Page 75 of No Time Off

“Stay here and take this,” Manny said, handing me his phone. “Lexi doesn’t have hers and yours is presumably dead. Instead of risking us all, I’ll head to the boat alone to brief the prime minister. I’ll call you from one of the phones on the boat. We can discuss the next plan of action then.”

I took his phone and watched as Manny strolled out of the jungle, down the road, and wandered along the beach by the fisherman. He waved and made a casual greeting and then kept walking. The fisherman stopped soon thereafter and pulled out his phone. Within minutes the skiff left the yacht and headed for shore, clearly being directed to come pick up Manny. As soon as the skiff arrived, Manny hopped in, and they headed back to the yacht.

While Manny was in the skiff, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “You were right. My phone is completely drained. Hope you got something from it.”

“Oh, we did,” Lexi said. “Most important was hearing Shi’s plan to send you to China. I knew we had to get you out right away. Beyond that, I’ve sent that audio and everything else we’ve gathered to Elvis and Xavier. Frankie has been translating the Chinese sections for me. She and Elvis have also been feeding Candace everything we’ve gotten to this point. I think we’re close to having enough. That recording in your pocket should seal the deal.”

“Agreed. Are the twins making any progress?”

“Well, I haven’t spoken to them in over twelve hours, but the last I heard, Elvis and Xavier had still not been able to connect any payments from Signet Investments to Maivia. I tracked down Maivia’s official email address, and we sent him an email baited with Chinese characters and a malicious link. If he fell for it, we should own his official account by now. If we’re really lucky, it will have led the kids and Elvis to his private email as well.”

“That’s excellent news.” I smiled. “It gives us a lot of options.”

“It does. Add to that, the kids are already in the system and poised to take back control of the Cook Islands’ official media accounts, as well as the prime minister’s personal account, upon our command.”

“Youhavebeen busy.”

Lexi kissed my cheek. “Worrying about you, yes. Slash, when I heard you say Shi’s name, I thought it had to be a mistake. I couldn’t breathe.”

“It was a surprise to say the least.”

“You sounded so calm,” she said. “Whereas I wanted to jump through the phone lines and kick Shi where the sun doesn’t shine.”

I chuckled. “So vicious, my sweet wife, and yet, I wouldn’t have stopped you. I stayed calm because I wanted him to believe I knew he was here and was in the Cook Islands to bring him down. I knew that would worry him greatly. That’s when he makes mistakes.”

“So, what’s next?” she asked. “You had plenty of time relaxing in that closet. How do we take down Shi and Maivia?”

We discussed some possibilities, bouncing ideas off each other before the phone in my hand rang. I answered it. “Yes?”

“It’s me,” Manny said. “I’m here with the prime minister. Let’s talk.”

I put the phone on speaker so Lexi could hear. “Okay. Go.”

“First of all, I want to say I’m grateful you’re okay, Slash,” Petra said. “I had no idea about this Shi character, and I’m so sorry you were put in harm’s way.”

“All is well,” I said. “How are you doing?”

“We’re holding up the best we can under the circumstances,” she replied. “But I’m sorry to say your escape has already been discovered.”

“That didn’t take long,” Lexi said.

“It didn’t. From what we’ve heard on the police radio, the Chinese and Maivia are ramping up the search for you two. Listen to this.”

I heard a click, and the static-filled voice of an officer crackled. “Repeat: All units be advised—the foreign nationals, both Americans, have been identified as armed terrorists, wanted for the attempted assassination of Acting Prime Minister Liko Maivia. Lethal force is authorized to eliminate the threat.”

Lexi pinched the bridge of her nose. “Lethal force. It’s the honeymoon every girl dreams of.”

I let out a dry laugh, then winced. I was still slightly favoring my jaw—evidence of the not-so-gentle hospitality I’d received at the compound. “Shi is pissed.”

“Like a rattlesnake,” Manny said. “This isn’t just damage control anymore. They’re tightening the net. Your escape from the compound has really stirred up awetanest.”

“I assume awetais the Cook Islands version of a hornet,” Lexi said.

“New Zealand’s version,” Manny corrected her. “They’re large, native insects known for their aggressive, and sometimes intimidating, presence. But you could say they’re a good stand-in for a hornet.”

“I’m glad he’s pissed,” Lexi said and then smiled. “You know, despite everything, that makes me feel pretty good.”

“Regardless, we don’t have much time,” Petra said urgently. “We don’t know how many Chinese reinforcements—police, military, who knows what else—are on the way. We can’t let them tighten their grip on the Cook Islands any more than they already have, or worse, capture us.”

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