Zara was busy putting the finishing touches to her culinary creation as Alex’s Dauphin II helicopter made its approach before coming to land with a thud on the villa’s roof. Zara shook her head with annoyance as the room shuddered slightly from the building bearing the helicopter’s weight.
Alex and Nish came down the stairs carrying Radic’s boxes of files, dumping them in a stack in the dining room. Alex walked over to the kitchen, wrapped his arms round Zara, kissed her, and peered down into the pan she was busy stirring on the hob. ‘What is it?’
‘Wait and see. Where’s Hunter?’
‘Good question...’ Alex replied. He took a pair of beer bottles out of the fridge, returned to the lounge area, handed one to Nish then collapsed in a heap on the oversized sofa.
‘Are you going to sit there getting pissed or are you going to help?’ Zara asked.
‘I’m going to sit here getting pissed,’ Alex replied. ‘It’s been a long day and now I’m going to drink beer with my friend, watch T.V, and eat the dinner my wife has prepared. Life is good.’ Zara scowled at Alex before she realised he was teasing her as he got up and returned to the kitchen and wrapped round her in a hug. ‘What do you want me to do?’
‘You could set the table, get some wine.’
Alex set to work laying the dinner table before selecting a bottle of wine or three from the cellar. Zara finished preparing the meal and they settled down at the table.
‘Shall I say grace?’ Alex said looking expectantly. Zara and Nish reluctantly linked hands and closed their eyes. ‘For the food poisoning we are about to receive, may the lord’s toilet make us truly grateful for it. Amen.’ Zara slapped Alex round the head. ‘I couldn’t resist.’ He grinned. He started eating his meal before his face turned red and eyes started watering.
‘What is it?’ Nish asked Zara.
‘Hungarian Goulash,’ Zara replied. Alex drowned out the culinary inferno with a large gulp of wine. ‘It’s very nice,’ he coughed. ‘Quite fiery, but you know...’
Nish tucked into it and nodded in satisfaction. ‘That’s tasty.’ Alex looked at him surprised.
‘It’s okay honey, I made yours extra special hot, you’re a dragon. I thought you liked breathing fire.’ She winked at Nish with a cheeky grin. ‘So what did you boys bring me back from your adventures?’
‘Four crates of paperwork,’ Nish said.
‘Anything good?’ Zara asked.
‘I don’t know. You’re the intelligence analyst. Figure it out for us. But I can tell you one thing, whatever is in there it was valuable to Smythe and his gang,’ Alex said.
‘How?’
‘I’ll tell you after dinner once my mouth recovers from your bout of culinary-borne domestic abuse.’
They finished their dinner and sank a couple of bottles of wine before Nish looked at his watch and realised it was past 3 a.m. local time. ‘That’s me well and truly done. I’m going to turn in. We’ll sort this shit out in the morning, correction, make that afternoon.’
‘Get all that stuff under lock and key before you turn in Nish. Given what we went through to get it, I’d prefer some nocturnal scallywag doesn’t make off with it.’
‘Will do. Night all.’
‘Goodnight Nish,’ Zara said as Nish departed picking up the boxes on his way.
‘I better clean this up.’
‘Leave it. The maid will take care of it in the morning.’
‘I keep forgetting we have domestic help.’
‘Thank god. Not sure my stomach can cope with another of your mealtime pranks. Bedtime.’ Alex made his way up the stairs followed by Zara to their bedroom suite. He got changed and showered before returning to the bedroom where Zara was waiting for him.
‘So what happened? Zara asked as Alex collapsed on the bed, burying his head into the pillow.’
‘Smythe.’
‘What about him?’
‘It was all Smythe. The whole thing...’ Alex said drifting into a drunken exhausted sleep.
‘What as all Smythe? Alex. What?’ Alex started snoring. Zara gave him a few gentle nudges, but to no avail.