I stood up as she excused herself. "It was a pleasure meeting you."
"Likewise, gentlemen. I know you'll keep him out of trouble, at least for the night."
She sauntered away, and I rejoined the table.
"Don't get any funny ideas, Wild. She's off limits."
I raised my hands innocently. "Not my type."
He laughed. "I know better.”
We had a few drinks, reminisced about the good old days, and remembered fallen comrades.
It was a little after 1:00 AM when we cleared out of the place. The guys in the band had rounded up a small entourage, and we headed back to the boat for a little after-party. I invited Shane and Wade.
"Holy shit, Wild!" he said, standing on the dock in front of theAvventura. “Special Crimes, huh?”
"We volunteer for the county," I said.
"How the hell did you two come to be in possession of this thing?”
"Just good fortune, I guess," I said.
He gave me a doubtful look, then raised his hands in surrender. "I know better than to ask too many questions."
"It's not like that," I said.
"Sure it's not," he replied as he crossed the passerelle to the aft deck.
We made our way up to the sky deck, and Jack slid behind the bar and poured more drinks. The usual debauchery ensued, and a good time was had by all.
Shane and Wade stayed for a few drinks before taking off.
I decided to call it an evening, even though the party would continue for a few more hours on the sky deck.
The morning came way too soon.
Shafts of amber light pierced the blinds. I pulled myself out of bed, still feeling the remnants of the tequila mixed with the whiskey.
I took a shower, got dressed, and went through my morning routine. In the galley, I put on a pot of coffee and grilled up bacon, eggs, and hash browns. The delightful aroma percolated through the ship. Beer cans and drink glasses littered the boat.
I turned on the TV and caught up with the morning news.
Isabella buzzed my phone.
"Tell me something good."
"I may or may not have hacked into the database of the Vault. The unit that was robbed is registered to an offshore company. I tracked that down, and it’s owned by another offshore company.I'm peeling back the onion, trying to figure out who actually owns it. I'll let you know what I find out.”
"Seems like a lot of trouble to go to just to rent out a private vault," I said, knowing exactly what it meant.
"I think we both know why somebody went to the trouble. What do you think was stolen?”
"Cash, drugs, stolen merchandise.”
“There’s something else. Cody Harwell’s phone has been making several calls to a prepaid cellular over the last several months. Their cell phones meet up at various locations around town.”
“You think he’s the inside man?”
