Storm Chaser: Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Elena woke early and stretched, luxuriating in the fact that she didn’t have to be up quite so early and could linger in bed a while.

“Be more fun if someone were with me,” she said to herself. She stretched and thought about the bug detector. She smiled wickedly and got out of bed. She decided to leave off getting dressed for a bit and went straight to the wooden box Peter sent. She followed the instructions and was soon waving it over and near things in what she hoped was a professional manner.

“I really hope they don’t have video,” she muttered. Elena nearly dropped the wand when the beeps began to sound. She stopped. Slowly she moved the wand. The beeps increased in frequency and then diminished again. She pulled her arm back slowly. The same thing happened. Elena put the wand down and took a close look at where the beeps were most frequent. It was the edge of her book case where there was a decorative lip. Elena ran her hand under the book case and came up with a small roundel of metal similar to the one she handed Smith. She thought about yelling into it on the off chance someone was listening on the other end but controlled herself and continued her search.

An hour later she stood in her kitchen with several of the little metal bits placed in a row on her kitchen table. Her lips were pursed in a thin line as she looked at the last one. It had been on her headboard.

“Probably a good thing I didn’t have company,” she muttered darkly. Elena drummed her fingers on the table as she wondered what to do with the little things. With a small, tight smile she pulled a roll of duct tape from her kitchen’s all purpose drawer. She cut a small strip and attached the bugs to it. She took the strop of tape into her spare room and fastened the tape over one of her stereo’s speakers. Elena then looked at her rack of cds. On nights when she couldn’t sleep Elena had taken to listening to audio books. Her hand hesitated over the rack. The copy of Beowulf was read by a man with an Irish accent that suited the tone of the story quite well to her mind. However, the collection of old radio dramas also had some appeal. She decided to go with the radio dramas.

‘I wonder if they listen constantly or just every so often,’ the thought as she loaded the CD player. It had the capacity to hold 6 cds and the ability to play them in a continuous loop. Elena turned the volume on low so as not to disturb her neighbors and so that the words would be slightly indistinct. She turned it on and went to get dressed.

It was with an odd sense of accomplishment that Elena left her apartment a short while later. The wand was in her bag and she would check out the conference room so she could be more confident when meeting with the other grounded pilots on Monday.

“The Shadow knows,” Elena whispered to herself and giggled a bit as she headed down the stairs. Sunday was the only day the stores were closed and she planned to have a look at the receipts and stock before heading to brunch with her friends. One day did not a success make but it might give her an idea what types of items people seemed inclined to buy. At Nibbles Elena started out on the floor and worked her way around the room, picking up some of the trash that had been missed the night before. She shook her head as she fished a small plastic cup from the base of a potted plant. The trash can was less than two feet away. She wondered if it was laziness or just sheer contrariness that let some people drop their trash anywhere rather than where it belonged. The drink mixes appeared to be popular as was the vegetarian pates. Elena made a mental note and headed back to the stock room. Here she smiled at the reduced stock. Several times the staff had brought stock forward to keep the displays up and sales were much more evident. Surprisingly the alien cookware had sold well. She was fairly certain they would find uses that the creators had never intended.

“Chalk it up to ingenuity,” she said. She doubled back to the front and pulled the files of receipts kept beneath each register. She took them and a blank records book upstairs to the conference room and set them on the table. She started a fresh pot of coffee and sat down to see what was what. Andre came into the room about the same time the pot of coffee had finished brewing.

“I’m sorry did I wake you?” Elena said. “I thought with the doors closed…”

“No no, I was up.” Andre said waving off her apology. He yawned hugely and Elena smiled.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“I know, I just smelled the coffee and figured since it was here I wouldn’t have to make my own pot.” He paused. “If you are willing to share.”

“I can share,” she told him. He poured two mugs and walked one over to her.

“Good. Besides I had a hunch you would be in this morning.”

“That predictable?”

“Just made sense is all. Mateo mentioned the two of you were having lunch with your grandfather today. I figured you’d want to have something to tell him.”

“Not exactly,” she said with a laugh. “Grandfather does not approve of business on Sundays.”

“Even after a big event?”

“Especially after a big event,” Elena told him. “After all it is easy to hold to a plan when there is no temptation but resisting temptation takes character. And no one will accuse him of weak character.”

“That I can believe.” Andre took in her large balance book and folders of receipts. “That looks awfully Victorian of you.” Elena frowned.

“I know. The expenditures are on the computer downstairs and I’ll have someone else enter these in later but I always liked doing this by hand.”

“Guild raised.” Andre said with a smile. “You can always tell.” Elena frowned and took a sip of her coffee.

“You can’t always tell,” she said.

“Are you going to tell me you couldn’t pick out the guild members from the crowd last night?”

“No but that has nothing to do with my balancing the books by hand.”

“True but the guild raised always have that odd balance of traditional and technological.” Andre said. “Admit it, when you send thank you notes you write them out with a fountain pen rather than buy a ready made card from the store.”

“Most of the things I end up thanking people for don’t have ready made cards.” Elena said. “But I see your point. Riko sent me a calligraphied dinner invitation rather than calling on the phone or sending an e-mail.”

“You are having dinner with her?”

“Had,” Elena corrected. “It was a distinctly odd experience.”

“That I can believe. I heard the dragons guarding her doors have smoke that come out of their nostrils.”

“Not that I saw.” Elena thought about it a moment. “But I could see her doing something like that.”

“She really does have dragons at the door?” Andre asked, his mouth quirked up in amusement.

“Yup.”

“Huh.” They sat and drank their coffee in silence as Andre pictured the dragons.

“Riko mentioned you.”

“At dinner?” Andre asked.

“Well yes actually, but I meant last night. She seems to believe that I pulled off some sort of coup by getting you to design labels and ad campaigns.”

“Ah,” Andre said. He paused for a moment and then started laughing. His coffee swished close to the rim and he set it down before it spilled. Elena waited until his giggle fit wound down.

“You find that amusing?”

“No, I find any council member interested in my life disturbing. I find the way you actually managed to say that and make it sound polite amusing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Andre wiped his eyes on the edge of his t-shirt. “My guess would be that you were complemented on your ability to lure me back into the guild and wrangle me into working for the good of the families.”

“Something like that,” Elena said with a grin. “And I do have superior wrangling skills. I very sneakily asked you to send me a resume and when you did I offered you a job which you accepted. I am truly a master of deception.”

“Very sneaky, keeping everything up front like that.”

“I try.”

“It shows.”

“So why is it exactly that you are considered so hard to wrangle?” Elena asked.

“It is not so much that I am hard to wrangle,” Andre said. “I just didn’t want to work for Peter.” He shrugged.

“Then why did you agree to work here?”

“Well this isn’t exactly working for Peter is it?”

“Because it is working for me?”

“Not exactly. I like the guild. And I was bored where I was. All that I told you during my interview was true.”

“I didn’t think it was a lie. But you are still working with Peter.”

“True but I have you as a buffer.” They both sipped their coffee.

“You aren’t going to tell me any more are you?” Elena asked.

“Probably not,” he said. He grinned. “But maybe.”

“But not now?”

“Nope, not now.”

“Fair enough. Can I ask you what you told Peter about the other night.”

“What makes you think I told Peter about the other night?” His smile was just a little too teasing to pull off innocence.

“You are lucky I need everything on this table or I’d throw it at you. He told me you had a talk with him about Jonathan’s persistence.” Elena leaned back in her chair as Andre once again laughed. Elena frowned at him.

“I mentioned dropping by your place and finding Jonathan in the hallway and that I stayed until he left. He thinks Jonathan has some non-military interest in you.”

“You dropped by?” Elena raised an eyebrow and smiled as Andre blushed.

“Well Peter didn’t seem to take Jonathan’s added interest in you well so I figured giving him another target for his ire was not a good plan.”

“I see. Is he planning on doing anything about Jonathan’s interest?” Elena personally wouldn’t mind seeing less of Jonathan but she didn’t exactly want to see him end up as shark bait.

“I have no idea.” Andre frowned. “My cousin is more into collecting information rather than disseminating it.”

“That I can easily believe. I never seem to get any information from him.”

“No one ever seems to. But at least Jonathan thinks you aren’t fair game any more.”

“Why is that?”

“Well he spent the night in the hallway while I spent the night inside.”

“So that makes me un-fair game?” Elena asked.

“Well he doesn’t know what happened.” Color once again started to creep up Andre’s cheeks.

“Unfortunately the bedroom was bugged.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“Actually I do.” Elena told him about Peter’s opening night present.

“Thoughtful gift,” Andre said. He thought for a second. “We didn’t have to use the bedroom.”

“Every room was bugged.”

“Oh.” He drank his coffee. “Every room?”

“Yup. I was less than amused by the one in the bathroom.”

“I can imagine.” Andre tried valiantly to smother his smile.

“Go ahead and laugh before you break something,” Elena told him grumpily.

“Maybe they hoped you would talk to yourself in the shower.”

“I do talk to myself in the shower,” Elena told him.

“Really? Anything important?”

“No, nothing important. Just private stuff.” This time it was Elena’s cheeks that flamed red.

“Okay.”

“Not really.”

“Okay, not really. So what time are you meeting the family for lunch?”

“Around 1:30 Elena told him.” She glanced at the clock out of habit. “But I am meeting friends for bunch around 9:30. I’ll have to leave soon.”

“Working brunch?”

“Nope girl’s brunch. Lisa, Tina and I try to go once a month. I’ve missed the last two and have some explaining to do.”

“Sounds serious. How are you going to explain piloting?”

“It’s not the trips I’ll have to explain.” Elena said with a laugh. “It’s the fact that I am apparently hiding attractive men.”

“Really?”

“Yup, apparently I should have sent out a flyer when my cousin moved to town.”

“I didn’t think he needed the advertisement,” Andre said with a laugh.

“He doesn’t. But then I also didn’t send one out for Jonathan, or you and following the fact that I had dinner with a hottie and didn’t explain that, well you can see I am in deep trouble with the informational services.”

“I can see that. So who was the hottie you had dinner with?”

“Peter,” Elena told him.

“My cousin is a hottie?”

“Apparently so is mine,” Elena told him. She finished her coffee and gathered her paperwork. She hadn’t gotten much done but she did enjoy the company. Andre stood up.

“That is never a term I would associate with Peter,” Andre said. He shook his head as if trying to jar the thought loose.

“Me either. Dangerously handsome maybe but hottie, no.”

“Dangerously handsome?” Andre asked with a half smile.

“He is attractive, I’m not denying that. But he is also likely to get you killed.”

“I’ll take your word for the handsome bit but I will second the getting you killed part.”

“You don’t think he looks attractive?”

“I think he looks like a Baranov.” Andre said simply.

“True,” Elena said looking at Andre. “You can kind of see some of the characteristics in both of you.”

“Does that make me dangerously handsome,” Andre asked winking at her suggestively.

“Some how you don’t seem to pull off the danger bit.”

“I can live with that.”

“And apparently so can everyone else,” Elena told him. She scooped up the papers into a pile at the end of the conference room. She would be walking to brunch and didn’t think they would make a good addition to the table.

“Oh quick question before you go.”

“Yes,” Elena said.

“Are you doing anything Monday night?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“How do you feel about bowling?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t been since early middle school.”

“Would you be willing to give it a go?”

“Sure, would this be some sort of league thing?” Elena asked.

“Nope, just us. I like to have someone to compete against.”

“Ah so this would be like a friend thing?”

“No this would actually be more like a date thing. Would that be okay?”

“Sure. I just wanted to know this time. Would after 7 work for you? I’ll be here most of the day talking to grounded pilots.”

“After 7 works great for me. Enjoy your brunch.” Andre picked up his coffee mug, turned and went back into his apartment. Elena turned and headed downstairs.
“At least I will have something to tell them at brunch.”

Storm Chaser: Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Elena slipped her coat off as she walked the hushed hallway in the hotel. The thick carpeting, patterned with muted oversized flowers on a beige background, muffled her footsteps and she felt as though she were the only one in the building. The air vents were a steady white noise barely discernable over the sound of her own breath. She passed identical doors each with a brass oval inscribed with its number. As she walked the doors became further and further apart.

‘The rooms must be getting bigger,’ she thought. Finally she reached her destination. Room 28203. It wasn’t where either Peter or her grandfather were staying but a room rented out for the sole purpose of tonight’s celebratory gathering. Elena tugged her shirt straight and brushed absently and the wrinkles in her pants. She wondered if she should have taken the time to run home and change but dismissed the notion as soon as it formed. She had been working since first light. Changing would have lured her into a shower and a shower would have just made her want her pajamas not a new outfit for this event. Elena straightened her back and knocked lightly on the door. The door opened. The light tinkle of polite laughter and the murmur of small talk voices snuck into the hallway. Elena smiled as she was ushered in.

Alexandro walked over a smile on his face and a champagne glass in his hand. By the glass she knew he had taken a hand in the supplies for the celebration. He hated champagne flutes and always replaced them with the glasses of earlier design when possible. He handed her the glass and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“I am so proud,” he whispered before pulling away. Her smile became genuine and she squeezed his hand in response. Alexandro straightened and nodded to Peter. Peter plucked two glasses off of a serving tray and walked over, passing one to Alexandro, who nodded his thanks.

“To a magnificent beginning,” Alexandro said. The crowd politely repeated the phrase and took their sips.

“And to Elena, without whom this would not be possible.” The crowd once again echoed and drank.

“I can’t claim full responsibility,” Elena said as people looked at her expectantly. “Any great venture requires a great team. Not only were Peter Baranov and Alexandro Calabrese great partners but they allowed me the space to secure the best for our team. I would like to thank Andre Baranov for his brilliant marketing and willingness to work.” She saluted Andre with her glass. He winked back at her and Peter lifted an eyebrow in question. “Nibbles also has a great manager in Roger DeAngelo, which allowed me to spend more time doing what could only be done by one of the guild.” There was polite laughter and Elena regretted that Roger was not here for her to salute. “And I would also like to thank Consuelo McCracken who provided the various edibles not only for Nibbles tonight but for the Wineshop around the corner, which allowed for greater exposure.” Consuelo laughed and Elena’s smile deepened as she lifted her glass in the woman’s direction. Other’s followed suit and drank. Elena turned to her grandfather. “I think that covers the necessary speech making for the evening.”

“I agree,” he said. He and Peter backed away, which seemed to be the signal for the rest of the crowd to press in. She found herself being congratulated and questioned alternately. Occasionally she caught glimpses of Mateo or Andre circling through the crowds. Andre seemed to be nearly as inundated with questions as she was.

“Remind me to thank you for not thanking me,” Mateo whispered in passing as he dropped off a fresh glass of champagne. He waggled his eyebrows, darted his eyes towards Andre and then shivered theatrically. Elena laughed as he melted back into the crowd. A few minutes later he saw him chatting with an attractive brunette.

“So is the Wineshop guild owned?” someone asked. Elena turned towards the speaker. She vaguely recalled seeing him both on the Docking Facility and in Nibbles earlier but couldn’t place his name.

“No,” she answered. “It is a locally owned shop not a guild held one.”

“Then isn’t it risky to work with him?” Elena had to swallow a laugh.

“No,” she said. “He does not know we sell off world goods. He knows that we sell high end food, which pairs well with wine. His customer base and mine are similar so we can work with each other easily. In addition partnering with other shops in the area makes sense not only financially but as a stronger cover.”

“How?” the man demanded.

“By working with him, I am just one of the local businesses and one that doesn’t mind working with the others. I don’t stand alone, I stand as one of the group.” Elena had thought that piece of logic would have been obvious.

“Huh,” he said. “Clever that.” Apparently her logic was not that obvious.

“Elena,” Consuelo said walking over to her. The crowd parted before her and the questioning man stepped aside. Elena smiled. For the event Consuelo had donned a fuchsia caftan with blue and gold spirals. She still wore black chef’s pants and combat boots. In her ears hung huge spiral earrings, one blue and one gold. In a sea of black and grey dress suits she stood out like a daisy growing out of cracked asphalt.

“I stopped by to see Doug before coming out. I believe he described your food as Heaven,” Elena sighed the word dramatically as Doug had earlier and Consuelo laughed.

“Then it shows he has good taste.”

“I think he’ll also be after you for catering services shortly.” Elena replied taking a sip of champagne.

“Really,” Consuelo looked thoughtful. “It is something to ponder.” Consuelo looked at someone behind Elena and smiled. “Ah, a more delightful topic than business. Elena I believe you have met my good friend Benni…I mean Benjamin Valentine?” Consuelo chuckled to herself as Elena turned.

“Nice to see you again,” Elena said. “I would have thought you would have headed back by now.”

“I have been back,” Benjamin said with a grin. “I returned yesterday morning and will be heading back as soon as can be arranged. Will you be heading out soon?”

“Possibly next week,” Elena said.

“Then perhaps later we can discuss possible arrangements.”

“Possibly,” Elena said. She and Mateo were planning on testing the potential new channel on the way out. Having an extra person on board could be useful or a detriment depending. She would have to find out more about Benjamin Valentine, or rather Bennie V. to determine which he would be. Standing between Consuelo and Benjamin made Elena feel like she was standing in a hole. While she enjoyed their company more than most in the room, it was still a less than comfortable position. The feeling altered when Riko walked over. The two slipped away as the small councilmember approached. Elena changed from being short to being tall in one smooth curve.

“Now I see why you have been so occupied,” Riko told her. “A very successful enterprise that many will mimic. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Elena responded politely.

“You and your cousin will be shifting your attentions soon?”

“Somewhat,” Elena said.

“That is good to hear,” Riko commented with a smile. Her smile became fixed and she shifted her gaze.

“Well Peter you seem to have a success on your hands,” Riko told Peter as he walked up to them.

“So it would seem,” he responded. Elena fought off the urge to step back. They both had sharp predatory looks that made Elena feel as though she were standing too close to a shark tank when chum had just been thrown in the water. She gritted her teeth and hoped she wasn’t about to become a meat flavored chew toy.

“I must complement you on your choice of partnerships,” Riko said.

“Yes, with luck there will be many more to come,” he answered.

“Perhaps,” Riko said. Her attention swiveled to Elena.

“And I must complement you on your skill at bringing in Andre, Elena. There are many who would have sworn it couldn’t be done.”

“Andre is a brilliant designer and we are very fortunate that he agreed to work with us on this project.” Elena realized there was a subtext she was probably missing and decided to ask Andre about his guild history at some point so she didn’t accidentally get him into trouble.

“Indeed,” Riko said. “And I am sure there will be many more partnerships.” She smiled coldly at Elena, the smile edging towards smug when she turned slightly towards Peter.

“Again,” she said beginning to turn away. “Enjoy your victories.” She walked away. Elena glanced at Peter. His eyes were still on Riko’s back. He blinked hard and then turned towards Elena.

“I presume that conversation was more for you than me?” She asked. His smile thawed a bit.

“We have a history,” he told her. Further conversation was interrupted by another less conversationally barbed well wished and Peter left her. As she once again answered a bombardment of questions Elena felt the tiredness seep into her body. There was no clock in the room but Elena knew she had pushed her body to the fullest extent it was willing to give her. There were reasons that people who rose before dawn did not attend late night gatherings. After a round of goodnights Elena was finally able to extricate her self and slip back into the hallway with her coat clutched in her hand.

“I never realized how long good bye took.” She muttered to herself as she put her coat on. After the warm press of the room the hallway seemed chilly.

“That more or less depends on how good the goodbye is,” Consuelo said. She and Benjamin had apparently had enough of the party as well.

“This wasn’t that great,” Elena said. She realized that Consuelo had probably risen before her in order to get the food ready. “You must be exhausted,” she said.

“I am accustomed to long days,” Consuelo said. She seemed pleased that Elena would have thought of it. “But extending them with this crowd is not high on my list.” The trio walked down the hallway and got into the elevator. Downstairs Elena found herself sharing a cab with them as they seemed to be heading in the direction of Elena’s apartment. To her surprise, Consuelo had the cab drop her off not too far from the hotel while Benjamin continued to ride.

“You didn’t come together?” Elena asked as they continued their trip.

“Yes,” he answered. “We came together but are not ending up at the same place.”

“Okay,” Elena said unsure how to respond. Benjamin laughed but did not explain further.

“When will you know your travel plans?” he asked. His eyes sparkled with humor.

“You really like leaving people wondering,” she said with a laugh.

“It is a hobby of mine.”

“I suppose there are odder ones.” She looked over at him. “Travel plans will depend on a few more details.”

“About me?” he asked. He didn’t really sound surprised.

“About you,” she confirmed. He nodded.

“I thought it might be something like that.”

“Oh?”

“Mateo is well known. I took a guess.”

“Ah,” Elena replied. Apparently everyone knew she was up to something. “Fame does have its drawbacks.” The cab pulled up in front of Elena’s building.

“I would be happy to answer your questions,” Benjamin said holding out a card. Elena took it.

“Really?”

“Yes,” he said as if vaguely surprised by his own answer. “I think so.” Elena left the cab and went inside. She tiredly made her way up the stairs. She was sure Benjamin trusting her had some import but was too tired to dwell on it. She braced as she reached her floor but the hallway was empty. She sighed with relief and unlocked her apartment door. There was no way she would be able to deal with either Smith or Jonathan tonight. The apartment door swung open and Elena was startled to find a wooden box with a note taped to it placed in the center of her living room floor. Elena shut her door and listened quietly for a moment. The apartment felt empty. Spin walked around the corner and mewled.

“Well mostly empty,” Elena amended. She still checked each room before returning to the package. Spin looked at her like she was crazy.

“This from the cat who followed Benjamin around for two days?” She told the cat. Spin merely propped her leg up and began to wash herself. Elena bent down and pulled up the note.

“In celebration of a successful venture, Peter.” Elena flipped the lid of the box open. Inside was a small metal wand like thing. A piece of paper was taped to the inside of the box lid. Elena removed it. She smiled as she read. Apparently she would not have to wait for a deal with Smith. She would be able to detect the electronic bugs on her own. She had no doubt that anything Peter gave he would work efficiently and effectively.
“Of course other people would just send champagne.”

Storm Chaser: Chapter 24

Sorry I thought I had set it to post automatically. There will be another chapter in the morning. v

Chapter 24

Elena lay down to sleep with a mix of exhaustion and apprehension. Everything was in place and she knew there was nothing else she could do but she felt like she was waiting for a storm. Mentally she ticked off points in her head. The interview went well and hopefully good press would come from that. The business review with Peter and her grandfather had gone well also, although the suggestion that when circling through the crowd they remain vigilant for trouble had met with amusement. Apparently they were not generally given orders. Roger was being circumspect but she strongly suspected her two business partners were mafia. She frowned at her ceiling. How else would she explain the drivers? Elena shook the thought away. After all the business was run on the up and up. There should be no reason for concern.

‘After all it isn’t as though either of them are going to be around much.’ She thought. ‘Hopefully even I won’t be around much.’ Now that she had a ship and the ability to once again pilot, she found an itch to be away. “Soon,” she promised herself. Mateo had claimed his latest device would be ready for field testing by Wednesday. They could drive it down and do the installation on Thursday and sail out with the morning tide Friday. Elena closed her eyes, willing herself to relax. The dreams of the Calling were almost a relief from her swirling thoughts. She made sure to concentrate on the spot she and Mateo would be testing first. Upon waking she added the details dutifully in her notebook and wondered idly if reality would match.

Once the notebook was returned to her night stand the swirling butterflies of nervousness returned full force. Breakfast was out of the question. She filled her travel mug with coffee and took it with her out of the door. She glanced towards Kiera’s apartment as she locked her door. When she had returned home for a shower, Jonathan had been gone. She wondered if Kiera had stumbled over him on her way to work or if he had gotten up of his own accord. Elena shook her head and let her feet carry her down the stairs.

“I wonder if they will get their act together before I leave again?” she mused as she stepped out onto the still night hushed street. Today had to start earlier than usual to get all the pieces in place. Elena walked briskly down the street, her legs seeming to cut through the morning fog. As she approached the stores she smiled. Apparently she had not gotten up early enough. The lights of both Calabrese Imports and Nibbles were glowing softly in the early half light. She smiled and crossed the street. Out of habit she entered the imports store first. Susan was walking through the store making minute adjustments, eyeing the displays for flaws. Elena moved into Nibbles and saw Roger doing more or less the same thing. Now was the calm before the storm. Some how she was not surprised that Consuelo was the first thunderclap to sound. Consuelo’s arrival shattered the calm and began the whirlwind.

Andre came down and the staff of both stores arrived as the trays were unloaded and the distribution began. Once they were in place Peter and Alexandro appeared, followed shortly before the reporter. She took more pictures of the set up, with food. The chamber of commerce folks arrived and a ribbon cutting was done. Peter and Alexandro stanchly refused to be in the photograph. As people began to arrive, first in a trickle then in larger groups Elena began to feel like a pin ball. She bounced through both stores, adding her efforts where they were needed. She made small talk, gave explanations, helped out at the register and dispensed serving advice. Some of the people were long standing customers, some were friends. She spotted several individuals that had enough of a similarity about them that she marked them as military. They didn’t seem to be asking her any questions but every time she caught a glimpse of them they appeared to be talking to someone. She took a deep breath and let it go. She couldn’t control what other people said and they already knew her big secret of being a pilot. The only extra thing they could learn here was that there were other pilots as well.

She had spotted three that she knew and had been approached by several others, including Jasmine. All had been grounded. The books her grandfather had given her listed basic protocol and Elena promised to meet with each of them on Monday. They all left with a look of profound relief in their eyes. Elena knew she wouldn’t have the heart to tell them no. There were several other faces in the crowd she recognized. Not the least of which was Riko. The council member had a slight smile on her face as she wondered about the room, sipping from a plastic cup. That slight smile was seen on many a face throughout the room giving the guild members a look almost as unified as the military’s. She caught sight of several heads of house she knew from passing and spotted a couple of other council members as well. She took a moment to scan the crowd.

‘Military, Guild, Council, friends and patrons, oh my,’ she thought. Across the room Andre caught her gaze and winked. Beside him Mateo gave her a quick thumbs up.

“Yummy,” Lisa said next to her. Elena turned. Lisa was sipping from one of the plastic glasses and already had one of the small shopping baskets full of various ingredients. Elena glanced at the display behind her friend and registered what she was drinking.

“It is better in champagne,” she told her with a smile.

“I’ll bet,” Lisa said with a smile, “but I was talking about the two bits of man candy.”

“That would be Andre and Mateo,” Elena said.

“I’m sure they would go well with champagne too.”

“As Mateo is my cousin I’ll have to exempt myself from comment.”

“And Andre?” Lisa asked.

“Is my graphics designer,” Elena said with a laugh.

“Uh huh,” Lisa waggled her eyebrows in an attempt at a leer.

“He is also Peter’s cousin,” Elena said. She grinned at her friend happy to shed all weighting concerns for the moment.
“The hottie you went to dinner with?”

“One of my business partners,” Elena corrected.

“Of course.” Lisa laughed. “And I’m sure you will explain it all at brunch tomorrow?”

“As much as I know.”

“Oh sounds juicy,” Tina said moving up to join them.

“It is,” Lisa told her. “Elena is juggling two men and keeping her delicious cousin a secret.”

“He’s only been here a couple of days.”

“And she is going to give us details at brunch tomorrow.”

“Excellent,” Tina said. “Can’t wait to hear.” Elena shook her head. She turned as the bell over the door dinged and was slightly surprised to see Jonathan enter Nibbles.

“Make that three men,” she told her friends, the humor fading. Beside her she could nearly see Lisa’s inner lawyer swim to the surface as she took in Jonathan’s measure. Mentally Elena kicked herself as she excused her self to continue playing hostess. Coming up with a simple solution to explain Smith and Jonathan to her neighbor was one thing. Lisa would require a whole other level of explanation.

Elena continued around the room and by the time Jonathan made spotted her and worked his way through the crowd she was deep in conversation with Gracie Edwards. As she had promised Elena listed to the tale of the armoire and the mother-in-law. She nodded and made sympathetic sounds in the correct places. Jonathan was able to do no more than stand and watch until Mrs. Edwards wound to a close and wandered back off into the crowd. He looked slightly dazed and shook his head as if to clear it. As Gracie Edwards always gave her the same reaction she had some sympathy but not much. Elena turned towards him and smiled politely.

“Can I help you with something?” she asked. Jonathan seemed at a loss for words. He cleared his throat.

“About the other night,” he began. Elena frowned.

“I would suggest you call and make an appointment,” Elena said softly. Jonathan ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, about that,” he began again. “Is there any way you would reconsider the offer?” Elena frowned.

“I’m afraid at the moment I am a little busy. I would suggest you call and make an appointment.” She again kept her words low but something in her body language must have conveyed her temper.

“Is there anything I could assist with Elena?” As if summoned by magic Peter appeared at her side. He smiled at her and turned cold, hard eyes towards Jonathan. He reacted as if he had been stung. Jonathan turned towards Elena, visibly looking away from Peter.

“As you said this is not the time.” He turned and walked over to a display of drink mixers, for all appearances forgetting the conversation.

“Andre mentioned his … persistence,” Peter said.

“I was hoping to speak with you about that,” Elena said. She wondered how much detail Andre had given to Peter. “When things quiet down a bit.”

“Of course,” Peter smiled at her and the black ice of his eyes melted into something warm and almost approachable. Elena nodded and they went their separate ways.

By the time the stores were ready to close Elena was exhausted. She had put in no longer hours than a heavy sale but felt twice as worn due to the emotional upheaval of her worlds colliding. The last of the patrons left and the staff, Andre, Peter and Alexandro remained. TJ locked the doors and while the quick clean up commenced, Andre retrieved the champagne Elena had asked him to stash in his refrigerator. Glasses were poured and a toast was drunk. There were formal words of thanks from both her grandfather and Peter. They each sipped and then Peter and Alexandro excused themselves. Elena poured another round and added her less formal thanks Max pulled her into a bear hug and spun her around in a big circle.

“And you were worried,” He chided her as the others laughed.

“I always worry, it is my job.” Elena told him with a grin. They all finished their champagne and Elena shooed her tired workers out of the door. Roger and Susan protested long enough to help her lock up before heading out.

“Do you need a ride to the hotel?” Andre asked, shrugging into his coat. Elena shook her head.

“Before I head over I need to stop by Doug’s.” She told him. “I’ll meet you there.” Elena let herself out of the front door, re-locking it behind her, and started walking to the Wineshop. The cold air and the momentary silence felt good. All too soon it was over. Flyers for the evening’s wine tasting had been placed in her stores just as cards advertizing Nibbles had been placed in the Wineshop. As Elena entered the store she was pleased to note that several of her patrons had migrated. Doug saw her enter and walked over with a smile and a glass of something red. He handed off the glass while rattling the name. She smiled and took a sip. It clashed a little with the champagne but was otherwise good. Elena asked him to put a couple bottles aside for her. After all if her grandfather decided to drop by her apartment she needed something besides frozen margaritas to offer him.

“Of course,” he told her. “Did things go well for you today? I popped by earlier and things certainly seemed to be hopping.” His brown hair flopped into his eyes as he spoke and he scooped it back impatiently with one hand.

“We were certainly packed,” she answered. “What that means in terms of actual sales, I don’t know yet. But it was a good start.”

“I can tell you that I don’t have my hands on the numbers yet but we have moved a great deal more bottles tonight than any other event we have hosted. Here is to many more partnerships.” He lifted his own glass and clinked it on Elena’s. “And that food,” he continued. “Heaven. I am glad you warned me about the chef though.” Elena laughed. Doug was soon called back to his own duties and Elena mingled for a little while as she sipped her wine. She made small talk and as she reached the end of her glass she realized she was stalling.

At the hotel there was another celebration. Mateo had actually picked up the champagne for it from Doug earlier. In addition to the usual suspects, the members of the council and heads of household who had made it out would be in attendance. Elena sighed and put her empty glass down knowing there was no way she could skip out. She waved to Doug as she made her way out of the front door. He blew her a kiss and she laughed. Once outside she saw several cabs circling the neighborhood. A ready supply of cabs was one of the good things about having several nightclubs in the neighborhood. She hailed one instead of walking home to get her car.

‘Besides,’ she thought as she gave the driver the needed directions. ‘Tonight will be more politics than celebration. Finding parking will be one less headache to deal with.

Back from Chicago and resuming a normal schedule. v

Chapter 23

The ringing of Elena’s cell phone woke her. She sat up, startled and wondering why she had fallen asleep on the couch. She stretched stiffly and reached for the phone. Beside her Andre stirred and she recalled their attempt to outwait Jonathan. Elena shook her head and answered her cell phone.

“Hello,” She said as Andre began his own stretching routine. Consuelo’s oddly measured speech greeted her.

“Elena, Good. At what time will you be bringing to me the ingredients for tomorrow?” Elena rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock.

“I can have the ingredients there by ten,” she said.

“This will be good. I will be ready.” Consuelo clicked off and Elena realized that conversational niceties were not really one of the chef’s priorities.

‘Still she agreed to make some extra trays for Nibbles as well as the wine shop so we can augment the cheese and bread displays.’ Actually that had been less of an offer and more of a commandment Elena had not been allowed to refute. She shook her head. Today would be full of all the details necessary for tomorrows opening. Everything from dropping off supplies to Consuelo to picking up flowers to giving a pre opening interview to one of the reporters from the free regional magazine would be done today. The reporter wanted to get a few photos without people and then add the ones for tomorrow with folks at the opening. She turned around to see Andre peering through the Judas hole and into the hallway.

“He is still out there,” he told Elena turning away from the door. “He is sitting on the steps, and leaning against the railing. Completely asleep. I bet we could sneak past without waking him up.” Elena looked back up at the clock. It was earlier then she normally left for the store and earlier than most of her neighbors left for work. She figured her sweater and jeans would do for running errands. Besides, she wasn’t all that comfortable changing clothes with Andre there. She settled her hair with her hands and did some mental scheduling. If all went according to plan she could make it back her to shower and change before the interview.

“Works for me,” Elena said. She tucked her cell phone in her purse and both she and Andre shrugged into their coats. Feeling like teenagers sneaking in after being out past curfew they tiptoed past Jonathan and made their way down the stairs. Elena had to fight the urge to giggle. They made it out the front door before Elena gave into the impulse and both she and Andre stood on the early morning sidewalk laughing like crazy people.

“Want a ride?” Andre asked, walking around to the driver’s side of the car.

“Sure,” Elena said. They drove the few blocks to the stores where Andre pulled his car behind the building and tucked it into the small lot there. She unlocked the back door to Nibbles and Andre went upstairs while she headed to the stockroom to prepare Consuelo’s box of ingredients. While she worked she mentally reviewed her list of errands. Most of them had been split between her and Roger with both of them participating in the interview later that afternoon. She was nearly finished filling the box when Roger let himself in.

“Morning,” he said. The word was nearly sung and Elena smiled at him.

“You seem cheery today,” She commented.

“The excitement is about to begin,” He told her. “We get the food, the flowers, the press all adding up to the crescendo of tomorrows opening when we get the people.” Elena had to laugh. Apparently Roger did not share her nerves.

‘Of course,’ she thought. ‘He doesn’t know half of the details and is not worried about grounded pilots outing themselves in front of Smith.’ Not for the first time she wondered if Smith and Jonathan would put in an appearance at the opening. She shrugged it off as yet one more element she could not control. Unfortunately the shrug did not fool the tangled tension knot in her belly. She hoped that the day’s constant activity would at least keep her mind off the tension so it wouldn’t grow.

‘I wonder if it is too late to just get on the Storm Chaser and sail back out?’ she thought as she put in the last of the items for Consuelo.

“So how does everything look?” She asked Roger.

“So far we are fairly good,” he replied. “There is some concern with the florist. Apparently they are running short of red lilies and we are going to use some of the white ones. We will be changing out the vases. I spoke with Susan about the change yesterday and made the adjustments.” Elena nodded, pleased that she had managers she could rely on. It would make her job easier once she and Mateo started working sky side more. She only regretted that instead of making the runs out for goods she would have to work through a broker at the Docking Facility while they were working on the new channel. It meant she had probably seen the last of the raiders for the season, which pleased Mateo and oddly enough disappointed her.

‘Who would have thought I’d miss the Matrovean?’ Elena and Roger discussed the few changes to the day’s schedule and then moved on about their separate tasks. Their paths would cross numerous times throughout the day so changes would be easily passed on but they each ad their own to do list. There was a knock on the backdoor.

“Let the day begin,” she told Roger with a laugh as she went to answer the door. Alexandro and Peter were both standing on the other side. She invited them in and noticed with amusement that even though they had come from the same hotel they had elected to drive over separately. In the parking lot were two identical black sedans and Thomas and Marcus were eyeing each other as if each was trying to gage the other’s skill. She wondered what Roger would make of the two and then wickedly thought about what would happen should she ask Benjamin Valentine to play bodyguard for a day. The thought almost mad her giggle. Instead she introduced the two men to Roger.

“This is my grandfather Alexandro Calabrese and this is Peter Baranov, both partners for Nibbles. Gentlemen, This is Roger DeAngelo our manager.” The men shook hands.

“Actually we would more accurately be called investors, I believe,” Peter said with a smile.

“Well whatever you call yourselves I’m sure you will be happy. Nibbles is primed for success. It was a pleasure meeting you and I hope to have a longer visit later but for the moment there are many things that need to be done.”

“Of course, of course,” Alexandro commented with a wave. “Do not let us keep you.” Roger opened the back door and Elena saw him momentarily freeze as he caught sight of the two body guards in the parking lot. As he turned to close the door he looked at Elena with concern. She realized he was hesitant to leave her alone with two men who needed body guards. She smiled and nodded that it was alright for him to go.

“We will be meeting with Andre upstairs before I head out to Consuelo’s if you need anything call,” she told him. He nodded and Elena had the feeling she would be getting a phone call about the time he knew she was leaving for Consuelo’s just to make sure she was safe. She smiled as he closed the door. Alexandro and Peter had kept straight faces throughout but once the door was closed they allowed their amusement to show. Elena frowned at them.

“Normal businessmen do not travel to meetings with body guards,” she told them.

“Drivers,” both men said in unison. She snorted and turned to lead them upstairs to look at the ad designs Andre had come up with.