by Liz Turner
Gabriella nodded stiffly again, aware that Antonio was right, but still unwilling to miss out on the action.
“Go get an ice cream from the cart over there and try not to look conspicuous,” Antonio ordered.
Gabriella crossed the road to the ice cream cart as Antonio casually strolled inside Amigos Bar. Hearing cheers as he walked in, she wondered if she hadn’t been played a fool by one of the locals. She leaned against a streetlight pole while licking her strawberry ice cream that was melting fast in the Mexican heat. All the while, her eyes remained locked on the entrance of the bar.
The heavy minutes ticked by slowly as the sun rose higher, but there was still no sight of Ronnie or Antonio. Gabriella was warring with herself about whether to enter the bar, when an old man stumbled out of an alleyway.
The man had his back to her, but with one look at his fancy suit, Gabriella knew exactly who he was. He spun and started heading her way.
“Hi, Ronnie,” Gabriella called as he walked passed her.
The man jumped slightly, his eyes snapping around until they settled on hers. “Sorry,” he said, his eyes shifting back to the bar every few seconds. “Do I know you?”
“Yes, I’ve seen you around on the cruise. I kind of got lost, and I was hoping you could help me find my way back to the ship.”
Shamefully, Gabriella smiled and flicked her long black hair over her shoulder, ensuring she held Ronnie captivated and delayed him for a few seconds longer. She then sighed in relief upon seeing Antonio burst out of the bar over Ronnie’s shoulder.
He stormed up behind Ronnie and grabbed him by the arm, forcing Ronnie to walk along with him. “Let’s go for a walk,” Antonio muttered in his ear.
Ronnie scowled at Gabriella the second he realized she’d been the rather attractive lure in his entrapment.
“What’s going on?” Ronnie growled. “I’m an old man and I won’t tolerate being manhandled in a foreign country!”
Antonio noticed that Ronnie was gathering a few onlookers and knew he had to be silenced. “I’m a cop,” Antonio hissed at him. “If you don’t want to rot inside a Mexican prison cell for the rest of your life, I suggest you talk.”
Ronnie scoffed. “Oh, please! Do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard that threat? And yet, here I am, a free man!”
“He’s not lying,” Gabriella spoke up. “I’m the captain’s wife onboard the Fischer Cruise. I know you smuggled drugs onboard in Pamela’s luggage. And I know those drugs were confiscated by my head of security and have since disappeared. I brought Antonio in. One letter from me will seal your fate, Mr. Maceral.”
Ronnie stared at her for a few seconds, his eyes widening with fear but his face turning into a rebellious sneer.
“Your only option,” Antonio continued, “is to cooperate with us. And if you don’t, I’ll be sure my cop buddies leak your name –”
“Along with all your fake names on the passports I found,” Gabriella added smugly.
“—to every single drug mule from here to California, informing them you’re the snitch in town who got them all locked up.”
That was enough to break him. While he’d been a genius con-man—trafficking various items across the country and swindling widows out of their fortunes—the thing Ronnie Maceral loved most in life was himself; there was no way that he would risk any discomfort for two drug cartels who’d forced him into the arrangement. “What do you want?” Ronnie asked.
“Names,” Gabriella said.
“Who did you give the samples of meth to?” Antonio asked.
Ronnie spilled as many names as he could remember, along with the plans he had picked up while inside the bar.
Antonio’s smile widened with each nugget of information, realizing Ronnie was providing the intel it would have taken him years to gain.
“Now, I only want one thing from you, Ronnie,” Gabriella interjected.
Ronnie winked at her. “Anything, sweet cheeks.”
Gabriella stared him down for a few seconds. “Did Derek Figo have anything to do with this?” she asked, watching Ronnie closely.
“Never heard of him,” Ronnie said with a simper.
Gabriella raised her eyebrows.
“If you don’t answer the señora, we might as well call the entire thing off,” Antonio said.
Ronnie glared at him and then sighed. “Derek found the drugs and confronted me. He threatened to lock me in the same cell as that stupid dog, but when I mentioned a monetary figure, he backed off and gave the merch back.”
Gabriella gave Ronnie Maceral a knowing nod as he disappeared into the crowd, and he glared back at her in return.
She doubted if a slimy eel like Ronnie would hold up his end of the deal and had Antonio’s number if things turned against her.
“Gabi,” a panicked voice spoke behind her.
She spun round to find a desperate Sarah and a forlorn Sebastian looking at her. “What happened?” she asked, fearing the worst.
“Not here.” Sarah pulled her into one of the empty spa rooms, with Sebastian awkwardly tagging along behind them. Sarah dragged her fingers nervously through her hair and began pacing back and forth. “I’m done for!” she exploded.
“Start from the beginning,” Gabriella soothed gently, all the while monitoring Sebastian.
“Sebastian and I…” Sarah stopped, stared at Sebastian for a few seconds, and then collapsed into a chair sobbing.
Gabriella directed her attention to Sebastian. One look at his pained expression as he watched Sarah crying told her all she needed to know. “Who caught you?” she asked.
“Simon!” Sarah wailed between sobs.
“We weren’t doing anything wrong, really. I just joined Sarah on her lunch break and we were just talking and then…” Sebastian broke off and stared at his flip-flops.
“He kissed me!” Sarah cried out.
“Oh dear.” Gabriella inhaled slowly.
“This other crew member jumped to conclusions and threatened to tell the captain, and now Sarah thinks she will get fired! It’s ridiculous!” Sebastian griped.
“I’m afraid it’s not. Sarah knows our strict policies. You crossed the line and now she could face losing her job.”
“You can’t do that,” he objected. “Sarah’s the best employee you have! She’s kind, helpful, sweet, beautiful…”
Gabriella snapped her fingers. “You’re not helping things.”
“I love her,” he declared rebelliously.
“You don’t even know her,” Gabriella scolded. “You’ll flash into her life for twelve days and then disappear into your world of suits and business deals, while she sails around the world with a broken heart!”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Sebastian insisted, standing defensively behind Sarah and resting his hands on her shoulders.
Sarah turned a tear-streaked face towards Gabriella. “You fell in love with a crew member once,” she said. “Can’t you just for a minute try to empathize with what we’re going through?”
Gabriella felt the wind taken out of her lungs as she stared at the young couple before her. Sarah had a point. How could she break the rules but demand Sarah abide by them? She had no room to judge. Her stomach twisted nervously with the words that tumbled out. “Before I plead your case to the captain, I want to know what your plans are. You need to take a real hard look at each other and decide if what you’re feeling is strong enough to endure the serious trials that are brewing.”
“Thank you, Gabi,” Sarah gushed in relief. “I know it sounds crazy, but this is real.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to,” Sebastian smiled as he looked down at Sarah, and Gabriella couldn’t help but believe his doe-eyed sincerity.
“Fine, but to earn my trust, I will need your help with something,” Gabriella said, fixing her eyes on Sebastian as she spoke.
Chapter 10
Port Loreto
“Excuse me, Mr. Figo?” Sebastian said uncertainly.
“How can I help you?”
“I think I might know of something going down today.” Sebastian’s eyes darted all over, alert to any danger.
“Tell me all about it,” Derek said.
“I was at this bar last night and I heard the guy next to me talking. He was bragging to some buddies about the fortune he’d made doing a ‘delivery’ in Los Cabos…”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“It sounded like he dropped off a drug haul at the port stop, but then he talked about some new business he picked up.”
“What kind of business?”
“The old guy said his business partners on Los Cabos hooked him up with another interested party in Port Loreto and they would meet today. He said he would bring back some ‘samples’ to take to California and that there would be plenty more to sell if he was interested.”
“So he’s planning to bring the drugs onboard?”
“It sounded that way,” Sebastian confirmed. “I saw him disembark with the first tourist group this morning. He’s already on Loreto by now.”
“Did you catch a name?”
“His friends referred to him as Ron or Ronnie, but I didn’t get a last name.”
“Thank you for informing me. We take security measures extremely seriously and we can’t allow any harmful substances to be brought onboard our cruise,” Derek explained professionally. “I’ll handle the matter from here.”
“Thanks for listening,” Sebastian said as he nervously backed out of the door.
Sarah was waiting around the corner. “Did he buy it?”
Sebastian smirked. “I think he took the bait.”
***
Ronnie strutted across the deck, satisfied with himself. It had been a busy cruise so far. He had successfully delivered his first round of merchandise to Luka, and then laid his hands on some quality cocaine, its floral sweet scent tainted with the familiar acrid chemical odor. He’d hit some minor trouble along the way thanks to the nosey captain’s wife, but soon, he’d be able to flip things around again and make more money than he’d dreamed of.
“Mr. Maceral,” Figo stepped out of the bustling crowd of sunburnt and sweaty tourists, “follow me, please.”
“Now, come on—I’ve had a pleasant day catching a tan on the beach,” Ronnie complained, deliberately raising his voice. “Why do I have to step inside your little room today?”
“Don’t make a scene,” Figo ordered. “Just follow me.”
“Perhaps you’d allow me to change in my room first?”
“No, you and that backpack of yours are coming with me,” Figo snarled.
“Was that necessary?” Ronnie asked when Figo closed the door behind them. “You made me look bad in front of all of my friends.”
Derek marched up to him, his eyes locked on the target. “I don’t appreciate you making waves for me in my place of work. I gave you one free pass –”
“It wasn’t exactly a free pass,” Ronnie spat. “I paid a pretty price for you to overlook my little unorthodox parcel.”
“It was that or prison!” Derek rounded on him. “And you don’t have enough years on the clock to survive another sentence!”
“Okay, jeez.” Ronnie eased himself down into Derek’s chair. “So what seems to be the problem?”
“I heard you did some business on Loreto today.” Derek folded his arms. “And you brought back another package.”
Derek snatched the backpack from Ronnie’s hands and ripped it open. He whistled slowly as he pulled out the heavy bag of slightly off-white powder. He unwrapped the plastic and stuck the edge of his pinky into the powder before carefully placing it on his tongue. “This is decent stuff, Ronnie. Well done. It’ll fetch a good price.” Derek applauded. “Too bad you’ll never get to deliver it.”
“You take that from me and I’ll find the pretty little captain’s wife and spill everything,” Ronnie threatened, trying to reach for the backpack again.
“You can’t do that if you’re locked in a cell for the rest of the trip,” Derek said, his thin lips creasing into a sneer.
“She knows,” Ronnie muttered under his breath.
“About what?”
“All of it!” Ronnie spluttered.
Derek Figo slammed his fist into the top of the desk, his slick hair jerking out of place. He then took a deep breath and smoothed his hair down with both hands. “If the drugs disappear, she’s got nothing to hold us to. And not even the captain believes her,” he said calmly. “No policeman will take her word over mine.”
“There’s no way I trust you to hide one-hundred grand worth of my dope!” Ronnie protested.
“Then we split it. You hide half, and I hide half. When we disembark in San Diego, I’ll go with you to the drop and get my half of the cash.”
“I’m the one taking all the risk here,” Ronnie moaned as he stood up to split the cocaine.
“I’m jeopardizing everything to cover you!” Derek spat, measuring out cocaine into another bag.
Ronnie grinned. “You know this is just a taste. I mean, you’re in an excellent position here. If we bypass that mad woman, we can be into some simple business here.”
Derek remained silent as he sealed his packet.
“Think about it,” Ronnie suggested. “In the meantime, let’s get this hidden. When the captain’s wife comes looking for it, I’ll tell her that when I offered you the deal, you refused and threatened me with prison, so I tossed it overboard.”
Derek extended a hand, paled slightly by the settling white dust. “Deal.”
Ronnie grinned as he shook Derek’s hand.
Derek Figo waltzed smugly out of the security office, his parcel neatly tucked away inside his security uniform jacket. This wasn’t the first drug package he’d used the cruise to move, but it was the first time Gabi had caught on. She was smart and had made things interesting this time, but she foolishly didn’t know when to back off and mind her own business.
Besides, Derek deserved this break, and he needed the extra cash. It had thrilled him when he happened across the goldmine lying in the old woman’s luggage. Tracking down Ronnie had taken minutes, and he’d only needed to apply the slightest amount of pressure before Ronnie cracked and cut him a deal. He’d made more cash in a day than he had the entire month.
Derek had tired of serving annoying tourists who asked stupid questions while eating and drinking their lives away. It wasn’t fair that his life was mundane. He had only taken the job with the Fischers because he had fancied Gabriella and thought a little spicy affair with the captain’s wife might bring some excitement to his dreary days.
Derek had worked hard to impress Gabriella, jumping through hoops to fulfill her every whim and sorting out even the most unnecessary of tasks, all to keep her happy. He had been at her side anytime she had needed anything, her husband always too busy commanding the ship to pay attention. Derek had delivered charm capable of knocking any girl off her feet, but Gabriella had remained innocently oblivious to his seductions, her loyalty fiercely on the side of her pathetic husband who didn’t appreciate the exotic jewel he had clutched in his hand.
Derek rounded another corner, making sure no one was around to see him stash the coke. On a ship with over a million hiding places, Figo was confident his little treasure trove would remain untouched.
He walked away, thinking about how his precious Gabriella had stabbed him in the back, taking the first opportunity to see through his façade as a knight in shining armor and instead, handing him over for drug trafficking without hesitation.
“Where is it?” Gabriella’s voice sounded suddenly behind him.
Derek felt a wave of panic surge through him, wondering if she had been watching. “Where’s what?”
Gabriella looked oddly confident. “You know, the drugs Ronnie brought on board today.”
“Oh, those.” Derek laughed. “I confiscated them. Ronnie claimed they were planted on him.”
“I bet he did. Where are they?”
“I thre
w it overboard so no cocaine would find its way around your ship and cause a scandal.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s all in my report, which is ready and waiting for the captain, down to the finest detail.” Derek smiled smugly.
“No need.” Captain Nick stepped out next to his wife. “I’m here, so why don’t you save the paper and fill me in?”
Derek hesitated slightly, eyeing the captain.
“Tell me the truth, Derek,” Nick said, taking a step closer to his friend. “You’re an honourable man and an excellent employee. We all slip up sometimes when we’re tempted with a lot of easy money. I can help you if you just tell me the truth.”
Derek wanted to laugh in the captain’s face. Those were easy words to say when your wife had inherited millions and bought you your own cruise ship to pilot around the seas as you pleased. “There’s nothing to tell,” Derek lied. “Your interfering wife has tried to foil a plot that doesn’t exist. I told you I would handle matters of security as I see fit.”
“So you didn’t hide the drugs so you and Ronnie Maceral could sell them as soon as you hit American soil and pocket the cash?” Gabriella folded her arms and stared Derek down.
Even when she was angry, Derek found her attractive. He laughed shallowly. “Of course not. Have I ever failed you?”
“We’re looking into that,” the captain said grimly. “There seems to have been a few ‘parcels’ you have overlooked on board our ship.”
Gabriella whistled loudly. “There is one way to find out if you’re telling the truth…” She grinned as she crouched down and kissed the giddy Rottweiler that bolted towards her. “Hey, Maximus, who’s my favorite boy?” she squealed as he licked her cheek. She then clicked a leach onto Maximus’ collar and led him slowly towards Derek. “Did you ever figure out why Maximus went so crazy over a few bags?” she asked.
Derek’s eyes widened as the black, furry, muscular frame grew closer, his brown eyes locked on Figo and his shiny nose sniffing at the wind. A slow growl grumbled in Maximus’s throat as he caught the scent. When he sniffed at Derek’s hands, he erupted into ear-splitting barks.
“Now, all we have to do is follow Maximus and find out where you and your friend hid the drugs,” Gabriella stated with a satisfied smile.