Chapter 8

It was dark again when I woke up. Cate had stripped me while I was out to the world and covered me up. I was having dreams about shooting people, only to wake to realise that my dreams were only a reenactment of real life. When I put a gown on and went to the toilet, Cate was there to help me stagger into the kitchen, where she plied me with a fry up.

I was ravenous, and it was quite a while before I surfaced from my gluttony. She was being very patient with me, and I wondered why. It was then that she told me that Ward had been in touch. He had sent her the clip of the firefight, with an email that said that I had acted like a true SEAL. Herb was in a normal ward after his blood vessels had been repaired and the lung punctures sewn closed. He suggested that we picked up his mother and bring Al back with us if we went to the hospital this evening. Visiting hours would be 24/7 for us. The mother had been spoken to and Al had told her that they had a slight accident.

I told Cate that she should arrange to pick up the mother, and then go alone. I would stay and look after Jenny as I was still feeling flat from the experience. Cate rang Herb’s mother and told her to pack an overnight bag as they would likely stay in a hotel. Herb was in the Baptist Hospital at Homestead, while Al was being looked after at the Homestead base after his debrief and introduction to the life of a government agent. I was really happy to see Cate looking so relieved. We had a hug session before she left, and I played with Jenny until it was time for her bed. I read her a story as she went to sleep, which made me relax more.

That evening, I went to the boat and retrieved the cigars, putting them in our shed. I left the weed where it was, in case the boys wanted to do something else with it. I scrubbed the blood stains off the deck and took the first aid kit back to the house to reload. We had used most of the bandages and wadding, along with a half a small bottle of antiseptic. I had also administered an injection of morphine. When I thought about it, between us, we had probably saved Herb’s life. That made me feel better about things.

Even though I had already eaten, I phoned in an order for a pizza, which I ate with a few glasses of wine. It helped me sleep normally that night. In the morning, Cate rang to say that they would be arriving after lunch. They would all be seeing Herb in the morning and then driving back. She told me that she and Angelique were getting on well, and that Ward would be sending a secure email around noon.

I spent the morning with Jenny, just like a mother should. She had a small vocabulary by now and we chatted away like a couple of pals. She wanted to know when she would come on a boat trip again, so we went down to the boat, and I took her out for an hour. When the email came through and was decrypted, it told me that Angelique had been shown pictures of the guys I had shot, and she had identified the one holding the rifle as her husband. Al had not been surprised at landing at a military base. I think that what he had heard me say on the satellite phone, added to being able to conjure up a helicopter in the early hours had allowed him to add the numbers and get the right result.

I wondered if it would change our relationship. I know that Cate was very worried about Herb. When the car pulled onto the property, I stood outside with Jenny to welcome them. Al was out of the car like a shot and came to me to hold me tight and kiss me.

“Nikki, darling. I owe you my life and Herb owes you double. The medic on the chopper was very happy how well we had looked after Herb and said that a wound like that could have just killed him. That Ward guy was full of praise for the two of you and told me a little about what you’re trying to achieve. I was sworn in as a volunteer US Deputy and promised to help as much as I can.”

“I wondered how you would feel when you found out that we’re not just innocent dive instructors. I’ve been worried that you’ll come home and not want anything to do with me.”

“Nikki, my love, you are part of my life, and I want that to last forever. Having a job with the government is a bonus. Herb will be added to the team when he’s better. He did send you his love and thanks.”

“We’re going to have to talk about why your father shot him.”

“I’ll have to talk that over with my mother before I can get my head around that. I have no recollection of him in my life. It’s possible that he didn’t know who we were.”

Angelique came over and hugged me as well, telling me that my actions to save her son’s life had her everlasting thanks. It all made me able to accept that I had done the right thing. When Cate had taken their bags out of the car, she told me that Ward wanted us to wait a couple of days before we went to see Herb again, and to leave time for a meeting in the Homestead Base.

I pointed out the cigars to Al and asked him what he wanted to do with the rest of the weed. He opened up his truck and loaded the cigars in the back, along with his mother’s bag. It didn’t take long to get the weed out of the boat and into the back of the truck, with a cover over it. I was happy to see it go.

When they left, Cate and I went into the house and Jenny asked about all the fuss. We told her that Herb had an accident and was getting better. She told us that she liked Herb and was glad that he would be back. That made Cate hold her tight, with tears in her eyes. We got Jenny colouring in pictures and sat to one side to talk about the situation.

“I didn’t realise how close I was to losing Herb. He told me that it was only that he had lifted his right hand to shield his eyes that dropped his left side. Otherwise, the shot would have got him in the heart. He doesn’t remember anything after that. The doctor told me how close it was and praised your medical attention. Ward was odd. I expected that he would be upset at our cover being blown, but he told me that it would help having the brothers onside, and that there could have been an upside with those guys disappearing.”

“When I was met by a Coast Guard cutter, he came on board to talk to me. I gave him all the papers I had collected before we put them overboard. He was happy enough to take a box of cigars with him. He’ll tell us what we need to know when we see him next.”

She went down to the mooring and double checked the boat, making sure that I had cleaned up all of the spent cartridges and the used medical supplies. When she came back, I left her with Jenny and went for a run. It was good to release all the tension that I had built up. The project could be still on track, and Al had virtually told me that he loved me. I couldn’t work out which one made me happier.

Over the next couple of days, we had a couple of fishing trips with paying customers. Cate did one while I did the other. Angelique and Al came over in the evenings, and we were given a potted history of the Cook family history.

Angelique had worked with one of the Cuban doctors after she left school. She had studied nursing and was living with her parents. One day, a handsome Cuban came into the surgery, and she was immediately smitten. Things went along in the usual fashion, and she fell pregnant with Herb. Manuelo agreed to the marriage, and they lived in his home. Her parents weren’t happy but had no say in the matter. A year after Herb, Al was born. Manuelo was becoming more involved with outlaw bikers and had started the weed garden that still augmented their income.

Angelique said that he came home, one day, in a panic, packed a bag and left. That was the last time she had seen him. Two days later, the police arrived to arrest him for being part of a gang brawl in Miami which had resulted in three deaths. There were no records of him leaving the country, but with his connections, a quiet trip to Cuba was not considered outlandish.

Angelique had sued for divorce, due to desertion, seven years later, and had gone back to work to support her and her two boys. She had changed the surname to Cook at that time. She thought that the somewhat easy-going attitude to proper work that they showed was due to the Galleta genes.

We had to admit that the Boston part of our cover was just part of the cover, but that we had been chosen for our strong connection to each other, and that Jenny was, indeed, a love child in a moment of extreme stress.

While all the discussion was going on, Jenny was sitting on Angelique’s knee with her colouring book. When there was a period of silence for us to absorb the new reality, she confounded us all.

“I like Auntie Angel, she’s nice!”

We all gave her a group hug, both Cate and Angelique with wet eyes. After that, Al and I went outside and stood by the mooring to hold each other tight and kiss. Emotions had never been a big part of me until my time on the ship. I had been the typical, careful, diver. The whirlwind that had been Svetlana and Katiya had awaked so many feelings that could never be put back in the box. The hormones and surgery had heightened those feelings to a point where I now thought like a young girl, all needy when held by a man. We went back to the house and to my bedroom to make love, because love was what our relationship now was.

The next day, we all went to Homestead in Al’s old Chevy, with the child seat in the middle of the back seat. We stopped at the hospital and Herb had a big smile when he saw me.

“Nikki, my angel! They tell me that it was you and Al who saved my life. All I know was a thump in the chest, then the next thing I remember was waking up with a pain in the chest and lots of tubes hanging out of me. Al told me, the other day, that he would have stayed frozen and waiting for death unless you hadn’t forced him to move. Nobody has told me, yet, how I ended up here.”

“I suppose it’s not a problem telling you now. I rang a government agent and ordered a military helicopter with a couple of paramedics to come and get you. We have a unit that sends a signal like an aircraft ID that let them find us in the middle of the open sea in the dark.”

“Oh, Yes. Pull the other one.”

“You’ll be told the truth before you come home. Al has found out that the future for the two of you looks a lot more structured than you imagined. Your mother has something to tell you.”

He looked at her and she came and put a hand on his.

“Nikki had a camera set up on the boat and it filmed the gang that ambushed you. I’ve seen the pictures and the man who shot you was your father. He fled to Cuba when you were three, to escape from the police. They were after him regarding deaths in Miami. It was Nikki and her military training that saved you all, including your two Cuban friends.”

We stayed with him until he tired, so we left for our appointment to see Derek Ward. Al drove us into Homestead Base, where we were directed to a building a few yards from the gate. It was obviously where meetings took place with those who were not allowed onto the base itself. Ward was waiting for us as Al pulled into a parking spot.

“Hello, good folks. Nikki, you’re looking so much better than the last time I saw you. You had that post-battle look. I suppose you slept well and woke up hungry?”

“Certainly did. I felt like I had run all the way back.”

“Come in, we can sit down while I tell you what I now know. How was Herb this morning?”

“He wanted to know how he was transported from the ocean to a hospital and didn’t believe me when I told him the truth.”

“There will be plenty of time to bring him up to speed. When he’s released, we’re going to bring him here to the base infirmary to get him fit again. As you girls know, we have ways of improving your health. Al, we’ll get you here at that time and put you both through some training. You’re both fit lads, but there’re things we can teach your bodies that will keep you alive. That’ll be something to look forward to. Now, here’s our room, find a seat and get comfortable, as there’s a lot to be told.”

We found somewhere to sit, with Jenny between the two of us, a colouring book and some pencils at hand. Ward took a stand in front of us.

“Angelique and Al. By now you should have realised that Cate and Nikki are not just a couple of sisters starting a boat charter. They are one point of contact between us, the government, and the general population on Cuba. They haven’t done a lot, yet, but have made some significant progress, with you and your brother creating the contact with your cigar suppliers.”

“You don’t mind the smuggling?”

“No, Al. The whole plan is based on flying so low under the radar, the smuggling is perfect. The incident which brought you here, to Homestead, is a significant help to the cause. Nikki has been tested and proved her worth, and the information she brought us has shone a light on some gang movements that we didn’t know.”

“How did my sons help.”

“Angelique. When your husband skipped the country, he was involved with one of the biker gangs. He joined a similar group when he got settled in Cuba. With the names of all the dead men, our people on the ground could ask the right questions.”

He turned on a screen and brought up a map of the north coast of Cuba.

“Here is Havana, where the main government has been since before Castro. It’s not a safe place for outsiders, so the gangs have started setting up along the coast. The guys you killed had come from Matanzas, while we know that your usual suppliers are based in Santa Marta. The Matanzas gang has been wanting to spread their wings, and that proposed heist was supposed to stamp their mark on Santa Marta. Them not returning with a big stack of weed has started the gangs talking about another gang hit when they were returning. Our people have been promoting that thought.”

“You say ‘our people’. If they’re so good, why do you need us?”

“They need something to work on, and, so far, what you’ve provided us with has helped. This is not another ‘Bay of Pigs’ attempt. What we are doing has been estimated to take up to ten years. We want to feed the population the seeds of dissention, so that democracy can evolve in a free Cuba. My masters are keen for us to continue to normalise diplomatic relations. We are talking, but a lot needs to change over there before the country loses the hard-line communist government. Our previous governments cut ties so drastically, we need to create the idea that we’re no longer the bad guys. How that happens is what you guys can help with. We need to know what the Cubans want before we start giving it to them. If it means a missile strike on the leadership, we’ll do it for them, as long as they’re ready to take the reins.”

Angelique was listening with amazement.

“We’re just normal people. We’re not secret agents.”

“That’s the point! Nobody trusts the ones in charge any longer. It’s the contacts between ordinary people that counts in this. Nikki, will that boat of yours go all the way to Cuba and back?”

“I think so. It must have done some long runs in the past. Did it go all the way, Al?”

“We did do some runs directly to the coast, usually to pick up friends who needed a lift to the US. We’d take a load of weed and stuff they can’t get there and come back with passengers and cigars. We would add some jerry-cans of diesel, just in case. We would meet up with the fishing fleet and go in with them. We would wait at a secluded bay until the fleet went out the next evening.”

“Grand! Now, Al. I need you to make sure that your contacts are happy to continue. Don’t tell me how you get the messages across, I don’t want to know. When Herb is ready to come here for recouperation, I want you here to both go through some basic training. We don’t want you freezing as soon as something unusual happens. By the time we’ve finished with you, the two of you will be full-time workers for the US, with regular pay, but not actually on the payroll. That way, you can devote your time to what we’re trying to do. The cigar business is good, as long as you keep selling to the Cuban buyers in Miami, and don’t attract the real police. They will need to be behind you as things progress.”

“We were looking at a marline boat the other day, but it would have to be kept at the marina. That catch that I helped in was good promotion, but nothing has come from it. I doubt if the other charter companies would be happy with another competitor.”

“What about buying it and refitting it for wreck diving? That way, we can send you agents who need extra training, and it will give you a boat that isn’t out of place with your business. There’s lots of wrecks around the coast. You could even take them over to Bermuda to give you an excuse for longer trips.”

“That would take money.”

“Someone will approach you, in an open way, about a contract to give government employees dive training with deep dive experience. It will come with an up-front payment which will allow you to get everything you need. I might be able to wangle enough funds for a submersible and the shipboard monitors. With four of you on the water, and Angelique having a job running the office, you should be able to expand the business, and your links with Cuba.”

We left the meeting and drove home, mainly in silence. We were all trying to get our heads around what he had told us. I know Angelique and Al needed to come to terms with being under cover, semi-official, agents for the CIA. Cate and I were thinking through other factors.

I was thinking about what we needed to do when the contract arrived, the places I needed to find where the wrecks could be dived. Cate would be thinking about the submersible, and her ideas about what she wanted it to do. It wouldn’t just be used to look at the ocean floor. It would need to be able to take someone to a distant shore, bringing back their dive equipment.

It allowed me to stop worrying about setting up marlin charters, something that I still had only beginners luck with, and no genuine experience. This would all fit in with our original business model, without the glare of publicity that the TV star had generated. We could resist further requests to go for marlin as too dangerous. There had been a few times when me and his wife had held the TV star from being dragged overboard. It would be even more publicity if we lost a client.

If I was being honest, I couldn’t see just what Ward was trying to do. With my time here in Florida, I had spoken to a lot of ex-pat Cubans. All had been happy to get away, and many were sending money and goods to their relatives still on the Island. Since Raul had stepped down, the administration had become more open to the rest of the world, although was still close to Russia, with China taking up a lot of the space as well.

If Ward was successful in getting the general populace riled enough, there were several problems standing in the way. A targeted strike on Havana would not be seen kindly by Russia, China, Venezuela, and several other small countries that Cuba was now friendly with. We had the Embassy in Havana, although it wasn’t considered safe, with the advent of the strange sicknesses that happened there in 2017. The biggest sticking point between the countries was the Embargo.

That went back a long way. It was a reaction to Fidel nationalising over a billion dollars’ worth of American property. Eisenhower prohibited all exports to Cuba in 1960, with Kennedy extending it to Cuban imports into the States. Obama went a long way towards dropping the Embargo, with Trump reinstating it at and even stronger level. Organising a volunteer Cuban army and dropping them off at the Bay of Pigs and leaving them to it didn’t help our relations. Many that I had spoken to still hated the government for that single act of bastardry.

The only people to suffer from the Embargo were the very people Ward was trying to recruit. Over three-quarters of the population were living in extreme poverty, while the Communist Party members were jetting over the world and dealing with many other countries. It reminded me of that book, ‘Animal Farm’ where all animals were equal, though some were considered more equal than others. In the book, the pigs ruled, a very apt observation.

In Cuba, the pigs were in total control. With the abolition of the free press, the abolition of any other political parties enshrined in their constitution, any meetings of dissidents would be jumped on by the police or the army, all of whom have a cushy life with the best pay, and freedom to be worse than organised criminals.

I wasn’t going to kill the Golden Goose, though. Ward had given me life, even as I now was, and could have easily had me shot and tossed overboard after we escaped Yuri. I was becoming used to being a woman, being the receiver during sex, rather than the instigator. I even enjoyed being able to turn heads when I walked the streets of Key West. As a man, I had felt entitled and powerful. As Nikki Armstrong, I was good looking and held a power that was only ever given to women. The power to control a man by looks and words alone.

Marianne Gregory © 2024