Althena Book 2

38. Edwardo

I must fall asleep again. My body pushes forward as the plane lands. The man puts his arm in front of me, so I don't go anywhere. He moved and is sitting beside me now. He's got his jacket back on.

He stands up and puts his gun back on his hip. "We're in the desert. We own the airport and the surrounding land. There is nothing here. Feel free to look around, but do not run. There is nowhere to go. They will find you and bring you back."

I stand up and nearly fall. "I don't think I'll be going anywhere."

"You're weak from the drugs and no food. I'll get you something to eat when we get to the house."

"Can I have some clothes too?"

"I'll see what I can do." He opens the door and steps out.

I walk over to the cupboard and fill my pockets with peanuts. I'm still in my shorts for cheer practice, but they hold a few packs. I step out the door onto the steps someone wheeled up. He's not lying. We are in the desert.

There are 4 big black suv's. A big warehouse looking building. At least 10 men in suits are standing around. The guy that was with me is standing at the bottom of the steps. People are watching me. Past the building and cars is sand as far as I can see.

I take the rail and step down. My legs are shaky. He holds his hands out to me. I jump. He catches me and carries me to a car. Then he gets in beside me.

He goes through a folder of papers while 2 other guys sit in the front.

I watch out the window and try to figure out the layout of the area. We drive for half an hour. I never see any other buildings. Then we pull into a driveway that's surrounded by trees. These are the first trees I've seen. Suddenly, we're in front of the most beautiful house I've ever seen. It's huge and fancy. Pillars line the front of it. The 2nd floor has more pillars and balconies. Trees, bushes, flowers, and water features are everywhere. We pull around a circular area and the 4 suvs stop.

He gets out, then offers me his hand. I slide across the seat and take it. He helps me out and reaches in for something.

"DADDY." A boy about 8 runs around the corner for him and grabs my attention.

"My boy." He tosses him up in the air and catches him. "I told you I wouldn't be gone too long. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No. Sofia was taking care of Carl. Something about an explosion."

The man laughs. "Let's get ready to eat."

I sit at a table with the man and little boy. "Daddy, who is she?"

"I'm Thena."

"Do you work here too?"

"No."

"Are you my new mom?"

"No."

The man laughs. "She's your new friend."

The boy smiles at me. "I'm Jacob. You can call me Jake. My mom died 4 months ago. She was shot."

"I'm sorry. My mom died too. I know that hurts."

"Do you have a dad?"

"No. I'm an orphan."

"You can live here. We can be family."

A woman comes in carrying a baby. "Sorry, sir. We had a bit of an issue this morning. I'll get breakfast right out." She puts the baby in a bassinet and goes into the kitchen.

"This is Carl. He's my little brother. He's 4 months old."

I must do something because the man puts his fingers up so I don't talk.

"You can hold him." Jake puts Carl in my arms. "He smells good. He didn't smell good earlier." He's the most precious thing I've ever seen. He stretches and wiggles. Then he coos. "Daddy, can we go fishing now?"

His dad cracks up laughing. "That's not how that works. We need to eat breakfast."

Sofia comes in with another lady. They put big plates of food on the table. "Let me take him so you can eat, sweetie." I hand Carl to her and stuff my face. These people can cook. "Elbows off the table, kids." She spins in a circle. "What am I forgetting?"

"Drinks, Sofia."

"Sorry, sir." She runs out and comes back with pitchers of milk and orange juice. She pours me some of each. I like her.

"Sofia, were you able to order some clothes for Thena?"

"Yes, sir. I guessed her size from the pictures you gave me. I believe I'm close. I set up a room for her and put them in it."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure, sir. Does anyone need anything for now?"

"Will you get the fishing stuff ready? Daddy is going to fish with me later."

"Of course. I will have it by the backdoor for you."

Jacob talks the entire breakfast about fishing with his dad. I guess they have a secret spot. He's so excited about it.

"Alright boy, I will fish with you later. I need to make a few phone calls. Sofia, can you show Thena where her room is?"

"Yes, sir. Right this way, Thena."

We go up the stairs. My room seems to be in the center of the house. It's the first one down the hallway. It has a humongous bed with 4 posts that stick up in the corners. Then there is fabric around the top. There's a couch and TV by the balcony door. Everything is made of beautiful wood.

She opens a wardrobe. "I put a few dresses in here for you. The dresser has bras, underwear, socks, some night clothes, well, everything I could think of."

"This is perfect. Thank you. Who is he?"

"Akley Salvodor. He's the owner of Crossroads."

"Thank you. He never said his name."

"This is his family home. You're safe here. Where was I? Oh, your bath is through this door. I stocked it for you. You can freshen up, and he will be in his office when you're ready. It's at the bottom of the steps. 2 guards will be outside his door."

"Thank you."

She smiles and leaves.

The bathroom is mind-blowing. Floor to ceiling windows face over the backyard. The center feature is a huge pool. Water features and fountains pop out of the landscaping here and there. Past that is nothing but desert. I focus back on the bathroom. A tub big enough for 4 people sits in front of the windows. A stone shower takes up the side wall. The toilet is behind a different door. Counters and sinks take up another wall.

I pick out a dress and some underwear, then start the shower. I open a cupboard and the towels are the brightest white and so big. I can wrap them around me twice. I put the soap and oils in the shower, then I strip. I find a bandaid on my hip. I pull it off and there's a pill-looking thing stuck to it. It's got a wire coming out of it. I don't know what it is. I don't know what to think of it. I'm not injured, but there's a red indent in my skin where it was shoved in me. I wrap the bandaid around it and put it on the counter. Then I climb in the shower.

The dress fits perfectly. It's tight on top and has spaghetti straps. I love the shade of light pink. The bottom is loose and flows to my knees. I find a light white cardigan, then some white heels. It's perfect. I blow dry my hair and put a loose braid in it.

Nobody is outside my door when I leave. I go down the steps and find his office. The men outside the door watch me. His door is open. I go over and peek in.

He throws the phone against the wall.

"Bad day?" I sit across the desk from him and hand him the bandaid. "It was stuck on my hip. I don't know what it is."

"It's a tracker." He smashes it. "Should be fine. Nothing connects here. Did you find anything else?"

"No."

"Walter, put us on high alert and bring in extra troops to be safe."

"Yes, sir."

"What happened to the boy's mom?"

"Evelina Dahlquist. She is a known drug dealer and master manipulator. She runs the Dahlquist cartel. She ordered a hit on my wife because I refused to help her smuggle drugs into Darkburn. My wife was shot at a fundraiser for a kids' charity. She was taken directly to the hospital and my son was born. She lost her life."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Was she your mate?"

"My mate is safe from this life. Is Drogon your mate?"

"We won't know for sure until I'm 18."

"I told you a story. Now you tell me one." He tosses a bag of peanuts down. "Why did you take the peanuts?"

"Last time I got off a plane during a war, they were all I had to eat for days. I didn't know what was outside the door."

He smirks. "Your father always said he just liked peanuts."

"You took my dad?"

"No. Never took. Always invited. I could have invited you, but you wouldn't have got the invitation." He stands up and gets a box out of a safe. "Maybe that's why he took the peanuts too. You never really know what's on the other side of a door. Until you step in any way. It's from your father."

"It's from my father?" I open the box and it's papers.

"Not exactly, but yes. I did business with your father over the years. There are a few casinos he owns. They go to you as his next of kin. Also, his account with me is yours now."

"What? Who is Edwardo Nordin?"

"Edwardo Nordin is one of your father's aliases. Drugs are smuggled into Darkburn constantly. People always find ways. My drugs are clean. Your father knew this."

"Wait. My father helped you smuggle drugs into Darkburn?"

"In so many words, yes."

"What do you mean, clean?"

"Drugs go bad. A batch can be made wrong, and they kill everyone that touches it. New people try to make something and they kill 300 people. People die from doing drugs every day."

"I know this."

"Not mine. We know what we're doing. Your father knew this. He let us supply Darkburn. In turn, he got fewer deaths, and it appeared the drug problem was lower. You'll occasionally still have a new person who tries to make something or another supplier smuggles something in, and it kills a bunch of people. But for the most part, those numbers stay down."

"So, you paid my father to let you take clean drugs into Darkburn?"

"That wouldn't work. If he got a check from me, everybody would know what was going on. So, he purchased 2 casinos. They're off your books. Nobody but us knows about them. We run the money through his casino."

"Where are they?"

"One is in Eldervale. The other is in a small town a few hundred miles away from here. Eldervale makes good money on its own. We run his share of the money through the casino closest to here. When it comes out the other side, the money is clean and deposited into his account. My lawyers do the paperwork for it. He would check on them every few months and see how it was going."

"What about what you said to me on the plane? The girl... getting kicked out of Darkburn and wanting the money for that?"

"I had to say something believable. I sent that conversation to Drogon. I edited a few parts out, of course. I didn't want him to hear us talk about your father. I couldn't say what this was really about."

"What is this about?"

"Drogon has been cracking down on drugs. I stopped our shipments last week. This means no money for either of us. But more importantly, tens of thousands of people are going to die. You can stop that."

"How?"

"What I said earlier. People will try to make their own. They won't get it right. Other suppliers are going to increase their product. It's not going to be a good product. That will kill more people. Finally, some people won't be able to find any drugs. They will die from withdrawal. He's doing more harm than good."

"If I refuse to help you?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "You go home. A lot of people die. The drug problem in Darkburn skyrockets. Drogon gets blamed. Someone always has to take the blame."

"If I do help you?"

"You become Edwardo Nordin. My shipments start back up. With the queen seal, nothing gets searched. The drug problem seems to be lower. Nobody dies. Drogon doesn't get blamed for a skyrocket on drugs. People will continue to love him. It's the same thing your father was doing. He knew what he was doing. Do you really think he would hurt his own city? Then, I run your share of the money through the casino. It's yours."

"Why are there 2 casinos?"

"If the police start looking at one, we can use the other for a while."

"My dad really did this?"

"Yes." He pulls out a contract signed by Edwardo for shipments of herbs going into Darkburn. "These are the packing labels I was using." They are signed by Edwardo and my father. The official king's seal is on them. The signatures look very similar too. "I've been using these labels up until last week. But with the crack-down, I can't chance it anymore. It's your seal I need now."

"Do I ever have to see the shipments?"

"No. Your seal prevents any search. We would be there on the official royal order. Nobody could touch it. Your father knew this. That's why it's set up like this."

"How do I get money from Edwardo's account to me?"

"Your father would transfer himself money, made to look like donations for things. Edwardo is a highly successful businessman. His money is clean and can go anywhere."

"I need some time."

"Of course. Take some time and think. If you have questions, the lawyers are down the hall. I'll probably be fishing. Open the backdoor and yell loudly if you need me."

That makes me laugh. "Thank you."

"Thank you for hearing me out."