A Fortune in Blood: A Florida Action Adventure Novel (Scott Jarvis Private Investigator Book 7)

by Scott Cook

  I sighed, “I don’t think so… nobody knows where we are and it’d be hard to get aboard quietly. I’ll be on the main deck anyway. Let’s all get some rest. We’ll do breakfast… or maybe brunch… in the late morning. After that, you and I will go to the house and gather some stuff for you guys… and then I start looking for Clay.”

  I have to admit that when I shucked the robe and climbed into the comfortable bed, it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. Sleep had nearly claimed me when I heard my cabin door open and a figure stood framed in moonlight.

  “You awake?” Lisa asked softly.

  “Barely.”

  She came in and closed the door softly. She moved to sit on the edge of the bed, seeming very shy.

  “You all right?” I asked.

  “Fine… just… well… you sure you’re not mad at me?”

  “Nah… not your fault you’re a Mexican.”

  She laughed and slapped me lightly upside the head, “you’re such an asshole! You know what I mean.”

  I chuckled, “I’m not mad at you.”

  I could barely see her in the moonlight that filtered in through the window but I thought I saw a smile, “Good.”

  She stood and unbelted the robe. I watched as it slipped down past her shoulders and fell to the carpeted deck. She was barely more than a silhouette, highlighted by a pale lunar glow, but the sight pushed thoughts of sleep out of my mind.

  Her body was as ripe and inviting as I remembered. Large firm breasts, a flat belly, well-toned limbs, a slim waist and rounded hips topped by a lovely face and long dark brown hair that was now loose and flowing below her shoulders.

  I pulled the covers down and reached out to her. She came into my arms slowly, gently at first. I think we both enjoyed that initial titillating feeling of two naked bodies coming together, skin to skin. Our lips met and our tongues caressed softly.

  “I’ve missed you…” She breathed as her body began to tremble ever so slightly. Her hand moved down my belly and found my ready flesh, already so hard it was almost painful, “I guess you missed me, too.”

  I chuckled softly, “you could say that.”

  As if a dam had burst, Lisa’s sexual ardor exploded. She began to practically claw at me, pressing her body against mine and grinding every part of her onto every part of me, as if she were trying to merge the two of us into one being. Her kisses became urgent, hungry, and even desperate as her breath began to grow heavy and she moaned with anticipation.

  I intended to take my time with her, but I knew what she really wanted now… or perhaps really needed. I rolled her onto her back and her legs spread apart almost as if they were on springs. I pressed my lips to hers and entered her, sliding into her smoothly, not at all surprised to find her hot, snug and already wet for me.

  She let out a cry of delight and possibly even relief. Her long silky legs wrapped around my waist and held me tight as she threw her arms around my neck. Her entire body went rigid and she actually hung suspended over the bed, her entire body quaking with pent up ecstasy as she screamed in orgasmic fulfillment, her insides clamping down on me in a succession of climactic spasms. After a few seconds, her body seemed to go limp and I eased her back onto the bed, still buried completely inside her.

  She gasped and even laughed a little, “My God… no, don’t stop… please… I’ve just been saving that up for you…”

  I began to move now, slowly so as to let her nerve endings stop twitching. She started to push back against me but I held a hand to her shoulder to indicate that she should just lie still and whispered: “I’ve got this…”

  I adjusted so I was more upright, took hold of her ankles and angled her legs so that they were partially bent back, but not too much to be uncomfortable and started to move more steadily, taking long and steady strokes that I increased in intensity every few seconds.

  She began to moan and scream again, her cries of passion urging me on…

  After a time, we lay in each other’s arms, basking in the warmth of post-erotic flush and letting the cool air wash over our bodies.

  “It’s never been like that with anyone,” Lisa whispered, her head tucked into the pocket of my shoulder.

  “I know,” I said.

  I didn’t know what would happen next, but for those minutes the world seemed right. Sleep didn’t take long to claim us after that.

  Chapter 18

  I was jolted awake by three short and heavy knocks on my stateroom door. It took me several seconds to sluff off the tendrils of sleep in spite of my racing heart.

  I glanced at my watch and saw that it was nearly ten o’clock in the morning.

  “Christ… can’t remember the last time I slept in this much,” I muttered sarcastically. I’d probably gotten less than six hours of sleep

  There was no response and I was surprised to find myself alone in bed. I felt a pang of sadness and loneliness at that. I’m not sure why, but somehow not finding Lisa next to me was a bit depressing.

  The knocks came again, three sharp raps. There was something military about that. I sighed and slipped on the bathrobe that I’d let fall to the carpet earlier that morning.

  “Come,” I said.

  The knob jiggled. The door was locked. I grumbled something and went over to the door, my captured pistol in my hand and unlocked it.

  Umberto Rincon stood on the deck outside with Juan Alvarez beside him.

  “Buenos dias, señor Jarvis,” Umberto said with a small smile. “Sorry to have woken you.”

  “Me too,” I muttered, stepping aside so the two men could enter. “I don’t think I went to sleep until close to four.”

  “Everything all right?” Juan asked. “You and your people were comfortable?”

  I shrugged, “I’m sure they are. For my part, I found the accommodations quite pleasant, thank you, Juan. I could use some coffee, to be honest. Why don’t we head up to the galley?”

  They agreed and we went up one level and I got a couple of coffee pots going.

  “Have you gents had any breakfast?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” Umberto said. “I drove over earlier and Juan said you were cooking.”

  “Yeah, a regular house frau, that’s me,” I said. “So what is it you wanted to talk about, Umberto?”

  The security chief pulled a stool from under the prep island and sat. Juan and I followed suit. Umberto seemed reticent to speak at first.

  “Shall I take a walk, Umberto?” Juan asked.

  “No, no my friend,” Umberto said, raising a hand. “This might concern you as well… it’s just… it’s just that once I say what I have to say…”

  “Then just be direct, Umberto,” I prodded. “Sometimes that’s the best way.”

  “I believe that Miles Palmer,” Umberto began, then paused, then continued, “is not entirely… how do you say it… balanced… balancing…”

  “On the level?” I posed.

  “Si!” Umberto said, “I don’t think he’s telling us the truth about what is happening at Cuidad Verde.”

  “He hasn’t really told us much,” I suggested. “Only that he thinks his ex-wife might be behind the raids.”

  Umberto frowned, “Yes… but his theory about the Nicaraguan rebels being paid by her… I don’t think this is true.”

  I went over and poured three mugs from one of the carafes and brought out sugar packets and half and half from the fridge. I began to put cream and sugar into my cup and said: “Who do you think is, then?”

  “Señor Palmer himself,” Umberto said flatly. He looked up from prepping his own cup and I saw a flash of anger in his eyes.

  “Why?” I prompted. Whatever it was he had to say, he hadn’t gotten to the meat of it yet. Maybe it was the fact that I was still tired or hadn’t finished my first cup of coffee yet, but I was starting to get impatient. “Come on, Umberto… give me something I can use, here.”

  Umberto sighed, “Two things. First, you found that business card
of señora Palmer’s.”

  “Yeah, awfully convenient,” I admitted.

  “Si… and I lied yesterday when I said that I found nothing special on the men we killed,” Umberto said, “But I knew one of them. He used to work for me.”

  I scowled, “I don’t get it. If anything, that fingers you, Umberto.”

  He chuckled sardonically, “At first, perhaps… but after you left, Miles made a point of inspecting the bodies. When he saw the man, Omar Sanchez was his name, he did not even react.”

  “Okay… so he didn’t recognize the guy,” I offered. “Sorry, Umberto, but a big time business man like Miles might not always—“

  “You don’t understand,” Umberto insisted, obviously perturbed. “Omar was the man I assigned to be Señor Palmer’s personal bodyguard when I was not available! They spent mucho tiempo… a lot of time… together.”

  “So… so your man Sanchez left you to go and fight in some kind of Nicaraguan rebel army?” I asked in confusion.

  Umberto nodded, “His mother and sister still live there. He came to Costa Rica a few years ago to try and earn money to bring them down.”

  I sighed, “Okay, Umberto… that is strange, but still…”

  “Señor Palmer did not even appear shocked,” Umberto insisted. “In fact, he acted as if he didn’t know Omar at all. When I saw Omar dressed in that sort of uniform they all wear, it was as if I’d seen un fantasma…”

  “A ghost,” Juan added. Umberto’s English was good but Juan seemed to have a better handle on English colloquialisms.

  “So that means Miles is the one behind this Garcia guy?” I asked.

  “There’s no way!”

  The new voice was indignant and belonged to Lisa, who had just strode into the galley from the bar in her bathrobe. Her hair was wet and hung loosely past her shoulders. I looked at her and when our eyes met, hers dropped for a second.

  I wasn’t sure what that meant but it didn’t seem good. However, I had to keep my mind focused on the point at hand, “Umberto, Miss Lisa Gonzalez.”

  “We’ve met,” Umberto said. “Nice to see you again, Lisa.”

  I was a little confused, although it made sense, “You’ve met?”

  “Yes,” Lisa replied, “a few months ago I was down on an inspection tour for Miles.”

  I rubbed my temples, “That’s a question I’ve been pondering since last night… how do you move to Saint Louis as a business analyst or whatever with your new MBA and then show up in the middle of the night on some sort of a rescue mission?”

  “It’s a tale,” Lisa admitted and had the good grace to look a bit abashed. “That’s for sure… but for now, I can’t agree with you, Umberto. There is no way Miles is really behind what’s going on. I’ve known him long enough to believe that. Besides, why would he have me come down here to rescue Clay’s family and why would he ask Clay to have Scott come down as well if he was playing at something underhanded? That makes no sense.”

  Umberto shrugged, “I cannot say, Lisa… but something is not right.”

  I took a long pull from my mug, hoping the strong java would lubricate my brain enough to figure out this mish mash, “Wait… wait… he asked you to come down here and rescue them? How can that be…? We only found out Missy and the kids had been taken in the late morning… Don’t tell me there was time for him to send for you from Missouri and for you to arrive at the same time we did. That’s a coincidence I just can’t buy.”

  “I was already here,” Lisa said. “I’d arrived earlier in the morning. I got the call while I was still in San Jose.”

  I rubbed my face wearily, “San Jose? You said you drove up from Panama…”

  “I started there on an unrelated task,” Lisa said a bit evasively. ”That’s why I was alone last night. It was a last minute mission.”

  “Mission?” I asked suspiciously. “What the hell are you to this guy? Surely not an accountant or some shit.”

  Lisa smiled thinly, “I started out as an analyst, as you said. But I was working very closely with Miles and his wife. Once we got talking, and he realized who I was and that I knew both you and Clay, it came out that I used to work for you. He thought that my experiences with you could be useful to him in other ways than what my MBA gave. For the last four months or so, I’ve been employed as a private investigator for EcoLife. I’ve used my time with you as well as some extension courses to build up my credentials for my license. I don’t have it yet, though. I’ve been apprenticing under the guy who used to fill the main role… until he disappeared a few weeks ago.”

  “You left me to take a job using your MBA,” I stated, starting to feel angry. I tried not to be. Intellectually, I could see her point of view, or thought I could. Yet this revelation seemed to throw all that I knew out the window and I found that I was angry after all. “Now you tell me you’re some kind of rookie sleuth? You could’ve just stayed in Orlando if that’s the case! Why the Christ… oh, never mind…”

  “Ay dios mio…” Juan breathed, sipping his coffee but saying nothing else.

  I held back as well. This was hardly the time to open this particular Pandora’s Box.

  Umberto and I exchanged glances and then I looked back to Lisa, “So why were you here, Ms. Marple?”

  Lisa chuckled uneasily, “At first, just business stuff… but I think I’m really down here for the same reason you are… to find Andrea. I’ll be honest, though… when I saw you last night, I was almost paralyzed with shock!”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. Something wasn’t adding up here. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something just a little bit askew. Even the thought that Lisa might be hiding something from me… or worse, that she might be on the wrong side, or the other side, from me made my guts churn. I think I did a good job of hiding it, though.

  “Why would you be looking for her?” I asked her finally.

  “To put a stop to this feud of theirs,” Lisa said, “and if Miles is right, to keep her from doing something stupid like funding Nicaraguan rebels.”

  I went over and refilled my coffee mug, “Well, I’ll tell you why I’m here. I’m here to get Clay and Declan back. Further, I want them and the rest of Clay’s family left alone for the duration of their stay in country. They shouldn’t have to leave because of this, unless they want to. So whatever it takes to make that happen is my goal. I couldn’t give two shits about Miles or Andrea or EcoLife or, no offense, or your career. This shit has put five people I care about in jeopardy… and nothing is going to get in my way when it comes to keeping them safe. Am I making myself fairly clear, Miss Gonzalez?”

  She seemed taken aback by the heat that had crept into my words. But I locked eyes with her and wouldn’t look away.

  “Scott, we’re not adversaries in this,” She said softly.

  “I hope not, Lisa… I hope not,” I said coldly. “Can I trust that you won’t inform Miles about our suspicions? Because that’s all they are now.”

  “I’ll keep it to myself,” She said hesitantly. “Even though I can’t believe he’d do anything like this. I mean… why? What would be in it for him to capture Missy and the kids, let alone exchange them for Clay?”

  I only shrugged. I had my own suspicions, of course. The very reverse of what Miles said he thought his ex-wife was up to. I didn’t say anything, though. It actually hurt my heart to acknowledge my feelings of distrust when it came to Lisa.

  Maybe I was wrong, but her loyalties had shifted. They’d shifted when she’d up and left back in October. Unless I had proof to the contrary, I had to accept the fact that she was now loyal to EcoLife and Miles Palmer. For Clay and his son’s sake, I couldn’t do otherwise.

  “Geez…” I said a little tightly. “I need to get some fresh air. Somebody else can cook breakfast this morning. I’m not the fuckin’ maid of all work on this barge.”

  A few minutes later, I was alone on the bridge. There was a large chart table near the rear bulkhead. I had all three of our captured AR-15’
s lying on it. Juan had managed to find me a cleaning kit. Apparently he was an avid small game hunter.

  I had the three weapons stripped down and was inspecting and cleaning them. It gave me something to do while I tried to sort out how I felt.

  I was angry now. Angry about not feeling like I could trust Lisa and angry about how she’d come to me last night… this morning… and angry that I’d awakened alone, too.

  Was that some kind of smoke screen? Was she trying to play me?

  I didn’t want to believe it possible, yet my recent experiences with women took the edge off my conviction. Because wasn’t that exactly what Audrey Lambert had done that night at my house?

  She’d come to me and damned near forced the issue. Granted, I needed it. I needed something to break Lisa’s spell… but Audrey had used sex to confuse the issue and throw me off the trail. She wanted to get me interested in her personally so that I might overlook or simply not notice what was really going on.

  And how ironic was it now that I was thinking that Lisa might be doing the exact same thing as Audrey had done.

  Then again, maybe Audrey Lambert’s… and if I were honest… Nikki Sloane’s actions were tainting my judgement too. Maybe Lisa just missed me and wanted a frenzied roll in the hay. For old times’ sake?

  What I couldn’t quite believe now was that she wanted to be with me again. Maybe that was what was nagging me in the galley a few moments before. That her quick defense of Palmer was an indication of the true situation and that I’d only let myself imagine the possibility of what I wanted.

  “Fuckin’ broads…” I grumbled and then chuckled, “Why can’t I just meet and marry a nice doctor like my mother always wanted?”

  I knew she was there even before I heard her soft footfalls on the teak.

  “Busy, Rambo?” Lisa’s voice asked from the doorway.

  “How’d you find me?”

  She chuckled, “Where else would you be on a ship other than the bridge.”

  “Could’ve been in the head, takin’ a poop.”

  “Has anybody ever told you that you’re a silly man?”