Chapter 3

Steve

Kathy and I were at the helm when Mercy came up and told me that Sheila was reading to the kids while Dewey sat with them. She stood with me a few minutes before leaving to go do something. That's when I saw a parade of naked women heading up the ladder to the sundeck on the salon roof. I asked Kathy if she wanted to go get some sun, but she declined. Kathy said, "This is more important. The sun will still be there after four if I want some. I'm already browner than I have ever been."

We went over sail configurations and the conditions in which we would use them. The radar displays had a lot of targets, but we were still close to a lot of islands. None of the targets were intersecting with us and none appeared to be pacing us.

Kathy said, "Hopefully the rest of this trip can be uneventful. The way things go when we're with Chuck, it probably won't be for long. Chuck seems to attract trouble."

"Don't you think its just coincidence? The guy sure doesn't go looking for trouble. He at least reacts quickly and takes charge. Last night, he had us all doing exactly what needed to be done. You didn't hesitate when you needed to do something and that is a good thing."

Kathy said, "I surprised myself. That man had a pistol and was trying to swim and aim at us at the same time. It was a reflex action. Sue, Mercy, and Juanita have spent so much time teaching me, that it was a natural thing to do. I'm not sorry I did it either. That man could have harmed my family."

As I gave Kathy a hug, I said, "I'm glad you did what you did. You probably saved someone's life."

We were silent for a bit before Kathy asked, "You've never said anything, but are you okay with us taking Mickey in? Sue, Mercy, Juanita, and I really love her and want her to be a part of us. That she is pregnant makes her even more important to us. Are you okay with us having another family member?"

I smiled, "How could I not enjoy having Mickey be a part of you girls. I was originally afraid the family was just a way station for her after Samantha took off, but she has become very loving to all of us."

"You know," Kathy said, "She's the only one among us who has been totally honest about her desire to maintain woman to woman relationships, the rest of us sort of hide behind you. I didn't even realize how much I enjoyed women until Sue and Mercy overwhelmed me with love. Juanita came to me apart from the others, cuddled me, made love to me, and almost made me feel like I was her child. Our family sure is a loving bunch."

"That it is, Kathy." I looked around, checking rigging, the tension gauges, and took a glance at the radar. "How do you feel about all of Chuck's huge family?"

Kathy grinned, "All of us girls can't wait to get to know them better, you know, more intimately. I'm really fascinated with Lisa. She is so, so, so strong and mysterious. She's a little like Mercy, but she has this other side of her that seems dangerous, like I used to think of you, like I think of Chuck. Now Maria is a little doll. She's a younger version of Juanita and you just want to devour her. The Chinese dolls are almost like that. When they aren't doing anything and are sitting, watching everyone, they appear to be two near identical dolls. They tease all the time with their "put-on" broken English, then begin speaking in stilted formal old English right out of a Victorian novel. I wonder if Chuck really wanted a couple of Chinese sisters integrated into his family?"

I told Kathy, "Chuck says he lets the girls decide, but has suggested they quit bringing in new candidates to become family members."

Kathy asked, "What about Julie? She's old enough to be his mom, but she acts like she's a part of his family."

I commented, "Perhaps Chuck has brought her in to be the den mother for his group. They seem to be more laid back and relaxed around Julie. She does seem to keep them calm."

Kathy was shaking her head, "If she's acting the mother, there's some heavy incest going on. Julie has already been seen cuddling with some of the girls, as well as with Chuck. Tina told me that Julie was part of a group grope down in Costa Rica. Can you believe Chuck's four house girls and four boat girls down there all want to be his wives? He better watch out when his five are visiting down there, or he'll be bringing back another eight women."

I told Kathy, "You know the girls down there already know that he has enough women. He did say that he let things get out of hand when we were there and when Lisa and Tina were just there. He said those two are extremely volatile with other women, and bring out the worst, or best, in girls."

Kathy said, "Those two really are that hot, and that makes Chuck's family with his original five very explosive."

I asked, "You know they were a closed group when Chuck met them, don't you?"

With a thoughtful look, Kathy said, "Brandy told me the story of how the five got together in college and have been together ever since. She didn't tell me how they became bed mates while being roommates, but they are definitely a unit, a package deal."

I told Kathy; "Wanda gave me the rundown one night when John and she were having a late night with Sue and me up at the hot tub. Wanda says all five girls are extremely woman oriented and actively seek out additional female liaisons. She told me that it took them less than two hours to have Lisa in their bed. She also told me that Tina took less than an hour, so you know they are very predatory."

Kathy squirmed and smiled, "We'll see. We'll see how hot to trot they really are. I'm sure Sue or Mercy, or even Juanita, will get them off by themselves for a little fun. I'm looking forward to the opportunity myself."

We were silent again for while until I checked the radar unit again. When I punched up the history traces, there was a distinct trace angling straight for us. It was thirty miles out, but showed a closing time to be within about an hour and fifteen minutes.

"Kathy, why don't you go get Chuck? I want him to see this."

Kathy came back with Chuck and I showed him the history trace of the target the scope was tracking. Chuck punched up some buttons that gave him the intersecting solution and the estimated time. After studying the trace a few seconds he reached for the radio, "U.S. Coast Guard, this is the Lucky Lady. Lucky Lady calling the U.S. Coast Guard."

"Go ahead, Lucky Lady, what is your condition?"

Chuck keyed the mike, "Do you have any craft in the area of " and he gave our GPS coordinates.

There was a long pause before the voice came back on the speaker, "About thirty miles to the west of your position."

Chuck asked, "You have nothing north of our position heading to intersect with us?"

A different voice came on the speaker, "This is Coast Guard Cutter Dwight D. We are about twenty-five to thirty miles west of your position. Do you require assistance?"

Chuck frowned, "I don't know. After the run in we had last night, I'm apprehensive about any approaching vessels. We have a target west northwest of us intersecting with us in a little over an hour. The target appears to be moving at about twenty-two knots on a direct intersecting course."

The voice from the cutter came back, "Lucky Lady, can you drop sail and idle while we catch up? That will also give you the chance to observe whether the intersecting target changes course to come directly at you. Your target is still out of our range."

Chuck circled his finger in the air, pointed at the sail, and then pointed down. While he was using the radio, I began pushing buttons to take the sail down and told Kathy. "Vent the engines and we'll get them started so we can maneuver if necessary."

A head appeared over the top of the railing of the sundeck above the salon, Mercy hollered, "What's up?"

I yelled back, "Don't know yet, come down, get dressed and get all of the kids below deck."

Chuck had hung up the mike and told Kathy, "Go make sure Dewey and Martin get the kids back inside. Tell the kids they can come out again later."

Lisa appeared from the salon and spoke to Chuck. She left heading back inside. I could see the parade of women from the sundeck heading downstairs. The kids were pretty agreeable about coming in and going to the main lounge below.

Chuck turned to me and said, "Get those protective vests out of the storage room and make sure everyone that is going to be out on deck has one on. I should have had everyone wearing one last night, but I forgot. I won't forget again."

I asked Chuck, "Do you really think we could be having another problem?"

"I don't know, Steve. With all of the craziness we've seen lately, I'm not going to take a chance. I want us to be more than ready if something comes up."

Son of a gun, we're doing it again. I left Kathy at the helm with Chuck and went to get the box of vests that Chuck had brought. When I got it up to the salon, I began getting the women their correct size. Everyone had one and we still had some left over. These seemed pretty thin, less bulky than the one I used in Desert Storm but if Chuck thought they were good, I felt good about using them.

Chuck was shutting down the outdoor helm and had Kathy already inside with all of the computers and radar units displaying there. The traces were maintained on the system even during the changeover. I checked the traces again, noting the angle the oncoming boat was taking had changed to become straight toward us instead of the intersecting angle.

When I pointed this out to Chuck, he pulled the mike off the clip for the Coast Guard band radio and said, "U.S. Coast Guard, Lucky Lady. Lucky Lady calling U.S. Coast Guard and U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Dwight D."

The cutter answered first, "This is the Dwight D., go ahead, Lucky Lady."

"The target has changed course and is now coming straight for us. I'd like to request assistance in any form."

The Dwight D. said, "We're applying full power in your direction. I'll give you an intercept time in a few. We're picking up the approaching target to the north of you now."

The land-based unit of the Coast Guard came on, "You're too far offshore for helicopters out of Key West, but we have a cruiser with a chopper that is about forty miles to the south. We'll launch that, along with a C-130 spy. How much time do you have now before intercept?"

Chuck punched up the solution screen and replied, "About forty-five minutes at the most, closer to forty."

The voice came back, "From what I hear, you are able to defend yourself. You should prepare now to be on the safe side."

Chuck laughed before keying the mike, "We're almost ready now. Nobody messes with the Lucky Lady."

Everyone standing behind the helm area began cheering and hollering, agreeing with Chuck. He turned sheepishly and said, "You heard the deal. We have about thirty-five minutes to be ready. Get a drink of water, go potty, and begin getting into your assigned positions. I'm going to begin trying to make contact with the boat that's coming at us."

Chuck told me, "Begin trying to raise that oncoming boat. Just ask their intentions and why they are approaching us. They may or may not answer. Heck, they may not even have a radio on and didn't hear our conversations with the Coast Guard."

I began paging, "Attention all craft within the sound of my voice. If you are on a course heading of 170 about a hundred miles off the southeast coast of Florida, what is your intention? Where are you going and do you know you are on a collision course with my boat?"

Kathy elbowed me, "Chuck's boat."

Chuck said, "Our boat."

I looked around at the two that were distracting me, but nothing was coming from the speakers. I checked the radar again and noted the traces stayed exactly as they were. "Kathy, engage the props and stay at idle. Maintain our original heading, but only at an idle. We can't outrun them so we'll just prepare."

After a while I went back to the mike and broadcast again hoping to get an intelligent, innocent reply. Again nothing, so I turned to tell Chuck to get ready. He wasn't there, but Lisa was. I told her, "Tell Chuck to get ready, they don't reply. Tell him to grab the bullhorn from the outdoor helm locker and yell at them to see if they will talk back."

Mercy came in, carrying her shotgun and a pair of field glasses. She said, "That boat has U.S. Coast Guard markings, and it even looks like a uniformed crewman on the bow."

I grabbed the mike and called the Coast Guard again asking them to make sure of any boats as the boat approaching us was flying Coast Guard and U.S. flags and the boat is even painted with insignia. When I said there was a uniformed man on the bow, the cutter Dwight D. answered, "We don't put men on the bow any longer. Too many drug boats begin firing as soon as we get near. Be careful and don't let them board you."

A C-130 flew over us, banked, and turned back toward the approaching boat. The aircraft radioed us, "Lucky Lady, Lucky Lady this is Overview 130. The boat to your north is not one of ours. The flags are noted but I repeat, that is not one of our cutters."

Picking up the mike I answered, "Overview 130 this is Lucky Lady, thank you for that information. We are preparing to repel any attempt to board our vessel."

The land based Coast Guard station radioed, "The Helicopter from the support vessel is too far South to help at this time so is not launching. Do you need additional air support?"

Chuck had walked back into the salon and heard the transmission. He said, "I have an idea. I'm going to act like we're going to let them board so they'll get broadside to us. We'll take them out when they come alongside."

I asked him, "You're going to let them get that close?"

Chuck answered me, "You bet. When they are broadside and throw us a line, we'll open up. That should pare down the population on that boat. Let me get people arranged and in position. I don't want the boat to see our weapons until we open up on them. Let me get us in place."

I radioed, "Coast Guard, this is Lucky Lady, we are prepared to repel any attempted boarding. We still desire assistance from the Dwight D."

I needed to be a part of the outside group with Chuck. The one person that would be an asset at the helm would be Dewey. Where is he? Mickey peeked in the deck door to the salon to tell me the boat was getting closer. I yelled, "Find Dewey for me, hurry."

Mickey went back out the deck door and almost immediately reappeared with Dewey.

"Dewey, I want you to handle the boat. I need to help Chuck."

Dewey nodded his head as he made his way to the helm. I told him to update the Coast Guard as this saga developed.

I grabbed a shotgun, a bandolier of shotgun shells, a rifle, and about five magazines. Going out on deck, I found Chuck in the middle of the boat with his MP5 propped up against the railing. Looking up and down the deck I could see a couple of the girls on deck chairs with a shotgun on the deck by their side, another of the ladies was leaning up against the rear weather deck salon bulkhead.

I asked Chuck, "Where do you want me? I have Dewey manning the helm."

Chuck said, "You are probably perfect for this. Take one of the ladies with you up to the sun deck on top of the salon. You can stand to look out or kneel down, but don't show your weapons. You'll have good sight lines to the boat from up there. Hopefully when they pull broadside, they will pull forward of center. At least that's what I'm planning for. We'll toss fenders out that way. When I raise my rifle to fire, everyone will shoot at once. The girls up front will take care of anyone on the bow with buckshot, the girls in the center will blast the cockpit with explosive rounds, and the rest of us will clean up aft where there will probably be a large concentration of people."

I asked, "Where's Sue?"

Sue walked out from behind the seating area of the outdoor helm. "Want me to go with you?"

"Come on, you and I are meant to be partners in this one." As I said this, Sue was frowning.

Sue chastised me, "Where's your vest? Before we go up top, you need to put one on."

We went into the salon where I pulled a vest from the carton. It was big enough, so I put it on and went for the ladder going to the sun deck with Sue following me.

Up top, I could now see where a lot of the girls were positioned. It looked liked Chuck's girls were operating in pairs. Oh yeah, there was Maria with Juanita, and Mercy was in another deck chair next to Kathy. That made sense.

I realized then that Kathy and Mercy had their vests on underneath some loose shirts so the vests wouldn't be noticeable. Next to me, Sue said, "Chuck said we needed to keep our weapons out of sight. Did you load your shotgun? You haven't put a magazine into your rifle yet."

I loaded the shotgun with a single explosive round, putting it into the chamber, and four buckshot shells. I figured that I would use the explosive round in the middle of the probable group on the rear deck of the boat and follow it up with four quick rounds of buckshot. I seated and slapped a magazine into the rifle, chambering a round.

Sue and I put our guns up against the rail and stood to watch what was happening. As the boat approached, Chuck used his bullhorn to call, "Coast Guard cutter, what is your intention?"

That was sneaky. He's letting them think their disguise is working.

A man appeared on the fly bridge with a powered horn and announced, "Heave to, this is the Coast Guard. We are going to board you for inspection."

Chuck waved at Mercy and Kathy who tossed fenders over the side of the boat in the area he wanted them to approach. One of two crewmen now at the bow of the boat had a line ready to toss. I could see another guy on the rear deck with another line.

Steve yelled over the bullhorn, "Be careful so you match up with the fenders. No sense in scarring the boats."

The approaching boat cut power and turned so it would be drifting up toward us broadside. That's when I noticed the guy on the fly bridge was wearing a sidearm. When I looked at the two men on the bow, I could see a sidearm at each of their waists. There were also what looked like rifles or shotguns laid on the bow near their feet.

Sue and I both had our hands on our weapons as the boat began drifting near us. Just as the man on the bow was about to toss his line, I saw Chuck reach for his rifle. Chuck began firing at the rear, while Kathy and Mercy each fired shotgun rounds at the men on the bow. Sue put three explosive rounds into the cockpit area while I shot at the rear deck with the explosive round where there seemed to be a lot of people. Before I could get my second round in the chamber, multiple shotguns fired at the rear of the boat, blanketing every square inch with double ought buckshot.

The guy on the fly bridge made the mistake of reaching for his sidearm. Before it cleared the holster, I shot him with buckshot, but my round was only one of many. The man was cut to ribbons with five or six buckshot rounds.

As usual, when something like this happens, the intense firing only lasts for seconds. We were all watching to make sure nothing or no one was moving on board the boat. Chuck was making his way up toward the bow of the pseudo Coast Guard boat with his pistol in his hand. It looked like he may board it.

I told Sue, "Stay here and watch. I'm going to help Chuck."

I ran down the ladder and out on deck, yelling for Chuck to wait for me. He had a deck locker open and was getting out a line with a grapple hook. He waved at me as he tossed the hook at the bow of the boat snagging it on the railing.

Together, we pulled the bow to where we had fenders out. Chuck jumped onto the boat and walked back to the rear deck. You could tell what he saw was not pleasant because of his frown, but he picked up the line that had been ready to be tossed to us and tossed it to Mercy and Kathy who were watching.

I followed Chuck's example to use a side arm and went on board the boat to join Chuck as he stood in the hatch area between the rear deck and big cockpit area. The exploding shotgun shells had blown out all the windows and cabin structure. The explosions had knocked everyone in the cockpit area down. After I shut down the engines to the boat, we both began checking pulses. The second guy I looked at didn't look like he had any wounds and had a strong pulse. I said, "This one's alive. We need to get him tied up."

Chuck said, "These two here are alive too. Let me get some line. Wish I had cuffs with me."

I told Chuck, "Before we get involved with this, one of us needs to go below to make sure there isn't anyone else on board. They could be hiding below."

Lisa appeared in the doorway of the cockpit and said, "Wait, let me go down with you, or I can watch these guys while you two go down."

I was looking around the cockpit and said to Chuck, "Notice anything strange about this boat?"

Chuck said, "Except for the powder smell, the boat smells new."

I said, "Look at the cockpit. They have a single cheap radar unit and no radios. Not even an emergency radio. This boat hasn't been fitted out yet."

Chuck said, "Come on, let's check out below."

Chuck and I went down to the bow cabin area. When I opened the door Chuck had his Glock aimed inside. The cabin was empty. I mean totally empty, not built out yet. There were several sleeping bags stretched out on the floor but that was all.

Chuck looked at me with a questioning look.

I headed back to where a galley should have been but there was only a cabinet with a sink, microwave, and a coffee maker. There was a gangway with doors off to the side and a big door toward the rear. We moved slowly down the gangway or hall, cautiously throwing open a door to clear each room. At the rear door, we stood on each side and pushed the door open.

The cabin there was the full width of the boat and at least fifteen feet deep. The room was filled with people. All of them were sitting on the floor with their hands tied and gags in their mouths. Every eye looked at us with fear. Other than the people, there was nothing else. This boat had never been built out or fitted.

Chuck said, "Let's take the gag off a couple and find out what's going on. Be careful, we need to make sure all of them are restrained and none are playing possum. I'll watch them, you take the gag off these two next to us."

As soon as the gag was off, the first man began jabbering in Spanish. He spoke so fast I couldn't understand anything. I held up my hand and told Chuck, "I'm going to get Juanita and Maria. They can interpret. Let's check the bindings on the all of them before I leave."

As soon as I said this, a man near the starboard bulkhead moved around and began standing. I could see his hand coming up with what looked like a pistol. Chuck and I fired at the same time, both of us hitting him in the chest. We didn't need to do the three round triple tap or put down, the guy was down.

All of the people tied up were trying to lie down on the deck so they wouldn't be exposed.

Again I said, "Let me check the bindings on the rest of them. We need to get them out of here if we can."

As soon as I finished checking everyone's hands and feet, I told Chuck, "Go holler for Juanita and Maria. Find a knife to cut these people loose."

A lady near us was making noises and nodding her head. I reached over and pulled her gag from her mouth, "Most of these people are being smuggled into the U.S. They're from Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, and I'm an Air Force dependent kidnapped from Panama. The men who have this boat took us from some smugglers before they sank their boat. They were going to sell us to someone who had a use for us in Miami. They said we would be valuable to who we were sold to and would be happy. They kept us tied up in here when they attacked another boat."

Chuck had returned, so I told Chuck, "Go cover for Lisa so we can get the men from the cockpit tied up. We'll try to cover the mess on the rear deck and bring these people up. Let's see if we can trust them first."

The lady said, "Oh please, let us up. Untie us so we can use the bathroom. We've been tied up for over two hours this time."

I told her, "One thing at a time. We'll get you up in a couple of minutes. Chuck, go and get started with Lisa."

Almost as soon as he went up the ladder to the cockpit, Juanita came down still carrying her shotgun. She looked at the people sitting on the floor and turned up her nose. "My goodness, these people need to be hosed down. Come on, Steve; let's get them up top. Brandy and Tiani have the bodies on the rear deck covered up. The men in the cockpit are tied up, so let's get these people out of here."

I looked at the line tying the feet together and they all had a slipknot that could be easily pulled. I began pulling a knot and helping the person to their feet. I removed the gags and moved them toward Juanita. Juanita began talking to the people, telling them that others would help them get off the boat.

When the room was empty except for the dead guy, I picked up his pistol, a nice Glock, and followed Juanita up top. Sue was rummaging in a locker by the boat's controls when I came up. She said, "There are dozens and dozens of wallets, rings, necklaces, watches, and other jewelry. I'm not sure whether this came from the people they were smuggling or from people they had pirated. Go talk to the guy that had been knocked out. He seems to want to make some kind of deal."

When I got back on board the Lucky Lady with the captives, Juanita asked if she could untie their hands. I told everyone around, "Remain alert and keep them in one area where you can watch them. They could still be dangerous. Let's let the Coast Guard resolve their issues."

Chuck was beside me and said, "Now you know how I've felt lately. It's one thing after another. Let's talk to the guy who wants to deal."

Kathy and Mercy had the three captured men sitting with their backs to the railing on the opposite side of the boat. One of the guys was acting as if he was the leader and immediately asked, "Are you the person I can deal with?"

I nodded and said, "Perhaps, what's on your mind?"

"Your boat gave you away. We had a deal to take you and your boat and take you and your boat to the Keys. We were waiting for you. We almost left the area because you are running so late. What'd you do, anchor for the night?"

I just waved my hand and asked, "Who hired you? Who made a deal for you to take the boat?"

The guy looked nervous but said, "Some heavies out of New York. They used to have some kind of operation in Florida and were involved in some smuggling in Texas, but you must have messed it up. You're the Deputy Marshal right? Charles Johnson?"

Chuck was standing next to me and nudged me, so I said, "It doesn't make any difference, you won't have any booty to turn in to those guys on the Keys. Maybe I should go see them. Exactly who are they and where are they?"

The guy was even more nervous and the other two men were now awake and were trying to indicate to the man to keep quiet.

"Look, if I tell you everything, will you get us back to the Keys? I don't have anything against you, so it doesn't make any difference to me. Those other guys are the ones with a grudge."

One of the other men kicked the guy and said, "Keep your fucking mouth shut. If you say something, we're dead. Now shut up and keep quiet."

As he pulled his Glock, Chuck said, "How about I just shoot these two and you tell us what you know." Chuck pulled one of them to his feet and put the gun to his head forcing the man to lean over the railing.

"You wouldn't just shoot me, would you?" The man began whining as Chuck bent him over.

Chuck said, "We're in international waters. You've committed an act of piracy and impersonated the U.S. Coast Guard. Your life has no value at this second. Why not make you fish food along with the others."

A wet spot appeared on the guy's pants as his respiration rate increased. Chuck yelled, "Kneel, lean against the rail, and shut up."

Chuck turned back to the original talker and said, "Now, you will tell us who wanted us and exactly where they are. See that boat coming toward us? That's the Coast Guard. I'm being nice. They will be much harder on you."

The guy was panicked and whispered, "Manny Romano has the contract on you. He's doing it for the Pilotini brothers. They were involved with a guy who had some kind of air and boat charter gig down here. They said that as soon as you showed up, even their muscle disappeared. Some guy named 'the Master' disappeared and they think the Marshal had something to do with it. The Pilotinis are all here from New York and are at their compound in Homestead. Romano has a place on Key West near the airport. That's where we were supposed to take you. They said we could keep your boat and whatever else we find. They just wanted Johnson."

I asked, "So what were you going to do with anyone with us?"

The guy looked away and shrugged his shoulders. I shook my head and looked at Chuck, "Oh please, let's just off these guys while we have a chance."