Survival Read Free Page A

joined him on a hunt for the bathroom.
    On the way she whispered to him, “We have no choice.”
    “I don’t trust him. And his information’s incomplete. This could be a red herring.”
    “True. But if we don’t take this, we’re dead in the water. And the clock’s ticking.”
    “It’s a lot of money.”
    “Yes, but we’ll bill the client.”
    “They’re unlikely to pay if we don’t perform.”
    “Obviously. It’s a calculated risk. But at this point, we’re out of options.”
    They each used the restroom, and then Igor followed Fernanda back to the table. When they were seated, she gave Carlos a warm smile.
    “Fine. You got us.”
    “Do you have the money with you?”
    “Of course. In my friend’s jacket. But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. Time for you to show us what you have.”
    “I’ll give you everything but the details about the method they’ll use to get off the ship. That you’ll get once I have the cash in hand.”
    “Fair enough. Now give.”
    Carlos removed a flash drive and slid it across the table. “The ship’s the Seylene , flagged in Liberia. Departed San Antonio bound for Long Beach. Crew of sixteen. The schedule on the drive will tell you where she’ll be at any given hour, and there’s a GPS locator chip aboard you can track. I also included blueprints of the ship and a crew roster.”
    “Any guns aboard?”
    Carlos shook his head. “No. I mean, not legally. Probably some flare guns.”
    “Where is the boat right now?” Fernanda asked in a low voice.
    Carlos glanced at his watch. “Off the coast of Peru, heading into Ecuadorian waters.”
    “How many miles offshore will she run?” Igor asked.
    “That’s part of the plan. The captain’s going to call in a mechanical problem as a pretext to veer east rather than continuing along the shipping lane. As they hug the coast, the passengers will disembark.”
    “What country?”
    Carlos’s eyes narrowed. “When I have the money.”
    Igor finished his coffee. “This stuff runs right through you, doesn’t it? I’m going to use the bathroom again. Excuse me,” he said, and made for the back of the café.
    Fernanda pushed her cup around and then looked at Carlos. “You should probably go to the bathroom now. He’s probably getting tired of waiting in that stinkhole.”
    “Ah. I see.”
    When the two men returned, Carlos looked more relaxed. He tossed a few bills on the table and gave Fernanda a small bow. “It was a pleasure doing business with you. You have my number if you have any questions. It’s a burner cell phone, but I’ll keep it nearby for the next few days.”
    “I hope we have no reason to be dissatisfied,” Fernanda said, a warning in her tone.
    “You won’t.”
    Carlos left, and Fernanda and Igor finished their coffee before leaving themselves. The fog was still thick and the area deserted as they made their way back to the car. Once inside, Igor started the engine and turned to Fernanda. “They’re planning to rendezvous with a fishing boat off Panama. The ship will make for Balboa for repairs and then experience a miraculous recovery and continue north to the U.S. By which time the fishing boat will have made it to shore, with no annoying customs or immigration to contend with.”
    “Where will the boat take them?”
    “He doesn’t know. It’s a local contractor. His organization’s arrangement was to get the passengers to Panama, and that’s it.”
    “Damn. The obvious way to do this would be to ambush them when they’re off the fishing boat. We can’t very well intercept a huge cargo ship in international waters.” A thought occurred to her. She tapped her phone to life and went to a web site. After a few minutes studying the coast, she smiled. “Looks like there’s a storm moving west from the Caribbean. The forecast is for it to hit hard on the Pacific side after it passes over land. Late tomorrow afternoon and into the night.”
    “And that’s useful