“No, I don't think so,” he finally replied, and she felt relieved. “I dunno, Tor. I was thinking of doing some research.”
“Research?”
“Yeah. Find out what kind of punishment I'd have to go through in the event I used drugs while at my work. I'll lose my license, for sure, but not forever. Probably have to go to rehab, do counseling, testing, all that shit.”
“And you'd be willing to go through all that?” she asked tentatively. He shrugged.
“I have to be, if I want to practice in the U.S. again,” he answered simply. She grabbed his arm and swung him to a stop.
“You – Landon Edenhoff – would go to rehab. You know that means, right?” she checked, staring up at him.
“Yeah, Tori, I know what rehab means.”
“You'd be willing to give up your precious drugs and alcohol?” she kept stressing, not really willing to believe it. Landon had been at least casually using since he was a teenager.
“Yeah,” he said, shrugging and looking off into the distance. “I've been weaning myself off everything while we're here, using less and less. It's ... it's time.”
She felt herself grow hot all over. It was time because she was in his life now.
“That's amazing, Landon. I'm ... proud of you,” she babbled. He rolled his eyes and started walking forward again.
“There's that word again. Thanks, mom.”
“Hey,” she laughed. “You know what else is amazing? You, sleeping. All through the nights. You're actually pretty adorable when you sleep.”
“Shut up.”
“You make these little noises,” she teased. “Kinda like a baby. You're all mmmm and aaahhhh and siiiiigh.”
“Yeah? Well, you hog the bed, fat ass.”
She snorted, then let out a yelp when he smacked said fat ass.
“Now you're just trying to flirt with me,” she laughed. “You love my ass.”
“I'd love it more if you'd let me fuck it.”
“That requires a lot more time and devotion, doctor.”
“Hmmm, rethinking this whole idea.”
“Shut up. Where are we going?” she asked, realizing they'd walked past the mess hall and were continuing down the hill.
“We are not going anywhere,” he corrected her, lengthening his stride and leading them towards their tent. “I am going back into town.”
Tori stopped just outside the flap of canvas, staring at his back. Last time he'd gone back to Bangkok, he'd wound up making out with the camp organizer and she'd almost had a nervous breakdown. He glanced over his shoulder at her, then rolled his eyes again and reached out, hooking a finger into the top of her shorts and yanking her forward.
“Don't be such a chick. I'm going alone, okay? This well situation is bullshit – there's got to be a way to get money to fix it. Amie just sounds like some bleeding heart hippie when she's begging for money, but maybe they'll listen to a pissed off and jaded doctor,” he explained, forcing her to sit on the cot. She heaved a sigh.
“Maybe. God, this is so unfair. You get to go gallivanting off to the big city and I have to stay here. I would literally kill for a real shower,” she fell onto her back.
“Don't be so dramatic – you agreed to stay,” he reminded her.
“Yeah, before I realized you'd be ditching me for civilization every other week.”
She was only been teasing. While it wasn't her life's ambition to do volunteer work in a third world country, she could honestly say she felt like a better person. Like she'd grown and changed. She was thankful for the experience. So when Landon finally turned and faced her, a deep frown etched across his face, she felt bad.
“I know this isn't the vacation I originally promised,” he grumbled, rubbing at the stubble on the side of his jaw. “Maybe ... maybe if I can get someone to fund the well, we can bounce after construction starts.”
“I'm just busting your balls, Dr. Edenhoff. Go, save lives, do what you do best. I'll be here when you get back,” she assured him. He didn't stop frowning, but he did turn away and continue packing an overnight bag.
“Since I'm leaving kind of late, I'm gonna stay the night. Hit up the corporate offices in the morning, have them send me out to some investors.”
Over night? Tori wasn't sure how to feel about that – they hadn't spent a night apart since they'd embarked on this bizarre vacation. Sure, she'd made friends with other volunteers and people in the village, but it wasn't the same. She'd grown used to his surliness and his bad attitude and the way he made every single one of her nerve endings come alive.
It's one night, Tor. Chill out. He'll come back and then one more week and you'll get to go home together.
“Alright,” she sighed. “You can go.”
“I'm sorry, did I need to ask permission?” he laughed at her.
“Yes, and I'm granting it. But on one condition.”
“Jesus, I'm scared to ask.”
“You have to get naked the moment you come back, and you can't get dressed again until the next morning.”
He paused for a moment and she could almost hear him smiling.
“Then I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone.”
17
Landon stared down at the bustling city below him. He was in a high rise hotel tower with stunning views. He kept his arms folded across his chest and his glare fixed on the ground far below him.
He'd called the corporate offices to either arrange a meeting or get some information on how best to go about soliciting investors. What he'd gotten instead, though, was a shit ton of bad news. They wouldn't be pouring any more effort into the Thai village. In fact, they were going to downscale. They were going to pull out half the doctors and a third of the nurses, relocate them to Syria and Nigeria, where they were “truly needed”, apparently.
It made him so angry. People were dying from a very preventable disease. Just because it wasn't a headline news-worthy disease didn't mean those people didn't deserve to live. The field hospital was barely keeping up with demand as it was – if they took away any doctors or nurses, it would implode.
And all we need is a fucking well. How hard can it be to dig a hole in the goddamn ground!?
Not hard. It couldn't possibly be that hard. This was Bangkok. Surely if there was ever a city where you could find any and everything you could possibly need, Bangkok was it.
So all I need is some money and some people willing to dig.
The second part wouldn't be too hard, he was sure, but the first part ... that was a little trickier. He had a lot of money, he could possibly fund it himself, but it was Friday. He had no clue how long it took to do a wire transfer, and he'd probably be assigned to some hell hole in Nigeria before he could get the cash. Tori would be winging her way back to the United States. And then that little Thai village wouldn't get anymore help, and more people would die, and it would be his fault, again.
I just started sleeping again. Please don't take that away from me.
His cell phone rang. The sound was loud in the empty hotel room, startling him at first. He thought it would be Tori, but was surprised to see Velez's name scrolling across the screen. He sighed and answered.
“Dr. Edenhoff,” the cheery Puerto Rican was laughing down the line. “How're things in Thailand-ia?”
“Peachy keen,” Landon snorted.
“Miss Hotty McTotty still hanging around?”
“Yup.”
“It's a miracle. Are you actually nice to her?”
“Not usually, no.”
“She's an angel. So what's new?”
“Just having a bitch of a time with this fucking location,” Landon groaned. “It's the easiest solution, they just need a new well! That's it! But no one wants to give up a dime for it. I think they're gonna transfer me somewhere else.”
“Shit, that sucks. Should've taken Niran up on his offer.”
“Niran?”
“You know, the dude there I got you a hook up with?”
“Oh, yeah, the tiny drug dealer from the club, the first night?” Landon scratched his head as he remembered.
“Yeah. He said he offered you a job running for him, but you weren't into it.”
A freight train of thought went screaming through Landon's brain.
The problem with being a very smart person was that sometimes it meant they were also very stupid, which meant their stupidity was in equal measure to their intelligence. His mind moved too quickly for his conscience to keep up with. Very handy for math tests. Not so good for potentially life altering decisions.
“No,” Landon breathed, then he cleared his throat. “No, I wasn't. But I haven't bought anything since we got here, and now my stash is low. Can I hit him up again, just for a bump or two?”
“Sure, I'll let him know you're in town. When are you gonna go down there?”
“Tonight. I'll be there tonight.”
ONCE AGAIN, LANDON found himself pushing his way through a crowded dance floor. The first time he'd been there, he'd been in a bad mood. Hadn't cared about where he was or what he was doing.
Now, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He licked his lips and glanced around, eyeing the ridiculous amount of bouncers loitering about the place.
This is a bad fucking idea, but not doing anything is worse. Just get this over with, then you can go home.
He walked to the same dimly lit room and it was like nothing had changed since he'd been there last. The same tiny man sat behind the desk, the same woman was counting U.S. dollars, and the same mountain of cocaine was being guarded by dudes with huge guns.
Landon had to force himself not to stare at the drugs.
“The doctor is back!” the drug-dealer proclaimed, holding up his hands. “Very happy to see you. You thought about my offer, good. We can send you back right away with -”
“No,” Landon interrupted. “I told you, I'm not doing that. I just want a couple grams, that's it.”
“You're no fun, doctor. Maybe we should -”
A shrill alarm cut through the room, surprising everyone but Landon. He closed his eyes for just a second, then he looked around the room, trying to look startled.
“What is that!?” he yelled over the clanging.
“Everyone out!” one of the burly bouncers shouted.
Niran the drug king pin went first, followed closely by the scantily clad women. His private guards followed them out, then Landon. He glanced back to see the two largest body guards were still standing in front of the kilos of cocaine.
Everyone crowded into the short hallway and stared out over the dance floor. Everyone looked confused. A few were hurrying towards the door, while some just kept dancing. When the sprinklers finally kicked on, they cheered.
“What the fuck is going on?” Landon demanded.
“Who knows? This is Thailand,” the drug dealer replied.
A few yards in front of them, a fight broke out. It seemed like divine providence and Landon sent up a silent “thank you” in prayer.
Two girls screamed and yanked at each others' hair, swinging their bodies in a wide circle. One of them bumped into Niran, which caused his personal body guard to jump into the fray. Realizing he was suddenly without protection, Niran began screaming for the coke guards, who naturally came running. One of them hustled Niran further out of the hallway while the second one went in to defend the other guard.
Now. Go NOW.
Landon slipped back into the drug dealer's office, moving like a ghost. He didn't look around, he didn't even look behind him. Just kept his feet moving and immediately grabbed two kilos of cocaine from off the mountain. He shoved them both into the waist band of his pants as he moved back across the room.
He took a left out the door, away from the dance floor. An emergency exit was clearly marked and he pushed through it, not caring that another alarm was set off. It was lost in the rest of the noise. He just kept going, slipping into a rowdy crowd leaving another bar, blending in as much as he could.
This is going to work. Holy shit, this is going to work.
He walked for several blocks with the group of Thai college students, then he finally broke free of them before running down an alley. He didn't stop running until he was positive at least a mile was between him and the night club.
“Taxi!”
It wasn't until he was seated in the back of the car and they were rolling their way through the night that he realized he was shaking. All over. And not just because he was soaking wet.
Landon had done a lot of fucked up things in his life. Some truly questionable bullshit. But he'd never stolen anything, and certainly not ever drugs. Jesus, if he got caught by the police, he would go to jail for life. If the gang caught up to him, they'd kill him.
He took a couple deep breaths. They wouldn't find him. They couldn't. All they knew was he was working somewhere in the south. Bangkok was pretty much at the center of Thailand – everything was south of it. His little spot in the jungle would be impossible to find.
And he wouldn't get arrested because money always talked the loudest.
“Where to, mister?” his driver asked in English with a heavy accent.
“I need to go somewhere bad,” Landon replied slowly. “Somewhere I can sell some things that need to be handled delicately, if you know what I mean.”
There was a long pause, but the car didn't slow down and he wasn't asked to leave, so Landon figured he was pretty safe. He fished a couple U.S. hundred dollar bills out of his wallet and held them over the front seat. There were a few more seconds of tense silence, then the cab driver took the money.
“I know exactly what you mean, sir. I take you to the perfect place.”
Landon leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
Perfect. Everything is going perfectly.
18
Something bad happened, I just know it.
Tori chewed on her thumb nail as she stood at the security entrance into the camp. Maybe a thousand feet down the road, she could see some large machinery stopped. Military men were talking to the drivers and a lot of paperwork was getting exchanged. She frowned and squinted her eyes. There was definitely a backhoe, and possibly an excavator, and then a few pieces she didn't recognize at all. And in the midst of it all was Organizer Amie, talking animatedly to everyone.
The camp security guards had no clue what was going on, they hadn't heard anything about new construction in the village. Tori glanced at her cell phone, but there had been no messages from Landon, not since before he'd gone to bed the night before. He wasn't the world's best communicator, but she'd texted him about a bazillion times. She'd expected him to respond out of sheer annoyance by now, at least to tell her to fuck off.
One of the pieces of heavy machinery fired to life and started rolling down the road. She watched it for a second, then turned around and started walking back into the camp. It was almost five o'clock and tensions in the camp were high. There were rumors they were getting shut down, that people were going to be transferred to different sites. No one was talking openly about it, not wanting anyone from the village to hear.
It was all depressing. Sure, she'd been dreaming of home and warm showers, but she hadn't wanted it to end like this – people were still sick and dying. Her and Landon were just starting to fall for each other. There were so many chapters left unwritten. She'd been busting her ass to become a better person and to make the world a better place, it wasn't fair to end like this.
“When you frown, you become significantly less hot.”
A deep voice rumbled so close to her ear, she actually squealed and lashed out with her fist even as she skittered away.
“What is wrong with you!?” she shrieked, smacking repeatedly at Landon's chest. “You want to give me a heart attack?”
“I guess it would be best case scenario if a heart doctor was the one to give you the heart attack,” he pointed out. She glared and hit him once more for good measure.
“Where the fuck have you been?
You haven't answered any of my messages, it's almost night time, I was freaking out!” she yelled at him. He shrugged as he pulled out a cigarette and put it between his lips.
“I've been busy,” was all he said while he lit up.
“Busy? You've been busy? Too busy to make a phone call?”
“Not really, just busy enough to not pay attention.”
“You're an asshole.”
He blew a stream of smoke over her head, then wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
“Yeah, but you like me anyway.”
“'Like' is going a bit far. Tolerate would be better.”
“Fine. Can we go to the tent so you can tolerate my dick for a while?”
She couldn't help it – Tori burst out laughing.
“You're literally the worst. When did you get back? Why were you gone so long? What's up with the construction stuff?” she asked, pressing her hands to his chest and looking up at him. He was looking back towards the camp exit, squinting at the machinery as it rolled towards the village.
“I just got back maybe half an hour ago. Amie met me down at the crossroads, I left the Jeep with her, walked up here. I'm late because when I hired a crew to come dig the new well, I didn't realize they'd want to come today, and that's what -”
“Wait,” Tori dug her fingernails into his chest. “A new well? You got the money?”
He frowned and didn't look at her. Just kept taking drags on his cigarette.
“Kinda. They're getting ready to downsize the camp so they wouldn't allow me to speak to any of the investors,” he started explaining.
“Yeah, everyone's talking about it today.”
“Shitty, right? Just a simple fucking well. So I said fuck it and decided to take care of it myself.”
“Holy shit, Landon. You used your own money to save this place?” Tori was stunned. For him to do something so selfless ... he'd said he'd been wanting to turn over a new leaf. Apparently he'd really meant it.
He didn't respond for a while and she almost felt bad. Doing nice things didn't come naturally to Landon. He didn't like attention or praise. She'd probably embarrassed him.
Neighborhood Watch Page 16
