Page 37 of Quinn

“For fuck’s sake, guys.” I pointed at the shower head and then my body. “Cool water. Hot skin. Explosion of fucking pain.”

Daly lowered his Beretta and grinned. “I told ya to put sunscreen on, but, nooo you’re too tough for that. Suffer arsehole.”

The two men strode off laughing. Arseholes.

I soaped up and rinsed off before climbing from the shower and patting myself dry. On the vanity counter was a tube of body lotion that I managed to smother on the worst of the burns.

After dressing in a pair of dark blue slacks, pale blue polo shirt, and lacing a pair of boaters on my feet, I walked to the floor to ceiling window which showed a view over Moresby. I wondered where the two men were now. Had they returned to their village to tell the chief about our arrival?

***

The four of us chose a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to share over our meals of porterhouse steak with hot chips and salad.

The wine was good with strong notes of blackcurrant, spices, wood, and vanilla.

Following dinner, we relocated to the bar and chose a low table with four lounge chairs to gather around and share a cold beer. After a long day in the sun, the cold brew certainly hit the spot.

While we drank, we spoke about the itinerary for the following day. Our first stop was a visit to the Bomana War Cemetery—I’d seen pictures of the well-kept graveyard which had row upon row of white marble headstones leading to a memorial that sat at the top of the hill. It was located about twelve and a half kilometres from Moresby on the Hubert Murray Highway. Following that, we were to visit the Bomana Pukpuk farm which was in the same area, although I had no idea why anyone would think I’d be interested. Like my brothers, the ancient beasts caused my blood to run cold.

As we spoke about the undesirable animals left over from the dinosaur era, I saw Logan’s eyes narrow and a look of concern clouded his face.

“Logan?” I turned to see what had captured his attention.

“What the fuck are they doing here?” Olimar and Kent had entered the bar and it was obvious from the worried expressions on their faces that something was wrong. I pushed to my feet and strode to a stool at the bar.

Olimar slid onto the stool beside me and ordered two beers. When the barman left to fetch his order, I heard his whisper.

“Room, now. We’ve got trouble.”

“203. Give us ten minutes.” I slid off the stool and returned to the table where the others looked at me in expectation.

“Room.”

Logan threw down the rest of his beer while the rest of us did the same. Leaning back, he stretched out his arms and yawned. “I think I’m gonna hit the sack. I’m stuffed after a day in the sun.”

Daly caught on fast and pushed to his feet. “Yep, I’ll be out like a light the minute my head hits the pillow.”

Anatoli and I made overtures about getting an early night and as a group we headed upstairs.

Logan and Daly passed through the adjoining doors and joined me in my room as we waited for Olimar and Kent. Our business didn’t concern Anatoli so he retired on his own for the night.

A knock came ten minutes after we reached our room and the two men entered. We all took a seat, Me, Logan, and Daly on the bed, Olimar and Kent in two small armchairs.

“Why the fuck are you in town?”

Olimar began. “Two men—Moses Samson and George Liduntar have been following you around all day. They are two of Tchokai’s inner circle.”

“Yep, we saw them. They were watching us on Ela Beach and followed us to Local, but that doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“Kent took over explaining. “When we reached Hanuabada we met up with a couple of village men—Tobias and Stovuim and told them the story about being kicked out of Buin village on Bougainville for dealing drugs like we’d agreed. We let them know we had heroin to deal and they said they knew someone who would buy. We were taken to a gathering hut and told to wait. About one this afternoon, Tchokai and another man—Junior Napior came in and negotiated with us for the heroin.”

Olimar continued. “While we were doing the deal, a National man dressed in a police uniform said he needed to speak with Tchokai urgently. They went off on their own and about two hours later, when they still hadn’t returned to complete the deal, we went in search of Tobias and Stovuim. They told us the police officer had received a call saying Tchokai’s wife was in Popondetta. The chief and all his men from their village had left to catch a flight to Popondetta to retrieve her. They’re probably on their way now.”

“Who is watching over the women and kids in the Sangumala village?”

“Four men from Hanuabada.”

“How many does Tchokai have with him?”