for in a little while, and he couldn’t be late.
Chapter 5
When Erika fled London, she only took a single overnight bag with her. She had maybe five changes of clothes with her, and only one dress among those. It was a shame. She had left behind many nice things in her flat, but as she reminded herself, none of those things were irreplaceable. Since she had been in LA she had gone shopping a few times, finding herself new pieces she felt she needed. Instead of looking at what she already had, she decided to go buy a new dress for her date.
She wasn’t sure why it was so important to her but she actually was looking forward to their evening. This time she would watch her date more carefully. He might be a danger to her, but now she knew a little better what she was dealing with, she would handle herself and him differently.
It had been a while since she had seen any of Pascale’s people. Emery included. He’d told her that last time she saw him that she only had one more chance to make things right. One more heist sounded easy enough. But these days she was on her own without any help. That was part of the problem. Either she had to work it by herself or find her own team. He didn’t expect her to succeed. No one did. He probably hoped that she would fail: either she would get caught by the police or she would come crawling back, asking to be part of his crew again. He underestimated how much she wanted to be free of him.
“This is foolish,” Emery had said. “You’ve never been caught yet and you’re putting yourself in danger now,” he said. “You think they’ll want you back if you make the slightest misstep while you’re on your own? Pascale only agreed to this because he wants to see you fall flat on your face. You’ll become the story we tell the young recruits when they mess up. No one wants to be the cautionary tale.”
“I don’t want to be the person who stays in the business and gets caught when I should have stopped years ago. And I could have already stopped if he would have allowed it. I know you think it’s crazy but this is my life and my choice. Not everyone can stay in the business forever like you have, Em.”
He smiled then, his expression softened. “Is that your way of telling me I am an old man, dear heart?”
Erika had just shook her head. “It means maybe I don’t have your sense of ego, thinking I’ll always have good fortune. It means at some point I stopped making decisions and you made them for me. And that was okay when I was just a hardheaded kid without her mother. At some point, I have to make my own way---do something other than this.”
“I don’t trust this,” Emery said. “I know you want it but…”
“I’m going to try,” she told him. “I know the consequences if I fail.”
After that, they never spoke of it again. He left and didn’t come back. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t somewhere watching, or that Pascale wasn’t making sure her every movement was scrutinized. She hoped if she was being tailed it was by Emery because she knew he wouldn’t want to hurt her. Anyone that didn’t know her wouldn’t hesitate to carry out an order to kill her.
The handsome, blond man she was meeting for dinner was an enigma but she knew he wasn’t one of Pascale’s men. Maybe, when you had enemies that bad, even a sketchy friend was better than none at all.
Alec chose to meet at a small Mexican restaurant near Marina Del Rey. He was at the bar finishing his first drink when Erika arrived. She was right on time. He saw her silhouette as she walked through the door. Her dark hair skimmed her shoulders, and the red dress she wore hugged every curve. She walked up to him, said hello, and took a couple of steps back from him.
“Hi,” Alec said. “You look lovely.” He stood up. “Let’s go get a booth.”
Once the server came and took their order for drinks, Erika crossed her arms and sat back in her seat.
“I’m not sure I can trust you,” she said.
Alec smiled. “Well, you probably shouldn’t. I mean, what are the odds that I’m not trustworthy? That said, I’m not a serial killer. I don’t think you’d want to try this again if I were. I behaved pretty well last night, didn’t I?”
The server appeared with drinks and a bowl of chips. He didn’t even ask if they needed more time; having heard Alec’s comment he just smiled and offered to come back in a few minutes.
Erika smiled. “Were you? I usually hold my liquor just fine. I almost wondered if you slipped me something.”
Alec’s face was motionless as stone, but his eyes sparkled. “I’m wondering why you would take my offer to come out tonight then.”
“Curiosity,” she replied. “I’m wondering which of my enemies sent you. Or if you’re just a garden-variety whacko.”
“Whacko? Not so much. I admit to my fair share of issues because it would mean I had some really glaring problems if I didn’t. I’m not a garden variety anything. And as far as enemies? I can’t imagine why a woman like you would have any.”
“Uh huh,” she said.
“What? Don't you believe me? I don’t bite honey unless that’s your thing,” he said. She was trying hard not to show it, but he caught the tug of a smile at the edge of her lips.
Once their drinks were served, she took a sip of hers before answering. “I think we should start again.”
“How so?” Alec asked.
“For whatever reason, I ended up telling you a lot of information I wouldn’t usually share. While you told me a lot of bull. You’re not an accountant. You’ve got some history you weren’t willing to share. Since I was so honest, I think I’m owed the same.”
“What do you want to know?”
“What do you do for a living?”
Alec paused. “I’m a private investigator of sorts,” he answered. “Someone hired me to find you.”
“Pascale?”
“No, your brother.”
Erika took a long gulp of her drink.
“Why’s he looking for me?”
“He wants to know you,” Alec said. “He didn’t know about you until after your…. I’m assuming you know your Mother passed away?” Alec said softly.
“I do,” Erika said. “I saw her for the last time a month before she died. I knew about my brother, but I’m surprised he wants to know about me.”
“Why?”
“We didn’t grow up together,” Erika shrugged. “He grew up with our Dad and our parents didn’t get along. I suppose mother’s death might have made him question a lot of things. How much did you tell him about me?”
“I haven’t told him that I found you yet.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a personal friend, and the one thing that was clear to me after last night is you’re in some kind of trouble or have been. I didn’t want to tell him about you until I figured out what was going on.”
“Your i
nterest is professional then?”
“Not purely, no,” Alec said. “Is yours?”
“I’m not a pickpocket,” she replied. “I haven’t done that in a long time.”
“Wouldn’t accuse you of it,” he said. “But you were casing the gallery last night.”
She smiled, and a faint blush brightened her cheeks. “Not like I didn’t overshare last night. But you say that like someone else who knows the business.”
“I haven’t always had a straight job,” he replied.
They ordered their food, which gave Erika a chance to pause before asking her next question.
“So again what was your job?” She asked. “Were you in the military?”
“Something like that,” he conceded.
“I see. Black ops.”
“Well you know the deal with that, right? You can theorize all you want but I can’t confirm or deny anything.”
“Sure. I may have come across a couple of people from that background. You’d be surprised how many people end up working in the same profession as I do, and how many of them come from either army or former law enforcement.”
“Law enforcement?”
She nodded slowly.
“I was under the impression they, uh, wouldn’t trust people of that sort.”
“Please. They don’t trust anybody. There are ways they test people.
“How so?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know? You seem way too intrigued for your own good.”
“Funny you say that,” Alec replied. “Because I already know I am.”
Erika laughed but quickly sobered. “Thank you for not telling my brother about me just yet. I’m curious about him too but I’m not ready to meet him just yet. Not until I get some things taken care of in my personal life. I don’t want to bring him into my mess right now. But I have always wondered about him. Is he okay?”
“That was the same question he asked about you. He’s doing well for himself. No kids yet, not married. He hasn’t made you Aunt Erika yet.”
