Gold in the Keys

by Matthew Rief

  “Any idea where they’re going next?” Angelina asked. She was wearing faded jeans and a Harley-Davidson tee shirt, and she had her blond hair tied back.

  I took a sip of the coffee, savoring the warmth and flavor. After the couple of days I’d had, a good dose of caffeine was just what I needed.

  “I may have a lead on that,” I said, “but it isn’t going to be easy. I’ve been informed that Black Venom has over fifty guys here in the Keys. That’s a lot of tangos with Uzis for just the four of us.”

  Angelina set her mug on the table in front of her. “That’s why I’m here. Nazari wants to meet you, Logan.”

  I shook my head. “Why would he want to meet me? And don’t tell me he’s just looking to get information about the treasure.”

  “No, it’s not that. He wants to help. You see, he too has had trouble with Black Venom. After all, it was his men that had their boat blown up over at the ledge a few days ago.”

  I thought back to that day on the ledge. How we’d watched as the boat exploded, then were chased soon after by those who had done it. Nazari’s men had died without being able to fight back as their boat was engulfed in an inferno of flames right before our eyes.

  I downed the rest of my coffee and rose to my feet. “Having a guy like Nazari on our side might not be such a bad idea.” I turned and looked Angelina dead in the eye. “Do you trust him?”

  She took a sip, then nodded.

  “Okay, then. It’s time I paid a visit to this man I’ve heard so much about.”

  After Jack locked up the Calypso, the four of us climbed over the transom and walked down the dock, heading towards the Baia. I brought the roller bag with the C-4 inside with me, rolling it down the dock to the Baia and locking it inside before continuing alongside Angelina. Scott and Jack decided to stay on the Baia to keep a lookout and to whip up some dinner.

  “What was in the bag?” Angelina asked as we walked down the dock.

  “It’s a gift from Black Venom,” I replied nonchalantly, and her eyebrows shot towards the top of her head. “Don’t worry. I disarmed it.” I grinned.

  The parking lot was mostly empty aside from the usual liveaboard vehicles. It being past twenty-one hundred on a Sunday night, there weren’t a whole lot of people around. We walked along the waterfront to the Key West Yacht Club right next door, then stepped down onto the dock and climbed aboard a Zodiac tied off near two other dinghies. Angelina fired up the outboard and piloted the small inflatable boat over the calm water towards Nazari’s yacht. As we approached the yacht, I realized that it was even larger and more luxurious than I’d originally thought. I gauged it to be over four hundred feet long, with a sleek steel hull, a helicopter pad up on the bow, a massive swimming pool back aft, and five levels of sun decks. I’d never seen a yacht like it before in my life.

  Angelina maneuvered the Zodiac alongside the yacht, and we idled for a second before a large rectangular section of the yacht’s hull hinged outward, then opened up, revealing a large boat storage bay. There was already a boat inside. It was a speedboat that matched the yacht and was probably about as long as the Baia. Turning the Zodiac and starting up the prop, Angelina accelerated us onto a padded platform, oriented us right in the middle, then killed the engine. The platform lifted us out of the water, then set the Zodiac down right beside the other boat. Both of us climbed out, and Angelina led me through a door and into a luxurious hallway lined with fancy paintings.

  We used an elevator to reach the main deck, where Angelina said Nazari was waiting for us. When we entered, he was sitting on a white leather couch in front of a table, overlooking a row of massive windows that displayed 180-degree views of the ocean and the islands surrounding Key West. He was reading on a tablet and looked up as we approached. I recognized him instantly from the few pictures I’d seen of him in the tabloids over the years. He had a dark complexion and thinning white hair, and he looked to be in his early sixties, though if I remembered correctly, he was actually significantly older than that. He wore a white dress shirt, silver pants and fancy black loafers. When he saw us approach, he stood and smiled, holding out his right hand first to Angelina.

  “Angelina, my girl,” he said, embracing her and kissing her cheek. He looked at me with a friendly gaze, then held out his hand. “You must be Mr. Dodge. My name is Arian Nazari. It is a great pleasure to welcome you to my boat. Miss Fox has told me a lot about you. Please, make yourself at home here.”

  I accepted his hand, then returned his smile. “Just Logan is fine, sir. And thank you for your hospitality.”

  He nodded, then dropped the handshake. “And you may call me Arian. Would either of you care for a drink? The tequila is from Jalisco. It’s some of the best I’ve ever had.” He pointed to the rusty liquid halfway filling a sparkly glass on the mahogany table in front of him.

  “Sounds great,” I replied, never one to turn down great liquor.

  “Ah, very good.” He reached down and grabbed his tablet. “Would you two please come with me to the lounge?”

  Arian led the two of us out a massive sliding glass door where two rows of white leather couches sat beneath an upper deck, overlooking the ocean. In front of us was a marble table that I was surprised to see already had three glasses filled with ice and tequila. Arian motioned for us to sit down across from him and we did. I gripped one of the glasses and pushed back a few small sips, surprised at how strong yet smooth it was.

  “Well?” Arian said, eyeing me questionably.

  “Very good. Some of the best I’ve ever had as well.”

  Arian smiled. “It’s from Don Hector Martinez’s private reserves. He gave me a few bottles as a gift just before he passed. He was a good man and a good friend.” He set his glass on the table and cleared his throat. “But I did not invite you here to talk about tequila.”

  “No, I didn’t think so.”

  Arian leaned back into the couch cushion. “As I’m sure you are well aware, I am an avid collector of ancient artifacts. My home in Dubai features some of my findings over the years. It is a passion of mine. So, naturally I’ve always been interested in the story of Montezuma’s gold. And my interest was amplified when I learned that a certain piece that was once mine was originally found off the coast of the Florida Keys. An Aztec coin. You, of course, know the piece I speak of.”

  I nodded. Though I’d only known him for a few minutes, Arian was nothing like how I’d expected him to be. I’d always taken pride in my ability to read people and judge their character. Based on my impression of him and Angelina’s recommendation, I decided to trust him. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the large gold coin I’d found on the reef years ago. Holding it in my hand, I set it on the table in front of Arian.

  “Scott told me—”

  He waved me off. “I’m not upset about what happened with Mr. Cooper. He won the coin fair and square.” He grabbed the coin and looked it over a moment, admiring its finely etched details. “It’s a magnificent coin.”

  “Yes, it is,” I replied, then took another sip and added, “The rest of them are as well.”

  Arian’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes darted to meet with mine. “Are you telling me that you found the rest, Logan?”

  I grinned. “Yes. I found the treasure with a professor friend of mine. But she’s been taken, and now the guys that took her are gonna try and make off with all of the gold.”

  Arian paused a moment, thinking over what I’d said. “Black Venom.” I nodded and he continued, “I’ve had trouble with them before. One of my farms in Mexico was raided by them and burned to the ground three years ago. They murdered hundreds of workers and their families. And the poor people in that region would have starved to death had I not been able to send hundreds of trucks full of supplies. They are a wretched bunch, Logan. But judging by what I’ve read about you and what Angelina has told me, you are a man used to dealing with such people.”

  “I guess you could say I have a strong dislike of bullies. Always have.
”

  Arian took another sip of tequila, then leaned back against the soft cushion of the couch. “I like you, Logan. Tell me, what do you plan to do about Black Venom?”

  “Tomorrow morning we’re going out to the ledge where we found the treasure. Black Venom has at least two yachts here in Key West and probably a salvage vessel by now as well. We’re gonna sneak up on them underwater, climb aboard, find Sam and get her to safety, then take them all out. It won’t be pretty or easy, but it’s all we have. I have two rebreathers we can use to swim undetected to their yachts. We plan to keep the Baia, which is my boat, and Jack’s boat, the Calypso, far enough away from the ledge so they won’t be spotted.”

  “How do you know they will be at the ledge tomorrow morning?”

  “A young member of Black Venom told us. He’s renounced them and he’s trying to escape that life.”

  “And you trust this stranger?”

  “Yes, I do. When faced with death, a man’s true character is revealed. I’ve seen him on the brink of death twice now, and I can tell you that he’s not one of them. I’m gonna do everything I can to help him start a new life.”

  Arian listened intently to every word I said. He leaned forward, placed the tips of his fingers together and rested his forearms against the marble table in front of him. “What can I do to help?”

  “For starters, I’m assuming a man of your means has access to some advanced satellites. I need you to track the movements of Black Venom’s boats tomorrow and have that information relayed to me. Also,” I said, glancing at Angelina, “do you have a high-powered sniper rifle aboard?”

  “The weapons locker is fully stocked,” Angelina said, meaning that Arian not only had sniper rifles but some of the most lethal ones in the world.

  “Good. Ange can use that to provide cover. That way you can keep your distance with this yacht. Anything under half a mile and you’d probably draw too much attention and provoke Black Venom to attack.”

  “Are you certain that is all? I have sixteen highly trained professionals here in Key West. They can help you and Mr. Cooper.”

  I shook my head. “Surprise is key. If too many go, we’ll be spotted for sure. I’m not willing to risk so much, especially when we already know they have weapons like RPGs aboard.”

  “Very well, Logan. I shall do as you have requested.”

  “Thank you, Arian.” I slowly rose to my feet and set my empty glass on the marble table. “I appreciate you requesting to meet with me and your willingness to help us.”

  Arian walked with us out of the lounge and down the hall towards the elevator. A young guy wearing a tuxedo without the jacket and carrying two large plastic cases approached us. He handed the cases to Arian, then gave a quick bow of his head before turning and walking away. Arian reached the cases out to me.

  “These will help you in the morning, Logan,” he said as I grabbed one and then the other, surprised by how heavy they were.

  He wished us luck and told us he’d be in contact, and then the elevator closed and took us down to the level where we’d left the Zodiac. Once again, the side of the yacht opened up smoothly, and we eased the Zodiac into the water, then hopped aboard, setting the cases in between the two front bench seats. Angelina started up the outboard, and when we were about halfway to shore, she turned to look at me.

  “You sure about this, Logan?” she said. “We could always contact the authorities. See if they could help out.”

  “I’m not doing that,” I replied sternly. I didn’t want the police or the Coast Guard to get involved, and it wasn’t just because I hated dealing with the government. “I don’t want to put their lives at risk.”

  Seeing that I couldn’t be persuaded, Angelina dropped the subject, and we didn’t say a word to each other until we were back at the dock. She pulled up just down from the Baia in Conch Marina and dropped me off.

  “We’ll be in contact in the morning,” she said. “We’ll use Arian’s satellites to track them, and I’ll relay their positions to you. Once you’re at the site, I’ll be ready with my sniper to provide cover. Just don’t do anything stupid, Logan. Like get yourself killed.”

  I thanked her and gave her a kiss on the cheek before she fired up the engine and disappeared around the entrance to the marina. Looking at my dive watch, I saw that it was just past twenty-two hundred. The dock was mostly quiet as I approached the Baia, aside from a few distant neighbors out enjoying the calm night air and listening to Island Vibes. I approached my boat slowly until I saw both Jack and Scott sitting in the cockpit. They had the grill fired up, and I could smell the fresh fish and corn on the cob.

  “How did it go?” Scott asked when he saw me approach.

  “Good. Anyone come near the boat?” I stepped up over the transom and onto the deck of the Baia. Jack was holding a pair of tongs and rotating the fish as he dabbed Swamp Sauce over it. Scott was sitting at the table, cleaning his Glock.

  They both shook their heads. “No one at all,” Scott replied. “What’s in the cases?”

  I nodded, then headed for the steps down into the lounge. “Do me a favor and kill the flames and shut the grill for a minute, will you, Jack? We gotta talk about the plan for the morning.”

  Jack plated the food but kept it covered beneath a metal lid so it would stay warm, then they both followed me down into the lounge. I set the two hard cases on the floor beside the dining table. Grabbing a map of Key West and its surrounding islands, I unrolled it and spread it out over the table, using a few mugs and the lamp to hold it in place. Turning on the lamp, I looked it over briefly, then looked up at Scott and Jack, who were eyeing me skeptically. I grabbed one of the cases, set it on the cushioned seat beside me and unclasped the hinges. I smiled after lifting up the lid and looking inside.

  “Looks like Nazari just made this a hell of a lot easier,” I said, eyeing a brand-new top-of-the-line Aquanaut Pro sea scooter.

  I rotated it around so Jack and Scott could see it.

  “Damn,” Jack said, “that’s an X Series.” His eyes were wide as he looked it over. “She’ll push you through the water at seven knots, bro. And this model has the expanded battery, so you’re looking at well over an hour of operating time.”

  “The other one’s for you,” I said, looking at Scott, who was eyeing the other case on the ground beside me. “Using these, we’ll be able to sneak up on Black Venom from a few miles away.”

  I stood, moved into the main cabin, opened my closet and pulled out two Draeger Rebreathers. Walking back out into the lounge, I set them on one of the padded seats beside the table.

  “I ordered both of these a while back, and they just arrived yesterday. They’re military-grade, almost identical to the ones we used back in the SEALs.”

  The beauty of rebreathers is that they’re a closed-circuit breathing system, which means no noisy bubbles. Exhalations pass through a scrubber that removes CO2 and recirculates oxygen back to your lungs.

  “That kid said Black Venom had more than fifty guys here in Key West,” Scott said. “It’s a safe bet that most of them will be at the ledge in the morning, and they’ll be spread out over multiple boats. Even if we do reach them without being seen, that’s a lot of tangos for two guys, Logan. Even the two of us.”

  “We’ll have backup,” I said. “Ange will be providing cover from Nazari’s yacht.”

  “And I can be close by, bro,” Jack said. “I’ll take the Baia. She’s faster than anything else cruising the Keys. If you need backup, I could be there within minutes, armed and ready.”

  “Also, we need to remember that this is more of a rescue mission than anything else. Once we’ve found Sam and gotten her off whichever boat she’s on, we can just blow all of their boats to pieces.” I grabbed the black roller bag that was resting against the kitchen counter and brought it over. Unzipping it and opening the flap, I revealed the stacks of C-4 Black Venom had rigged to blow up in the Playa Bonita Resort. “These assholes have already given us just what we
need to send them and their boats burning into the drink.”

  I grabbed the stacks of C-4 and set them on the table along with the firing mechanism. Looking it over briefly, I knew that it wouldn’t be very difficult to separate the one bomb they’d rigged into three separate smaller bombs. That way we’d be able to destroy multiple boats at the same time. Fortunately, Black Venom had decided to use C-4, which is completely waterproof, so Scott and I would be able to swim them over and attach them to the hulls no problem. We spent about five more minutes talking about our plan for the following morning, using the map spread out over the table to plot out exactly how we were going to approach Neptune’s Table. Then we migrated back out to the cockpit, where we lounged and enjoyed the food Jack had prepared along with a few cold ones to take the edge off. I downed three plates of fish, not realizing how hungry I was after not eating all day, and polished off three Coronas with lime.

  When we finished eating, we went back into the lounge and I worked on disassembling the bomb while Scott checked all of our equipment and Jack looked over the map and a handheld GPS. In less than an hour, I’d finished and had three separate bombs, all with their own firing mechanisms that would be ignited using a common switch. When it comes to bombs, it’s always best to keep it simple. Each of the bombs would be set off by a simple battery in a small waterproof housing, which, when initiated, would send current through a wire, causing it to heat up and ignite the C-4. Unable to head to a store for extra parts, I took apart a few of the less useful components from the cockpit control console, including a small toggle switch complete with its waterproof housing. What I especially liked about the switch was that it had a plastic cover, which would prevent me from accidentally setting off the bombs while Scott and I swam them through the water. I planned to simply replace the switch in the future when I had a little more time on my side.

  In order to attach the C-4 to the hulls of Black Venom’s boats, Jack said he had an idea and headed over to the Calypso, appearing a few minutes later with a plastic box in his hands. It contained rubber suction cups with plastic handles that he’d used before to stabilize himself underwater while cleaning grime off the Calypso’s hull. When pulled back, the suction created a vacuum that held them in place to a flat surface. We pulled a MacGyver and attached one suction cup to each of the bombs, then stowed them inside a black duffle bag.