“Easy off the starboard bow!” I pulled my gaze from the beating waves against the hull of the ship to comply with my father’s order. He was a proud man at the helm of his ship, he’s not the same as it used to be, but his strength and regality remains nonetheless.
“Father, remind me again, why couldn’t Peter have joined us today. He does enjoy the little excursions we have.”
“Peter was otherwise occupied, you know he’s working dear.”
I sighed and stepped towards him at the helm, my arms crossed tightly across my chest. He always says I look like my mum when I’m like that. “You can’t keep sending him off on these assignments. Peter and I are to be married, whether you like it or not. He asked for your permission, which you gave, might I add. There isn’t anyone in the world you trust more, he is and was your best man, for Christ’s sake!’
“He is still a military man, therefore, I already have a limited trust for him.” Father hated to be wrong.
“Of course I’d fall for a military man. I was a military brat. Not like I knew anyone else.”
Father made a noncommittal noise, but nodded. “I may not trust him, I do have the utmost faith in him. There isn’t anyone I would rather you marry, is that what you wanted to hear?”
“Thank you.” I sang, standing up on the tips of my toes to kiss his cheek.
“Now, go on, we need all hands on deck.”
Rolling my eyes, I followed the “Captain’s” orders and went back to my position.
From the pile of our belongings on the deck, I could just barely make out the sound of the satellite phone ringing over the crashing of the waves. “Father! The phone!”
“Answer it! I’ll handle whatever business it is later!”
“If you say so!” I shrugged it off and answered the phone, keeping it between my shoulder and ear, “James Hook’s superior other half speaking, how may I help you?”
“Now isn’t this a pleasant surprise, I was not expecting this. You must be Victoria.”
“That’s me. Who are you?”
“Oh, how rude of me. My name is Antoine Felyne. Is your father available, I have some rather urgent information to discuss with him. I will be but a moment.”
I pulled the phone away and motioned for my father’s attention, “Say’s his name is Felyne and got something important for you to hear. Sounds all fancy and shit.”
There was a beat of silence from my father, him weighing his options mentally, “I’ll take it. Thank you.” He bit out, obviously not pleased with his decision.
A little skeptical of it all, I still handed the Sat phone over.
“Antoine. It’s been too long. What do I owe the pleasure?”
The call seemed tense to the say the least. I stood off to the side, listening to what I could from my father’s end. I could hear a handful of names, none of which sounded familiar. Felyne didn’t ring any bells either. My head jerked up when I heard my father snap, “No, no, I hear what you’re saying and just don’t want to hear it. Fine, I will keep the offer in mind, happy? Good day, Antoine.” Father hung up the phone and shoved it away,
I stayed quiet for a good few moments, not sure how to go about breaking the silence between us. “So...what’d the Felyne guy want? No one calls while we’re sailing unless shit is real bad. C’mon, you know you can tell me.”
Father wouldn’t have told me so I had to push the topic. He knew not to brother avoiding the topic, I was as damn persistent as him. Not a battle worth fighting. “Felyne thought to call me to advise me that I send you off to London.”
“What the hell? Back up, who the hell is Felyne?”
“A colleague of mine. His daughter’s bodyguard is through us. I could trust him as far as I can throw him, but the man has his select moments.”
“But why back to London?”
“Supposedly my line of work and history has put you in danger-”
“Well no shit! Took him that long to realize that?”
“As I was saying, now the law enforcement has caught wind and is on our tail. The idea is to get you out of my hair for your safety.”
“You want me to stay. If you let me actually marry Peter, I can have a husband and a bodyguard in one. No one would have to worry.”
“To pull your beloved from his assignment could be detrimental to our current relationship with his employer. I want to bring him back to you, but at this point I can’t.”
I held my hands on my hips, straightening up, “Then I guess I’m going to London. I don’t trust any of your other guys, any one that isn’t Peter. You know that. Now I’m going to call this Felyne guy back to know more about whatever the hell he’s talking about.”
There was a tense silence, Hooks were notorious of being damn pig-headed and determined when it came to getting what we want. But, I was raised as a princess and always got what I wanted. Father would cave, just a matter of time.
“Fine. You go and stay until I say it's safe to come back. And you come back, that is not up for debate. Only you. I can’t ensure the safety of every person. Alright?”
