by Mark Stone
A flash of anger ran through. “You really are asking for it, my man,” I said. My hands balled into fists at my sides.
“The only thing I’m asking for is cooperation,” he said. “You speak about us working together as though your ‘work’ is anything more than holding hands, smiling at all the right moments, and telling a story over and over again that probably shouldn’t have gotten as much press as it did in the first place. Rest assured, you and I won’t have much in the way of interaction after this.”
“I’ll try to hide my disappointment as best I can,” I murmured.
“I came here to introduce you to Maxwell and Irma,” Oliver said, motioning to the people at either side of him.
“I don’t see why I should need to be introduced to your security detail,” I answered, scoffing at the man.
“That’s just it, Mr. Lucky,” Oliver said, his lips pursing together. “I told you I wanted transparency. So, here it is. This security detail isn’t for me. It’s for the two of you.”
I opened my mouth to tell the guy we didn’t need a security detail, but he threw up a finger and kept talking.
“I’m ashamed to say that something may have slipped past the cracks on the Diamond Mine this time,” Oliver said, looking at the floral carpeted floor. “And as a result, you and Ms. York are in grave danger.”
14
“Tell me everything you know,” I said, staring at Oliver from the couch of my continental suite. The balding puke of a man was right. The continental suite was really something. Three separate rooms that included a spacious living area complete with a mini-bar, a bedroom with a walk-in closet, and a bathroom that was every bit as big as the one I had at home, this place was definitely stellar. Hell, it even had a balcony. Not that I really had the time or inclination to appreciate any of that, not with Oliver telling me that Charlotte and I were in grave danger.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Mr. Lucky,” Oliver said, his voice showing none of the frantic concern that seemed to be bopping around in my chest at the moment.
“The hell you can’t!” I balked. “We just embarked, buddy! I felt the damn ship leave the harbor. That means we’re out to sea. You can’t just wait until we’re out to sea to tell me that my friend and I are in ‘grave danger’, as you put it, and then refuse to give me any details.”
“I can and I will, Mr. Lucky,” Oliver said. “You are, as you put it, out to see, and you are aboard this vessel, my vessel. That’s makes your safety my concern, but it doesn’t make our methods your concern, sir.”
“You’re joking, right?” I asked, leering at the man. “You expect me to sit back and shut my mouth while you take care of everything? That’s the kind of person you think I am?”
“I never gave much thought to what kind of person you are. As such, I don’t think you’re anything. What I know is that in all the years this ship has been on the sea, we have never lost an occupant to foul play. Yes, there have been illnesses and injuries. Those are unfortunate realities of this sort of life. Even my dearest wife, Diane, fell prey to one of those illnesses aboard this ship a few years ago. I lost her in the room right next to this one, in fact.”
“In my room?” Charlotte balked, her eyes wide.
“In that very bed, unfortunately,” Oliver confirmed.
“I’m sleeping with you,” Charlotte muttered, brushing her arm against mine.
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I answered.
“The point is, there have been instances like this before, plans, plots, and unforeseen situations that have made the trip perilous for one occupant or another. We’ve never lost one, though, not ever.”
“And what is this, exactly? What made you think Charlotte and I were in trouble in the first place?” I asked, looking from Oliver to the burly, and up until now, silent, man and woman still standing on either side of him. It was weird. Oliver had asked us to all step into my room to discuss the situation further, and Maxwell and Irma just assumed the positions again as soon as we settled in. It was like they were in the Army, following instructions until they were given new orders. Come to think of it, that may very well have been what was going on. Maxwell and Irma certainly had the look of soldiers, and I recognized their stances as pretty official.
“We’ve received some intel about a possible stowaway who might have managed to get onboard shortly before we set sail,” Oliver answered.
“Okay,” I said, standing and throwing my hands out. “So, somebody tried to sneak onboard one of the snazziest and most exclusive ships in the entire world. You can’t really be surprised about that. What’s more, there’s nothing to connect the possible stowaway with Charlotte and me. I mean, sure, we’re late additions and the stowaway just got onboard, but that’s kinda when that sort of thing happens with stowaways. It’s not like they can sneak onboard months before the ship takes off or anything.”
“The stowaway might have gotten onboard using your newly produced credentials, and there’s certainly been an attempted entry into your suite,” Oliver said.
“Into what suite?” I asked, my eyebrows raising. “This one? The one we’re standing in right now?”
“Don’t worry,” Oliver said. “The area was swept before you were given your keys. It’s all quite safe.”
“You just told me you couldn’t stop a stowaway from getting on your fancy ass ship. Why would I believe you would be able to stop the same person from planting a bomb in my room?” I shouted.
Immediately, I saw Maxwell and Irma start toward me. Oliver lifted his hand in order to stop them, which they did.
“I don’t think it’s a smart idea to say the word ‘bomb’ on a boat, John,” Charlotte muttered from beside me.
“And I don’t think it’s a smart idea to stay here,” I answered. “I don’t need your henchmen, Oliver. Neither one of us does, but what we do want is a different room. It doesn’t have to be a huge suite or anything special at all. What it does have to be is discrete and somewhere I can be sure some lunatic hasn’t planted a booby trap for me.”
‘It certainly can be a huge suite, though. We’re not opposed to it or anything,” Charlotte added.
“Perhaps the two of you didn’t hear me when I explained just how sought after a cabin on this ship is,” Oliver stated, shaking his head like I’d just asked him to singlehandedly dry out the Gulf or something. “There are no suites left. There are no regular cabins left. There is nothing left. A duchess and her reality star boyfriend had to be kicked out just to accommodate the two of you.” Oliver rolled his eyes. “Not that I’ll be shedding any tears for them anytime soon.”
“So you expect me and Charlotte to stay in a pair of rooms that may very well have been tampered with?” I asked, my jaw tightening and my glare steeling over.
“I don’t expect you to do anything, sir,” Oliver said. “For all I care, you’re welcome to take one of the lifeboats back to shore, and if you’re feeling that ill at ease over the way we conduct our security, maybe you and your friend should do just that.” Oliver looked over at Charlotte with the kind of judgment in his eyes that I hadn’t seen since Sister Mary Catherine assured me I was going to hell for spray painting something inappropriate (but true) about Sally Markings on the wall of the gym back in high school. “Whatever you decide, do be sure you let us know. The housekeepers do hate to be handed rooms as spacious as these to deal with, and I think they’d be happy to have the rest.”
“We’re here because we’re celebrities,” I answered.
“Barely,” Oliver said. “Besides, we have actual poker stars here now, people like Archer and Shades.”
“Those sound like the names children give themselves to sound cool. Shades?”
“Shades is the hottest thing to hit the poker circuit in twenty years,” Oliver scoffed. “He’s practically the prince of the profession at this point, and his fanfare will be a lot bigger and lot more well-deserved than yours, I assure you.”
I took a deep breath. I knew I could
n’t hop on a lifeboat and haul ass off this boat. I had a job to do. I had a computer program to snatch and government secrets to save. Turning tail and running at the first setback wasn’t going to help anything. More than that, it wasn’t something I had ever done before. If I had hightailed it from the Middle East the first time someone shot at me, I’d have been court martialed. If I’d have turned away from Alexis when I got assaulted by that man in the mask at her party, her son might very well be dead right now. I couldn’t do that. It wasn’t in me. I didn’t have a choice. I was going to have to stay. But that didn’t mean both of us had to.
“Grab your bag,” I said, looking over at Charlotte. “You should go.”
“What?” Charlotte asked, her eyes widening at me. “What are you talking about?”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the spacious bathroom. Closing the door, I whispered to her, “I needed you to get on the ship. I’m already here. They’re not going to throw me off just because you decide to leave, and there’s no reason for you to put yourself in danger when you don’t have to.”
“Are you serious?” Charlotte asked, pulling her hand out of mine. “You really think the only reason I’m here is to make sure you could get onboard?”
I blinked hard, confused about her confusion. “I mean, yeah. Isn’t that what Wendy said?”
“It’s not what she said to me,” Charlotte answered. “That was part of it, sure, but we’re also a team.”
“Are we?” I asked, surprised that she wasn’t taking the opportunity to run from what was most probably a dangerous situation.
“Of course, we are,” she answered. “We have been since the start. Remember how we stopped that robbery?”
“I mean, we is a generous term for that, but I understand what you mean, and this is different. That guy with the gun—the water gun—back at the truck stop was straightforward. I knew what to do with him, how to handle it. This isn’t nearly as cut and dry, and I’m not sure that you need to be here, honestly. You’d be better off—”
“How about you stop telling me how I’d be better off?” Charlotte said, throwing her hand in my face. “You think you’re the only person here who wants to help? You think you’re the only person who can? You’re not. I’m staying here.” She shook her head. “The only difference is, now I’m not staying in your room.”
She turned from me, pushed open the door, and walked out in a huff.
“Well,” I muttered, watching her go, “that went well.”
15
“You really don’t need to follow me, dude,” I said, looking back at Maxwell and shaking my head. In the hour or so since Charlotte stormed out of my room and I informed Oliver that, given the fact that she wasn’t going to leave (and the secret fact that I couldn’t leave), we would be staying on the Diamond Mine for the duration of the trip, Maxwell had somehow morphed from burly man to ever-present shadow being. I mean, this guy followed me everywhere. I was afraid he’d follow me to the bathroom if the whole thing wouldn’t have just been too weird.
The whole thing was really starting to piss me off, too. Not only did I not like the idea of some guy I didn’t know tagging along behind me for the next three days, but having him here like this was really going to put a damper on what it was I was trying to do. I needed space and a bit of privacy in order to scope this place out. I needed to be able to interact with people in a certain way, and if it came down to it, I needed to be able to get my hands dirty in order to do what needed to be done. How was I gonna do that with Neanderthal No Neck so close to me at every turn that if I were ever to slow down, he’d careen into the back of me like an out of control eighteen-wheeler?
“I’m afraid that’s not protocol, Mr. Lucky,” Maxwell said, so close to me that I could practically feel his breath on the back of my neck.
We moved through the Diamond Mine like a well-oiled and reluctant machine. I had to admit that, whatever his training, Maxwell excelled at his job. I doubted there was any turn I could make, any speed I could walk, or any corner I could duck into where Maxwell wouldn’t be able to keep up. That was going to make things difficult. So, with that in mind, I’d have to try and appeal to a different side of things.
“Protocol is for people who are saving lives or getting paid,” I answered, practically scoffing as I stepped into the second-floor casino, bright lights blinding me as I took in the smell of cigars, bourbon, and mistakes. “History will tell you that I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, and I doubt you’re being paid even half of what you’re worth. So, how about you grab yourself a drink and play the slots? Hell, it’ll be my treat.”
The casino, a sprawling place that took up at least half of the second floor, was called the Tar Pit. I wasn’t sure whether that name was supposed to be in keeping with the ‘Diamond Mine’ schtick, but the theming of the place wasn’t anything special. With red-flowered carpet, scantily-clad girls walking by with drinks on trays, and enough machines to ensure that even your grandchildren wouldn’t be able to go to college, this place looked like any run of the mill Vegas joint. Still, it was packed to the rafters, and most of the people here didn’t give me a second look, let alone seem to give a damn about who I was. That, of course, begged the question of who would be so obsessed with me and Charlotte that they would sneak onto a boat just because we happened to be there.
“My level of compensation isn’t your concern, Mr. Lucky,” Maxwell said as I plucked two drinks, scotch on the rocks, from one of the pretty girls as she walked by with a tray of them.
“Thanks, sweetie,” I said, winking at her as she passed.
Pulling to a stop, I turned and offered Maxwell one of the drinks. He didn’t accept, so I downed both of them quickly. I might have needed to be on my toes, but I was also surrounded by fun. It would be sinful not to participate. Besides, I wasn’t some teenager. It would take more than two watered-down scotches to get me out of sorts.
“Come on, my guy,” I said, giving Maxwell a pat on the shoulder. “It’s not that I mind having you here with me, but if you’re gonna tag along, you’re gonna have to loosen up a little. I can’t have you walking behind me using phrases like ‘level of compensation’. You’re not in a courtroom, bud. You’re on the most fun cruise ship in the world. If you forget, ask your boss, Oliver. He seems more than happy to remind anyone of that anytime the opportunity comes up.”
Maxwell did not seem amused. His hands remained clasped together in front of his waist, which made for a really weird-looking strut, if I do say so myself.
“This might not be a courtroom, Mr. Lucky, but this is my work. I have to take it seriously,” Maxwell answered.
“This isn’t your work,” I said, shrugging as I looked him over. Everything about him reminded me of the countless men I’d seen in the force. He was an Army guy. I’d bet my right hand on it. “This might be your gig, but we both know that following around behind some idiot isn’t what you were born to do. It isn’t your calling.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “How long did you serve?”
He blinked at me, his features dropping, but just for a second. I knew that look too. Hell, I wore it on more than one occasion. It was the look worn by men and women who had seen more than they should have, who had changed themselves so drastically in order to survive things worse than nightmares and then had to pretend they didn’t. They had to smoosh themselves back into boxes they’d once fit in, into lives they’d once flourished in. And more than that, they had to make it look easy. They had to make it look like a happy occasion. Otherwise, it would put the people they loved through hell, and if that happened, then what was the point of any of it in the first place?
“Five and a half years,” he answered while clearing his throat. “Long enough to catch a bullet in my leg.”
“That’s rough,” I said, eyeing the man up and down again and realizing that I had no idea which leg the bullet would have gone through. His gait was perfect and unaffected. “Didn’t notice a limp, though.”
&nbs
p; “If you’d have caught me a year and a half ago, you might have,” Maxwell answered. “Physical therapy.” He shrugged.
“I heard that can be a bitch,” I muttered, shaking my head thoughtfully.
“It was,” he said. “But what isn’t in one way or another?”
I looked up at the man, smirking just a little. “I really wish you weren’t my bodyguard or whatever, Maxwell,” I said.
“You don’t have to worry, Mr. Lucky,” he said, suddenly stiffening up. “I can promise you, I’m at one hundred percent. What happened in the past isn’t going to stop me from doing my job in the present.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said, chuckling. “In fact, I have no doubt that you could keep me safe if you needed to. Which, of course, you don’t, seeing as I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. I just meant that under different circumstances, we’d probably be buddies.”
“I don’t doubt that,” Maxwell said, his hands still unmoving. “But circumstances aren’t different.”
“No,” I said, sighing and turning back to the casino. “I guess they aren’t.”
As I turned, I heard a ruckus at the far end of the room. Picking my pace up, I walked toward it. Never let it be said that John Lucky saw a good time on the horizon and didn’t go chasing it. And there was a big enough crowd around a table pushed almost completely against the far wall that it had to be a hell of a time, indeed.
“What the hell is going on over there?” I asked, instinctively making my way toward the crowd of people and the good time they all seemed to be having. “High roller?”
“I guess you could say that,” Maxwell said, his voice loud enough to let me know he was following me as closely as ever. “That’s Shades. He’s kind of a big deal around these parts.”
“So I’ve heard,” I answered, remembering what Oliver had told me just a few minutes earlier. Apparently, Shades, whoever the hell that was, was the hottest thing to hit poker since the advent of colored chips. Still, I had no idea why that might be. “What makes the guy so popular, anyway?”