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And run like hell.
CHAPTER 27
GIVEN IT’S NEARLY DINNERTIME, I allow myself ten whole minutes for a cold shower and change of clothes. Though the act of trying to drag a sports bra over my wet skin leaves me so frustrated and sweaty, I’m not sure why I bothered.
I enter the mess hall just in time to take in three arguments occurring at once. Trudy and Ann, standing in front of Chef Kiki, who is waving a bottle of champagne like she knows how to use it.
“Cocktail hour. Monsieur MacManus wants it, brought these lovely bottles to share.”
“And Vaughn said no!” Trudy, arms in the air. “He’s the boss. He ixnays the booze, we ixnay the booze.”
“Non!” Chef Kiki is equally outraged. “I will do no such thing. This champagne is the perfect accompaniment for the charcuterie—”
“I’ll show you charcuterie!” Ann moves in to block the Frenchwoman’s advance.
Meanwhile, the pilots Marilee and Brent are on the other side of the dining hall with MacManus’s bodyguard Elias. “We’re telling you we need to speak to him, immediately. As in right now, not after dinner!”
Meanwhile, Vaughn and Ronin are standing in front of a seated Charlie, whose face looks even worse than it did a few hours ago.
“What did you do to the comm tower?” Ronin demands to know.
“Nothing, mate. Telling you—been sitting right here. Boss man’s orders.”
“Come on, Charlie. This is serious.” Vaughn is struggling to sound reasonable.
“Yeah, like a blow to the head.”
“Tell us, Charlie.” Ronin’s voice is dangerously calm. “What did you do to the battery?”
“Don’t know, mate.”
“Charlie—”
Crash. First bottle of champagne hits the floor, followed shortly by a second. Trudy and Ann appear triumphant, Chef Kiki aghast. One crisis averted, I think. Just as Kiki launches herself at her two sous chefs.
All three go down, followed by a tray of sliced cheeses and assorted crackers. The cooks roll into a table, taking out two chairs. Another crash as they knock down more serving dishes.
Everyone in the dining room shuts up, shocked by the carnage.
I nod thoughtfully at Vaughn during the brief moment of silence. “You’re right—MacManus’s people are definitely messing with our vibe.”
Then Chef Kiki starts shrieking again.
IT TAKES FIFTEEN minutes to sort it out. Trudy and Ann sweep up glass; I mop up champagne. Kiki flounces into the dining room and throws herself into a seat across from Charlie and Ronin. She takes in Charlie’s bruised face, offers up two words of advice.
“Raw steak.”
“Heavens no, luv. Waste of sirloin.”
Captain Marilee and First Officer Brent give up on Elias and plant themselves in front of Vaughn. “Someone rifled through our plane,” states Marilee, hands on her hips. “We demand answers!”
“What do you mean ‘rifled’?”
“When we returned from showering, someone had clearly entered the jet. Storage bins opened, the cockpit searched.”
“You left the plane unattended?” Elias materializes beside them.
“Of course we left it unattended.” Brent scowls at the bodyguard. “Why wouldn’t we?”
