Heat, Stress, Burns, and Cuts Ch. 11

"Hmmmmm maybe I'll buy a new hot tub for the house at home." Edward said, smartly.

"Actually, that would be a great place to start. On the same topic, wait up after the race, I got some good news for you." I said.

"Sounds good, seems like you're a little scared, and trying to get into my head. No?" He said with a laugh.

"Maybe, just maybe. Still wait up, though." I said, facing forward, ready to race.

"Sir, yes sir." He saluted me jokingly.

We counted down, and away we went. Due to my optimal angling it was an easy start for me, quickly taking up a jet skis length between us. Making sure to hug the jet ski as closely as possible to bring down the drag coefficient, I rocketed towards the buoy that was our finish marker. Edward wasn't going down without a fight, though. As he mirrored my moves and closed the gap a bit, I decided I wouldn't lose today. I hugged the boat even tighter still, making sure every inch of me was behind the ski's body. The buoy passed by with Edward behind me by a quarter of a jet ski. He's damn good.

We came down to a stop slowly, I spotted a mooring platform, so I had him go over that way so we could grab water from under my seat. We tied the jet skis up, and sat down on the platform. After grabbing water, Edward sat down next to me.

"So what's the word, Danny?" He asked, still not sure of what was going on.

"As you know, there hasn't really been much for you to do around these parts, because normally I tend to have a way of charging into things myself..."

He snorted "Oh really? I haven't noticed." He said sarcastically.

"I know, I know." I started. "We are going to be headed back to Boston later tonight, and I wanted to make you an offer about a promotion of sorts... Well, by promotion, I mean more pay, and the ability to hire people underneath you. Would you be interested in that?" I asked honestly.

"Yeah, I would really like to hear that offer." He said, more excited than I've heard him in a while.

"Well, there is going to be some bad shit going down soon. Due to some new occurrences in my personal security detail, I won't be needing a security guard for myself. However, I fear in the future I may, and I know Samantha and Megan need them now. So, in order to kill two birds, I've purchased a Private Military Contracting company, called Parabellum; they are based in Boston. Along with that, I have bought a brownstone in Boston Common for you. In light of our conversation before the race, you also get a twenty thousand dollar bonus so you can buy the best damn hot tub in Boston. Next to mine, of course." I said, briefly pausing to remember that wonderful spa I long for in Boston. "Essentially, I want you to pick a personal security detail for Samantha. Megan will mostly be coming with me, so I don't think she will be as large an issue. I want Samantha with a large security detail, and in Boston until I figure out a few things. There are a lot of irons in the fire right now. I want this to be a token of what your help has meant to me over these past months. The PMC is yours, fully; I have a CEO in place, but if you would like to take over operations, that is within your right. Regardless, the profits, and overall company assets are yours." I finished.

He sat there for a few minutes, with tears welling in his eyes. I knew the feeling all too well, so I let him sit there, and take it in for as long as he needed.

"I... I don't even know what to say, Daniel. You have done more for me in this short time than anyone else has. I really appreciate this, and won't forget it." He said, giving me a hug, and grinning ear to ear.

"I know you won't man, you deserve it. Plus, you haven't even seen the revenue the company brings in yet. I still can't get that balance sheet out of my head." I said, smiling. "You have just become one very wealthy man, Edward. If I could give a personal recommendation as to what you should do?" I asked.

"Of course, anything." He said.

"You are great at deducing who people are, and what they want. You remind me of my father in that regard. Remember how I mentioned I may need people in the future? What I want you to do is build me an army. Two hundred men, they all need to be elite, special ops types. You've seen who our enemies are, you know who the army needs to consist of." He nodded his head firmly in agreement. "So personally, I would say that you should stay on security detail with Samantha until you find replacements, if that is what you want, and compile our troops on the sidelines. I will get you a computer with access to all of our files, well, by our files... I mean the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Homeland Security servers, and databases. Does this work for you?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, starting to giggle a little bit at how much fun he was going to have "that is about the best job offer I've ever received" he said.

"Luckily, that's my specialty. Let's get back to the rest of the group and get going soon. Then I can show you your house." I said, looking back at the jet skis, and checking my watch. "Eh, fuck it, let's go rip these for a little while longer then head back."

"Say no more!" Edward said, running to his Seadoo.

We pulled into the dock with the jet skis nearly out of fuel. The motors were sputtering because they were running so lean. We dropped them off, and hopped back onto Alexis' boat. She took us down to Menaggio where we would find our convoy ready for us. Parabellum will be providing men, as well as armored sedans for the ride.

I was debating with staying a night in Turin, but I decided on departing the same night, just because I was starting to feel a little homesick. Destination, after destination, eventually loses its zell. Paris was a nice recharge, but I think I need to have a few days with the people I love before I need to deal with this Ambrose, and Odin stuff. Not to mention, it will be safer to fly out at night, and do a redeye. I was sitting on the bow of the boat, with Megan curled up next to me. Basking in the Italian sun, and enjoying the contrast of the gentle breeze that came from the boat at cruising speed.

"What do you think, we have time in the schedule to see if we can be a little naughty with Ms. Alexis?" She asked, like how a little kid would ask her dad for a toy at the store.

"It is tempting..." I said, looking up, and over to Alexis standing while captaining the boat. "I mean look at her ass." I said, both our eyes drawing downstairs to see the small patch of a navy blue bikini, barely holding in her medium sized, toned, and tight ass inside.

"You got that right," Megan said, while biting a lip slightly. "Her tits look really, really suckable."

"Maybe next time around, or we'll fly her to Boston. This way we can save our energy for the plane ride home" I said in a half whisper into her ear.

"Oh, don't write a check you can't cash, buddy." She said with a smirk, and a peck on the lips.

Samantha and Edward were a little further back on the boat, talking with the occasional kiss, or caress. I looked to Alexis, who then made eye contact with me; I tried to wave her over with my free hand that wasn't resting on Megan. She glanced down at the helm, and back up to me, shrugging her shoulders. I held up my index finger, saying one second.

'Oh Sigmund, I have a job for you.' I said in my head, Sigmund appeared right next to the helm, and grabbed hold with one hand. You could tell she felt Sigmund's grip on the wheel by the stunned look on her face, I smiled, and gestured for her to come over again. She was apprehensive, and throttled down the boat to a trolling speed, just in case. She walked over and sat on the opposite side of me. Getting close to my ear, she whispered:

"How did you do that little trick? I can't figure it out."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." I signaled Sigmund, who throttled the engines up, and brought us back up to cruising speed, keeping a perfect course. "Try and explain that." I said, with a laugh.

"How the... Oh, you must be like my dad." She said.

'Vitur, you catch that?' I asked, in my head.

'Already started a search query.' He promptly responded.

"I guess so, but minus the pompousness." I said out loud.

"Eh, a little I suppose." She responded.

"A little?" I asked back "Come on."

"10 grand on a jet ski race?"

"Differing circumstances. Keep in mind, less than a year ago I was just a chef, making damn good food." I replied

"I didn't know that, you weren't born into this?" She asked curiously.

"My father and I had a falling out when I was younger, and that's when I made my way to Paris, and eventually met Megan." I finished, kissing Megan on the head.

"You'll need to cook for me then, the next time I am in the states, or France." She replied.

"I'll do you one better. Anytime you want to fly into Boston, come to the Ritz, and ask for me. They'll let you up, and we'll cook you a mighty fine meal.

"Bet on it," She said, with a fire in her eyes. "you, too." She said gesturing to Megan.

Megan took her sunglasses off, and looked Alexis up and down. "I'll be counting the days."

The boat came to port in the small, gorgeous town of Menaggio, where we saw three black Audi S8's that were waiting for us. Upon our approach to the vehicle, a large, brooding man got out of each car. They welcomed us warmly, they had a very army-like demeanor about them - rightly so, as that is exactly the kind of person I feel comfortable with staying around. We said our goodbyes to Alexis, and were on our way. I still felt uncomfortable about the Luc's in general, so I am trying to get out of here as soon as possible. Especially with the meeting coming up, and needing to talk with Ambrose again before then.

The trip to Turin went as planned, uneventfully. I owe much of that success to Vitur, who was able to block every single camera within a 3 mile radius of our location without breaking a sweat - or in his case, a circuit. The airstrip was a welcomed sight, and I longed to feel the hum of that jet underneath me while we were 35,000 feet above all the uncertainties that seem to lay down here. The guards were sent on their way; Vitur informed me that they were headed to their next job in Eastern Russia, dealing with a mob issue, or something to that effect. The job was paying six million for three days work, I can't see how many would be obliged to look at the fine print.

The stairs to the plane began to retract, and I recessed into my mind, thinking and planning as I seem to be doing all too often nowadays. Odin's meeting, the Ambrose encounter, the offers of immortality, and the strain of consequence on my mind.

"You look like you're thinking way too hard." Megan said, placing a hand over mine, and instantaneously snapping me out of my defunct mood.

"You caught me, a lot of stuff going on." I said, a little sullenly.

"Well, tell me about it? We used to talk all the time about what went on between you, and Aldrich; let me in, what's on your mind?" She said, staring at me with two saucers for eyes.

"Well, I do want to talk with you about it, but I need until we're back in Boston to be able to wrap my head around all of it, and properly tell you." I said honestly. The part I left out was needing to think about how to tell her that we've been offered immortality, without telling her we've been offered immortality. "But for now, for tonight, take me out of my own head; let's talk about the wedding date. I think be it Fall or Winter, we should do it somewhere in the Rockey's."

"Ooooooh, I love that. I already started picking out designs, and talking to decorators about color schemes. I don't know about you, but I don't want many people there. Aldrich, my parent's, Samantha, Edward, and Mae. That's all we need, I think." She said, smiling, and kissing me on the back of my hand.

"That sounds perfect to me; you guys are the only family I need."

"Good, so long as we're both satisfied. Come on, I hope you have some energy stored" She grabbed my hand, and pulled us up from our seat as I smiled, following her back to the jet's bedroom.