Click. I smiled. This was fun. It rang a third time.
"Hello?" I answered.
"My colleague and I would like to discuss our current situation with you," Freddie said.
"Sure thing," I replied pleasantly.
I saw Mark approaching.
"We don' want any trouble with you or your CIA boyfriend. An' we especially don' want trouble with Mr. Carlos," I could hear Tyrell grumbling about that 'crazy-ass pirate' in the background. "We are jest lookin' for a dude who owes us money."
"I gathered as much. I hear he has a data file you want."
Mark set my drink in front of me and gave me a questioning look.
I heard, 'Bitch knows about the data file,' whispered in the background. "My colleague and I have decided we don't want the file. We want money for our inconvenience."
I thought about that. "Give me a second, guys." I put my hand over the phone.
"It's the thugs," I said to Mark.
Not for the first time today, Mark stared at me like I had lost my mind. "You're kidding."
"No, they called me from your phone."
I related what they had said.
He shook his head. "Keep them talking."
He jumped up and went over to Andre, who was standing near the door. I watched him say a few words, and then they both looked over at me. Andre grinned and pulled out his phone.
I gave him a thumbs up. Mark just shook his head.
When I got back on the phone, I heard grumbling in the background.
"What's his problem?" I asked.
"My colleague was commenting on your lack of manners at leaving us on hold for so long," Freddie replied.
"Sorry about that." I wasn't sure what else to say. Mark wasn't back. Andre was still on the phone. "So you'd like to be compensated for your troubles?"
"That would be acceptable to us," Freddie replied smoothly.
"But you've got to stop chasing and shooting at Charles and David," I said.
There was shouting and grumbling in the background. "My colleague isn't happy with those terms."
I didn't blame him. Then I had a thought.
"How about you just shoot Charles and let David go? David didn't have anything to do with the deal."
There was a pause as the thugs discussed the situation. I heard, 'Fuck that,' a couple of times.
"A hundred large an' we get on the next plane outta here. We'll get Charlie on the flip side," Freddie added.
"And David?"
"He cool long as you get him away from Charlie. Wouldn't want him getting accidentally shot or nothin'. "
I heard sirens over the phone. Mark was walking back to the table.
"I'll have to check with my colleague about the money." The sound of sirens was getting louder. Mark made a sign to hang up.
"I'll have to call you back." Click.
"I have them talked into a deal," I said. "A hundred thousand and they'll get on the next plane out of here. They won't mess with David as long as we can keep him away from Charles."
Mark raised his eyebrows. "Not bad negotiating," he said. "But those two idiots should be in custody in the next five minutes. Triangulation," he explained.
"Impressive," I said, adding, "didn't know real estate agents had so much pull with local police."
"It wasn't me. It was Andre."
I took a sip of my martini. "A likely story."
Mark ran his hand up my arm. I pretended not to notice, but couldn't deny the flush racing through my body. "So do I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here to get you alone?"
It was nice of him to offer, but at 5:10 I didn't have a lot of romantic fantasies involving men carrying me around. Instead I pictured my feet dragging on the ground or my head bumping into things.
"I think I can still walk," I said, finishing my martini. "So what do we do about David? How do we find him and Charles now?"
Mark leaned back in his chair. "I've been thinking about that," he said, lazily running his hand up and down the top of my thigh. "And I think we just wait and let them come to us. As long as Charles thinks David is worth a payout from Marcie and Ed, he won't stay silent long. Especially wounded and with a gang of Miami gangsters after him. He's going to need funds and soon."
"Pretty good plan." I was distracted by Carlos strolling around his table of admirers.
Mark followed my eye. "I think David is looking for a way out. To feel like he did everything to be with his father. If it doesn't work out, then at least he can say he tried. Once David is safe, we'll turn everything we have on Charles over to the police."
I nodded, barely hearing a word. Carlos was pulling out his guitar and strolling over to the small stage in the corner. The lights dimmed as he plugged in his guitar and tested the mike.
"Welcome my friends," he said, adding, "old and new." His voice was soft and smooth. But I thought I could hear the pirate straining to get out.
Someone at the next table shouted, "'The Rum Song!'"
I bristled. Mark put a restraining hand on my arm.
"Of course!" Carlos said brightly. "But I must have my new friend to help me. Diana, would do me the honor?" He waved me forward.
No way I was getting up there and singing a duet with this joker. I waved him off.
"Oh, but you must," he insisted. "I believe there was some mention of a challenge?"
So he'd heard that. I wasn't exactly in top form right now, but I could perform the song in my sleep. "I didn't bring my guitar," I said, attempting to extract myself.
Immediately another guitar was brought up to the small stage and plugged in. I was surprised Carlos was being so insistent. Maybe he thought he would put an end to this once and for all.
Fat chance.
"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" I called back, standing up just a little unsteadily.
"Oh, brother," Mark murmured.
The twenty or so people in the room had finished eating and were sipping drinks as they waited for the impromptu show to begin. I picked up a very nice Gibson guitar and fiddled with the tuning.
Carlos watched me for a second. "I think we should each play in our own style. Give the audience a taste of both."
I glared at him. "It's my song. My style is the style of the song."
"Not to be disrespectful, m'lady," he said out of the range of the microphone, "but I have made your song a number one hit with my style."
I was slightly mollified by his acknowledgement of it being my song, and he did have a point.
"Okay, but ladies' first." I bumped into the mike stand with the neck of the guitar.
"You seem a bit squiffy, m'lady," he said, moving the mike out of the way.
"You just worry about yourself, Captain Carlos."
He leaned over. "I'm not in pirate-mode right now," he reminded me.
"Huh, that's too bad, because I am. All hands on deck!" I called into the mike and jumped into the first few unmistakable bars of 'The Rum Song.'
I could tell the crowd was intrigued. They were whispering to one another, toes were tapping. Chair dancing broke out at one end of the table.
Carlos joined me on his guitar, stepping up to the mike after I finished the first verse. In melodic Spanish he sang the next verse. Slightly softer and slower.
I adjusted my guitar playing, picking a Spanish twang out to accompany him.
Our small audience started clapping.
I caught Andre's eye. He gave me a thumbs-up.
As the song crested, I jumped back on the mike, singing the final verse. Towards the end, Carlos echoed me in Spanish, calling back after each line. We came to an abrupt halt. Impromptu gigs never ended smoothly.
There was a full three seconds of silence before the room erupted in cheers. The audience had tripled in size to include most of the wait staff and patrons from the restaurant.
Carlos leaned back from the mike and cried excitedly, "Blimey, we've hit the mother lode!"
"Argh," I replied, wondering how I'd ended up on
stage with a pirate.
* * *
I backed up a couple of Carlos' songs and then did some originals. I wondered for a moment if Carlos was going to snatch those up too. Although the evening was a huge success, I didn't feel like I had accomplished my goal of reclaiming my song. It seemed I was now sharing it with Carlos.
"We make a good team," he said happily, after we had finished.
I nodded a bit glumly.
Mark came up to the stage. "It's late. I'm about one minute away from throwing you over my shoulder."
He didn't have to tell me twice. "On my way."
I turned to Carlos. "This was fun, but it doesn't change how I feel about you taking my song."
"Aye, I didn't think it would," he agreed. "However, it's changed how I think about the song. We need to discuss this with Roger and Phil. What are your plans tomorrow?"
Mark shifted impatiently next to me.
"We're going to the Aguadilla Airport tomorrow to try to track down his cousin," I replied.
"Roger and Phil are flying into Aguadilla on a private plane. We will all go together!" Carlos exclaimed. "We'll catch them with their guard down. Definitely the best way to parley with those two."
Not a bad idea, I thought. A little mutiny with their meal ticket might just soften those two bilge rats up. Oh, no! I was starting to think in pirate. Not a good sign.
"I'm not sure what time we're going," Mark said, trying to extricate us from a two-hour car ride with a pirate. "We need to stop by the police station, so I can get my phone."
I wasn't sure I wanted be trapped in a car with Carlos any more than Mark did. However, I was here to get my song back, and I wasn't about to miss an opportunity to ambush Roger and Phil.
I gave Carlos my phone number and asked him to call me in the morning. I could feel Mark's eyes boring into my back.
I glanced over at him. "I need to get to the bottom of this."
"I know, but I don't know how much more pirate I can take. Not to mention spending time with yet another of your old boyfriends."
I could see his point, but I wasn't going to admit it.
Andre was standing duty by the door. "Just heard back from my contact at the station. They got three of the guys that came out to villa today. The ringleader got away."
"Damn it! Tyrell." Mark stared moodily off. That muscle was ticking in his cheek again.
"The two local thugs rolled over on the Miami guys. Looks like Tyrell and Freddie came here on a boat to collect the data file from Charles. So Tyrell will probably try to get off the island the same way. Freddie's not talking. Just keeps asking for his lawyer. On the bright side, they got your phone back."
Mark gave him a nod. "Thanks for your help with everything."
"Don't mention it," Andre replied. "Glad to help. I know what a full-time job it is keeping her out of trouble."
"Hey!" I gave him a dirty look.
"Amen," Mark agreed.
I walked ahead of them. "Good night, Andre," I called.
"Pleasant dreams, Queenie Baby."
My shoes clacked on the sidewalk. I left Mark struggling to catch up. It was good to have long legs.
"Hey," Mark said, taking my elbow. "No need to run off. Not when I've finally got you all to myself."
He spun me around and wrapped his arms around my waist. His lips were on mine before I could protest. Not that I wanted too. I drank him in like he was the perfect martini. Cool, refreshing, energizing, and relaxing all at once. His hand crept down from my waist and lifted the thin material of my dress until he touched bare skin.
"We are in the middle of the street, you know," I murmured against his lips.
"Kind of exciting, don't you think?" He smacked my rear-end and pulled me closer.
"Yep, but I would prefer that big bed back at your hotel."
"Done," he said dropping my skirt. "But we've got to stop by the police station first."
I rolled my eyes. How romantic.
CHAPTER SIX
I started to doze as I waited in the parking lot of the police station for Mark to return with his phone. A patrol car whisked by me, startling me awake with its siren. Once again my engine had gone from red hot to stone cold. All I wanted now was to climb into a nice warm bed. Alone.
My phone buzzed. I glanced at the number. Perfect.
"What's up, Ashley? Up kinda late aren't you?"
"Your dog gave my dog a box of laxatives. I just got back from the animal emergency room," she shrieked.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'm in Puerto Rico, and it's eleven thirty," I said with a sigh. "Couldn't this have waited? And anyway, he doesn't have hands so how do you figure he gave Sally something?"
"Oh, believe me, I know you're in Puerto Rico. Diana is always somewhere exciting."
"I'm sitting in the parking lot of a police station. Not exactly livin' the life here."
"What are you doing at the police station?" Ashley asked.
I heard Granddaddy Hacker yell, "Tol' you she would get in trouble!"
"Why is Granddaddy with you? I thought he was at The Meadows in the rehab wing for his hip."
"No, they released him two days ago. They said he's made a miraculous recovery considering his age. He's using a walker but moving around fine. He's staying with me," she ground out, "because he had yet another fight with Grover."
"Huh." I was starting to feel sorry for my sister. The last fight between Uncle Grover and Granddaddy had escalated into a game of lawnmower chicken ending with a three-car accident and Granddaddy in the hospital.
"How's my Queenie Baby?" Granddaddy asked, grabbing the phone from my sister.
"I'm fine," I said, smiling despite myself. "It doesn't sound like you're behaving."
"Well, don' sound like yer behavin' yourself neither," he replied with a cackle. "Ask that man of yours to get me more deer jerky when you get back."
"I don't see Rick anymore, Granddaddy." Technically I hadn't been 'seeing' Rick for over a decade, but I wasn't going to get into all that with Granddaddy.
"Dagnabit! He was a keeper!" he replied. "Gotta go, yer sister's givin' me the evil eye."
She was good at that, I thought. "So things aren't going so well, huh?" I asked when my sister was back on the phone.
"Yes." I could hear tension mounting in her voice as she got riled up all over again, "While you're relaxing in the tropics, I am cleaning up poop and dealing with Granddaddy."
"That bad?"
"She ate a whole box of laxatives. She has pooped on everything and everybody."
"Everybody?" I asked.
"Everybody," replied Ashley.
"Yep," Granddaddy chimed in behind her. "That crazy dog got me while I was sleepin' on the couch. Shit right on my feet, she did."
"Yes, and the kids' beds. Everything!"
"Wow, sorry to hear about all this." My eye followed what looked like two prostitutes arguing over a can of beer near the entrance to the police station.
"I don't need 'sorry,'" she yelled. "I need restitution, or I'm taking your dog to the SPCA."
Too much drama. "I still don't see how it's Max's fault. Your dog got into laxatives that you or the kids left down."
"Oh, no!" Ashley shrieked. "Your conniving little circus mutt got onto the bathroom counter, opened the medicine cabinet, and knocked them onto the floor."
"I suppose he opened the bottle too?" I asked wryly.
"They were in packets. Sally ate the packets whole."
It still seemed highly unlikely. "I know my dog is smart, but obviously one of the kids found the laxatives and fed them to the dog. Luckily, my dog was smart enough to know not to eat them."
"Except the kids were with me," Ashley said triumphantly. "It was just Granddaddy and the dogs."
Mark was walking towards me, talking on his phone.
"I don't have any more time to discuss this Ashley. What do you want?"
There was a pause. "I want you to take Sally for a week when you get back."
"Out of the question," I replied automatically.
"Fine!" my sister spat. "Your dog will be waiting for you at the pound!"
Mark finished his call and then climbed in the car. I held up a finger.
"Okay, I'll take Sally." I decided I might just pay to board her somewhere and consider that restitution enough for Max's misdeeds.
"You'd better not change your mind when you get back, or I'll tell Mom," she warned.
"Real mature. Run and tell Mom." I rolled my eyes.
"Don't push me. She's not exactly happy with you or your dog right now. Who do you think cleaned up the poop while I was at the vet?"
"Goodbye, Ashley," I said and hung up.
Mark raised his brow. "Everything okay at home?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," I replied.
Mark shook his head and started the car. "What would be with your family?"
"So who were you talking to?"
"Are you ready for this?" he asked, turning to face me. "It was Charles."
I gasped. "What did he say?"
"He said, 'I know the data file is worthless. Tell Ed and Marcie if they want to see David again there'd better be something behind door number two.'"
Psychopath! What a horrible thing for a father to say about his son. "So what did you say?"
"I offered him the half million to just walk away. And he agreed. Said he's sick of David's whining."
"I can't stand the thought of handing that crook anything," I grumbled. "But this gives you a chance to let David see Charles for who he is."
Mark nodded. "My thought exactly. They're in Aguadilla, but once I know the location of the exchange, I'll call Marcie and have her tip off David that the deal is going down without him. Hopefully, he'll get there in time to see it with his own eyes. And once David's safe, I'm going to make sure Charles doesn't have a chance to spend one dime of Ed's money. The San Juan police asked me to let them know as soon as Charles makes contact so they can bring him in for questioning. Hopefully, they can grab him right after the exchange."
I sighed. And the intrigues just kept coming. Why couldn't I have a normal relationship?
"Why not ride up with Carlos? Kill two birds with one stone?" I tried again as we pulled up to the hotel.
"I'd rather someone just use the stone on me so I didn't have to ride with Carlos," Mark replied.
2 Queenie Baby - Out of Office Page 5
