“Nick, I don’t think -”
“I’m just giving Danger the Wild Kingdom rundown of Florida. Alligators are on top of the food chain. Everything else is on the menu for them. I could gun down five people in the street and everyone would be looking into my motives, childhood, and religious background. They would waive the death penalty and put me in a cushy cell with cable TV. If I put a bullet in an alligator, I’d be lucky to survive the week.”
Rachel was already laughing, but Jean watched Nick with uncertainty.
“What…what do we do about Deke?” Jean asked, hugging the dog.
“Teach him how to say ‘please don’t eat me’,” Nick quipped, earning an immediate punch to the shoulder from Rachel, who could not stop laughing. “We won’t let any alligators get Deke. Now, if we can move from the animal kingdom for a moment, I’d like to return to our actions while living at the condo. We can go swimming in the condo pool, play softball, and even fish in the lake. What we will not be doing is wandering around Sarasota. I have another friend who will quite happily look after Jean while you and I recon our target site, Rachel.”
“These friends of yours know something about you then?”
“I’ve used their condo as a retreat before when I’ve had business in the Gulf or down in the Bahamas. Gus Nason, the guy I’m having watch out for Danger, is an old associate. I have my own contacts. I’ve never revealed them to anyone.”
“Whatever made you establish a retreat in Sarasota? I mean, why not down further in the Miami area?”
“Weather plays less of a factor, and if something goes wrong I wanted to be further away from the trouble point,” he answered truthfully. “Your bank down here-SunTrust Bank-I’ve been looking at street level surroundings on Google. Everything about the place is perfect for our snatch and grab. It’s on Main Street and there’s a wooded parking lot across the street. We can set up very early in the morning and begin the tedious process of finding out who’s watching the bank at any moment. If a couple of the gentlemen I have pictures for turn up, we will definitely have some fun.”
“You scare me when ‘fun’ is mentioned anywhere in a dialogue we’re having. Although you did mention fun when we bought the softball equipment.”
“What was fun about that?” Jean questioned, looking around the seat at Rachel. “You beaned me on the second pitch, Mom.”
“I said I was sorry a hundred times!” Rachel lifted her clenched hands up in front of her. “Please…please… please forgive me.”
“Good thing Nick bought me a batting helmet,” Jean added, trying not to laugh as Rachel whipped around in the seat.
“Oh waaaahhhh! Get over it. That’s baseball.” Rachel gave Jean the wave off and looked at Nick’s solemn expression. “You got something to say, Hemingway?”
“Threw at her own kid in a Mother/Daughter softball game.” Nick shook his head mournfully. “Oh the shame! Oh the trauma!”
“Oh, barf,” Rachel retorted, hearing Jean laugh.
Ten minutes later, Nick turned into a gated community, complete with guard. Nick stopped and told the guard why they were there. He waved them inside. Nick drove to a picture-book residential street, stopping in front of a house with beautifully manicured landscaped palms and flowers.
“I’ll get the keys and we’ll be on our way.”
“Don’t you want them to meet us?” Rachel asked.
“Deniability, my dear.” Nick got out of the Escalade. “If they don’t see a woman, child, and dog, I’m a single occupant vacationer.”
“It’s okay to admit you’re ashamed to be seen with us.”
“Why you…” Nick reached in through the open window on the driver’s side toward Rachel, evoking squeals of protest from both Rachel and Jean, while growing a Deke head with jaws around his wrist. “Why you…traitorous mongrel…see if you ever get a beer again. I’m going to cut your Frisbee up into tiny pieces.”
Nick backed out amidst jeers from his companions. Five minutes later, Nick exited the house and slipped into the Escalade driver’s seat.
“Our condo is right across the lake we passed,” Nick told them.
“Can we go swimming?” Jean asked.
“Of course, but let’s get settled in first before using the pool.”
“This place is gorgeous,” Rachel exclaimed in open-mouthed awe, looking around the condominium after they split up the bags and took them into the separate bedrooms. “A full kitchen, laundry, and balcony overlooking the lake. I could be happy here for a few weeks. I only saw a couple people coming up here. Is that because it’s the off-season?”
“When the winter hits full bore up North, this is the retreat from the cold. Let’s take Deke down and play some Frisbee. He’ll need exercise after our final road jaunt here. The refrigerator is stocked. My friends always have cold cuts, bread, cereal, and milk too.”
“You haven’t mentioned your friends’ names,” Rachel pointed out.
“No, I haven’t. Let’s bring along Deke’s water dish and the cooler. We’ll wear his butt out while sipping our drinks in the shade on lawn chairs.”
“What about alligators?” Jean looked out at the lake from their balcony.
“Good point, Danger.” Nick dropped down on his knees in front of Deke. “Repeat after me, Deke. Please…don’t -”
“Nick!” Rachel grabbed Nick by the ear, yanking upwards on it. “Stand up here. We’ll stay away from the lake while playing Frisbee, Jean.”
While Jean tossed the Frisbee to Deke, Nick and Rachel sat together in the shade. Nick handed Rachel two photos of men. They looked like mug shots.”
“These are the guys we’ll really be looking for first. Keep them and memorize their faces,” he told her.
“What do we do when we see them?”
“It will be more fun to show you.” Nick grinned over at her.
At eight o’clock, Nick sat at the dining room table writing on his laptop while Rachel, Jean, and Deke watched
A clean shaven black man, inches taller than Nick, walked in the doorway and shook hands with Nick. To Rachel’s surprise, they then hugged each other. Deke had crept nearer the entranceway in order to stay apprised of who came in. The dog sat attentively behind Nick, watching the reunion with interest. The man looked overly lean to Rachel, but with huge shoulders. He wore jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was cut very close to his scalp. Rachel left the couch with Jean in tow, curious to meet the man Nick had only mentioned.
“Gus Nason, this is Rachel, Jean, and Deke.” Nick gestured to his companions, while Gus smiled and shook hands with each of them in turn, including Deke. “Gus will be helping us out with logistics and support.”
“Did he save your life too?” Rachel smiled up at Gus.
“Ah, no,” Nick answered for his friend. “Gus handles anything and everything I need when I work anywhere in the Gulf. He lives in St. Petersburg and owns a very nice boat he takes fishermen out with when he needs money.”
“Or I transport the Kingfisher here to and from his work as he calls it, for quite a bit more money than my fishing enterprise pays,” Gus added.
“Is that a Boston accent?” Rachel asked. “I like it.”
“Born and raised there, but hated the weather. Usually, people are so shocked I don’t speak cornpone, they never notice the accent.”
“Sit down, Gus, and I’ll get you a beer.” Nick gestured for his friend to sit down at the dining room table. “You want to take a break from the movie, Danger, and sit with us?”
“Sure,” Jean answered happily, slipping into a seat opposite Gus and next to Rachel. “Do I get a beer
