Stolen Skye (Book One, The Skye Trilogy) (15 page)

“Doing well.
Actually, I just left everyone and realized Finn has the room key so I am just waiting for another. I hate being so casual around all these well-dressed people.” I gestured to the crowd around me, who all seemed to have come from the same event.

“Ah, there isn’t one amongst them who would look down on you, my dear.
We have just left a Tolerance for the People of Europe lecture. A group who lobbies the wealthy and powerful to help the disenfranchised. Good people, all of them.” He looked about him and smiled to some that stopped to greet him.

“It sounds like it.
Ari told me a little about the work you do.”

“Yes, well, we each have a part to play.
So, you and Fintan? It’s good to know you two have reconnected. He’s a fine lad, considering how he started out in life.” Uncle Gheorghe began to wind down the conversation as he spotted someone gesturing to him by the door.

“Um, no.
He just had the key in his pocket. I…”

“It is good to see you again.
Perhaps I will see you at Ari’s house tomorrow night for the boxing match? Take care.” With that, he moved away through the sea of people and clasped hands with another gentleman. After acquiring another key, I couldn’t have been more thankful when my head hit the pillow. I kicked off my sneakers and catalogued the facts I had learned. After an hour or so, as I pondered the idea of a boxing match, my cell phone rang.

“Evelyn, the meeting fell apart after you left.
Get ready and let’s go shopping. I have some Christmas presents to get and we need to order more platters for the party tomorrow night. Can you be ready around 2 PM?” Bounce was eager to go out, and the idea of Christmas shopping did cheer me up. I hadn’t even thought of the upcoming holiday.

“Yes, I’ll be ready, but what is this party?”

“We’ll fill you in later,” Bounce replied before hanging up abruptly.

Raven and Bounce arrived in a G Class Mercedes, the boxier kind that looked like it should be crossing the Sahara.
Bounce was behind the wheel, which terrified me as we pulled from the curb.

“So, what happened to ruin the meeting?” I sensed it had something to do with me and I hated it.
I didn’t need more reasons for Ari to dislike me.

“Boys will be boys.
Finn has been angry since Ari admitted he knew you were alive and Ari apologized, but still thinks he did the right thing. After they continued to argue, Ari suggested they get in the ring. For the pain he caused, he gave Finn three shots at him.” Raven told the story as she applied lipstick in the flip mirror.

“Is Ari okay?”
A part of me wished I could have seen it, but I didn’t want him badly hurt.

“He will live.
He’ll be bruised, but he’ll live. He clipped Finn real good in the chin after. I doubt it has helped much, but they shook hands, at least. We can’t really talk about doing anything until they get over each other. Men!” Bounce declared, exasperated.

“Is this all just about Ari’s lie?”

“Yes, and for treating you unfairly, in our opinion. And, well, Finn may have been trying to mark his territory,” Bounce added, smiling into the rear view.

“I wouldn’t say Ari has been awful to me.
The dinner last night was nice, for the most part.” I didn’t like what Ari had done, but I didn’t find him horrible, just confusing and distant. “Why would Finn possibly need to mark his territory?” That part stumped me.

“I’m not sure he liked Ari taking you out on a date.
He’s possessive of things he thinks are his.” The car grew silent for a minute as I thought over Bounce’s words.

“Ladies, last night was a major evening, but it in no way felt like a date.
I am not Finn’s and I most definitely am not dating Ari.” They turned to each other and then back at me. I pointed for Bounce to put her eyes back on the road. “Besides, Ari doesn’t seem to like me at all. He pretended I didn’t exist for years. Whatever is going on between them can’t be about me, especially when it comes to Ari. He seems very happy to see me leave as soon as possible.” I made my case and turned in a huff, glowering out the window.

“Well, you don’t remember him.
If you did, you’d know how odd he’s acting.” Bounce cut off a taxi as she shifted lanes, resulting in a loud series of honks she didn’t seem to notice. “So, what do you think of Finn?” Bounce locked eyes with me in the rearview mirror, waiting for my response.

“What should I be thinking when it comes to Finn?
He’s handsome and funny. Am I missing something?”

“No, I’m just up for some girl talk.”
Why did I always become so defensive when it came to Finn? There’s no harm in asking if I think he’s attractive. I’m sure his effect on me has been obvious. It was just that everyone knew more about me than I did, and I felt the need to keep what little I was discovering about my past protected. Still, I did want to dish just a little.

“Well, he’s probably the most stunning man I’ve ever met.
Does that satisfy you?” Bounce and Raven laughed and nodded their heads. “Ari’s uncle jumped to conclusions, and, well, accused me of being with Finn.”

“Are you?” questioned Bounce, a little too loudly in close quarters.

“No, there was a kiss, but no. He was just testing my memory.” Bounce and Raven smiled conspiratorially at each other longer than I thought appropriate in traffic.

Raven leaned with her elbow over the passenger seat and asked, “How did Gheorghe get this wrong idea?”

“I saw him at a meeting at my hotel. He thought Finn was staying in my room. What is the Tolerance for the People of Europe?”

“Leaders in various
communities and sympathetic supporters. They are having a public relations crisis with Cherkev in custody.”

“Who’s Cherkev?”

“Mob kingpin who happens to be Roma. Drugs, guns, prostitution, violent crime. He apparently runs the largest network in western Europe. He’s being held on charges, but many think he’ll walk. It’s all over TV.”

I thought the Mob was a strictly American thing.

We pulled up to wait in the parking valet line at Harrods department store. Sheets of rain were coming down as we prepared for a mad dash to the doors.

“Whose car is this
, anyway?

“We borrowed it from Finn, don’t tell him,” Raven answered as she collected the claim ticket.

“You just took it from him? How?” I asked them both after we shook off the rain and stepped into the Harrods Room of Luxury.

“He just leaves it at the house.
He never lets me drive it. We needed a car and Derek was occupied. Don’t you like it?” Bounce seemed almost offended.

“Yes, it’s quite nice.
I was just questioning its origin.” It shouldn’t have surprised me they would take what they wanted without asking.

Harrods was covered in sparkling white lights and decorated elaborately for Christmas.
Surrounded by Gucci and Dior, we fanned out to browse. It was nice to be a part of something normal again. I started to look for some things for my family and friends. I had been considering, and swiftly decided in the moment, to go home for Christmas. I needed to begin planning my departure. Ari would be thrilled.

“Did you find anything?”
Bounce was at my side, inspecting the same bin of designer sunglasses on sale.

“Listen, I think I am going to go home in a few days.
Spend time with my mom at Christmas.” I floated the idea to see what type of reaction my departure would receive.

“That sounds nice.
Just make sure you are back right after, because we’ll be leaving for Paris.” Bounce didn’t even look up, but kept hunting through the other stocking stuffers.

“I’m not going to Paris.
Whatever is going on there is none of my business.” I stopped browsing and looked at her quizzically, trying to understand how she had made that mental leap.

“Of course you are.
We discussed it earlier. It’s all decided.” Bounce turned to me, smiling as she lowered her Prada frames. She looked back in the mirror and frowned, moving onto the next pair.

“I’m not back, Bounce.
I’m just getting to know you guys again.” I tried to break into her reality.

“Please, you were back when you go
t on the plane.” She put her arm around my waist and squeezed, moving to the next section of special holiday items. Her confidence was infuriating. Instead of arguing, I threw myself into shopping mode, finding a good pair of sunglasses for Cecelia. Jasper was more complicated, but I ended up with a Harrods tie. I figured he’d like the idea of it being from Harrods as much as the tie itself. Since they were priced well, I got Steve one also. My mother was the most difficult to shop for as she had everything she needed, so I was back to browsing.

I noticed Raven and a woman having words over a small tug of war involving a pink cashmere scarf.
I was surprised to see Raven give up after only a minute. Eventually, I found a great pair of cashmere lined gloves for my mother in a dark red which I was sure she didn’t already have. They would give her some color to go with her everyday blacks, creams and beiges.

At the jewelry counter, I couldn’t resist asking the sales person to show me an elaborate necklace with a platinum chain in a delicate filigree scroll.
The large pendant was in the same design with a deep green emerald in the center. The sales person told me it was part of their vintage jewelry collection and was Edwardian in style. I admired its elegance as the small encrusted diamonds glittered against my skin.

“I need coffee.
Are you ready already?” Raven stood in the middle of the aisle with several bags of things. I was delighted to see that she had actually made purchases. There was a strong chance with her that “shopping” meant something entirely different.

“Evy, are you ready?
We need to go by the Food Halls.” Bounce waited for me to follow them. I took the necklace off and thanked the salesperson for her help. I was still annoyed that Bounce just assumed I was going to Paris with them, but there was coffee somewhere.

The Food Halls at Harrods were well stocked, to say the least.
All the cheese, meat, and seafood you could possibly think to want, in stainless steel and glass cases with granite counters. An infinite selection of teas, coffees, chocolates, and delicate pastries — impossible to resist, I discovered, as I walked away from the counter still nibbling.

Bounce and Raven were over at the catering section.
They were ordering several platters of food to be delivered to Ari’s house the next day. As Raven filled out the address, I saw the light bounce off a diamond tennis bracelet under her sleeve, one I hadn’t noticed earlier in the car.

“Raven, where did you get that?”
I asked, taking her arm as we moved back toward the coffee counter.

“The stupid lady was not nice.
That was my scarf. She didn’t deserve something so beautiful.” Raven stared at me like the angry cat that ate the canary, twirling the bracelet on her arm so I could admire it. I just sighed, unsure of what else I could do with someone like her. After refueling on caffeine and breaking out some truffles, Bounce bought some party supplies that she thought Ari would need.

“What is the party for exactly?”
I asked, as she paid the clerk.

“It’s tradition.
A lot of people take these two weeks off from work in London. Uncle Gheorghe always hosts a party at Ari’s house. It ends with a boxing match, some Gypsy thing. Anyway, Ari is the current champion and someone spars with him. It can get a little barbaric for my taste, but the party part is fun. You’ll see.” She took my arm and we made it out to the valet, past the pink scarf woman screaming obscenities at a young store clerk while she searched on the ground for something. Raven smiled to herself as I watched her pass.

Once on our way in Finn’s car
, Raven asked, “What do you two want to do tonight?”

“I’m staying in.
I need to make my travel arrangements,” I responded quickly.

“What travel?”
Raven glared at me. I filled her in on my idea to go home for Christmas. She thought it sounded incredibly dull. “Evelyn, there is nowhere else to be but in Paris on New Year’s Eve. Stop pretending you can’t decide. It’s so tiring.” Raven dismissed us both and began texting on her phone. Bounce glanced in her rearview a few times, wondering if I was okay, I assumed.

“Raven, will you drop off the supplies and take the car back to Finn?
I want to visit with Evy.” Without asking, Bounce invited herself up to my room when we arrived at the hotel. It felt like she needed to tell me something so I kept silent, though I really wanted to be alone.

“Aye, fine, but I am telling him it was your idea.”
Raven walked over to the driver’s seat and then tore off down the street. We carried our packages silently to the room and walked straight into the living area, each claiming a couch.

“So, what else do you want to know?
I’ll tell you anything I can to make you stay, well… come back. I feel like you are going to disappear again.” Bounce squared her shoulders, sitting across from me, prepared to offer up anything I wanted. There was a lot, but one thing in particular.