Biini and a Badge

Brittany took her time getting back to the base camp along the southern shoreline of Andros Island. Todd had released his tight grip on the dash's grab bar long before the color had returned to his paled face.

Ray and Frank Caposi were waiting for them at the stern of the houseboat as Brittany nosed the bow of the catamaran powerboat towards them. After tying the boat off, the two brothers helped Todd and Vince unload their gear and surveillance equipment. Rob was nowhere in sight. It was obvious he had other things that were occupying his interests.

Everyone but Kimmie had gathered in the livingroom of the houseboat, waiting further instructions.

"You guys can put your equipment in the spare stateroom." Brittany stated, directing Todd and Vince down the narrow hallway."

"Who's sleeping where?" Vince Beckman inquired with a hint of a grin on his face.

"You and your brother can share a stateroom." Brittany replied. "Frank and Ray in another."

"Amanda, you'll be sharing a room with Kimmie." She added. "She's around here somewhere."

"I think she's up on the top deck, laying out in the sun." Amanda stated. "I met her briefly when we arrived."

"What about you?" Vince asked. "Where're you sleeping?"

"My stateroom's at the rear of the boat." Brittany answered with a glare. "I sleep alone!"

"Vince and I should probably start setting up our equipment while we've still got plenty of daylight." Todd suggested. "After that, I'd like to prepare a nice dinner for everyone. Hope everyone likes Italian."

Everyone agreed with Todd's suggestion. Having someone on the team who actually liked to cook was warmly welcomed.

While everyone went about getting situated, Brittany ascended the stairway to the upper level of the houseboat. Kimmie was relaxing in the hottub, sipping a cold soft drink. She didn't look very happy.

"See you made it back alright." Kimmie muttered as Brittany approached.

"Yeah. I brought the surveillance team with me." Brittany responded.

"Take it, you met Amanda." Brittany said.

"What a slut!" Kimmie retorted. "That fuckin Rob can't keep his eyes off her!"

"Well, whatta you expect?" Brittany asked. "She's got one helluva body! Great legs!"

"At least there's four other guys left for the two of us to share." Kimmie stated, grinning.

"There's four other guys for YOU to share!" Brittany corrected. "I'm not sleeping with any of them."

"Why? What's the matter?" Kimmie asked, surprised. "You haven't lost your sexual appetite, have you?"

"No, I haven't lost anything." Brittany replied. "I'm just gonna keep things on a professional basis, that's all."

By early evening Todd was in the galley fixing dinner. He and Vince, along with the Caposi brothers help, had their surveillance equipment set up onshore. One radar system could pick up a boat, no matter how small, as far away as seventy miles and track its course and speed. The other system, even more sophisticated, could alert them to any aircraft in the vicinity for a distance of well over a hundred and fifty miles.

Vince showed Brittany how the equipment performed although she was quite familiar with radar systems on boats she'd driven.

"I brought a portable system along to put on the chase boat." Vince stated. "I'll can install it in the morning if you'd like."

"Ok." Brittany agreed. "I'll give you a hand so I can get familiarized with it."

During dinner, Todd received countless compliments on his cooking skills till his face blushed beet-red. Amanda brought up the subject of Brittany's book. She was the only one, other than Rob and Kimmie who was aware of it.

"What's the book about?" Vince inquired. "Hope you brought a copy with you."

"I've got a copy you can read." Kimmie quickly stated. "I finished it this morning."

"It's about murdering a bunch of bad guys and making lots of money while doing it!" Brittany spoke up, trying to be a smart-ass.

"What's the name of the book?" Todd questioned.

"Thunder in the Caribbean." Kimmie spoke before Brittany could open her mouth. "It's a documentary."

The stern look on Brittany's face was aimed directly at Kimmie, trying to get her to shut up about the book but it was to no avail. Kimmie kept on promoting the book like it was a bestseller, knowing full well it disturbed Rob.

"I've got a copy someone can have." Rob retorted. "I lost interest in it before I was halfway through it."

"Rob lost interest when he found out there weren't any pictures in the book." Kimmie quipped, glaring at the man.

"Kimmie! Shut the fuck up!" Brittany shouted. "I don't wanna hear another word about it! OK?"

The rest of the dinner was eaten in near silence. Everyone surmised there was alot of tension between their team's leader and Rob. After dinner, Brittany and Kimmie cleaned up the galley.

"I'm sorry about pissing you off during dinner." Kimmie muttered. "I was only trying to stick up for you."

"I don't need anyone sticking up for me." Brittany murmured. "I can do my own talking."

"I know. I was just trying to get back at Rob." Kimmie said. "He's acting like such an ass."

"He's a mental mess." Brittany stated, keeping her voice down. "He's still grieving over his wife's death, concerned about someone taking care of his son and he's worried about me."

"What do you mean he's worried about you?" Kimmie asked.

"Wait till we start intercepting the drug runners." Brittany answered. "I'm betting he loses his cool the first time he thinks I'm in any danger."

"You think he loves you?" Kimmie exclaimed. "Oh God! I shouldn't have slept with him last night!"

"I'm glad you did." Brittany responded. "Let him get all the fresh pussy he can. Once it's out of his system, he'll come back to me."

"You are weird!" Kimmie muttered. "I wouldn't want any man of mine fucking other women."

"I wouldn't mind ……… as long as I'm involved." Brittany quipped.

"Wow! You are weird!" Kimmie exclaimed, grinning evilly.

Early the next morning, Brittany gathered the Caposi brothers and Amanda together for a talk on strategies. Showing them the weaponry they'd be using, they were quite fascinated with the PWA M4-A3 assault rifles as well as the Glock 37-45 handguns. Brittany placed three of the Winchester 1100 modified shotguns on the table.

"I've got leg holsters to go with these along with plenty of ammo for everything." Brittany stated.

"When this assignment ends, you can keep the weapons if you want." She added. "I won't be needing them."

"We're gonna be done by the first of December, right?" Frank Caposi inquired. "That's what Langley told us."

"Yeah. We'll pack it up then." Brittany replied. "If these tactics prove successful, the DEA will put in their guys after the first of the year."

Brittany placed the photographs of the fueling stations along with maps of the areas on the table for everyone to see. Explaining the tactics she wanted to use and why, they all agreed to follow her plan.

"We may not have any luck trying to ambush the runners at the fueling stations but if it does work out for us, we've got to make sure and not shoot the boats up." Brittany stated. "They won't be worth a damn for resale if we do."

"Where you gonna hide the chase boat?" Amanda inquired. "The runners will spot it for sure."

"We'll use the waverunners to get to the fueling stations." Brittany replied. "We can hide them fairly easy."

"Do we shoot first and ask questions later?" Ray asked.

"No! We need to call out for them to drop their weapons first." Brittany answered. "No one fires a shot unless they pull the trigger first."

"Then what?" Amanda inquired.

"Then we gun their asses down." Brittany replied. "Go for a headshot if you can. We'll be wearing bulletproof vests. They might be too."

After concluding the meeting, Brittany changed into a skimpy black bikini to help Vince install the high-tech radar system in the chase boat. Rob stood on the top deck of the houseboat watching as she and the technician worked on the project.

"I noticed Rob kinda keeps an eye on you." Vince said. "Hope he's not the jealous type."

"Rob keeps an eye on anything with tits." Brittany responded. "Don't pay any attention to him."

That evening as the Caposi brothers, Amanda and Brittany were preparing for their first ambush, Rob walked into Brittany's stateroom. Brittany was sitting on the bed, strapping the shotgun to her right leg. Looking up at Rob, she noticed his face was paled.

"Don't start in on me." Brittany warned. "I don't need any hassling right now."

"I'm not here to hassle you." Rob muttered, choking out the words. "I just wanted to remind you to be careful."

"I'll be careful." Brittany responded. "I don't need you reminding me."

"When you get back in the morning, we need to have a talk." Rob suggested.

"I don't think so." Brittany retorted. "We don't have anything to talk about."

Rob stepped aside as Brittany exited the master stateroom. Checking in with Kimmie at the radio and Todd and Vince at the radar monitors, she gathered the team together for one last briefing. Everyone was set to go.

Lowering the two waverunners into the water, Amanda got on behind Brittany while Ray got on the other waverunner behind his brother. An hour and a half later, the four pulled into Williams Island along the western coastline of Andros Island. Hiding the waverunners along the north shore of the island they trekked back to the site of the fueling station. Getting everyone in position so they wouldn't be firing in each other's direction, Brittany checked in with Kimmie back on the houseboat.

"Can the DEA monitor us?" Brittany asked. "I can't get a response from them."

"We've got a slight problem, probably because of your location." Kimmie answered. "I'll have to relay your messages to them."

"Well, maybe we won't have much to say to them anyway." Brittany responded. "We don't need alot of chatter disrupting our concentration."

Checking in with Frank and Ray about fifty yards from her position with Amanda, the team relaxed, waiting for someone to show up. The clear night skies darkened. The tiny island was illuminated solely by the stars and the moon. Hours went by with nothing happening. It looked like it was going to be a long, boring night.

"Kinda romantic out here, ain't it?" Frank spoke over his radio. "Might be kinda nice if you sent Amanda over here with me. I'll trade you Ray even up."

"Think with your head Frank, not your balls." Brittany replied.

"GOT ONE!" Kimmie shouted, breaking her radio silence. "Vince said there's one coming right up the coastline, right at you."

Looking through her nightvision binoculars, Brittany scanned over the water but didn't see anything.

"How far away are they?" She asked, talking into the headset microphone.

"GOT TWO!" Kimmie shouted. "Vince's got two blips on his screen."

"Ask him if he's sure." Brittany ordered. "See if he knows what the hell he's looking at."

"It's two!" Kimmie came back, her voice excited. "Todd thinks they're running side by side."

"God damn!" Ray exclaimed. "We're gonna be busier than hell!"

"Let's wait till both boats get to shore before we make a move." Brittany stated. "I'll make the call. Everyone hold their fire."

"Got a plane!" Kimmie shouted over the radio. "It's off the coastline about a five miles."

"Well, I sure as hell can't do anything about it." Brittany responded.

The short period of silence was broken by the distant sounds of two powerboats approaching the team's location. Looking through the binoculars, Brittany could barely make out the figures of three men, two on one boat, just one on the other. Informing the rest of the team what she was seeing, she cautioned them not to hit the fuel drums.

"Maybe they'll give up without a shot being fired." Amanda said. "Let's hope so anyway."

The two powerboats glided up to the island, cutting their engines as the boats drifted towards the rocky shoreline. The men spoke in Spanish, barely audible to Brittany's ears. Just as the trio tied their boats to the rocks, Brittany made her move.

"DEA! Put down your weapons and your hands in the air!" She shouted.

For a brief moment it looked like the three men were going to comply with the command. One of the men had to try and shoot his way out of the situation. Pulling an automatic pistol from his belt, he fired blindly into the night. The volley of return fire resulted in all three men being gunned down where they stood. In less than two or three seconds, one man had made the fatal decision resulting in the deaths of three people.

"We got em!" Ray shouted. "We got the Motherfuckers!"

"Kimmie, you there?" Brittany asked, speaking into her headset.

"YES! We're here!" She replied. "What's going on?"

"Send in the DEA." She commanded. "We've got three down."

"Anyone hurt?" Rob asked, shouting into the microphone. "You guys ok?"

"I've got a leg cramp and Amanda says she's gotta pee." Brittany quipped. "Frank's still horny but Todd's ok."

"One of the fuel drums must have taken a hit." She added. "I can smell gasoline."

"DEA says they can't make it to your location till dawn." Kimmie said, taking the microphone away from Rob. "They won't land their helicopters on the island till they've got daylight."

"Well, we'll have to wait on them I guess." Brittany replied. "We'll get the drugs offloaded. Hope they get here before these guys start stinking up the place."

"You want me to call Langley and let him know what's going on?" Kimmie suggested.

"Yeah. That might not be a bad idea." Brittany replied. "It'll put a smile on his ugly kisser."

None of the fuel drums had been struck with a bullet but one of the fuel hoses had been partially severed. Frank and Ray dragged the bodies onto the rocks so they wouldn't float away. Amanda and Brittany stacked the packages of cocaine, tightly wrapped in plastic, next to the drug runners. In the dark it was too hard to tell if the boats had suffered any damage.

"Let's fuel up the boats with the one good hose that's left. "Brittany ordered. "We'll tie the waverunners onto the back and tow them back."

It was well after sunrise before two DEA UH-1N "Huey" helicopters made a landing on the tiny island near the crest overlooking the team's location. A half dozen uniformed men approached the site, carrying automatic assault rifles. Laying a net down, they loaded the three slain drug runners onto it. On another net they loaded the bundles of cocaine after weighing them on a small, portable scale.

"I want a receipt for all this crap." Brittany stated. "We're working on commission here."

The DEA commander-in-charge wrote out a receipt for the bundles of cocaine.

"You want a receipt for the dead bodies too?" He smarted off.

"Nah. We're not going to bother keeping score." Brittany replied. "I'm not into headcounts."

After the two "Hueys" lifted off with their cargo, the team straightened up the area before heading back to base camp. As they were pulling away from the island, Rob flew over them in the Piper Seneca, bobbing his wings at them.

With Frank at the helm of one boat with Ray onboard, he followed Brittany and Amanda in the other boat. It was late morning by the time the four arrived back at the houseboat. Everyone was anxiously awaiting their arrival.

"Are we ever glad to see you guys!" Kimmie shouted.

"You guys alright?" Todd inquired.

"Yeah. Everyone's ok." Ray replied, unloading the gear and weapons.

"Looks like the boats came through unscathed." Frank said. "How are we gonna go about getting rid of them?"

"I'll come up with something." Brittany responded. "Right now, all I want is a shower and some sleep."

"Me too and something to eat!" Amanda exclaimed.

After hoisting the waverunners back onto the houseboat, everyone gathered in the livingroom to hear Frank's detailed description of what happened on the tiny island. Brittany didn't want to hear it all played out again so she proceeded on to her stateroom.

As she was slipping out of her clothes, Rob came in.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm ok." Brittany answered, standing in her underwear. "Just tired."

"Kimmie's going to fix some lunch for everyone." Rob said. "You're probably hungry."

"Just coffee. That's all I really want." Brittany responded, removing the last of her clothing.

Standing in the shower, Brittany let the warm water wash over her tired body. After toweling herself off, she sat on the edge of the bed with a towel wrapped around her. Kimmie peeked into the stateroom before entering.

"You were right." Kimmie said, as she sat down on the bed next to Brittany. "Rob paced the floor like an expectant father the whole time you were gone."

"I told you he'd lose his cool." Brittany responded.

"Frank has his mike keyed on during the shooting." Kimmie said. "We could hear everything. I thought Rob was gonna come unglued!"

"We were lucky." Brittany stated. "We had them outgunned and we had cover. They were standing right in front of us, maybe thirty yards or so away."

Slipping on shorts and a t-shirt, Brittany followed Kimmie back to the galley. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she lit up a cigarette before joining the others on the front deck of the houseboat.

"Do we go out again tonight?" Frank inquired.

"Yeah. We go out again tonight." Brittany replied. "Only this time we go on the other side of the island."

"Why not go back to where we were last night?" Ray asked.

"When those two boats we captured last night don't show up to drop off their cargo, chances are the shippers won't send out another boat till they find out what happened." Brittany answered. "They certainly won't use the same route."

It was almost noon before Brittany got to bed. Sleeping off and on, her body didn't seem to want to relax. It was early evening when she got up and got dressed. Todd and Vince were already sitting in front of their radar monitors. Frank and Ray were still sleeping. Amanda was in her stateroom getting prepared for the night's mission. Rob was sitting on the front deck, reading.

"Thought you lost interest in the book." Brittany said.

"Well, I decided to read it anyway." He responded. "Just to see what you're really all about."

"HEY!" Todd shouted. "We got company!"

Brittany and Rob ran back into the livingroom. Kimmie and Amanda quickly joined them.

"What is it?" Brittany asked.

"It's a plane but it's right on top of the water, maybe a hundred feet or so off the surface." Todd stated. "Coming in from the south. It's headed right for us."

Brittany and Amanda ran to the stateroom, picking up their assault rifles. Returning to the livingroom, they stopped long enough to get the latest radar information.

"He's either gonna crash or try to land on the road above us." Vince said.

"We're going up the hill, everyone else stay put!" Brittany exclaimed.

"I'm going with you." Rob shouted.

"No you're not." Brittany retorted. "You stay here where it's safe."

As the two women scurried up the path to the top of the hill, they could hear the approaching plane off in the distance. The aircraft's engines were sputtering like it was running out of fuel.

The plane loomed out of the dusky sky, its landing gear hitting the road directly in front of them. As the plane braked hard, it kicked up dust from the road. Brittany and Amanda started running after it as it started to slow down. Looking over her shoulder, Brittany saw Rob following close by.

"Thought I told you to stay put!" She shouted as she ran.

By the time the trio reached the airplane it had come to a dead stop. The side door opened and two men jumped to the ground.

"DEA! Brittany shouted. "Put your guns down and your hands in the air!"

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Both men shouted raising their hands high in the air.