Latvis Security Services

by Lexie Ray

  It had been a roll of the dice to put Willow in an empire waist dress, something that would have been favored by both of Mads’ idolized women. It seemed such a simple, silly thing, and yet the results were immediate. For the whole dinner, Natalie noticed that he had been unable to keep from sneaking glances at her. Each time his cheeks had heated and his annoyance spiked.

  “Willow has quite a different figure than I. That dress was all that I could find.”

  “Do you honestly think that I cannot tell when you lie?”

  “Why would I lie?”

  “Because, as Dwayne would say, you are messing with me.”

  “How?” she asked with an innocent smile.

  Mads quickly let go of her arm and stood straight. He pulled at the end of his coat and ran his hands down over the non-existent wrinkles in the material.

  “She looks lovely in gold,” Natalie mused. “She would do quite well in black, also. How wonderful that she fits so beautiful in the family colors.”

  “Leave her out of this.”

  “Out of what, dear cousin?”

  “You will not distract me.”

  “Do you find Willow distracting?”

  Mads took a slow, deep breath, and stared over her shoulder until he seemed ready to respond. “Willow has no part of this. Not anymore.”

  “May I point out that she would not even be here if you were not meddling in my affairs?”

  “This is a line,” Mads said, his voice becoming as hard and cold as the tundra plains. “Do not cross it.”

  He didn’t wait for her response before he prowled down the hallway, following the retreating backs of the rest of their group. When Natalie was sure that he could no longer see her, she sank back against the wall. She had always done her best thinking within the comfort of solitude, and took advantage of the moment to reevaluate her course of action.

  They had always been of a like mind. Now there was supposedly a line? Where was it, exactly? Knowing that there was a cliff somewhere didn’t help if she still didn’t know where she could stand. Running her hands over her dress, she took a breath and stepped out into the hallway. Her steps staggered when she spotted a shape waiting for her a few feet away.

  Jai leaned against the wall, ankles crossed, using the light of his phone to read his book. He didn’t look up as she approached, even though there was no way he wouldn’t have heard the clack of her shoes against the stone floor.

  “Jai,” she sighed as she neared, “I have told you that there can never be anything between us.”

  “Yeah.” Jai chuckled, but still didn’t divert his full attention from his book. “I remember the conversation.”

  “And yet I find you here, waiting for me in the dark. I do not have time for this. Please respect my wishes. I have no interest in you or your base desires.”

  “You’ve got this a bit wrong.”

  She rolled her eyes as she passed him. “How so?”

  “I’m not here for you.”

  Natalie jolted to a stop, her mind whirling like a hurricane, rolling the limited possibilities over and over. Not her? Who else could he be hoping to find? There were six women in her employ, but he had only been here for a few hours. He couldn’t have met them all yet.

  Then the notion hit her that, despite their years of acquaintanceship, she didn’t have much knowledge of Jai’s preferences. What if he found men pleasing as well? That would offer at least five more possibilities from her employ alone. Could it be one of the men that he had come with? Or Filip? Her hand fluttered against her suddenly churning stomach, and she forced in a breath.

  “May I ask who you are waiting for?”

  “I’m waiting for you,” Jai said as he closed his book and pushed off from the wall. He rushed on before she could say anything else. “Because Mads asked me to.”

  “Why?”

  “I would assume it has something to do with the death threats,” he smiled.

  “They are completely unfounded.”

  “You believe that,” he countered. “Just because you’re not worried doesn’t mean that he isn’t.”

  An unsettling amount of relief washed through her. It was an odd sensation that she pushed aside to focus on the situation before her.

  “Look, I’m his friend. When he needs me to do something, I do it, no matter how uncomfortable it is. And I’m guessing that you’re in the same boat. So why don’t we just grit our teeth and bear this vast level of uncomfortableness for his sake. Deal?”

  “That is hardly a deal,” she grumbled.

  “Natalie.”

  He said the single, inconsequential, word with a mix of fondness and exasperation that she found oddly intriguing. She quickly decided that it was just a product of his accent. It hadn’t occurred to her how much affection she had for a British accent.

  “We both love Mads. Let’s just make this as easy on him as we can. He doesn’t do too well when his numerous control issues are threatened.”

  “You know him well, it would seem.”

  “As well as anyone can know a man like him,” Jai shrugged. He motioned with his book down the hallway. “We better hurry up.”

  Natalie cleared her throat and nodded but she didn’t move. “Malcolm is going to want to converse with me.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find a way to discourage him.” Jai smiled as he began to walk, leaving Natalie to catch up or be left in the dark.

  ***

  The library was a prestigious mix of rich, black wood with golden trim. The towering walls were lined from floor to ceiling with built-in bookshelves. A huge fire already burned within the man-sized fireplace, casting a warm glow over antique furniture and a grand piano. Jai didn’t know how long the fire had been burning, but it was enough to chase off the cold. It was the first time since he had arrived that he hadn’t felt chilled to the bone. The long, thin windows rattled as the storm pelted against them. Every now and then, lightning would crack and expose the consuming clouds.

  Everyone had already taken up a post by the time that he and Natalie entered the room. Luckily enough, though, the chair nearest the fire had been left vacant, probably because Malcolm was looking to prompt Natalie into sitting with him on the loveseat. For a moment, Jai considered sitting down next to the perfectly manicured man just to annoy him. In the end, he still took the far seat and, by the blaze of the fire, returned to his book.

  Dwayne was into the liquor as quickly as Mads would allow. It was a little amusing but not too surprising that the bottles were hidden within a globe. Dwayne was quick to try and spread the drinks around, in a not-too-subtle attempt to break the tense silence that consumed the room.

  “Mads, why don’t you play something?” Filip said cheerfully before he turned his attention to Willow. “Have you heard him play? He’s really very talented.”

  “I haven’t had the pleasure,” Willow said awkwardly as she shrugged off Mads’ coat.

  Everyone’s eyes shifted to subtly watch Mads’ reaction. Everyone except Natalie, who was busy glaring at Jai with the full force of her hatred.

  “Mads, you’ve been depriving this poor woman,” Filip laughed. “Come on, play us a piece.”

  “No.”

  “Don’t be such a sulk.”

  Mads’ jaw clenched before he bolted out of his seat. Without a word to anyone, he moved over to the piano, sat down, and poised his fingers over the keys. The solemn notes of the recognizable tune didn’t really improve the mood.

  Jai bit his lips to keep from laughing, but it didn’t take long for Dwayne to ask, “Isn’t that the funeral march?”

  “It is,” Natalie said with amusement. “And he’s playing it splendidly.”

  “Can I ask a question?” Dwayne said as he puffed out his cheeks.

  “Of course,” Mads said as his fingers continued to move.

  “What’s with the black and gold? You couldn’t do a pastel? Maybe a nice sea blue, something more fitting with your seaside location?”

  M
ads waited until he had trailed off before he answered, “Black and gold are the Latvis’ family colors.”

  “You have family colors?”

  “They are on our crest.”

  Dwayne was suddenly on his feet, his eyes almost as wide as his smile. “You have a family crest?”

  “It is the giant thing over the fireplace,” Mads said.

  Jai rose his eyes to look at the gilded shield just as Dwayne started to clap with delight.

  “Daren,” Jamie declared.

  “Yes,” Dwayne shouted and instantly began looking for phone.

  “You will not get a strong signal,” Natalie said. “Especially with the storm.”

  “Don’t care.” Dwayne found the device and instantly began to thumb at the buttons, rushing to connect a video call. “This is way too good.”

  Jamie and Andrea closed in on Dwayne’s sides to squeeze into the shot just as Daren picked up the call.

  “What’s wrong?” The quality of the connection wasn’t the best. It made Daren’s normally soft voice crackle and hiss. But it still allowed him to express his concern within just those two words.

  Dwayne rushed. “The castle looks like something out of a horror movie; his cousin is creepy awesome; her weird suitor showed up with an uncle that, apparently, no one likes; and they have a full-on color scheme that contains everything. But most importantly, Mads’ family crest is a mermaid!”

  There was a moment of silence. “What?”

  “Mermaid?” Sophie’s little voice came in off screen.

  Daren shuffled around to get both her and Rebecca into view as well.

  “Did you say mermaid?” Amanda asked. “Isn’t that a little cutesy?”

  “You are considering the mermaid as it is thought of today. A long time ago, mermaids were not perceived as gentle or kind. They were a force of nature.” Mads didn’t miss a key as he slid his eyes to his uncle. “In the old legends, they were volatile and vengeful. Their rage had no equal.”

  Jai glanced toward Natalie. It wasn’t long before she sensed his attention. She met his gaze with a humored smile. It would seem that she approved of Mads’ sudden bout of passive-aggression.

  “That’s really creepy music, Mads,” Sophie chirped.

  Instantly, Mads fingers shifted, and the sober notes were replaced by the vibrant, happy tune of the Hungarian Waltz. Sophie giggled happily, which in turn melted Mads’ grim snarl into a warm smile.

  “Do you want to see the mermaid?” Dwayne asked, and turned the phone quickly to show off the gold-plated mermaid that adorned the wall.

  Dwayne entertained himself by running around the room, Jamie and Andrea in his wake, showing off the points of interest to Daren and generally catching him up on everything that he had missed. It was interesting for a while, but it didn’t take long for Malcom to reclaim Jai’s attention.

  Sitting as close to Natalie as physics would allow, Malcom draped his arm over the back of the chair and moved in until the sides of their legs pressed together. Natalie maintained her silence as Malcolm once again began an assault of questions and flattery.

  As much as he tried to suppress it, Jai couldn’t quell the little bubble of jealously that sprang up in his chest. There was nothing to be jealous over, he told himself sharply. She didn’t want you before he showed up, and she didn’t now, even if she did look personally offended by the attention. Besides, he wasn’t even certain that he wanted her. The in-person her. The one related to one of his best friends and employer. No matter how Jai felt about her on paper though, the reality was far more complicated.

  Her eyes flicked over to him. He pulled the book up to cover his face, almost smacking it against his forehead in his haste.

  “Jay, is it?” Malcolm asked.

  “Jai,” he corrected without looking up.

  “Right. What are you reading over there?”

  “Dracula,” he said. “It seemed fitting when I heard where we were going.”

  “Personally, I would have gone for Macbeth,” Malcolm said with a smile as he edged closer still to Natalie. “But then, Shakespeare is not for everyone.”

  “He read it on the plane,” Mads cut in before he added a flourish to the piece.

  His contribution ended there since Willow drifted to the piano and captured his attention. All she had to was sit down next to him and ask how about his playing for him to seemingly forget all about the others. Mads’ fingers fluttered over the keys with startling speed as he went into his next song.

  This trip was becoming rather educational. Until now, Jai had had no idea that Mads was so susceptible to flattery. Yet another family trait to add to the growing list.

  “So, you’re a fellow reader,” Malcolm said. “That’s great. It’s always nice to meet someone with similar tastes. There’s nothing better than settling down with a good book, is there?”

  Jai glanced up over the rim of his book. “What’s the last thing you read?”

  “Oh, I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had the time.”

  “I know what you mean,” Jai said as he resumed reading. “Jetlag is now my normal.”

  Malcolm shuffled again, positioning himself so that he could lean slightly more into Natalie’s personal space in the guise of talking to Jai. “What do you do for a living, Jai?”

  “I work with Mads.”

  “I actually don’t know what Mads does,” he said with a warm smile to Natalie. “I just know that Natalie is proud of him.”

  “We help people get out of dangerous and toxic situations.” Jai turned the page and tried to give off every possible sign that he wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation.

  “That sounds interesting,” Malcolm said. “Tell me a story or two.”

  “He cannot,” Natalie said sharply. “Their clients are entitled to confidentiality.”

  “I won’t tell them,” Malcolm grinned.

  “And I won’t tell you,” Jai said simply.

  While Jai tried to refocus on his book, he couldn’t keep his eyes from straying to Natalie. She was always looking at him. It was hard to tell with her, but he was pretty sure that the smile she gave him was one of approval.

  Malcolm’s voice rose a little as he said, “You are a hard man to get to know.”

  “I didn’t know that you were trying to know me.” Jai closed his book and turned his full attention onto Malcolm. “What would you like to know? Besides the confidential things that I won’t talk about.”

  Caught off guard, Malcolm quickly recovered with an easy smile and one more shift in position. It was really starting to grind on Jai’s nerves. There wasn’t any possible way that he could get any closer to Natalie, but the guy just kept trying.

  “Well, I heard that you were a solider at some point. An army doctor. There are some rumors that you saw a bit of active duty.”

  “I did a few tours.”

  “That’s all we get? Surely you have at least one story that isn’t confidential.”

  “A story? About what, exactly? Being on a battlefield with my friends getting demolished in front of me and knowing that I couldn’t save them all? You want to hear about that?”

  “Well, when you say it like that, it sounds like a pretty insensitive question.”

  “It’s a personal one. Why don’t we start out with some softball questions?” Jai smiled. “Do you have any hobbies?”

  “I’m very interested in history. I find it just fascinating.”

  “So, you study it? Or read about it?”

  “I think the only way you can really know about the history of a place, to really feel it, is to travel there. You need to immerse yourself. Do you know what I mean?”

  “I think that can be harder to do with some ancient cultures, but I understand the principle,” Jai chuckled.

  “I just think that we really need to understand and appreciate the past to fully live in the present.”

  Malcolm spoke with enthusiasm, and if it wasn’t for the way he kept checki
ng for Natalie’s reactions, Jai would have believed he was sincere. A few wrong keys made everyone look over to the piano. Mads had taken to trying to teach Willow how to play. The results were about as good as could be expected. Still, it was nice to see Mads relax a little. Ever since he had heard Natalie’s letter, Mads had been tense enough to snap. The man could use a little levity in his life.

  It didn’t take more than a few seconds for the pair to notice the attention. Without the piano, an awkward silence fell over the room. One that Dwayne was quick to break.

  “You know what this place would be good for, aside from reanimating corpses in sick science experiments? One of those fancy balls you see in the movies. With candelabras and organized dancing and people wearing white gloves for some reason.”

  Andrea laughed as she slid her hands up along his chest. “You would look amazing in a tux.”

  “Wouldn’t I?” he boasted.

  “Now you just have to learn how to dance,” Jamie said.

  “I can dance.”

  “No, you can shuffle about in a spot and flail your arms.”

  “Jai knows a proper waltz,” Mads said casually. “He can demonstrate.”

  It was an uncomfortable and heady sensation to know that everyone in the room was now staring at you. How did Mads put up with it so much?

  “You know how to waltz?” Jamie asked.

  “Remember Canada a few years back? When Mads and I were snowed in at a local bar while you guys got to stay in the luxury hotel?”

  “I remember room service,” Dwayne said happily.

  “Well, fun titbit I didn’t tell you about that story. Mads got sloshed.”

  Dwayne bellowed out a “No!” like a dying action hero. “You had a drunk Mads and you didn’t take any videos?”

  “I fail to understand what about me fascinates you so,” Mads said.

  “Really? Well, maybe it’s that someone could know you for close to a decade and never once see you slouched. Or wearing jeans. Or even having a hair out of place. It sets up impossible, robot-like expectations, so any evidence that you’re actually human is amazing.”