The next morning arrived quickly. Marcus and Kael packed their belongings and after a brief goodbye, went their separate ways.
"Take care of yourself Marcus, and try not to get into any trouble." Kael joked as he reached out a hand.
Marcus smirked as he accepted it, "Same to you Kael, be safe."
Kael nodded, "That you can count on."
With a final nod, the boys went their separate ways, with Kael taking a ride to Philadelphia, and Marcus taking a plane ride to Miami.
— — —
Marcus arrived at Airstrip 21, formally known as North Palm Beach County Airport.
Stepping off the small jet and onto the tarmac, Marcus was greeted by none other than Dr. Fletcher herself. She was dressed in a pair of long black pants with heels, a white long-sleeve blouse.
She wore a pair of classic, round sunglasses with her hair tied back in a ponytail.
Marcus glanced over at Luna, who eyed Dr. Fletcher with a wide smile. Seeing this, Marcus shrugged his shoulders and approached Dr. Fletcher with Luna in hand.
Dr. Fletcher lowered her sunglasses slightly so that she was eyeing Marcus. Marcus felt his heart skip a beat and he instantly averted his gaze.
"Shit," he hissed silently, he wasn't sure what it was, but something about Dr. Fletcher just made him act up. Not even Kinsley had him nervous like this.
But he had to stay strong, using every ounce of strength he had, he suppressed the blush that was emerging.
Keeping his face stone cold.
"Hello, Marcus." Dr. Fletcher said with a faint smile, "How was your journey?"
Marcus sighed as he scratched his cheek, "It was horrible honestly, that whole thing with Lance kinda ruined my mood you know?"
Dr. Fletcher nodded with an understanding expressed. "I have no doubt witnessing that was quite traumatic, yet you seem to be handling yourself well."
Marcus shrugged, "Well, I barely knew the guy, and I guess I didn't have much time to think about it either…"
"Well, what's done is done." Dr. Fletcher said with a sigh, "Come on, let's walk and talk."
Marcus nodded as he followed Dr. Fletcher. "So," he began, "what's with bringing me down to Miami?" Marcus asked.
"I've been meaning to get you under my wing for quite some time, you see the Kiba mercenaries are a lot more than just a simple nuisance."
Marcus scoffed, "I don't anyone considers them a nuisance, they're more like a threat, just from what I've seen, they've killed a high-ranking lieutenant, stole organization equipment, several leaks within the organization itself, and to top it off, they have weapons that could seriously harm and even kill officers."
Marcus then chuckled, "So if you consider that a nuisance, then I'd hate to see what you consider a threat."
Dr. Fletcher side-eyed Marcus with a smirk, "I consider you a threat." She replied.
Marcus paused. "Hrk."
He wondered if he had just heard her wrong.
"I'm sorry I didn't hear you." Marcus said with a nervous chuckle as he looked down at the tarmac, "Could you repeat that?"
Dr. Fetcher chuckled as she sidestepped, turning on her heel to stand in front of Marcus. She then leaned closer to him, "I said, I consider you a threat." She whispered playfully.
Marcus genuinely didn't know whether to be scared or turned on.
Taking a faint breath, Marcus looked to Dr. Fletcher with a nervous expression. He wasn't afraid, he was more concerned than anything.
"What uhm, what makes you say that?"
"You aren't stupid Marcus, you know what's in your chest. Swirling with raw energy. " Dr. Fletcher said softly as she pointed a finger to Marcus's chest, "that." She said as she looked do at his chest, "That is a threat."
Marcus looked down at his chest, realizing she was talking about his shared core with Luna. "Oh, I-I guess that would be a threat huh?" Marcus stammered.
"Yes, but it's something I intended on putting to good use, which is why I brought you here." Dr. Fletcher explained.
Marcus breathed a sigh of relief. "Ahh, I see." He said with a relieved chuckle. "You had me stressing there for a second."
Dr. Fletcher tilted her head curiously. "Did I scare you, Marcus?" She teased, growing closer.
Marcus could feel his heart pounding and his friend growing. "I don't get scared." He answered. "Not anymore."
Dr. Fletcher chuckled softly as she placed her palm against Marcus's chest.
Marcus held his breath as his heart began racing, he could feel his core warming to Dr. Fletcher's touch, almost as if she was feeding him power.
Though he couldn't see it, there was a brief flicker of silver in his eyes. Upon seeing it, Dr. Fletcher smirked and pulled away from him. "That's enough fooling around for today."
Marcus released the breath he was holding.
Enough fooling around for today? He thought he had enough fooling around for the next five years!
Luna giggled as she glanced at Marcus. "You shouldn't tell Kinsley about this." She teased.
Marcus rolled his eyes as he straightened himself up. "As if I would." He said as he began following Dr. Fletcher again, "She'd never talk to me again."
It wasn't long before the trio reached a black convertible, it was similar to the first one Marcus saw Dr. Fletcher drive.
"Get in." Dr. Fletcher said as made her way to the driver seat.
"I can't," Marcus replied.
Dr. Fletcher looked back at Marcus with a curious expression. "Why?" She asked.
"There's only two seats." He answered.
"Luna can sit in your lap, same as last time, no?"
Marcus shook his head. "That's not happening." He answered gesturing down with his eyes.
Dr. Fletcher slowly looked down, stopping just as she got to Marcus's crotch. Her eyebrows rose as a smirk played on her lips.
"I see, can you drive?" She asked.
"Not legally." Marcus answered, "But my mom taught me a thing or two."
Dr. Fletcher nodded as she stepped back from the driver seat. "Then you'll drive us to my house." She said, reaching out a hand to Luna as she reached her.
Luna accepted her hand as she released Marcus's.
Marcus then made his way towards the driver's side, while Dr. Fletcher entered the passenger seat, seating Luna in her lap.
Marcus slipped into the driver seat and closed the door behind himself, he then bucked his seatbelt and checked his mirrors.
He then placed his foot on the brake pedal, before looking over at Dr. Fletcher, "keys?" He asked.
Dr. Fletcher handed over her keys with a smile. "Don't crash my car." She teased, placing them in his hand firmly. "It's my favorite."
Marcus nodded as he placed the key into the ignition. "Let's just hope you have insurance." Marcus joked, "And a good lawyer."
Marcus then turned the ignition, the engine roared to life before simmering down into a gentle purr. Marcus grin had grown tenfold as he began adjusting his seat. He then reached for the radio, turning it to his favorite station.
"…..she see money in pockets, yeah I think she a fan…."
Marcus began bobbing his head as he raised his foot off the brakes. The car slowly began crawling forward, until Marcus pressed his foot on the gas, causing the car to roar loudly as it gained speed.
Dr. Fletcher smirked as she looked over at Marcus, her gaze curious and playful.
Marcus navigated the car off the airstrip and onto the road,
"Keep straight down Bee Line for now." Dr. Fletcher said.
Marcus nodded, keeping his focus on the road as he glided smoothly off the tarmac and onto the highway.
On the highway Marcus speeds up, causing Luna and Dr. Fletcher's hair, to whip around in the wind. Luna leaned back on Dr. Fletcher's chest, her silver eyes half closed and a satisfied look on her face. Dr. Fletcher meanwhile, gazed out the window, watching as the surrounding went from trees to that familiar urban jungle of Miami.
"So what's the plan now that I'm here?" Marcus asked, quickly glancing over at Dr. Fletcher before turning his attention back to the road, attempting to keep his adrenaline and excitement in check.
"We'll head to my estate." Dr. Fletcher explained, "Speaking of which, get ready to turn right at this intersection."
Marcus nodded as he slowed down for the upcoming light. "So what will I be doing there?" Marcus asked.
Dr. Fletcher chuckled, "We'll get there soon enough, for now just focus on getting us home safely."
Marcus felt slight disappointment, but he wouldn't argue further.
As the light turned green, Marcus pulled forward and turned right. As he continued to drive, he couldn't help but grow curious, about why Dr. Fletcher was in Miami anyway.
"Why aren't we back in Jacksonville?" Marcus asked. "Would Kenji and Elissa be off help?"
Dr. Fletcher shook her head. "No, they're competent officers, that's a fact, but they aren't what I need." She explained. "As for why I'm in Miami and not Jacksonville, it's because I live here, but I operate along most of the east coast, I just happen to be in Jacksonville at that time."
Marcus smirked, "how convenient."
After a while, Dr. Fletcher pointed to a turn, "Take that right." She instructed.
Marcus obliged, turning onto a road that led him off the highway and onto a more secluded area. There were rows and rows of fancy, modern homes. It looked like your typical rich person's neighborhood.
"Are one of them yours?" Marcus asked.
Dr. Fletcher shook her head. "No, keep straight, you'll know my estate when you see it." She said with a proud laugh.
"Too much money." Marcus chuckled as he kept straight.
It wasn't long before Dr. Fletcher's estate came into view. As they rounded a bend, Marcus noticed that the property was massive.
There were tall, towering palm trees lining the driveway. They lead to a large, modern mansion with sleek designs and large tinted windows that reflected the sunlight, making it stand out even more.
"Woah," Marcus said softly, words were hard to come by to describe such wealth and privilege.
Essentially, he was speechless.
"So this is how the elite of this world live," Luna said curiously, her expression as curious as Marcus's was.
"Indeed, however, it's a rather humble abode in my eyes." Dr. Fletcher joked, her voice oozing with irony.
Marcus parked the car near the entrance and everyone exited. Dr. Fletcher placed Luna down, allowing for her to stretch her arms out wide.
Marcus did the same, he looked around the well-trimmed lawn, the pool filled with crystal clear water, and the overall luxury of the place.
"Luna you wanna take a Florida bath later?" Marcus asked as he eyed the pool once again.
"What's that?" She asked curiously.
"Bathing in the pool."
"Absolutely not." Dr. Fletcher said coldly.
Marcus sighed as he crossed his arms. "Look at it though, it's… it's beautiful." He said with feigned emotion, wiping away a nonexistent tear.
"There's baths inside that are just as nice." Dr. Fletcher said, leading the way, "Besides, we have a lot to discuss."
As they walked through the front door, Marcus found himself greeted by a large, spacious foyer. Looking around, Marcus realized that the interior was more impressive than the exterior.
Walking along the marble floor, Marcus entered the living room, where the tinted Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Marcus couldn't help but be impressed, it was clear Dr. Fletcher was a woman who enjoyed the finer things of life.
"Take a seat." Dr. Fletcher said, gesturing towards a leather sofa. "Do you want anything?" She asked as she continued walking into the kitchen.
Marcus nodded as he sat on the couch, sinking into it. "What do you have?" Marcus asked.
"Water, juice, smoothies, things of the stronger variety…. If you're interested." She answered.
"Like beer?" Marcus asked curiously, his interest piqued.
"No." Dr. Fletcher answered, "I mean like wine, or mead, something of the more sophisticated variety."
Marcus frowned, "juice is fine." Marcus said with a sigh.
Luna chuckled as she crawled onto the couch, sitting beside Marcus. "Do you want beer?" She asked curiously.
Marcus nodded. "Yeah, I never had it, but it looks cool to drink, right?"
"I wouldn't know," Luna answered.