Chapter 25
"A little birdie tells me you have been very busy," he began.
"Oh really?" she asked her cousin with a laugh.
"Yes, busy enough to have earned your own ship from the council. I worked on the Storm Chaser. Top of the line equipment. Very posh."
"So the records indicate," she answered.
"Uh huh, and then Grandfather calls and tells Dad you have rejoined the Guild."
"Did he now?"
"He did and now there are all sorts of rumors flying about you."
"Are there?" She asked innocently. Mateo gave a long-suffering sigh.
"Oh, come on. You know that as your cousin I am one of the people they ask first. Are you going to force me to make something up? Besides, Therese has already started making comments."
"Oh?" She asked, the humor leaking away.
"Well nothing major, but you know Therese. She was really happy you were gone Elena. In her eyes, you leaving more or less left her as the heir apparent. She hates that not only did you come back, but you didn't have the decency to come back quietly, the way you left."
"Ah," Elena said. "Well no one told me anything about keeping this a secret from the Guild but you might want to keep some details low key until after the trial."
"Trail? What exactly did you do?" He asked. Elena laughed.
"Do you know Ian Jensen?"
"Met him a few times. Didn't really care for him. He has a bit of an attitude to be honest. Kind of an 'I'm better than you' sort of thing. He always kept his work to himself as if we were all trying to steal his brilliance. No one was sorry when he left the Guild. Did you run into him?"
"In a manner of speaking," she replied. Elena filled Mateo in on the adventures of the past few days. She could almost see him shaking his head, the unruly tangle of black curls he habitually forgot to have cut, the small scar through his left eyebrow and the black eyes wide with surprise. No one could pull off wide-eyed surprise like her cousin Mateo. With his looks he could open his eyes wide and pull the wide eyed innocent look on just about anyone, a fact that had gotten both of them out of trouble more times then she could recount.
"Only you could entangle yourself in such a mess," he replied.
"It could have happened to anyone," she said defensively.
"Uh huh. The fact is Elena life is always more interesting with you around. Just look at the one time you went to Danvers. I had been nearly a dozen times before, but the night you show up?"
"That was not my fault and you know it," Elena said with a laugh.
"Uh huh, so now that you have your ship and have rejoined the Guild what are your plans?"
"I have a potential deal with Grandfather and Peter Baranov," she started.
"Black Pete?" Surprise etched the words.
"He isn't that bad," Elena thought about it. "Well at least he hasn't been so far." Elena explained the concept of the potential business and Mateo let out a low whistle.
"You never did do things by halves. I don't suppose you would be looking for a technical guru in your schemes?" Elena caught the almost wistful tone of the question and her thoughts turned speculative.
"Who are you working for these days?" she asked.
"At the moment my mother, but she has been making some noises about retiring. Now that Nate is getting married there is another pilot for the family. So when she retires my options were to see if there were openings with my new sister-in-law's family, openings with any of my father's family or the delightful option of working for Therese. Of course now that you are back?" Mateo let the comment trail.
Elena knew her cousin was on friendly terms with his father's family, but wasn't terribly close, would rather cut off his arm than work for Therese and that Nate and his new wife would probably spend the first year or two of their marriage consolidating the two families business ventures, a process which might forestall Mateo's hiring even if Nate wished it.
"Well I don't know how all of this is going to pan out yet, but if Aunt Catherine could spare you for two projects during the off season I would appreciate it."
"And what would these two projects be?"
"Well the first would be looking over some schematics and breaking down some details for me. You know other than the basics I tend not to pay much attention."
"I know, in your world all technology is a magic box with a button to push, you only care how much it weighs and if its circuits will fry going through the channels," he replied with a laugh.
"Well those are the important parts."
"Says you. Are these Jensen's plans by any chance?"
"They are, so there is some rush, my next meeting with Smith is in about five days."
"I'll talk to Mom tonight," he promised. "What was the second project?"
"Did grandfather tell you why I left?"
"No he told us that it was your business and you would return when it had been completed."
"Ever the optimist," she muttered shaking her head. She took a deep breath. "I left because of the Calling." She told him about the discussion she had had with the two council members as briefly as she could. She also told him about her dreams and her theory. "So I was thinking of trying to figure out a way to test this theory. I would perhaps like some sort of security and recording information, that sort of thing. I know it is an odd request, but it is very much up your alley."
"I knew working with you would be fun," he replied. "Have you filed the plans with the Council?"
"Not yet," she answered. "I've got some leeway there. We only have to file once we actually have flight plans. I'm going to be talking to the Council though as soon as the Ian Jensen mess is cleared away so it will be all legal and above board. No piracy for me thanks. Right now you would just be research and development."
"And all perfectly legal then. Definitely sounds like a plan. I'll talk to mom as soon as she gets in." They finished up their conversation and Elena hung up the phone. She was smiling. Unless her Aunt Catherine had other plans for Mateo, she would more than likely be inclined to agree.
"In that case I better have a copy ready to send." She picked up her coat and put it on, dropped her cell phone in her purse and picked up the schematics. She slung the purse over her shoulder and headed out the door. Luckily they were close enough to the college campus to have a 24-hour copy center within walking distance. Elena set off at a brisk walk, the movement keeping her warm as she moved.
'We just might get that snow,' she thought to herself. As she rounded the corner she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. Still paranoid from her abduction she spun around and caught Jonathan by surprise before he could duck around the corner. She stared at him and he walked sheepishly towards her. As he walked she replayed the conversation she had just had with Mateo in her head. If the apartment was bugged Jonathan would have heard it. Her eyes narrowed as he approached. Perhaps this could work to her benefit.