Rendition Protocol

by Nathan Goodman

  “So how does that make it easy to get Gaviria to the club?”

  “Right after that, the club changed. It’s right up the hill from my cabana, so the change was obvious.”

  “How so?” Cade said.

  “The music, the clientele, the ownership, all of it. Dammit, why didn’t I see that before?” Stone said.

  “See what?” Cade asked.

  Jana nodded and smiled. “He owns the club now. And if he owns it, he’s almost undoubtedly the guy who made all the changes.”

  “So he owns the nightclub? So what?”

  Stone said, “They’re always interested in covering their tracks with legitimate businesses. Besides, he probably loves that nightlife crap.”

  “Alright,” Jana said, “here’s the plan. We’ll assume he’s going to be there. If so, I’ll meet him and try to bring him to Stone’s. Where are you two during this time?”

  “I’ll be close,” Stone said. “You won’t see me, but I’ll be there. If anything goes wrong, I’m coming in and coming in hard.”

  “And if all goes to plan, what?” she said. “If I get Gaviria in the cabana and knock his ass out, I’m going to lower him through the trapdoor?”

  “I’ll be in a boat directly underneath you,” Cade said.

  “You?” Jana said.

  “Is that such a surprise?” Cade replied.

  “You’re not so good for fieldwork,” she said.

  “I wish you people would stop saying that,” Cade said. “I’m going to rent the boat now.”

  “There’s not much time,” Jana said. “You two sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Hey,” Stone said as he placed a hand on her, “have I ever let you down?”

  “Yes,” Jana said. “You disappeared for a month and didn’t say a word.”

  “That’s not going to happen this time.”

  Jana shook her head. “And where are we going to rent a boat?”

  “Leave that to me,” Cade said. He went out and got in the rental car. What he didn’t realize was that he’d left his cellphone on the desk.

  42

  Sanctioned

  Jolly Harbor Marina, Lignum Vitae Bay, Antigua.

  Police Lieutenant Jack Pence got the call at around 8:00 p.m. He was at home.

  “This is Pence,” he said into his phone.

  “L. T., this is Detective Okoro. Sorry to bother you at home, sir, but I’ve got a uni that says he’s got one of your subjects in play.”

  “Tell him to stay on it. Send him some backup and grab the little prick. Then call me and I’ll meet you at the station.”

  “Roger that, sir.”

  About thirty minutes later, Lieutenant Pence’s phone rang again. He picked it up and listened, then said, “Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Good work. No, let’s let him sit in the tank a while.”

  At around 10 p.m., Pence walked into the interrogation room at the precinct. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my good friend from the NSA. How are we today, Mr. Williams?”

  “What time is it? I’ve been sitting in this shithole for hours. I’ve got to get out of here, right now! I’m on official US government business. What gives you the right to hold me?”

  “The right? It’s my island, Mr. Williams. You’re not on US soil. But why so impatient? Can I call you Cade? Sure, why not. After all, we’re friends, right?”

  Cade glared at him. “Answer the question. What am I charged with?”

  “I’d watch your tone, Mr. Williams. But let’s talk about that, shall we? You know what I don’t like?”

  “When you step on gum and it sticks to your shoe? I have to get out of here!”

  “Ah,” the lieutenant said, “a smart ass.” He leaned over the table. “You want to know why you’re here? I don’t like being lied to, that’s why.”

  “Look, Lieutenant, you need to call the US embassy. They’ll call the State Department and then probably your interior minister, who I’d venture to say, is going to be pretty pissed off.”

  “I did call the US embassy. And they did call the US State Department. And you know what? They don’t know why you’re here. You’re sure as hell not on official business. I should have never released Jana Baker to you. I want to know where she is, and you’re going to tell me.”

  “That’s impossible,” Cade said. Then he thought, CIA! The damned CIA screwed me. “I never lied to you,” he said.

  “Oh no? You know who else I called? The US attorney’s office.”

  Cade’s face went pale.

  “Yeah, the assistant US attorney was never on his way to Antigua, was he?” Pence grinned. “That was a good one, by the way.” He lunged forward and slammed his fist onto the table. “Where is Jana Baker? Her little incident is looking more and more like assault with a deadly weapon, and probably worse.”

  “She was attacked!”

  “That, my friend, is crap. Did you think I was an idiot? Her story is more than a little flawed. For example, in her statement, she said she was walking home from the club when, allegedly, the attempted assault occurred. But she went a little out of her way. Six blocks out of her way, in fact.”

  “What are you accusing her of?”

  “You should be more concerned with what we’re accusing you of. But as for Miss Baker, attempted murder, for starters. She wasn’t attacked. She lured her victim down that darkened back alley and shot him twice, not to mention all the compound fractures. Left him there to bleed out. I’m charging her, and it’s going to stick. So let me ask you this. Did your little asset go out of control, or was she on assignment?”

  “I’m not saying a word. You let me out of here right now.”

  The door opened and a uniformed officer walked in. He handed the lieutenant a clear plastic evidence bag. Inside was a firearm.

  “And the weapon she used,” Pence continued as he dropped the bag onto the desk with a thud, “did you supply it to her? You know what I find interesting about this weapon?”

  Cade laid his head on the desk. “No, and I don’t care!” he yelled.

  “I find it interesting that when one runs the serial numbers, nothing comes back.”

  “So what?” Cade said. “So the hell what?”

  “This is a Glock 43. A highly customized Glock 43, to be exact. Note how the handle has been cut down. It requires a handmade magazine to fit it. And the silencer. That’s a nice touch. But let’s talk about the serial numbers. All the parts are stamped with matching serial numbers, just like we’d expect. And the manufacturer registers every weapon it produces. Funny how this one doesn’t show up on the registry. It apparently was never manufactured.”

  “Let me out of here.”

  “That’s a pretty good trick, isn’t it?” Pence continued. “For a gun to disappear from the national database? I’d say it would take a government to pull off something like that.” He circled behind Cade. “I don’t just want to know where Jana Baker is, I want to know what she’s doing pulling a US-government-sanctioned hit on my island.”

  “She’s not an assassin.”

  “She sure as hell isn’t a kindergarten teacher, is she?” Pence walked to the door. “I tell you what. Why don’t you sit in your cell a while longer? Maybe by morning your memory will come back to you.” The door slammed behind him.

  Shit, Cade thought. How am I going to be in a boat underneath Stone’s bungalow later tonight if I’m stuck here?

  43

  Storm of Fury

  Stone looked at his watch, it was already 10 p.m. “We’ve got to go, Jana.” He picked up Cade’s cellphone from the desk where Cade had left it, then glanced at the tracking application on the screen. On the map, a single blip pinged, indicating Cade’s location. What are you doing? Come on, he thought, get in position.

  From the back bedroom Jana responded, “Would you relax? You think we’re going to get there and Gaviria will have gone to bed? You know as well as I do these clubs don’t get started until late.”

  Stone heard her footsteps and jam
med the phone into his pocket. He didn’t want her to know Cade wasn’t in position. When she walked out, his facial expression turned to wow, but he made no comment.

  Jana smiled. “Where’s Cade?” she said.

  Stone faltered a moment. “Oh, he’ll be ready.” He tapped the cellphone in his pocket. “The boat will be there.” His voice, however, didn’t sound convincing.

  Jana hopped in the open-air Jeep as Stone threw his gear in the back. A stiff night breeze blew against her long ponytail and she looked out at the moon rising across the bay. The moonlight illuminated the chop that had begun forming on the dark waters. Lightning flickered in the distance.

  They took off down the beach-side road and drove in the direction of the club.

  “If all goes to plan,” Stone said, “I’ll be hidden in my bungalow when you get inside with Gaviria. You won’t know I’m there.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said as her hands tightened on the wheel. “If anything goes wrong inside the bungalow, I’m going to take his ass out.”

  “This isn’t a sanctioned assassination. This is just a rendition, got it?”

  But Jana said nothing.

  Stone looked at her as they sped down the gravel-like roadway. The Jeep slid into the curves. She was focused on something.

  “Hey,” he said, “you in there? You need to remember, we’re on our own down here. And that doesn’t just mean that we have no backup. It also means if this goes sideways, the US government is going to let us twist in the wind. They’ll disavow all knowledge. And you know what? They won’t even be lying.”

  “Uncle Bill would move heaven and earth to help us. And nothing is going to go wrong. Stop obsessing,” she said. “You just do your part. Gaviria is mine.”

  When they got within six blocks of the club, Stone said, “Alright, this is good. Let me out here.” She pulled the vehicle to the side. The roadside was dark and surrounded by dense, tropical foliage. A strong gust of wind blew and Stone hopped out then grabbed his gear. He looked up at the storm clouds, then disappeared into the thick.

  Jana turned her gaze forward, the mission clear in her mind. She jammed the accelerator and crushed-coral dust kicked up from behind.

  Just down the hillside, a wave crashed into the shoreline. The impending storm was getting closer.

  44

  Thunder Harbor

  Stone took up position on the hillside just above the club. He was still surrounded in dense foliage. He threw the carbine’s sling over his head and looked through a set of miniaturized binoculars and began to count bodyguards. “One, two . . . shit, three.” The well-dressed Colombian men were stationed outside the club at various points. Stone exhaled and looked further down the hill to his bungalow. “That was three bodyguards outside the club, how many inside?” He scanned the parking lot. The Jeep was not there, but then he noticed Jana as she pulled up to the valet. Even in the tension of the situation, he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was.

  He shook his head and returned his focus to the bodyguards. He zoomed the view closer and studied each man individually. “Uh-huh,” he said as he located a large bulge hidden beneath the coat jacket of each. “Automatic weapons, just like I thought.”

  He pulled out Cade’s cellphone and looked at the map. This time the ping had closed the distance. “What is taking so long? Get the damned boat over here.” But then a wave crashed into the dock and the boats tied into slips rocked against their bumpers. Damn this weather, he thought. More lightning flashed and in the flicker of light, Stone saw the boat approaching.

  He looked just past the club at the boardwalk and staircases that led from the club down to the dock and in front of his bungalow. As the boat entered the harbor, it rocked across waves of increasing size. The storm was getting worse. Time to get into position.

  45

  Bad Vibrations

  Before Jana walked into the club, she could feel the thumping of music. When she and Stone had been dating, they had never frequented the place because it wasn’t their scene. Loud music, strobe lights, and throngs of humanity huddled together in a sweaty mass.

  The club was huge but she knew Gaviria would be here somewhere. If she could just spot him. She nudged her way through people jammed together until she could see the dance floor. It was lit from underneath and bursts of color popped from one section to another, a throwback to the 1970s.

  After about fifteen minutes, she spotted a well-dressed man who looked as if he could certainly be Colombian. It wasn’t Gaviria, but perhaps he was close by. The man walked up a thin set of stainless steel stairs overlooking the vast dance floor and disappeared through a set of hanging beads.

  Just then Jana felt a hand rub across her backside and she turned and snatched it. Behind her was a half-drunk man. She tightened her grip. “Get a good feel?” she said.

  “Hey, you’re pretty strong. Maybe you and I—ow, shit,” he said as Jana twisted the wrist and the man crunched down in pain. “Damn, babe. What’s with all the hostility?”

  She released his hand and he stood. “I’m not your babe.”

  He looked at her chest. “Well, you should be.”

  She thumped him in the softest part of the throat so fast he didn’t even know he had been struck until the choking sensation overwhelmed him. He coughed and grabbed at his neck.

  “Were you going to ask me to dance?” she said. The man clutched his throat and coughed. She shrugged then said, “Nothing to say? Hmmm, how disappointing.” She walked toward the stairs. When she got to the first step, she looked up. An oversized bodyguard shrouded the top landing. A wave of nausea shot through her stomach but she did her best to ignore it. She ascended the staircase as if she owned the place.

  The man held up a hand but Jana continued. “Carlos sent for me.”

  The man thought a moment then said in an accent thick of Central America, “Wait here.” He glanced her up and down and smiled, then walked through the beaded divider. As he disappeared into the adjoining room, Jana followed. A second guard just beyond the divider put a hand on her just as she saw Carlos Gaviria across the room.

  He had a girl on each side and gold rings on his fingers. His button-down shirt was opened. “I didn’t send for any girl,” he said. But as he caught sight of her, Jana could tell he was intrigued. His head leaned to one side as he looked at her. “But please, I don’t wish to be rude,” he said with enough volume for Jana to hear. “Have her come join me.” He nodded to the two women beside him and they stood and disappeared into a back room. As the door swung open, Jana saw that it led to an outdoor balcony on the beach side of the club.

  She walked to Gaviria and held out her hand. He kissed it gently. Another wave of nausea swept her. Get a grip, she thought. Probably the gold chain around his neck that’s making you sick to your stomach. She smiled at her own humor.

  “What an exquisite creature. Please, join me.”

  The guards retreated to their posts.

  Jana sat and crossed her legs.

  “My name is—”

  “Gaviria,” Jana interrupted. “Carlos Gaviria. Yes, I know who you are.”

  “I find myself at a disadvantage. You know who I am but I do not know you.”

  “A friend of yours from home sent me. Does it matter who I am?” Jana said with a playful smile. “A gift, you might say, for a job well done.”

  He sized her up a moment. “I have done my job well,” he laughed, referring to his success in establishing the island as a new drug route. “But this is most unusual.”

  “You are not accustomed to such rewards?”

  “Oh, I have my rewards,” he said. “But you, how can I say this? You are not what I would have expected.”

  She traced a finger across his forearm. “You do not like me?”

  “Quite the contrary,” he said. “It’s just the blond hair, the accent. You are an American, no?”

  “Born and raised.” Her tone was disarming.

  “And very direct, I see
. But tell me, how is it that a woman of your distinct . . . gifts finds yourself on our island and working in such a capacity?”

  “Perhaps I’m more curious than other girls.” She looked down his chest and let her hand rest on his thigh.

  “Yes, I can see that,” he grinned. “And you know, I wouldn’t want to disappoint my friends. After all, they’ve been very generous.” He looked at her and Jana knew the time was right.

  She leaned to him and whispered into his ear. “It’s not just talents I possess. They’re more like skills.” She nibbled his ear and stood up then walked through the door onto the balcony. Here, more guards were positioned, flanking a staircase that led down toward the water.

  A strong gust of wind buffeted her tight dress, and lightning cracked out in the bay. Gaviria was not far behind and Jana walked past the guards and down the stairs. When she got to the bottom landing, she looked over her shoulder. There was a wide grin peeled across his face. He handed his drink to one of the guards and followed.

  The boat was lashed into position underneath the bungalow, but Stone looked at it one last time. It was too dark to see Cade behind the wheel but Stone knew he was there. The waters were angry and the wind had begun to pick up in earnest. A loud crack of thunder rumbled as the approaching storm announced itself. He shook his head and yelled underneath the bungalow, trying to make himself heard over the crashing of the waves. “Just hang on. It won’t be long now.” He slipped around the side and peered up the hill. “That’s her!” he yelled. “She’s coming.”

  Stone was just about to hop through an open window on the side of the bungalow but took one more glance back. He watched Gaviria close on Jana.

  Gaviria hugged her from behind and pulled her to him. She smiled and feigned a most flirtatious laugh. Stone could just hear their voices. He put one leg through the window but stopped as he heard footsteps pounding. Two bodyguards thundered down the boardwalk in their direction. Then, Stone heard yelling.