11
“Do you need my help with your bags?” Warren asked, already holding my bag in one hand.
“Yes, please.” Carys climbed out of the car with a lot of effort, adjusting the books in her arms. Books she had purchased from a local store for Valerie. Numbers were great, but she needed to explore other subjects.
Warren walked around the main house, leading them down a narrow path that stretched about a mile, the space both left and right was all green, low cut grass that tickled her ankles.
A single tree stood close to the house they were slowly approaching like a mark, the tip of its branches caressing the walls of the building with every brush of the wind.
“Leon said this was a condo.” Carys’ lips twitched. “It’s a cottage, or does he not know the difference?”
Warren didn’t respond, dropping her bag at the door. “Call me if you need anything or need to go anywhere, my numbers and several others are taped to the phone in the kitchen, don’t hesitate to reach out”
Carys nodded, taking the key he handed to her and with a little wave and a nod in return, Warren walked away, leaving her alone. Hoping she looked enthusiastic to anyone watching, she walked around the house, checking for cameras pretending to enjoy the scenery.
Finding none, Carys went full 360, returning to the door. The key slid in easily and the door opened without so much as a squeak, recently oiled, she thought. The first negative she jotted down.
The house smelt faintly like flowers, the other smells assaulting her nostrils were that of the new furniture, the distinct smell of a place that had never been lived in before and chocolates?
On the counter in the kitchen sat a warm plate of chocolate cookies and a note: I baked these when Ivon told me you were coming, settle in and come down for dinner later. I won’t take no for an answer, cara.
Carys set the note next to the sink, biting into one of the sugary goodness, humming her pleasure. “This is fucking delicious, my goodness”
“It’s not advisable for my baby sister’s tutor to curse up a storm.”
Carys jumped, turned and crushed the cookie in her hand, “Is it advisable for you to sneak up on me?” Her breathing was quick, and she flexed her fingers, dusting off the crumbs, mourning the wasted treat.
Leon raised his hands in the air and tucked them into his back pockets seconds after. “In my defense, the door was wide open.”
“You don’t have any defense” Carys spoke slowly, fighting the slow building irritation in her stomach. “You could have knocked or called out my name, yet you chose to stand around like a fucking psycho.”
“Ivon isn’t going to be happy to hear you cursing”
“Why don’t you run to your brother and tell on me?” Carys pitched her voice into a whiny note, as if she was talking to a child. “While you’re at it, you can tell him why I cursed and what you were doing invading my privacy.”
Leon smiled wider, taking a small step forward. “Is this how you speak to your employers, Miss Carys? Or is the professionalism reserved for my prim and proper brother?”
Carys closed her eyes, cursing herself for falling into his trap. “I apologize for my words, Mr. Valachi, I assure you my professionalism extends to both my employers, but-” she took a step, bringing them toe to toe. “-I do not appreciate anyone invading my privacy, and that extends to my employers. You providing accommodation gives you no right to walk in whenever you please.”
Leon held her gaze for a second, maybe more, eyes glinting with what Carys knew was amusement. “Fiava told me to tell you dinner will be ready in an hour, I hope I’ll see you there.”
Carys didn’t respond, biting back a smirk when he walked backwards to the door, still maintaining eye contact, but a snort burst out when he tripped over his own feet, catching himself at the last minute.
“Get your bag inside before someone else trips on it.” Leon pointed at the innocent object, dusting his hands on his jeans. “See ya”
Carys pulled her bag inside and shut the door, refusing to watch Leon strut away. He was an annoying man, more forward than his brother, pushing where his brother would pause.
Appetite lost, Carys slid the cookies into the fridge, shaking her hands to get rid of the jitters Leon’s unplanned presence had caused.
For a moment she had tried to reach for her gun – a perfectly normal reaction that would have sold her out to the devil waiting to drag her down to hell.
Carys made sure the door was locked; triple checking before going off to explore the house, taking note of all the exits and absence of any cameras or hidden mics. This cottage was her safe haven for now.
Her next stop was the mini library in the cozy living room, holding books she would undoubtedly read. Trailing fingers over the spines, Carys read their titles out loud, mentally calculating how long it would take for her to read them all.
Painfully dragging her hands away, she poked her head into the small office space holding a small table, an uncomfortable looking chair and a laptop she eyed suspiciously.
Carys tried to stay away from gadgets when she was underground lest she was tempted to search on anything that would get her caught. Unfortunately, everything the Valachi’s offered was a double edged sword.
Sighing heavily, Carys fell into the chair, instantly wincing at the rigidity, her ass was going to be numb in two minutes. She waited patiently as the laptop booted, immediately opening a folder for Valerie when it did.
Signing into her work mail, Carys imported the files Ivon had vetted and okayed.
He had told her Valerie had a hard time detaching from the tablet they had gifted her years ago, hence the reason why online tutoring never clicked as a long term plan.
Bottling those problems for another day, Carys tapped on her phone screen, cursing when she realized two hours had passed.
After jumping into the bathroom for a quick shower, she threw on one of her simple evening dresses and flew out the door. Leon had said walking from the cottage to the main house was a refreshing walk, but Carys measured her breaths, hoping she wasn’t soaked in sweat by the time she knocked softly on the back door.
Fiava’s confused stare switched to one of pure unadulterated happiness when she opened the door. “Carys! You don’t need to knock dear. Walk right in next time.”
Nodding at the older woman, Carys stepped into the busy kitchen, matching the slow uneven pace of Fiava as she led them to the dining area where the whole family was already seated.
Ivon stood immediately, “Miss Carys, I thought you weren’t joining us for dinner.”
“I started working on some things and lost track of time.” She waved him off when he tried to pull out her chair. “Thank you.”
Leon snorted, “This isn’t a fancy restaurant brother, she doesn’t need her chair pulled out, hell, what are you going to do next? bring out the caviar?"
“Don’t curse in front of Valerie.” Ivon’s voice was soft but firm, “I think what you need to do is learn proper manners brother. A lady is a lady wherever she is.”
Carys would have swooned at Ivon’s words if she wasn’t immune to flattery. What amused her was the murderous look on Leon’s face, stealing the smile he was so fond of. Interesting.
“How well are you settling in, Miss Carys? Is the cottage to your liking? A few changes were made when it was confirmed you’d be moving in.”
Unable to stop herself from poking the monster across the table, Carys smiled sweetly. “I love it, though I expected more when Leon said it was a condo. Small city mistake I presume”
Leon’s jaw was locked so tight, Carys wondered what it would take for it to snap. “It’s just like you said, Miss Carys, small city mistake.”
Carys tilted her head slightly to the side, thrilled she had won the first round. “Valerie, your brother told me no phones are allowed at the table.”
Her eyes shifted from brother to sister easily, watching her stiff shoulders and shifty eyes. “Your food is untouched and is getting cold, can you drop the tablet for a few minutes-”
“We introduced her to solid food a while ago, she only eats cereal.” Ivon cut in. “It’s okay if she-”
“Mr. Valachi” Carys spared him a quick disapproving glance. “It’s not okay to brush off table rules and Valerie needs to eat solid food, cereal won’t give her the nutrition she needs.”
Pushing her chair back, Carys closed the distance, standing in Valerie’s line of sight. “Can I sit beside you?”
Valerie clutched her tablet like a lifeline, looking down at her lap. Her small body held so much tension, coiling her tight.
When the shaking began, Carys watched her toss the tablet on the table, knocking over her glass of milk, and sprint as fast as her little legs could carry her out of the room.
“What the fuck did you do?!” “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Leon and Ivon said at the same time.