She wanted to leave Jeff an extra tip but there was no sign of him. The doorman was still on duty, and she debated leaving it with him. She decided not to and instead asked the desk clerk for an envelope and discreetly put a hundred-dollar bill into it. She sealed it, wrote Jeff’s name on the front, and passed it back.
It was just getting dark when she and Patrick left the Phoenix. “Pothole time,” she said.
“It gives the city some character, don’t you think?” Patrick said. “Rome has the Vatican, London has Buckingham Palace, New York has the Statue of Liberty, and we have the world’s largest and most vicious potholes.”
“They are memorable.”
“You see what I mean.”
The Captain’s men, Anna, and Seto were sitting at the kitchen table when they got to the house.
“Where’s the suitcase?” Ava asked.
The woman pointed to a corner of the kitchen.
Ava collected the bag and put it on the table. She opened it and went through the contents. It contained everything she had requested, and nothing more.
“I assume you know where we’re going,” she said to Seto. “You can say goodbye to your girlfriend now.”
Anna gave Seto a passionate hug. He received it without much enthusiasm. She is the last thing on his mind, Ava thought. But what comes first, money or survival?
“I need the men to stay with her for another twenty-four hours,” Ava said to Patrick. “No phone calls, no Internet. Nothing.”
“You heard her,” he said.
They bundled Seto into the back of the truck. “I haven’t taped your mouth or eyes this time, but one wrong word out of you and I will,” she said to him.
For the first time since they had picked him out of Eckie’s, she saw something other than fear and compliance in his eyes. He was getting over the shock. He was beginning to think maybe there was a way out for him. She would have to fix that.
It took them more than an hour to get to Cheddi Jagan Airport. The only light was from a crescent moon and the roadway was almost pitch black, forcing Patrick to creep along at thirty kilometres an hour.
She kept looking at her watch. Derek should have landed at six. She called every fifteen minutes until, at seven thirty, he finally answered.
“You good?” she asked.
“Not a problem. The plane was a bit late, but I’m already in a taxi and headed for the apartment. I’ll be back at the airport by ten.”
“I’m on schedule.”
“See you there.”
Just before they reached the terminal, Patrick turned away from it. Ava shot a quick glance at him; he looked calm. She waited. He took the road marked FREIGHT, and she relaxed a touch. On the tarmac, under floodlights, she saw a turboprop with GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA stencilled on the side. Parked next to it was a white Cadillac Eldorado that was at least ten years old. She could think of only one person who would drive a car like that.
Patrick stopped his truck directly in front of the plane. As he did so, the driver’s door of the Cadillac opened and Captain Robbins got out. Ava could see inside the car — the Captain was alone. She quickly scanned the area around the plane. No one else was visible.
“Let’s get out,” Patrick said.
She jumped down from the cab and took a few steps in the Captain’s direction while Patrick emptied the truck of Seto and their bags.
Robbins lumbered towards them, his size even more imposing in motion than it was sitting or standing. He didn’t look flexible or fast, but the power he emanated was overwhelming. Patrick, tall and muscular as he was, looked like a boy by comparison.
“I came to say goodbye,” Robbins said.
“Thanks.”
The Captain gazed upwards towards the plane’s windscreen. The pilot looked down at them and Robbins motioned to him. The pilot joined them on the tarmac.
“This is Ms. Lee,” Robbins said to him. “You are taking her and this piece of shit to the British Virgin Islands. She is the boss when it comes to anything to do with him. Stay out of her business. Just land them there safely, drop them off, and get back here tonight.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Who is your co-pilot?”
“Hughes.”
“Make sure he understands as well.”
Robbins looked at Seto. “As for you, I think you’d be wise to cooperate.”
He turned back to Ava. “Do whatever you want with him when you’re finished. I can’t imagine we’d miss him,” he said with a smile.
She glanced at Seto. His eyes were locked on the Captain. She saw a touch of anger in them and wished Robbins hadn’t taunted him.
“Thanks again for all your help,” she said.
He shrugged. “Patrick, take him on board. I want to speak to Ms. Lee privately.”
Now what? she thought. This could not be good.
Robbins waited until the tarmac was clear before he handed her a slip of paper. “These are the names and cellphone numbers of my daughters in Toronto. Their names are Ellie and Lizzie. I would appreciate it if you could contact them when you get back. I’ve already told them you’re a friend and that if they ever get into any trouble they can call on you for help. I think they would like to hear that from you in person. We do worry about them.”
She was surprised by his assumption, and by the level of trust he was displaying. “I would be happy to. We Havergal girls have to stick together.”
“Glad to hear it. Now off with you. Good hunting, and say hello to my brother for me.”
The plane had been built as part of a commuter fleet; it was designed to seat thirty-six people in twelve rows of three. It had been converted into an eight-seater, with two rows of four seats facing each other across a table. Patrick had put Seto in a window seat. Ava sat on the aisle, kitty-corner from him.
“Good luck,” Patrick said as he left.
“See you around,” she said.
The pilot stuck his head into the passenger cabin. “The flight is about two and a half hours long. I’ll turn off the seatbelt sign ten minutes after takeoff. There’s a galley up front with drinks and snacks. Help yourself.”
She had put two bottles of water and two Cokes in her bag just in case. “Any liquor?” she asked.
“A variety.”
“That will be just fine,” she said.
Seto leaned against the window, his eyes closed. The plane revved its engines and moved onto the runway. Ava braced herself as they taxied, then drew an extra breath when they left the ground, the soft lights of Georgetown twinkling in the distance. After all the crap she had gone through, the departure seemed anticlimactic.
She waited until they had been in the air about an hour before disturbing Seto. He was still slumped against the window with his eyes closed. She didn’t know if he was sleeping and didn’t care. She stretched a leg towards him and gave him a kick.
His eyes crawled open. It looked forced — he had been awake.
“I need you to listen to me,” she said. “Sit up and pay attention.”
“Jesus,” he said, twisting his neck and shaking the leg she had kicked.
“When we land, I’m going to take off the handcuffs before we leave the plane. We’ll be met on the tarmac by a friend of mine. He’s tough, mean, and completely loyal to me. One word out of line from you, any bad body language, and he’ll lay you out. Our intention is to walk calmly through Customs and Immigration. I’d like you to walk with us, but if we have to carry you, we will. Do you understand?”
