"Blindside how?"
"That depends. He's a genius, for one thing. PhD from Wharton. And he can move faster than any man I've ever seen," Martínez said. "He's dangerous in every way you can think of. Oh, and besides the Queen's English, he's fluent in French and Spanish."
"Wow. From the way Ortiz described him to Cruz, I had a different picture. Dreadlocks to his waist, bald on top. I wouldn't have been surprised to hear he had a bone in his nose."
"I wouldn't be surprised, but it would be there only to mislead somebody," Martínez said. "Like I said, a dangerous man. You said Ortiz had two things. What else did he learn?"
"Yeah. Besides this Sharktooth showing up, Ortiz overheard Phillip Davis talking with somebody on the phone about Olsen. A few minutes later, he heard Davis tell J.-P. Berger that Olsen killed himself."
Martínez smiled and nodded. "Anything else?"
"Not yet, but he'll call later. They're sitting around talking. He's trying to pick up as much as he can while he, ah ... entertains the girl."
"Perfect," Martínez said. "That's exactly as we planned it. I should call Davis soon, then."
****
"What did he say?" Weatherby asked, as Ortiz came back into the room after his call to Cruz.
"He gave me a big pep talk; they've lost their other source of inside information. That means they're counting on me for insight into what's happening here."
"That tracks with what I was told," Phillip said, pulling out his chair and sitting down. He handed the modified iPhone back to Luke Pantene.
"Who called you?" Pantene asked.
"Wait a second; let's finish one thing before we start something else," Phillip said. "What else did Cruz have to say?"
"Not much, except that I should stay alert. 'Shit's gonna start happening fast, now,' he said. I'm supposed to suck up to Dani and be ready for further instructions soon. That's about it." He squirmed in his chair as he tried to ignore the cold stare that Dani focused on him.
"Okay, thanks," Phillip said. "Sorry, Luke; I didn't mean to be rude. Just worried about losing details."
"No problem," Luke said, nodding.
"Back to your question," Phillip said, "whoever it was didn't identify himself, but the implication was strong that he was Olsen's boss -- whatever 'director' he was reporting to." He paused for a moment. "Luke? Mary? Any thoughts on what agency we're dealing with?"
"Typical," Mary Weatherby said. "Directors in our intelligence services are as common as bank vice-presidents, or English sparrows. He could be anybody. Do you know where he is, physically?"
"No," Phillip shook his head.
Luke nodded. "Ever since all the shakeups and consolidations after 9/11, there's no making sense out of the intelligence organizations. What did he say? Anything besides the news of Olsen's death?"
"I think I got a kiss-off," Phillip said. "He told me they wouldn't replace Olsen, and that I should work directly with Martínez from now on."
"Does that mean the U.S. government concurs in this invasion?" J.-P. asked.
"I pressed him on that point," Phillip said. "I got a non-response. He said, 'Work with Martínez. Nothing has changed.' Then he hung up. When I called back, I got a recording that said the number wasn't in service."
"That quickly?" J.-P. asked.
"It was a recording, J.-P. Don't draw any conclusions from it, except that they're not going to answer any more calls," Phillip said. "It could have come from the voicemail associated with that number. Or anywhere."
J.-P. nodded. "He gave you conflicting instructions."
"He certainly did," Phillip said.
The group fell silent as everyone thought about what they had learned. After a couple of minutes, Phillip said, "There are a few more bits of information everyone should have." When everyone was looking at him, he resumed speaking. "J.-P. asked Mario Espinosa to find out which exile groups might be involved in this. The answer is puzzling; none of them knows anything about it. The next piece of information is that this man you mentioned, David, this 'Willy,' could be a suspected DGI agent named Guillermo Maldonado. His nickname is Willy. One possibility is that the Cuban government is behind this -- not the exiles."
"Why?" Weatherby asked.
"Back in the '90s, a DGI agent named Avila surfaced here. He claimed he'd been funding Alpha-66 and other exile organizations in anti-Castro attacks. He said his mission had been to help Fidel justify some of his anti-American posturing."
"Whoa!" Mary Weatherby said. "We need to think about that. But why now?"
"That's a fair question," Phillip said.
"Suppose they staged an invasion and then accused the U.S. of harboring terrorists?" Phillip suggested.
"But there's been a thaw in relations over the last few years."
"Yes, but maybe Raul Castro doesn't want rapprochement anymore," Dani said. "Look what happened to the rest of the communist countries, once we exported capitalism. But where are their troops? A platoon's roughly 30 people, right?"
"Right," Phillip said.
"If there were 30 exiles mixed up in this, Mario's friends would have picked up on it," J.-P. said.
"Unless they were mercenaries, not exiles at all. That's where Martínez's roots are," Phillip said.
"Hold that thought," Weatherby said. "I need to make a phone call; I may know where the troops are quartered."
As she left the room, Phillip's personal cellphone rang. He stepped outside to answer; he wasn't surprised to hear Martínez's voice.
"We must talk, señor. Walk up to the causeway and watch for my truck in the next few minutes."
****
Phillip was standing in the shadows on the shoulder of the MacArthur Causeway, outside the guard rail. He was at the corner of the Star Island turnoff, watching for the white pickup truck. He spotted the westbound truck when the driver signaled for a right turn. The truck pulled out of the traffic lanes, stopping at the corner opposite Phillip. He stepped out of the shadows and approached the passenger door.
"Good evening, señor," Martínez said, as Phillip buckled his seatbelt. The truck accelerated back onto the causeway, headed toward Miami. I was sorry to hear about the general."
Phillip didn't respond to that. "What's on your mind, José?"
"Can you deliver in 24 hours? At midnight?" Martínez asked.
"We could, but you haven't paid us yet."
"You wish to use the same account from years ago?" Martínez asked. "In the Bahamas?"
"That will work," Phillip said.
"Good. We have the number. When I drop you off, I will make the call. You will have the money first thing in the morning. We will pick up the shipment at midnight tomorrow night in Whitewater Bay. We will be in four 50-foot ocean racers. You come in from the Shark River Entrance, yes?"
"Yes." Phillip said. "I think we can make that happen, as long as there are no unexpected problems."
"We will take steps to guard against unexpected problems, señor."
"It's short notice, José. Can I reach you somehow if something goes wrong?"
"I will know, señor. Do not let anything go wrong from your side. I believe you have been told that there could be ... repercussions ... Is that the word?"
"What do you mean?"
"We know that Olsen warned you that this was not optional, if you and Señor Berger wish to avoid difficulty with your government."
"Is there anything else, José? I need to get back and get to work to make this happen."
"Nothing, señor. I will see you at midnight."
Martínez pulled off onto the shoulder. He had turned around at the west end of the causeway and was now across the road from where he had met Phillip a few minutes earlier. "Good night, señor."
"Good night," Phillip said, as he got out and closed the door.
The truck sped away toward the beach while Phillip waited for a break in traffic so that he could cross the causeway to reach the Star Island entrance.
****
Chapter
26
"No, Santos. Don't use François; I want you to handle this yourself. It's critical, and François hasn't been with us long enough. Besides, we don't want the girl harmed, and who knows what he might do to her. We fully intend to turn her over to them when we pick up the weapons."
"Okay, okay. I got it, Manny. Pick her up, but treat her good. What about Ortiz? How come he can't do this?"
"Because they don't know he's one of us. We need to preserve his cover. He has more to do with them at Star Island."
"You don't want me to take him too, then?"
"No, leave him. We want him to go back to the compound and keep an eye on them. Don't worry about him; I'll explain it to him after you've got the girl, but you need to make it look like a real snatch. Wear a mask, so he won't know it's you. Ortiz will be surprised; he won't know what's happening. He'll probably put up some resistance, so be ready."
"So he don't know I'm coming, then?"
"No. He thinks he's taking her upstairs to his place and keeping her there."
"He might call the cops or somethin'," Santos said.
"No. The first thing he'll do is call me to tell me he lost the girl. I'm going to act surprised and tell him he needs to play it straight. I'll tell him to call her father, like he has no clue what's going on. And at that point, he won't know shit, except what I tell him."
"I don't get how this is gonna work, Manny."
"Just do what I told you. Maldonado and I will handle the rest."
"Okay," Santos said. "So I'm gonna jump him in the parking garage at his place and snatch her. Then what?"
"Take her out to where the boats are hidden. You can stash her on one of them. Lock her up in the cabin if you want, but make sure there's nothing there she can use to break out, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Then what?"
"Stay there and keep an eye on her. Just make sure you don't attract any attention. That shouldn't be a problem, as far back up in there as the boats are."
"How long I gotta keep her there?"
"The delivery's at midnight. Sometime in the evening, Martínez will show up with the troops. He'll let you know what to do once he's there, but the basic plan is we'll turn her over to Davis or whoever shows up with the weapons."
"All right. When is Ortiz gonna take her to his place?"
"I'm going to call him now; I'll get a time from him. Sit tight for a minute."
****
"Did you see Dani and Ortiz?" J.-P. asked, when Phillip walked into the living room.
"No. Where would I have seen them?"
"They left a few minutes ago; I thought you might have passed them on the entrance drive," J.-P. said.
"No, but Martínez dropped me up on the causeway and I walked back in, so they might have been gone already. I could have missed them. Where were they going?"
"Ortiz got a call from Cruz, maybe 15 minutes ago. He wanted Ortiz to take Dani to his place."
"Ortiz's place?" Phillip asked. "Why?"
"Cruz thinks that Ortiz has seduced Dani," Liz said. "Remember, that was his mission, after they decided not to kidnap her."
"Okay, I got that. But why take her to his place tonight? Especially this time of night?"
"Ortiz thinks they probably want him to spirit Dani away; turn her into a hostage of sorts," Paul said.
"That may be," Phillip said. "Things are starting to happen, all right. Martínez wants delivery tomorrow night." Phillip glanced at his watch. "Oops! Make that tonight."
"We haven't discussed arrangements for payment," J.-P. said.
"The money will be in the account in the Bahamas by the opening of business this morning," Phillip said.
"What if we don't agree to go forward?" J.-P. asked.
"Martínez reminded me that Olsen told us we didn't really have an option."
"Yes, I remember that," J.-P. said. "But we always have an option."
"That's probably why they want to hold Dani hostage," Connie said.
J.-P. grinned. "Dani may have other ideas."
Connie chuckled.
Weatherby looked at J.-P., a frown on her face. "Aren't you upset? She's your daughter!"
He smiled. "Yes. My daughter, to the core."
"What do you mean by that?
"I am not worried. I am disappointed," J.-P. said.
"You think she's on their side, then?" Luke asked.
At that, J.-P. laughed. "No. She is my daughter. She only knows one side. They have no idea what they've done."
"I don't understand your reaction, then," Weatherby said. "Why are you disappointed?"
"Because we're going to miss the fun," J.-P. said.
"Fun?" Weatherby said. "She's in danger."
"You do not know my daughter, Mary. Nor do you, Luke. Not like the rest of us know her. I appreciate your concern, but Dani wears danger like most young women wear jewels. She is danger. She has not led a sheltered life. When this is over, you will understand."
"Well," Mary Weatherby said, "you should all know that Cruz and company bugged Ortiz's apartment a few days ago. Audio and video. We discovered that, and tapped into their feeds. My people will be watching what goes on there, if that's any comfort to you. We can have people there in a matter of minutes, if things look risky."
"That's good to know," Phillip said. "You mentioned before I left that you might have a line on where Martínez's troops are."
"Yes, I was coming to that. We took advantage of what happened to the Vidal woman a few days ago. Ortiz managed to introduce another undercover agent called François. He's working for Santos in Little Haiti, handling collections and other strong-arm tasks. He basically took Vidal's place."
"And?" Phillip asked.
"He reported that there are 30 men from the D.R. staying in three of the apartments. I called him while you were gone to get more details. They've only been there a few days. François tangled with a couple of them when he went to collect the rent. He messed them up a little, and afterward, Santos told him not to collect rent from them. He said they had a different arrangement. François complained about the loss of income -- he gets a commission on the rent. Santos told him to mind his own business, and that it was only for a few days."
"That sounds like it could be our phantom platoon," Phillip said. "If it is, they'll probably be moving out sometime today. Any chance of you or Luke putting somebody in there to watch them?"
"Already in motion," Weatherby said.
"And we have the house in Coral Gables under surveillance, too," Luke added.
"I take it you got the go-ahead to work this, then?" Paul asked.
"We did," Luke said.
Mary Weatherby nodded. "But it'll be several hours before we have extra bodies at our disposal. I can push that, now that you have a delivery date."
"Pushing might be a good idea," J.-P. said. "Especially if you plan to intercept them."
****
"Well," Ortiz said, as they approached the high-rise building where his condo was located. "You're getting your wish."
"What?" Dani said. She had ignored his attempts at conversation on most of the drive, only acknowledging him when he talked about the exiles and their plot.
"You wanted to see my place. It's on the sixth floor in the next building on the right. There's a sliver of ocean view from the balcony."
"What makes you think I wanted to see your place?"
"You said you did, once."
She scowled at him. "When?"
"The night we went to the Thai place for dinner. We were in a club afterward, and some of my friends were talking about neighborhoods -- "
"That was before I knew you were an asshole," she hissed.
"I'm truly sorry that I misled you; you do understand it was for a good cause, right? In the service of our country, and -- "
"Please," she growled. "Next you're going to tell me to lie back and think of England, you miserable bastard."
"England? What are you talking about?"
"Never mind, David. You'
d probably take it the wrong way."
"Dani, I know I was a shit. If I could start all over, I'd ... " he shook his head and flipped the turn signal, slowing as he came to the entrance to the building's garage.
"I wasn't lying when I said I'd fallen for you." He stopped to insert the keycard to open the door. While it rolled up, he looked at her. The light from the security lamp over the door gave her face a stark, sallow look, but he flinched when he saw her eyes. Such a rich, dark blue when she was happy, they were as cold as the arctic ice now, and as deadly as gun barrels. He shuddered and looked away as the door opened fully.
"Don't press your luck," she said, "and don't get any romantic ideas, either. What I did to Lupita, I could do to you. I'm halfway there already."
He didn't say anything as he pulled into the garage, creeping along until he came to an open parking space. He pulled in and shut the engine off, opening his door and stepping out of the car. Walking around the back of the car, he reached Dani's door as she opened it. She got out before he could help her. He saw a flicker of surprise in her eyes, and then there was an explosion of light and he felt himself slip to the floor as he lost consciousness.
Dani backed up against the inside of the open car door. A husky man with a stocking over his face was watching her, staying back out of her reach. She thought about pushing off the door to launch herself forward, but the unconscious Ortiz was in her way. Then she saw the pistol the man used to knock Ortiz out. The barrel was trained on her face, and the man held it with two hands as he shook his head.
"Don't," he said, in a normal tone.
She relaxed, and he nodded.
"Good," he said. "My orders are to see that you are not harmed. You will be our good-faith hostage. We will release you to your friends when they deliver the weapons tonight. You understand?"
"Who are you?" she asked.
"They call me Santos. Will you come with me without trouble? Or do I gotta handcuff you?"
Bluewater Revolution: The Twelfth Novel in the Bluewater Thriller Series - Mystery and Adventure in Florida, Cuba, and the Caribbean (Bluewater Thrillers Book 12) Page 21