Chapter 3: Three

Elsa uncapped her thermostat and took a long sip from the steaming, burning pleasure that she had Julia brew especially. The girl had insisted that Elsa was addicted to the stuff, but had hushed after a quick kiss and a promise that no one in the world could make it any better. It seemed a waste to drink anything else. It also helped to have Julia’s beautiful fire in her mouth as cold winter air snuck under the waist of her coat and teased her extremities.

With his arms crossed and his eyes on the dark waves, Lin stood beside her. Out of habit, or at least she’d assumed it was routine for him, he’d tried to put his arms around her, and she’d almost removed it from his shoulder. After that brief exchange, they’d stood in silence on the sand, separated from the city by a large wall and a flight of steps. 

In front of them, across the river, lay factories and warehouses and harbors where ships stopped by to unload their goods. The only signs of life in the darkness were the trailing lights of cars zooming by and the occasional sound of traffic that escaped the buildings they’d left behind.

The rumble of an engine ended the calm quiet, but that went out as swiftly as it arrived, followed by the opening and slamming of a car door and the hurried footsteps of the large man making his way down the steps.

When Kramer stepped onto the beach, Lin pulled out his pistol. But Elsa shot him a look, and it was put back in its holster. Then she turned to welcome her guest.

“Mrs. Chung,” he said with a pleased grin as if he was proud of himself for finding the dock. It almost made him look cute.

She nodded back, eyeing his big nose, his face pink from the cold. He had seemed enormous last night when they sat side by side, but outside, he appeared even bigger. A bear-sized military man with a close-cropped haircut, Kramer had a razor sharp chin with a curious jagged scar. It was in the shape of a crescent as if someone had poked a hole in his face and searched for something with their finger.

They watched each other in silence; Elsa could see the uncomfortable way he stood unaware, unsure. And she wasn’t going to be the one to relieve him of his discomfort. He wasn’t much of a pretty face, but he was well built and wide. In that leather jacket, it looked like the night had solidified to present him to her. And wide might be useful on such a cold evening.

He glanced twice at Lin, who stared disapprovingly. Her assistant had dropped his complaints the entire ride: the Caucasian was no good. He would be the ruin of their operation. But not a word escaped his lips now, considering he looked like a twig next to a tree.

She passed the thermostat to Lin and plunged her hands into her coat pockets. “Leave us.”

Kramer looked at Lin again, the expression on his face amusing. Lin scowled once more before giving Elsa a quick bow. Then he walked off into the night, up the stairs, leaving only the footsteps in the sand.

Elsa pulled out a box and held it in her palm. “Will you propose to me?”

The surprise on his face was almost enough to make her burst into laughter, but she maintained her composure as she unfastened the ribbon enclosing the box. Then she opened it with a click, revealing a ruby encrusted ring, its shine catching the lights of the buildings in the distance.

“Well?” she asked, holding the opened box towards him. “Will you be mine?”

He swallowed, glanced up at her face, before taking the box. He held it as if it were a bomb and the slightest wrong movement would set it off in his face. “I don’t think this was what I was sent to do.”

She rolled her eyes and reached up to put a hand on his shoulder. “You looked at me funny last night. Now hurry up and take responsibility.” She pushed him down till he was on one knee. Then she held out her hand once more, spreading her fingers. “I’m saying yes, by the way.”

He took the ring out of the box gingerly, then looked up at her with questions and curiosities on his mind. But he didn’t say another word as he pushed the ring down her finger.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, drenching her voice in mock appreciation. Then she grabbed him by the jacket collar and pulled him up till he was half standing and kissed him. He tasted like spearmint and cigarettes. 

He pulled away. “What are you doing?”

“Hush,” she said, pulling him in once more. “You may now kiss the bride.” Then she licked his lips with her tongue, and this time he didn’t hesitate. She thought he was enjoying this a bit too much, so she pushed him off and wiped her mouth. He had a rather rough tongue, and her mind was slipping to the sensations it would cause between her thighs. And she would never let him see that.

Kramer stared at her, breathing hard and licking his lips. “What is going on, Mrs. Chung?”

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She glanced down at her hand, where the ruby burned like a fire. “There is a transport on its way, Mr. Kramer. You are to be my chaperone.” She looked up, wondering how much he enjoyed the kiss. “As would be expected of my husband.”

He blinked. “So a boat is coming?”

“Did I stutter?” She walked down the beach, closer to the boardwalk. “Now brush off your pants. You look silly with your knees covered in sand.”

The wood made her footsteps louder as she walked away from the beach. She held on to the railing with one hand, feeling the cold steel as a chilling breeze blew past her face.  When he rejoined her, she heard the planks creak with the addition of his weight. 

“Take my arm,” she said, stretching out an elbow. She wasn’t a fool; she’d seen where his eyes had traveled in the café, where they still hovered, but there wasn’t much to see underneath her wool coat except for her thighs which seemed too pale between the end of the coat and the start of her stockings. 

The sooner this was over, the faster she could be in bed.

She melted into his side as he looped his arm through her own. “We are man and wife tonight, my beloved.” She nudged him with hips, and he seemed to like that. “I need a strong arm to give me a hand.”

When she felt him stiffen, and she wondered if she’d laid on the seductiveness a bit too thick. He was a father to a child whose mother had vanished, and he was struggling to make ends meet. It wasn’t an accident that he ended up here tonight, standing in front of cold waters, holding onto her arm. In fact, it was the only reason she’d given him a chance. Mercy wasn’t the easiest route, but sometimes it was the most fun.

“How did you find Baba, Mr. Kramer?” Elsa kept her eyes on the opposite shore where the lights of tiny vehicles race along the coast. She tried to ignore the comforting warmth emanating from his body and the hardness of his muscular arm pressed against her rib cage. “He’s not an easy man to find.” She’d only ever talk to her father during business meetings. Nothing more and nothing less. And only on the phone. It was best that way. Her father saved all his pleasantries for the women he bedded anyways.

“He found me,” was his reply. “Told me he needed the use of my skill set. That you’d need it.”

“Oh?” she asked, glancing up at his chin. She had to fight the urge to lift her hand and stroked his stubble. “What might they be?”

Kramer shook his head. “You’ll have to find out.

Licking her lips and wondering what might happen if she pushed him over the railing, Elsa could tell he was still confused about the whole plan. Was swimming part of his skill set? “Do you not trust me, leather man?”

His answer was to straighten his back and pull her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, when the surface of the water broke and a long black body rose up from the depths. He held her close, and she’d even held her breath, but then she pushed away from him.

“What the hell?” she asked, brushing off her shoulders. 

But he was shaking his head at the water. “It’s a fucking submarine. I thought you said we were waiting for a boat.”

She rolled her eyes, exceedingly aware that her heart rate had gone up a notch, but she excused it to adrenaline and surprise. And plus, she’d just gotten engaged. “Hush now, husband. We have work to do.”

There was a loud creak of metal as a hatch opened up on the sub. A head of golden hair burst through the opening, bringing along with it a pink face and a wide smile, wide enough that she could see some of his back teeth. He held out a gloved hand. “Hello, my dear.”

She returned his smile and let him hold her as she stepped off the parlor. Before disappearing down the ladder, she turned back to Kramer, who stood dumbfounded. “Any day now. And shut the door behind you.”

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