BLACK COBRA (Aaron Quinn thriller series, No. 2) (17 page)

Just then a woman with long red hair appeared in the hatch Katya had just come through. The woman was clutching a paper cup in each hand, spilling most of their contents while ducking through the low opening.

“Oh, hi,” the woman said, seeing Katya. “Who are you?”

“Uh — my name is Ekatarina,” Katya said, a little off guard. The woman was
very
pretty. “Who are you?”

“I’m Brandy,” she said, glancing down at her alcohol soaked fingers. “I’d shake your hand, but —”

“That’s okay,” Katya said quickly. “I was looking for my date. His name is Aaron and I really need to find him.”

“Aaron Quinn?” Brandy said, surprised.

“You know him?” Katya said.

“We’ve met,” Brandy said curtly, still harboring a grudge for what happened in Panama. “But I haven’t seen him.” She gave Katya a quick look up and down, as if to determine whether or not she was worthy of him.

“I’m here with Jason Beckham,” she boasted, as if he were a famous celebrity. “He’s currently in a meeting, but I expect him back soon.”

“You’ll have to excuse me, Brandy, but I —”

“
Looking for me?
” a man’s voice said from behind.

Katya whirled around and swallowed hard, certain she was facing one of the men plotting the assassination.

“Oh, hi, Jason,” Brandy said. “We were just talking about you.” She handed him the remains of one of the paper-cup cocktails and gestured toward Katya. “This is Ekatarina. She’s looking for Aaron.”

Jason was struck by Katya’s rare beauty. “Jason Beckham,” he said, offering her his hand. “You must be Captain Pankov’s daughter.”

Katya hesitated, and then shook Jason’s hand quickly, as if he were a leper. There was no doubt he was one of them.
I can’t believe I’m touching one of the men plotting to kill the President of the United States!
She shuddered and glanced around for a good place to throw up.

Jason was accustomed to women being uncomfortable in his presence, and normally it was due to his irresistible charm and powerful, animal magnetism. However, Ekatarina clearly found him repulsive, and this was new to him, and he didn’t appreciate it.

Suddenly Katya spotted the hatch near the helm controls, and kicked herself, thinking,
That’s that hatch leading to the Captain’s Cabin, you idiot! Not the other one!
If only she hadn’t blundered into Compartment Four. Life would have been a whole lot simpler!

She looked at Jason and Brandy and forced herself to be polite. “I-it was nice meeting you,” she said. “But if you will excuse me, I have to go find my date. Maybe we’ll see you at the party.”

“What party?” Brandy said sarcastically, gesturing to the vacant space surrounding them.

Katya laughed nervously then waved a quick goodbye and ducked through the hatch in search of Aaron.

Jason was shocked to hear that Aaron was Ekatarina’s date. The very idea of a punk like him being with a woman of her caliber, a woman he would clearly never have, turned him to stone. He made a mental note to rectify the situation as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Chapter 44

Finally, Katya was in Compartment Two. She made her way down the corridor to the Captain’s Cabin and was relieved to see that the door was open. She peeked inside and saw Aaron seated on the bunk reading something tacked to the wall. At his feet were a few playing cards, scattered randomly about.

She tapped on the doorframe.

“Oh — hi, Katya,” Aaron said. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back. Did you get everything locked up?”

“I need to talk to you,” Katya whispered quickly.

Aaron stood up from the bunk. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m not sure,” Katya said, gesturing for him to keep his voice down. She glanced down the corridor toward the Control Room where she’d left Jason and Brandy.

“Come in and shut the door,” Aaron said.

“Somewhere more private,” Katya said.

Aaron could tell by the look in Katya’s eyes that she had something very serious to tell him. He thought of the Forward Torpedo Room next door. It was tucked deep into the bow of the boat, and he doubted there was anywhere more private.

“Follow me,” he said.

He took her hand and led her through the watertight hatch leading next door to Compartment One. He swung the hatch cover shut and cranked the locking handle tight.

---

Katya’s brain hurt. She pressed her fingers to her temples and took a moment to collect herself. “I got lost, and I ended up in the wrong end of this
stupid
submarine. So I was heading back and I overheard two men talking in the Midshipman’s Cabin, with door closed ... a-and I swear on my mother’s grave, Aaron, they were talking about a plot to kill the President of the United States.”

“
What?
”

She knew how ridiculous it sounded, but she had to get it out. “The President is here in San Diego, and he’s going on a VIP cruise on a nuclear submarine ... and these men are planning to torpedo it.”

“That’s the craziest thing I’ve —”

“Why would I feed you a bunch of
lies
, Aaron? I heard them! This is
for real!
” Tears welled in her eyes.

 An icy chill ran down Aaron’s spine as suddenly he recalled that crazy night when he, Jason, and Brandy got drunk together in that nightclub down in Cabo San Lucas. He had assumed that all of the memories of that night had been lost to a severe tequila hangover. But he’d been wrong.

“Did they say when they’re planning to do this?” he said firmly.

“I-I don’t know,” Katya said. “I left before they —.”

“Did you see their faces?”

“No. The door was closed. But I’m positive one of the men was Jason Beckham.”

Aaron ran his hand through his hair. How could this be?
Katya’s wild story was the same story Jason himself had told him and Brandy that night in the Cabo Wabo Cantina!

“We have to tell someone,” he said. “We have to let someone know, and
quickly
.”

He checked his cell phone, but there was no service. “Wait here,” he said. “I need to see if we can get off this boat without attracting attention.”

Katya looked at him doubtfully. “What if someone decides to load a torpedo or something?”

“You’re right,” he said.

He took Katya’s hand and led her out of the Forward Torpedo Room and back into the Captain’s Cabin.

---

Katya sat on the small bunk, looking up at Aaron with fear in her eyes.

“Keep the door locked until I return,” Aaron said. “I won’t be long.”

“Hurry, okay?”

“Like the wind,” he said then stepped out and closed the door behind him.

---

Jason had sent Brandy to the galley for fresh cocktails and had followed Katya into Compartment Two.

He hid in the Ward Room and waited until she and Aaron came out of the Forward Torpedo Room, and then, as soon as Aaron left, he stepped out and walked slowly down the narrow corridor toward the Captain’s Cabin.

Chapter 45

Katya waited alone on the bunk in the Captain’s Cabin, nervously pushing one of the playing cards around with her toe. She heard a click, and saw the door handle slowly turn, but instinctively she knew it wasn’t Aaron, and her heart leaped up into her throat.

She had forgotten to lock it!

She jumped up and tried to shut the door, but the man jammed it with his foot, peering in at her with one eye through the narrow opening.

It was
Jason
.

“Hello, Katya,” he said calmly. “May I come in?”

“W-what are you doing here?” Katya said. “The party’s somewhere else.”

“I’m here to remind you that Aaron is just a boy,” he said, “and that what you really need is a man.”

Katya found that unbearably insulting on many levels. Aaron Quinn was
definitely
not a boy. But she knew it would be best to be friendly and try to calmly discourage Jason.
Keep it cool, Katya. For the love of God, keep it cool.

“You’re right,” she said, struggling to hide the tremble in her voice. “I like real men
way
more than boys. But we can’t be fooling around here on this silly submarine, can we? Someone might see us. Why don’t we meet somewhere more private?” It sounded fake and patronizing and Katya knew she hadn’t done herself any favors.

Jason agreed.

He forced his way in and grabbed her left arm, spinning her around with her back to him, holding her close to his chest. She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip, cupping his free hand firmly over her right breast.

“Why are you fighting me?” he said, teeth clenched. “You know you want it.”

Jason had a death grip on her arm. “Please,” she said. “You’re hurting me ... Please don’t do this.”

Jason’s hand moved from her breast and slid down between her legs. The hot breath on her neck that would normally have turned her on only made her nauseous.
Oh, my God,
she thought.
This can’t be happening. Do something Katya. Don’t give in to him. THINK girl. THINK!

She steeled herself and decided to give the asshole one last thing to consider. “I’ll scream, Jason,” she said. “This cabin door is thin, and I swear to God if you do this I’ll scream so fucking loud your eardrums will bleed and this entire submarine will split in two and sink to the bottom of San Diego
fucking
Bay.”

Jason smiled and flipped open the blade of a long, very sharp knife, holding it flat against her cheekbone. “You do and I’ll kill you,” he said calmly. “Right here — right now. Is that really what you want?”

If that’s what it will take to make you stop,
Katya thought,
then yes!
That’s exactly what I want!

---

Brandy Fine had entered Compartment Two looking for Jason. She had already downed the last two cocktails she had made and had a fresh one in each hand. She was feeling the alcohol and was anxious to get the party started.

 She walked down the narrow corridor checking each room, and when she neared the Captain’s Cabin she heard a scream.

She threw the drinks to one side and tried the door, and to her surprise it opened, and what she saw inside tore through her heart like flying shrapnel: Jason Beckham was sprawled across a struggling, terrified girl named Ekatarina.

“
HEY!
” Brandy shouted. “
What the hell are you DOING?
”

Jason started, easing his hold on Katya, and then he stood and folded his knife into his pocket. Katya jumped up and ran to Brandy, tears flowing down her face.

 “You lousy son-of-a-bitch,” Brandy said, holding Katya tightly in her arms. She wanted to tear Jason’s lungs out and feed them to him with a fork.

Jason just stood there looking smug.

Brandy straightened Katy’s dress and took her by the hand. “Come, sweetie,” she said. “Let’s get you far away from this psychotic
sicko
.”

She led Katya out of the Captain’s Cabin and headed for the nearest watertight hatch: Compartment One, the Forward Torpedo Room.

---

Brandy swung the heavy hatch cover closed, and then turned to Katya, taking her gently by the shoulders. “Let me look at you,” she said, looking her up and down. “Did he hurt you? What did he do to you?”

Katya was trembling, tears and mascara streaming down her cheeks. Brandy could see that an angry bruise was forming on her upper arm. She gave Katya a gentle, swaying hug. Katya hugged her back gratefully.

“H-he had a knife,” Katya said, sobbing. “He said he would —”

“Damn him!” Brandy cried. “I’ll
kill
that fucking asshole.” She picked up a heavy piece of iron pipe. “If Jason Beckham is stupid enough to show his ugly face in here, I’ll crack his
fucking
skull.”

Chapter 46

Just then Richard Fagan drove up and parked along the boardwalk near the Maritime Museum. His girlfriend, Martha, was in the car with him.

“You go on ahead,” he said to her. “I’ll meet you on the sub. I have to make a quick call.”

Martha did as she was told.

Fagan took out his phone and called Captain Henk Zaane, giving him the scheduled departure time for the President’s VIP tour.

“So we’re good to go?” Fagan asked.

“Affirmative,” Captain Zaane said. He would adjust
Neau Islander’s
departure time accordingly. “I’ll churn up some good foam for you.”

Fagan smiled. “You do that, Captain,” he said. “We can use all the cover we can get.”

He hung up and went to find Martha.

Chapter 47

“
You sit here and rest,” Brandy said, helping Katya to a seat in a corner. “Where the hell’s Aaron? Did you ever find him?”

Katya wiped the tears from her face with the backs of her fingers and then relayed everything she’d overheard about the plot to assassinate the President, telling Brandy that Jason Beckham was involved.

Brandy was speechless. Then, just as Aaron had done, she recalled the wild story Jason had told them that night down in Mexico in the Cabo Wabo Cantina.

Oh my dear God
, she thought.
That load of drunken crap Jason fed me and Aaron that night in Cabo was TRUE! Why did we not SEE that?

“Aaron went to see if there’s a safe way for us to get off the submarine,” Katya said. “So he’ll be looking for me. But he thinks I’m in the Captain’s Cabin.”

“I’ll watch for him,” Brandy said. She adjusted her grip on her iron-pipe club, and pulled the hatch cover open a little, leaving it slightly ajar.

---

“How are you feeling?” Brandy asked. “How’s your arm?”

“I guess I’m okay,” Katya said, finding that her new bruise was tender to the touch. “I just wish Aaron would come back so we can get off this god-forsaken
submarine
.”

“You and me both,” Brandy said.

“How long have you known him?” Katya asked.

“Aaron? Oh, just a few weeks,” Brandy said. “We sailed up here to San Diego from the Caymans together, so I got to know him pretty well.”