Page 6 of The Daredevil
Five people saton the other side of the waiting room. I prayed Oskar’s ankle would heal quickly. The doctor said he’d sprained it and tore a ligament, which required at least six weeks of recovery. I was down to one man at work now. Oskar was a trusted employee who had been with me from the beginning, so he knew the business well. With all the issues at Excursions for You and my other adventure sites worldwide, Oskar’s injury was a bump in my busy schedule.
Out of habit, I checked my phone for updates from my directors at the other excursion sites. Relieved that nothing urgent had emerged, I checked the news for the New England area. I liked being informed about where I lived, even when I was in a different country. As I browsed the feed, a news station for Providence, Rhode Island, popped onto the screen, showing several of my excursion sites as some of the best places to visit. After that segment, the news cut to Dominic Bryson speaking about the low crime levels in the city since he took over as Chief of Police.
My lips curved, remembering him from high school. He’d pulled his shit together. I never imagined he would join law enforcement, but I supposed people grew up and found their place in the world.
Steering my mind back to my current situation, I drafted an email on my phone, alerting my team at Excursions for You to have someone tow the Land Rover near Keflavik International Airport back to the warehouse. This was a brand-new car, so there shouldn’t have been any issues. I needed to chat with my dealership. The maintenance crew needed to triple-check all the vehicles used on the tours and livery service.
This company had been a failing business when I bought it. I transformed it into a successful business where tourists scheduled tours years in advance. Excursions for You fell under Paradigm Excursion Group, which was the umbrella for all my business ventures. I wasn’t going to let some fucker ruin my empire. I’d worked too damn hard to build it.
Who the fuck was screwing with me? Property damage cost money and time. I had plenty of money, but time? I’d rather be doing something other than putting out unnecessary fires. Whoever this was had no clue who he was dealing with.
Making this trip to Iceland wasn’t on my agenda until costly accidents started. I could dismiss an exploding package left at the front of my office building as some idiot’s prank. I could brush off failed brakes on two excursion tour buses even though the mechanic said they had been fine when he inspected them. But six strange accidents in the last few months begged for an investigation. I feared these “accidents” could escalate into something worse.
Anger rippled through me, wondering who was taunting me.
Who had rigged the new Land Rover that was used today? The car had just been delivered to the warehouse yesterday. Did something happen to the vehicle during delivery? What exactly was this criminal trying to achieve? If his goal was to infuriate me, he’d achieved it.
What would have happened to Michelle and Oskar if I hadn’t been nearby? The road to and from the airport was desolate compared to other cities. Getting help required a longer wait time.
Why was Michelle in Iceland, anyway? Why did I care? Why did I like the way she stared at me? A shiver had run down my body from her intense gaze, but I’d dismissed the sensation as a chill from the cold rain and wild wind.
But I couldn’t forget the way her brown eyes had fixed on me. I felt a familiarity I couldn’t understand. Yes, Iknewher. She was my friend. We hung out with the same group of people, but this sensation was different—a recognition that stemmed from a place I couldn’t explain. That intrigued me more than it should have. Why? Because for the first time in a long time, I had no clue why I was suddenly in uncharted territory. Usually, I was a keen observer who loved a tidy explanation, but I couldn’t come up with anything regarding this strange feeling.
It had to be all the work issues sending my exhausted body and mind into disarray. I’d worked for seven days with very little sleep and too much caffeine. It was a miracle I could still function.
My mind wandered back to Michelle. She had looked at me as though she’d found something.
Your wet face.
My annoying inner voice had a knack for interjecting dry humor at the most inopportune moments. Michelle probably didn’t recognize me with the rain and wind whipping into her face.
The sudden storm was another strange occurrence. The forecast had said a chance of rain, not a thunderstorm with hurricane winds. From a glance, the dark clouds appeared to be hovering mostly near the airport. I understood meteorologists didn’t always get everything right.
After sending off my emails, I leaned back in my chair and released a sigh. Michelle’s face intruded on my thoughts again. I’d seen her several times at Remi and Audri’s home. She was attractive, but I usually stayed away from attractive female friends linked to my boys. Audri was Remington’s woman and Grayson’s sister, and Michelle was one of her best friends. I didn’t have a long dating track record—my choice—and dating anyone within that circle posed a threat to the overall friendship and dynamic of the group.
To some people, it shouldn’t matter. But to me, those guys were my family. My friends had helped me survive moments when life seemed dark and unstable. There had been many of them in my childhood.
I stand in the airport with nerves rattling my stomach as the airport officials hand over papers to my new guardian and say their well wishes to me.
I’m terrified as I watch them leave. I don’t know this lady standing in front of me or why I’m here. Is Mom okay?
“Where’s my mom?” I ask the lady who looks like Mom, but taller and not as skinny. My English is good, but I still have an Icelandic accent. I learn English in school and from speaking with my friend, Magnus, who lives next door. He has family who lives in America, and they visit him often.
The lady smiles at me warmly as she crouches and cups my chin with her soft hand. “You’ll be staying here in America with me. I’m Aunt Klara, your mom’s older sister. Your mom isn’t doing too well. She’s at the hospital.”
Aunt Klara is my mom’s sister? How come Mom never told me about her sister? Aunt Klara speaks English with no accent.
I’m staying in America? My heart pounds so hard my chest hurts. Tears well in my eyes as fear, anger, and shock twist my stomach. I need to puke.
How can Mom leave me like that? I’m only eight years old. I hear about kids being abandoned by their parents on TV. I never thought it would be me.
At least it’s just me and not my sister, who I don’t remember much. I don’t even have pictures of her. Emma was three years younger than me and disappeared when she was two years old. The police couldn’t find her. There are a lot of missing kids in the city. I heard Mom talking about it with the neighbors.
I miss Emma and Mom. More tears flow down my face.
“Aunt Klara will take great care of you.” She offers me a tissue, and her kind eyes make me feel a little better, but she’s still a stranger to me.
At first, I wonder if she’s a kidnapper, but I remember the court documents with pictures of our faces. I don’t understand the papers, but the airport officials assured me I’m well cared for, so I guess she’s not my kidnapper. I’ve seen movies about these things.