by Emily Duvall
The overhead lights switched on at the touch of Luke’s finger. The door to his office closed behind him and he immediately walked over to the book shelf to the left of his desk, where a few books and artifacts took up space. A forty-gallon aquarium in the middle of the wall housed various tropical fish. They all swam around the tank among colorful plants and a solid gold treasure chest at the bottom. The shelf directly above the fish upheld two fat, silver candle holders, one of which doubled as a key. Luke tweaked the left candleholder and a square of wall popped back and a vault appeared with a finger print scanner. Luke pressed his index finger on the screen and the scan ran over his print, accepted the image, and the vault door opened.
Stacks of cash and velvet bags of gemstones greeted his line of vision. The cash he kept on hand for emergencies and the gemstones they sold and saved for interested buyers. The short list of names in his line of business all competed for the same clients and they all ran up against the larger corporations, but Luke had made a name for himself and a Harrison gemstone, like any of the ones in this vault, paid for his lifestyle. The hiring of the jewelry designer would bring even more business. The cash felt heavy in his hand and he took two-hundred-thousand dollars. The money he stuck in a brown bag, closed the vault door, and spun the lock. The candle holder released under his firm grip and the wall popped back into place, undetectable to anyone outside his office.
Before he left his office, he unlocked the closet and pulled out his ever-ready bag of supplies. A similar bag existed at his house in California. The first item he pulled out, his altimeter watch with the rugged strap went on his wrist. The other items in his bag included: a jewelry pocket scale, extra batteries, an 8-inch rock chisel, a hand-held loupe lens, a UV flashlight, and dichroscope.
Luke left his office, locked the door, and set his backpack down. He carried the bag of crisp dollar bills with him to the end of the hall, paused in front of Melanie’s room, and then knocked twice before opening without her permission. A triangle of light from the hallway angled over Melanie and he went to the side of the bed where she slept. She looked peaceful and breathtaking with her hair splayed over her shoulders. “Wake up,” he whispered in a rush. “Melanie.”
“Luke?” she answered in a yawn. Offended by the light, she blinked open her eyelids. “What’s the time?”
“It’s one a.m.” He sat on the bed in the room still surrounded by night. “Earlier you said you were jealous of my job. You said that you’d wanted to go with me on my adventures.”
“Yes, but all of that was a long time ago,” she said cautiously, staring back at him through a sleepy gaze. “I’m okay now. I don’t need a big adventure.”
“Brent woke me up less than an hour ago. He’s at the airport in Maui. There’s a hot tip on a blue garnet in a remote mine in Southern Madagascar. These gemstones are worth traveling around the world to try and bring back home. I’ll never have this chance again and I’m going to go with Brent. I’m packed and I’m ready to go and meet him at the airport.”
Melanie began to sit. “Two questions,” she said, holding up two fingers. “Why are you telling me this and what about Damon’s wedding? If you’re concerned about my work with Vivian while you’re gone, there’s not much to worry about. You didn’t need to wake me up personally.”
Luke put his hand on her blanketed leg. He felt sure about what he was about to ask her. “I’m not worried about Vivian. Stevie will take care of her. She’s used to my traveling.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Her gaze dipped to his hand on her leg.
“I want you to come with me.”
Melanie’s hand leapt to his. Her mouth hung open in disbelief. “You want me to come with you? I wasn’t trying to be literal. I haven’t gotten a chance to say those words to you before.”
“I’m glad you did. You deserve to see what I was up to all that time. I want you to experience what I’ve experienced. I would have brought you along, before, if I’d known how much you wanted to join me. Most women aren’t turned on by the idea of spending countless days in the middle of nowhere with no air conditioner, no heater, no running water, and rodents the size of your head. I kept my travels separate from you, from us, on purpose.”
“I don’t see how any of this is relevant today. We are not in a relationship and you don’t owe me a trip to the other part of the world. You have your job and I have mine.”
“I have five minutes to convince you and I’ve already used up three of them.” Luke grabbed her hand with both of his. “This is something I have to show you. I’m giving you your chance. Say yes. Come with me.”
“This isn’t a good example of backing off.”
A slow grin crept up his mouth. He spoke low and husky, “Come with me, Melanie.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “You’ve already managed to get me to Maui.”
Luke stood up and spoke fast, “Get dressed. Pack lightly. Don’t bother with makeup and don’t bring anything of value. The nights will be cold and the days will be hot. Meet me down stairs in fifteen minutes.”
“Wait. Luke. I don’t know if I can—”
“You can.”
“No. I mean, I can’t. I didn’t bring my passport.” Disappointment rang loud in her voice and spread over her face. “There’s no way to get mine when I left it at home.”
“Kendra has your passport.”
“She does?” Melanie looked surprised. “How did she get my passport?”
“All my employees are required to have one on them at all times. I never know when my staff will need to travel. Given the fast nature of your being hired and our destination to Maui, I had Kendra contact your sister, Jessie, and she sent over the document to have on file. Your passport arrived this morning and has been in Kendra’s safe-keeping.”
“You’re good.”
“I’m the best. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Luke left Melanie in her bed and he raced downstairs. “Is everything ready?” he asked upon seeing Kendra.
She met him at the bottom of the staircase. “I have Ms. Cahill’s passport.” The small manila envelope in her hand moved to Luke’s hands. “I interrupted your other brother’s engagement dinner and notified him of your upcoming trip.”
“What did Damon say?”
“Damon said to only contact him if either you are stuck in a prison overseas or if a firing squad has you standing in a line with a bag over your head. He’s not interested in your excursion to Madagascar, since there’s not much he can do for you legally if you get into trouble. He said to pack extra weapons and pray for the best.”
“Damon’s engagement party is more painful than where we’re headed.” The sight of Melanie walking down the stairs holding an armful of clothes with a toothbrush stacked on top caused him to laugh. “Are you planning on tying those clothes together so you don’t lose them?”
“I don’t have a backpack,” she said dryly. “You said bring a backpack.”
“I have a spare one.” Kendra ran off down the hall. She returned before Melanie and Luke could say more than five words. “Anything not fitting into this bag stays behind.”
Melanie stuffed what she could, leaving behind a bulky sweatshirt and pair of jeans next to the couch. “What about vaccinations? Don’t I need some to travel?”
“You’ll be fine as long as you’re current on your vaccines. The usual ones like measles-mumps-rubella, tetanus, polio.” Luke took her backpack, his own, and the bag of money. “You’re at risk for Hepatitis A, Malaria, and Typhoid.”
“You make those diseases sound like no big deal.”
“We travel with our own food and water. We get our supplies when we arrive and we don’t rely on outside sources for food and water. Oh, and there’s also the risk of contracting yellow fever and rabies.”
Melanie gulped. Her face turned white. “My skin is crawling.”
“Not to worry. You won’t catch yellow fever in Madagascar.” Luke held out his hand. “You do realize I’m kidding? There�
��s no way I’d let you travel with me without taking precautions. Kendra has a doctor waiting for our arrival at Maui County General Hospital. He’s an infectious disease specialist. We’ll get our vaccinations and medicine.”
“I wasn’t going to get on the plane otherwise.”
“Good; let’s go.”
Melanie, Kendra, and Luke exited the house and made their way down the steep steps, lighted by a few lights on either side of the railing. An air of thrill hung around them and followed Luke to the cab where a driver got out and waited for them to reach the idling car. “Good evening, Mr. Harrison. You’re headed to Maui General and then the airport.”
“I’ll double your tip if you get us to both locations in record time,” Luke responded and got into the back seat after Melanie.
“I left my phone on my nightstand,” Melanie said, fumbling to get her seat belt.
“You won’t need one. If there’s an emergency, Kendra or Damon will know how to reach us.”
“You really have this all figured out.” The buckle clicked under her fingers. “I forgot you’ve been doing this a long time.”
“Your brother liked the chase in the beginning more than I did. When he went to prison, I took on the bulk of traveling until Brent came on board. Now I can’t pin Brent down for trading places. A desk job would kill him.” The driver sped away from the curb and away from the large home, looking more like a shadowy mountain at this early hour instead of a residence. Luke rested back his head.
“When we were kids, my brother and I used to make a competition out of everything. He once had a neighbor kid of ours hide some of Jessie and mine’s favorite dolls around the street and we had to go look for them. The winner always got some obscure prize like redistributing chores for the week or handing over all of your allowance money. Mark has always liked the chase of the treasure. Jessie and I lost most of the time.” She laughed a little and then sat quiet for a few minutes. “I don’t like what happened to your friendship. I know the two of you understood each other.”
“You understood him better than I did.” Luke watched her intently, deciding whether or not to say more. He gave in, deciding he had nothing to lose by confiding in her. “At times your bond to your brother seemed stronger than our relationship.”
“I won’t disagree with you.” Melanie turned her head and looked outside.
There’s a first, he thought and mulled over the first slip in her trust towards her brother.
They rode in complete silence to the hospital with only the sound of the driver humming occasionally or changing the radio station. The few cars on the road blinded them with light and then disappeared. Melanie slept in the seat next to him. He longed to reach out and touch her. They were headed into a dangerous, lawless place with few certainties and high risk and for the first time, he second-guessed his decision to bring her along. It would be his job to protect her and keep her safe. If something were to happen to him, then she would be compromised. Luke grabbed the ceiling handle and clenched the bar with his fingers. He would do everything in his power to make sure no harm came to her.
Chapter 12
Doctor Gerrard Sanjay greeted Luke with a hearty handshake and large grin. “Mr. Harrison,” he said, “good to see you again. How are your brothers?”
A nurse rushed by in her blue scrubs and squeaky sneakers. She handed Melanie and Luke a clipboard each with information for them to fill out and a pen. Melanie moved off to the side and tried not to listen to Luke’s conversation with the doctor.
“Damon is getting married at my house and Brent is still traveling all over,” Luke responded. “I appreciate you meeting us. I know you’re busy.”
“You’re in luck that you got me on my overnight shift.” The phone at the nurses’ station cut through their conversation. The nurse at the station picked it up without much energy and rubbed her forehead while talking.
Melanie’s gaze lifted to Luke. He cupped Doctor Sanjay’s elbow and they shook hands. She scurried her gaze back to her paper when both men looked at her. She cleared her throat and continued writing her personal information.
Dr. Sanjay led them both to a private room on the other side of the nurses’ station. The sound of a cart with a loose wheel grew louder and then faded, as the door to the room closed. The vacant hospital bed had been made up with a thin blanket and pillow. The open mini blinds gave way to a view out the window of the other buildings across the street.
Melanie hugged her arms. The subtle smells of cleaning products and sadness flew over her, if sadness could be considered a smell. The room felt forgotten and lonely, even with Dr. Sanjay and Luke standing inside with her. Another nurse with the nametag of Lucy, entered the room by pushing a tray with two paper cups with water and two pills.
“I’m prescribing Maxcrone. The drug is ideal, given the last minute travel. You’ll take this once a day and continue to take it seven days after your trip.” Dr. Sanjay stepped in front of Melanie. “I’ll need to ask you some personal questions.”
“Luke can stay,” she responded and turned her back to him. “What do you need to know?”
“Are you pregnant?”
“No chance of that.”
“You’re not breastfeeding then either.”
“Nope.”
Dr. Sanjay seemed relieved. He stepped back and asked both Luke and Melanie a few more questions, gave them each the pill. “The medication might be rough on your stomach. If you throw up within the hour, take another dose. Call me if you have any trouble stomaching the medicine. Alright, is there anything else?”
“I appreciate your help,” Luke said.
“Lucy will get you the prescription. There’s a pharmacy on the second floor, and we can give you your pills before you leave.” Dr. Sanjay shook Luke’s hand. “I hope your trip goes well.”
“I do too.”
Dr. Sanjay shut the door and Luke turned to Melanie. “No chance of pregnancy?”
“No chance at all.” Melanie averted his gaze.
“I forgot to ask if you’re seeing anyone back at home.”
“Clearly, you’ve assumed there’s no one.”
“Well?”
“There’s no one.”
“Good.” Luke’s fingers slipped under her chin. “Are you ready for this?”
She’d been waiting for forever for this. “I am.”
* * * *
The jostling woke up Melanie as the cab rolled to a stop. She groaned out of a sleepy haze and realized she’d fallen asleep. Her bones protested at having to be awakened and she sat half-awake with Luke sitting next to her. A loud engine frittered away in the background. “Where are we?” she asked.
“We’re at the airport,” Luke said. “You fell asleep on the way over.”
The seat belt unbuckled at the click of her fingers and she got out of the cab. The feeling of forgetting something overcame her. “Where’s my purse?”
“You don’t need one. I have your backpack.” He doled out some cash for the driver, exchanged a few pleasantries and they were on their way to the tarmac, walking under a moon three-quarters full and an off-yellow color.
Melanie stifled a yawn as they approached the plane and she continually swept the hair off her face as they walked into the wind. This flight marked the first of several flights she would be on in the next couple of days and would be the first time she’d traveled anywhere remote. The one trip she’d gone on to London had been for her high school senior class trip and technically, she didn’t think this counted. Madagascar seemed a distant island on another planet and in reality she knew nothing about what she’d signed up for. How typical of herself, to have wanted something so strongly and then when faced with the opportunity, she suddenly became rational and cautious.
She watched Luke head up to the staircase, waiting for them like some white blocks off an alien ship and she couldn’t help but wonder why he’d decided to take her along. They weren’t a couple, as she’d stated before. Why now? She wasn’t n
aïve in thinking one kiss from her set Luke off on a romantic crusade to win her over. Why risk losing this blue garnet with a newcomer and novice at gemstone hunting? A chill ran up her arms. What was he up to? Not a blessed word had been mentioned about those tourmalines her brother supposedly stole. Surely Luke hadn’t backed off from his goal of getting them returned. Either way, she was here now. Time would give her all the answers she needed. You never knew how long people would be in your life and this trip, this summer, could be the last time they had a chance to live in the moment.
The lighted steps on the plane guided Melanie up to the door and inside to a lighted cockpit and cabin. A different crew member from their ride out to Maui assisted them. A beautiful woman with a slick-backed ponytail and red lipstick greeted them. “Welcome,” she said, “Feel free to take any seat.”
Miss Bright-eyed got out of the way, allowing Melanie to walk back and choose a seat by the window. She laid low in her seat soaking up the clean, luxurious travel of leather seats and enough space to lie down without hitting the seat in front of you. This moment of flying on a private jet would stay with her each and every time she downgraded back to coach. Unable to keep her eyes open, she closed them, and reclined her seat back.
“You’re Melanie Cahill,” said a rough voice.
So much for sleep, Melanie thought and opened her eyes to find the man towering over her bared an eerie, almost twin resemblance to Luke. Tall, broad shoulders, and stubble shadowed his jaw. The slight crooked hitch of his nose and bushier eyebrows separated their appearance. He stunk like a dirt road and looked deprived of soap and water. Before he ever said his name she knew his. “You must be Brent,” she commented, taking in his greasy hair and bags under his eyes.
