1 3 7 – ZOË (33 page)

“Why?” I demanded.

“Charles White is in Tahiti.”

This
had to be a joke.  “What?!”

“Airport security cameras captured your image.  A man like White can get access to anything.”  He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled in frustration.  “Damn it.  We should have worn disguises…I didn’t even think of it.  Forgive me, Zoë.”

I stood up.  “It’s not your fault, Lance.  I didn’t think of it either.  Neither did Brady for that matter.”

Our waiter came rushing towards us.  Lance gripped my wrist and pulled me away from the table as he apologized to the waiter.  We left the restaurant and headed in the direction of our bungalow.  By now the moon was up and it was dark.  Nobody was on the dock or walkways. 

Lance paused mid-step.  “Did you hear that?” he asked in a barely audible whisper.

“Hear what?”

And then I heard it- the
far off sounds of men talking.  We tiptoed along the wall of the main building and hid behind the vegetation and palm trees.  The moon afforded us enough light to clearly see the outlines of the bungalows. 

Lance motioned for me to stand behind him.  I watched as he slow
ly reached for the gun in his holster and crouched low to the ground.  I did the same.  We waited until the source of the whispers manifested themselves.  Two men dressed in black walked towards the main dock.  They were coming from the direction of our bungalow.  One of them had his wrist-phone up to his mouth and was speaking quietly.  Their heads were turning left and right as if they were seeking something.  They walked the length of the dock quickly and turned in the direction of the restaurant.

“They’re looking for us,” Lance said.  “Wait right
here.  I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Where are you going?” I asked, panicked.

He placed the loaded gun in my hand.  “To get my rifle and assess the damage.  Don’t move.”

Before I could prot
est, Lance ran into the night.  I kept my eyes on the two men and prayed for them not to turn back.  They went inside the main lobby and I could see them through the glass doors.  They exited a moment later and continued walking towards the restaurant, stopping to check the spa on the way.  I looked over my shoulder towards the bungalow.

Hurry up, Lance!

The men reached the restaurant and searched the inside before looking around on the terrace.  They stopped to ask the hostess standing at the podium a question before retracing their steps.  As they walked back towards where I hid, I noticed that both men were young and lean. 

Lance crept beside me with the sleek and deadly rifle in his hand.
  It was a wicked looking thing; lightweight and easy to use with some kind of foolproof aiming technology (the technical name escapes me since I was never one for weapons).  He gripped my shoulder and pushed me forward.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

“Following them,” he whispered.  “It’s not safe to stay here.  Our bungalow has been ransacked and they took our real passports.”

“Damn it, I forgot to lock them in the safe!  Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“This isn’t your fault.”

He led me along
the side of the building and instructed me to wait there while he followed the two men up the lane.  I jumped a moment later when I heard the sound of two shots being fired.  Lance came jogging down the lane and waved for me to follow him.  My legs refused to move at first, but I forced them to do my bidding.  I froze when I saw the bodies of the two men slumped over one another on the ground.  Lance’s face was hard and his steely gaze frightened me.

Realizing this, he came forward and put an arm around me.  “One of them pulled a gun on me,” he explained.

I looked down and saw the dead man gripping a gun.  Lance led me away from the scene to a small dark blue car parked off the side of the road and semi-hidden in the vegetation. 

“We don’t have keys,” I pointed out.

Lance waved a set of keys.  “This was in one of the men’s pockets.  I hope it belongs to this car.”

Luckily, the key made the engine spring to life.  As
we were heading back to the airport Brady called. 

“I just killed two of White’s men.  They ransacked our place and stole our
real passports,” Lance said, keeping one hand on the steering wheel as he held his wrist-phone close to his face.

“Is Zoë okay?” Brady asked.  

Lance stole a glance at me.  “She’s okay, just shaken up a bit.  How the hell are we going to get out of here without passports?”

“
We have an agent there.  Let me make a few calls and I’ll get back to you.”

Brady hung
up.  I felt the sting of tears and wiped my eyes quickly.  

Lance gripped my hand and gav
e it a squeeze.  “Don’t cry, sweetheart.”

“Those men could have killed you.”

He continued to look straight ahead.  “You underestimate me.”

We rode in silence for several minutes until Brady called again.

“Our agent goes by the name Francine; Caucasian, five-one, short blonde hair, brown eyes.  She’ll be wearing jeans and yellow tee-shirt.  She’s on her way to the airport to meet you right now,” Brady said.

“What can she do to help us?” Lance demanded.

“Just meet her there.  She’ll get you on the next flight out of Tahiti.”

Brady hung up and I marveled at the power the CIA possessed to pull strings all over the world.  We arrived at the airport and a woman fitting Brady’s description was standing out front waiting to meet us. 

“Francine?” Lance asked after getting out of the driver’s seat.

“
Oui
,” the petite blonde replied in a French accent.  “Follow me.”

I scrambled out of the car and took hold of Lance’s hand as we followed the woman into the airport.  She led us to security and told us to wait as she spoke to one of the guards.  The tall man in uniform nodded to Francine before looking at us and motioning for us to come forward.  He then escorted us to a small room where we were told to sit and wait.  He closed the door and left us inside.

Francine said nothing to us as she watched the door.  When it opened again, a middle-aged man in an official uniform came into the room.  Francine spoke in quick French, but we understood.  We both stood up at once.  Francine looked at us and frowned.  She reached down to pull a weapon hidden in the leg of her jeans, but she wasn’t fast enough.  Lance already had his gun aimed at her head.

“Get her weapon,” he said to me.  “Make one move and I’ll shoot,” he added.  He looked to the man.  “Same goes for you.”

I moved to where Francine stood and raised the pant leg of her jeans.  Strapped to her lower calf was a small gun.  I removed it and went to stand beside Lance.

“Does Brady know you’re a double spy?” Lance demanded.

Francine shrugged.  “Who isn’t?”

Lance raised my hand so that the
gun I held pointed at Francine while he aimed his gun at the man.  “We’re taking both of you hostage on the next flight out of here.”

The man finally spoke.  “That will not be possible, Mr. Adams.”  Lance tried to hide his surprise at the man knowing his true identity.  “Don’t be shocked.  We knew you and Ms. Adams were coming to Tahiti the moment you boarded the plane in D.C.,” he said flatly.

Lance glared at Francine.  “Let me guess…you work for Charles White.”

“I work for the highest bidder and yes, at the moment Mr. White fits that description,” she replied.

“Well, I must admit that I’m impressed,” Lance said sarcastically.  “The man is a mastermind at playing chase.”

“
You bet!”

All eyes turned toward the booming voice just outside the do
orway.  One second later a corpulent man of average height in a light blue linen suit and classic white Panama hat appeared in the doorway.  He was glistening with sweat and held a pale green handkerchief to his brow as he struggled to catch his breath. He removed his hat and his bald head shone under the fluorescent lights.  His fair skin was flushed and bore a shade akin to that of a baby piglet.

“You’re a clever little lady, Zoë Adams, but not clever enough
for me,” the man said in a southern twang while his beady dark eyes lit up in amusement.

“Charles White
, I presume?” I asked, amazed that this harmless-looking man was the same one we were running from.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied enthusiastically.

I looked to Lance, who appeared just as surprised as I was.

“What do you want
from me?” I demanded, cutting to the chase.

He smiled lecherously and looked at me in a way that made my skin crawl.  “Awww, you know what I’m after. 
Purty
lady like you doesn’t have to play games with good ol’ Charlie.  You treat me nice, an’ I’ll treat you nicer.  I’m a southern gentleman above all else.”  He looked over to Francine and winked.  “Thanks, sugar.  Come see me tomorrow.”

“O
ui, monsieur.”

Looking over his shoulder, White said, “Boys?”

Three young men in black came into the room, each one with an automatic weapon aimed at us.  Lance and I were forced to lower our guns.

Francine smiled and waved at us.  “
Au revoir
,” she said cheerfully before leaving the room.

The man in uniform nodded to White before taking his leave.

“Please have a seat,” White said to both of us.  We obeyed and he continued, “By now I’m sure that you’ve been made aware of the new shift in power at ALTSYS.”  He looked at me and waited until I acknowledged what he said with a nod. “I must admit, Mrs. Adams, I’m not too happy about that change.  Being the gentleman that I am, I would prefer to deal with your husband.”

“Michael is no longer my husband,” I pointed out.
  “I am now
Ms
. Adams.”

“I know, but still…I would rather deal with this man to man.”

“Then deal with me,” Lance said. 

White appeared annoyed.  “This
matter is between me and the lady, here.”

“Leave her out of i
t.  What is it you want?  We don’t care about the deal with UAN,” Lance blurted.

White lifted his finger and one of the men came over and punched Lance in the face.

“No!” I cried, reaching out to put myself between Lance and the aggressor.

Lance massaged his jaw and shook his head.  He held up his hand to let me know he was okay.

“That was just a warning, Mr. Adams.  Oh, and consider it well deserved for killing two of my men,” White said icily.

“It was in self-defense,” I hissed.  “They ransacked our bungalow, stole our passports and then pulled a gun on him!”

“Well, they knew the job involved a certain amount of danger,” White retorted.  “But that’s beside the point.  What I want from you,
Ms
. Adams, is an annulment of the UAN deal.”

I threw my hands up.  “Fine!”

White looked at me in disbelief and it made me wonder why.  Did he assume that Michael and I were working together?  Perhaps he imagined my greed and lust for power to be as great as that of my ex-husband.

“Just like that?” he asked, looking at me with suspicion.  

I raised my eyebrows and stared at him wide-eyed.  “Yes,
just like that
.”

He stared at me for a long moment and then motioned for his men to lower their weapons.  The men stood at ease with
their guns at their sides.  “Ms. Adams, did your husband inform you of his decision to make you the principle shareholder of ALTSYS?”

I folded my hands in my lap and looked at him squarely.  “No, he did not.”  He looked at me expectantly and I added, “Michael Adams did whatever the hell he wanted whenever the hell he wanted with whomever the hell he wanted without ever giving me any satisfaction.  And he never-
ever
- discussed business with me.  And to be perfectly honest with you, Mr. White, I knew better than to ask questions.”

White rubbed his chin as he regarded me thoughtfully.  Finally, he said, “I believe you.”

“Thank you,” I said primly.

“I don’t tell my wife anything
, either.  Better that way.  Women can muddle the minds of men; they have the power to make us feel guilt and shame,” he admitted candidly.  “Mrs. White has an unlimited shopping budget and that keeps her happy and out of my affairs.”

“Then you know how exactly how my marriage worked,” I said quietly.

“Yes, I do, Ms. Adams.  So you will see to it that the UAN deal does not go through?”

“Yes, sir. 
Tell me what to do and I’ll do it, as long as you leave Lance and I alone afterward and let us live our lives in peace.”

White nodded. 
“I think we can arrange that,” he said.

“Mr. White, a man of your position and power doesn’t have to
think
about the possibility of doing anything; he just
does
.  I was married to a man like you, so I know how it works.”  I paused in order for my words to sink in and take effect.  “Do I have your word that you will leave us alone?”