Lazar's Intrigue (The Jack Lazar Series) (19 page)

NINETEEN

The
calm ocean lapped against the private beach fronting Antonucci’s grand house on
the northern shore of Colombia. But the piercing ring of his cell phone
disturbed the serenity Antonucci had found there, his feet wading through the
warm water as he walked. He was anxious to hear about what had happened in
Florida and didn’t want to leave the phone behind in the house.

“Hello?”

“Enzo.
It’s Burke.”

“Good.
What happened?”

“I
hate to tell you this, but they’re still alive. We missed them again, and now
we have no idea where they are. Sorry. I don’t understand how our people
screwed the pooch so badly on this.”

“I
see,” Antonucci responded not so regretfully. Part of him was relieved to know
Sarina had not been killed, despite the naïveté that propelled the woman to
fight so fiercely against what he stood for. If only she understood how things
really worked in the world or realized all the wonderful things his money could
have given her, maybe she would have stopped her nonsensical campaign and
settled down with him.

But
there was no hope of talking sense into her now, so the point was moot. And the
more she stirred things up, the more of a threat she became. He knew, finally, there
was no choice but to have her eliminated, no matter how much it tore him up
inside.

Antonucci
struggled to sound disappointed with the failed attempt. “What’s wrong with you
people?” he grumbled convincingly. “She’s just a woman, and the guy with her is
just a businessman.”

“You’d
be surprised how good she is, Mr. Antonucci. And that Lazar guy seems to have a
guardian angel.”

“Are
you making excuses?”

“No,
I’m just…”

“Are
you saying you can’t do it? I mean, what am I paying you for?”

“We
can do it, Mr. Antonucci,” Burke responded reassuringly. “We just need a little
more time.”

“How
much time is that? Give me some kind of estimate.”

“I
can’t say for sure. There are at least fifty DEA agents and police officers
scouring Southeast Florida for them at this very moment.”

“I
thought you government people were supposed to have special training and all
sorts of high-tech equipment for this kind of thing. If all I needed was
manpower, I would have hired a bunch of mercenaries.”

“I
understand your concerns, Mr. Antonucci. But there’s only so much we can do,
and Sarina knows how to circumvent our systems.”

“Again,
more excuses.”

“And
just for the record, a badge will get you a whole lot further than a gun in situations
like this. You’ve got the right people on the job. Just be patient. Please.”

“I
want this situation over, goddamnit! Do you understand me? Over!”

“Yes,
sir.”

“Call
me when it’s done.” Antonucci forcefully pushed the end button with his thumb
and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

“Son
of a bitch!” he screamed out in frustration, his fists clenched at his sides.

Hiring
someone to kill the woman he loved was hard enough, but having the damn thing
drag on was agonizing as hell. What was it going to take?

TWENTY

Almost
two weeks had passed since Jack and Sarina entrusted their care to the capable
hands of Dr. Charles Kerwin—a man who had been equally so kind as to let them
stay in the guest room of his beachfront home in West Palm Beach during
Sarina’s recovery.

The
doctor’s house was bright, cheery and comfortable. It featured a stereotypical
Floridian style with pastel colors, huge ceilings and countless windows that
allowed the warmth and healing energy of the sun to radiate throughout its
spacious rooms. The furnishings were light and casual, and the majority of them
were extremely plush—just perfect for endless days of lounging comfort. A sleek
infinity pool and spa lay just beyond the outdoor living area in back, and the
entire outdoor space was encircled by a stucco wall covered with endlessly blooming
flowers.

Charlie
was usually gone by the time Jack and Sarina awakened each day, but the good
doctor showed honor and respect for their relationship while he was home,
acting as if there had never been a liaison between Charlie and Sarina at all. Jack
knew that putting on such a façade must be killing Charlie inside, and his
respect for the man grew stronger each day. Consequently, it took very little time
for the two of them to move beyond their awkward beginning and become good
friends.

Jack
also took advantage of the extra time to make several shopping trips in
Charlie’s Jeep to fill the long list of provisions Sarina had given him, which
included replacements for everything that had exploded with the rental car. A
military surplus store provided most of the mission-critical items such as
camouflage utilities and tactical vests, but he knew the place to buy
ammunition was Walmart, and he spread the purchases over several locations to
avoid arousing suspicion.

Jack
arrived this particular morning with a tray of coffee and fresh fruit as Sarina
awakened in the bed. She stretched her arms above her head, causing the covers
to pull down and reveal her breasts.

“Mm,
I must be getting better,” she claimed, writhing under the covers.

“Why
is that?”

“Because
I suddenly want you so badly I can hardly stand it.”

“Oh?”
A surge of sensual energy shot through Jack’s body.

“Uh-huh.
You’ve got to come down here and feel this.”

He
placed the tray on the dresser and knelt down beside the bed, knowing with
earnest anticipation what she was about to do. He allowed her to take his hand
and guide it down her body, gently over her breasts, across her flat tummy, and
then slowly underneath her panties.

Jack
closed his eyes as he felt the warmth and wetness of her, and he began to
stroke her ever so slightly, his finger occasionally sliding inside to gather
more wetness. He pulled the covers to her waist and began to take in her
breasts as he gently flicked her nipples with his tongue.

It
didn’t take long before she yielded a tender orgasm for him, and it seemed to
last forever. But Jack was perfectly content to stroke her until she sighed with
contentment.

“That
was wonderful. Thank you.”

He
kissed her softly on the lips. “You’re welcome.” He rose to his feet and
started to turn back toward the door.

“Where
do you think you’re going?” Sarina asked.

“The
kitchen.”

“Don’t
you want me?” she whispered in return.

“Of
course I do, but…”

“Shh,”
she asserted softly. “You can do it gently, can’t you, baby?”

“Ah,
yes I can. ‘I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove. I will roar you an ’twere
any nightingale.’”

“Shakespeare?
Now?”

“’Twas
but a moment of thoughtlessness, my lady. Please uncover yourself, and I shall
do your bidding.”

Rolling
her eyes, she flung the covers to the side and slipped the panties down her
legs, being careful not to disturb the bandage on her leg. She turned her body
around and sat on the edge of the bed, facing him.

“We
can’t have this thing covering you up.” She unfastened the sash on his robe and
tugged on the arms to pull it over his shoulders. “Oh. And what do we have
here?”

She
gazed up at him naughtily before taking him into her mouth and savoring him
from stem to stern. But the need to have him inside her was apparently urgent
as she abandoned him quickly to take her position on the bed. She lay on her back,
her thighs split wide as she stared wantonly into his eyes.

Jack
dropped to the floor between her legs and delighted in the taste of her before
edging his way up her body with kisses. He reached her mouth and drank in her
lips before gently guiding himself inside her, the abundant wetness enveloping
him. Moving slowly, he felt the length of him travel in and out as he angled against
her pelvis, resisting the temptation to increase his force or speed. He
relished in her carefully, delicately, and in time they propelled themselves
through a slow but powerful union as they moved in tandem with long, gentle
waves.

This
was the first time Jack had experienced tender lovemaking with Sarina, and
while the crazy sex they usually had was amazing, this was equally fulfilling
in its own way. He wouldn’t be writing letters to Penthouse about it, but he
felt much closer to Sarina now, like they were a real couple instead of two
people just fooling around.

He
turned her body around and rested her head on the pillow before slipping under
the covers next to her and gently pulling her toward him, being careful with
the injured leg as he rested her head on his chest. He was absolutely content
for a few moments and lost in a sea of bliss before a wave of sadness stabbed him.
It was sudden and powerful, and he couldn’t understand it at first, but then it
made perfect sense. He knew in his heart that Charlie’s prediction about the
limited span of their relationship was right, and it was only a matter of time
before he lost her. He sensed it would be sooner rather than later, and he
would become exactly like Charlie.

“What
are you thinking about over there?” Sarina asked. “It feels like you just went
a million miles away.”

Jack
decided to be honest with her and took a deep breath. “It’s just that things are
so fantastic with you, Sarina, and I can’t handle the thought of it being
over.”

“Why
would you say something like that? We’re together, aren’t we?" She lifted
her head and looked at him with a scowl.

“Yeah.”

“Well,
that’s all that matters, Jack. Learn to take things one day at a time. If you
keep worrying about the future, it’ll ruin your enjoyment of the present.”

He
shook his head, discouraged with himself. “You’re right. I’m sorry. We’re here
together. You’re lying in my arms. What more could I ask for?"

“All
right,” she said, resting her head on his chest again.

Knowing
her unpredictable propensity for meanness, Jack was thankful she was being kind
to him now. He wasn’t in the mood for games, and perhaps she knew that. Still,
Jack realized that part of what attracted him to Sarina was her feisty
attitude, bullheaded independence and aggressive approach to pretty much
everything. It would be silly to condemn her for those very same qualities. Was
he really naïve enough to expect he could enjoy one side of her passion without
having to muddle through the other?

“I
think it’s time we get back to business,” Sarina announced.

“Back
to business? Okay, but you really need to give me twenty minutes this time. I’m
not seventeen anymore.”

“Not
that,” she said, giggling. “The case. We need to get back on the case.”

“I
know how stubborn you can be,” Jack responded. “But I don’t think you’re ready
yet. Why don’t you wait until Charlie gives you a clean bill of health?”

“I
don’t need a doctor to tell me whether I’m okay to work or not. In fact, I’ve
performed my job under far worse conditions than these. I can almost walk
without a limp now, and the pain is all but gone. I’m ready for anything, Jack.
Take my word for it.”

“Fine,”
he surrendered, sighing. “Charlie said we could borrow his Jeep when we’re
ready to go. All he asked is that we don’t destroy it like everything else in
our wake so far. He also wants us to let him know where we leave it.”

“That’s
easy. It’ll be at the Opa-Locka airport, which is where we were going two weeks
ago. We just need to find a way to hitch a ride on that plane, and we’ll be in
business.”

“The
plane going down to Medellin?”

“Of
course. How else are we going to figure out what they’re doing down there?”

“Hey,
I’m just asking.”

TWENTY-ONE

The
airport offices of Antonucci Enterprises and Intercontinental Trucking were not
difficult to find, and Jack thought it was amazing an outfit with such
visibility could get away with shipping drugs all over the place. But the
secret to any successful clandestine operation, Sarina explained to him, was to
do everything out in the open and run it like a normal business. And that’s
exactly what Antonucci’s people were doing.

Jack
stopped the little white Jeep across the street and used the set of binoculars
he had purchased to peer through the front window.

“I
think there are only two guys in there,” he said. “But all I can see are the
offices in front. There could be more people in the hangar out back. It’s hard
to say.”

“Well,
there’s no telling where the flight schedules are,” Sarina mused. “Hopefully
they’ll have a manifest or something at the front desk. Of course, there’s only
one way to find out.”

They
both pondered for a moment.

“If
I do something to distract the guys at the desk,” Sarina asked, “can you slip
into the building and find the schedule? I can probably keep them out of your
hair for ten minutes or so.”

“Sure,”
Jack replied, hiding his anxiety over the proposition. “That should be plenty of
time. What are you going to do?”

“What
I’m best at, honey.” She took out the duffel bag Jack had bought for her and pulled
out a hairbrush. She removed the beret that fastened her hair back and flung
her head forward, teasing her long black shafts so they looked tousled and
sexy, like an exotic dancer. She slid her jeans over her hips and used her
combat knife to cut off the pant legs, creating a pair of tight and ragged blue
jean shorts that would reveal every inch of her slender legs. Pulling the side mirror
toward her, she diligently applied some bright red lipstick.

“Pull
the Jeep up there and park it on the side of the road,” she ordered. “Then pop
the hood.”

Jack
complied with her request and hopped out to open the hood. He shivered as
Sarina walked toward him, the sight of her causing a rush of visceral energy throughout
his entire body.

“All
we need to do with an older car like this,” she explained as she popped the
clips on either side of the distributor cap, “is to remove the rotor. It’ll
take them forever to figure out what’s wrong. Always does.” She pulled the part
and handed it to Jack before snapping the distributor cap back into place. “Keep
this. We may need it.”

“I’ll
put it right here in my pocket, babe.”

She
smiled at him. “So, how do I look?”

“Incredible,”
he answered, chuckling to himself about how the guys inside would be blindsided
by their own hormones.

“Should
I lose the bra?” It was clearly a rhetorical question as she instantly removed
it from under her shirt and adjusted her breasts. They clung beneath the white tank
top, their lovely shape now clearly revealed, her erect nipples protruding beneath
the fabric. “Now what do you think?”

“I
think they’re going to have a heart attack,” he said, shaking his head. “I can
hardly stand to look at you myself!”

She
smiled big this time. “Just hold that thought, sweetheart. Now go around the
side of the building and wait until I get those guys out of there. When you’re
done inside, just come out and help us with the Jeep like you were walking by
and noticed I was having trouble.”

He
took a deep breath. “Okay. Just be careful.”

“No.
You
be careful. I do this kind of thing every day. You don’t.”

“Sorry,”
he said, raising his hands as he walked away. “I almost forgot.”

Jack
hid around the side of the building as he watched Sarina strut toward the front
doors, the injury to her thigh apparently causing no impediment now, her
strides long and deliberately seductive. Seeing she was just fine, he continued
to the building’s side entry door, which was not only unlocked but led directly
into the hangar behind the office. The hangar was fortuitously empty, so he
easily scampered over to the back door of the office and arrived just as Sarina
entered through the front. He could see the two young men sitting at a long
desk facing the entrance, and one of them looked up as Sarina entered the
building. Jack watched in amusement as he dropped his pen to the floor, made no
attempt to retrieve it, and moved over to nudge his coworker.

“Hi,”
Sarina beamed, her eyes filled with sensuality, her lips skillfully parted. “Could
I persuade you two gentlemen to give me some help? My Jeep broke down outside,
and I can’t figure out what’s wrong with it. I just don’t know a thing about
cars.” She laughed and provocatively flipped her hair to the side. “I would be
really grateful if you’d help me.”

The
young men looked toward each other and grinned knowingly.

“Sure,”
they responded in unison.

“Oh,
thank you so much,” she squealed. “It’s just down the street.”

The
two eagerly followed her out the door, and Jack watched through the front
windows as they directed their attention to her swinging bottom and nudged each
other like teenagers who had just sneaked into a strip club.

Searching
through the office area was almost too easy after that, Jack thought, as the
two clerks would be fully occupied by their new plaything for some time, and
any thoughts toward the security of the business would certainly be out of
their minds.

It
took several minutes to locate the flight schedules since they weren’t in the office
at all, but written on an erasable white marker board hanging on a wall facing
the main hangar. The planes, pilots and itineraries for every flight coming in
and out of the facility had been neatly written on a grid that had been taped
to the board, and Jack searched for a pencil and paper to copy down the
information.

“Who
the hell are you?” a Latino voice behind him demanded.

Jack
froze for a moment, but quickly realized he could blow the whole thing if he
didn’t find the strength to play it cool. He turned around slowly, pretending
like he wasn’t alarmed by the man at all. “Where do you guys keep your
pencils?”

The
man was small but built like a truck. His lengthy hair was slicked back and
gathered into a ponytail. He wore a dark flight jacket with aircraft
paraphernalia all over it, and a pair of Ray Ban aviators masked his eyes. “I
said, who the hell are you? And where’s Pedro?”

Jack
continued searching around like he had business to do so. “Pedro is out front
helping some bimbo with her Jeep while the rest of us are inside trying to do
our jobs.”

“And
for the third time, who are you?”

“Don’t
take that tone with me, buster, or I’ll ground your ass in a heartbeat. Not
that it’s any of your business, but my name is Sam McKinney, and I’m here to do
a supplementary audit for the FAA. But as I said before, I can’t do anything
until I find a goddamn pencil!”

The
pilot opened a cabinet near the doorway, extracted a brand new mechanical
pencil, and handed it to Jack.

“Thank
you. And something to write on?”

Again,
the pilot opened the cabinet, this time pulling out a clean legal pad.

“Thanks
again. You sure have been helpful. What’s your name?”

“Santiago.
Jesus Santiago. Captain.”

Jack
began to write down the flight information while Jesus stood by, the
intimidating little pilot’s presence causing Jack’s heart to race.

“You
need something?” Jack asked him.

“I
need Pedro to sign this manifest before I can close my cargo doors and go into
preflight.”

“I
told you. He’s outside.”

“Well,
I'm not leaving you alone back here, even if you are with the FAA.” He wrinkled
his nose and raised the corner of his lip. “I don’t like the looks of you.”

“I
suppose that’s your constitutional right,” Jack replied. “Why don’t I just go
outside and fetch Pedro for you. I need to ask him a few questions anyway. You sit
tight, okay?”

Jesus
the Pilot didn’t answer, but just glared at Jack while he walked around him at
the doorway and headed through the front office. Jack noticed as he reached the
glass doors that one of the young desk clerks was returning from the Jeep, and
he stopped cold, wondering what to do now. He heard a cough from behind and
turned his head to discover that Jesus had followed him there and was watching
critically from behind the desk. Thinking fast, Jack threw the door open and
walked up to the approaching clerk, speaking to him in a cordial tone. “You Pedro?”

“Yeah.
Watcha doin’ in there, man?”

“I
guess you drew the short end of the stick, huh?”

“What?”

“Never
mind. Listen, I was just talking to Jesus, and he says you need to sign his
manifest.” He pointed toward the front of the building, knowing the pilot would
be watching his body language for anything suspicious.

“Okay,
but who are you?”

“Sam
McKinney with the FAA, of course. I went inside to find you guys, but no one
was there, so I went into the back and ran into Jesus. You know, he seems to be
in a big hurry to get outta here, so you better go inside and sign his
manifest. I get the sense he’s not the kind of person who likes to be kept
waiting.”

Jack
began walking off, hoping the little guy would buy it.

“Hey,
man! Didn’t you come here for something?”

“Oh,
I got the address on my work order all mixed up,” Jack shouted back, walking in
reverse while scanning the neighboring buildings for a company sign. “I just
realized I’m supposed to be over there at Galvetron Aviation. Those guys
probably think I’m lost. Sometimes I get so busy I don’t know what I’m doing! Sorry
for the inconvenience. You take care now.”

“Yeah,
sure.” Pedro seemed uneasy, although he still proceeded into the building
without pushing the issue further.

Jack
quickened his pace and headed straight for the Jeep where Sarina and the other
clerk were still busy under the hood. He arrived just as the young man
discovered the missing part.

“Here’s
your problem, lady,” the young man announced. “You don’t got no rotor! How’d
you get here without no rotor?”

Sarina
just shrugged and smiled.

“Of
course it doesn’t have a rotor,” Jack interrupted, edging between them under
the hood. He swiftly placed the rotor back onto the spindle and clipped the
distributor cap into place before closing the hood. “There. That should do it.”

Sarina
looked at him as if he were out of his mind for putting on such a display.

“Hi,
honey!” He grabbed the back of the neck, kissed her forcefully and let her go
with equal animation. “We better go, or we’ll be late.”

“You
didn’t say nothin’ about no boyfriend,” the young man said despondently.

“Hey,
thanks for all your help,” Jack said, slapping a fifty into his hand. “You go
have some fun tonight, okay? We’re on a tight schedule, so we need to get back
on the road.”

Jack
motioned to Sarina that they should move quickly, and she jumped into the
passenger seat as Jack started the engine. They peeled away from the curb and
left the dazed young man in a haze of dust and exhaust.

“What
are you doing?” Sarina asked as she looked back to see Jesus and Pedro running
out of the building in pursuit. “Are you crazy?”

“I
got caught in there by one of the pilots. The one who’s flying the plane we
want to be on. Anyway, I managed to get past him without causing a scene, but I
knew when he and your little friend compared notes, they’d be after us.”

“Oh
great!” she scoffed.

“Well,
what did you expect me to do? I think it was pretty damn clever for me to get
out of there in one piece!”

“Please
tell me you at least got the information we need.”

“Yes
I did, oh ye of little faith. But here’s the kicker. The plane is supposed to
leave at one o’clock. That’s a little over half an hour from now.”

“And
now we’re supposed to go back into that hornet’s nest you just stirred up?”

“Well,”
Jack said, stopping the Jeep. “I figure their attention is focused on the front
of the building right now, and they’ve no doubt locked the side door I used
earlier, so we’ll need to access the tarmac out back and get into the cargo
hold of the plane while they’re still occupied.”

“That’s
it? That’s your plan? How the hell do you expect to get back there? It’s a
secure area.”

“We
passed by a security gate leading to the airfield about a quarter mile east of
here, and you’ll have to use your badge to get us in. I just hope the guard
doesn’t recognize us or that they don’t have your name on some sort of watch list.”

She
shook her head. “I don’t like the odds of that.”

“You
got a better idea?”

She
thought for a moment and sighed. “I guess not. Let’s go.”