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Nineteen
DAKOTA
“Go on,” I urged. “Open it.”
Aurelius undid the double-latch of the big square box. He took the top corners in both hands, then paused again.
“You sure it’s not a bomb or anything?”
“Pretty sure, yeah.”
“Because I’ve held disarmed IED’s that weighed less than this,” said Aurelius.
“He’s held live ones too,” Jace added, chuckling. “But they didn’t always tell him that.”
The Navy SEAL frowned playfully, then opened the reinforced box. The gleaming silver instrument was exactly where I’d left it, packed securely in egg crate foam on all sides.
“What the hell isthat?”Merrick demanded.
“That,” I said, pausing triumphantly, “is a Neumann large-diaphragm condenser mic with shock mount. The holy grail of microphones.”
“Whoa,” Aurelius whistled. “You’re asinger?”
“No,” I laughed. “Not even close. Although sometimes I like toimagineI’m a singer, but that’s usually several drinks in on karaoke night.”
He lifted the microphone from its protective housing, hefting it again before handing it to me. I began the process of setting it up.
“This is a hell of an expensive mic though,” Jace went on. “I mean it looks like it, anyway.”
I nodded. “Everything in this case amounts to almost six thousand dollars, so yes.”
“And you brought it all the way outhere?”
“To do a little bit of work,” I told them. “I have a few gigs I need to get caught up with, so I figured I could sacrifice a couple hours of vacation time.” I glanced around, then pointed. “That corner over there would be perfect,” I said. “As long as the house is quiet and I’m not disturbed.”
The guys were even more in the dark now than before. I smiled and let them in on my ‘secret’.
“I’m a voice actress,” I told them. “Have been for a few years now.”
“Really?” Jace asked. “That’s your job?”
“Yup.”
“That’s awesome!” swore Aurelius.
“Thanks!” I grinned. “I do commercials, voice-over work for videos, and I narrate audiobooks when I can. I even scored a few cartoons.”
Merrick folded his two big arms. “Like what?”
I thought for a moment. “Hmm. This is kind of a long shot, but have you ever watched Princess Peyton and the Candy Castle?”
Aurelius snapped his fingers loudly. “My little niece watches that! She loves that show!”
I turned and smiled. “Well I’m the voice of the lead mermaid, Sapphire Swirl.”
The SEAL’s handsome face went abruptly serious. “You’re shitting me.”
“Would a mermaid really shit you?”
