Dirty Deeds(72)

I balanced myself at the edge of the boat, holding the end of the long nylon rope, and swan-dived into the water. I landed with barely a splash and then started doing a fast but silent crawl toward the boat, the end of the rope now held between my teeth. If I wanted Alana to get away, she had to have a boat to take her back home and the Double Eagle would quickly drifted away if it wasn’t tethered.

Though it was the tropics, the water was cold after a few minutes and I felt my muscles cramping up. I pushed through it and kept on swimming until I was in the light froth of the wake. If the ketch had been going any faster, I wouldn’t have been able to catch it.

I reached the small set of stairs at the back and tied the rope around it. Above me was a zodiac, hoisted above the water and ready to be lowered at a moment’s notice but I couldn’t count on that to get away.

After I spent a moment to catch my breath, I hoisted myself up the rest of the way and ended up on the back part of the boat. There was second cockpit here, complete with couches and tables full of spilled champagne but there was no one around. I waited in the shadows, listening. In the kitchen area on the second flybridge, the party with the hookers was going on. I wanted to go up further than that. I wanted the person at the controls.

Silently I climbed, staying hidden and stealthy until I was at the top level. Turns out one of the women was up here. I could hear from her moans and I peered over a seat, I could see her beside the fat man at the wheel, his dick in her mouth.

Sorry sweetheart, I thought. Party’s over.

I crept up slowly until I was right behind him. They were both so into it that they couldn’t even notice me if I tried. Without standing up, I slipped my hands over the head rest of the chair, hovering for a second on either side of his head. Then I clamped my hands together and twisted quickly until I heard a crack.

The man’s head slumped. I heard a gasp and stood above the woman. She opened her mouth to scream. I drove the edge of my hand into her neck. She was knocked out cold. She would die anyway when the ship blew up but I didn’t want to kill her with my hands if I didn’t have to.

If I had to though, that was a different story.

I was about to leave when I had a second thought and searched the dead man’s pockets. There were no guns on him but there was a giant pocketknife that could come in handy. I gripped it firmly in my hand and then made my way down the side of the boat, slithering down out of sight until I was just outside of the kitchen.

The thin man was doing a line of coke with the other woman. He looked like he was going to be a bit more of a problem. Some men fought like unpredictable animals while high and he looked like the type you didn’t want to underestimate. If the fat man had been the muscle, this was the guy who did Este’s dirty work. This was how it was passed down in the business. When Este thought he’d take over Javier’s position, this guy would take over Esteban’s. Then one day he would betray him in an order to rise to the top and the circle of the cartel life would continue.

Unfortunately for them, the circle was stopping here.

I watched the two of them for a moment while scoping out the shadows. Este had to be downstairs with Alana, which made things a lot trickier in the long run but at least here these two would be easier to deal with that way.

I decided to go for the woman first. I didn’t want to kill if I didn’t have to but she looked like she liked to scream, in bed and another wise. I’d take her out first and then deal with him.

I moved to the back of the kitchen and then slinked inside at a low crouch, hiding behind the kitchen island. They were on the white sofas, doing their lines off the coffee table. His back was to me, her face was facing my direction.

I popped my head up, waiting until she saw me, the recognition popping in her eyes, then I threw the switchblade. It sailed straight and true through the air and hit here right in the eye socket, lodging itself deep into her brain.

She gurgled and then keeled over just as the man was springing to his feet, ready to fight.

I was ready to fight too.

I leaped up onto the kitchen island, picked up a bottle of wine and broke the end of it off while he tried to tackle my legs. I jumped up again, out of his grasp and brought the jagged end of the bottle down on the top of his head. It dug into his skin and he yelled but he was a tough cookie.

I landed on the ground and rolled away to the couched, yanking the knife out of the woman’s eye and then throwing at the man but he was already ducking behind the couch back. The knife landed hard into a wood post instead.

I jumped at the man and made a few punches which he blocked, then he tried to swipe me out from my feet. I twisted backward and ducked as he came at me, then I plowed forward at an angle until he was rammed back over the couch.