by Matt Lincoln
Kippy slowed down a little and whispered back to him. “Bodyguards?” Her hand reached back behind her and adjusted her gun.
“He never used them before,” Arik told her.
Hemez didn’t act like he had a lot of friends. Even Mia had mentioned that. And he was big enough to take care of himself in a fight without needing someone to watch his back. Every time Arik had met with him before, Hemez was always alone.
The lady agent got within a few feet of Hemez, then reached into her breast pocket for something. She tossed out a rolled wad of American hundred-dollar bills at his feet. They all watched it roll to a stop in front of Hemez. Everyone was apprehensive and quiet.
“That will cover your troubles. Anything else?” She sounded unsentimental and maybe even a little bored. Arik hoped for a moment that his mother had gotten the right person to clean up his mess, after all.
Hemez swore at the offer in Portuguese. “It’s too late for that. That little SOB tried to steal from me. I want his lying tongue.” He produced a knife and took a few steps forward. He stepped over the money and headed straight for them.
Kippy pulled out her gun and aimed it directly at Hemez’s head. “Okay, then.” She moved her arm just a bit and shot one of the other men in the chest. The Desert Eagle .44 Magnum didn’t miss when she held it. She barely showed off the recoil, too. The guy fell to the floor.
There was a lot of yelling and screaming, and before Arik could process it all, Kippy was pulling him to the car. Simon had kept the engine running, and Kippy yelled for Arik to get into the back seat.
She dashed to the other side and called out, “Get us to the docks, Chorley!”
Simon knew what to do. He was good like that. He took off with tires squealing and his head at the moment.
“Give me your phones.” Kippy had pulled out a weird looking bag and was stuffing objects into it. “You too, girly. Give me your phones.”
“Why?” Arik asked her just as a bullet smashed the window beside Mia. The young people screamed, and Arik reached out for his girl.
“They can track you, Arik.” Kippy was way too calm and cool to be doing any of this. “Give me your phones, wallets, anything with your names and addresses.”
Arik handed her his cell, and Mia gave her the one he’d stolen for her, too.
“I don’t have a wallet!” He yelled out at Kippy.
Everything was just outrageously loud, and things seemed to be blowing up around them. He could hear the bullets coming from all directions. His only thought was about Mia.
“Of course, you don’t.” The lady took their stuff and sealed it up in the bag. The car was almost to the docks when she rolled down her window and tossed the bag out into the water.
“What the hell? What are you doing, lady?” Arik was slightly screaming at her by then.
Kippy cried out in shock, and when she pulled her arm back into the car, it was all bloody.
“Were you shot?” Mia asked, even though she was crying in the front seat.
“Yes, they shot me. Simon, you have to lose them.” The lady started to turn a little pale. Arik thought that she was gonna pass out right before his eyes.
Simon didn’t say a word. He just kept driving. Arik looked behind them, and he saw some little white car chasing them. They were shooting at them and hitting quite often. He ducked down and reached out for Mia’s hand.
“Everything’s gonna be okay!” he assured her. “We’re gonna---” Arik felt the lady reach over him to get to Simon and then---
Everything went black.
Chapter 2
Jake
I had been working with my three crewmates for a couple of years, some more than others. Rosa was the gorgeous redhead to my right and was as dangerous as she was intriguing. I’ve known her since our SEAL days, and there was no one I’d rather have as a co-pilot and friend. Plus, if I was ever down, I knew that she’d have my back and would kick the living crap out of whoever put me there.
Doc was, well, our team medic, as his moniker suggested. He was acting as our gunner as we were chasing down some modern-day pirates among the Azores Islands. He was one of those characters that managed well in the background and then came out swinging. He was easy to spot because he seemed to always be the one wearing those damn Aviator shades.
The guy over in the rear of this boat on the laptop was Xavier. The hair was a dead give away. No one else had that brown, curly mane. He was also a strong, silent type. Ladies were supposed to like that, but I didn’t know if anyone had told him. However, we’d all be lost without his skills and know-how. And that rounded out the crew of Wraith.
Oh, and her, of course. Wraith was the one-of-a-kind, super-cavitating stealth boat that I, Jake Header, was the captain of. My personal skill set was classified and had been for a while too. Today, I only needed to worry about the boat in front of us that was trying to outrun my baby and all the goods we caught them stealing off another ship.
“They just put a warning about not engaging any of the Yabut pirates, Jake. Maybe we should listen to them.” Xavier was intent on his laptop and headset, not bothering to even look up at me as he addressed me. Not that I wanted him to. Xavier was always better and more useful when he was doing what he loved. And that required a computer of some sort.
Rosa was next to me in the co-pilot’s seat with her brown eyes front and center on the boat we were tailing. It was a twenty-one-foot single hull with some modifications to the motor. Not bad for pirates. Still, no match for Wraith or this crew.
Rosa was another strong and silent type, but she had a better reason than most. Her vocal cords had been irreparably damaged in a mission years ago, and she now only spoke by using ASL. We all learned it as well, and it’d come in handy more than you’d expect.
These pirates were like most that we’d tracked down, though. They were sloppy, greedy, and about to get desperate. At this point in the chase, I was kind of just playing with them, anyway. There was not a ship in existence that could match Wraith on her worst day or them on their best.
Doc was watching the aft end, ready and raring to do what he needed to if things went bad. There was no reason to fire on them and get more people hurt if we could help it. These ‘pirates’ needed to get turned in, if only for the information they’d give up. It had been my experience that the low-level thieves like these would only keep at it until the pressure got too hot. Take a couple of them in, get a taste of local authority and justice, and most of them would crumble and turn on each other. These guys, this crew, hadn’t passed the point of no return yet. They might still break if we did our jobs today.
“We have another player coming into the game back here,” Doc called out. Rosa turned to see what he was talking about, and then she relayed it to me.
A new ship is coming in behind us. More Yabut here to protect their friends and stolen cargo? They look like they want to fight, Jake.
“Yeah, well, I’m game. Doc, at your discretion.” I trusted him enough to make the best judgment about the new situation.
There was a short burst of rat-tat-tat as Doc fired and deliberately missed. He was giving them the chance to move off and find a better way to spend their day. But when that didn’t work, “No. They are still following us.” He called out to us. “Want me to cost them a lot of boat repairs?”
“Best to do that. No need to make this more than it has to be.” We only needed to get the cargo back, not cause unnecessary casualties.
I heard Doc fire again, and he gave a satisfied cluck as he must have done it right. Rosa peered behind us and turned back with a smile. I glanced over to catch her response. One down, one to go.
Xavier was still quiet and diligent at his task. We could all hear him typing away at his keyboard, and it brought a welcome sense of normalcy to our situation. When Xavier stopped typing was when we needed to worry.
“Doc, any more players trying to cut into our game?” I needed to know if there was going to be more trouble.
“Not yet. Just a couple of lookie-loos and idiots trying to keep up. I think they’re harmless, though. Oh.” The sudden change made my heart just a tiny bit lighter. “Scratch that. We have contact on our eight. And gaining fast.”
I let Doc worry about that one as I focused on the one in front. They had apparently finally taken us seriously, and a couple of them had pulled out some impressive machinery. They had a couple of .50 caliber mounts setting up, and one of the guys looked to be messing with a shoulder-launched something or other. He kept falling down or dropping it, so it was hard to tell.
The .50 cal rounds flew overhead, and I let Wraith ever so carefully veer to the port. I eased on the throttle and got right up close and personal. The look on these guys' faces was priceless. I guessed they thought maybe they were close to ending this with a burst of gunfire and speed, but that wasn’t happening. Rosa signed something that I missed. She got up and headed to the rear of Wraith.
She and Doc exchanged info, and they switched places. Once he was in front with me, he spoke. “Not to second-guess you, but it looks like these guys weren’t as cut rate as we thought.”
“I would have to agree. Thinking they may have backers?” I had been hoping that this would be a short trip to the Azores this time of year.
“I would say that’s a good guess.” He watched the boat that was nearly alongside us now, and then he muttered something a sailor would well understand. “They’re not---”
“Yes, they are,” I answered. In a matter of moments, their boat cut their speed and ducked behind us. Before Wraith could expertly outmaneuver them, the Yabut boat had sped off toward the city of Ponta Delgada. They opened up with what they had and fired as they went.
Wraith would speed forward untouched, but this changed the game. The whole plan had been to keep them out in open water until the local authorities could catch up and do what they needed to. Since the pirates were now headed into the port, that severely increased the risk of civilians getting injured or worse. I heard Rosa firing back at someone, along with the perfect sounds of bullets meeting metal as she hit her targets.
I gave Doc an inquisitive look, and he shrugged. “She enjoys it more than me.”
The time to take them out or find a new plan was fast approaching. Doc also took notice and got ready to man the front-facing weapons. “I was hoping this would be an easy afternoon, Header.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” I moved Wraith within a good firing distance and set Doc up for the win. Unfortunately, I couldn’t control stupid.
Before Doc could fire, some moron tried to cut us off, and I had to cut a hard left to avoid wiping them out. The worst part was that it wasn’t a Yabut. It was a boat full of kids trying to impress themselves and have a little ill-thought-out fun. The look on their faces as we recovered from the near-miss was unforgettable. The handful of passengers were screaming; I could tell that even from here. The captain was as white as a ghost, and I could imagine that this would be his last adventure at the helm for some time to come.
In the time it took to salvage the situation, the Yabut boat had sped ahead and practically crashed into the dock.
“Header…” Doc warned me.
“I know, I know.” There was no simple or safe place to pull Wraith in.
We both started the search, and he saw it an instant before I did.
“Yes! That’ll do.” I maneuvered Wraith into a spot certainly not meant for a boat her size, but it worked for now. I heard Rosa grab her gear, and I looked to see Doc getting ready, too. The three of us begin to file off Wraith and head out to the dock.
The calm and collected voice of Xavier reassured us that Wraith was in good hands. “I’ll watch the boat. Have fun.” He’d take care of her, I knew it.
Rosa had raced ahead of both Doc and me, having gotten a head start with her gear. The Yabut from the boat were easy enough to spot. They were the ones running and throwing innocent bystanders to the ground in front of us as we gave chase.
Colorful banners and signs lined the streets, hoping to attract shoppers and tourists. A few outdoor cafe spots were scattered here and there, and open vendors called out to offer deals and sales. It was busy that day and dodging people became the hardest part of this.
Doc yelled out, and I ducked. A bullet whizzed by my head, and I could only hope that it missed anything important.
Rosa had one of the guys down, having pushed him into a table once piled with woven baskets and bowls. Only it wasn’t a guy. These pirates looked to be practicing equal opportunity. Good for them. Rosa could handle herself without a doubt. Another bullet headed in our direction, and I heard a person yell behind us. This could have gotten bad real fast. If they were willing to shoot in these kinds of circumstances, then yeah, they wanted to take it to the next level. I could handle that.
I saw Doc stop and take aim at the guy we had been chasing. He was a good shot and steady… Damn, Doc was steady when he wanted to be. The Yabut turned to fire, and his shot hit the guy square in the shoulder. The pirate went down with a yelp, and I arrived just in time to kick his weapon away. A flurry of local police rushed forward, and I knew that they could handle the rest. Somehow, seamlessly, Rosa and Doc had drifted into the crowd and disappeared. No doubt, they were already back at the boat and had retrieved the stolen goods.
I pulled at my open button-down shirt to cover the concealed Beretta 92 I conveniently tucked back in its place at the waist of my jeans. Then I ducked into a small shop, tugged on a plain ball cap, some aviator glasses I had borrowed from Doc, and headed back outside. The street was a bit of a mess, but the authorities would handle it. I saw the civilian that had gotten hit and was glad to see that it was only a flesh wound in the leg. Yeah, I know, ‘only.’ But it could have been much worse.
Back at the dock, Rosa and Doc were waiting out beside Wraith as Xavier tempted fate by going out into the sun. During her tussle, Rosa’s red braid had become dislodged. Strands of her curls framed her face and caught the sunlight just right.
She began to sign us the plans going forward.
Xavier made it know what he’d heard from other sources. “The online buzz is that there might be another raid from the Yabut tonight or in the morning. They are really hitting this coast hard.”
Rose then suggested we head back to Angra do Heroismo and rest up.
“Yeah, guess that’s not a bad idea. I know I could use a hot shower and a good meal.” I knew that there wasn’t much else that we could do here, anyhow.
“I second that.” Doc didn’t have to be convinced. He adjusted his signature aviator glasses and ran a hand over his goatee. Just for good measure, he ‘combed’ his brown hair with a swipe of his fingers, too.
“Is the safe house ready?” I asked Xavier since he was the one who had set it up.
Xavier nodded and continued to shield his eyes from the blazing sun overhead. I’d have suggested a hat, but I’d never seen him be able to put all that curly brown hair under one to any effect. Doc handed him a spare pair of glasses. Xavier politely refused by pointing to the pair already on his face. The exchange was wordless and still understood. Damn, they were good.
“It will be by the time we get there. We should probably sweep it first.” He typed in a few strokes on the phone he carried. “They seem fairly reputable. Good fence, private dock… Said they’d be waiting for us at five pm.”
I nodded and felt a little relieved. “Alright then, to the safe house.”
Chapter 3
Jake
It took all of us some time to settle into this new place, comfortable and luxurious though it was. ‘Safehouse’ may have been a bit extreme. It was more of a rental with good security features. It boasted six bedrooms, four baths, two balconies, and a walk-in fridge. It was decorated in what I can only call ‘hospital chic.’
Everything was white or stainless steel. There was not much wooden furniture or plastic, just lots of solid, bright whites and cold, clean metal. It could have been worse. It cou
ld have been Art Deco.
After tarping down Wraith and making sure that was all in order, I headed inside. Xavier had paid our temporary landlady and gotten the necessary documentation and supplies. Rosa had a cab called in so that she and Doc could go do a little shopping for our stay. Nothing too extravagant. Just breakfast and snacks, as we’d no doubt be going out on the town for some local color and culture. After the showers and a grocery trip, we all met on the balcony to discuss our next actions.
“I found some highly rated places that deliver. What is everyone in the mood for?” Xavier asked as he typed away. He had chosen to sit in the closest chair to the house, fully in the shade. Thick, clear slip-covers protected every piece of furniture outside on the balconies, which made the comfort level drop considerably.
“Son, you’ve never been here before. I’ve never been here before. What is the point of visiting a hidden gem if you’re not going to enjoy exploring it?” Doc shook his head as he spoke. He was lounging on a chaise that looked like a dentist’s chair.
It's hardly a hidden gem. Rosa corrected him from her spot on the hammock.
“It’s hidden enough to not be overrun with the usual suspects. A few pirates are acceptable, but that last time…” He trailed off with a side glance at me.
“Yeah, I know. Lomé was almost too busy to enjoy.” I grinned just thinking about it. “Almost.”
Rosa continued the point. I’m with Doc. We should go out and enjoy this place. A nice dinner, maybe a little dancing, a tour of the nightlife…
“Who are you, and what have you done with our Rosa?” I teased her. She threw an overstuffed head pillow at me and hit me, but I let it. “I’m with them, too, Xavier. It won’t hurt any of us to get out and see something new. I can show you all the best spots to…” I realized that it was best not to finish that sentence.
