Chapter 15 - Jamie

Stretching out, I rolled over in the large bed, patting Ashan’s side of the bed, but he wasn’t there. Opening my eyes and rolling to my back, I stared up at the ceiling. I actually felt better than I expected. I slept like a rock even with everything that happened and was going on. Being back in Ashan’s arms made me feel safe, and grateful for him, but I knew we would have to talk at some point.

Too much had happened for us to simply move on, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about him beating up Pedro.

I noticed the suite was empty. Ashan was here when I fell asleep, but he wasn’t anymore. Would he be back this time or was he going to ignore me again for a week I wondered.

Sitting up, I saw a trolley at the foot of the bed. Moving closer, I studied its content, as there were a couple of things on it. There were three covered plates, a bag, and a large pot of coffee. As I scooted down to the bottom, I had to wrap the robe tighter as it wanted to stay behind.

Pouring a cup of coffee, I felt excited. It was like Christmas with gifts looking at the trolley. I lifted the first lid to see what was hiding under it. I felt enthusiasm creeping in as I discovered not food but a brand-new phone under plate number one. Smiling, I sipped my coffee and took the box out of the plate.

Folding my legs on the bed, I opened the box and stared at the phone. It was brand new and a nice one as well. Holding the Oukitel phone in my hand felt like home. I placed it on the bed next to me and opened the second plate. This one actually had food in it. It was a plain breakfast with sausages, eggs, some muffins, mushrooms, and a piece of steak. The delightful aroma instantly filled the air around me.

My stomach growled. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now. With everything that had gone on, I skipped supper altogether. Taking a bite from the muffin, I had to close my eyes. It melted in my mouth, infusing my senses with caramel chocolate and a hint of strawberry cream. It was to die for; I couldn’t believe anything could taste that good.

I opened the last plate, not sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. It contained a single red rose with purple on the edges and a note. I picked up the rose and smelled it, and allowed its unique fragrance to fill my mind before opening the note. Reading it out loud, I pulled out the bag and placed it on the bed next to me. “You are the purest of roses. I hope you enjoy the gifts, and I am sorry. Yours always.”

Picking up another muffin and biting into its velvety softness, I wondered what flavor this one was. It was extraordinarily creamy with a hint of caramel, mint, and chocolate.

Zipping the bag open, I was surprised to find it held a laptop inside. I thought Ashan was trying to spoil me as I took it out. Things may turn out to be better this time around. I should have run away sooner, I thought, grinning at myself.

My grin faded as my mind suddenly reminded me of the end results. Shaking off the gloom that was trying to take over, I breathed deeply. “No, you’re not going to dwell on that,” I reprimanded myself.

I opened the laptop and wondered if I should try to hack their system. Just for fun to see if it was now being monitored. Plus, it would help to take my mind off last night.

After finishing the second muffin, I decided to leave it alone. Placing everything down on the bed, I rose and headed to the bathroom. While washing and dressing, I couldn’t make up my mind about what to wear. After a bit, I pulled on slacks and a top.

Sitting back down on the bed admiring my new toys, I heard a knock at the door. “Yes,” I called out thinking that it could be Ashan. Although, I didn’t know why he would knock.

The door opened and Cleo stuck her head in. “Morning,” she said cheerily. Seeing her smiling face brightened the day even more.

“Hi, there,” I replied as she opened the door fully.

“Ashan asked that you join him in his office.” She added while collecting the trolley. “I hope you enjoyed your breakfast,” Cleo added but left before I could reply.

Closing the laptop, I shoved the phone in my pocket and headed to the office, wondering why he would summon me instead of coming to see me. It could be that he was busy, I thought. The door was open when I came down the hall, so I just walked in, but I stopped just inside the doorway.

There were two other men there with him. I had seen them once or twice before and remembered the one from my rescue. I was sure he was Ashan’s brother or at least family somehow. I wasn’t sure of the other one. He could be a client. Yet, it felt more personal; maybe he was also family. I had read that the Morozov family is quite large.

“Jamie,” Ashan said as he saw me. His smile this morning lit up his whole being. “This is my cousin Leo,” he added, pointing at the one man I thought could be a client. “And this is my brother, Luder,” he said, pointing to the other man.

I was right; the one is his brother. There was very little resemblance between the three though; I would never have made the connection. Both men smiled at me as they spoke almost in unison.

“Welcome to the family,” they said and grinned at each other. I felt quite out of place. I expected Ashan to first talk to me and sort things out. Now, I was being introduced to his family. Who said I still wanted to stay?

I only wanted to return to the confines of the suite at that moment. I should have insisted that Ashan come to me. Standing there staring at the three men before me, my mind traveled away. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen or heard Ana since I returned. I made a mental note to ask Cleo about it later.

The three men before me were all smiling at me, and I wondered what had happened in the seconds I was enthralled in my mind.

“Come in and sit with us,” Ashan said, pulling his chair around his desk to join those already in front of it. Luder closed the door behind me, and we all sat down.

“So, then,” Leo spoke first, “Ashan told us you’re very skilled in your field, and I was wondering if you could tell us a little more about your expeditions?” Not sure what Ashan had told them I considered his question. Ashan was pouring us each a drink and handed me one. Taking my glass, I took a big sip.

Leo was a tall man with dark hair and deep green eyes that softened his look. Glancing at Luder, I noticed he had two different colored eyes but was also tall. In build, I supposed Ashan and Luder were similar, but I felt sure that Ashan was taller, and they wore their hair differently.

“Okay, okay,” Leo said anxiously. “What do you prefer? A backdoor, phishing, or brute force attack.”

Stunned at his words, I felt my mouth open, but no words came out. Ashan had told them everything, I thought in disbelief. But as Leo continued to speak, I realized he also had to be a hacker. He knew way too much not to be.

Once we started talking in my language, I felt more at ease. It took a while and a lot of chatting, but I started to settle in. Leo and Luder were very friendly and seemed to accept me even though I had caused some issues.

Ashan and Luder mostly talked to each other as Leo, and I spoke about hacking. They added their two cents worth now and then but couldn’t keep up. We had some more drinks, and lunch was brought to us. After lunch, Leo spoke about some of the new protocols on their network. He had put new ones in place should anyone try and hack them again.

Grinning, Leo looked me in the eye as he spoke. “You claim to be so brilliant. Let’s see if you can hack us now.”

I was astounded by the invitation. I had considered doing it earlier to see if I could, but I had not known then about the added security. But now, now, I was being asked to do it. “Okay,” I replied, standing up and heading for the door. “Let me just go grab my laptop,” I added, smiling at Ashan as I left the office.

I hadn’t had much time to play with the laptop and wasn’t sure it would have all I needed. But the time I had been on it was enough to know it could have everything on. Picking it up from the bed, I felt alive. I have always loved challenges. I rushed back to the office, where the three men waited for me.

Sitting opposite Leo at the table, I opened my new laptop. He had already set up his and waited for me to begin. As I started, the three men watched me closely; I could feel their eyes on me. I didn’t let their stares faze me, though.

I infiltrated the network quickly but couldn’t get to any real detail. I tried and tried pulling all the tricks I had from my hat. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t get in. After about an hour, I sat back in my chair and threw my hands in the air. “Nice,” I said, looking from one man to the other. “You did a stellar job, Leo.”

Leo beamed at me as he spoke. “I reckon our data is safe, wouldn’t you agree?”

I nodded, smiling at his childlike reaction. I reached out over the table to congratulate him, before catching Ashan’s look. His posture had changed, and he suddenly seemed upset. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I saw his anger coming through as Leo, and I shook hands. For a second, the images of him beating Pedro played in my mind like a movie.

“Great stuff,” Leo added. “Just let me know if you’re interested in working for us exclusively, okay.” As he finished, he winked at me.

I felt my cheeks turning crimson. Ashan stepped up to my side, breaking up our handshake. “She’s mine, now stop this,” he growled, looking harshly at Leo. I didn’t like where this was heading and felt annoyed at him. I might be married to Ashan, but I didn’t belong to him.

Slamming my laptop closed, I stood up rapidly. “Well, it was nice meeting you both,” I said. “But I’m a bit tired now. I think I’ll just head back to the suite.”

Images of Pedro on the floor and Ashan on top of him tried to flood my mind. I fought hard to keep them from upsetting me further. I felt like screaming at him but would wait until we were alone.

Luder and Leo both nodded and said goodbye as I turned to the door. Ashan quickly moved to hold the door open for me. As I passed him, I gave him an angry glare hoping he would know what it was for.

I went back to the suite, angry at Ashan. Taking a long bath, I lay soaking in the herbal essence I added to my water. I lay soaking it up for a while. I cleared my mind and tried to relax. Once I was done, I went to bed.

Cleo came up with supper, but I didn’t want any as I had heartburn. I was feeling a little ill as well. But I was sure it was just from everything that was going on. It could be from stress though, or something I had for breakfast or lunch. I wasn’t sure, but I was confident that I would feel better in the morning.