1. GABBY IS STILL AT THE HAVEN. WHY?
2. WHY IS RUFFING INVOLVED WITH THE HAVEN?
3. WHO WAS THE OTHER WOMAN IN THE CAR? WHERE DID SHE GO?
4. WHY IS JORDAN INVOLVED WITH THE HAVEN?
5. TRIDENT ENTERPRISES—BANKROLLS THE HAVEN, OWNS CASH BUSINESSES.
6. FOUNDERS ARE FAKE.
7. WHAT DOES DIECINUEVE CAMINO DE LA LUNA AMARILLA REPRESENT?
Nikki projected her notes onto the big screen and reviewed them. “According to statistics, Florida is the third largest state in human trafficking. Drugs and gun smuggling is also a serious problem. After a number of hurricanes and tropical storms, the Flamingo area of the Everglades lost most of its navigation aids.”
“Therefore, the site where The Haven is located could very well be a portal for both drug and human trafficking.” Charles pointed to the area Nikki was referring to.
Silence fell over the room. “Money laundering would also be part of this grand scheme.”
“So how do we prove it?” Myra asked casually.
Annie jumped in. “Yoko, when you were at the market, you said you saw men who looked like security guards. That would fit well if they are doing something illegal.”
“Indeed,” Charles observed.
“We have to get in there,” Myra said.
“Okay. I’ll go there tomorrow. I’ll take the flyer they gave to Maggie. It says they have an open house every Monday evening. I’ll tell them I saw them at the market and wanted to know more. Maybe I’ll be able to connect with Gabby, and we can get answers to some of these questions.”
“Be very careful,” Maggie warned. “That guy who grilled me is probably on high alert.”
“Gotcha,” Yoko replied.
“For now, Nikki, Charles, and Fergus, see what other shell companies are tied to Trident. We need to follow the money, but first we need to find it.”
“I’ll work with Jimmy tomorrow and see what else we can unearth. Check a little deeper on Simone Jordan.”
“I’ll also look into what or where Diecinueve camino de la luna amarilla is,” Fergus offered.
“All in?” Myra asked.
“Whatever it takes!” came the battle cry, with fist pumps and high fives.
Chapter Twenty-one
Diecinueve camino de la luna amarilla
The bikini wax was excruciating. Rachel worked her way through her thoughts over the past several days. This day in particular. She may not have had an education, but she had enough experience with lowlifes, creeps, and grifters to know something was terribly wrong with the situation in which she found herself. But before she could figure out how to escape, she had to figure out where she was. She was confused about who was in charge of this alarming situation, but she bet it was someone extremely powerful. One normally doesn’t have dinner with a sheikh.
Rachel retraced her journey in her head. During the airboat ride, the sun was behind her, so they had been heading west. The helicopter pad had to be somewhere on the fringe of the Everglades because as soon as they were airborne, she could spot the area where the water changed colors. That was where the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean met. From there the chopper headed south. It was an hour flight. Geography. Another class where she had paid little attention. But everyone living in South Florida knew how close Cuba was to the United States. But why would I be in Cuba?
Rachel had a lot more thinking to do, but for the moment she needed to find out more about what her real purpose was. “Spokesperson” just didn’t seem to fit.
About an hour after Rachel’s wax job, the door to her room opened. “Hi, I’m Diedre. You must be my new roomie.” The slim twentysomething blonde sat on the bed opposite Rachel.
“Hi, Diedre,” Rachel responded dejectedly.
“Hey, perk up, girl. It’s not so bad here.”
“Where is here?” Rachel asked with pleading eyes.
“Welcome to Cuba!” Diedre pronounced it “koo-bah.” She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Rachel. “Don’t tell anyone. After the dental job, I was told I had to quit smoking, as well as drinking coffee and red wine.”
“Wait! Cuba?” Though she had already figured out where she was, Rachel pretended to be in shock. “How in the...?”
“Yes indeedy.” Diedre took another inhale of her cigarette.
“I don’t understand. What’s going on?” Rachel got up and started to pace.
“Honey, welcome to the twisted arcade of some of the world’s most powerful and wealthy men.”
“But what are we doing here?” Rachel had a sinking feeling that she already knew the answer.
“In the olden days, we used to be called ‘concubines’ or ’courtesans.’ Now we’re referred to as ’hostesses.’”
Rachel was wringing her hands. “But this is not what I want. This is not what I signed up for.” Rachel was trying not to freak out.
“Easy, girl. There’s no way outta here.” Diedre reached for a big clamshell and put out her cigarette. Then she flushed the stub and ashes down the toilet. Gesturing to the bowl, she said, “I think Yvonne knows, but she’s never said anything.”
Rachel stared at Diedre. “How can you be so calm about this?”
“You get used to it. You really don’t have much of a choice. Even if you escape the property, you’ll never get off this island. At least not alive.” Diedre checked her makeup in the mirror and put on more lip gloss. “I’ve been here almost a year.”
For a moment, Rachel thought she recognized Diedre. “Were you ever at The Haven?”
“Yeah. A year ago. I was still a Tyro when they offered me this gig. Although they made it sound like something completely different. If you get my drift.”
Rachel leaned closer and looked for the opal ring like the one she wore. She did not see one. “Were you a Pledge?”
“No. I was only there for about a week. They told me that I had much more promise and they wanted me to work at recruiting followers and getting donations.” Diedre got up and retrieved a can of room deodorizer. “One of the maids and I have a pact. I give her food; she brings me smokes. Some of the other girls have different deals with the help. It’s like we’re all prisoners here. You learn how to survive without too much pain.”
“Others?” Rachel thought she had found her way to hell. She slumped down on the bed.
“Yep. There are seven of us, including you and me. Three others are from The Haven—all of them were Pledges—and the other two were music groupies.” Diedre reached over and patted Rachel’s hand. “Like I said, you’ll get used to it. It’s not so bad really. It’s not like we’re working twenty-four/seven. It’s usually just weekends.” Diedre continued to fuss with her hair. “Most of the men are high-powered dignitaries. And I mean high, as in leaders of countries or related to leaders of countries.”
Rachel was stunned by Diedre’s matter-of-fact attitude. “How do you know all of this? I mean, do they tell you who they are and what they do?”
“Sweetie, you’ve seen most of their faces in magazines and on the news,” Diedre continued. “This is like their little playground hideaway.”