Dig Two Graves: Revenge or Honor

by Nick Vellis

  “This will take a little more time and planning,” he whispered to himself as he began to paddle away from his target.

  A soft rap on the cabin door startled AJ. He shook himself. Strong light morning flowed through the sheer white curtain over his little rectangular porthole. Half awake, his eyes heavy and thick with sleep, he looked at his watch. Seven o’clock. He’d been asleep only a couple hours. The news of the latest attempt on Ceres’ life kept him tossing and turning, despite the gentle rocking of the boat. Who’s knocking?

  There it was again, “Just a minute,” he said.

  He swung his legs off the bunk and stood, ducking to miss the beam he had nailed his head on twice in the night, and pulling on a pair of shorts. He opened the door and flew fully awake at the sight of a barefoot Gia in shorts and a blue tee shirt tied in back to reveal her midriff.

  “I woke you, didn’t I?” she said, her brilliant smile fading.

  “Not really, I didn’t sleep much,” AJ mumbled.

  “Ceres?” she asked, handing him a cup of coffee. “Tinos told me about it. Sort of makes today more urgent, doesn’t it?”

  AJ nodded and took a sip. “Hey, this is good.”

  “Don’t blame me. Tinos is in the galley whipping up breakfast. Get dressed and come on down,” Gia said.

  She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “That’s for luck,” she said as she turned on her heel, her long ponytail flying and headed toward the galley. AJ watched her every step until she turned the corner. Business first, boy.

  The Helios had been underway for less than thirty minutes when AJ joined Tinos topside. The protected beaches of Katerini Paralia were astern, the newly risen sun ahead reflected in flashes on the constantly moving water. A dazzling sheet of sapphire sparkled to the horizon as a stiff breeze filled the sails.

  “And if some god should strike me, out on the wine-dark sea, I will endure it, owning a heart within inured to suffering. For I have suffered much, and labored much, in war and on the seas, add this then to the sum,” AJ said as he handed Tinos a cup of coffee.

  “That's from The Odyssey, right?” Tinos asked. “I always wondered about that. The ‘wine-dark sea’ is repeated throughout both The Iliad and The Odyssey. Do you see any red out there? You can call it sapphire, turquoise, call it cyan, whatever that is, or just plain blue, but I’ve never seen the sea red.”

  “I never thought of that, but it’s my favorite quote. My father read Homer to me when I was little,” AJ reflected. He didn’t have many memories of his father, and being on the Greek Aegean brought the few he did have flooding back.

  “How long until we get there?” AJ asked.

  “Not long. We should be over the Agamemnon in less than an hour,” Tinos said, pointing to the GPS. “The wreck is only 10 kilometers off the coast. People in town remember seeing the bright flash and hearing her explode during the war. They came out in their boats and rescued most of the men.”

  “We’d get there faster with an engine or in a speedboat” AJ suggested.

  “Being under sail is more fun. Besides we have the whole day to kill, remember?” Tinos peered ahead, intently watching the telltales in the sails and water’s movement. He adjusted Helios’ course to maximize their speed. “The Meltemi is rising this morning.”

  “Meltemi, what’s that?” AJ asked.

  “It’s the prevailing wind that blows across the Aegean from the north,” Tinos replied. “It’s usually strongest in the afternoon, but Aegean winds are fickle. The Meltemi is already blowing this morning. We’ll have clear, dry skies.”

  “It looks like deep water,” AJ said, pointing at the GPS’s chart. “Can we anchor?”

  “The ship sits upright in about thirty meters of water,” Tinos replied without taking his eyes of the open sea ahead. “You can see the wreck from surface on a calm day.”

  “That’s what, about a hundred feet?” AJ asked. “Pretty deep.”

  “It won’t be a problem.”

  “Oh, OK,” AJ said. “Can I help?”

  “You can go forward and drop the anchor. I’ll drop the sail and give you a wave when we hit the right spot. You drop it when I signal, OK?”

  “How do I do that?” AJ asked.”

  “There’s a lever on the capstan. Pull it up, and the anchor chain will pay out.”

  “Aye aye, captain,” AJ responded with a smile and a mock salute. “Just give me the word.”

  He stood next to Tinos watching the constantly moving water, lost in his thoughts. The morning sun on the gently rippling sea was peaceful, but masked an unseen power. Homer explained it as the wrath of the gods. Modern men called it the forces of nature. Now he was going up against another mysterious force. He wondered if he could win or if it would be like fighting against the angry sea, quite a situation for an avowed coward.

  “A drachma for your thoughts,” Tinos teased. He reached out his hand to touch in the center of his back. “It must be hard for you, in an unfamiliar place, in danger like this. I don’t know how I’d act if the roles were reversed.”

  “If I were in Miami I’d have a dozen investigators on the job. My contacts at the FBI and the local police would be all over this. Hard, yeah, it’s hard to not know what the hell is next,” AJ replied.

  “We have a plan and the resources to carry it out. I believe we’ll get some answers soon,” Tinos said trying to reassure his friend.

  “I hope so. I’ve only known Ceres a short while but … well, he seems like family and he’s all I’ve got.”

  “I bet my team’s drawing a bead on someone right now. We’ve leaked where we are and what we’re doing, and kept ourselves in plain sight. All we have to do is enjoy a day on the water then go back and be the cheese for the trap.” Tinos’ smile didn’t hide his anxiety. He knew their plan was a risk but a well-calculated one.

  “I hope so,” AJ replied. “I just wish I hadn’t gotten Gia mixed up in this. She’s a great girl, and I’ve put her in danger.”

  “Don’t worry about her. She can take care of herself and knows what she’s getting into. It’s in her blood. Her father was a first class investigator,” He replied.

  “Can she take care of herself? I wonder?” AJ said.

  “Gia is like her papa, smart, tough, and savvy.” Tinos looked at AJ, hoping he’d convinced him but doubting he had. “She’ll be fine, and so will you and I.”

  “Her father was killed,” AJ reminded him bluntly, avoiding Tinos’s glance. “I’m going to go check out how to drop that anchor.”

  AJ slipped out of the wheelhouse and made his way along the port side gunnels. The sun and wind on his face and the surging deck beneath his feet made him feel alive. The coastline receding behind them was spectacular. Mountains, including a mist-covered Mount Olympus soared into the clear, cloudless blue sky. It was almost enough to make him forget the danger they were in.

  AJ headed toward the bow, but before he reached his goal, he was struck dumb by the sight of a goddess. Gia was stretched out on her back in a white bikini and dark sunglasses. Her top was untied, straps at her sides, and her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. AJ tripped over his feet and stumbled against the rail.

  “Ouch, damn,” AJ cursed.

  “Are you OK?” Gia asked sitting up suddenly, holding her arm over her nearly exposed breasts, straps dangling.

  “Ah, yeah, just clumsy, AJ said, massaging his bruised shin and ego. “I wasn’t looking where…”

  “I know where you were looking,” she chided. “Come on, stretch out. This morning sun is glorious. You need to unwind.”

  “Tinos says we are almost there. I’m going to drop the anchor,” he replied importantly.

  “Oh, so soon? We have the whole day out here, may as well take advantage of it.” Gia said, tying her strap behind her head. “Let’s go for a swim.”

  The move gave AJ another eyeful of the beautiful woman as he stood in front of her slack jawed.

  A whistle from the wheelhouse sent AJ on the run to t
he anchor capstan. He looked back to see Tinos waving. AJ pulled the belay lever, and the anchor chain chattered as it ran out. The anchor splashed as Tinos ran to drop the sails. The Helios strained, then gently came to a stop as the anchor set.

  “Nicely done, AJ.” Tinos called as he came forward. “I thought you…”

  Tinos tried not to stare, but two diminutive triangles of white material and the Brazilian cut bottom of Gia’s bikini stopped him in his tracks.

  “Oh. Excuse me,” he said, more than a little tongue-tied.

  Gia laughed at the two men and said, “I guess I better put on a shirt if you two have never seen a woman in a bathing suit before.”

  “Not one like you!” Tinos stammered, rubbing his stubbled chin.

  “No, don’t do …” AJ said. “I’m sorry, really I am. I … I… Oh crap.”

  “What my friend is trying to say is we apologize,” Tinos said. “You are simply the most breathtaking woman we have ever seen and the sight of you … well took our breath away,” Tinos said, trying to sound sincere.

  “Give it rest, boys. We’re going to be together on this tub for a while,” Gia said. “I’m going to take a swim. I suggest you two do the same thing. You need to cool down.”

  With that, Gia pushed past the two men, climbed over the side, and dove into the clear blue Aegean. A moment later, she surfaced, her ponytail trailing behind her.

  “Come on in, the water is wonderful,” she called, waving to the two men intently watching her. AJ pulled off his shirt and shoes exposing the elastic wrap binding his cracked ribs and the bandage over the wound on his back. He leapt over the side, completely forgetting about his injuries. He came up sputtering and in obvious pain.

  “Are you OK?” Gia said.

  “Yeah, I just forgot myself. I need to take it slow,” he said as he swam right to Gia.

  Tinos laughed at them and called, “I’ll be right there.” He went to the stern to be sure the swim platform and boarding ladder were down. He grabbed a couple masks and snorkels from a locker and tossed them to AJ and Gia as they came up the stern platform.

  “You should be able to see the wreck over there to the left of the bow,” he pointed. Tinos stepped onto the platform and did a standing backwards flip into the water.

  Dobos spent the morning at a waterfront café casually watching the Hotel Olympia. He’d seen scuba gear delivered by small launch to the Helios. There was a good deal of activity as the three people on board loaded the equipment. He watched the sailboat head out to sea about 9:30, while he enjoyed his second cup of coffee. Now, nearly an hour later, he took great interest as he watched three men in khakis and dark glasses arrive in an SUV and park on the street right in front of him. They piled out and shuffled into the hotel.

  A few minutes later, three different men similarly dressed came out and drove away in the SUV. A surveillance team, probably on twelve-hour shifts, and they were careless. They should have anticipated counter surveillance and the breach of light discipline last night was inexcusable. They would die because of those mistakes, Dobos thought.

  He casually looked about trying to spot anyone looking at him. Dobos knew a new player was in the game. A player, who had nearly taken him out in Milan and according to the Milan newspaper, had killed his protégé. He would spend the day planning his approach and watching for his competition. Dobos paid his bill and, with a wave to his waiter, began walking the waterfront like any tourist.

  It was nearly sunset when Dobos saw the Helios drop her sails as she entered the breakwater. From his second-floor hotel balcony, he could see the entire bay.

  He watched the two men and the woman anchor the blue and white sailboat at approximately the same spot it had occupied the night before. Good, he thought, same place, and only three people.

  They rowed a dingy to the beach and headed toward the waterfront cafés. He watched with amusement as they chose the establishment he’d used to watch them that morning. He observed their apparent comfort with each other from his balcony. The woman seemed to favor the American, touching his hand and leaning on him as she laughed, but the Greek, probably a hired boat captain, received plenty of her attention, too. They ate leisurely and laughed a great deal but didn’t drink, not alcohol anyway. Smart, Dobos thought, stay alert for later.

  Dobos ate a light meal on his balcony, some olives, cucumber salad, pita, and tzatziki, while he watched his targets row back to their boat in the darkness. They disappeared below but soon were sitting at a table on the aft deck continuing their amiable chatter. Be happy my friends, things will change soon.

  “Guys, I haven’t had this much fun in years. It was a great day,” Gia said, looking at Tinos and then AJ.

  “I feel guilty enjoying myself while Ceres is in the hospital, but it’s been a tense few weeks. I needed this and it’s part of the plan, after all,” AJ said, leaning back in his deck chair, a hint of a smile on his face. “At least I finally heard from Ceres and he’s doing better. He sounded strong on the phone.”

  “I’m glad of that,” Gia said, raising her wine glass full of Pellegrino in a toast. AJ noticed how her breasts moved freely beneath her loose fitting peasant blouse and tried to put it out of his mind.

  “He sounded strong but something’s bothering him. He said he had something to tell me but that it could wait.” He screwed his face into a dark scowl.

  “Oh, not a happy face,” Gia scolded.

  “To Ceres,” Tinos said. They raised their glasses.

  “To Ceres and success,” AJ said.

  “I think we can expect something to happen tonight,” Tinos said as they took another sip of Pellegrino. “Whoever these people are, they’ve got good information. It’s going on midnight. You two should call it a night,”

  “I wanted to ask you about standing watch. Do we need to do that if your men are watching, too? Isn’t that too obvious?” AJ asked.

  “I think Tinos is right,” Gia interrupted. “If there’s no guard then whoever it is may suspect a trap or look for the surveillance.”

  “OK, you two win,” AJ surrendered.

  “I’ll take the first watch, AJ you take the second…”

  “I’ll bring up the rear,” Gia giggled.

  “Whatever,” AJ snorted.

  “Look, it’s midnight now. Why don’t you two turn in? AJ, I’ll call you at four,” Tinos said.

  “I thought you said we’d do two-hour watches?” AJ asked.

  “I did. Captain’s prerogative,” Tinos replied.

  “Aye, aye captain,” AJ replied.

  “Cut out the captain stuff,” the Greek smiled. “Get some sleep. We’ve had a long day doing nothing, and it’s the same routine again tomorrow unless we see some action tonight,” Tinos said. Tinos and Gia exchanged a wink, but AJ, who was already getting up, missed it.

  AJ and Gia went below while Tinos went to check on his surveillance team.

  AJ stripped off his shirt and shorts and stretched out on his bunk. His side felt much better. The swimming had really helped. The day’s activity had taken his mind off things, but he was anxious about Ceres. The sun and water had drained him and he was about to drop off to sleep when he heard a rap at his cabin door. He pulled his on shorts and answered, surprised to find Gia standing in the companionway.

  “What’s wrong?” AJ asked.

  “Can I come in?” she said.

  “Sure, but…”

  AJ’s question was cut short as she pushed past him and shut the door. Her back against the door, she looked at him with fire in her eyes. She pulled his face toward her own, pressing her lips to his, kissing him deeply. Surprised by her advances, AJ stared wide-eyed, his arms loose at his sides.

  “Whoa. That was …”AJ tried to say, as he caught his breath.

  “Amazing,” she breathlessly finished his sentence. “This is wrong,” Gia whispered, “but I can’t put you out of my mind. You build a fiery feeling inside me, AJ. I’ve never felt this way with anyone else. I knew it from the fi
rst time I met you. Today showed me I couldn’t get away from it. I don’t want to get away from it.”

  “Are you sure about this? What about that professional ethic thing?” AJ said, unsure what to do.

  “Shut up, you fool,” she snapped, her words part growl, part plea. “AJ, take me now before I come to my senses,” she said as she slipped her blouse over her head and stepped out of her shorts. The swell of her breasts and her firm nipples against his bare chest removed any last reservations. He grasped a handful of her hair, held her tightly, and joined in fully as they kissed again.

  “Are you awake?” Gia whispered, gently poking AJ in the side.

  “I am now,” AJ griped good-naturedly.

  “I better get going,” Gia cooed. “It’s almost four. Tinos will be calling soon.”

  “Damn him and his schedule,” AJ said, turning on his side to take his lover in his arms again.

  “I wouldn’t talk against that man if I were you,” she said, propping up on her elbow. She was fully exposed and AJ marveled at her beauty. “He’s the one who convinced me we should get together.”

  “What?” AJ said. He’d thought Tinos was turning into a rival for this girl’s affections.

  “Yep,” she giggled. “He said he was tired of watching us circle like boxers in the ring. ‘Just go ahead and do it,’ he said. So you owe him a word of thanks.”

  “Or two or three, I think. That’s why he took a four-hour watch.” AJ was starting to see things more clearly.