Xavier (Vigilance 4)

Did I dare go wandering the house without him? He was clearly worried about my safety, but I also knew the island was well guarded.

I decided to venture to the kitchen to find some breakfast. That couldn’t be considered too outrageous a crime.

Henrietta was there. “Good morning, Emilio. What would you like for breakfast?

“Anything’s okay. I’m not picky.”

“More pancakes? X told me you really enjoyed the ones I made yesterday.”

My stomach growled in response, and we both laughed. “That would be amazing.”

“Would you like coffee or one of those energy drinks Mr. X says you enjoy?”

“Coffee please, but I’ll want a Monster later.”

She poured me a cup and offered me cream and sugar, but I shook my head. “I take it black.”

“Black it is. Some packages arrived for you a few moments ago. I believe it’s the supplies Mr. Walsh and Mr. Dalton were sending.”

“Oh, right. I’m sure it is. I’m not expecting anything else.”

“I’ll have the boxes sent up to your room,” Henrietta said as she began to mix up the pancake batter. “I’m sure there will be a swimsuit in one of them. It’s such a lovely morning, you should try out the pool. Mr. X let me know he’d be working in his office most of the day, and he’s not to be disturbed.”

So he was hiding from me. I wanted to check into some more leads on Swain’s associates, but maybe later I would check out the pool. X seemed to want me to enjoy all the amenities on the island. It had been ages since I’d been swimming, but something about the way the sun sparkled on the water made me want to jump in.

I wondered, not for the first time, what kind of clothes would be in the packages and why there was more than one box. I’d never met Dalton in person, but X assured me he was close to my size, and the images I’d seen of him confirmed that. I wasn’t worried about the clothes fitting; I just questioned if there’d be any I’d want to wear.

When I finished Henrietta’s incredible pancakes, I thanked her and returned to my room to see what kind of fashion extravaganza I was in for.

I opened the first box and recoiled at all the bright colors. I usually wore all black with maybe some gray mixed in and on a rare occasion, white. I considered blue to be daring.

The box contained pink shorts, pastel plaid shorts, and a bearable pair of ice-blue ones. What had X told Dalton when he’d asked him to shop for me?

I dug down deeper. Surely there was something in the box I’d actually want to wear. Near the bottom, I found a black swimsuit, a very small black swimsuit, definitely not trunks. I frowned. Maybe I could just swim in shorts.

Or maybe X would come looking for me, and if he did, and I was wearing nothing but… Was I really planning to try to seduce him? I was so out of my depth.

Maybe after I’d had some serious computing time, I’d have the sense to forget my plan. My hands itched for the superior equipment in the bunker, but I could make do with my own laptop.

Hours later, I surfaced from my work zone and glanced across the room at the box of clothing. Was I really…

Why not?

Once again, I pulled out the tiny scrap of black fabric. None of the shorts in the first box would work as swim trunks, and I had to wear something.

After I was dressed for the pool—or rather mostly undressed—and thoroughly sprayed with sunscreen, I caught a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror that hung on the bathroom door. I was shockingly pale and scrawny. Why did I think this was going to make X want me?

I sighed as I sorted through the linen closet to find the largest available towel. I wrapped it around myself. I also added a t-shirt—a pink one I would never wear back home. I was starting to think I should crawl back into bed and hide, but once I decided to do something, I refused to back down.

That stubbornness had helped me survive through childhood, especially my teen years, and it kept me going even when I thought I couldn’t find the information a client sought. I didn’t quit until I’d tried everything.

I took a deep breath, left my room, and headed to the pool.

I swam around for a while, then relaxed in the shallow end. When I started to feel like I’d had more than enough sun, I retreated to a lounger in the shade. A plump orange cat trotted over and curled up on the chair beside me.

Fortunately, sunglasses had also been included in the box of clothing and accessories. I leaned my chair back until it was almost flat, put the sunglasses on, and closed my eyes. I was still behind on sleep, and something about the sun and the water relaxed me and made me feel comfortable.