“Rico. Hey.” Noah put concern into his voice. “I had a little problem tonight.”
“What kind of problem?” Rico’s dark black beard encircled his gold-capped teeth.
“While I was exchanging coolers, one from the fishing boat hit the side of my boat, and it cracked.” Noah pointed to the cooler without getting too close. “You can see where it dinged the boat.”
Rico bent over to take a closer look. He cocked his head and eyed Noah. “I’ll take care of it.” Rico stood and hoisted the cooler onto a small dolly, keeping the cracked side facing him. He looked at Noah again. “I’ll be back for the other two in a few minutes.” Rico ambled toward the end of the dock, where he placed the cracked cooler on the deck of another boat. Noah looked away. He was worried that Rico would think Noah was learning too much about Ruffing’s business.
Noah stuck to the ritual of tying up the boat and cleaning the deck, acting as if nothing had gone awry. Rico retrieved the other two coolers, saying nothing to Noah. Noah didn’t know if that was good or bad. He was hoping for the former.
Noah knew that Ruffing was a wheeler-dealer. Many of his assets and business dealings were public knowledge. Noah was willing to bet this particular venture was not one of them. Drug running and money laundering. Several times in the past, Ruffing had demanded that The Haven provide female entertainment for his buddies, but Noah was never given details. He was under the assumption that once the girls served their purpose, they would return to some other life. Yet, so far, none of the women who were told they would be “spokespersons” had ever returned. At least not to The Haven. Until that night’s incident with the cracked cooler, he hadn’t given the matter any thought. But now his suspicions skyrocketed after the revelation as to what was in the coolers. Ruffing was clearly involved in drug running and human trafficking. But to what extent?
For the moment, Noah was going to keep his eyes and ears open and his mouth shut. He was regretting ever having gotten involved with Ruffing,. For the first time since his father’s arrest, Noah was embarrassed and ashamed. How could he have been so easily fooled into thinking everything was aboveboard? He had enough self-awareness to realize that he was a victim of his own making. He had been willing to turn a blind eye, and now he found himself deep in a world populated by unsavory people, criminals, to put it plainly. People who could destroy him and Liam.
Unlike Noah, Liam had no idea about the depth of Ruffing’s involvement with The Haven. As long as Noah kept the books balanced, Liam assumed his mission was successful on its own. Poor bastard, Noah thought. But what can we do about it now? He surely couldn’t go to the police. For one thing, he would incriminate himself, and second, he would probably be putting a bull’s-eye on his back, and perhaps Liam’s as well. Ruffing was too powerful to be taken down; and if he ever was, Noah knew he’d be going down with him.
*
Liam was on his fifth speaking tour and retreat. This time he was in Tibet. While he enjoyed meeting like-minded people, he felt he should be spending more time at The Haven. Even though the Luminaries were well versed in modern spirituality, Liam knew most of the people were there because of him, because he had empathy, something that had been forbidden and discouraged in his formative years. His mother was cold and emotionally detached. His father little better. It took Liam years to forgive her for making him feel unloved and undeserving. Now he was free from guilt, shame, and fear. He was in a good place mentally and spiritually, but there was still something missing emotionally. Something big. It was love. Romantic love, the kind you share with a partner—someone who knows your essence; someone with whom you can share your deepest secrets. There were a few women over the years who had sparked Liam’s interest, but none of them were spiritually enlightened. Watching the latest episode of The Bachelor was not his idea of anything worthwhile, which was what most women his age seemed focused on. It was all too superficial for him.
But then he met Gabby. Gabby Richardson, a bright, beautiful woman who was truly on a quest for enlightenment. She was kind and engaging. He could not understand why Noah had come to dislike her. Perhaps it was jealousy, or even fear.
Liam thought about it. He and his brother had done almost everything together since they were born until the time Liam had gone on with his education and then his vision quest and Noah had chosen to go to work for Daniel Ruffing. When Liam returned, he had noticed a change in Noah. Nothing terribly drastic, but Noah had become a bit more cynical. He certainly was adept at making good money, especially in getting the funding for The Haven. Liam could not quite put his finger on it. His thoughts returned to Gabby.
He mulled over the incident at the airport. Why had Noah sent Guardians to bring her back? She could have refused to return. But she hadn’t. Liam thought she might quit The Haven after they thwarted her plans to see her mother. But again, she didn’t. She could have complained. But she didn’t. If his sixth sense was correct, there was a connection. But then again, it could just be his male hormones reminding him that it had been a long time since he had been intimate with a woman. How to broach the subject with Gabby would be challenging. He did not want to be viewed as a predator, seeking out the companionship of a woman who had not indicated any interest. If he could just go for a walk with her. Maybe hold her hand? It was a conundrum he was going to meditate on. He hoped he would find an answer.
*
When Noah returned to The Haven, there were several messages from Ruffing. His palms began to sweat. What if Rico had said something? He reached for the desk phone and dialed Ruffing’s number.
“Hey, dude. Nice property you sent.” Ruffing sounded congenial. Noah had to think about what Ruffing was referring to. Then it hit him. Rachel.
“Oh good. Glad it worked out.” Noah was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Do you think you can send another one for next weekend?” Ruffing asked, knowing full well that it was more of a demand than a request.
“That’s not a lot of time.” Noah didn’t want to piss him off.
“I realize that, but there is a small group of industrialists and politicians visiting, and I’d like to have some entertainment for them. We could use two more.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Noah replied, his palms even more sweaty than before.
“Attaboy.” With that, Ruffing ended the call.
Noah sat in his office, trying to remember to breathe. He flipped through the pages of the binder that contained all the personal information on the members. He had to find someone who had no family connections; someone who wouldn’t be missed, at least for a while. Gabby was out of the question. He needed her at The Haven until her trust fund became available. And she had family. The more he thought about the situation, the more he just wanted to disappear.
Chapter Twenty-three