Page 43 of Beaches

“We’re getting pizza,” grinned Tailor like a child. “I want one with everything and one with pepperoni, salami, ham, sausage, chorizo, mushrooms, and extra onions. Oh! And one with all the veggies and stuff. See, I like veggies.”

“I know,” nodded Alec. “Maybe after that, we can convince them to go get some ice cream.”

“No ice cream!” yelled Nine from the next room. “Do you not remember what happened the last time you two ate ice cream? Two gallons of that shit, and all of us had to sleep outside. I have to sleep in the same house as your lactose-intolerant ass. You are not getting ice cream.” Alec frowned, shaking his head.

“Since they got old, they’re no fun anymore.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

“Burkhard, nice to hear from you,” smirked Major.

“Don’t be an ass. It’s unbecoming. Listen, I heard from a few sources that Kaplan is looking for a place to call home, but no one seems willing to give him a scrap of land. Seems they know who is after him and don’t want to fuck with all of you.”

“Well, we’re flattered, but that doesn’t help us,” said Major. “It would be more helpful if someone gave him a home and let us know about it.”

“That would be too easy,” said Burkhard. “What I can tell you is that he refueled his yacht two days ago. The yacht is over five hundred feet and a full tank can let him go fifteen hundred nautical miles. That’s a lot of ocean, Major.”

“Where did he refuel?”

“The Mariana Islands. If he somehow managed to attach a spare fuel tank, he could make it to the Yap Islands or even the Caroline Islands. They’re all small and probably don’t have a fueling station big enough for his yacht.”

“That’s alright. It gives me a direction,” said Major. “Thanks, Burkhard.”

“Aren’t you going to say you owe me one?” he laughed.

“No, I think I’ll hold onto that for a while. Besides, you might need a favor one day from me.”

“I might, but I suspect if I did, you wouldn’t be able to help. You’re good men, Major. No jokes. No sarcasm. You’re all good men. I wish my life had been different, and I would have had that kind of guidance. I didn’t.”

“It’s never too late, Burkhard. You can always come to the light side,” said Major, laughing as he ended the call.

“You two are becoming best buddies,” smiled Cowboy, “should I be jealous?”

“Bite me, asshole. As much as I’ve tried, I can’t hate the man. I know he’s done some shitty things, but still, he’s helped me even when I didn’t ask.”

“Sounds like what we went through with Miguel,” said Nine, listening to the two younger men. “Miguel was far worse than Burkhard. He was growing, packing, and distributing the drugs. What happened with his brother and kidnapping Katrina was what turned him around.”

“Burkhard doesn’t have that,” said Major. “He doesn’t have a wife or kids. I think he truly loved the princess, but she was so fucking crazy he knew he would never be able to cure that.”

“Well, in time, each man comes to his own conclusions, Major. Sometimes, it makes sense. Sometimes, it doesn’t. My advice?” said Nine. Major nodded. “Keep answering the phone when he calls. You never know what might happen.”

“We just got some information,” said Ian, walking into the room. Everyone followed, taking a seat on the floor or an available chair. “Faith has a contact with the DOD that helps private yachts protect themselves from pirates.”

“We’re not going to like this, are we?” asked Gaspar.

“No. We’re going to hate it, in fact,” said Ian. “The yacht is called Daddy’s Girls. A little sick if you ask me, but what did we expect? Burkhard was right. The yacht is a five-hundred-and-twenty-foot mega-yacht. There are eight bedrooms, two kitchens, four living areas, and more. That’s a lot of space for someone to hide.

“Beneath the yacht is a hidden entrance that houses a small escape pad for a submersible. There are also cannons.”

“Cannons? He has weapons on this yacht?” frowned Nine.

“Multiple weapons. Cannons, missile launchers, anything that he could steal or buy from others is on his yacht. If they ever find his brother’s yacht, I would imagine they’ll find the same. It will not be easy to get to. According to Faith’s source, there are also some of the most sensitive detectors known to man. They not only detect large mammals like whales, but also smaller ones like dolphins.”

“And men,” said Ghost.

“And men,” nodded Ian. “Anything we do once we get close will need to be in full stealth suiting. Our boats, choppers, everything will have to be in silent propulsion stealth.”

“All we have to do is find him,” said Gaspar.

---