“What are you spying, sweetheart?”
Vicky turned her head to see who got the jump on her. The camo-clad man looked like a paramilitary and spoke with a German accent. He called to his partner.
“Hans, we’ve got a snoop. A real cute one, too. Should be fun… before we kill her.”
He held a knife to Vicky’s throat as he lifted her blouse. Vicky tensed, assessing her position before deciding what to do about this uninvited guest. A flash of fur and a glint off canine teeth was all she saw before the man screamed. Spirit clamped onto his wrist. The knife clambered onto the deck, Vicky rolled out from under and drew her Glock in one smooth motion. Point blank range, she put a bullet in his head, careful that Spirit wasn’t in the line of fire. Spirit released the wrist when the man went limp.
Hans looked over the gunwale from the launch boat the men used to creep up on Too Fast. Vicky had already lined up his head, dispatching him without a second thought. He fell overboard and didn’t surface. Her training left no room for hesitation. The lingering memory of the brutal treatment she received as Guizarro’s “guest” in Cozumel made her choice of deadly force easy.
She bent down and hugged Spirit. “Good girl. I should have listened to you. We make a great team.”
Spirit planted a slurpy lick on Vicky’s face.
Vicky wiped it off and pulled Spirit close, “A little bloody, but I’m alive and a man with a knife, intending to rape and kill me is dead. A bloody kiss is not so bad.”
~~~
TWO GUNSHOTS from the east where Too Fast was located changed Charley and Hawk’s plans in a heartbeat. They somersaulted off the platform and made a beeline for their fast boat. A world-class SEAL sprint and an assist from the flow of the Gulf-stream brought them to the boat in less than eight minutes. It would have been sooner, but they were delayed when they came upon two people clinging to a boat fender, legs dangling below the surface, a tasty meal for the sharks if they weren’t rescued soon.
Hawk surfaced first when he spotted four white legs reflect light from his helmet lamp. He inflated his buoyancy vest and lifted the older woman above water. Charley surfaced next to him, already holding the other woman, check that, a young girl, from sinking.
Hawk spit out his rebreather mouthpiece and said, “WTF, CJ, these women must be what the dudes on the Grady-White were chattering about.”
“No time to figure it out. The gunshots mean trouble for Vicky. You take one and I’ll tow the other. Double time, Hawk.”
When they reached the boat, towing the woman and girl in a lifeguard crawl, Vicky and Spirit were sitting on the deck next to a man lying in a pool of blood. A launch boat drifted a few yards off the port bow.
After pushing the girl over the gunwale and jumping on board, Charley pulled off his Draeger harness and leaned over the body of a man sprawled on the deck next to Vicky, checking for a pulse. Hawk helped Carlotta over the starboard rail.
Vicky said, “He’s dead, Charley. See the bullet hole in his forehead?” She looked at the woman and girl as they gasped for air, clinging to each other on the aft deck. “Who are they? Did they jump off the Grady-White?”
“Must be. I can’t imagine someone swimming out here from the mainland.” He held Vicky’s hand, “You seem calm considering there is a dead man lying next to you. What happened?”
“Spirit tried to warn me, but I didn’t understand. There were two of them. That launch boat must have electric drive for oil rig use. I didn’t hear them until this one had a knife to my throat.”
“Where was Spirit?”
Vicky flushed. “I’m such a dope. I put her in the cabin. She kept pestering me. I thought she wanted to play but I was watching you guys with the binoculars.”
“Spirit doesn’t play on a mission.”
“And you trained her to open doors? She saved my life, Charley.”
Charley looked at Spirit, “Come.” Spirit leaned into his embrace, soaking up his praise. “Braafy.”
He motioned toward the dead man, “What do we do with this guy?”
Vicky looked through his pockets, checked for an i.d. “He’s clean. Looks like a mercenary type. This mission is unofficial. Feed him to the sharks.”
He rolled the stiff overboard. “Where’s the other one?”
Vicky looked off the port bow, “The other guy fell overboard and went down after I shot him.”
Carlotta watched one of the two men, obviously Navy SEALs, speak to the woman. Hawk still held her close, comforting her and her daughter. She finally spoke in clear English.
“We owe you our lives, sir. Thank you.”
Hawk looked surprised by her choice of words and clear language. “Are you okay? What were you doing out in the middle of the Deep Strait? I know, you jumped off that boat, right?”
“Yes, my daughter and I had no choice unless we allowed those men to sell us as sex slaves.”
He looked more closely at this beautiful, brave woman. “Not gonna happen on my watch, darlin.”
Carlotta blushed and lowered her eyes, “Please, call me Carlotta. This is my daughter, Angelina. What will become of us now?”
Hawk scanned the horizon and used the night-vision binoculars to inspect the platform again. “Still no movement on the rig.” He looked at Vicky, “These guys must be here to watch over the people in the shed. If you are up to it, we can go back to help them?”
Vicky said, “You should know me by now, Charley. Those two thugs were no match for me with Spirit watching my back.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to me, Vick. Do we go back to the oil rig?”
Vicky furrowed her brow and spoke to Carlotta, “Can you tell us what is going on with the women and children dropped off by the boat that just left?”
“All I know is we were captured and brought to a lighthouse on a small island south of here. After four days without food and just a few bottles of water, they came back and loaded us onto a boat. We had heard the man behind it all is the leader of a drug cartel in Mexico.”
Vicky perked up, “Have you seen this drug cartel leader?”
“No, but I heard his name is Guizarro.”
“Do you know where he is now?”
“No, I do not.” Carlotta looked toward the oil rig. “Can you do something to help the people still on that platform?”
“My main interest is finding Guizarro. I would help them, but my DEA bosses haven’t sanctioned our recon mission. They are still playing hands-off till Guizarro is on US soil. But I want Guizarro before he disappears.”
“Perhaps I can help. His men murdered my husband and brothers. He must pay for that.”
Vicky reached for Carlotta’s hand, “You are a brave woman and I understand. We can’t fit them on this boat but will send a Coast Guard cutter to save the others as soon as possible.”
Hawk lifted the trolling motors and pointed at the radar screen, “The freighter is not far from here. Let’s get a closer look at it. Maybe Guizarro is on board.”
Vicky nodded her agreement. “Let’s roll.”
As Charley started the engines and pushed the throttles forward, a shark fin rose off the port bow where the two dead men went down.
Charley didn’t notice the shark out of his line of sight as Too Fast’s bow lifted out of the water. “We better move it if we want to recon that freighter before daylight.”
~~~
IT WAS MID-MORNING when we pulled into my boat slip. We needed the extra time to drop Carlotta and Angelina at the Coast Guard station on Key Vaca and prepare for tomorrow’s trip to Cozumel. Hawk stayed with them and will join us later.
The Merc Verados needed attention, so I started there. I’ve pushed them hard lately and I don’t want any problems during the five-hundred-mile run.
While I tended to the boat, Vicky and Spirit went inside the Winnebago.
“I want to call in to my contact on Cozumel one more time before we leave tomorrow, Charley.”
Twenty minutes later, she came dow
n the dock. She had a frown on her face.
“Bad news, Vick?”
“Not exactly.”
I tried to lighten up her mood, “SEALs are flexible. We deal with not exactly bad news all the time.”
Spirit added her two cents by nuzzling against Vicky’s legs. It got a smile. I love that dog.
“My contact has lost sight of Guizarro. He hasn’t actually seen him for twenty-four hours. But Guizarro’s yacht is still at a slip in the Caleta marina on Cozumel.”
“We need to get into Guizarro’s compound for a closer look.”
“You’re right, Charley, my contact is located near the marina and has failed to get close to the compound to be sure Guizarro is there.”
We finished prepping two hours later and headed over to the Blue Parrot for a late lunch.
~~~
THE LUNCH MENU FEATURED blackened bonefish and a plate of hushpuppies washed down with a few beers from The Florida Keys Brewing Company on Islamorada. A perfect way to wind down before a long day on the Straits tomorrow. Jonesy, the bartender, was a personal friend and piled food high on the plates.
Vicky chose a vodka martini for her drink. Hawk joined us and ordered a beer and a plate of bonefish.
“Carlotta and her daughter must stay in a holding cell for 24 hours while the paperwork is processed. My Commander said there will be no problems under the circumstances and will rush the documents through customs. They are in his capable hands.”
“Where will they stay afterwards?”
Hawk blushed, “I offered my place.”
“Oh, really?” Vicky teased. “She is very sweet and quite beautiful. Are you finally thinking about abandoning your bachelorhood?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Vick. I just thought it was the right thing to do. They have no one.”
Vicky and I exchanged knowing looks but did not continue the teasing questions. The good food and alcohol had mellowed Vicky’s mood. “Charley, Hawk, I hope you guys know how much I appreciate your help. I apologize for being a bitch about everything.”
“No worries, Vick. No one said this would be easy.”
Spirit licked her hand from under the table. Vicky laughed. “That tickles, Spirit. I have to thank you, too. Don’t worry, I just ordered a burger for you.”
Spirit hopped onto the seat next to her, tongue hanging out in anticipation of rare meat.
Hawk looked over my shoulder, my back was toward the door. “Well, look who’s here? Hey Vince, what’s happening at the Sheriff’s department?”
Vince Walker, Deputy Sheriff, walked up to our table. “Hey, guys.” He gave Spirit a pat and looked at Vicky. “Who is the beautiful lady?”
“Careful, Vince. Yes, she is beautiful and it’s true she can be a real lady, but she can whip your butt on the judo mat.”
Vicky stood and offered her hand. Before Vince could shake it, Hawk said, “Watch out, bro. When I accepted her greeting a few days ago, I ended up flying over her head and landed on my back.”
I explained, “Vicky is a DEA agent, fully trained in hand-to-hand combat.”
Vince took her hand and quickly released it. “Nice to meet you, Vicky. What brings you to the Keys?”
Vicky and I exchanged looks. “I’m taking a vacation.”
Vince didn’t look like he bought the reason but let it be. “DEA huh? Coincidentally, I have my hands full with a rash of new drugs popping up in Key West. Do you know anything about it that you can share?”
Again, Vicky demurred but gave Vince a hint. “There is a new channel developing and we think it is the Mexican cartel, Los Zetas, running it. I’ll keep my eyes open and let you know.”
Vince topped his hat and about-faced to leave. “Nice meeting you, Vicky. Semper Fi, Hawk, Charley. And you, too, Spirit.” We watched the tough ex-marine march-step through the door.
Vicky asked, “Did you guys serve with Vince?”
Hawk grunted, “Our SEAL squad did overwatch for his recon team in Iraq before we were transferred to Afghanistan.”
I added, “There were some mutual rescues. The jarheads are a tough lot. We used our sniper skills to insure they came back alive after a recon in the heart of unfriendly territory. Sometimes they returned the favor when we were bushwhacked by a much larger force.”
“The brothers-in-arms stick together, even after discharge from active duty. It’s nice to have Vince around, especially when Charley gets into trouble with the locals.” Hawk grinned and slapped me in the back.
We had another few rounds of drinks before leaving. Hawk’s place was closer so we walked the rest of the way along the docks to my Winnebago. Spirit took point and entered the motorhome first to do a quick recon. She is one smart dog. After giving us an all-clear-bark she headed for her bed in the corner. I looked at Vicky and could see she was dreamy-eyed and ready for bed, too. My only hope was she wasn’t ready for sleep. Maybe a little more conversation first.
“So Vick, are you sure you are good to go back to Cozumel again?
She focused her gaze at a framed photo I had on the bookshelf for a second and reached for my hand. It was a shot of me and her embracing. She looked a bit frayed but still showed her beautiful smile.
“Charley, when was this taken?”
“You don’t remember?”
She picked it up and held it up to the light for a better look.
“There’s a marina in the background. Are we on your boat?”
“You were still in shock. We had just arrived back on Marathon after Hawk and I hauled you off Cozumel. He took this picture.”
She squeezed my hand. “You know, Charley, sometimes I do remember too much about it. I mean the torture and the…rape. Guizarro is an animal.”
“I know firsthand about torture and men acting like animals.”
She put the photo down, turned and wrapped her arms around me. “Yeah, Charley. Being thrown, hogtied, into a hole filled with shit in a cave in the Spin-Ghar mountains of Afghanistan was no picnic. How are you dealing with the memories?”
“Some good days, some bad. But I haven’t needed drugs or more visits to the shrink, so I guess I’m okay.”
“Shrinks! I went through extensive therapy with the doc at Quantico. They wanted to be sure I was stable and well enough to go through the armed combat portion of the FAST team training. It wasn’t easy. But cold revenge is sweet and I intend to get mine when we find Guizarro.”
“And I will help you, sweetheart. Count on it.”
Spirit hopped out of her bed and nuzzled between us to add her support. Vicky smiled and looked toward the bedroom.
“Charley, I do care a lot about you and appreciate everything you and Hawk are doing. And you too Spirit. But I am very tired and want to get some sleep.”
I nodded and locked the entry door as she began undressing. Tonight, we sleep. There will be many more days ahead when we can do more. Besides, I think it would be good if Vicky spent more time here with me. I missed her more than I realized. I stripped to my skivvies and got into bed. Spirit curled up in her own bed in the corner, clearly tired from the long day at sea. I swear she understood every word Vicky said and respected her wishes. Smart dog.
Vicky snuggled close, turning to spoon with her back against my chest. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, enjoying her warmth. Much better than the cold rocky ground in Afghanistan. I still have dreams about the cave in the Khyber Pass. The Mullah’s face close to mine, spewing foul breath as he used my SOG knife to slice deep cuts in my butt. Enough…it’s in the past. Come on Charley Manner, time to sleep.
As I dozed off Vicky wiggled closer and whispered faintly, “Goodnight, Charley. Goodnight, Spirit.”
I set my watch alarm for oh five hundred and let Vicky sleep. Spirit stood and stretched, let out a loud yawn, circled in her bed three times and flopped down for the night. We should be underway by six.
~~~
OUT OF TOWN
A FULL DAY boat-trip from Marathon, Too Fast for U m
ade it thirteen hours. No wind and a following swell rolling in from the east allowed us to cruise through the eastern part of the Straits at a fuel-sipping thirty knots before turning south. The quad Merc Verados purred without a strain. I had filled the auxiliary fuel tanks to do it non-stop and make the roundtrip without refueling until we reached Key West on the return. We had to back it down to idle speed a few times to cool down the engines.
During one stretch at our closest point to the Cuban coastline well-west of Havana, a Cuban gunboat approached. Spirit spotted it about a mile away. Her canine ears no doubt heard the throbbing engines first. We outran the heavy boat with ease and continued south-southwest toward the Yucatan peninsula.
We were going in black, bypassing check-in with Cozumel customs at Caleta Marina to shorten the trip, both time and distance. Risky but the whole mission wasn't exactly sanctioned by the DEA. Plus, the Mexican Agriculture Dept. would require papers and inspection of a pet and Spirit was not staying home. Less time we spend on Mexican soil improves our chance of remaining undiscovered. We knew exactly where to find Guizarro's headquarters.
We arrived at Punta Norte after sunset, killed the Mercs, drifted outside the breakers and went below to get ready for a stealth landing. We needed another half hour for the sky to darken more. The sea chart of Cozumel lay on the table in the cabin of Too Fast . The same chart we used when we rescued Vicky a year ago. It showed a detailed view of the inlets along the Cozumel coast at Punta Norte. Hawk pointed to the circle he’d drawn last time around a large lagoon, inland a short distance from the deep water cut we will navigate to reach Guizarro’s compound complete with crocodile pool in the back.
Vicky grabbed my hand. “I hate this place.”
“You have good reasons. Don’t sweat it, Vick. We’ll settle the score.”
Spirit nudged between us, licked Vicky’s hand. Vicky smiled and gave her a hug. “I know, Spirit. You won’t let me down.”
Charley Manner series Box Set Page 18