Steers hurried from the room while Masuyo turned back to her meal.
CHAPTER
29
YOU’RE ACTUALLY ORDERING ME TOstay here?” said Nash.
He and Temple were out on the balcony of their apartment.
“Look, when I met with Steers earlier, she said I had to tell you to stay. I didn’t want to do it. I thought of every conceivable argument against having you stay, but she wasn’t buying it. The lady’s mind was made up.”
“Why?” asked Nash. “Why does she want me to stay here?”
“She’s nuts, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“And areyoustaying?”
Temple glanced away, his expression one of guilt. “Um, no, actually. I’m returning to the States. Fairly soon.”
“So she didn’t wantyouto stay?”
“Obviously not.”
“And you’re just leaving me here?”
“No, Dillon. I’m going to get you out of here, but I can’t do that if I’m stuck here, too. Once I get back home I’m going to work to get you out of here. I promise.”
Nash observed that Temple was rubbing his thumb and forefinger together, a tell that he had seen the man do over the years when stressed or lying.
“And Thura? Is he staying?”
Temple fixed his gaze on Nash. “I don’t know. She didn’t mention him. If not, he can fly home with me. But if he wants to stay, it’s up to him. If he doesn’t, I’ll get you both out. I promise.”
Temple looked away again, Nash noted. That was another tell of the man’s deceit.
“So you really have no idea why she wants me to stay?” asked Nash.
“If you want a spitball opinion, I think you’ve impressed her, especially with all you did back in Myanmar. I’m sure her mother told her everything. She likes having the best around her. It’s actually a compliment to you, Dillon. And she will probably pay you, like, a fortune. This actually could be an excellent career move for you to make,” he added, looking hopeful.
Yeah, so you can forget all about me, thought Nash. He said, “Sure, being a bodyguard to a global criminal, always on my bucket list. And she already has a world-class protection team, so what do I do?”
“Maybe she’s sweet on you. You know, the tatted, muscled bad boy and all. And she’s actually good-looking, and her body looks pretty rack.”
“Right, she’s a real catch if you overlook the homicidal element. Okay, so now what?”
“I would expect a visit from the woman to follow up. It seemed like a high priority.”
“And if I tell her I want to leave and go back home?”
Temple shook his head. “I would not advise that, Dillon. Steers does not take no for an answer. I know that better than most. And she already cut both of us up. And we saw her shoot Ryder in the head. She will not let you live if you cross her.”
“So I’m out of luck?”
“I will get you out of here. You just have to hang on, that’s all. So when she talks to you, tell her you’ll agree to stay on, for some period of time. Leave it open. Then I get back to the States and start working on getting you home.”
“And how exactly will you do that?”
“Hell, I’m worth billions now, Dillon. I can hire the best guys. I’ll take care of it, don’t you worry. It’ll be my top priority. I swear to you.”