Ruffle among the Tombstones: A Kaitlyn/Eve Supernatural Romance by Jurassicfatt
Chapter 1: Proposal of a Lifetime
Kaitlyn's POV, Houston, Texas, Legado Central Office
Walking through the double doors, I'm greeted by a smiling receptionist with red hair and a blue dress.
"Hi, welcome to Legado. How can I help you?" Wow, she's really friendly, too.
"I have an appointment with Mr. Santos Escobar. My name is Kaitlyn." I explain.
Checking through her computer, her head jolts up. "Oh, yes, Ms. Kaitlyn Bonin, right?" she asks. I nod. "He's waiting for you at the meeting room. If you go down to the left, you'll see these big double doors. Go past those and walk until you find a room numbered D-94. There's a large tree in front of it. You can't miss it."
"Thank you." Following her instructions, I walk down the hall. Opening the heavy doors, I slip past them and keep moving, looking at the signs with room numbers. Spotting the twisting tree, it's foliage at the very top of the plant, I find room D-94. Knocking, I hear a voice say come in. Turning the knob, I pull the door open and walk through, greeted by a crowd of people. Oh my. Thank God I wore this white pants-suit AJ bought me.
Inside, there is a large ovular glass table with metal supports in the middle. Seven people are sitting down, only four of which I recognize. The first man sits on the right-hand side. He has dark curly hair, a goatee, and is wearing a blue suit with a vest, white shirt, and blue tie. His skin is a slightly darker tan. The sides of his head are shaved, and he stares at me with a straight, stone-cold look in his eyes. Next to him, around the same height, is another man, his clothes almost identical except for the silver stick pin on his tie. His head is much rounder, with a much lighter complexion and his hair flipped up. Santos' closest bodyguards, Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. At the far left of the table is a smaller woman with a darker complexion. She wears a black blazer over her dress, a golden necklace around her neck. Her makeup is simple, only accentuating her eyes and lips with natural colors. Santos' personal assistant and manager of Legado, Zelina Vega. Tapping her fingers on the table, she eyes the seat next to her, which sits empty. Beside her are three men, loaded with tattoos and wearing what seems to be Gucci suits. One of them is so large, his arms look like thick tree trunks, resting on the glass table. He has a silver nose piercing and long brown hair. The one on the far left has curlier reddish-orange hair and a shorter beard. The man in the middle has his darker brown hair in a Viking style braid, his beard much shorter than the other two. They sit stoically, the Viking man giving me a glance that makes the hair on my neck stand up. I've never seen them in my life, and I can't help wondering why they're here? Wasn't it just a meeting between Santos and I? Speaking of, at the head of the table sits Santos himself, a blue pinstripe suit with white shirt and a red tie on. His long black hair has been pulled back into a ponytail. Behind him is a large PowerPoint Screen, a map of the Americas in view. He smiles and gestures to the seat.
"Ah, Ms. Bonin. Take a seat, please. We were just about to start." he states, his Mexican accent ringing through the room. Sitting next to Zelina, I stare at the screen as Santos presses a clicker. The screen shifts to a satellite view, with multiple sites highlighted in Brazil. "One week ago, Legado lost contact with our Argentinian research team, who working at a burial site not far from Chapelco. This was the 6th site in the past 9 months that we discovered on the Brazilian-Argentinian border using ground penetrating radar. When local authorities went to investigate, they found a sinkhole where our research teams' base was. Nearby townsfolk reported hearing a large explosion before the hole formed. We believe that someone," he clicks a button, showing footage of the large sinkhole, "intentionally set up charges beforehand, then blew them up during the excavation."
"Why?" Zelina asks.
"We don't know, though crime has been rising in the area. The last 8 sites reported finding golden objects, so its possible they wanted to get rich quick by doing this."
"Could be organized crime. But it would take a hell of a lot to blast a hole that size." the large, tree-trunk armed man asserts.
Those poor people! I can't imagine what their families must be thinking. I look at the pictures, pondering over Santos's words about the gold artifacts. If they wanted the gold, couldn't they have just stolen it? Why blow up the base entirely? And why is Legado involved in archaeological excavations? Were they trying to find the gold, too?
"We need to get our team back, along with whatever results they found. I am sending in a rescue team of 15 people, including you 7, down there to get them. The explosion has created a very steep incline in the rock. We can't risk using a helicopter the whole way, since our pilots won't risk it, so you'll need to rappel down the rest of the way. We've mapped a location on the Southwest side, where the incline isn't too large. Kaitlyn will co-lead the expedition, alongside Zelina."
"Me?" I ask, my eyebrows scrunching in confusion. I thought this was a business meeting? Now I'm being tasked with finding missing scientists? Zelina stares at me for a second, before looking back at Santos.
"Yes, Kaitlyn. Your expertise in rock-climbing is essential. Every other climber we've contacted refused when they heard the incline."
"What is the gradient of the wall?"
"41 degrees." he answers. Fuck… that's a difficult climb. Especially for newbies. The higher the gradient, the steeper the wall. And considering it was formed by a sinkhole, it may not be the steadiest, either.
"How are we going to get down there?" I question. He presses the clicker, showcasing a solar-powered electronic rope and pulley system.
"Using our new state of the art electronic protective rope system. The White Tiger. It can be used for slopes up to 65-degree gradients. We'll set them up and head down slowly until we reach the bottom. Mission is simple: get in and get our staff out. Time is of the essence, as the researchers have been down there a few days with no food, clean water, or medical supplies. On top of that, the increased rainfall could lead the river to overflow, flooding the sinkhole and drowning them." Holy crap. This is intense.
"Has it been tested?" I ask.
"Extensively. We've used this for expeditions into sinkholes before." Santos explains. He pauses, looking down at his shoes, his face grave. "There's something else. Another search and rescue op will be joining us. We weren't the only ones looking for burial grounds at the site."
"Who is it?" Zelina asks, her hand grabbing the table. Santos gives her a knowing look. "You're joking?" she says, her tone fearful and voice shaking.
"Imperium has a missing group of scientists, too." he tells us. Imperium? Where have I heard that name before?
"Imperium?! Fucking Imperium! And you want us to go down there?!" Zelina screams. The bearded men next to her remain unphased, the leader pulling out a card.
"Imperium doesn't scare us. Tell us when and where you need us. Use that number to contact us when you're ready. We have another meeting to go to." the smaller group member states, his Dutch accent catching me off guard. The large men push their chairs out, then get up and leave the meeting room.
"Thank you, Aleister." Not seconds after they leave, we hear a knock.
The door opens slightly, with the secretary from earlier answering, before she is shoved inside.
"Excuse me, important person coming through!" an irritated, high-pitched voice rings out. Heels clacking on the polished marble floor, a 5ft.7 woman wearing a striking Versace white business suit and jacket walks in. She carries a file folder in her right hand, a phone in the other. Her bleach blonde hair falls down her shoulders, covering the top of her blazer. She looks like she's had some work done on her face. Botox, maybe. Not judging, just an observation. I feel the tension to my side as I turn to look at Thea. Thea fumes beside me, staring daggers at the woman as her hands open and close. The woman rolls her eyes, blinking her false eyelashes and speaking again. "Mr. Santos, hello."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Santos, but she wouldn't let me tell her no-" the secretary starts, flanked by two large security guards, but Santos waves them down.
"It's quite alright, Olivia. Ms. Stratton, welcome once again. How may I help you?" Santos asks, his eyes searching hers for answers.
"Simple. Why have you been lying to us?" she puts forth. Santos gives her a confused look.
"I don't understand your meaning, Ms. Tiffany."
Flipping her hair, she continues. "A certain 'someone' in this room stuck her nose where it doesn't belong. Imperium doesn't take too kindly to that." Tiffany asserts, handing Santos the file. Santos looks through, his face remaining neutral as he reads over the documents inside. "Therefore, our 'joint' operation in South America cannot be led by her, as she'll be due in court soon since we've pressed charges. Isn't that right, Ms. Vega?"
Wait, what? Zelina's eyes fill with shock and fury at the accusation, before she whips her head around.
"What are you talking about?" she demands, her tone less than friendly. She grabs at the folder frantically and searches through the documents. "Private investigator? Police reports? I didn't hire anyone to spy on them!"
"Unfortunately, Ms. Vega, the evidence we and the police discovered all points to you. A Mr. Baron Corbin was hired to track the movements of many of our staff and shipments. He was also tasked with uncovering secrets, as his employer stated, 'by any means'. Now, of course, we tracked Mr. Corbin, and according to his testimony to local law enforcement, you hired him. Therefore, we cannot rely on you being impartial to lead this op, since you obviously have some sort of vendetta against us."
"Santos, you have to believe me, I didn't do this! This is another one of their tricks!" Zelina states, pointing to the papers.
"Imperium doesn't pull tricks. We don't have to." she responds, flipping her hair again before bending down and giving Thea a condescending stare. "Honey, listen, if you didn't put that disgustingly large nose where it doesn't belong, you wouldn't be in this situation." Tiffany taunts, licking her lips.
If looks could kill, Zelina would've killed Tiffany 10x over by now. She bites her lips, nodding her head while her hands shake. Zelina stands up, balling her fist. I might need to step in if this gets any worse. But before I can get up, Santos stands.
"Zelina. Please, step out of the room." Santos begs her, putting a hand to her own. She gives him a puzzling look, before taking a deep breath. "I'll handle this."
Opening her mouth a few times, she stares at him, before opening her hand again. "Okay." she whispers, giving a death glare to Tiffany as she stands. She mutters a low bitch under her breath as she makes her way to the exit doors.
"Tootles." Tiffany says mockingly with a wave of her fingers and a sick smile. Zelina continues walking, ripping open the door before stepping out. "Great, now that the trash has been removed, we can conduct actual business."
"Ms. Stratton, I was unaware of any spying on Imperium by any of my staff. I do apologize, but rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this. I would appreciate if you don't refer to my staff as trash."
"Thank you, Mr. Santos. Always so formal. Please, call me Tiffany." she murmurs, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she rubs her neck with a hand. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
"So, I take it Mr. Hahn has already chosen a replacement to lead our operation?" Santos asks, clearly ignoring her advances.
"Ooh, clever too. You never fail to disappoint, Santos. Yes, Mr. Walter Hahn was very clear about this. Mr. Giovanni Vinci and Mr. Ludwig Kaiser of Imperium will be heading the team. We already got approval from Argentina's government as well as the Brazilians and the Red Cross. We've also hired a veteran rock climber from Colorado who's familiar with the area. A Ms. Evelyn Torres." Tiffany claims, before pulling up a picture on her phone. The picture shows a woman smiling. She has an orange helmet, grey shirt, and hiking gear on. Her light brown locks pushed back; her skin is a warm caramel colour. Her green eyes draw you in, and her smile is dazzling. I feel myself moving my head to get a better look when Tiffany turns the phone towards Santos. "She's very highly skilled. She'll work alongside your team leaders to scope out the area, helping rappel our men down to go save our science teams." Noticing me staring at her phone, Tiffany raises an eyebrow. "Who is this?"
"This is our rock-climbing expert, Ms. Kaitlyn Bonin."
Standing up, I extend out my hand. "I wouldn't say expert, but I know what I'm doing. It's a pleasure, Ms. Tiffany."
Slowly shaking my hand, she gives me a once-over. "Love the two-tone hair. Gives you a real "I want to be 25 even though I'm 40" kind of vibe."
Furrowing my brows, I respond. "Uh… thanks?"
"Don't mention it. If you ever need a makeover, don't be afraid to come by the office and ask. Maybe a stylist, too." Did this woman just say I'm old and have no style? Maybe Zelina had a point earlier. Letting go of my hand, Tiffany turns back to the Santos. "I don't mind you bringing in extra help, but we do have an entire team of 30 private security on stand-by for the mission." She must be referencing that Aleister guy and the other two dudes.
"How long do we have to prepare for this mission?" I ask Santos.
"4 days."
"Actually, 3 days. 1 day to fly out and 2 for the operation. After that, they'll be gone. Our satellites show heavy rain in the forecast. They'll drown if we don't move fast. I'll tell Mr. Vahn to ready the plane. I suggest you start packing now."
"Understood. We'll be ready." Santos asserts.
"Wait, hold on." I put forward. Santos, Tiffany and the other members of Legado stare at me. Looking them in the eye, I continue. "If this mission is as bad as you say, we need more time. 41 degrees is a really steep climb, and without proper training, most people won't be prepared for it. Anything above 30 degrees is too difficult for a novice."
"How much time?" Santos asks.
"Weeks. At least." I assert. "A smaller team would work better, too."
"Wow, you sound just like Eve. As I said, we don't have time. Our people are dying down there. But that's why we're using the latest and greatest in tech to help. And why we hired you 2. To make our climb as effortless as possible. Unless you're not as skilled as you say you are, tough girl?" Tiffany taunts, clicking her tongue.
"I am. But you aren't. And neither is your team." I respond, turning to look at her. I didn't know this was a rescue op, but I don't want more people getting hurt, or worse, on my watch.
"Okay, okay. Everyone let's take a breath." Santos argues, putting his hands up. "Ms. Bonin makes a good point." Tiffany arches a brow. I turn to him, shocked by his support of my claim. "In a perfect world, we'd need way more time for this. Leaving immediately may be a mistake. But I will not let my team die in that hole." Santos argues, his voice passionate as he smacks the table for emphasis. Tiffany smiles while I just stare. He turns to me, pointing. "I know you were here with the intention of doing business. That you were not expecting me to ask for your help for such a dire situation. And I know you want more time to train our men. Several of them were in the armed forces, while others are analysts. I sent those people down there, and now it's my job to get them back. The only thing I can do is give you money to compensate the time and risks. But I'd feel a lot better if you were there leading my team."
"I need time to think about it." I tell them.
"Take a moment outside to ponder your decision. Call whoever you need to. But let me give you this offer: 250000 dollars right now, plus guaranteed partnership between Legado del Phantasma and Celestial Bodies for our clothing division. I sought out your company, not just because of your experience climbing, but also for your devotion to it. The effort you've put in to build CBC and promote your brand." he tells me.
Oh my fucking God! Is he serious? 250 grand plus partnership?! I stare at him in disbelief. Santos motions to Joaquin and Raul. They leave their seats and walk into another room. When they return, Mendoza is holding a large brown briefcase is his hands, while Joaquin has a manilla folder. Putting the case on the table, Raul opens it. Inside, I can make out stacks of cash- 100s, 50s, and 20s. My mouth hangs open.
"I have a money counter if you want proof." Santos argues, chuckling, before taking the file from Joaquin and handing it to me. "This is the contract. 3 years with dividends. Full access to our clothing division plus profit sharing. You design, we test, and then we send out the products together. Partners over employee-manager. It may not make much business sense to some of my people to take such a chance, but I'm in desperate need of help. And I've seen CBC's products. I know our companies can do great together." Santos asserts.
That's more money than I've ever seen in my life! And this joint venture could put CBC on the map. My mind and heart are racing. The possibilities could be endless. But… Is it worth the risk? I notice Tiffany has completely tuned out, now scrolling through her phone.
"I'm just going to step out for a moment." I murmur.
"Take your time. This is a big decision, and I know some of your other partners might want to have a say before you take the leap. Come back when you've made up your mind." he says.
Walking outside, I read over the contract, trying to find any hidden font or fine print. There is none. Typical contract with increasing commission over time. I even get to work with advertisers, although they'll have more say than me. At least I'll get revenue from it. This is big. Quickly fumbling my phone out of my pocket, I call AJ. After 3 rings, she picks up. Bringing her up to speed over an hour, I hear the shock in her voice when I tell her Santos's offer.
"What do you think I should do? This might be the big break I need!"
"I know. 250k is a lot of money. But this is still so dangerous… That money though." AJ states, making me laugh out loud. "How long do you have to make a decision?"
"They're going to be leaving for Argentina by the end of the day, so I need to go back in and make my decision."
"Have you read through the contract?"
"Yes. All 3 pages multiple times. Legado will take a 60-40 split, but I still get profit-sharing and ad revenue. It's pretty generous." I explain.
"I don't know, Kait. This is your company. You seem pretty excited. I'm certain you've already made a decision, but just be careful. And don't let your emotions or money cloud your judgement. If you're going on a rescue mission, you'll need to focus on saving those people."
"I know. AJ, can I ask another favor?" I ask sweetly.
"Of course… Yes, I'll prep a suitcase for you."
"Thanks bestie. I love you, April." I tell her.
"You better love me! I just finished washing Murphy, so I'm going to need a shower." she exclaims.
"Did he shake?"
"All over the place! I found soap on the carpet." I hear a bark. "Bad Murphy! You made this huge mess."
"Murphy, listen to Auntie AJ." I scold him through the phone.
"Yeah, you hear that? Mommy's mad." AJ relays to him. "Your big eyes and tail-wagging isn't going to save you, Murphy Bonin." I can't help chuckling. My best friend chastising my dog. "I'll clean up this mess, shower and prepare a bag. By the time you come home, it'll be ready."
"Thanks again, April. I couldn't do all this without your help."
"Anytime, Kait. Love you."
"Love you back. I'll see you later. Bye."
"Bye." Closing the phone, I walk back inside the meeting room, Santos and Tiffany waiting me. I tell them I'm in, before signing the contract. Santos signs after, then hands it to his secretary for processing. Tiffany asks for my number and email, so she can relay information and flight times. Santos thanks me for all my help, before escorting me outside. He asks where I parked. When I explain that I came by public transit, he calls for a car to bring me home. A black limo car pulls up a few minutes later, a Hispanic driver stepping out and greeting me in Spanish and English. Shaking my hand, I go inside as Santos closes the door for me, before getting chauffeur driven home. I'm going to need to help AJ pack after supper. She has no idea where my carabiners are and what snacks I like to pack for long flights.
Author's Note: Hey everyone. Hope you're all doing well. Newest chapter, just for you. Hope you guys enjoyed. What an offer from Santos to Kaitlyn! But now she's leading a climbing rescue operation, into a sinkhole, to save trapped researchers? Talk about things changing quickly. Poor Thea getting kicked off the team by these allegations. I tried so hard to capture Tiffany's attitude as best as I could, as well as the House of Black. It'll be interesting to see them interact with Imperium. Speaking of, Kaitlyn seemed pretty interested in Imperium's climbing expert, Eve ;). Now with Legado and Imperium heading to Argentina, how will the operation go? What exactly were their teams looking for? Who blew up their bases? And what will they find when they arrive at the sinkhole? Find out next chapter. If you enjoyed this, feel free to leave a review. It's always appreciated. Until next time, enjoy your day!