After two hours of driving through lush mountainous terrain void of any human life I finally arrived in front of the gate. Slowing down to a full stop, I flashed my credentials at the guard. He mumbled something into his mic piece before waving me through.
As I rode down the winding driveway I could not help but get the sense that Silas valued his privacy and security above all, just like myself. That's why I lived in a middle of nowhere town in the scorching Mexican desert. I was snapped out of my thoughts as what appeared to be a pack of wolves running parallel to my car in the woods bordering the driveway.
Four, five, six…
There must have been at least seven of them. Even as an avid traveler and having visited some of the most remote places in the world, I have never seen a wolf from so close up. I stared in awe as they ran in tune with each other. There was something primal and freeing in the way they ran.
As I neared the property the wolves became the least of my worries. My lips parted slightly as I took in the sight before me. A breathtaking colonial mansion standing proudly in the middle of the clearing. Colossal walls made of layered red brick made the mansion look intimidating, but that did little to deter me. People of all ages littered the courtyard. To my left a group of teens were playing soccer and to my right was what I could only describe as a small village of modest houses.
What is this place?
Arriving at the end of the driveway, I put the car in park and stepped out. A tall smiling blonde man probably no older than his mid twenties jogged down the front steps and walked toward me.
"You must be Miss Santos. We spoke over the phone." I shook his hand and noticed the people littering the courtyard watching the interaction with curious eyes.
"You must be Reese. And please, call me Val."
"Well, Val, I am sure you had a long drive out here. I can show you to your room if you would like to rest before starting," Reese said while motioning to the mansion.
"Actually, I would prefer to get started now. I have a tight schedule" I said glancing at the onlookers.
Reese nodded his head in understanding. "That is fine with me, but first—Do you have any weapons on you? I would need to secure the weapon."
His question took me aback. Of course I did. In fact, I had multiple weapons concealed throughout my whole body.
"Just my handgun," I replied while removing the gun from my waistband and handing it over to him. I hoped that voluntarily handing over my gun was enough to prevent him from wanting to search me and finding the other weapons concealed throughout my person.
He carefully took my handgun and a rather short woman approached us as if she could somehow sense Reese needed her at this moment. She took the handgun from Reese and placed a pair of keys in his hand, flashing me a smile before retreating back inside the mansion.
"I can keep you company while you install the devices. I'll give you a ride, come on." So it seems the rest of my weapons are safe. I inwardly celebrated my small victory.
I climbed inside the green Jeep and we rode off in silence minus the light hum of the radio playing "Devil's Music" by Chaparelle.
By the time I finished installing the first set of seismic sensors the sun was at its peak and before we knew it, it was time for lunch.
We arrived back at the mansion and Reese led the way inside. A grand staircase greeted me upon entry. White walls adorned with exquisite art made the place scream old money. I couldn't help but wonder what Silas did to afford living in this enormous property and house a small village at the same time.
We made a left and entered the formal dining room. I counted at least thirty heads either grabbing food or sitting down eating at the dining table. Following Reese, we walked to an empty spot at the end of the table and sat down next to each other.
"Do all of these people live here?" I couldn't help but ask.
A man wearing an apron approached our side of the table with a tray pilled high with mouth watering sandwiches and lemonades.
"Enjoy," was all he said as he set down a plate and drink in front of either of us.
Reese thanked the chef as he took a drink of the lemonade. "We're all family here. You can think of this place as a small community."
I nodded in understanding despite still being confused at the whole concept. What does Silas do for a living to afford all of this? Does he sell exotic birds on the black market? Matter of fact, what did they all do for a living? I had so many questions yet I could ask none for fear of coming off unprofessional. Instead I settled for small talk.
Reese was in the middle of telling me how he crashed the first time he drove off road when suddenly the loud chatter and sounds of chewing stopped. I looked up to see what happened when I locked eyes with the last person I expected to see in remote Colorado.
"Darien. Is that you?" I said stunned.
"Hey kiddo." The old man simply said smiling ear to ear, green eyes twinkling knowingly.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Sydney with Ajax." Standing up from my seat, I awkwardly side hugged Darien.
"I'm here visiting my future brother-in-law. I see he went through with contracting La Mor. How's everyone back home doing?" Darien asked as he sat down across from Reese and I. As soon as he sat down, the chatter began once again.
"The twins are great. They just finished their sophomore year and I couldn't be more proud of them." I said while waving my hands enthusiastically.
"Wait, what is this?" Darien questioned as he took a sip of his lemonade, pointing to my left ring finger.
"Exactly three months ago in Los Cabos." I said knowingly with a smile.
Darien's eyes bulged out of his head and he choked on his lemonade. "Well, I expect an invitation from you and Serena," he said after collecting himself.
"You'll be our guest of honor," I promised him with my right hand placed over my heart.
After saying our goodbyes, I headed back out to the woods to finish installing the devices with Reese.
Reese and I were each digging a hole in the ground and the radio was blaring Country Roads Take Me Home from inside the Jeep. Sweat was running down my back and my muscles ached from carrying the hefty shovel.
"How do you know Darien?" Reese spoke up.
"My cousin, Serena, was contracted to install devices on Darien's property. During her time there, she met Ajax and they hit it off. Long story short, they are now engaged." I rummaged around the duffle bag searching for a seismic sensor. Centering the device in the hole I dug, I picked up the shovel and began filling the hole with dirt.
"Wait. Ajax? Ajax Kline?"
"You know him?" I said, keeping my back to him to conceal my shocked reaction at Reese uttering Ajax's full government name. It shouldn't have startled me so much, but it was strange how much of my personal life back in Mexico was popping up in middle of nowhere Colorado. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and returned to the task at hand. After covering the hole, I grabbed the duffle bag and began going around placing the small devices into each premade hole.
"He's kind of a big deal over there. He's second in command to Darien. Who are you engaged to? Maybe I know him."
I laughed lightly and turned to face him, "I doubt it. He's from Italy born and raised." It's just small talk. There's no harm in telling him where Tristiano's from. Right?
Upon hearing this, Ajax perked up. "You're engaged to Kael?"
I shook my head, "No I'm not. Why do you want to know anyways?" I replied half serious and half joking.
"Just making conversation."
I finished placing the last device in the ground and turned to face Reese. Reese was prying into my own personal life way more than I liked. Alarm bells were going off in my head and I involuntarily stood up straighter, my own body preparing itself for the danger it sensed. "Well, I'm all done for the day. Want to help me fill up the rest of the holes so we can head back before the sun sets?" I said cooly trying to not alert Reese at my discomfort.
All I wanted was to take a long shower and not care about the water bill. My back was sore and I felt as if I got B-slapped with a freight train. It didn't help either that Reese's seemingly innocent questions made me feel as if I was being interrogated by the FBI.
I sighed. Even years after, Arhangel still has a grip on me. This is no way to live I know that, but it's been instilled in me since I was born. That's what being in this line of work is like.
And for that reason I want out.