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discomfort had gotten no better by the time the Agusta landed on the helipad of
    the HardWind . Even though the pilot finessed the six-thousand-pound helicopter to the
    pad, there was enough of a jolt to send savage pain through Dáire’s throbbing head. He
    put his palms to his temples and bent forward beneath the agony.
    “I want you to drink another case of Dago Red,” Jackson said sweetly as he
    unbuckled his seatbelt.
    “I want to die,” Dáire complained.
    “Gentry just might oblige you,” Jackson warned.
    Forcing one foot ahead of the other, Daire walked away from the helicopter,
    following Jackson into the ship. He mumbled acknowledgements to those members of
    the crew who greeted him, but didn’t lift his head any higher than it was necessary for
    him to navigate the interior of the plush motor yacht.
    “The boss is in the office,” Dáire heard someone say.
    26
    HardWind
    Two hundred and thirty feet of luxury motor boat, the HardWind had a twenty-foot
    draught and was built for extended ocean voyages. It was registered to a Dutch
    company with a homeport in Jamaica. Onboard the boat, a garage held the owner’s
    custom-equipped sports utility vehicle and a helipad graced the top deck. Two fortyfoot sport-fishing boats were strapped snugly to the side decks. Manned by a twentymember crew, the HardWind had eight double-suite cabins with queen-sized berths, two
    twin suites with full-sized berths, and dining and entertainment facilities large enough
    to accommodate twenty-four people in luxurious comfort. The owner’s private deck
    bore a suite with a retractable moon roof and was decked out with a sitting area
    complete with a sixty-inch plasma television, a concave ten-feet-wide acrylic twohundred-and-sixty-five-gallon aquarium, a fireplace, high-tech office, well-stocked bar,
    his and hers walk-in showers, a sunken whirlpool tub and a Hollywood king-sized bed.
    The HardWind was the company ship and a little piece of floating heaven for those
    granted access to her. At any given time, three operatives of The Cumberland Group
    were onboard along with their boss Tyndall Gentry, the boss’ private bodyguard and
    the crew.
    Flanking the doorway into the luxuriously appointed office were two of the three
    operatives and they neither smiled nor replied when Jackson wished them a good
    morning.
    Whistling beneath his breath, Jackson leaned over to Dáire. “Methinks you are in
    deep doo-doo this time, old chap.”
    “Wouldn’t be the first time,” Dáire acknowledged.
    One of the gatekeepers reached behind him to open the office door then stepped
    back for Dáire and Jackson to enter. He quietly closed the door behind them once they
    were inside.
    A rock-solid man with wide shoulders, a bull-like neck, arms the size of pine tree
    trunks, cold black eyes set in a face only a mother could love, with a bald head that
    glistened as though it had been polished with oil, stood off to one side of the room,
    thick arms crossed over a powerful chest. Like the operatives outside, he did not smile
    or greet the men in any way. His gaze was locked on Dáire with obvious dislike.
    Tyndall Gentry was sitting behind an elegant mahogany desk in a chair Dáire knew
    held an eight-motor massage unit. The ergonomic chair had been crafted especially for
    Gentry in soft Corinthian leather that matched the exact same shade as the desk’s
    uncluttered top. Only a telephone, pad, pen and a cup of tea rested on the pristine top
    of the huge desk.
    Without being told, the men took the two uncomfortable leather chairs that sat
    before the desk. Neither spoke for it was against Gentry’s rules that anyone speak until
    spoken to. For a long time, the boss did not speak, just stared angrily at Dáire until the
    young man began fidgeting in the chair.
    “Sit still!”
    27
    Charlotte Boyett-Compo
    The order was a hiss of sound that brooked no disobeying. Though not spoken
    loudly, the two words nevertheless carried with them a harsh