Love and Let Die (Masters and Mercenaries #5)(112)

“Is that what I think it is?” Sean asked, a little smile on his face.

The king poured liquor into the glasses. “Old Monk. The best rum in the world.” He took a long sniff. “It’s made in India. They do not advertise. I’m surprised you know it. You must have traveled extensively.”

Sean waited until the king had taken a long drink before sampling. Ian was glad his brother wasn’t completely out of practice. “I have a couple of line cooks I work with. They bring bottles back with them when they go home. We can’t get this in Texas.”

Ian took a sip, the rich, almost vanilla-like flavor coating his tongue. But he wasn’t here to drink. “So do you know that you’re being targeted by an ex-CIA agent who I believe now works freelance for various employers?”

The king sat back, his face not showing a moment’s surprise. “Mr. Taggart, I am the king of a small country almost no one knows about. We’re one of the smallest countries in the world.”

“With very important resources,” Charlie pointed out.

“But limited compared to others,” the king argued. “There is no reason to target me. Yes, we have oil, but if you added up the barrels we produce, it’s a drop in the bucket. We have moved to biodiesel on our island. The oil is a nice income, but nothing anyone would fight a war over. Most of our income now comes from tourism. Do you honestly see anyone invading the Arabian Sea equivalent of Hawaii?”

Yes, he could see that plainly. All he would need was one sub, three black ops teams, and a nice quantity of C-4. After he took over the country’s communications systems, the airports, and its central city, he could easily install himself as the new king of Loa Mali. Luckily, he didn’t want a crown. “I think you’re not giving men enough credit or maybe your view of wealth is skewed. The hundreds of millions your oil brings in is certainly enough to start a couple of wars.”

The king waved him off. “Bah, I play the game. I deal with OPEC and the US. They have no reason to come after me. You sound very much like my mother. She keeps begging me to settle down and start producing heirs so the line is secure, but I have a very fine nephew who can take over if they get to me.”

“I don’t think this is about a political coup.”

The king toyed with his glass, his fingers running around the rim. “The Agency would love for me to do something that might bring down the wrath of the democratic world on me, wouldn’t they? Fine. Perhaps they do want my oil. So does India. You have to know they would love to swallow up my little island. So much drama over a resource that will be gone in a hundred years. Perhaps less.”

“You’re worried about peak oil?” It was a term the media and economists used to describe the tipping point, when the world’s supply of oil was consumed to past the fifty percent mark. It was argued that the planet was already there.

The king leaned forward, his face turning serious. “Everyone should be worried about it. The world is run by companies now. If I were, say, to prove to be a horrible dictator, do you know who would be the first in line to petition your government to protect my people from human rights violations? The oil companies. They are likely more dangerous to me than any government.”

The special interest groups didn’t care about the citizens of Loa Mali. They cared that the oil industry was nationalized there. But at least now he and the king were on the same page. “I believe this man is possibly working for an oil company. Can you think of any reason why he would be targeting you if killing you wouldn’t change the state of politics in your country?"

“I have several projects going,” the king admitted. “But I think you’re being overly pessimistic, Mr. Taggart. There is nothing out of the ordinary. If someone is watching me, that is normal. It’s nothing my security team can’t handle.”

He’d only seen a couple of men with guns. Nelson wouldn’t barge onto the ship all by himself.

Fuck. Nelson would send someone to distract the king. Like he’d done before. Chapal was about to get his wish. He was going to do a whole lot of spying in very little time because there was no way Nelson didn’t have a team here.

“How well do you vet your women?”

The king frowned. “What do you mean?”

Apparently the king had one massive weakness. “I’m talking about your sexual partners. The women on this boat have been through a security check, correct?”

The king sighed. “You sound like my guards. These are beautiful women. They are models and actresses. They are completely sweet and harmless to everything except my stamina. Come here, little flower.”

The Asian woman stepped up, a smile on her face. She was graceful and willowy, and Ian remembered just how good she was with a stiletto, and he wasn’t thinking about shoes. She also had awesome aim with a semi, and he had the scar to prove it. “Your Majesty?”

She suddenly turned and looked at Ian, her eyes going hard. She cursed in Mandarin under her breath.

“My parents were married when I was born,” he shot back. She understood English perfectly well. She’d been able to curse him in at least three different languages.

Charlie sat up beside him, obviously feeling the shift in the woman’s mood. Her eyes narrowed. Yeah, his wife didn’t miss much. “Really, Ian?”

“I had a colorful life before I met you, love.”