Bikini And A Badge Ch. 08

Dressed in dark green camouflage and hiking boots, Brittany set about getting three of the PWA M4-A3 assault rifles loaded and ready. She made sure all the clips were loaded. Taking out four of the Glock 37-45 handguns, she checked them out, making sure they would all fire if needed. Next, Brittany laid out three of the Winchester 1100 modified shotguns, strapping one to her leg. Trace was standing in front of her as she loaded up all her gear. The look on his face was a combination of worry and great concern.

“What’s the matter?” Brittany asked, handing him a bulletproof vest.

“Nothing.” Trace muttered. “Do I need to wear one of these?”

“Yep.” Brittany replied. “There’s no sense in anyone taking chances.”

“This whole thing is one big chance.” Trace retorted. “You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Brittany responded. “Just worry about yourself.”

Karen was reluctant to wear the bulletproof vest but Brittany’s persistence paid off. She wasn’t about to let any of the team’s members go without wearing the added protection.

“It’ll protect your chest and back.” Brittany stated. “The two-hundred thousand won’t do you much good if you’re dead.”

Jake strapped two of the Laws rockets to his backpack. Along with his assault rifle, Glock handgun and Winchester 1100, he looked like one helluva fighting machine.

Everyone boarded the Eliminator powerboat except for Wayne. His job was to stay with the cruiser and have it ready to leave for Nassau as soon as the team returned. If it returned! Trace fired up the engines on the assault craft and headed towards the Cuban coastline. Brittany sat across from Trace as he steered the boat through the darkness of the night. Jake, Richard and Karen sat below deck.

The outer coastline of Cuba loomed ahead of them just as the sun came up behind them. Brittany scanned the horizon, searching for Cuban patrol boats.

“See anything?” Trace inquired.

“Nope, not a thing.” Brittany replied. “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

Trace slowed the boat to less than twenty miles per hour, entering a narrow waterway to the inner coastline. The engines loud rumbling resounded off the high rock walls. Brittany’s heart was pounding so hard it hurt her chest. The inner coastal waters were calm but murky. Trace eased the throttles forward heading for a cove that would hide the boat from view. Pulling up to the shoreline, Brittany tied the boat off to a nearby tree.

“I’ll call you as soon as I need you to come and pick us up.” Brittany reminded Trace. “Don’t come before then.”

“What if you don’t call?” Trace asked.

“Then don’t come.” Brittany replied.

Trace grabbed Brittany hard, pulling her to him. He kissed her hard on the lips forcing hers to respond. Brittany closed her eyes, letting the sensation warm her trembling body.

“Well! What was that all about?” Brittany asked, catching her breath.

“You figure it out.” Trace responded.

The team stepped ashore, setting out on their two-mile hike up to the Ramos hacienda. The rocky shoreline gave way to thick jungle with tall grass and heavy tree coverage. After an hour of hiking, the team approached the hacienda. Brittany motioned Karen to take a position above the house so she could have a clear, unobstructed view of the house. Jake scouted a path to the plateau just below the hacienda. He needed to have a clear shot at the dock area and the Quonset hut building in the little town along the shoreline.

Richard and Brittany hiked in to within thirty yards of the hacienda. The thick ground cover afforded them perfect cover and an ideal view of the house. Brittany checked in with everyone utilizing the headset radios. Everyone was in position. It was time to wait for the perfect situation to arise to make the rescue. Looking through her binoculars, the house appeared quiet with no movement inside.

They waited for nearly two hours before anyone came out of the house. A man, obviously of Cuban descent, exited the house and walked towards a small storage building. Within a few minutes, the sounds of an electric generator filled the small shed. A few lights came on in the house. The man exited the building, closing the doors behind him. Brittany noticed a small handgun tucked in the waistband at the back of his slacks. Instead of entering the house, the man walked to the edge of the yard, just above Jake’s position.

“Jake, keep low.” Brittany spoke over the headset radio. “There’s a guy right above your position.”

A few minutes later, a large man came out of the house. From his picture, she identified him as Miguel Ramos. His potbelly hung over the belt holding up his wrinkled slacks. He was unshaven and his hair was a mess. His brightly colored floral shirt was unbuttoned.

“There’s Ramos.” Brittany said to Richard, her voice excited. “So far, one bodyguard and ole fat-ass Ramos.”

“I’m all set.” Karen’s voice came over the radio. “I’ve got the flash suppressor and silencer mounted. Let‘s get this show on the road.”

“Hold your fire till we see who else is in the house.” Brittany commanded.

Another man stepped out onto the terrace, carrying an AK47. Two girls came out directly behind him. They were scantily dressed in t-shirts and panties. Their minimal clothing was filthy dirty. Both girls were covered with bruises and scratches. They’d obviously been through hell since their kidnapping!

“There they are!” Brittany exclaimed over the radio.

Jessica Ramos strolled out of the house. She was carrying a heavy leather strap wrapped around her right hand.

“Hey, check out the rocks on the bitch’s left hand.” Karen said, looking through the scope on her sniper rifle.

Brittany looked through her binoculars at the woman. She was almost six foot tall with long, coal black hair. She was wearing enough make-up for three women. Jessica Ramos was wearing a loose fitting blouse and a long skirt, slit from the hem almost to her waist. Her long legs evidenced her former profession as a Las Vegas showgirl. Brittany noticed her left hand had diamond rings on every finger.

“Jake, what’s it look like down below?” Brittany asked over the radio.

“There’s a sailboat tied up to one of the docks along with a few rowboats.” Jake replied. “The doors to the building just opened up. I can see a large truck sitting just inside, loaded with steel drums. There‘s a couple of guys walking towards the village.”

“Ok.” Brittany acknowledged. “Let go for it.”

“Karen, as soon as you can get off a clear shot, take out the woman.” Brittany stated. “Richard and I’ll take out the two bodyguards and then Ramos. He’s not armed.”

Brittany took careful aim at the bodyguard standing next to Ramos, waiting for Karen to make the first shot.

Jessica Ramos pushed one of the young college coeds to the hard surface of the patio. Swinging the leather strap back over her head, she brought it down hard on the girl. The strap cracked as it struck the girl on the legs. She screamed out in pain. The other young girl rushed to her aid, crouching over her. Jessica brought the leather strap back over her head again.

Karen Denton squeezed the trigger on her .308 rifle. The bullet struck Jessica Ramos in the face, blowing the back half of her head off. Her body fell backwards so hard it bounced when it hit the ground. The two bodyguards froze for a brief moment before realizing what was happening. Brittany’s bullets struck the bodyguard with the AK47 before he had a chance to get his finger on the trigger. He spun around from being hit numerous times. Brittany continued firing till the man fell to the ground. Richard dropped the other bodyguard before he had a chance to pull his weapon. He squeezed off two quick shots, sending the man over the ledge to the plateau below the hacienda.

Miguel Ramos made a dash for the house. Brittany emptied her assault rifle on him. His huge body jerked as the bullets penetrated his body. Karen fired one time, striking Ramos in the head. With his face gone, blood pooled beneath what was left of his head.

“Get the girls!” Brittany exclaimed, changing out her rifle magazine.

“Trace! Trace!” She commanded. “Come and get us out of here!”

“Jake, take out the building.” Brittany continued giving orders.

Jake Marsh took careful aim at the Quonset hut building that sat off from the village. Squeezing the trigger mechanism on the rocket launcher, he sent its projectile directly into the back of the truck sitting inside the building. The explosion sent debris high into the air. A large ball of fire drifted into the falling debris as it came crashing down on the village.

Richard and Brittany rushed through the thick cover towards the Ramos hacienda. The two college girls were lying crouched on the ground, trembling and scared. Richard pulled one of the girls to her feet before dragging her towards the path to the docks below the house. Brittany slung her rifle over her shoulder. The second girl lay motionless on the ground, too frightened get up. Brittany tugged on her arms, managing to get her to her knees.

A frail, elderly Cuban woman, probably a servant, ran out of the house towards the two women. She was carrying a large butcher knife and screaming in Spanish. Brittany let go of the girl and quickly grabbed the shotgun from her leg holster. The woman was less than ten foot from Brittany when she pulled the trigger. The blast hit the woman in the chest, knocking her off her feet and sending her body several yards backwards. Brittany was stunned. The woman’s chest cavity was gone, laying several yards from her body. The butcher knife was still gripped in her hand.

“Let’s go everyone!” Brittany yelled into her radio. “Head for the docks! Let‘s go! Let‘s go!”

“We’ve got a car approaching.” Jake shouted back over the radio.

Brittany looked over her shoulder, seeing a pink and white Nash Rambler speeding up the dirt road from the village. There were three men in the car.

“Take it out!” Brittany exclaimed.

Jake fired his second Laws rocket, hitting the vehicle in the right side door. The car exploded, sending the severed top high into the air.

Brittany grabbed the girl by the arm, pulling her down the path towards the docks. Trace sped the Eliminator powerboat up to the docks. He pulled the throttles back to an idle before jumping onto the dock. Richard pulled the one girl onto the boat, then pushed her below deck. He reached out and physically picked the other one up, shoving her below with her friend. Jake came running down the dock, carrying his assault rifle. Brittany looked up towards the hill for Karen but didn’t see her.

“Where’s Karen?” She exclaimed. “She should have been here by now!”

Jake jumped onto the boat. He was gasping for breath. Brittany was worried, not being able to find Karen. Shots rang out from the village, one of them striking Trace just above the knee. He dropped to the floor of the dock in extreme pain. Richard and Jacob opened fire on two men standing along the shoreline, just below the village. Both men went down in a hail of gunfire.

Brittany heard footsteps running down the dock. She looked up to see Karen, carrying her sniper rifle slung over her shoulder.

“Help me get Trace on the boat!” Brittany screamed. “He’s been shot!”

Richard and Jake dragged Trace onto the boat. His pants leg was covered with blood. Brittany pulled the throttle levers back, backing away from the dock. Spinning the wheel hard right, she forced the throttle levers forward. The bow of the boat lifted dramatically as it climbed on top of the water’s surface. Debris from the exploded building drifted close to the boat. Dodging the rubble, Brittany steered the Eliminator towards the outer coastline.

Trace was stretched out on the floor of the boat, groaning in pain. Jake took the sling from his assault rifle, wrapping it tightly around Trace’s leg. Richard retrieved the first aid kit from beneath the passenger seat. While the two men focused their attentions on attending to Trace‘s wound, Brittany throttled the boat through the narrow passage. The roar of the engines resounding off the high rock walls was deafening.

Brittany entered the open sea. Forcing the throttle levers all the way forward, the boat’s speedometer steadily climbed to seventy miles per hour. Glancing both ways, she was relieved to see clear water without the presence of Cuban patrol boats.

“How bad is he?” Brittany shouted over her shoulder.

“He’ll be alright.” Jake shouted. “He’s got a piece of flesh missing but I can sew the wound closed.”

Richard checked on Karen and the two girls below deck. The girls were cowering in each other’s arms. Karen had covered them with a beach towel, trying to comfort them. Everyone’s adrenalin was still pumping as the outer coastline of Cuba gradually faded behind them.

Less than an hour later, Brittany spotted the Navigator cruiser waiting on them. Shouting over her radio, she ordered Wayne to fire up the diesel engines and get ready to head towards Nassau. Wayne was standing at the rear of the cruiser as Brittany idled the Eliminator up to the starboard side of the boat. He tossed a rope to Richard so he could tie the boat off.

“Get everyone onboard!” Brittany commanded. “Get Trace to his stateroom.”

“What happened?” Wayne shouted.

“Trace took a bullet in the leg.” Jake replied. “I need to get the wound cleaned and sewn up.”

Moving Trace from one boat to the other was no easy chore. The pain in his leg was excruciating and moving him only aggravated it. Wayne helped Richard and Jake carry him to the stateroom, laying him across the bed. Karen assisted the two girls with getting onboard the cruiser. Both were weak from malnutrition and abuse.

Brittany tied the powerboat to the stern of the luxury cruiser. Rushing to Trace’s stateroom, she made a quick check to see how he was doing. The bullet had taken a small chunk of flesh from his leg, a few inches above his knee. Jake gave him a shot of morphine to ease the pain. Trace’s body immediately reacted to the medication. His eyes gradually closed as the painkiller took affect.

“Let’s get going to Nassau.” Brittany said, directing her command towards Wayne. “Jake and Richard will take good care of your brother.”

“Get me the alcohol from the medical kit.” Jake ordered. “And, get me the needle and suture material.”

While Richard assisted his friend Jake, Brittany went to help Karen with the girls.

“Let’s get their clothes off and get them in the shower.” Brittany ordered. “I’ll give you a hand.”

The girls were apathetic, allowing Brittany and Karen to get them undressed and into the showers.

“Where are we?” One of the girls mumbled.

“Where you are, is safe.” Brittany replied, smiling. “Where you’re going, is home.”

Brittany and Karen toweled the girls off, then helped them get dressed. Karen and Brittany’s clothes loosely fit them but it was better than nothing. Karen combed the girl’s hair so they would look and feel more presentable.

Karen had thrown her camouflage shirt on the floor of the stateroom. Brittany picked it up, noticing heavy blood stains on the shirt pocket. Not wanting to say anything in front of the girls, she took it outside, tossing it on the rear deck of the boat.

Karen left the girls in the stateroom. Brittany motioned for her to come out on the rear deck. Picking up the shirt, she reached into the pocket, retrieving four blood stained diamond rings.

“Mind telling me what the hell you were thinking?” Brittany angrily asked.

“I wasn’t going to leave them behind and have someone else steal them.” Karen retorted. “I had to cut the bitch’s fingers off to get them. Lucky for me, that old woman had a knife in her hand.”

“It’s bad enough we had to kill people.” Brittany responded. “I won’t stand for stealing.”

Brittany tossed the diamond rings over the side of the boat, infuriating Karen.

“I ever catch you doing it again, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in that thick skull of yours!” Brittany exclaimed.

Richard fixed a big meal for the two college girls, knowing they had to be starved. The hot food brought a smile to both girls’ faces. Brittany, Karen and Richard sat at the table with the girls to keep them company.

“Trace wants to see you.” Jake stated, coming out of the stateroom. “I gave him a sedative to help him sleep. He‘ll be alright till we get him to Nassau.”

Karen rose from her chair, then proceeded towards the bedroom.

“It’s Brittany, he wants to see.” Jake said. “He asked for Britt.”

Brittany entered the stateroom, closing the door behind her. Trace was lying on the bed wearing just his briefs. His eyes were almost closed but opened wide when he saw Brittany approaching the side of the bed. Brittany glanced at his leg wound, noticing the neatly stitched sutures.

Sitting on the bed, Trace took her hand in his, gripping it tightly.

“How ya feeling?” Brittany asked in a soft voice.

“Better, much better.” Trace muttered. “Ole Jake fixed really fixed me up. He sewed my leg up”

“He’s a taxidermist, ya know!” Brittany quipped.

“Huh!” Trace exclaimed.

“Just kidding.” Brittany said, grinning.

“I thought I was a goner.” Trace murmured. “I never saw so much blood or felt so much pain.”

“You had us all scared back there.” Brittany stated. “You were lucky. Damn lucky!”

Trace put his weakened arms around Brittany, pulling her down to him. She rested on his muscular chest, listening to the sounds of his shallow breathing. Brittany waited till Trace drifted off to sleep before slipping from his grasp. She covered him with a light blanket before exiting the stateroom. Brittany checked on the two girls sleeping in her stateroom before grabbing a quick shower and putting on shorts and a top.

Ascending the interior stairway to the bridge, she looked over Wayne’s shoulder at the radar and sonar screens before sitting in the passenger seat next to him.

“Figured you’d try and get some sleep.” Wayne said.

“Thought I’d get some fresh air, maybe grab a smoke or two first.” Brittany replied.

“It’s been a helluva day.” Wayne commented. “Karen told me about the shootout.“

“It was more of a slaughter than a shootout.” Brittany muttered.

“You gonna be alright?” Wayne inquired. “Why don’t you try and catch some sleep?”

Brittany tossed her cigarette over the side of the boat, deciding to take Wayne’s suggestion. After checking the rope towing the powerboat behind the cruiser, Brittany stretched out on the couch in the livingroom.

Waking early the next morning, she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Drifting into the galley, she noticed a fresh pot of coffee sitting in the coffeemaker. After pouring herself a cup, she crept into the stateroom to check on the two college girls. Both were sleeping soundly. After checking on Trace and Karen, she ascended the stairway to the top deck.

Richard was at the helm, guiding the boat towards Nassau. Wayne was lying down on the L-shaped lounge, sound asleep. The north shore of Andros Island lay far off the port side.

“Want me to take over for awhile?” Brittany inquired.

“Yeah, I need to go to the bathroom.” Richard replied.

Brittany sat down in the comfortable seating at the helm. Checking the gauges and screens, she lit up a cigarette, taking a long hard drag. A few minutes later, Richard returned to the bridge.

“How long before we hit Nassau?” He asked.

“Probably around noon.” Brittany replied, checking her watch. “As soon as we get within radio range, I’ll call the marina at Nassau and have them get in touch with Evelyn at the Marriott.”

“You gonna have the girls checked out at the hospital in Nassau?” Richard inquired.

“No. Evelyn and I thought it best if get the girls back to the states as soon as possible.” Brittany answered. “She’ll fly them to Miami and get in contact with their families.”