The Scorpion's Tale (24 page)

Pablo focused on the zodiac now that they
could decompress in the shallower water. Steven checked his gauges
to monitor his progress, all the while keeping an eye out below.
Everyone had watched the zodiac approach and dock next to the
Dolphin Princess, and now they were waiting for Miguel and Rafael
to make their move.

Steven shifted his gaze between the Dolphin
Princess, Pablo and Mike, and the feeding frenzy below. Each breath
he took made him slowly rise toward the surface as his lungs filled
with air. Then he would slowly exhale and sink. He repeated these
actions for the remainder of the decompression period. He felt a
sense of worth amid the horror that raged below. He now knew he
could face anything.

Unbeknownst to the divers below, the Scorpion
and his two lackeys were boarding the Dolphin Princess. The three
men planted bombs and detonators on the deck before the Scorpion
promptly executed his two expendables. The zodiac pushed away from
the Dolphin Princess and made a hasty retreat towards its mother
ship. He watched Miguel and Rafael remove their BCs, discard their
air tanks to the ocean floor, and climb up the ladder, disappearing
onto the deck.

Seconds later Steven saw air tanks plummeting
through the water like torpedoes, followed by Miguel and Rafael
frantically swimming after them. The tanks’ attached regulators
looked like a metallic octopus vaulting to the ocean floor. Miguel
and Rafael reached the shoal and strapped on their BC’s, making
frantic gestures toward their companions to swim away. Suddenly
Steven’s ears were shattered by a sound that reverberated through
the ocean as he watched the Dolphin Princess explode in an orange
fireball. Huge, flaming pieces flew through the air and back into
the ocean hundreds of feet away. Steven could see a burning oil
slick quickly form where the Dolphin Princess once floated. The
explosion caused an instant retreat of the swarm of sharks
below.

Steven glanced at his diving companions,
their eyes wide with fear as they retrieved the full air tanks
thrown overboard. Miguel helped Pablo switch his nearly empty air
tank for a new one while Mike did the same for Steven. They watched
the surface as the hull of the attacking boat returned to the
remains of the Dolphin Princess. Rafael grabbed Steven’s octopus
regulator and swam as fast as he could with Steven toward the rocky
shoreline. Steven pumped his legs like pistons to keep up. The dive
boat had closed in on the Dolphin Princess and was now scouring the
waters for signs of the divers. They were being hunted.

Steven’s heart was bursting, but he refused
to look at any of his gauges, focused only on the shore. He
expected bullets to pierce the water at any moment, but none came.
The water rapidly shallowed as the bottom changed from sand to
rock. Pablo signaled for all to stop and for Miguel to survey the
surface. Miguel slowly rose, taking a final breath of air from
Steven’s regulator. Moments later, Miguel submerged and signaled
for everyone to surface. They watched from behind the protection of
the rocks as the diving boat completed a final circle and moved
farther out to sea, eventually disappearing from view.

Miguel moved out past the rock and searched
for the dive boat. Satisfied that it had disappeared, he swam back
to Pablo. “We got onto the boat and saw Ferny and Naldo. Their
bodies were hanging off the ladders. Their heads had been blown
away.”

“There were two more bodies on deck,” Rafael
added. “They were in wetsuits but looked familiar. I only saw them
for a second.”

Pablo pretended to look stunned. He knew that
the Scorpion’s “expendables” had been killed but he was irritated
that his guards had also been added to the list.

The group eventually made it to the highway
after fashioning makeshift tourniquets to slow the bleeding. Mike
and Pablo were beginning to show signs of shock from their blood
loss. As luck would have it, one of Pablo’s men passed by with a
stupefied expression, seeing his bloodied employer walking on the
road in his bathing suit.

When they returned to the compound, a guard
at the gate ran to the car. “Señor Munoz, we were worried. We just
received a radio communication that your boat exploded and that
none of the divers had been located. We just sent out another boat
to look for you.”

Munoz nodded his head. “Call them back. I
need answers. Get the doctor.”

The guard looked at Miguel, then at Pablo.
“We just heard from our friends in West End. Jorge Habana took a
dive party out this morning and they found his boat a few minutes
ago with West End Jorge and his cousin dead. Someone hired him and
two other men yesterday. So far, nobody remembers much about the
client other than he was European or American.”

Pablo stroked his chin as he spoke to one of
his guards. “The two other divers were killed on our boat. I want
you to get everybody down to West End and out to the airport. If
anyone remembers what the man looks like, contact the airport. If
someone matches the description, he must not be allowed to leave.
Notify me immediately.”

Nick held Giovanna’s hand as they waited for
the luggage. She couldn’t help noticing Nick’s perspiration and his
eyes darting back and forth.

Pete went outside the terminal to arrange for
a limousine. A few minutes later, he entered the baggage claim area
followed by a uniformed chauffeur pushing a luggage cart.

“Louie, did you tell the driver we need to
make a quick stop?” Nick asked, as he got into the limo with
Giovanna.

“Yeah. We’ll take a detour and Pete and I
will get the goods. It should only take a few minutes.”

“What are you talking about?” Giovanna asked.
“Why are we stopping?”

Nick squeezed her hand. “We’re just picking
up some supplies that we couldn’t get through customs,” he replied,
smiling politely.

Giovanna caught the exchange between Louie,
Nick, and Eddie. “Should I bother to ask about the specific nature
of the supplies?” she said, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.

“No, don’t bother,” Nick answered.

Giovanna sighed and shook her head
disapprovingly. She looked out the window. “I’m not that dumb,
gentlemen.”

The limo pulled off the main road onto a
suburban street and into a driveway with an electronic gate. The
gate opened and Louie and Pete went inside. They returned a few
minutes later, each carrying a black leather bag. Louie got into
the limo and Pete handed him the two bags, before sitting back up
front.

Louie sat with his back against the window
separating the driver from the passenger compartments. He unzipped
one of the bags and looked inside, careful not to expose the
contents.”

“How does it look, Louie?” Nick asked.

“We’re all set.”

The limousine eventually pulled in front of
the five-star Copacabana Palace Hotel, directly across from the
world famous beach of the same name. Three bellmen enthusiastically
greeted Nick’s party and began unloading their luggage.

Nick got the keys for everyone’s rooms and
handed a set to Eddie and Braulio. “You guys are slumming it.
You’re on the fourth floor in a Deluxe Ocean View Suite.” He turned
to Pete and Louie and handed them their room keys. “You guys are on
the sixth floor with us. We’ve got connecting Penthouse
Suites.”

“Nick, you mind if the boys hit the bar?”
Pete asked.

“No, but first go through those bags and make
sure we have what we need. Then join us in the restaurant.”

Pete grinned. “We’ll take care of it
now.”

Nick turned to Giovanna. “Are you
hungry?”

“Very.”

“Good, because I’m starved.”

Nick found a round table by the window and
they all sat down. The waiter approached the group and addressed
Nick.

“Sir, may I bring you some menus, or would
you first like some wine?”

“Do you have Feijoada today?”

“It is our signature dish,” the waiter
replied.

“What is it?” Eddie asked.

“It’s a stew of beans with beef and pork.
Trust me. You’ll love it. It’s native cuisine and best prepared
here.” Nick addressed the waiter: “Bring us six orders of Feijoada
and the best red wine you have.”

-------------------

Upstairs, Louie went directly into one of the
bedrooms and opened the leather bags. Pete entered as Louie was
removing different guns and extra clips.

“Quality stuff.”

“I’ll say,” Louie said, inspecting a gun he
was holding.

Pete whistled and moved closer. “Is that what
I think it is?”

Louie admiringly stroked the gun. “Yeah, this
baby would be a Walther P22 with suppressor package. There are two
more.”

“I know what Nick’s gonna want,” Pete
chuckled. “Put me down for the same.”

Louie smiled. “That makes one for you, me,
and Nick.”

“What else we got?” Pete asked.

Louie grinned. “You’re not going to believe
this,” he said as he removed a larger weapon from the bag.

“Holy shit!” Pete said. “How many UZI’s are
there?”

“Three. Plus, they’ve all got Gemtach Mossad
silencers!”

Pete beamed. “Man, this is going to be
fun!”

-------------------

After eating, the group returned to their
respective rooms to sleep off the four bottles of Boscato Reserva
Cabernet Sauvignon they consumed. When Nick awoke, Giovanna was
still asleep. Nick retreated to the terrace, cell phone in hand,
beyond earshot of Giovanna. He dialed Giorgio for an update.

“Hello, Nick,” Giorgio answered. “How do you
like the Copacabana Palace?”

“What’s happening with our meeting?” Nick
snapped.

“I’m still working on it. I’m sure I’ll have
something arranged by tomorrow afternoon, but this may take an
extra day or so.”

“What’s the holdup?” Nick demanded, his voice
tense.

“This is Brazil. Things move at a much slower
pace and these guys aren’t just lining up to be killed. Besides,
you wanted them all together. I can reach a few quickly, but
getting all of them is difficult.”

“Where are you?”

Giorgio hesitated. “I’m here in Rio.”

Nick struggled to maintain his composure. “I
know that Giorgio, but where in Rio? I want to meet you
tonight.”

Giorgio started to sweat. “Sorry Nick. I’m
keeping a low profile until this is over. You’ve got my cell
number, but I’m not meeting anyone until I see how this plays
out.”

Nick smiled, now certain Giorgio intended to
double-cross him. He bit his lip to stifle his rage against this
simpleton trying to outplay him. “What’s the problem Giorgio, don’t
you trust me?”

Again Giorgio hesitated. “Of course. I just
don’t trust Renaldo.”

Nick decided it was not yet time to pressure
Giorgio. “Just move fast. I need to get back to New York. Our new
enterprise can’t wait much longer, capiche?”

“I’ll get back with you as soon as possible.”
Giorgio heard the line go silent. It was only a matter of hours
before he would finally rid himself of Manzione. Giorgio realized
he didn’t have much time, since he would have to capitulate to
Nick’s demands for a face-to-face meeting. The prospect of having
Nick killed presented a real opportunity to make a fresh start, but
it could also backfire.

Giorgio poured a tall glass of vodka and
downed the contents. He stood before a full-length mirror and
hardly recognized himself: his eyes were sunken, framed by heavy,
dark circles. His conscience had made him physically ill, and each
day he sank deeper into depression. He constantly thought of
Roberto Milani and his parents, who had been like a father and
mother to him. No matter how much he drank, he could not drown his
demons.

Giorgio finished a second drink and let his
drained body sink into his couch. The more he analyzed the events
that brought him to this moment, the clearer the truth became. Nick
had masterfully orchestrated everything, like a chess master
manipulating pieces in a global chess game. Giorgio was positive
Nick had ordered the murders of Tony and his partners. Nick had
left him alive only as a fall guy with the Brazilians. After the
Brazilians were taken care of, he would be useless to Nick. Time
was running out. He thought about contacting Giovanna, but what
would he say to her? All he could do was crawl back inside his
bottle by pouring himself a third drink.

Nick was preoccupied with Giorgio and the
impending hit on Renaldo. He wasn’t happy that Giovanna and Giorgio
were in the same city. He did not want them speaking to each other
under any circumstances. Nick was torn by Giovanna’s presence; he
loved her and was enjoying her company, but it made it more
dangerous for him. He wasn’t comforted knowing that Giovanna might
be manipulating him as Alberto had suggested. She had her own
agenda, and he didn’t appreciate being seduced as part of her
scheme to circumvent Alberto’s directive to her.

----------------

Steven lay down on his bed and closed his
eyes. The dive alone was exhausting. Coupled with the subsequent
attacks, Steven was left completely drained. He slept through
lunch, awakening just before dinner. Steven left his cottage and
found the compound quiet. Guards once again patrolled the beach.
Steven walked to the main house where Captain Mike, Rafael, and
Miguel were watching a soccer match. Mike’s entire arm had been
wrapped in gauze and strapped against his chest. He looked up and
raised a bottle of Corona to Steven with his good arm.

“Hey, it’s my hero, James Bond! Join us for a
cold one!”

“We would be honored,” Miguel said,
addressing Steven directly for the first time since they’d met.

“I’d like that,” Steven said. “How’s the
arm?”