by C J Schnier
I sighed. We were so close. Against all the odds we had managed to track down a seasoned killer and my boat. I didn't want to wait. I wanted to make sure Kelly was ok. But I also didn’t want to barge onto the boat only to get shot.
“I guess you’re right,” I conceded. “But we can’t just stay here with binoculars, we look suspicious as hell.”
“I’ve got that covered. Get us a couple of beers out of that backpack,” Andy said.
I handed him one and took one for myself, unsure how the beer would help our situation. Andy popped the top and held it up to me in a toast. I did the same, curious as to what his plan was.
“Now we’re just guests drinking beer and having a good time on vacation,” he said.
Realizing he was right, we did look like a couple of American tourists, I tapped his beer with my own.
“I’ll drink to that,” I said and took a swig from the still cool beer.
“Now we watch and wait,” Andy said, taking a drink from his own.
Chapter Seventeen
We ran out of beer within an hour. Resort staff came and went, paying us no mind at all, most likely assuming we were guests. Even this close to the water and the slight breeze, the heat was unbearable. Paramour’s bow hatch was open but tied off to a dock like she was, there couldn’t be much wind finding its way down below. If they were both onboard, they had to be miserable.
Paramour had an air conditioner, but it didn’t work. A previous owner had taken out one of the large fifty-gallon fuel tanks and replaced it with a smaller one to make room for the contraption. The air conditioner died shortly before I bought the boat, however. Since it cost over a thousand dollars to fix it, and it only worked when connected to shore power, a rare luxury these days, I left the broken unit in place and focused on other projects.
“It’s too hot out here, even in the breeze. They must be cooking in there,” Andy said.
“You just read my mind. How long have we been here?” I asked.
Andy glanced at his watch and groaned.
“Almost two hours and we’ve been out of beer for at least half that,” he said.
“I’ll tell you what, why don’t you go and let Andre know that we’re still doing alright, and then grab us a couple of beers from the tiki bar down there?” I suggested, pointing at the nearby oasis.
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. You keep an eye out, I’ll be right back,” he said and took off down the stairs.
Once he was gone, I trained the binoculars back on Paramour. There had been no visible activity in the two hours we had been there, but I watched all the same. An afternoon storm was building to the southeast. I suspected that it might hit in another hour or two. If that hatch didn’t shut when that downpour started, then we knew nobody was on board.
After a few minutes, I looked around the grounds for Andy hoping he would return soon with our beers. Right on cue he came strolling from the gated pass-through and headed for the cabana bar. He sat down on a stool and started talking to the bartender. Convinced that a cold beer was on its way, I once again grabbed the binoculars and looked at Paramour.
Something seemed different. I squinted through the binoculars, willing them and my eyes to focus sharper. The front hatch was still open, but the stern companionway hatch, just visible from where I was and closed this whole time, laid open. Did somebody get off the boat? I scanned down the docks, but they were empty except for one deckhand washing one of the big sport fishing boats.
Concentrating back on Paramour’s companionway I caught a glimpse of a flash in the doorway before a large white garbage bag came arching through the air to land on the aft deck. There definitely was someone on board, and I doubted that taking the trash out was one of Kelly’s priorities. Seconds later the dark-skinned hitman that had followed us through the Berry Islands and even the Abacos came out on deck.
The man was wearing a pair of my board-shorts and one of my shirts. If it wasn’t bad enough that he had hijacked my boat and kidnapped my girl, he added insult to injury by wearing my clothes. I followed him with the binoculars and watched him stoop to pick up the bag of trash. He shut the companionway doors behind him and fished a padlock out of his pocket. He swung the clasp on our companionway up and padlocked the doors closed, and then he hopped down to the dock with the trash and strolled back towards the resort.
Where the long finger dock met the main one, he stopped and tossed his bag of trash into a large metal trash can. But he didn’t go back to the boat, and he didn’t continue on towards the resort. Instead, he looked around, at one point glancing up in my general direction. I shrunk farther behind obstruction of the stairway, hoping he couldn’t see the sun reflected in the binoculars. He shook it off and finished scanning the rest of the area before reaching into the front pocket of the board shorts and pulling out a phone. He navigated the menus and screens and then put the phone to his ear.
The hitman started pacing up and down the dock. It looked like he spoke as much with his hands as he was with his mouth. I tried to figure out what he was saying by reading his lips when he faced my way, but they were moving much too fast and in what I assumed was Spanish. After three laps up and down the dock, he hung up the phone, looked over at Paramour and then climbed back aboard.
He unlocked the companionway, went down below, and then shut them again. I didn’t see a gun on him, but if he was as seasoned of a hitman as I thought, I was sure it wouldn’t be hard for him to hide one from sight if he wanted. Heck, even Andy had no problem concealing his own pistol. Remembering that Andy should be back by now, I wondered where the hell he was.
The cabana bar was empty except for the bored looking bartender. Andy was nowhere to be seen. Concerned I looked down the stairway and even over to the pool area on the far side of the compound, but I couldn’t locate him. I used the binoculars and rechecked Paramour, desperate to keep tabs on the situation and to find my partner.
“See anything?” a voice asked right behind me, causing me to jump.
Whirling around I saw Andy standing behind me. Despite me looking for him, he had somehow snuck up on me with the stealth of a Force Recon sniper.
“Christ! You scared the shit out of me!” I gasped.
“My bad, I came from the other way. Here,” he said, holding a cold bottle of Kalik out to me, “you don't even want to know how much that beer cost.”
“I saw him, he’s on the boat,” I told him, ignoring the offered beer.
“Is he alone?” Andy asked.
“I don’t know. Either he is alone, or he has Kelly tied up down below. He came out to make a phone call and get rid of some garbage, but he locked the companionway, even for that short of a trip. I’d bet Kelly is on board.”
“Yeah, I can’t think of any other reason he would lock the boat if he wasn’t leaving the marina. I wonder who he called.”
“I don’t know, but we should make our move soon. Is Andre still sticking around?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s fine, happy to be getting paid to do nothing. You want to do this in the daylight? What if there’s a gunshot? Everyone will notice.”
“It doesn’t matter when it is. If there is a gunshot everyone will notice anyway. There’s a squall brewing over there, we should try to make our move right as it hits. Everyone will be heading for cover and huddling indoors. There will be less prying eyes that way,” I said laying out my plan.
“Cool. When the storm hits, we’ll sneak down to the docks, board the boat and surprise our man. You up for this fight?” he asked.
“I can hold my own in a fair fight.”
“There is no such thing as a fair fight. When we go in there, you can’t hold back. It’s either him or us.” Andy cautioned.
“Yeah. He caught me unaware last time, but I’ve learned that lesson. Don’t worry about me, just don’t go shooting the wrong person if it comes to that.”
“Alright, let’s make our way over towards the pool. There’s a lower wall we can hop over to the docks the
re. And once that squall hits everyone will be running the other way,” he suggested.
“OK, now give me that beer, I’m going to need some liquid courage to storm a boat with an armed and ready occupant.”
Andy handed the beer to me. I stuffed the binoculars in my bag, and we made our way to the pool deck. On the way, at the cabana bar, Andy stopped and ordered two more Kaliks.
“Just in case,” he said when I looked at him with disbelief.
The storm came much faster than I had expected. Its clouds, pregnant with rain and lightning built into a vicious dark purple. The bright turquoise waters took on an eerie emerald-green quality in contrast to the dark clouds. An attendant came by and warned us of the coming squall, but we ignored her, waiting for the first downpour to make our break for the dock.
A stiff, cold wind blasted the pool area, fluttering table umbrellas and sending plastic cups flying off the tables and bars and skittering across the concrete. Seconds later the first raindrops fell. The few other patrons at the pool quickly extracted themselves and their children from the water, wrapping towels around them as they gathered their belongings.
The cold rain went from sporadic fat droplets to a deluge within a heartbeat. As if to appear even more menacing, the storm let out a series of bright flashes of lightning, coupled with the crackle and boom of close thunder. The pool goers shrieked and hastened to gather what they could grab before running for the shelter of the hotel. Andy and I laid on lawn chairs and finished our beers.
“You ready amigo?” Andy said, draining the last drop of golden liquid from the bottle.
“Let’s do this,” I said, getting up from the chair.
Everyone had their backs turned, sprinting for safety. Andy and I instead took off the opposite direction, to the decorative waist-high brick fence separating the marina from the pool. I looked down at the metal floating dock six feet below and the huge globs of oysters and barnacles that were growing off the cement seawall next to it.
“Here goes nothing,” I said and vaulted over the fence.
My feet hit the textured metal dock, but it was too slippery to stick the landing. My right foot slid out from under me, and I landed with all my force on my hip. Pain shot through my body, but I could tell immediately that nothing was broken.
Andy landed next to me a moment later, tucking into a roll to dissipate the shock of the landing. Show off.
“Nice landing,” I croaked through the pain.
“Yours too. Did you hurt anything?”
I struggled to my feet, testing my body for any weakness. “Just my pride. Luckily it can take a lot of hits. Let’s go before someone notices.”
“I’m more worried about the lightning than being spotted.”
We made our way down the dock, careful to keep as many boats as possible between Paramour and us. We didn’t crouch or attempt to hide though. We had decided that it would be less suspicious if we looked like we were headed back to our boat and had gotten caught in the rain. Walk fast and look like we’re trying to stay dry.
Dry was not an option. The rain was so heavy that it obscured our visibility. The other marina that shared this little protected basin disappeared from sight after the rain started. We couldn't make it out even with the constant bright flashes of lightning.
Paramour sat all alone at the end of the dock. Both hatches were shut tight against the onslaught of the rain. The metal floating dock bounced as the winds kicked up a small swell in the basin. Paramour, in turn, heaved from side to side, jerking to a stop when she pulled tight against her dock lines.
Leaning over to Andy I whispered into his ear.
“With this much rain they won’t be able to hear us, and he may not even notice when we board. Look at how violently she is rocking. If we time it right, we can get aboard without being noticed. He’s had the blinds closed all day, most likely to stop anyone from seeing Kelly. But, there is one porthole with no blinds. It’s in the stern of the pilothouse on the port side. Be careful and try to go over it or around it,” I cautioned.
Andy nodded an acknowledgment and let me take the lead. We slowed as we approached the boat from the stern. That rear facing porthole had me nervous. If he chose to look out at any point, he would see us. Not wanting to postpone the attack we pushed on, slipping unseen to the side of the boat. The blinds were all still closed, and no gunshots rang out.
I waved at Andy to get his attention and signaled for him to watch me. I waited for Paramour to tug at her dock lines, stopping short in her arching swing and then shift back towards the dock and me. Right as she hit the apex of her swing, I stepped onto the gunwale. Then, I dropped to my hands and knees and risked a glance through the galley portlight.
I couldn’t see Kelly, but the hitman was sitting near the port settee, looking forward. I couldn’t see a gun, and he seemed relaxed considering the strength of this little storm. I straightened myself up and stepped over to the starboard side of the cockpit, positioning myself in front of the companionway hatches.
I motioned for Andy to board the boat. He repeated the same maneuver that I had, stepping aboard at just the right time. Once situated he gave me the thumbs up, and I placed my hand on the companionway latch, turned it ever so slowly and yanked it open.
Chapter Eighteen
In one swift motion, I yanked the companionway doors open and pushed the sliding hatch cover back. With the practiced motion of someone who knows their boat, I swung into the salon, using the handle on the sliding hatch to launch myself as far into the cabin as possible. Unlike the tumble I took hopping down onto the dock, I landed on my feet and immediately pounced on the man sitting on the port settee.
His look of utter surprise did not last long, and he recovered from the shock by the time I had landed on him. My surprise attack was too quick for him to dodge. I managed to wrap my arms around his own arms and chest. Squeezing for all I was worth, I attempted to throw him to the floor.
My wet shoes slipped and slid as the wooden floor pitched and rolled with the storm’s swell. Without proper leverage, the best I could do was to throw him into the wooden spoked wheel. Thoughts of our previous tussle crept into my head. I knew I had the weight advantage, and as long as I could keep him contained, I would maintain the upper hand.
His body slammed into the wheel, and he let out a grunt, the shock and force of the blow caused him to sink down on one knee. I pressed my advantage. Moving toward him I finally got a good look down into the v-berth.
Andy had opened the hatch and rainwater streamed into the cabin. He was halfway into the boat, slithering his way down through the fully opened bow hatch. By his feet laid Kelly, trussed up with black duct tape. She was conscious though, I could see her squirming, unaware of what was happening.
“Kelly, it’s Chase! Hang in there, I’m gonna get you out of here,” I shouted.
My adversary took advantage of my momentary lack of focus and landed two perfect punches. The first hit me squarely in the solar plexus and drove all the air from my lungs. As I doubled over, he landed his second punch on my jaw. I went sprawling into the starboard settee and then fell to my knees on the floor, trying desperately to force air into my lungs.
The hitman took a step in my direction, half the distance between us in this small space. As soon as he was in range I launched a massive uppercut, but I didn’t take the motion of the boat into consideration and narrowly missed his hooked nose. The punch brought me back to my feet, and though I had missed, I used the opportunity to kick at his right knee. My foot made solid contact, and his leg gave way, forcing him to crumple beneath me. Well, he’ll never dance again, I thought.
Stealing a glance into the v-berth, I saw Andy cutting Kelly free with a pocket knife. Convinced she would be ok, I turned my attention back to the asshole that stole my boat. Air flooded back into my lungs as he struggled back to his feet, using the wheel and interior dash to steady himself. As he got to his feet, I grabbed him and forced him back against the wheel.
&nb
sp; “You fucked with the wrong guy, amigo,” I hissed at him and launched a rising knee into his gut, causing him to crumple back to the floor again.
My nemesis, however, was not finished yet. In a last-ditch effort, he threw one last devastating punch. Directly into my balls. He scrambled to his feet as I was forced to double over in pain. The assassin got up on his good leg and made to move towards the companionway hatch when a hand snaked out from the v-berth doorway and latched onto his good ankle. He pulled against it, struggling to get away.
Finally, he broke free, but the floor, wet with rain and drippings from my clothes was too slick. His foot slid out from under him, and he fell headfirst into the folded up salon table, knocking his head on the corner. As he fell, Kelly clambered into the salon in full attack mode. Her tussled and dirty hair flew behind her as she landed on him scratching and punching.
He moaned when he first hit the table, but now, despite the ravenous attack that Kelly was laying on him, he laid motionless, bleeding on the floor. Kelly wouldn’t let up. Expletives streamed from her mouth as she landed blow after blow. I struggled to my knees, but Andy was the one who finally pulled her from him.
“Calm down now. He won’t hurt you anymore,” Andy said holding her back.
Kelly snarled and screamed as she struggled to resume her attack. She was like a wild animal, hellbent on destroying her captor. After a few moments, her snarls and screams turned into tears and sobbing. Andy held her the entire time, cooing soothing things in her ear as he talked her back from whatever hell she had been in.
“You ok Chase?” Andy asked me once Kelly had calmed down some.
I had managed to pull myself up onto the settee, and the sharp pain in my testicles had faded into a dull ache and tightness that I knew from experience would last at least another twenty minutes.
“My balls hurt,” was all that I could muster for a reply.
I slid off the settee and across the wet floor to Kelly. Andy let her go, and she leaned forward, still crying, and wrapped her arms around me.
