One
Living in Seattle,Washington since July, I still didn’t miss the sunshine that had filled my world for years when my family moved from Scotland to California. Just like I’d never missed the sun when I’d gone back to Scotland for university. Perhaps that was why I’m now in Seattle, of all the cities on the West Coast that Da had suggested, to establish a second office in our business, MIRI – McCrae International Research Institute.
I was only a kid when we left Scotland, but I’d always missed the country of my birth. Its beauty was only a part of it, though. Scotland, for me, would always be the place where my family had been complete. The place where I’d had my mother for the first eight years of my life.
My maudlin thoughts of the past were interrupted by the ringing of my doorbell. I still had half a giant bowl of candy to give away, and most of the trick-or-treaters had already come and gone. Whatever was left by the end of the night would go to MIRI with me tomorrow morning. I expected a lot from my employees, but I also believed in having occasional fun perks. Halloween candy should qualify as fun.
“Trick or treat!” Three kids on the other side of my door chorused the words they’d been saying all night.
“Well done on the costumes, lads.” I smiled at a Superman, a cowboy, and what appeared to be a large turtle with a mask.
“You talk funny,” the turtle said as he reached for chocolate.
“Aye, lad, that I do.” I purposefully added more of my brogue simply to entertain them.
I earned laughter as well as thanks, and I waved at them as they ran back to the people waiting in my driveway. Officially, trick or treating had ended twenty minutes ago, which meant those three were most likely the last I’d see tonight.
I carried the bowl into my kitchen and poured the candy into a smaller container, then washed and dried the bowl before putting it away. Once I finished, I set off to check my windows and doors to ensure they were locked.
My realtor had been surprised that I, as a bachelor, had wanted a spacious house rather than an apartment, but when I’d explained how large my immediate family was, she’d found me something perfect. Now, if any of my siblings wanted to visit, I had plenty of room to host them.
And when they weren’t here, I could enjoy having all this space for myself. Being one of the oldest of a blended family of eighteen meant, despite the massive estate my parents owned, peace and quiet had been rare growing up. I loved my siblings, biological and otherwise, but I appreciated being able to stand in my kitchen, close my eyes, and hear only silence.
Thoughts of my family were still on my mind when my phone rang. I reached for it automatically, even though the screen showed a number I didn’t recognize. Someone calling this late meant it was important.
“Hello?”
“Is this, um, Alex?” The voice belonged to a woman, but the hesitation told me she was most likely barely in her twenties.
“With whom am I speaking?”
“Oh, sorry, um, my name’s Keli Miller. I’m Ester Difranco’s roommate, and I was supposed to call an Alex McCrae for her.”
“Alec,” I corrected automatically, used to most people getting it wrong. “Did Ester say how she knows me?”
I placed the name easily, but I needed to know that this Keli Miller hadn’t simply taken Ester’s phone for a prank or was trying to find a news story or something else I couldn’t fathom at the moment. One could never be too careful. I’d learned that the hard way.
“Hold on.”
Sound became muffled, as if Keli had turned the phone against her shoulder while she talked to someone. The background noise made me think that they were at a party, which made sense if Keli was who she said she was.
“Hello?” Keli seemed even more hesitant now.
“I’m here.”
“Her cousin is friends with your brother,” she said. “I didn’t get names because Ester’s pretty hammered, and that’s why I’m calling in the first place.”
I cursed under my breath. College freshmen.
“Look, Ester and I came to a party with some other girls from our dorm, and they left us here. Ester’s too drunk for me to feel comfortable just calling for a taxi or whatever. First week, she told me that if we were ever in a tight spot, you were who I was supposed to call.”
My younger brother, Eoin, and his best friend, Leo, had enlisted in the army together and were currently serving their first tour overseas. When Leo heard I planned to move to Seattle, he’d asked me to keep an eye on his cousin, Ester, who was an incoming freshman at the University of Washington. With five younger sisters ranging from seventeen to thirteen, I knew all too well the sort of worry that came with being overprotective, so I’d agreed.
I’d met Ester once when she had first moved in, making a point to introduce myself, but since then, she hadn’t called on me. Until now.
“Where are you?” I asked as I headed for the door. I put on my shoes and picked up my keys and wallet while Keli gave me the address. I did a quick calculation in my head while I went to my car. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Will you both be safe until then?”
“Yeah.” Keli blew out a shuddering breath. “We’re on the porch, and considering how much Ester just threw up, I’m pretty sure we’ll be left alone.”
