Page 24 of No Time Off

“I’m Lexi Carmichael. That’s my husband, and he just saved that woman up there.” I pointed to the stage. “Why is he in cuffs?”

Before he could answer, the woman from the stage and her two guardians approached. Her face was pale, but she seemed steadier on her feet than she had minutes before.

“Thank you,” she said to Slash, her voice calm despite the slight tremor of her hands. “You saved my life.”

Slash dipped his head slightly. “I’m just glad I was here.”

She turned to the burly man with a mustache who stood next to her. “Captain Enoka, please remove the handcuffs from this man. I saw what happened.”

“Ma’am, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We have yet to fully interview him.”

“There is no need for an interview,” she said. “He saved my life, Captain. He took down that man with the gun. If not for him, I wouldn’t be standing here. There’s no uncertainty about that.”

An awkward silence fell over our group. There was obviously some history between the politician and the captain. Nevertheless, though she hadn’t said it aloud, the message was clear: Slash had stopped what the captain’s men hadn’t.

Color crept into his face as the captain nodded at the man standing next to Slash. In seconds, the cuffs were removed from Slash’s wrists. Slash came to stand beside me, putting a hand at the small of my back.

The woman extended her hand toward Slash. “I’m sorry for all of this. I’m Petra Askari, the prime minister of the Cook Islands. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Slash took her hand and shook it. “I’m Slash, and this is my wife, Lexi.”

“Slash? That is a most interesting name. I’m sure there is quite a story behind it, especially considering the way you dispatched my assailant. Anyway, I’m exceedingly glad to meet you. What brings you to our island?”

“We’re presently on our honeymoon,” Slash responded. “Quite frankly, we picked your island because we hoped it would be quiet and out of the way. And we needed some time away from any…uh…excitement.”

“Well, then, I must apologize for letting you down, but I’m personally grateful you’re here. We’re also honored you chose our island for such a special occasion. Where are you from?”

“Maryland,” he responded. “Not too far from Washington, DC.”

“Americans. How delightful. I’m quite familiar with that area, as I attended Georgetown University for one of my doctorates.”

“I attended Georgetown University, too.” It slipped out before I could stop myself.

“Well, we must compare stories.” She turned to Slash. “Are you in security?”

“Computer security,” Slash responded and left it at that. There was no way he would admit he worked for the NSA.

“And you, Lexi?” She looked at me. “What do you do?”

“I’m also in computer security,” I said. “Just a couple of geeks looking to get away from it all and spend some quiet time on the beach.”

“Brilliant,” she said smiling.

The prime minister seemed way more composed than I would have been mere minutes after an assassination attempt. Maybe it was a politician thing, or maybe she was used to getting shot at. How would I know?

She didn’t say anything else as she looked us up and down. Her gaze drifted thoughtfully back toward Slash. It didn’t take a genius to see she was curious how a computer nerd had skillfully taken down the gunman.

“Well, we really must talk more,” she finally said. “As a token of my gratitude, I’d like to invite you both to join me and my family for dinner tomorrow night at my house.”

Slash and I looked at each other in surprise. “While that’s really kind of you, that won’t be necessary,” he said.

“Oh, it would be such an honor for me if you would agree,” she insisted. “I really would like to thank you, and it’s been so long since I’ve talked to anyone from the Georgetown area. I promise it’s the one and only time I’ll bother you on your honeymoon. Besides, I can tell you all the best things to do on the island from the vantage point of someone who grew up here. And I assure you, I have the best chef on the island. You’d get a truly authentic Cook Islands meal. It really would mean a lot to me.”

I wasn’t sure what to say, so I glanced at Slash. He looked conflicted but finally nodded. “Of course, we’d be honored to come to dinner. What time would you like us to arrive?”

“I’ll have a driver pick you up wherever you are staying at seven. Would that suit you?”

We agreed and then hammered out the details before the prime minister was whisked away in her car. As the car disappeared, we stood in the now mostly deserted parking lot looking at each other.

---