by L. L. James
“You know, Carm was adamant that it was some kid who thrashed her room and wrote her that letter. I could have sworn it wasn’t, but she had insisted. And she was right.”
The chopper glided over the crystal clear water as Landon snorted into the mouthpiece. “I’ve learned women tend to have a sense about things that escape us men. Somehow they know shit we don’t. It’s one of the many mysteries of the female sex, bro.”
Marek turned his gaze to the horizon and said, “So it is, man. So it is.”
They lapsed into companionable silence until the imposing shape of Mt. Liamuiga came into view. Clouds hung low and heavy around the inactive volcano as they neared St. Kitts, lowering the visibility.
As they circled the island to the far side, Landon asked into the mouthpiece, “You ready to rock and roll, bro?”
Anticipation mounted in the cabin of the chopper as the two men shifted in their seats. Marek rolled his shoulders, loosened his tight muscles. “I like the decals the police gave you to put on the side of your chopper. That whole Sunny Day Charters and big sun thing. It’s pretty funny undercover stuff. Hopefully it’ll keep us from getting shot at, though.”
Landon gave him a wry look. “Or, they’ll shoot us for having such a dumb name.”
Guy had a point. “True. But at least it should buy us enough time to confirm if they’re loading the drugs over on the east side of the island.”
They rounded St. Kitts and located Marek’s coffee fields through a break in the patchy clouds.
“Grab the camera, bro, and snap some photos if you can. It’s got a hell of a zoom lens.” Landon said.
Spotting some men who weren’t his employees wearing large brimmed straw hats laboring in his fields, Marek reached for the camera and slipped off his sunglasses. Lifting the large black camera to his face, Marek brought the men into focus and began snapping a succession of photos, anger balling tight in his chest.
He had to break shooting and wait as Landon rounded the volcano again and came back around. When the men came into sight once more, he zoomed in on the truck they were using to load the plants into and snapped some close up pictures.
As he was about to drop the camera, a man climbed out of the cab of the truck and looked straight up at the helicopter, exposing his face. Marek sucked in a breath. “You son of a bitch. I should have known you were in on it.”
Quickly snapping more photos of the man’s face, Marek muttered to himself, fury building. “You were behind it this the whole time, weren’t you? Couldn’t handle me going straight you fat old ass. Merde, I should have known.”
“Who is it? Who’s behind this?” Landon demanded to know.
Marek lowered the camera and glanced at Landon with furious green eyes. “It’s none other than my mentor, Carillos Andrade. It was him the whole time. The bastard can’t stand that I cleaned myself up and went straight. He’s waited for years to get back at me for that. Merde! Fuck. This isn’t just some random drug operation, Landon. This is personal. He’s been watching me since I came back to the island, waiting years for this opportunity.”
Landon pulled the steering and turned the helicopter away from the side of Mt. Liamuiga. “So, what you’re saying is that your old boss is pissed that you grew up and went to the States and got yourself educated and straightened out? Did he ever threaten you about it?”
His mouth pressed in a thin line as he nodded. “He did. Once. The day I told him I was done, he said I’d regret it someday. But I didn’t believe him. I figured he was just pissed about losing his best runner.” Marek slammed his fist against the dash. “Fuck. I should have clued in when we saw Kypher this morning. I knew I recognized the kid, Landon. Had seen him somewhere. It’s because he’s been running for Carillos.”
Suddenly a loud ping! rang out and the helicopter lurched to the right.
“Shit. I’ve been hit!” Landon barked as he pulled the Cyclic Control and banked the chopper hard to the left. “Fuckers tanked my landing skids.” As shots continued to ring out, he maneuvered them quickly into the safety of the dense clouds, melting into the grey moisture out of harm’s reach.
Marek swore and glanced out the window. As the clouds closed in around them, he caught a brief glimpse of Carillos holding a deadly looking automatic rifle against his shoulder aimed at Landon’s machine.
He promised softly, “That bastard is going down.”
Twenty-Four
Where the hell was he?
Carm slammed down the receiver and swore before she remembered where she was. She glanced around the first floor of the Green Island Inn and smiled in apology to the receptionist behind the antique desk. It was the same young woman who had mentioned Marek’s “reputation” to her the last time she was there. Under normal circumstances, Carm would have found some amusement in that, but this was no normal circumstance.
Kate was home giving birth to a baby two months premature, with no family there for support.
Biting back another vicious oath as she spun around, Carm almost made it to the door before a voice behind her called, “Bonjour, Carmen. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
She turned around as Marek’s mother approached. Maria looked stunning as usual in a long linen shift of pale green. Bracelets jangled at her wrists and a gorgeous oyster shell necklace hung loose around her neck. Matching earrings shimmered in the filtered foyer sunlight as she crossed the hardwood floor.
Mustering up a smile, she returned the greeting. “Maria, how are you? You look wonderful.”
With all the confidence of a goddess, Marek’s mother glided past her, linking arms as she went. “Merci. Let us go sit on the front porch, shall we? You can tell me what brings you to my inn. I hope my son is treating you well?” Carm nodded as she was lead outside. “Good. Have you found the villain responsible for terrorizing you?”
Terrorize was a bit too strong a word in her mind, but she kept that opinion to herself. “Not yet. Actually, I came into town to find Marek. I can’t reach him on his cell phone and I really need to speak with him. Have you seen him?”
The sun beat down warm on Carm’s back as she turned to look back at Maria. She’d picked up a watering can and was busy giving her petunias a drink. Water dripped out the bottom of the hanging pots as she moved down the porch, watering each one.
Turning her pale green eyes on Carm, Maria frowned and shook her head. “I’m not surprised you could not reach him. Cell phones don’t work very well here sometimes. Did he say where he was going?”
The hot sun soon had beads of sweat pearling at the base of her neck as Carm stood in the tropical sun watching Marek’s mother water her flowers. An insect buzzed around her head and she absently swatted it away with a hand. The fine hairs at the base of her neck grew damp and curled against her heated skin. Thank goodness she’d thrown her hair back in a ponytail. It was an unusually hot day.
Carm shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “He didn’t say where he was going, but Landon came up to the house and picked him up. All he said was he had business in town.” That was a lie, but Carm figured it wouldn’t help anything for Maria to know about the vandalism to Marek’s jeep and the spy work he was planning on doing.
Maria set down the now empty watering can and dusted off her hands. “Have you tried looking at Landon’s place? They might have gone back there.”
She hadn’t thought of that. Maybe they went there to strategize their spy mission. It would be just like those men to go hole up somewhere and play G.I. Joe. “Actually I haven’t been there. Can you give me directions?”
After Maria gave her directions to Landon’s bungalow, she gave Carm a hug and said, “When you and Marek are ready, you come to the house and tell us about the matching rings you’re wearing and how you two found each other, okay? I’m thrilled my son finally found his amour. You’ll be good for him, mi ami.”
Maria pulled back and patted her on the cheek. Then she turned with a smile and disappeared back into the inn, leaving Ca
rm staring dumbstruck after her.
She’s known the whole time.
With a shake to get moving, Carm walked around to the side of the inn to the small scooter waiting for her. She’d found it in Marek’s garage when she’d gone looking for a way into town after the phone call home. It was old and slow, but it worked in a pinch.
Throwing a bare, golden leg over the vinyl seat, she put on the helmet. Taking a moment to adjust her sunglasses and put the strap under her chin, she turned the key and started the ignition. Rolling down the driveway, she shifted in the seat as she came to a stop at the road.
With a quick glance in both directions, she revved the scooter, picked up her feet and pulled out onto the hot pavement. The sunshine felt wonderful on her bare arms and legs as she puttered down the road out of town toward Landon’s house. Balmy salt air filled her lungs as she leisurely rounded the island and watched the foliage grow more dense and lush. It amazed her how one side of the island looked so different from the other.
The tropical sun glinted off the aqua water of the gentle surf and colorful birds chirped noisily overhead. The air stirred around her, caressed her bare skin. She felt a smile tug at her lips. It was almost enough to make her forget for a moment what her sister was going through without her. Almost.
Following Maria’s directions, Carm wove her way just past Smuggler’s Cove toward Long Beach. When she reached the private dirt drive that lead to Landon’s bungalow on the beach, she slowed the scooter down, turned onto the hard-packed dirt lane and stopped. She took a moment to study the little driveway with deep wheel ruts, scraggy grass growing down the center, and the palm trees lining it.
Though it wasn’t paved or near as long as Marek’s, Landon’s private drive had a charm all its own. The sound of the surf could be heard faintly from the entrance and someone had painted a large boulder further down the drive with a bold mural of a surfer riding the waves. She rolled down the scooter quietly down the lane and smiled at the mural. It must have been Landon’s work because it looked like some design from a Billibong shirt or surf logo.
Carm continued down the dirt lane until she came to an opening. A break in the trees created a clearing large enough for Landon’s house, a small round dirt drive, and a stingy patch of grass lawn. Well, it couldn’t really be called a lawn. Really it was just some tall, spindly tufts of grass and a whole lot of sand.
Pulling to a stop on the flattened expanse of Landon’s drive, she noticed how the rest was slightly uphill and that there were steps leading from it to his bungalow. Then she realized it was done that way on purpose in the event of flooding.
The guys obviously weren’t there since Landon’s truck was nowhere in sight, but Carm took off her helmet and climbed off the scooter anyway. A dried palm frond crunched loudly beneath her feet. Other than the sound of the surf rolling into shore it was the only noise to be heard. Like Marek, Landon had chosen a very private, quiet place to call home.
Lulled by the relaxing sound of the waves lapping against the shore, she took a moment to gaze at Landon’s bungalow. Built on stilts—for the same reason his parking spot was uphill—his single story house perched unpretentious and welcoming. The lap siding was painted a soft cream with sage green trim. Even the stilts, deck, and steps were painted sage green. Shutters in the same green were open against the cream siding and she noticed most of his windows were thrown open as well.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Carm strode across the sand covered patch of grass and climbed the flight of steps to Landon’s front door. An open window was just to the left of the porch but she couldn’t reach far enough over the railing to peak in. Though she knew it was horribly rude to snoop, she couldn’t help it. He was such an intriguing man and she wanted to see how he lived.
Suddenly, she noticed that his front door was slightly ajar. Not much, just enough that it wasn’t latched all the way. Like he’d left in a hurry without double-checking that his door was closed. How odd.
Logic and manners told her she should pull the door closed and back away. She had no right to saunter on through Landon’s house like she had the right to be there. Just because he did that at Marek’s didn’t mean she could do that to him. He and Marek were best friends. But she was just his best friend’s wife.
She was about to leave when a thought occurred to her. What if someone broke into Landon’s house and that’s why the door was open? Shouldn’t she go in and check? While inside she could try using his phone to call Marek’s cell again.
“That’s logical. Makes sense. I’m being a good, concerned citizen, right?” Carm placed her hand on the sun-warmed doorknob and turned. “Who am I fooling? I’m just plain nosey.”
She pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold into Landon’s beach house. Her first impression was that it was nothing like she expected it to be. The second was that nobody’d stolen anything.
One glance at Landon’s domain and she was sucked right on in. She even closed the door behind her.
For some reason a nervous giggle bubbled up in her chest and worked its’ way loose. She felt like she was breaking and entering.
The interior was an open, flowing space. Very spacious. It was actually quite a bit larger than it appeared on the outside. And much better decorated.
The entryway was part of a great room, giving way to a large living room with floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors that lined the wall facing the beach. A huge deck flowed beyond the French doors and ran the length of the house. A pair of lounge weathered lounge chairs faced the ocean and a big pot of geraniums sat between them.
Light flooded the room and reflected off the bamboo floor. Carm had seen pictures of bamboo floors but had no idea they were so beautiful. The light blond color of the bamboo gave the room and airy feeling, as did Landon’s choice of a neutral color scheme.
Beige and cream furniture filled the room with natural woven sisal rugs and blinds. Like Marek, Landon had a few large palm plants arranged around the room. The couch, loveseat and chairs were set in very linear lines in the room.
And it was all very, very neat.
That surprised Carm most of all considering that Landon usually appeared a bit shabby and messy. But then again, a man who’d spent time in the military would know a thing or two about keeping things tidy.
Carm made her way into the kitchen and open dining area adjoining the living room and noted again how tidy everything was. Even the white tile countertops sparkled.
The whole place had a very Zen quality to it. Very simple and calming. The only things that really stood out were the bookshelves crammed full of paperbacks and the surfboard in the corner by the panoramic window.
Carm was about to leave when she heard a small scratching noise coming from one of the bedrooms. Following the sound down the hall past a very neat bathroom to a closed door, she stopped and listened. The scratching came again from inside.
Hope to God it wasn’t an ax murderer. She pushed the door open and jumped back as she squeezed her eyes shut. When no blood curdling scream came from the room, she opened her eyes and looked.
Nothing. The room was empty.
Then the noise came again and her eyes flew to the open window. A large palm branch brushed against the window frame creating a loud scratching noise. Carm walked over to the window and looked out to find the palm tree only a few feet from the house.
Relieved that’s all it was, Carm turned and went back down the hall the kitchen. The phone was mounted against the wall next to a little plaque in the shape of a key with hooks. Two sets of keys sat neatly on the hooks, amusing her.
Letting out a short laugh ,she reached for the phone and dialed Marek’s cell phone number. By now she knew the number by heart. She leaned back against the wall and waited as the phone rang.
On the fifth ring Marek answered, the connection weak and full of static. “Hello?”
Carm placed a hand over her free ear. “Marek? Marek, is that you?” She could hardly hear ove
r the static.
“Carmen? Where are you? Are you all right?” His voice was filled with concern.
“I’m fine, but I need you to come back as soon as you can. I need you. Something’s happened to my sister.” Her voice broke on the last word.
She listened as noise scrambled his response. “What did you say? I can’t hear you.”
“Carmen? You need to listen to me. Are you at the house right now?”
“No.”
“Good. Now listen. I only have a moment before Landon and I climb in his helicopter. Don’t go back to the house, Carmen. It’s not safe right now.”
“Where the hell are you? What’s going on?” She hollered into the phone.
“We’re on St. Kitts. We did some surveillance, remember? Things are going down right now, on both islands. Stay away from the house until I come get you. Where are you now?”
She swallowed hard and felt a greasy knot form in the pit of her stomach. Fear for Marek stirred to life, and Carm fought it back. “I’m at Landon’s. I came here looking for you. Marek, are you safe? Are you hurt?”
She heard him say something on the other end before he spoke to her. “I’m fine, cheri. I just told Landon you were at his place. We both think you should stay there. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but you should be fine at his place.”
Sweat made her grip on the receiver slip. “Can’t you come back now? You’re not going to put yourself in any more danger are you? Marek, come home!” She ended on a near plea.
She heard him sigh and his voice lowered as he answered, “I can’t, Carmen. I don’t have time to explain it all now, but I need to be here. I know the players in this drug operation and it’s my land they’ve been using. I have to stay until this is finished.”
It made sense why he had to stay, but she still felt like weeping. Her sister was in trouble, the love of her life was helping to catch some horrible criminals and was in real danger, and she was alone. What she really wanted was for Marek to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be OK.