Misfits, Inc.

by Holly Copella

  Misfits, Inc.

  Holly Copella

  Copyright © 2014 Holly Copella

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 0986441694

  ISBN-13: 978-0986441691

  To my very own mystic warriors,

  Daniela & Anthony

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Copella Books: First Paperback Edition 2015

  Cover Artist: Shardel

  SelfPubBookCovers.com/Shardel

  Printed by CreateSpace, An Amazon.com Company

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter One

  Smuggler’s Bay Hotel was an impressive resort along the white, sandy beach of the secluded, tropical island. The luxurious hotel was twenty stories high with private balconies facing the scenic ocean. Ivy climbed the sides of the building, giving it an old-world charm and added to its tropical appeal. A young attractive woman in her mid-twenties, Hailey Aramis, walked along the empty, moonlit beach. The moon glistening off the dark ocean was the most romantic image she’d ever seen. Small waves gently crashed to shore then pulled back into the ocean leaving behind hidden treasures, mostly broken seashells. The only thing missing from her romantic, moonlit walk was a handsome man by her side. It wasn’t that she didn’t find the time for romance and relationships. Time was all she had. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t an attractive, young woman. She was more than attractive enough to gain plenty of male attention. Hailey just didn’t feel that heart pounding attraction toward any man. She desperately wanted to fall in love; she wanted to feel the way others felt, but she just didn’t.

  The man of her dreams was out there, she was positive. She even knew what he looked like--sort of. She’d met him once in a dream when she was a young teenager. She fell in love with him, or perhaps with the idea of this perfect man. A few years later, she’d had the most erotic dream with the same man. There was a pond surround by flowers with a gorgeous, tropical waterfall, and they’d made love in the glacier blue water alongside the falls. It was a romantic illusion, but it was one she enjoyed and kept with her the last few years. She allowed the surf to rush past her bare feet and enjoyed feeling the wet sand between her toes. Hailey drifted off into her own world. She wanted to meet the love of her life. She wanted to be with him so badly; she could almost will him to join her on the beach at that very moment. Hailey suddenly felt compelled to look toward the hotel.

  The dark silhouette of a man could be seen near the dimly lit poolside cabana. Although she couldn’t make out his features, he was a lean man, possibly built athletic. He had his hands casually in his pants pockets and watched her in the distance. Could it be him? Could this really be the man of her dreams? As she stared at him, a thousand inappropriate thoughts raced through her mind. It was then that a woman’s shrill scream shattered her fantasy. The woman’s scream was somehow familiar to her. Hailey turned in the wet sand and looked toward the nearby path in the woods, but she didn’t see anyone. She felt concerned for the woman and slowly walked closer to the path.

  A young woman ran from the woods and stopped when she saw Hailey on the beach not far from her. The woman looked familiar, but she couldn’t place her face. Her nightclub dress was dirty and torn. Hailey could almost make out the tears streaking her face. She was terrified by something she’d seen. That’s when Hailey saw the blood covering the woman’s hands. Hailey took a step toward her, attempting to think of something comforting to say. A strange snarling sound was barely heard behind the woman causing Hailey to stop in her tracks. The woman was suddenly thrown face down on the sand where she once stood. She screamed while clutching and clawing at the sand as she was dragged back into the dark woods by her ankles. In a split second, she was gone. Hailey stared at the empty path with horror on her face as the woman’s screams trailed off. She turned toward the man standing near the poolside cabana to see if he’d help. His hands were now out of his pockets and hung by his sides.

  “Help her!”

  The man, although she couldn’t make out his face, appeared more interested and possibly alarmed by something behind her. Hailey heard a strange rumbling sound from the ocean. She slowly turned and looked behind her. A large wave had built up in the ocean and now rushed toward her. Hailey screamed as the wave crashed down upon her, engulfing her in a powerful rush of water. She gasped for air but only inhaled salty ocean water. She floundered within the water, but there was no way to reach the surface.

  †

  Hailey suddenly woke with a gasp and jumped upright on the leather bench seat in the back of the helicopter. She attempted to catch her breath, still tasting the saltwater in her throat, and quickly looked around with disorientation. The loud thumping of the helicopter’s rotor blades was almost hypnotic. She could feel the seat vibrating beneath her, reminding her that they were still in the air and she hadn’t drown. She looked at the woman sitting alongside her in the back. Her young companion was also her friend and co-worker, Melana Thayer. Mel stared at her with a look that conveyed surprise and possible concern to her sudden outburst. Hailey slowly straightened in her seat and attempted to shake her dream while putting on a false smile.

  “Guess I dozed off,” Hailey said timidly.

  A moderately attractive woman in her late thirties with plump, red lips stared back at Hailey from her position in the front. Both women shared the same expression. Obviously, Hailey had made enough noise to startle her boss, Lucinda, as well. Considering the noise from the helicopter, she must have been quite loud.

  “Really, Hailey,” Lucinda huffed. “I’m starting to think I hired a basket case for an assistant.”

  “Just a bad dream,” Hailey gently informed her as she slowly looked around. She couldn’t admit just how much the dream had bothered her, at least not to her boss. She couldn’t shake the sensation of drowning she had felt. It seemed so real. “I’m just not used to flying.”

  Hailey hated lying to her boss, but she wasn’t going to admit just how frequent her nightmares were. She hadn’t worked for Lucinda Keenan long enough to share such personal details. It was true; she didn’t want her boss to think she’d hired a baske
t case. Lucinda remained turned in the front seat while staring at them and played with an old, stone pendant necklace she wore. It mostly looked like a polished rock, but she cherished the thing. Her look conveyed moderate concern. She possibly wasn’t buying the ‘flying’ story. She finally smiled and appeared to brush off her concerns.

  “A few fruity drinks will cure that,” Lucinda announced cheerfully. “You’ll have the afternoon to unwind before our meeting with Nevin Brody.” The chain on Lucinda’s necklace suddenly snapped and the pendant fell onto her lap. Her boss seemed horrified that her treasured, flea market necklace had fallen off. Her attention immediately shifted to Mel, and a hint of their less forgiving boss surfaced. “I thought I told you to get the clasp fixed, Melana. Do you have any idea how valuable this stone is?”

  “The jeweler said it was fixed,” Mel protested.

  Hailey slouched slightly in her seat and hoped Lucinda’s verbal lashing would be short-lived. The thought of her cheap necklace being valuable was almost humorous to Hailey, but that didn’t mean Lucinda wouldn’t berate her personal maid for the remainder of their journey.

  “Did you want to bring her in for a landing, Ms. Keenan?” their pilot asked almost as if swooping in to save Mel from her verbal lashing.

  Lucinda’s foul mood immediately disappeared and glee filled her face as she turned forward in her seat. “I’ve always wanted to try a rooftop landing.” She eagerly took the controls before her.

  Hailey and Mel were both relieved by the pilot’s timely save, whether intentional or not. Mel shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tightened her safety harness.

  “Brace yourself,” Mel muttered to her friend.

  Hailey smiled and laughed softly. Mel finally eyed Hailey and appeared curious while possibly attempting to get her mind off their boss crashing the helicopter while landing it.

  “Which nightmare was it this time?” Mel asked. “The one with the snakes in the cave? That one is nasty.”

  “No, the enormous tidal wave,” Hailey replied and again shifted in her seat. She didn’t even want to think about it.

  “You know what you need?”

  Hailey rolled her eyes and avoided looking at her young friend. “Here we go--”

  “You need to meet some bronzed cabana boy with rippling muscles,” Mel announced while grinning lustfully at her own thoughts. “Life is too short--”

  The helicopter suddenly jerked and jolted downward. Hailey was immediately reminded of that time Mel had gotten her to ride the mechanical bull at a nightclub. Mel and Hailey clutched their seats and held back their startled gasps.

  Mel looked at Hailey with concern evident in her eyes. “Literally too short.”

  The helicopter was nearly upon the hotel’s rooftop landing pad at the island resort. Mel and Hailey again gripped their seats while witnessing Lucinda bringing the massive, flying machine closer to the roof for a landing. It was a terrifying view from the backseat, making Hailey’s nightmare almost the lesser of two evils.

  “Wee!” Lucinda giddily squawked from behind the helicopter controls.

  Chapter Two

  The elegant resort lobby was a massive marvel of carved wood, marble, and glass. Countless leather sofas and overstuffed chairs welcomed guests to hang out in the lobby with its open doorways to the outside, allowing the sounds of the ocean to fill the area. The cathedral ceiling was two stories high with an inside balcony to the second floor rooms. A massive, carved staircase towered up to the second floor. For those less adventurous, the elevators were off to the side of the lobby near the gift shop. The front desk was a breathtaking work of art in itself. It encompassed half the back wall and consisted mainly of marble and stone. A perky blonde woman dressed in business attire stood behind the large front desk and handed the last of the afternoon arrivals the electronic keycards to their guestrooms. As the last couple approached the elevators and marveled at the grand staircase, the perky blonde desk clerk, Cass, frowned and looked impatiently at her watch.

  A lanky man in his late twenties, Skyler DeMorris, appeared from a connecting hallway toward the rear of the lobby. He was clearly out of sorts as he approached and hurried behind the desk to join her. Cass glared at him with disapproval. He caught her glare, looked away, and immediately fidgeted.

  “I know; I’m late,” he quickly announced and fumbled around behind the desk.

  “Again,” she snapped then shook her head with annoyance. “I don’t know why Talbert hasn’t fired your ass.”

  Skyler seemed average in every way imaginable. Average looks, average height, and possibly average intelligence. What set him apart was his above average personality and explosive energy. He resembled a teenager jacked up on caffeine. Skyler avoided looking at his moderately attractive co-worker and hastily straightened his gold nametag on his official resort jacket.

  “I’m sorry, really,” he fumbled over his own words. Attempting to slow his speech was one of his many main issues. When he became overly excited, which was often, he tended to speak faster than most could understand. “I don’t sleep for days, and when I finally do, I can’t wake up.”

  “You and your sleep disorders,” Cass huffed and rolled her eyes at him for good measure. “I can’t believe they don’t have a pill for what’s wrong with you.”

  “I wish they did,” he remarked while attempting to straighten his tie, although his efforts seemed to make it worse. His hands seemed to move faster than his thoughts, making his movements uncoordinated and jerky. “Drugs don’t affect me.”

  His attractive co-worker obviously had little use for him and made it known by the way she cast scathing looks at him. “Save it for someone who cares, Skyler. Ms. Keenan’s helicopter was heard approaching,” Cass informed him in a tone firmer than necessary. “I sent Merle to the roof with the luggage cart. If she kept her keycard to the penthouse, she won’t have any reason to come down here before this evening.” Even the staff attempted to avoid the resort owner. “I tried paging Talbert, but I didn’t get a response. I’d like to believe he’s helping security search for that girl who wandered off last night, but I think he’s just avoiding the boss.”

  “Ms. Keenan’s here?” Skyler questioned then ran his fingers nervously through his hair. His rising anxiety was evident. “I’d forgotten she was arriving today.”

  The look on Cass’s face conveyed her annoyance. “What else is new?” she muttered.

  Skyler frowned, obviously ashamed of his current condition. He cast a sheepish look at his coworker.

  “What’s this about a guest wandering off last night?” he nervously asked.

  “More of the usual,” Cass scoffed. “Some girl hooks up with some stud, slips off with him for a few days, and everyone immediately assumes she’s missing.”

  Skyler fidgeted and cast a strange look at the woman alongside him. “What did this girl look like?”

  “It doesn’t matter, Skyler,” Cass snapped at him with annoyance. “She’ll show up soon enough. You have enough of your own work to do, and no one needs your toxic, runaway imagination added to the mix.”

  As the elevator dinged, Skyler jumped and immediately looked across the lobby. The elevator doors opened as if on command to reveal Lucinda in her full glory. She walked straight and with purpose in her formfitting dress and daringly high stiletto heels across the lobby and toward the front desk. Hailey and Mel followed behind in less of a hurry and marveled at the lobby with amazement. Skyler immediately went to work in an attempt to appear busy and possibly go unnoticed. Cass sprang to attention and offered her best, professional smile while Skyler did his best to remain invisible to the hotel owner.

  “Ms. Keenan, welcome back,” Cass announced cheerfully. “Your penthouse suite has been freshened for your arrival. I’m sorry Talbert wasn’t on the roof to greet you personally. He was momentarily detained.”

  Lucinda allowed a throaty laugh to escape. “Tell Talbert he could have smoked his nasty cigars on the roof while he waited,” she annou
nced while grinning knowingly. “Cass, this is my new assistant, Miss Aramis. I trust you’ve given her a suite on the nineteenth floor with an ocean view.”

  “Yes, absolutely,” Cass replied.

  “Lucinda--” came a male voice from across the lobby.

  All three turned and looked in the direction of the voice. Talbert Jenkin, the hotel manager, approached them with possibly the worst false smile Hailey had ever seen. Despite Lucinda’s beauty and perfect body, most men went out of their way to avoid her. Men and women within her circle fondly referred to her as ‘the barracuda’. Talbert cupped Lucinda’s hand in his and suavely kissed it. Talbert was a charming man in his fifties and most women forty and over would consider him handsome in a vintage sort of way.

  “I wasn’t expecting you for another three hours,” he announced cheerfully. His lack of response to his page indicated he was possibly avoiding the rooftop greeting with the barracuda, prolonging their meeting to the last possible moment.

  “Talbert, darling,” she announced in a tone that was meant to convey insincerity. “I’d like you to meet my new assistant, Hailey Aramis.”

  Talbert was quick to cast his eyes upon Hailey and took in her body with a sweeping glance that immediately made her feel uncomfortable.

  “It’s a pleasure, Miss Aramis.”

  “Treat her well,” Lucinda announced firmly. “I simply can’t live without her.”

  He again eyed Hailey and grinned with an attempt at charm that came off instead as moderately creepy. “I can see why.” His attention immediately returned to Lucinda and the insincerities continued. “I’ll escort you lovely ladies to your rooms.”

  Talbert extended his arm to Lucinda, who immediately linked onto him like an old flame. Hailey found the exchange entertaining; especially considering Mel’s gossiping indicated Lucinda couldn’t stand Talbert. Hailey got the distinct impression the feeling was mutual. He guided her toward the elevator with Mel obediently following behind them. Hailey was about to follow then remembered her earlier assignment and turned to Cass behind the desk. She caught the perky desk clerk gazing after Lucinda with a hard to read expression on her face. It would seem Lucinda wasn’t popular in any circle, something that was becoming apparent to Hailey the longer she worked for the barracuda. Cass focused her attention back on Hailey and her pleasant smile appeared on command.