Denny sighed. “What about the women? They’re still alive, right?”
“They’re confined to quarters,” Nick answered. “When we’re sure of Fernando’s information, Kabong and I will cover our faces to get them. We’ll restrain, blindfold them, and transfer them to you where you will lock them down until transfer from the Valkyrie to wherever you want them. I want your word you’ll do so, exactly as I outlined, Denny.”
Silence until Nick’s mouth began to tighten. John took a hand then. “We’re all a little tense in this operation, Denny. If you don’t agree with your word, I’m going in with Nick to relieve the little Tweety-Birds from life.”
“You have my word… damn it. I should be able to get Fernando. You don’t understand the capital we can-”
“One more word and even confirmation won’t save him for a heartbeat!” Nick had his blade against Carone’s throat. No one else moved.
“Say something stupid, Denny! I want to see Fernando, ‘the butcher’, Carone get it,” Lynn called out. “We know what this bastard has done! None of what you say will matter though. Carone’s cut up kids in front of their parents, executed people at will who said one word against him, and killed whole underling’s families at the merest slight he’s felt. I obey the wishes of the Dark Lord. If he asks me to, I plan on keeping Carone screaming until morning light.”
“Understood,” Denny agreed. “Please let me have the women for transfer.”
“We’ll give it a shot. They better not give any hint of being involved. When we do a physical confirmation on Fernando,” Lynn replied. “We will be asking him.”
Denny sighed once more… as if his audience cared. “Fine. I’ll talk with you soon.”
“Are you ready, DL,” Nick asked.
“Yep… I’m done coaxing answers. On the good side, Jafar figures we’re fifty million the richer from the text I just now received. I don’t want to wind up in jail, but God help the prisoners trying to get the Cheeseburger anyway.”
Nick grinned. “We’re not letting anyone put you in a cell, DL. Let’s leave Fernando for the moment. I’d like to ask the only other ones alive a few questions. C’mon, Johnny Five. Let’s go see about taking prisoners.”
“On your six, Muerto!”
*
Nick tapped on the door Gus Denova and Quays Tannous had been watching. They were the cabins where the three female crewmembers remained in hiding. “Open the door. You will be blindfolded and restrained during transfer to American soil.”
The woman in the first room gasped audibly enough to be heard outside the cabin. “You’re nuts. Why the hell should I go along with that bullshit deal?”
Nick’s affable request turned to dour threat in a split second of hearing the woman’s condescending tone. “You’ll obey every single order you’re given from this moment on or I will break through the door and slice your intestines out of you while my companion pours bleach on them. Want a demo?”
The door flew open to reveal a late twenties blonde with no other attitude on her face other than survival. When she saw the two black masked figures with MP5s pointed at her, she dropped to her knees in begging tones, crying for mercy.
“Shut-up!” Nick restrained the sobbing woman, yanking her upright. Johnny added a hood after taking her digital fingerprint and a mouth swab for DNA testing.
They went then to the next door where Nick knocked and called out in comical voice. “Come out, come out wherever you are in there.”
The door opened immediately. Both the women had 9mm handguns. Nick and Johnny fired simultaneously, instantly riddling the two women across chest and head from their positions at the sides of the doorway. Johnny repeated the fingerprint and DNA tests which would be repeated for all the bodies aboard the Tempest. The woman captive dived to the floor against the corridor bulkhead.
“That did not go well, Muerto.”
“I half suspected it, which was the reason I had the minions watching these cabins. We have one here I believe will provide valuable information once Dr. Deville works her over. I doubt she’s an innocent crewmember because there are no innocent crewmembers aboard this boat. We’ll keep her separate of Carone until he’s questioned.”