Dark Stranger Revealed

by I. T. Lucas

  "Whatever you say, Mistress." Onidu bowed before placing the tray on the glass table.

  "Wow, they look like twins." Syssi glanced at Onidu's retreating back. Both men had similar height and build with just slightly different hair and eye color. "Are they brothers? And by the way, do you and Kian have more siblings? You said each one… sounded like more than just the two of you."

  "We have two more sisters. And about the Odus… yeah, it's kind of obvious that they come from the same stock." Amanda lifted her sandwich with both hands and took a bite.

  "Older? Younger?"

  "Who? The Odus?

  "No, silly, your sisters, you never mentioned them before. I'm curious."

  "Older, I'm the baby. Alena is the oldest, Kian is next, then Sari."

  "And…?"

  "And what?"

  "Where are they? Where do they live? What do they do?"

  "Alena stays with our mother, and Sari is in Europe, heading the family business over there."

  "And your father? Is he still around?"

  "No, he passed away a long time ago."

  "I'm so sorry to hear that." Syssi lowered her eyes. She knew how hard it was to talk about a lost loved one. Sighing, she took a forkful of the delicious apple crumble Onidu had served for dessert.

  "Nothing to be sorry about. I never met him, so I couldn't really feel sorrow at his passing." Amanda shrugged, a shadow of something else darkening her expression.

  "Did he die before you were born?" It was so unlike Syssi to be asking all these personal questions. Still, she felt compelled to keep it up and find out more about Kian and his family.

  "No, but it wasn't the poor shmuck's fault either. He didn't even know I existed. Mother had never told him. And I never got to meet him."

  "How about Kian and your other sisters' father, did your mother divorce him? Or did he pass away as well?" Syssi made the logical assumption that Amanda had been a love child, arriving later in her mother's life.

  Amanda paused with her sandwich suspended in front of her face. A moment of contemplation later, she sighed and lowered the thing back to the plate. "Fathers, as in plural. We each have a different father, and not one was married to our mother or informed of becoming a father." Amanda picked up her sandwich and took another bite.

  Uncomfortable, Syssi looked down at her hands. That was somewhat unorthodox, but who was she to judge someone else's choices in life?

  To each her or his own.

  Life's twists and turns made for different paths for different people. She wondered, however, what was the story behind this one. "It must have been hard for your mother to raise four kids on her own. Not financially, as it seems she didn't suffer for a lack of means, having a staff of servants and all. But why did she choose to do it this way. Didn't she love any of the men?"

  Amanda wiped her hands on the napkin before dubbing it at her lips. "She had been married once when she had been very young and deeply in love. When her husband had died, she had vowed to remain faithful to him in her heart and never love another man again. But she wanted children, and she loved sex, so here we are."

  Amanda smiled her radiant smile, but then her eyes narrowed with a wicked gleam. "Speaking of sex… You and Kian?" She arched one of her perfectly shaped brows in question. And yet, judging from her smug expression, she had already known the answer to that.

  Syssi almost choked on a mouthful of cake, feeling a blush spread all the way up to the roots of her hair as she swallowed it. "He's your brother, for God's sake, how can you ask me that?"

  "Oh, please. We are all adults here. If I can talk about my mother's sex life, you think Kian's is off limits?" Amanda laughed. "There is nothing to be bashful about. Remember who you're talking to; the self-proclaimed queen of sluts." She pointed at herself. "And proud of it."

  "Yes… happy?" Syssi blurted and immediately dropped her eyes to her plate.

  "Ecstatic!… But what did the stupid goat do to make you cry? And don't you dare try covering up for him." Amanda crossed her arms over her chest, waiting. "Well?"

  Syssi sighed and folded her napkin, smoothing it next to her plate. "Anandur and Brundar showed up for lunch when Kian wasn't there, and when he came back and saw them with me, he went bonkers, threw a jealous tantrum and kicked them out." She shrugged as if the whole thing hadn't been a big deal.

  "That's all? That's what got you so upset? I think it's sweet that he got jealous over you. That means he cares for you. What's wrong with that?"

  "It's disrespectful to me, don't you think? Assuming I’d even show interest in another man after spending the night with Kian. He made me feel cheap, like he thought I'm some kind of floozy.” Cue the quivering chin.

  "Oh, sweetie, I forgot how inexperienced you are with men. You assume that he was thinking and analyzing what was going on because women over-think everything… Men don't. He went ape-man territorial when he found another virile male sniffing around his female and felt threatened. If anything, it shows his own insecurities, not his opinion of you."

  "Look who's covering for Kian now. I thought I was the one who was expected to do that." Syssi filled her cup from the steaming pot of coffee and stirred in the cream and sugar. "And the fact that I only had one boyfriend doesn't make me inexperienced. Well, maybe variety-wise it does… But be that as it may, Gregg and I were together for four years, during which I got my share of irrational, unfounded accusations. In the beginning, I dismissed them the same way you just did, feeling flattered. But believe me, after a while I got so sick of them, I felt like he was pounding another nail into the coffin of our relationship with each new onslaught. Kian's behavior today was a very unpleasant déjà vu. It made me want to throw up." Syssi pretended to gag, and sticking out her tongue, made a face like she was about to puke.

  Amanda didn't respond for a while. Sipping on her coffee, she picked apple-crumble crumbs off her plate and placed the tiny bits on her tongue one at the time.

  "Are you sure it's the same? Maybe you're just projecting your ex on Kian. Knowing Anandur's antics, he was probably flirting with you shamelessly, so the jealousy wasn't completely unfounded. Am I right?” she asked.

  "So what if he was flirting. I wasn't responding to him or anything!"

  A flash of understanding crossed Amanda's face. "Were you thinking naughty thoughts about Kian before the guys came in?" She looked pointedly at Syssi.

  "So what if I did? What does that have to do with anything?" Syssi's cheeks began burning again, and the heat was spreading all the way to her earlobes. How on earth could Amanda have known that?

  Amanda grinned, her whole face lighting up. "It has everything to do with it… I'll run by you the scenario from Kian's point of view. He walks in, sees you all flustered from your earlier carnal musings while Anandur is putting his moves on you. Reaches the wrong conclusion, thinking your arousal is the other guy's doing, goes ape-shit… Sounds plausible?"

  "How would he know I was… you know…?"

  "You have a very expressive face, and Kian is very perceptive."

  "Even if you're right, he still should have known better." Syssi pouted, not ready to let it go.

  "Oh, really? Picture the same scenario with different players. You walk in, Kian is in the company of two hot chicks, one of them flirting with him unabashedly, and a hard-on is tenting his pants. Would you be all smiling and thinking rationally? Or would you want to strangle all three of them?"

  "I wouldn't get physical… Just imagine it… Very, very, vividly…" Syssi chuckled. "Okay, you made your point. I forgive him. But I'm not going back to his place. You promised me a sleepover and I'm holding you to it."

  "I wouldn't let you go even if you begged, you're all mine for tonight. We are going to go out, and we are going to party hard. I need to teach you how to live a little."

  "Fine. But first I need to call Andrew and let him know I'm okay, and that I'm staying with you. Maybe he can even help us in some way. After all, he deals with these kind of situati
ons in his line of work. I told you he used to be Special Ops, did I?"

  "No, you didn't. How fascinating… And now that you did, I want to meet him. Can you introduce us? I have a thing for dangerous boys…grr…" Amanda did her cougar imitation, growling and swiping the air with pretend claws.

  Syssi laughed, "I wouldn't call him a boy… Andrew is pushing forty. But sure, I would love to introduce you guys.” Then getting serious, she added, "I think tomorrow I'll go to his place. I should have done it from the start, instead of coming here. But everything happened so fast, and Kian… kind of took control of everything and it was easy to just let him. But I think it would be better for everyone if I kept my distance. We got too close too fast. It cannot be healthy for a new relationship. If it is a relationship… Shit!… I don't know what to think." Syssi ran her fingers through her hair.

  "Is Andrew listed as your next of kin anywhere?" Amanda suddenly looked worried.

  "No, because of his job, I couldn't use his name as next of kin. He has a different one, fake. Why? Do you think the crazies would go after him as well?"

  "If they could, they would, but with a different name and all, I think he's safe. Any other siblings?"

  "No… my other brother died four years ago in a motorcycle accident." Syssi tried to swallow as her throat convulsed with the familiar choking sensation.

  "I'm so sorry, sweetie. How about your parents? Still in Africa?"

  "Yeah, still there."

  "Good."

  "What is the police doing about this mess, did you check with them?" Looking down at her plate, Syssi chased the scattered crumbs of cake with her fork, struggling to regain her composure.

  "They took pictures of the damage at the lab, but they're not taking the incident seriously. They're convinced it was a prank. Drunk students, maybe someone who got a bad grade. I don't think they are going to do anything about it."

  "Did you tell them about the people chasing after us? They should investigate that group."

  "Yeah… First, I have no evidence; just my suspicions. Second, it's a shadow organization no one knows about. It's a dead end."

  "So, what are we going to do? I can't keep hiding forever, and we need to resume our work. Besides, how do we know they even came looking for me? Maybe we overreacted and they are already gone?"

  "I wish. We didn't want to alarm you, but Michael Gross got jumped last night. He escaped and is fine, but I think that proves that we weren't paranoid. The goons really went after him."

  "But if he was attacked, isn't it proof enough for the police to get serious about investigating these people?"

  "He was attacked at night, outside a night club. They assume it was a drunk brawl." Amanda looked apologetic as if any of this was her fault. "Look, Kian had a surveillance camera installed at your place, and our security is monitoring the activity there. If nothing suspicious happens over the next couple of days, you can go home. Deal?"

  "I guess… I need to call Andrew, though. And by the way, why are all your phones code protected?"

  "Mine are not. I don't know why Kian's would be." Amanda shrugged, though for some reason looked like she was still feeling guilty over something. Leaning with her elbows on the table, she kept fidgeting with her fork when she added, "Listen, when you call your brother, don't tell him exactly where you are and why. I know it sounds a bit strange, but we need to keep a low profile. Our family has enemies—vicious business competitors that will stop at nothing to bring us down. Okay? Can I count on you to keep us a secret?" She looked into Syssi's eyes.

  "Of course." Syssi thought it was beyond strange; talk about paranoia. But whatever, if she was asked to keep a secret, she would.

  "And I don't want to hear another word about you staying elsewhere. Did you forget that you are supposed to do some work for me while you're here?"

  "If it's only a couple of days then I'll stay."

  "Good!”

  CHAPTER 31: SYSSI

  "You must be kidding, right? You dropped your phone in the sink?"

  Syssi grimaced. Not surprisingly, Andrew sounded suspicious of the story she had concocted.

  Damn, how she hated having to lie.

  "Yeah, I answered a call while washing the dishes. It just slipped and fell right in. Died on the spot." Syssi looked at the ceiling, hoping he’d drop the subject. "Anyway, as I said, I'll be staying at Amanda's for a couple of days, just until they are done repainting the lab. We have a paper we need to rush and finish by the end of the month, so I will probably be staying here overnight until we are done. I'll call you as soon as I get my new phone."

  "Are you calling from her place? The number is blocked."

  "Yes."

  "And where is that?"

  Okay, that would be tough to wiggle out of… "It's somewhere downtown. Amanda was driving and I didn't pay attention, so I'm not sure exactly where."

  Well, it wasn't a complete lie… after all, she didn't know the exact address. Still, she had a feeling he wasn't buying any of it, or maybe it was just her guilty conscience talking. She wished she had never made that promise to Amanda.

  The loud music suddenly blasting from the direction of the living room rescued her from having to make up any more lies.

  "What's that racket?" Andrew asked, providing the opening she needed.

  "It sounds like Amanda's idea of background music. I'll better go and tell her to turn it down before the neighbors complain. I'll call you later."

  "You do that."

  Hanging up, Syssi exhaled a relieved breath and got up.

  The music got louder as she crossed the few feet separating the office from the living room, and what was worse, Amanda began singing along. Out of tune.

  So there was something the woman was not good at… what a relief…

  Well, if you can't beat them—join them. Syssi added her own voice to the cacophony.

  Dancing and singing along with the hard rock blasting from the powerful speakers, Syssi had more fun than she remembered having in ages. From good old Van Halen and Led Zeppelin to Aerosmith and Metallica, the playlist kept going strong long after they had gotten tired of dancing and switched to painting each other’s toenails on the living room's couch.

  With Onidu pushing at them one margarita after the other, Syssi lost count of how many she had, although she was pretty sure Amanda had way more.

  By the time it got dark outside, Syssi was hoarse from singing and very drunk. "Wow, Amanda, I forgot how wonderful it feels to do things just for the fun of it," she slurred and tried to lie down on the couch. Immediately, her head went spinning, and she sat back up, resting her neck against the upholstered back.

  Oh, boy. Was she in trouble.

  Every time she tried to close her eyes, the feeling of vertigo forced her to snap them open, but keeping them that way was a struggle. "I swear not to touch another margarita for as long as I live,” She moaned, clutching her head.

  "Onidu! No more margaritas!" Amanda called out and turned off the music with the remote.

  Syssi sighed in relief. "Thank you!"

  Sounding a little slurred herself, Amanda patted her shoulder. "Don't you worry, by the time we're ready to go, you'll be fine."

  "I don't think I'm in any shape to go anywhere. What a bummer, I haven't been to a club since before Gregg."

  "No worries. We're going to fix this." Amanda headed for the kitchen and beckoned Syssi to follow. "Onidu! We need food and coffee. You got us drunk, and now it's up to you to sober us up!"

  Sitting at the kitchen counter, they gulped several cups of water before moving on to the coffee.

  "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. You've been all work and no play for far too long, and the night is still young. We have lots of partying left to do." Amanda's eyes sparkled mischievously.

  "Are we going by ourselves?"

  "Two is not enough for a girls’ night out. We need reinforcements. I'm going to call Kri, my cousin."

  "What's she like?"

  "Muscle…
" Amanda laughed, the twirl of pasta on her fork shaking along with her body.

  "Okay… that tells me a lot… not… What do you mean—muscle?"

  "When you see her, you'll get it. She's the kind of gal you want to watch your back, in case some jerk gets too frisky, uninvited, that is, some you'd actually want to get frisky with you." She winked. "That girl can inflict some serious damage, and that's just a bonus to being way cool and lots of fun to hang out with." Amanda stuffed the twirl of pasta into her mouth.

  "All I have are two pairs of jeans, some T-shirts, and a semi-okay blouse… but I can wear my platforms to spruce up the look. You think that will do?"

  "Don't be silly. You can borrow some of mine. Wait till you see what's in my closet. Poor Onidu schlepped half my wardrobe over here." Ignoring Syssi's panicked expression, Amanda rubbed her hands together in glee.

  CHAPTER 32: ANDREW

  As he drove home through the quiet residential streets of his middle-class neighborhood, Andrew thought back to his phone conversation with Syssi.

  She was so full of crap.

  Careful, cautious Syssi would never drop her cellphone in a sink full of water. She wouldn't even have the thing in the proximity of anything wet.

  Who did she think she was fooling?

  Lucky for her, he couldn't observe her through the phone—then there would've been no doubt—no one could lie to his face.

  He wasn't sure how he did it, but he was better at detecting lies than the machine. The only caveat being that he had to be face to face with the person to be certain.

  He was never wrong.

  And the story of staying at Amanda's to finish a paper while the lab was being repainted? Right… At the least she should've thought of something more plausible.