Free Secrets of the Siren [Sirens and Sailors 5] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Bella Settarra

office they passed. Aitan grinned at the odd looks they were given by the office workers, who were probably not used to seeing a bunch of sailors invading their department.
    “You must be the gentlemen of Refrainia.” A young woman in a black suit approached them as they made their way down the corridor. “Mr. Curutchet is through here.” She ushered them into a large boardroom where four other men were sitting around a huge mahogany table, drinking tea. They stood up as the sailors entered the room and each shook hands with all of them, introducing themselves. Rechavia had brought some of the ships’ engineers and electricians to discuss the plans, and they all talked eagerly about the vast project. The young lady prepared hot drinks for them all from some machines at the back of the room, and placed three plates of pastries in front of them.
    “We’ve heard some bad news from Westland which we need to discuss, but firstly here is the proposed route for the cables.” Mr. Curutchet rolled out the blueprints onto the table in front of them. The men stood and cowered over the plans intently.
     
    * * * *
     
    Farris and his gang met up with their contact near the harbor. “Yuli, it’s good to see you again.” Farris grinned as a portly, middle-aged man in a hard hat and high visibility jacket eagerly rushed over to them.
    “And you, my friend,” the man replied, shaking his hand. “My men are in the café down the road, will you join us?”
    The sailors didn’t need asking twice. They followed the man down the street to a large café where half a dozen men in hi-vis jackets sat around a large table drinking tea from large mugs. They stood up and greeted the sailors as they arrived, and the waitress prepared steaming hot drinks for them.
    “It’s a massive job you’re considering,” one of the men said, as the waitress placed four large plates of sticky buns in front of them.
    “Hmm, that’s what we want to discuss,” Farris replied, tucking into a large bun. “Is it too large a job?”
    “We can do the work,” Yuli replied, “but it’s going to cause a lot more disruption to your island than we first thought.”
    He took out a large plan of the island and showed them where he had marked the entry point for the mains cable. “We intend to run spurs all around here,” the older man explained, pointing out various points on the map.
    “We’ve got huts around here.” Farris scowled as the extent of the disruption became apparent. If the girls were already against the idea, he couldn’t see this making them feel any happier about it.
    There was a loud roll of thunder as the men finished their tea and got up.
    “Let me show you the materials we are contemplating for the job,” Yuli offered as they made their way toward what seemed to be a building site.
    The sailors were in their element as they were shown around the yard, and saw all the massive cables which were available. There was some impressive machinery which would make short work of the digging and laying once they got the power onto the island. Yuli was confident they had everything they needed, and his men appeared most competent for the job. The sailors were keen to help with the work, too, eager to get stuck into the massive project.
    Large drops of rain began to fall as they stood around in various groups, discussing the necessary work and tools for the job. It didn’t take long for a deluge to drench them as they chatted, and the men soon made their way back to the café for shelter.
     
    * * * *
     
    It was early evening before the men all finished their meetings and made their way to the tavern where they had planned to regroup to discuss their day. Dr. Jay and his faction were the first to arrive, closely followed by Rechavia and the men who had been to the CEBE. Neither group seemed to have had a very uplifting meeting, and they showed each other the copies of reports and estimates which they had received.
    “This weather