Don't own Chuck
Luiz was notified as soon as the boat entered the inlet so he hurried down to the houseboat and was waiting when it pulled in and docked. He was the first one onboard when the brow went down looking for the skipper aside. They had urgent business to attend to and a short time to do it in. He grabbed the Skipper to discuss his plans that were made urgent by the latest developments.
"Listen Raul," said Luiz, "I want you to refuel and get all our things loaded as quickly as you can then we're going to pull out again. However, this time we're going to have to leave here. I want to you to set a course for Trujillo in Honduras."
"One moment," said the Skipper as he pulled out a chart so they could look it over together. "Okay, I don't see a problem getting there. We've got enough fuel still onboard to make the run but why the urgency? Is it because of what happened with the woman?"
"In part yes and other things combined... You see it's getting a little too hot here right now to continue our little adventure. We need to go someplace and lay low for a while... someplace like here," he said as she pointed to Trujillo on the map.
"This is because of what happened with the woman. I'm sorry and I talked with the men involved but I am the Skipper and I take responsibility for my men," said Raul but Luiz just waved him off.
"And a good one whom I need. I understand accidents can happen. Bring me the two men to the dock and let me have a word with them," said Luiz. Raul seemed hesitant and he had reason to be because he knew that tone in Luiz's voice. It was the viper's hiss before it attacked. "Is there a problem?"
"No, no none at all," said Raul. "I'll have them brought to you straightaway. Then we'll get to refueling and getting everything ready to get underway that is if that's all right with you?"
"Sounds good to me, just do it in a hurry and please don't keep me waiting on the pier. My mother has taken a liking to one of our guests and I'm afraid she might invite him to dine with us. Don't you just hate it when cats play with their prey."
"I know exactly how you feel," said Raul to himself. He called to his first mate and ordered the two men deliver to Luiz on the dock then he set about plotting a course straight for Trujillo.
A few minutes later Luiz was standing on the dock with two badly bruised men in front of him. All the men stopped work to watch and see what Luiz was about to do. Not too far away Alex watched too hidden away behind some crates on the dock. If she was lucky this would be her opportunity to join in on the work detail and get herself onboard. Everyone was watching Luiz so she grabbed a crate then walked aboard. No one even noticed her as they all had their eyes glued on Luiz waiting for him to hand down his idea of justice.
"Never let it be said that I'm not a fair man," said Luiz as he began to deliver his sentence even though everyone knew what it was going to be. They all listened and were thankful they weren't the two men involved.
"Something needs to be done or this world of order we live in will fall into chaos. Part of the reason we have to leave our home here now and not return is because of these two. Normally, I'd just shoot then both in the head and be done with it but we're a little short-handed at the moment and like I said I'm a reasonable man so I have a different idea."
Then he motioned for one of his men to come forward from the crowd. The man looked puzzled and pointed at himself. Luiz nodded then waved again this time he didn't dare not walk out. However, this moment of confusion gave the two men time to beg.
"Come on boss, give us a break here. It really wasn't our fault," said the one man as he started begging for mercy. "The woman had skills."
"That's right. She was obviously trained... trained better than we were and she took advantage of us when we weren't looking..."
"You've come to the wrong court if you expect mercy here and you 'weren't looking' isn't a very good excuse. Here take these," said Luiz as he tossed a set of handcuffs to his man. "I want you to handcuff their right hands together and make sure the cuffs are on tight. We wouldn't want them to fall off."
Alex heard the uproar from the dock so she peeked off the boat to see what was going on. Curiosity was getting the best of her too and she wanted to see like everyone else who was standing around.
"This is simple," said Luiz as he pulled out a fourteen-inch bowie knife and tosses it on the ground in front of the two men. "The last man standing gets to live and before you two geniuses think, well neither of us go for it. If that happens then you both die so who wants to live? Let me see."
The two men began fighting but having their right hands handcuffed together meant they had to fight with their weak hand and neither of them was left handed. It wasn't long before they were both down rolling on the ground punching, kicking and biting as a dust cloud formed around them. The fight seemed to go on forever and it was so brutal that Alex had to look away but soon it was over. One man got around on the other one's back dislocating the man's shoulder in the move and managing to shove his face in the dirt. He held it pressed down long enough for the man to suffocate.
"Looks like we've got a winner. Okay, the entertainment is over now everyone back to work. We've got things to get done," said Luiz then he turned to walk away.
"Wait boss, what about the key to the cuffs," said the exhausted man covered in filth as he held up his hand still cuffed to the lifeless arm of his friend.
"That's what the knife is for and I want it back after you've cleaned it. Now, I've got to run or I'll be late for dinner and Donna Rosenda gets angry if anyone shows up late at the table. I don't mind saying that woman has quite the temper even if she is my mother."
With that Luiz disappeared out of the boathouse and Alex did the same below decks. She found a hiding spot in a fan room that she thought was safe at the time.
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Stefan and Anatoly sat Walter and his friend in chairs next to each other. While Anatoly tied them in Stefan got water from the sink then put some ice from the freezer in it to give it even more of a chill. He brought the pan back smiling. Anatoly nodded then moved out of the way so Stefan could dose them both with the ice water.
"This will get them going," said Stefan as he dumped the water on both of them. They both opened their eyes wide and tried to jump out of their chairs gasping for air shivering from the cold.
"What the heck? Are you trying to give us a heart attack," said Walter as his teeth chattered and he struggled to get free. "What's the meaning of this? Do you know wo I am?"
"Someone who's in a lot of trouble," said Anatoly. "We know all about you and Natasha. If you know what's good for you and your friend you'll tell us where we can find her."
"If you know everything then you know we separated and I don't have anything to do with her anymore."
"Until she came to this apartment this evening. I take it she was the one who gave you those nasty bumps on your heads. What were they love taps?"
"We don't have to tell you anything. I know our rights and you can't treat us like this. I'll have your badges for this."
"You know no one knows you're alive in here but my partner and me. We could drop you out of the window into the Neva then we could simply blame your untimely demise on Natasha who did it before we got here."
"You're right, no one does. We could just as easily pick up something and tap them a little harder on their skulls. I'm sure we can find something to bludgeon them with."
"No, I want to toss them out the window and watch them go splash. You know as cold as the water is in the Neva now your lungs will feel like they're on fire as you swallow in the cold water."
"You're supposed to be using good cop-bad cop on us not bad cop-worse cop," said Walter as he struggled with the bindings.
"Sorry, this is the way we roll and who said we were cops? Your girl Natasha screwed over the wrong people this time." Walter got quiet as he thought over their situation.
"Oh, come on Walter," said his friend. "Tell them what they want to know. You're… we're in this situation because of her or haven't you figured that out. She brought these people here and she didn't think twice about it."
"That's right she didn't. Soon you'll be on your way to Lubyanka and I'm talking about the wrong side of the square, not Detsky Mir. They know how to make people like you talk there."
"Wait you can't send us to Moscow... I can't go. Tell them Walter, I can't go. I've got a standing appointment with my mother for tea and cake in the Astoria tea room. She'll be heartbroken if I don't show up and my father... I don't want to think about him if he ever finds out. No, you can't let this happen..."
"Will you shut up and stop your babbling," said Walter as he got angry with his friend. "Don't worry, as soon as my friends find out what's happened to me then we'll see who's laughing."
"I wouldn't count too much on your friends helping you out my dear Walter," said Stefan as he walked up and patted him on the cheek which infuriated Walter. "Let's see how many of those friends show up when they find out that your ex-wife was an enemy of the state."
"Enemy of the state, what enemy of the state, she's one of you and she's not my ex-wife. We just worked together in Cuba and well it was convenient for us both that people thought we were together. Wait a minute does this have to do with Cuba?"
"You tell us," said Anatoly as he pulled up a chair in front of the man. "Walter, look at me in the eyes. I'm going to be honest with you. There will be people here soon to take you in and who will search your apartment. We can't do anything about that but we can cut your friend loose. No one but us knows he's here so if you really care for him then do him a solid."
"You have to tell your boss I was a victim in this. I didn't know what she was up to when she came here. I really didn't."
"I... we believe you but you need to give us something. Tell us about Cuba and why you think this is because of that?"
"You need to know that Natasha was a member of the young pioneers and the top of her class. She was a Bolshevik almost from birth. She was recruited into the KGB then assigned to facilitate things with our so-called comrades in Central America through aid we filtered to them via Cuba. My job was logistics and getting through the bureaucratic paperwork. Her role was more hands on and I really didn't know just how hands on it was until later."
"You're talking about Pablito the bandito, the one who was killed in Honduras. She had us look at a website that showed him playing a guitar in a bar in Cuba on the beach."
"'El Comandante' so you know about that but what you don't know is that bar was owned by Pablito. 'The bandito'... some bandito my maybe he was. Especially with the way he robbed us blind to buy that place. That I bet you didn't know and he did it with a little help from his friend."
"So, our little young pioneer wasn't as red as she let on. I guess she must've missed the lesson about Pavlik. What happened to the bar? Is it still open?"
"From what I understand it was sold but what happened to the money from the proceeds I don't know. I just found out Natasha had a stack of money in different currencies hidden in the air vent in my study along with passports and a pistol. Look, I've told you everything I know now let my friend go."
"A deal is a deal," said Anatoly as he nodded to Stefan to cut the man free. "You need to get dressed and get out of here. We'll put in a good word for Walter and if everything checks out he'll be back in a couple of days. However, in the meantime, it's better if no one else knows about this."
"I won't breath a word," said the man as he looked at Walter. He smiled back at him then motioned with his head he should go. "I'll just get dressed."
"Stefan, you should go with him and make sure he doesn't get lost. I'll stay here with Walter and make us all some tea."
"That sounds good," said Stefan as he left with the man going down the hallway. "Look around for something to go with it. I'm hungry."
"There's a tea cake in the tin on the counter. My mother made and by the way my name is Paul," he said as he held out his hand.
"Thanks Paul," said Stefan as he shook it. "Did you hear that," yelled Stefan as Paul opened the bedroom door. "There' a cake in the tin on the counter."
"There's no tin here and looks like Natasha made herself a thermos of tea to take with her," said Anatoly. "I've got the kettle on and tea should be up soon. Strange," he said as he thought for a moment going about making tea.
"Sorry, I told that woman about the tin. She must've taken it with her," said Paul as they walked into bedroom and he flipped on the light switch. "Crap, my clothes, they were on the back of that chair."
"They're not there now and let me guess you told Natasha about them too," said Stefan. Paul stared at the chair and nodded. "Grab something of Walter's then go. You need to hurry up," he said as he looked at his watch.
"But why would she take my clothes? Walter said she had passports and money so what I had couldn't really help her."
"Don't put a stop on your credit cards until we tell you that you can. We're going to need your credit card information so we can monitor the transactions. But I think she took your clothes for another reason."
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As Stefan and Anatoly headed up to Walter's apartment on the fifth floor little did they know that Natasha was leaving from behind. Natasha put a tweed hat on and turned up the collar on Paul's wool coat as she made her way down the fire escape and out into the street. Her escape from Russia she'd thought out years ago and now all that was left was to implement it.
"Okay, now to be careful to camera," she said as she walked back down Petrovskaya through Aleksandrovsky park.
"I don't dare go back to the car I drove here. It might've been reported as stolen by now and they could be looking for it," she said to herself as she looked at her watch.
"You've got the time so let's do this on foot," she said as she walked around the Leningrad zoo. She could've cut through and saved time but there were too many cameras inside to take the risk. It took only one to see her then that would've put a monkey wrench into her plan.
She stopped when she reached the Tuchkov bridge and looked over to the other side. There was no way to avoid it, not if she wanted to get where she wanted to go and she knew it. So she pulled her hat down further over her face and kept her head down as she made her way over the bridge towards the other side.
"Not too fast, slow down," she told herself. "If you run across that will draw attention you and you don't want nor need that now Not when you're this close." She heaved a sigh of relief when she crossed over. Now she just had to cut through the Vasileostovsky district and she'd be where she wanted to be.
"You're almost home free," she said to herself as she walked down the Michmanskaya Ulitsa with the Morskoi Vokzal Sea Terminal in sight in front of her. She walked inside the terminal and went straight up to the ferry ticket window.
"I'd like a ticket one way to Helsinki on the Princess Maria Ferry and can I get a cabin by myself. There is WiFi onboard, isn't there?"
"Yes, of course sir," said the woman from behind the glass then she looked up and saw Natasha was a woman. "Oh, I'm sorry ma'am. It's just with the hat and coat... well never mind," said the embarrassed woman. "Yes, of course we have internet onboard. Which type of cabin would you like? The ones on the outboard cost more than the ones inboard, but the outboards have the view. However, if you suffer from seasickness the inboards don't move around as much."
"It doesn't matter to me. I don't get seasick," said Natasha as she looked around. "You can give me an outboard just as long as it is a private cabin."
"No problem," said the woman as she looked at her monitor and typed in something on the keyboard. "Okay and how would you like to pay for that cash or credit card? I'm sorry we don't take checks," said the woman as she quoted Natasha the price.
"I'll pay in cash," Natasha said as she passed the woman the money under the glass and the woman counted it in front of her.
"Very good and just one last thing may I see your passport please," said the woman as she sat aside the money.
"Certainly," said Natasha then she passed the woman her passport under the glass. The woman held it up and looked at Natasha then it making sure the woman in the passport was the same as the woman in front of her.
"I'm sorry that photo was taken a few years ago and it makes me look like a criminal. I really should get a new one."
"Don't they all. You should see mine," said the woman as she made sure everything else was in order on the inside of the document.
"Okay everything is in order Miss Molotov, here's your passport back and your boarding pass. Your ferry will be board in a half an hour from gate 3. Please show that to the man when you board and he'll direct you to your cabin. Have a bon voyage and thanks for traveling with us."
"Thank you, I will," said Natasha as she collected everything then walked away heading towards her departure gate. "So far so good," she said to herself smiling.
Everything was going to plan. She made her way to the departure gate and sat down on a bench where she poured herself a cup of tea. The air was still cool and the warm tea felt good going down. She looked around her to see other tired faces of people waiting to board.
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Alex ducked into a fan room onboard the yacht thinking she'd be safe and she could wait until the boat pulled out. Then she could spring into action freeing Casey, Roan and the General. Together they could take down this motley crew once and for all. However, that idea went out the window when one of the crew came to get something to clean the mess on the dock.
"What the heck? Who are you," said the man surprised to see a woman hiding inside. "What are you doing here?"
"Would you believe I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque," said Alex as she landed a hard right knocking the man back again the bulkhead then landing a knee to the groin. But by then it was too late other people had heard the man's cry for help.
"Crap, I need to get out of here," she said as she ran forward on the deck trying to make it topside. She already heard men behind her and it wouldn't be long before the man she'd kneed would be telling them about her.
"Down this way," she heard a man yell as a man came running down the ladder. "We can head her off," he said. But Alex reached up and took his feet out from under him and he came sliding down the steel ladder as his head pinged on each rung until he reached the bottom. She didn't wait to see if anyone was coming down after him she ran up to find herself on the weather deck.
"There she is down there on the bow," yelled a man from an upper deck. Alex didn't have time to run aft for the brow.
"You've outstayed your welcome," she said as she leaped off and aiming for the dock near the forward mooring cleat. She rolled in a ball as she hit then sprang up.
"This should keep you busy," she said as she grabbed the end of the mooring line and undid it before she ran for a door. The yacht began to pull away putting tension on the other lines and she heard voices behind her ordering people to tie the boat off again.
"Crap," she said as bullets started whizzing past her. She quickly ducked for cover and returned fire but things didn't look good for the home team. They had a lot more bullets than she did and she knew it.
"No, no," she said as she heard the yacht engines start. She knew they were making a run for it and there was nothing she could do. All she could think of was how Morgan had warned her not to engage them.
"Maybe I should've listened," said Alex as she got off a couple of rounds. The knolls she was hiding under was peppered with automatic fire.
"I think this is called being between a rock and a hard place." But she had not time to think she just had to hold out and hope someone was watching from above. There was more fire.
"Crap, they're trying to circle around behind me," she said as she fired a few more rounds then tried to retreat further backwards. However, there just wasn't anywhere to retreat to. She was quickly being boxed in and these people didn't seem interested in taking prisoners.