| The huge fan
slowly turning in the centre of the dark ceiling made the
bar
cool in contrast to the stifling outside heat. Rico slid onto a stool and picked up a cardboard coaster, watching the barman - a big black man crewing on the long-since extinguished remains of a cigar - as he lumbered up to take his order. "Something cold," Tubbs told him, smiling. The barman grinned back and grabbed a beer glass, opening the fridge behind the bar and popping open a large beer. "You're a long way from home, friend," he started, putting the bottle onto the bar. Rico nodded slowly. "I'm looking for someone." "Everyone's looking for someone." "Yeah." He lifted the bottle to his lips and drank half of the amber liquid in one swallow. It was one hell of a hot day. Even Miami didn't used to reach this kind of balmy temperature. "What makes you think she's here?" "He." Rico shrugged. "A hunch." "It's a small town." The barman meandered back to his stool and sat down, picking up a cloth and a shot glass, starting to clean it like he was cleaning a well-loved medal. "Who is he?" "A friend." Rico smiled to himself. "The best friend I've ever had." "You've come all the way down here for a friend?" Surprised, Tubbs looked up. "People come looking for people for all kinds of reasons. Money, revenge, love. The big emotions." "Maybe." He thought about it. "Maybe it's more." "Maybe? Is that why you're looking for this guy?" "I need to know if it's real." But Rico whispered the words so quietly the barman might not have heard them. In the silence that followed, he finished the beer and dropped a note onto the bar. "I can't answer the question if you haven't given me his name." Rico slid off the stool. "Name's Sonny." A slow, knowing smile crept across the thick, dark lips. Like he already knew, had known since Rico had stepped into the cool bar. "You're looking for Snow White." Tubbs was thrown. "Snow White?" Then it dawned on him, and he smiled too. "The car." The barman inclined his head in confirmation. "Only man ever to drive into Care in a Ferrari." Rico smiled, nodded. "He stole it from the Miami Vice Organised Crime Bureau." The big man's laugh was deep and bellowing. "Why does that not surprise me?" There was a definite twinkle in his eye. "Two miles south out of town, take a left onto a track to Hope Lake. He rents a cabin on the edge of the water." Rico felt his heart start to beat faster. "Thanks." He headed out, hearing behind him, "No problems, Ricardo." * Sonny's Ferrari was parked outside the cabin, next to the Lake. It was spotless. Snow white. Rico stepped up into the cabin, looking around. It was empty, although signs of Crockett were everywhere. Pinned to the wooden boards above the fireplace were photographs; of Billy and Caroline, of Katie, of Elvis and the boat. And of him, rather, of them. It was almost a charter of his adult life in pictures. The pain and the joy, laughter and tears. "Hey, New York." Rico turned and saw his ex-partner standing in the doorway. "Sonny...." He looked good in jeans and a simple white T-shirt, fishing rod in one hand, baseball hat in the other. And he was smiling widely, genuinely. "What are you doing here?" he asked happily, dropping the rod safely onto the couch, reaching for his friend and pulling him into a bear hug. Rico didn't reply immediately. He held Sonny tight, relieved to have found him. When they drew apart, Sonny looked questioningly at his friend. "You look great, man! It's good to see you." He frowned. "Is everything okay?" "Yeah. I just...." 'Just what? You're finally here, Ricardo! Just say it!' "I missed you." "Rico...." "No, just listen to me. There are things I should have said when you dropped me at the airport. Things I needed you to know but couldn't say." He turned, settling his gaze on one of the photos of the two of them. "When I got to New York nothing was the same. Miami seemed like a million miles away. And suddenly I realised it wasn't a vacation. It was forever. And I'd never see you again. I had to find you. So I started searching, just working south." Sonny stared at his friend, at the man who'd practically shared eight years of his life. Turning, Rico met the emerald gaze. "I don't want to live without you." For a few moments, Sonny didn't know what to say, how to respond. "Partner...." Then his confusion became a bright smile and he reached out his hand, palm out. Rico spread his fingers and pressed his hand to Sonny's in a gesture familiar to them. "I love you," Rico murmured softly, not caring about the response, just needing to say it. "I love you too." The hug this time was different. Less 'bear'. More intimate. Their first kiss was a long way off, but both knew that eventually their confessions would lead to it. Finally standing in one another's arms, Sonny studied his friend. "I missed you too, you know. But Rico... it's only been three weeks." Embarrassed, Rico shrugged. "I knew you couldn't have got far." |