Project X

by Watkins, TM

  “Maybe we could forego dinner.”

  Dorian grinned and for a moment I forgot all of my worries about the future. For a moment I wanted nothing more than him.

  “All in good time. And besides, I think that your friend’s music would be distracting.”

  “At least she wouldn't hear us.”

  Astonishment crossed his face and then he chuckled.

  “Naughty minx, get in the car before I change my mind.”

  Tonight's plan was dinner and dancing, void of getting drunk because Dorian was without his driver tonight. Which begged the question, why? Did he want to remain sober, sworn off alcohol for a lifetime or was there other plans for tonight? Because he had the opportunity to return to my house if he wanted to and something told me he did want to but there was something stopping him. I would lay money on that something starting with an E.

  I had expected Dorian to take us to some flash restaurant in the heart of the city, instead we ended up at a little Spanish club on the other side of town. El Toro was just a red door which I thought was kind of cool, almost like the cloth the matador taunted the bull with. Over the door was a simple metal sign that said El Toro. There was no glitzy flashing neon light, no gaudy signs to tempt us in.

  Dorian pushed the door open offering a soft smile. Lord help my heart; the poor thing was not going to survive this mission. I smiled back and turned into the narrow corridor, the smell of spices hit me as the strains of a guitar echoed around us. The corridor looked like it was carved out of stone, ragged and rough the yellow sandstone wall seemed imperfect but it added to the ambiance.

  Ahead of us was a bar, dark rich wood panels and dozens of bottles in front of a glass wall behind it. The smell of the spices was growing, I inhaled deep and wondered what they were. I hadn't eaten Spanish food before, I had no clue what they ate or what they used to cook with. This would be an education. We reached the end of the corridor, to the right of us was a red swing door with a circle peep hole. It swung open and a waiter came out with a steaming platter of various little dishes. Another wave of glorious smells hit me, I smiled and momentarily closed my eyes.

  “Good evening sir and madam, do you have a reservation?”

  I turned to the woman behind the little counter, her long black waves of hair were beautifully sculpted around her dewy olive skin. Instantly I was jealous of her incredible beauty, she was stunning.

  “Yes, Gallagher.”

  “Very good sir, this way please.”

  She walked from behind her counter and took us to a little table against the wall. There was only a dozen or so tables, most of them were full already.

  “Would you like to see a menu?”

  “No, I think the tapas and sangria will be fine thank you.”

  Miss beautiful nodded with a warm smile and walked away.

  “Why didn't you want to see the menu, have you been here before?”

  “Yes, Eva discovered it and dragged me here. They have a set tapas menu that they don't alter so I didn't need to see the menu.”

  I nodded quietly and sat down at the table wondering if him mentioning her name would be a good opening for me to broach her as a subject. Would anything good come from it?

  “Will Eva be going tomorrow night?”

  “Maybe. She hasn't been well of late so we will see.”

  “Oh.” I said thoughtfully. “I'm sorry to hear that, I hope she will be well soon.”

  Dorian nodded slightly and said nothing, his gaze moving to the fellow playing the guitar. No, nothing good had come from broaching the Eva subject, aside from the fact that he referred to her as being unwell. What did that mean? Was she really sick because she didn't sound ill when I heard her earlier. I inwardly sighed, Dorian put up a wall that surrounded the subject of his sister and it was unlikely that I would get far with pushing him. I knew it was wise to let it go for the time being. So I let it be.

  The room was done in the same rough sandstone as the entry, it made the room cozy and intimate. One fellow played a guitar, sitting on a chair with his head lowered as he plucked the strings. It was an incredible song, and even though his fingers picked away at the strings in a furious manner it was still perfect and sweet.

  The song ended and everyone clapped politely, he nodded with his appreciation and gestured for the side of the stage. Another man came out with his chair and then a woman followed. Her dress was long and red, flowing with her movement. I had never seen a flamenco dancer before and the anticipation was killing me. The new man started first, plucking away at his guitar with a slow and sultry song.

  The woman moved her arms around in fluid movements, purposefully taking slow and concise movements up into the air and around her back. Even her fingers and hands were moving with intentional poses. My heart beat picked up with the beat, the woman lifted the skirt of her dress and began tapping her feet hard. The ruffles of her skirt were flicked around with fury as the pace quickened, one of the men started singing though I couldn't tell which one as the lights around them had been dimmed. The focus was the woman, her body was moving and dancing fast and then stopped.

  The music had stopped with her as well and slowly it started again. I could hear the tapping of something, the feint image of a third man rapping against a box could be made out but I wasn't sure if my eyes were deceiving me. The dance carried on for what seemed like an eternity but the woman didn't look fazed, she carried on with the same intensity and fervor and when the song came to a blistering end, she stopped. With a smile to the roar of applause she bowed and gestured to the three fellows who were appearing in the slowly rising light.

  I turned and looked at Dorian who was already looking at me. Had he been watching me the entire time? Creepy guy makes a comeback.

  “She was incredible.” I whispered rather embarrassed.

  “She was.”

  A waiter appeared with a large platter, just like the one that he had brought out when we arrived. I looked at the offering, an assortment of cold meats, olives and small prawns. Another waiter appeared with two glasses of sangria, I looked at the tiny table and wondered where he would find the space to put them down. But he did and we slowly made our way through the meal while listening to the sweet melody of the solo guitarist.

  When we had our fill of the meal it was taken away quickly, some of the center tables were being pushed outwards to the wall.

  “What's going on?”

  “They open the doors to other patrons after the meal is finished, it becomes more of a club environment where people dance, drink and be merry.”

  Dorian stood and held out his hand, I could feel a flood of nausea wash through me. Sure, I could dance reasonably well but the strain of the guitar indicated that it was a slow and passionate song and I was dreading it. I took his hand and hoped that it would just be dancing, that I could cope with.

  Tilley's mother loved to dance, she insisted that all of the children were taught how to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner on the dance floor. My father had agreed, stating that when we grew up and joined his business it may just come in handy. Who would have thought the old codger was right?

  Dorian led me to the center of the dance floor, a few couples had already gotten up to dance so I was grateful that we weren't alone. His arm wrapped around my waist, his hand settling on the small of my back. The other hand held mine, slowly my free hand made its way up his chest and stopping at his firm shoulder. I could feel the muscles moving as we danced slowly, it felt like he was nothing but muscle underneath the finery. My gaze was to the narrow dip at the base of his neck, I feared to look up at him. I feared how much desire I had for him and worse yet, I knew that even though I barely knew him my feelings for him were growing by the second. Maybe I should confess to him who and what I really am. Maybe if I told him he would send me away with a flurry of hate filled words, crushing any dreams I had.

  “Kasey.” He whispered in my ear, holding me close. “What's the matter?”

  I pulled
out from his embrace, his warm, cologne filled embrace and looked into those beautiful green eyes. My mind was whispering haunting words, urging me to confess my sins to him and beg for forgiveness. As my heart beat harder and harder, I opened my mouth.

  “Dorian, I…” I gulped hard, feeling the sting of guilt as I swallowed. “I really like you.”

  Damn it. Dorian smiled and returned the sentiment, continuing to dance with me as if nothing was wrong. As if I hadn't almost confessed to being a spy that was planted in his company to steal from him. All I could think as he held me tighter was that I utterly despised myself. My selfish behavior was going to hurt him so much and I couldn't even do the right thing by him and be honest.

  Part 4: Distractions

  Who would have thought that I could become

  distracted so easily? Definitely not me. Tilley I

  could understand, she had to attention span of a

  demented gold fish. I was the one out of the five of us

  who could be relied on to be alert to everything and

  yet I had failed.

  All because he flashed his signature

  smile at me.

  Chapter 25: Help! There's a barista in my house!

  I woke to the sound of Amber humming again, though why she was in such a good mood I wasn't sure. She didn't like it when we were set upon by the spy world and knowing that there were listening devices in the smoke detectors, I would have thought she'd be in a bad mood. I rolled over to an empty bed, last night had been absolutely magical and it would have made a perfect end to the evening if he had stayed. Even if there was no sex or anything slightly related to foreplay, I would have still been happy. Sleeping in his arms the night before last had been bliss, I had a restful sleep even though I was drunk. I stared at the ceiling, I knew what it meant. My body and mind had relaxed to him, accepted him as a part of my life and held no apprehension towards him. My father would have a meltdown if he knew I was so relaxed around a target.

  A sound caught my attention, the heavy footsteps of a second person. My eyes widened and I scrabbled out of bed with my baseball bat ready to go. I always knew I was light on my feet, I could sneak up on a person and they would never know, so I guess that's why Amber and her male companion never heard me. I stood in the lounge staring, completely stunned as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and snuggled into the crook of her neck as she cooked something on the stove.

  “Ahem.”

  I grinned as Wal turned around and gave me a cheesy grin.

  “Since when?”

  “Occasionally for a few months, more serious of late.” Walter shrugged.

  He tapped on a notepad that was on the breakfast bar, I lifted myself onto the stool to read it.

  Amy Edwards has worked for Aphrodite International for five years, all of it as his receptionist and personal assistant. Dad had already checked into her as a possible person of interest. There is nothing to blackmail her with, she's married, goes to church every Sunday without fail, donates to the church and to a children's charity. She's clean.

  I looked up at Walter who had sat on the stool beside me. He pulled out a photo from a folder, it was a picture of a brunette woman, tall and slender and incredibly beautiful. Walter turned the page of the small notebook, more writing.

  The last time Eva was seen in public. That was three months ago and there has been nothing mentioned in the papers about it but she has been pulled from being a director of the company. Dorian owns it 100%.

  The page went over and a photo of the building came out.

  Thirty-five floors, the entire building is owned by the company. Top five floors are listed as private residence and there are plans for that but like the other floors, they’ve been repeatedly changed and had different architects and designers go over them. There is no real way of knowing what is in there but what we do know is that there are three separate sets of elevators. One for the company, one for the residential and one that we don't know anything about.

  Walter turned the page again. This was why he was my favorite brother, not just because we were full blood siblings but because he was good at job. Another photo came out, this one was of a thin framed man in a suit. It was taken from a distance but I would say that it was Hiroki.

  Hiroki Nakano, has worked for the company for a year. He specializes in blood. Blood diseases, research, information. You want to know about the red stuff, this is your guy. Whatever he is being paid to do, it must be important or he's been offered a pay packet he couldn't refuse. His last job earned him 300k a year plus benefits. Seriously good benefits.

  I thought about the picture perfect people at Aphrodite International. White and straight teeth, great complexion and attire that looked like it was nothing but design houses all the way. I didn't want to think I was that shallow but I really was in the wrong industry. I continued to read about Hiroki wondering if the cosmetic enhancements were one of the perks that lured him to this company.

  Wife, two adult kids, three young grand-kids. Went home, stayed there until he left for work this morning.

  I frowned and looked at the clock, it was seven in the morning. What time did Hiroki start work? Walter turned another page over and another photo, he had certainly been busy since yesterday.

  These are the goons that were following you. Chet thought they were from the company but they aren't. There's a third player in this mess.

  I looked at the picture, I hadn't seen them which meant that I was either oblivious to my surroundings or they were good at keeping themselves out of sight. Two men, both of them in suits to blend into the corporate world around them, tall and lean and it was likely that if I needed to run from them, they would be able to keep up. One had a shaved head with what looked like black hair. Glasses hid his eyes; his skin was tanned. The other was blonde, neatly styled to one side over the top of his head and clipped short around the sides and the back. He wore glasses as well and he was fair skinned. I noted that the blonde fellow had a small mark on his left hand, possibly a tattoo.

  It's possible that the client has sent a secondary company to keep an eye on us, to track our progress. I know this is only day four but it's taking too long. Dad's getting a little antsy, mostly because of this.

  Walter's face was grim as he pulled out several photos. It was of Dorian and I. Photos of us talking, kissing, hugging. Going places, eating, drinking, stumbling home. They had been watching every single step I had taken and even though I was angry that my father didn't trust me, I could understand his concern. I had a job to do and I was letting Dorian distract me. Looking through the pictures was an eye opener. I could see how this would appear to my father, the look on my face in these pictures was enough to have concern. It looked like I was a love sick fool, a puppy following her master with love and adoration. Walter turned the page, it was just one little sentence but it was enough to make my world crumble.

  Do you love him?

  I looked up, Amber had moved from the stove and had now joined our silent conversation. Tears trickled down my cheeks, I turned to Walter who had a sympathetic smile. He had figured me out long before I ever had. With a soft sigh, Walter pulled me in and hugged me.

  I pulled away and shook my head, hoping to regain some respect in the world of espionage. Falling for a target, as if that was possible. I picked up a pen and turned the page, we had reached blank paper.

  Sorry, just a little upset that he doesn't trust me.

  Walter shrugged with a slight roll of his eyes. I know, I should be used to my father's inability to trust me.

  Tonight is the function; you tell Frank to get his ass into gear. Then you might actually be able to infiltrate the building while Dorian is occupied.

  I thought about the building and realized I still had those code numbers. With a gasp I climbed off the stool and went rummaging through the bra I had worn to work yesterday. The piece of paper was still tucked into the hidden pocket. I took it back to the breakfast bar and wrote it down for Wal
ter. He ripped it out and tucked it into his pocket.

  Still come into the shop, I've made the bag up so you can get it past the security desk. You won't be able to get it through any scanners so be mindful of that. Hiroki's parcel will arrive in the morning mail, to avoid suspicion there will be a few that you have to deliver.

  Walter looked at his watch, collected the note pad and photos and with a sickening display of affection towards Amber he said goodbye and left. Amber followed him to the door, I could hear the giggles at the door. Blech. Did they have no decorum? But then it dawned on me, they were at the door, they could be seen by the world. If Dorian happened to have someone watching me and still held concern over my attention towards Walter, then their little saccharin fest at the door was perfect. Then again, Walter said the goons weren't Dorians. I sighed and sipped the coffee Amber had put on the bench for me. This was far too complicated for me.

  Chapter 26: Harassing Hiroki

  I walked into the shop, Walter was behind the counter. His co-worker was behind the coffee machine, frantically trying to get through the morning rush.

  “Morning, what will it be today?”

  “The usual. Bran muffin, I still can't handle chocolate.”

  He nodded and looked at the necklace.

  “Still wearing that ugly thing I see.”

  “He asked me to wear it always.”

  Walter frowned and shook his head, handing over the bagged muffin. It was heavier than it should be and I knew that it held more than a muffin.

  “Shouldn't be too long.”

  He swiped my gift card and passed it back with a smile. In his infinite wisdom, he had been doing up cards with small amounts on them, charging the money to Tilley's expense account. It would stop the finance department from questioning how many coffees and muffins Tilley consumed in a week, they would assume she's buying gift cards to bribe people with again. She thought it was one of her finer moments, offering gift cards to various places to people she was trying to extract information out of. Tilley claimed that she was finding that most people are hesitant to actually trade cash but would oddly accept a gift card.