Luis had many meetings and actually was out of town for three days. Michelle and Maria spent hours in the Louvre and several contemporary galleries. Maria found Michelle’s desire to acquire culture very refreshing and as she followed, she discovered a whole new world open up.
Michelle was actually quite pleased that Luis was away, being able to get some well-earned rest. It wasn’t as if she resented the demands he made of her, as he more than compensated by keeping her in a style she could quite easily become accustomed, it was more that she was concerned about what affect his demands were having on her body.
When he returned he was very stressed and took it out on Michelle with a very aggressive sex session.
She felt abused for the first time and as she eased her aching body into a warm bath, she promised herself that she would leave as soon as an opportunity presented itself. To hell with the DEA and all their plans.
She had accumulated sufficient jewellery and funds to fund the SRS and set herself up for a long time.
But then she realised that no matter how rich she was, she was still a non-person and until she managed to sort her identity and nationality out, so she should remain.
Besides, Luis, aware of his excesses, showered her with more expensive gifts and flowers. As he placed an enormous diamond necklace round her neck, she realised that it would pay for SRS six times over.
He took her to the Opera and the ballet, and they dined at the finest restaurants, but always with so many minders that no press or journalist managed to get anywhere near to them. Not that they tried, as Luis was unknown in Europe. In fact, the only press interest was in Michelle, as she was seen as an outstanding beauty so there was mild curiosity shown whenever she appeared at an event.
This caused Luis to get slightly jealous and one evening he shouted at her. But almost as quickly was on his knees, begging her forgiveness.
He settled down and did not repeat his aggressive acts, but although she forgave him, she was now very wary of him. Towards the end of the week, he announced he was going to Prague for several days and there was no point in her accompanying him. In fact he suggested that Maria and Michelle return to the Island and he would follow in three days time.
Michelle had no way of warning the DEA of this plan, so she and Maria booked a flight to Jamaica. The private jet would collect them, and return for Luis when he returned later.
The two women were becoming friends, so Michelle felt quite sad at having to betray her only female friend in the world. But she reasoned things out, by rationalising that Luis and the things he stood for were essentially evil. Once they arrived back on the island, she found that when the cat was away, the mice relaxed completely.
Luis’s absence signalled a holiday for the hired guns, so Michelle found she could go anywhere with impunity. Her status was not questioned and she even got to know some of the men by their first names.
Rocco Delgado was the guard commander and saw the absence of Luis as a quiet time. He knew that the DEA only really were concerned with Luis so therefore there was no reason to be alert at any other time. So, suddenly, there were sunbathing bodies stretched out on the lawns and the pool was full of testosterone laden Hispanic louts.
Michelle and Maria flirted outrageously with them and were even persuaded to partake in several games of volleyball. Michelle managed to lose her bikini top and used chronic gamesmanship to put the opposition off. The unfortunate side effect was that she also put her own side off.
She occasionally would carry cold bottles of beer into the control room, spending time to chat with the staff there. She became such a familiar figure that everyone used her first name and she smiled at them all regardless.
One evening, after dinner, Maria was told that Luis was on the way back, his plane landing at seven a.m. the following morning.
“He is a pain. Why can’t he get back at a reasonable hour?”
Michelle shrugged, but her mind was working furiously. She went for a swim and worked out exactly what should be done. After her swim, she pressed the shoe heel once, and then took a ten-pack into the control room.
Rocco was in charge and he grinned at the attractive German girl from his seat at the control desk.
“Hola Renate.”
“Hola, Rocco. Cerveza?” she asked holding up the beer.
The man grinned, so she handed him a bottle and went and distributed the remainder. It was a very warm and humid night, so although the air conditioning was working fully, all the doors were open and few of the men were in the complex. Most were seeing the women who had been smuggled onto the island and were due to leave at 0600, before the boss got back.
Rocco showed her how he could receive US TV Channels on his system as she sat and chatted with him. She heard the Lear jet take off, as it set off for Jamaica to meet Luis’s plane. It was nearly midnight. She noticed an open key press on the wall and a couple of men had come and taken and returned keys to it without any reference to anyone.
“Lavbo!” Rocco said, as the third beer reached his bladder. She was suddenly alone in the control room. She went to the key press on the wall; she found the key for the power room and opened the door. Judging by the dust in the room, it was rarely entered so she was able to disable the backup system by simply turning off the main switch. She then locked the room again, returning the key to the key press.
On the centre of the control panel was the over-ride switch that turned off the main supply to emergency generator. If she could turn that at the critical moment, then she could switch it over to nothing.
Rocco returned and she bade him goodnight and wandered off. She was now very nervous. The action was imminent.
She went to bed, but could not sleep. She tried to imagine what was happening on the mainland.
Chapter 8.
The DEA team on standby were waiting for the anticipated double bleep signal. The single bleep had come as a real shock and no one could actually believe that it had happened.
Sean was at home and when he got the call, even he doubted that it had really happened.
All were now on a US warship twenty minutes away by helicopter. Five helicopters to be precise, fifteen men in each, and all equipped with the latest in technology.
Ryan was there, despite his bad leg. Sean could not dissuade the man, and he knew that his sole task would be to locate and make sure Michelle was safe.
It came as a double shock when the double buzz came through, so within moments all choppers were airborne.
Michelle returned to the control room at five am. Rocco had gone to bed and the one man on duty was unknown to her. But he was also slightly drunk and sleepy. The plane was early. The pilot called in to say that he was due to arrive at six thirty, but a tropical storm over Jamaica was making communications difficult.
The man grunted and went back to sleep.
Michelle had simply waited. The first indication was a small blip on a radar screen, so she hit the switch. The lights went out and the sleeping controller slept on. She pressed the shoe three times.
She knew that the alarm would be sounded any second, so she remained until she heard the sound of rotor blades.
Then it was too late.
She ran for her life as the world woke up very angry. She tore back to the house and just made it back to her room.
Men poured from the complex, straight into combat mode, but the DEA were securely on the ground, so were neither vulnerable nor defensive.
The expected fire fight happened, but was much shorter than anticipated, as DEA agents took the complex and then the house. Most of the men were still in their bunks and Rocco and all the men were simply corralled by the jetty.