by Jack July
“Oh, yes, that’s my niece Sky’s best friend. Sky is also a model. We had just had dinner. Colette’s boyfriend and my family were also in that Limo. I was working out when to get them to our wedding.”
“I figured it was something like that.”
“Oh, my love, know this: our wedding vows went into effect after the first time we kissed. Our wedding is merely a public announcement.”
He couldn’t see her smile and bite her lower lip. She giggled under her breath and said, “I love you.”
“We shall see,” he said, mocking her oft-repeated phrase.
She laughed, said “Bye,” and hung up.
“So, what did he say?” asked Carol.
“He was out to dinner with his family. Colette is his niece’s friend. It’s nothing, really.”
Carol took Sam and put him to bed. She returned and sat on the couch next to Amy and turned on the television and said, “Okay then, let’s see what he’s up to today.”
It didn’t take long until the familiar irritating plastic woman went off on another story about Bogus.
Rumors continue to swirl about Boguslaw Zielinski and his reported pending marriage to French super model Colette Pierre. This video was shot outside, of all things, a Muck and Muffins, a pottery shop in Dunfanaghy, Ireland where the darling couple appear to be setting up housekeeping with a selection of bath items…
“That son of a bitch,” said Carol under her breath.
Amy shook her head, looked at Carol and said, “You really can’t believe what you see on TV. If he was really trying to get away with something, I promise you he would not be so careless as to do it where he could be filmed. He’s smarter than that.”
“Uh huh, I hope you’re right. People like him don’t have rules like regular people. They’re above all that.”
Amy wanted to ignore it, but there was that little feeling again. One she had very little experience with: jealousy.
Chapter 15
Garret had Bogus’ G-5 running at top speed, Mach .86. Manchin was wearing headphones and watching a movie while Bogus sat at a desk going over the real estate deal of his life. It was the home that he would share with his new wife, and where he would raise his children. He’d been told it couldn’t be done; the purchase would be impossible because of Irish law. However, Bogus didn’t make billions taking no for an answer. Even Garret commented to his boss that this was the happiest he had ever seen him. All the details were complete. In four days he would have the woman of his dreams and his life would begin anew. Without warning, the plane shuddered violently.
“Mr. Z, we have a problem. The starboard engine temp spiked so I shut it down. We need to land ASAP.”
“Do you have an airport in mind?”
“Yes sir, the Azores. It’s about all we have out here.”
“Do it.”
Garret radioed a Mayday and set course for the Azores.
Amy and Carla Jo walked through the Black Oak Baptist Church, mentally decorating the sanctuary. The flowers Carla Jo had ordered would turn it into the Garden of Eden, sans snake of course. Carla Jo noticed some unease so she sat Amy down on the front pew and asked, “What are you thinking?”
“It’s silly.”
“Spill it.”
“That show, you know the one about celebrities?”
“Yes?”
“Bogus was on again last night.” Amy paused for a moment and said, “With that woman. I trust him, I really do, but I have such a feeling of anger. I can’t shake it. I mean, what’s he doing with another woman, period? Then what Carolina said about him chasing super models, it’s just...the evidence is in my face yet I’m still supposed to trust him?”
“Okay, let’s start from the beginning. The base of anger is fear. If you are angry about something, you need to find what you are afraid of. This one is easy. You’re afraid of losing him, getting hurt and even embarrassed. Toss in the nerves that come along with getting married, and you have a lot to deal with.”
“He was touching her. Why was he touching her?”
“I don’t know and neither do you. You have always been a girl, well, now a woman, of faith. That’s what all of this is, faith. When I first married Jack, he had a female friend. I guess they went to school together, and he enjoyed her company. I came home a few times to find them in the garage, laughing. Of course Jack, like most other men, is clueless when it comes to this stuff. I let it build until one day I just let him have it. I’ve never seen him so hurt in my life.”
“What do I do?”
“Keep your mouth shut until you know the truth. I know what love looks like, and the man loves you. Or you can do what your Mom told me to do, what I should have done. Give that anger to Jesus, he’ll carry it.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
The sanctuary door swung open and Leon and Jack walked down the aisle. With a look of fear and sorrow they glanced at each other. Then Leon spoke, “I, ah, am sorry, but, the news just reported that Bogus’ plane made a Mayday call then fell off the radar over the Atlantic.
“What?” Amy paused for a few seconds, processing what she had heard. “No, no that is a mistake.” She dismissed the news with a shake of her head.
“No,” said Jack, “It’s true, I checked.”
“Daddy...Daddy, you need to tell me that’s not true.”
Leon looked away. She slowly began to rock and clenched her fists. Carla Jo reached for her but she pulled away, stood and screamed, “NO! NO! NO! THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN TO ME AGAIN!”
She paced back and forth a few times, then in a panicked voice she said, “I need a phone. I need one now, somebody, somebody GIVE ME A PHONE!”
Carla Jo handed her the phone and she quickly dialed, “Karen, Karen this is Fenian, I need Adele.”
Adele picked up the phone and said, “I heard. I’m talking to people right now.”
“We have to find him, Adele, please.”
“You need to take some deep breaths and calm down.”
After a few moments Adele said, “Okay, are you listening to me.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“I just got off the phone with the admiral of the sixth fleet. There has been no saltwater beacon activated in the area he was in. If that plane had hit the water we would most likely know. He was also close to several islands with small runways, and his G5 has reverse thrusters so he could have put down anywhere and we wouldn’t know. I will call if I hear anything else. You need to relax; this happens. You just never hear about it because it isn’t, well, him.”
“Okay...okay, thank you.”
Amy pressed the “call end” icon and handed the phone back to Carla Jo. “I guess it’s a little too early to panic.”
Leon sat down on the pew and patted the spot next to him and said, “It’s never too early to pray.”
“Mr. Z, I think I’ve figured out the problem. I switched tanks and the port engine started acting up. I’m fairly certain we have a contaminated fuel tank.”
“All right. Do you have a runway picked out?”
“Yes sir, there is a private runway I know of, on part of the Azore Islands chain.”
“Good, set us down.”
“Yes sir.”
An hour later Garret, Manchin and Bogus were on tarmac beside the plane. Garret grabbed an on-board test kit and took a fuel sample. Bogus, watching him, said, “Save that. If the engine ate itself, somebody is buying us a new one.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Gentlemen, what do you say we find a restaurant? I’m starving.”
“Sir, do you wish to call for another plane?”
“I’ll call Cyla in a bit. She’s on her way to America. She’ll stop and pick us up in Nalco’s jet.”
“Yes, sir.”
They sat at the restaurant, actually a small outdoor café, and Bog
us ordered a stiff drink. Manchin looked at him and said, “Bogus, were you scared?”
“What?”
“When the engine stopped, were you scared?”
“It certainly made me think. Were you?”
“No, Garret takes care of us.”
Bogus smiled, nodded and said, “Yes he does. Should we give him a raise?”
“Yes.”
“Done.”
Hours passed and Bogus was half drunk. He saw the bartender looking at him, then at the TV next to him, then back at Bogus, then to the TV. Bogus stood up and walked over to the bar, “What?”
The bartender pointed to the TV. There was his picture, a map showing where they had crashed into the ocean, and an incomplete obituary. “What the bloody hell?” Oh no, Amy, he thought.
“Garrett?” Bogus called out to his pilot. He was sitting at the end of the bar, talking to the waitress.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Did you contact Air Traffic Control and tell them we landed?”
The blank look on his face told Bogus all he needed to know.
“I need a phone. Can I call America from here?”
The bartender set the phone on the bar. Bogus picked it up and dialed.
Amy sat at her dad’s house holding Sam. Carla Jo had given her a Xanax to calm her down. She still gripped the cordless phone, while her eyes bored holes through the TV waiting for any news, but it was the same, every half hour. He was missing.
Sam was getting fussy, so Carol picked him up and put him to bed. He began to cry, which made Amy cry. Then the phone rang. While trying to catch her breath she tapped the “talk” button and lifted it to her ear, “Hel…*snif* hello.”
“Hello, my love. How are you?” said Bogus.
“Oh Jesus, OH JESUS, THANK YOU! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS?”
“We lost an engine and had to land in a little island in the Azores. We are waiting for a ride.”
Then it all spilled out at once, “I...I was so mad at you, because Colette and touching and then you were gone. They said you were gone, and then I didn’t care. I just wanted you back, but they kept saying you were gone…”
Bogus calmly repeated, “Stop, stop, stop, it’s alright.”
“IT’S NOT ALRIGHT! YOU CAN’T DO THAT TO ME!”
“My dear, I have done nothing. That was the media, the news; we were fine.”
Amy was quiet for a few moments trying to regain control. She started with her breathing. Bogus told her everything that happened, how it happened and the order in which it happened. Amy regained her composure and said, “I’m sorry. I was so scared.”
“My darling, I understand. What’s this about Colette?”
Amy closed her eyes and thought, Oh no, I can’t believe I said anything. “You’ve been on television in America with that model. They are convinced you two have a relationship, as are certain members of my family.”
“And? What about you?”
“I would like to say I trust you, but it’s hard when you see another woman’s hands on your man.”
“Understandable. I told you before, Colette is my niece’s best friend. She is a model, but she is also an interior designer, one of the best in Europe. I have to give up a little bit of a surprise, but I bought us a home. A place neither of us have ever been, so we can build it together. She is helping me by getting a few furnishings before we move in. Then it will all be up to you.”
“I feel like an idiot,” said Amy.
“No, not at all. This is one of those things you need to get used to. And I have to get used to you doing your job, which honestly terrifies me. But it’s a part of you. These TV lies unfortunately come with me.”
“I love you. Just get here...Okay?”
“Cyla’s plane will be landing within the hour, and I will be on my way. I love you too.”
Bogus hung up when Garret approached him apologizing profusely, “Sir, I’m really really sorry…”
Bogus interrupted him, smiled and said, “You landed a thirty-eight ton jet aircraft on a very short runway with one engine. I would not have been thinking about anything but a drink either. It’s alright.”
Garret nodded, “Thank you sir.”
“Oh, Manchin gave you a raise.”
Garrett smiled wide and shook his head. He walked over to Manchin, gave him a hug. “Thank you for the raise.”
Manchin grinned, “We love you Garrett.”
“I love you too Manchin.”
Chapter 16
The white Dassault Falcon 900, with a gleaming gold stripe on its side, descended out of the crystal blue Alabama morning sky, touched down, and began to slow as it passed the small terminal at Rock Creek Regional Airport. Amy stood just outside the doors on the tarmac waiting.
When the plane had taxied and come to a halt, a black limousine and a van from the Hilton pulled up alongside. Bogus’ family and a family friend deplaned and handed their personal items to the van driver. Bogus was the last out. He scanned the Tarmac looking for her. She wasn’t hard to spot because she was the only one running toward him.
She threw her arms around him and fought the urge to cry. “I thought you were gone.”
He said nothing, just held her until his sister walked up to them. Bogus broke her grip and said, “Cyla, I would like you to meet Miss Amy Braxton.”
“Hello,” Cyla said as they exchanged a small but polite hug.
“I can’t wait to sit and talk to you. I’m dying to find out what he was like as a boy.” Amy cast a mischievous glance at Bogus.
Cyla laughed and said, “And I can’t wait to tell you.”
Bogus shook his head and said, “Oh, no.”
“Oh, yes,” they both said at once laughing.
Manchin put his bags in the van and gave Amy a big hug. Amy smiled at him and said, “Thanks for taking care of him.”
“That was Garrett, the pilot. We gave him a raise,” Manchin said with a big smile.
“Yes, we did,” Bogus agreed.
Cyla then introduced Amy to the rest of the family, “This is my husband Ulrik Lokar, my daughter Sky, and her friend Colette.”
Fenian could hide emotions; she was trained to do it. Amy struggled just a bit. She politely shook hands with everyone. When she got to Colette her mouth smiled but her face didn’t lie. Colette returned a nervous smile, a polite handshake and said in a heavy accent, “We really should take the time to sit and talk. If you’re not busy this afternoon, maybe you can join us at the hotel for lunch.”
Amy replied with cold eyes, “Yes, I’d like that.”
They loaded up and headed for the hotel, leaving Amy and Bogus alone. They got into Joseph’s truck, but Amy didn’t want to drive; she just wanted to hold him. Bogus let her.
Amy arrived at the Hilton at twelve o’clock sharp. She’d dolled up a bit wearing a casual blue dress and heels. The maître d’ escorted her to an out of the way table where Sky was waiting with a glass of wine and a smile. Having been educated in America, Sky spoke perfect English. She greeted Amy with a hug. Colette was nowhere to be seen.
“Is Colette joining us?” asked Amy.
“Soon. I really wanted to talk to you alone. Uncle Bogus and I are very close, and I wanted to learn a little about you.”
Interrogation, great, thought Amy. Well, Daddy and Uncle Jack put Bogus through it, so why not? “Sure, what would you like to know?”
Sky didn’t mince words, but dove right in. “I guess the big question is, why you? He could have had almost any woman in the world, and he chose you.”
“I don’t know, just one of those things,” said Amy. “Have you asked him?”
Sky ignored the question. “What do you do for a living?”
“I work for the government.”
“Hmm. You have the body of
an athlete. What sports do you play?”
“Well, I was a swimmer in high school, a state champion. I like working out, and I stay in shape for hunting.”
“Shooting animals with a gun? Is that strenuous?”
“No, but running through the woods after them is. What’s your point?”
“My point? We’re just talking.”
Amy smiled and thought, She’s certainly shattering the myth of the brainless supermodel.
“You frightened Colette with just a look. I understand you are concerned about her and my uncle’s relationship?”
“My family is. He’s been on TV nearly every night with her.”
“And you?”
“I’m only human. I see what I see.”
Sky smiled and nodded. “That’s honest. You see, Colette’s mother died when she was young. Her father all but abandoned her, and she grew up in my home with me. She’s like my sister, and Bogus? Her Uncle.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yes, well, prepare yourself. I have been dragged through the mud and slandered, and my Uncle has been treated worse. Keep your head down and say nothing to those people. But that’s not going to be a problem for you, is it?”
Amy took a drink and examined the face and eyes she had seen on countless magazine covers. This girl is smart, a little too smart. “Why do you say that?”
“Because now I know why he loves you. You both share the same deep dark secrets. You are a spy, just like him.”
Amy couldn’t help it. Her face changed, the darkness fell and her eyes lit up. Sky laughed a little laugh, put her elbows on the table and propped her chin on her hands, “And there you are. You see, I am my mother’s daughter. She’s a brilliant woman. I also have my uncle’s cunning. Understand, you are not the only one at this table who works for the…government.”
Amy passed through the pissed-off moment quickly. Then she relaxed and smiled. An old saying went through her mind: The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree. She had to accept the fact that another spook just schooled her. Sky reached out her hands across the table, and Amy leaned forward and took them. Amy smiled and said, “You and I are going to get along just fine.”