Carson kissed him briefly on the lips. "I don't deserve you."
"Yes, you do," Jack said. "You just need to convince yourself first. Now, I'm going to take a shower; feel free to join me. And by the way, we all keep clothes here. Browse through everybody's stuff and find something you can wear tomorrow."
"Okay, thanks."
Carson rose slowly, wincing at the stickiness on his skin. He collected his clothes from the floor, figuring they were good enough to wear today. But Jack was right, he would need something clean to wear on the plane.
He watched Jack stroll into the bathroom, rumpled clothes in his arms, and sighed contentedly. So this was what it felt like to be granted your heart's desire. No wonder people spent most of their lives with their heads in the clouds when they were in love. He grinned wickedly at the thought of joining Jack in the shower. The clothes could wait until later. A slick, welcoming Jack sounded much more interesting.
# # #
"He's late," Jack grumbled, glancing at his watch for the thousandth time.
Carson exchanged an amused look with Vivian and Jackie. "You can't wait to get rid of him, can you?"
Jack lifted his head, looking a little guilty. "I don't like him," he said, a little petulantly.
"I noticed," Carson said dryly. "Why were Brendan and Jarod holding you down at the airport this morning, anyway?"
"When Fraser mentioned he was here because your father had threatened him with the IRS, Jack lost it," Vivian said, fighting a laugh. "If Jarod and Brendan hadn't taken hold of him when they did, you'd be visiting Fraser at the hospital instead of him coming here. If there'd been anything left to patch up."
"He's here," Jackie warned suddenly.
Carson saw Bruce standing by the door and rose from his chair. "This won't take long," he said, patting Jack on the shoulder.
He sat at another table and gestured for Bruce to join him. Zere, the teenager who helped around the bar, came over.
"What can I get you, Mr. Bodine?"
Carson rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. "It's Carson, Zere, I've told you a million times. Bring us two beers, okay?"
Zere grinned. "Sure, Mr. Bodine," he said, ducking as Carson tried to cuff him.
"You seem very at home here," Bruce commented. "But then, you always did adapt well to any situation. I used to envy you that."
Carson leaned back in his chair. "What do you want, Bruce?"
"You were going back today, weren't you? When we met at the airport?" Bruce asked.
Carson remained silent when Zere brought their beers, then handed him a bill and winked. "Thanks. Keep the change, junior." Once Zere had left, Carson turned his attention back to Bruce. "Yes. But before you jump to conclusions, it was only for a week or so. I need to sell the agency and my apartment, talk to my parents... Of course, one of my goals was also to talk to you."
Bruce looked incredulous. "You're not actually considering staying here? Permanently?"
Carson took a sip of his beer. "Considering, no. I've made up my mind."
"You're insane, Carson. What kind of life will you have here? And doing what? Is he really worth it?" He motioned towards Jack's table.
"He's more than worth it. But this isn't all about him; it's about this country, these people. I found my place, Bruce. I never really fit in with my parents' world, or yours, for that matter. But you said it yourself, I feel at home here."
Bruce shook his head at him. "You're crazy. You've lived in big cities all of your life. You really think you can make it here?"
"You're beating a dead horse, Bruce. I've been 'making it here' from the moment you left. I've faced off cannibals, wild tribes, mercenaries and I'm still alive." He glared at Bruce, his beer forgotten. "What is this really about?"
"I want you to go back with me."
"Now we're getting somewhere. Why? Because my father will make you miserable if I stay behind?"
Bruce clenched his jaw. "I don't like to lose," he gritted out.
Carson suddenly felt unbelievably sad. "And that's the crux of the matter, isn't it? I was just someone you thought you owned. Someone you paraded at parties, someone who kept your bed warm at night, but little else. You were expecting to come back, maybe find me in a hotel room brooding over my grim future. You were expecting me to be so grateful you'd returned, that I'd forgive you anything. Instead, you found me with someone else, building a new life for myself. I bet that drives you nuts."
"You're right, it does," Bruce snapped. "What the hell does he have that I don't?"
"A heart?" Carson leaned forward. "Are you even aware of what you did? Do you understand what could've happened, Bruce? I could be dead right now, and it would've been your fault. I could even forgive the hissy fit, the flight home. But after you cooled off, you didn't call, you didn't care." His face wrinkled in disgust. "Go home, Bruce, find yourself another toy to play with. Goodbye."
He grabbed his beer bottle and left the table, ignoring Bruce's frantic "Carson, wait!" and joined his friends.
"Everything okay?" Jack asked, taking hold of one of Carson's hands in both of his.
Carson leaned against Jack. "Yeah," he breathed. "That was harder than I expected. You were right; he might be an asshole, but we did share our lives to some extent. I guess I'd never really understood how little in common we had, how frail the basis of our relationship was." He watched Bruce leave the bar, his posture radiating anger. "It's over."
Before Jack could say a word, Kit approached their table, her expression somber. "Jack, something's up. Melech just called. He says he needs to talk to you right away, at the usual place. It's something about the Alitash diamonds."
Jack straightened in his chair. "The Alitash? Shit, this could be the something big Melech told us about." He jumped from his chair, nearly unbalancing Carson who was still resting against him. "Carson, you're with me. Jackie, Vivian, you stay here. No point in all of us going, or getting all worked up about this without knowing what it's about." He turned to Carson. "Let's go."
They ran out of the bar, immediately going for the Wrangler.
"So, what are the Alitash diamonds?" Carson asked as he climbed in the passenger seat.
"One of this country's national treasures," Jack answered, as he drove through the virtually deserted streets. "Five white diamonds, probably the biggest in the world, and worth a fortune. Nobody knows for sure when they were discovered, where or by whom, but they've been around for centuries. Because of the tribal wars going on for generations, the stones were owned by several of the tribes, ending up as part of the spoils."
"Where are they now?"
"Well, they disappeared in the beginning of the twentieth century, but in nineteen seventy-four, they were donated to the National Museum by an anonymous benefactor. Rumor has it that the diamonds were part of a private collector's trove. When he died the family decided they should go back to the rightful owners, the people."
"If it's true, that was very nice of them. They could've kept them or tried to sell them."
"Yeah." Jack parked in from of the alley. "The Alitash belong to the Jawaran people now; they're a part of a heritage they're proud of. If something happened to them, there could be trouble."
They walked into the dimly lit alley, seeing Melech sitting near some empty boxes. He jumped to his feet when he saw them.
"Jack!" he exclaimed, clearly relieved. "I'm glad you're here."
"What's going on, Melech?"
"The Alitash were stolen from the museum last night. It was an inside job, a security guard and another man."
Jack frowned. "How come I'm only hearing this now? It should be all over the news."
"The Mayor's keeping it under wraps. Only a handful of people know and they're keeping quiet. Anyway, from what I heard, the security guard, Hondo, is a compulsive gambler and a drunk. When he was offered a large sum of money to help someone break into the museum, he didn't think twice. The whole thing backfired, though. Last night, after the deed was done, he we
nt to his usual hangout, got seriously drunk and started talking. Someone stopped to listen, thought there might be some truth under the inebriated ramblings, and called the cops."
Jack ran a hand over his hair. "Did he talk?"
"Oh, yeah. What's the expression? Sang like a canary? He didn't know who's the mastermind behind the robbery, but he told them the name of the man who did the job with him; a Kenan Batho. There's a nationwide search out for him, although the reason why has been withheld."
"How do you know all this?" Jack asked.
Melech grinned. "One of the advantages of being trustworthy. I know one of the detectives in charge of the investigation. He believes that following procedure on this one won't get them Batho, so he talked to his contacts and asked us to snoop around, talk to people we thought might be able to help and be discreet at the same time." He shrugged. "So I called you."
"Thanks, Melech. We'll keep an eye out for the stone and Batho." Jack reached for his wallet, but Melech held up a hand.
"Don't," he said. "Just find the diamonds and I'll call us even. If the people find out they're gone, they may turn on the government. They've got little enough to be happy about as it is. If they hear our national treasure was stolen... There's no telling what might happen."
"We'll get in touch as soon as we know something. Take care of yourself, Melech."
"You too," Melech said, as he disappeared into the shadows.
"Now what?" Carson asked as they walked back to the jeep.
"It's too late to do anything tonight. Tomorrow morning the girls and I'll go to the museum. The curator's usually there long before the museum opens and that's the best time to try to talk to him."
"What makes you think he'll talk to you? If the robbery's being kept a secret, he might think you're a reporter, or something."
"He knows us. His son got into some trouble with drugs some months back and we helped him. I think he knows we'll keep whatever he tells us to ourselves. I just want to talk to him, see what he knows about the guard, Hondo. The cops probably already talked to him, but they might've missed something, or he might feel more at ease speaking to us than the law. "
"What about me?"
They stopped at a red sign, and Jack glanced at him. "You'll need to get ready for your flight. We'll meet you at the bar for breakfast before we drive you to the airport."
Carson would have liked to follow up on the diamond theft, but he couldn't fault Jack's reasoning. He still needed to borrow something to wear from the others, which might prove difficult. Jarod's and Brendan's clothes were too big, Roger's too large and Jack's too tight. He would probably end up looking like a charity shop reject, he thought with an inward laugh.
"What does Alitash mean?" he asked, wanting to start learning a little of the country's official language and its dozens of dialects.
Jack snickered. "May I always find you my precious."
Carson's eyebrows climbed to his hairline. "One word means all that?"
"Yep."
"Well, shit," he muttered and they both laughed.
Jack parked the jeep two streets away from the Jungle Tavern, and they walked the rest of the way.
"There're no stars visible tonight," Carson said, looking up at the sky.
Jack gave him an affectionate smile. "Too cloudy. They're predicting rain for tomorrow."
They found Vivian and Jackie still at the same table, both looking somnolent. The place was practically deserted now. Only a couple of barflies still remained, toasting to the early hours of the new day. Zere was long gone and Kit was already cleaning up the tables.
"Hey," Vivian said when she saw them. "We were about to go up."
"What did Melech have to say?" Jackie added.
"Let's go up and I'll tell you everything," Jack said.
They said goodbye to Kit and went up to the apartment. Carson kissed the girls goodnight, leaving Jack to tell them about the Alitash. Since Vivian and Jackie were going to sleep in the sofa-bed in the living room, he walked over to the bedroom where he and Jack had slept the night they had returned from N'bulungi.
Normally, that would have been Kit's room, but Carson and Jack had spoken with her that afternoon and she had agreed to sell them the apartment, so he didn't think it would hurt if they slept there again. It would become their room soon enough.
He undressed and slid under the bedding, humming softly at the feel of fresh sheets on his naked skin. He was half-asleep when the covers were raised, and Jack climbed in bed.
"Is this okay?" Jack asked from behind him.
"Mm," he replied simply, hoping Jack understood him.
He must have, for he edged closer, throwing an arm across Carson's waist and curling around him, the warmth of his chest a comfort against Carson's back. Carson snuggled even closer, a faint smile crossing his face when Jack automatically tightened his hold.
"This is nice," Carson whispered drowsily.
"Very nice," Jack agreed, nuzzling his ear. "Go to sleep."
"Mm," Carson acquiesced with a soft exhalation.
A few minutes later he was asleep.
# # #
Jack stared down at the beautiful, naked man nestled up against him, thinking totally impure thoughts and wishing he had the time to act on them. But no matter how much he longed to spend the morning in bed with Carson, that just wasn't possible. Not only was Carson leaving for New York, but Jack had work to do.
He rose slowly from the bed, careful not to disturb Carson. After taking a quick shower, he woke Vivian and Jackie up, then went to get dressed while the girls got ready.
When he was done, Jack walked over to the bed, gazing down at its slumbering inhabitant. Now that he had convinced himself that Carson was indeed coming back, life was beginning to look good. And how ironic that the main reason why he had been afraid to let Carson go, Bruce Fraser, should be the one thing that had reassured him. Seeing Carson's anger towards Fraser, and his jealousy when it came to Jack, had been all the proof he needed that Carson was ready to take a chance on them.
A soft knock on the door told him it was time to go. Jack scribbled a brief note for Carson, leaving it on the vacant pillow. He brushed his lips faintly over Carson's head and left.
# # #
When Carson roused from a very restful sleep, he was alone in bed. Noticing a note lying on Jack's pillow, he reached for it.
"Good morning, sunshine," Carson read with a laugh. "Went to the museum with the girls. Shouldn't be long. Don't forget about breakfast. J. Right. I better get ready, then."
A swift shower and shave later, Carson was going through the others' clothes for something to wear. He ended up choosing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from Roger. Both felt a little large on him, but all in all, he didn't look too bad. He made sure all his things were in his backpack, and after glancing around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything behind, he walked out of the bedroom.
He was in the hallway when the back door suddenly burst open. A big, black man in camouflage charged in, a Glock aimed at Carson's heart.
"Ah, I'm sorry. This entrance is for residents only," Carson deadpanned with a calm he didn't feel.
What was up with the people in this country? Talk about open hostility. New York had to be one of the crime capitals of the world, but it had taken coming to Jawara for Carson to be kidnapped, beaten up, nearly eaten, and all but run through a warrior's spear. And let's not forget being held at gun point on more than one occasion. Maybe it was his fault somehow; maybe he just attracted the nutcases naturally.
The gunman smirked. "Funny. I'm looking for Jack MacKenzie."
Carson gestured around. "As you can see I'm alone. You may as well go search for him somewhere else. I assume compensation for the damage done to the door will be provided?"
The intruder chuckled. "I like you; you're funny." His expression lost all amusement. "Is there anybody else here with you? Hey," he shouted to the empty apartment. "If there's somebody else here, you better come out, or I'll kill
this guy."
Carson rolled his eyes; definitely a nutcase. "Yeah, like anyone else here wouldn't've come running when you slammed through the door," he muttered sarcastically.
The man laughed, and Carson couldn't help but think just how normal the guy sounded, even with a gun in his hand.
"Just checking," the man said. "Now, about MacKenzie. I've already looked in the bar and he's not there. I was told he spends most of his time here in town in the bar or at this apartment. So, where is he?"
"I'm not his keeper, and he does have a job. He can be on the other side of the planet, for all I know," Carson replied, trying to control the hammering of his heart. No way was he going to tell this asshole where to find Jack. "What do you want with him?"
"I want to know where the Alitash stones are."
Carson frowned. Okay, now that was just weird. Sure, Melech had told them about the diamonds, but why would this guy think Jack had them? And why did the man look vaguely familiar?
"And you think Jack has them?"
"I know he has. You see, I stole the diamonds from the museum two nights ago. I was supposed to lay low, wait a few days, then meet with my boss. But my partner spilled the beans to the cops. They found my hideout yesterday morning and I had to run."
Which made this particular nutcase Kenan Batho.
"But if you stole the Alitash--" Carson began.
"I had to get rid of them," Batho interrupted impatiently. "I was being chased by these two cops and they were getting close, so I threw the package into a jeep that was parked near the airport."
"The airport!" Carson exclaimed, remembering. "You're the guy that bumped into Vivian outside the airport's main building." Batho's words abruptly registered in his mind and he gasped. "Are you saying you threw the diamonds inside Jack's jeep? How do you know that for sure?"
He could just imagine Jack's choice of words when he found out the diamonds he was searching for were right under his nose. Or rather, under his ass.
"I memorized the license plate. I talked to a few contacts and they told me who owned the jeep. They also told me where to find MacKenzie. My boss nearly had a conniption when he found out. Apparently he and MacKenzie have butted heads before."
The Ripple Effect Page 14
