BLACK COBRA (Aaron Quinn thriller series, No. 2) (8 page)

Jason shot a sheepish glance Fagan’s way: Why he’d thought he could fool someone with his high level of intelligence, he didn’t know.

“Finally,” Pankov said, “as a third incentive, we will have your dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Navy expunged from your record, and in its place, the
honorable
military discharge you deserve.” He took a sip of his coffee, allowing his words to sink in.

Jason’s eyes moistened and he wanted to cry out with joy. Fagan had obviously played a big role in the selection of incentives.

 Stay calm
, he thought.
You still don’t know what you must do in exchange.
He took a sip of coffee and kept his mouth shut.

“We’re looking for someone capable of handling
any and all
submarine operations,” Commander Fagan said, “because that is what will be demanded of each of us. To say we’ll be running a skeleton crew would be a gross understatement, and I thought of you because I know you can handle it.”

“How many crewmen are we talking about?” Jason asked.

“Including you, we’ll have four,” Fagan said.

“
Four?
” Jason said. “Are you serious?” He looked at the others and considered for a moment. “The four at this table, I presume?”

“That’s right,” Fagan said.

Jason paused for a moment. “Who outside this group knows about your plan?”

“Only one other,” Fagan said. “A man whom you’ll meet at a later date.”

Pankov cleared his throat and looked squarely into Jason’s eyes. “Our mission is classified as top-secret, Jason, and must be treated as such, or there will be
deadly
consequences. Do you understand this?”

“Y-yes, of course, Captain,” Jason said.

“What Commander Fagan hasn’t told you,” Pankov went on, “and what I’m prepared to tell you now, is that we are planning an assassination ... a
political assassination
.”

Jason concealed a look of shock. This really
was
serious. “May I ask who it is that we’ll be assassinating?” he ventured.

Captain Pankov glanced at his colleagues, then closed Jason’s dossier and looked at him. “Suffice it to say, the target is a high-ranking official in the United States government.”

“But why the sub?”

“We’re going to take this guy out the old fashion way,” Pankov said. “With a torpedo.”

Grand Cayman

Chapter 20

It was dark when Brandy spotted Jason walking through the marina security gate. She had had time to think about things, and although he had only been gone for the day, she had missed him. She hopped up and skipped down the gangway to greet him.

“Welcome home, sweetie!” she cried, giving him a flying hug that nearly put both of them in the water.

“Whoa, there,” Jason said, regaining his balance. “I take it you’re glad to see me.” He dropped his bag on the deck and gave her a big kiss. “I was gone less than a day, you know.”

“I know, but it felt like years,” she said. “I want to hear all about your trip.”

The two boarded the
Cayman Jewel
and Brandy made drinks while Jason got settled.

---

It was a warm evening, and the air smelled sweet. Brandy snuggled up with Jason on a lounge chair.

“So ... how did it go?” she asked.

“It went well,” Jason replied, taking a sip of his drink. The full scope of the meeting hadn’t really sunk in yet and he had trouble coming up with a way to explain it. “Brunch was fantastic. Just as I remembered it.”

“What was the meeting about? What did they say?”

He wanted to tell her about the money, but after promising her diamonds, he figured he’d better wait until he’d been to the bank. “Not much really,” he said. “They want me to pilot a submarine for them.”

“What? Really? That’s
crazy
.”

“I know.”

“But where? Why?”

“In San Diego. I have to report there in a few weeks.”

“For how long?”

“For a while, I guess, but don’t worry, you’re coming too. In fact we’ll both be moving there.”

Brandy’s mind whirled with a mix of emotions. She was relieved that Jason wasn’t leaving without her, but leaving her home in the Caymans for who knows what in San Diego? “But what about the
Cayman Jewel
? She is our home.”

“The
Jewel
will still be our home. We’re going to sail her up there.”

Brandy paused. “Do you think we could do that? Just the two of us? San Diego’s a long way from here.”

“I know that,” Jason said. “I’m thinking about asking Aaron to come along, just to be sure.”

A thrill ran up Brandy’s spine. “Aaron Quinn? Would he do that?”

Jason took another sip. “I’m not sure. But it can’t hurt to ask.”

Monday

Chapter 21

The lobby in Cayman Union Bank reminded Jason of the bank he and Johnny were robbing when they got caught. He looked around nervously for a minute and then approached the counter.

“May I help you?” the cashier said. She was pretty and polite. His new banking relationship was off to a good start.

“Uh — yes,” he said. “There’s an account in the name of Jason Souther. I’d like a printout of the balances, please.”

“May I see some form of ID?”

Jason provided the ID and the cashier printed out the report.

“Will there be anything else?” she said, checking to see that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

“This will be fine,” he said, and took the report outside.

---

He found a bench in the shade and sat down to look over the report. His eyes went wide. The total account balance including trusts was $5 million. Available balance: $2.5 million. The money was his. Pankov was for
real
.

Jason folded the statement and put it in his pocket. Then he went back inside and made a cash withdrawal in the amount of $2,500.

Chapter 22

Aaron was up at Earl’s Reef Dive Shop busily refilling SCUBA tanks when Jason showed up.

“I didn’t expect to see
you
here,” Aaron said, surprised.

“Good to see you, Aaron,” Jason said. “Do you have a minute?”

“Yeah — uh, sure ...” He indicated a picnic table down by the water. “Have a seat down at that table. I’ll be right there.”

Aaron killed the air compressor and secured the refilled tanks, and then joined Jason.

“What’s up?” Aaron said, folding his hands in front of him.

Jason decided to get right to the point. “Brandy and I are going to sail the
Cayman Jewel
up to San Diego ... and, well, we could use an extra hand. I thought maybe you’d like to come along.”

That was the last thing Aaron had expected. “That’s a long trip,” he said, picturing the route from the Cayman Islands to San Diego on an imaginary map. “Why would you want to do
that
?”

“I have work there, consulting on some kind of restoration project.”

“But I have a job here,” Aaron said.

“I know,” Jason said. “But I thought if you could get a leave of absence, your job will be waiting for you when you get back. I’ll fly you straight back to the Caymans once we arrive in San Diego.”

This all sounded a bit crazy to Aaron. He really didn’t know how to respond. “How long do you figure the trip will take?” he asked.

“The
Cayman Jewel
’s cruise speed is eighteen knots,” Jason said, “with a top speed of twenty three knots. So in terms of international travel, we’re not that fast. I’ve never made the run myself, but I’m figuring two weeks, maybe three. There’s a welcome party in San Diego in twenty days that I really want to attend.”

Aaron recalled his original trip to the Cayman’s with the retired couple. It had been quite an experience, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to do it
again
. “I’d like to think about it,” he said.

“Of course,” Jason said. “But we leave Friday.”

“
This
Friday?” Aaron said.

“I’ll have you meet me at the marina Thursday afternoon,” Jason said. “To help with the final preparations.”

“That’s not much time,” Aaron said. “Can I let you know?”

“I’ll know you’re interested when you show up,” Jason said.

He stood up to leave, giving Aaron a thumbs up. “
Carpe diem
, Aaron,” he said.

Thursday

Chapter 23

Thursday afternoon, as scheduled, Aaron showed up at the marina
with his duffle bag. He had been granted a leave of absence by the manager at Earl’s Reef Dive Shop and had every intention of returning to his job on Cayman Brac immediately after the trip.

He helped Jason load the last of the provisions on board the
Cayman Jewel,
then they walked up to the marina office to square up with the manager.

---

The marina manager was a native islander with a heavy accent. “Good afternoon, Mr. Jason,” he said. “I am sad to hear you are leaving us for a while.” He had some papers ready and slid them forward.

“Just for a few weeks,” Jason said. “If I can I’d like to keep my same slip.”

“No problem ...” the manager said, checking the marina rules in his head. “We’ll hold the electric, water, and phone for you, but the slip rental accrues, of course.”

“Of course,” Jason said, and he began filling out the paperwork.

“Two men were just here looking for you,” the manager said.

Jason looked up, surprised. He’d been dreading hearing those words again, words he hadn’t heard in a long time.

“Just now? he said. “What did they want? You didn’t tell them anything ...”

“No, sir, Mr. Jason,” the manager said. “I would never do that. You are my friend.”

---

Brandy sat alone on deck enjoying a nice garden salad. In honor of another beautiful day in paradise, she wore nothing but a thong bikini with a
very
skimpy top.

“Ahoy there,” a man’s voice called from the dock.

Brandy looked over the railing and saw two men in Hawaiian shirts approaching the
Cayman Jewel
.

“
Coming,
” she called. She wiped her hands on a towel and headed over to the gangway to investigate.

“Pardon the intrusion, miss,” the shorter man said. “I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions.”

Brandy could spot a shoulder holster a mile away — even under a baggy floral pattern.

“You guys cops?” she said, glancing up toward the marina office. She wondered why Jason hadn’t seen them first.

 “I guess you would consider this a social visit,” the man said. “I’m James Harness, and this is my good friend Larry Holt.” Harness had thought of using fake names, but he knew this lead was a long shot anyway, so he didn’t bother.

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Holt said, nodding politely.

Brandy looked up at him. She had never seen a black man both that huge and that good looking.
You should take up acting,
she thought.

“I’m Brandy,” she said, shaking their hands.

The men struggled to maintain their composure. Standing that close to a half-naked woman as stunning and fragrant as Brandy without dropping their pants was proving difficult, if not impossible.

Brandy sensed this, of course, and it sent a thrill up her leg.

“I was wondering if you knew this man,” Harness said at last. He handed her a photo that Holt had dug up somewhere. “He and I met back in the States a couple of years ago, and since I’m rarely in the area, I thought I’d look him up.”

Brandy took a look at the picture and smiled to herself: she had never seen Jason in his Naval Officer’s dress uniform — and he looked
amazing
.

“Never seen him before,” she said calmly, wondering how this stranger found out where Jason lived.

Harness searched Brandy’s eyes. She was hiding something — he was sure of it. He took out a pad and pen and jotted down his number.

“Sorry to have disturbed you, miss,” he said. “If you happen to see him would you give me a call? It would be great to talk to him again.”

“I could do that,” Brandy said.

“We appreciate your time,” Harness said.

He started to leave, but as a detective he couldn’t resist giving Brandy a little something extra to think about. “Keep an eye out, will you?” he said. “One of the locals thought maybe Jason lived right here in this marina.”

He gave her a nod that said,
Chew on that for a while, bitch,
and then he and Holt started back down the gangway.

---

Just then Jason and Aaron came out of the marina office. Jason stopped when he spotted the two men coming up the ramp. He thought he recognized the shorter one from somewhere, but the Hawaiian shirt threw him, and he figured he must be mistaken.

“
What’s going on?
” Aaron whispered, trying to follow Jason’s gaze.

Suddenly Jason stepped back a step and took hold of Aaron’s arm. There was no mistake: It was
him
... the cop that shot him in the leg that night in Sally’s Diner!

“Come with me,” he said, and they ducked behind a portable restroom.

Harness and Holt continued up the ramp and entered the marina office.

---

The marina manager looked at Harness expectantly.

“He wasn’t there,” Harness said. “Only some woman named Brandy.”

“He must have stepped out,” the manager said.

Harness laid a crisp $50 on the counter. “If you see him, there’s more where that came from,” he said.

He made a mental note to return to the
Cayman Jewel
later that evening, and then he and Holt turned to leave.

---

“Why did you
pay
him again?” Holt said as they entered the parking lot. “You know as well as I do he’s a lying sack of shit.”

Harness unlocked their rented Mustang, ignoring Holt. He knew the man was lying, of course, but he also knew that maintaining a healthy dialogue was worth a little cash.

---

Jason and Aaron watched the men drive away, and then they returned to the
Cayman Jewel
.