Stolen Skye (Book One, The Skye Trilogy) (11 page)

“I always wanted to write her after you died…
well, you know, went away.” Bounce came in and sat down beside me while I held the letters and the ticket. “It felt so wrong, you being gone. I wanted to tell her we were friends, but I never got up the courage. I figured you wouldn’t have wanted her to know the truth, and it would be wrong for me to have to lie to her. If we’d found your money, I’d like to think we would’ve gotten it to her somehow. Fake contest winner or something.”

“Was this my train ticket from Edinburgh?”
I held up the stub and showed it to her.

“You were there for our last job together.
When we were done, we all had to scatter per protocol, but it worked best if you stayed in Scotland for another week until everything quieted down. You were posing as an assistant to our client. You were always set to go home to Boston to see your mom after, so your cover was tight. You left Edinburgh and took a train back to London, and then a flight to Boston the next morning. None of us were here when you left since we were off on our own covers. We’d all said goodbye in Scotland. I found the stub and just wanted to keep it.”

“How did you hear I had died?”
I hadn’t wanted to hear this part as it felt like it would hurt everyone and me to think about it, but now that we were discussing my disappearance, I ripped off the bandage.

“We got back to London, and, when we didn’t hear from you, Ari
made some calls. He got a copy of the accident report from Boston declaring you were dead along with the driver. Of course, now we know he eventually found out you were alive, but without any memory. We could barely be together in the same room after that. All of us without you made your loss feel even worse. Finn was drunk half the time, Ari was always gone doing other things and Raven worked with another group off and on.

“Eventually, we got back together, focusing on the job
, and things got easier. I swear though, I missed you every day.” Bounce picked up the photo of us in the frame. “It was taken on your twenty-second birthday. We went to Paris to celebrate. Raven knows the whole place like the back of her hand, though her French is horrific.” I laughed with her at the thought.

“I’m sorry, Bounce
— for not trying harder to remember, and for what Ari did. After the accident, the thought of coming back here felt like a waste of time. Maybe I was afraid I would be disappointed in the truth. Pretty ironic really, I dreamed about dating Prince William or something. All of this is far more interesting.” I put my arm around her shoulders.

“Evy, it’s like you to apologize for being in an accident.”
She smiled and turned her attention back to the items. “The lacquer box and jewelry were just cheap stuff we bought by the Thames one Saturday. The post card is a place you talked about wanting to go. Finn had told you how beautiful it was. I hate to say it, but you left some clothes behind, too. Not a lot, but I gave them away.” She looked at me apologetically. I remembered my fashion sense from college, no big loss.

“You two okay?”
Finn hovered in the doorway.

“Yes, just catching up.”
I smiled and held up the old Calculus book.

“Hey, you can get money for those if you sell them back.”
He tried to lighten the mood.

“Great, that is totally just as good as a quarter of a million dollars.
Thanks for cheering me up,” I responded with fake enthusiasm.

“I’m ge
tting the distinct feeling that Kierk and Raven are ready for us to leave. They may be engaging in the forbidden dance, and Brinks and I are running out of places to stare.” Finn encouraged us to get a move on.

“Thanks for the box.
I’ll take it back to the room with me if that’s okay?” I gave Bounce a hug without thinking about it first. Maybe some people you always love, no matter how much time passes.

“Sure, it’s your stuff.”
She hugged me back and put our picture on top. Once downstairs, we saw that the kitchen scene had become more rated R and Kierk had his shirt off. Brinks waved excitedly to us from the corner of the room, glad to not be alone anymore. I tugged on Raven’s sleeve to get her attention.

“Raven, thank you for a great dinner.
I should be going.”

“It was my pleasure.
I will see you at 7 AM tomorrow in the lobby. We are going running.” Raven responded while she danced.

“What?
No, I’m not in shape to run right now.”

“Perhaps, but you will be.
See you then.” Just like that, she forgot I was there, and moved in to cling to Kierk. I tried to wave goodbye to him as well, but gave up when I couldn’t get his attention. Finn and Brinks joined me in the waiting car. After dropping Finn and then Brinks off, I tried hard to feel excitement for a morning run and Ari’s return. I failed miserably.

Chapter
11. Unexpected

“Raven, I have to stop.
I’m either going to blow a knee or a lung,” I yelled, using what little oxygen was left. She was two car lengths ahead, down the path of Hyde Park, running with perfect form. Upon arriving back to my room the night before, I had comforted myself thinking her mention of a morning run was just talk. After the cooking, dancing, and what I was sure was a tiring night with Kierk, how could she possibly be up for it?

Like clockwork, at 7
AM, the rapping on the door started. After she threatened to pick the lock, I let her in. With her passionate insistence, I was ready in five minutes, with a sloppy pony tail, capri-cut gray sweat pants and a faded blue sweatshirt. I was sure my walking shoes were not going to appreciate the pounding they were about to receive. She, of course, was in a black fitted running shirt and matching leggings with a hot-pink, zip up jacket. She was starting to annoy me.

“Evelyn, it has barely been a mile.
Speed up.” She ran back to me, bending down to look in my eyes.

“Look, I can’t just start running out of the blue.
Can we speed walk or something? I haven’t done this in a while.” I held my hand out to stop her insistence and tried to catch my breath.

“Fine.”
She took her jacket off and tied it around her waist. A gentleman running by tripped over his own foot and nearly hit the pavement. Yes, okay, she’s hot. Get over it, I wanted to scream, but my lungs burned too badly.

“Can we just sit for a minute?”
I motioned to a bench nearby and looked up at her with pleading eyes, my hands still on my knees. We took a seat and she offered me her water bottle. After a moment, my breathing began to even out. “We did this every day?” I asked, marveling at the thought.

“Not always together and not always here, but we all got the exercise.
Plus, we use Ari’s gym. I love the sauna.” She tied one of her shoes again while looking off down the trail.

“You make it sound like a country club.”
I took a drink and then handed the bottle back to her.

“I wouldn’t know about your fancy clubs, Evy, I am just a poor girl from Bogota.”
She was using sarcasm, but I detected I’d hit a nerve.

“Sorry, I was just picturing Ari’s place.
I didn’t mean anything by it.” I stuttered out a quick apology.

“Aye, don’t be so silly.
I was just playing with you. Hurry up, I don’t have all morning.” A smile broke across her face as she tightened her pony tail and popped up ready to begin again.

My body relaxed knowing it wasn’t going to have to run, so the walking was much easier.
The trail around Hyde Park was five miles, taking you through a naturally picturesque setting and past people from all walks of life. Without the pain and the labored breathing, the outing was quite nice. Raven didn’t use her iPod, so I left mine off to be polite. She wasn’t very chatty, but I wanted to hear her if she decided to speak. Two more miles in and I had to talk to break the monotony.

“So, why did you leave Colombia?”
I remembered Finn had said something about her being a beauty queen. That sounded like it would’ve been hard for her to walk away from.

“My mother didn’t need my help anymore and I thought there might be more for me.
A friend and I went to Paris.” She looked over at me for just a second and then kept stomping ahead on her own private runway.

“Finn said something about you being in pageants.
I’m sure you won.”

“They are big in my country, but beauty only gets you so far.
They are expensive and political as well. We had no money to spare and my schooling was not enough for any scholarships. I was something though, in the beginning.” From beside her I could see the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile.

“Why Paris?”

“A woman from the pageants gave my friend and me the idea to go to become models when we were seventeen. We were so excited we sold our gowns for money. It wasn’t much. When we got to the place where she had told us she knew someone, it was not models they were looking for as much as escorts. My friend went along with it. She was poor, like me, and afraid to go home. I was angrier than she was and stormed out.”

“How did you survive?”
I could picture the storming out, but Raven alone on the streets was hard to visualize.

“My mother taught me to steal from birth.
She moved to Bogota when she got pregnant with me and worked as a maid. They paid women like her nothing, but they gave her a roof over her head. When I was old enough, she had me help her clean the houses and work the crowds in old town, asking for money or stealing wallets, food, whatever we needed. We made a living and I got good at it.

“She met a worthless salesman and married him, but I got to go to school regularly for the first time.
Senora Marti encouraged me to start competing. I thought it might give me a bigger life. I love my mother, but I needed to get out of Colombia. After we got to Paris, I went back to stealing on the metro and moved in with my friend from Bogota, Amelia, sleeping on her floor.”

“How did you get to London?”

“Amelia met a man who offered her his house when he wasn’t in town.
He was some type of businessman from South Africa. It was a very nice place compared to her one room disaster. After we were there about a month, two men came in with a key saying they were guests of Mr. Levington. They made it clear we were part of their stay. Amelia was much more experienced than I was and I put up a fight. He was strong, but I’m a fighter. When they were gone, I stole everything I could from the house and set it on fire. After that, it felt like a good idea to leave. I’d met a couple of gypsies in Paris, and took up with some of their friends in London.”

“I’m sorry for how hard that must have been.”
She had glossed over her apparent attack, burglary, and arson, so I thought it best to not mention them directly. Though it was all so foreign to me, I couldn’t help but respect Raven’s strength. She was more than just beautiful, quite a bit more.

“I met up with Ari
, who was putting together a small team. We brought in Finn and Bounce, and then searched for a person for the computers. Brinks was in the School of Medicine at Cambridge, where he also started some online gambling ring. Soon, we worked almost exclusively together, adding you eventually.” She glanced over at me, picking up her pace. I couldn’t hear any disdain in her voice when she mentioned my addition. However, it was important for me to find out if she was the other one who hadn’t wanted me to return.

“Finn said there were two who voted against me coming back.
Were they you and Ari?” She stopped and turned to me, tightening the knot at her waist.

“Yes.
I was very glad you were alive, Evelyn, but we had moved past everything and you didn’t remember us. I thought it was better you stay with your family and quiet life. I don’t like being lied to, but I understand Ari. It’s good to see you, though. I’m happy to help if it’s what you really want.” She looked intently at me.

“Yes.
I want to be here. I want to remember if I can. I was happy, it seems. I want to know why.” I looked back at her with what I hoped was a very determined expression.

“You were happy, but all of this didn’t come easy for you.
I never understood you, risking such a safe life. I can see wanting your memories back now, but is that all you want?” She placed her hands on her hips, cocking her head.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just trying to see into you. If it’s Finn you want, you better be sure. He lost you once and we had to bring him back. This isn’t a game for young girls anymore.” She was very serious.

“Who’s playing a game?”

“I’m just saying, a lot has changed.” She stamped her foot as if it could make me understand her better.

“Raven, I don’t know what I did before or anything about Finn.
If there was something serious between us, you’ll have to fill me in. He hasn’t.”

“I don’t know how serious either of you were, but just be careful.
There is also Bounce. If you decide to go home next week, we all get left again. If you’re not planning to stay in our lives, it is best you get your information and go home. Also, not all criminals are like us. This was never a world for you to pretend in.” She dropped her eyes and turned, starting up the walk again.

“I understand.”
I didn’t have anything else to say. I hadn’t thought about the leaving part. I certainly didn’t want to hurt people I’d just realized existed. It made sense too, what she was saying. I would be careful not to lead Finn on; I had already decided that was a good idea. It was a relief to hear that things between us weren’t too serious. Not that he wasn’t someone to get serious about, it just meant that much more guilt when I didn’t remember. We got to the end of the trail in silence. Raven put her jacket back on and hailed us a cab.

“Are you in the mood for coffee?”
She turned to me, rubbing what little perspiration she had from her forehead.

“Yes, always.”
I glanced at my drenched sweatshirt and gave up on looking like a pretty girl for a while.

“Dura Vita in Knightsbridge, por favor.”
Raven tapped the Plexiglas divider, signaling we were ready. I recognized the steel and the blue umbrellas from a block away. This was the newer of the two in London, and even more impressive than the first. I entered after her, hoping to hide myself behind her until I could find a bathroom. Raven went to stand in line and I excused myself to assess the damage. No make-up I could handle, but sweaty and messy felt inappropriate indoors. I took my hair down to fan out my scalp and then pulled it back again. I toweled off my face after splashing some cold water on it. I checked the mirror and figured the reflection was the best I could hope for.

“Evelyn, over here.”
Raven flagged me over to her table with an older man I didn’t know standing beside her.

“Ah.
It is so good to see your face again.” The tall, solidly built gentleman took my hand in both of his and smiled at me, searching my expression for any recognition.

“Hi.
I’m sorry, but I have some trouble with my memory.” I tried to explain, a little annoyed Raven hadn’t said who he was or prepared him for me not remembering.

“Yes, well, I am Gheorghe Ambrus, Ari’s uncle.”
He inclined his head, indicating he understood my challenges. Once he said it, I could see a slight resemblance to Ari, but his eyes were a soft brown, hooded by heavy brows, and his skin was much darker. His black hair had flecks of gray sprinkled throughout.

“Oh, yes.
Finn mentioned you. This is your place. Well, it’s nice to meet you again.” He smiled even wider.

“It is nice to meet you again as well, my dear.
I’m sure we will be seeing you.” He kissed my hand and then bent to Raven, kissing her on both cheeks before he left us.

“I got you a large espresso.”
Raven slid my drink closer to me.

“Thank you.
So, are he and Ari close?” I turned to watch him move through the crowd, shaking hands.

“
They’re family, but that’s the only thing that brings them together. Ari’s thankful for the help his uncle gave him when he was young, but he isn’t really close to many people. Listen, I hope I wasn’t so hard before. I know you’ll make good choices.” She smiled, letting me know we were friends again.

“No, you were fine.
I don’t want to hurt anyone and I agree with you, I’ll be careful.”

“Good, now what did you think of Kierk?”
She shifted topics, anxious to hear my opinion.

“He’s very handsome.
What do you think of him?” I silently applauded my diplomacy.

“Oh, he is fine for now.”
She winked. We finished our coffees and I begged her to let me go home and shower before we went anywhere else. It was almost 10 AM. She decided to return to her house, asking me to call her later if everyone was getting together. She handed me a card as well, Raven Cubrero. I was carrying around all their cards in my already overburdened wallet.

After a long shower and a croissant, I considered that I had the day alone with no plans.
I left the hotel and hailed a cab to take me to the Thames River. I apparently spent a lot of time walking along it, so I thought it might be helpful to visit again. Edwin, the hotel concierge, suggested starting at Westminster Bridge, walking toward the Tower Bridge.

The day had turned predictably bleak with a chilly wind off the river, but stopping at different stalls selling everything imaginable kept my spirits light.
I noticed more than a few people who looked displaced and unkempt, and I tried to imagine Raven, Finn, or Bounce among them. Today, they looked like regular, law-abiding citizens, especially Ari. I understood Raven’s warning that they were not the norm within their trade, but if I was with them, it seemed logical enough to think I was safe.

“Lady, would you like to buy a map?”
A young girl came up to me, fanning folded maps to get my attention. She had a lovely face and less impressive clothes. I didn’t notice anyone with her, but surely she was too young to be alone.