Fool Me Once

by Mona Ingram

The two women fell silent, and Olivia pulled the soup bowl toward her. Eliska did likewise, and they ate in silence for a few moments, barely tasting the savory concoction.

  “Promise me one thing.” Olivia laid her hand on her friend’s. “If you’re ever in trouble, or need anything, get in touch with me. Will you promise me that?”

  Eliska fought back tears. “Of course I will. But that won’t be necessary. Don’t worry about us.” She brushed at her tears. “But this isn’t a time for sadness. I want to hear all about that gorgeous man you’re with. How long have you been engaged, and where did you meet him?”

  Olivia fingered the ring, collecting her thoughts. “I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but he’s everything I ever wanted.” Her tone was wistful. “Don’t get me wrong, he can be infuriating at times, but where it counts, he’s a real man.” She raised her eyes. “But the truth is, we’re not really engaged.”

  “Okay, now I’m really confused.” Eliska leaned forward intently. “Listen to me, Livvy. I saw you together for only a few moments, but the way he looked at you, it’s obvious he’s crazy about you.”

  Olivia shook her head. “It may have appeared that way, but he’s a good actor. Too good, sometimes. When he…” She blushed. “Well never mind, but honestly, it’s all for show.”

  “But why?” Eliska’s sharp eyes missed nothing. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  Olivia disliked lying to her friend, but she had already decided on an abbreviated version of the truth. Besides, Eliska had enough to concern her right now.

  “His first love is his ranch in the States, but he likes to play high stakes poker. He asked me to pose as his fiancée because I know quite a few of the key people in the clubs and casinos. Basically, I’m along to help him get into the high stakes games that take place behind the scenes, as it were.”

  “And that’s all there is to it?” Eliska’s voice was disbelieving. “I don’t think so. The way he looked at you gave me goose bumps.” She shivered dramatically.

  Olivia chuckled. “Well, he did say he’d like to see me again after this trip is over. He wants me to go to Montana and see where he lives.”

  “I knew it!” Eliska looked at her watch and groaned. “I hate to cut this short, but we’re due to leave in less than three hours. I should get home to mother soon.” She rose. “There’s just one last thing I’d like to do. Let’s have a quick walk down by the water. I have no idea when I’ll see it again.”

  The two women emerged from the side street into the glare of the sun. Every square foot of land in and around the small port had been claimed by the wealthy. Private homes and condos clung to every square foot of land surrounding the bay, and yachts of every description vied for mooring space; an extravagant display that was almost blinding in its opulence.

  “Father’s warehouse is back that way, about three miles.” Eliska pointed to the east and her eyes darkened. “When I think about the people who are hurt or killed as a result of what he does, my own problems seem insignificant by comparison. But I’m determined to find a peaceful place for mother and I to live. Maybe even some happiness.” She slipped her arm through Olivia’s. “Remember those days when all it took to make us happy was a sundae?” Tears bloomed in her eyes. “Call me an optimist, but I’m determined to find some of that happiness for us.”

  “You’ll do it, Eliska.” Emotion turned Olivia’s voice hoarse. “I know you will.”

  “Senora Olivia.” Small fingers tugged at Olivia’s free hand. “Buenos tardes.”

  “Rosalina!” Olivia turned to Eliska. “I’ll be right with you. I just want to say hello to my friend.” She knelt down to greet the young girl.

  “Don’t encourage her, Olivia. She probably wants money.”

  “No she doesn’t. She made this necklace I’m wearing, and she only wants to say hello.” She shook hands solemnly with the child, who grinned delightedly and then ran off, sandals flapping on the pavement.

  “I’d forgotten how good you are with young people. And I apologize for snapping.” Her eyes followed the girl. “She thinks you’re married. What’s that about?”

  Olivia blushed. “She saw Josh and I together last night.”

  “You see? Even a child can see that you two belong together. We don’t have a lot of street kids, but most of them live down here, near the port. I suppose they don’t do any harm, but I can tell you one thing about them. They know everything that’s going on. They always seem to be watching.”

  Olivia fingered the necklace. The stones had absorbed the heat from her body, and were warm to the touch. “I bought this last night. She was so sweet I couldn’t resist.” She hugged her friend. “Just like you. Come on, drive me back before I start crying.”

  Olivia sat in the car for a few extra moments when Eliska pulled up by the pier. Now that Eliska was disappearing from her life, she couldn’t think of anything to say. She climbed slowly out of the car and looked at her friend as though memorizing her face. “Have a safe trip,” she said. “Wherever you’re going.”

  Eliska nodded silently, her eyes bright. Then she put the car in gear and pulled out into the traffic.

  Olivia watched her friend drive off and then she turned toward the pier, her mind already active. She had a lot to tell Josh.

  * * *

  Eliska glanced at the clock on the dashboard as she pulled up in front of the villa. Both she and her mother had their suitcases ready to go. In spite of the fact that they planned to purchase new wardrobes at their destination they had packed carefully. It was important that her father think they were going to Paris. It was unlikely that he would check on them for at least two weeks.

  “Where have you been?” Her Father’s voice rang out like a whiplash as she entered the foyer. He strode toward her, brilliant light from the early afternoon sun at his back. She shielded her eyes against the glare and prepared to stand up to him.

  “I’ve been out to lunch with my friend.”

  He moved closer, eyes cold and hard. Eliska lifted her chin. It wouldn’t do to let him see her fear. Not now, when escape was so close. “Why do you care, anyway?”

  His fingers closed around her wrist, and he pulled her toward his office. She had no choice but to follow.

  “Sit down,” he commanded, propelling her toward a leather chair in front of his desk. French doors opened onto a rose garden. She almost gagged at the sweet perfume of the flowers.

  “What did you talk about?” he demanded.

  Eliska was taken aback. He’d never shown any interest in her friends before.

  “Nothing,” she replied, thinking back to the lunch. “Girl stuff, mostly. We had a lot to catch up on.”

  “Why do you think she suddenly showed up?” His voice was mildly curious, but Eliska knew better. Her father never engaged in small talk. He paced in front of the windows, his hands clenched behind his back. “I’ll tell you why I’m inquiring,” he said mildly. “In my business it’s dangerous to trust anyone. And whether you like it or not, it’s because of my business that you’ve been able to live in luxury for most of your life. It’s paying for you to go to Paris.”

  “But Father…” she glanced at her watch and stood up. “Why do you want to talk about Olivia at a time like this? Mother and I are due to leave in a little over an hour.” Her mind raced. Their escape was planned down to the last detail. They simply had to be on that airplane this afternoon in order to make their connections. “I understand your concerns with trust, but what does that have to do with Olivia?”

  He prodded her in the shoulder with his finger, and she fell back into the chair. “You and your precious English friend,” he said. “She’s all you talked about when you came back from school in Switzerland. Well let me tell you, your friend is engaged to an arms dealer.” He tapped his chest. “And he wants to make a deal with me. So I want to hear every word she said about him, or you can forget about Paris.” He resumed pacing. “I have all the time in the world. So tell me. Wh
en did she meet him? How long have they been together? What’s his background? When are they getting married?”

  Eliska fought back the panic that rose up and almost choked her. “For heaven’s sake, Father, she didn’t say anything about him being an arms dealer. As a matter of fact, they aren’t even engaged. She barely knows him.”

  Blazek’s head snapped around. “Explain.”

  “He hired her. Can you believe it? He actually hired her to get him into the private poker games. She’s a journalist now, and she did a story on casinos and she knows a lot of key people.” She was babbling and she knew it, but she couldn’t stop. “And she’s crazy about him. She thinks he’s not interested in her that way but I could tell. I mean, I saw the way he looked at her.”

  Blazek cut her off with a swift, downward stroke of his hand. “Stop this childish chatter.” He took a deep breath. “Now think carefully. Was there anything else, other than getting into poker games?”

  Eliska searched her memory. “No. That was it.”

  He waved a hand dismissively. “Get out of here. You’ll miss your flight.”

  Eliska tried not to show her relief as she hurriedly left the room.

  Blazek had the telephone to his ear before she closed the door. “My office,” he barked. “Now.”

  * * *

  “That was a bit of luck.” Dirk toyed with his empty coffee cup. He and Josh had been sitting at the outdoor café for almost an hour. “Damned decent of him to give you a tour. Studying the place from satellite photographs is one thing, but seeing it firsthand, now that’s different.” The two men were hunched over a sheet of paper. Josh had sketched the rough map to accompany his verbal report.

  “I was stunned when he took me inside the warehouse.” He tapped a rectangle he’d drawn near the perimeter of the property. “It’s as if he were showing off, flexing his muscles. There were cartons piled to the rafters in there. And several stacks of pallets that appeared to be ready for shipping.” He unconsciously massaged the back of his neck. “He’s a cool customer, I’ll give him that. Driving around in a yellow Hummer. But I’m counting on his greed being greater than his caution. There’s no doubt that he’s been checking me out since our first contact last night. Even so, he still asked quite a few questions.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as the obvious one. Why I wanted to buy arms. He made a point of telling me that I don’t fit the profile of his usual customers.”

  Dirk shrugged. “He’s right about that. So what did you say?”

  “Fortunately I’d anticipated that question. I told him that everyone has a right to protect themselves and that I simply supply the means.”

  “You cold bastard.” Dirk grinned.

  “Thank you. The main thing is, I think he bought it. Now all we have to do is bring him down.”

  “I’ve been on to Colin.” Dirk fingered his watch as though looking into the future. “We’re good to go for five o’clock tomorrow morning. You’re sure that the warehouse is far enough away?”

  “No problem there. There’s a difference in elevation of about thirty meters, roughly a hundred feet between the residence and the warehouse.” Josh tapped the sketch with his pen. “The warehouse is tucked back against a massive rock outcropping that shields it from the house, plus it’s about two kilometers away. It’s a big estate.”

  “Good. I don’t give a rat’s ass about his property, as you Americans would say, but I do care about his family, and the household staff. I’ll get back to Colin right away when I go back to my hotel.” He paused. “How’s Olivia?”

  “She’s having lunch with Blazek’s daughter. That worked out exactly as we planned.”

  Dirk sensed the unspoken regret in Josh’s voice. “It was the only way.” He picked up the map and started to methodically rip it up.

  Josh stood up wearily. “I know.” In a rare moment of candor he spoke his thoughts. “When it starts to bother me, I think of Zach and all the others who’ve lost their lives because of scum like Blazek. Put into that context, Olivia’s feelings have to come second.” He patted the cell phone in his pocket. “I feel better having this. Talk to you later.”

  Chapter Eight

  Olivia organized her thoughts as she waited for the motor launch. First on her agenda was the need to bring Josh up to date. Then she would start making notes. She tossed around several ideas for the opening paragraph of the article. It wouldn’t be difficult to ‘hook’ the reader. But she would need to walk a fine line. The piece had to be believable without revealing the organization behind the mission. She made a mental note to ask Josh if she could interview the head of IATO.

  “Is Mr. Morgan back yet?” she asked the grinning Carlos as they pulled away from the pier.

  “No, Senorita. Senor Josh is not back yet.” The powerful motor cut into the water, leaving a broad wake. The ocean breeze was refreshing and she closed her eyes, turning her face up to the sun. Maybe Josh wouldn’t have to gamble tonight. A quiet night together would be welcome. She smiled to herself. Who knew where that might lead?

  She took a quick shower, dressed in a blouse and a pair of shorts and studied herself in the mirror. Something was missing. Ah, yes… the necklace. She felt grounded when she wore it; she wouldn’t trade it for all of the glittering jewels in Marbella. She found it in a drawer and slipped it around her neck.

  The yacht was quiet; a perfect time to work on her notes while she waited for Josh to return. Sitting cross-legged on the bed she started to type, but the diamond flashed, breaking her concentration. Every time she looked at it she was caught up in a tangle of emotions, and she didn’t need the distraction. She shoved it into the pocket of her shorts and continued typing. Thoughts, impressions, facts…all flowed rapidly and her fingers danced over the keyboard. Later on she would expand on these notes, but for now it was enough to record the details of her conversation with Eliska while they were fresh in her mind.

  A faint sound broke into her thoughts. She recognized it as the motor launch bumping against the side of the yacht. Josh was back! Her heart did a quick two-step and her fingers hung motionless above the keyboard. She listened for the sound of his voice, his laughter as he joked with the crew. There was nothing but the sound of something being dropped on the deck.

  Curiosity aroused, she listened more intently but could detect no voices. With a few quick commands, she saved her notes and moved the laptop onto the dressing table.

  The passageway was empty and she scampered up the stairs leading to the deck. A man stood with his back to her, bent over Carlos, who lay slumped on the deck.

  “What’s going on here?” Adrenalin pumped through her veins as she pushed the unfamiliar figure aside and knelt down beside Carlos. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a second crewmember lying on the deck. Blood oozed from a blow to his forehead, staining the spotless teak.

  Too angry to feel fear, she pushed herself upright. She had been in dangerous situations before, but the enemy had always been faceless, remote. This was different. Her mind raced as she tried to assess the situation. “All right. Who are you and what do you want?” she demanded. “The captain and the rest of the crew will be here momentarily, so I suggest you leave.” She looked down at Carlos, who moaned and then lay still. “This man needs first aid.”

  The man leered at her and her flesh crawled. “Forget it, lady.” His words were thickly accented.

  Footsteps sounded behind her. None too soon, she thought thankfully, and turned to greet her rescuer.

  A second man, dressed in dark clothes like the first, appeared on the deck. Long sideburns reached his chin, and his eyes were cold and hard. “She’s the one,” he said in a similar accent. “Get her into the boat.”

  His voice was cold and emotionless. The skin at the back of her neck crawled as the first wave of fear washed over her.

  “Now listen here,” she stammered. “You’re making some sort of a mistake.” She started to edge toward the railing. She could jump over a
nd swim for shore; it wasn’t that far.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” The first man grabbed her arm. “You’re coming with us.” His breath smelled of garlic. Olivia repressed a shudder of revulsion.

  She attempted to pull away and his grip tightened. With his other hand he reached out and grabbed her necklace, twisting it around his hand until it cut off her air supply. “Don’t even think about it,” he hissed. “You’re coming with us.”

  “Take it easy.” The second man intervened. “The Boss said no rough stuff.”

  Released from the powerful grip, Olivia sucked air into her lungs, and massaged her neck. Her fingers brushed the necklace, and for an instant she was back on the esplanade and Josh was looking at her with that tender look of approval. She glanced toward the shore, praying that he would show up and rescue her. But there was no sign of him. She drew herself up to her full height. She would need to keep her wits about her until he arrived.

  She didn’t hear the second man until he was right behind her. “I don’t want any trouble from her,” he said. A rough cloth was jammed over her nose the mouth. An acrid smell burned her throat and she struggled but was no match for the two men. She slipped into unconsciousness.

  * * *

  Josh looked across the sparkling expanse of water toward the yacht, then looked again at the unresponsive cell phone in his hand. Why weren’t they answering? He could see the motor launch bobbing peacefully at the bottom of the boarding stairs, so he knew that someone was on board. He re-checked the number and tried again, with the same results. Every instinct told him something was wrong.

  A sleek powerboat pulled up at the pier, disgorging a group of voluble Italians. As they laughingly made their way to the esplanade, he ran down the steps. “Could you take me out to the Xanadu?” he asked, slipping some money into the driver’s hand.

  The man shrugged and indicated that he should get on board. Within minutes he was climbing the stairs onto the yacht.

  He assessed the situation at a glance. Both crewmembers lay on the deck. Juan’s face and clothes were bloody but he moaned and tried to sit up, clutching his forehead. Josh helped him, relieved to find that the damage was not as bad as it looked at first. “Just sit still for a moment and we’ll get you patched up,” he said, keeping his voice calm. He knelt beside Carlos and gave him a gentle shake. The young man came to with a start and tried to scramble to his feet. He felt the back of his head, wincing as he fingered a large lump. “I’m sorry, Senor Josh. I didn’t see them come aboard.”