Chapter 29 - Tatiana
Oh, he was so infuriating. Every day I woke up fuming, tossing off the covers and pacing in the luxurious guest room I had holed up in ever since our last blowout.
Once again, we were at a standstill, and Kon refused to be swayed.
If he deigned to look at me when I demanded answers, he wouldn’t say a word I wanted to hear.
He had his methods, supposedly, but whatever they were, we weren’t any closer to finding Papa. Angrily, I slammed open the sliding glass door leading out to a balcony overlooking the ocean and glared at it like it owed me money.
I wasn’t just mad at Kon for locking me up in an even prettier prison than the first one. Part of that anger was at myself for ever believing he was on my side. Sometimes it really seemed like he was… but I was foolish to think so.
A seagull divebombed one of the guards who patrolled the sands dressed like he was a local beachcomber. He reached into his pocket and scattered some chunks of bread, then had to move when all the lone seagull’s comrades came shrieking to get their share.
It would have been comical, but I was in no mood to laugh.
No mood to do anything. The beach house was amazing.
Clean lines, white sculptures everywhere, sheer curtains flowing in the breezes, and always that lovely sea air.
There were more rooms to explore, including a media center with several old-fashioned pinball game machines, stacks of books, and a wall-sized movie screen. I was too tense to enjoy any of it.
My new loom arrived only a day after we settled in, but even that couldn’t distract me now that I saw it for what it was. A bribe to stay quiet and keep out of the way.
Unable to blame the pristine beach outside my window for my predicament, I went outside to walk along the shoreline, dipping my toes in the icy water.
The guard waved politely to me and moved on, still keeping up the ruse that he was just passing by.
By now, I knew he was hiding somewhere, keeping a close watch over me.
Hiking up my yoga pants, I walked into the water up to my knees, letting the waves sway me as they repeatedly hit my shins.
What if there was something I could use to bribe Kon to come back around to my way of thinking? A shiver washed over me that had nothing to do with the cold water as my thoughts instantly flew to sharing his bed again. He’d welcome me with open arms. It certainly wouldn’t be a chore.
With a huff, I traipsed back to dry sand and sat down, lazily building a half-assed sand castle.
Why did I think of that option so fast? And why couldn’t I think of any other?
It wasn’t because I missed his kisses, or couldn’t keep my eyes off him when he was making a point to ignore me these past few days.
Not because he invaded my dreams and they were the opposite of nightmares, though they still had me waking up panting for breath.
No, it was because it was the obvious way, nothing more.
The decision to go ahead with this new plan put me in a surprisingly good mood, but it was certainly only because I had something clear to focus on.
The seagulls who had started to gather around me scattered for a moment before settling down again, and I turned around to see that Kon had come out to the porch.
He stripped off his shirt and lay down on the lounger on the porch, half his chiseled body in the sun.
I was certainly focused on him as I got up and headed his way, determination making me almost giddy.
He acted like he didn’t notice me lying down beside him, despite having the awareness and reflexes of a big cat. I had to sigh heavily before he cracked open his eyes and turned to face me.
“The tan looks nice on you.”
“Walking back and forth on the beach is all I’m allowed to do,” I said.
He rolled his eyes, but his lip quirked. “Should I make a duty roster? Relieve the housekeeper for the duration, so you’re not bored?”
“You wouldn’t,” I said, recognizing his teasing tone. I was only glad he was acting normal because it suited my plan, not because I missed our easy conversations. I sighed again, widening my eyes as if I was worried. Not too hard to fake. “Is it safe here?”
“Absolutely,” he said, puffing up his chest, which drew my eyes. “According to my intel, no one even knows we ended up in San Diego. They’re searching up north, and even down in Mexico.” He was very proud and even smug about this, and I relaxed back into the chair.
“So there’s no reason we can’t go out and have a nice day like normal people,” I said. He blinked. I had won. “You could show me this city I’ve never visited before.”
“That does sound fun,” he said, reaching for his phone. “What were you thinking? Art galleries, shopping? Looks like they’re famous for their zoo.”
“No zoo,” I said, pleased at how easily I could twist him around my finger. “I won’t look at other creatures that are locked up.”
With a laugh, he reached over and chucked me under the chin. “Who’s locked up? You were just playing in the water and building a sandcastle.”
“And you were watching me,” I said, not exactly displeased. “Like a warden.”
“Like a man enjoying the view.” To prove his point, he let his eyes make a slow descent down my body, and he was grinning by the time they reached my face again. “I’ll meet you at the front in half an hour. Be prepared for anything.”
It wasn’t just the prospect of a taste of freedom that had me racing back to my room. I was actually looking forward to some time alone with Kon.
“To get him on my side again,” I told myself firmly, grabbing a pretty green sundress from the closet. Along with the loom, more of my clothes had been delivered. I twirled in the mirror, more concerned with my looks than usual, but only because I was on a mission.
Our first stop was a charming place called Seaport Village, which was packed with shops and restaurants.
We meandered along walking trails, taking in the views, both natural and manmade.
When a trolley passed us, Kon grabbed my hand, and we hurried to find the next stop to jump on, jumping off again to grab some ice cream.
I was having such a nice time, I tucked myself under his outstretched arm without thinking about strategy, and I tipped up my chin for a vanilla-flavored kiss without trying to beguile him. I had almost completely forgotten I had a plan at all after we left, laden down with shopping bags.
If I so much as glanced too long at something, Kon bought it for me, and before we got in the car, he rummaged in one of the smaller bags to bring out a necklace.
It was ridiculously expensive with the gold chain and diamonds set around the polished black pearl, and it took my breath away.
Sweeping my hair aside, he fastened it around my neck.
Our kiss was long and lingering, and I melted against him, but it was over too soon when he said we had one more thing on the agenda. After about half an hour of trying to guess what kind of restaurant he was taking me to, he remained silent, with a secretive smile on his face.
It wasn’t a restaurant at all, but a lighthouse set high on a hill. We were just skating in under the closing time, but Kon charmed the ticket takers by putting on a heavier accent while wrapping his arm around me.
“We leave for home tomorrow, and it’s the only thing my wife wants to see.”
I played along, and then we were running up the path that seemed to have no end. “This better be worth—”
My complaint was cut off when we finally reached the lookout point. All I could see was the ocean and sky, the coastline spread out below us as far as the eye could see. Kon put his arm around me, and I rested against him as he pointed out Mexico, not so far away.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful,” I said. getting misty-eyed under the majesty of the vast sea and deepening blue sky.
Kon agreed, but when I turned, he was looking at me. The scene lay out below us was all but forgotten as I got lost in his gray eyes, shining like the new pearl around my neck. A park ranger told us we had to move on, and the spell was broken, both of us bursting into laughter for no reason.
Or maybe just because everything was fine for that teeny tiny second, and it felt good. We held hands the entire way down, our fingers entwining again as soon as we were buckled into the car. He leaned over to kiss me, but I nudged him away with my nose.
“Home,” I said.
His eyes darkened, and he nodded, turning the car back toward the beach house. He had to drop my hand to use the gear shift, but randomly stroked my arm or turned to swipe a lock of hair behind my ear at a stoplight.
“This is taking forever,” I said, making him chuckle, though the set of his jaw told me he was also brimming with impatience.
I shut up and turned to look out the window, shocked at how far I was taking this.
Was I really going to sleep with Kon in order to get what I wanted, which was information and cooperation?
Was that the kind of person I had become?
And if so, didn’t he push me into this with his refusal to believe in Papa’s innocence and his inability to trust me?
I didn’t like thinking I could have become so depraved in such a short time. But it was almost worse how much I wanted him, and that orchestrating getting him into bed might have been the main objective all along.