Joel had managed to get Josue back to the island, but now he had a three hour wait for Tina to come in. Instead of idling about the mainland, though, he felt the need to simply wait on the yacht. It was easy to watch a couple short videos on his phone. He liked the downtime. At a text from Ashley asking about Nichole's birthday supplies, he grimaced. I forgot about that!
"Yes, yes, honey. I'm doing that now," he sighed. He still had a couple hours to kill, so it wasn't that much of a rush. Calling for a cab, he began to wonder if it would be easier to just get a car. If I'm going to be living out here, I may have to invest in a vehicle. It was either that or get my car towed out by boat. He found it harder and harder to believe that he'd be keeping the house in Maryland. The only way that would work was if I converted my house to have an indoor pool that attached to the ocean, but I was a bit far inland. It was very unlikely that it would be feasible to do.
Sighing hard, he came back to the present when he was in front of a bakery. Walking inside, he waved at an attendant. "Can I help you, Sir?"
"Yes. I need a birthday cake," Joel smiled.
"Very good!" the youth said behind the counter.
"Something basic right now, but can feed a lot. I was thinking of a sheet cake."
"What flavor?"
"Do you have dual? Like, oh, chocolate and vanilla?"
"We do! Half or full?"
"Full, please," Joel nodded. "and decorate it with 'Happy Birthday, Nichole'."
"I can do that," the attendant chuckled.
"I also need a tub of ice cream. Maybe a Neapolitan."
"There are some tubs in the freezer behind you, but I'm not sure if we have any of that flavor in stock right now."
"Okay. I'll make a decision," Joel nodded. He picked out a tub of mint chocolate chip and another of strawberry. He really wanted to keep it somewhat basic. After the purchases were made, he had another cab take him back to the yacht to stow it. The cab driver was kind enough to wait patiently with the extra tip. "Thanks for waiting. Ah, I need a good pizza parlor next."
"I would suggest you call ahead. It will take us time to get there, and it will be ready when we do get there," the cab driver suggested. Joel could only nod at that reasoning. The number was given over, and the pizza was ordered. Sure enough, when they arrived, the pizza was ready. He also had a small sandwich ordered for Tina. He doubted she would have eaten anything on her flight. When Joel got back, he surprised the driver with a small pizza pie of his own. "Oh!"
"Just a small thanks in appreciation," Joel chuckled. At this, the driver gave over his card.
"If you need me to take you anywhere, call me. I'll do what I can to help," the driver said with a large smile. Joel nodded and took the card easily. "Where to next?"
"Actually, I need to hit the airport to pick up someone. Then it's back to the yacht."
"Allow me," the driver said. When they got to the airport, Tina was just heading out of the main lobby. She was followed by several of the locals. Joel was not happy at the white, two-piece outfit she wore. The mid-drift easily exposed her tanned belly and barely covered over her chest. Even the shorts she wore looked a touch too tight. And way too short. The stiletto heels made him cringe a bit, too. He saw her like another daughter. Lisa and Tina were high school friends. Her long hair was loose and neatly covered over her shoulders, as she only regarded the following men lightly. If she had any cleavage showing, he doubted he would be seeing her at all. She would have likely been diverted away.
"Oh, you boys are funny!" she laughed and shook her head. "I'm waiting for my ride."
"We can take you where you want to go," one of the men chuckled.
"She's with me," Joel said in a rather dark way when he approached. At the vibe he gave off, it was a completely protective and fatherly vibe. The men around her seemed to stiffen with alarm.
"Joel! So good to see you," she beamed and made her way over.
"Likewise," he nodded and gave her a hug and kiss to her cheek. "The flight was good?"
"Hey! She was with us!" the man growled with his friends. When she referred to him by name, they thought he was a lover of some kind. They were about to be sorely mistaken.
"And now she's with me. I am taking her from here," Joel said calmly.
"What? You can't share her?" a man smirked.
"First of all, I see her like my daughter. You're a fucking pervert. Get a fucking life and beat it," Joel growled. The youths simply laughed him off.
"Just tell us where you're taking her. We can meet up," one of them grinned.
"I'm warning you. Don't fuck with me. I'll call Bobby, if you do," Joel said with a small glare.
"Dude..." one of the men paled. He recognized that name all too well.
"Who?" the first man asked.
"We'll go," another said.
"No! We can't just let her walk away!" the first man said. At the small whisper given, the first man's jaw dropped, as his face went completely white. At this, Joel simply nodded to them that the understanding was given. What was even better was the sight of one of Bobby's personal henchmen mildly glancing over. The man was playing security for now, and he recognized Joel. When Joel nodded back to him discreetly, the man gave a wink. He saw the whole thing. The small group of men quickly dispersed, but they would likely be rounded up and questioned later behind closed doors.
"Bobby?" Tina frowned.
"A rather powerful figurehead here. I'm friends with him," Joel smiled and led her away. "Lisa's waiting to see you. I have a cab waiting for us. And you're not touching the pizza in it."
"Oh, come on! I'm starving!" she said, as they walked away. "They only gave me peanuts."
"I got something for you," Joel chuckled and gave her a six inch tuna sub when they settled in. "Thanks for waiting for us."
"Of course! You need to get to the port?" the driver asked, and the cab started up.
"Yep! Oh, Tina, you brought a swimsuit, right?" Joel asked.
"Of course, I did!" she said between bites. Joel only chuckled at his own intuition. She really was hungry, and she likely had nothing at all until now.
"Good. And I detest what you're wearing."
"What? It's my traveling outfit!"
"Those men were ready to steal you away."
"Oh, come on..."
"No. If I didn't show up when I did, you would have been in some serious trouble."
"Please..."
"Don't you 'please' me!" Joel snorted. "If I was your father, I'd have you grounded, and over half of your clothes would be given to good will!"
"But..."
"No! You are not allowed to argue. And don't roll your eyes at me, either," he warned when she was about to. "You know how I am."
"Yes, I know," she seemed to mope.
"And, you knew what I would say."
"Yes..."
"And, you also know what Lisa is going to say. I don't care about how old you are. When you are in my presence, you know how I'm going to treat you."
"I know," she said and chuckled with a small shrug. She balled up the wrapper, and Joel put it in the small trash bin in the cab. "So, where is Lisa?"
"You'll find out soon," Joel nodded. "It's Nikki's birthday, so I had to get a few things for her."
"Oh! I should get her a gift!" Tina blinked.
"No need. Her husband spoils her enough," Joel chuckled.
"So, Annie's friends really treated her like shit?"
"You could say that. Not anymore when her number got changed. A pageant is being done for them out here. They were hoping she'd become a part of it, as a way to lure her out for more intimidation. Her husband isn't letting her show up. They can win it however they like."
"So...they arranged for a pageant to draw her out? What cheap whores!"
"I know," Joel muttered. "But, it's being taken care of."
"Good!" she nodded. Tina may not have gotten along with Annie very well, but she did see her like a little sister at times.
"And, you might want to change into your swimsuit when we get to the yacht."
"I'm wearing it!" she beamed.
"Now I'm disturbed to a whole new level," Joel winced. At the pout she gave him, he grinned at her and poked her in the side to make her jump. After another five minutes, they got to the yacht. The pizza was secured, and he pulled out a mackerel from the main cooler. "Can you feed the dolphin in the water, please? I'm sure she's hungry."
"I get to feed a dolphin?!" she gasped. He nodded and let her take the fish to do just that. At the grateful display of leaps and clicks, she was giggling with pure delight. When more dolphins appeared as the yacht moved, she was in complete awe. She ran down to where Joel was driving the yacht. "Do you see them?! I mean...wow!"
"Yep! They work with Lisa's new family. They like to swim with the yacht," Joel chuckled. "We have an hour to sail, so get comfy. Take a nap. Or, better yet, change out of that disgusting outfit."
"What?! It's not disgusting!"
"You're right. It's distasteful," Joel nodded. She was starting to fume, but he gave her a mild glare. Sighing, she simply decided to recline on one of the chairs in the main area. There was simply no winning with me, and she knew it!
With him on the way back to the island, Michael was learning of the new family business that was going to go into motion. He was all for helping out with security and defenses. As he reclined mildly on the beach with a healthy dose of sunblock on his skin, Missa was contentedly pressed into him. He was able to claim a tunnel, too. They had only one left available, and that one was to be reserved for Tina. They were worried about any wounded that came to them, but they knew how to tend wounded.
"We don't have any more room for other humans," Kilnak said. "If we try to make another hole, the island may collapse. We're at our limit now. We know how to work with the ocean, if other wounded pod members appear, but we can't sustain another after Tina."
"I know it," Josh sighed. "Kina told me there's hardly any sand between some of the rock tunneling now. Did you guys have to reinforce anything?"
"Kessin's tunnel almost collapsed. We saved it just in time," Kilnak said with a sigh. "I'm glad there's a lot of rocks around here! Lotisoo has been trying to do some underwater welding to hold up some of the weaker structures. It works, but it's not as good as we thought it would be."
"I know Doug's been trying to work on what he can above water, too," Lisa frowned.
"That does help," Kilnak agreed. "Are the builders back at the main island?"
"Yeah," Josh nodded. "They've been trying to work faster, but they can only do so much here. From what I understand, they are trying another approach. Right, Doug?"
"Huh?" his brother asked.
"What the builders want to do? A different way?" Josh asked.
"Ah, yeah! They want to build certain structures above ground first. Then transport them here and carefully lower them into the water. Air tight and all. Then, when the pieces are fitted up, they remove the parts that make them air tight. You get what I mean?" Doug asked.
"Sort of," Kilnak frowned.
"Take this container," Nichole said, as she held up an opened bucket. "What they want to do, from what I'm getting, is they make the rooms like a bunch of containers with lids. They'll lower the containers into the water after they're built. Then they piece them together. After that, they cut away various internal parts of the lids to make connecting rooms."
"Oh! I get it now," Kilnak nodded. "They pre-make the rooms in an area they can work with before sinking them?"
"Yep!" Josh grinned. "I'm sure they test each room in a specialized pool area, too."
"Well, for the money I'm dropping on this whole thing, they'd better know what they're doing," Kilnak muttered. Michael was mildly listening in and had an idea.
"Kilnak, I was just thinking," Michael said. "you should have an outer security area and an internal one. The outer one could work with vocal imprint. The inner one would be the tech code you wanted. I'm only saying this from an electrical standpoint. Sea water can corrode. You don't want that much electricity to be present. So, if you use sound as a way to get in first, then have a key code that's away from the water just outside your pool area above the water..."
"I get it!" Kilnak grinned.
"It would be safer that way, too. You can talk into an underwater microphone first," Nichole said. At Michael's nod, Kilnak was all for it. Michael was able to grab his suitcase without disturbing Missa, and he took out his laptop to make some digital notes. He emailed them to himself and set the laptop aside. Then he noticed a new email that just came up from one of his bosses.
"What's up?" Kilnak asked when he noticed a change on Michael's face.
"I got an email from a boss. Hold on," he sighed and began to read it. "Interesting. I'm being told to come back tomorrow or I'm fired."
"Let him fire you," Kilnak shrugged.
"If I get fired, then I can't work on your defenses," he grimaced.
"Is there a phone number?" Kilnak asked.
"Ah...yeah..." Michael said uneasily.
"Call him up and let me talk to him," he said.
"Why?" Nichole asked. Michael was very skeptical on this.
"Because I want to tell his boss exactly how much money I'm dropping into his company. And, I may be purchasing another island. I may not, but he won't need to know that," Kilnak smirked.
"What do you plan to tell him?" Michael asked.
"To see if you can relocate out here. That your insight is invaluable to me, and that I would be covering all of your expenses to stay here," Kilnak chuckled. Michael looked over at Missa and seemed to shrug. She was slowly learning the language, and Kilnak was able to translate for her. At the thought of him being able to live with her, she gave a hopeful look.
"Okay. I'll call," Michael caved. Rick was laughing softly from where he was with Sarissa.
"Trust me. I feel your pain," Rick said. "I'll have to do the same thing."
"Really?" Michael chuckled and dialed the number for the boss calling him. He held up a hand for silence. "Hey, Scott. Ah, the guy that's buying these islands and needs security done wants to talk to you. Yeah. Well, he saw the email you sent me. Well, it's kinda hard to hide it when we were going over security measures. Look..."
"Give me the phone," Kilnak said and dried his hands. "Hello, there. Scott, right? Excellent! Joel is the one getting the islands for me. I'm almost ready to drop another three million dollars into your lap for another possible island. I'm also getting ready to drop over half a million on just security defenses alone. I will only work through Michael. So, I'll make you an offer. You let him relocate out here. I will cover his living expenses in full. If he needs to relocate his living space, I'll also help him out. If you don't like it, then fine. Fire him, and I'll take my money somewhere else. What do you think?"
"Rock and a hard place," Rick muttered softly. Michael could only nod at that.
"No, I am not the one the signed the contract. My wife, Nichole, did just that with her father. I have Nichole right here. Look. My islands have been infiltrated already. I need Michael out here to survey everything. If you don't want my money, then fine. I get it. I'll go elsewhere. Actually, you know what? Who's your boss? Let me talk to him," Kilnak said sternly. After a few minutes of hold music, which Kilnak completely detested, he heard an older man on the phone. He calmly explained the situation, and this man was in complete agreement with him.
"I'll handle Scott. I like your offers," the man said.
"Good. Also, I want to bring this to your attention," Kilnak said further. "Someone is handing out information on my islands. It's how they knew where to look for them."
"No!"
"Yes. It's true."
"I will definitely look into this!"
"Good. I want to spend more money with you, and I'll take care of Michael. He's invaluable to me right now. Thank you for your time," Kilnak said.
"And thank you for yours! Oh, tell Michael to forward any emails from Scott to me. I want to see what's being said," the man grumbled out. "Scott's been a touch fishy lately."
"Really? Maybe he's the leak," Kilnak mumbled loudly. Now there was an awkward pause.
"That makes more sense than I could have imagined. I'll look into it," the man said and hung up right after. When Kilnak told Michael what happened, the man was amazed.
"You spoke to George?! He actually talked to you?" Michael said. "Wow! He never talks to customers! But, with how much money you're giving him, I can see why. He's the owner of the company. I'm sure that he wanted to talk to you the moment he caught wind of you calling in."
"Good. He said you can relocate, if I'm covering your expenses. We also think that Scott is the leak," Kilnak smirked. Michael's jaw dropped. "You report everything to him, right?"
"Yeah..." Michael blinked. "I mean...well...it doesn't seem like him..."
"Tell me. When did your partner get canned?" Lisa asked. "As in let go."
"It was about a day after we got back," Michael frowned. "Scott was waiting for him to talk to him in a side office. One of the office girls was in there. She had to report him for slanderous comments. Scott didn't really seem too happy to let him go, either."
"Could your partner have been working with Scott?" Rick asked. At this, Michael paled.
"You made a connection?" Nichole asked.
"I think so..." Michael swallowed. "Brandon always sent a text to Scott almost every hour to every other hour to report in. When I glanced at a text, I noticed it was in code, but I didn't say anything about it. I just wanted to do my job."
"That's fine. We'll work with you and your needs," Kilnak said. "If any question us, they'll get the runaround. No other choice in it."
"Do you have any pets?" Nichole asked.
"No. Thankfully," Michael chuckled.
"Pets?" Kilnak asked.
"We like to keep and care for animals. In turn, the animals learn to trust us and some give back affection. It's domesticating them," Nichole explained. "Like the dogs and cats we showed you."
"Ah! Interesting. Well, dolphins aren't pets to us. They're like extended family," Kilnak said. "They help us hunt, and we share what we catch with them."
"I can understand that," Michael said. As much as he should be completely worried over his job status, Missa was keeping him calm. At the slight look of worry he had, Kilnak glanced at him. "Oh, just trying to see how I'm supposed to get my things. That's all."
"We plan to have a plot of land built into a small estate," Josh said.
"That's right!" Michael said with a snap and point of his fingers at him. "I can set up defenses."
"You'll get your own spot. Don't worry!" Lisa beamed.
"Hmm..." Tessoo mused allowed from where he was with Annie. "Fear. I feel fear."
"From what?" Nichole asked.
"Someone with him," Tessoo said and looked over at Michael.
"I think that's Scott," Nichole said.
"Ah! Yes. He scared. He found. Ah...Kilnak, we were right in thinking that he was giving out our surface areas. I get the feeling that he thinks he's in a lot of trouble now. He shouldn't have sent out any calls. On doing that, he gave himself away."
"Tessoo says that Scott is definitely the leak and running scared. Tessoo, was this happening for a very long time? Over years?" Kilnak asked.
"Yes. Long time," Tessoo sighed and shook his head. Annie frowned, but she got squeezed.
"Anyways, you should forward up any emails that were sent. George wanted them," Kilnak said. "If we can plug up a leak, then I'm not going to complain."
"Agreed," Michael nodded. As he poured through his emails to forward up as many as he could, Joel was soon seen approaching on the yacht. Nichole gave the okay to let Kilnak go to talk to her father. Kep was out hunting with the pod, but Kilnak was able to tell him what was going on. And what was discovered. Joel was livid.
"Do I call Bobby?" Joel asked from the yacht.
"I don't know," Kilnak frowned. "This is pretty serious."
"I know it is. Oh, Tina's here. Tina! Come here," Joel said.
"Yeah?" she smiled. Before she leaned over the side, Joel stopped her.
"Say nothing mean. Okay? If you say the wrong thing even once, your stay may be revoked. Remember. These people are very rich from the treasure they find. Don't say anything that you wouldn't want people to say to you. Got it?" he warned her.
"Okay," she nodded. Only then did she look over the side. At how her jaw dropped, Joel cleared his throat. She remembered his warning. "Um...hi!"
"Hello," Kilnak nodded. "I'm Nichole's husband. I'm a merman. Yes, we do exist. Just be respectful of us, and you'll be fine."
"Kilnak?" Nichole asked. He swerved and swam over to her quickly. Pulling her close, he kissed her and cradled her. "What does my Dad think on all of this?"
"He's pissed," Kilnak seemed to shrug. He grinned at her odd look. Tina was seen swimming up to the beach and holding onto a dolphin's dorsal fin. When she saw Lisa, the girls squealed and hugged. When Tina saw Nichole and Kilnak, she actually did a double-take.
"Nikki?! Is that you?" Tina gasped.
"Yeah. What is it?" Nichole asked.
"You look so...I mean...hell, you look great!" she said. "Your skin looks like it has an awesome glow from your tan!"
"Well, she is pregnant," Kilnak chuckled. At the sight of the cake, ice cream, and pizza, Nichole gave out a small groan. "Your birthday. Stop complaining!"
"Really?" she winced. Ashley was already moving to help with the cake. Several of the Merfolk there were ready to show their curiosity on tasting what was being provided.
"So, how is this supposed to happen?" Kilnak asked.
"We light up some candles, have her blow them out after making a wish, and then we sing the birthday song!" Josh grinned. At the scowl Nichole gave, he laughed.
"Oh, come on, Nichole!" Ashley said. "How often did we ever get to do this with you?"
"I know..." she moped.
"You didn't do this before?" Kilnak asked. At the mild glance to Annie, he understood why. Of course, things were much different now, but he sighed all the same. It would still take time to heal.
"Um...so...who wanted to meet me?" Tina asked. She was still a touch speechless from the odd figures around her. When Sisik emerged from the water, she could only gaze at him with a sheer form of wonder. There was something about him that was completely indescribable to her. For the first time she could ever remember, she found herself blushing. Hard.
"Are you blushing, Tina?" Lisa asked with shock.
"Sh-shut up!" Tina said in a somewhat shaky, squeaky voice. Lisa's jaw dropped. Even Joel found himself surprised. She was never known to be so awkward around anyone.
"Hi," Sisik said softly. "Ah, name Sisik."
"Hi..." Tina said a touch weakly. Lisa now moved with a rather neutral expression to stand behind her friend. Tina was standing in an almost wobbly way. At the sudden splash and shriek, everyone died laughing. Lisa shoved her friend into the water. "What was that for?!"
"Because you needed it," Lisa grinned. Tina sputtered with rage, but found herself pausing when Sisik moved to gently help her get back to the beach. She had never been carried in the water before. She actually liked the sensation. A lot.
"Um...I don't have to go back up just yet," she said.
"You like him," Kilnak grinned wickedly.
"I..." she started. At the musical purr Sisik gave off, she swallowed.
"Tina, it's okay. We all understand," Joel said with a small chuckle.
"It was the same way with me and Lotisoo when we first saw each other," Lisa said with a shrug.
"It's why we don't want to leave, too," Annie smiled. Tessoo smiled and squeezed her. "Um, do you sense anything from them? The others?"
"Hmm..." Tessoo thought.
"Sense?" Michael asked. Now Tina was curious. Ashley was still working on the cake to get it ready for Nichole. Lisa and Josh were glancing over to hear what was going on. Rick was going over the two wounded mermen to ensure they were healing right, but he was also listening in.
"Yes. My brother has the ability to feel out people. Like he did with Scott," Kilnak said. "Dolphins have mild premonitions. Tessoo has that ability, but it's enhanced from being with Annie."
"He's empathic," Nichole said. "and he has the ability to mess around with mental psyches."
"I am not going to piss him off," Michael said. Missa was still clinging to him happily. "And...you won't let me go?"
"She bonded herself to you," Kilnak grinned. "She considers herself as your mate now."
"Ah..." Michael blinked. At the soft, musical purr she gave him, he could only nod with a smile. He found himself pulling her closer to him. When Kep appeared with the rest of the pod, they had more lobsters and lionfish. These were quickly taken up to get cooked.
"Just in time for pizza!" Ashley giggled and began to pass out small squares. They didn't want to feed them too much in case of digestive issues. Just enough to taste was good.
"This is...different..." Kilnak mused over his small piece. Nikki was given a full slice, and he ended up sharing it with her. "I'll blame myself, if I get stomach issues later."
"Good," she smiled and kissed him. When it came to the cake and candles, she cringed. But, she made a small wish and blew them out. When the song was sung, Kilnak was snickering at her.
"So, what did you wish for?" Josh asked.
"If I said anything, then it won't come true," she said and stuck out her tongue.
"You will tell me?" Kilnak asked.
"What do you think I wished for?" she smiled.
"Being alone with me?" he muttered in her ear.
"Maybe..." she chuckled.
"I'm granting your wish," he grinned and looked at Joel. "I'm swimming for a little bit with her. Save us a little of that, okay?"
"Right," Joel nodded. Kilnak was quick to swim away with her for some quality time alone. A slice of cake and some of the ice cream was saved and stored in the portable freezer. As the sun began to set, Tina found herself in a predicament. She clearly didn't want to leave Sisik's side.
"Tina?" he asked her softly.
"It's funny," Tina said. Kilnak's dolphin companion was there to happily translate for her. "When it comes to guys, I just...flirt a little and leave them hanging. And...with you...I just..."
"Stay?" he asked with a small smile. "Here?"
"I don't think I would mind it," she said softly. The kiss they shared next sealed her decision. She simply had to stay with him. Even Michael was coming to the same conclusion with the kiss he experienced with Missa. He now made plans to see about moving closer. He didn't have a choice anymore. Joel could only sigh and chuckle at everything. There were only two things he had on his mind now. There was the pageant. Then there was the rest of the family. He was loathing over the second thought of having his family meet the new family. Only one outcome would happen. He was hoping that it would be the better one.