Chapter 2

"So, this man is Harold Green, owner and CEO of Green Worldwide Enterprises. And Donald Price is the Chief Financial Officer and his son-in-law. But we still don't know who this other man is ... the one I know I've seen before!" Tom stated in frustration.

"And we still don't have a connection between them and Robert Warren ... or Clark ... or whatever his real name is!" Charles added, just as frustrated.

Assistant Director Peter Woods stood up to leave the office they were meeting in at the FBI building in L.A. "Well, headquarters is finally beginning to believe that there's some validity to those tips we received. They want you to continue surveillance. If we can get positive proof that Warren is in contact with someone higher up in the company, then we'll get the go-ahead from Washington to start questioning suspects and to subpoena the company's records."

Both Tom and Charles groaned in frustration.

Woods chuckled. "I swear ... you two look and act more like brothers all the time! No wonder everyone in the office has taken to calling you two the mustache twins!" They both chuckled with him.

"Look, I know you men have been spending a lot of time away from your beautiful wives lately and I'm very sorry for that. It's bad enough that both Diana and Lynda had past relationships with a couple of the suspects. I ought to reassign another team to take over the investigation! But you two are the best agents I have for this scenario. So you're both going to have to do your best to keep your personal feelings out of it!"

Woods paused at the door before leaving. "Tom, tell Lynda I said thanks for her help in identifying Price. Charles, you tell Diana that her Uncle Pete would like to see her more often!"

"I'll tell her, sir. But, you know, you aren't really her uncle!" Charles reminded his boss as he chuckled.

"I know that, Agent Richards! But I care about her like she's my niece, so you better remember that!" Pete Woods chuckled when Charles snapped to attention at his tone of voice. "If your wives give you two too much grief, just tell them to call and gripe at me! I'll take the heat!"

"Yes, sir!" they both said as he left.

Charles and Tom looked at each other, took deep breaths and exhaled heavily.

"Oh, man ... I do not want to go home and have to tell Diana that we're going to be on surveillance duty every night until we can get the proof we need!"

Tom shook his head. "Lynda's not going to like it either. At least Pete is giving us Friday night off so we can go to the Christmas party at Vinny's nightclub and catch Diana's act. Your wife has the most beautiful voice. Do you ever get her to sing you to sleep?"

Charles grinned wolfishly. "Are you kidding? When I'm in bed with her, I'm not usually thinking about her singing. She has much better ways to help me get to sleep..."

"All right, all right," Tom chuckled. "Now look who's talking about their sex life!"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, partner. I was talking about how she scratches my back!"

"Yeah ... while you're fucking her!" Tom laughed harder.

They laughed together as they gathered up their gear to head out for that evening's surveillance. They were going to be watching the first warehouse where they'd seen Robert Warren that one time a few weeks earlier. Hopefully, he'd show up again ... and not alone.

Friday night, December 14th, Diana and Charles were at the nightclub with Tom and Lynda, along with their friends Jonathan and Barbara North and Rick and Dawn Estevez. Diana was onstage performing.

The owner of the club, Vinny DeMarco, was hosting a Christmas party that was by invitation only. Tom and Charles were startled to discover who else had been invited.

"Hey, Charles, look who just walked in the door!" Tom whispered urgently.

Charles and everyone else at their table turned their heads. The women gasped.

Charles said quietly, "Oh, shit! We'd better get to Vinny and tell him not to let anyone know who we work for. This might be a good chance to get some information on the sly. Catch them when they've had a few drinks and see how talkative they are!"

"Good thinking, partner. You go catch Vinny and I'll explain to our friends what's going on."

Charles nodded and left the table.

Tom looked at everyone else. "Those people who just came in are involved with the company that Charles and I are currently investigating. We need to try and mingle with them, so don't let on that Charles and I are with the FBI."

Barbara said, "But Tom ... Donald Price is Lynda's ex-husband. Isn't that going to be a little awkward for you?"

"It might, so I'll let Charles talk to Price and I'll see what I can find out from the other man."

Tom glanced toward the door again. "Oh, hell. This just got even better! Another one of the suspects just walked in! Uh, oh ... I wonder how Diana is going to handle this?!!"

Charles was headed back to their table. Tom caught his eye and nodded his head toward the door. Charles looked; his eyes widened and then narrowed. Robert Warren, or Clark, was staring intently at Diana onstage singing and he watched her as he moved toward the bar.

Charles followed him and he walked up next to the other man. "Hey, Ralph. Get me a whiskey, neat, please."

Sure thing, Mr. Richards." The bartender smiled and poured him a drink. Then he looked at the other man and asked, "Can I get you a drink, sir?"

"Yeah ... gin and tonic ... thanks."

"She's a hot little thing, isn't she?" Charles said slyly to Warren/Clark, who had not yet taken his eyes off Diana.

"She sure is. How well I remember her! I used to date her about eight years ago." And he shouldn't have hurt her the way he did ... He was such a stupid asshole then...

The fucking son-of-a-bitch ... had done more than just "date" her... "No kiddin'? And you still remember her? You must've dated her for awhile."

"Well, I put in all my effort at the beginning. She had a thing for John Wayne and she told me that I reminded her of him, so I started talking and acting like him. She got real hot for me and ... she was a virgin ... I was her first."

How could he have done that to her, the stupid SOB... "If she was so hot for you, why didn't you stay with her?"

"I had this thing for virgins then. But she was the only one who didn't cry when I took her. She was really turned on and I didn't hurt her at all. It was a bit of a disappointment at first. But, when I realized how much she had responded to me, I started to see that it was a lot better to have a responsive woman in bed." And one who really loved him ... she hadn't really love him...

Robert's eyes drifted from Diana momentarily to where his associates were sitting. He had a feeling Lisa would be a very responsive woman. He knew she was attracted to him and he sure as hell had a thing for her ... Don was such a fucking idiot for treating her the way he did...

At least she'd gotten him stop taking virgins just for fun... "Tell me about it! My wife is a hot little thing in bed! She drives me wild! And the things she can do with her lips and tongue ... mmm, mmm, mmm..." Charles smirked.

Warren/Clark glanced at Charles as he picked up his drink. "Oh, yeah? You must be a lucky man! Is your wife here tonight?"

"Yes, she is." Charles paused when he saw Warren/Clark lift his glass to his mouth. "You've been staring at her since you walked in the door!" he said with a low, menacing growl.

Robert Warren/Clark finally tore his eyes away from Diana to stare wide-eyed at Charles as he coughed and nearly choked on his drink. "Hey ... I would never have said anything if I'd known you were her husband! What kind of a sick game are you playing?!!"

Charles chuckled. "Relax, mister. I couldn't help but notice the way you were staring at Diana and I get off on seeing how attractive other men find my wife! Wouldn't it stroke your ego to know that other men desire your woman? By the way, my name's Robert. Robert Richards."

Charles held his hand toward the other man in greeting. This was one time his given name would come in handy...

Warren/Clark frowned and then chuckled as he shook Charles' hand. "Well ... this is a strange coincidence. My name's Robert, too! Robert Warren ... Clark." He paused and shook his head slightly. "My middle name is Warren," he added quickly. Damn it ... he was in danger of blowing it! If he mentioned his other name to Diana, she'd know something was up and she might stick her nose into something she shouldn't...

Uh, huh ... he'd almost tripped himself up there... "Robert, huh? Gee ... I wonder if Diana has a thing for men named Robert? I'll have to ask her! Say, why don't you come by my table and say 'hello' to her when she takes a break?"

Warren/Clark shook his head. "No ... I don't think so. I don't think she'd be happy to see me. Besides ... my friends are waiting for me at their table." He nodded to where Harold Green and Donald Price were sitting. "If you'll excuse me ... I need to go join them."

OH, SHIT!!! WE'VE GOT OUR PROOF, TOM! Charles was as cool as a cucumber on the surface, but inside he was quaking. Excitement and anger warred in his gut. "Well, if you change your mind, come on by!" Yeah, and he knew why Diana wouldn't be happy to see him, the asshole...

Charles watched Warren/Clark sit down with Green and Price, who stared at Diana briefly and then glanced back at him. When they were no longer paying attention to him, he nonchalantly wandered back to the table with his friends.

"What the hell were you talking to that bastard about?" Lynda hissed at Charles.

"I told him that Diana was my wife in case he had any ideas about trying to talk to her. And look who he's here with, Tom!! Harold Green and Price!"

"NO SHIT!" Tom exclaimed quietly with a broad grin. "Wait 'til Washington hears about this!"

Lynda was stunned. Why the hell was Robert Clark there with Donald?

"Who was that man you were talking to at the bar, Bob?" Price asked as Warren/Clark sat down.

"You're not gonna believe this, Don. Take a look at the singer. Does she look familiar to you?" Price looked at Diana and frowned slightly. "Remember about eight years ago when you asked me to distract that new friend of your ex-wife because you didn't want them spending so much time together?" Realization dawned on Price's face. "Yeah, that's her, and that man at the bar is her husband. He caught me staring at her."

"Damn, Bob. That's some coincidence! But I wish you hadn't dumped the little bitch so fast once you got her into bed! You broke her heart and she and Lynda were practically inseparable for a while! It really cut in to my sex life and you knew that was the only thing I wanted from Lynda!" It was the only thing he wanted from any woman ... Too bad Lisa was so lousy at it...

Warren/Clark winced. Don was such fucking bastard ... He couldn't keep his damn mouth shut...

"You bastard! I told you never to bring up your ex-wife in front of me!" Lisa Green Price threw a glass of water in her husband's face. Then she threw a quick look of pain at Robert Warren, abruptly stood up and stalked away from the table toward the bar.

"I swear, Donald! You need to learn a little more tact with my daughter! I don't appreciate you talking like that in front of her! I would never have made her marry you if you weren't so damn good at your job!" Green huffed.

"Oh, can it, Harold. You know exactly why I married Lisa and how spoiled she is ... you're the one who spoiled her!" Price growled as he wiped water from his face and dabbed at his shirt and suit. "And once we get these deals underway, we'll be rolling in dough. Then we can send Lisa on so many trips that neither one of us will have to put up with her any more!" And then maybe he could find a woman who could satisfy him like Lynda did...

Green and Price chuckled for a moment. Robert stifled the urge to beat the shit out of both of them.

Then Price stated, "Bob, here, will be handling the trades between Central and South America for us and Bradley will be handling the Indo-China trades. He couldn't be here tonight because he had to fly back to Singapore to start things rolling over there. Bob will be heading down to Nicaragua tomorrow.

"Bradley contacted his military connection before he left so they could start finding out the locations where stockpiled munitions are being stored. Then they'll start on the false paperwork so we can make arrangements to pick up the munitions when the deals are ready to go down. We should have everything in place within a couple of weeks after the holidays."

Harold Green picked up his drink. "Well then, gentlemen, here's to a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And may our collaboration turn into a long and profitable one for us all!"

"Here, here!" Donald Price and Robert Warren/Clark chorused and sipped their drinks.

Tom and Lynda had witnessed the scene at the other table.

Tom muttered, "I wonder what that was all about?" He looked at his wife and cupped his hand on her cheek. "Lynda, sweetheart, will you trust me? I want to see if I can coax some information out of Mrs. Price. She appears to be very unhappy with her husband and a handsome, sympathetic man just might be able to get her to open up. I'm going to charm her, so don't go ballistic on me. Just trust me ... OK?"