Smugglers 1: Nikki (23 page)

“The Chief said it would be three or four weeks. That’s all I know.”

“Well, let’s count what we have and hide it.” As they were doing that the phone rang, it was Rita saying she would stop over in a couple of hours.

CHAPTER 24

When Rita got there she took a drink and said, “I have a boat.”

“You must be kidding, that was two days ago,” John said.

“I went through hell to get the right boat,” Rita said angrily, “and I screwed the guy, too.”

“Hey, I told you that we needed the boat the next night, not five days later. You’re too late.”

“Well, it’s all arranged now, and he’s in on my end,” Rita argued.

“You mean he knows what we are doing?” asked Nikki.

“Not exactly; he just knows that he has to bring the boat.”

“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” John exclaimed. “You must be kidding. Are you telling me some drunk at a titty bar knows who we are, and what we do? Oh, shit, we’re screwed now!” John turned to Nikki.

“Rita, he doesn’t know our names, does he?” Nikki asked.

“No, he just knows it’s somewhere on the dock.”

“Oh, that will be real hard to figure out, Rita,” John said. “Call him, and let’s meet here, tonight.”

“His number is back at my place.”

“Go call him and set it up. Then come right back.”

When Rita left, John said, “You know we’re dead when Sam, or the Chief, finds out. We are dead.”

“John, let’s wait until we meet him.”

“Nikki, he hangs out in a titty bar, giving girls ones for lap dances. He can’t wait to go there with ten grand or so. God, we’re screwed, we’re dead. What are we going to do now?”

“Let’s just meet him tonight and see where we stand.”

Night came, and Rita showed up with the guy. John started the conversation to get him relaxed and then asked some questions.

Nikki and John could see he was dumber than a rock, superficial and flashy. He wore one stupid earring and a short ponytail, a style that went out ten years ago. His face looked like a tackle box, pierced with studs, earrings, and posts.

When Rita and her guy left, Nikki looked at John. “Don’t say it. I know. I’ll figure something out, tonight, and I’ll take care of it.”

Later that night, before Rita had to go to work, Nikki went over and talked to her. She setup a deal where Rita would get the guy to bring his boat to the dock the next night at midnight. He would pick up Nikki and Rita for the trip. Rita was to tell him that he must tell no one, no one at all.

Rita had the day off, so she and Nikki were set. When the guy showed up, they said they were meeting at the trough. It took an hour to get to where the water was over a mile deep. Once there, Nikki shut the boat down, and they waited for the service runner who wasn’t coming.

After a few beers, Rita rubbed her crotch and asked, “Do you want some of this while we wait?”

He could not turn down the offer and crawled on his knees to where Rita was. Just as he got there he heard Nikki moving around, and turned, thinking she was going to join them. As he looked up he caught a glance of the ball peen hammer completing an ark that ended at his forehead.

He went down like he was made of rock, and both girls went to work tying his legs together, then to the anchor.

Just as they were going to put him over the side, he came to life, grabbing Rita’s collar and her arm. His head was bleeding from the strike, a flap of skin peeled back from his nose to the middle of his head. Nikki picked up the hammer, then took several swipes at his bloody head, but he managed to block each one. He got a choke hold on Rita, but Nikki hit his elbow, and he let go as she took the skin off his elbow, too. Blood came through his shirt sleeve.

Then Nikki picked up the anchor, which was bound to his feet, and threw it overboard. The sudden weight pulled him across the floor of the boat and almost over the side. He held on tight to Rita, who was also pulled to the edge. He went into the water, still holding onto Rita who was half in and half out of the water.

The man grasped the side of the boat with one hand, the other holding tight to Rita. Nikki hit him several times on the one hand with the ball peen hammer. He let go of Rita and clung to the side of the boat with both bloody hands. Nikki kept hitting his hands until he let go. He went under, sinking out of sight.

Rita pulled herself into the boat, and the two collapsed, out of breathe and covered with blood. Nikki threw the hammer overboard.

“I’ll get the bucket so we can clean up,” Nikki said. It took a good half hour to get the blood out of the boat

About twenty miles into the trip back, Rita started to scream and scream and point to the side of the boat where he had been.

Nikki stopped the boat. “What’s wrong?” she yelled at Rita. “Shut up! What’s wrong?”

“Look at that!” Rita pointed to fingers stuck in the railing of the boat. Nikki walked over, picked the fingers loose with her bare hand and threw them overboard.

“Now, calm down,” she said to Rita, “We have to get back. We have to put this boat back. We’ll get things cleaned up before there are people on the dock.”

When they got to within a half mile of the dock by the cut, they pulled into shore, got out and turned the boat loose.

They walked back to the dock where they went to their respective apartments to clean up, wash their clothes, and change. Nikki woke John up to tell him all went well and they had nothing to worry about.

“Only Rita,” he said. Nikki went out on the dock to see if all was well, then she went to Rita’s apartment to go over their story, to make sure they sang from the same sheet of music.

After talking to Rita to get things straight, Nikki went back to her apartment where John was making coffee. She again told him they had nothing to worry about.

“John, let the coffee make itself, and let’s go back to bed.” About nine they got up for the day and went about their jobs.

When Nikki saw Rick and Criss sitting on the back of the boat drinking virgin orange juice, Criss, of course, had the purse with her pulled tight across her shoulder as usual.

Nikki joined them on the back of the boat with their coffee.  Rick and Criss talked about where they had been, and how life was since they’d returned. They had spent a year in the Bahamas, seeing the sights and had been to the usual places that retired people with boats go.

Mark came up out of dock four, so Nikki had to go see what was up.

“Something hit the corner of the flooding dock and put a hole in it,” Mark told her. “I’m trying to stop the leak. It must have been that boat everyone heard the other night, about two or three in the morning.”

“Do you need the diver?” Nikki asked

“No, I think I can take care of it myself.”

“Okay,” said Nikki. She started to walk off, then turned to Mark and said, “Speaking of taking care of things, when are you going to take care of this?” She made a gesture to her body, then went back to the Hattaras to finish her coffee.

Everyone was topside, and Criss was still holding on to her purse like there was no tomorrow. She always had a paperback romance novel with her, reading one after the other.

Nikki thought to herself, ‘I bet they haven’t been laid by each other in ten years, or more, out of the thirty or so they have been married.” Nikki believed that so many people spend their lives in quiet desperation, working at jobs they hate and raising kids to give them a start at life. “You pay the house off, then retire, move on a boat,” Nikki thought, “then you die.” No adventure or excitement, and no sex, and it’s over. She decided she had chosen the right path, at least for her.

She went back up to join everyone on the boat where she took a seat next to Rick. Later, Criss got up to see about hors d’oeuvres.

“Don’t say anything,” Rick said, “let me guess; the purse is on her shoulder and the paperback is in her hand. If she would put one or the other down once in a while, she might have room for sex, but instead I have to be entertained elsewhere.”

“Rick, I think you have had too much to drink,” Nikki said.

“That’s maybe true, but we’re retired and I worked for thirty five years for what? I worked for her, for the kids, for the house, and for the jewels in that purse.”

That made Nikki’s ears perk up. Did he just say jewels in the purse, not insurance papers? She got closer to him, so she and only she could hear what he had to say next.

“If I only knew fifteen or twenty years ago, that there wouldn’t be any love or sex, and never would be, not even when we retired on a boat.”

“You mean there are jewels in the purse? How much are they worth and what kind?”

“Millions! And mostly diamonds,” Rick replied.

“Let’s talk later,” she said and went to make another drink and see if Criss needed any help, but most of all to move away from Rick before he said too much.

She and John and the rest partied most of the day and night away and then they went back to her place. They made several more drinks before John passed out. Nikki knew it was no use to wake him up so she got out the toot and did a few lines and turned the CD player up some. After dancing by herself, she did more lines, and freshened up her drink, then went out on the dock to see what was going on. To her surprise, it was quiet and dark.

She knew exactly where to go.

Mark opened the door a few seconds after Nikki knocked. She had her drink and baggie in hand.

“Come in,” he said, greeting her with a kiss that lasted until her drink started to spill down his back.

“Got a mirror?” she asked, holding up the baggie.

“Always, and always loaded.”

“Well, move that shit over. This is from Barenquica,” and she poured a healthy portion on the mirror and made four lines.

After they had the lines and made more drinks, they started kissing and taking off clothes. They made their way down the hall of the Bluewater to the master suite where they fell on his unmade bed.

It was a moment they’d both been waiting for, and they started by exploring one another’s nude bodies. They kissed, they sucked, they caressed until they could stand it any longer and allowed themselves to climax simultaneously.

Afterward, they lay together, panting for breath.

“Well, I guess that answers that,” Nikki finally said.

“Answers what?” Mark inquired.

“Well, I guess we found out it works, and so does your tongue. Very well, in fact,” Nikki replied.

“What about John?” Mark said.

“Oh, he wouldn’t mind. In fact, if he was up, he would be with us in bed. John loves sex of all kinds, all colors, and all flavors. He just loves sex. And speaking of John, I’ll get dressed and go home,”  she responded.

After a long goodbye kiss, Nikki headed for home where she discovered that John had gone to bed. She got undressed and under the covers.

John kissed her hello. “Where have you been?”

“I was down having drinks and sex with Mark, because you passed out,” Nikki answered.

“Sorry, I drank too much. Did you have fun?” he asked.

“Yes, but it would have been more fun with the three of us.”

After sleep, coffee, and getting dressed for the day, they went downtown to do some errands and stopped at the café to have lunch. The place was full and the Chief was in a booth with several of his men. As they passed booths, people called out to Nikki, asking how things were down at the marina.

Back in the car, John turned to Nikki. “See, I told you Rita was going to be trouble. She will
tell
people at work, they’ll tell people, and they’ll tell people. Then one night the Chief will take us fishing.”

When they got back to the dock Rita wasn’t home yet. Nikki told John she would talk to her in the morning. They were both in a twilight sleep when Rita got home, so Nikki went over to talk to her. When she got there, there was another stripper with her having a drink. So Nikki went back home and thought she would talk to her tomorrow. About two o’clock, after she saw the other girl leave, Nikki went over to talk to Rita.

Rita said that nobody knew about the deal, the hidden millions, or the boat owner they killed. “Do you really think I would tell anybody,” Rita said, “and take the chance of losing my two million dollars, or going to jail for the rest of my life for a man that’s a mile underwater?”

“You would be really stupid to do that,” Nikki agreed. Then she left and went home.

“I still don’t trust her,” John said, “or anything she has to say. She’s got to go.”  John wouldn’t let it go. He kept talking about Rita, and her mouth, and insisted that sooner or later she would tell people what they were into. They went out on the dock, drinks in-hand. Lots of people were there talking, and having a drink. Nikki could tell John was thinking about Rita, and she could also tell that it was going to be trouble.

CHAPTER 25

They stayed on the dock for a couple of hours before heading back to Nikki’s. John brought up the Rita problem again, then Nikki decided to make them a drink, and put on some CD’s.

John went back to talking about Rita, and with that, Nikki made a decision, a five hundred thousand dollar decision. Then she freshened up their drinks, and John and she talked about the last two days. When the drinks were done she made them more, but when she got back, John was fast asleep, never to wake again.

“Now I won’t have to hear you harping about Rita anymore,” she told him.

Nikki waited for dark to set in, put on dive gear, and took John to the front door, pushing him in the water between the houseboat and the dock. Then she slipped in the water next to him with some half inch nylon. As she pulled him under water he started to convulse from the salt water going into his lungs. She tied his legs together at the ankles, and tied his hands to each side of her money bags. He just floated there in space, like some kind of Macy’s Day Parade float. She put him there out of harm’s way, to be retrieved later. Then she got out of the water and went to her apartment to shower and change.

With a fresh drink in hand, she made her way to Rita’s.

“Is John here?” Nikki asked, her face all innocence and filled with mild concern. After a bit of chit-chat, Nikki left and went back to her apartment. At this point, Nikki didn’t know what she would tell people about John or where he might have gone. She just knew that she was glad to be rid of him and have his half of the money, not to mention the fact that she was free to see Mark now.

In the morning she made sure that she asked everyone on the dock if they had seen John. Later that day she took what little clothes she had of his to her car for disposal in town. John would be no problem, as long as she got his body out to sea without being seen. During the next week things were routine, and she always asked if anyone had seen John.

She was invited to a barbeque on the dock for Memorial Day, a potluck thing. About twenty-five or thirty people were on the dock partying and carrying on. Rita would not be there until after four, or so, because she was still asleep. However, Mark was there, as well as all the other people from the dock, and some people from next door.

As Nikki sat at one of the tables, Rick sat down next to her and started to talk to her about Criss, the purse, and what it was full of. Not what everyone was told, but what was actually in it. In between hitting on her, he tried to promise her half of the contents of the purse by becoming partners, with benefits.

The more she listened, the more he talked. One thing was clear to Nikki, the purse was really full of jewels, not insurance papers as everyone else thought. She decided to lead Rick on, to get more information on the contents of the purse. With that decision she told him to come to her place about midnight, or as soon as he could get away by himself, then left him to mingle with the others.

Nikki went home about eleven or so, and Rick and Criss had been gone for an hour. She had not been home more than five minutes when there was a knock at the door; it was Rick. She made them both a drink and they sat on the sofa. Nikki started by asking point blank what the real contents of the purse were. He said, “Two and a half million dollars in diamonds.”

“Where did she get two and one half million dollars?” Nikki asked.

“Her inheritance; she spent it on diamonds, all of it,” he replied.

“Are you sure that there are diamonds in the purse?” she inquired.

“It’s full,” he insisted.

“Okay,” she said, “let me sleep on it. I’ll give you my answer tomorrow.”

“We should seal this deal with something,” Rick said.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I may turn this deal down, then there would be no happy ending for you. Here, let’s finish the drinks and kiss goodbye for now. See you tomorrow,” she replied.

The next day went by uneventfully. Nikki told Rick she was in, and to be at her place that night about midnight. When he arrived at her apartment she asked once again, “You’re sure the purse is full of diamonds?”

“Sure,” he confirmed, then he moved in on her and gave her a kiss, which she reciprocated.

When they stopped kissing, Nikki made drinks and broke out the toot. “Let’s do a line and then settle the deal.”

When Rick heard that, he could hardly control himself. He started kissing her and taking off their clothes. She all but laughed because it was so easy to be in control. At this point he would do whatever Nikki said.

When she went to do another line Rick fell to his knees and started to kiss her one free leg. Nikki stood him up and made him do another line, then led him to her bedroom. He was with her in bed three or four minutes, then he was done.

‘God,’ she thought, ‘he wasn’t kidding. He hasn’t had any sex for years.’

As they lay in bed, with him panting and her thinking, she said, “The only way this will work is if we do it the day you’re scheduled to leave. You can send her down here about six in the morning, to pay up your bill and say goodbye, but she won’t come back to your boat. Is that okay with you? Then you must pull out, and I will meet you at a GPS heading with your half of the purse. Okay?”

“Alright,” replied Rick.

The next ten days passed rather quickly, except for Rick’s constant drinking and trying to get more ass from Nikki before the deal was done. Finally the day came, and Criss showed up at Nikki’s office at the scheduled time. As they talked and settled up the bill, Nikki slipped knockout drops in Criss’ coffee. In a few minutes, Criss passed out.

Nikki ran around her desk, grabbed and opened the purse. Rick was right. It was full of diamonds and other jewels. She threw the purse aside and pulled Criss to the floor, tying her feet together.

Nikki had to work quickly now, as it was getting light. So she dragged Criss to the front door and put her over the side, in the water between the houseboat and the dock. She could hear Rick pulling out right on time.

She quickly went inside for her mask and fins, then jumped in the water next to Criss, who was convulsing. Then Nikki pulled her under water, tying her body right under John. The fish had eaten most of his face, eyes, and fingers by now and were working on his legs and arms. Criss would look like that in two to three weeks.

It reminded Nikki of a totem pole. Now, both their arms were outstretched, like they were begging her to come to them.

Nikki turned her back on them and returned to her apartment where she changed before going out in her boat to meet Rick.

When she got to the appointed location, she pulled her boat up next to his and handed him the purse. As Rick sat down and opened the purse to go over the contents, he looked up to see Nikki pointing a silver silenced nine at him from four or five feet away. Then he heard and felt the sting of two bullets entering his chest. He fell over onto the purse, which was empty.

Nikki stepped from boat to boat and bound his feet together. She then tied a rope to them, which was tied to two concrete blocks in her boat. Jumping back, Nikki threw the blocks overboard. As the rope tightened it pulled Rick into the water. She noticed that he was alive, but was paralyzed.

“The water here is one mile deep,” she called out to him. “Enjoy the view.’ Then she went to work cleaning up his boat before cutting it loose, letting it drift off.

Nikki returned to the marina where Mark and Don were having coffee on Don’s boat. Nikki went aboard.

Don asked, “Where were you so early?”

“Oh, Rick and Criss forgot two letters. So I went out to catch them quick before they hit the bridge.”

“Did you catch them?” he inquired.

“Of course,” Nikki said with an innocent smile.

Rita was just getting home, and Mark said, “She pulled an all-nighter.”

As they watched, a tall black dancer showed up and went into Rita’s place.

After coffee, Nikki went back to her apartment and called Rita, but there was no answer. After a Bloody Mary she tried her number again, but there was still no answer, so she walked over, knocking lightly on Rita’s door.

The door opened, with Rita standing there in her silky, sexy, robe, smiling, “Oh, what a pleasant surprise, come on in.”

Upon stepping in, Nikki saw that the door to Rita’s bedroom was closed. “You look like you’re having fun. Hope I didn’t interrupt you, but I can’t stay, even though I would like to. Besides you have a guest to attend to.

“Her name’s Isabelle.”

“She’s hot,” Nikki said. “I just wanted to tell you that I’ll see you tonight after work.”

She went on her way down the dock to Cynthia’s boat. She and Tim were up and having coffee on the weather deck.

“Hey, can I come aboard?” Nikki called out. “What’s going on anyway?”

“Well, if you came here for seconds, it’s too late. I just took yours, but if you give him some OJ and wait thirty minutes, he’ll be ready to go again,” Cynthia said, looking at Tim. “Have you heard anything from John or Mike?”

“Not a word,” said Nikki.

“I bet they’re on the Sportfish drinking coffee right now having the time of their lives,” Cynthia said.

Tim went downstairs to get something. While he was gone Nikki asked Cynthia, “How are you two getting along?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, he bores me. If it wasn’t for the sex, I wouldn’t have him on my boat. In fact, if he goes back to Key West this weekend, I won’t be sad.” They broke into laughter.

“With that said, maybe I’ll take him for a week, if you want, on Monday.”

“Deal,” said Cynthia. When Tim came up from downstairs, Cynthia told him about the deal. “You move in with Nikki for a week, on Monday.”

Tim looked at Nikki and said, “I need my own bedroom and coffee by seven in the morning. Plus I have some dietary needs that need to be fulfilled on a daily basis.” Nikki and Cynthia broke into laughter again.

“First, Tim, it’s a one bedroom apartment, and second I have your dietary needs with me at all times.” They laughed again. “Well, since that’s settled, I have some dock work.”  Nikki left.

On the way to her office she saw Chief Joe pull up. He told her the next pickup was next Wednesday night, but they needed their own boat. After a minute or two he left and Nikki wondered where she’d get a partner and boat by next Wednesday. She had to talk to Rita as soon as possible.

Nikki wondered if Rita and Isabelle were done. She knew it was too early for them to be up, but she thought she would knock anyway.

Rita’s door opened. It was Isabelle. She was even taller than Rita, but very pretty, and her hair was cut short, framing her face perfectly.

“Hi, I’m Nikki; is Rita here?”

“Very nice to meet you, and even nicer to see you; I’m Isabelle. Rita’s in the shower. Come in, she’ll be out in five.”

Nikki went in and Isabelle came back from the kitchen with two coffees. She had on a shiny nightgown with no underclothes. They sat and talked for a few minutes. Nikki could tell she was smart and had her shit together. Besides being tall, thin, and black, she didn’t have any of the drawbacks that Rita had.

Soon Rita came out of the bedroom to get a glass of water. Freshly showered, body oiled, and totally nude, she didn’t know anybody was there. When Rita saw Nikki sitting on the sofa, she gave a startled squeal and made a vain attempt to cover up. Then she walked to the fridge to get some water. “I see you two have met.” she said.

“Not completely,” answered Nikki, looking at Isabelle. “Where have you been hiding this wonderful woman? In your room, I bet.”

“She just started to dance, and we just got to know each other this morning,” Rita answered.

Rita walked up to Nikki, stood in front of her, looked over her glass and asked, “So where have you been hiding yourself? I haven’t seen you since you were here looking for John. Did he ever come back?”

“Nope, I don’t think you’ll ever see him again. In fact I don’t think anybody will ever see him again.”  Nikki smiled at both the women.