Savages

But basically that’s what she said.

Which begs a question

Doesn’t it?

76

Elena knows that love makes you strong

And love makes you weak.

Love makes you vulnerable.

So if you have enemies

Take what they love.

77

O

looks fantastic in your basic little black dress that nevertheless must have cost a mortgage payment. Sheer black stockings and black fuck-me shoes. Her hair cut and dyed back to its “natural” blonde, shiny and sleek.

“Wow.”

Ben says.

Chon nods his agreement.

She smiles at their approval, revels in it, basks in the sunshine of their admiration.

“You went all out,” Ben says.

“I did,” O answers. “I’m going out with both my men.”

78

They take a limo to the Salt Creek Grille.

Hard to get a table there at short notice unless you’re Ben the King of Hydro and then you could get a table at the freaking Last Supper if that’s what you want. Yeah, they’d rush Jesus through dessert to accommodate Ben (“The gentleman at the end already took care of the bill, sir. With cash. Come back and see us again soon”), so table for three is no problema.

Beautiful there under the strings of lights on the PCH.

Nothing not to love.

Fine soft spring night, the air smells like flowers and O is beautiful, smiling, and happy. The food is great although Ben just has the miso soup, which he seasons with Lomotil tablets, the chemical cork, as any Third World sojourner knows.

Not O—she fired up some of Ben’s appetizer boo and eats like a pregnant horse. Starts with the calamari then hits the French onion soup, the grilled ahi with cracked pepper crust and aioli, garlic mashed potatoes, Gujerati green beans, then the creme brulee.

The wine flows.

No bill, no tab, no receipt but they leave a liberal “as-if” tip, then go out to the limo, blaze up, and hit the exclusive hotel bars—the St. Moritz, the Montage, the Ritz-Carlton, the Surf & Sand. Apple martinis and O grabbing glances everywhere, she’s so hot with her two men.

“It’s like that movie,” she says, standing on the patio of the Ritz looking out at the moonlight hitting the breakers.

“What movie?” Ben asks.

“That old movie,” O says, “with Paul Newman when he was alive and Robert Redford when he was young. I was home sick one day from school and it was on cable.”

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” Chon kicks in. “If I follow O’s drift, you’re Butch and I’m Sundance.”

“Which one was Butch?” Ben asks.

“Newman,” Chon answers. “Which fits, because you’re into the philanthropist thing. I’m the sexy shooter.”

“I’m the girl in it,” O says happily.

“Didn’t they get killed at the end?” Ben asks.

“Not the girl,” says O.

79

Lado gets tired

Following these rich spoiled gueros up and down the Gold Coast.

Them in their limo.

Good to get a look at them, though. The one moves like a killer and they’ll have to be careful with him. This is the one that said “Fuck you” to Elena (and we already know how this kind of thing goes down with Lado).

The other looks soft and easy.

No problem.

The puta, la guerita?

What Lado can’t figure out is, whose woman is she? Which cock does she suck? They both treat her like she’s their woman—an arm around the shoulder, a peck on the lips, but the men don’t look like they’re going to butt heads.

Could it be that she does them both?

And do they know?

And not care?

Fucking savages.

80

After the bar crawl they take a walk on the boardwalk at Main Beach.

Laguna.

A gentle arc anchored by the Inn at Laguna on the north and the old Hotel Laguna on the south. Tall graceful palm trees, tropical flowers, moon sparkling on the small waves. The basketball courts, the volleyball courts, the playground.

The old lifeguard tower.

One of Ben’s favorite spots on earth and probably why he always eventually comes home.

So they walk, a little drunkenly, and talk about retirement from the dope business. What he and Chon are going to do, who they’re going to be. O is geeked by the energy idea, wonders if maybe there’s a place for her and the answer is of course. This business is different from the last business, no risks legal or otherwise, all aboveboard, transparent in the open air.

Launder the dope money, it comes out sunshiny clean as energy.

They’re happy about this.

Even Chon is happy about this now he’s thought a little and drank a lot. Might be nice to let the adrenaline level drop a little. Will take some getting used to, but it might be a good thing. Swap the hardware of guns for the hardware of turbines, blades, and panels. Shoot electricity around like streams of bullets.

Light it up.