Page 47 of All He Sees
Charles shrugged. "If you're not into me, then, uh..." He glanced at Nicky. "You're a beautiful woman... I'm sure you know that."
Nicky pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Mr. Medina, we really need to talk," she said. "If you could please just come with us and be serious, we would really appreciate it."
"Serious?" Charles whipped his head around. "I'm Charles Medina! Have you seen this house?" He gestured toward his estate. "I'm not just some boring Joe-Schmoe, you know. I'm a real-life prince, and you should be grateful you're here... you should give me a kiss."
"Oh, my God," Nicky said. "What is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"
"What's wrong with me?" Charles scoffed. "I'm the good guy, here. I'm just the one who gets to live like a king. I'm the one who gets to feel like a god. I'm the one who gets to--"
Charles stopped, and his eyes went wide.
"Please come with us," Nicky said, holding out her hand. "We just want to talk."
Charles, still holding his two drinks, took a sip from the beer, then from the cocktail, as he stumbled over. Nicky was ready to just arrest him when he tripped over his own feet and landed on the pavement, smashing glass everywhere.
Nicky lifted an eyebrow at Ken.
Apparently, arresting Charles Medina wouldn't be too hard.
"I'm sorry," Charles said. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Nicky and Ken glanced at each other, then at the broken bottles around him.
"Everything okay?" a voice called out behind them. It was the woman--the same woman who'd brought them here. Nicky was sure of it.
"Yeah, we're fine," Ken said.
He gestured to the broken glass, and Nicky stepped back.
If there was one thing that she'd learned from being an agent, it was that people could be dangerous even when they had an "injury."
It was hard to look away from Charles, who was still on the ground.
The woman trotted over and looked at Charles, then sighed. "Oh, dear, Mr. Medina... what have you done?"
"We need to take him in for questioning," Nicky told the woman. "We have a helicopter waiting. I'll phone them in and get them here. In the meantime, you should make yourself available; we're going to send a team here to search the island for the missing girls. If you know anything, now is the time to speak up."
"I know nothing of any missing girls. Charles does not have visitors here." The woman's lips pursed, and she stared down at Charles, who seemed to have passed out. "But do what you must," she said, turning and walking away.
***
Moments later, a helicopter was landing on the lawn of the backyard, and Nicky waved them over. She'd also called in a police force to come search the island, and they would arrive by helicopter within the hour.
The chopper was big enough to hold them all and then some, but Charles Medina's unconscious body was still a massive pain. Nicky and Ken hauled him over to the helicopter. Charles Medina's eyes didn't open the entire time, but every once in a while, he would mutter something. Danny and Rachel hopped out of the chopper to help lift Charles in.
"You really think he'll talk, boss?" Danny asked.
Nicky gulped, but she tried her best to hide it.
"I don't know," she said. "I hope so."
They stuffed Charles in the helicopter, and they started to take off. The blades of the helicopter roared, and Nicky heard the tiger growl as it clawed at its cage below. Slowly, the chopped brought them higher into the blue sky, making Medina's estate grow smaller. Nicky spotted the blonde woman below, looking up.
Charles opened his eyes and stared at Nicky. Part of her wondered if he'd been pretending to be passed out just so they'd carry him.
"I know what you're thinking," he slurred over the sound of the helicopter. "What's wrong with me? Why don't I act right?"
