by Matt Lincoln
I ordered dinner from the closest place I found and got enough for leftovers in the morning. I wasn’t too concerned with starting any projects tonight. The voyage back here hadn’t been a strenuous one, but I still planned for an early night and then early morning. Once I was satisfied that everything was as it should be, I hit the sack.
I was woken up the next morning by a phone call, which was fine, as I’d forgotten to set the alarm for myself.
“Hello?” I didn’t bother to check who was calling. The voice on the other end was a good one to hear. She hadn’t been in contact the whole time that I was away in the Azores or in Miami, as the life of a Coast Guard Lieutenant was a busy one.
“Hey, Jakey. And where have you been?” Linda Reyes was my oldest friend and something like family to me. Her dad was a second father to me, and I couldn’t recall a time in my life when Linda wasn’t a part of it. She was a bright and shining example of the Coast Guard’s finest.
“Lin,” I breathed, willing the sleep from my voice. “I knew it wouldn’t take you long to find out I was back. How have things been? You holding down the island okay?” I tried to wake up and take this conversation a bit more seriously, but I hadn’t had my coffee yet, so I wasn’t expecting much from myself.
“You mean you just got back? I thought you were avoiding me or something.” There were some weird echoes in the background that I couldn’t identify in my current state. She continued to talk despite them. “Hey, are you extremely busy tonight? Because if you aren’t, I have some news that I really can’t wait to share. Wanna meet me for dinner at six, maybe at Luis Louie’s?”
I loved that place. And I’d accept any chance to grab a bite there. “Yeah, sure, sounds good. Anything I should know, offhand?” Linda liked to try to surprise me, but they weren’t always the best kinds of surprises. If I could get a heads up, it might make my day go simpler.
“Not a chance. See you there.” And that was it. My day was going to be spent wondering and suffering from some trivial forms of anxiety. Oh, well. At least I had plenty to do to make the time pass by.
By the time four o’clock rolled around, I had the entire deck cleared off and the first coat of sealant on. Tomorrow I’d do the next coat. If Rosa were here, she’d have either made a list for me or forced me to do one myself to make this run smoother, but I liked my way just fine. If I saw something that needed doing, I’d do it, simple as that.
I took a shower and decided to wear a sophisticated looking wine-colored button-down and black slacks. Linda’s news sounded important, and she deserved to have her dinner date look the part. I expected there to be her usual cadre of friends and co-workers there as well, and I didn’t want to embarrass her by not taking her invitation critically.
I waited for her out in front of the restaurant. The night was only just beginning in this part of the city, and I could hear the live bands on nearly every corner striking up for the revelers. This area had a diverse set of cafes, shops, and retailers that loved to try to outdo one another. The hues and ambiance flowed around the crowds like a melody, and everything surged with a joyous soul.
When I spotted Linda, she waved quite enthusiastically until I reciprocated. The first full look I got of her blew my mind. She looked perfect. She was wearing her dark hair pinned up high with the bulk of her locks tumbling down her back. She had on a royal blue dress with a full knee-length skirt that told me that she was going dancing later on tonight. As much as I would have loved to spend the whole evening with her, in her exclusive company, I wished right here and now that I wasn’t going to be required to go with her to the clubs.
I’d barely crossed the street before she shrieked in anticipation and tackled me into a hug. I lifted her up in the embrace and spun around with her in my arms. She was in such a good mood that a little squeeze just wasn’t going to cut it. I held her tightly and marveled at how good she felt in my arms. I almost didn’t want to let her go, now or ever.
“So, when you said news, I guess that it’s of the good kind?” I teased her lightheartedly.
“So good!” Linda’s voice was high and light and more ecstatic than I’d heard in a while from her. “But I’m not telling you anything else until we’ve got a table and a drink in our hands, understand?” She was buoyant in every way tonight. It made me smile to look at her and to see her so happy.
“Aye, aye, Lieutenant!” I saluted her with one hand as she grabbed the other and led me inside the energetic and vibrant eatery. She giggled, and my heart soared at the sound.
The place was lit with lines of colored lights running up, down, and sideways along the walls. Each table was tall and narrow, with three stools to each one. None of them matched, but that didn’t matter.
Linda commandeered an empty table and climbed up into her seat. I didn’t have near as hard of a time claiming mine. There were plastic lists laminated to the table directly in front of each chair. I had always admired the ingenuity of that decision. Sure, it meant that the menu was stationary and didn’t vary a lot, but when the food was this good, why change it?
A cute waitress popped over to our table and had to raise her voice for us to hear her over the musicians tuning up on the stage. The room was small and congested, and the stage was actually just a wooden platform that someone had rigged up a few years ago. Still, this was one of the best places to be with friends when all you wanted was to hang out and enjoy your evening with a great meal.
“You want to handle this since it’s your affair, or do you trust me to order for myself?” I grinned, sliding my finger down the table menu. “I mean, if there’s a protocol here, I hate to be insubordinate…” Linda couldn’t stand when I did this kind of stuff, but I relished pushing her buttons.
“I’ve got it.” Linda leaned over and called out. She was cheerfully taking over. Then she turned to the waitress. “Yes, we’ll start with the sweet poppers and two Medallas plus a pitcher, and then I think…” She was trying to select the perfect dish for whatever she was planning, “how about the mofongo and chicken, and a mega-tripleta?” She glanced over at me. “We’ll share them because I want both.”
“Sounds impeccable.” There wasn’t anything she could order here and not have it be fantastic. “So, are we waiting for more of your entourage, or are we it?” The waitress brought over our beer and the full pitcher right away, and I couldn’t wait. The head on the glass was just right, and I knew that I’d be having more than one of these tonight.
“This dinner is going to be just us. I know that you’re not much for the clubs and dancing, so that’s why it’s only you and me for now.” Linda’s smile wasn’t going anywhere. I could see that. This news must be of a celebratory nature, hence the dining, dancing, and gleefulness of her mood.
“I really can’t stand the suspense. Just spill it, Lin.” The sweet poppers arrived, and I dug in. Luis Louie’s plantains, bacon butter, and black olive cheese sauce was the stuff of legends, and I had been dreaming about this since her phone call. Linda’s announcement was temporarily forgotten as I savored each and every morsel of the food instead.
By the time the actual meal arrived, and the glasses had been refilled twice over, Linda was ready to give me her news report. She took a deep, stabilizing breath and let me have it.
“I’m getting transferred.”
I sat there and attempted to find the most suitably positive response to that. The only one that came to mind was to nod my head and try to say something fitting.
“That’s… wow. When? And to where?” That wasn’t my best effort there. Then it hit me. I was going away for a while too. Maybe this was for the best. If Linda was moving on and up, then I didn’t have to feel the pull of staying here to keep an eye on her. Not that I minded, but it had been in the back of my thoughts.
“Jake. Jake? Are you even listening?” Linda was laughing at my blank stare as I’d missed her entire reply while thinking about it. She reached over, hugged me again, and moved my beer away from me. “I was total
ly shocked, but it makes sense, you know? This is what I’ve been fantasizing about, and I’d be stupid to turn it down or put it off, right? So yeah, I head out first thing next month.”
“That is marvelous news, Lin. I couldn’t be happier for you.” I reclaimed my beer and offered up a toast in her honor. “Semper Paratus.”
“Semper Paratus!” Linda cried out so enthusiastically that the people near us all turned to gawk and stare. We didn’t care. We had something to celebrate, and there wasn’t any way we were going to do any of that quietly.
By nine, Linda and I had hit the streets to sober up and walk off our meal. It was also terrific to just leisurely stroll through the streets and take pleasure in this kind of world as we were both leaving it behind for a time. Linda had taken my news pretty well, but I imagined that if she hadn’t already been planning to go, then my information would have been met with a lot more resistance.
“So, what is Miami like these days?” she asked, peppering me with questions. “And what are you going to do about Wraith? She’s going to be a lot harder to keep secret in a place like that, right?” Linda knew my concerns about my baby, and I admired that she was aware of it.
“I’m going to have to find a better place than the one I have been using. Maybe I’ll just purchase a marina and build around her. That would be a nice, legal way to bring in some cash, keep an eye on things, be respectable…” I trailed off, losing interest in the idea by just thinking about it.
We were walking arm in arm, as we used to, back in the old days. Those certainly were some days. Back when we were younger, we’d tried the whole ‘being together’ thing, but it just didn’t fit right, at least not with everything that we had going on in our lives at that time. But we had some fun, no doubt about that.
Listening to me, Linda must have gotten a shock of an idea. “You could sell that condo, get a place outside of the city? Oh! I can see it now! Jakey, the tour guide! Or hey, Jake Header, fish hunter! What do you think?” She had too much entertainment with all the mocking.
“Now, you’re just annoying, Lin.” I looked down at my watch. “When were your friends supposed to pick you up? And why haven’t they yet?” She knew I was joking. I could spend all night walking and talking with her like this. That was the main thing I was going to miss. Once I went to Miami, there would be no more Linda-time for quite a while.
She checked her phone and typed out a quick text.
“Chris is on his way.” Linda sighed and leaned her face against my arm, squeezing it tightly. At the sound of his name, my chest tightened a little, but I tried not to let that show. “You know that you are welcome to join us, right? You don’t have to dance or anything. You can come to hang out and drink or something that doesn’t require rhythm.”
I chuckled at the thought. “Nah, you go out and have fun with Chris and your Coasties. That dinner was a great way to celebrate and to say goodbye. Or, until next time. You know what I mean.” It wasn’t like either or of us was going away forever. I leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head.
A few minutes later, Linda was driving away with her friends. This left me in a very reminiscent mood as I headed back home, making my way by instinct. I stopped here and there, looking at closed shop windows, avoiding couples on the streets either fighting or being intimate, and the occasional cyclist headed off to work in the late hours.
By the time I made it back home, I was ready for a good night’s sleep. Knowing that I had a full day of maintenance ahead of me, I ignored pretty much everything else and headed to bed. It had been a good night and a satisfying way to start a new venture.
After a shower, a cup of coffee, and some breakfast, I threw on some work clothes that I wouldn’t mind having to toss after I finished with them today. I opted for some ugly cutoffs and a beat-up old tee that I didn’t remember buying. Even the logo was unrecognizable at this point.
I pulled out the deck rollers and sealant and did a quick once over with the leaf blower to clean off anything that I didn’t want to seal into the deck. I was determined to have this place looking show-stoppingly brilliant before I left for Miami. I knew that I’d be returning one day, but I had no idea when that was going to be. I liked being prepared for any eventuality if I could.
I placed my cell and bottled water on the railing for easy access, and then it was time to get after it. The first coat had gone on well, and this second one was going to be a breeze. It looked like I was going to get to the dock before noon if I kept this up. It might even free up my afternoon.
Chapter 37
Jake
I was working on the steps when I heard the alarm on my phone go off, alerting me that Wraith’s proximity sensors had detected something. I grabbed the cell and checked the message. Then I darted for the cave where Wraith was housed. The sensors were registering a large heat signature within a few yards of the boat’s location, and that wasn’t going to be just a bird or curious animal. Someone had tripped the security and was way too close to my baby.
I barreled down the path that led to the cave where Wraith was hidden. I was careful not to slip and fall, jumping over rocks and taking the steps two at a time to speed up the process of getting there. I found someone sitting on the edge of the rocky entrance, near the rolled down garage type door that blocked Wraith from all prying eyes. The person responsible for setting off the sensors was just sitting there, wringing out her wet, blonde hair.
Kippy had obviously done some serious swimming to get here, as she was dripping all over my dock, and her clothes were soaked. I slowed my pace, and it was then I realized that I’d left my Ruger back in the house. “What the hell are you doing here, Ozoa?”
She didn’t even bother to turn or look at me. Once she was finished with her hair, she placed both of her palms down on the dock and leaned forward, like a kid. Her feet and legs were dangling off the ledge, and even though she was taller than most women, they still didn’t reach the water.
“Looking for you, copain.” Her tone was wistful and full of some unknown heaviness. “There are some things going on that you need to be aware of. And I couldn’t in good conscience leave without informing you about them.” It was only then that she looked up at me, and I could see that she had a black left eye and a swollen cheek.
I was compelled to ask her what had happened. Not out of typical kinds of concern for her wellbeing, but out of sheer, plain curiosity. “Who’d you piss off this time?” She stared up at me, unflinchingly stoic and irritating. She didn’t answer. So, I tried again. “Really. What happened? But more importantly, how did you get here?” That was far more important for me to find out.
I didn’t like the idea of anyone, especially her, being able to sneak up on my home and get this close to Wraith. It didn’t bode well for my security, and I was going to have to do some work to make sure that this type of thing never happened again.
“I swam.” She offered her wet form as evidence of that. “But you mean here here? I have a great GPS system.” She was being snide and disregarding anything she didn’t feel like answering. “As for this…” She showed off her face again to me. “I got into a fight.” She acted like that was supposed to answer everything. I chose not to press the issue.
I gave in and slipped down to sit beside her. It couldn’t hurt to show a little compassion and interest since she had gone all this way to find me. Once I was next to her, she turned to look down at the water again. “You have a very nice place here, copain. Very tranquil, quite serene, and immensely peaceful.” She smiled at her own words. “It doesn’t suit you at all.”
“It suits me fine. Which just goes to show how truly little you actually know me. Or how poorly you think that you know me.” I wanted to make the distinction. I looked over to see her non-reaction. That didn’t surprise me in the least. She had always been a… difficult read.
“Anyway,” I continued, “you said that you’re going away, and that you needed to tell me something? I can’t wait to hear it. So p
lease, do tell.” I didn’t relish the idea of her being here at all. Yet, the quicker she was done with her self-imposed mission, the sooner she would leave, I assumed. Best to make this quick.
“The Judge has put out a contract on you,” she said rather bluntly. “To either take you down to the ground or to ruin you. She’s not too picky about which.” I couldn’t say that this was a shock to me. By knowing about her dealings and not exposing Judge Fu’s corruption with the DEA and the Yabut, we had painted a target on our backs. She knew that we’d found and saved Arik and that we had the duffle bag of evidence against her, the DEA Task Force, and the Yabut. In this line of work, it wasn’t uncommon to end up on the wrong end of a relationship with powerful people. It was bound to happen at certain points, no matter how hard you tried to avoid it.
This meant that our tactics were going to have to change. Being careful wasn’t going to be enough anymore. Rosa, Doc, Xavier, and I were going to have to go on the offensive if we wanted to come out from under all of this alive and with a life worth living. I should have expected that this was coming sooner rather than later.
“What are the details on this contract? What’s the offer?” I asked Kippy, knowing that if she’d come all this way to tell me that, she probably was willing to give me more. All I had to do was ask nicely enough of her to do it. And I had to play along.
“It’s not money. I can tell you that.” She was smirking again, but not in her customary way. This one looked sickly and feeble like she was having a hard time letting the words form and exit her mouth. I wondered if there was more to this than she planned on sharing with me.
“Options then? Considerations, I’m guessing?” That would make sense. I saw that she nodded briefly at me in confirmation, so I continued. “She’s offering to peel back the records of anyone who’s willing to come after us then?” I kind of respected that tactic. “That’s smart. Money can’t buy you back a reputation or clear your name in the way some people need.” I took a minute to work that through. “So, we’re talking about some solid individuals. The kinds you make friends with, I’m guessing.” Yeah, it was a dig, but I didn’t care too much about offending Kippy at this point.
