17. Von
C lean, dressed, and sporting an achy pussy as a reminder of just how possessive Bear could be, it was time to leave. I hugged Edda and Beppe quickly before the guys came downstairs and caught me being sentimental.
“Bear said he chopped enough wood for you to be set for the next two months,” I shared and glanced down at Beppe’s gnarled hands. “Is there anything else you can’t manage on your own?”
“Don’t fret, my dearest, we have a young man who comes to help us when Beppe can’t manage,” Edda assured me.
I shot Beppe a look to be sure Edda wasn’t mistaken, but he smiled and nodded. “Yes, nice boy, his family owns the farm just down the way.”
It was my nature not to trust or accept anything at face value, so naturally, I made a mental note to check out who this helpful man was. “All right, well, you know how to get a hold of me if you need anything.”
Edda cupped my face with such tenderness and kissed my forehead. “Be safe, Vonny. I might not be your nursemaid any longer, but I love you as if you were my own.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said, knowing I couldn’t promise anything more than that.
A knock on the door frame to the living room drew my attention, and saw it was Bear. “ Everything is done, we’re ready to leave. ”
I nodded, then gave my chosen grandparents a parting smile and wave. “Till next time.”
Slinging my duffel over my shoulder, I headed out the front door and down the long drive. The sound of footsteps on the gravel told me the guys had followed without question. Soon, Erik was walking beside me with a slight limp, but his face showed no sign of pain. Then again, he was a highly trained special ops soldier.
“So, little siren, are we walking the whole way to your house?” Erik asked after we reached the main road.
“Not the whole way,” I answered.
Erik raised his hands as if he was fending me off. “Whoa there, no need to drown me in details, geez, a simple answer would have been fine.”
I couldn’t help the grin as I fought off my laughter. “I don’t want anyone to know about this place. Yeah, it’s a safe house, but not for me. We needed to get out of Hasnad fast, and I didn’t have many safe houses near my family’s home which were stocked. So to keep our presence here low profile, we’re walking to town and getting a ride from there.”
“Isn’t our woman simply brilliant,” Apollo said, coming to walk on my other side.
Erik rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.
We fell into a comfortable silence as we walked, which was what I was used to, spending all my time with Bear as my shadow. Erik had picked up pretty quickly that I wasn’t much for small talk, but Apollo had been nonstop chatter since he locked me in his panic room. God, I hoped now that I’d marked the bastard he’d calm the fuck down.
Once we reached the main town, I was reminded just how rural this place was. I headed for the one pay phone they had near the courthouse and dialed.
“Valter’s Discrete Car Service, where we don’t ask questions. This is Valter,” a deep yet raspy voice answered.
“It’s Wolf. I need a pickup outside the Maevo courthouse for four people and luggage. I’ll tell the driver where we need to be dropped off once we’re on our way,” I instructed.
There was a moment of silence before Valter responded. “Do I have your word you won’t kill my driver this time?”
I figured he might still be salty about losing one of his guys, but I didn’t have a choice. If the driver had kept his nose out of our business, there would have been no need to clean up loose ends.
“Look, I told him to stay in the car, it’s not my fault he didn’t listen,” I pointed out. “I don’t expect there to be any issues, we just need a ride from point A to point B and assurances we’ll be forgotten afterward.”
A grunt of acceptance told me we were in business. “Your driver will be there in fifteen minutes. He’ll be driving a blacked-out SUV with plates ending in seven, two, nine.”
“Perfect, you can bill it to the card you have on file and add five hundred for the driver's tip. Just make sure he knows the tip is payment for keeping his mouth shut, and if I find out he failed, I’ll take the tip out of his flesh,” I warned.
“My entire business is based on being discreet. I wouldn’t hire someone who could possibly ruin my reputation,” Valter snapped. “Question my people again, and you’ll have to find a different car service to use.”
With that, Valter ended the call causing me to bristle at the disrespect. With far too much aggression, I slammed the phone against the metal box it rested on twice in quick succession. The plastic earpiece shattered, making the phone unusable.
“Bastard,” I swore under my breath as I faced the guys. “Our ride will be here in fifteen minutes.”
Erik’s brows were raised as if shocked by my outburst. “Everything okay, little siren?”
“Peachy,” I grumbled and pulled out my cell.
Von:
Hey, I’m heading to grab B-Yacht’ch, make sure the doggy door is open this time.
Thing 2:
One time, V, it happened one time.
Von:
Once is enough in my book. Oh, and can you set up two more kennels?
Thing 1:
Two? So a total of four?
Von:
That is how math works, two plus two is four.
Thing 2:
Aren’t you working on some big project? How did you manage to collect two more strays?
Thing 1:
Wait, are you taking after Queenie?
Von:
Just fucking do what I asked. I’ll see you two dipshits soon.
I shoved my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and rolled out my shoulders. Going home was always a challenge, which is why I hardly did it. Now I was going to show up with two strange men, which would cause my brothers to turn into overprotective idiots. I was sure Father would also have an opinion on the matter, which would cause a fight between us. Ugh, why did Serena have to go after my family, forcing me to stick around until the moles had been smoked out?
“Apollo,” I called, causing the man’s head to snap up and meet my gaze.
The excitement in his eyes had me picturing him as a dog, tail wagging furiously, pleased with my attention. “Yes, my treasure?”
“From this point until we leave my parents’ house, your name is Paul Rossi. What do you normally tell your marks when they ask what your job is?” I asked, testing to see if he truly was going to answer all my questions as he promised.
“Most of the time I’m an appraiser, and I source goods for an auction house,” Apollo shared. “Another I’ve used is museum acquisitions. Both jobs explain my interest in rare or priceless items from the past.”
“Does the auction house really exist?” I pressed.
Apollo flashed me a smile. “Dearest treasure, do you think I’m foolish enough not to ensure my story stands up to scrutiny? Rest assured, all my identities are solid, your family won’t find anything I don’t want them to.”
“Good, because I don’t have the time or enough weed to explain to my family why one of the men I’m supposed to kill is alive and came for a sleepover,” I muttered.
A blacked-out SUV stopped where we were standing and rolled down the window. “You the ones who called for a ride?”
I ignored the question as I walked to the front of the car and looked at the license plate. “He’s our guy, now load your shit in the back. I want to get this trip over sooner than later.”
We all piled into the SUV, Bear taking the front seat, which had the driver pale in fear.
“W-where to?” he asked, putting the car in gear.
“Romwell Marina,” I answered.
“Uh…” the driver started, then paused to lick his lips. “Romwell Marina is almost two hours away.”
“Oh good, so you know right where it is,” I responded and looked at the name posted on the license. “Sandro, I’m gonna take a nap. However, just in case you get lost or get any bright ideas to take us on a longer route, know Bear is keeping an eye on things.”
The man visibly gulped and nodded like a bobblehead. “Understood, should I keep the radio off since you’ll be sleeping?”
“That’s up to these three,” I said, waving at the guys. “Bear, there’s no battle to the death over the music, understood?”
Bear gave me a rather deadpan look since he knew I was the one who liked to play that game, not him. I smiled and gave my grumpy Bear a wink before curling up against the door.
“Hey, if you lay like that you’re gonna end up with a kink in your neck and piss off the wound on your arm,” Erik pointed out in a low voice. “Use me as your pillow instead.”
When I didn’t move, he slid his arm around my shoulders and tugged me closer until my back rested against his side. The way he held me turned his arm into a pillow and kept me securely tucked in place. Without saying anything, I nuzzled my cheek on his arm in thanks before drifting off.
The smell of salty ocean air was something I’d always loved. My childhood home was built near a cliffside which held back the ocean’s power. I used to love hunkering in one of the small caves the water had created thousands of years ago to watch the waves during rainstorms. We were much too high up for there to be any worry the water would rise enough to take out our home.
Growing up so close to the ocean, it only made sense I learned how to sail. My brothers taught me far earlier than I probably should have been, but they needed a third person to drive the speed boat while they wake boarded. Dad gifted me a boat on my sixteenth birthday which I’d named the B-Yacht’ch. Thankfully, he didn’t sell it when I left home, but kept it safe until I returned.
I headed down the dock to where my boat was tied in her slip. With ease, I jumped onto the rear of the boat and walked over to one of the padded benches. I lifted the seat to reveal a small safe tucked away in the corner. Placing my pointer finger on the small sensor, the lid popped up signaling it was unlocked. I grabbed the key and the USB jump drive that was always kept in the safe.
“Holy shit, little siren,” Erik said with a whistle. “This is one hell of a boat.”
Smiling, I unlocked the door which led down into the hull where a small kitchen, bathroom, and bed could be found. “Toss your stuff in here so we don’t trip over it on the deck,” I instructed.
Bear had been on many boat rides with me, making it so much easier to dock and cast off. He took care of the ropes at the rear while I returned to the dock and released the rope holding the bow. Free from restraints, we were ready to head out into open water. Let’s hope the others don’t get as seasick as Bear used to. Those first few trips out, Bear was useless as he clung to the railing and puked his guts out. So, of course, my cure was to make him spend a week with me on the boat as I delivered an order to a customer who lived on one of the islands. I’d happily use any excuse to spend some time on the water.
It wasn’t long until we were out of the marina, and I could get my girl’s engine really going. My hair whipped around my face in the wind, but I didn’t give a shit, I was out in open water. This was the only place I could even consider letting down my guard and taking a deep breath. If anyone wanted to make a move on me, I’d be able to see them coming from any direction. Sure, the ocean was a cruel mistress who listened to no one, but as long as you were smart, chances of survival were good.
Unwilling to cut this part of the journey short, I decided now would be a perfect time to see if Apollo would keep up his end of the deal. I turned us away from the shoreline and aimed for the vast expanse of the ocean. After about an hour I slowed, then shut the engine off once I was sure there were no other boats on the horizon.
“Far be it for me to question your choices, but why have we stopped?” Apollo asked from his spot in the captain’s chair right behind me.
I hated to sit while I drove, it limited my ability to see my surroundings. It was a major reason I had the cockpit modified so it had glass walls, giving me a perfect three hundred sixty-degree view. Even though being on the water was one of my favorite things, I didn’t live this long without developing a hefty amount of suspicion.
Spinning on my heel, I leaned against the console and crossed my arms. “Two reasons, but you only need to worry about one.”
Apollo raised a perfectly arched brow. “Which is?”
“Whether or not you were telling the truth about answering any and all of my questions. If I find out you were only playing with me, then what better place to dump a body than here?” I answered with a teeth-flashing grin.