Page 124 of New Storm Rising
Well, you get my meaning.
“…and to top it all off,” he finished, “I just received word via express rider not an hour ago. It appears that De Ravera and De La Fuente missed their court date in New York.”
I frowned. “And?”
The marshal’s eyes sparkled in a way that, if it appeared on the face of anyone but a dignified law enforcement officer, would have to be called an evil twinkle. “And they were supposed to appear in front of a grand jury to defend themselves against the charges of kidnapping and human trafficking more than a week ago. Which means that, by United States law, they are now fugitives sought by the State of New York. Now that they’ve been captured, they will be immediately transferred back East, where the noble peers of the Spanish Empire will be the guests of the local penitentiary in solitary confinement, feasting on bread and water.”
A grin spread across my face. “Oh dear. How…unfortunate.”
“And when you add to that the evidence that has now been accumulated…” He pointed at the pile of documents which by now had reached around a dozen inches in height. “I’d say they’ll be locked away for a good, long time.”
“Bread and water?” I once more made certain. “Solitary confinement?”
“Yes,” the Marshal confirmed. “Except for the time in the communal washing room with big, dangerous career criminals who haven’t met a woman in years.”
My eyes widened. “You mean…”
“Of course not, Ma’am.” The man assured me sincerely, his innocent ears sticking out from his harmless tufts of hair. “I am a US Marshal. I would never hint at anything illegal. Especially not in the presence of a lady.”
I made a mental note to never ever underestimate Marshal Angus Angleton.
“I hope you won’t be opposed to my hoping their prison sentence is in the millennial range,” Mr Ambrose stated. “Unless, of course, it turns out to be very short and ends at the end of a hemp rope.”
“No.” The marshal’s face darkened. “I most definitely am not opposed to that. I must admit, when I received your letter a few months ago, I wasn’t entirely convinced you were telling the truth. The idea that foreign imperialists had started to undermine the very institutions of this country…I simply did not want to believe it.” He shook his head. “But apparently, the corruption ran even deeper than you had hinted. After arriving here, it didn’t take me long to realize that every level of government and law enforcement had been subverted. If not for you, we might never have noticed what was going on here. As a representative of the United States of America, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Mr Ambrose humbly inclined his head. “I was only doing my civic duty.”
Once again, I nearly decorated the floor in patterns of ice cream and mustard. Then I made a mental note to never, ever underestimate Mr Rikkard Ambrose either. Just now I’d admired the marshal’s intelligence, and now my dear husband was feeding him bold-faced lies and succeeding admirably.
Rising to his feet, the marshal bowed before Mr Ambrose.
“My country shall not forget this favour. I will make sure my superiors are informed about this, and you are suitably rewarded.”
“No need. A good deed is its own reward.”
I wondered, if Mr Rikkard Ambrose would continue talking like this, would his nose start to elongate? I sincerely hoped not. I liked his face just the way it was, thank you very much.
“You are truly an honourable man.” Rising from his bow, the marshal collected his documents. “Then, if you would permit, I will return to my work. Preliminary investigations should be concluded in four days, and we should allot another few days for travel preparations. Would it be amenable if we depart towards New York in a week’s time?”
“Indeed it would.”
“Excellent. Then, unless there is anything else you wish to discuss…?”
Mr Ambrose shook his head. “There is not. You are dismissed.”
The marshal performed another, smaller, bow, and left the room. As for Mr Rikkard Ambrose—he leaned back in his chair, luxuriating in his victory and casually looking gorgeous.
God, how I wanted to deck him!
Only…I was fairly sure that in a contest between my fist and his head, his head would come out on top. If only I still had that rolling pin.
Raising a hand—which by now, unfortunately, was toast-free—I pointed a finger at him. “I’m still not letting you off for this!”
In answer, he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a bar of solid chocolate.
“You…! You are demonic!”
“Indeed.”
