Mercedes couldn’t wait.
Chapter Sixty-Five
Another island, only this time it was night, and this time the island was not completely deserted. At the top of a steep hill stood a magnificent old Spanish castle overlooking the pristine beach. The grand balcony of the castle was the setting for dinner.
A long antique table made of fine wood held candles in ornate silver holders and different arrangements of exotic flowers. A trio of Brazilian musicians had been imported for the night, and the food was also Brazilian, with everything from
Normally Bianca would’ve been all over Aleksandr since he knew she loved anything connected to Brazil, and these were a few of her favourite foods, but she was still not talking to him, while he impatiently waited for her to apologize.
The two of them were playing a dangerous game.
Bianca began flirting outrageously with Taye, who was mortified, because if Ashley got even the slightest hint that he and the super-model had once had sex — she would go ape-shit.
So that Bianca could see that she had no influence over what he did or who he spoke to, Aleksandr got together with Xuan and informed her that he had been thinking about their conversations, and he would be happy to finance the school she was involved with in Sierra Leone, and perhaps they should talk about building an orphanage outside Moscow. He confessed that he’d thought about it often, since he was an adopted child himself.
Xuan considered it a wonderful idea.
She was delighted that this luxury trip with all these so-called celebrities was paying off. She had already asked Taye if he would be interested in sponsoring a sports programme for underprivileged kids in Haiti, and he’d said yes, while Cliff Baxter had agreed to be the star attraction at an auction to raise money for the refugees of Darfur.
Xuan was fully satisfied.
Flynn was not.
What the hell was going on with Sierra? She wouldn’t look at him. She seemed to be in a daze again. She did not leave Hammond’s side, which he found most disturbing. It was almost as if Hammond had cast some kind of spell over her.
Jesus Christ! What was he doing, allowing himself to get hung up on Sierra all over again? Too much time had passed.
Hammond’s words were burned into his brain.
Tomorrow he was definitely coming up with an excuse to get off the boat.
‘I love your dress,’ Lori remarked to Ashley as they took their places at the dinner-table.
‘Oh,’ Lori said. ‘Does she sell her stuff in L.A.?’
Ashley shot Lori a semi-scornful look. Did Cliff’s girlfriend know nothing? ‘Actually,’ she said, a tad condescendingly, ‘Stella has a store on Beverly Boulevard. I can take you there if you want — they all know me.’
‘I thought you lived in England.’
‘We do,’ Ashley said, thinking it was a wise move to stay friendly with the girlfriend just in case Cliff kept her around. ‘Taye enjoys L.A., so we try to fly in a couple of times a year, stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel — Taye’s fave. Maybe you and Cliff can join us for dinner at the Polo Lounge next time we’re there.’
‘Love to,’ Lori said brightly. ‘I’ll tell Cliff.’
As far as Mercedes was concerned, the timing couldn’t’ve been better. Almost everyone was off the yacht — including Kyril, who Aleksandr had decided should accompany him for once. Mercedes was one happy girl, having feigned painful and debilitating stomach cramps to get out of going with them.
Guy had been furious; his bad moods were getting worse. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ he’d yelled. ‘Can’t you understand that we need all the help we can get?’
‘It’s my time of the month,’ she’d replied, staring him down. ‘It’s not my fault I suffer from bad cramps.’
There was nothing Guy could do except give her the stink-eye.
Apparently it was a big deal dinner, so not many of the crew were left on the yacht, which suited Mercedes just fine. Earlier in the day she’d received a cryptic message from Cruz that they were ready. It was on.
Servitude would soon be over!
Cruz always operated at night. It was easier to board when most of the crew were sleeping.
Cruz gave her the time.
Mercedes gave him the approximate location.
There was much to prepare.
Tomorrow, after midnight, it was definitely game on!
Hammond was disappointed to note that redheaded Lori was cuddling up to her movie-star boyfriend like a limpet. He had hoped to further their flirtation, but it was not to be. All the other women on the trip seemed to be quite cosy with their significant others, which left him no options — apart from the Asian. Xuan was not a prospect, too militant and too short. He didn’t like his women short.
Sierra was by his side and silent. He’d brought her back in line fast. Did she honestly believe she could get away from him?
No chance. He had her exactly where he wanted her. Compliant and scared.
Threatening her once-upon-a-time boyfriend seemed to affect her more than threats against her precious family.
The thought occurred to him that maybe he should arrange to have Flynn killed anyway. There were people for hire who took care of that kind of thing. Why not?
Hammond smiled grimly at the thought.
Damn! He hadn’t called Eddie back. And he’d instructed him not to call unless it was urgent.
Too late now, thanks to Sierra. He’d call Eddie first thing in the morning.
‘Can I get you a drink, Senator?’
Hammond turned to inspect Renee, the stewardess with the Australian accent. She wasn’t bad-looking, although a little horsey with her large teeth and generous mouth. She was tall though, which meant long legs. He was quite partial to long legs, especially when they were wrapped around his neck while his penis was firmly tucked inside the owner of the legs.
Why hadn’t he noticed this one before?
Probably because the pushy Mexican girl had taken centre-stage, while this one had hovered on the sidelines, that was why. He glanced over at Sierra. She was engaged in conversation with Ashley and Cliff. ‘What’s your name, dear?’ he asked the stewardess, turning his back on his wife.
The girl blinked like a startled deer. ‘Uh… uh… Renee,’ she stammered, blushing slightly.
