Dark Market

Chapter Thirty Five

THREE WEEKS LATER,
Cote D'Azur, Southern France.

Chapter Thirty Five

The boat rocked gently in the late morning swell. A super-yacht by anyone's standards except the Arab and Russian oil-oligarchs. The sun pierced the clear waters around it. The blue light that lured painters to the region for generations struck Savage's skin as he pulled himself up the ladder at the stern of the boat. The one next to the jet-ski.

He pulled himself onto the deck, water cascaded from his skin. A young muscled man with long hair and a deep tan sat at the dining table. A lithe pale woman with a shock of short white hair and an electric-red bikini sat next to him nibbling on a croissant.

Savage padded over on bare feet, pulled the water-tight sack off his back, the goggles off his face.

Muscles opened his mouth, Savage put a finger to his own lips.

'Tell your boss John Savage is here.'

'My boss?' he said.

'Hey, don't take it personally. But she's not your lover. You are not her equal.'

'Who the fuck?' muscles stood up and came around the table.

'Ruben!' the woman in red said. 'Sit.'

Savage opened his palms wide in a 'watchagonnado?' gesture.

She got up. Looked Savage in the eyes. 'Ruben, if he moves, throw him overboard,' she turned and walked up the stairs that disappeared to the navigation and sun deck.

Savage and Ruben stared each other down. Savage gave up when Ruben began flexing his chest muscles. Trying not to laugh, Savage opened his sack, took out his phone, dialled a number.

'I'm on board,' he said.

'Hang up,' a familiar voice said above him.

'Well hi, Jo,' he looked up. Her legs seemed even longer than usual, tailing off into a white bikini perfectly pinched around her crotch. She started down the steps.

'Nice tan,' he said.

'Hang up, John.'

He put the phone on the table. He couldn't take his eyes off her smooth body. She pulled on a loose white shirt to hold off his stares and sat down between her two companions, then crossed her long legs and sat back.

'What do you want John?'

He looked pointedly at Ruben, then bikini girl. Finally back at her.

'I want in.'

'There's no room for you here,' Ruben started up from his chair.

'Ruben,' both women snapped.

'Down, Fido,' Savage said. He ignored the other two. 'Dark Market, Jo.' She kept her face unemotional. 'I want in.'

'Katrina,’ Jo said, 'Frisk him for wires and weapons.'

She plodded over to him, pulled a handgun out of the bag and launched it over the side. She turned the bag inside out and then gave the phone a once over.

'Stand up,' she said. 'Turn around.' She made a twirling motion. When he finished she gave him a glance, took a breath, then put one hand down the front of his trunks, the other down the back.

She had warm hands.

Savage looked over at the table. Nobody seemed fazed by this. Katrina removed her hands, shook her head.