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Something firm pressed into my shoulder. It was Davies. She was so much shorter than me that I had to look down at her.
“I don’t know what’s going on Ciaran, but please be careful,” she advised. The warmth and tenderness in her voice surprised me. I barely knew her but I could tell she cared about me. “You’re a welcome addition to the Vaulteneau family. I’d like to see you come back in one piece.” She then peered at Matty, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Both of you back in one piece.”
Matty saluted her. “Aye aye, Sergeant.”
“Smart ass,” Davies exhaled even though her lips quirked into a smile.
I slipped into the car, sinking into the deep custom seats, which hugged every part of my backside. Wordlessly, Matty navigated out of the garage.
When we were out in the main highway, Matty accelerated, and the ocean-scented wind attacked my hair. I huddled into my sweater. I didn’t care that I was cold. At least I felt something.
Matty avoided Los Angeles and instead drove through the mountain up toward Santa Clarita and around the Angeles National Forest.
When I looked up into the dark sky, the winking stars and bright moon gave me the strength to take a full breath, which was something I hadn’t done since talking to my mom.
Thankfully, Matty didn’t demand answers. Instead, he put on the radio, and we drove in silence for a long stretch. I was on my way to Las Vegas to get answers. It was what I wanted. It was what I needed to move on. If I didn’t confront Drew, I’d never feel resolution.
I knew that, as a teenager, a good portion of my life was manufactured. Kids obeyed their parents. School officials ordered us about day in and day out. It wasn’t like I could construct my own reality without interacting with people who influenced everything, from what I wore, to what I ate, to what I did in my free time.
What Drew did, and to an extent, what my mom did, made me feel like I was living in some dream world where I was a ghost of a participant who was unaware that everyone else was pulling the strings.
That I was just a puppet.
I just wanted to feel like I was making decisions—or at least part of the decision-making process.
Was it so hard to not to be lied to?
The warmth of Matty’s hand pressed against my left thigh as we exited Route 18 and drove northeast on Interstate 15.
The dark, dusty desert sped by us on both sides of the road. Matty slowed down enough to allow the Ferrari’s roof to close. In a matter of minutes, the interior warmed up and I could feel my fingers again.
Finally, I asked, “Who is Andy? Or was that a cover story so Davies wouldn’t pry too hard about the trip?”
The silver moon hanging in the sky on Matty’s side of the car cast magical shadows on his handsome face. His eyebrows shot up at my question. I had no reason to believe he’d withhold the information from me. If anything, I could tell he stayed silent for my benefit.
“Not a cover story,” Matty said. “I need to get a stolen artifact back from him.” I shot him a quizzical look. “Let me start at the beginning. He’s Miss Paulina’s grandson. Andy grew up with me and Dante on the estate. He and Dante were closer in age, so they were pretty much best friends. They got into all sorts of trouble, but it wasn’t something my dad couldn’t get them out of. My dad considered Andy something of a third child. And before you ask, that fact didn’t upset us in the least. My dad showed me and Dante lots of affection. His parental affection for Andy and other kids, like Filipe, who lived with us on the estate, was natural.”
“Doesn’t hurt when you have billions of dollars,” I quipped, though there was no heat with it.
Matty smiled. “True, though, in my defense, everyone I knew growing up was rich. I thought everyone lived the way we did. Andy received the best education. He went to USC and even received his master’s degree in psychology. My dad valued Andy’s opinion and even brought him into the business as a minor partner in our international shipping equities.”
I wondered if this had ties to their LAX operation and was the reason why Matty had so much access.
Matty continued, “Andy was a natural at building relationships. Everyone trusted him, even shady folks dealing in black market antiquities. I found out later that he was involved in illegal activities. It was something Andy and Dante were both doing.”
“And they brought you into the business once they started attending college?” I guessed.
The stretch of road before us was empty and it felt like we were the only two people awake, that the inky sky, bright moon, stars, and distant mountains were for our benefit alone. Even though I didn’t know what would happen once I confronted Drew, in this moment, right now, a sense of calm had washed over me as the car’s headlights illuminated scrubby wildflowers and nighttime animals darting across the road.
“Exactly. What Joan, Filipe, and I do now is an extension of that operation. However, instead of flipping those artifacts, we attempt to return the pieces to their rightful owner…or as close as we can, if that group or partner can get it back to the owner.”
“Seems like something the folks who smuggled it in the first place wouldn’t be too happy about. How do you keep them off your back?”
“The first rule of illegal activities is that there are no rules.”
“No honor amongst thieves?” I asked.
“That’s just in the movies, Ciaran,” Matty said with laugh as he took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. Something gooey melted in my chest. “The second rule is that you shouldn’t piss off someone who will kill you.”
