Ivan racing out of the house and over the grass, his bow drawn with an arrow already notched into place ready to fly. He tracked his target like a hunter, focused and deadly for the object that would meet his arrow. It was strange because I’d never seen him shoot before this moment, but I knew he wouldn’t miss. The drone was much higher now, flying away from the house, but the instant he locked all of his finely-honed Olympic skill onto it, that drone was doomed. The arrow he released torpedoed straight for it as if it had a radar tracker, pierced the exterior cleanly, and then dropped the fucking thing to the ground like a stone.

I was witnessing another memory I’d keep and remember of Ivan Everley for as long as I lived. The pure artistry of this man shooting an arrow from his bow was something I didn’t want to ever forget.

While Ivan was murdering the drone, more people appeared. Mr. Finnegan rushed out with two large greyhounds beside him, one gray and white and one black, and then Marjorie joined along with another tall man I didn’t recognize who went over to retrieve the drone. They all gathered around Ivan and had a discussion of sorts. I saw Ivan turn toward the window and gesture something to Mr. Finnegan about me probably, before speaking to the big man who was most likely hired security for the estate. He gave one more glance in my direction before turning away to deal with the unpleasant task of investigating a serious breach of security at his private residence. He looked angry and worried if I had to guess. For a quick minute I thought about going outside as well but decided that wasn’t a good idea. Not my place to involve myself in a situation already complicated enough without the added distraction of my presence. Also, the fact I was in no fit state to be seen by anyone right now. One look at me and everyone would know what I’d been doing. They might still anyway if images from the drone were recoverable. All Ivan had to do was button up his jeans, which he must’ve done on the way out while collecting his bow and arrow. I guess it was providence he’d kept his clothes on to fuck me after all.

I understood him a little more than I did before. A celebrity public figure of sorts living in a remote place stacked to the rafters with priceless paintings nobody should know about, with his privacy being invaded illegally by someone, and also dangerously in my opinion. He was a sitting cabinet minister so the government might be involved now. I felt badly for him. His reaction to me the first time I showed up to Donadea to surprise him made so much sense now. I wasn’t thrilled about the possibility of being recorded having sex with him either. God. My sympathies were for Ivan of course, but I couldn’t go to that sordid place again in my head. I wouldn’t survive the second round of slut-shaming the media would eagerly give me. Hopefully, his destruction of the drone meant something good on that score. We’d have a discussion at some point, but I was confident he’d tell me the truth about our situation. For a guy requiring signed non-disclosure agreements to be around him, he was remarkably open and honest. I did trust him.