Benny withdrew his stick from over the glowing hot embers at the edge of the bonfire they had made on the beach and examined the marshmallow skewered on its end with a critical eye. Finding it roasted to his satisfaction, he allowed it to cool for a minute before stuffing it in his mouth and chewing with a look of utter bliss on his face. "And this, kids, is how it's done," he told Hansel and Gretel. The Twins immediately followed his example and started roasting their own marshmallows.
Dutch took a sip of perfectly aged Ardbeg Providence whiskey from a hip flask as he watched from where he was sitting, comfortably reclining on a beach chair. "Well done, Benny-Boy. You can also show them how to make s'mores."
"All in good time, Dutch," replied Benny. "Let them get the hang of roasting their marshmallows first." But he still looked through the supplies they'd brought with them for the ingredients needed to make s'mores. "Boss, looks like you forgot to get some graham crackers. We can make do with the tea biscuits and the choc chip cookies we have here."
"Here, Dutch," said Gretel and offered the big man one of the sticks she was holding, the marshmallow on its end roasted to a nice golden color.
"Thank you, Gretel." He took it and pronounced it perfect after eating it.
"You are welcome," she replied brightly. "Hey, where are Revy and Rock? They've been gone a while."
"I'll go look for them," Hansel volunteered and began getting up.
"They can take care of themselves." Dutch waved the boy down. As if on cue, Rock emerged from the island's lush vegetation carrying an armful of wood for the fire.
"Took you long enough," Benny commented.
Rock dumped the branches and twigs into a neat pile by the fire. "I just wandered about a bit. What have you been up to while I was gone?"
"We are roasting marshmallows!" Hansel announced triumphantly. "Care for one?"
"Sure, thanks." In Japan, he used to eat them straight from the packaging or adding them to his coffee. This way of enjoying marshmallows was new to him, although he'd read about it.
"What's taking Revy so long?" Benny asked Rock. "You were together when you left, so what happened?"
"I don't know," Rock admitted. "She said she wanted to look around and just took off. She'll be back though. Look, she left her cigarettes and lighter here."
"For her sake, she'd better get back here before the marshmallows are all gone," Gretel remarked. At the rate they were going, the first bag of marshmallows was soon going to be empty.
"That won't be a problem," said Hansel. "I've already set some aside for her."
"How very thoughtful of you, fratele meu."
"She did take us scuba diving. It's the least I can do for her. Ah, there she is." They all looked up and saw Revy casually strolling towards the bonfire.
"Mmm, marshmallows," she said without preamble, plopping down on the sand between Rock and Gretel.
"Did you find anything interesting out there?" Dutch asked her.
"Just a boat, well, a yacht actually, passing by off to the west," she replied. "My best guess is that it's going to Phuket. It's no threat to us. Just a bunch of drunken tourists blasting the music really loud."
"Speaking of drink, I think you could use a cold one," Dutch said, tossing her a can of beer.
She caught it easily, cracked it open and took a greedy gulp before the foam could overflow. "You got that right, Dutchy. Now, where are my smokes? Ah, here they are. Now, all I need is a marshmallow."
"Got you covered," said Gretel and offered her a s'more.
"Thanks kid. So, are you excited about seeing your aunt tomorrow?" Balalaika had called them early in the evening, and told them that she and Chang had already finished dealing with the Sicilians. She and the kids had even had a long talk over the communications system.
"Yes," the two replied. Even though they had spent less than a day with the Russian woman, they had formed an attachment to her. She had been the first to show them some genuine kindness without expecting anything in return. She'd even sent them on a short but wonderful vacation with people she trusted implicitly, instead of just setting them up in a safe house back in Roanapur. They had also come to realize that even though the Lagoon Company was being paid for taking care of them none of its members viewed it as work. In fact, all seemed to enjoy it.
Despite her assurances to the contrary, Gretel wasn't done trying to play matchmaker. She was just a lot more subtle about it. And this time she had the unwitting complicity of her brother, a full battery on the laptop and some funny videos saved in its hard drive, courtesy of Benny. Saying that they were all going to get a good laugh out of them, she held the electronic device in front of Rock, pressing up against his side in order to get a better view of the screen. Similarly, the unknowing Hansel, who was farthest away from her, pushed Revy into Rock's other side as he leaned in to be able to watch the videos. Neither of her 'victims' suspected a thing as they focused on what the computer was playing. Things were further helped along by none other than Rock himself, who turned his torso allowing Revy's right shoulder to overlap his left, the two ending up almost cheek to cheek as they watched something the devious little girl was pointing out to them. And Rock wasn't one to complain about having Revy's warm toned body in such close proximity. On the contrary, he loved seeing her so relaxed and carefree. At one point he even unconsciously draped his left arm over her shoulders and she didn't protest or react in any other way.
Gretel barely suppressed a groan when Dutch told them it was time to call it a night, gather their stuff and head back to the boat. She had been having a lot of fun and didn't want it to end. They had to be in Roanapur by noon at the latest, so they were going to have to get underway immediately. In short order, the fire was doused, the trash collected and loaded along with everything else into the Zodiac for the short trip to the Black Lagoon. Once aboard, beach gear went into the hold, leftover food and drinks to the galley, the dinghy was deflated and stowed away and the trash ended up in sealed garbage bags and placed out of the way in the lazarette, the small compartment in the stern aft of the engine room where the steering gear was located and through which the exhaust pipes from the engines passed before terminating at the mufflers.
Benny took his usual seat in the electronics room, his eyes glued to the radar display. Dutch was in the bridge. He started the engines and turned off the generator once they reached operating RPMs. "OK, Rock, weigh anchor," he called over the intercom. Rock flashed him a thumbs up sign and hauled on the rope. The Danforth anchor was easily freed from the sandy bottom and stowed on the foredeck once it was pulled out of the water. With nothing else to do, Revy coiled the anchor rope to keep it from getting tangled around Rock's legs. The Twins had been up in the forward gun tub braced against the guard rail, just watching and talking, not having been assigned any task to perform.
-o-
The movie's end credits were rolling on the screen when Hansel picked up the remote and turned the TV off. He and his sister had invited Rock and Revy, the only other people aboard the boat who were not working or asleep, to the wardroom for a movie. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head. Looking around, he saw Gretel teetering on the edge of the padded bench seat and rushed to steady her before she toppled over onto the cabin floor. Her eyes fluttered open. "I think you'll find your bunk a more comfortable place to sleep than the floor, sora mea."
"Uh-huh," she mumbled and yawned widely. That was when she noticed Rock and Revy, who were huddled together on the opposite side bench seat, fast asleep. They must have been more tired than they'd let on when they agreed to the kids' proposal for a movie night. "We can't leave them like this," she said.
"You go to bed. I'll wake them up."
"No." She reached out and stopped him before he could shake either of them awake. "I have a better idea." She grinned giddily as she went around the table and pulled Revy's boots off. The redhead didn't even stir. Hansel got the hint and removed Rock's shoes. Working together, they made the sleeping duo as comfortable as possible before covering them with a sheet Gretel got from Revy's bunk. A plump cushion went under Rock's head, while his shoulder and chest acted as a pillow for Revy. Fortunately, the bench was wide enough to accommodate both of them.
-o-
Dutch put the boat on autopilot and went to the bow cabin after a quick pit stop in the head. He was about to shake Benny awake when he noticed that someone was missing. The blond hacker and Hansel were snoring away in their bunks, but Rock's bunk was empty. "Yo, Benny-Boy, wake up."
"My turn at the controls?" Benny asked sleepily.
"Yeah. By the way, where's Rock?"
"Dunno," he replied as he got his pants and shirt on. "I crashed just after we got underway and just assumed he was going to do the same. We didn't lose him overboard somewhere between wherever we are right now and the island, did we?"
"Well, he wasn't drunk or anything and I'm pretty sure Revy didn't shoot him. At least I didn't hear any gunshots. Screw it, I think I'm gonna take a look around before hitting the sack."
Benny was looking for his glasses when he inadvertently kicked the wooden crate Hansel had been using as a stepping stool to reach the upper bunk he'd taken. The noise woke the boy up and he mumbled something the two men didn't understand. "What was that?" Benny asked.
"I said, are we there yet?" Hansel repeated, this time in English.
"Not yet, kiddo," Dutch told him. "But we're almost halfway home."
"Oh, okay, Dutch," Hansel said, half-yawning and turned to go back to sleep.
"Sorry to keep you from sleeping, but have you seen Rock?"
Instead of replying verbally, Hansel lifted an arm and pointed in the general direction of the day cabin that served as the wardroom.
"Got it, thanks. I'll just go check up on him."
"Mrrhm," was the only reply and the kid was back in dreamland in seconds. Benny headed for the cockpit and Dutch went to the wardroom. A smirk formed on his face when he saw Revy snuggled up against Rock on a bench seat, a sheet covering them both. Deciding against waking them up, he returned to the forward cabin for some much needed sleep.
-o-
While was Revy notoriously difficult to wake up in the morning unless someone, usually Rock, came to rouse her from bed, the latter was usually up and about early, either on his own or courtesy of his alarm clock if there had been drinking the previous night. This morning, however, both were still fast asleep where the Twins had left them and showed no signs of waking up soon, as Benny found after Dutch took over the controls. Deciding to play it safe, he shook Rock's shoulder.
"Rise and shine, Rock. We got work to do."
"Huh? What time is it?" He rubbed a hand over his eyes and looked at his watch, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw what time it was. "Work, right," he said and tried to sit up, but a weight was holding him down. He did a double take when he saw a head with a shock of deep red hair on his chest and a tattooed arm holding him like an oversized teddy bear.
"Yeah, it's Revy. Wake her up too. I'll be in the galley."
"OK, Benny." Once his colleague left, he gently stroked a long lock of hair out of her face and shook her shoulder. "Revy, it's time to get up. Revy!"
"Fuck…" said Revy without opening her eyes, her voice a hoarse whisper. She'd been having a nice dream and didn't appreciate it being interrupted.
"Come on, I can't get up if you don't." That got her attention. She shot upright and blinked at him.
"This is mine," she said, referring to the sheet still partially covering them. "How did it get here?"
"Beats me," he replied. "Someone must have tucked us in, because the last thing I remember before Benny woke me up is watching the movie with the kids."
"Well then, Gretel must have gotten it from our cabin." She pushed it aside and pulled on her boots. "I'll go freshen up." She lit a cigarette on the way out.
He opened the roof hatch to get some fresh air in and nodded. "I'll go help Benny make breakfast," he called after her.
Since the sea was calm and the boat was traveling nowhere near its top speed, the smooth ride allowed Benny and Rock to cook a hearty breakfast for everyone. Benny finished his first and went to the cockpit to take over so that Dutch could also enjoy his morning meal in peace. There wasn't much conversation while omelets, croissants, cereal, grilled pastrami sandwiches as well as plenty of coffee disappeared down hungry mouths.
-o-
A few hours later, the Black Lagoon pulled up alongside its dock in Roanapur. The kids had already packed their bags and had them up on deck while Rock and Revy secured the mooring lines and pushed a boarding ladder against the hull side. Hansel was wearing a light blue polo shirt and cargo shorts, while Gretel had opted for a denim jumper dress over a white t-shirt. The two waved enthusiastically when they saw Balalaika waiting for them by her car on the dock and ran to meet her, Hansel leading the way. And then things went south. As Gretel made her way down the ladder, she tripped and toppled forward, taking down her brother as well, both of them falling on the pier in a tangle of limbs.
Balalaika's cigar fell from her mouth as it dropped open in shock a split second before she took off running towards the pier. Rock and Revy reached the kids first. He helped Hansel get up, while she saw to Gretel, carefully rolling her on her back. The boy wasn't in a bad shape. He'd just sprained his left wrist and scraped his right shin below the knee. The girl, however, was more badly hurt. The bangs falling over her forehead were dyed red with the blood that flowed from a long, thin but deep gash on her forehead just below the hairline and another trickle of blood was coming from her left nostril. Her eyes were also slightly unfocused.
"It's beautiful… the sky," she mumbled.
"Shit! Benny, get the kit! She might have a concussion!" Revy bellowed. Balalaika dropped to her knees next to them to do what she could to help and swore in Russian when she saw all the blood. Benny jumped on the pier holding a first aid kit. The first thing he did was shine a penlight into Gretel's eyes.
"Pupil dilation is normal," he announced. "She's just stunned from the knock on her head." He rummaged into the kit for a gauze pad and a small bottle of antiseptic spray. "Cover her eyes," he told Revy after wiping most of the blood off. He then sprayed some antiseptic on the gash and examined it again. "Well, she won't need any stitches. Steri-strips or butterfly closures will do just fine."
"Less talking, more working, please," said Balalaika, holding the girl's head steady.
"I'll be fine, Aunt Sofiya, don't worry," Gretel tried to reassure her.
"Does it hurt much?" Revy asked as Benny applied butterfly closures on the gash and stuffed some cotton wool into the still bleeding nostril.
"My pride hurts more," the girl admitted. "It's all my fault. How's my brother?"
Revy looked to her left, where Rock was fixing a dressing on the boy's shin and Dutch was securing an elastic bandage on the sprained wrist. "He's fine," she replied. "Can you get up?" When the girl nodded, she helped her stand. "Let's go get you cleaned up, because right now you look like you came out of a horror movie." She and Balalaika protectively flanked the girl as they led her into the Lagoon Company's warehouse/boathouse through the ramp entrance.
"You were right, Revy. I do look like something from a splatter thriller," she remarked as soon as she saw her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It only took the three of them a few minutes to wash all the blood off of her skin and hair and help her change into a clean t-shirt, however. Her nose had stopped bleeding by that time and the injury on her forehead was hidden by the bangs falling over it. In the common room, Hansel had also changed out of his oil-stained cargo shorts – from an oil stain on the pier – and into a brand new pair of jeans.
"You had me worried for a moment there, little girl," said Balalaika.
"Sorry, Aunt Sofiya," replied Gretel, suitably contrite. "I was really excited to see you. So was Hansel, by the way."
"I missed you too. Well, it appears your short vacation did you good though." They weren't as pale as they had been when they arrived in Roanapur, plus the combination of plentiful good food and physical activity was already beginning to yield results.
"Aunt Sofiya, do you like Chinese food?" Gretel asked as she ran a hand through her hair.
"Very much," replied Balalaika. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, Revy mentioned something about China Bowls at a place called Kao Khan and I thought it might be a good idea to give it a try. Hansel and I only had Chinese once, while we were in Marseilles."
"Let's go," she said simply and turned to Revy. "You'll all be joining us, right?"
"Are you kidding, sis? Of course we are. You know how much I like that place."
Balalaika led the kids to her car with her arms around their shoulders, asking about their vacation. Boris opened the rear door for them and then drove off, followed by the Lagoon Company crew in their car. The day's special at the Kao Khan was twice cooked pork in barbecue sauce with chow mein and vegetable spring rolls. It was crowded as usual, but they managed to get a table, especially since Balalaika had called ahead and made a last minute reservation.
They were all leaving the restaurant after a pleasant lunch when Balalaika's phone rang. She answered it and frowned after hearing what the caller had to say. "I'm sorry, but something urgent came up," she told everyone. "Dutch, I hope you won't mind entertaining the kids for a few more hours. Bring them to my office. You'll get the rest of your pay then."
"No problem," Dutch replied affably. "It's not like they are any trouble. It will be a pleasure."
"Thank you, Dutch. You always do smart work. Where are you going to go, anyway?"
"The Yellow Flag," Revy suggested before Dutch could reply.
"What? That's no place for kids! They are too young to drink!"
Hansel couldn't hold back a snort, but refrained from telling her about the beer incident on the island. Fortunately, Rock came to the rescue. "I'm sure Bao has soda and other non-alcoholic drinks he can serve them."
"All right," Balalaika relented. "I'll give you a call and let you know when I'm done."
-o-
Bao flipped his lid when he saw the Lagoon Company enter his bar with two kids in tow and immediately reached under the bar for his trusty shotgun. "You've got some nerve, Revy," he growled, so pissed that he failed to notice the vacation outfit Rock was still wearing instead of his white collar shirt, slacks and tie.
"What did I do this time?" Revy asked sweetly, at the same time trying to remember if she had started any trouble the last time she'd been at the Yellow Flag, which was just a few days ago. Other than using the butt of one of her Cutlasses to bash some idiot who'd crashed into her during a brawl, she'd been at her best behavior.
"Remember the last time you brought a damn kid to my bar?" Without waiting for her to answer, he plowed on ahead. "The place was burned down to the ground, that's what happened. And now you've brought not one, but two? What the fuck do you want to happen to this place this time, huh? Should I watch out for a fucking meteor falling out of the sky?"
She actually chuckled, infuriating the bar owner even more. "Relax, Bao," she said. Her voice was calm, but showed hints of amusement. "And also watch your language. These kids are very dear to Balalaika. Therefore, you should show some respect. Plus, in any case, if, and this is a big if, something untoward happens as a result of our presence here, you can just send the bill to her."
"Well, if you put it that way, they are welcome here. I'll only serve them soda or fruit juice, unless they want their livers to get shot to hell at such a tender age."
"Or you can just share your secret guilty pleasure with them," she said offhandedly.
"You know about that?" Bao practically screeched.
"Hey, it's your fault for giving Dutch one to go a few weeks back," she shrugged.
Bao turned to glare at the big man. "She saw you?"
"Kinda hard not to," Dutch replied. "Told you I had to hurry back to the office."
"Enough talking!" Revy snapped. "Get us our floats, Bao!"
While serving in the ARVN, the South Vietnamese Army, Bao had been introduced to the deliciousness called ice cream floats by the American troops he'd been working with. And even almost twenty years later, he still loved them. With a shrug, he set about preparing the drinks Revy had ordered for the Lagoon Company and their charges. Fortunately, he had enough ice cream and root beer. A couple of other customers looked like they were about to start laughing at Revy, but a hand inching towards a holstered Cutlass and a warning look from Bao at both the unwise customers and Revy nipped it in the bud. "Here," Bao announced, putting the six mugs on the countertop.
"Thanks." Revy took a sip. "It's not bad," she declared. "But I can make it better. Gimme a bottle of Bacardi." She poured some into her mug and tried it. "Hell yeah, that hit the spot."
"Excuse me, barkeep," said a voice in a Southern drawl from behind them. "May I have one as well, please? It's been an awful long time since I had some and it'd sure be nice to be reminded of home a bit." The man paused to think for a moment, eyeing the bottle of rum on the bar. "Can you also add some bourbon to it?" The man noticed Revy looking at him and tipped his boonie hat at her. "Mighty nice meeting fellow Americans, Miss," he told her. She raised her mug in acknowledgment and so did Benny and Dutch. The man introduced himself as Roland and told them that he was specializing in contemporary archeology and was currently researching the history of the area during the Second World War. Dutch even gave him a company card and told him not to hesitate to call if he and his research team ever needed deliveries made quickly and reliably. The exchange, however, also had a side effect that was beneficial for Bao's business. Instead of deriding ice cream floats, several patrons now wanted to taste them, especially with spirits such as whiskey and rum mixed in.
All in all, they had a good time at the Yellow Flag. Eventually, Balalaika called and asked Dutch to bring Hansel and Gretel to her office as agreed. The big African-American took care of the tab and led everyone to the car. Since Verrocchio and his gang were now gone, there was no need for the two kids to hide, so they were glued to the car's windows, taking in the scenery with wide eyes. At some point, Gretel noticed a shop near the Bougainvillea Trade Company headquarters and pointed it out to her brother, who instantly realized what she had in mind and nodded his agreement.
Balalaika looked up from the mass of papers on her desk and smiled as they entered her office. "Ah, there you are." She got up and gave Dutch a fat envelope. "This is the rest of your pay. I still can't thank you enough for taking such good care of them."
"Don't mention it. It was a pleasure," replied Dutch. "Plus, it's always nice doing business with you."
"Well, there is one more thing. Chang wants to meet them too, so we made arrangements to meet at the San Kan Palace hotel's restaurant for dinner tonight at eight. You and your crew are also invited."
Dutch let out a low whistle. "The San Kan Palace? It's rather more upscale than we're used to, but we'll be there. Thank you and Mr. Chang for the invitation. We'll see you there at eight." He then turned to lead his crew out of the office, but the Twins surprised them all by giving them tight hugs.
"Aunt Sofiya, can we go out for a while?" Hansel asked once the Lagoon crew left. "We want to do a little shopping. It's not far from here."
"Please?" Gretel added, making puppy dog eyes at Balalaika, who, predictably, caved.
"Fine, do as you please. How are you for money?" She reached into a drawer for some cash, but they said they had enough on them and promised to be back shortly.
-o-
In the Roadrunner, Revy was deep in thought. "Benny, can you drop me off at the Rip-Off Church? I don't have anything to wear that's good enough for the San Kan Palace and maybe Eda could help me with that."
"Sure thing," the blond man replied. "It's just a small detour."
"You'll need to smarten up too, Benny-Boy," Dutch reminded him. "And so will I. Rock, your usual outfit will do nicely. I suggest we meet up at the office around seven thirty. Everyone OK with this?"
Three OK's answered him.
