Thursday, June 1st, 2017
07:35 GMT+2 (05:35 GMT June 1st)
Malta International Airport
Er . . . Malta
Mindy gasped as she emerged into the 27°C heat.
It did not help that the humidity was hovering at sixty-seven per cent either, however, she had tolerated worse, just a few weeks previously. As they moved through the airport, Dave grinned at the sound of his wife muttering obscenities about the heat. Marty and Kim ignored Mindy, concentrating on the beautiful weather, and having the opportunity to spend the time together in such a wonderful setting. As they entered the carpark, Mindy strode directly to the left side of the hired Opel Zafira and she pulled open the front door.
"What in hell's name!" Mindy exclaimed.
"They drive on the left side of the road, here, Mindy," Abby chuckled as Mindy scowled.
Mindy strode around the car, ignoring the giggling coming from Stephanie and Saoirse, then barged Dave out of the way. Dave raised both his hands in surrender as he walked around to the other side of the car, chuckling. Everybody threw their bags into the back and boarded. Stephanie and Saoirse were busy chatting between themselves as Mindy pulled out of the carpark.
"Left, Mindy! Left!" Kim yelled out before the Zafira swerved into the left lane of the highway.
"I know!" Mindy groused from the front seat.
As they closed the port of Valetta, everybody enjoyed the sights, even Mindy.
"This place is amazing," Mindy admitted.
"Yes, it is," Dave agreed. "Just keep part of an eye on the road, honey."
"Woah!" Stephanie exclaimed loudly. "I had no idea that there were so many drivers who were worse than Mum!"
"Hey, short arse!" Mindy retorted as everybody laughed.
Truly, the quality of driving was not the best, but Mindy knew a lot about bad driving, so she managed to get them to their destination without anything worse than a few frayed nerves.
Parlatorio Wharf
09:15 GMT+2 (07:15 GMT June 1st)
"Oh, wow!" Stephanie exclaimed as she craned her neck back to look up at the massive ship moored to the dock.
The dark blue hull towered above them, a broad white line running horizontally along the hull separating the dark blue and the dull red hue of the below-the-waterline hull. Perched on, and overhanging, the bow, a circular structure was ringed with vertical safety netting and extended aft as far as the white-painted bridge superstructure. Just before a large two-deck-high rectangular opening which housed a bright orange TEMPSC, the vessel's name was painted in three-foot lettering: CALICO QUEST. Above the blue hull, the white-painted superstructure extended to amidships leaving the aft deck clear apart from a giant white-painted crane and a smaller version of the giant crane. Towering eight decks above, the bridge with its towering windows afforded an amazing view ahead, aft, and on either beam. Just aft of the TEMPSC, a two-deck-high opening housed a retractable steel gangway which extended steeply down to the dock. Immediately aft, past six portholes on two decks, a four-deck-high door was sealed shut. Next, a large two-deck-high square opening housed a rapid-response RIB. They were met at the base of the gangway by a ship's officer bearing the single gold stripe and diamond of a junior 3rd Officer.
"Hello, I am Third Officer Larsen, the captain is on the bridge – I will take you to him."
The young officer led the seven members of Fusion up the gangway and into the superstructure on 01 deck. After being pointed out a space to dump their bags, they were then led, somewhat speedily, up several steel ladders before they emerged onto 07 deck and into the centre of a capacious bridge. Third Officer Larsen pointed them in the direction of three people standing at the starboard bridge windows. Mindy recognised a tall woman with long brown hair as Natasha King, the legal guardian of the young fourteen-year-old with deep red hair, Scarlett Radford, who stood beside a tall man wearing the undress whites of a Merchant Navy officer but with the four stripes and diamond of a ship's Master. The man turned around and Mindy heard Abby gasp aloud as Third Officer Larsen introduced the senior officer.
"This is Captain Hunt."
Captain Hunt's face went almost as pale as Abby's.
"Well, I'll be," the man said in a broad American Accent. "Abigail."
"I go by Abby, now, Dad," sixteen-year-old Abigail 'Abby' Hunt growled.
"Dad?" Stephanie and Saoirse asked together.
Mindy grimaced.
..._...
Abby took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Guys, this is my father, James Hunt. We've not spoken since I was twelve, have we, Daddy?"
"Unfortunately, not," Captain James Hunt conceded. "My time in the U.S. Navy kept me away from home and my marriage suffered. I lost touch with my lovely daughter, just when she most needed her father. I deeply regret us not being together, Abby."
"Right," Abby grimaced.
"Thank you for allowing us aboard, captain," Dave said quickly, changing the subject.
"Considering that my employer and the Calico Quest's owner, Miss Radford, is aboard and that she has directed me to divert from my current mission, I am happy to accommodate any of her wishes . . . not to mention gaining the opportunity to get reacquainted with my daughter."
Abby did not appear incredibly happy with that idea.
"Mr Larsen, please escort these people to their cabins and ensure that their bags are brought to them. Ladies, gentlemen, we depart at ten-hundred-hours."
James Hunt's eyes followed his daughter as she left the bridge, amazed at how she had grown into a young woman so fast.
..._...
Their cabins were located on 05 deck and were quite luxurious.
After their bags had been delivered to their cabins, everyone unpacked before venturing back out to find themselves escorted onto 06 deck and onto the enormous flight deck which covered the entire bow ahead of the superstructure. The 9,300-ton vessel vibrated slightly as the four 4,200eKW diesel generators throbbed, producing power for the twin azimuth propellers, each providing an output of 4.5MW each.
Mindy took a stroll aft and stopped just aft of the bridge where the superstructure ended, and the main deck stretched seventy metres aft, five decks below. Mindy had read through the stats for the vessel on the flight over. The CALICO QUEST was 144-metres in length overall and 27-metres across her beam. Above the main deck, the superstructure and masts towered over eleven metres. Below the waterline, almost nine metres of the vessel was wet. The main deck had an area of 1,900-square-metres, almost half an acre. The helicopter deck was 26-metres in diameter and designed to take a helicopter of up to 12,800-kilogrammes. To port, there was a giant crane which, when stowed, was level with the deck below the bridge. However, when extended, the crane could pick up 550-tons from twelve metres away, the jib towering above the vessel. With 3,000-metres of lift cable, the crane could easily pickup items from the seabed below. A much smaller auxiliary crane mounted to starboard could lift 50-tons out to fifteen metres from the side of the vessel. A third, much, much smaller crane could handle loads of up to six-tonnes to starboard. A pair of 2-ton cranes were mounted either side and at the back of the flight deck for provision handling.
Mindy considered that the OCEAN VIGILANTE, herself, could be lifted clean out of the water with ease and dumped onto the main deck. One feature which Mindy liked very much was the 7.2-metre square moonpool which extended from the main deck down through the keel.
"You knew, didn't you?"
Mindy turned to see Abby scowling at her.
"Yes, I did, Abby, and I'm sorry for not telling you."
"Don't be," Abby replied, smiling. "If you had told me, then I would never have come . . . but I'm glad I did, I think."
"He seems nice enough," Mindy said.
"He was always loving and caring," Abby agreed. "I loved to cuddle into him – when he was home."
"Give him a chance," Mindy suggested. "Kids need their dads."
Abby nodded, knowing full well that Mindy had lost her own dad at a young age.
..._...
After a safety tour of the vessel at the hands of Third Officer Larsen, which included the enormous lifeboats, each of which could take 130 souls should the vessel end up in a decidedly precarious position, they found themselves in one of the three lounges aboard.
"We will be departing Valetta in a few minutes, at ten-hundred-hours," Larsen explained. "We have a twenty-one-hour, 312-nautical-mile transit to Sicily. We will arrive around six-hundred-hours, tomorrow morning."
"Thanks," Mindy replied for them all.
Once the officer had gone, the group sat down to relax as Natasha appeared with a tray filled with mugs of tea and coffee.
"You have an amazing vessel here, Miss Radford," Mindy said.
"I am not old enough to be called that," Miss Radford scowled. "Scarlett, please, Mrs Lizewski."
Mrs Lizewski growled ominously. "Touché!" she grinned.
"This is still all so new to me," Scarlett admitted. "I'm only just fourteen and I'm the owner of a multi-million-pound multi-national corporation – it's a lot to handle."
"That's understandable, Scarlett. You've been through a lot over the past six months or so," Mindy stated as Scarlett stared down at her right hand.
"It's been an eye-opener, for sure, but I've made so many new friends – real friends, not the fake ones I had before, who only liked me because my Daddy was rich. It took a nine-year-old girl with an unbreakable spirit to give me a second chance. I now have the most amazing life with the most amazing people in the whole world."
"I'm pleased to hear it," Mindy said. "Natasha, you seem to be enjoying your new role as guardian to two teenagers."
"It's had its moments, I can tell you," Natasha grinned. "But I wouldn't change it for the world. My brother and I have grown up a lot since we first met you, Mindy, and it has been like a roller-coaster ride, but in the best way possible. Scarlett is an amazing young woman with a lot of talent, and I hope that we can keep her on the straight and narrow as she grows up."
Scarlett felt herself blushing furiously.
..._...
Abby had a lot to think about as she sat sipping at her mug of sweet tea.
She had thought her father gone from her life. She knew he loved her, but the sea had always been his life. Abby had cried for almost a full month after her parents had separated. Only her friendship with a strange twelve-year-old girl called Chloe Bennett had helped her return to a normal life without her father. It had been a major shock to her system to suddenly meet him again. She had so much she wanted to tell him, but she also wanted to yell and scream at him. Seeing her friends with their dads had always been hard for her, but she had eventually managed to put it all behind her. After much thought, Abby finished off her mug of tea and she headed aft. From her vantage point, the entire main deck stretched ahead of her. Over the stern, she could make out Malta, a few nautical miles beyond. The sea was a crystal-clear azure blue and the cool breeze created by the vessel's fourteen knots through the water helped to improve the extreme temperature and humidity levels to something almost bearable. Her dark sunglasses protected her eyes from the dazzling glare produced by the sun striking the undulating azure waves. As Abby stood there, she barely registered another joining her.
"It's a fascinating sight, isn't it?"
Abby turned to look up into the bearded face of her father. James Hunt had also been shocked to the core when his teenage daughter had suddenly appeared on his bridge. He was amazed by how much she had grown – when he had last seen his daughter, she had been a short twelve-year-old. Now, she was a beautiful tall young woman. However, James was astute, and he knew that there was a lot more to his daughter than he knew. There was something about her which he was struggling to place.
"I've missed you, Abby."
"I've missed you, too, Dad."
"I'm sorry I left . . . it was the only way."
"You could have come to see me."
"Yes, I should have done. The split with your mother hit me hard, and I burrowed into my career. I was wrong to do that, and I am deeply sorry."
"I love you, Daddy," Abby said as she turned to hug her father for the first time in four years.
Father and daughter stood together for a time staring out over the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
..._...
On the far side of the giant superstructure, Scarlett was staring out over the same azure sea.
She heard feet approaching and she turned to see Stephanie and Saoirse who split to stand either side of Scarlett. Like most, Scarlett knew to give Stephanie a wide berth, just in case the eleven-year-old decided to cause trouble. Saoirse was okay, but still a bit of an unknown to Scarlett.
"What do you two want?"
Stephanie feigned annoyance at the greeting while Saoirse just grinned.
"We just thought we'd come and join you, Scarlett," Stephanie said.
"Look, I'm very familiar with Predators, and I get enough grief from Harper."
"We're not dangerous, you know," Stephanie went on.
"Yes, Steph, we are," Saoirse corrected her friend.
Stephanie rolled her eyes.
"Okay, I'll give you both the benefit of the doubt."
"Once you get to know me," Steph grinned. "Most people think I'm great."
"And the others?" Scarlett enquired.
"They all want to kill her," Saoirse deadpanned.
"I know the feeling," Scarlett scowled. "Everybody wanted to kill me, last year."
"They had a good reason," Stephanie conceded. "However, you've proven yourself since then. I trust you, and so does SD, here."
"I have to admit, Scarlett, you have inherited an amazing organisation," Saoirse said.
"I never wanted any of it," Scarlett growled. "From what I've found out, it's rotten in places, but Natasha, Mindy, Lara, and Bruce Wayne, have all promised to help me identify the rot and cut it out. I want to use the resources at my disposal to make things better for you Predators and for everybody else. If I am going to be stuck with the Radford legacy, then I am damn well going to make sure it is put to good use."
"I think she means it," Saoirse commented.
"Yes, I have to agree," Stephanie confirmed.
"Electra was right; you're both bitches!" Scarlett grinned before she turned serious again. "Yes, I meant every word, but I cannot do it alone, and I will need help from all of my friends, and that includes the both of you."
"You got it, Scarlett!" Stephanie stated.
"These two annoying you?" Dave asked as he appeared behind the three girls.
"They're trying to shake me down," Scarlett deadpanned. "They're after my dinner money."
"Remember what I said," Dave chuckled. "Never trust a Predator – let alone these two."
"Thanks, Dad!" Stephanie huffed.
"No problem, sport!" Dave chuckled as he ruffled Stephanie's hair.
Stephanie growled but Dave ignored the girl.
..._...
At lunchtime, they were some forty-two nautical miles into their journey and about forty nautical miles south of Sicily.
An amazing lunch of fish freshly caught that morning, which included juicy succulent oysters, pan fried octopus, swordfish, and mountains of prawns was laid out for them. The prawns went down very well, however, Scarlett, Stephanie, and Saoirse all went squeamish at the sight of the octopi with their eight legs, each lined with suckers. Kim thought that laughable, considering what Stephanie and Saoirse had both dealt with in their short lives. Kim was also incredibly pleased to see that Abby was talking with her father in an animated manner. The girl was trying to tell her father about the past four years – without telling the man anything about her life as a vigilante. Mindy was enjoying her prawns and she had tried a tentacle of octopus – a bit chewy, she thought, and she was working on some calamari.
She had been studying Abby and her father as she ate, and her mind had come to a decision.
..._..
"Captain Hunt," Mindy said after lunch.
"James, please, Mrs Lizewski."
"As long as you call me Mindy."
"Mindy."
"May we talk . . . in private?"
As Captain James Hunt closed the door to his private suite, he waved Mindy to a seat in his comfortable office. He himself took a seat across from Mindy.
"I assume that this is about my Abby."
"Yes," Mindy said, matter-of-factly. "I want you to know what sort of a young woman you have for a daughter. She is doing her damndest to bring you up to date with everything she has done over the past four years, only there is a problem with that. Most of what Abby has been doing for the past three years comes with a caveat – if she tells you anything about it, then she's going to have to kill you directly afterwards."
"I figured that there was something special about her," James replied. "I am also very aware of what goes on in the world, too. The events in Chicago over the past few years have thrust that city into the limelight – I was born in Chicago, you know – and I have followed everything that has happened. Are you about to tell me that my daughter is a Chicago Vigilante?"
Mindy sighed as she nodded in the affirmative.
"Has she taken a life?"
"Yes, a few times."
"An unavoidable part of being a vigilante, I suppose."
"Abby is a key part of Fusion's command infrastructure. She is in charge of providing and maintaining their technical support. Without her, Fusion could not operate. I have known Abby for three years now and she has never let me down – not even once. She has operated out in the field, many times. She is fearless and highly skilled."
"Does my wife know about her?"
"Yes, she does – Vera came across a pistol and a knife, one afternoon, and everything came out."
"I see."
"I hope that me telling you this does not make you think less of your daughter."
"Mindy, I support Abby, one hundred percent. I am enormously proud to have a daughter with so many accomplishments under her belt. Can I assume that this mission is related to Fusion?"
"Yes, Captain, you can."
"May I risk my very life and wellbeing by offering my ship and my crew to Hit Girl?"
Mindy grinned, deviously, as she nodded.
20:00 GMT+2 (18:00 GMT June 1st)
At eight, that evening, they were some thirty nautical miles southwest of Mazara del Vallo in Sicily.
There was still another ten hours ahead of them before they would have their target in sight. Mindy was not quite ready for bed and she was stalking the decks examining the vessel closely.
"Looking for something?" Captain Hunt asked with a grin as he found Mindy on the helicopter deck.
"Could this deck handle a Merlin helicopter?"
James Hunt considered the thought for a full minute before he responded.
"The big three-engine job the Brits use?"
"Yes."
"I suppose so; we're rated for helicopters that size. The grid in the centre is designed to handle the Harpoon deck lock, so yes, it would be seen as safe, despite the size of the machine. You looking to bring one aboard?"
"Maybe," Mindy offered, somewhat cryptically.
The following morning...
Friday, June 2nd
06:05 GMT+2 (04:05 GMT June 2nd)
Gulf of Castellammare
CALICO QUEST
Mindy was on the bridge with a large set of binoculars as they entered the gulf on the western coast of Sicily.
They were just six nautical miles from the home of one Vito Genovese and his bastard family. Dave stood beside his wife and he could see the whiteness in her knuckles as she gripped the binoculars a little too tightly. Dave knew how hard it was for Mindy to be off the enemy coast.
"That bastard is so close," Mindy muttered. "Can we...?"
"No – this is simply a reconnaissance," Dave reminded his wife.
"I know . . . it's just so hard, knowing that the fucking cunt's just a few miles away from me – makes my skin crawl knowing that we're breathing the same air!"
"His days are numbered, honey; he will not live to see another summer, that I can promise you," Dave stated with conviction.
"I know . . . it's just so hard."
"Patience isn't your thing, is it?" Dave chuckled.
Mindy did not respond as she focussed her mind on forthcoming events.
..._...
Over the next four hours, as the ship came to within three nautical miles of the coast, high resolution images were taken from cameras aboard as well as from four drones which flew over the coastal areas on predefined but seemingly random tracks.
The ultra-high definition cameras of the drones recorded everything within a five nautical mile radius of the Genovese home before transmitting their data back to the CALICO QUEST and thence via satellite to Chicago where Marty was supervising the images and cataloguing them. Aboard the ship, Abby was in her element as she supervised the drones which had been launched just before dawn from the capacious helicopter deck aboard. Down below, in a corner of one of the lounges, Mindy finally got to see the stronghold from which the source of all her family problems had originated. The reason she had no parents. The reason she was a damaged human-being. Inside, she struggled with the knowledge that she finally had the means to take down that evil family – permanently. Would it come to pass? Would they all finally die and give her closure?
So many questions – as usual – but there was one simple answer to them all.
12:00 GMT+2 (10:00 GMT June 2nd)
Gulf of Castellammare
CALICO QUEST
After six hours trolling around the gulf at three knots as if they were on a survey mission, the ship turned away from Sicily, leaving the gulf and heading west towards Gibraltar.
"Was it a success?" Captain Hunt asked.
"We have everything we need," Abby confirmed.
"I'm glad to hear it."
"Thanks, Dad. You don't know what this means to Mindy and to all of us."
"I think I do, Abby."
"Dad?"
"Yes."
"Will you come visit us in Chicago, some day?"
"I'd like that – definitely," James Hunt confirmed.
"Cool!" Abby grinned happily.
Mindy stared back at the coastline as it receded, looking forward to the blood which would flow the next time she returned.
Ahead of them, they had a further two and a half days aboard as they made for Gibraltar.
A few hours later, earlier that morning...
The Aon Building
Los Angeles, USA
08:56 GMT-7 (15:56 GMT June 2nd)
Robert Evans felt remarkably confident as he strolled into the office that morning.
Of course, his name was not really Robert Evans; that was the name of a ten-year-old whom Leo had killed – it had been his first kill, some six and a half years before. Leo Shepherd still had some gaps in his memories, but he knew what he was, and he knew what he had to do. After checking in with the woman at the desk, he was waved towards a comfortable couch. At 09:00 on the dot, the woman directed Leo into a capacious office.
"Ms Müller will see you know, Mr Evans."
Leo stepped through the wooden door into a remarkable corner office with glazing floor to ceiling.
"Good morning, Mr Evans – punctual, I see," Rosa said approvingly.
"Good morning, Ms Müller," Leo responded.
"Sit, please," Rosa said as she waved the young man over to a couch overlooking Los Angeles. "I understand you are just arrived in the United States."
"Yes, I left Paris two weeks ago, and then made for London – which was fun."
"What did you do in London, Mr Evans?"
"I shot in and out, pretty much."
"I see. You think you have something to offer us, do you?"
"I think I do. I have skills which I think you will find particularly useful. You saw some of them the other night. I have many other skills which I am sure you will find of use – and I don't mean manning the reception desk downstairs like those uniformed rent-a-cops. You have important people who need protecting; I can protect them as they go about their day-to-day activities."
Rosa sat back and she studied the young man who was smartly turned out in a dark blue suit which appeared to be of a custom design. The suit was cut to allow the wearer maximum mobility while still being able to attend the upper end establishments in any city and blend in. The young man was handsome and extremely comfortable with himself. Rosa had had many prospective employees quaking in their boots, but Robert Evans appeared to be nonplussed. Time for a test, Rosa thought.
"Я не уверен, что вы то, что мы ищем."
"В самом деле? Я думаю, что я именно то, что вам нужно," Leo replied evenly in Russian.
"Todavía no está convencido."
"Español: ¿eso es lo mejor que tienes?"
Rosa grinned approvingly before Leo threw in a wildcard.
"?האם הייתי דוחף את מזלי ומבקש ממך לצאת לארוחת ערב"
"Yes, you would be pushing your luck – I do not date the hired help."
"So, I'm hired?" Leo enquired.
"Against my better judgement, yes." Then Rosa grinned. "Your first task is not a fun one; I want you to sign out an S-Class and go pick up a girl from this address at noon – she's a bitch and the daughter of a senior member of this company. Do not let her get ideas above her station. Deliver her to her dentist – here – for twelve-forty then take her home – this address. Draw a weapon – a pistol from the same place you get the keys to the car. Call me when she is safely at home." Rosa reached into a desk drawer and she filled in a form before passing it to Leo. "Your security pass will also be provided at the same place. Don't fuck up!"
Leo nodded as he stood up, grabbed the form off the desk, and left the office.
Beverly Vista Middle School
Beverly Hills, California
11:36 GMT-7 (18:36 GMT June 2nd)
Ninety minutes later, a black Mercedes S-Class sedan sat parked outside the school.
Leo was pleased with the morning's activities. He was also pleased that he had been accepted. Around his neck, he wore a lanyard with his security pass hanging from the end. Under his left armpit, he carried a holstered Glock 17 pistol. He also carried a concealed weapons permit making him fully legal. With just one minute to go before noon, the doors opened, and a young girl strode out confidently. The girl was tall with black hair and wore her school uniform. She stopped at the side of the Mercedes and she glared at Leo. Leo simply indicated the door with his thumb. The girl scowled as she pulled open the rear door and climbed in, slamming the door behind her.
"Who are you?"
"I am Evans."
"You're not American."
The girl was smart, Leo thought.
"No, I am British."
"My name is Cara," the girl offered with a scowl. "My mother is a very important person, so you had better be good."
"Belt up, there's a good girl," Leo ordered.
"You what?!"
"Seatbelt?"
"Oh," Cara responded as she pulled on her seatbelt.
The twelve-year-old girl scowled as she figured out the double meaning of the driver's order. She was not used to being ordered around by her mother's minions. While Cara was generally not one to flaunt her links to a very wealthy pillar of the community, she did enjoy lording it over the minions as she saw them. Cara enjoyed them snapping to her every word; she found it amusing that grown men and women could be scared of a young pre-teen. The young girl had two lives – that which she enjoyed with her friends at school and with her friends at D-JAK, and then that world which involved Uncle Dieter. Cara tried to keep them apart, not wanting to come across as a snob in front of her friends, many of whom enjoyed a similar high standing in society. However, some of her best friends did not have standing or money, but that did not mean that Cara should ignore them. Indeed, her absolute best friend in the world was Kristen and Cara knew that the girl's mother was not well off and did not have a host of homes and fancy cars.
As Cara sat back, she thought more about her friends than the looming appointment at the dentist.
..._...
As 'Evans' pulled up outside the up-market dentist in Beverly Hills, he noticed that the girl appeared nervous.
"Will you be here when I come out?" the girl asked with a hopeful expression.
"Yes, miss."
The girl actually smiled as she released her seatbelt.
"You going to open my door?"
"No, miss."
The girl scowled as she pushed open the back door of the luxury Mercedes and climbed out before slamming the door and crossing the sidewalk. 'Evans' watched his charge push open the door of the dentist and pass inside. Then he sat back in the sumptuously upholstered seat and he began to slowly scan the area around the car.
About forty minutes later, the girl reappeared looking quite pleased with herself. She was almost skipping as she approached the Mercedes. For a moment, the girl hesitated, as if she was waiting for someone to open the door for her, but instead, she pulled open the door herself and she jumped into the car, pulling the door shut behind her.
"You look happy," 'Evans' commented.
"My teeth are perfect, just like me!"
'Evans' chuckled as he started the engine of the Mercedes and dropped the gearbox into drive.
Bella Oceana
Fifty minutes later, The Mercedes pulled up at the kerb and Leo stepped out.
However, before he could step around the large car to open the rear door, Cara had jumped out on her own.
"You're getting good at that," Leo grinned.
"I am, aren't I," Cara responded cheerfully. "See ya tomorrow, Evans."
Leo chuckled as he watched the youngster run up to the front door and barge inside.
..._...
"Well?"
"Well, what?" Cara replied to her mother.
The raised eyebrow cautioned Cara not to be so cocky.
"Sorry. The dentist said my teeth were perfect as always."
"They do look good," Rosa laughed as Cara grinned, exposing her perfect white teeth. "What did you think of the new driver?"
"He's British!"
"I know, but that is not what I asked."
"He was nice," Cara replied before she scowled. "Although he told me to belt up – which while I'm sure he meant for me to use the seatbelt, I'm also sure he meant me to keep my mouth shut too – he also refused to open the car door for me."
"Bonus points for Evans!" Rosa chuckled.
Cara's mouth dropped open in indignation, but Rosa was not buying it; Cara felt that everything in life was an indignity.
..._...
Over supper that night, Rosa turned the conversation back to her newest employee.
"I'm intending on making Evans our driver, what do you think?" Rosa asked her hungry daughter who was cramming macaroni and cheese into her mouth.
"He was nice . . . but maybe that's because he was British," Cara replied in between mouthfuls. "I like him, though."
"That's good to hear."
Rosa was pleased that the young man had not buckled under, like some, and allowed her daughter to ride rough-shod over them. It was essential that Cara knew her bounds and Rosa had no desire to have a spoilt brat for a daughter. Rosa knew that one day, Cara would need to become her own woman, and that would be hard if she grew up relying on Dieter or his entourage. There was also something about Evans which gave reason for Rosa to trust him with her daughter. She could not explain the feeling but there was something about Evans which Rosa had latched onto. There was more to the young man than he was letting on and Rosa was certain that he would be useful in the coming months. She had also figured out that Evans disliked Dieter Mannheim immensely, just as she did. Rosa knew that there was trouble brewing and while she did not know all the facts, she had figured out enough to know that she wanted her daughter close and under the guard of someone whom she trusted explicitly.
Time was running out for the country, and for the world in general.
Monday, June 5th
07:40 GMT+2 (05:40 GMT June 4th)
Gibraltar
It was dark when they slipped into the harbour – only ten minutes after midnight – mooring alongside at the Detached Mole.
Therefore, they all remained in their beds until sunup which had been a little after seven that morning. Mindy was up at the crack of dawn, as usual, and after breakfast, she took her mug of coffee up onto the helicopter deck from where she had a commanding view over The Rock, the airport, and the port. She raised a set of binoculars to examine the yachts moored over at the Mid-Harbour Marina, almost five-hundred yards away. She nodded approvingly at the amazing designs and beautiful lines of the vessels on display which varied in size from small sixty-footers to massive luxury yachts from some of the best yacht builders in the world. Mindy slowed as she examined the moored vessels and she finally stopped as she focussed the binoculars on a certain yacht – one of the largest there – which was moored alongside the floating dock. The 155-foot 330-tonne multi-decked vessel was a pleasant grey while the upperworks and fore-foot were duck-egg blue. Along the side, amidships, there was a purple highlight with another higher up, below the grey painted SatCom dome. The hardtop and mainmast were a contrasting darker grey. The vessel had four decks and a long sweeping bow making the vessel super-imposing, and one of the fastest of her size afloat.
"She does look awesome," a voice announced, and Mindy looked down to see Stephanie with her own set of binoculars. "What's up with the bow? It looks different."
Mindy's binoculars focused on the bow of the Sunseeker yacht which was no longer open but enclosed with triangular fairings.
"I think she looks cool, but why?" Stephanie went on.
"I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you," Mindy chuckled.
"You could try," Stephanie scoffed.
"That would be our primary weapon, Steph; you could read the manual, you know."
"I am not allowed in that folder," Stephanie said innocently.
"The folder inside the Classified Documents folder?"
"Yeah . . . doh!" Stephanie groaned as she realised that she had just been rumbled. "It was Abigail..."
"Moving on," Mindy laughed. "I hope we'll be aboard her soon; then we can kick some serious ass."
Mindy and Stephanie stared at the OCEAN VIGILANTE for several more minutes before Stephanie spoke again.
"I like the look of that other yacht, the smaller one with the deep blue glossy hull," Stephanie said as she pointed to a vessel moored at the other end of the dock.
The vessel in question was smaller than OCEAN VIGILANTE with somewhat different lines but still very striking. A quarter-inch gold stripe ran from just above the anchor and along the sides of the 260-tonne 132-foot vessel. The upper works of the mega-yacht were white and extended up over three decks topped off with a rigid sun canopy and a pair of satellite communications domes mounted high-up above the superstructure on the buff-coloured mast. Aft, the hull carved down to a teak deck just above the water with a pair of stairways leading up to the main deck on either side.
Mindy grinned.
"That would be the Caledonia," she announced.
"Oh, the one which Keira used for her wedding?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes, she belongs to Vengeance."
"Oh! Is she armed, too?"
"Oh, yes, very much so."
"Cool!"
After a last look at the scenery, the pair headed below to gather their gear. A boat was being lowered into the water to take them ashore from where they would head for the airport where the Gulfstream was awaiting their arrival.
It was time to return to Chicago – there was a lot of planning to do.
End of PART II