Ladyfish (12 page)

Pete’s face lit up. “And they’re all coming to this pool party tomorrow? Ow. What was that for?” He bent over and rubbed his shin where Finn had kicked him.

“You were drooling.”

“I was not,” Pete said.

Oz chuckled. “Yes, they’ll be here. Except Evan.”

“And is he a marine or a SEAL?”

“Evan is a marine and so is Will. Will’s in the JAG corps though. Junior is the SEAL, and AJ is in the coast guard.”

“And you were in the navy too?”

“Yes. I was a navy diver.”

Finn watched as Oz’s face switched from the animated, friendly countenance they had seen all morning, to the dark and shuttered visage that seemed so prevalent whenever Oz thought no one was watching her. Finn wondered what caused that look. What was the darkness that hid behind those beautiful eyes? How could someone so friendly remain so guarded at the same time? The contradictions in Oz were fascinating, and she wanted to unravel them, one by one. The scientist in her longed to uncover each little fact about her, but there was more to her curiosity and she knew it. She was fun and easy to talk to, she was kind and considerate, and she was hot.

An elbow to her ribs pulled her out of her reverie. “I’m sorry, what?” She saw Oz and Mrs. Richmond heading inside.

“Looks like I’m not the only one drooling.”

“Get lost, Pete.”

“Look, I get it; she’s gorgeous and she seems really nice. I’m just looking out for you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, Pete.”

“Hey, I’m—”

Oz came back out and sat back down. “Everything okay?”

“Fine.” Finn smiled and hoped her annoyance wasn’t showing, but from the look of concern in Oz’s eyes, she knew she was unsuccessful.

Pete excused himself to the toilet and Finn tried to relax again.

“Is something wrong?”

Finn opened her eyes and smiled a little. “Just Pete trying to wind me up. He’s very good at it.”

Oz grinned. “You don’t seem too bad at it either.”

“What? Winding myself up?”

“No, at holding up your end of the deal. Wait till you meet my cousins. They’re constantly teasing everyone.”

“And you’re still close to them?”

“Yeah, mostly Junior and AJ. Will works in Washington a lot, and Evan’s been on one deployment after another for the last five years. If he and Junior weren’t identical twins, I’d have probably forgotten what he looks like.”

“I doubt that. Something tells me you don’t forget very much at all.”

“Maybe.” Oz shrugged noncommittally.

Finn saw the shadows flitter across Oz’s face again and wished she knew what to avoid saying to keep Oz happy. Or better yet, she wanted to know how to erase those shadows when they came. She knew that every moment she spent with Oz only made her care more about her, but she knew Oz wouldn’t be interested in her. Oz wanted fast women and plenty of them. She made no secret of it and no excuses for it. Finn told herself that being Oz’s friend was a much more satisfying relationship to have with her. It certainly lasted longer and had much more meaning.
I can be friends. Friends is good. Like I told Pete, you can never have too many friends. Please let that be enough.

Oz checked her reflection in the mirror and rubbed her fingers over the puckered scar on her belly that had long since healed. She could still feel the burning sting as the red-hot bullet ripped through her skin. The smell of seared flesh, cordite, and blood filled her nostrils again. Every move she made tore her flesh open a little more, and the pain threatened to render her unconscious.

Rudy was gripping his thigh, trying to stem the flow of blood. They needed to find cover and they needed to do it fast. She grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him behind a bulkhead, spraying bullets behind her as she went. A simple repair mission on a cargo vessel turned deadly.

Enough!
She shook her head viciously, trying to dislodge the memories and focus on the day ahead. She always enjoyed spending time with her family and Mrs. Richmond. She was inordinately fond of the meddling old woman. But that didn’t account for her nerves today, or her impatience to get to Mrs. Richmond’s and hang out for the day by the pool. It also didn’t account for her indecision about whether to wear a one-piece swimsuit or a bikini. Finn was the reason for that, and she knew it.

She sighed before tossing a towel over her shoulder and heading for Mrs. Richmond’s. Music filtered through the crisp summer air from the backyard, and she could already hear the party in full swing. Laughter and splashing water were accompanied by a small shriek as she assumed Finn had just been doused. She couldn’t help but smile as she opened the gate and saw Junior shaking water out of his eyes while Finn was pointing at him, water dripping off her and Pete holding his sides as he laughed from his lounge chair.

“Junior!” Finn wiped her face and glared across the water at him.

“I see you’ve already met my wayward cousin.”

Finn turned around and smiled through her dripping hair. “Yeah, he’s a barrel of laughs.”

“Hey, Ladyfish, you coming swimming?” Junior was dragging himself out of the pool and heading for the diving board.

“Yeah, in a while.” She took Finn by the elbow and moved her away from the pool. “You might want to back up if you don’t want to get wet again.”

“I think it’s too late to worry about that now, don’t you?” She pointed down at her soaked shirt before she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “He’s a big kid.”

“I know. Always has been. You wouldn’t believe he was a SEAL, would you?”

“Well, maybe. He’s got enough muscles.”

“Don’t tell him that; he’ll get a big head.”

“Too late.” Neither of them had noticed Junior sneaking up on them until he grabbed Finn around the waist and jumped backward into the pool with her in his arms. Finn screamed until the water silenced her. By the time Oz reached the side of the pool, she was swimming for the side. Junior was floating on the water holding his crotch and turning red.

“It serves you right.” Finn grabbed Oz’s hand and allowed herself to be pulled out of the water.

“It was only a joke.”

“Very funny.”

Oz grabbed a towel. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. Not sure about him though. You didn’t want to be an auntie did you?”

Oz laughed. “Not to worry. I’ve got three other cousins who can do the honors.”

Finn pulled her shirt over her head and tugged off her shorts. Oz couldn’t tear her eyes away. She’d seen Finn in all kinds of swimwear over the last week or so, but seeing her actually disrobe affected Oz in a way she hadn’t expected. There was something more intimate about it, something more revealing than just seeing Finn appear in a bikini. She felt her cheeks flush, first in response to seeing Finn, then in embarrassment when Junior let out a long whistle. She wanted to drown him as Finn’s cheeks turned bright red and she stared at the ground.

“I’m sorry about him.”

“It’s not your fault. Maybe I should go change.”

“No, don’t.” She grabbed hold of Finn’s arm. She didn’t want her to leave, even for a few minutes. She just wanted to be near her and couldn’t understand why she was so drawn to Finn. She had seen beautiful women before, in all manner of undress. Why did Finn affect her so much? Finn looked down at Oz’s hand on her arm then met her eyes, her question clear. Oz let go of her arm and shrugged. She grappled for some kind of response. “He has to learn to behave like a human being some time.”

“So I get to play guinea pig?”

“I was thinking more like a teacher.”

Finn put a hand over her chest. “Oh my God, I’m so lucky.”

“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you.”

“Sure it does.” Pete came up next to her and wrapped an arm about Finn’s waist. “It’s the lowest form of wit, but wit nonetheless.”

“Gee, thanks, sweetie.”

Oz grinned. “Are you having a good time, Pete?”

“Oh, yes. Your cousins are certainly entertaining.”

“Hey, Pete, are you coming in?” AJ shouted from the water.

“Excuse me, ladies.” Pete took a run and executed a perfect cannonball, and Finn and Oz managed to jump back and avoid the spray.

“Boys.” Finn shook her head before turning to look at Oz. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. He didn’t get me.”

“That’s not what I meant. You look a little…I don’t know.” She shrugged. “You don’t seem yourself.”

Oz blanched at the thought she was so easy to read. She forced a smile to her lips. “I’m just a little tired. I didn’t sleep too well.”

“I’m a good listener.”

Oz debated telling her the truth. Talking to Finn didn’t seem like a bad idea, and that bothered her almost as much as the memories had earlier. “I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Do you want a drink?”

Oz breathed a sigh of relief when Finn seemed willing to let it go. “Sure. I’ll come with you.”

“No, you stay here. I’ll just be a minute.” Oz watched Finn walk away, unable to take her eyes off her ass.

“She’s certainly not ugly.”

Oz grinned as her father wrapped his arm about her waist and her mother pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I never see you. Why haven’t you been around?”

“Mom, I’ve been busy working.”

“You’ve been doing more than just working, Olivia.” Her mother pulled back and looked at her. “I can see it in your eyes, baby. You need to let those things go.”

“Mom—”

“Don’t Mom me. I know when you’re hurting, Olivia. I can see it. It wasn’t your fault. And you need to let go of it.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

Oz wanted to pull away from her mother and just walk away, to start running and not look back. She knew that none of them blamed her, but that only made it worse. The guilt she lived with day after day over the people she couldn’t save and the lives she had taken, gnawed at her soul until all she wanted to do was keep on running.

She saw Finn coming back out of the house. She pulled away and accepted the drink Finn offered her. “Finn, this is my dad, Billy, and my mom, Ellie.”

Finn held out her hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you both. Can I get you something to drink?”

“I’ll get them.” Her dad headed for the house.

“Olivia tells us you’re here training to be a dive instructor.”

“That’s right.”

“And do you like it?”

“I love it. Oz is a fantastic teacher. I’m very lucky to have her.”

Oz couldn’t stop herself from staring at Finn as she spoke, but she barely heard a word she said, she was so focused on the way her lips moved when she smiled. The soft rose color against the deepening tan and white teeth had her itching to lean forward and taste Finn’s mouth with her own. The haphazard ponytail that she wanted to run her fingers through and the skin exposed by the skimpy bathing suit had her balling her fists at her sides to stop herself from reaching out and touching her. She realized they were both looking at her, waiting for her response to something.

“I’m sorry, I must’ve spaced out. What were you saying?” Oz knew from the smile on her mother’s face that she hadn’t gotten away with her distraction and its true cause.

“Finn was saying how lucky she is to have you as her teacher.” Her mother was grinning widely while Finn and Oz both shifted uncomfortably.

“I think I’ll go and join Pete in the pool. It was lovely to meet you, Ellie.”

They both watched as she disappeared beneath the water.

“She’s lovely.”

“Yes, she is.”

“You like her?”

Oz nodded.

“You going to ask her out?”

“You know I don’t date. Besides, I don’t even know if she’s gay.”

“Oh, please. She looked at you the exact same way you were looking at her. And I thought you were going to eat her alive!”

“Mom!”

“What?”

“You can’t say things like that to me.”

“Why ever not?”

“Because you’re my mom.”

“Olivia, you are thirty-six years old and well past the blushing virgin, so don’t even try and pull that with me.”

Oz felt her cheeks flame as her mother shook her head and joined her Aunt Alex under the gazebo. Her mind was reeling playing over her mother’s words. Was it true? Did Finn look at her like that? Was Finn attracted to her too? Did it matter? She knew Finn wasn’t the kind of girl to fall into bed at the drop of a hat, but that was the only thing Oz knew how to do. She watched Finn playing in the pool with Pete, Junior, and AJ, laughing and smiling as they splashed and dunked each other, and she knew it mattered. The memories invaded again, and she knew she would never deserve a woman like Finn in her life. It was easier to believe there was no mutual attraction. No mutual attraction, no one gets hurt, no one gets disappointed. Especially her.

William Sterling made his way across the hotel bar and sat in a dimly lit corner near the back. He ordered a whiskey and waited.

He quickly downed the drink and picked up the napkin under it, checking its message before he wiped his lips, then he balled it up and stuffed it in his pocket. He made his way to the lift, punched the button, and waited. He slid his hands into his trouser pockets and fiddled with the coins on the left hand side. Ordering them. Small to large. The smallest coins closest to his fingertips, then slowly, one by one, switching them round.

The pennies pressed against his palm. The angular profile of the fifty pence piece sat in the crease between his knuckles.

The lift arrived. He punched the button for the fifth floor. And waited, shifting the penny back to his fingertips, the fifty pence against his palm.

The doors slid open and he quickly walked to the room number written on the back of the napkin.

He knocked once and entered the room as the door was opened, spreading his arms before he was asked and waiting as the electronic wand was waved across his body.

“He is clean.” The man-mountain moved away and a tall, thin Arabic man moved toward him, his arms spread wide.

“Thank you, Hakim. William. It is good to see you, my friend.”

“Masood.” They clasped wrists and wrapped each other in a stiff, one-armed embrace.