Page 21 of Dancing With Doubt

11

Lincoln

Aweek had passed since Roxie let him take her back to his bedroom. There were no contracts this time, no demands or promises, just two people that liked making love to each other. Lincoln didn’t consider it just sex, or a fuck, it was more with her and always had been.

They were at a café in town, watching the last of the summer people try to frolic in water that was already turning cold. All the kids were back in school, so this was the last of the summer people, those that chose to take later dates to get better deals on resorts or were lower on the ladder at work. “What’s it like here in the winter?” He asked.

“It’s quieter.” She answered, her eyes on two seagulls fighting over a sandwich wrapper not far away. “I love summer, but I do like the calm that settles over the place in the fall and winter months.”

“You get the beach back and all the parking spaces?” He asked with a soft laugh.

“Exactly. And I can just walk into a salon to get my nails done, none of this appointment bullshit that I hate.” She took a sip of her coffee and leaned back in the white wooden fold-out chair that matched the others around six tables in front of the café.

Lincoln was about to answer when his phone buzzed. He saw it was Kai and picked up immediately.

“Hey, Lincoln. Got some bad news, pal. Nathan’s been sniffing around your house.” Kai said before Lincoln could speak.

“Um, and nobody did anything about it?” Lincoln’s jaw went rigid and he glanced at the people around them. No sign of that moron.

“What’s wrong?” Roxie asked and leaned forward to look at him.

“Just a minute, Rox.” He smiled to reassure her and spoke again. “So, what happened?”

“He spotted one of my new hires and took off,” Kai replied and Lincoln could almost hear him shrugging. Kai was that predictable.

“Good. He knows not to fuck around then. Thanks for letting me know, Kai.” Lincoln said into the phone and glanced over at Roxie again. She looked a little miffed. Damn.

“Sorry.” He said once he’d hung up. “Nathan’s been at the house, or near it. Listen.”

He paused to point out people sitting at other tables or walking near the other shops around them. “You see that woman? With the floppy hat? She works for Kai. That man with the socks and the sandals? Also works for Kai. They’re here to protect you from him.”

“Okay?” Roxie looked around, her eyes wide in surprise. “We’re surrounded by security people?”

“Yes, and you have been for a while. I didn’t have enough at the studio that night he attacked you, but I do now. I got Kai to hire more.”

“Wow. So, wait, Kai runs a security agency or something too?” She asked, her eyes back on him. The white crocheted top she wore, perfect for the cooler air today, set off the blue of her eyes.

“They work in the background for him, and by extension, me. I’m paying him for their time and expenses. They look like everyday people, but they’re all trained to protect you. Some will be martial arts experts, others some other form of training, but all of them are armed.”

“You’re paying them?” Fuck, he had more money than she thought then. Wow. “Okay, so explain why Kai has so many security experts around please.”

“At first, it was so we could all lead as normal a life as possible, but him especially. Apparently, he was kidnapped when he was very young and he’s been living surrounded by other people like this since his parents got him back. There was one time, when we were together at university, that I got really freaked out because I thought this guy was stalking me. Turns out Kai just had him following me to keep an eye on me. I’ve grown used to it now, but that really freaked me out.”

“Kai was kidnapped as a child? How come you never told me that? What happened? Poor guy.” Roxie’s face twisted with concern and that just made Lincoln’s heart melt a little. She was such a good friend to those around her that learning about this hurt her.

“Well, I didn’t tell you because I don’t know much about what happened. Kai never talks about it and that’s all I know; that he was kidnapped but his parents got him back. He’s very private about it all and always hypervigilant about it. I don’t know if it was just that so many Chinese boys got kidnapped back then or if his family was targeted because they were rich, but yeah, that happened.

“Uh, what do you mean so many Chinese boys were kidnapped back then?” Roxie looked deeply worried, and he rushed to answer her.

“It was to do with that one-child policy that they had. If parents couldn’t have boys, they’d pay for one. Sometimes girls would go missing but boys were seen as the future, as they carry on the family name and are valued over girls.” He’d already decided to not talk about the shadier side of all of that because she looked so troubled about it.

“It’s all so despicable. So many children go missing every year around the world. It’s horrifying.” She shuddered and looked out at the people around them. “I’m glad Kai went back to his family.”

“It explains a lot about the guy, I guess. Knowing that happened to him changed a lot about the world for me. He explained to me how this one woman kidnapped over a thousand children by feeding them drugged treats. She’d walk along with this sleepy kid by her side, and nobody ever questioned it. She got away with it for years.” Lincoln paused, not wanting to go on, but he’d started now. “She was selling them on to people that would sell them again to people that wanted boys for field workers, whatever they were needed for.”

“I don’t want to think about it, but I can’t help it when I hear stories like that. I know a lot of bad stuff happens in my line of work, but at least I’m an adult. I have a chance of protecting myself. Kids don’t.” Roxie sighed and Lincoln couldn’t help but feel bad about ruining their afternoon out.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you sad, I just wanted to be honest with you.” He took her hand and she smiled at him, though it wasn’t one of her brightest smiles to date.