Judgment in Paradise, page 4
A raven flew down and landed beside her.
Here I am. It was no trouble.
That was fast!
I arrived on the island when you did. I wanted to be close by in case things went wrong. Knowing Coyote was involved in you being here worried me.
Thank you for being thoughtful. David said you appeared human to him. Do you mind doing that for me? I could use some advice.
The raven started to shimmer and appeared next to Abby as a woman with raven-black long hair, pale white skin, dark brown eyes, and was wearing a dress that looked like it was made out of black feathers. She was beautiful and just how David described her human form.
“Thank you, Ember. I wanted to talk to you as a friend, not as a familiar and it’s much easier to do that now.”
Ember smiled. “I always hoped we could talk like this, like sisters.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It wasn’t my place and I didn’t want to upset anybody.”
“Are we sisters, Ember?”
“Ah … Yes and no. We are both from Raven. I was born in the spirit realm and you were born here.”
“Then I actually am the daughter of Raven?”
“I wondered when you would ask that. You’re descended from Raven’s children, so in a way you are his daughter.”
“Then I’m not Human.”
“You’re Veiled and are an heir to Raven’s magic.”
“Is that the real reason I can talk to ravens?”
“Yes, they know who you are and you speak with his authority.”
“Am I a Shapeshifter like Raven?”
“You can change into a raven just like you did in the spirit realm.”
“Why wasn’t I told about this before?”
“Raven wanted me to help protect you and he thought if you knew that you didn’t need me, you might have refused my help. You’re too important to him to risk it. Will you send me back now?”
“Do you want to go back?”
“I enjoy being a part of your life and would rather stay with you. Please don’t send me away.”
“Then I accept the gift of your help.”
“How did you find out about your connection to Raven?”
“It was something Pele said when I met her.”
“Whatever Pele and Coyote are cooking up puts you in danger. Do you mind if I continue to stay close?”
“Where will you be?”
“I’ll blend in with the ravens that live on the resort and keep my eyes open.”
“Be careful! All of the guests and staff are Veiled and might notice you.”
Ember transformed back into a raven and took flight. Don’t worry about me. Focus on staying safe.
The new information from Ember was going to take some time for Abby to process. It was nice that Ember was so open with her, but she knew when push came to shove that Ember’s loyalty would be first to Raven, and Abby should expect Raven would know everything they had talked about.
Abby had a strange feeling as if she was being watched. She stood and went back to fill David in on the latest developments.
***
Mizuki met with Kenji in his room to go over the plan.
“You ready?”
“Why are we doing this again?”
“Because finding a shrine to Pele might help us weaken her in accordance with Inari’s wishes.”
“Is that why we’re here, to weaken Pele?”
“We’re here because I have business on the island. While we’re here, it wouldn’t hurt to investigate more. If we can cause a disturbance to Pele here, we can make our job easier to build our shrine.”
“My job is to monitor markets for Japan, not risk starting incidents here.”
“Your job is to watch over me. I’m doing this and so are you.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Follow me, help search for secret areas, and guard my back.”
Kenji bowed his head. “Lead and I’ll follow.”
Mizuki left his room and headed to the left. At the end of the hall, she looked around and opened the door to the suite that enclosed the end of the floor.
“Why are we not staying in this suite? It’s much better than our current rooms and more fitting of our social status.”
“This isn’t Japan and our social status doesn’t mean much here. Besides, we are supposed to look like we’re on vacation, not visiting dignitaries. These suites haven’t been used in years.”
“Why are we here? It’s only a room. It isn’t likely to have a shrine.”
“Follow me.”
Mizuki walked through what looked like a servant’s room to a door on the other side. “The suites on each side of every floor link to stairs. Up above are where the rest of the visiting servants were housed. We’re going downstairs. If I send you down without me, always go from this side of the floor, not from the room on the other side which leads to staff areas.”
Kenji nodded and followed Mizuki down the stairs to the basement.
It was like Mizuki imagined it. It looked like it was carved out of a lava flow. As they went deeper, the walls looked more cave-like, extending into the darkness.
Mizuki looked at Kenji’s glowing green eyes. They were the eyes of an animal, knowing her own would look the same. “I’m not sure how far this goes or who or what might be waiting. Be alert.”
His eyes bobbed in the semidarkness. They both had some night vision from being more animal than human, but not a lot. When a fox hunts at night, they rely more on a keen sense of smell and hearing than sight. That didn’t help much in this case. The area smelled mostly of dust, but might have once been used for storage of vegetables. None of that helped find the secret passage. She expected a shrine to be housed deep down, giving Pele a connection to this land.
“I didn’t see any lights along the way, did you?”
Kenji shook his head. “It’s not something I would need. Maybe we can go to a store later and pick something up.”
“But nothing along the way?”
“Nothing, or I wouldn’t have suggested we buy something.”
“You don’t have to be snippy. You may go.”
Kenji bowed his head and quickly left her in the dark.
That was stupid. I should have known I might need a light for something like this. What did I expect, the area to be lit with glowing lava? It’s not like foxfire was good for this situation. Stupid little girl.
Mizuki used magic to cast foxfire in hopes of seeing better, but fireworks didn’t help. Kenji would have thought her stupid for trying. The last thing she needed was losing face with him. He didn’t respect her as it was and she needed to show him she was worthy of his respect. That was hard enough when her role was to play the part of the debutante and the actions he disdained were part of the job. He wasn’t to be included in that world. Inari didn’t trust him, or anyone who wasn’t a Kitsune to know any part of her plans. Not that Inari would let even her know more than she needed to carry out her assigned work.
It felt like the darkness was closing in on Mizuki. She felt a sudden need to feel the sun on her face.
***
Abby found David back in their room.
“I talked with Ember and she is going to stick around in case we need her. She says whatever Pele and Coyote have planned for us is more dangerous than we know.”
“That seems like par for the course with Coyote. He always is concerned with whatever politics are played in the spirit realm than what happens to us.”
“We need to look for the story behind what we’re told and who’s to gain by us being here.”
David nodded. “Do you think we can trust Ali‘i?”
“The staff always know more than they let on and we should be careful around him and any of the other staff.”
“So we have a goddess that knows something is going to happen and wants outsiders to handle it and take the blame if things go wrong. Guests playing games with each other, and staff we shouldn’t trust. Am I missing anything?”
“Yes, you are. We need to have fun on our honeymoon!”
He smiled. “Thanks Abby, for putting things in perspective. We should be having some fun while we can.”
CHAPTER SIX
Suspicions
Fiona was happy dinner tonight was just her and Rolf and didn’t include any of his marks to seduce. She got all dressed up nice anyway. It helped her feel better about herself. Even in his casual attire, Rolf looked sharp. He never missed an opportunity to flaunt his muscular body, knowing that people naturally trusted someone beautiful.
In the dining area, Fiona saw Niamh sitting in the corner and couldn’t help but notice her light up in happiness when their eyes found each other. Rolf must have noticed as well and she could tell he wasn’t happy. He grabbed her by the arm and led her to a table.
“What the hell is she doing here?”
“I’m as surprised as you are. Did you invite her?”
“You have been doing a good job, but not good enough to invite your old girlfriend to tag along so don’t play me. You must have told her you would be here.”
“I’m sorry, I must have let it slip. I couldn’t have known she would come.”
The intense look in his eyes betrayed how mad he was. “You’re going to be really sorry and so will she.”
“Punish me, but leave her out of it.”
“You’re going to be punished by betraying her. It’s also a test of your skill.”
“Don’t ask me to do that.”
“You’re going to convince her to be my plaything for the night.”
“But she’s a lesbian and has never been with a man.”
“I said it was a test of skill and you have until tomorrow night to make this happen.”
“What if I can’t do it?”
“Then I have no reason to trust your loyalty or your skills to do what I need.”
“I understand.”
She did understand. It would start with him imprisoning her in her own body with the pelt, and when he got tired of that, he would destroy her pelt. Best case, she would never be able to go back to the sea, worse case, it would kill her. Even without the blackmail, all it took was him holding the pelt to give him control over her. When he first got it, he would compel her to do things and as she proved herself. Later he kept it locked up where she couldn’t get it back. She never did find out how he found it, but with his amazing sense of smell, he could have sniffed it out. She never hid it too well, since no one knew what she was or that it had any meaning to her. She had to get it back before tomorrow night.
The plan needed to be in motion now.
***
Tyra discreetly followed Rolf until he was alone near the beach.
“Mr. Lucas, I need to have a word with you.”
He turned, startled. After appraising her up and down, he bowed slightly. “It’s Rolf to such a stunning woman such as yourself.”
Tyra’s steely eyes stopped him cold. “My employer is done paying your blackmail.”
He looked at her again. She didn’t seem dangerous. He sneered. “And what, you’re going to pay in his stead now?”
“I’m here to reason with you, not pay.”
“What is the ‘or else’ part?”
“If you don’t stop, you will pay, as well as anyone else you release the information to.”
He growled, unsure of her threat. “Just how are we to pay?”
“I think you know. Do you know who I am? Do you know what I do?”
Rolf shook his head. He sniffed the air around her. “As far as I know, we haven’t met.”
“My name is Tyra and I don’t mess around as a fixer or as a bounty hunter.”
He didn’t like her scent. “I don’t care who you are. Tell your client to pay up.”
“I will give you a little time to check me out, but be assured you aren’t getting paid.”
He got up close, snarling, inches from her face. “I don’t think you heard me. Now your client has until tomorrow to pay double.”
She didn’t flinch. He noticed her eyes were like black coal, glowing darkly. “Great, you want to do things the messy way. I think by tomorrow, you will be begging me to take that much money to leave you alive. But I will drag your soul down to Hel, as you’re unworthy of Valhalla.”
He snarled again. “Don’t think it will be so easy. Others have tried to kill me and I’m still here. Also if anything happens to me, everything your client wants to stay hidden will automatically go out to those who can do the most damage.”
Rolf quickly stormed back in the direction of the resort. She could tell by his face and the way he moved, he was doubting his situation. It was a bit unprofessional of her and normally she would have been more diplomatic. But she was baiting him. The need for action to burn off the annoyance felt like fun and would get her back to Europe that much faster. He might give in, but she decided to prepare for him to make good on his threat. It would require her to search for his blackmail material and plan on how best to deal with him. He might actually have a failsafe to release the materials in case of his demise, but she found many people in his situation said they did but didn’t actually put anything in place. It might require forcing him to talk, and would also require having a place with no interruptions. If she did kill him, it must be done it in a way that wouldn’t connect back to her. Others had forced her into this situation, but never in such a public place surrounded by Veiled. It might be best to wait until he was leaving, or lure him out of the area. She decided to budget twenty-four hours for him to make his decision and her to plan for the messy option.
The first thing to do was find out which room was his and give it a look. He might have a laptop, but he might have his materials someplace else that he could release by phone. On returning back to the resort, she noticed his woman with someone she hadn’t seen before. The look that went between them was one of people having an affair. That was interesting, maybe she could use that. Her client didn’t say anything about an accomplice, but they might not have known. In any case, Tyra wasn’t being paid to do anything about her, unless she was a danger of releasing her client’s secrets.
Tyra went off to snoop around the guest rooms for the blackmail material and ideas on how to deal with Rolf.
***
Mizuki was sunning herself at the beach when Rolf walked up with a drink.
“Rangi at the bar said you ordered this …”
Looking up, she smiled. “That may have been what I was drinking, but we both know I didn’t order another one, yet. Could you move out of my sun?”
Rolf moved to the side. “I needed a reason and it seemed like a good one. Tonight, Midnight. The room across from mine.”
“If you’re lucky.”
“You did say we could get together one last time, Mizuki.”
Looking around, she saw Kenji coming. “Thank you for bringing me my drink, Mr. Lucas.”
“My pleasure, miss.”
Kenji gave Rolf a dirty look as he walked away. “What was that man doing here?”
“He brought me my drink. The bartender was busy and Mr. Lucas was kind enough to help him out.”
“Don’t give me that crap, Mizuki. I know who Rolf Lucas is and you are to have nothing to do with him.”
“I told him that myself as well. It was good you came when you did, to drive home that point.”
Kenji shook his head in disbelief. “I think you’ve had enough sun for one morning.”
Mizuki stood. “Actually, you’re right. I have some business to attend to.”
“You better be on your way, and stay away from Rolf.”
Her business was with Ali’i and she found him in passing though the dining area.
“Ali’i, I’m happy to find you. I lost one of my silver hair sticks and I wonder if anyone had turned it in.”
“I’m sorry, no one has turned anything in like that.”
“Could they have turned it in to someone else?”
“All found items come to me. If it’s found, I will return it to you.”
“Thank you, Ali’i.”
***
Tyra waited for Rolf and Fiona to be occupied. She flew up to their balcony and let herself into the room. It was much as she expected, the same dumpy looking room as the one she was staying in. Everything in the room was neat and tidy, also as expected. Rolf seemed like the type to demand everything be in its place where he stayed, to feel a sense of control and not give much away to others that visited the room. It would also be easy to see if she left anything out of place in her search.
One thing for sure: the laptop wasn’t left out in the open. The most obvious place for it was in the safe, so she started there. It only took her a moment to open the safe, but all she found was an animal pelt. It must be important for him to lock it up. If it came down to it, she could always steal the pelt and trade it for what she wanted, but where was the fun in that? She locked up the safe.
The room wasn’t huge so it shouldn’t take too long to find its hiding place. She had some experience searching rooms for clues to find where targets were hiding. It was amazing where her targets hid things. One hid his plans in a plastic bag in the toilet tank. Another in ceiling tiles where they were trying to hide themselves as well. She had no idea how large the laptop was, which meant it could be anywhere. Pulling out a drawer from a night table revealed there wasn’t room for anything electronic. The dresser drawers weren’t any different. Moving on to the closet, she checked behind the clothes and verified the luggage didn’t have a secret storage area.
The bathroom was the her last stop. There she found the laptop, taped under the sink. She let out a sigh of relief and ripped the laptop from its hiding place. Moving to the balcony, she looked into the sky and leaped off. While falling, she spread her wings. She felt a sense of exhilaration as she shot up through the air, soaring high in the sky. It wasn’t often that she felt safe enough to be herself and fly. If only she could enjoy her flight.
