Chapter 20
Troy
KIORA FELL ASLEEP AFTER our love fest. I didn’t want to disturb her. Between me exhausting her and the stress of finding traffickers on her doorstep, she needed her beauty sleep. I, on the other hand, needed to work.
Careful not to shake the bed, I climbed out, took my phone, and went to the living room, but, of course, there was no signal. Just another reason for me to hate the mountains.
Technically, I rented office space for Fin-Dings Investigations, but I only showed up there every few days to grab my mail. Everyone in town knew how to find me, and if they didn’t, they could call. Problem with that kind of set up? I needed my phone to actually receive calls.
I went to the mouth of the cave, hoping I’d get at least some signal there, even if it was weak. As luck would have it, I got one bar.
First priority, I had to call Dylan and find out if everything was going well on his end. It would also be nice to give him the good news, but it wasn’t as urgent as finding out if that kraken had sunk my boat and offed my best friend and his wife.
When I dialed his number, however, the call didn’t go through. Either one bar wasn’t enough, or Dylan was too far in the sea for his phone to work. Or the kraken got him.
I rubbed my chest where guilt sat on my heart like an elephant after a filling dinner. While I was screwing Dylan’s daughter, he might’ve been out there getting ripped to pieces. What kind of friend did that make me?
No, he was fine. I had to believe it. He just went too far from the coastline and lost phone signal. Soon enough he would call me with the good news, and we could all get together and celebrate finding Kiora. And then Dylan can kick my ass for sleeping with his daughter.
Right. That’s how it would all go down.
After a few deep breaths to even myself out, I dialed Mrs Falken. The call went through, and she answered on the fourth ring.
“Mr Wavesong?” she asked in a low away voice that cracked with static. Damned mountains.
“Yes, Mrs Falken. I have been monitoring your husband’s activities, and I have one question for you that might clear a few things up.”
“I’m sorry, I can barely hear you. Can you repeat that?”
I repeated it word for word, hoping that whatever got lost in the static would come through the second time.
“I’m sorry,” she said as if the bad signal was her fault. “I still can’t hear you. Can you text me?”
“Absolutely.” Should’ve thought about it sooner.
Troy: I have a quick question that might help me clear a few things up. Are there any significant events or anniversaries happening in two weeks?”
It took her a few minutes to reply.
Mrs Falken: There’s our ten-year wedding anniversary. Why?
Why... Should I tell her that her husband was preparing a surprise party? It would ruin the surprise. On the other hand, it would stop her from thinking her husband was cheating.
Troy: No reason, but I don’t believe your husband is cheating on you.
Mrs Falken: I’m sure he is. Georgina saw him with some woman from Because.
Georgina was one of many busy bodies who liked to talk more than she liked to listen. She’d started more than one rumor by blabbing the first thing that came to her mind and ignoring anyone telling her she was wrong.
Troy: I’m aware they’ve met, and I already had a chat with her. Your husband isn’t sleeping with her. Unless Georgina saw the two of them together AND naked, she has no reason to think so poorly of your husband.
It took at least ten minutes for the next text to arrive.
Mrs Falken: They were both clothed. I would appreciate it if you continued watching my husband, though. He’s hiding something from me.
Yes, he was.
Troy: I’ll let you know if I find reason to think your husband is involved with someone else.
There, that should do it. I didn’t promise to tell her what her husband was hiding, so I wouldn’t spoil the surprise.
I put my phone away and looked around. The drop in front of me was at least a hundred feet. From there, it was jagged rocks and then another drop. Absolute nightmare.
On my left, a piton was secured into the side of the mountain. That thing could probably handle a few hundred pounds. That must’ve been what Azar had been talking about when he mentioned climbing down.
Only a few feet below, I spotted a patch of delicate purple flowers that looked a hell of a lot like pea flowers—Kiora’s favorites.
A bouquet of her favorite flowers would make her morning a little less shitty, but I’d have to climb down there. The drop. The rocks below. I got dizzy just looking down there.
I took a few steps away from the cliff's edge and waited for my heart to stop hammering. Yes, merpeople hated heights, but it didn’t mean we couldn’t climb. There were plenty of rocky cliffs overlooking the water, and I’d climbed my share of them. It was just nice to know there was water to dive into if I fell.
Waves take me, I must’ve lost my mind because I was already moving toward the chest by the cave’s entrance. When I opened it, I found a harness and a length of rope.
With a few well-practiced nautical knots, I had the rope secured to me and the basket I took along for the ride.
This time, when I came to the cliff’s edge, I didn’t look down. Otherwise, I might’ve done the smart thing and not climbed down to get those flowers. The things I was willing to do for a woman. No, not just any woman. I couldn’t see myself doing it for anyone but Kiora.
Slowly and carefully, I lowered myself until I was eye level with the flowers, and clipped everything I could reach, then moved a step to the right to get more, and more, and more, until I filled the basket.