Page 35

thirty-four f

Decisions

A slender, young blond woman in a mint-green sundress appeared from around the corner. Ben stood as she joined us at the table.

“Mike, Ava, my girlfriend, Donna,” he said.

Donna smiled shyly and giggled. “Nice to meet you.”

I asked myself how a guy like Ben caught a long-haired beauty who looked like she stepped off the cover of Seventeen magazine.

“I parked the Mercedes behind the Maserati,” Donna said.

Donna answered my question. Money, what else?

“I hear Ben’s sending you and Mike to Mombasa,” Donna said.

“Where’s Mombasa?” I felt like a fool.

“Kenya.”

“We haven’t made up our minds yet.”

“Are you serious? I’d give anything to go to Mombasa, but my place is here with Ben.”

Talk about subservient. Then again, I wouldn’t expect Ben to have a liberated woman as a girlfriend. Powerful guys almost always preferred submissive women.

What did that say about me? I knew I’d missed the women’s lib boat, but I’d made my own way since I was nineteen, despite two failed marriages and a drug and alcohol addiction. This wasn’t the time for self-reflection. The stakes and I were much too high.

“I’ll show you the brochures,” Donna said. “It’s a city in Kenya’s harbor on the Indian Ocean. The beaches and seafood are to die for, and the hotels are incredible. Weather’s kind of like here, but it’s all so exotic.”

“Once you and Mike get settled, Ben and I’ll come visit,” Donna said.

Ben was deep in conversation with Gary and Mike. I had a feeling he had no interest in leaving the United States.

Mike was on his second steak while I feasted on Gulf shrimp grilled to perfection. I couldn’t remember ever enjoying myself so much. If we decided to go to Kenya, I was confident our lives would mirror this night.

The setting sun cast a pink glow on everyone and everything. A soft breeze rustled the palm fronds, the quiet broken only by the occasional screech of a peacock. I watched the chef wheel away the remnants of our dinner and counted at least six empty wine bottles. Had I drunk an entire bottle of wine?

Wine usually put me to sleep, but the combination of quality wine and cocaine kept me relaxed yet alert. The angel on my right shoulder whispered, Go home and sleep on Ben’s offer. The devil on my left shoulder shouted, Say yes tonight before Ben changes his mind.

Conversation paused as the chef wheeled out a cart stocked with Courvoisier, Grand Marnier, crystal aperitif glasses, and miniature pastries. I was stuffed but accepted a Grand Marnier and a cannoli to be polite.

“We’ll book flights for you in a couple of weeks,” Ben said. “Mike’ll head out first, then you’ll join him. That’ll give you time to get your lives in order, and time for me and Vinnie to iron out the details.”

“But—”

“But what, Ava?” Ben asked. “Are you telling me you want to send Mike into darkest Africa alone?”

“Um, no. I guess I missed part of the conversation.”

I glared at Mike, who was too full of himself, wine, and steak to notice. Even though the angel on my left shoulder would have eventually won the argument, I’d have appreciated time to discuss my future with Mike.

“Stop over tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll iron out the details.” From Ben’s tone I understood the evening was over.

I had too much to think about on the ride home to get into it with Mike. What would be the point? He thought only of himself and had no clue he should have consulted me before agreeing to Ben’s plan.

“Can you imagine—the bosses sendin’ us to Africa? Shows how much they value me.”

“You really think it’s a good idea?” I asked. “Africa’s not America. We won’t know anybody. We don’t speak the language.”

“Ya think lions ’n giraffes are runnin’ down the street? They speak English. We’ll be livin’ in a goddamn hotel on the beach.”

Mike went on and on about the outrageous life we’d have in Africa. I was still angry he hadn’t consulted me, but the more he said, the more intrigued I became.

We slept until almost noon the next day. Over coffee, I read the brochure from the Mombasa Beach Hotel. Ocean views, turquoise water, sparkling blue skies, rooms decorated in sophisticated African decor. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the hotel was in the Caribbean. Until last night, I had no idea where Kenya was located. I studied the map Ben had given us. The country lay on the Indian Ocean, midway down the continent. From there, we could visit Egypt, Madagascar, even book a safari—and it would all be on The Crew’s dime.

If we supervised the farming, we’d oversee the shipments out of the country and never get our hands dirty. I’d never have to go through another airport check like in Colombia. The more I read, the more enthusiastic I became. How could I say no to a once-in-a-lifetime adventure?

“Whadda ya think, Ava?” Mike asked.

“I think yes !”

“I knew you’d come around,” Mike said. “This is our chance to make it big. Let’s get over to Ben’s.”

I greeted Ben with an enthusiastic smile.

“Guess you’re on board, Ava,” Ben said. “Let’s talk business. Gary’s waiting for us in the library.”

I sat quietly while Ben and Gary discussed logistics with Mike. The Crew would reserve a suite with an ocean view for us. We’d arrive with enough cash to cover our expenses and to bribe local officials, cabdrivers, and drug dealers. Once we were settled, they’d ship seeds to us.

“Mike, you’ll fly to London first to meet with Vinnie,” Ben said. “Thought you’d enjoy the Dorchester. Supposed to be the ritziest hotel in town.”

“Thanks so much, Ben. We won’t let you down.” I felt like a twentieth-century Cinderella.

“I know,” Ben said. “Gary, take Mike out back and have him look at Donna’s Mercedes. She says it’s making some weird noises.”

Gary stood, gave Ben a strange look, and left with Mike.

“I’m gonna level with you, Ava,” Ben began. “Mike’s trouble. If he wasn’t such a good mechanic, we’d have dropped him after the Smooth Sailin’ fiasco. He saved our shipment, our boat, maybe our lives. But he’s got a big mouth and a bigger ego. If we don’t get him out of the country soon, we’re all toast.”

My instincts were right about Mike. The bosses wanted him out of the way before he destroyed their worldwide enterprise.

“Will we be okay in Kenya?” I asked.

“We need somebody with a big mouth,” Ben replied, “somebody who’ll make the right contacts and fast. Everybody’s on the payroll in Kenya, from the top government officials to the cabdrivers. The farmers are poor and will do anything to make ends meet.”

“What about me?”

“You kept your cool on the Smooth Sailin’ when most chicks would’ve lost it. You’re friendly, outgoing, and not afraid to get your hands dirty. People’ll see a rich American couple living large. Mike by himself is trouble.”

“Wow, thank you!” For once, someone believed in me.

“Don’t thank me. You’ve got a bigger job ahead than you realize. Kenya’s like the Old West. You need to stay cool and keep Mike in line. And remember, we never resort to violence.”

“You think there’s gonna be violence?”

“As long as we play our cards right, we’ll be okay,” Ben said. “Money always wins over guns. Remember that, and make sure Mike remembers. We’ve been at this for years in the States and Asia. Never owned a gun, never needed one. If somebody gets kidnapped, we pay the ransom. If an official threatens us, we pay him off. If somebody rips us off, we walk away and don’t do business with him again.”

It dawned on me that Ben was nothing more than a peace-loving hippie with a head for business. Like Jack, he started dealing to pay for his own habit. But unlike Jack, his enterprise grew nationally, then worldwide. And unlike Jack, he knew how to treat people.

“I won’t let you down,” I said.

“I know. You’re good people, Ava,” Ben said. “Now, how about some blow?”

“You read my mind.” I smiled.

The Baccarat crystal box appeared along with the gold coke sniffers and mirror. Ben laid out four lines and handed the mirror to me.

“Just so you know, we only deal in pot. Never anything stronger. This is my personal stash. You catch Mike dealing anything else, you let us know.”

“I promise.” I was sure they’d warned Mike, too, but it was good to know.

“Stick with me, play by the rules, and you’ll be a rich woman.”

“Thank you.”

A few minutes later, Gary and Mike joined us.

“Ready to go, my African Queen?” Mike joked.

I saw Gary and Ben exchange looks.

“A last piece of business,” Ben said. “Mike, you’ll fly to London on Monday, the eleventh. Ava, you’ll fly out the following Monday. By that time, Vinnie will be gone, and Gary’ll be joining you. You’ll fly to Nairobi the following Sunday. We’ll get together once more before you go to iron out the details. And Ava, one last word—”

“Meet you out front,” Gary said.

“But—” Mike began.

“Out front,” Ben said with authority.

Once they left the library, Ben said, “Keep your eye on the money. Make sure Mike doesn’t do anything stupid. If he does, you wire me immediately.”

I was in over my head, but the pull of excitement and adventure kept me moving forward.