The plane had landed nearly an hour ago, and Micah strolled in, stated he needed to de-stress, changed his clothing, and headed for the pool.Alita, not in the house, entered through the side door, coming face to face with the Fer de Lance.She knew the routine and the procedure, but her loyalties lay with the man who paid her, not the grouchy one who was being extra nosey, labeled under the guise of protectiveness.
“Señor,” Alita said, addressing him first and stopping in front of him.He would begin his inquisition gently, probing her for information.
“How was the shopping?”
“All went well,” Alita said, providing the information he wanted, but leading him in a different direction than he wanted to go.“We stayed with Señor Tim during the trip.”
“At his home...how did that go?”Eduardo asked.
This was the rabbit hole where she'd hid the pelts.In her mind, this was a simple bait and switch if she could pull it off.However, the Fer de Lance would find a means to swing it back to what he wanted to find out.
“There was an issue with the bedding,” she began.“The Boss found the low-quality sheets to be disruptive to his sleep, in which Señor Tim offered the use of a set of silk sheets, not new.However, washed.”
The smirk on Alita’s face hooked the Fer de Lance, and he wanted to hear the rest of the story.
“Not new in the package, but washed,” Eduardo said, almost wanting to laugh before she finished.
“Sí, Señor, The Boss wanted to know if these were the sheets Señor Tim used for his sexy time,” Alita said, and Eduardo pressed his lips together.“The Boss later confessed in private that the idea of Señor Tim's turd burglar activities on the sheets gave him the creepies, leaving The Boss to sleep on top of the covers rolled up in a 100 percent cotton matelassé coverlet.”
Eduardo didn't laugh.His attention was now drawn to the young woman.Her hair wasn't in the normal bun she wore, but a fashionable braid that hung over her shoulder.The normal black suit she often wore with a green shirt was not on her person; instead, she wore deep-colored, loose fitted denims, with a belt that matched a fashionable pair of boots and an emerald green button-down.On the left breast of the shirt was an embroidered viper.Alita also had on a lip glosser.He noticed these things because the young woman was always very plain.Today she was not.
The sound of the back door drew her attention as Micah entered through the kitchen from the pool.He wore a black speedo and a pair of slides with a long towel draped over his shoulder, hanging low enough to partially cover the family jewels.A cookie in hand, he walked past them and greeted his father.
To Alita he said, “I need to ride out to check on seventeen.We also need to stop by the lab to see the progress on the new oils with the coffee bore beetles before supper,” Micah said.
“Sure, thing Boss; horses or jeep?”
“Too hot and too late in the day to be horseback riding; let's take the Jeep.Does it need petrol?”
“Just filled the tank, and we are ready to roll when you are,” Alita replied.
“Good enough,” Micah said, nodding to his father, biting the cookie, and strolling away as if he weren't standing in front of them wearing just a pair of speedos that left nothing to the imagination.
This Eduardo also took note of, especially the lack of reaction from the young woman.He commented, “You don't seem to be...what is the word, blushy...blushy about his state of undress.The level of comfort...is there something I should know?”
“About what, Señor?The Boss swims every day in the same trunks,” Alita said.
“He is pretty much in a pair of underpants, and you didn't blush at his lack of clothing,” Eduardo commented.
“Señor, I spent the last nine months rubbing creams and salves over his body in the care of his tattoo,” she said.“I have lived at his side, with a few exceptions of time off to be with my family, for the past four years.What I am seeing is nothing new to my eyes.He is my Boss.”
Eduardo paused.“Is there anything else I need to know about the trip and visit to Tim the Johnson's home?”
“If there is, I'm certain the Boss will update you,” Alita said.
“Hmmp, so you're pretty loyal to him.”
“I am loyal to the man who pays me, yes,” Alita replied.
“Are you also loyal to the cartel?”
“I don't work for the cartel, Señor.”
“But he does.”
Alita faced Eduardo, looking him in the eyes.This was the interrogation portion of the conversations she despised, yet she knew it was coming.“No, Señor, he works for you.You work for the cartel.”
“My son is an inked member of the cartel, and at 18 years old, you should also be wearing his ink,” Eduardo said.
