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Snake was tired of hanging out in the ship's bars looking for Vadim. He'd gotten the word on their new packages just a few minutes ago. The final victims and their timetable needed to speed up. The murders had to happen tomorrow or the next day. It would be too late when they arrived in Athens. He had to find Vadim.
He took his swizzle stick and stirred his drink of the day. It tasted like crap. It was some sort of coconut and pineapple concoction that kind of turned his stomach. He reached for his cell phone, put in his security passcode, and dialed Vadim. There was no answer. He cursed, picked up his drink, and decided to check out the public areas of the ship.
He walked into the Schooner Bar on deck eight and was sure a heavyset man was Vadim. He walked up behind him, leaned over and examined the man closely. After a long inspection, Snake figured it wasn't Vadim and took a seat at a table on the aft side of the ship. He watched women and kids frolic in one of the ship's many public swimming pools. It was a beautiful day to be on a cruise ship. The Mediterranean Sea sparkled in the bright sunlight and the sound of a reggae band improved his spirits. He closed his eyes and considered a nap, but finished his drink before falling asleep.
He awakened when someone kicked his leg.
"Hey, man, what's up?" Vadim stood at his table with sunglasses, wig and walking stick.
Snake shook his head and snarled, "You'd better not sneak up on me like that again, Vadim. Next time I might hurt you.”
Vadim shook his head and laughed. "I'm scared shitless." He pulled his chair out and pretended to make polite conversation. "Are you enjoying your cruise?"
Snake took off his sunglasses and stared at his accomplice. Once again, he would have never recognized the Russian. Vadim had on a dark wig, sunglasses, and his face showed no scars or pockmarks. He looked entirely different than he normally did. He noted Vadim's knife glistening on the side of the walking cane.
"Stop staring, asshole," Vadim snarled at him.
Snake shook his head and said, "Nice wig. I'm not sure I would've recognized you if it wasn't for that ugly telltale nose that you've coated in white makeup."
Vadim gritted his teeth and blew smoke on him. "I don't care whether you recognize me or not, it's the others I'm worried about." He paused for a moment and then asked, "What's up? You have news?"
"Man, you gotta give me a way to contact you. We've got work to do and I don't know how to find you. Where the hell are you staying?” Vadim shrugged his shoulders. "I'm here and there, pretty much everywhere. I've spent most of this morning trying to find a place to hide, and a place to sleep if ship security turns up the heat. Plus, I've got a bad headache from last night," he admitted with a grin.
Snake had a visceral reaction. "You think they're looking for you?" He laughed and said sarcastically, "How could they not be?"
Vadim drew back his head and laughed. "Hell, yeah, they're looking for me, and they're looking for you, too. They got two murders on the ship so you know they're looking for somebody, right?"
Snake nodded, "I suppose so," he said as his eyes cut across the ship to a dark headed, petite woman with a huge dog on a leash. Recognition blew through him.
"Look over there, Vadim. You know that lady, the one with the big dog?" Snake's face was filled with hate.
Vadim glanced toward Michaela, shook his head and said, "Hell, no, why should I?" He watched anger spread over Snake's face. He paused a moment, "Apparently you do.”
Snake continued to stare as he clenched his fists together and opened and closed his hands until the eyes of the snake tattoo seemed to spit fire.
Vadim looked at him and laughed, "Well, you know her. Looks like she must've pissed in your Cheerios," he said with a grin. "What happened? Did she kick your ass or something?" he asked with a smirk.
Snake's face was suffused with anger, "That bitch is a retired police detective and, yeah, she got in my way plenty. I'm gonna kill her — just as soon as I can," he snarled.
Vadim was impressed. "What the hell did she do to you? Did she beat you up? Outsmart you, you moron dumbass?" he said with a laugh.
Snake was furious. He gripped the side of the table and kicked over an empty chair. "Shut the hell up, Vadim. You don't know nothing. Nothing about her or me. Change the damned subject."
Vadim ignored Snake's hostility and continued to watch the woman. She took off her beach cover-up, slathered suntan lotion all over her body and put on a sun hat. There was something vaguely familiar about her. He just didn't know what it was.
"Who is she again? She looks vaguely familiar to me, too,” he said.
Snake stared at Michaela. He watched her every move as his eyes glittered with hate. "She's a retired homicide detective from Richmond, Virginia. That's her dog, a retired police dog, and he's gettin' a bullet in his head as soon as I can manage it."
Vadim watched the woman a few more minutes and decided he didn't know her. He'd never been to Richmond, so he decided to tease Snake a little more. "Okay, dude. What did the woman do to you that's got your jocks all in a wad? Did she get the best of you?"
Snake ignored Vadim, but his anger escalated. He continued to watch Michaela. The dog lay in the shade near her lounge chair. "What the hell is that bitch doing on this cruise ship? That's just too coincidental," he thought. Snake's paranoia escalated. He knew he had to get it under control or he'd make some serious errors.
Vadim was bored. He decided his best tactic was to keep moving. He turned to Snake and kicked his chair. "Get over it, asshole. You can take care of her later. I'll even help you — but, first things first."
Snake nodded and his eyes left Michaela. Vadim was right. He'd tend to her later. This was the third time their lives had crossed so he was certain there would be another time, and he'd whack her then. He turned to Vadim, back on track. "Yeah, you're right. We've got some more work, just as I said, a couple more hits maybe. I got a message from our handler today."
Vadim's eyes lit up, as blue as the sea with the contact lenses that were part of his disguise. "Okay. Who, what, and when?" he asked non-committedly as his fingers drummed the table. He needed a drink. That'd take good care of his headache. He looked around for the waiter. "What the hell were you drinking with a damned umbrella in it, Snake Man? It looks like some pussy drink."
Snake's blood pressure raced and he gritted his teeth. He was in no mood for this, but he decided to let the insult go. "It's some sweet coconut thing. I had a free drink ticket I won at bingo this morning so I got me the drink of the day. It's as simple as that.”
“So, you got us more work? Vadim said softly as he cradled his hands around his cold glass. "What's the rate of pay?" he asked greedily as he pictured a home in the Caribbean and a bunch of half-naked women dancing around him.
Snake grinned, "Gotta double package, double pay for the next two. Our risk goes up since we're confined on this tub. We're gonna be rich," he said with an evil grin.
Vadim started to speak, but Snake cut him off as his hand sliced through the air. "Here comes the waiter," he said.
Snake ordered a beer for himself and a vodka on the rocks for Vadim. The waiter looked at him and smiled, "You not like?" he asked as he pointed to the glass?
Snake grinned and said, "It’s okay. One is enough. Too sweet for me."
The waiter laughed and picked up his empty glass.
When the waiter was out of earshot, Vadim said "So, how big is this guy? Can one of us do it?"
Snake sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, "He's a good size, dude. I think he's probably close to six feet, probably weighs a hundred and eighty pounds or so. Got silver hair....He looks like a politician."
"What the hell does that mean?" Vadim asked. All the politicians in New Orleans looked different - all were smug, self-serving, crooked assholes.
“Hell, I don't know," Snake said in an irritated voice. "He looks like the kind that would kiss a bunch of babies and kiss a bunch of ass to get what he wanted,” he said. "He's tall and clean-cut." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and pushed it toward the Russian. "Here, take a good look."
Vadim studied the face with a noncommittal look. "Okay, I got it," he said as he shoved the phone across the table to Snake.
"When do we strike?"
"I've got his stateroom number. He's traveling alone, a guest of Blake Pharmaceutical and I heard he's meeting them tonight for dinner. Apparently he's pissed about the guy overboard. My sources tell me he plans to confront them tonight.”
"Well, in that case, I don't think he'll make it to dinner," Vadim said in a soft voice.
Snake nodded and grabbed his cold beer from the waiter who approached with their drinks. Vadim grabbed his vodka. He said to Snake, "Put this on your ship charge card. I don't want to use the safe cabin card. As far as the ship knows, it's empty."
Snake pulled his ship charge card from his pocket and asked the waiter for another beer.
When the waiter was out of earshot, Vadim said, "So you think one of us can do it?"
"Yeah, if we use the element of surprise." Snake said. "He's a normal-sized man, probably in his fifties. He's in pretty good shape, as you saw from his picture, but if we surprise him, one of us can do it."
"Do you have his stateroom number?"
"Yeah. He's up there with the rich people. On the ritzy floor. Blake Pharmaceutical is paying for his cruise."
Vadim cupped his drink with his hands and said, "I'll do it. Alone. I hate politicians and I'm itching for a good kill."
Snake stared at the Russian and said, "Okay. Don't screw it up. We've only got one chance."
Vadim looked at Snake and took a long drink of his vodka. He bent over until he was about an inch from Snake's face and said, "I never mess shit up. He won't make it to dinner tonight." Vadim finished his drink and slammed his glass on the table, got up and left.
Snake watched him depart. That’s one crazy son of a bitch, he thought.