With Friends Like These....Part X

[Robbie C.]

When he saw the candle flickering in the main cabin porthole he smiled. She was there. Pausing at the base of the gangplank to gather himself, he headed up and then down into the saloon. “You still awake, baby?” he called, shrugging off his dark suit coat.

Her voice echoed from the aft stateroom. “In here. I was just reading over some of the stuff Angie has for Caitlin’s House. Programs. Fun stuff they can do while they get help.”

He stepped in and found her sitting on the bed, colorful brochures and a thick report spread out in front of her. “There’s so much to do, and I don’t know if she’s got the right people there to help her. With the papers, not the girls.”

“Maybe you could help her. Seems like you know your way around this stuff.”

“Some. Daddy tried to get me to go to business school. I still remember bits of it.” She looked up and her expression changed. “What is it?”

“Jenny, do you know a woman named Monaele? Or did you know her?”

“That’s a name I don’t want to hear.”

“I know, baby. And I’m sorry. But it came up.”

“How? Were you looking into what I was? I told you everything.”

“No, Jenny. Nothing like that. She’s part of a case.” He sat down next to her, and his heart shrank when she shifted away from him. “You said you were afraid of something from your past? It could be her.”

“What case? I don’t understand.”

“Someone was ratting out middlemen in drug deals.” He told her what they knew, knowing it was breaking protocol but also that it was the only way he’d get anything from her. “Stan and Randy met them first. Her and some guy calling himself Frank. We know his real name, too.”

“She never ran drugs before. Just art. Like me.”

“That’s what Customs said about her. She had plastic surgery two years or so back to change her face.” He reached over and took her hand, glad she didn’t pull away. “And I can see why you didn’t like Gina. She looked like her before she had the surgery.”

“You’re right. I never thought of that before. I haven’t been fair with her, have I?”

“It’s fine, baby. You’ll get to know her as you work with her.”

“But that’s not what we’re talking about, is it? How long has Moni been in Miami?”

“Not long. They were bringing drugs down from Lauderdale. Offloading them in a small boat.”

“That’s how she moved her paintings. Moni was always into paintings. I told her she’d get caught. They were too valuable. Got the wrong people interested. But she didn’t listen. Moni never listens.”

“Why did you think she was after you?”

She looked up at him, and he could see tears in her blue eyes. “She told me. On marine band radio one night when I was working on Vellamo.”

“She called you?”

“No. Just a transmission. I knew her voice. All she said was ‘I’m coming for you, Goldie.’ That’s what she always called me.” She looked down again. “She was one of the ones who thought I should be a good little rich girl and just go to parties. Even though her parents were richer than mine.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry. And I wasn’t sure she was close until you told me just now.”

“This is important, Jenny. What can you tell me about her?”

“We worked together for a couple of months. Two rich girls on one boat.” She giggled. “No one paid attention to girls in bikinis. But that’s all it was. I never…”

“Not my business if you did. But why does she hate you?”

“She thinks I turned her in. She got picked up in Bermuda two weeks after we stopped working together. She was taking crazy risks.” She looked up at him and smiled. “I take my risks in the bedroom, not in the business. She tried for too big a score and got arrested. She bought her way out, but I heard she was convinced I must have tipped the cops off. But by then I’d gotten involved with that asshole you locked up and moved my operation to Florida.”

“And now they’re trying to corner the drug trade. Or think they are. Stan talked about it like a pawnbroker taking out rivals.”

“Yes. Stan knows the streets, baby. She’s doing it the way we would have in the islands. Remove the other middlemen so you’re the one people have to deal with if they want paintings, sculptures, whatever. And we never risked the boat. Always rafts. Easier to buy a new raft than a boat.”

“And that’s what she’s doing now. I pushed her hard tonight. Or more like her boyfriend or cousin or whatever he is. Wouldn’t be surprised if he pissed his pants.”

“If he’s who I think he is, he probably got a hard on. You’re more his type than she is, and he likes to be slapped around.”

“Well shit.” Sonny looked down at the bedspread for a moment. “Didn’t see that coming.”

She giggled. “He’s not dangerous. She is. Be very careful.”

“You should be, too. You’re the one she wants. Me? I’m just transportation for the product.”

She grabbed his hand. “Promise me you’ll be careful. She’s capable of way more than you think.”

“I can get you a protective detail…”

“No. I have my pistol and you. But I can’t lose you, Sonny.”

“You won’t, darlin’. You have my word. And I gotta look out for you. I can’t lose you, either.”

“You won’t.” She pushed the papers aside and pulled him down to her. “I’ll tell you everything I know about her later. But now…I need you.”

 

“And that’s all she said?”

Sonny looked at Rico, trying hard to hide his annoyance. “Yeah. It is. She worked with her for a few months down in Bermuda and some of the other islands. She said this lady has a thing for paintings and likely a grudge because she thinks Jenny tipped off the cops down there before she left. Oh, and she said she never slept with her if that’s what you were after.”

“Easy, Sonny. I’m just checkin’ is all.”

Sonny sighed. “I know, Rico. I’m sorry I flew off the handle. But she was upset last night. She’s not saying it, but this girl scares her. From what I saw last night she’s a cold bitch for sure. Nasty eyes. He’s just decoration.” He turned to look out the window, still sorting through his feelings. It wasn’t like him to snap at Rico. Not these days, anyhow. But he had. “How’d the Feebs do last night?”

“Well, I hear from a buddy over in Metro-Dade that they fielded some calls for units to respond to some kind of street disturbance. Seems the Feds got egged by kids near the Double Trey marketplace. The uniforms got a few drug arrests in, too, and the Feds weren’t especially open about what they were doing in a known gang and drug area.”

“You think they’re hooked?”

“That I don’t know. Like as not they’re trying to figure out what the hell we’re after in that neck of the woods.”

“Well, I’m sure Stan has something nice and juicy cooked up for them.” He grinned. “Is Castillo up to speed?”

“Yeah, partner. He’s got the buy money ready for tonight.”

“Stan must have told you. Sorry, partner. Like I said…”

“Yeah. I get it. Hell, I can’t even bitch at you ‘cause I’d do the same for Mindy. It’s a sad Goddamned day when Ricardo Tubbs can’t chew Sonny Crockett’s ass for putting a lady first when he’s doing the same thing.”

“So what about tonight? I think I got the Burnett scare into ‘em.”

“According to Randy you did more than that. The girl couldn’t stop asking about you. The fruit already knew some, though. Maybe more than he let on before.”

“I tried to sell you up as having tons of cash but no patience.”

“Solid. You think we could get them tonight?”

“Yeah. I just don’t know if we want to. Let’s see what Marty has to say about it.”

“Do you think there are more people involved?” Castillo sat at his desk, looking up from the night’s activity reports.

“I don’t know, captain.” Sonny shrugged. “We never got that far. Jenny says this lady likes to work alone, but she doesn’t know much about the guy. And if he’s the one bringing the product to the table he might have more people behind him.”

“But why are they working together? It’s not romantic, and they both come from money.” Rico shook his head. “Gotta be more than two bored rich kids if you ask me.”

“Find out. I don’t want them taken down until we know for sure.”

“The why.” Sonny walked back into the conference room and stared at the map. “Burnett would want to know the why if he was taking them out. We’ve got the what and some of the how. But why the hell are they doing it?”

Stan came out of the Tech Room. “And I got another question. What are we gonna do with the Feds tonight? We’re gonna be thin on the ground.”

“Don’t you have some tape cooked up?”

“Oh, yeah. More than they can handle. But I don’t want to overuse that one. We got a good hit last night, but we either gotta show ‘em something tonight or come up with a reason we’re not moving.”

Rico nodded. “We’re almost fully committed tonight. Only the captain, Trudy, and Mindy won’t be in the field with us.”

“Is there something we can have them do?” Stan looked from Sonny to Rico. “They’ll know Castillo doesn’t work operations much, so seeing him leave should send them into fits.”

“Give it some thought. Both of you. See if Lester has any ideas, too. But we can’t take too long on it.” Sonny turned back toward the office. “We gotta be in character in under six hours.”

In the end Pete solved the problem for them, although not by design. Castillo came out of his office just before four and motioned for Sonny and Rico. “I just got a call from the chief deputy. He wants a coordination meeting in an hour.”

“In other words he wants company for dinner.”

Castillo’s smile was thin. “Something like that. But it means I can take Trudy and Mindy and draw off our friends across the street. Trudy and I will take one car, she can take another.”

Sonny nodded. “It should work. According to Lester’s last update they only have two mobile units on hand. The other one got called off for some mob stakeout.”

“Clear the office as soon as they’re gone. You’ll have to set up for the operation somewhere else, but it’s a small price.”

“Stan’s got everything pretty much ready to go.” Sonny looked down at his dark suit and smiled. “I’m already in costume, and Rico’s always ready to strut his stuff.”

Rico nodded. “I’ll secure the buy money in the Caddy. Stan’s already got his.”

“Good. Do you think you’ll make the buy tonight?”

“If it all goes to plan, yes.” Sonny nodded toward Stan and Randy. “They’re moving their product with me, so it’s just a matter of picking it up. I’ll be using the Scarab, so I expect they’ll give me coordinates or a landmark for the exchange assuming the meet goes down. Any real exchange will be on the water.”

“It’s rushed. More than I like.” Castillo shook his head. “But with the FBI getting in the way we don’t have much choice. I’ll expect a full debrief in the morning.”

Rico watched Castillo walk away. “He’s not ok with this.”

“I know. I ain’t happy, either. But it’s the hand we’ve been dealt. Be a hell of a lot easier if those discount G-Men weren’t dogging our damned heels. Let’s check in with Stan and Randy and make sure we’ll all on the same page.”

Stan and Lester were doing final checks on the comm gear when Sonny walked in. “We heard the captain,” Stan said as he checked the batteries in one of the watch-microphones. “We’ll be ready to move in five. Randy and I have the hogs downstairs, and we’ll be in costume and moving as soon as Lester and Dave have the Roach Coach on the street. We’ll kill some time riding around and meet you two at the club.”

Lester was still wearing his headphones, and he grinned. “And they’re off! The Feds just sent both units after the captain and Mindy. They’re pretty much blind now, especially if you use the side exit from the garage.”

Stan chuckled. “No time to chat, girls. We got work to do.” He leaned past Sonny in the door. “Hey, Patch! Get ready to roll!”

“Goddamnit I’m ready!” Randy’s voice echoed back from the other office. “Get your fat ass down there, Biggs!”

Sonny chuckled. “We’ll see you there.”

Rico waited until the others were gone. “How do you want to play this?”

“I came down hard on that Hoffmann punk last night. I might just keep pressing him unless he gives me reason not to. Her? No clue. I’m curious to see if she comes out as the boss once money’s on the table.”

“I think I’ll play Cooper cool and impatient this time out. You say you set me up as having been cut out of a deal and looking to replace weight in a hurry?”

“More or less, yeah. Best thing I could think of to tack you into the deal.  It also keeps Burnett in the crosshairs as a target middleman.”

“But with the option to keep you around because you know people.” Rico nodded. “Solid. I got it.”

Sonny had always admired his partner’s ability to shift between covers in what felt like seconds. He had fun-loving Cooper, hard-ass Cooper, the Jamaican Prentiss, and likely a few more waiting in the wings. Sonny just had Burnett. But Burnett was like the old friend you just couldn’t get rid of no matter how many times he screwed up because he was useful. And it was Burnett who remembered the look in Jenny’s eyes when he’d mentioned the name Monaele.

They left ten minutes later, Rico lugging the locked briefcase of money. They took their own cars, planning to meet behind the club a few minutes before the meeting just to get things set. Sonny pulled out into traffic, fighting the urge to head back to the marina right away. He’d need to later to get the Scarab, but he knew if he went now he’d just want to stay with Jenny.

Instead he drove, letting the Ferrari make its way through the familiar streets following the flow of traffic. He’d lost track of how many times he’d driven some of them, but he remembered each scumbag he’d taken down on each street corner or chased down each dark alley. Going all the way back to his days in uniform. He shook his head. I wonder what that cop would think if he saw me now? Probably not much. I wasn’t green even then. Not after Da Nang and Vietnam. But he’d changed in the last two years…more than he realized or maybe wanted to admit.

He tried to focus on the meeting, on what he’d do when he got in the club with those two Nazis. But his mind kept wandering back to Jenny. And how much he’d changed after Caitlin was murdered. When he realized he’d brought it all on himself.

Weak streetlights dripped golden light onto the parking lot, doing little to dispel the gloom. Between sunset and now clouds had rolled in thick and menacing, blotting out the stars and holding the dank late afternoon heat hostage. Sonny grimaced as he stepped out of the Ferrari and spotted Rico’s Caddy. “And we get shit weather. Welcome back to Maimi, Cooper.”

Rico grinned. “Can’t say’s I care much for the weather, Burnett. They keep forecasting snow and all we get is this shit.”

“Might be a new front rolling in. We’ll know in a few minutes.” Grinning, he gestured toward the club. “Let’s go check out the weather.”

He could have sworn the dump only had one mix tape, and they kept the speakers cranked so no one could tell. The place was packed just he same, but he spotted a gap in the crowd and knew that would be where he’d find Stan and Randy and the two Nazis. Bikers scared the pretend beautiful people, and they always gave the two men space.

Sonny forged through the crowd, opening a hole for Rico to follow. Dark glasses on, he looked like some sort of black granite statue, and the frozen look on his face worked like a hand to push people aside. Burnett was on full power, slipping into place with no though or direction on his part.

Stan looked up and shouted a greeting. “Burnett! Over here, man. We got a pitcher.”

“Biggs! I see Ken and Barbie made it back.” Sonny swept his gaze over the two, feigning indifference. “This here’s Rico Cooper.”

Hoffmann got to his feet and extended his hand. “A pleasure, Mr. Cooper. I’m Frank.”

Rico shook his hand with the genial Cooper smile glued to his face. “A pleasure, I hope. And who’s your companion?”

“Moni. She handles my transportation.”

Sonny watched her face, but nothing changed. Maybe that is what she does. But it doesn’t explain her control of the deals. Maybe she’s a babysitter for someone in addition to the driver. And maybe I should have told Rico the guy’s gay. He does seem kinda taken with ol’ Cooper there.

“Does she talk?”

“Not much. But she is good at what she does. Much like I hear your associate Burnett is good at his job.”

“And if we’re done playing The Dating Game I’d like to do my job.” He nodded to Stan and Randy. “Biggs and Patch already got their deal in place. I told Cooper you might be able to help cover some of his shortfall.”

Rico nodded. “At least forty. This time.”

“This time?”

“Of course. I prefer long-term arrangements. That’s why I move everything through Burnett when I’m in Miami. I know his work and trust it. I prefer to know and trust product as well. Nothing’s worse for business than shoddy or erratic product.” He smiled. “I’m sure you’d agree.”

“Yes. Of course.”

“It does beg the question, though, pal. You say you’ve heard of me. If your product’s so damned good how come I ain’t heard of you?”

Randy looked over. “Man’s got a point, Frankie. This ain’t my turf, but it is Burnett’s.”

“We have been working more in the Lauderdale area.” Hoffmann did his best to control the twitches in his face, and Sonny could see sweat beading on his forehead. “Only now are we coming into the Miami market.”

“Coming in or getting pushed to?” Sonny decided to press a bit. “The way I hear it crack’s getting big there. And some of those boys are out of your league.”

“How do you know my league, as you say?”

“Simple, pal. If you’ve heard of me and I ain’t heard of you that means I’m in a bigger league than you are. But this gets us nowhere. Is the deal happening or not?”

“Ours is.” Randy’s voice was firm. “I’m tired of fucking Miami and I want to put this money I got to work.”

Rico raised his hand. “I want to test the product. I don’t do business on word alone, no matter how much I trust the person who’s talking.”

Hoffmann snapped his fingers, and Monaele started to reach inside her bra.

“No. I want to test product from the actual shipment. You two really are amateurs. Why would I trust whatever she pulls out of her bra? The boobs could be fake, and the coke could be of much higher quality than the actual shipment.”

Sonny watched as her eyes turned mean, but she didn’t rise to Rico’s bait. She’s got more control than I thought she would. This girl’s damned dangerous. “Look. We can do the test when we do the exchange. If the product’s bad, Cooper pays less for it. The way it was clouding up out there we might be in for a storm, and if you’re gonna insist on doing the deal on the water we’d better get a damned move on.”

“Very well.” Hoffmann reached into the inside pocket of his suit coat and pulled out a slip of paper. “Meet us at these coordinates in one hour. Use your navigation lights, but have the red ones blink. We will do the same, but with green. We will bring the product to you in a Zodiac. Two trips. One for Biggs and Patch, who will pay. The second for Mr. Cooper, who will test and then pay.”

Sonny looked at Rico, who nodded. “Fair enough. Just don’t fuck with me.”

Randy’s voice was a growl. “Or us. Bikers is damed good at gettin’ even.”

“We will see you in an hour.” Hoffman helped Monaele to her feet and they headed for the front of the club.

“The Scarab’s at the marina, guys. We’ll meet you there.” Sonny looked at Rico as Stan and Randy headed for the door. “I don’t like this.”

“I don’t either, partner. You got those spiders?”

“No. It’s the damndest thing. I don’t.”

“I gotta ask. What does Burnett think?”

“We got ‘em hooked. As soon as you said long term supply her eyes lit up. Now let’s go get the boat and get this damned thing done.”

The wind had picked up, slapping the ocean into a rough dance. There was no rain, but the air hinted at the possibility sooner instead of later. Sonny shot a quick look at the Dance, almost relived when he didn’t see a candle flickering. She must have stayed with Angie. She’d mentioned that if the meeting went too long. It saved explaining why he was firing up the big engines in the Scarab and loading the other three men on board. “It’ll be a bit rough out there,” he announced as he backed the boat away from the dock and turned her bow toward the ocean. “Get as comfortable as you can.”

Randy groaned. “I hate the Goddamned ocean. Remind me not to shoot one of those bastards when we get there.”

Sonny grinned, opening the throttles as wide as he dared. They’d make good time, but he had to be careful not to capsize or overturn in the rough sea. He’d plotted the coordinates Hoffmann had given him before pulling away from the dock, and he checked both the chart and the compass as they plowed through the choppy seas. It was just rough enough he had to focus on his piloting, and for once he was glad for the bad weather. It kept him from worrying about Jenny.

Checking his watch, he looked at the compass and markings on the chart one last time. “We’re almost there. Rico, hit the blinker switch on the red nav lights, would you? I gotta keep enough power on to hold us steady in this weather.”

Randy came up from below, his face pale and drawn in the faint light from the small lamp above the chart table. “This damned carnival ride almost over?”

“The first part, Patch. Now we just gotta watch for their damned Christmas lights.” Sonny shook his head. “They may be shitty drug runners, but they know a thing or two about smuggling. Or she does, at least.”

Stan wasn’t quite as pale as Randy, but he looked uncomfortable and kept a good grip on the rail. “I think I got ‘em over there.” He pointed into the gloom. “Just off the bow.”

Sonny followed his arm and nodded. “Yeah. I got ‘em. And smaller lights. They already launched the damned Zodiac.” He nodded to Randy. “Best keep that .45 ready. I don’t trust these assholes.”

“You and me both.”

Over the wind and thumping engines of the Scarab Sonny could make out the higher-pitched motor of the inflatable raft. It bounced over the water, moving fast and with purpose. As it drew near it slowed, and he heard Hoffmann’s voice. “Throw us a line!”

“You heard the man, Biggs!” Sonny watched as Stan picked up one of the lines coiled on the Scarab and tossed it to the other man. Correction, one of the other men. Sonny could pick out at least three on the Zodiac. And one of them was clutching something that glittered metallic in the gloom. “Your pal there tries anything funny with that UZI, Frank, you’re dead.” Sonny pulled his own pistol.

“Security. I’m sure you understand.”

“Yep. And like I said, my security is right here and aimed at your head. Patch, you wanna take care of your business first?”

“Yeah.” Randy hauled out a gym bag. “Come on over, boy, an’ get your reward.”

The two craft were next to each other now, the Zodiac bobbing like a cork in a Jacuzzi while the heavier Scarab rode the waves with a bit more grace. Hoffman scrambled aboard with the solid moves of someone accustomed to the sea and flicked on a flashlight so he could check the money. Satisfied, he waved his arm and duffle bags began coming over the side. “You may check them if you wish.”

“Naw. We’re good. And if we’re not I’ll find you and shove your balls up your nose.” Randy turned. “Biggs, check for weight an’ content, though. It all better be coke and it all better be there.”

Stan moved fast. “It’s all here, Patch. We’re good.”

Nodding, Hoffmann turned to Rico. “And now, Mr. Cooper. Your business.” He waved again and a single bag came over the side. “Your test.”

Nodding, Rico pulled out an ivory-handled pocketknife and slit open the plastic covering one of the one kilo bricks. He pulled it from the middle of the bag and scraped off a small bit from the brick, dropping it into a test kit and snapping it to combine the chemicals. Seconds later he examined it under the chart light and smiled. “We have a deal.” He pulled out the attache case and popped the locks. “Paid in full.”

Hoffman flipped through the money, checking for blank paper under a layer of real bills. Then he gave a final wave and the rest of the coke came over the side in the now-familiar bags. Hoffmann tossed the attache case down into the raft. “And you had said something about a longer term arrangement?”

“Yeah. But I need more than forty keys.”

“We can meet your needs?”

“Big talk. Can you handle a hundred keys a week?”

“Yes.” Sonny saw no hesitation in the man’s eyes or body language. And that gave him pause. Just how big was daddy’s crop anyhow? “Maybe twice that.”

“A week?”

“A hundred? Yes. Two hundred might take a bit more work, but we can manage that, too.”

“I’ll need to talk with my associates. How can I contact you?”

Hoffmann didn’t hesitate. “Put a call out on Marine Band each night at 2300 hours exactly once you have your answer from your associates. Say ‘accepted.’ Nothing more. When you hear me answer ‘affirmative’ meet us the following night at the club where we first met.”

“No.”

“What?”

“You heard me, chump. That club sucks. Rico Cooper doesn’t do clubs that suck. We’ll meet at Rumours the following night at ten. You’ll dig it. Better sound system and the drinks are solid.”

“Very well. But if we don’t hear from you in a week we will assume the arrangement is off.” Without another word Hoffmann scrambled back down to the raft and cast off the line. Soon the black craft was bobbing back across the water toward the larger ship.

“You get a look at that thing?” Sonny asked Randy. “I see you down there with the night glasses.”

“Not as good a one as I’d like. Sailboat, though. Bigger than the thing you live on, too. Looks like it might have two masts.”

“Could you see a name? Hull numbers?”

“Naw. Too dark. And it looks like they had the back covered with a tarp.”

Rico nodded. “Makes sense. They’re careful.”

Sonny shoved the throttles as far open as was safe in the rough sea. “And we gotta look that way, too, gents. Hang on. We’re headin’ back.”

Stan looked back at the fading shadow of the boat. “Head for the old fishing docks down by the canal mouth, Sonny. Lester should be meeting us there with a truck. Gotta sell Patch’s deal just in case they got eyes on. We’ll stay with you and pick up our bikes at the marina.”

“Good thinking, Stan. I was all set to just drive up the damned coast.”

The bigger cop grinned. “Sometimes I am more than just a pretty face.”

“Yeah. That you are.” Sonny chuckled, feeling some of the Burnett tension slide away. But he knew he wouldn’t be fully out of cover until the last of the product was secure and he was back with Jenny. And even then he wasn’t sure.

Lester and Dave were waiting by the dilapidated dock in a rusty pickup perfect for their redneck disguises. Dave, complete with a trucker mesh Budweiser cap, hopped out and helped Stan load while the other two stood guard, Lester toting a nasty-looking cut down shotgun and looking every inch a crank runner from the swaps.

Finishing up, Randy slapped Dave on the shoulder and jumped back on the boat. The truck was gone in seconds, its lone headlight blazing a rough path through rain that had finally started to fall. Sonny headed back out to sea, staying near the coast and using the Scarab’s limited navigation radar to watch for anyone in pursuit. He wouldn’t put it past these two to radio ahead and have someone waiting.

Rico watched the glowing screen. “I’d feel better if I knew where those two were going.”

“You and me both, partner. But if they’ve been smuggling as long as I think they have, especially her, any kind of overwatch would tip them off. It’s a risk, and it’s on my head if they just disappear. But I don’t think they will. The greed in that dude’s eyes was bright enough to read a book by.”

“Yeah, and it’s his daddy’s coke that’s makin’ the money. I still don’t get her role. If it’s just transportation, why does she have so much control. We know it ain’t sex.”

“Unless she has a brother he’s hot for.” Sunny grinned. “But yeah, there’s some moving pieces in this I don’t have a handle on just yet.”

Stan sat back on the cushions, looking more comfortable with the rough water now. “”How are we gonna handle the Feebs next time? Granted Randy and I won’t be playing biker, so there will be more people to man the screen. And sooner or later those morons are gonna make a wrong move and set something off.”

“Maybe Castillo got something at his meeting with Pete.” Randy’s voice floated up from the Scarab’s small cabin. “I don’t think that one was faked.”

“I think you’re right.” Sonny let the possibilities float around in his head as he guided the big boat through the falling rain and rough water, glad he’d pulled a rain jacket out of the locker as soon as the deal was done. There were enough for all of them, but Randy stayed below and Stan make some offhand comment about his ‘monthly bath’ and just let the rain roll off his biker leather. “Maybe he found out who authorized their tap and all that damned activity. Someone had to sign off on it if they’re throwing that many field agents at us. Hell, last I heard the Miami FBI office couldn’t mount a decent stakeout without some outside help.”

“Yeah, but we still better have a plan. Like I said, Lester and I have tapes galore we can turn loose on ‘em, but that only works for so long. And we can’t bumble around too long. Some of them gotta know our reputations from OCB and they won’t buy it. Even if their boss does.”

“You got a point, Stan.” Rico nodded, pulling the hood of his jacket up to keep the rain out of his eyes. “We might have to take a swing at Double G and his boys just to get them to buy in. Hell, I ain’t opposed, mind. That chump needs to go down. But we’re fully committed chasing these two ghosts.”

Sonny nodded, feeling his mind slip back into cold Burnett planning mode. “I still need the why. Give me that, and I’ll break those two. Double G’s easy. He went for the easy money to keep his posse together. We can’t cut off the crack. It’s too easy to make. But we can feed the AUSA the information we gathered when we took down Doc and they can use that to get some warrants issued. And if we can find any evidence that crack or any of its components comes from outside Florida…”

“It’s an interstate case and the Feebs HAVE to take it.” Rico grinned. “Genius.”

“Or they can use that fancy RICO toy of theirs to go after him. Between Delgado’s heroin and this he’s clearly a criminal enterprise.” Sonny looked at Stan. “Do you know if Mindy and Gina ever finished processing all that intel?”

“I think so. Most of it, at least.”

“Mindy hasn’t said anything.” Rico shook his head. “We’ll find out in the morning.”

“Yeah. But I still need the why for our twins. Damn it.” Sonny stared out through the rain, imagining he could see the faint shape of a twin-masted sailboat out in the darkness. Give me the why and I can give you both of them on a platter.

It was after midnight when Sonny idled the Scarab back into its spot on the marina dock. Stan jumped over and made the lines fast, and he shut down the two big engines with a sigh. Randy and Stan departed soon after, their big bikes thundering as they headed off down streets slick with rain. Rico watched them go, then turned to Sonny. “Feel like a drink, partner?”

He looked over at the boat, still seeing no candle. “Sure. I’m guessing with the storm Jenny just crashed at the house. She had another meeting with Angie, and said it might run late.”

Rico hefted one of the bags. “You wanna grab the other one? We can get ‘em loaded and then come back.”

“Naw. Let’s keep ‘em close by. No point in tempting any of the punks down the dock. We got some younger rich kids in now, and they seem to like to check out other people’s cars.”

Sonny switched on the single overhead in the saloon, bathing the small space in a warm yellow glow. Rico set the bag down and whistled. “I keep forgettin’ how nice this tub can look in the right light.”

“Yeah. She’s got lots of memories. Mostly good now, thank God.”

“And I don’t have to worry about some refugee from a shoe factory eatin’ my feet.” Rico did a little shuffle dance before he sat down. “Elvis was cool an’ all, but…”

“Yeah. He didn’t belong on no damned boat. I think Jenny misses him some days, but to tell the truth I was gettin’ kind of tired of cleaning up gator shit.” Sonny grinned and pulled two bottles from the sideboard. “Scotch?”

“Joo got it.” Rico grinned, watching Sonny pour a full measure for him and a similar slug of Black Jack for himself. He raised his glass. “To the first part of a job well done.”

Sonny smiled and raised his glass. But inside he wasn’t so sure. It was the first part, no question. But had they done it well? He wasn’t sold on that. Not until they had a second meeting lined up.

“How well do you think Jenny really knows this girl?”

“Pretty well. Better than she said, at least. I don’t know how far back they go, but she said the girl comes from money. I’ll bet if we do a sweep through Interpol stuff she’ll come up as being tied to the Hoffmann family somehow.”

“And money means good lawyers.”

“Yeah. So we gotta wrap this one up tight, partner.” He took a drink, feeling the bourbon bite the back of his throat. It almost made him want a beer instead, and he smiled at the change. “If they’re connected those families managed to duck justice at least once before.”

“Not in our house.” Rico’s jaw set in a stubborn line. “Not this time.”

[vicegirl85]

The suspense is killing me!  And I have to admit, I'm worried about Jenny's whereabouts ...

[Robbie C.]

Heh. All will be revealed in due course.

[mjcmmv]

1 hour ago, vicegirl85 said:

The suspense is killing me!  And I have to admit, I'm worried about Jenny's whereabouts ...

Like she said, "Where's Jenny???????"

[mjcmmv]

Another good one. This villain is a beauty-in more ways than one. Sonny has his hands full. And with Jenny in danger, I hope he can stay focused.