Back on Solid Ground

by Debra Trueman

  Stacy looked down at her side. There was a thin line of blood running from the bullet wound down the side of her pants and into the sand. “Let’s show that to Carlos,” Jason suggested.

  “It’s not that bad,” she said, wiping off the wound. Another drop of blood spilled out as soon as she wiped it.

  “Why don’t we go back to the house,” he suggested.

  Stacy nodded her head. She had stopped crying, but she was completely dispirited.

  Jason helped Stacy to her feet and they walked back over to the others. “You guys ready to go back?” he asked, feeling depressed himself.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” said Eli.

  They all got up and started walking back towards the house. Jason pulled Stacy aside to wait for Carlos.

  “Hey Carlos, why don’t you take a look at this?” Jason said, pointing to Stacy’s side.

  “I told you, I’m fine,” she protested.

  “Just let him look,” Jason argued.

  Stacy pulled her shirt up to expose the wound. Carlos dabbed at it with the end of her shirt. “I’ll take care of that for you when we get back to the villa,” he said. “Can you make it back okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Carlos was not going to argue with her, so they set off back to the house behind the others.

  Niki, Eli and Jason discussed security while they walked.

  “We need to scout the island,” Niki said. “Check the cameras, security fences, everything. Eli, you and I will take the Rover and check the perimeter of the island. Carlos can check the boathouse and out buildings. We’re going to need to make a complete sweep of the villa, too. Jason, you can do that.”

  Jason and Eli nodded in agreement.

  “And while we’re on security,” Niki said, turning to Eli, “How’d you end up on the wrong end of Jason’s gun? What, did she just walk right into your room?”

  “Yeah, I watched her go into her room, then I went into mine, and as soon as I sat down, there she was with a gun pointed at me,” Eli said. “She had me send an e-mail saying she was being held on an island in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.”

  “The Mediterranean?” Niki asked.

  “Yeah, I told her that’s where we were, but she’s not stupid,” Eli said.

  “Who did she e-mail?” asked Jason.

  “I don’t know, Holly somebody and I don’t remember the other one,” Eli replied.

  “So then what happened?” Jason asked.

  “We went down to Consuela’s room and she borrowed those shoes she’s wearing, then we went out that back door by Consuela’s room. We started out through the jungle, but she changed her mind when she saw how dense it was. So we headed towards the beach and walked up by the tree line to the boathouse. You saw what happened from there,” Eli said in conclusion.

  “What about the snake?” Niki asked.

  “You saw the snake?” Eli had hoped to avoid that part of the story.

  Niki nodded. “It was a big, poisonous bastard – at least eight feet.”

  Eli filled them in on the snake story and on what happened afterwards.

  “And the padlock was cut,” Niki stated. He thought for a moment. “When was the last time either of you was at the boat house?”

  “I was there last night,” Jason said ominously, “and the lock was intact.”

  “Each of us needs to carry a gun at all times,” Niki stated, and Jason and Eli nodded in agreement.

  Jason turned to Niki. “Do you think this has to do with our latest job – with Stacy or the diamonds?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, thinking about it. “It wouldn’t really make sense; we’re meeting with the client on Monday,” he said. “I just don’t see what purpose it would serve to blow us up before then. They’d want the girl alive,” he said.

  “Well, who would want to see us dead?” asked Eli.

  “I don’t know,” Niki said, shaking his head.

  They walked in silence the rest of the way back, each consumed by his own thoughts.

  Chapter 8

  The kitchen smelled like freshly baked bread when they arrived. There were three round loaves sitting on a cooling rack and a dish of seafood paella on the stove, but there was no sign of Consuela. Stacy thought of the housekeeper as being like a little mouse, sneaking in and out of the kitchen when no one was around. She definitely knew how to run a household. There was not a speck of dust in the whole place.

  The walk back had given Stacy a chance to pull herself back together. She resigned herself to the fact that her next escape attempt would be tougher, but she determined that she would not lose her optimism. She hated being around negative people, and she refused to become one of them. Nor would she sulk. She’d had a good plan and it would have worked if there hadn’t been a bomb on the boat. It was bad luck, not bad planning. She was as resourceful as anyone she knew, and she was going to get out of her predicament, one way or another. By the time she reached the kitchen door, her pep talk had worked wonders.

  “Oh, that smells wonderful,” she said, taking in the aroma. She walked over to the stove to check out what was cooking.

  The men were thrown by the drastic change in her disposition. On the beach, she had seemed completely deflated; it was thoroughly depressing to see her like that. Now she was practically cheerful. And for some reason, the whole feel of the kitchen seemed to be governed by Stacy Trent’s mood. Right then, it was a very nice place to be.

  Eli joined Stacy at the stove and looked into a huge stainless pan.

  “What is it?” Stacy asked.

  “Consuela’s twist on paella,” said Eli, smiling. “It’s got this special sauce that only Consuela can make.”

  “It looks awesome,” she said.

  “Wait until you taste it. It tastes even better than it looks. If I was the marrying type, I’d marry Consuela for her paella,” Eli said. He broke a loaf of bread apart and handed Stacy a piece. It was still warm.

  “Yum. Is that ready?” she pointed to the pan.

  “How can you be hungry again? You ate a whole plateful of meat and potatoes at noon.”

  “Move over,” Niki said, displacing his brother. Niki pulled a chunk of bread off the loaf, smothered it in sauce, and ate it.

  Stacy’s eyes followed the piece of bread from the pot to Niki’s mouth. She went for the loaf but Eli beat her to it.

  “A couple of scavengers!” Niki exclaimed.

  Eli handed Stacy another chunk of bread and they both dunked into the sauce. Niki watched Stacy’s face as she tasted Consuela’s creation. He wasn’t even aware that he was smiling.

  “Stop watching me chew,” she said, and she turned his head away with her hand.

  “It’s ready,” Eli declared. “Let’s get changed and eat,” he told Niki.

  “Yeah,” Niki said, dunking another chunk of bread and eating it. He started to leave the kitchen but turned back as he got to the door. “Someone go with her,” he said, directing the order to no one in particular.

  Eli looked at Stacy’s wet clothes. “Wait here,” he told her.

  “I’m going to change,” said Jason, leaving Carlos and Stacy alone in the kitchen.

  Stacy was rummaging through the refrigerator and came out with a stick of butter. She found a knife and cut off a couple of slices of bread, then buttered a slice for herself and handed Carlos a slice. She was looking out the window when Eli returned with an armful of Consuela’s clothes.

  “Here,” Eli said, handing Stacy the clothes, “these should fit better than what you’re wearing.”

  Eli turned to Carlos, “You go up with her and we’ll meet you back down here.”

  “I want to doctor your wound again while I’m up there,” Carlos told Stacy. He stood back to let her pass. “After you.”

  Back in her room, Stacy changed into a pair of faded cut-offs and a tank top. Way to go Consuela, she thought. Stacy looked at herself in the mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes and her skin was pale. And then
, there was her hair. She turned upside down and gathered it up, then twisted it around and stuck a pen through the knot to keep it in place. That was as good as it was going to get, so she called Carlos in to doctor her wound. When they returned to the kitchen, Niki, Eli and Jason were waiting.

  “You took forever,” Eli said grumpily.

  Niki looked at Stacy. “Are those Consuela’s clothes?” he asked.

  “Yep,” Stacy said.

  Niki looked her up and down. “They look a lot better on you than they do on her.”

  “Definitely,” said Jason. “And I like the hair thing. You can’t even tell where Niki cut it,” he said, opening a can of worms.

  Stacy looked over at Eli, “I thought you told me you cut it.”

  “I said it was my idea,” Eli corrected. He pointed at Niki. “He’s the one who cut it.”

  Shit. Here we go again, Niki thought. “Thanks a lot,” Niki said under his breath, and Jason shrugged his shoulders.

  “Before you launch into me again,” Niki said, trying to head her off at the pass, “I’m apologizing right now for cutting your hair.”

  All eyes turned to Stacy.

  “Okay.” She hadn’t intended to pursue it anyway. “Where do I sit?” she asked, and there was a collective sigh of relief.

  “Why don’t you sit here so you can look out the window,” Carlos suggested, setting a plate of food down for her. He took the seat next to her and sat down. The others filled their plates at the stove and came over and joined the two. Niki was the last to the table, so by default, got the seat on the other side of Stacy.

  Eli watched Stacy taste the paella. “What’d I tell you?” he said. “It kicks ass.”

  “It’s really good,” she agreed. “Where in the world did you find Consuela?”

  “On the mainland,” Jason said, without thinking.

  “And that would be . . .” Stacy prodded.

  Jason stopped chewing and looked at her. He looked over at Niki, then back to Stacy. “Don’t ask me shit like that,” he said, irritated.

  Carlos changed the subject. “My friends tell me you’re a bit of a sharpshooter,” he said.

  She looked at Eli and tried not to laugh. “Did you tell them I saved your life?” she asked, then she turned to Carlos, “He thought I was going to shoot him.”

  “Where did you learn to shoot like that?” Eli asked. “And don’t say you’re from Texas,” he added before she could answer.

  “At the ranch. My girlfriend has a whole arsenal of weapons and we go out there and shoot the horns off the cattle,” she said, taking a bite.

  All four stopped eating and looked at her like she was nuts.

  “I’m kidding! Good grief,” she laughed. “We shoot at cans and stuff, okay?”

  Niki and Eli laughed, and Carlos and Jason shook their head.

  “So you became a sharpshooter by shooting at cans?” Carlos asked.

  Stacy thought about it before she answered. “Personally, I think it’s a skill you’re born with,” Stacy said. “Sure, the more you practice, the better you get, but only to a certain point. Like the child prodigy who can play an entire concert on the piano when he’s four years old. The average person can practice from sun up to sun down, and he’s never going to be as good as the kid who’s born to it.”

  The men were captivated. They had all stopped eating and each was staring at her, hanging on her every word. Stacy stopped speaking and looked around the table.

  “What?” she said defensively. “Do I have a bug on my face or something?”

  Niki laughed and turned back to his food. “You may be right,” he said. “Eli’s been shooting a gun since he was seven years old and his aim is still terrible. He probably was the one who shot you.”

  The group got busy eating and no one spoke for a while.

  Niki was thinking about the bomb. Nothing like that had ever happened to them before and he was worried that whoever had done it might still be on the island. He didn’t know if it had anything to do with Stacy or not, but he couldn’t rule it out. He was worried for everyone’s safety, so he decided to address the matter while they were all together.

  “About the bomb on the boat,” he started. Everyone stopped eating and looked at Niki. “Obviously we have a major security issue here, as of course, you three know,” he said to the men. “We don’t know who planted that bomb,” he continued, “and Stacy, I feel like I need to warn you especially, that you may be in danger from whoever put that bomb in our boat.”

  “And what, I wasn’t in danger before?” she said, in disbelief.

  “Well no, not directly,” Niki said.

  “And now, I may be in direct danger?” she clarified.

  “My point is,” Niki said, getting frustrated, “You’ve made it clear that you will try to escape again, and I don’t know how to convince you of this, but right now, you would be safer with us than with whoever planted that bomb.”

  “I watched you people blow that guy’s hand off in the bank,” she said. “And you’re sitting here telling me that the person who planted that bomb is dangerous and you’re not? I’ll take my chances,” she said, intentionally being belligerent.

  “That man was shooting at us, and we spared him his life! He could be entertaining his family on the piano right now if he hadn’t tried to be a hero,” Niki said angrily. “No one would have been shot, including you, if he had done as he was told!”

  She’d hit a nerve with that one. “Well, if I’m in so much danger, then let me carry a gun,” she said. “I noticed all of you are.”

  All heads turned. She doesn’t miss a trick, thought Eli.

  “I don’t think so,” Niki laughed.

  “Hey, I had the chance to shoot every one of you down there on the beach,” she informed him. “If I’m really in that much danger, I should be allowed to protect myself.”

  “I’ll protect you,” Eli piped in. “I owe you one anyway.”

  “You owe me two,” she corrected.

  “Listen,” Niki said, making a last attempt to get through to her, “I’m just trying to keep you from getting hurt any more that you already have been.”

  He sounded weary and she had a ridiculous urge to protect him. “Okay, Niki,” Stacy conceded. She put her hand on his arm, “You don’t have to worry about me,” she assured him.

  “Fine,” he said.

  It was the first time she had called him by name, and coupled with the touch of her hand, Niki’s stomach did a flip. He got up from the table and took his plate, still half-full, to the sink and walked out of the kitchen. Jason looked over at Carlos, and Carlos raised his eyebrows. Stacy sat back in her chair.

  “That was so good,” Stacy said, rubbing her stomach.

  “You want some more?” asked Jason.

  “Maybe just a little,” she said, getting up.

  “Where do you put all that food?” Eli asked, in amazement. “You’ve eaten as much as I have, and you’re half my size.”

  “I have a big appetite,” she said defensively, spooning more food onto her plate, then sitting back down. She finished her second helping and groaned. “I feel like I’m gonna pop,” she said.

  “I don’t doubt it,” said Eli.

  “It was just so good that I wanted to keep eating,” she said, unbuttoning the top button on her shorts.

  “I’ll walk you upstairs,” Jason said.

  Jason went into the suite across from Stacy’s and dragged an easy chair and ottoman out into the hall and took up camp.

  “You’re going to sit there the whole time I sleep?” Stacy said.

  “Yep. I’ll be here,” he said, snuggling into the chair.

  Eli and Carlos were just finishing up in the kitchen.

  “I’m going to the boathouse to look around,” said Carlos, stretching as he got up from the table.

  “Do you want me to go with you?” Eli asked.

  “No. It’s better if I go by myself.”

  Eli knew that Carlos was l
ooking for more than physical evidence. Carlos’ psychic abilities never ceased to amaze them. He knew that Carlos preferred to conduct his investigations in private, so he didn’t push.

  “I think I’ll go find Niki,” said Eli. “The girl is freaking him out,” he said amused.

  “So I’ve noticed,” agreed Carlos. “There’s something between them.”

  “Come find us when you get back. And be careful,” Eli added, as Carlos was walking out the door.

  Eli grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and left the kitchen in search of Niki. He found him punishing himself on the treadmill in the exercise room.

  “Slow down before you have a heart attack,” Eli told his brother.

  Niki slowed the machine down a couple of notches. “Five more minutes,” he said, breathing hard.

  Eli sat on the weight bench drinking his beer while Niki finished. His brother was definitely stressed. The only time he ran like that was when something was really bothering him.

  Niki was ringing wet when he finished. He grabbed his towel and dried off his face and hair, then draped the towel around his neck. He sat down on the weight bench opposite Eli.

  “What’s up, Niki?” Eli asked.

  “Stacy Trent,” Niki said, like the words tasted bad.

  Eli laughed. “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know,” Niki said, shaking his head. “For some reason, she’s really getting to me. Half the time I want to kill her, and the other half . . .” he let the sentence hang.

  “You’re in a bad way,” Eli said. He had never seen his brother so tormented over a woman.

  “Why do I feel like I need to protect her?” Niki asked in frustration. “She’s been nothing but a pain in the ass, but there’s just something about her. I don’t know,” he hesitated, “she fascinates me.”

  “Maybe Carlos put a spell on you,” Eli said, trying to lighten the mood. “You know, because of the eye thing.”

  Niki didn’t think it was funny.

  “Either that or you’re in love with her,” said Eli.

  “That’s ridiculous Eli,” Niki said, irritated. “I don’t even know her.”

  “Look, Niki. Stacy is a very attractive, capable and resourceful woman. We’re all fascinated by her. Just don’t let her get to you,” Eli said, standing up.