"In the Middle East. Mostly in Israel, but in some other places, as well."
"At first, your accent sounded French to me, but the longer I listened to you, the less French you sounded. Still, you pronounce French words like a native, at least to my ear. It's more the rhythm that sounds strange, sometimes. How many languages do you speak?"
Marie laughed. "To answer that, I have to know what you mean when you say 'speak.' The French influence is strong; my family was from Algeria, long ago. But to speak a language? Hmm. I am proficient, say comfortable, in maybe five languages. I can get by in many more; I don't know until I hear some words whether I speak it or not. I do not express this well. You take my meaning?"
"Yes, thank you. That's amazing, Marie."
"Not amazing. It is just part of what I am. I can tell that the two of you have spent time in the Middle East; perhaps North Africa." She smiled at the shocked looks on the couple's faces. She held Mindy's gaze for several seconds, until Blaine spoke.
"Why do you say that? Were there customs stickers on the camera bag? We've loaned it to friends who have traveled there but I always try to peel them off. But maybe ... " he paused when Marie, still smiling, shook her head.
"No, there were no stickers on the bag. I recognize you — both of you. Maybe in the last three or four years, I have seen you there."
Mindy shook her head. "That can't be. Where do you think you saw us?"
"That, I cannot remember. But I never forget faces; it was a matter of life or death for me, when I was working there."
"Working where?" Mindy asked.
"Almost everywhere in that part of the world. Wherever there was conflict, I was often there. You were in a place where there was fighting, both of you. I remember this. Some U.N. soldiers, peacekeepers, they try to move you out, evacuate you, but you refused. I thought at the time you were very brave, or perhaps naïve, but still, I was impressed. I think you were working for some NGO, maybe a charity, weren't you?"
Blaine and Mindy locked eyes. He raised his brows in an owlish look, and Mindy nodded.
"Tell them," she said. "There's nothing more we can do without their help, anyway."
****
Dani put the script aside and looked at her cellphone to check the time. Strong had been closeted with Danilov for over four hours; she didn't know what to make of that. The summons itself had been ominous, though, so she was tense. Checking her email while she held the phone, she saw a response from Liz to her early morning message.
"Thanks for remembering about the PLB. My friend from Dominica is on his way to take the guests parasailing and will see if he can find Marie's friend on his way past St. Lucia. He said he'd probably stop there for fuel anyway.
"All's well here; Marie and the guests have hit it off well. She and I took the dinghy out and shot some great video of them sailing Vengeance by themselves.
"I must go; it's time to serve a cocktail snack, and my friend should be joining us for dinner. Hope it's going well with you and Kev. I'll be able to say I knew you before you were famous, won't I?"
"Best,
Liz"
Relieved that Sharktooth would pick up the women after they jumped ship tonight, Dani began to consider her own exit. Earlier, she had thought that she would probably have dinner with Strong in his stateroom, where they had been working. Expecting that he would try to take her to bed again, she had planned to use the line Liz had suggested.
It was consistent with what she had told him last night, and it would probably get her through the evening unscathed. Depending on how Strong behaved, she might have to punch him out, but that didn't worry her. She'd never see him again after tonight. Once free of him, she intended to pull the fire alarm that was on the bulkhead outside her stateroom and jump over the side. She had her own PLB in the pocket of her shorts, so she didn't have to link up with the women from the harem.
Growing restless at the thought of escaping, she glanced at her phone again. It would be fully dark in less than half an hour; maybe she wouldn't even have to see Strong again. She smiled at that thought and patted her pocket to be sure she had the PLB.
A sharp knock on her door startled her. Thinking it was probably Strong, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror on her way to the door, patting a stray curl into place as she checked her lipstick. She put a big smile on her face and opened the door to find the same dour stewardess who had dragged Storm off to see Danilov several hours ago.
"Good evening, Ms. Berger. Forgive the intrusion, but Mr. Danilov requests your presence in his private quarters."
"Oh," Dani said, not surprised. "I'm not dressed for dinner. Should I change?"
"It is not necessary. He does not wish to wait. Come, please." The woman reached for Dani's wrist, but Dani stepped into her space, breaking the rhythm of the woman's move and forcing her to step back.
"Lead the way, then. Let's not keep Mr. Danilov waiting," Dani said, continuing to move toward the surprised woman.
Stepping back again, the woman nodded and turned awkwardly, gesturing for Dani to walk with her.
"Is Mr. Strong still with him?" Dani asked, matching the woman's stride as she hustled along the corridor to the private elevator that served Danilov's quarters. They stepped in and the woman pressed a button, closing the door and starting the elevator.
"I do not know. Possibly he is. I was not in Mr. Danilov's quarters when I was ordered to bring you. Here we are. I will not accompany you now. Good evening."
Dani stepped out into an ornately furnished sitting room as the elevator door hissed shut behind her. The first thing she saw was a hospital gurney, out of place in the formal room. Seeing nobody in the room, she approached the gurney to find Strong flat on his back and in restraints. His eyes were closed and his face was swollen, the area around his mouth torn and bloody.
She put two fingers to the side of his throat, feeling for a pulse. As she realized he was dead, Danilov entered through an open door.
"Poor Kev," he said. "He had a dental emergency."
"It must have been something he didn't say," Dani said.
"What?" Danilov looked puzzled.
"Nothing; I'm stunned, that's all. That didn't make sense. What happens now?"
"Now? We will go on with your audition; that is what. Come in here." He turned and went back through the door.
Chapter 29
"It must have been Beirut," Blaine said. "That's the only place that comes to mind as a match, from what you said."
Mindy nodded. "I agree."
"Very likely," Marie said. "That was where I thought it was, as well. What were you doing there?"
"We work with The SHN Alliance," Blaine said. "You're right again, Marie. It's a charitable organization that fights human trafficking. Mindy and I have a good cover in the adventure travel show."
"And the paparazzi racket?" Liz asked. "Is that part of your cover?"
"No, it puts bread on the table. We don't make a lot from the videos, but between the two, we're doing okay. SHN doesn't pay us anything, but they do cover our expenses when we're working for them."
"What does SHN stand for?" Marie asked.
"Safe Home Now," Mindy said. "It was founded by some friends of mine from college; they're still the core of the organization. One of them is independently wealthy; she keeps SHN afloat, for the most part."
"Now we've told you our big secret," Blaine said. "What were you doing in Beirut?"
"Research for a private agency," Marie said. "My contract included an NDA, so I can't say much more."
"NDA?" Mindy asked. "What's that?"
"A non-disclosure agreement. I can't say who I was working for, or what I was doing."
"That sounds like something from a spy novel," Blaine said.
"You said, 'There's nothing more we can do without their help, anyway,' a minute ago," Liz said. "What did you mean by that."
Blaine looked at Mindy. She nodded and said, "We're on an assignment for SHN. We were already debating
whether to tell you. We were kind of stuck, without taking you into our confidence."
"What kept you from telling us?" Liz asked.
"You have so many local connections; we didn't want word to get out. People could die."
"What changed your minds?" Marie asked.
"Dani," Mindy said. "She's caught right in the middle, now."
"And we encouraged her," Blaine said. "We've got to get her off that yacht."
"You think Strong's involved in trafficking?" Marie asked, giving Liz a warning look.
"Not Strong," Mindy said. "Well, he may be, but he'd be a minor player. Danilov's the one. Those women around the pool — the ones we got the pictures of? They're victims. SHN's got inside information that he's about to deliver them to a woman who deals in anonymous young women, women who aren't on anybody's radar."
"And what are you planning to do about it?" Marie asked.
"Our goal was to get good shots of the captives. That's what the drone was all about. One of them is a plant. If we can prove she's aboard, SHN's legal team can get the authorities to move. We can have a team here in a few hours to help the women, once they've been rescued."
"Is that why you encouraged Dani?" Liz asked.
"Yes," Mindy said in a soft voice. "We shouldn't have — "
"You aren't alone," Marie said. "I encouraged her as well, for reasons I can't share with you."
"What?!" Blaine asked. "Let me guess. Another one of those NBA things, right?"
"NDA," Marie said.
"Are you trying to nail Danilov for human trafficking?" Mindy asked.
"Not for human trafficking, but yes, I am about to nail him, as you say."
"Drugs?" Blaine said.
"It doesn't matter what he's guilty of," Marie said. "The solution is how the Americans say, one size fits all. He will not be selling more women."
"But how about Dani?" Mindy asked.
"Nothing will happen until Dani finishes with Strong and comes back here. Then, we will deal with Danilov, for good, I think."
"And set those women free," Mindy said, "right?"
"I am not sure how to deal with that; I will think of it, okay?"
"Marie?" Liz said, in a soft voice.
"Yes, Liz?"
"I have an idea of how to do that, but you and I need to talk in private. Blaine, Mindy, will you excuse us while we go below for a moment?"
****
"I'm sorry that Dani and I didn't have time to discuss it with you, Marie," Liz said, after she briefed Mindy on Dani's scheme, "but we didn't think anybody would object to our rescuing the women as long as we didn't jeopardize your mission."
"I think this is not a problem. Now I understand more why Dani did not plan to leave Platinum Odyssey sooner."
"What are you saying, Marie? Now I'm the one who's confused."
"Remember early this morning I took the dinghy up close to Platinum Odyssey to get the message from Dani by the infrared?"
"Yes, you said she confirmed that the missiles were there, but she had to stay for another night."
"Correct. That is all she said — no explanation, nothing. I was upset that there was no way for me to ask her what was going on, but I could only receive what she sent. Why would she not ask me to pick up the women, instead of having you call Sharktooth? And why do you not tell me this?"
"There wasn't much time, Marie, and Dani didn't want to put your mission at risk by asking you to pick up the women we saw by the pool in that video. We didn't know at the time who they were, remember? It would have been a serious disruption for you; she thought you had enough to deal with."
"But I would not let those women be killed — "
"At the time, we didn't know if they were innocent or not, Marie. Dani wanted to have the option of deciding up until the last minute. She thought your mission was far too critical to add that element of confusion, and she saw a way to do it and leave you free to proceed, whether she decided to evacuate the women or not."
"I am more amazed every time I work with her." Marie shook her head. After a second, she said, "So Sharktooth is here?"
"Yes. He brought Lightning Bolt. He's holding a position just out of sight to the south, waiting for the PLBs to be activated."
"And he has the directional receiver to home on the PLBs, correct?"
"He does. I need to call him. When Dani and I talked before she left, she thought she'd probably have to eat dinner with Strong before she could get the women in the water, but it's better to be ready early."
"How was she going to get the women in the water?" Marie asked.
"She didn't know. It was one of those things that she planned to improvise after she got a look at things on Platinum Odyssey."
"And why do you need to call him now, if he is ready?"
"Because, I think we should send Blaine and Mindy with him to pick up Dani and the women. They'll know how to deal with them, and it will keep them out of your way."
"I will not give the order until we have Dani and the women back, anyway, but yes, call him. I will go tell Blaine and Mindy what is happening while you get him here. Of course, I cannot tell them what will happen to Platinum Odyssey afterward."
"They'll probably figure it out," Liz said.
"Perhaps so, but still, there is a big difference between suspecting and knowing. Call Sharktooth. And tell him not to bring them back here until after the explosion. Then I will be gone, and they cannot ask me any questions. You and Dani will only be able to guess as well, is that not so?"
"Yachts blow up all the time when Sharktooth's around. He always blames it on cooking gas," Liz said.
"Ah, yes, the gaz. It is very dangerous," Marie said, smiling. She climbed the companionway ladder, calling to Blaine and Mindy as Liz picked up the satellite phone to call Sharktooth.
A few minutes later, Lightning Bolt pulled away with Blaine and Mindy, and Liz and Marie sat in Vengeance's cockpit.
Chapter 30
Dani followed Andrei Danilov through the door into a brightly lighted, well-appointed gym. As big as the formal sitting room, it was equipped with weight machines and a 12-foot-square boxing ring. Angelika Ivanova stood in one corner of the ring facing Dani, a smirk on her face. Her arms draped casually over the ropes on either side of the corner, she was completely naked, her bronzed skin glistening with oil.
"Cassie is something of a brawler," Danilov said. "We need to see if you can handle the part, or if we will need to hire a stuntwoman."
"That's a relief," Dani said.
"What?" Greg Baklanov asked.
"Hello, Greg. I didn't see you hiding over there."
"What do you mean, a relief?" Danilov asked.
"That you're going to hire a stuntwoman. For just a second, I thought you were thinking that used-up old sack of shit in the ring could double for me in Cassie's fight scenes."
Danilov and Greg both roared with laughter. Angelika pushed herself off the ropes, turning a flip in midair and demonstrating a flying double kick before landing upright in the center of the ring. "I will show you who is sack of shit, fucking Federal agent," she said, glaring at Dani and bouncing on her toes. "FBI bitch! I break your arms and legs. Then Greg and I, we break your teeth before break the rest of bones. Old, you call me! You will see. Come get me, bitch."
"I don't like her attitude," Dani said. "Can't you find somebody who's not a psychopath? Or at least somebody young enough to give me a good fight?"
Greg and Danilov laughed again, and Angelika demonstrated another flying kick, landing back in her corner, grimacing at Dani.
"Strip," Danilov said. "There is a bottle of oil on the counter." He gestured with his head to the side wall.
"I don't think so," Dani said. "She already looks bad enough without having a svelte 25-year-old standing next to her. Let her preserve some shred of her illusions. Poor old thing."
"Suit yourself, but you give her the advantage of grabbing your clothing."
"She needs all the advantages she can ge
t," Dani said. "Before I kill her, though, what's next?"
"Next?"
"Yeah. I wanted to star in Cassie's Dream with Kev Strong. I'm not sure I'm interested in this gig without him."
"After Angelika softens you up, we ask you some questions. Then maybe we see what is next. It depends."
"On what?"
"Your answers."
"I see. Well, we may as well get on with it. I have to get back to my boat before midnight or my mother will worry. She might call the authorities."
"Do not worry about that. In good time, your friends on the boat will be joining us. We will have someone pick them up. Unfortunately, your beautiful little sailboat will sink without a trace. But you've kept poor old Angelika waiting far too long. Get in the ring."
"What if I don't feel like it? She's ugly, and besides, she's all greasy. Yuck!"
There was the flat crack of a nine millimeter pistol firing, and stuffing flew from a heavy punching bag a few feet away. Danilov turned the pistol toward Dani and sighted at her nose from a couple of feet away. He moved the pistol slowly down until it pointed at her left knee. "Get in the ring, or I will kneecap you and throw you in."
"I like you, Danilov,” she said, laughing. "That's the kind of thing I'd do, in your position." Dani turned and took two steps to the corner of the ring, put a hand on the post at the corner, and vaulted the ropes. She landed in a crouch in the corner opposite the other woman and stuck her tongue out. "Come and get it, grandma. I don't have all night."
Angelika launched herself off the ropes again, somersaulted in the middle of the ring, and came up in front of Dani, driving her right foot into Dani's midsection. Dani doubled over, collapsing on the woman's extended leg and taking them both to the mat. Angelika rolled out from under Dani and got to her feet, favoring her right leg a bit.
"Get up, bitch! We just starting," the naked woman shrieked, kicking Dani in the ribs.
Dani groaned and rolled slightly, rising to her hands and knees with apparent difficulty. Angelika bent and grabbed Dani's hair in her right hand, jerking her to her feet and pushing her back, pinning her in the corner. She released Dani's hair, watching as her head lolled to the side. "So, little bitch, not so smart mouth now, yes?" she bellowed, as she began to pummel Dani's ribs with both fists.
Bluewater Drone: The Eleventh Novel in the Caribbean Mystery and Adventure Series (Bluewater Thrillers Book 11) Page 21