Laura 01 The Jaguar Prophecy

by Anton Swanepoel

  Two decks above Victor’s room, six men hold an urgent meeting. The room smells of cigar smoke and beer.

  “What the hell happened?” Peterson bellows while slamming his right fist onto the table. Beer glasses tremble in fear. He is a slender 6 foot tall man with a Cuban cigar dangling from his lips most of the time. Puffs of smoke escape with his words.

  “There was a sniper on the radar tower, sir,” replies Chris dryly.

  “And we did not know about him, dammit Chris. You are supposed to be a professional, you all are supposed to be professionals. That sniper just took care of three of the best hitmen in town. No one is going to work for us now. You will have to take care of the girl yourself now.” Peterson’s eyes burn into Chris, who shifts uneasily in his chair. The creaking of his chair makes an eerie sound in the silence.

  A knock at the door breaks the silence. Swiftly and almost in complete silence the men scatter to fixed places around the room, guns drawn. All angles of the door are completely covered. From the light seeping through under the door Peterson can make out a shadow, one person or two? The second knock causes a chill to run down his spine.

  “Yes?” The word sounds hollow, without any of Peterson’s normal confidence. Damn that sniper. The shadow outside moves away from the door. Peterson can hear his own heart pumping away madly. He changes the grip on the Heckler .45 caliber pistol, drawing comfort from it. Stealing a look at the other men he sees that they are watching him, seeing the fear in their leader. Get yourself together man.

  The shadow is back, a third knock.

  “I’m busy, go away.” This time his voice sounds more like the old Peterson. The reply startles him.

  “The sun will come up.”

  “Not until the moon is down,” Peterson replies. A brown envelope is pushed under the door and the shadow disappears. There are sounds of relief from all.

  Dean is the closest to the door and Peterson nods to him. Reluctantly, Dean moves towards the door keeping out of the line of fire. The code words were correct but in this business, you can never be too careful. Stopping beside the door he turns around and puts his back against the wall, crouching down he starts picking up the letter with his left hand, his Smith and Weston .44 shaking slightly in his right.

  Sweat runs down his face into his left eye. He closes it momentarily, losing most of his view of the door. On opening his eye again, fear grips him.

  A shadow is outside the door, it wasn’t there a moment ago. Instantly it is away and Dean can hear footsteps as someone runs down the hall.

  “Bomb,” the word comes harshly as his mind tries to urge his body to move faster, sending an urgent message to every muscle. Get away from the door, get away from the damn door. Still in a half crouch, he jumps for the couch, hitting it on the top and toppling it over. He rolls twice and then lies still. No one makes a sound.

  Suddenly a child calls from the hall. “Wait for me, I want to go swim too!”

  For the second time running footsteps can be heard fading down the hall. Slowly everyone gets up. Dean is aware that all eyes are on him, on his pants. Looking down he sees that his pants are wet. His hands are shaking so badly that he drops the letter and his gun.

  “The bathroom is that way.” Peterson’s voice is cold. As he speaks, his head nods lightly in the direction of the door leading to the bathroom. They all wait until Dean has left the room before moving. Zack pulls the couch up while Bob and Chris walk to the table, in need of a drink.

  Peterson slowly walks to the couch and picks up the letter. Opening it, he finds a single A4 sheet in it. It is a telegram message from the department.

  “Package mailed, follow courier, retrieve package and disc,” is all the telegram says, but Peterson knows its meaning.

  They had discovered that Laura had sent a package to Spain before she left, but they were not in time to intercept it.

  As the disc was not found in her apartment, it is believed that it could be in the package or with her. People are currently en route to intercept the package and confirm its contents. Meanwhile all attempts on her life must be postponed until the disc is found. Once found she must be terminated by any means.

  “Enjoy the trip Laura,” is all he says as he places the letter on the table.

  Bending down he takes a silencer out of his right jacket pocket which is hanging over his chair. Chris and Bob give him only a slight look and go on with their drinking. They had worked with him before. Steven and Zack openly stare at him. It is their and Dean’s first mission. From the bathroom come the sounds of Dean being sick, then the flush of a toilet. Peterson disappears into the bathroom.

  “You okay?” His voice is as cold as always.

  “Bbbetter now,” Dean’s voice is shaky.

  Zack and Steven jerk from the sound of the gun, damped to only a soft distinct whistle. Two shots then the thump as a body hits the tiled floor. They had heard about Peterson’s reputation, but did not believe it. Peterson is hard and cold and there is no place for weenies on his team, if you cannot stay calm under pressure you are a liability to him. Normally he would kick you off the team, but being on a ship there is the risk of Dean turning against him if he kicked him off the team.

  Peterson could also not risk keeping Dean on the team if Dean cannot keep it together under pressure, he would probably break down when his team was counting on him, getting them killed. Peterson also cannot afford any loose ends, Dean knows too much for a person not on the team.

  Peterson is busy unscrewing the silencer as he comes out of the bathroom. Without a word he sits down, replacing the silencer into his jacket pocket, and takes a sip from his beer. Only then does he speak.

  “We are not to kill the girl, the disc may not be on the ship. Our contact will let us know if they find anything in her room. Chris, Bob, dump the body.”

  Zack is trying not to shake and Steven is trying not to wet his pants, he is in need of a drink right now but will not be able to stand going into the bathroom later, and wetting one’s pants seems to be out of the question here.

  Chapter 3

  Victor walks slowly over the newly repaired deck. A strong wind is now blowing and it has started to rain again. The combined effect of the wind and drizzle chills one to the bone. He has been combing the deck now for an hour, leaving Laura in his room to freshen up.

  When he got to the deck, Laura was still alive yet unconscious with a bruise to the head, but no other injuries. He decided to take her to his room where she would be safer and warmer and decided that he would call the ship’s doctor as soon as he got her to safety. He had no idea who the three dead men were. From the firearms they were carrying it was clear they meant business, not just from the fact that they managed to smuggle them onboard, but also their choice of weapons. The police would be a bit upset at him for messing with the crime scene but he could not just leave her in the rain.

  Victor is not sure what he expects to find, all evidence has been removed and he himself did not see any disc. He recreates the scene from how he remembers the positions of the bodies. It is clear that they wanted something from her, apparently a disc that she has no knowledge of, but why did the bartender try to kill her as his last act? Was he afraid that she will pass on the disc to someone else or did he think that if they cannot get it from her, by killing her they will stop anyone else from getting it?

  Victor combs the edges of the deck. The police had searched the deck for evidence and found nothing. He looks over the side of the deck in case the disc had been hit by a bullet and skidded off the deck onto the lower decks or a balcony of one of the cabins below - nothing.

  Of the three men, one is of Russian descent and the other two American. The FBI had been mumbling amongst themselves when they saw the bodies, and Victor knows that they had immediately recognized the men. Josh does not want to share any information with Victor, but he knows that the fact that they did not impound the ship and arrest Laura, but let the ship continue, means that they are expecting more ac
tion.

  By leaving the two agents on board, Victor knows that they will be watching Laura, and possibly him. Although there is no telling who the dead men worked for, one thing is for certain, there are far more players involved than just them, and it is linked worldwide. Victor decides to make a few calls himself. Josh did inform Victor that the men were linked to numerous incidents in and around London, USA, Israel and South Africa, ranging from kidnapping to murder, however this is the first time they have worked together. That is where Victor will start in his search for the puppet master who pulled these men’s strings.

  He neglected to inform Josh that he had stopped at each body and taken a photo of each, including their faces, when he arrived on the scene before he took Laura to his room. He had already sent this information to his contacts, and is waiting to hear who they worked for. Victor is getting hungry and his search on the deck is fruitless.

  He decides to return to his room and see if Laura wants to join him for a meal, maybe she will be more willing to share information with him now. He has a feeling she is not as honest with her information as she leads all to believe, possibly even hiding the disc. Is she an informant, a spy or international dealer of sensitive information? Victor takes out his phone and makes some calls, giving all the details he has on Laura as he walks back to his cabin. He smiles as he attaches a picture he took of her while she was sleeping in his room. Soon he will know all he needs to about her.

  The sound of Victor’s knock seems to fill every inch of the empty hallway, no answer. Victor knocks a second time, again no answer. Had Laura left the room against his warning not to do so until his return? Victor wonders. He takes the access card from his pocket and inserts it into the door lock. The red light next to the card slot turns green and a click from the lock tells him the door is now unlocked. Slowly he turns the handle and opens the door.

  The door is only halfway open but already he has the feeling that something is wrong, all the lights are off. Opening the door fully he waits until his eyes adjust totally to the darkened room. The light from the hallway pushes some of the darkness away and he can see that the bed is empty, yet her sweet perfume still lingers in the air, Jasmine. Victor notes that the door to the bathroom is closed; maybe she is still soaking in the bathtub, he hopes.

  Carefully Victor steps into the room, while watching the bathroom door, taking a deep breath, letting her smell tingle his nose.

  The first punch takes him low on the right side just below the ribs. The second is a left jab and catches him full on the jaw. Searing pain shoots through his body, making any thinking impossible, and his body reacts on instinct, get away from the danger. Victor leaps to the left of the room just missing a chair. As he lands on the floor at the end of the bed, everything goes dark as someone closes the room’s door again. A click from the door informs Victor that the person has locked the door from the inside, making a dash and fast escape impossible.

  Victor is locked inside the cabin with someone that clearly has only one intention, only one of them will leave the room alive. He tries to control his breathing but every breath brings a fresh wave of pain, whoever has attacked him knew exactly where to punch. How stupid, should have expected someone to be behind the door.

  The room is totally dark now. The plush carpet does not allow any light to pass beneath the door. Victor closes his eyes while slowing down his breathing, fighting the pain in his side. He concentrates on listening for the slightest movement, anything that will give away his attacker’s position.

  Victor is at the foot end of the bed, next to the study desk. Due to the top part of the bed being against the wall, he knows the attacker cannot sneak past that way and circle him unless he climbs over the bed. Victor knows that the springs of the bed are new and silent, if the attacker does climb over the bed, Victor will not hear it.

  Slowly, he places his left hand on the bed, allowing him to sense any movement on the bed. If his attacker decides to circle him that way, he will know it.

  The only way the killer can get to Victor is by using the space between the bed and the desk, exactly where Victor is waiting to ambush his attacker.

  The door to the bathroom is directly next to the desk, opposite the bed. Since the bathroom door also seals on the carpet, no light come from it. Is Laura still in the bathroom? The bathroom is the perfect place to set an ambush for the attacker, and the stun gun hidden under the basin, is just the edge that is needed here.

  Slowly Victor stretches his right hand out until it touches the bathroom door. He lets his hand slide gently across the door, searching for the door knob. Feeling the familiar round shape of the door knob, Victor gently starts to turn the knob, careful not to make any sound. He has turned the knob halfway, and then stops, slowly letting the knob turn back.

  What was that? Did someone just sneeze in the bathroom, or is it just paranoia? It could be Laura still freshening up, or a second attacker, what now? If he opens the door and the light is on inside, it can expose him and give the attacker an advantage. Only one option left, wait.

  Victor hopes the attacker will get tired and decide it is not worth it and leave, but knows it is probably not going to happen as the person had the chance to leave without being seen or being followed. Clearly the person wants him dead and out of the way. But where is Laura, what has happened to her?

  Did Laura leave before the person entered the cabin? Or is she still in the bathroom and the attacker was caught by surprise before he could get to her? Maybe they abducted Laura to interrogate her for the location of the disc, and this person was left here to tie up loose ends? No, what if they had already interrogated Laura in the room and left her body in the bathroom. Was the sound maybe her dying, pleading for help?

  Victor clenches his fists, his eyes go narrow and his lips curl up. He has to use every bit of rational thought to stop him from rushing forward, seeking the man and ripping his heart out.

  Laura must be protected at all costs, but why, he does not even know her, why risk his life for her? No, it is absurd, he does not care about her, or is he kidding himself, is he falling for her?

  Victor moves slowly inch by inch from the end of the bed towards the desk. If he can get to the middle of the space between the end of the bed and the desk, then he will have more options when he and the attacker make contact again. It takes Victor five minutes of inching, listening, inching and listening, before he is in position. Crouching down, he makes himself ready. The attacker cannot use a gun as the sound will attract attention, and fitting a silencer will give away his position. Victor’s heart takes a few leaps when he realizes that the attacker could already have a silencer fitted to his gun.

  Will he shoot blindly in the hope of hitting Victor if he thinks he knows where Victor is? Time seems to come to a halt. Two killers in a room, complete darkness, only one will live to tell the tale. The slightest mistake will alert the other to his position.

  Victor calms his breathing and concentrates on his feelings and instinct while keeping his eyes closed. Having one’s eyes open in complete darkness can cause one to see things that are not actually there, distractions.

  Victor’s training takes over, being an expert killer is not about the killing, it is about staying alive longer than all the rest. He remembers some of his training, standing blindfolded, having to block blows directed at him at random. At first he could not block any, but after months of training he could block any blow, from any direction.

  He is getting uncomfortable, his muscles complaining about sitting in a crouched position for so long without moving. However, he does not dare move, for every sound is a potential give away, a mistake that could cost him his life.

  What was that? Someone is close, very close. One can sense it in the air, as if the atmosphere is electrically charged. The assassin is getting closer and closer. Victor closes his fists and readies himself for an attack. The attacker is inching closer, taking extreme care, a professional. If I can detect him, then he will be able to dete
ct me, is he getting ready for the kill? Who will live and who will die now only relies on speed, killer instinct, and training.

  Victor suddenly feels body heat, only inches in front of him. Rhythmic faint breathing comes from above, slow and deep. The assassin is standing. He has not yet detected you; you have the advantage, move now, you have only one chance, one punch. Victor clenches his right fist and gets ready, steadying himself with his left hand on the ground. If he can time it right, he can push off the ground with his left hand and drive himself forward and up with his legs, allowing him to deliver a devastating blow from below into the man’s stomach. The blow will render the man disabled just long enough for him to get the upper hand over the man. All relies now on split second timing and precision. Keep coming, just a little more, just an inch or more is all that is needed, death will be swift, but not painless.

  Suddenly the attacker freezes, holding his breath, he has sensed something.

  Move now, move now, he knows there is someone in front of him! Victor’s brain urges his muscles to explode into action. Every muscle in his body tightens, ready for the attack, like a coiled spring waiting to be released. Just before Victor can attack, the bathroom door opens and light floods into the room, half blinding Victor and the attacker.

  Unaware of the situation outside, Laura opens the bathroom door and steps into the room, deep in thought. She has a towel around her hair, and is busy drying herself with another. The bathroom light reflects off her beautiful skin, creating a magnificent scene. She is naked and has clearly just stepped out of the bath.

  The door is directly inline with the assassin and the moment it opens he immediately turns his attention to the person emerging, expecting an attack from the side. He did not expect Laura, and is distracted by her beauty for a moment, just a moment but a moment too long all the same.

  Victor sees the knife within a split second, a double-edged killing knife in the man’s right hand, held at hip level with the blade facing forward, a thrusting hold, “amateur” Victor thinks. Victor’s body explodes into action, thrusting upwards with his legs and left hand, delivering a devastating right punch into the man’s solar plexus, now easy to target due to the bathroom light.