- Chapter One Hundred And One -
Why, Do You Think I Should?
Dawn still a good ways off, the morose indigo mood blotting out the stars was the only thing the young woman could discern through the circular window. Stint in Comoros lasting a pinch longer than anticipated due to errant weather, low wisps of nimbus clung with unshaking fervor to the vessel, thinning only as Somalia was put to their backs. Wyatt glanced up from his seat as the hours crept on, eyes skimming a report from his men in Madagascar.
At least it isn't raining anymore, she mused apathetically. Administered sedatives by her brother to keep from treading down the path to anxiety (as well as for everyone's safety), the heiress was vaguely aware of the cold seeping from the metal window frame. Dazed to the sensation of the mechanical vibrations thrumming from the high-end engine as it strained to outstrip the capacity listed on the warranty, nothing fazed the captive as she shifted her weight. Not even the stream of swears coming from the next compartment; between Angel and Ashley, the pair of hipsters had yet to master what came so naturally to their boss.
Breath fogging on the glass as the motion caused her head to roll, the bleach blonde's thoughts drifted back to Sam. The bravest of her knights said he was coming for her, so she had little doubt that the debonair explorer would make a grand reappearance at some point.
What plagued Daniella was the reasoning behind his motives: was he doing it for her, or was it out of principle?
Hardly needing to expend any energy to read his companion's shallow thoughts, the conquering warchild momentarily met her in the middle. Sympathy was out of the question, however an act of understanding wasn't so impossible. "Wondering about your 'bodyguard'?" Wiggling his brow into a slight ramp with the faintest hint of a supporting arch, the soldier seemed nigh amused by the fact that she continued to cling on the notion that he was anything but selfish. Then again, at this moment in time it really was all she had. "Don't worry. He'll come running to you."
"Will he though?" Making it sound as if she had done something utterly unspeakable that fundamentally ruined whatever fragile trust they had built in their weeks together, Daniella was partially glad she had accepted her brother's offer to help with her nerves. Somehow she had missed a good chunk of the road from Cairo to Mogadishu, which was a shame in terms of her secret wish to be a globe-trotting adventurer. In terms of who was with her... Well, she was a bit too mellow to feel that prickle running down her spine. The lingering twinge that would not be quieted. The pain laced with survival instinct.
If their father's watery grave wasn't proof enough, the soldier had seen first-hand how determined the ex-con could be: say what one would about the man, it was unlikely that the frantic search in the city for the kidnapped heiress was going be forgotten any time soon. Wyatt was certain that they would have to deal with his sister's suitors soon enough, although, he was less sure how it would shake itself out. Jian was only in it for the 'honor' and position she would bring. Drake though?
"Sam will come through for you." Not skipping a beat, Wyatt assuaged some of his sibling's woe by simply telling the truth as he knew it. Would that she could return the favor. Although, if she had the power to make him feel better, they wouldn't have needed to play this ridiculous game in the first place. "Whatever you want to say he is to you, the old man's not going to get me any closer to what's mine."
Looking more stoned than wounded, she blinked, almost stung by the callous disregard for such a storied adventurer, "He's not that old..."
A much funnier joke than anything else the merc had heard in a while, the idea that Sam Drake wasn't a relic on the way to becoming obsolete was a real side-splitter. Literally about to become a grandfather - provided of course that nothing happened to the surfer and his missus - the man only had maybe a decade left for the field, and really what was left after that? Retirement? Assuming a man like that could even survive that unique hell, the odds that a rich, pretty little thing in her prime would want to suffer by his side were dismal.
Even if she didn't want to see it, her boyfriend was over the hill.
Rather than squabble needlessly over the fact that her decrepit beau was older than their father, he returned to his charts and numbers. What business was it of his if they tried to live in some warped fantasy? "You would do better to ask me how I see this thing ending. Drake has nothing that interests me. The other one?" Despite poaching the psychos from the triad leader, Wyatt couldn't even be bothered to remember his name. "I sincerely doubt its worth hearing your fiancé out either. Why bother when he's nothing but a pawn for your mother and grandfather?"
Heckles raised at the mention of that horrid traitor (and the grandfather that had kicked all of this ordeal off in spite of the fact that he had nothing to do with his family in America prior), Daniella inhaled just a little too sharply. Probably never not going to be annoyed that her legal custodian was still breathing when her beloved father was rotting beneath a mountain of rubble and melted gold, the young woman perked her ears at the casual mention of the rescue party. Skeptical that Jian was fighting for her too, what Dells could wrap her head around was the fact that her brother was so disinterested in the whole thing.
If his convictions weren't steadfast.... Cognizant enough to be aware that Wyatt's willingness to listen to Sam and Jian brought them precious time, Dells realized that this was her moment to help. "Jian has good connections. Angel and Ashley, for example. If he had them on his payroll, who knows who else he might have? He infiltrated the island without so much as peep of suspicion." Careful not to be obvious, she leaned into her lethargy. "But you already turned them. And the island was pretty much all average civilians, so that's not really much, is it? Maybe he is worthless to you after all."
"What about Drake? Aren't you going to make a case for your lover?" Humoring his sister out of boredom more than anything else, she wasn't exactly bringing up any angle that he hadn't already considered at length.
"Obviously I want him to make it out of there!" Sedative only able to mask so much of her emotion, the young woman tensed before falling back into her chair meekly. "But what could I possibly say to convince you spare him when you haven't even made up your mind about what you're going to do about me? I don't constitute much of a threat, even with all of my billions. And we share the same father. On the other hand, why risk it?"
Perhaps the girl wasn't a complete idiot.
Inconsequential as the two men might be to his goals, they could still prove potentially problematic, what with wanting the girl back. Honestly, they could bicker over her in hell for all he cared; denied and still bitter about it, the mercenary wanted what was his birthright. Daniella was merely a means to an end, and what happened to the key after it was used was none of his concern. Perhaps Angel and Ashley could have her in lieu of payment. Or maybe he would let the heiress break her heart on the thief after all.
"You should get some proper rest, we have a big day ahead of us." Reports indicating that the salvaging of the ship was going better than expected with this newest wrecker, it was still going to be a long time before they got the closure they needed. That was why it was so imperative that he make Bai reconsider her position. Having said that, the intelligence from the Orange Tiger Association suggested that in the meantime his sister might like the chance to have a look around the island.
[Ruler of Nothing but a Pile of Rocks and Sand]
Gifted with scalpel and screw, the devious pair in the cockpit may have taken a swallow in flight as their insignia, however that didn't automatically translate to a deep understand of the bird. Truth be told, the hipsters had only chosen the design because it looked cool; neither had seen a living swallow that wasn't a search result or attached to a forum post. Point being that just because they had donned the hat of a captain, didn't mean they suddenly knew how to do much when the autopilot was switched off.
Ordered by their new 'boss' to tell him when anything changed on the control panels or they were approaching land, the pair had been dismissed with a lie. Ashley less able to swallow the pill than Angel, it was apparent that they were making their guest mighty uncomfortable, and that just wouldn't do. Frankly killing her and just bluffing with the puppet of her cooling corpse was the best solution, but like most other cowards in charge of the show, Wyatt was adamant that she be no more harmed than when they had found her.
As if that was going to be a concern. Very much aware of the shape the heiress had been in when collected from the cab, neither of the mad duo were the slightest bit tempted to get her back to that state. There were porn sets that were cleaner than the scene of that love crime.
[Easy There, Tiger]
As the space between the restaurant and their destination dwindled, the more handsy Yahui got.
Bai - willing to entertain so much for the cause for so long - knew this moment would arrive sooner or later. Something of childhood sweethearts with the Fu Shan Chu, the Deputy Mountain Master had actually shown surprising restraint: the man she remembered was much quicker to the point. Opting to applaud the growth rather than feign as if she viewed it as a personal slight, despite all these years, he still wasn't enough.
He wasn't Rafe. No one was.
Disdain wrinkling her nose as if he were putting off a pungent stench, the woman narrowed her eyes with enough venom to choke a mule. Shards of splintered steel and rain hardened into glass pierced through the prescription-grade lenses, spraying across his hopes like a volley of arrows. Patience worn thin by the unbidden memory of her ungrateful child, the businesswoman was beyond pretending that there was something about the man that might make her suddenly forget the love of her life.
"Yahui... You've always been so good to me." While the man may have fallen short of standing in perfection's lofty shadow, he was still fine enough a specimen to move the needle. Blunting the strength of the glare by undercutting it entirely, the bespectacled beauty placed her hand over his, pinning it against her thigh. "To this day you support me, and I can never thank you enough for that."
Fingertips savoring the feel of nylon over skin, he slowly slid his palm up towards the snow-white hem that marked a widow mourning her beloved. Keeping his tone measured even as his mind imagined more, Yahui was prepared to challenge Bai on this if need be. "I know a good investment when I see one." Higher and higher his hand crept, until his littlest finger was brushing the edge of the fabric that preserved her modesty. "I have no illusions about what this particular arrangement entails."
Wicked games her specialty, the woman remembered those same words passing from his lips many, many years ago. And again not that long ago, when they came to the same understanding that it was time for a change. Skilled with the silken words he spun, it only made sense that he was the righthand of her father. Eviscerating stare softening to something that merely stripped skin from bone, she removed his hand from its intimate caress. Holding tight, she squeezed tight before kissing his rough knuckles with blood-red lips.
"Very well, but not here. Only whores fuck in the back of cabs." Limousines, on the other hand, were an entirely different story.
Author's Note:
I miss Harry Potter. Especially Goblet of Fire. I should re-watch it sometime. And The Scorpion King.
Better yet, I should watch Rocky Horror ^3^