At Your Service (Book Two)

Chapter 8: The Crime Lord's Brother

Swift thought he made excellent progress. The moment he exchanged glares at Vicência, she casted a bitter reaction to him that made him slightly annoyed, which he figured was an appropriate response. Why wouldn't someone freak out over that? He didn't expect that he'd get the answers he desperately needed that quickly.

Now, things have gotten a lot easier. He agreed to have a conversation with her down by the beach, so they did. He allowed her to change for something less skimpy, so she changed into a They were comfortably seated in two unoccupied beach chairs, chatting discreetly not for others to hear. But Vicência's classmates took notice.

They saw her talking to what looked like an unknown boy, yet they couldn't help but think that he looked familiar, not realizing they saw him by the airport, the plane they rode, and the hotel's lobby.

"They're looking at me," Swift whispered to her. She turned to her left to catch a glance of them curiously staring at the two.

"That's just how they are," Vicência smiled at them. "I think you know by now that I'm pretty much a star in the spotlight in my school."

"They know you worked with the circus?" He said.

"They're loyal enough to watch me perform a few times." She said.

"Is it hard for you? Being famous and all that?" Swift asked. "Does it bother you at all?"

"As long as they don't cross my boundaries." She replied.

Swift nodded, "Ah."

"Trust me, most of them are so..." She glared at her classmates, the boys smiling and waving at her. "Thirsty, I should say."

Swift shrugged with a hint of agreement. He shifted into a much more serious look, "Now, let's get down to business." He moved his legs out of the chair, setting his shoes on the sand and turning to face her.

"Right, business." She said, keeping her legs straight, sunbathing.

He nodded. "What's with Santiago that it left you so terrified?"

Before responding to that, Vicência let out a deep sigh, knowing she was about to reveal a heavy secret that weighed upon her heart, one that she shared with no one.

"Santiago's a man with a vast ambition. You know how popular his circus company is, right?"

"I've heard."

"Sometimes, one's ambition can make one spiral out of control. And wouldn't you know it, Santiago's ambition got the best of him," She said, slightly struggling against the trauma that ate her from the inside. "One day, several of his investors decided to cut their ties with him."

"Why?"

"I have no idea. I'm only assuming several legal concerns were undisclosed by the company."

"It's usually like that with these multi-million dollar companies," Swift commented. "So, what happened?"

"He needed funding for the animal training department. He turned desperate. So, he came up with probably the most egregious solution for it," She stopped. "Animal poaching."

Swift's eyes narrow, "Poaching?"

Vicência nodded faintly, "Under the radar of... several government wildlife agencies, he captured animals across several continents, even species that are considered endangered."

"Right. And that bothers you?" He asked.

"To the point where I got in... massive trouble with my boss."

"What kind of trouble?"

Again, Vicência let out a deep sigh. "He knew that I found out about his poaching business, something that I shouldn't have done. He said to me, if I told anyone about his secret... he'd kill me." She said with a trembling jaw, a serious look of fear in her eyes.