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Oracabessa, Jamaica~
Stunningly beautiful and remote, Oracabessa was a popular destination for the elite. Known as the jewel of the Northern Coast, Oracabessa had played host to countless politicians, celebrities, motion picture crews, and more.
Ali Okonkwo wasn’t there to improve on perfection. Instead, he hoped to entice a group of local developers to come to work their magic in another part of the globe where he had recently secured real estate. The group he was there to meet was very selective in who it accepted as clients and could afford to be. Grandsons and daughters raised in the shadow of greatness. They were the descendants of those responsible for crafting many of the island’s most breathtaking estates. Among them, was the beacon of luxury The Golden Eye Hotel where Ali Okonkwo, Mustafa Nkosi, and their assistants met in a private dining room. There, they had a jaw-dropping view of the iconic James Bond Beach.
“I appreciate this,” Mustafa said as handshakes commenced.
“Must be important,” Ali noted.
It was true, as Mustafa didn’t make a habit of visiting Jamaica. In his opinion, he had all the beaches he needed in Africa. Grins took shape and the men headed to the large round table set for four. They held chairs for their assistants and then settled in.
Two servers remained on standby inside a dining room that was furnished with a plush seating area and patio. Private restrooms were also tucked away inside the space. The servers approached for drink and appetizer orders, then disappeared behind a wall of framed portraits.
“As I said, must be important,” Ali reiterated once they were alone. “I’ve rarely known business to get you out here.”
Mustafa conceded the fact with a nod. “Hope you’ll forgive me, Ali. This isn’t totally about business.”
“I don’t like being toyed with, Nkosi.”
“Neither do I. This isn’t something we could speak over the phone about,” Mustafa inhaled deeply. “Not when it concerns family.”
Tension flooded the gorgeous room until it felt thick enough to cut.
“What’s he done to my sister?” Ali’s query was flavored by an unmistakable growl.
“Your sister is safe, Okonkwo. My brother is as in love with her as he ever was.”
“Then what the fuck?”
“A few nights ago, men came to her place in Black River. With you out here and the rest of your brothers spread across the globe, they probably felt it was the best time to attack.”
“They.”
Mustafa’s jaw clenched. “Appears it was The Safari.”
Now, Ali smirked. “Aren’t those your brother Haddad’s new best friends?”
“Okonkwo-”
“Where is he?”
“He’s not why I’m here.”
“I’ll bet.”
“This is about Kam.”
Ali’s jaw was clenched now. “I thought you said she was safe-did they hurt her when they broke in?”
“No. She doesn’t have a scratch.”
Ali’s tension seemed to dial down. “Your brother?”
Mustafa’s grin returned. “Your concern is appreciated, but he’s not hurt. I can’t say the same about the intruders. They didn’t leave alive.”
Ali nodded. “Tell Chisulo, I’m in his debt.”
“I’m sure that would please him, but you don’t owe him for this. In fact, it’s me who is in your sister’s debt.”
“Kam?” Confusion swept Ali’s face free of any lingering tension.
Incredulity emerged as Mustafa shared details of Kam’s actions the night of the break-in. Ali wasn’t the only one looking on in disbelief. Cafrey and Kieli stared open-mouthed while Mustafa spoke.
“How is this possible?” Cafrey asked once Mustafa had finished speaking.
Mustafa was looking at Ali. “That’s what I’m hoping Mr. Okonkwo can tell me. Has she ever displayed such ability?”
“No.” Ali sounded exasperated in his denial. “She’s never even shifted,” he stiffened. “Are you telling me that she-”
“No. She didn’t shift. She tore apart five men with her bare hands.”
The news had Ali landing back against his chair as though he was depleted. “Where is she?” he asked once the shock had rendered him silent for all of two minutes. “Where is she, Nkosi? She should be here with her family.”
“For her safety, Chisulo took her out of Jamaica the night of the attack. Given the situation, we felt it was best.”
“Nkosi, I don’t care about what you think is-”
“They found a lion’s paw among the...remains.”
“She killed them while they were shifting?” Kieli asked.
“It would seem so,” Mustafa confirmed. “If word of this gets back to the rest of my family and our employees, it could be war. As it stands, we’re already inviting that since it’s clear they were from The Safari. Someone knows who they were.”
“You’re certain?” Ali challenged. “There hasn’t been a whisper of chatter about this.”
“And we’ve taken steps to keep it that way. Sulo’s taken Kam to a property we have in Canada. Aside from me, our brother Bach is the only other in our family who knows.”
“Smart.” Ali acknowledged.
“Necessary.” Mustafa revised. “We can’t risk our other brothers unconsciously saying anything to Haddad should they see him.”
“Have they? Seen him?”
“They aren’t saying so if they have.”
“Mustafa, I appreciate all you’ve done, truly, but my family-Kam’s family-we’ve had no such betrayals. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we’d feel much better if she were with us.”
The servers returned with drinks and appetizers. Conversation rested as the diners filled saucers with shrimp, an array of cheeses, freshly baked beds, and fruits.
Ali’s voice was first to break through the medley of clattering plates and silverware. “I apologize if that sounded unappreciative,” he said, “I’m sincerely grateful for all you’ve done for Kam. It’s been hard since losing Rashid. Having her closer will be good for us.”
“I understand,” Mustafa deliberately wiped his hands with a large white linen napkin. “Though, it may be difficult for us to convince Saiida to part with her.”
Ali’s tension resumed. “I don’t care for riddles, Nkosi.”
“Apologies. When Chisulo called that night, he wanted to contact everyone, but Bach decided and I agreed that she is perhaps the one who could give us the answers we need.”
Ali produced a knowing smile that possessed chilly undertones. “Of course,” he pushed back from the table. “This happens and instantly, you see another play to make for the serum.”
Mustafa rolled his eyes and sighed. “That has nothing to do with this.”
Ali snorted.
Mustafa waved a hand wearily. “Believe what you will. Thankfully, Saiida and the rest of us are more concerned with helping Kam than fixating on this Nkosi Okonkwo feud.”
“Right.” Ali brought his hands down hard on the table. “So why are you here? What more could you want now that you have the serum’s inventor and the key to stabilizing it in your clutches?”
“Ali-”
“Don’t bother, Kieli,” Mustafa urged. “Your boss and I have been at this dance for a very long time.”
“Mustafa,” Cafrey called. “Maybe Ali would feel better if he could talk with Kam, see her, ask how she feels, where she wants to be. This is, after all, about her.”
“Thank you, Cafrey,” Ali sent the woman a slow smile. “Sadly, I don’t think your boss wants me to see my sister and risk parting with his prize.”
“Hell, Okonkwo,” Mustafa grimaced. “If you’d given me time to finish, you would’ve received the invite I came here to extend to our place in Canada. There’s plenty of room. You can stay for as long as you wish. I would ask that you not invite or tell any others. Ms. Dodge, however, would be more than welcome to join.”
“Oh,” Kieli gave a start, “I-”
“You’ll be safe, Kieli,” Mustafa assured with a smirk. “We aren’t the savages your boss would have you think we are.”
Ali regarded Mustafa blandly for several moments. Then, a fissure cracked the unreadable mask and laughter emerged. The gesture was genuine and Mustafa reciprocated with an equally genuine grin.
“Thank you,” Kieli still appeared flustered. “That’s very kind,” with a shy smile, she pushed away from the table. “Would you all excuse me? I’m just going to visit the ladies’ room.”
“I’ll join you,” Cafrey pushed back her chair as well. She pointed a finger toward Mustafa. “Behave,” she said before walking off.
Ali was chuckling, “Now I see why Lou is pushing you to go after her,” he said.
Playful aggravation danced across Mustafa’s face at the mention of Ilua Botha, who was also an old acquaintance of Ali’s. The woman’s intuition was as potent as her knowledge of shifter history/lore.
“I’m sure Lou would say the same of you and Kieli if she ever met her.”
Some of Ali’s amusement waned. “That can never happen,” he said.
“Ah,” Mustafa gave a curt nod. “She’s in your employ and I’m guessing fully human?”
Ali grimaced. “Not what I mean. There can be no focus on love until there is a way to control...”
“Right,” awareness crept into Mustafa’s dark eyes. “The serum. It was never about building an army, was it?”
Ali reached for a cherry tomato on the vibrant vegetable platter. “No,” he said while chewing around it. “But that was a damn fine distraction from the real reason.”
“And saving Rashid?” Mustafa pressed.
“Yeah...more about that,” Ali confessed. He threw back a quick gulp of water to wash away the tomato. “Maybe if I’d told my little brother that I knew- that I understood what he was going through... that I was working to fix it, maybe he wouldn’t have run off to die.”
“That wasn’t your fault, Okonkwo.”
“Tell me, how often does it take to say that before you believe it?”
Smirking again, Mustafa turned to his plate of appetizers. “I’ll let you know when I find out,” he said.
“I won’t lose Kam the way I did Rashid,” Ali vowed. “I wasn’t there for my little brother and I understand Kam has a right to her own decisions, but I won’t ignore this- I can’t.”
“All the more reason for you to accept my invitation. Bach’s designing a whole new lab for your cousin to work from during her stay. You’ll have all you need to conduct your own business there too.”
Once more, Ali grinned. “Doubtful my office space will be as lavish as the lab Mbaku is building for Saiida.”
Mustafa laughed. “I think my brother would put a pool in there with a slide made out of diamonds if she told him to.”
Mutual laughter filled the space then.
“People wouldn’t know what to make of this if they saw us right now,” Ali noted.
Mustafa tipped his water glass in toast. “I promise not to tell if you don’t.”
Ali tipped his glass in turn. “Deal,” he said.
––––––––
Cafrey was studying her reflection, fluffing the light brown locks that bounced healthily around her small face. All the while, she raved over what she’d seen of Oracabessa so far.
“I’ll definitely be returning for a real vacation,” she said. “How often do you get to travel here?” she asked Kieli.
There was no reply.
“Kieli?” Cafrey called and then noticed the woman furiously typing on her phone. She’d been doing so since washing her hands following a visit to the enclosed toilet at the far end of the powder room.
“Sorry, you’re working,” Cafrey whispered.
“No Cafrey, I-I’m sorry,” Kieli offered a forlorn smile and held the phone down by her side.
“This place is so beautiful. I was just asking how often you get to visit.”
“Quite a lot, actually,” Kieli leaned on the edge of the rose blush counter space. “Ali is in talks with the island developers about doing a project for him.”
“We’re a pair, huh?” Cafrey winked slyly. “Traveling to such exciting destinations and having bosses generous enough to let us tag along.”
A shudder and brief wail followed Cafrey’s words. The sound came from Kieli who now stood with her head bowed, the phone pressed to her cheek.
“Kieli?” Quickly, Cafrey crossed to the other woman. “What is it, love? What did I say?”
Kieli shook her head, collecting herself as she offered a sickly wave. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Okay...it’s not me, but it’s something,” Cafrey folded her arms over her chest when there was no reply. “You can either tell me or I can go tell Ali he’s working you too hard and to give you some time off.”
“Oh no, please, please,” the hollow threat meant as a tease caused Kieli’s emotions to surge and she turned a tear-streaked face to Cafrey. “Don’t do that I beg you-”
“Kieli,” Cafrey soothed, squeezing the woman’s upper arms. “I was only teasing, love. Shh...it’s okay, it’s okay.”
Kieli took refuge in the embrace Cafrey offered. “There was a delivery at our Black River offices several weeks ago,” she said after a while. “The delivery guy, he...he started flirting, and the next thing I knew we’d been talking for nearly forty-five minutes. We made plans for dinner that night,” Kieli stepped aside and began pacing the small area. “He uh...he left the office. He’d been gone about an hour or so before word began to circulate about a car fire on some back road-the driver was inside. He’d been killed.”
Now, Cafrey leaned on the marble countertop and listened.
“I didn’t know until the next morning that the dead driver was the actual delivery driver.”
“Did the delivery company send this new guy in his place?”
“No,” Kieli shook her head frantically. “It wouldn’t have changed things either way. He would’ve just found another way to talk to me.”
“What happened, Kieli?”
“He showed up at my flat instead of meeting at the restaurant as we agreed.”
Cafrey’s hand went to her mouth. “Kieli,” she breathed through her fingers.
“Oh no,” Kieli shook her head once more. “Nothing happened like that,” she shuddered again. “It could have, though. He wanted it-me. Said the only reason he wouldn’t was because he didn’t want to leave his scent behind. Ali would surely find him, kill him and he wanted to live long enough to spend his fee.”
A frown tugged Cafrey’s delicate brows. “His fee? For?”
“The serum. Specifically, the formula- the complete formula stabilized by Kam’s blood. He s-said if I failed to do this and it cost him his fee, he, he-h-he s-said he’d k-kill me.” she broke into more sobs while Cafrey pulled her close.
“I thought it was a ploy by the Nkosi,” Kieli spoke through the sobs crowding her throat. “Rashid had already been killed and I was s-sure I’d be next,” she pulled from the embrace and began walking the space again.
“I-I don’t know what to do. I’ve practically been living at work-too afraid to go home.”
“Why didn’t you tell Ali?”
“Cafrey, you saw him just now out there. He’d think the Nkosi were responsible. He’d be livid-so much so, he might even go after Chisulo. I couldn’t risk that. Hearing Mustafa just now...he loves Kam like she’s already his sister. Realizing that...I don’t know...” Kieli paced more quickly, wringing her hands as she moved.
“Maybe that boosted my courage. I've been ignoring the bastard- he’s been texting since we left Black River. I haven’t responded,” she sent Cafrey a miserable look. “I’ve been reading his messages. He’s not too thrilled.”
“Come here,” Cafrey pulled her into another hug.
“I was in here trying to put a message together- to bring the whole thing to an end. I haven’t sent it yet.”
“Good. Never send texts when you’re emotional- even when you’re telling a jackass to go screw himself,” Cafrey joined in when Kieli laughed.
“There may be a better way to handle this, anyway.”
“How?” Kieli asked, bewildered.
Cafrey winked. “It looks like our next travel destination will be Canada.”