by A. A. Dark
“Aamir!”
“What? I’m right here, texting Jessa. Hurry up, or the sun will be gone by the time we head down.”
A growl left me as I spun on my bed, flattening myself to the mattress so I could look underneath. We had slept later than intended, and it had to be close to noon. My stomach growled, but I ignored it as I squinted through the darkness.
“You have five minutes or I’m heading to the pool without you.”
“I’ll be right there!”
Damn Jessa and her need to spoil our one trip away before college. My brother had only been dating her three months, yet they were inseparable…just like he and I had been before they started seeing each other. I’d had no idea she was even coming until we were boarding the plane to leave Georgia. “Surprise,” she had called out. And it had been, for both me and my twin. My only relief was that she’d gotten her own room and hadn’t tried to stay in ours.
“Layla!”
“Hold on!”
I scrambled from the bed, scanning the floor and nearly yelling as I spotted the end peeking out from under the resort’s tiny dresser. I headed over, pulling it free and slipping it on before rushing from the room. My brother’s brown eyes immediately shot up to mine from the screen of his phone.
“About time. Jess ordered us drinks. Said they’re already melting.”
The aggravation was there, but the mischievous smile tugging at his lips had my feet nearly stumbling. I knew that look. I could practically read my brother’s thoughts and energy. Growing up, my parents were gone a lot. He and I were all we really had. Nanny’s came and went, and we stayed pretty sheltered in the process. We were good kids. But there were times, like this, when I knew he was going to push my father’s strict rules on what we were allowed to do. “What sort of drinks?”
“The good kind.”
“Alcohol?”
“Maybe.”
The sunglasses he had resting on his head were pulled down to cover the rebellion in his eyes. The silver tinted lenses looked good against his dark skin, and I sighed as I shook my head. If I wanted to be honest, my brother won the genetic lottery between us. He was tall, all lean muscle from his days of mixed martial arts, with perfect features, and dark, wavy hair. It was probably why at only eighteen he was dating a woman nearly four years our senior. As for me, I knew I was pretty, but I didn’t feel comfortable in my skin. In my opinion, my breasts were too big, and although my waist was slim, my hips took away from it. Not that my lack of confidence really mattered. If a guy did get close, my brother was fast to tell them to get lost.
Aamir laughed as we reached the stairs leading to the lobby. He looked up from his phone, bringing the towels and cell closer to his chest as he turned to me.
“Do you think there’s a more beautiful place than this?”
“You mean you’ve actually seen it?”
“Athens?” Confusion swamped his features, only to fade as he threw me a look.
“What, Aamir? We came here on vacation, yet you’ve been so preoccupied with your phone or Jessa, you’ve barely had time to enjoy it. We had plans. We were going to explore the historical sites. Visit museums. Take a day cruise to tour the islands. Remember?”
“We still can. Jessa being here won’t change that.”
My annoyed expression was immediate, and my brother picked up on it instantly. I saw his battle. Me or Jessa. He probably felt just as torn over the situation as I did. “We’ve been here for three days, Aamir, and we’ve done nothing but sit by the pool and venture down the main road to get something to eat. I want to see the beach. The Temple of Zeus is visible from our window, yet when I told you I wanted to go, you said maybe later. That was two days ago.”
He came to a stop, glancing over and waving reassuringly at Jessa, who was now standing next to the umbrella table she had saved for us. Only a handful of other people were around the small pool area: two men wearing bright Hawaiian shirts, sitting three tables over, a blonde woman sun-tanning on a lounging chair, and a couple talking on one side of the pool. Slowly, he turned back to me, grasping my hand in his.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. You’ve been planning this for a long time and I have to honor that. You know I didn’t know she was coming.”
“I know. It’s just…you’re so distant lately.”
“You feel alone.” It wasn’t a question. His own sadness became visible through his pursed lips. “I’m sorry. I never meant for it to be this way, but I can’t just leave her out of plans. I’ll tell you what, tomorrow will be our day. We’ll see your Temple of Zeus and whatever else you want. It’ll be me and you, just like it was supposed to be.”
“You promise?”
Aamir’s mouth opened, only to close. “I promise.”
“With no phones?”
Again, hesitation. “I’ll keep it in my pocket.”
“You swear you won’t be on it the entire time?”
“I give you my word, and you know I would never break that. Me and you. I think I may need the time away, too.”
The last was whispered under his breath, and a smile came as I let him lead me down the rest of the steps. Jessa remained standing at our approach, and she didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around my brother the moment we got close.
“There you both are. I was wondering if the two of you got lost.”
Shoulder-length brown hair blew back in the breeze, and she reached up, lifting the rose-tinted aviators she wore to display round, blue eyes.
“I couldn’t find my shoe. I guess when—”
“Baby, you have to try this drink,” Jessa cut me off, pulling Aamir more toward the table as they began to talk. When they sat, Jessa dominated the conversation while my brother gave me sympathetic looks. Heading over and taking my seat, I stared at what was before me. A bright blue glass sat inches away with a little umbrella angled to the side, and I passed on trying it as my brother placed his back down.
“Wow, that’s really good.”
“Right. I knew you’d like it. I figured we’d loosen up a little before tonight.”
“Tonight?” I leaned more over the table toward Jessa. “What’s happening tonight?”
Silence.
Aamir’s lips parted in guilt as he looked between us. “Nothing much. Jessa found a club she wants to check out. I was going to tell you, but I figured it wasn’t your scene. Besides, you really don’t need to be in that type of environment anyway.”
“But it’s okay for you to go?”
“Layla…”
“Don’t,” I snapped. “Go have fun. Without me.”
Pushing from the chair, I headed back for the stairs. If this wasn’t going to be our vacation, I’d see Athens on my own, my father’s rules of us staying together be damned. I wasn’t going to ruin my trip by waiting for my brother to fit me into his schedule.
I pounded up the cement stairs and turned into the entrance of the hotel, only to jolt to a stop at the colliding force. It was on just as big of a mission as I was. We hit hard and the air locked in my lungs as my knees gave out. Strong arms held tightly to my hips, preventing my fall. I should have apologized or said something, but words were impossible as I peered into bright blue eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“I…”
Somehow, I managed to get my legs to work as the blond righted me. Although I still looked at him, he was scanning the area of the pool.
“I’m sorry,” I forced out. “I wasn’t thinking. I mean, looking. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
A smile came as the piercing blue returned, searching my face. His brow drew in and fingers trailed slowly up my waist, moving to hold just above my elbows.
“That makes two of us. I’m Travis. Travis Sloan.”
The smile almost made me think that was supposed to mean something.
“I’m Layla.”
“Absolutely beautiful.”
Heat burned into my cheeks, and my quick steps back from his arms only had
his smile widening.
“It’s nice to meet you, Travis. I should go.”
“Of course. Will I see you later? I was just told they serve dinner on the rooftop. Any chance I can save you a seat?”
“Layla.”
I turned, spying Aamir bounding up the stairs. He took one look at Travis and narrowed his eyes protectively, yet there was shock within as well. It had him slowing his steps.
“You want to have dinner with me?”
“If you’re free and willing.”
Although Travis spoke, his stare never left my approaching brother. There was a change within his depths I couldn’t read. A darkening of the blue that gave me pause. If it weren’t for Aamir calling out to me again, perhaps I could have better attuned to the caution my instincts warned me of.
“Layla, what are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m saying yes to dinner. I’m free, and you have a date with Jessa.”
“So, that’s a yes?”
I glanced up, nodding to Travis, trying to look confident. Truth was, I was anything but. This man was way out of my league. Not only that, he was older than I felt comfortable with. I guessed he was in his mid-twenties, but he could have been a little older.
“Great. I’ll see you on the rooftop at seven?”
“Seven is good.”
Aamir was surprisingly quiet as Travis slid his fingers along my palm and brought it to his lips. “Perfect. See you tonight.”
With that, the handsome stranger headed outside. Aamir was holding his shades, gaping at me before his head snapped over and his gaze followed Travis down the steps. I didn’t wait for one of his lectures. I headed toward my room, trying my best to ignore the footsteps rushing up to follow behind me.
“You’re having dinner with Travis Sloan? The Travis Sloan. This isn’t happening.”
I paused at the door. “I don’t understand. Who’s Travis Sloan?”
“I can’t believe this. Only one of the most popular men on the web. I think he may model or something. I’ve seen his page a few times. The girls go crazy over him. It’s fucking ridiculous.”
“Oh.” My worries increased, but something else was there. An excitement I couldn’t ignore, no matter how much I wanted to. “Shouldn’t you be with Jessa?”
“Yeah. I’ll head back down in a minute. I wanted to talk to you about tonight.”
“What about it? You’re going to a club and I have a dinner date. In the meantime, I’m headed to see Zeus.”
“But we were supposed to do that tomorrow.”
“I’m tired of waiting. I came here to have some sort of adventure, and that’s what I plan on doing.”
“And we can…tomorrow. I know you’re upset about not being invited, but we both know Dad wouldn’t approve.”
Snatching my purse angrily, I threw him a look. “Maybe not. No worries, though. I don’t want to go, nor would I have accepted the invitation had you given it. The thing is, you didn’t even ask me if I wanted to join you. What were you planning to do, Aamir? Sneak out after I went to sleep? Lie and say you were going somewhere else? This isn’t like you.”
At his silence, my hand shot up.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s done. Have fun. I plan to do the same for the remainder of my trip. Alone.”
I only got a few steps before my brother’s voice echoed behind me.
“What about Travis Sloan? I don’t like you around him. I want you to cancel dinner. You have no idea who he is.”
My hand paused at the door handle. Slowly, I grabbed it, letting bitter words leave me before I could stop them.
“No way am I canceling. You’re right, I don’t know who he is, but I think I’d like to find out.”
Chapter 3
Scout 5
I was naturally tan. Laying out wasn’t about catching the rays, but more about keeping my eyes open for my main mission: Everleigh Harper. A couple splashed in the pool. Two brunettes who I knew weren’t slave twenty-four-six-ninety, or one of her guards.
My head cocked to the side, and I pushed the button on my phone, pretending to take the fourth selfie in less than half an hour. As I did, I scoped out the blonde tanning a few chairs over. Although she was on her stomach, she was wearing big black sunglasses that took up half her face. Her arm was propped under her head and a big hat sat inches away on the small table beside her. The white bathing suit she wore practically glowed against her golden skin. Instinct wouldn’t come to a decision. I couldn’t see enough of her to know whether her features were a match.
The woman’s lips were close, and full, almost pouty in appearance. Her nose was small and straight. Another similarity. As for her skin tone, she didn’t match the pale woman in the pictures. Of course, it had been months since she’d escaped the confines of Whitlock. With enough sun, I could very well be looking at my Main Master’s slave.
I straightened, going into my main social media account and posting the picture of me looking away from the camera. If I didn’t want to stand out to any guards possibly watching, I’d keep my role of internet celebrity. They wouldn’t expect that from a scout. As far as anyone knew, it was forbidden.
Like clockwork, my phone began dinging with notifications. One after one, they rolled through, turning the heads of the two men resting at a nearby table. The guy who came to Layla’s rescue was also back. From their striking appearances, my guess was he was her brother. He kept his sights on me, neglecting the girl at his side, who was trying everything under the sun to get his attention.
I gave it barely any notice as I rolled onto my stomach and propped myself on my elbows. For another fifteen minutes, I pretended to scroll through my feed. The blonde was on her back now, facing away from me. The more I went over her appearance in my head, the more confused I became. Had Everleigh Harper not arrived? Was she even going to?
Movement in my peripheral pulled me from my thoughts, and I knew it was Aamir without having to look over. Internally, I groaned. I would have never said a word to the girl had I known she wasn’t alone. But it was too late now.
“She’s not a game, you know. Not a number, or a follower, or a trophy picture for your stupid social media pages. I want you to forget about dinner with Layla and stay away from her.”
My mouth tugged at the side. Not in a smile, but in irritation. I continued to stare at my phone, sliding my finger up to scroll. If I were smart, I would have said fine and ignored him. As it was, his order triggered my anger. To me, he was no one—a boy with bravery best suited for more tolerable minds. That wasn’t me. I enjoyed destroying those who thought themselves strong. And so did others. They’d pay a lot of money to break the spirit of a young, muscled, attractive man. And he was good-looking. Remarkably so.
“What is Layla to you? Your sister?”
“My twin.”
I did look up then. Money symbols flashed in my mind, as did memories from my favorite Main Master. Twins. Twice the amount of profit for me if someone were looking for that sort of thing. And Old Master Whitlock once had siblings. Although a lot younger than these two, it didn’t take away from the kink some craved: incest, power, control. He used to make them fuck each other while the brother beat his sister. It was all good and dandy until Eleven was forced to kill his sister mid-fuck. Or so the story went. I never got to witness the shows he put on, but I had heard a few stories from my father before he passed.
“Twins. No shit. And her?” I gestured with my head toward the brunette he’d left. My eyes took her in. Short dark hair like Everleigh, but the girl had long legs. She wasn’t the slave I was searching for. She wasn’t as pretty, or as short. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmmm. So, I take it you know who I am?” I went back to my phone, clicking it off as I rose and fixed my chair to a sitting position. As I righted myself and lounged back, the boy shifted on his feet.
“You’re Travis Sloan. I know exactly who you are.”
�
��And who is that, Aamir? That’s your name, right?” His jaw tightened as he remained silent. “You don’t want me around your sister, fine. But if you knew me, you’d know I don’t do trophy girls for my page. That’s not my style. I’m here for the sights, nothing else.”
“Then why ask her to dinner?”
“Why not? I’m here alone. I thought maybe she was too. She’s beautiful and seemed upset. I figured dinner and friendly conversation might cheer her up.”
“Well, she’s not here alone. She has me.”
“Does she?” I glanced back at the brunette, who was watching us from across the way. “Don’t you have plans that don’t include your sister? What do you expect her to do while you’re gone, sit in her room and wait for you?”
Aamir was getting angrier as he towered over me. “I’m not going anymore. I’m actually headed into town to find Layla now. We had plans, and I mean to keep them. We won’t be back in time for dinner, so make other arrangements. I’ll let her know you’re busy.”
He took off, not allowing me to continue as he waved for his girlfriend to follow. It was fine. The blonde was sitting now, but her back was to me and she was already sporting the oversized hat. Long, light hair reached to a few inches above her waist and she stood with ease, not hesitating in her departure.
My eyes went back to Layla’s brother as he and the brunette climbed the stairs. Although I watched them, they weren’t who I paid attention to. My peripheral was what I needed. If the blonde was Everleigh, her guards would shortly follow.
They didn’t…
“Goddammit.” Reaching for my bag, I dropped my personal phone inside and pulled out my baseball cap before removing Whitlock’s identical cell. Joe’s number was the last call, and I wasn’t surprised when he picked up on the first ring. From the moment I met the bald, old guy at the airport, I knew better than to question his age or appearance. It was one thing be a killer, but it was quite another to have lived so long in a profession where most died young. He was good at what he did, and I would have been a fool to have questioned it.
