“What’s up, babe? Did you have bad news from home or something?”
“Actually, I did. Come over here and sit with me for a minute.”
“Can it wait? I’m meeting Anne and Harper to go shopping.” She was anxious to get off the ship and on to dry land after several days at sea.
“No, it can’t. The girls will wait for you.” She sat down on the sofa next to him. He had his lap top open on the coffee table. “There’s something I want you to see. I know you are not going to be happy about this, but I hope you will consider it calmly before you jump down my throat with both feet.” Okay. That’s my first clue that I’m not going to like his news. He was expecting her to jump down his throat—and with both feet—not a good sign.
“Okay. I’ll consider it calmly. Now show me what’s up.”
Nik hit the arrow for play, and the video popped up on screen. Katya was giving Andrei a blow job. He was laid out in all his naked glory, his Russian mob tattoos on full display. Violette watched carefully, but she looked furious.
“Nik, you had no right to…”
Then she heard her friend, Katya, saying how happy she would be if Violette didn’t come back from her trip and she could remain first violin. That was a blow to the gut and the heart, and the pain lanced through her chest. She had thought they were friends. Apparently, Katya didn’t value their friendship above her own ambitions.
“I can’t believe this, Nik. Are you sure…”
“Vi, I’m sure. My security team obtained this video. I knew your fall in the subway was not an accident despite what you said.” She looked uncertain. She wanted to refute him, but the clear evidence was right in front of her. There wasn’t much she could say in the face of the facts. “This is a security problem not only for us but for the entire ship. That’s why you, Anne, and Harper are going to have a security guy with you for your shopping trip and any excursions off the ship. I know…don’t kill me. Just think about it calmly for a minute. He’ll be inconspicuous, and you girls can still have your afternoon of shopping and lunch without the guys hanging out with you. It would be a good idea to take these precautions even if this threat from Katya and Andrei was not a factor. Rio can be a dangerous place. You heard what Con and Greg had to say yesterday. Are you sure you don’t remember anything about the thug in the subway? Can you remember anything about his features?”
“No. I didn’t see his face at all. There is nothing to remember. But…”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard before she could build up a head of steam and frame a response. “I love you. I do not want to lose you. I do not want these scumbags to hurt you again.” He laughed self-consciously. “Think about Colleen. She needs you.”
She was breathless for a moment. Then she slumped against his chest. “That was a low blow.” She wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t stupid either. “Okay. We’ll talk about it more later, but it’s okay for today.”
* * * *
Andrei Sokolov had been in contact with a couple of gang guys in Rio through some of his Russian mob connections. He was sure they would be able to handle his long-distance problem for a reasonable fee. All they had to do was keep an eye on the yacht, watch for the redheaded violinist to get off, and look for an opportunity to grab her, shoot her, run her down, or whatever was expedient at the moment. It didn’t have to be fancy. It was thousands of miles away from New York and any connection to him. They just had to kill or seriously injure her. He’d do whatever it took to keep Katya Kosakova happily in his bed. The bitch had hands and a mouth sent by the Devil.
* * * *
After walking the shopping district all morning and finding the prices high for things they could easily buy at home, Violette, Anne, and Harper finally settled down at an outdoor café overlooking Ipanema Beach for lunch.
Harper laughed. “No wonder the South Americans come to New York with their suitcases empty and take them home full. These prices are outrageous.”
Their escort, the AB called Tommy, had done his best to be inconspicuous while still doing his job of watching out for them. Violette could tell that the poor guy had about had it. He had settled down at the bar only a few feet away from their table to grab something to eat while they enjoyed lunch and a cocktail.
“Anne, how long have you and Jamie been married?” Violette found the couple very interesting. They just seemed to have a vibe that drew everyone around them in.
“We got married aboard the Golden Dolphin in September last year. We had been living together for a while. I had not intended to get married because of our age difference, but Jamie had different ideas. It’s hard to say no to him.”
Violette laughed. “Yes, I can see that.” She turned to Harper. “I know you and Morgan are newlyweds. We came aboard during your wedding.”
“Yes, we got married at the dock in New York and traveled down to Miami on board. Morgan asked me to marry him at Christmas—in his horse and buggy—it was very romantic. He didn’t want to wait. He’s another guy who it’s hard to say no to. I had very little time to put it all together. The crew of the Dolphin was extremely helpful. I couldn’t have gotten it all done without Casey’s help.”
“What about you and Nik? It looks to me like a match made in Heaven.” Anne had a gleam in her eye.
“Sometimes…and then sometimes we fight like cats and dogs. He’s overprotective and opinionated and a pain in the butt, and I love him extravagantly. We’ll have to see what happens.”
“From what Jamie’s told me about your problems in New York, I don’t think Nik is being overprotective. As for being a pain in the butt, what man isn’t? The really good ones are an even bigger pain in the butt, but they are usually worth all the trouble they cause us.”
The girls enjoyed their delicious lunches and sipping their drinks while they watched the attractive crowds walking on the street. When they were ready to leave, Tommy exited the café first and looked around the area. When all appeared to be clear, he motioned for them to follow him. Violette led the two girls out onto the sidewalk toward the car he had left parked at the curb. Unexpectedly, two motorcycles veered off the street and bore down, heading straight for Violette as pedestrians scrambled out of the way. The motorcyclists wore helmets with black visors and dark clothing. Tommy quickly turned back toward the café and shoved the three women out of the way behind the low brick wall fronting the restaurant. They went tumbling down on the café sidewalk, and the motorcycles roared off down the street.
Violette, Anne and Harper were dazed but basically unhurt except for some scrapes and bruises. Tommy’s quick action had saved them from serious injuries. Violette was shaking as she sat up on the sidewalk and pulled her dress down. She had been knocked ass over tea kettle, but that was minor compared to what could have happened. Her wrist appeared to be unhurt, and that was extremely lucky. She would have been devastated if she had reinjured it. She was not looking forward to having to explain this to Nik. He would never believe it had been an accident or a coincidence, and she really didn’t believe it herself. It seemed that her problems had followed her from New York to Rio.
Chapter Eight
Gregory Dempsey, the head of the ship’s security team and an ex-SEAL, advised Tommy to get the girls inside the restaurant, calmed down, and then to report the incident to the Rio de Janeiro police. He was then to wait for reinforcements from the ship before returning to the dock. Greg didn’t want Tommy to venture out into Rio traffic with the boss’s wife and two other high-profile passengers by himself after what had just happened. When they got back to the ship, the men hustled their women off to their suites to be sure they were all right. Casey Campbell and Natasha Romanova cleaned and bandaged their minor scrapes and bruises and had tea trays sent up to the suites.
* * * *
Jamie Devereau called a meeting of the captain, chief mate, security officer, as well as Nik Rossiter and Morgan Court in the fourth deck office and communications center that Jamie had outfitted for the use of th
e passengers during the voyage. He had gotten the idea from a passenger on the first official cruise who had booked the small adjoining twin cabins for the use of his assistant and as a temporary office at sea. The cabin had all the necessary equipment for Wi-Fi hookup of laptops and other devices, scanners, printers, and fax machines as well as a comfortable sitting area, deck, and bathroom. The setup allowed Jamie to monitor the volatile New York, European, and Asian stock, commodity, and currency markets at all hours. He could conduct business while on board and be in instant contact with his offices in New Orleans and Ocala. He had found the business center to be very convenient, especially for a private meeting such as this one. He really didn’t want the ladies in on this.
Jamie scanned the faces of the other men. “Does anyone think that was a coincidence?” The angry looks on their faces gave him his answer. Jamie continued. “I think we need to increase the security details for all passengers leaving the ship, as well as increase video surveillance inside the ship, and have additional security coverage on the gangplank. We don’t want any unauthorized persons getting aboard.”
“I’m going to have the security ABs start carrying weapons, and we’ll start a deck watch and patrol at night.” Greg looked extremely concerned. He had been very unhappy when a reporter had managed to stowaway on the cruise to Montréal and take compromising pictures of some of the passengers. It could have been a major disaster if Natasha Romanova had not spotted him with his cell phone in the dungeon and called security. He had been caught before he had been able to forward the pictures to his editor. As a result they had increased the already not inconsiderable security aboard the ship. It seemed it would need to be boosted again.
“I called my security team in New York for an update, but they had nothing else to tell me at this time. They are going to increase surveillance on Andrei Sokolov and see if anything turns up. The little shit probably thinks no one has the balls to keep an eye on him.” Nik looked ready to spit nails. “I thought getting Vi out of town for a while would settle things down, but apparently that was overly optimistic on my part.”
“Well, we will increase shipboard security as well as security for the passengers ashore. We don’t want to cause a panic, but additional vigilance is called for. The nighttime shore excursions for Carnaval are going to be a nightmare.” Jamie could see the coming public-relations problem. The passengers had booked this cruise to enjoy Carnaval, not to sit on board the ship as virtual prisoners.
“I think we are going to have to tell the passengers that there has been a security problem, or they are not going to be too cooperative,” Greg said. “We also have to be certain no one gets off the ship without their blue GPS bracelet.” The wealthy passengers on the Golden Dolphin were not accustomed to having to curtail their activities or take orders from anyone, and he clearly could foresee a problem.
Jamie was concerned. “I’m going to suggest that all the passengers have dinner together aboard tonight and that we organize a group excursion to the Carnaval celebration for everyone. We will leave a small but well-armed security force aboard, and the rest of the crew will act as bodyguards for the passengers. I don’t know what else to suggest that will keep everyone safe and still allow them to enjoy the festivities. We might need to engage additional security personnel while we’re here.”
“I’m sorry that Violette and I have brought our problems aboard with us and affected the ship, guys.”
“Don’t worry about that, Nik. If it isn’t one problem, it’s another—like the stowaway on the Montréal trip or the kidnapping on the Amazon trip. Shit happens. We just have to be prepared to deal with it. That’s the reason for the ex-military ABs who are all black belts. I knew that a ship like this with wealthy passengers would attract a certain amount of unwanted attention. Greg, brief your men and work out a schedule for the additional security watches. Contact one of the international security companies with offices in Rio, and start making arrangements to beef up our personnel for additional coverage. Con, we’ll need to be sure someone is monitoring the GPS equipment at all times. If your man sees anything out of the ordinary like a passenger or crew member going off alone, advise Greg immediately. A heads-up would give us a valuable jump on any problems that may arise.
Chapter Nine
After the scrumptious buffet dinner on the main deck, the crew began organizing the passengers to board the minivans for the trip to downtown Rio to view the elaborate parades with costumed dancers and other Carnaval activities at the Sambradrome exhibition area. Each minivan had an inconspicuously but heavily armed two-AB security detail, and all of the passengers had been briefed that there was a security problem which the ship’s crew was prepared to deal with.
As they joined the passengers going down to the wharf, Violette looked at Nik with concern in her eyes. “Is all this extra security because of me?”
She could see that Nik hesitated before he answered. “Yes, babe. But not just because of you. The incident today poses a security problem for the entire ship.”
“Maybe we should go back to New York. I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”
“Let’s hold on that and see what happens. I’ve talked to Jamie and Greg about that possibility, and they may have some other suggestions. Let’s wait and see.”
* * * *
Nik was worried and temped to try and convince Violette to stay aboard the Golden Dolphin for the evening, but he knew how she would react to that suggestion—and it wouldn’t be pretty. He well understood her reluctance to allow a bunch of hoods to rule her life, but he had to consider her safety nonetheless. The security ABs had been briefed that Violette was the most likely target of the street thugs who had tried to get to the ladies outside the restaurant earlier in the day, but that all of the passengers could be possible targets.
The crowd of ninety thousand revelers at the Sambradrome was boisterous, and the noise of the bands and the spectators was thunderous. After the Golden Dolphin passengers were seated in the VIP reserved seats in the bleachers above the parade ground, Nik kept one eye out for trouble and a hand on Violette’s arm at all times. Despite his worry, he was delighted by the joy she took in the spectacle of the scantily clad dancers in tall head dresses and outrageous costumes. The elaborate floats constructed by the different samba schools competing to dance in the Parade of Champions were a feast for the eyes that had taken the better part of a year to bring to completion. Nik knew that Violette, as a performer, would appreciate all of the work that went into the preparation for their night in the spotlight.
As the evening progressed, they watched the presentations of several samba schools as thousands of dancers, drum corps and numerous floats paraded from one end of the Sambradrome to the other under the eyes of the competition jury and national television audience. The crowd was wild. Nik knew that the miscreants from the afternoon would have little trouble in infiltrating the VIP seating area while the eyes of all were on the action taking place on the parade grounds below. He continually swept his eyes across the crowd surrounding them looking for young men who seemed out of place or who were not watching the action below.
Finally, Nik’s vigilance paid off, and he spotted two men in motorcycle helmets and black leather jackets who appeared to be scanning the crowd rather than watching the performance. He immediately pointed them out to Tommy, who was seated on the other side of Violette. Once the two men had been pointed out, Tommy used his walkie-talkie to alert the other ABs, who moved unobtrusively to surround the two men who were armed with short but deadly looking lead pipes. The two were quickly restrained and hustled out of the bleachers by the ship’s AB security detail.
Although he wanted to join the security detail removing the two bikers, he knew he had to keep Violette safe in case the troublemakers were not alone and they had backup in the crowd. Nik and Tommy stayed with Violette, who had not noticed the commotion since her eyes were glued to the performance taking place below them. He would have to get the scoop from Gr
eg and his team when he returned to the ship.
After what seemed like forever to Nik, but which was probably only little more than a half an hour, most of the security detail reappeared in the crowd around their group and took up their surveillance again. The threat posed by the two men had been handled quietly but efficiently by Greg’s team.
* * * *
Nik and Jamie met in the fourth-deck computer center the following morning. Nik was dying to know what had transpired when the two men had been removed from the bleachers at the Sambradrome.
“Greg’s men had a quiet talk with them in the parking area, but were not able to find out too much more than we already knew.” Jamie’s gift for understatement was legendary. “Apparently, they were contacted by someone in New York who sent them a picture of Violette and a description of the ship. They were offered a payoff if they were able to ‘take care’ of her, but they were not given detailed instructions as to what that would entail—just that the person in New York would be happy if she did not make a return trip.”
“That bastard, Sokolov. It couldn’t be anyone else.”
“I wouldn’t think so. The guys we picked up are apparently low-level street thugs. They are a dime a dozen all over the world. These two will be nursing their injuries for a while, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that some others might not come along to take up the assignment.”
“What do you think we should do? Should Violette and I return to New York?”
“I don’t think that would solve any problems. I doubt that she would be safer there. Since these two are out of commission for the time being, why don’t you and Violette enjoy one more day of sightseeing in Rio, and then I have a suggestion.” At Nik’s interested look, he continued. “Anne and I are making a side trip to Rancho Devereau up the coast a little—in the state of Bahia—for a couple of days and then rejoining the return cruise at Fortaleza. Why don’t you and Violette come along? It should be interesting. My brother, Justin, and our property manager, Max Warwick, handle all the real property holdings for Devereau Investments. It was a favorite destination of my dad’s. I haven’t been there in quite a few years, but Justin and Max come down quite frequently. In fact there is a helipad as well as a landing strip on the property. We can leave the ship by helicopter after dark, and no one will know where we went.
Violette's Vibrato [Golden Dolphin 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 7