I Stand With You (Gold Streaks Book 1)

by Sylvie Nathan

  “Did I leave my coat?” Clarence asks.

  “Yeah, it's in the hall. Let me fetch it.”

  The deep notes of footsteps on a wooden floor get louder, followed by the creak where the wood meets concrete in the hall. The women freeze, crouched in the shadow.

  “I left it here...” The voice is close; so close. They shrink back against the wall; blending into the darkness. The man walks up the hallway, towards them. They can hear the slight brush of shoe-soles on carpet; smell the scent of onions and brandy. He stops, about two paces away.

  “C?” He calls to the next room. “You got a light? Your phone, maybe? It's damn dark in here and the bulb has gone again.” He turns, and his foot brushes against Sue. She flinches and he stops.

  “C?” He calls. His eyes are a little unfocused; the late hour and the brandy. He turns back to the door of the living-room.

  “It's okay, A. I left it here. By the door.” Clarence calls.

  The man retreats back up the hallway. “So you did.”

  The two women breathe again, raggedly.

  In the hallway, there is the slide of cloth on cloth as the men don their coats. They hear the door; boots on the path; farewells. The door shuts again.

  “Now”, Sue mouths it.

  They slide the few feet to the door. Lisa half-shuts it behind them. Sue slides open the window where it has blown shut, gestures to Lisa by the door. Mouths the word “come.”

  Sue waits for Lisa to cross the room; then slides through; a moment passes, then Lisa. As she swings the window shut, she hears the man's footsteps; just outside the door.

  The two women drop to a crouch under the sill. Wait for what seems like an age. They hear footsteps; a muted oath. Hear the window pulled shut just inches above them.

  They wait. Then slowly, they crawl back to the way they came; keeping to the shadows of the house.

  Out in the street again, they run to the car. Open the doors, slam them; drive away. So much to do. Just hours to do it. As they drive, they discuss things; make a plan.

  Chapter 14

  Morning comes early on the mines. At four o' clock, the sun is already rising; painting streaks of green in the sky; outlining the shapes of cranes and masts and pylons. The huge, dusty mounds of excavated rock are still; bathed in shadow; and the air is liquid-warm and silent, but for the first stirrings of the workers in the huts, far on the other side of the compound; and the thud of machinery starting up for the day.

  The main security tower is two hundred meters from where the new drills are kept; ready for work on the excavation of the new tunnels. This is the new section of the mine; work just started. The discovery of this new vein raised the profile of Gold Ridge. Their continued success rests on its successful management.

  The new drills are in concrete sheds around the corner; stored right at the entrance to the new tunnels. The sunlight is just touching the top of the ridge; the darkness resolving into shapes of shed and rock and pathway; textures and colors leaching into the grey of morning.

  Suddenly, a shot rings out. Shouts break the morning silence. A siren starts; somewhere on the track.

  A security team runs across the piles of stone and dust; Kevlar vests; radios; all armed. The radio of the guard in the tower crackles, as the team on the ground respond.

  “Passing the heaps; around the corner...” The guard in the tower shouts back instructions, as the ground team changes position. In the distance, another car arrives, sirens wailing.

  Over by the fence, the team collides with a man; running for it; trying to climb over.

  “Got him”. The chief radios to the tower.

  The man is fighting; striking; raining blows in all directions. There might be one of him and six of them, but he is fighting none the less.

  Eventually, they bring him in. The guards call to the main office.

  “We caught him.”

  At the main office, the chief officer looks across the room to where Sue and Lisa are seated on a bench along the wall; opposite the desk.

  “You were right, Ma'am.” he says, not without a little touch of wonderment in his voice 'They caught him.”

  “Very well, Mr. Baum. Would you call the police now?”

  He grins. “Yes, ma'am.”

  An hour later, in Sue's office. Sue and Lisa are sitting at the table; hot coffee in cups held between their hands. The morning chill is wearing off. The exhaustion settling in, now that the action is done. The police have come and gone, and taken statements. For now, all is silent.

  “So. One man, caught running from the work-sheds, with tools and equipment in his pockets.” Sue ticks off each point. “And he has told the police much more, I take it.”

  “Not bad evidence.” Lisa smiles

  “Not bad evidence, indeed.” Sue agrees.

  Outside, the mine is slowly stirring into life. Birdsong breaks in the rising colors of the morning, the air warms and the wind rises. A new, fresh day.

  Chapter 15

  The sun is setting, painting bright yellow gold streaks on the horizon, making the air glow with warmth.

  Lisa is with Sue; the windows of the dining-room open onto the terrace. The golden light strikes everything; butter yellow reflections in the wood of the dining-table; the wooden floor; the oak-paneled cupboards. The room is warm and light.

  The view from the windows stretches out far; across the city to the hills opposite. It was why Sue chose this house. From here, at night, the sunset is spectacular; orange, pink and gold; and as the streaks of red darken, the city lights come on; a jewel-box of a thousand sparkling gemstones spread out below them both.

  Sue stands, crosses the room, comes back. The sound of champagne gurgling into glasses is the only disruption in the still, warm space.

  She sits down, passes Lisa a glass, where she sits, watching the view. They smile. The sun shines in both their eyes; making the colors deep and vibrant. Warm brown and icy blue meet in a smile.

  “Cheers?” Sue asks.

  “Cheers.” Lisa smiles.

  They drink. Watch the sunset. Lisa's hand slides over Sue's. Sue turns her fingers; clasps Lisa's.

  Some moments later, she refills their glasses.

  “To the best lawyer in the land.” She declares, her smile radiant. Lisa laughs.

  “It was a great case.” She admits.

  And it was. The evidence was solid. The man they caught at the mines confessed the plans that they had heard; told the court everything. The case against Sue and against Gold Ridge was dropped. The Union men looked, Lisa thought, a little disappointed. She and Sue had grinned at their discomfort.

  After the case, they went to lunch. Ordered champagne. For themselves; for their colleagues; for the man from the press. The restaurant was full; the air of celebration high. Between leaving the court and lunch, Sue settled with the Union men the exact terms for the workers injured in the events of sabotage. The duration of paid leave; the remunerations for the hospital; the compensation for loss of work. There were no unsmiling faces in the restaurant that day.

  Now, the sun is setting; the sky cooling from aching blue to gold, and then slowly to ink.

  Sue and Lisa watch the sunset, silent and content.

  Sue's husband will be investigated, but Sue has not decided yet if she wants to pursue legal action. It is enough that his paper has lost credibility. She has made her peace with the past.

  The breeze blows through the window; cool with the coming evening.

  “Did you see?” Lisa asks after a moment. “Shares in Gold Ridge have gone up, since the press coverage of the case.”

  “I did.” Sue laughs; a warm sound in the cooling evening. “Two and a half percent. Already.” She smiles. “It's a beginning.”

  “It is.” Lisa agrees. “You'll be paying your starving legal associates, then?”

  Sue grins.

  “Starving? That's a story! You'll be running that firm soon, I think.”

  Lisa smiles. The way the case turned
out has gone well for her, too. Raised her reputation. Her boss has already said there will be many more cases coming her way. As he plans his retirement, he is considering Lisa to take over from him. If that happens, she muses, she will make Titus her second-in-command.

  The two women watch the sun set, watch the sky cool from gold to blue to inky purple, as the stars rise.

  “So,” Lisa asks, “Am I still legal representative for Gold Ridge?” Her eyes tease, warm brown pools of reflected sun and lamplight.

  “Certainly not!” Sue smiles.

  “So we..?” Lisa asks it, hesitantly.

  “Yes, we are.” Sue smiles.

  Their fingers clasp together and Lisa's arm snakes round Sue's shoulders. Sue rests her head on Lisa' and together they watch the sun set and the slow fire cool as the moon rises above the hills. The day exhales and the night moves, soft-footed, over the ridges; the golden afterglow of sun promising a bright, clear day tomorrow.

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  "Tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear, Elizabeth smiled up at her and lit the darkness lingering in Millie’s mind.

  ...she had nothing to fear, nothing to hide anymore."

  "What a great little novella! It is a sweet romance with some hot scenes to get your heart pounding!"

  - Courtney B.

  I Stand With You - Book 2

  Chapter 1

  The sun rises slowly in Africa. Slow to rise and quick setting. And there are few places as beautiful to watch it, thinks Lisa, than through the kitchen window at her new home. At her and Sue's home. She is sitting there now, with morning breaking, slowly, on the hills opposite.

  Sue is sitting beside her, idly buttering some toast, as they drink coffee and watch the sun rise slowly over the hills opposite. It is a golden orb in a pale, aching blue sky, spreading gold light around across the clouds. The kitchen is pale and drowsy with it at this time: a warm, golden space.

  “Lisa?”

  “Mmm?”

  Both are reluctant to break the silence. It is so peaceful. After a while, Sue starts again. She looks down at a magazine open on the breakfast table. Pushes it across to where Lisa sits beside her.

  “Look at this. Not a bad profile, I think.” She is smiling, a warm, self-satisfied smile.

  Lisa grins; bends over the magazine. The two of them read together; red hair leaning against blonde as they bend together to share the single text.

  In front of them, Sue smiles from one page of the Mining Times. The rest of the page is taken up with a glowing overview of the company, Gold Ridge Mines, of which Sue is CEO; detailing the new vein of ore and the ambitious plans – her ambitious plans, mostly – for benefiting from it. The next page has photographs of the mine; an interview with the head of engineering, and more photographs.

  Lisa smiles.

  “They do you justice, I think.”

  Sue grimaces. “Entirely true and outrageously flattering as well.”

  “That's what I said.”

  They both laugh. Lisa kisses Sue's cheek; a small gesture, nonetheless filled with affection. They are silent for a moment.

  “Lisa?”

  “Mm?”

  “Are you free this evening?”

  “You know I am.”

  “Tomorrow evening?”

  “Yes...”

  “Well, how would you like to come with me to the celebratory gala? We are going to start drilling the new vein tomorrow, and there's always a special event to celebrate.” Sue smiles. She continues,

  “There's good wine, and dancing...the company can be a bit tiresome at these things – all the heads of all the affiliate companies, people we do business with, bankers and accountants and engineers and people from the press. But I have to go, so I'd love to have you there.”

  Lisa smiles, thinking about it.

  “All those notable people? And your lawyer? What will they think; and whatever will I wear?”

  “My lawyer, indeed!” Sue snorts in warm derision. “You know no-one thinks you're just my lawyer anymore.” She pauses, then continues, “And I am sure you have lots of suitable things. If not, we can go shopping.”

  Lisa grins, wryly. “We could. What are you wearing?”

  Sue pauses, thinking. “I thought maybe my white dress? Something simple that will offset some gold jewellery. I have to look like a mine-magnate, after all.” She grins.

  Lisa grins back. A less stereotypical mine-magnate she has never seen. Sue is petite, slight and slim, with ice-blue eyes and pale hair. But on her, the classic beauty is formidable; granting her an icy authority that cuts more deeply than diamonds.

  “You always do.” She kisses Sue on one cheek. Sue wraps an arm around her neck; draws her closer for a kiss.

  They sit silent for a few moments; enjoying each other's presence.

  “You won't work long?” Sue asks it.

  Lisa grins. “I don't intend to. We'll have to see. With that lot, I never know.”

  “Well, I hope to see you earlier. I have a slow day planned for today.”

  Lisa smiles. “Slow, by your definition.”

  “Yes.” Sue says defensively. “Only three meetings and a report to finalize; a phone conference with our financial adviser and a chat with our brand-management people. A slow day.”

  Lisa shakes her head, smiling. Picks up the breakfast things and takes them to the sink. Comes back to the table.

  “I'll see you after your slow day, then.” She leans in and kisses Sue's hair. Sue grips her hand.

  “Do that.”

  “I will.”

  Ten minutes later, the sun has risen over the hills and the kitchen is empty; its occupants off to begin the new day at work.

  Chapter 2

  “Ms Marsden? Telephone for you...”

  “...As I was saying, we have a client with a malpractice case...”

  “...Don't forget the budget meeting...”

  “L? Do you have paperclips?”

  Chaos. Lisa thinks it. Somewhere under her carefully-schooled exterior, she is laughing; a bubble of joy welling up somewhere in the region of her stomach. Ever since her elevation to the position of senior partner last month, Lisa has been the eye of the cheerful storm of chaos that is the Naidu and Marsden legal practice.

  “No, Titus. No paperclips here...try the front office?” Lisa grins over the shoulder at the junior lawyer who is sitting in front of her desk, to the tall African man who has appeared in the doorway in full legal regalia. She turns back to the man in front of her.

  “...You were asking?” She prompts him, kindly.

  Lisa sits and listens to the young lawyer's dilemma. He looks nervous despite the fact that Lisa is not particularly intimidating; or at least not today. Her red-pale hair is tied back in a French braid, wisps of it escaping to fluff around a freckled, open face. She is wearing a maroon blouse and tweed blazer; the mahogany brown offsetting the warm, lively red-brown of her eyes. Still, he seems nervous.

  She is about to reply, when the secretary reappears.

  “Ms Marsden? Telephone call for you.”

  “Sorry, Laura. I didn't hear you the first time.” Lisa grins wryly. “I'll take it in the front office.”

  She smiles apologetically at the young lawyer, makes a promise to return as soon as the call finishes.

  “Lisa Marsden; from Naidu and Marsden.” Lisa answers the phone. Then, “Yes. Yes of course.”

  A few more minutes finalizing details, and then Lisa is back in her office.

  She spends a few minutes advising her junior partner on his problem with the case, and when he leaves, she turns to her appointments-book, smiling, to make a note. Then she goes online and starts reading; researching the case as best she can thus far.

  “I found some.”

  Titus has reappeared in the doorway, a box of paperclips in hand and a broad grin on his face. Since he started with the firm six years ago, Titus and Lisa have been
close friends. Now that she is a partner in the firm, he has taken her position as the most senior lawyer, and Lisa enjoys his company and advice now as always.

  Lisa smiles. “Well done!” She indicates the seat opposite her desk; inviting him to join her.

  “T? What do you make of this?” Lisa asks.

  “What, L?”

  “Well, I just had a call from Brinkman Car Assembly. They want us to defend them in a suing case.”

  Titus smiles “That's great! They'll certainly pay, anyway.” He raises his eyebrows archly.

  Lisa nods, smiling. “That's true.”

  Brinkman Car Assembly is the local car assembly factory, and one of the firm's newest and most prestigious clients.

  “Is there a problem with the case?” Titus asks. He knows Lisa must have a concern, or she wouldn't have mentioned it straight away like this.