by Matt Lincoln
“Hmm,” Gabriella hummed as she looked through the shelves behind the register. “It looks like they only have wine and beer. I would have preferred something stronger, actually. Do you have a preference?”
She turned to look at me expectantly.
“Whatever you’d prefer,” I replied. I honestly didn’t care all that much what we drank. I was far more interested in her company, especially now that everyone else had bailed.
“Some wine it is, then.” She beamed before turning to the girl and asking for a bottle.
“I got it,” I offered to pay once the girl had handed the bottle to her.
“It’s okay,” she replied as she held a hand out to stop me. “You can buy me a drink tomorrow.”
There was a sly smile on her face as she said that, and I had to admit that I liked the implication that we’d be having drinks the next day as well.
Once we had the bottle, we headed back out of the little shop and back into the lobby.
“Honestly,” she sighed as he held the bottle up to examine it, “normally after a day like today, I would have gone for something like scotch, perhaps. Well, I’ve never had a day like today, but you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do, actually,” I chuckled as we stepped across the lobby and into the elevator. Pirates, missiles, fistfights. A glass of wine just wasn’t adequate after the kinds of things the day had held.
“I suppose some red wine will have to do,” she murmured as the elevator chimed to indicate we’d arrived on the correct floor. As we stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway, I dug through my pocket for the hotel room key. I found it just as we made it to the door.
“What time is it now?” Gabriella wondered out loud as I unlocked the door to the room. She was already looking at her phone before I could respond. “Wow, it’s almost one in the morning. Did it really take that long for us to get back to shore and get everything processed?”
“I guess so,” I replied, and she walked in behind me and closed the door before stepping across the room to the small bedside table to set the bottle down. It was the only table in the room for her to do so. “Actually, I’m surprised it’s not later. It feels like that battle lasted forever.”
“I know what you mean,” she muttered vaguely as she glanced around the sparsely furnished room, as though searching for something. She finally turned to look at me, a small smile playing on her lips. “Do you have wine glasses?”
“Probably not,” I admitted as I took a look around for myself. There wasn’t much at all in here, which hadn’t bothered me when it was just me alone. Now I felt a little embarrassed that I hadn’t thought about that particular detail.
“Maybe something in here?” She hummed as she poked her head into the bathroom. “There’s a cup next to the sink, but… it’s only one.”
She frowned as she stepped back out.
“Maybe I should go back down and find something,” I suggested as she knelt down to look into the small shelf beneath the bedside table before opening the drawer.
“I found these,” she giggled as she pulled two small cups out of the drawer. They were about twice as big as a shot glass and made of translucent plastic.
“Now, there’s a classy way to drink wine,” I snorted as I took the cups from her and set them down on the table next to the bottle. Thankfully, the lid of the bottle was the type that screwed on. Otherwise, we’d have had another issue to deal with over the lack of a corkscrew. I carefully poured the wine into the small cups before lifting one and turning to hand it to her. The moment I did, her lips were on mine again.
I blinked in surprise before kissing her back, barely managing to set the cup back down onto the bedside table before tumbling backward onto the bed behind us.
We didn’t end up drinking that night.
26
Ethan
I woke up to the pleasant sensation of someone running their fingers through my hair. I blinked my eyes open slowly, the events of the previous night coming back to me in hot, vibrant flashes. I wasn’t surprised to see that it was Gabriella stroking my hair, but I was surprised to find that she wasn’t in bed with me. In fact, she was fully dressed and made up, her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail.
“Good morning.” She smiled shyly at me as I sat up, her eyes widening slightly as the sheets pooled around my waist. She averted her gaze toward the wall and cleared her throat before she continued speaking. “Uh, it’s time to head out. The captain called. We can interrogate Sanchez. So, um, I’ll just let you get dressed.”
She stood up and took a step backward.
“You don’t have to go,” I said with a chuckle. For such a headstrong and meticulous police officer, it was incredibly endearing just how shy and flustered she kept getting. Even now, even after the two sleepless hours we’d spent together last night, she was still averting my gaze as her cheeks grew a rosy pink color.
“It’s alright,” she replied. “I’m just going to go get some coffee, so you can meet me down in the lobby when you’re ready.” She turned to look at me then and flashed me one more shy smile before turning and heading briskly out the door.
I smiled. She really was cute, and despite the fact that we’d ended up staying awake for even longer than we’d meant to, I still felt a lot more refreshed today than I had the night before.
Then I remembered how our investigation had been hindered by Sanchez’s request for a lawyer, and my mood soured just a bit. I tried not to let it annoy me as I got out of bed to step into the bathroom for a shower. Gabriella had said that Captain Vitale had called us in to conduct the interrogation, right? That must mean that we had some chance of gaining something from it.
After getting changed, I headed down to the lobby to search for some coffee before meeting up with Gabriella. She and the other agents were already down there when I arrived, sitting on some couches placed in the center of the lobby as they sipped from their own cups of coffee.
“There he is,” Holm announced as he gestured toward me with his coffee cup.
“Morning,” I greeted them as I walked past the seating area, toward the little shop on the other side. The boy from before was back, listening to the same bass-heavy music from before, his head bobbing up and down rhythmically as he danced along to the beat.
I grabbed one of the paper cups and filled it to the brim with coffee before taking a long swig and filling it to the top again. Even though I felt energized now, there was never any telling just what twists a day might bring. If we ended up having to pull another all-nighter, I wanted to be as caffeinated as possible.
“Took you long enough,” Hills grumbled as I rejoined the group, not bothering to sit down as I drank my coffee. We’d be leaving momentarily, anyway. “So now that we’re all here, what was it you were saying about Vitale?”
“Just that he wanted us down there as soon as possible,” she replied. “He said that Sanchez was going to talk with us, but when I asked for more details, he said it would be better if we just hurried down there.”
“Talk with us?” I asked skeptically. “As in feeding us some bull about he’s innocent or actually talking to us?”
“I think the second one?” She looked up at me and shrugged her shoulders. “His exact words were that he had agreed to divulge some information, which sounds good, right?”
“Unless it’s some kind of trick,” Hills grunted as he crumpled up the paper cup in his hands.
“Only one way to find out,” I replied as I gulped down the rest of my coffee. “Let’s get down there and see what he has to say.
I tossed my empty cup into a trash can by the front desk before leading the way out of the hotel.
The sun was shining brightly above us as Holm, Gabriella and I split off from the other two agents to make the trek back to where we’d parked the car the night before.
“Do you think Sanchez is Viper?” Holm suddenly asked as the three of us climbed into the SUV.
“I don’t know,” I replied
as I thought it over in my head. He’d certainly seemed like a skilled fighter, and unlike the rest of the goons we’d interrogated so far, he’d been intelligent enough to ask for a lawyer. He had the makings of a capable leader.
“But I don’t think so,” I amended after a moment of hesitation.
“Why not?” Holm asked as I started the car and pulled out onto the street. “He seems like the kind of guy who knows what he’s doing.”
“Yeah,” I conceded, “but it seems a little reckless to me. I don’t think Viper would come out here himself to attack the ship. Sanchez might be one of the higher-ups, but I don’t think he’s the boss.”
“That’s a good point,” Holm muttered as he leaned back in his seat. “That’s a shame. I was hoping for once we’d have it easy. Catch the boss, get him to talk, done.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I grinned at him.
“You two must go on a lot of dangerous missions…” Gabriella muttered as she looked between Holm and me. “I can’t imagine dealing with these kinds of cases all the time. I feel worn out just after a few days of this.”
“We do experience a lot of danger,” I confirmed. “But we wouldn’t have it any other way. Action’s in our blood.”
“I hear that, brother,” Holm added.
We pulled into the station just a few minutes later. As we stepped out of the car, the cheerful banter we had going on the drive over quickly dissipated. We weren’t sure just what was awaiting us inside the station.
Hills and Chapman were already there, standing beside their parked car.
“Ready?” Hills grumbled as we walked over to them.
“Ready,” I confirmed with a short nod. The five of us turned and walked into the station together. The moment we did, the officer sitting behind the front desk looked up at us. He buzzed us through right away, likely having already been expecting us and recognizing Gabriella.
“Let’s go speak with Captain Vitale,” Gabriella suggested as we moved quickly through the sea of desks in the bullpen and down the hallway that led to the captain’s office. Once we were outside the door, Gabriella lifted her fist to knock twice.
“Come in!” Vitale called from inside.
Gabriella pushed the door open, and as we stepped inside, Vitale stood from his desk and quickly walked around it to greet us.
“I’m glad you’re here.” He sighed with relief. “I was worried he might change his mind or something before you got a chance to question him.”
“Change his mind?” I asked. “Who, and about what?”
“Sanchez,” he clarified as he made his way toward the door. “He spoke with his lawyer, who apparently advised him that the best course of action would be to speak with you in exchange for a deal.”
“A deal?” I frowned as I crossed my arms over my chest. I really didn’t like the idea of the guy getting off light in return for giving up whatever information he knew. He’d attacked us with rocket launchers for crying out loud.
“Yes.” Vitale nodded eagerly before raising a hand up to me. “I know, it’s a frustrating situation, but we have to choose our battles. He might get a more lenient sentence, but in exchange, we’ll be able to capture the one at the head of all of this. Isn’t that a worthy trade?”
I couldn’t deny the logic in his argument. The longer it took us to put a stop to Viper and the rest of the Viboras once and for all, the more opportunities they would have to hurt people. I guessed that making a deal with Sanchez wasn’t the worst price to pay if it meant we saved others from being victims.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“Excellent,” Vitale replied as he led us out of his office. “Now, we can just--”
“No!” a furious roar echoed from down the hallway. “That is not what I agreed to!”
“Oh no…” Vitale muttered as he hurried down the hallway toward the source of the noise.
“Was that him?” I asked as the rest of us followed after him.
“Yes, it was,” Vitale replied nervously as he came to a stop outside the interrogation room. “This is why I urged you to hurry down here. He hasn’t been very calm or agreeable since he arrived. I was worried he might change his mind and refuse to talk.”
“Let’s not waste any more time then,” I declared. “We need to get in there now.”
“You go,” Vitale suggested. “The rest of us can watch from behind the glass. I think it’s best not to… overload him. He’s been very quick to anger.”
“I said shut the hell up!” Sanchez screamed again, as if to prove Vitale’s point.
“Who’s he even yelling at?” I asked, my brows furrowing in confusion.
“His lawyer,” Vitale replied flatly, to my surprise. If he was speaking to his lawyer like that, I wondered how he would react to me.
“Okay, I’m going,” I decided as I opened the door and stepped into the room.
Sanchez was breathing heavily as I entered, his broad shoulders rising and falling with each labored breath he took. His face twisted into a hateful sneer, and he was staring daggers at a short, wiry-haired man who was sitting across the table from him. His glance shifted away from the small man and onto me as I walked up to the table and sat in the metal chair next to the lawyer.
Usually, I preferred to get a feel for suspects before beginning the interrogation, but time had been of the essence. I would have to analyze his actions and behaviors as I went.
“Who the hell are you?” Sanchez spat as he stared me down. Both his hands and his ankles were cuffed, which was evidence of just how volatile his behavior was.
“My name is Agent Marston,” I replied simply. So far, the guy seemed like your run-of-the-mill brute. Buff, angry, and ready to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. I knew he wasn’t dumb, though. The sneaky tricks he’d used during our fight and the fact that Viper had placed him in a position of authority meant that he wasn’t a total idiot.
“I remember you,” he sneered as he narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re that punk that got in my face on the ship!”
“I did a lot more than that,” I scoffed derisively to test what his reaction would be,
His lip twitched, and he clenched his bound fists together on top of the table. So my little taunt had annoyed him. That was good to know. It meant that it would probably be easy for me to needle my way under his skin. That might be a good avenue for getting the information I wanted.
“What do you want?” he barked, his lip still twitching like he wanted to snarl or maybe yell.
“I want you to tell me about what happened last night,” I replied as I turned to look at the lawyer. He was sitting almost unnaturally still, his shoulders hunched and clearly intimidated by Sanchez’s behavior. “That’s why I’m here. I was told that you were going to take your lawyer’s advice and give us some information.”
“That little rat?” Sanchez sneered at the gray-haired man. “Little coward. Wants me to talk to make his life easier. Well, maybe I don’t want to.” He turned to glare at me. “Maybe I’ll just sit here and keep my mouth shut, and you pigs can actually go out and find your own information.”
“But…” the small man muttered.
“What did you say?” Sanchez roared at him, his face turning an ugly shade of red as spittle flew from his mouth. I felt bad for the man, who was obviously a public defender and just trying to do his job in representing this ungrateful moron.
“It’ll be better for you if you cooperate,” he mumbled meekly. “They have evidence of what you did. Like I said… the best you can hope for is to earn some leniency by answering their questions.”
Sanchez glared viciously at the man as though it was his fault that he was in this situation. After a moment of silence, he finally let out a strained groan before falling back in his seat.
“Fine,” he grunted. “Whatever. What do you want me to say, then?”
“Let’s start with last night,” I replied, silently relieved that he’d chosen to listen to his lawyer, thereby s
aving me the trouble of trying to pry the information out of him. “We know you’re part of a group called Las Viboras, and we know that you prey on unsuspecting ships by pretending to be in distress.”
“If you know all that,” Sanchez sneered, “then what the hell do you want?”
“Why did you attack us?” I asked. I already knew that he had likely mistaken us for the cargo ship full of car parts they’d originally intended to target, but I wanted to hear it from him.
Sanchez’s gaze slid over to his lawyer, who just nodded calmly.
“I thought you were the MV Arissa,” he explained with a bitter huff. “Freighter that was supposed to be loaded with some pricey Italian car parts. Was supposed to hit it together with Juan, but then he went and got himself and all his men killed.”
“Juan?” I asked. “Are you talking about the leader of the boat that sank a few days ago?
“Yeah.” Sanchez nodded, his face twisting in disgust. “Moron. Caused a real mess for the rest of us, attacking our main weapons source like that.”
“I see,” I replied as I leaned back in the uncomfortable metal chair. “And you still decided to go ahead with the plan without him?”
“Viper said we might as well,” he replied. “No point in losing out on a big score just because Juan decided to betray the group.” He glared at me. “Never would have gone through with it if I’d known there’d be a bunch of pigs waiting for me.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t have,” I replied sarcastically. I was a little disappointed to learn that Viper had been the one to give him the instructions to continue with the attack because that, of course, meant that Sanchez was not Viper himself. I’d suspected as much, but it was still disappointing to know that the case was far from over. “So, how many of you are there? Juan was the leader of his boat, and you’re obviously the boss here. How many other units does Viper have stationed around?”