"But I thought that guy was one of ours. Why did Martínez kill him?"
"Manny, he didn't just kill him. He planted a bunch of shit on him to make sure they could tell he was working for DGI."
"But why?"
"He said he was establishing his credentials with them."
"Jesus. So now we don't have an inside source any more. What a way to establish his credentials. He's nuts."
"Maybe. He's never failed before. He may know what he's doing."
"But to kill our only source of inside information ... " Cruz shook his head.
"Relax, Manny. I never said he was our only source."
"Yeah, but ... okay. Martínez is out of control. So now what?"
"Now we watch carefully; we'll see who steps in as Phillip Davis's contact and go from there. Martínez certainly showed them he's serious. And committed, too."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Ramp up Lupita and David Ortiz; we may need a plan 'B' in case Martínez blows it."
"You're thinking a snatch, again?"
"Maybe. But not necessarily. Is Lupita keeping track of Ortiz and the Berger woman's romance? Pictures and everything?"
"Yeah. She planted a bug and a video camera in his place last night, in case he takes Berger there. What are you thinking, if not a snatch?"
"Disinformation. We've got all we need to show that Ortiz is active in Alpha-66, right?"
"Right."
"And with Lupita's help, we're able to connect him to J.-P. Berger's daughter, right here in Miami," Maldonado said.
"Yeah, okay. We can set it up to look like Alpha-66 planned the invasion and hooked up with Berger for weapons, but I thought we wanted to lock in the CIA. Or some other U.S. agency."
"That's right. It's in the works. We have the pistol that was used to kill Davis's contact."
"You're going to plant it on somebody?"
"It's an option."
"But who?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Your mission is to get Ortiz established as part of Berger's entourage. How's that going?"
"Well enough. He's meeting her for lunch today. She practically asked him to take her to his place last night."
"And did he?"
"No. He had a scheduling problem. He had a late date with Lupita to wire his place, remember?"
"Shit, Manny! Does he know his place is under surveillance? That's not -- "
"Easy, Willy. No, of course not. Lupita made him think she was hot for him; she told him she'd be waiting for him at his place when he was done with Berger. He's got no idea what she was really up to."
"So what did he tell Dani Berger when she put the moves on him?"
"He played hard to get. Gave her some line about a bad breakup recently; said he didn't want to risk hurting her. He's playing the gentleman card, bigtime. Lupita says it's working. She's been watching. Berger's falling hard."
"Okay, good," Maldonado said. "Tell Lupita to get with him this afternoon after his lunch date. They need to figure out how and where to snatch the girl."
"I thought that was plan 'B.'"
"Yeah, it is," Maldonado said, "but we need to be ready. The way Martínez operates, this whole thing could spin out of control on a moment's notice."
"Okay. Got it. I'd better get Lupita in here and work through this with her while Ortiz is at lunch with Berger."
"Do it," Maldonado said. There was a click as he disconnected the call. Cruz put the encrypted phone away and picked up his desk phone. He hit a speed dial key, and in a moment, he was connected to Lupita's cellphone.
****
Dani saw David Ortiz sitting at the table where they had lunch yesterday. She locked her dinghy to the dock and took the same circuitous route into the club that Liz had used, checking the parking lot on her way. Seeing no sign of Lupita Vidal's car, she entered the club through the front door and walked out to the patio.
"Hi, David," she said, coming up behind him and laying a hand on his shoulder.
Startled, Ortiz shoved his chair back and scrambled to his feet, turning to greet her. Smiling, he said, "Hi! You surprised me. Where'd you come from?" He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head enough so that his lips grazed her cheek. A puzzled look on his face, he pulled out a chair and held it for her. "It's great to see you," he said. "You're more beautiful every time we meet."
She sat, waiting until he was back in his own chair before she asked, "Where's Lupita?" She stared at him, keeping her expression as neutral as her tone of voice.
His eyes darted around the patio before he locked on her gaze. "Lupita?"
"Your sister? Lupita Vidal, from Georgia? Is she watching us today? I didn't see her in the parking lot."
"In the parking lot?"
"She was there yesterday, David. In her car, with a camera and a telephoto lens, taking pictures of us."
"She was? I ... I ... um, I thought she was in Martinique with Mom."
"Don't lie to me, please. I'm hurt, and on the verge of being angry. I know she's supposed to be a bad-ass, but you have no idea what happens to people who make me angry. Don't do it." She felt the muscles in her jaw twitching as she clenched her teeth.
"I can explain. It's ... uh .. it's nothing to do with you, Dani. I'm really sorry you got caught up in this. My sister -- "
Dani lurched to her feet and leaned across the table, getting right in his face. She hissed, "Stop, David. I'm warning you. She's not your sister. What's she to you? Wife? Girlfriend? One last chance to come clean with me; that's all you get."
He nodded, his face twitching. He swallowed hard, waiting to see if she sat down. He glanced around. Just as it had been yesterday, the patio was deserted. Most people ate inside during the heat of midday. When she settled into her chair, he said, "Okay. I'll tell you everything. It's just that it's so embarrassing, Dani, this business with Lupita. First though, I have to tell you, I've fallen for you in a way that's ... I don't even know how to describe it. There've been other women in my life, but not like this. It's like you're the first woman I've ever been in love with, you know?" He paused, watching her, and took a sip of water.
"Lupita," Dani said, in a flat tone, her dark blue eyes flashing a warning.
"I ... I dated her, briefly. I m-met her at a seminar one of the banks held for property managers. She works for a guy who has a lot of rental property." He took another sip of water, waiting, watching for her reaction.
She blinked, but her expression didn't change. She kept staring at him, her fury obvious.
"Anyway, we went out for a while, but she's just, I don't know, not my type. She's a tough chick; I found out her job is to evict people. Sometimes, she beats them up if they're late with their rent. I tried to break up with her, but she won't leave me alone. She's stalking me."
"Why did you jump up when she called that first night we met? You ran out to meet her like some whipped puppy and left me sitting there."
"She demanded money; she said she'd hurt you if I didn't meet her and give her a thousand dollars."
"That sounds like bullshit, David. You didn't even know me then. We'd just met."
"Well, it's more complicated than that, you're right. She did say she'd hurt you, though, if I didn't do what she wanted. Sh ... she threatened my mother."
"You told me your mother was in Martinique, with her friend, the béké's daughter. Was that a lie, too?"
"Nn ... well, kind of."
Not reacting to his contrite tone or his dejected look, Dani pushed him. "Kind of a lie? I'm losing patience, David."
"She's blackmailing me," he said. "About my mother."
"If I have to ask one more time, we're done, David." Dani's manner was cold, but her face was flushed.
"My mother's in Martinique. She's the béké's daughter. She's visiting her family. She was born there, not Cuba. She's an illegal, Dani. She and my father came here when she was pregnant, just like I said. They came from Cuba; he was Cuban. Her parents weren't. They were from Martinique. The
y had a business in Cuba, but they went back to Martinique to escape Castro, because that's where her mother's family was from. So technically, since she wasn't Cuban, she couldn't get asylum." He paused and took another sip of water.
"That doesn't sound right," Dani said.
"I don't know. They weren't wealthy, or well educated, my parents. Maybe they didn't do things right. Maybe they didn't understand about immigration and all. Anyway, my father's dead, and she doesn't have papers."
"How does she travel to Martinique, then?"
"A French passport that belongs to her sister. Going there's not hard. Getting back here, she flies to Nassau and then sneaks back into the U.S. There are plenty of people with fast boats in the Bahamas that can sneak people and stuff into Florida, but you probably know that."
"Yes," Dani said. "So how was Lupita blackmailing you?"
"She knows all about illegals. The guy she works for rents to illegals, mostly from Haiti and the D.R. She threatens them all the time, says she'll call ICE and turn them in."
"ICE?"
"Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She's got some contacts there. She said she'd turn my mother in if I didn't pay her."
"And you put up with that?"
"My mother's whole life is here, now. I couldn't risk her getting deported, Dani. Since my father died, I'm all she's got. Don't you see? What could I do?"
"There have to be other options," Dani said, staring out at the boats in the anchorage. After several seconds, she asked, "Why would Lupita Vidal be taking pictures of us?"
Sensing a thaw in her demeanor with the change of subject, Ortiz sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Probably it's me she was interested in, but who can say? I wasn't kidding about the stalking. Blackmail aside, she won't leave me alone."
"Have you dated other women since you broke up with her?" Dani could see that the question made him nervous. "I mean, before you met me?"
"A few," he said. He hesitated for a moment and continued. "She, um ... interfered. She'd do stuff like call me when I was out with somebody else, or come up to our table and act like she was my ex-wife, one time. She's dangerous."
"She sounds like a real pain," Dani said.
"No," Ortiz protested. "I mean, yes, she's a pain. But when I said she was dangerous, I meant physically dangerous. I told you she beats people up, but she's a professional fighter. For all I know she could be a killer. I don't want her anywhere close to you; she scares me. Maybe we should stop seeing -- "
"No, David. Don't let some psycho mess us up. I wasn't kidding when I said I was hurt. I haven't been serious about many other men -- one, to be exact. I'm enjoying the time we spend together."
"Oh, me, too, Dani. But I don't want you hurt. Not emotionally, and not physically, either."
"Let's see what happens, David. We don't have to make any decisions right now. We need to give this a little time, anyway, like you said last night." She reached across the table and took his hand. "Was it true? What you told me about needing to go slowly because of ... "
"Yes. I was engaged to this girl. At the time, I thought I was in love, but that was before l met you and learned what it really feels like to ... anyway, she dumped me for a rich guy. I'm still not over it, but with you in my life, I don't think it'll take long." He shook his head and looked away from Dani.
She sat, saying nothing, and held his hand until he turned back toward her.
"Are we okay?" he asked, in a beseeching tone.
Dani held his gaze for a moment before she nodded and said, "I think so. I'm still upset, but I'll get over it. I wish you'd been honest with me to start with, but I understand why you weren't. I need some time to work through this, okay?"
"I understand, Dani. Thank you, so much. I'll give you all the time you need. I promised lunch? Should we order now?"
"I'm afraid I don't have much appetite right now, David. I need to go, okay?"
He nodded, looking sad. "Can I call you this evening, or is that too -- "
"That will be fine," she said, forcing a smile. "Please do."
She gave his hand a final squeeze and stood up, motioning for him to keep his seat. She walked back to the dinghy dock, lost in thought.
****
Ortiz found Lupita in his living room when he got back from his aborted lunch. She was sprawled on the couch, her shoes off, reading a mixed martial arts magazine. He wasn't surprised; he knew she'd want the details of his latest date with Berger.
"Hey, lover boy," she sneered. "How was lunch with your sweetie?"
Ortiz had been struggling with what to say to Lupita ever since he parted with Dani. He was sure that he'd spun Dani a convincing tale to explain his relationship with Lupita, but he couldn't figure out why Lupita had been in the parking lot at the club, taking pictures. For that matter, he wondered how Dani had spotted her, and how she knew so much about her. Women were mysterious creatures.
Lupita would get a kick out of his characterization of her as a stalker and a blackmailer. He was pleased that he'd come up with such a plausible story in his moment of crisis with Dani. He'd considered whether sharing it with Lupita might impress her.
There was some serious upside to impressing Lupita. All her violent tendencies aside, she was one hot babe. Despite several interludes like the one they'd had last night, though, he'd never managed to score with her. And that bothered him; it was a matter of pride.
As he'd drawn close to his condo, he'd concluded that telling Lupita about his latest conversation with Dani could be risky. He decided to hold back. He didn't want Lupita upset with him; what she didn't know couldn't hurt him. It would be best just to play along; let her tease him about his lunch date.
"Fine," he said. "It was good. She's pretty well hooked, now."
"It's about time, pinguera. You need to reel her ass in. Manny's not happy you're moving so slow."
"What's the big rush, anyhow, Lupita? I thought Martínez was -- "
"Martínez? Who is Martínez, pendejo?" Mindful of the recording devices she'd installed last night without Ortiz's knowledge, she leapt to her feet, cat-like, and embraced him, thrusting her tongue down his throat and grabbing his crotch. That never failed to distract him. She dared not let him announce that she'd shared the details of the operation with him. Cruz would have her ass for that if he found out. He didn't want anybody to know about Martínez; he'd told her about the mercenary in a fit of passion one night.
As she expected, Ortiz responded in kind, his hands all over her. She let him grope her for a minute, pretending she enjoyed it. When she thought he was about to lose himself, she pushed him away and said, "Whoo! You better save it for Berger, big boy. But I gotta say, she's one lucky lady. You gonna score tonight?" She suppressed a laugh as she watched him fighting for control.
"I'm working on it," he said. "I should get inside the compound this evening, anyway, meet some of the others."
"Good. You get real close to as many as you can. It's sounding like I may need to snatch her for some leverage when they start negotiating with her father. If that happens, your job's to hang out with her parents acting heartbroken so you can tell us how her old man's reacting, okay?"
"How long have I got before this happens?"
"That's why I'm kicking your ass to move faster. We don't know. It could be any time."
"Any time, like days? Weeks? What?"
"Days. Maybe real sudden. Not hours, but no more than a few days, I think. Maybe even tomorrow or the next day."
"Thanks. That helps. You gonna need me to help set her up for the snatch?"
"You shouldn't be anywhere near her when it goes down. The best thing would be if you were sitting there with her parents when they got the word, like you were waiting for her to come back from some kind of girl thing."
"Girl thing?"
"Yeah, you know. Like a manicure or a pedicure. Maybe a massage."
"She just did something like that with her stepmother yesterday. If you give me enough lead time, I could se
t it up with like a gift certificate, or something, for both of them. Then I could maybe take her old man some real expensive cigars and shoot the shit with him while we sit out by the pool waiting for them to come back."
"That's a good idea, David. How long would it take to set it up?"
"A few hours. I have a client in that business, and she owes me one."
Lupita laughed. "I'll just bet she does. Okay, I'll keep that in mind, depending on the timing. Now, I gotta go." She sat down on the couch, and picked up her shoes.
She was careful to let him see plenty of thigh as she pulled the shoes on. She caught him staring at her filmy panties and laughed at him. "Maybe tonight you'll get lucky with that skinny little blonde, pinguera. You're not ready for me yet." She tugged the skirt down and stood up, patting him on the cheek as she strutted to the door and let herself out.
****
Chapter 9
Ortiz, relishing the prospect of an evening to himself, mixed a drink and kicked off his shoes. Before he had time to sit down, his cellphone rang. He glanced at the number. Recognizing it, he didn't answer. With a sigh of resignation, he put the drink in the refrigerator and slipped on his shoes. He snatched his car keys from the hook by his front door and decided on the three flights of stairs rather than the elevator.
Less than two minutes after the call, he approached his car in the basement garage. As soon as he sat down and closed the door, he heard a woman's voice from the footwell in the back seat. "Take me for a ride, Ortiz; anywhere will do. Just keep driving."
"You didn't leave a message," he said. "You think my phone's being monitored?"
"No. it's encrypted, remember? I was afraid you'd retrieve the voicemail in speaker mode. Your place is wired."
"Shit! Video? Or just audio?"
"Both."
"Who?" he asked.
"Probably Vidal. She was there for a while before you got in last night."
"She's a pain in the ass," he said.
"You're doing it wrong, then, David. You need to relax, don't fight it. Maybe use some -- "
"Fuck you."
"Is that any way for you to talk to your boss?"
"Now you sound like her."
Bluewater Revolution: The Twelfth Novel in the Bluewater Thriller Series - Mystery and Adventure in Florida, Cuba, and the Caribbean (Bluewater Thrillers Book 12) Page 7