9

9.

Charles

"Welcome back loser." Was how Sarah greeted me when I boarded the sailboat the next morning, minus Victoria. Seated on the deck in the Captain's chair sipping some sort of fruit smoothie, with a massive straw hat on, bigger then life 70's sunglasses, and her bathing suit, red, with a matching sarong.

"You should be careful, in some parts of the world you would be killed for saying that to me," I greeted her back.

"This isn't one of those countries, dumbass."

She had never liked me.

Not once.

Ever since the day I had met her. She was usually a bitch but, she had never taken to me really. She flipped me off while sipping her smoothie. Our moment over, I walked over to Mack, who was having a conversation with Armando.

Both men looked at me.

Mack inquired, "Where's your better half?"

"I dropped her off at a spa. She'll be done by noon. How'd the recon go?"

Mack's red eyebrow's rose.

"Which spa," Armando questioned.

From their nervous looks alone I deduced something was very wrong. "The one with the frog on the sign."

Both men shared a look.

"Why," I asked.

"That's where Jeremy is keeping an eye on Carlos at."

Somehow I was not surprised.

The spa…

Our trusty golf cart carried us to the spa in record time. It was a good-sized spa made of stone, plus other natural materials. There was a hand painted sign by an American Artist outside with a spiffy looking frog on it.

Jeremy's rusty bicycle was parked by the sign.

Armando nudged my arm, pointed to the parking lot, and told me, "I'll go look for his car."

Nodding, I hopped from the cart. With Mack mere feet behind me we ran up the stone walk and into the cool air-conditioned lobby, which was huge, tropical and had a waterfall.

"Can I help you?"

We turned and saw a native looking lady in a red polo shirt and khaki's, her hair pulled back in a bun. A smile plastered on her face.

"I need to see my wife…what room is she in?"

"Her name?"

"Victoria Ryan," Mack told her hastily, looking around.

The desk lady never got the chance to type her name in. I heard her screaming from within the spa. Mack looked to me and I nodded, "Where's that coming from?"

Confused she answered, "The pool's. Stay here, I'll call for security."

Oh yeah, that was so happening.

Mack almost beat me to the doors that lead down a hall, which was full of doors to various rooms, each closed with a flower native to Grenada painted on it. Lush jungle scene's were painted on the walls and the ceiling had twinkle lights as well as lit butterflies hanging. Soothing noises that didn't drown out Victoria's yelling.

We hurried toward the noises and the commotion of something falling. Something with glass that shattered on the floor. Mack procured his weapon from somewhere in his board shorts. I didn't have mine. I was on vacation. It was on the boat. Locked up. Which was the last time I was listening to Sarah.

The door at the end of the hall swung open and Tori came running out wrapped in a towel, a robe in hand. Dark hair hanging loose and dancing right above her shoulders. She was still shouting, not noticing us yet. "Get away from me Carlos! I mean it…stay away, I'm with someone now!"

"Stay here," I hissed to Mack.

Who fell into a doorway and crouched. I made extra care to stay out of his line of fire. So I jogged on over as the man in question came out of the room, holding a white towel on his bleeding arm. He was near hysterics, "No! You can't, what about us! What about Charlie? We can be a family!"

Oh there would be none of that.

"Victoria, honey?"

Her head snapped my way so fast she could have given herself whiplash. Fear and relief filled her face. Strands of wet hair clung to her cheek.

Jean-Carlos had a similar look on his face.

She hurried to my side and grabbed my arm smelling of sweet flowers, her skin was hot to the touch.

"Who's he!" Jean-Carlos demanded, his tone rising considerably.

There was no need for her to talk.

I stepped right in front of her and informed this man, since I was on vacation he was just a man, "Her husband. And you are?"

He reacted as if he'd been slapped.

He tried to peer around me at her, "Is this true!?" Which was uncalled for. I placed both my hands on his chest and gave him a good shove back, which sent him onto the floor, "It's true." Again he tried to look around me so I put my foot on his sternum, "Eyes up here, Jean-Carlos." I pressed down and made it a little more difficult for him to breath as the red shirted security squad showed up. So I knelt down and told him, "Stay the hell away from her or I'll kill you. Do you understand that?"

The look alone told me he didn't.

Hands fell on my shoulder and I added, "I'll see you later."

Noon…

We'd walked along the beach to where the sailboat was anchored off shore, along the way we spotted a beach side restaurant. Which was no more then a massive palm leave topped pavilion with a bar and some plastic tables.

One such table held the five of us.

Right by the ocean so we got the breeze and occasionally some spray.

Needless to say we stopped for a drink which turned into lunch when we smelled the BBQ.

Victoria held a plastic fork near her lips, Mack however was eating the same thing with his fingers. A look of disbelief was on her face, "So you boys are using the vacation time to spy on Jean-Carlos?"

Jeremy was on his second helping of the BBQ and his third Rum-Punch.

Needless to say he would not be driving the golf cart back.

"Not the whole vacation," I added.

Her look was not pleased.

Mack voiced his solution, "All I'm saying is we should put Sarah in a boat and send her to his compound, she can belittle him for an hour maybe two, by that time he'll beg for arrest. But Armando doesn't like that plan."

"Does no one at this table like my wife?"

Victoria raised her hand, "I like her."

"It doesn't count if you're sister's," Mack told her, his mouth full of food. He speared another piece of killer pork while I told her, "Victoria, we're going diving this afternoon. We'll still have fun honey."

A look of disbelief crossed her face, "Please don't tell me we're diving in his cave. I hate cave diving."

Cave?

Mack and Armando seemed at the same loss I was. Jeremy asked, "What cave?"