As Elle shot me a smile, I told Felix, “I’m all they have.”
“That burden defines you,” he replied. “It makes you a bit of a softie. Then again, I’d hate to be the man who ever tries to hurt the ones you love.”
“Like Edward Sardonis?”
Felix nodded. “Don’t worry, you’ll take him out before he thinks of attacking again. So far, he hasn’t been able to achieve his goals thanks to that woman who watches over you… Alicia?”
“Yes.”
“Her father… Her father was a friend and an enemy of my father. Back when people could still be both at once.”
I wasn’t surprised. Alicia’s father seemed like the type of schemer who played all sides. Part of me was curious for more information, but more of me wanted to steer things into sunnier territory.
“You know, I’ve been living the life of an international playboy,” I boasted. “In fact, there’s this hot blonde on the plane–”
Felix laughed, giving me a hearty slap on the back as he interrupted. “Yeah? Tell me… Does this hot blonde share the bed with you and the twins?”
“What the fuck are you implying?!” I bristled, immediately going on the defensive.
My friend held on to my arm to make sure I calmed enough to see the care in his eyes. He wasn’t calling me out — he was simply pointing out the facts. “It doesn’t take a leap of the imagination, Oliver. I would only urge you to be careful, but as long as no one gets hurt… Have at it.”
“How did you know?”
Felix reminded me that we spent three years as roommates and that he knows me better than most. With that in mind, he wanted to find out if I was okay. “I always knew you’d be rich and successful, but I didn’t think it would be thrust on you like this.”
“Like I said, I’ve been enjoying it…”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah. I even snorted some cocaine the other night. Had a threesome with a pornstar… No, that’s a lie. It was a foursome, not a threesome.”
I elicited a belly-laugh from my old friend and it felt like the old days. It took ages for his laughter to subside as we found a place in the gardens, overlooking the sea and the capital of his nation.
“Interesting,” he remarked; not letting his eyes wander from the horizon. “You’ve always been interesting, Oliver… But, utterly predictable.”
“How is anything I just said predictable?” I asked.
“You’re a hopeless romantic and because men are frightened of being called such names, you pretend to be a philanderer instead!” Felix asserted, taking my shoulder and walking me back to the girls. “El Presidente would like to make his beach villa available to you and your people. Don’t worry, this is not a trick. I simply want to do a favour for a friend and my father is willing. While you’re there, you can plan the rest of your around-the-world trip, and spend some time thinking about the future.”
“I think I’ve got the future figured out,” I said proudly, smiling at the girls as we approached them.
My friend clarified, “Only a hopeless romantic would reduce his future to the women he loves. A realist would think about the multinational corporation he owns and the mother–”
“My mother is out of the equation.”
“Not because you want her to be,” Felix correctly estimated.
I sighed in a way that showed agreement and we met with the twins. After giving Felix a bear-hug, we parted ways on the promise we’d keep in touch.
“And, will you be taking up the offer of the villa?”
Looking to the girls, I could see the excitement behind their eyes. Eyes that practically vibrated with delight at the prospect of a beach holiday and early honeymoon.
How could I say no?
57 • Eternity
An old Soviet chopper arrived at the airport to take us to the president’s villa. The militaristic design was unlike the luxurious VIP transports I’d grown used to, and I worried the thing might fall from the sky at any moment.
To underscore the point, only two headsets worked. By pure happenstance, this meant Amanda and I were the only passengers who could communicate. As she looked down at the world below, the perky cheerleader quizzed me about our new life.
“So, is this a regular thing for you?”
“Flying in helicopters?”
“Making deals with dictators.” Amanda answered, looking at me with genuine rage.
I shook my head. “You should talk to Felix… It isn’t as black and white as you think. In any case, what do you care about politics?”
“You may think I’m dumb, but I care about America’s place in the world. And our enemies.”
“You aren’t American,” I reminded.
Sensing that their friend was getting angry, Tec put a hand on Mandy’s lap and gave me an ice-cold look. We couldn’t hear her over the sound of the rotors, but she didn’t have to say a word. The signal was clear: simmer-down, she seemed to say.
As we crossed into more rural parts of the island nation, Amanda told me about her chats with the twins. “Apparently they both have boyfriends now.”
“They do,” I smiled. “Nice guys… I get along well with them.”
Frowning, Amanda seemed disappointed that I liked these fictional boyfriends. “You never approved of me, so I can’t imagine you’d approve of any guys.”
Lying, I tried to convince Amanda that I never disapproved, but she wasn’t buying it. The realisation that my disdain had been obvious all these years made me blush… I felt bad about being so transparent with my prejudice. I resolved to make a little effort at convincing Amanda that I’m on her side — that I may not ever be her friend, but that I don’t openly dislike her.
For a minute, I casually looked at her. My intention was to see something I hadn’t seen before, and to look past her exterior. What I saw was curiosity as she scanned the machinery of the helicopter and looked down at the world below.
“Do you like flying?” I asked.
Amanda nodded, actually cracking a smile. “I wanted to become a pilot. Well, either a pilot or a cheerleader.”
“Quite a choice,” I remarked. “Why pick cheerleader?”
“Why not?”
With those two words, our conversation ended and Amanda withdrew from the world. It wasn’t sombre or sad, and she wore the same look as my sisters; intrigued by our next adventure, excited, and happy to be in paradise.
And paradise it was as we landed on a large stretch of lawn out the back of the presidential retreat. The building was painted an eggshell white with all the marks of a luxury Caribbean hotel, with eight bedrooms laid out over a relatively compact two storeys. The architecture was simple and elegant, which made the modest-size home feel much larger, with dramatic arches dominating the back; leading to an Olympic-size swimming pool and uninterrupted views of the ocean.
I expected an armoury or torture room — perhaps a filing cabinet containing Kennedy secrets, or something like that. But there was none of that.
It was a pretty ordinary, albeit luxurious, home on the beach.
The foliage around us was dense enough to keep out prying eyes, and we were well guarded. There was a whole battalion dedicated to protecting us. Again, the government had chosen only female soldiers for the task. Still, our people wanted control and control is what they got as we saw the soldiers make space for our team. They would keep a wide perimeter, giving us much needed privacy.