The Last Inferno (Echo Kingston Book 6) by Michael Cross

Author:Michael Cross [Cross, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

“Here?” he asks. “Are you sure, señor?”

“Yeah. Here’s good.”

“But there’s no fish here,” Rodrigo argues. “No reefs here, either.”

I zip up my wetsuit and shoulder my waterproof bag. “I’m good.”

“Okay. Your money,” he shrugs. “But there’s no nothin’ around here. You’re wastin’ your time, man.”

Earlier in the day, I’d chartered Rodrigo’s small fishing boat to take me out to where I wanted to put in. I’m about a mile offshore and can see Vargas’ house lit up like a beacon in the night. I slide my mask down over my eyes and pick up my portable scuba tank. It’s handheld and has enough air for about thirty minutes of dive time. Should be more than enough for me to get to shore.

“Don’t wait around,” I tell him. “I’m going to swim back to shore after I’m done down there.”

Rodrigo looks at me skeptically. “Leave you here?”

I nod. “Yeah, just go home to your wife. I’m fine. I’ll get back on my own.”

He looks around at the vast expanse of the ocean. It’s overcast tonight, so it’s blacker than pitch out here. Which, of course, makes it perfect for me. I unzip the pouch on the leg of my wetsuit and fish out the small stack of bills I’d stored in there, knowing they would come in handy. I flip through them for a moment— must be a few thousand pesos in here, equivalent to a couple hundred US dollars. I thrust them into Rodrigo’s hand and clap him on the shoulder.

“Take her somewhere nice for dinner,” I grin.

He looks down at the bills and whistles low.

“Estás un poco loco, gringo.”

“No,” I chuckle. “Soy loco totalmente.”

I sit down on the railing of the boat, give him a thumbs-up, then tip myself backward and splash into the water. It’s darker than pitch. For a moment, I’m disoriented, so I pop my head above the surface to get my bearings. I see Rodrigo’s boat motoring off, making the wide turn to go back the way we’d come, wondering what he’s going to think of all this once the news breaks. It doesn’t matter though. I won’t be here long enough for him to make the connection.

Once I have the location of Vargas’ house locked firmly in my mind, I submerge and make the swim. Fifteen minutes later, I climb out of the surf and take shelter behind a large standing pile of rocks close to the house. I drop my scuba gear and slip out of my wetsuit, leaving it all in a heap at the base of the rocks for when I return. I quickly unzip my bag to take out the earpiece and put it in, tapping it to turn it on.

“Justice, can you read me?” I whisper as I slip on my tactical gear and boots.

“Loud and clear,” she replies. “And let me log my final objection to this op.”

“Noted,” I say. “How are we looking on your side?”

“Ready to go.”

I pull the pieces out of my bag and quickly assemble my weapon.

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