Arctic Fire (33 page)

“You really shouldn’t smoke down here, Pug.”
Cain said. “It’s not the kind of image you want to portray.”

“Nonsense.” Williams replied as he took out his
lighter and flicked it. “And besides, why do you think I sent them
away?”

“Sorry, Pug, but I really must insist you put it
out.” Cain said in a stricter tone.

Pike had never heard Cain talk in such a stern
voice before. It not only caught his attention, but the Senator’s
as well. Williams stared at Cain. Pike could see the anger flashing
in Williams’ eyes, not used to anyone talking to him like that.
Pike wanted to melt into the wall. He didn’t want to be anywhere
near ground zero when World War III started between two of the most
powerful men in the world. Just as he thought the power struggle
was about to escalate, Williams’ expression changed.

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Williams
said; “This is your dinghy.” Williams took a deep drag out of
defiance then flicked the burning cigarette down the passageway
Pike had just come from.

“Thank you.” Cain replied, his tone softened but
still firm.

“Nice seeing you again.” Williams said turning
to Pike. “We’ll have to get together after all this hullabaloo is
over.” He nodded to Pike and turned to walk with Cain but before
they took a step both men stopped. “What’s that sound?” Williams
asked.

Pike listened and at first it sounded like
someone had left a window open and you could hear the ocean
outside. But then he felt a slight draft leaving the room as if a
giant dragon had just taken a huge breath and sucked out all the
air.

Then the dragon breathed.

Pike turned and looking down the dark
passageway, he saw a light like that of a train coming out of a
tunnel and he heard what he could only describe as the sound of
rushing wind.

Horrified, Pike suddenly realized what was
happening as the expression on his face must have shown. He
remembered seeing Cain and Williams looking at him with a
have-you-lost-your-mind look on their faces. He also remembered
shouting something, then diving towards them, a blinding flash of
light and a searing wave of heat, then nothing.

When he opened his eyes again, his vision was
blurry and had slowed down to one blink at a time and his hearing
was muffled, like his ears were stuffed with cotton. He felt hot
and cold at the same time and couldn’t figure out why. Off in the
distance, he thought he could make out the sounds of shouting but
it sounded like it was coming from the far side of the moon.

As the fog began to lift, he realized that he
was lying face down on the floor. How did he get on the floor in
the first place? Slowly he raised up to one elbow and looked to his
left where he saw a man lying next to him, he thought it was Cain
but wasn’t sure. Propping himself up on his other elbow, he turned
to his right and saw another man lying on the ground. He was
wearing the same jacket that the Senator had on only it was on
fire. ON FIRE!

In the blink of an eye, as if someone had
flicked on a switch, Pike’s senses were back to normal, and then
some. He thought that he could actually feel the adrenaline
shooting through his veins like water through a fire hose.

Pike saw that Williams’ back and his left pant
leg was on fire. Pike got to his knees and started patting the
flames out. By now, the reporters had poured back into the room,
having heard the explosion, cameras blazing. Tabatha and Toupee man
rushed over to where Williams lay.

Instinct took over and Pike would later regret
it as much as he did throwing the baseball. Being unsuccessful at
putting the flames out with his hands, he reached up and tore the
toupee off the reporter’s head and began using the hairpiece to
beat the flames into submission. Despite the severity and chaos of
the situation, Pike heard Tabatha stifle a giggle when he grabbed
the toupee. He had not intending to embarrass the man; he just
wanted to put the flames out.

“What the hell are you doing?” Williams grumbled
as Pike was beating on him. The Senator rolled over and was about
to let more colorful expletives fly when he saw the cameras
pointing at him. His expression immediately changed from anger to a
well-practiced look of unknowing innocence. “What happened?” He
asked. This time it was not an act, sincere confusion was in his
voice.”

“Sorry, Senator,” Pike said as he helped him sit
up, “but you were on fire.”

“I am pretty hot,” he said, winking into the
camera. “I’ve heard of a celebrity roast, but this is ridiculous.”
Williams smiled as laughter flooded the room. Being the consummate
opportunist, the Senator played the wounded warrior to the cameras
for all it was worth as he had several of the reporters help him to
his feet. As Williams was getting up, Pike saw the Senator cast a
concealed scowl toward Cain. At first he thought the Senator’s eyes
were full of anger but decided it must have been pain from having
just been knocked to the floor.

As the entourage made its way back to the
elevator with Williams recounting the harrowing events, Pike helped
Cain to his feet. “What was that?” Cain asked as he brushed himself
off.

“I was hoping you could tell me.”

Cain gave Pike a puzzled look.

“Just before you arrived, I came through the
passageway that just blew up. I discovered several ruptures in the
piping and coolant was leaking all over that walls. Is that stuff
flammable?”

“Not that I know of, but Elizabeth would be the
final authority on that. Why didn’t you tell me about the
leaks?”

“I just now discovered them and besides, I
didn’t think it would be a good time to say we might have problems
in front of all the reporters.”

Cain smiled and nodded his head, “Yeah, good
call.”

“I’ll let Miles know all about this and we’ll
see what we can come up with.” Pike said.

“No, let Miles know what happened here but I
don’t want you bogged down on this. You need to carry on with the
rest of your inspection. We can’t afford any delays. Besides, Miles
is a good man, he can handle it.”

“You’re the boss.”

“And as the boss I’d like to tell you to take
the rest of the day off, but I can’t. However, I can tell you to
take a long lunch and clean up a bit before you get back at it.
There’ll be plenty of time to rest once we’re in port.”

Pike nodded his head. “Understood,” he said as
Cain started to walk away. “You think that maybe after dinner
tonight the Senator would want to have Peaches Flambeau for
dessert?”

Cain looked at Pike, smiled, and just shook his
head, then his face went serious. “And by the way, thank you.”

Pike nodded as Cain turned and left.

Chapter Thirty F
ive

“Are you all right?” Mallory almost shouted as
she barged into Cain’s office. Cain was sitting at his desk wearing
a large bathrobe with a towel around his neck and a cognac in his
hand.

“I’m fine Elizabeth, thank you. Our boy saved
the day again.”

“What happened?”

“Pug was smoking when he knew he shouldn’t be,
and tossed a lit cigarette down one of the passageways and there
was an explosion. Gabriel found leaking juice and thinks that’s
what caused it.”

“Impossible.”

Cain shrugged his shoulders. “That’s what he
thinks.”

“Was anyone hurt? Any damage?”

“Thankfully no to both questions. Miles sent me
a preliminary report and the damage is only superficial. However, I
think we may have another problem.”

Mallory cocked her head to one side. “How’s
that?”

“First, tell me about your meeting with
Thornton.”

“It was very interesting. The kid’s got ambition
and he could go places if he can survive working for Pug. If I ever
complain about working for you again, slap me silly. Pug abuses
that boy so badly. I think Robert is sincere, but I don’t fully
trust him either, but I think we’ll be able to work with him.”

Mallory moved a chair to the side of Cain’s desk
and sat down. “Pug is uneasy about something and Thornton says that
the Senator doesn’t trust you but Thornton doesn’t know why, and I
believe him. But then he didn’t know you and Pug had talked about
any politics either so Pug’s playing things pretty close to the
vest.”

“I agree; something has got Pug really spooked.
Physically he’s fine and he played well into the cameras this
morning but I know the senator and something is sure eating at
him.”

“Do you think that whatever his problem is has
him worried enough to withdraw his backing for this project?”
Mallory asked, concern filling her brown eyes.

Cain shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. Pug
is a very ambitious man and you know he wants the presidency but he
also knows that if he tries to leave us high and dry he can expect
the same from us.”

“Does he think he’s strong enough without your
help to make it on his own?”

“He’s egotistical but not stupid. If he does
pull out you know he thinks he’s got a better plan. Do you think
that Thornton can be of any help?”

Mallory shook her head. “He’s got smarts but I
think that Williams either hasn’t told him yet or doesn’t trust him
enough to keep such a huge secret.”

Cain sighed, “You’re probably right. I’d better
have a talk with him myself to see if I can figure out what’s got
him so jittery.”

Mallory shook her head again. “He’s not going to
tell you anything, he thinks you’re part of the problem, he thinks
you
are
the problem. You’d better let me handle him.”

“I don’t like it. We both know that when it
comes to you, he has a one track mind.”

“Thank you Nigel, but we both also know I can
take care of myself.”

Cain chuckled. “That I do. But I still don’t
like it.”

“Good, then it’s settled.”

Cain just frowned at his headstrong assistant.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Cain said, pointing to his robe, “I have to
get dressed.”

Mallory nodded and headed for the door, then
stopped halfway. “I know this is off the subject, but I have to
know if it’s true or not.”

“What’s that?”

“Did Gabe really tear the toupee off Wright’s
head and use it to put out the fire on the Senator?”

Cain smiled, “I didn’t actually see him tear it
off but I would have given half my Fortune Five Hundred Companies
to have seen the look on his face. By the time I came around, it
looked like a singed Brillo pad hanging limp in Gabriel’s
hand.”

“Poor Wright, he’ll never live this one down.”
Cain heard Mallory laughing all the way down the hall.

“
Okay, thank you
.” Pike hung up the phone
and got up off his bed and walked over to the table. He pushed his
computer and work papers off to one side to make room for his
dinner. After what happened last night in the Crystal Palace, and
his fiery rescue today, he was tired and wanted to avoid all the
well-wishers and questions about what happened so he thought it
wise to lay low and eat in his room. He didn’t really mind though,
as it would give him a chance to rest up and to do a little more
research on the
Titanic
while he ate.

He had just finished clearing the table when he
heard a knock on the door. Wow, that was fast service, he thought.
He opened the door but instead of dinner, he was surprised to see
K.D. standing there. She was wearing a Seattle Mariners hooded
sweatshirt, jeans and tennis shoes.

“K.D.?”

“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop
by. I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

“No, no, of course not. I’m sorry, please come
in.” He stepped aside to let her in, feeling a little excited and
awkward at the same time.

“Nice place,” she said, looking around.

“It’s not the Plaza, but it’ll do.”

K.D. smiled politely, but he could see that she
was a bit uncomfortable too.

“Have you eaten yet?” she asked.

“No, I just ordered something from room service.
You know, dining in, catching up on a little paper work.”

“Work?” She frowned, “probably lone gunman
stuff.”

Pike smiled, “You know me and my conspiracy
theories all too well.”

“Well, since you haven’t eaten yet, I brought
you some dessert then,” she said as she handed him a small
package.

“What’s this?” He said as he took it and
unwrapped it.

“Oh it’s nothing. I just made a batch of
brownies before I left and brought a few with me.”

Pike’s eyes lit up. “Nothing? Are these the same
ones you brought to the office party last Christmas?”

“Yes.”

“The ones with the chocolate chips and the
frosting?”

“Yes, “she said again, becoming a little
embarrassed.

“These aren’t nothing! These are only the best
brownies I’ve ever had in my life.” He held them in his hands as if
they were a holy relic. After gazing at them for a moment, he
carefully placed them on the table. “Would you like to stay? I can
call and get whatever you’d like.”

“No, that’s okay, I really should be going.”

“Are you sure? You know you’re more than welcome
to stay.” Pike felt the awkwardness leaving the more he talked to
her.

“No, I’d better go.” He could hear the
hesitation in her voice and wanted to ask her to stay but decided
not to push it after all that had happened.

“Okay, I understand.” For a split second he saw
disappointment flash across her eyes with the speed of a lightning
bolt because he
didn’t
push it. If it were physically
possible he would have kicked himself in the butt for being so
stupid.

As she started to leave, she glanced over and
saw the package that she had delivered earlier from their
co-worker, Nathaniel Grant.

“What did Nate send you?”