I followed her in. The aromas were seductive. Who wanted sex when actual food was here?
As she went about plucking various shiny food covers off the dishes and setting them on the table, Howie said, ‘I’m glad they sent a pretty one.’
When Sarah realized I was watching her, she just shrugged. Combat fatigue, most likely. She’d heard Howie’s moronic man-of-the-world routine so many times it no longer mattered.
After she was gone, Howie shouted, ‘Can I have some food over here? I’m dying of malnutrition!’
She had a winsome smile for me. ‘I really do love him. At least, most of the time.’
‘I heard that!’
She turned and looked at him. ‘I wanted you to.’
She then picked up a plate and started piling goodies on it. I’d been under the impression that she was going to spoon-feed him while he lay in bed. But now he was on his feet and headed with surprising speed and confidence toward the plate she was making for him. He grabbed it from her with his good hand and then dropped into a chair at the table. ‘I need some jelly for the toast. And a fork would come in real handy.’
‘Yessir, Lord and Master.’
‘Aw, shit, I’m sorry, Sarah. I’m being an asshole.’
I was closer. I handed him the fork. He ripped it from my fingers and mumbled something. I preferred to think he was expressing his undying gratitude.
We dined.
He was a noisy bastard but she was apparently used to it. She sat at the table next to him and didn’t seem to notice the lip-smacking, mouth-full yakking and belching that went on constantly.
I just kept thinking... This is the guy who’s tormented my party for a decade?
Fifteen minutes after there was no more food — though the front of Ruskin’s shirt bore traces of the slaughter — jelly-coffee-egg — there was another knock on the door.
The Glock in my hand, I went there to find Jane standing next to a tall man in a black leather jacket, a blue dress shirt and dark trousers. He was maybe sixty with white hair and cunning blue eyes. The nose suggested he was not unacquainted with trouble.
‘May we come in?’ Jane said.
‘Be my guest.’
Jane wore her blue Burberry, beneath which was a navy pencil skirt with a ruffled white blouse. When we got the door closed she made introductions.
From the table, Ruskin said, ‘No offense, sir, but how old are you?’
‘Old enough to do the job.’
‘I have a right to ask that question. It’s my ass on the line.’
‘I’m sixty-one.’
Ruskin made a face in Sarah’s direction. To Jane he said, ‘No offense, but is this the youngest guy you could get?’
Leo Guild waved him off and stalked back to the door. I wondered if Howie noticed how quickly and deftly Guild moved.
Sarah jumped up and said, ‘No, please wait.’ Then, turning on Ruskin: ‘You don’t know anything about him, Howard. At least, let’s talk to him.’
‘Doesn’t matter. Thank you for asking me, Jane. But I’m going to pass on this one.’
‘Hey, Gramps, you’re not passing, I’m passing!’
I wasn’t sure Guild heard that one because it came just as he was closing the door behind him. He’d moved damned fast and I didn’t blame him.
Jane moved just as fast and it was right to the table and Ruskin. Her face only inches from his, she said, ‘You’re a jerk, you know that? A stupid little-boy jerk. Leo Guild is an experienced security man in every respect. Last month the governor’s security men hired him to help guard the governor; and whenever anybody important comes to town they always check him out on Google and then hire him. And you treated him like dirt!’
I enjoyed seeing him intimidated. When a man shouts in your face you have the option of shoving him away or even punching him. But when a woman shouts in your face you have to sit there and take it. And it’s especially bad when you know you’ve got it coming.
The problem with Ruskin — no surprise — was that he didn’t seem to understand he had it coming. ‘Didn’t you see him, Sarah? Did you see how old he was?’
‘Did you see how tough he looked, Howard? Did you see how alert he looked? He would have protected us just fine. And you owe him an apology.’
‘Apology? What the hell are you—?’
‘I’m going to see if he’s still in the hall,’ Jane said.
‘Apology,’ Howie said as we waited for Jane to search for Guild. I picked up a piece of toast and jammed it into my mouth. I would have preferred jamming my fist into Howie’s face.
A few minutes later Jane reappeared. Behind her came Leo Guild. Tensed up the way he was, he looked ready for payback.
‘I want you to apologize to Leo,’ Jane snapped at Ruskin.
‘For what? I had the right to—’
Sarah’s words stung with real nastiness. ‘I’m sick of this clown show, Howard. Now apologize.’
‘Forget it,’ Guild said, his body angling once again toward the door.
‘Please, Mr Guild,’ Sarah said. ‘Please do it for me. I need protection, too. I apologize for both of us. Please stay, for my sake.’
The waif face, the wounded voice — what’s a man going to say?
‘Please, Leo,’ Jane said quietly.
Guild looked at Jane, then me, then back to Sarah. He did not look at Ruskin.
‘Please,’ Sarah said again.
‘All right.’ Now he stared right at Ruskin. ‘But if he starts in on me again, I walk. Right out the door. No warning.’ He addressed Jane now. ‘That’s my condition. He mouths off one more time and that’s it.’
‘Can you handle him?’ Jane asked Sarah.
‘He’s going to handle himself,’ Sarah said. ‘Aren’t you, Howard?’
‘I’m wounded.’ He pointed to his sling as if none of us had any idea of what it was. ‘Somebody shot me last night. And now I’m the bad guy?’
‘Yeah, you’re the bad guy. Guild here could crush you with one hand and you’re calling him out? Now you apologize to him and start treating him like the professional he is. You told me how afraid you were and how you wanted my help. Well, here’s your help and you’d damned well better appreciate it,’ I said.
The unthinkable happened. Howie Ruskin blushed. Blushed. Mr Jerk-Off himself knew enough to be embarrassed. And it wasn’t just because of me. It was because of what Sarah and Jane and Guild had said, too. His eyes scanned the table as if a supernatural message only he could see had been scribbled across its surface.
‘Shit,’ he said, still not looking at us. ‘I’m sorry. I guess I can be sort of an ass sometimes.’
You, Howard? An ass? Aw, c’mon old buddy, that’s impossible.
I clapped Guild on the arm and said, ‘I can’t say I envy you.’
He laughed. ‘Yeah? Why’s that?’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’
‘I’ve dealt with worse. I was a cop, remember. Try getting a three-hundred-and-fifty-pound drunk guy who’s also strung out on meth into a car sometime.’
‘I think I’ll save that for when I’m reincarnated the next time. Something to look forward to.’
‘I need to get to the office.’ Jane drew her Burberry coat tight around her. ‘It’s really cold this morning. Brrr.’
‘I’m headed to Robert’s. Now’s a good time. Most of the press’ll be downtown. Ben’s got another news conference.’
‘Poor Ben. I don’t know how he gets through those things.’
‘I think he secretly likes them. He likes confrontation. Thrives on it.’
‘I do, too. But I’ve never had to face a mob like the one Ben’s dealing with.’
As she buttoned her coat, I said, ‘I’ll walk out with you.’