Chapter Sixteen: False Sense of Security

The great big mansion felt a little lonelier this time. There was no evidence of the previous day’s birthday party. I presumed some maids or cleaning staff came in to give the place a thorough rundown. That wasn’t important right now.

Guilt washed over me—both for bailing on the party yesterday, and for the potential danger I was putting Yuki in right now.

“Did you get that errand done yesterday?”

I gave a delayed nod.

That airtag was still in the RV, back at the airport. Any snooping Teixieras ought to be catching on to the ruse now. Which meant there wasn’t much time.

The plan, to the extent that I had a plan at this point, was to accept my belated gift, then find some way to warn Janae. Yuki☆ was supposed to have a full security detail of which Janae was only the head of the day shift. At the very least, Janae ought to be warned that the mob is after her charge.

“So, about your present,” Yuki began.

I raised my eyebrow, temporarily distracted from my troubles. Everyone likes presents, and I was no exception.

“Umm, we didn’t have much time to choose a present for you and weren’t sure what you liked,” Yuki said.

I grinned bashfully with a hint of sadness. We truly did know each other for only a limited time. A flash in a pan. So I told myself as I prepared to announce the reason behind my necessary departure.

“I had to workshop things with Janae. And it took a while to find, but there’s always something being sold somewhere in town. She went out to get it last night…”

Yuki☆ produced a gift card—correction, a bundled-together array of cards, all fanned out in a row.

“An entire year’s worth of gift cards for that delivery app,” Yuki declared.

“Ah, all your tips were worth more than enough.” I waved my hands around. “Really, it’s too much.”

“Janae figured you’d like to get your own food sometimes,” Yuki said.

Reluctantly, I took the collection of cards. They would come in handy, being general-purpose gift cards. They could work anywhere, which, considering that I would likely be fleeing for my life over the next few days, they might prove invaluable.

“Have you ever heard of a ‘busman’s holiday?” I asked.

Yuki frowned. I didn’t expect her to know of the concept. It wasn’t an American English concept, so no amount of time in Tokyo, MIT, or LA would have caused her to run across the phrase.

“It’s British, I’m pretty sure,” I said, pocketing the gift. “It’s where you spend your vacation doing tasks you would do in your day job. Like a bus driver having to drive around on his day off, for instance.”

Yuki nodded understandingly. She appeared to get it.

“What I’m saying is, well, no matter where I am, I have to go drive around to pick up food or something.”

“Oh!” Yuki held a finger up. “Wait right there.”

The pop star ran back upstairs, then returned with that signed box of merch.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I said, taking them anyway.

I briefly tried to plan a way to get this back to that vendor before skipping town.

“Say, are you busy today?” Yuki asked, leaning in.

“Eh, about that…” My voice waffled, unsure how to break the news to her.

“Once Janae comes back, I was thinking we could head out and do more birthday stuff,” Yuki said. “Show me how Americans celebrate birthdays, yes?”

Yuki☆ looked at me expectantly. I, uh, hadn’t spent my last few birthdays doing many get-togethers, being nomadic and all. Could take her to a club or something, sure. I was already was aware that Janae knew how to party.

“Hey, where is Janae anyway?” I asked.

Staying deep in this gated neighborhood began to instill in me a false sense of security. The Teixeiras couldn’t get to Yuki’s mansion, clearly; why else would they have tried pressuring me to bug her place? I was reasonably certain that I had no further bugs on my person or on the Vespa—and we’d probably leave that safe here while we hit the town.

Yuki shrugged. “Last I heard, she was off to check the perimeter of the neighborhood. Those camera drones have been getting closer and closer lately.”

I nodded. Paparazzi drones must be a massive risk to celebrities in the modern day. You could buy them at any Walmart.

Yes, so long as Janae was on-site there was surely no reason to fear for Yuki’s safety. I had half a mind to stick by her side as well, the better to keep myself safe!

“Where are we heading?” I asked, suddenly wishing I were better dressed.

Yuki smiled. “Only the most exclusive clubs! Janae has a list. Don’t worory, they’ll let you in so long as you’re with me. Why, one time some big-name pop singer took an entire marketing department in there.”

“What? Who?” I asked.

“Some blonde lady?” Yuki answered, and then shrugged.

I felt a great weight fall from my shoulders. Perhaps it would be okay. Perhaps I didn’t even need to do the self-sacrificial hero thing and hit the road mysteriously and furtively, like some kind of lonesome drifter.

Just then…

A low hum came from just outside the windows.

“Huh? What’s that?” Yuki asked.

I moved to an extra-wide window looking out over the backyard pool. I looked to the skies, where a bright and sunny California day stood in contrast with my apprehension.

“Hmmm.” I scratched my chin. “Sounds almost like…”

No sooner did I have the thought than did I spy the source of this din. A quad-rotor drone with that signature sleek white-washed shell hovered along the third story windows. Almost like it was searching for something.

“Eeek!” Yuki ducked behind the kitchen counter.

“Stay down,” I said.

I ducked down myself, though surely I was not the target of any paparazzi drone. If anything any snooping photographers could just assume I was the help, or the resident of the place. Maybe they’d think they got the wrong house?

The drone zoomed low, stopping maybe seven feet off the ground. Well within sight of these first-floor windows. It had an optical camera, sure, the better to pilot by. But the craft did not appear to be laden with cameras like what you’d expect from a paparazzi’s drone.

“Uh, that’s not here to take pictures,” I said offhandedly.

“I’m calling Janae,” Yuki said.

What the drone did have was a strange canister on the underbelly. I’d assumed it was a wayward delivery drone, but itw as quickly joined by two more. I took a big step back from the window.

“Think Janae missed a few,” I managed.

The trio of drones rammed the wide windows. The sound of shattering glass could be heard through the house—and not just on the ground floor. How many of these things were buzzing around out there?

I briefly considered getting Yuki out of here on my Vespa. But leaving the safety of the house seemed unwise as well.

These bottom-mounted cannisters opened up. Each shot something soda-can sized into the wide living room. Strange-colored gas came out.

Uh-oh!

I grabbed one and tried to chuck it back out the window, but by the time I got to it, things began to feel a little loopy…

I just managed to hear Yuki collapsed to the floor before my own senses went dark.