- Chapter Four -
Just Turn Around While You Still Can
Choices boiling down to either bemoaning just how much he wished he had a cigarette or pretending to bite the bait, it was a no brainer. Electing to ignore the previous several ticks of the clock, the grizzled ex-con was done with the lot of children. The heiress was just draining (albeit she had a damn good reason to be), and the most likely of conclusions of why the surfer was after him was for money. If that ended up being the case, the blonde was going to be sorely disappointed. Almost as disappointed as he was that babysitting the girl hadn't changed much in the twenty or so years he'd last been left with the task.
Examining what he was doing with his life (or more accurately what he was doing with such sorry security), Sam could only ask himself how they managed to find him at the same time. "So you're Crystal's kid, huh?"
"Yea." Bobbing his head as if he thought this was a tryout for becoming the next bobble-head or inflatable waving arms tube man, the bunned blonde seemed pleased that Sam had remembered his mother. That joy quickly soured when he thought of what the woman's exact reaction had been to his decision to track down his biological father. "Before you get the wrong idea here, she actually advised me against trying to find you." If Logan really did come into his own like the girl led him to believe, the surfer tracking him down made even less sense.
Faded as his childhood was now, if he was even thinking of the right girl Sam could imagine that response after the way they had parted ways. Then again he could also foresee her trying to get something out of him just as easily. Although why she would bother with him after all of these decades and a pretty thorough name change was a bit of a conundrum. "How's that saying go - mother knows best?"
"That's actually why I had to find you. At first I started my search just so I could know more about myself, but now-"
Unable to finish that train of thought, there was yet another knock on the door. Misanthropically entertaining the idea of some kind of electric shock system to discourage visitors, Drake figured that by this juncture they may as well have been hosting some kind of convention. Ha, the first-ever "Sam Drake is not the father" con. Now that would be a packed house! Statistically speaking, with all the people across the globe that couldn't attend, what should have been easy cash would have quickly turned into a bust with less-than-encouraging returns. Seriously though, if these kids wanted to look to him to be their father-figure, they were barking up the wrong tree.
Good God, he needed more sleep. And a good, long smoke break. He'd settle for the cigarette happily at this point.
Taking a deep breath to quash the cravings that were gnawing the already frayed ends of his nerves, if the brunette were to compile a list, it was worth remembering that he never had been able to get the kind of company he had actually desired. Glancing back over at the girl as she retreated back into her shell, Sam guessed that it would be a while before he'd be making that call. Unless...
More coffee - perhaps with a shot of something stronger this time - wouldn't be too bad either. Reminding himself that the heiress was scarcely a hair older than his niece, and that to put out such an offer at the time being would be taking advantage of her grief, he went to open the door. With how anti-climatic the day had turned out so far, the adrenaline-chasing explorer didn't even bother to get his hopes up when he turned around to face the bland wooden portal. It was either just the maid or the apology he was never going to get from the assholes next door.
Shockingly, it was neither.
Battered past the point of recognition, dark hair disheveled and falling over lenses that were bent, cracked down one side, and bloodied, the woman swaying in the hallways was noticeably pale from blood loss. Knee-length pencil skirt ripped up the side and dove collar tattered from struggle, the bespectacled brute looked as if she had literally just been through hell and had only barely managed to return form the ordeal. It would certainly explain most of the shining crimson flowing down her front. Terror shining in her blue eyes - genuine horror that he had only seen once before - Bai stumbled forward into his arms.
Thunder cracking ominously overhead, she clenched his sleeves through shaking fingertips. The prints she left behind were mostly freshly-dug dirt. "Daniella? Did she find you?" His eyes roamed automatically over to where the girl was watching from the couch, and Bai was quick to follow his gaze. Sapphires locking onto her daughter, the woman let go of Sam and rushed to embrace her daughter. "Daniella!"
If losing her mother had rocked the foundation of everything she knew, Bai's return had sent the world spinning off its axis. Mouth falling slack, the teen's renewed heartbeat was loud enough for all to hear, even against the drizzle that was beginning to pick up outside. Jumping from the back of the sofa to greet her mother that much sooner, stumbling slightly, the heiress didn't even realize that she was running over glass shards when wrapping her arms around her mom. Neither paid much mind to all the blood decorating the other's person.
Finally, color was beginning to return to the world. "Mama!"
Hugging her daughter tight in her arms, every time that Bai had ever been strict or harsh or even the tiniest bit of less than encouraging had vanished, all of the negative instantly replaced with every last ounce of love she had. Daniella was her whole life, she had been ever since she discovered that she was pregnant, and it was clear that that wasn't going to change until her last breath. Even then, there would be no less love. The woman had once risked everything for that girl, and there was no question that she wouldn't do it again.
Lips affectionately pecking every last inch of her offspring's head that they could find, the woman looked up at Sam and smiled at him for perhaps the first time ever. Where there had once been criticism and just enough bored disdain to carry them through was now genuine gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you, Sam." If she had resorted to using his first name, he knew that things were serious. Either that or she had lost what was left of her mind.
Regardless of what the answer was, she needn't worry her pretty little head about finding a way to repay him - he knew exactly what Bai could do to reimburse him.
Tears leaking freely once more, hands latching into the woman's shoulder blades as she clung to the soaked fabric for something real to hold on to, the heiress sobbed into her mother. Cloying, something overly sweet and bitter was covering the soft perfume the woman wore, and the wet grains that hadn't been washed away by the heavens were getting into the girl's eyes, but she was too afraid to let go. What if this was only a dream, or worse, what if she looked away for just an instant and her mother were to vanish again, only for good? No, Daniella would fight through it.
"Mama!" It was undeniably true that crying all night had taken its toll on the teen, yet this was that rare instance when a single word was all that was required to convey everything that needed to be said.
Unlike Daniella, who was at that moment incapable of saying anything more, Bai had a great deal to explain. Holding her baby with the wish to never let go ever again, the unkempt businesswoman steered her daughter back to the couch so she could sit and catch the breath she had been holding since the night before. It was too quick for the untrained eye to see, however she nodded approvingly when the one from Panama locked the door at her back. The attack on the manor was dealt with, but the danger to her most precious treasure had yet to pass.
"I really do owe you for everything you've done, Drake." Moment of kindness gone, she addressed the ex-con in as polite a manner as she could, though he could tell by the condescending why she said his name that even that much generosity was killing her. "When I gave my driver the directions to my mechanic's place, I could see the questions in his eyes. I wonder if he questioned why I had your 'home' address?" By the callous way she had written the chaffer off, it was not a far stretch of the imagination to surmise that the woman had made a few pit stops before finding her darling daughter. In the interest of not being followed, it was a wise call.
With some of the scratch he'd earned from his various misadventures, Sam had opened up a modest string of humble shops. Between his love of bikes and the extra income it earned for when he wasn't off in some grand unexplored region of the world, it was a logical investment. Quite lucrative too. Servicing anyone, about three years ago now there had been a rich sap he'd charged triple for a simple repair, but the moron had been so impressed that he'd opted to start coming in regularly. Over time, the arrangement had gone from dirt bikes to classic cars. Those he wasn't quite as familiar with, but with the business generated by that one twit alone it was worth brushing up.
Duped by what was most likely a personal assistant or underpaid actor of some kind, ultimately the real schmuck wasn't the one shelling out a good grand per job. Bravo - er, brava. Point to Bai for sneakily managing to keep tabs on a low-life without dirtying her own hands. "I'm honored that you remembered me after all these years." In light of this revelation, it occurred to him that she'd be frugal enough to demand her money back, current situation be damned. "Yeah, all services rendered are final. No refunds."
"Wait," wiping her eyes with heather sleeves too long for her arms, the teen reluctantly tore her eyes off her mother as Sam sat down in the arm chair opposite for story time, "you mean you're the one that fixed up my bike? I got sixth place because of you!" Wow, the kid was really jazzed that she hadn't even cracked the top five. Was Bai absolutely sure that this was Rafe's kid?
Speaking of questionable parentage, Logan was still standing where he'd been before Bai's miraculous return from the other side, frozen yet deflated. Hardly believing what he was about to do, the brunette motioned for the surfer to come join them. Mindful of allowing the reunion and honestly in complete disbelief about the teen being able to speak English after all, the surfer dipped his saffron knot meekly and sat on the other side of the girl. She spared him a second glance as he sat, but there was barely a reaction there otherwise. Pretty cold, considering that two seconds before all of this she probably wanted an autograph.
No more pleased about her daughter's tomboyish (and frankly all too similar to her father) fascination with keeping active, Bai pursed her lips. Whatever monsters were lurking in the shadows just biding their time were no match for the distaste the businesswoman held for the reminder of her ex. "Yes, that victory was definitely worth it. Regardless, there are things that actually matter that must be discussed. Darling, if you'd please keep your mouth shut, Mama has a lot to explain. To the both of you." At that, she seemed to notice that there was a third person in the room for the first time. "Ah. I see some things never change."
Suddenly Sam remembered why he only recalled so much about his relationship with Bai. However he wasn't the only one that had ended things on a less-than-friendly note with the woman.
Gathered around outside the front door of one Henry Avery's mansion in New Devon with all his good friends at Shoreline and one slipping financier, one of Nadine's goons had commented on how big the place was. The man's friend had thumped him in the back of the head for being dumb enough to make such an obvious observation. Knot had rolled his eyes, knowing what was about to happen, and Orca unhelpfully chimed in that any mansion would be big for a house. Rafe, who was getting more and more impatient the closer they got to finding the treasure, told both grunts in no uncertain terms that they could go and join the next shift. Nadine had just let it happen.
After that whole ugly scene on the cliff had unfolded - not that he was too worried about his little brother finding his way through it somehow - Sam was determined to make the hunt as difficult on Rafe as he possibly could.
"You have to admit that that's an excellent point," salt on a wound he had just learned about, the ex-con had plenty of ammo at his disposal, "this is a pretty big place. Maybe your old lady can look into renovating the next time she's shopping for summer homes. Oops, I forgot, she's not going to want such a small place, is she? No, a woman with balls that big is going to need more room to put all that cash she's going to make from that hostile takeover she's working on."
Stopping dead in his tracks a few feet from the foot of the stairs, the multi-billionaire could be heard gritting his teeth from the other side of the island. Poking a tiger in a too-small cage may have been a dangerous pastime, yet it was damn fun to watch.
"I don't have the same head for business that you two do, but I heard that when she left for Beijing, she made a deal with some old friends. Dangerous friends." Playing the innocent, the elder Drake brother acted as if he were frightened for the poor soul she had named at the head of her list. Apparently from the gossip going around the lower ranks, Bai had some good connections back in China that no one had been privy to previously. Not even Rafe. "For me, I would imagine that going after a family business with those kinds of numbers would be overkill."
Petty a jab as it had been, the remark had sent a palpable ripple amongst the army-for-hire. The only reason - other than on Nadine's order - that they had kept from taking out their aggressions on the rich American had been because he was fronting the whole operation at the time, but if during this quest Bai ended up successfully taking over, then he had nothing. Fortunately for the multi-billionaire, her transition had not been smooth and he had been alerted to her deception.
Barb doing its job all the same, Rafe turned around and slugged Sam right over the trio of bullet scars that would forever be his reminder of Panama. The icy businessman knew where he was attacking, what he was doing, and just how much it would hurt the other man. If Samuel wasn't such an asset to the cause, it was apparent by the trembling in his fist as he spread his palm over the wound that it would have been much worse.
Luckily for the more capable treasure hunter, the lingering touch was only accompanied by a forced smile. "Samuel, for once you really should learn to mind when I tell you to shut your mouth. When I want something done, it's better for everyone involved if it goes my way sooner rather than later."
Too bad for Rafe that he was dealing with someone that wasn't going to take his captivity with grace. "We'll see."
He may have bailed on Rafe in Scotland, but Drake had been wise enough to keep tabs on more than just the clues that would lead to the spoils of what they had then believed to be limited to the Gunsway heist. Bai may not be the immediate choice to replace the Adler in charge, however, the last couple of years she had been a common sight at the helm, steering the business through choppy waters to a profit. For those that she couldn't convince herself (one way or another), if it was true and she really had such powerful backers, it would only be a matter of time before she stole the company out from under him. At this point, Rafe now had more than glory on the line - he had everything that made him at stake.
Ribbed by the remark, Rafe inclined his head with a tilt, "Will we?" Busy as he had been in the field, the lesser of the explorers hadn't only been digging up old earth and examining rubble - he'd been running an empire as well. Bai may have thought she had outmaneuvered him, and perhaps she had by keeping it hidden that her father had been a respected figure within a certain organization, yet he wasn't all that worried. "I don't know if that stupid slattern was dumb enough to bet on you beating me to the punch, or if she was trying to capitalize on my absence, but this isn't a fight she's going to win."
Laughing at the man opposite him - a man very much on the verge of losing it - Sam couldn't have asked for a better opening than what he had just been given. Attitude causing some of the less certain remainder of the army to question if there was anyone sane left in the managing ranks, the brunette reached out to the king of ice and enthusiastically patted the shorter man's chest. "Wow. Now that's funny that you would use those exact words."
Unnaturally quiet during the pissing contest, Nadine was once more nearing the end of her rope. Beyond being done with the ex-con, if she never had to hear his voice again it would be too soon. Not that her partner was in her good graces himself. "Enough! Rafe, let's get on with this already."
"Just a minute, Nadine. I want to hear what Samuel finds so funny." Thinking back on what he had said that could possibly set this off, he waved his partner down for maybe the millionth time. His own patience was running thin, but he needed to hear what Sam thought he was planning this time. If he tried to run again, Rafe wouldn't hesitate to incapacitate the ex-con and leave him to one of the soldiers to carry.
Feigning that he was hurt for Shoreline's unfriendly leader, he peeked over Rafe's shoulder at her, "You know, I don't know about you, but I think it's kind of sad that the other woman has to listen to me go on about baby mama." That touched a nerve, he could tell by the way Rafe had scowled, but somehow Nadine had kept her composure. Surmising that no one was going to accept his offer to depart, Drake shrugged, "Well, I tried to keep this between us. Like several other things."
Ever the predictable short fuse, Nadine pulled Sam away from Rafe to deck him in the side of the ribs. "Get on with it!"
Right hand flinging up to block the sight of his mouth from the majority of the circled army, he deadpanned out of the corner of his mouth, "If at any point in these last two years you feel an itch that lasts longer than an hour at a time, you may want to call a doctor."
Nadine hit him again, harder, faster, and just a little bit higher. It would have been wiser to knock the wind out of him, but then Rafe would have to wait to hear the punchline. "You're getting on my nerves! Tell Rafe what he wants to know so we can get a move on!"
"Right, I forgot that the treasure's going to get up and walk away after three hundred years." Receiving another blow for the snarky comment, the thief was bent double when he turned back to face an impassive Rafe. Rafe was never as collected as folks took him to be, so Sam knew that there was something brewing below the surface. "Alright, alright, I'll spit it out before you make me spit out a vital organ. I find it funny that Rafe would question if Bai was dumb enough to bet on me to beat him to the punch or if she was just waiting for him to be gone."
Straightening himself to face the next part like a man, Sam was almost having enough fun to forget the raw ache in his shoulder where the bullet had grazed him. Almost. "Usually she would wait up for him to be gone, just so I could beat him to the punch."
Immediately understanding what Samuel was getting at, Rafe had dug his thumb into the fresh wound until it oozed.