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Chapter 1 :: Chapter 2 :: Chapter 3 :: Chapter 4 :: Chapter 5 :: Chapter 6 :: Chapter 7
"Ahoy," called out the man at the helm, while the other two threw out the fenders on the near side of the craft.
Now that they were close enough to get a good look at them, Sonny was convinced these men could mean nothing but trouble. What was it Cait has said about pirates? It had been a joke when she said it, but maybe it wasn’t so far from the truth right now. Well, he was thinking, they could have anything they wanted as far as he was concerned, so long as they left them alone. But he knew that if they were here to cause problems, the chances of them just taking what they wanted and leaving were not very good.
"Nice sailboat," he continued. It was obvious that he was the one in charge here. His features were definitely Hispanic, but he spoke with hardly an accent. He wore a light cotton windbreaker over a boldly patterned shirt, open a the neck, and long black pants. Crockett’s trained eye noticed the familiar bulge of a hand gun in a shoulder holster under the stranger’s left arm. His partners were Hispanic as well and similarly dressed. Sonny guessed that they probably carried side arms too. He wondered what other armaments they might have on board. No, this didn’t bode well at all.
Think fast Crockett.
"What can I do ya for?" Crockett called out as they pulled up alongside. He stood up to ready himself to take action if necessary, but he stayed in the cockpit. He didn’t want to get any closer to the strangers than he had to, and staying here kept him between them and Cait.
"The engine’s runnin’ rough," the man answered, "and we forgot to throw in a tool kit. Do ya think you can help us out?"
Sonny knew for sure now that something was not as it should be - the engine had been running smooth as glass. Somehow he had to get himself and Cait out of this mess without these men finding out that she was on board, and get to the radio to call for help. He looked down and noticed two glasses on the seat of the cockpit. Unobtrusively, he slipped one under the towel that was lying on the bench beside them.
‘What do you need?" he asked, thanking heaven for his years of undercover work. He was used to staying calm in tense situations like this. The less they knew about his suspicions and who he was, the better. At some point, maybe it could play to his advantage.
"A screwdriver and a wrench should do it. Ya mind if we come on board?"
"How about I get the toolkit for you?" He wanted to keep them off the boat if at all possible.
"You don’t need to do that," the man called back. "José here will come and get what we need. No sweat."
No sweat like hell. José was 250 pounds if he was an ounce, and all muscle.
Before he could say no, José was climbing aboard. He walked over to where Sonny was standing. "You jus’ show me where the stuff is and I get what I need," he said in a heavy Colombian accent.
"Hang on there amigo. I’ll just go below and get the kit." Sonny knew they had the upper hand, but he had played this game many times before. Right now it was a matter of who would give in first.
When he turned around to go below, he heard the sound of a gun being drawn from its holster and sensed the unmistakable feel of cold steel in the small of his back. The table stakes had just gone up several notches, and the game had taken on a whole new dimension.
"How about we jus' take the whole boat, senor?" he asked with a mocking laugh. "Who else you have on board? Maybe a pretty senorita, eh?" The laugh was louder this time with a touch of cruel depravity added in for good measure.
"It’s just me," he replied, hoping they’d believe the bluff. Experience had taught him, that in situations like this, the fewer words the better.
Sonny remained calm on the outside, but inside he was scared as hell. His thoughts were spinning like a scrambler. What was this all about? Why did they want the St.Vitus Dance? Was this just bold theft on the high seas, or was there more to it? And then there was the question that scared him most of all - what would happen if they found out Cait was on board? There was no telling what they might do, but he had a pretty good idea of what it might be. He didn't really want to find out. Somehow he would have to keep them from knowing she was here.
"Hey man - no reason to act hasty here. I can take you wherever you wanna go - no questions asked." Sonny kept his voice in control, hiding the worry that was building inside his gut.
"Oh you’ll be doing that alright," the man at the wheel said. "My compadres and I don’t know how to sail this thing, but we need some new transportation to Miami and your boat will do just fine." He climbed on board the St. Vitus Dance and took up position in the cockpit facing Sonny, his back to the gangway leading down into the cabin. He had his gun out too, a 45 magnum pointed right into Crockett’s middle.
"Say gringo, why don’t you just head over to our boat over there and help my friend Manuel. We got some important cargo that needs to get to Miami tonight, and your boat's gonna take it there for us." He motioned the gun in the direction of the speedboat.
Sonny raised his hands into the air in a conciliatory gesture. "Sure man. What ever you say." This was definitely not the time to call the hand.
He made his way to the side of the sailboat nearest the other craft - not much choice with two guns aimed his way. Manuel started passing the ‘cargo’ to him - 150 bags of white powder that looked like icing sugar, each weighing one kilogram. He knew it wasn’t icing sugar though. At more than $25 000 a kilo wholesale, he figured he was loading about 4 million dollars worth of pure cocaine onto the sailboat. The street value was probably 50 times that. But he wasn’t about to let them know he knew what it was. If he played ignorant, maybe the bluff could buy some time.
"Completo Carlos", Manuel said when the last of bags had been transferred.
Carlos gave more instructions in Spanish. Sonny knew some of the language, but not a lot. He could understand more than he could speak himself. From what he was able to put together, he could make out that they were planning to ditch the speedboat and take the St. Vitus Dance to Miami. He thought he heard something about the DEA and surveillance, but he couldn’t understand enough to know what this was all about. Damn - if only Rico were here, he would know what they were saying.
The next thing he knew, Manuel started up the engines of their boat, and after climbing aboard the St. Vitus Dance, he slammed the controls into gear and ran 150 000 dollars worth of speedboat straight into the island. Whatever was going on, these guys must be desperate. It didn’t make him feel any better.
Carlos turned his attention to Crockett once again. He ordered him to accompany himself and José down into the cabin to find a place to store the goods. José went down first, followed by Sonny with Carlos and his gun close behind. As much as he tried to stay in control, he could feel the sweat breaking out. He didn’t care what they did to him, but Cait was down here.
Damn! - what was he going to do now? Hang on Sonny. Take your time - play it out.
After they stepped down into the galley, José started looking around for a suitable spot to hide the contraband. The first place he headed to was the berth where Cailtin lay sleeping. Sonny was preparing himself, getting ready to take action. The cupboard where he kept his gun was immediately to his right. If he could get a small diversion maybe he could get to it, but could he take down all three of them before they got to him? He had to - there was no other choice. He figured he had two things going for him - the element of surprise and the fact that they needed him to sail the boat.
José opened the door to the small room and looked in. The sweat was pouring off Sonny’s brow now, his heart was racing. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through him. Normally this feeling would be a major high, but knowing Cait was the one in danger this time, he didn’t like the feeling at all.
Caitlin. Oh God! Please don’t let them hurt my Caitlin.
"Take it easy Crockett," he told himself. Somehow he managed to keep his hands steady. "Wait your time. You can’t protect Cait from these goons if you’re dead."
"Mucho room in here boss," José called over his shoulder in broken English. "Si, this be a good place."
The relief left Sonny light-headed. Nothing there - she wasn’t there? He couldn’t believe it. But where the hell was she then?
"Say gringo," Carlos asked. "You got something I can quench my thirst with?"
"There’s beer in the fridge."
"Something real gringo - like tequilla. You got some tequilla? Hey José check the cupboards. See if you can find some tequilla." José checked the cupboards one by one, and finally he got to the one beside Sonny.
Oh Shit! What am I gonna do now? He’s gonna find my gun and badge.
As José opened the cupboard, Sonny again readied himself to take action.
"Nada, Carlos. There’s nothing here. I guess we just have cerveza."
Once again Sonny found himself light-headed with relief. But now where the hell was his gun? What was going on here? What ever it was, he hoped his luck kept up.
Carlos and José grabbed a beer and headed topside again with Sonny positioned between them. Once on deck, Carlos told José and Manuel to take the drugs below, and he ordered Sonny to weigh anchor and start heading the boat to Miami. No sails though - he told him to motor it in. Carlos wasn’t about to risk any sudden movements or tricks.
Damn! - a potential opportunity gone.
Crockett pulled the anchor and started the engines. He’d do what he was told for now - he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t believe they didn’t find Cait and he had no idea where his gun was, but he wasn’t going to question miracles at this point. He was just relieved that she was safe and these guys didn’t know who he really was. He turned the wheel and steered the sailboat out of the cove. As they headed out of paradise, he could hear the last cries of the angry speedboat engine as it sputtered to silence in the shallow water at the island’s edge.
"Nothing Sonny. I’m fine," Caitlin murmured as she rolled over, still half asleep. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Sonny’s voice had seemed far away, and when she reached over to touch him, he wasn’t there. As she awoke a bit more, she remembered thinking she had heard a boat engine off in the distance, but it was quiet now. She must have been dreaming.
The engine’s runnin’ rough, and we forgot to throw in a tool kit. Do ya think you can help us out?
That definitely wasn’t Sonny’s voice. Someone else was here - she really did hear a boat. She better get herself up and get dressed - just in case they were pirates. She was laughing to herself, remembering the conversation in the car from the airport.
What do you need?
Well it seemed as though Sonny had everything under control. The words were muffled after that as she looked around for some clothes and put them on.
…… José here will come and get what we need. No sweat.
The man was coming on board - good thing she was decent. She heard him climbing over and felt the thump of his footsteps as he crossed the deck above her head.
How about we jus' take the whole boat, senor? ….. laughter ….. Who else you have on board? Maybe a pretty senorita eh? …… more laughter.
It’s just me.
The tone in Sonny’s voice was not light-hearted. This wasn’t a joke. Her heart started racing, wondering what was happening outside. Who were these people? Whoever they were, it was evident that Sonny didn’t want them to know she was here and either did she. Quickly and silently she pulled up the sheet on the bed and hid any evidence that there was anyone here other than Crockett. She had to find someplace to hide, somewhere they wouldn’t find her, but that would not be easy. There wasn't much room to hide on a sailboat.
There was some more conversation and then she heard the sound of another person climbing aboard and heading towards the open hatch that lead down into the cabin. That voice was nearer and she could hear the words clearly.
Say gringo, why don’t you just head over to our boat over there and help my friend Manuel. We got some important cargo that needs to get to Miami tonight and your boat's gonna take it there for us.
She knew she had to get out of there. Leaving the berth, she silently tiptoed across the galley. When she got to the gangway leading up onto the deck, she stopped and glanced upwards. There was a man standing there, his back to the opening. If she had thought this was a game, the gun in his hand was proof that they were both in danger. She slipped past the stairs and tiptoed to the stern of the boat. How she kept her hands from shaking, she wasn’t sure, but somehow she managed to open the door to the storage area at the back of the boat and let herself inside, silently closing the hatch behind her. Every tiny sound and creak magnified itself a hundred times over. It seemed that there was no way they wouldn’t notice that someone was down below. She heaved a sigh of relief when she realised she had made it safely in here with no one to the wiser.
The space was small, meant for a second berth if needed. But Sonny had kept it as a storage area, never having needed the extra sleeping space. Because the room lay at the stern where the hull sloped up out of the water and much of the area was underneath the cockpit, there was not enough height to stand upright, not even for her. And it was dark - she didn’t dare turn on the light. The small hatch leading out onto the deck behind the cockpit was closed and tightly sealed. The only illumination was the narrow strip of light that fed in under the doorway and the few rays of light that managed to squeeze through the blinds on the two narrow portholes on the sides of the tiny cabin. With no air circulation, it was hot and it was stuffy, but it was safe - at least for now. She sat down in the far corner, facing the doorway, and waited, not daring to move. If she was quiet, maybe they wouldn’t find her.
It wasn't long before she heard the sounds of footsteps coming down into the cabin, three sets it sounded like. There were two voices, the two strangers she had heard when she was in the berth. They were talking, looking for a place to hide something and then for something to drink.
There’s beer in the fridge.
That was Sonny’s voice - he was okay. Thank heavens!
They went back outside, but a short while later she heard footsteps again, two sets this time, going up and down the stairs. She guessed that it must be the men carrying in whatever it was they were storing down here. At the same time, she could hear the scraping sound of the anchor being pulled out of the water and the engine starting up. And then she could feel the boat moving through the water. The engine was noisy in the little compartment, and she could no longer make out any of the conversation. But the noise would serve her purposes too. It would drown out any small sounds she might make as well. She sat back and heaved a sigh, and resigning herself to the situation at hand. This wasn't exactly what she had expected to wake up to when she fell asleep in Sonny's arms this afternoon. She had been expecting to spend this evening in paradise, but instead, it was quickly turning into a nightmare in hell.