A little of the Devil

When you travel as I have done around the globe you meet many different types of people, some good, some bad, some regrettably of a nature that appears to be so evil that it is difficult to comprehend that such a person exists or how their nature made them that way! Now I am no believer in spiritual matters God, Devil, Angels,Heaven, Hell and all that stuff, not for me I'm afraid. I like the concept but to me it has no more a truth than a good comic book!
I have been unfortunate to meet two men in my professional career that I would term as truly evil, one was an African dictator, whom I had the misfortune to deal with early on in my career and about whom I've written elsewhere. The other I met much later when I was near the end of my time in the service and the good lady and I were contemplating how we would use our retirement. 
By this time my service as a full time Ambassador had come to an end and I was spending my final couple of years as a special adviser, when and where I was needed. It was almost a return to how I had started my career, only this time I had seniority and was never under "orders" just requests, with which I was pretty much given a free hand to handle in the true Thorn manner!
One such request found me in Miami. Much as we would like to believe that the world turns on good deeds and peaceful morals, most of us are sufficiently savvy to understand that the two things that really drive people to do what they do, is money and power. Both are an addictive aphrodisiac and can corrupt the purist of natures.
Florida's capital, Miami, is a hot place full of life and colour and colourful characters. Like most it has a thriving sub culture where the criminal fraternity operate. It is my experience that where there is crime it is usually sheltered by the umbrella of the perfectly legitimate. Like all human activity there is always light and dark, it is reality, we might not like it but perhaps we need the dark in order to recognise the light! Anyway enough philosophizing and on with the tale! 
I had been sent to sound out a business man Santana Diablo, with regard to a military contract that our government was keen to use his company for. Diablo owned a huge weapon making armory. He supplied many countries with weapons and it was rumored that he had no scruples as to who he supplied, consequently he had become immensely rich and powerful. I was there to asses whether the British government should get in bed with such a man. My instinct told me the answer before I ever got to meet him. He was a well known recluse and guarded his privacy jealously, therefore details about him were almost non-existent. It was known that he often refused to meet even very high powered and the rich and famous and I had been told that he could still decline to meet me, even though the it had already been arranged. His mercurial nature lead him too often and suddenly decide to cancel all business until he was ready to talk and often left deals hanging in limbo for weeks.
I was travelling solo and had left the good lady back in our home in England, where no doubt she was keeping herself busy with her large group of friends, whom I jokingly referred to as the Shire Mafia!
I had checked in to the Mandarin Oriental, I was lucky enough to have an old friend, Billy McClean, who was on the board of the Hotel and a quick call to him had easily secured me a penthouse suite and I admit I taken full advantage of Billy's generous nature. As they say it's not what you know.............
I had settled into my rooms and was just pouring myself a small snifter when the phone rang.
Hello Guestling Thorn speaking.
Sir Guestling Thorn said a very cultured female voice at the other end Good to hear you have arrived, my name is Valeria, I am Mr Diablo's private secretary, he has asked me to call to confirm your meeting with him in two days time.
Yes of course, thank Mr Diablo for me, won't you.
In the mean time Mr Diablo has told me to inform you that his Casino, The Sixty Six Six, will welcome you and that a line of credit has been established should you wish to gamble and all other sundries are complementary.
Most kind I replied somewhat surprised
A car will pick you up to take you wherever you wish just ask at the concierges desk. 
The same car will deliver you to meet Mr Diablo please have a pleasant stay until then. Goodbye Sir Guestling. The phone went dead and I found myself staring at it in disbelief.  
I took a long pull of my scotch. I called Billy and was delighted to find he was free.
Billy and I had become friends many years ago when we had been thrown together almost literally in a house in Budapest, as we had both just arrived to be stationed in our mission, in those communist days we did not have an embassy. We hit it off straight away, had quite a few adventures together and had stayed in touch ever since. He'd left the service when he inherited his families fortune. Billy never cared much for material things and had over the years become quite philanthropic, supporting and funding many charities and projects to which he donated generously. The fortune he had inherited was vast so it did not make much of a dent. His only weakness was a succession of failed marriages, 5 by my last count. His divorces were all amicable and he was very close to his five children and now his six grandchildren. Billy was one of life's good guys, he had decamped to Florida some years previously and loved the place.
Guestling you old bastard, I cannot tell you how tremendously good it is to have you here! Was his greeting when we met down in the hotel bar.
Likewise Billy you are a sight for sore eyes, how the bloody hell are you.
Never better, never better and the good Lady, I trust she is well and still married to you?
Well eventually all caught up, we got down to some serious drinking, whiskey of course and then Billy took me to a favourite restaurant of his, I forget the name but I do remember the Cajun cuisine which was delicious. I also remember Tequila!