It was supposed to be a nice simple dropoff, but Andy had long since learned that any time Phil was involved, the word 'simple' went straight out the damn window, never to be seen again. Andy had never quite understood what it was about his good friend that had led to such chaos, but at this point was willing to attribute it to a curse, if nothing else.
The plan had originally been to bring Nathaniel over in the afternoon, but after Andy had met with Eve and seen the condition she was in, he'd asked Nathaniel to rearrange his schedule if at all possible. The Watkins had agreed that Andy could arrive at their estate at 10 am and Nathaniel and his escort would be ready to go, so Andy arrived at the Watkins estate about ten minutes before 10, just so he could be prompt.
Both Niko and Alexis had insisted on going with him, and Fiona had asked to tag along as well, as research for the book she had started working on. She'd interviewed a handful of the girls so far - she'd started with Piper, but had also done some interviews with Aisling, Niko and Emily - but this was the sort of event she couldn't pass up an exclusive front seat for.
Sarah and Emily had wanted to come, but they were doing loads of virtual interviews with other media in preparation for the 60 Minutes story dropping that evening immediately after the President's speech. All of the interviews were embargoed until after the 60 Minutes special edition aired, naturally, but loads of people wanted to get quotes from two Hollywood A-listers about not only their relationship, but also how they felt they were doing in the new post DuoHalo world. Em said before they left the house that they were booked with Zoom calls right up until the guests were supposed to be arriving for the party tonight.
"So what's this Watkins guy really like?" Fiona asked Andy, the two of them sitting in the back seat, with Niko and Alexis in the front. "He comes across as very smart, but maybe a little too detached from the real world for his own good."
"If you can imagine a yoga instructor or a surfer crossed with an 18
th
century French aristocrat, you're probably not too far off."
Fiona grinned a little at him. "Let them eat cake, my dude?"
"He's one of the better people I've met here in New Eden, but he still has more money than any single human being should be allowed to control, so... you know... sliding scale."
"He didn't let his son abuse a teenage girl who was tutoring him," Niko said over her shoulder, "so I will give him that. He doesn't boss the women of his house around, which is good to see. And he took in Andy's ex so that she didn't get assigned to one of those other bastards who aren't so nice. Three and half stars out of five, you ask me."
"He's not a restaurant, Niko," Andy said, shaking his head, entertained by the conversation.
"He's a finance guy," Alexis added. "There's certain things you just have to expect with those people. They understand the power of money and they're not afraid to use it, but they overlook the
human cost
of doing things, from time to time. I met a lot of people like him during the six months I was stationed over in the Middle East. Too much money, not enough common sense. But he seems like he might be okay, overall. Treat him like you would any semi-domesticated wild animal - he's probably a friend, but it doesn't hurt to be on the look out for the sudden inclination that he might bite you in the ass. He's like a pet snake in that regard, I guess."
"If a snake could use tools and manage a money market with uncanny skill," Niko concluded.
They'd been sitting near the gate for a few minutes now, so Andy motioned for Niko to take them up to the gate, where they buzzed. He wondered if their security had noticed them just beyond the perimeter and didn't care, or wasn't paying attention to what was happening outside of their gates. Almost immediately, a voice shot back "Yes?"
"Andy Rook and his detail, here to meet with Mr. Watkins, to take him over to his appointment," Niko said.
"Okay, turn the car around and when you see the gates opening up behind you, start driving towards the destination and Mr. Watkins and his detail will follow you there," the voice said. "Please do not drive too quickly, as Mr. Watkins' detail will be relaying their location back to the house, so the rest of his detail knows where he is at all times. We trust Mister Rook, but you know the old saying - trust, but verify."
Alexis looked back into the back seat at Andy and mouthed, "the
rest
of his security detail?" to which Andy only shrugged back.
"Roger," Niko said, shifting the car into reverse, rolling up her window. "I mean, I sort of expected them to take their own car," she said, turning the car around, getting the rear of it near the gates, but not so close that it would be a problem. "That's what I would've done if we'd been in their place. I just thought we'd come onto the estate first and hammer it all out."
"I
did
tell Nathaniel that time was of the essence, so maybe he's just taking that to heart," Andy said, glancing over his shoulder, seeing the gates opening, a large black Escalade just beyond them. "Okay, I guess that's them. Let's go."
The drive from Nathaniel's house was uneventful, with Niko making sure not to go too fast, so as to not lose the Watkins vehicle behind them, especially around the little sudden turn that almost seemed to vanish into nowhere. As they were approaching the house, Niko tapped on the Tesla's touchscreen to make it call the safehouse to notify them about their arrival.
"Neeks," the familiar voice said over the speakers.
"K-Rod," Niko responded. "Two vehicles incoming. Principal is in the second vehicle, although detail size and strength is unknown. Personal opsec is expected."
"Roger, Neeks," Rodriguez responded. "Glad you're here. The bitch is practically climbing the walls for oxygen."
"Pulling up in thirty seconds," Niko said. "See you and Pakky then." She tapped the button on the touchscreen and ended the call.
"How worried about all of this should we be?" Fiona asked the car. "Are we in friendly territory or should I be keeping an eye on the exits at all times?"