Page 40 of Vicarious

19

Viper

“I love it already,” Cres says from next to me, just a couple of weeks out from the holiday and our vacation when I ostensibly proposed to her as evidenced by the flashy, expensive ring on her finger.

I’ve been waiting for something to go wrong because there’s no way that this should be so fucking easy. It shouldn’t have been that easy to get Pray to offer up his California vineyard for our wedding. Shouldn’t have been that easy to get him to offer to give us a tour so Cres can see it up close as quick as he was able to. But he did. And it makes me wonder what other kind of deals Pray has riding on this union.

Regardless, as soon as he offered it, Cres, under my direction, jumped at the chance to view the property. Maybe she was a little overeager, but there’s nothing suspicious about a future bride being eager to view the place she might be getting married. So all Pray and her father did was patronizingly tell her to calm down before Pray made arrangements for Cres to see the vineyard.

Naturally, Cres wanted to bring her closest friend, Addy Bianchi. And while I’m not that comfortable with Dele being in such close proximity to a man who wants her dead even if he doesn’t recognize her, it would be more suspicious for her not to be there. So she tags along to see the estate.

I, on the other hand bring Revnor and Eileen and a few people from her team. Eileen, who Pray is under the impression is going to be coordinating with his own estate manager and team to plan for the wedding. Really, she and her team are here to help search the property because the help always blends so seamlessly into the background. Of course, Pray knows that about servants and “help” too. But he has no reason to believe that I’m specifically looking for anything on the grounds.

We have a few places that the info we need is likely to be based on blueprints from Phae’s research that we hope aren’t outdated and the general skeleton of a plan. But other than that we’re going in mostly blind. If someone can get away to search without being noticed, they’ve been instructed to deviate within reason. We’re not going to have another shot at this. Not any time soon.

Which brings me to the reason Revnor is here, ostensibly as my future best man. But actually to stay with Dele at all times because I’m not particularly keen on her being out of my sight on Pray’s turf. But if I have to be, I’ll trust him.

“Oh!” Cres says turning to me and tugging on my arm in excitement. “Maybe we can do something like you taking us for a flight over the property right after the wedding and before the reception.”

“Maybe,” I say as I walk the grounds while keeping a keen eye out.

We haven’t gone on the inside yet, and important physical evidence and documentation of Pray’s misdeeds are unlikely to be outside. But you never know. I’ve seen weirder things in the criminal underworld.

“You have a pilot’s license, Mr. Blake?” Dele asks in the Italian accent Addy Bianchi is known for, though, apparently, Addy has been practicing her English. So it’s much less pronounced than the last time she played this part in front of Pray.

“I can pilot. I don’t have a license,” I correct. “I couldn’t pass the physical.”

Dele flashes me a smile, very obviously looks me up and down, and says, “I find that very hard to believe.”

“Well, when they looked at my file and saw I had recently been shot and have periodic chest pains that require a steroid shot and more than regular checkups, there went that,” I reply, pretending to be oblivious to her apparent flirting.

“Well it clearly doesn’t seem to stop you from being active in other areas of your life.” Then she hastily adds, “At least, that’s what Cres tells me.”

Cres pretends to be bashful and swats Dele on the arm.

“Addy. Not in front of my dad. I told you.”

Dele swats her back and tucks a piece of her blond hair out her face as she says, “And what does anyone really think happens on those trips you go on together and when you go to see him? Certainly no one thinks that Adrian cares anything about your honor and reputation?”

I simply roll my eyes, pretending to be above their talk and gossip as we continue our tour.

“Now,” says Pray coming to walk next to Cres and I with her father. “Exactly what dates did you both have in mind for tying the knot?”

“Not any time soon. It’s going to take at least a year and a half to plan everything I want. Maybe longer.”

“Well,” Pray said. “You’ll find that with enough money, people can be encouraged to redouble their efforts in the speed of their arrangements.”

Before Pray and Cres’ father can get into a debate about who’s paying for all this, Cres says, “Maybe. But I want to enjoy my engagement. I don’t want to rush it. We have plenty of time.”

Cres leans over and kisses my cheek as she says, “Right, Adrian?”

“Whatever you want, Cres.”

She laughs and presses a kiss on my cheek again. She’s not usually this touchy, even when we’re playing the part of girlfriend and boyfriend. Normally, I’d subtly reprimand her for going too far with this act. But she’s supposed to be trying to play up how excited she is over our supposed engagement. It’s part of the plan. Just like it was part of the plan for Dele to make that flirtatious comment.

We eventually get to the main property, and immediately Eileen says, “The head of security and I would like to know what the security measures are going to be for the event. In the interest of privacy for the bride and groom. The tabloids are going to try to be all over this.”

“Of course,” Prays says and then looks at his own estate manager and says, “Why don’t you take Miss Eileen to see our setup?”

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