father would appreciate his P.I. being well rested. We can put a row of pillows down the middle. I’ll stay on my side if you stay on yours.”
“Yeah, or hang a sheet down the middle of the room, like they did in the old black and white movies.” Sarge laughed.
“This is no movie,” Jake said.
“Haven’t you ever done anything spontaneous, I mean just for the heck of it, just to have fun?” Amy asked.
“Like?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Gone ‘what the hell’ and done whatever it was you thought you shouldn’t? Shared a bed with a strange woman?”
He raised one shoulder and scratched at the back of his neck.
She figured the answer was no, he’d always been super-responsible. Whatever his problem was she wasn’t about to psychoanalyze him. Maybe he’s married, or engaged to be married and staying faithful to the little woman back home. Last thing she wanted was someone else’s husband. She drew the line there. If a guy wasn’t available, he wasn’t available, simple as that.
He sure didn’t want to sleep in the same bed as her, and this wasn’t about sex, so to heck with him. The job was more important than anything else, to both of them. She didn’t want to be slowed down by a fling, or worse, a relationship. “Look, we can share the bed, we’re adults, and we both have a job to do in finding Firth.” She walked over and punched Jake on the top of the arm. “You’re safe with me.”
He flinched and glared at her.
She smiled. “Heck, you can even leave your boots on in case you need that quick getaway.”
Jake pushed his body away from the door jamb. “Yeah, well, I’m hungry. Anyone want dinner?”
****
Stuart swept a few strands of sweaty gray hair away from his ears and ran a hand up over his head. He’d let his hair go natural as part of his disguise and liked the sophisticated steel gray color. It was still thick, unlike Hadi’s thinning hair. He dropped the visor and peered in the mirror, his new nose and eye job made him look ten years younger, but the biggest change was having his ears pinned. That was huge. He stared up at the bright blue sky for a moment then focused the binoculars on the P.I’s room. Still no movement.
Hadi said he’d be back in a few hours. Col would kill him if the blokes had given them the slip, especially after Amy disappeared in the middle of the night.
“What did you determine?” Hadi slid into the passenger seat, almost scaring the bejesus out of him.
“Not much. The blokes returned with the rental jeep. They haven’t come out all day. Don’t know what they’d be doing in there all—”
“Bloody hell,” Hadi said. “They’ve flown.” He grabbed for the door handle. “You stay here.”
“Wait,” Stuart said. “I’ve been here the whole time. I didn’t even take a nap or a leak.”
“They’re gone.”
Stuart flinched. He was a partner in the island, he didn’t need this bullshit and, thinking of taking a leak, he needed to do that now. He climbed out of the jeep, pulling the wet material of his shorts and underwear out of his crack and slipped behind a tree.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Hadi asked walking over to the thick forest undergrowth.
“For a leak. What does it look like? You want to knock on the door to their room, or jimmy the lock, go ahead.”
Hadi sprinted across the parking lot and headed upstairs; he jimmied the lock. He stood in the doorway of the room, stared down at Stuart and raised both palms to the sky, then took the stairs to the lower level two at a time, and headed to the office, his gun drawn. Stuart scowled and hurried over to make sure there was no killing of innocent people . Damn Hadi. Still, he knew the man must be about as frustrated as he was. He moved into the office behind him and stood blocking the glass door entrance.
“When did the two blokes in 205 leave?” Hadi asked the manager, waving the gun in the man’s face.
“Don’t shoot.” The manager’s
“Yeah, or hang a sheet down the middle of the room, like they did in the old black and white movies.” Sarge laughed.
“This is no movie,” Jake said.
“Haven’t you ever done anything spontaneous, I mean just for the heck of it, just to have fun?” Amy asked.
“Like?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Gone ‘what the hell’ and done whatever it was you thought you shouldn’t? Shared a bed with a strange woman?”
He raised one shoulder and scratched at the back of his neck.
She figured the answer was no, he’d always been super-responsible. Whatever his problem was she wasn’t about to psychoanalyze him. Maybe he’s married, or engaged to be married and staying faithful to the little woman back home. Last thing she wanted was someone else’s husband. She drew the line there. If a guy wasn’t available, he wasn’t available, simple as that.
He sure didn’t want to sleep in the same bed as her, and this wasn’t about sex, so to heck with him. The job was more important than anything else, to both of them. She didn’t want to be slowed down by a fling, or worse, a relationship. “Look, we can share the bed, we’re adults, and we both have a job to do in finding Firth.” She walked over and punched Jake on the top of the arm. “You’re safe with me.”
He flinched and glared at her.
She smiled. “Heck, you can even leave your boots on in case you need that quick getaway.”
Jake pushed his body away from the door jamb. “Yeah, well, I’m hungry. Anyone want dinner?”
****
Stuart swept a few strands of sweaty gray hair away from his ears and ran a hand up over his head. He’d let his hair go natural as part of his disguise and liked the sophisticated steel gray color. It was still thick, unlike Hadi’s thinning hair. He dropped the visor and peered in the mirror, his new nose and eye job made him look ten years younger, but the biggest change was having his ears pinned. That was huge. He stared up at the bright blue sky for a moment then focused the binoculars on the P.I’s room. Still no movement.
Hadi said he’d be back in a few hours. Col would kill him if the blokes had given them the slip, especially after Amy disappeared in the middle of the night.
“What did you determine?” Hadi slid into the passenger seat, almost scaring the bejesus out of him.
“Not much. The blokes returned with the rental jeep. They haven’t come out all day. Don’t know what they’d be doing in there all—”
“Bloody hell,” Hadi said. “They’ve flown.” He grabbed for the door handle. “You stay here.”
“Wait,” Stuart said. “I’ve been here the whole time. I didn’t even take a nap or a leak.”
“They’re gone.”
Stuart flinched. He was a partner in the island, he didn’t need this bullshit and, thinking of taking a leak, he needed to do that now. He climbed out of the jeep, pulling the wet material of his shorts and underwear out of his crack and slipped behind a tree.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Hadi asked walking over to the thick forest undergrowth.
“For a leak. What does it look like? You want to knock on the door to their room, or jimmy the lock, go ahead.”
Hadi sprinted across the parking lot and headed upstairs; he jimmied the lock. He stood in the doorway of the room, stared down at Stuart and raised both palms to the sky, then took the stairs to the lower level two at a time, and headed to the office, his gun drawn. Stuart scowled and hurried over to make sure there was no killing of innocent people . Damn Hadi. Still, he knew the man must be about as frustrated as he was. He moved into the office behind him and stood blocking the glass door entrance.
“When did the two blokes in 205 leave?” Hadi asked the manager, waving the gun in the man’s face.
“Don’t shoot.” The manager’s
Similar Books
