The next morning Hemi delivered breakfast to Room 1531 on the top floor of the resort at 7:45 am. There was mushroom quiche, pancakes with mango syrup, French omelets with hollandaise, and homemade yogurt with fresh raspberries. He also wheeled up a large cappuccino machine, and started brewing some coffee.
Laura and her crew were already setting up the monitors and surveillance equipment they would need for the operation. One man was setting up a high powered telescope at the window which would be used to view the yacht. Another man was getting listening devices and cameras ready on the table.
There was a man relaxing on the sofa with a newspaper, drinking a cup of cappuccino that Hemi had offered him. No one paid much attention to him and he looked very casual in his business suit and loafers.
The team started filing in about eight o’clock. Hemi invited everyone to breakfast and coffee, then excused himself and left the room. Laura saw everyone looking at the man on the sofa and decided it was time to introduce him. “Team, can I have your attention please?” she asked. “I’d like to introduce you to our secret weapon,” Laura said while motioning to the man. “This is Dominique Francis.”
“Bella’s Dad?” Shouted Sophia as she ran over and hugged him to everyone’s surprise. “I’ve seen your daughter, she’s fine. We’re going to get her out I promise, were going to save her!” she was babbling.
“Sophia, it’s ok,” Laura said. “Domonique is fully aware of the Bella’s situation. He contacted me when he got to the island last night and I showed him the video.”
“Oh,” Sophia said looking down feeling embarrassed at how she reacted.
Feeling her discomfort, Dominique walked over to her, took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. “Thank you so much for locating my daughter. I will forever be in you and your team’s debt. If you ever need anything, you just let me know. I am a very resourceful man,” he said as he winked at her and grinned. The she giggled.
He sounded very sincere Sophia thought, so she didn’t’ feel quite so silly. “You are most welcome,” she replied affectionately.
Laura then introduced him to all the team members.
“What did you mean about a secret weapon, Laura?” asked Luke
“Dominique was not lying when he says he has resources,” she began. “He is a retired colonel in the French Army. He has tactical training as well as field combat experience and he will be joining our mission. Meet our party goer!”
“Wow! That’s great” David exclaimed. “How are we going to get him in?”
“Well, that’s the tricky part,” Laura stated. He will be posing as a French Diplomat with an assumed name and making a visit to Luther. We’ve come up with a plausible story that just might get him on that boat.”
“When do you go see Luther?” asked Ava.
“I made an appointment with his secretary for nine o’clock, so I’m going to head over there shortly,” Dominique explained. “I just wanted to meet you all first and of course get this handy listening device installed in my tie clip.”
“It’ll be nice to work with you Dominique,” Luke said extending his hand.
“Please call me Dom, and thank you Luke. I better get going. Are you going to stick around to see how it goes?”
“Yes, we’ll all be here,” said Luke.
“OK, see you soon,” he said as he left the room and headed over to the security building.
While they were waiting, the team ate some breakfast, drank some coffee and reviewed how they were going to get those girls back. It was safe to assume that if the one man on the yacht had a gun, the others would too. They also needed to organize a water rescue where no one got hurt.
“Are you sure Dom is going to be enough to neutralize the threat?” Luke asked. “Shouldn’t we have someone else on that boat?”
“Well, actually, we have infiltrated the service company that provides help on the yacht” Laura replied. ‘We will have two men undercover, one as a waiter and one as a bartender.”
“That’s a great idea!” Luke said impressed.
Just then Dom’s voice came on the computer. “Test one two, test one two.”
“Copy that,” said the man behind the monitor. “Good luck.”
Footsteps could be heard on the hardwood floor as Dom walked up to the reception desk in the lobby of the security building. “Good morning miss, my name is François and I have an appt with Luther Black at nine o’clock.”
“Yes sir. Please have a seat and I will tell Mr. Black you are here,” said a very pretty oriental lady. Luke instantly thought that she would be the next one to go missing if this plan didn’t work.
“Thank you,” Dom responded and sat down at the closest seat he saw.
A few minutes later Luther came out of an office door and walked toward Dom. “Good morning, right this way please.” They made their way through a maze of elaborate offices and corridors. “Please have a seat,” Luther said pointing to the chair. He was trying to size up the man, obviously wealthy and nicely dressed. “What can I do for you François?”
“Well, Mr. Black,” Dom said in his thickest French accent. “I was given your name at the Ocean Club. I am the attaché to the French Ambassador and I’m here on business. I like, how you say, the female companionship.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t follow you,” Luther said looking skeptical.
“Oh, come now, must I come out with it?” Dom replied. “A friend I met the other day at the card table, named Dan, told me about a sweet time he had with a Lea on an Ocean Club yacht party. I would like to attend the next party and I will pay double what it’s probably worth.”
He had Luther’s attention now. “It’s quite expensive as it is, are you sure you can afford it?” Luther asked.
“I can afford that and more,” Dom said as he threw two big stacks of one hundred dollar bills on Luther’s desk.
Luther’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head in shock. He picked up the money and thumbed through it then looked at Dom. “Be on the docks at nine pm. sharp tomorrow night. Don’t be late, and don’t tell anyone.”
“Deal,” Dom reached out his hand across the desk and shook Luther’s hand. It was all he could do not to punch the guy right in the face…