Matera stared directly at Keyes, who looked almost as flabbergasted as Ben felt. “I vote yes, Mister Chairman.”
Ben was stunned, but not so stunned he couldn’t add. Matera’s vote was unexpected, but even if every Democrat on the committee voted yea, it would only produce a tie. Chairman Keyes would break the vote, and he knew all too well how that would end.
As it turned out, Senator Matera wasn’t finished. “And what gives me particular pride—and hope for the future—is that I’ve managed to convince Senator Potter, the youngest member of this committee and thus the one most able to change the old-guard politics, that confirmations should be based upon qualifications, not party politics. Isn’t that right?”
Senator Potter nodded. “I second that, Senator. And I also vote yes, Mister Chairman.”
The room was thunderstruck. One after the other, every Democrat on the committee voted to confirm Judge Roush.
With the vote at ten to eight, Keyes would never have a chance to cast a tie-breaking vote.
While everyone else was still gaping, not sure whether to applaud or hiss, Thaddeus Roush rose slowly to his feet.
“Thank you, senators,” he said quietly. “You honor me. And may I perhaps express my special thanks to you, Senator Matera, for reminding me what government is supposed to be.”
“My pleasure, sir,” the senator from Wyoming said, her eyes twinkling. “Now get over to the full Senate hearings and give ’em hell.”
44
“What’s going on?”
Loving had no idea why the lights had gone out, except that he was certain Trudy had made it happen. He would have to remember to thank Renny for being stupid enough to piss her off. Later.
Piss him off.
Someone had fired a gun. Loving didn’t know who, but it stood to reason it was one of the four bodyguards he had made earlier. Even though he couldn’t see anything, he could hear movement from all corners of the room, above the loud cries and protests from various quarters. Total darkness probably took a lot of the fun out of a good lap dance.
He knew the bodyguards would be heading his way. He didn’t have much time.
He leaned into the place he last recalled seeing Renny’s ear. “You’re gonna come with me now.”
“No.”
“Yes. And it would be better for you if you came peaceably.”
“I do not think so. Over here, Dmitri!”
Have it your way. Loving grabbed the green sculpture behind him. He hoped it wasn’t a priceless antiquity, because it shattered into about a million pieces when he clubbed Renny over the head with it.
One of the bodyguards managed to stumble into Loving. Loving grabbed his shoulder so he could get a bearing on where the rest of his body was, then punched the guy hard in the kidneys. He went down fast.
Loving didn’t wait for another thug to find him. He lifted Renny’s limp body, threw it over his shoulder in a fireman’s rescue position, and hightailed it for the back door Trudy had indicated to him earlier.
It was tough to find the door because he kept tripping into naked women and priceless objets d’art, but as he got closer to the back wall, he was able to discern a thin trace of light down below. It was the light from outside seeping through the crack in the door, enough to indicate where he wanted to go.
The noise behind him was increasing, and increasingly close. It would be only a matter of seconds before the bodyguards caught up. He hoped Trudy had her escape plan worked out in advance, because he had no opportunity to look for her. He reached for the doorknob and—
The lights came back on.
“There he is!”
Loving didn’t wait to see which of the thugs was doing the shouting. He threw open the door and plunged into a back alley. A trash Dumpster was just beside the door. Loving dropped his bulky Russian package, grabbed the Dumpster with both hands, and pulled it in front of the door. A second later, someone tried to push it open—without luck. The Dumpster didn’t budge.
Loving didn’t kid himself that the obstruction would hold, or that it would take the hired muscle long to run through the front door and circle back to the alley. He hoisted Renny back up on his shoulders and headed for the street. Luck was on his side for once. The alley let out just a few hundred feet from where he had parked the car.
Trudy was not waiting for him.
He wished he had a chance to search, but he knew that waiting around would only get him captured, probably killed. He threw Renny into the backseat and peeled out. As he left, he saw several men he recognized from the inner parlor racing toward him. Too late, suckers!
He thought he had at best a few minutes before Renny woke up. He decided to drive back to the motel room where Trudy had held him. He knew where it was, knew it was private, and knew it was unlikely that any of the thug patrol would show up there. And if Trudy returned, he would know she had gotten out safely.
Not that that mattered. Obviously, it didn’t matter at all where some damn transvestite went. But…he’d just feel better if he knew she was all right.
He. If he knew he was all right!
Loving didn’t have to wait long before Renny regained his senses.
“What happened?”
Loving sat in a chair facing the captive, his arms folded across his chest. “You declined to come quietly.”
“Ernst!” He tried to stand, only to find he’d been tied to a chair. He could barely twitch.
“None of your bullyboys are gonna help you. They’re far, far away and they don’t have a clue where you are.”
Renny arched an eyebrow, seemingly unafraid. “You are certain of this?”
“I’m absolutely positive. I left them in the dust. I wasn’t followed. And they had no way of knowin’ where I was takin’ you.”
“Well then.” Renny stopped his useless struggling. “It would seem that I am at your mercy.”
He said it, but he didn’t seem nearly worried enough for Loving’s satisfaction. “So now maybe you’d like to answer some of my questions.”
“I suspect that I would not.”
“You will,” Loving said, staring him in the eye, “when you know the alternative.”
“You do not strike me as such a man as would kill simply to obtain information.”
Loving shrugged. “You’re right. I usually gravitate more toward slow and painful torture.”
“I think that you are bluffing, my friend.”
Loving punched him in the solar plexus.
Renny doubled forward as much as the rope would allow, which wasn’t much. A few moments later, after he had recovered, his sneer returned. “Still bluffing.”
Loving hit him in the jaw.
“You know,” Loving said, “I’m really not enjoyin’ this. Are you?”
A trickle of blood ran down the side of Renny’s mouth. Loving wiped it away.
“Do you really think that I would betray my business for so little cause, my friend?” Renny asked. “My enterprise is worth millions. Millions. It will not be brought down by one stupid brute. You are a fool if you think otherwise.”
“The only thing I’m thinkin’ is that we’re both reasonable men and we could save a lot of time if you told me what I wanted to know without me havin’ to get rough.”