“What you see here,” the speaker offered in an academic monotone, “is the long-ended spear of the Pantanak tribe. As you can see, the stone is quite sharp and, in its original state, it rivaled the finest steel edge.”

“Kill me now,” Piper mumbled to Molly as they sat in the middle of the classroom. “Why did we sign up for this course again?”

Molly shushed her friend, not even glancing at her lest they draw attention to themselves. Roundly chastised, Piper leaned her elbow on the arm of her seat before resting her chin onto her palm. Eight more weeks, she comforted herself. Though she hated that she did not have any solid job prospects, she had spoken with her mom the previous week, and Meredith Hayes always found a solution for everything. If Piper couldn't find herself a job soon, her mother would figure something out.

As she regained consciousness of the room around her, Piper realized the voice had changed. A tall, gaunt woman now stood addressing the room. Her voice proved much more agreeable to Piper's sensibilities, and she found herself newly able to focus. In her mid-to-late forties, the woman wore a friendly expression, and Piper wondered how such a pleasant woman had ended up with such a drone of a man. When Piper thought the words, she turned back to the man and found, to her surprise, that he seemed rather pleasant once he had closed his mouth. She snickered to herself, and Molly kicked her in reprimand.

“Ouch!” she exclaimed, casually studying her notebook when several faces turned to assess the source of the noise. As soon as they faced forward again, she breathed a deep sigh, turning back to listen to the woman.

“So, what scientists have found over the years,” the woman lectured, “is that, while we have culled through the medicinal potential of most of the plants in what you would call the civilized world, there are almost innumerable new species that we might find if we invest in research in the Amazon Rainforest. More than any other place on earth, the deep forest is unsullied by modern culture. This lack of development protects many fragile plants that might otherwise have disappeared from the planet altogether. With modern technology, we are much more able – if we choose to take proper precautions - to protect these environments than were our predecessors.”

“What we hope to accomplish with our research is to communicate with indigenous cultures on a small scale, preferably through a one or two-person team, to glean through their knowledge of healing herbs, collecting samples to bring back to our greenhouses. At that point, we can cultivate them for research outside of the rainforest. There is no reason we cannot responsibly maintain – and perhaps even add to – the supply of the flora that we encounter in this manner. So far, we have already found three very promising drugs, two of which have passed through pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo tests, have made it through the preclinical trials, and will likely be fast-tracked to phase one human trials before the end of the year. At this point, Dr. Prado and I are working to isolate and cultivate the specific and most effective breed of one of these herbs so that the pharmaceutical company can guarantee the quality of its product before administration to the patient population.”

Several times during the woman's speech, she made eye contact with Piper, smiling pleasantly in reply to Piper's own smile. Once the man and woman finished speaking, Piper's professor returned to the podium and dismissed the class. Before Piper could escape, the man called her up front to see him.

“Do you want me to stay?” Molly wondered.

“For a few minutes,” she agreed. “You might give me an excuse to leave if Professor Gray won't let me go.”

Molly nodded, then watched as Piper bounced with her typically pleasant expression to answer the professor. Fortunately, the professor didn't need long to communicate his message, because Piper returned in less than three minutes, frustration clearly raveling her features in an uncharacteristic frown.

“What did he say?”

“Student ambassador,” Piper pointed her thumb at her own chest. “Apparently, our guest speakers are staying in town a while, and Professor Gray wants me to show them around the campus.”

When Piper sighed her displeasure, Molly pursed her lips skeptically. “You always complain when he asks you to do this kind of thing, and you always enjoy it. I've never met anyone who could like everyone as much as you do. You'll probably even find something to like about Dr. Cadaver.”

“Molly!” Piper chastised. “He's not that bad! Did you even look at him when he wasn't talking? He's kind of a nice-looking man for a 50-year-old. I mean, if you like the bookish type.”

Molly turned back to where the couple now stood at the doorway to the classroom, deep in discussion with Professor Gray. “I can't believe it,” Molly scoffed. “You're right. He's actually kind of pleasant looking. I mean, he needs to wash his hair, and either trim the beard or lose it altogether, but he's not bad in a street man/PhD candidate kind of way.”

“Stop! He'll hear you!”

“Well, my dear,” Molly consoled Piper, “at least you won't be stuck with an ugly odd person and his wife. Just a not-disgusting odd person and his wife. I'm outta here, though.”

Without offering any further leave, Molly turned and hurried away.

“Wait!” Piper begged. “We haven't talked since the party!”

“Lunch,” Molly promised before sprinting around the corner.

Piper growled in frustration. “Always abandoning me in my time of need,” she complained to the air. For as long as Piper had known Molly, the woman had never stuck with her through a campus tour. Rather than escape, as she wanted to, Piper turned and strolled to the trio of academics.

“Miss Hayes,” Professor Gray hailed her. “I'd like you to meet my very special guests, Bernardo and Vivian Prado. Obviously, they are researchers who focus in the Amazon rainforests, but today, we're going to focus on the jungles of Rhode Island.”

Piper forced herself not to roll her eyes. When Piper had convinced Molly to take a class with her, Molly had nearly turned tail and run. When the friend had deigned to attend the “lesser” college for the lone class, Piper had finally expected to have some fun in a class, something she had not experienced since freshman year.

Not that Piper hadn't learned a lot in school – she had – but the company in her major had slowly waned as the classes got harder. Instead of pre-med, her friends all switched to Journalism or Communications. How could they have known so little about themselves as to pick a major in entirely the wrong discipline? At least switch to Communications from English or Humanities. Maybe Engineering from Pre-med, but no. They had left the school altogether and switched to non-science majors. Piper had only needed a few Humanities classes before she ran out of electives, so by second semester sophomore year, all of her friends had left her.

Of course, psychology-major Molly would not have agreed to take an upper-level science course like the ones Piper had needed second semester senior year, but Anthropology 101 had seemed harmless enough to both Piper and Molly. Unfortunately, the course came with a professor who seemed all too eager to involve Piper in activities that took up time outside of the classroom. She suspected he did so because she had seemed friendly even after he described his position as Dean of Student Ambassadors, and everyone else had avoided eye contact once he had made the announcement. Piper cursed her open nature as she smiled weakly at the visitors. She wracked her brain for the memory of their names before the woman rescued her.

“Vivian,” the woman prompted before beginning an easy dialogue, “So I hear you're a senior in pre-med? My undergrad degree is in pre-med, but I found that when I did my internships during my senior year, the clinical settings didn't suit me. Have you enjoyed your time in the hospital here?”

“I have,” Piper began, but then grew silent as curiosity lassoed her tongue. Vivian had paused at a door just down the hall from the classroom, opening it with the oddest expression of gentleness. When the door swung open, Piper understood the expression and instantly like both Vivian and Bernardo better.

“Da-da,” a soft, squeaky voice intoned, and from within the room, an adorable little child toddled into Bernardo's arms. He had squatted down to the child's level as soon as the door had opened.

“Piper,” Vivian offered, “this is Lily. She's my late-in-life gift from God.”

“She's adorable,” Piper replied with the slightest hint of breathless excitement. Not that she adored children fanatically, but she found the presence of a child in such a somber location as the halls of academia more refreshing than she would have expected. “Hi, Lily.”

The child rubbed her large, brown eyes sleepily, but managed to look at Piper with something resembling curiosity.

“Lily is eighteen months old tomorrow,” Vivian continued as a diminutive Hispanic woman followed the child into the hallway. “This is Elsa. She moved to the States with us from Peru just over a year ago to take care of Lily. We travel back and forth from there so often that she gets to see her family as well.”

“Ola,” Piper offered. “Mucho gusto.”

“Usted habla espanol?” the woman questioned.

“Un poquito,” Piper replied. She did not wish to give any false impressions of her Spanish-speaking abilities.

“You speak Spanish?” Vivian echoed the question in English.

“Just a little,” Piper replied the same. “I'm from the south, so there are a lot of Spanish speakers in my hometown. My parents both speak fluently, but I just picked up a few words here and there.”

Elsa stood staring at Piper with an odd grin, and Piper tried not to feel self-conscious.

“Well, you have made Elsa feel welcome here,” Vivian smiled as she turned toward the exit from the hallway. As she began to walk, Bernardo stood and followed behind, Lily in his arms, and Elsa pushed a stroller along behind him. Piper began their campus tour with an entirely different attitude, sure to turn on occasion and smile at the pleasant little girl in her daddy's arms.

By the time she had led her guests through the varying academic halls and to the student center, Piper found herself thoroughly enjoying the conversation, even finding that the “streetman PhD candidate” husband possessed a subtle and sophisticated sense of humor. Between the wife's fairly continuous commentary, the husband's one-liners, and the infant's curiosity and smiles, Piper found herself twenty minutes late for lunch before she realized the hour. Still, she hated to just shuffle the family out the door.

“I just realized that I'm late for a lunch date. Do you guys have lunch plans? You could come along.” She didn't expect Molly to like the unexpected company, but Molly couldn't help but like the family if she gave them five minutes of time. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Prados had plans, and they took their leave of Piper within a couple of minutes of her remembering.

As the family walked away together, Vivian turned back around and met Piper at the Accord. “I know this is a little below your pay-grade,” the woman began, and Piper internally snickered at the idea that anything could fall below her current income level. “But Elsa has run into some family issues and will have to leave us without a sitter on occasion over the next several weeks. We go back to Peru today for a week to establish the final cultivar, but then it is back to the States for good. Would you consider the possibility of watching her a few times over the next few weeks? Lily seems to like you.”

Piper thought about it, remembering how relieved she had felt when she left for college and realized that she wouldn't have to babysit her little brother and sister anymore. Still, she also remembered how much she had loved caring for them on occasion, how they brought almost endless laughter and affection to her life. She could honestly say she missed the experience enough to dally in it short term.

“Sure. I'll type my number in your phone.”

“Thanks, Piper,” Vivian flashed an appreciative smile as she handed over the phone. “You're a very unusual girl, you know.”

Surprised by the sentiment, Piper sighed with frustration. She always tried so hard just to fit in, yet she apparently failed, because she had heard several times in just a few days how she stood out. “Thank you?” she managed, though not with a tone of gratitude.

“It is a good thing to stand out, Piper,” Vivian urged as if reading Piper's mind. “When you're one of a class of 100,000 new job applicants in a few months, you will be glad that people notice you.”

“Not if they notice that I'm odd.”

Vivian chuckled. “Well, oddity does not always disqualify one from hiring, as exemplified by my brilliant husband, but you are not odd like that. You are refreshing.”

Though she tried to smile, Piper only managed to purse her lips. “I hope you're right,” she mumbled. “And I appreciate the sentiment. I will try to figure out why people keep telling me that it's good.”

When Piper handed the phone back, Vivian gripped her hand affectionately. “Professor Gray thinks you're an outstanding student as well, so believe it. I'll be in touch if I need your help with Lily. And thanks for an excellent morning.”

Piper squeezed Vivian's hand back and rolled up the window. Regardless of the irritation of her student ambassador role, Piper liked the Prados. She could think of far less pleasant ways to spend her last couple of months in Rhode Island than to entertain the adorable little Lily.

+++++++++++

When the phone buzzed, Isaac glanced down to see the message. He had found a nice spot to await Luciano, his back wedged into a corner formed by a tall hedge and the brick of the building. With a view across the river, Isaac could still maintain full view of anyone approaching the restaurant from the street or the parking lot. Since the sun had set, most of his fellow diners had retreated inside against the chill, but Isaac didn’t mind the cold. He munched on his chips and sipped on his draft, scanning the passersby for his recruit.

Unfortunately, the message hadn’t been from his recruit, canceling the meeting. This guy is a serious stiff, Isaac lamented. Instead, the message on the phone read “ears-only” which meant that he would have to leave his food and wander at least a few feet away from any curious onlookers. The message had gone out to everyone with assets in Peru. Well, that was probably over a hundred handlers with way more agents on the ground managing assets, but Isaac would call in.

He raised the phone to his ear and dialed, punching through the security codes and uttering paroles until he hit the case officer who had contacted him. “What is it?” Isaac demanded.

“We have a bagman in Peru, in danger of compromise. There’s an SA sticking his nose into the operation, and we need it shut down. The targets are state side, in Providence, so it’s delicate, but they’re slated for executive action. We just need the Feds to stay out of it until the operation is complete. Be on the lookout for news.”

“Am I engaging anyone?”

“If you find the targets, contact me. I’ll be managing the intel for the whole case, and I will need to oversee any action.”

Isaac shrugged. “Noted. Haven’t seen anything, but I’ll let you know if I do.”

“Wait, can you ask your asset in Cuba if he’s heard anything?”

Pursing his lips, Isaac paused in irritation. “Fine,” he agreed. “I’ll contact him.” Calling Felicio meant explaining that Isaac didn’t have the cousins yet. The thought of the call also gave him a little better attitude about meeting them man who was coming to meet him.

Of course, if there was a hit out on a couple state-side, the involved party would use a gang. The possible sources in Rhode Island were, by nature of the diminutive state, few. Someone would find them, and pretty fast. Maybe Isaac could test the waters with some of his local friends. He hadn’t placed an order in a while, so he could do so when he called. It would soften the contact and make them more likely to talk. Isaac hoped he could find out some information – his adrenaline had skyrocketed as soon as his officer started talking about executive action. Not that Isaac would take the kill shot, but after sitting at a desk for two years, even the thought of seeing the action pumped him up.

Managing a whining recruit, on the other hand, brought him way too far down. He dreaded dealing with the kid, who seemed poised to be a cowboy. Every chance he got, the guy challenged Isaac, no apparent respect for the hierarchy of authority. As Isaac approached his table, he noted his recruit exiting onto the patio. The call had taken Isaac out of his position of advantage, but at least he saw Luke first. Isaac could paint on his feigned nonchalance to establish control of the situation.

“Have a seat,” Isaac instructed, and Luke did, picking up the offered beer and taking a long draught. “We need to also talk a little about this case you’re working. You’re dragging your feet…”

“Nice to see you, too,” Luke murmured. Aloud, he defended himself. “I’m working on it. But he’s vehemently against coming on board, so I’m not sure how you expect me to manage it.” Luciano pulled his jacket closer around him as he sat.

Isaac seemed somehow impervious to the breeze from the river, despite the chill that had filled it since sunset. “Isn’t that kind of your job to figure out?”

“I did not sign up to bring my family into my job!” Luke complained.

Isaac stepped into Luke’s space and poked him in the chest with a finger. “You signed up to do whatever it takes. In this case, that involves some minor manipulation of your family. Grow up.” He punctuated the last two words with a stab of his finger.

Luciano gritted his teeth, turning to stare at the lights across the water. “I can’t manipulate Sebastian, Isaac. I can’t lie to him. Not him.”

“You can lie to anyone, Luke. It’s your job.”

“He’s family! He’s like my brother,” Luke countered.

Laughing, Isaac bared his teeth. “We lie to family more than to anyone else.”

“But we don’t use family,” Luke protested.

“I won’t ask you to do anything that will harm him,” Isaac assured his coworker. “Tell me about the girl.”

Striding closer to the edge of the pier, Luciano breathed deeply for several seconds, focusing on the bite of the air against his skin to suppress the pain of his thoughts. “She’s just a girl. Pretty. Bash says she smart. He seems to like her a lot, but they haven’t connected since the party.”

“They will. I found her a couple of days after the party. If I need to, I can step into her sphere and try to mine her for information, but it wouldn’t work as well as your gaining a position of confidence with him using her. This girl won’t do pillow talk; I can already tell. I observed her for about half an hour. So getting information from her would require me to invest more time than I’m willing to invest.”

“You found her? How did you even know who to look for?”

“Noticed your cousin staring at her at the party, then he took off after her when she went down to the beach. I took a lucky guess based on your description of her that she was the one. Then it was simple investigation to find her name.”

“Okay. So you found her. Now how does this work? You get an in with a girl he’s interested in, then you threaten him into joining by threatening her.”

Isaac leveled Luke with an irritated look. “Can you please manage some objectivity? We are not in anywhere deep enough for that level of investment by me – or you. It’s recruitment, not an op. After we’ve dabbled in pursuing her for another week, move on to something else to persuade him.”

Turning to Isaac, Luke leveled a furious glare at his boss. “Fine. Just don’t expect me to bring up Mariana again. That was a strong-arm manipulation, and it will only drive Bash away. “Of course, Luke had known what he was getting into when he took the job. He had been warned. And his rage at his sister’s disappearance had convinced him he could endure anything for the right cause. In reality, he found that there were many things he was not willing to endure, especially since they wouldn’t bring his sister back. The foremost was that he was not willing to betray Sebastian