wrath of the Sea Queen (64 page)

After ensuring that
C
a
eli
wasn't going to need him further, Vin
walked
to the other side of the room
to check on
Ben. 
He took up the
high-backed
chair next to the desk where Ben was seated
. 
They were
far enough away from C
a
eli that
she would not overhear
or be disturbed by
a quiet conversation.  Vin turned the chair around backward and sat facing Ben with his arms resting on the back of the chair
so that he could keep an eye on C
a
eli while he talked to Ben
.

"How are you doing, Ben?"

"Surprisingly well.  I can barely tell I've been shot, aside from the lingering soreness and the fact that the wound is still visible.  Whatever new talent
C
a
eli
has discovered is something quite special.  By all rights, I should be in a hospital bed recovering in misery; not up and walking about and feeling as good as I am."

"
That's a big relief.  I would hate to have to handle these two ladies without you," Vin joked.

"I'd never leave you in such a position, Lad."

"Good.  Because I'm going to need your help. 
Ben,
I hate to
ask
this, but
are you
able
to
look after
C
a
eli for about half an hour?
"
  Vin asked softly.

"
Sure.  Do you want to tell me what
is
really
happing
?
"

"
With
C
a
eli
?  I don't know.  I
ha
ve never seen her
like this
.  She
does not want
to go to the hospital
until she sees
Salma."

"I'm sure that whatever this is, Salma will be able to help her.  Try not to worry," Ben offered a positive spin on the situation.

"I need Salma's help with another hotel issue, but it can wait until she looks at C
a
eli."

"
That s
ounds
like a
good
idea
.  Now, do you want to tell me
the rest of it
?"  Ben noticed more than C
a
eli's illness.

"
We already know the plane crash was not an accident.  I don't think the g
a
ls
are aware of
that yet.  They think we
a
re moving because of the media circus surrounding Salma, and I
woul
d like to keep it that way as long as we can.  I don't know the reason yet, but I don't think you were shot by accident.  I
suspect
it has to do with Salma's work.  I
believe
she
i
s in danger, Ben
.  I just don't know
to what extent
.
  Right now, I think they are trying to scare her
.
And
I have no doubt that this is going to escalate if they don't get the results they are after.
"

"
I
agree.  I
was thinking along those lines when I saw the picket lines at the
pier
and witnessed the exchange of gunfire from the helicopters.  Although, I thought they might have been
trying to injure
Salma.  I was glad they hit me instead.  I kept that suspicion to myself
because
Salma is worried enough about me and C
a
eli.  She doesn't need
any
additional
concern
s
,
"
Ben
concurred
with Vin's conclusion.

"
Did you notice the blue pickup truck on the ride over?
"

"
Yes.  It was hard to miss.  Nice move, by the way, calling their bluff like that.  Though, I tend to agree with the
P
rivate's assessment.  It was pretty clumsy for professionals. 
Do you have a
ny idea who
might have been
driving
?
"
  Even injured, Ben
didn't
miss much.  Vin had
been counting on his observations
.

"
No, and it might
well
have been reporters, but my gut is telling me otherwise.  I
ha
ve a plan to get us to a safer location.
"

Just then, the door handle
rattled
and Salma walked into the room, followed by a bellhop with a luggage cart containing two suitcases and two hanging clothes bags.

"
Hi guys.  Looks like I found our luggage.
"
  Salma smil
ed
and wav
ed
the man, dressed in black pants and a bright orange shirt
bearing the hotel's
palm tree
logo
, into the room.

"
I
wi
ll fill you in on the rest later
,
"
Vin
whispered and
jumped up quickly
to
intercept the bellhop
with
the cart. 

"
Here, let me help you.
"
  Vin stopped the cart and then reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet.  He
gave
the man a ten dollar bill. 

"
If you don't mind, I
wi
ll
leave t
he cart out in the hall when we're finished.  It
ha
s been a long day and we
woul
d like to take our time unloading it.
"
  Vin put on his most gracious smile for the man.

"
No problem, Sir.  If you need anything else, my name is Sal. 
C
all down to the front desk and ask for me by name.
"
  The man gave a huge smile and quickly pocketed the generous tip.

"
Thanks, Sal.
"
  Vin closed the door behind him as he ushered the hotel employee out of the room.

"
That was r
eal smooth, Vin.  Now, what
was
that all about?
"
  Salma checked briefly on Ben during the exchange and found him no worse than before.  In fact, a bit of color
had
returned to his face. 
When Ben told her about C
a
eli
's episode
, S
alma quickly went to her side.

C
a
eli was
still
huddled up in the
chair across the room,
resting
,
but not asleep.  S
he looked awful. 
After a few quick assessments, Salma pulled her medical
kit
out of her
carryon bag
and produced
two
vial
s
of clear liquid
s
.  She located a syringe and gave C
a
eli a shot of
each
medication.

"What was that, Salma?
  Will it cause any problems for my…
"  C
a
eli asked sleepily.

"
No Dear. 
It's
just
a little vitamin booster for your immune system
and something to help with the pain
.  It's the best I can do for now. 
I need to get your symptoms calmed down and get you someplace a bit more settled before I can spend time with you and run some tests.  We could go to a
hospital
and
,
I agree with Vin
,
that it
'
s probably
not a bad
idea.  Besides, it would give Ben an excuse to go as well.  He
i
s too stubborn to admit that
he
wants me to
stitch
him up," Salma said.

"
I will go if you think I should
, but w
hat I really want to do is
sleep
. 
I'm so tired. 
Vin said we
wi
ll be relocat
ing
somewhere
that
i
s
safe
r
for you. 
Can you run your tests when we get there?"

"I can
draw your blood and send it to be tested.  You don't have to be present
for
the
tests
.  Y
ou could get some sleep
while
we
wait
.  In fact, that shot should already be making you a little drowsy. 
A hotel
might be better
for sleeping
than a hospital after all. 
I suppose I would be all right
with that arrangement
for now.
"