Chapter 10

I sent an email to my handler that same night. I got a reply almost immediately. The answer was simple. 'Tomorrow 10:10 AM, in the park across from city hall.'

That was all. I had no idea if it was a dead drop or a meeting. I just knew I needed to be there on time in order to find out. I closed up the file and went to bed.

I awoke yet again to the smell of bacon. It seemed the only thing that Fat Jack could cook was bacon and eggs. He wrapped them in several different things, but it was always greasy bacon and eggs. After breakfast I had time to run a couple of miles before the meeting.

I ran and hated every single minute of it. I told myself that after the meeting I would find a cheap bike somewhere. Then I realized we might be winding down the operation soon and it would have to be left behind. I should have bought one when I first arrived.

Morris arrived at the park shortly after I did. Of all things she had a dog on a bright red leash. I didn't bother to ask about the dog. "So we meet again," I said.

"Yes we do. Let's make this quick," she said not looking at me. In the paper bag I am carrying for the dog poop there is another bag with two listening devices. I want you to plant one in the cabin and one in the wheelhouse of the boat.

That is just in case they take your cell phone, which they usually do these days. Make sure they are well hidden, your life will depend on it."

"Gee that's an encouraging thought," I said.

"There is also a GPS marker. You want to plant it somewhere in the ship's wheelhouse. Wait till you are underway to activate it. They can sweep for it with a cell phone AP, so be careful.

We are going to be doing round the clock surveillance of the boat from now till your dope dealer shows up. It sounds like they are planning an at sea transfer of drugs. It's our one chance to catch them dirty."

"We catch them dirty and they throw us over the side," I said.

"Maybe once you get back to the dock, but they won't take any chances till they get their drugs unloaded. When you hit the dock, we are going to have a surprise for anyone waiting for you." she said.

"I have no idea how to feel about that. If your guys fuck up, it's me and Fat Jack who will pay for it," I explained.

"Don't worry this is not an official operation. Your friends from the Church Camp will be handling the dirty part of the operation," Morris said.

"At least that is comforting. Maybe they won't kill us by mistake," I suggested.

"Well they won't have to play by the same rules as me. Hell, you don't play by the rules either, you know?" she commented.

"Yeah, that's what I hear, but you are the ones making the rules I think," I said.

"Actually Mission makes them," Morris agreed.

"Whatever, so next time I hear from you this will be over one way or another?" I asked.

"That is the plan. We will be listening," Morris said.

I waited as the woman with the slightly wide hips, and a very bad bleach job on her hair walked away with the black and white dog on a bright red leash. When I stood, I picked up my handbag into which she had slipped the paper bag filled with electronics spy crap.

When I got back to the dock, I motioned for Fat Jack to follow me to the vending machine area of the dock. It was the only area with walls that we had access to. Well there were the bathrooms, but I thought it might be suspicious, if I followed Fat Jack into the men's room.

Once we were inside, I began to talk first, "Okay listen to me, if we are going to come out of this alive, we have to trust each other, so tell me what you told that drug dealer about me," I said.

"He wanted to know if he could trust you. I had to come up with something, so I told him you were my daughter," Fat Jack replied.

"I do have a daughter about your age and I felt like that would be more believable than that story about you being an ex con. We can still drag that out, if we need it," he informed me.

"So okay, that sounds like a good enough cover. What do you know about our part in this operation?" I asked.

"We obviously are going somewhere by boat to pick up a load of drugs. We are going to bring them back here and that's all I know," he said.

"Jack let me try that again. Tell me all you know about our part in this operation before I cut your fucking throat," I said. I tried to look as menacing as possible.

"We are going to be gone all night Black Ray told me. That's all I know," he replied.

"Bullshit," I said.

"You want to go along with my plan or not?" he asked.

"I don't know till I hear it, but I will tell you this, the people we are working for have been, and will continue bugging you. If you are planning something hinky, you better start talking now before I turn those bugs on," I demanded.

"I told you I had some drug contacts that I reached out to. It's how Black Ray knew who we were. It's also how I found a buyer for five kilos of his shit."

"What do you mean, you have a buyer for five keys of Black Rays dope? You do know that will get us killed," I said.

"Look the guys we work for are going to grab the dope as evidence. Five keys more or less is not going to matter to them. All we have to do is stay alive till they get themselves grabbed up. If we do that we will be over a hundred thousand dollars richer," he said. "It would be a nice way to start our new lives."

"You really hadn't planned to tell me had you?" I asked.

"Not till I had to," he admitted.

"So what is my cut?" I asked.

"Fifty K plus half of whatever we can take from Black Ray before the cops grab him up," he said.

"That is likely to be nothing. If his gun thugs find out what you have planned, they will likely kill us both," I said.

"Just go along with anything. We will figure it out as we go," Fat Jack said.

After our meeting I went back to the boat. When I got there I planted one bug under my bed. It was shaped like a roach, so it wouldn't even be noticed under the bed. I also planted the other bug in the wheelhouse along with the GPS marker. I did not turn the marker on, as I had been instructed.

Fat Jack and I settled in to wait. We had two spring charters before Black Ray and his two gun thugs showed up. It was the middle of the night two weeks later. It was not really the middle of the night but it was 10 PM. Fat Jack confronted them, but then let them come aboard.

"Nat you need to come up here," he said since I was down below in the bunk.

I looked at the assembled group and said nothing. The three of them make ominous gestures but said little.

"I want you to understand what your position is," Black Ray said to Fat Jack. "You belong to me now, both of you."

I looked at Fat Jack, but said nothing to anyone. I had a feeling it was going to get dangerous before we finally set sail.

"Do you understand Captain Jack?" he asked. Fat Jack tried to nod his answer. "That will not do. Say it."

"We belong to you," he said.

"Now prove it to me. Tell your daughter to suck my dick while you watch," he demanded.

"Daddy please don't do this," I begged. I wanted it to look real, more than anything else.

"I'm sorry Nat," Fat Jack said with the gun in his back. "Suck his dick honey. Do it for me please."

"You bastard," I said as I moved to stand in front of Black Ray.

"Well tell her how," Ray said enjoying both of us squirming.

"Kneel down Nat," Jack said. I did as he directed.