“Yeah. Why?”
“Neither your sister nor I have ours. Would you be willing to make a call for me?”
“Sure.”
I recited the number and when it started ringing she handed me the phone, on speaker. It rang several times before a very sleepy Helen answered. “Hello? This is Helen.”
“Helen. It’s Liam.”
“Liam? Why are you calling from this number?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in later. But, listen, I need a favor.”
“Sure. Anything. What can I do?”
“I need you to book a private plane to get us out of Nassau tonight. It’s an emergency.”
“Us?”
“Yeah, I made some new friends.” I looked at Jenny and winked. “The thing is, I don’t have my passport or ID.”
“Okay, I’ll arrange the flight and call customs and tell them what’s happened. You’re on the Known Traveler list, and I have a copy of your driver’s license scanned on file at the office. Come to think of it, I scanned your passport before you left on that trip to London last year, too. Do your friends have IDs and passports?”
“Yeah, they have theirs.”
“Okay, I’ll touch base with you shortly. Is this the number to reach you at?”
“Uh, Liam?” Jenny had her neck craned and was looking out the window of the car.
“Yes, this number is the one. Thanks Helen.”
“Liam. Look.”
I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the man from the cave in a car that was rapidly catching up to the Prius. There was another man with him that I also recognized as one of the men who was with Jenny when she was tied up.
Stepping on the gas, I made a quick right turn. It was so fast that we tilted in our seats and the back wheels squealed as I accelerated out of the turn.
Flooring the gas pedal, I opened up on a straightaway. At this point, I was trying to get as much distance between us and the Honda. It was an unlikely duo for a high speed car chase—a Prius and a Honda—but hey. It is what it is.
“Liam, they’re catching up!” Jenny was turned back watching the other driver.
“Who’d think a Honda could go so fast?”
We were approaching a busy intersection, and I had to slow down. “Come on, come on!” Why were there so many people on the road at this time of night?
The Honda was now directly behind us and suddenly Jenny screamed, “They have a gun! Julie lay down!”
In the rear view mirror, I could see the passenger leaning out the window aiming a gun at our car.
I had no choice but to accelerate through the intersection. Dammit, people, get out of the way.
Just like in the movies, people started screaming and running out of the way. We only had about two miles to go until we reached the airport.
As soon as we cleared the intersection, I floored it again. “We’re almost there. As soon as I stop the car, both of you get out the passenger side and run inside as fast as you can. Find a ladies room and get in there and hide. I’ll find you. Okay?”
“Okay.”
The airport was just ahead, and I could see the Honda catching up again. There weren’t very many cars out at 1:00 am, but there were enough that I didn’t want to risk a shootout at a crowded airport. I slowed down to the speed limit because of all of the police there, but wanted to get the women to safety as soon as possible.
“All right. I’m going to slow the car down for thirty seconds for you to get out. Okay. Ready?”
I pulled up to the curb of the departures terminal. “Go! I’ll meet you inside. There are restrooms in the food court when you go inside.”
Jenny and Julie both opened their car doors and ran inside to safety. Now I had to find somewhere to park Winston’s car and get into the airport myself.
In the mirror, I saw the Honda pull up to the curb, slow down a bit, as if to see if Jenny was inside, and then it sped up to follow me. Good, the girls were safe.
I figured the best thing to do would be to pull into the covered visitor parking lot and then make my way into the airport on foot. Since we weren’t flying commercial, it didn’t matter how long it took me to get inside, I just needed to make sure that I lost the two men that were following me.
Making a quick turn into the parking lot, I grabbed the first spot I saw. As luck would have it, I was parked right next to another black Prius.
Opening the door and grabbing the key, I bolted and ran behind a cement pylon. Laying flat against the wall, I peered around the pylon and saw the Honda come in the lot and slowly start circling.
Darting from one shadow to another, I slowly made my way to the entrance of the parking structure.
As I saw the red tail lights of the Honda brighten, and then the reverse lights come on, the car started backing up.
Run for it, Liam!
I took off running as one of the men jumped out of the car and started pursuing me on foot. I easily outpaced the guy, and by the time I got across the street to the entrance of the airport, I could see the man slow down and stop running.
I didn’t stop until I was safely inside the terminal. I saw the Honda drive slowly by, looking inside, and then it sped off. I’d made it!
Catching my breath as I walked up to the food court restrooms, I knocked on the door of the ladies room and then opened it. “Jenny?”
“Liam?”
“It’s safe to come out now. They’re gone.”
Jenny and Julie came out of the restroom and Jenny ran into my arms. “Thank you so much for getting us here safely.”
Kissing her, I said, “Let’s get back to the United States.”
Chapter Thirty Three Jenny: Life is an Adventure
“Are you Liam?” The pilot approached the three of us as we waited in the area where private flights took off.
“Yes, Richard?” The men shook hands. “Thank you for agreeing to fly us on such short notice.”
“Well, Helen is a dear friend of mine, so it was no problem. I’ve been living in Miami since 2015, and love flying. So, when she called, it wasn’t a problem at all.”
“We really appreciate it. This is my girlfriend Jenny and her sister Julie.”
Julie raised her eyebrows and looked at me in surprise, and I just shrugged my shoulders as if to say, “This is the first I’ve heard of this.”
The pilot shook our hands. “My plane is this way.”
We were three tired Americans walking across the tarmac to board the tiny twin engine plane. “Was it hard to get clearance for an international flight like this on such short notice?”
“Not when you know the right people.” Richard chuckled. Slowing down so that Julie could catch up with him, he asked her, “Where do you live? Miami?”
“No, I’m in Seattle. I’ve thought about living in Florida though. And after seeing how gorgeous Paradise Island is, I’m going to think about it more seriously.”
“You are?” I was surprised to hear this.
“Yeah, why not? Life’s an adventure, right?”
The plane had four seats, two in the front and two in the back. Richard said to Julie, “Would you like to ride in the co-pilot’s seat?”
“Sure!”
Liam and I smiled at each other. There appeared to be a chemistry thing going on between Richard and Julie.
As Richard prepared for takeoff, Liam asked Julie if he could use her phone.
Pressing some numbers on the phone, Liam said, “Yes, can you connect me with the bar?”
I frowned at him curiously.
“Jimmy, my man. It’s Liam Kelley. I need a favor. Winston’s car is parked in Visitor Parking at the Nassau Airport. Can you help him get it? I’ll wire you the parking fee, plus a huge tip to say thank you.”
I leaned over and whispered, “Tell him he can have my helicopter ride. The tickets are in my suite.”
Liam conveyed the message and I could hear Jimmy on the other end of the line, expressing gratitude.
“Thanks, man. I appr
eciate it. Yes, we’ll come back soon.” Liam ended the call and handed the phone back to Julie.
The engines of the plane revved up and Richard turned around and handed a manila envelope to Liam. “Helen told me to give these to you. They’re your passport and photo ID information. We cleared everything with customs already, but they are for your use when you’re in Miami. She made reservations for you at a local hotel, too. The address is inside the envelope.”
“Oh wow. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank Helen. She’s a really amazing woman. Almost like a second mother to me, really.”
Richard put his headphones on and I could see Julie looking out the window excitedly. It was almost 4:00 am now, and maybe if we were lucky we might see the sun rise in the distance as we made the short flight from Nassau to Miami.
***
Although the engine was pretty loud, it was still comfortable to talk. Richard took off his headphones for a while and he and Julie chatted amiably.
I looked at Liam and smiled. “So. I’m your girlfriend, am I?”
“I hope maybe more someday, honestly.” Liam looked at me and took my hand.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. This whole near death experience has taught me something. Life is too short not to live it. I mean, sure, I could spend the rest of my life buried at the bottom of a martini glass, never feeling anything again. But why? Life is about living, Jenny. I never thought I would meet someone again who makes me feel the way you do. I’m tired of being in pain. I want to be happy again.”
I looked at Liam with such affection. He was so brave. Anyone who had gone through what Liam had, had every right to be devastated. But here he was, coming alive again, right before my eyes. Frankly, if he could do it, so could I.
“Me, too, Liam. I want to be happy again. I want US to be happy again. But we don’t exactly live close to each other. Would you want a long distance relationship?”
“Not particularly. Skype sex is not my thing.”
“Well, if you got an iPhone like the rest of the world we could use Facetime...”
Liam laughed. “Uh, no thank you. Would you ever consider giving up your job and leaving Seattle? I don’t think I could leave my firm and all my junior architects in Chicago.”
I looked at him sheepishly. “Yeah. About that. I actually quit my job the week before coming on this trip. Your girlfriend is broke.”
“You quit your job? Why?”
“It’s a long story, but they told me to take time off to get over the death of my mother and then when I spent $5000 of my savings on this trip they told me to cancel it because a client wanted me to work on his project.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Yeah, well, it was kind of a blessing in disguise. I haven’t been happy in advertising for a while now. When I was on that bike ride I was thinking about going back to photography.”
“What kind? Like landscape? Portraits?”
“Honestly? Architecture. It would be a dream to be on staff for something like Architectural Digest.”
“Hey! You know a guy who has an architectural firm in Chicago! Maybe you could convince him to hire you to take photos of his properties for advertising.”
“You think I could convince him? How can I prove to him that I’m talented?”
“Oh, I can think of a few ways...”
***
Mother Nature didn’t disappoint. Just as we were approaching Miami, the sun started to peek out over the horizon. The clouds started out a deep purple/pink and then transformed to gold right before our eyes.
I swore I could sense my mother with us as we soared among the golden clouds. Looking at Liam’s profile as he looked down at the blue ocean, my heart warmed. The trip had been a strange one, but we’d accomplished what we intended. Julie and I had gotten away and gotten over our mother’s death. I was ready to find a new career and build a life with Liam, and Julie was ready to deal with life with sober clarity. Who knows, she might even end up with Richard the Pilot!
As the plane started to descend, Liam reached out and grabbed my hand. Julie had been right earlier. Life was definitely an adventure.
Epilogue
One Year Later. Washington DC
Jenny
“Will you take a seat please?” The bailiff was an older man who clearly wasn’t expecting any violent outbursts in court. He seemed to be an almost-retired officer who’d been given the job more out of respect than due to his ninja police skills.
In fact, it wasn’t even a full courtroom. We were being deposed in a small room next to one of the main courtrooms. This didn’t really surprise me because we were simply giving witness testimony before the actual trial took place.
Liam had contacted the FBI when we landed in Miami last year, who’d connected us with someone in the DEA’s office. We had all been interviewed, and our information had actually led to Simon Dooley, the General Manager of the retreat, being arrested. He’d made a plea deal in exchange for the names of the men who’d been paying him off to use the property to store their drugs. Napur Priyanka testified under oath that she’d known nothing about any of this. She was so busy with her television show and books and appearances that she rarely went to the retreat. When she did, it was for publicity, and she was usually in and out in a day.
Today’s deposition was part of an international effort to find drugs that were being brought into the US by “tourists.” People would stay at the retreat, under false names pretending to be tourists. They would then transport drugs back to the US, using various means. Simon was making a lot of money for his part.
Needless to say, our eyewitness testimony was instrumental in the case.
Despite the fact that it wasn’t a courtroom trial, the formality of it all made me nervous. It was way different than when we’d been interviewed in Miami. This was metal detectors and security pat downs and swearing with your right hand up that you’ll tell the truth under penalty of law. I had nothing to lie about, but the whole experience was pretty intimidating.
We all took seats in a dark wood-paneled room with a long conference table. At one end was a court reporter and at the other end was a Judge, wearing a black robe. Next to her was an investigator.
“You have all been sworn in, is that correct?” the Judge asked.
“Yes,”
The investigator asked, “Could you all state your names for the court, please?”
“Liam Kelley.”
“Jenny Wilson.”
“Julie Wilson.”
“All right. You are all under oath and are testifying as to what you observed when you were on holiday on Paradise Island last year. You understand that your testimony here today is part of a DEA investigation of an international drug smuggling ring and will be used for the purposes of identifying members of the drug cartel known as The Big Fishes.”
We all nodded and said, “Yes.”
“You also are aware that if you desire protection in exchange for your testimony today, it is available to you. You have chosen to forego Federal Witness Protection at this time, correct?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Then, let us begin.”
For the next hour, we recounted our time on Paradise Island. We described the location of the caves, the crates with the drugs, and the events surrounding our kidnapping. We told of our narrow escape and how we had to return to the US leaving most of our possessions behind.
“Did you at any point receive your things back?”
Liam answered. “Yes. A hotel employee shipped our things back to us.”
The woman looked at her paperwork. “This was the man Winston Kapur you listed in your written deposition.”
“That is correct.”
“You testified that the property manager Simon Dooley was observed receiving a bribe from one of the men who kidnapped you, is that correct Ms. Wilson?”
“I can’t be sure what was in the envelope, but I did see something pass between
the two men.”
“And it was the same man who later kidnapped you.”
“That is correct.”
“Alright.” the Judge closed the folder. “Is there anything else you would like to state for the record?”
We looked at each other, and shook our heads.
“No. I think that’s it. I hope you are able to bring down the drug cartel. They are some scary dudes.”
The Judge stood up, and said, “They are indeed. We’ll be in touch if we have any additional questions for you. Be careful.”
After she walked out of the room, everyone else stood up.
“What time is it?” Julie asked.
“It’s time to get going. We have someplace to be!”
***
Liam
I had splurged on a limo, and it was waiting outside the steps of the courthouse when we came out. The three of us walked out the glass doors and down a long bank of steps. The driver was standing outside of the car, wearing a blue suit and matching hat. “Good to see you again, sir. I trust everything went well?”
“It did, Tony, thank you.”
We slid in the backseat, and as Tony closed the door, he leaned in and said, “Sounds to me like it’s cocktail time. There’s a full bar in that cabinet right there.”
Tony got in the driver’s seat and slowly began to pull away from the courthouse.
“Cocktail time sounds perfect to me,” Jenny said. “Do they have champagne?”
“They do.” I popped open a split of Cristal and poured it into two glasses, and handed one to each woman. “Hold on to this for one moment while I make a martini. I’m not much of a champagne guy.”
I made a vodka martini and poured it into a glass, plopping two olives inside of it.
I ceremoniously held my glass in the air to toast and Jenny and Julie followed with their glasses.
“Here’s to the end of the experience that brought us together, and to the beginning of the rest of the experiences we will share as family.”
We clinked our glasses together in toast. “To our health.”
***
About 45 minutes later, Tony pulled the limo down a wide, tree-lined street that led up to the National Arboretum. “Oh, Liam, this is beautiful.”
Provocative Paradise: A Secret Stranger Romance Page 15