Limiting Liabilities: Book Two - The Martinique Files

by Colette Alaine

  “Stand up and start valking.” Nwankwo allows the young American to rise to his feet, his gun pointed at his head. As the Westerner first gets on his knees, then raises up his body to full length, Nwankwo shoves the AK47 into his back and binds his hands behind him. The American slowly starts walking to the center of the tanker.

  He is not alone. A parade of the ship’s crew comes from every direction and begins to meet in the center where the pirate leader is waiting. Each crew member is followed by a pirate bearing a gun in the small of his back. Only two of the ten have their hands bound as instructed.

  And that is their fateful flaw. Within a moment of reaching the center of the ship’s deck, a barrage of armed guards appear from hidden places and kill the pirate leader. The more senior crew takes advantage of the distraction and wrestles with the young pirates to take their weapons. A few struggle with their captives but realize it is a losing battle.

  Three more pirates are hit and the rest run toward their skiffs. Five are captured and will be brought to justice. The other four jump in two to a boat as they struggle to get away. Nwankwo quickly starts the motor while his companion unties the skiff from the tanker. As they race away, a bullet hits the second pirate and Nwankwo can only speed away hoping to save the pirate from death in the Gulf.

  The second skiff fares better as it only takes a bullet in the wooden seat and missing its aim of the pirate’s lanky body. Bullets cannot reach the fleeing pirates but no matter. Their day of capture is awaiting them.

  Nwankwo can barely breathe. He has never been so scared. He did not know he could become this frightened. Until now, it has all been a game to him. Take over a ship, grab a few prisoners and terrify them with the threat of death, then steal it blind. He has heard that more of the cargo boats were hiring armed guards to attack the pirates but this is the first time he actually encountered them. His young life may have been spent in surviving poverty and ruthless vandals but this is the first time he felt the danger of really losing his life.

  “Faster, faster.” His companion can barely speak. Blood is flowing from his side where the bullet penetrated. Nwankwo has the skiff fully opened at twenty-five knots but he is not sure if he can make it back to the mothership in time to rescue his cohort.

  The second skiff is moving faster than Nwankwo’s. It takes too much effort for him to maneuver the tiny boat by himself. He has only manned the helm once before and not in an attack but in a jaunt around the area to spy the next victim. With the wind whipping his face, he follows the other skiff until they finally reach the mothership.

  Once tied up to the larger boat stolen two years ago when it was easier for the pirates to take as they please, a group of young pirates help Nwankwo carry his wounded companion out of the skiff and onto the platform. But it is to no avail. The young pirate is no longer breathing and his body is prepared for burial.

  Nwankwo and his two surviving brethren are summoned to the pirate captain and questioned about the failure of the attack.

  “Vhere are de rest?” He demands.

  “Dead or captured,” an older pirate from the second skiff announces. The pirate captain is not happy. He slaps the bandit hard and he falls to the ground. Nwankwo and the other surviving pirate back away.

  “De crew?” He barks once again.

  “No. Armed guards dat snuck out after de capture. Dey vaited until ve had deir men rounded up,” the fallen bandit replies when Nwankwo and the other bandit fail to speak.

  The pirate captain listens but moves closer to Nwankwo. “Why not shoot the crew?”

  Nwankwo finds his voice. “Dey attacked us when the guards came out.”

  “Vasn’t the crew bound?” There is hesitation from the young pirates.

  Nwankwo hesitates but then answers the pirate captain. “Some vere but oders had deir hands free.”

  “Your leader did not remind you to bind dem?” The pirate captain is furious now.

  “Yes, but not everyone followed orders.” Nwankwo’s own courage is maturing as he snitches on his dead cohorts.

  The pirate captain erupts as he hears the news. This is standard procedure and when it is not followed, disasters occur. These young guns do not understand the importance of doing exactly as they are told.

  The pirate captain is a seasoned fisherman driven from his occupation of twenty-four years by foreign trawlers depleting the marine stock and by toxic waste dumping. His anger rises from the loss of his beloved occupation more so than from his lost squad. Losing his livelihood somehow stripped him of his soul and now his volatile emotions command the respect his fishing never did. But he loved fishing.

  Piracy is the only alternative for him. He can struggle in the dire poverty of over sixty percent of his fellow Nigerians or he can rob from the rich. Why should he live any differently than they? It is their fault toxic waste is polluting the Gulf. The Nigerian politicians allow foreign companies to dump it at unconsciously low prices just so they can continue to buy luxuries for themselves and only for themselves.

  Wealthy and influential governmental tycoons and businessmen make deals with the Europeans and the Americans to take the spoils of their dirtiest industries and deposit them on land and now in the water. These so-called Nigerian leaders then deposit the funds into their private bank accounts instead of sharing the wealth with the country that needs it so desperately.

  Nigeria is rich in oil and agriculture but lack of leadership leaves it untapped. Unemployment is so high in the country that anyone able to keep a job is willing to work for a dollar a day. In the end, everyone is just looking for their next meal. Many in Nigeria do not care anymore. Poverty has stripped them of their dreams. Poverty has clamped its heavy hands down on them and continues to push them deeper into the mire. Escaping poverty will require an uprising of many but so few have the energy to move forward.

  So the Nigerians make their own way as best they can and when the pirate captain decided to abandon the high-minded life and jump into one of a criminal, he left his conscience behind. Now he rules with an iron fist.

  Nwankwo cleans the blood from the skiff and wonders what will happen to the captured pirates on the American ship. Surely, they will be brought to justice through the court system and not by death. The Americans will demand a civil trial, not an uncivil lynching. It is an example of a government that must answer to its people.

  Nwankwo must prepare for his next attack. Without the take from this one, the pirate master is very angry and there is not enough from the last attacks to provide for all the pirates and their families. This was to be the biggest raid yet. The others were small and did not yield as much as planned because the boats had unloaded more cargo than expected prior to returning to the open Gulf.

  With all signs of his companion’s blood wiped clean, Nwankwo joins the group of pirates complaining about the failure of this last mission. They thought they had prepared the young boys so well but when they don’t follow protocol, this is the mess that occurs.

  So it goes for Nwankwo this day. He will be trained again for future battle and with it, he hopes for better success.

  CHAPTER 4

  “H ere she is—my life saver!” Ken Shelton wraps Tawny in his big bear arms, rumpling his already wrinkled suit.

  “It’s been too long. We should’ve had a get together way before now.” Tawny is excited to see the environmental engineer extraordinaire that she rescued last year along with Billy when they found themselves surrounded by raging natives led by a madman.

  “I know, I know.” Ken is apologetic. “After the disaster with my underwater lab I had to start over. . .with everything. I haven’t spent much time out of Houston.”

  Tawny places a comforting hand on Ken’s shoulder. Ken spent most of his life creating a state-of-the art m

  obile underwater experimental lab to study marine life and work to bring about changes for the good of mankind. Last year a horrible toxic waste dumping savagely killed his entire group of premier marine biologists and en
vironmental engineers as they descended into the lab for a week deep in the ocean. The tragedy threw the normally jovial Mr. Shelton into a morbid state of uncontrollable anger. He became so out of control, he was sent away as others in his agency tried to work through the terrible events of the day.

  Then Billy took his turn and along with some old friends from his college days, Ken returned to the project and that is how the three of them wound up on the island nightmare. Praying for his life and relying on Tawny to help him escape, he realized the value of his life and his contributions. It was when they returned home to the United States that he decided it was his duty to his agency, to those whose lives were lost in the underwater lab and to mankind to continue his work.

  Ken has not stopped since the day he landed in Houston. Now here he is in Chicago, in Billy’s office. Knowing that his reputation reaches throughout the country and even beyond its borders, Tawny figures another big case is opening. Billy is acquiring as strong a reputation as Ken and the two men work extremely well together despite their obvious differences in personality.

  Ken is a family man eager to please everyone he meets. He truly will give anyone the shirt off his back and lend a hand no matter what the need. He is generally a happy guy with a huge heart. His humility is infectious and he does not like the limelight. Billy possesses none of these qualities.

  Ken loves the environment and will do what it takes to protect it. Billy loves his success and the benefits that come with it and he will do anything to protect it. When Ken and Billy join forces, good always prevails. The environment is protected and the world hears about it.

  “I hear you’ve got a new case,” Tawny eagerly inquires about what the environmental guru is researching. It is going to be big and she gets to be a part of it. She may have sent out resumes to interview with another firm but forcing Billy to bring her in on his new big case is an even better result; perfect timing for once in her life.

  “Well, the agency’s been contacted by a community group to check out the levels of chromium 6 in Chicago’s drinking water. Seems there’s a big uproar about an increase in the ppbs since last year and they even got Erin Brockovich involved. Normally, I’m not interested in this kind of case since no one’s been hurt but it’s got the agency’s attention and before it gets outta hand they want me to take a look.”

  “Ah, so they bring in the big gun to show the troublemakers there’s real interest and calm them down,” Tawny surmises. Ken shuffles his feet in embarrassment because they all know she has just nailed the situation.

  “Exactly,” Billy, however, does not hesitate to tout Ken’s notoriety. Billy believes in showing your clout for everyone to see and that includes promoting his good friend.

  “It’s not that easy. If there really is a problem I want to be a part of the solution.” Ken tries to hide behind his humility.

  “I’m excited to be working with you again but Ken, why do you need a law firm involved?” Tawny needs clarity.

  “Because as soon as this group figures out who to sue they will go after them with a vengeance. We represent the agency on this one and will provide the sound bites for the news people,” Billy explains but Tawny is trying to figure out what her role will be.

  Billy knows Tawny is wondering if this inclusion is only to pacify her and keep her from interviewing with other firms. After talking to Brandon Harper, he found out that his firm is very interested in the young associate. Despite taking most of the credit for the successful outcome of last year’s incredibly high profile case, Tawny’s name and contribution leaked into the environmental community. Ken can take credit for a great deal of it but Rebecca and a few other female attorneys at his firm made sure she got recognition. All that talk reached the legal community.

  Brandon made it clear that his firm intended to call her. If nothing else, they could not wait to see the female attorney who lived to talk about working a case with Billy Solomon. Thank goodness no one knows she actually saved his life by climbing trees and flying a helicopter. He could not live with that humiliation. Ken carefully avoided mentioning the incident probably to protect his own manhood as well as that of Billy’s.

  Tawny has been a trouper to keep it quiet as well. If there is this much interest in her from one firm, he has no doubt the others will call her in to interview as well. He cannot lose her at the firm. He is sure the senior management team will have his head for forcing her to leave but she is also well-liked by most of the members of the firm and no one wants her to go elsewhere.

  So Billy brings her into Ken’s case. Problem is there is not much for her to do yet. Until an issue is identified she is attached to a case without a set direction. Billy can drive her to research everything known on hexavalent chromium or chromium 6 as many call it but with her chemistry degree in undergrad, she probably already knows more than he does anyway.

  Billy also knows that Tawny suspects he is only trying to placate her. He can fool her for just so long and then she will confront him. He told her she was getting this case instead of the boys but in reality Nick and Mark are working cases with real substance and she is going to catch on pretty darn quickly if she hasn’t already.

  “Does that mean I’m going on television?” Tawny realizes there is nothing to this case in one moment and Billy is caught. Never would he let anyone else stand in the limelight on the six o’clock news but if he does not allow her the exposure she is going to bolt.

  “Do you want to be the legal spokesperson for the case?” Billy cautiously asks and Ken is enjoying the exchange. He knows how painful this is for the young partner to hand over the reins and the power to his associate. Tawny knows it too. She will play him and this is just plain fun for Ken to watch.

  “Sure. I mean I have a B.S. in chemistry and I actually understand what I’m saying.” The blow hits Billy squarely in the ego and he feels it.

  “Stop right there.” He goes after her.

  “No. You made me think this was your huge case and you were doing me a great favor by letting me in on it and now I’ve figured out that. . .”

  “Tawny, this is not the time.” Tawny is about to say something but understands that while Ken is a good buddy, he is also a client and this conversation is inappropriate in front of him.

  “You two really need to work out some stuff. But Tawny, in Billy’s defense, most of my cases don’t really start out as cases at all. Nine times out of ten they develop into some large calamity that we don’t see right away. It’s part of discovery. The agency exists to promote research and combat negative environmental impact when we do locate a serious infraction. That’s why we need a strong legal spokesperson to front these cases. We don’t know when a small complaint is going to escalate into a massive disaster. Billy’s awesome when he faces the media and yes, he doesn’t know as much about the chemical make-up of the problem but really that’s my job.” Ken steps in to save both of them. This is getting to be a full time job when the three of them are together.

  “I will stick to researching then and watch Billy to learn how to schmooze the media in the right way,” Tawny relents with all of them knowing she was never really going to ever take his spot behind the microphone.

  Billy figures it is time to throw her a bone. “If it’s any consolation, you’d look much better in front of the camera than me anyway but I do think it’s best that I maintain the legal face of the agency.”

  Tawny just stares at him and Ken’s shocked look conveys his surprise. “What? Now what’d I do?” Billy cannot win.

  Tawny walks around in a circle and Ken slaps his forehead before asking Billy, “Did they never give you any training in basic sexual harassment?”

  “Because I said she’d look better than I do on television? You two read more in a comment than I ever meant,” Billy defends himself.

  “It was sexist.” Ken is not going to let it go.

  “No it wasn’t. If it was between me and Rebecca, I’d tell her I’d look better on television than she would.
” With the look on their faces, Billy realized he is continuing to dig a deeper hole.

  “That’s just mean,” Tawny finally speaks.

  “Well, it’s not sexist.” Billy tries to make a point while Ken and Tawny listen in amazement.

  Billy throws up his arms. “I can’t win no matter what I say to you.”

  “Forget it.” Tawny blows up her cheeks. “I don’t really see any reason for me to be on this case that isn’t really a case at all. Aren’t we going to dinner or something?”

  Ken gives her a side glance. “You’re giving up on the man?”

  “Yeah,” she sighs. “For an attorney he sure doesn’t know employment law.”

  “Then, yes, let’s go to dinner. Billy, I think you can do that right.” Pulling on his suit jacket, Billy is tired of this banter and is happy to follow Ken’s suggestion.

  Billy makes up for his earlier lack of discretion with a great choice in restaurant and easy-going conversation. The two men share stories about cases they worked together and through them Tawny learns just how reputable they both are. No wonder Billy hates losing ground to a young associate. He paid his dues, taking risks that went his way but could have ended his career. He went for it and that bravado made him a superstar in environmental law.

  Billy steers his conversation to the last case. Ken clasps Tawny’s hand in his and she knows he is grateful for her bravery that rescued him from death. He is indebted to her and he likes her. He knows Billy is in a tough spot because he too owes his life to her but being her manager and an ex-boyfriend, the girl has him by the balls. And nobody has ever grabbed Billy so hard before.

  “Every day I thank the good Lord that you came along to the island.” Ken brings in the sentiment.

  “We all did what we had to do.” Tawny refuses to take all the credit.

  “I forgot I was a man in that tree but you gave me courage that I never knew I had.” Ken cowered while perched up high in the dangerous jungle until Tawny coaxed him down.