The Prince of Kuching

Several hours later, Rickie was exhausted. After the endless phone calls between his staff and fire department personnel in France, he was ready to rest. JoAnne capably fielded calls from the newshounds and the curious; pictures of the fire had already spread through the internet.

The French investigators believed some sort of accelerant was used in portions of the building; the preliminary finding of arson hung heavy in his mind.

Taking a sip of still-warm coffee, he turned to JoAnne, who was hanging up after another call. He gave her a tired smile. "Thanks for your help."JoAnne shrugged.

"Once I convinced your father to have a lie-in, it was easy to help you. And thanks for the food." She waved at the table, where chocolate pieces and cheese curls were side by side with turkey sandwiches and sliced vegetables.

JoAnne stretched and sighed after looking at the wall clock. It read 7:35 pm. "I'll follow up with everything in a couple of hours, our time. Hopefully by then, we can determine what can be salvaged from all this."

Rickie gave her a one-armed hug. "What would my father and I do without you?" he asked with affection. She smiled and lightly punched his arm.

"You can always give me a raise to show your gratitude. I still have my kid's college tuition to pay for." She picked up her bag, gave a little wave and headed out the door.

Rickie sat down and rubbed his temples. What a mess. The Nice servers were physically backed up to magnetic tape once a month and stored offsite, so everything was not lost. It was going to take a long time to rebuild, though, and some records were irretrievable. He thought about the main office here in Kuching.

Of course. He snapped his fingers. The monthly reports were compiled from data from their various distribution locations, so maybe the data could be reconstructed from those records…

Meaghan.

Somehow, with the turmoil of this evening, she had left his thoughts. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and saw Meaghan had tried several times to reach him. He dialed for his voicemail and sucked back his breath when he heard her strained voice.

"Rickie, please call me back.I…I found something bad. I think someone's going to destroy your gas tower, and I think it's going to happen tonight." With a sigh, Meaghan continued. "I'm really worried, so please call me. Please."

The voicemail ended.With a curse, Rickie quickly dialed Meaghan's cell phone.

~~~

Meaghan was perched on the couch in a pair of jeans and a green cable-knit long sweater. Tina had already gone to her room to study, after she was unable to keep her big sister from pacing. Her dizziness had finally abated, but she was still felt weak.

She picked up the phone again and willed Rickie to call. After the first voicemail, she had called several times, but each time it rang several times without Rickie answering, and she hung up before leaving any additional messages.

The strains of Minnie Ripperton's "Loving You" came on immediately after her phone vibrated.

"Finally!" Meaghan breathed and quickly answered.

"Rickie?"At the sound of her worried voice, Rickie sharpened his focus.

"Meggie?How are you feeling?"

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"Nevermind me," she stated impatiently, "I need to talk to you about my information…"

Rickie interrupted her."The Nice office burned down today."

Meaghan was stunned by the appalling news. And, yet, given the conclusion she found, it madestrange, terrible sense. "Are all the employees safe? What about Misty? Has anyone seen her since this happened?"

"I don't recognize the name, but I was told all employees were accounted for, why?" Rickie questioned.

Meaghan replied, "I think she started the fire."

Swiftly, she gave him the information from Ivoire's files, as well as the altered files sent by Misty, and her conclusion.

"And I think those two consultants are some type of terrorist or saboteurs, and it's going to happen tonight."

Rickie made some swift calculations. The sun was already setting, so it would be close to dark before he reached the structure by boat. Given the situation, though, he thought the boat would be the most viable option.

"I'm going to get in touch with Raine and the team, and try to prevent anything from happening.Just stay home, and if something happens, someone will contact you."

"You can't go alone!" Meaghan cried, "It's too dangerous!" She gripped the phone tightly in her trembling hand and whispered, "Please don't go."

Rickie sighed.

"I have to. It's my family's property, and I have to protect it. And I can't send anyone out until I know for a fact that something is happening. I believe you," he said, to stop a protest he knew was already on her beautiful lips, "but I'll need more evidence before I can activate the troops. Don't worry; I promise I'll be careful."

Meaghan bit her lower lip.

"I wish you wouldn't go, but I understand." She closed her eyes and willed her voice to stay steady.

"Do what you must, and come back to me."

A lump formed in Rickie's throat, and he had to cough several times to clear it. He realized how much he had grown to crave for this incredible woman, and how much she cared for him.

"I will always be there for you, my Meggie, and I hope you will always be by my side."

A quiet sob greeted those words.Rickie finished. "Now I have to go protect what is mine. I give you my word that, when this is over, you and I will have a very important conversation."

"Be careful." It was little more than a whisper, but it reverberated in Rickie's chest and settled warmly in his heart, and he blinked back sudden tears.