The windows overlooked Lake Geneva. Silver sunlight sparkled on the dark blue water and made the surrounding dark green trees and lawn glow.
She took a firmer grip on her phone so that it might not accidentally go flying and shatter the window. “But we agreed that the napkins would be unbleached, raw silk. At no time did we specify garish white polyester napkins.”
The door to her office within the suite squeaked open.
Dieter Schwarz poked his head through the partially open door. “Flicka? My two guys have no idea what the difference between white napkins and unbleached silk would look like, but they brought a couple back with them.”
He held out a piece of white cloth and waved it as if it were a flag of surrender.
Flicka marched over and snatched ugly thing out of his hand. With even the most cursory of inspections, it was obvious that the rag was white polyester,notunbleached silk. “I am holding a sample right here. You cannot tell me that this disgusting piece of fake cloth is new, unbleached silk.”
The manager on the other end of the line squawked, insisting that all their materials were the very finest and exactly what she had ordered.
“You may be able to fool some people, Edger Lane, but you certainly cannot fool me. Either you will have three thousand unbleached silk napkins here within two hours, or I swear I will find someone who will. What’s more, I will make sure that everyone knows their nameandthat your company did not deliver what was promised.”
Flicka poked the phone and hung it up. She ground her teeth in her skull and looked back at the open door.
Dieter was waving another white polyester napkin at her, but he was also holding a lovely glass of white wine.
Flicka accepted the wine glass from him and knocked back a hearty gulp. She wiped her mouth with the polyester napkin she clutched. Her pink lipstick practically beaded up on the fake fabric.
He asked, his deep voice evoking far too many memories, “What can I do?”
Flicka waved him off, flapping that stupid napkin. “I’m sure you have important security concerns to attend to.”
“Very little has changed for us since the first wedding that was planned. My teams have arrived. Our weapons and ammunition were on the flights with them on the private plane yesterday. I have people sweeping the rooms we’ve reserved for listening devices or other problematic items. I don’t think I could tell the difference between a bad napkin and a good one, but if you need me to shake down a napkin supplier, I could do that.”
Flicka smiled at him. “You wouldn’t.”
His grin grew evil, and he raised one blond eyebrow at her. “Bet me.”
She smiled a little more. “No, you shouldn’t.”
“I will take a tactical team, march into that warehouse, and liberate those unbleached, raw silk napkins they are holding hostage.”
Flicka laughed.
“It might get bloody,” he said, shaking his head ruefully. Sunlight glinted on his blond hair. “I might have to torch the warehouse after we get those napkins out.”
Flicka laughed harder at the image of Dieter leading commandos into a firefight to retrieve napkins.
And she realized that she was laughing out loud, hard, and she laughed more.
Flicka laughed until her ribs hurt and she was sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest, and her body shaking. She gasped for air and laughed again.
Beside her, Dieter hesitantly patted her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.Yes, I’m fine.” She wiped her eyes with that terrible napkin. Pink and beige smears marked the stark white cloth. “I’ve been thinking of ways to brutally murder that napkin kidnapper. I think what I desperately needed was just to imagine you and the otherWelfenlegionguys, storming in with guns drawn to get the damned napkins. Sometimes, I just desperately wish I could solve all these stupid problems with brute force, large-caliber guns, and high explosives.”
“Say the word, princess,” Dieter growled, “and I’ll get those unbleached silk napkins for you.”
She chuckled, exhausted from laughing. “If anyone could invade a warehouse and procure napkins, it would be you,Leiblingwächter.”
The pet name had slipped out.
She hadn’t meant to call him that.
But they had called each otherLeiblingwächterandDurchlauchtigfor a decade before their ill-advised affair.
