He studied the bags under his eyes in the bathroom mirror, splashed some water on his stubble covered face. He wished he had something to shave with. He wished he hadn’t slept in his clothes, and he wished he had gone back to Warren’s mansion, instead of spending the night with a bottle of Scotch.
He sighed, dropped his clothes on the floor and stepped into the shower with his mouth turned into the spray, soaking up the water into his dehydrated system. After he’d satisfied his thirst, he turned the heat up and let the hot water cascade down his back, soothing the aches and pains caused by his trek along the river and through the drain pipe. If he could have his way he’d stay forever under the spray, but sometimes you just have to face the music. He shut off the water, toweled off and got back into his rumpled clothes. Then he went to the phone and called Warren’s. Dani answered on the first ring.
“ It’s me,” Broxton said.
“ It’s amazing,” she said. “You’re the only man in the world who could ever get me to act like that. How come that is?”
“ Just my lovable good nature,” he said, relieved that she wasn’t still angry. Maybe there was hope yet.
“ How come you brought that slut to the concert?” Dani asked.
“ Slut’s a little strong.”
“ You’re right. I’m sorry. She used to date Kevin. We don’t get along.”
“ No kidding, you could have fooled me.”
“ How’d you meet her?”
For a second he debated not telling her, but he’d never lied to her before and he wasn’t going to start now. He also wasn’t about to tell her that her fiance was sleeping with his old flame. He decided to hedge. “I saw her poster up at the Hilton, just before I saw her. The restaurant was full. I asked her to join me. Then I asked her out. She said yes, no big deal.”
“ So you brought a date to a function you knew I was going to be at?”
“ Why not? You brought one.”
“ Oh shit, you’re right,” she said. “It’s none of my business. Did you have a good time after I left?”
“ Ask my hangover,” he said. Let her think what she wanted.
“ Where are you?”
“ The Normandy.” Now she definitely was going to assume he spent the night with her.
“ Is she there now?” Did he detect a note of jealousy in her voice? Maybe, he couldn’t tell.
“ No.”
“ Good, you wanna go sailing on Daddy’s boat this afternoon?”
“ I’d love it, but my hangover wouldn’t. I’ll have to pass.”
“ It’ll be your last chance to see me for awhile.”
“ What are you talking about?”
“ The sail this afternoon. It’s a sea trial. I’m sailing up island Saturday morning with some friends. I’ll be gone for four or five months. It’s a long vacation.”
“ I’m sorry, I’m really in horrible shape. If I’d only known.” He wondered if Kevin Underfield was going along.
“ Think you might be better by five or six?” she asked.
“ Probably.”
“ Then you wanna go to Margarita tonight?”
“ As in Venezuela?”
“ Just for one night. I need to go shopping. I need some new clothes for the trip and there’s a few things I’d like to have on board that you can’t get here.”
“ I can’t. I’ve got to work, sorry,” he said.
“ Daddy said to tell you that Prime Minister Ramsingh is going to be on the same flight. He made me promise to introduce you.”
“ Then I’d love to go,” he said, thrilled at the prospect of spending a night with her. Maybe he really did have a chance after all.
“ I’ll think of your hurting head as we tack and jibe the day away.”
“ Kevin going?” he hated asking, but he had to know.
“ Nope just me, Daddy and Sea King.”
“ A new boat?”
“ Yes, Wind Dancer was just too small. Sea King’s sixty feet and fast.”
“ The two of you can handle it?”
“ Electric winches, roller furling sails, even the main, sure no problem.”
Broxton didn’t know what she was talking about and didn’t care. All he wanted to do was drink a gallon of water and go back to sleep. “What time’s the flight?” he asked.
“ Seven-thirty, but it’s a Venezuelan airline leaving from Trinidad, so plan at leaving around eight or nine.” She laughed. “I’m already packed and I’ll have my bag with me, so I’ll go straight from the dock to the airport. Why don’t I meet you there at six, then we’ll drink till takeoff.”
“ I’ll be there, but don’t expect me to be drinking much. I’ll probably never drink again.”
“ That’s my Bill. See you tonight.”
“ See ya,” he said. His hat was definitely still in the ring. Kevin Underfield watch out, because Bill Broxton is back in the game, he thought. Then he lay back, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
He settled in and had just fastened his seatbelt when his senses went on alert.
“ Well, Mr. Broxton, how nice to see you again.”
“ Good evening, Mr. Prime Minister.” Prime Minister Ramsingh was the last to board the plane and he was standing over Broxton’s seat with his hand on the headrest.
“ Call me Ram, all my friends do.”
“ I don’t know if I can, sir,” Broxton said.
The prime minister was smiling, amused at Broxton’s discomfort. “Sure you can. And please don’t call me sir. I’m just plain Ram. I insist. I really don’t like this sir business, especially from my friends. And we better be friends, because I’m not the one paying you to keep me alive.”
“ I thought-” Broxton stammered, but the prime minister cut him off.
“ The attorney general was a little impetuous when he told your secretary of state that we didn’t want American help. He embarrassed me into agreeing to go along with his ridiculous notion that we should handle the situation by ourselves, but only a fool would shun the help of someone who was trying to keep him alive. I’ve been called a lot of things, but nobody’s ever called me that, at least not to my face.”
“ Yes, sir.”
“ Ram, no more sir,” the prime minister said. “I’ll have an office set up for you next to mine when we get back to Trinidad and I’ll clear my itinerary with you every morning. You can call your people and tell them I’ll cooperate fully. They can send over any help they think you might need. Our goals are the same, to stop the flow of Colombian cocaine through Trinidad, and of course to keep me alive.” He chuckled.
“ Yes, sir, I mean, Ram.”
“ I’m staying at the Sans Souci. You can stay with me. The presidential suite has two bedrooms. It’s very up scale, with an ocean view. I think you’ll like it.”
“ I’m sure I will,” Broxton said. Then he asked, “Where’s your security?”
“ I don’t have any. Mr. Chandee booked this flight under an assumed name and he has me flying second class. He said I shouldn’t worry, anybody wanting to assassinate me wouldn’t expect me to be in Venezuela.”
“ When someone tells me not to worry, that’s when I start worrying.”
“ Exactly,” the prime minister said.
“ Sir, would you please take your seat,” a young stewardess said.
“ You can ride to the hotel with me,” the prime minister said.
“ It would be my pleasure,” Broxton said, and the prime minister turned and let the stewardess guide him to an aisle seat four rows forward.
“ He’s going to Venezuela to sign a treaty concerning fishing rights. There’s been problems between the Venezuelan Coast Guard and Trini fishermen,” Dani said. Her lips were tight and bloodless and Broxton wondered what she was upset about.
“ They shot up a fishing boat,” Broxton said. “I read about it in the paper.”
“ I knew it was something like that,” she said, tight lips relaxing, forehead scowl easing. The little crow’s feet around her eyes were hardly noticeable, unless she smiled wide or was angry.
“ You okay?” he asked.
“ Yes, I was thinking about Dad’s birthday. I haven’t bought anything yet.”
“ Damn, I forgot all about it,” Broxton said.
“ It’s not the kind of thing a man would remember,” she said, again relaxed. “You want me to exchange places with Ramsingh?”