Second Best: A Niki Finley Novel (A Niki Finley Thriller Book 2)

by J. D. Dudycha

  “I hate to take you away from your game, but Vali and I are going into town. Would you like to join us?”

  Niki nodded, needing a moment to catch her breath. “I would.”

  “Good, I’ll let him know.” Lord turned and started walking toward the tent.

  Niki turned and said, “I can see it now.”

  “What’s that?” Lord asked.

  “Why you love this place so much.” She stared up to the sky and stretched out her hands and spun in a circle, then pointed to the children and smiled at him.

  He smiled back and said, “I knew you’d love it.”

  She looked back to the children and heard him say, “We’re on the road in fifteen.”

  She heard his comments but didn’t break her stare. She was enthralled, still stuck in the enjoyment of watching the children play. If all grew up like this, given only a field and a ball to play with, the world would be a much happier, brighter place.

  15

  NIKI SAT IN THE BACKSEAT of a rusted-out SUV. It was doorless and roofless, and the metal was nearly decomposing. As they drove down the dirt road, Niki stared beyond the metal floor at the red clay earth. She shook her head and wondered if Vali had the means, time, or know-how to fix the vehicle. But what did it matter? The truck worked, got him from point A to point B, so there was no reason to fix it—aside from vanity and keeping up appearances, for which, from what Niki had seen so far, this place had little concern.

  “Did you get a good night’s sleep, young lady?” Vali asked.

  Niki looked up and said, “Yes,” without even thinking.

  “Good. Sometimes our cot’s take a little getting used to,” Vali said.

  “Yeah, it usually takes me a day or two to adjust to the time difference,” Lord started, playfully shoving Vali, “especially on those ever-comfortable cots.”

  I bet it does, you bastard, Niki thought.

  “I guess if I’m honest, no, I didn’t sleep very well,” Niki said.

  She caught eyes with Vali in the rearview.

  “But . . . it was the wake-up call that pulled me out of my restless slumber. Those kids, they’re . . . just so damn adorable.” She smiled at Vali.

  Lord peered over his shoulder and grinned. “Again, I knew you’d love it here.”

  Niki smiled back, then shifted her attention to the countryside. Another fifteen minutes passed before their tires met pavement. Vali turned right, cutting off a garbage truck, but the truck driver didn’t honk or make an obscene gesture; he simply tapped his brakes and allowed their entry onto the roadway.

  What a novel concept, Niki thought to herself. Then another thought probed her mind. “I thought you said you had a surprise for me?” Niki said to Lord trying to keep things light.

  “Oh, I do. It’s part of the trip, but you’ll have to wait and see. I’m not going to give it away quite yet.” Niki saw them both share a smile.

  As they drove, Niki basked in the warmth of the sun. It was a welcome sensation on her skin as she stared to the sky, and soon a familiar smell swam into her nostrils. Is that . . . . It is. That’s the sea.

  “I thought you said we were going into town?” Niki said, now with her guard up.

  “We are,” Vali said.

  “Is town near the sea?”

  “I see you’ve trained your sense of smell very well, young lady,” Vali said. “Town is near the sea. Just off the coast.”

  Niki pined for the ocean. She missed the sand between her toes. She’d been consumed with school since the beginning of the semester. Too busy to even think about the ocean and its majesty. But she relished the chance to see the ocean in another part of the world, in Africa, a place many only dream about visiting.

  But the first stop wasn’t the beach, but a marketplace. Hundreds, maybe thousands, gathered in the street. The main street was bordered by buildings. When Vali stopped the SUV, Niki leaped out of the space where the door once was, and her mouth gaped. She couldn’t believe the amount of people who gathered. They walked in an orderly fashion, one behind another, stopping only to purchase goods from a street vendor.

  “Here’s a list.” Vali handed Niki a sheet of paper.

  “What’s this?” Niki said.

  “A list of what we need for the village,” Vali said, then walked off.

  The surroundings felt suddenly overwhelming. Niki paused in confusion.

  “Just follow me and do what I do,” Lord said. “Don’t worry, you’ll understand after one time through.” Lord walked ahead.

  “Inside the gauntlet of mass hysteria?” Niki whispered to herself. She jogged to catch Lord before he was swallowed by the crowd.

  Bodies pressed against Niki as she shoved her way past, staying on Lord’s heels. Their first stop was a food stand. Thick bananas were ripe and bright green. Niki stared at the shopping list. Near the top were black-eyed beans, rice, yams, and bread. She quickly scooped up a handful of rice but was shooed away with the slap of the hand by the vendor.

  “No touch. I get it for you. How much?” the woman asked Niki.

  “Uh.” Niki searched for Lord who was busy with the bushel of bananas.

  Lord noticed Niki’s struggle and moved to her rescue, gathering some of the items listed on his way over. He handed Niki the contents he couldn’t carry, then paid the vendor and began walking away. Niki spun to follow him, and to her surprise there was a gap in the crowd, but it was in that hole that danger revealed itself.

  Six men carrying automatic weapons parted the masses. Out of instinct Niki let go of the yams and bread, and as they tumbled to the ground, she reached for her side where her holster usually sat. But today she hadn’t bothered carrying it, figuring she wouldn’t need it in town, after all.

  The sound of food falling caused alarm among the crowd. Flustered, Niki and Lord reached to the ground to pick up what she’d dropped, and when she returned to her feet, one man, the guard she’d seen first, was eyeing her and came to an abrupt halt. While the rest of the men walked on, the one guard stepped toward her. She didn’t back down nor did she cower behind Lord, like the others did; no, she held her ground and waited for the guard to make a move.

  He looked her up and down, taking note of every square inch.

  “Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Niki quipped, then held her breath.

  Lord stepped behind Niki and whispered, “I wouldn’t start anything with them. Just back away and let them continue on their path.” His warning fell on deaf ears. She wouldn’t back down to any man.

  Another ten seconds passed without a word. Finally the guard locking eyes with Niki spun back around and walked to catch up with the others.

  Niki released her breath as Lord stepped in front of her. “Who the hell are they?” Niki said.

  “Guerrillas. They work for a local terrorist group in the area, but I have no idea why they’re in town. They usually keep their distance, especially during the market.”

  Payne. Niki knew it in her gut, but she couldn’t let on, not until she got to the bottom of Lord and Payne’s connection.

  “Shall we press on?” Lord asked, as if everything had returned to normal.

  “You sure that’s a good idea?” Niki stared down the road at the backs of the armed men walking away.

  “What, them? They’re long gone now. Nothing to worry about.”

  “How do you know?” Niki didn’t trust his knowledge of terrorist behavior.

  “Because they won’t do anything without the approval of their warlord. If he doesn’t wish to harm innocents, they will not attack. If he does, however . . .” Lord paused.

  “Then what?” Niki said.

  “I’m afraid none of us would be safe here.”

  “You seem to know a lot about these militants, these terrorists,” Niki said.

  Lord’s words stuck in his mouth; then he swallowed them back.

  “What?” Niki pressed.

  “It’s nothing.” He contrived a smile. “Now let’s get back to that
list and catch Vali. We still have that beach to go to, remember?” He nudged Niki and winked.

  But all she could do was continue her stare down the road, at the backs of the men who caused fear to run cold in the African heat.

  “DID YOU COMPLETE THE list, Bala?” Vali asked as he approached Lord and Niki who stood beside the SUV. Vali’s arms were full, carrying two crates full of supplies.

  “We did. All packed up and ready to go.”

  “Then let’s not waste any more time here.” He unloaded the cargo into the back of the SUV. “To the beach.” He clapped his hands together and jumped into the driver’s seat.

  But Niki hesitated. She stared back at the crowd of people, now overflowing into the street, much like it was when they arrived. It wasn’t until Lord yelled, “Niki!” that she broke from her trance. “Let’s go.”

  She climbed in and Vali drove off.

  The beach wasn’t far. It took less than five minutes for the turquoise water to reveal itself. In awe, Niki stood in the back seat, high above the vehicle’s open roofline, and gazed into the vast ocean.

  “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” Lord yelled as they drove along.

  Niki held her tongue, simply shaking her head no. It was truly breathtaking, and unexpected. Sure, you could see similar sights in the Caribbean, and Niki had, but this just added to the splendor of Africa.

  Vali turned right onto Lumley Beach Road, which paralleled the white sand.

  “When can we stop?” Niki was giddy.

  “It’s just up here.” Vali pulled off to the side of the road.

  Not waiting for either man, Niki sprinted across the road. Her feet ached to touch the white powder that promised a comfort and warmth she hadn’t felt in some time. Once she reached the sand, she dug her toes in deep, then sighed as all her worries, doubts, questions, even her own mission disappeared in that euphoric moment.

  Lord snuck up from behind, and said, “This is something special, no?”

  With her eyes closed, taking in the moment, she said, “There are no words.”

  Niki heard Lord gasp, and she opened her eyes and looked at him. Shock hung on his face as his eye was trained down the beach. Niki whipped her head around.

  “How?” she said.

  The same six gunmen who’d stomped down the middle of main street were now on the beach, not far off, all looking in Lord and Niki’s direction.

  “I don’t know, but we can’t stay here, not out in the open alone.” Lord began to retreat to the SUV.

  Niki ran on his heels. “I thought you said they wouldn’t do anything without the command of their warlord.”

  Lord didn’t answer. It seemed fear had overtaken him.

  Vali leaped from the SUV to welcome back his guests. “Leaving so soon? I thought you’d want to linger longer, to test the water?” Then he trailed off, recognizing the urgency in their pace.

  “Back in, Vali. Back to the village,” Lord demanded.

  Vali scanned the perimeter of the beach and saw why they rushed. He leaped back in and started the engine.

  Lord and Niki loaded inside, and Vali sped back the same way they came, but Niki held her stare backward at the guerrillas on the beach. She figured she’d see them again soon enough.

  16

  Near Payne’s camp in West Africa

  A STEAK KNIFE SCREECHED across the ceramic plate as Payne cut into his fine filet. He dined alone in his tent, a single chair in the middle of the space with a few of his men standing guard outside. Payne was on heightened alert since the intruder the previous night. He had sent a few other men into town to search for any sign of her. They knew she was Caucasian, and how many Caucasian women are there at any one time in Sierra Leone? A few perhaps. But how many would fit the description of the one from the previous night? Young. Athletic. That narrowed the search dramatically, and again, Payne couldn’t help but think it was the very same woman he saw land with Lord.

  As Payne stabbed a piece of meat and shoveled it into his mouth, he heard an approaching vehicle come barreling into camp in their SUV. Dust billowed in a cloud from the tires. He lifted his napkin and wiped the residual juice on his face from the rare steak. After throwing the napkin down, he walked out of his tent to meet his men.

  When Jabar opened the SUV door, Payne caught eyes with him expecting a report. But it wasn’t Jabar who chimed in; it was the guard who’d seen the girl the previous night.

  Breathing heavily, he said, “We saw her.”

  “How can you be certain it was her?”

  “She was at the market. Then the beach.”

  “But again, how can you be certain it was the woman from last night?”

  “She was young. Very fit. Beautiful. And . . .”

  “And what?”

  “She was with someone familiar.”

  “Who?”

  “The American professor. And the villager, Vali.”

  “Bastard. I knew it.” Payne seethed.

  It was her. He sent her to spy on me. To get into my camp, but why? Payne instantly thought the worst. What is this, payback for the hand? The diamonds? Does he want more money?

  “And what did you do?” Payne asked with his back turned, still ruminating.

  “Nothing, sir.”

  “Did she see you? Did she recognize you?”

  “I . . . I don’t—” He stumbled as the words died in his mouth.

  Payne spun around and stepped toward his guard, slapping him across the face. “Imbecile.”

  Humped over, Jabar moved in between Payne and his guard. “What’s your order?”

  Payne studied him. “We make them pay for their indecency.”

  “How?” Jabar wanted to know.

  “By taking the village.” Payne returned to the center of his tent to finish what was left of his meal.

  FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE

  Inside the motel room, Fox stood at the window, peeling back the curtain far enough to spy outside. They couldn’t move, not in the light of day. If she was seen by anyone in the city limits, her life would hang in the balance.

  Winter walked out of the bathroom to see Fox at the window. She quickly threw the curtain shut. “Would you stop obsessing over it?”

  “Not obsessing, just keeping watch.”

  “You are obsessing. The deed is done. There is little you can do now. Either they’ll catch you and you’ll be dead, or they won’t, and we continue our mission as planned.” Winter grinned, hoping to lighten the mood.

  “I don’t like the scenario with me getting caught and killed.”

  “You should’ve thought about that before you were seen.”

  “It’s not like I meant for it to happen. We were there to gather intel, remember?”

  “What intel? The guy was dead. He wasn’t going to tell us anything.”

  “Maybe his face would’ve.”

  “Payne’s not going to randomly kill one of his top associates. The dead guy was a lowlife, some guy who screwed up somehow. But like I said, no use worrying about it now.”

  “So, what do we do, sit here and wait until nightfall? What about water, food, you know the essentials of life?”

  “We, no. You, yes.”

  Fox sighed. “This is bullshit.” Then she fell onto her bed.

  Winter moved to the door.

  “Where are you going?” Fox said.

  “To get the essentials of life.” He grabbed the door handle and opened it.

  “Wait,” Fox said.

  Winter reentered but didn’t speak.

  “Do you think we contact Niki? I told her we’d be surveilling Payne for the time being and contact her after a few days, but . . . things changed.”

  “I think we let her do her thing, and we do ours, at least for now. If we go out tonight and find nothing, then yes, I think we rendezvous with her, at least for a meeting to see if she’s found anything.”

  “Agreed,” Fox said. “The last thing I want is to give her fuel. She already thinks
I’m incompetent.”

  Winter just stared at her on the bed.

  Fox threw her hands to her side, expecting a response. “Uh, that’s where you’re supposed to chime in and say, ‘You’re not incompetent.’”

  “Sorry.” He walked out and shut the door behind him.

  17

  Outside the city limits of Freetown, Sierra Leone

  AT DINNER, NIKI DUG into some Jollof rice, a local dish made fresh from the rice and beans she and the others had bought from the market. As she fed herself a spoonful, she couldn’t shake the images of the armed men from earlier. She knew that once she was alone with Lord, maybe after dinner, when everyone went off to bed, she would confront him. He must know more about the local terror groups. Maybe he’d mention Payne, or maybe she would, but either way, the appearance of those armed men forced her to address the matter.

  But that conversation would have to wait, because at the feast the villagers burst into a song and dance. Drums boomed in the night as a group of women entered in full dress and painted faces.

  “What’s this?” Niki turned to Lord.

  “Their custom.”

  She lowered her brow, and he continued, “A way for them to show thanks to me, and now you, for coming to their aid.”

  Niki couldn’t peel her eyes away; the music, the song, the language they spoke, the colors of their dresses, it was breathtaking, an indescribable sight she’d never experienced. All she could do was smile in admiration.

  When the dancing ceased, and the feast was coming to a close, Lord excused himself to the restroom, and this was Niki’s chance to get him alone. She followed him to the outhouse but stayed far enough away not to garner attention. He went in, and she moved around the back.

  When he opened the door, she grabbed his arm. He let out a yelp.

  “What was that?” she said.

  “Sorry, I just thought . . . I thought maybe you were someone else.”

  Niki sensed his fear, as if he was worried someone was after him. To the untrained eye, anyone else might have interpreted his momentary yelp as meaningless, but Niki knew there was more behind it.