Danger Point

by Douglas J Bourg

  “I promise to do as you ask,” she replies without hesitation, “Please, don’t hurt me.”

  He gives her a cruel smile and opens the passenger side door of a black Chevy Tahoe with tinted windows. They drive out of the parking garage. She hopes there will be a parking attendant she can signal, but the gate lifts without them having to stop. They drive down Jamboree Avenue and cross the bridge to Balboa Island.

  They continue down into Balboa Island and turn left on a one-way street. The sergeant finds a parking spot on the street. He turns and says, “Mrs. Frasier, we are going to walk down the street here to a boat tied to that dock,” he indicates a large power boat ahead of them in the water, “If you so much as make a sound, I will cut your throat right here. Do you understand?” Maria swallows hard. All she can manage to do is to nod her head.

  After stepping out of the truck, the sergeant grabs Maria roughly by the hand and hauls her out of her seat. As she tries to pull away, he grips her harder, making her cry out in pain.

  “Just a loving couple out for a stroll,” he sneers as they walk down the street to the private dock. The sergeant pulls out a key, opens the gate and leads Maria to a one hundred foot yacht. He pulls her up the gangway and onto the main deck. She can’t believe there is no one around to see or help her.

  “I’m going to lock you in one of the staterooms,” he tells her, opening a door and jerking her forcefully below. We’ll be leaving soon. Behave yourself and you’ll see your children soon.” He shoves her into the stateroom, slams the door and locks it from the outside. As Maria hears him walk up on deck above she realizes she’s trapped and alone on the boat. She knows where she is, which might help keep her alive.

  Chapter 55

  “What are you talking about?” I demand, not sure I heard him correctly. “Who has Maria?”

  “The General does. That was him on the phone. How the hell did he get my cell number?” DJ replies, stunned into calm. “He told me if everything goes smoothly and there are no problems, I’ll be told where I can find Maria. If anything goes wrong, he says he’ll have her mailed back to me in little pieces.”

  “Son of a bitch!” I shout.

  “Keep it down, Bobby.” DJ hisses at me.

  “Why? We have to tell Delany and John G. They’ll be able to help.”

  “No, Bobby,” he whispers, “I think we should get them to the drop site and then figure out what to do next. The General said he’d call me back in half an hour. I told him I wanted to talk to Maria when he did.”

  “Does he have the kids, too?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so. He didn’t say anything about the kids.”

  “Dude, this is too big for the two of us. We need help. We’ve got all these powerful people on board…” I whisper.

  “No. He said he’d hurt Maria if I involve anyone else. I probably shouldn’t have even told you.”

  We sail on in silence. Once we are on-site and the dive team is in the water, we’re supposed to sail back off-shore and wait for them to call us to pick them up. DJ’s phone vibrates and he snatches it up.

  “Yeah?” I hear him say. He listens for a few moments before he says, “I want to talk to my wife.” He listens a little longer before saying, “I can do that,” and hanging up.

  I look at him expectantly.

  He shrugs, “He says he’ll call me back in another fifteen minutes and let me talk to Maria. He says they’ve moved her to another location.”

  “Did he say what he wants you to do?”

  “No. He just said if anything goes wrong, he’ll give the order to kill her. Fuck. How am I supposed to make sure nothing goes wrong when I don’t know what to do?” He slams his open palm against the wheel.

  “Sit down. Let me take over.”

  We switch positions and DJ sits down, shaking, “What am I going to do?”

  I open my mouth to reply, but close it again as Murph comes on deck. “How are you guys doing? Anything I can do to help?”

  “No, thanks, Murph, we have it handled up here.” I tell him. “Why don’t you go back down and get some rest. We’re going to need all hands on deck soon.”

  He nods and disappears below, leaving me and DJ alone in the cockpit again. DJ sits there, smoking and keeping everything inside. That’s always been DJ’s style: holding it in until he has it figured out. I sure hope it works this time.

  A few minutes later his phone vibrates. “Hello? Maria? Are you alright?” I see him crumple in the seat as he listens. “Maria?” He takes the phone away from his ear and stares at it.

  “DJ,” I say, “Is Maria okay?”

  We turn as we hear a voice come from below, “What happened to Maria, DJ?” John G. demands as he comes into the cockpit.

  ◆◆◆

  Aziz lies on his bunk and thinks about how much he hates being cooped up in this underwater tin can. However, the food is not bad and he has an area to pray to Allah in his room. There is running hot water and a flush toilet so, it is nicer than any home he had ever lived in, but he is among the infidels. Whether he lived or died, he is going to do his duty to Allah, the one true God. He wants to die because he knows what awaits him on the other side. The elders of his village say it is a great honor to do what he is about to do. He will strike a great blow against the evil American empire.

  Aziz had learned English from the American soldiers stationed in the mountains of Afghanistan, who were trying to rid the country of the Taliban. When the village elders realized he spoke English, they approached him and cultivated his ability. They had him speak only English and wear only western clothes. They taught him the customs of the Americans. They told him of all the rewards that await him in Heaven when he has completed the mission they had planned. He will be remembered by his family and his countrymen as the man who brought America to its knees, and he won’t even have to fire a shot. In heaven, he will live in a palace surrounded by virgins. He drifts off to sleep, dreaming of virgins.

  ◆◆◆

  “That was very good, Mrs. Frasier. Let’s hope your husband will follow your instructions. Remember, I will not hesitate to kill you, your children and your husband if anything goes wrong tonight.” The General says.

  His aide comes in and whispers something to The General, who nods and stands. “Mrs. Frasier, I am leaving but my good friends from MS13 will be watching you. If anything goes wrong, these men have been instructed to make your death slow, painful and humiliating. If everything goes as planned, your husband will find you safe and sound in this stateroom. Your fate lies in your husband’s hands, Mrs. Frasier.”

  The General closes and locks the door to the stateroom and nods to the armed guard standing outside. He walks up the stairs and into the main salon, where he sits down on the leather couch that runs the length of the Grand Salon. Sitting opposite him is a member of MS13, a transatlantic criminal gang. Mara Salvatruchi 13 started in the early 1980’s, eventually growing into the largest gang of its type in the world. They are known for their violence and cruelty.

  The man sitting across from The General, known only to him as Spike, is in charge of the Los Angeles gang.

  “So, General, do you have our money?” Spike asks. “The deal was for one million dollars, up front, to get your man from here to downtown Los Angles. That didn’t include the woman or killing her and her family, but what the hell? Maybe you’ll give me a bonus at Christmas.”

  The General signals his aid who sets a briefcase on the coffee table in front of the gang leader and steps back to his position across the room.

  Spike turns the case toward himself and snaps open the latches. He retrieves a pair of red, half-moon reading glasses from the breast pocket of his shirt and perches them on his nose, before lifting the lid of the case. He randomly picks up the bundles of hundred dollar bills and fans them out. After a few minutes of inspection, he closes the case and snaps the latch back into place. He removes the glasses and carefully places them back in his shirt pocket, then turns to speak
to a man standing behind him. “It’s all here, Julio. Put it in the car, please.”

  The General stands and says quietly, “If anything happens to my passenger while he is under your protection, it will be the last thing you will ever do for anyone. Do you understand me, Spike?”

  Spike shakes his head and chuckles, “No need to threaten me, General. The fishing boats are picking up the last of the drugs right now. Your ecstasy and the passenger will be off-loaded from the submarine and on to the fishing boat we’re using for the exchange. From there, we’ll get him to his destination. Don’t worry.” He has no idea of who The General’s passenger is and doesn’t care.

  The General nods. In a few days this asshole, Spike, will be dead, along with thousands of others, killed by the deadliest virus man has ever known. No loose ends.

  Chapter 56

  “DJ, tell me what’s going on. Now! We need to know.” John G. says. Delaney and the Master Chief have come topside.

  DJ sighs, “The General has kidnapped my wife.”

  “How do you know that?” asks Delaney.

  “He called on my cell. I don’t know how he got my number. Maybe he made Maria give it to him. Anyway, he said that if there were any problems or interference during the exchange, he’ll kill my wife and kids.”

  “Do you know for sure he has her?” Ferguson asks. “Could he be bluffing?”

  “No way. He handed the phone to Maria and had her give me his instructions. It was definitely her.”

  “Fuck!” Delany explodes, “We don’t need this shit right now.”

  “I think I might have an idea where she’s being held,” DJ says.

  “How?” I ask him.

  “Remember a few years ago we built those custom homes on Balboa Island? Well, Maria and I had a sort of verbal shortcut when we talked about work so she’d know where I was working. One of the homes looked like a great, big mushroom. We called it the Portabella House. It has its own private dock and can have as many as three large yachts moored there. She said they were keeping her in the dark, like a portabella.”

  “Let me get this right,” says Delany. “You talked to your wife, who has been kidnapped by Sandoval. He lets her talk to you and in the span of a minute she tells you where she’s being held captive without raising the suspicion of her kidnappers?”

  “You don’t know my wife, Delany.”

  “If DJ says his wife gave him a clue as to where she is then she did,” I say, “The question is, what are we going to do about it?”

  Delany looks at John G. and the Master Chief. Finally he says, “Look, DJ, I have gone way out of bounds on this. My career and possibly my freedom are on the line. We have been trying to take Sandoval down for years. It was my fault your friend Micky is dead. I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life. But we are too close to catching General Sandoval to stop now. I’m sorry, DJ, I really am.”

  “Delany,” John G. says, “What if, after DJ and Bobby drop us off at the dive site, instead of their sailing off shore and waiting for us, we let them go after DJ’s wife? If they can rescue her before the deal goes down, it might throw Sandoval off his game long enough for us to take him down.”

  “I don’t know…,” says Delany.

  “You can contact the base and have them send another ship to pick us up. We’ll already be in, so it won’t have to be as stealth as this one.” John G. turns to the Master Chief and Delany, “Ferguson, take DJ below and see if you can figure out a plan for him to rescue his wife after he leaves the dive site. Make it a quick one, too, because as soon as this goes down, she’s dead.”

  Delany sits down for a moment to think. Finally he says, “Alright, Master Chief, do as John G. asks.”

  “You guys better come up with something quick.” I say, “We’ll be on top of that fog bank soon. We’ll have to drop the cute and get the headsail back up after we tack.”

  As DJ and the Master Chief go below, John G. says, “Bobby, I am truly sorry for putting DJ and his family in harm’s way.”

  I hold up my hand, “Stop, John, DJ and I are big boys. We knew what we were getting into. We’ll get you guys where you need to go and then try and save Maria. DJ, Murphy and I are more than competent and with our knowledge of Newport Harbor, I’m sure we can pull this off.” I hope I can convince myself.

  As though speaking his name summons him, Murph comes up top. “I just heard. This is so shitty. Alexis is down there helping with the plan.”

  “Since you’re not part of the dive team, you’ll be coming with us.” I tell him.

  “Bobby,” he replies, “I have a wife and kids myself, but this is what I do for a living. I’ll help you and DJ rescue Maria, but I’m in charge. If you don’t follow all of my directions, I’ll shoot you myself. If we piss off the local constabulary, it’ll cause a shitstorm that only I can deal with.”

  “Understood,” I say, “And thanks.”

  Murphy continues, “I know you were a cop and I watched DJ in action at the training, so I know I can count on both of you. Taking a hostage by force usually ends up with people being killed. I’m not worried about DJ; I’m worried about you, Bobby. If you don’t think you can pull the trigger, I need to know and I need to know it now.”

  I can tell his concern by the look on his face. He’s not wrong. I killed that kid—no, Dr. Summer says to use his name, so I say it out loud. “I killed Travis Lee by accident. I was cleared by the LAPD, the Police Commissioner, the DA’s Office, and I was even cleared to go back on duty. I’ve been working with a shrink. You have to trust me. I can do this, Murph. I have to this, for Maria’s sake. If I freak out or freeze, shoot me.”

  He gives me that piercing cop stare of his, “If you jeopardize this rescue Bobby, I will shoot you.” Then a small smile crosses his face, “But I don’t think I’ll have too.”

  As a cop, it’s important to trust the person who’s got your back. I understand his concern. For the first time since shooting Travis Lee, I feel like I can carry a gun into the unknown again and pull the trigger if I have to. I owe it to DJ.

  Alexis, the Master Chief and DJ, come up from below. DJ steps up to me and says, “I’ll take the helm, Bobby. We need to start getting set up to drop the tack and get these guys to the drop site. Why don’t you go below and get something to eat. By the time you’re done, we’ll be sailing into that fog bank and with any luck, disappear into it before anyone sees us.”

  “Do you guys have a plan?” I ask DJ. “Murph says he’ll run the rescue to avoid local police problems.”

  “That’s a good idea,” he says. “Delany and Murph can put their heads together.”

  “Okay,” I say with some hesitation. I really don’t want to leave him alone right now. “I’ll grab a sandwich and be back in fifteen minutes.”

  “Thanks, Bobby.” He gives me a bro hug and says, “Let’s go get my wife.”

  I hug him back, head below and pull a sandwich out of the cooler. As I eat, it occurs to me this could be my last night on the earth. If that’s going to be the case then it’s time to kick some ass and, if need be, kill us some bad guys.

  Chapter 57

  “Aziz,” the Captain says, “You will be met by The General’s men in fifteen minutes. Please be ready. I am only going to surface long enough to drop you off and to pick up General Sandoval. You will now hand over the five million dollar payment for getting you to your destination.”

  Aziz walks over to the locker and pulls out the black briefcase he was given when he started this mission. The Captain takes it from him, sets it on the desk and opens it. The case holds bundles of hundred dollar bills. The Captain picks up the stacks and, after checking them randomly with a money-marker, he is convinced they aren’t counterfeit.

  “Thank you. Ten minutes.” He says into the intercom, “Prepare to surface.”

  Aziz, dressed in black with a backpack strapped to his back, picks up the briefcase with the deadly flu virus. The backpack contains money, a set of fake IDs that include a
California driver’s license, a social security card and a couple of credit cards, all real and active.

  “Captain, we have surfaced in the middle of a dense fog bank,” says the first mate.

  “We will give The General’s men five minutes to find us,” the Captain replies. They must have been aware of this problem. It is their responsibility to find us. I will be up in the conning tower looking for contact. Please hand me the thermal scanner. That will help me locate The General’s men.”

  Aziz follows the Captain up through the hatch and into the conning tower. They don’t have to wait long. Within five minutes a fishing dory pulls alongside the submarine.

  “Captain Popovich?” calls the pilot from the small craft. “General Sandoval sent us to meet you and pick up your passenger. Time is of the essence sir.”

  One of the men climbs up onto the deck of the submarine and walks to the conning tower to help Aziz, who hands him down the first briefcase, then the second.

  “Good luck on your mission,” says the Captain, extending his hand.

  Aziz looks at the Captain’s hand and shakes it hastily before climbing down onto the deck and following the man into the fishing dory. The small craft pulls away from the submarine and disappears into the fog bank.

  “Prepare to dive,” commands the Captain, securing the hatch.

  ◆◆◆

  The General sits in the salon on the yacht where Maria Frasier is being held captive when his aide steps in, interrupting his thoughts. “General, Aziz has been picked up and they are returning right now.”

  The General wishes he could be here when the terrorist arrives, but he has to be on his way if he’s going to be on time to be picked up by the submarine. “Gentlemen, let’s go,” he says. “Spike, your people will kill Mrs. Frasier as soon as we complete our business and the submarine and I are on our way. Make it look like one of your rival gangs did the murder. Don’t do it here, and make sure you wipe down the boat. I don’t want the police to find any trail of you or your people being on board. Am I clear?”