Rue Scarce
✳
"Hey there, ladies."
I was too busy leaning onto the discussion we had about Vindik that I didn't realize someone had come and is currently standing in front of me.
He had short dark brown hair with blue eyes that are close to grey and a clean shaven face with a strong jaw. This man looked like someone people would call handsome with a strong body build, seeing as he had no shirt on and just wore a pair of swimming trunks.
"Michael." Candice greeted, although I noticed how red her cheeks are at the moment.
"You wouldn't mind introducing me to these beautiful women, Candy?" My eyebrows slightly twitched at his tone and how he's clearly flirting with Candice.
"Right. This is Helen, Travis's guest. Ebony on the other hand is Vindik's. Girls, this is Michael, a childhood friend of mine."
The man turned to Helen first, shaking hands with her and then he turned towards me doing the same.
"Hi. We met before, in Candy's office one time." He said and I recalled his familiar face.
I blinked my eyes altogether when I realized he was the man Candice was with when Vindik and I walked in to interrupt their intimate session.
"Right, I remember now."
"Yeah, it wasn't a good memory to leave a good impression." He scratched the back of his head at that, completely bashful.
"Still, I'm surprised Travis and Vindik brought dates let alone proper ones at that. Travis never brings one with him every time and Vindik brought ones that needed help with their clothes that barely hide anything."
"That's because these women are different." Cavis suddenly appeared beside the man, wearing his own swimming trunks and completely bare on his upper body.
"Cavis, haven't seen you since your photoshoot months ago." Helen greeted him.
"I've been too busy, Helen. But those clothes I wore then in those photos-- damn I look hot." Cavis praised himself, in which we all either groaned or rolled our eyes at.
Give it to Cavis who has his looks get over his head.
"Of course, I designed them myself." Helen said smugly.
"You should see her designs, Ebony. She's really good at making them. I bet she can make an ugly troll into a sexy beautiful elf." I instinctively arched an eyebrow at her unique choice of words in which I assured her that I will do so some time soon.
"That being said, want to go scuba diving?" Michael suggested.
"I'll go." Candice and Cavis both spoke at the same time and that made them both glare at each other.
"I'll ask Travis to join." Helen then looked at me.
"I can't. It's too risky for me to go underwater." I tell them.
And I'll be busy doing something else.
"Oh. Okay. I'll call Vindik to keep you company." Helen suggested.
"He's occupied. He's talking business with Travester and I suppose Mr Stone is with them as well."
Candice was already a meter away with Michael in her company when I cast her a glance.
"Well, we're going. You sure you're alright here?" Cavis asked, fetching me a look of concern in my way.
"I'll be fine. Seriously." I gave them a small smile and they both left with hesitance a minute later.
I was left near the pool and I waited a little longer, watching the people having fun. There were kids playing in the pool, women putting sunscreen on their skins, and gentlemen sitting down by the corner to have chats.
I waited until I basically hid in the crowd and is barely even noticed. I casually walked away without even turning back as I made my way.
I walked around the corners of the area, looking for some place where I can find a blind spot. It wasn't long until I found Sheer whisper yelling on the phone.
"What do you mean it's under water? I came here to find the goods and kill the fucking bastard and you're telling me the white powders are in the water? I want you to come up here and tell me that so I can strangle you to death myself!"
"So you're looking for drugs." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
She turned to my direction and her face turned from an innocent smile to a scowl.
"Oh. You heard."
I approached her with an uninterested look.
"You should refrain from talking loudly when one of us have sensitive ears."
"More like a big sensitive nose." She scoffs at me.
"What do you want, Rue? You were not supposed to hear any of that."
"I was looking around for anything in particular but you showed up. Drugs under this vehicle? Too conspicuous." I tell her as I stared out in the ocean.
"Yeah. That confirms your suspicions. There is someone on this boat that is involved with illegal activities. In other words, somehow connected to the Mafia or worse, is in the Mafia."
What I dread to learn is someone related to Vindik and Mr Stone is involved in this. And if one of them is somehow involved in this, it will be a small matter of time for me to raise my sword and spill their blood.
"Did you get what I was asking for?" I asked her.
She glanced around for a moment before looking straight back at me.
"I sent the file in your account."
"Oh. I thought you actually brought some hard copies."
"Are you fucking with me? You know it's bad for both of us to bring them out in the open. The info's all in that file I sent you. But I have to tell you, you won't be happy to know who that bitch was working for when she betrayed the family."
I nod my head at her.
"Fine. I already sent the money to your account. Until then, while you're working on this, don't forget to inform me who in this family is involved. If you need any assistance, call me."
I pushed myself off my current position and started to walk away.
"It's not like a pregnant woman can do much help but not like that'll stop you." She scoffs at me.
▫❇▫
Judging by the drugs being hidden under the boat, the culprit must be very confident that no one will notice. Other than that, he must have known beforehand about what the host of this reunion plans to use as a vehicle.
Candice Stone is the one who chose this vehicle using the family's money. She must have different options to choose from. Other than that, the culprit must be someone close to her.
I heard that Candice didn't tell anyone from the family about having a three day cruise as the venue of the reunion, other than those close to her. People who knew about her plans.
I clenched my fists at the realization.
Travis Stone, Vindik Riot, and Cavis Stone.
Three of them knew where the party is going to be held at. If I look at it, Cavis isn't the type to be able to do something like that unless he's being ordered to do so.
So there are two men possible to be the culprit, Vindik and Travis Stone.
I suddenly remembered Sheer's file so I opened my laptop and checked my account. I clicked the file without so much as a bat of an eye and read the file about Aera Maverick.
There was a picture of her in a formal outfit, her red hair tied in a pony tail , and her blue eyes staring straight at the camera.
She's still the same person I remembered her to be, the rat in the Leighton's Mafia family.
I kept reading the file, learning how she was abused since she was twelve by her parents and how she was then dumped in the streets later on. The same process of how men illegally take children to be sold.
Once I came to the part where a Mafia Family took her in, I was frozen in spot.
The Montreal Mafia. The organization that has been rising up in the ranks here in America.
And it doesn't state here that Maverick left that Mafia. She's still working there. With the Mafia Don, Fierce Montreal.
Somehow the dots are being connected in my mind.
The day she barged in my office and went to enter Mr Stone's because she has urgent news to give. Those were the times I had killed many of their men.
They're not just connected, they both lead to one conclusion.
It's confirmed.
Fierce Montreal is Travis Stone. The leader of the Montreal Mafia organization.
▫▪🌸▪▫
"I'm sorry for being busy this morning. I had to meet Travis for some business plan Uncle Travester made." Vindik apologized the moment he came to my room.
"It's okay, I had a good time with the others." I turned to him with a small smile.
He stopped in his tracks the moment his eyes trained on my outfit. They slowly trailed down to my exposed legs then back up again to my chest where three buttons were open.
"Vindik?" I furrowed my eyebrows at his silence and he had an impassive expression on his handsome face.
"What's wrong? Is it my outfit? Helen and Candice made me wear this. It's a disappointment when I didn't get to use them." I state but it was like I was talking to thin air.
"What. Are. You. Wearing?" He emphasized each word and it suddenly made my heart beat fast.
"A Two-piece bikini and a large black polo. Why? Is it bad?" I asked although that wasn't my main concern.
"Is it bad? Ebony, that polo is mine. I had it custom-made for me. Everyone in this yacht knows."
"Oh." I didn't even know what to say so I waited for him to continue.
"And you wore that while you went out? In front of my family?"
I was looking at him in the eyes when I replied.
"Yes." I agreed.
Helen didn't tell me this belonged to someone else. I would have to ask her about this.
He began approaching me. My heart couldn't get any louder in my ears whereas Vindik's is unusually calm.
His hand reached for my cheek, his thumb lightly brushing it and it visibly made me shiver.
His other hand went to my chest where my outfit is unbuttoned, fiddling around the cloth with his fingers.
"You went out, dressed in my clothes, with those long legs in display for everyone to see just because Helen and Candice told you to?" He brushed his nose on my hair, sniffing my scent behind my ear down to my nape, then rested his head on the crook of my neck.
"Ebony, what are you doing? Why are you doing this to me?"
"What are you talking about?" It surprised me, I'm not pushing him away. It's a first.
"This." His hand reached down to the bottom of the polo shirt I'm wearing and pulled it up slowly.
His knuckles slightly brushing against my bare thigh.
I almost shivered at the interaction and I did my best to stop myself from falling under the spell this man had somehow put me in.
"Vindik." I gasped when his wet lips made contact with my neck.
What is he doing to me? Why am I letting him touch me?
I don't even know myself why.
His nose ran against my skin while I clenched my fist and my other hand gripped his arm that held my hip.
I didn't even know I was holding my breath until his black orbs stared right at me. They were darker than usual and the scent of his warm breath smelled good.
He leans forward, our lips close for contact, both of our eyes are halfway closed. We're both waiting for something to happen and I'm not yet certain about my feelings swirling inside me.