Sabotage: A Reece Culver Thriller - Book 2

by Bryan Koepke

  He slid open the sliding glass door and made his way out to one of the two recliners by the pool. The cement tile was hot against his feet, and he quickened his steps toward the chair. Julian plopped down onto the tan weave and set two of his beers on a black wrought iron table. A brisk breeze rattled the palm fronds above him as he eased back into the recliner and let the worries of his world drift away.

  *

  He’d been lying in the chair for a long time. When he opened his eyes, he spotted the three empty beer bottles on the table. His bladder was full. Once inside the rear of the house, it felt colder to him and the heat that his feet once held quickly bled out against the stone cold marble floor.

  Julian heard water running somewhere above his head, as if a shower was being used on the second floor. Company? Alex didn’t mention anyone else. Julian half ran to the front door and slid his feet into his shoes. Next he took his rifle case and luggage, and stashed them in the laundry room off the kitchen. Not knowing who was there, he didn’t want questions about the tools of his trade.

  He went to the stairs and followed them up. A blow dryer was buzzing in a high- pitched whine nearby. Julian crept slowly toward the noise like a cat toward its prey. At the door he stopped and listened. The dryer had ceased and he heard a woman humming to some song she’d probably heard on the radio.

  With his right palm flat against the door and the shank of a butcher’s knife from the kitchen flat against his buttocks, he leaned forward, parting the door from its jamb. Inside the steam filled room was a tall black-haired woman. She was only half dressed with a white cotton captain’s shirt on top and beautiful bare bronzed flesh on the bottom. The mirror she looked into was covered in steam except for a small oval that had the swirl marks where the woman had cleared it.

  He studied the image in the mirror. I know her. Their eyes met and the woman smiled at him.

  “You must have made good time, Julian. I wasn’t expecting you until after dark,” she said, staring at him through the reflection in the mirror.

  “Mira? What are you doing in Miami?”

  “I’m part of the plan.”

  “What plan?” Julian said, pushing the door open farther and letting his eyes move down from the tails of her open shirt to her thighs.

  “Your next job. Alex called and had me fly over to bring the boat down.”

  “You drive boats too?” Julian said.

  “I do,” she said as she started to button up her blouse, going one clasp at a time from her belly upward.

  “The plan?”

  “Well, Alex needed the boat moved, but it didn’t take much to get me to come when he said I’d get to spend some time alone with you,” she said. “You’ve been on my mind ever since that night at the London nightclub when we convinced you to join us in the limousine.”

  Chapter 62

  Reece followed Marie across a short gangplank onto the yacht. He was still thinking about the call he’d received from Inspector Darren Dixon while tying down the Aero Commander back at the airport. After telling Reece he’d been given his number during an earlier meeting with his friend Haisley Averton, Dixon bombarded him with questions about why he’d left the U.K. and taken Karl Rhodes, Marie, and Candice Carlyle with him. Reece held off on telling him they’d been running from an assassin across two continents, but he did say that he’d been hired to keep them safe. As the two men talked, Dixon finally agreed that leaving London after Margaret’s death was a logical next step to keep all of them safe.

  Reece stepped onto the yacht and eyed the tangled white hair of his host. The man was about five foot seven with soft green eyes and a kind smile.

  “Mr. Culver, I’m Joseph Woodbine. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Welcome aboard. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Woodbine,” Reece said.

  “It’s good to see you again, Joseph,” Marie said.

  “And you, Marie.” Woodbine led them through a pair of sliding glass doors and into an elaborately furnished room. The carpeted interior held no fewer than four beige leather couches. The ceiling was decorated in deep blue with gold accents and bordered by six-inch crown moldings. The walls were paneled in a rich wood that held equally spaced paintings. They weren’t ordinary prints, but rather something that might be found in the Museum of Modern Art.

  “I hope what you’ve signed up for hasn’t come at too great of an expense for you, Mr. Culver,” Woodbine said.

  Reece eyed Woodbine speculatively, wondering what he knew. “That remains to be seen.”

  “Marie, I believe you know everyone. Mr. Culver, I’d like to introduce you my guest Alex James.” Woodbine walked toward a dark-haired man who was seated on a leather sofa by himself, eyeing the hostess as she set down a platter of sushi rolls on the table in front of him.

  Reece shook hands with Alex, wondering what part he played on the executive team at Draecon. The man was tall and slender, and he nodded at the hostess before taking a seat next to Marie on the couch opposite Alex James. A few minutes later Karl and Candice joined them.

  “Good to see you again. How was your flight down?” Alex said, standing to greet Karl and Candice.

  “Very good. We had our own personal pilot. Let me introduce you to Reece Culver,” Karl said.

  “Yes, I’ve just been getting to know Mr. Culver. Seems like he’s a man of many talents.”

  *

  Later that night, after being shown to their cabins, everyone dressed for dinner and they enjoyed a six-course dinner served to them by a group of wait staff dressed in black formal attire with gold accents on their uniforms. The servers were, Reece guessed, from the yacht club hotel staff. After dinner they all sat up one deck above the salon. Alex James, Karl, and Woodbine were puffing away on Arturo Fuente cigars, and Reece, who’d taken one only to be polite, had purposely let his go out.

  The drinks were flowing and everyone was enjoying the party. Marie and Candice had gone on a tour of the boat with Tiffany Briggs, the boat captain’s cousin and first mate. Reece was surprised to see Marie going along with Candice. To Reece it seemed like Marie had enough emotional depth to forgive the other woman. It was as if she knew it wouldn’t be long before Karl would be up to his old tricks and would cheat on Candice. He figured on some level Marie felt the other woman had done her a favor.

  “I don’t know where you ever got that idea,” Woodbine said, loudly gaining Reece’s attention.

  “It was Drae, before he went down. He told me you and Karl were trying to split a portion of the company off and open up operations in New York,” Alex yelled, setting his drink down so hard that the ice flew out of his glass. Reece eyed the angry young man.

  “What are you smiling about?” Alex said, turning toward him.

  “You’ve heard wrong, but you’ve got to admit that the corporation could be managed differently than it has been for the past thirty years,” Karl said, touching glasses with Joseph Woodbine.

  “I hear you there. I mean, it pained me severely to hear that Ian had died, but maybe with him out of the picture, the board can pass a few measures that have been long in coming,” Woodbine said.

  “Oh, so my uncle dies, and now you two are hell bent on redoing everything he’s put into place over the years,” Alex said nastily to Karl.

  Reece smiled to himself as he sipped his Woodford Reserve bourbon. He was ready to jump in at any moment, but for some reason he knew it wouldn’t come to that. From the short time he’d spent around Alex James, he’d decided the man was all hat no cattle.

  Chapter 63

  The next morning Reece rose from bed early and joined the boat’s captain, Huston Briggs, on the bridge. In an hour he managed to get a handle on the boat’s navigation and communication systems and was more than impressed. Briggs’ silver hair blew back around the edges of his Mets baseball cap as he pulled back on the dual throttle levers, slowing the yacht on his approach toward the Anguilla Grand Haven luxury marina. Briggs, the captain of the Woodb
ine III, had retired from a career in the U.S. Navy and settled on the island of St. Marten when he befriended Woodbine while taking lessons at the Mullet Bay golf course. Woodbine, who lived in New York at the time, regularly rented a villa for the month of February at the course and back then had only recently taken up the game of golf. The two men became fast friends and once Huston found out that Joseph had a boat, their choice of hobby switched from golf to fishing. He had hired on with Woodbine back in 1992, first as a deck hand and later as the captain of Woodbine’s first oceangoing vessel, a thirty-nine-foot Mariner live-aboard cruiser.

  Huston called below for Tiffany to assist with his entry into the narrow passage to the entrance of the Yacht Haven Grande Anguilla. It was smaller and narrower than the passage into St. Thomas, so he told her to stand on the bow with the hand held radio as a spotter.

  *

  Karl Rhodes watched Candice Carlyle pull open the narrow door to a room that up until a little earlier he’d thought was just another sleeping cabin on the Woodbine III. She quickly spotted Woodbine and then made eye contact with Karl, flashing him with her sweet smile. Karl welcomed the warmth of her hand on his thigh after she took the seat right next to him.

  “Candy, good of you to join us. If you’ll get the door, we’ll get started,” Woodbine said.

  “I’ve got it,” Karl said, getting up from the narrow wooden table to close the door.

  “Okay, everyone,” Woodbine said, leaning toward the telecom unit in the center of the table. “I’ve asked Candice Carlyle, our chief legal council, to join us so we can keep everything squared away on the legal side.”

  “Good,” a male voice said over the speakerphone.

  “I called this meeting with the board of directors, Mr. Rhodes, and Ms. Carlyle to allow everyone to further discuss the recent event in London,” a male board member back in London said in an eloquent English accent.

  “Okay, then I’d like to go around the room here in London and have everyone read out their previous vote on the discussion to liquidate the defense sector of Draecon International. Ms. Carlyle, if it’s okay with you. I’d like you to tally them,” the caller said.

  “That’s fine,” Candice said. “Shall we start here with Mr. Woodbine?”

  “I voted for the liquidation,” Woodbine said

  “How about you, Mr. Rhodes?”

  “I was in alignment with that same decision,” Karl said.

  “Karl, in English please,” Candice said.

  “I voted yes.”

  “That gives us two votes for the liquidation on this end,” Candice said.

  The two men exchanged a glance as the members of the board each voiced their vote on the other end of the call.

  “Okay, we’ve got nine votes in favor of the liquidation and three against,” Woodbine said at the end.

  “Excuse me,” Candice said, sounding very official. “I only heard eleven votes. Did we hear from Mr. James?”

  “Yes, there were only eleven votes. We’ve made the assumption that Mr. James would be voting against the liquidation of the defense sector, considering he is the current vice president of operations for that unit,” Woodbine said.

  “Do you think that is prudent?” Candice said. “Doesn’t it seem like the very man that will be most affected by this decision is the one that should be in attendance representing his own interests?”

  “It does, but this isn’t that sort of meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss S.W.O.T. as it affects Draecon International,” Karl said.

  “I’m sure every one of the board members is aware of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats affecting Draecon,” Candice said.

  “That’s very true, Ms. Carlyle, but with the recent terrorist attack on London and the identification of our Financial District as the intended target, the military defense infrastructure of the United Kingdom stands to change considerably. What we intend to discuss today is whether this latest event will open up revenue opportunities that would necessitate dropping our plan to liquidate defense,” Karl said.

  Joseph Woodbine reached past her and pressed a red symbol on the teleconference communication speaker box, muting the call. “Look, Miss Carlyle, I don’t mean to be rude, but I only invited you to this call to record the vote. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll continue and you can run along upstairs to enjoy a mojito and some sunshine.”

  Candice rose from her chair, furious at Karl, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind.

  *

  Reece Culver welcomed the strong sunshine on his neck as he stared out over the ocean, watching a pair of terns dive toward the tranquil water. He caught a raunchy odor and wondered what it was. Woodbine came up onto the bridge with a fat cigar in his mouth.

  “I’ve made dinner reservations for this evening at one of the best French restaurants in the Caribbean. I think you’ll find it to your liking,” Woodbine said.

  “I’m sure it will be fabulous,” Reece said, thinking he’d rather hit the island with the skipper and his younger cousin than endure another night with his blueblood host.

  “It’s one of the best restaurants in the islands, period.”

  “That sounds wonderful to me. What time is the reservation?” Reece said.

  “It’s at six-thirty. I was thinking we could all meet back on the boat around five-thirty to change and all walk over together,” Woodbine said.

  Reece felt the boat come to a gentle stop, and he heard the voices of the crew members outside as they tied off to the cleats of the marina slip. Candice and Marie walked up the steps onto the bridge, both wearing colorful silk sarongs.

  “From the sound of it we must be arriving in Anguilla,” Candice said. “There’s a great assortment of shops if you want to go take a look. I’d be happy to escort you,” she said.

  “That sounds like a great idea,” Woodbine said, joining the conversation. “I’ve got reservations for dinner and we should all plan on being back aboard by five-thirty, dear.”

  Marie gave Reece a nod and the two women headed off the boat to spend the day shopping. He heard someone coming up the steps. It was Alex James.

  “I’m going to rent a scooter and take a drive around the island. I’ll see all of you back here at five,” Alex said.

  “Sounds good. Ask Huston about the best place to rent scooters,” Woodbine said.

  Alex quickly made his way up the docks toward Shoal Bay West and the shops beyond, vanishing from site. Reece watched him leave and wondered where he was headed.

  “Come this way. It’s a small island, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy seeing the sights.” Woodbine led the two beautifully dressed women down the gangplank onto the dock. Reece watched Candice and Marie follow Woodbine looking like two kids on their way to a candy store. He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over at Tiffany.

  “Can I borrow you for a few minutes?” she said.

  “Sure, what’s cooking? Reece said.

  “Huston’s got his hands full tending the boat and fueling. Would you mind helping me get the boat stocked for the next leg? I’ve got a bunch of air tanks to pick up,” she said. “Would you mind driving with me to go pick them up?”

  “Lead the way,” Reece said.

  Chapter 64

  Alex James tapped his left toe, shifting the bright red Yamaha into gear, and sped away down Valley Hill Road. Gaining speed in top gear, the scooter buzzed along the two-lane highway as Alex forced the engine higher, straining to top sixty mph and keep up with the car ahead. He felt his cellphone vibrate in his front pants pocket. After topping a hill, he saw a gas station on the left.

  That’ll do it. He downshifted, skidding into the sandy parking lot and stopping just short of the curb. Alex pulled his phone out and saw that he’d missed a call. He pressed the green phone symbol calling back.

  “Hello,” a woman said.

  “Where are you?” Alex said.

  “Oh, I’m glad you called. I’ve got to tell you something, but I
’m with Marie,” Candice said.

  “Get to where you can talk and call me back,” Alex growled. “Tell you what. Give me a few minutes and then call back on this payphone,” he said as he read off the number. He pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket and dialed the number on the left-hand payphone.

  “Hello,” Mira said.

  “It’s me. What room are you in?” Alex said, shifting on his feet.

  “Thirty-six. Third floor all the way down on the right side. It’s that same hotel I’d said I would be booking.”

  “Is he there with you?”

  “Yes, he and I were just talking about you,” Mira said.

  “Speaking of talking about things. I thought you told me you were the best pilot for the job,” Alex said.

  “I hit the target,” Mira said, blowing out a puff of air.

  “You got lucky and hit the target with a dud. They took down both drones before you even got close,” Alex said. “You and Nevius both said that the drones were small and would be more nimble than anything the RAF could put against you.”

  “They were Nevius’ design. I only did the flying,” Mira said in a soft voice.

  Alex held the phone out at arm’s length and bit his bottom lip. He wanted to end her. To give Julian the order to put a bullet in her head, but he still needed the woman.

  “Okay then. I’ll see you in a few,” Alex said. Just then a white van pulled into the gas station and slid up to the curb next to where Alex had parked his scooter. A tall blonde teenager and two older ladies spilled out the side. They were talking loudly and giggling.

  He felt the rattle of his cellphone and thought about Candice wondering why she hadn’t called him on the payphone like he’d told her to. He bit his lower lip and quickly dismissed the thought knowing it wasn’t worth going there. Alex pressed his phone to his left ear, trying to hear.