Chapter 63
The night sky was crystal clear, with just a slight warm breeze from the northeasterly trade winds. Jesse could see lightning flashes far in the western horizon from the ship's deck. He just hoped that the weather wouldn't interfere with their mission tonight. In the distance, he could see the lights of Phuket and the dark outline of the Thailand coast. The seas were calm, and the moon was just a sliver rising above the storm clouds in the Western sky. Jesse gazed in awe at the stars and moon above and felt so incredibly small and insignificant by the vastness of the universe.
"What a beautiful night… I could just sit on this deck and watch this incredible show all night," Jesse said.
Ken looked at Jesse, "You know, I was thinking the same thing, but instead of star gazing, I envisioned three or four gorgeous women in thong bikinis and a couple of bottles of single malt whiskey to keep me company."
"Is that all you think about is women and booze."
"No, sometimes I think of food, women, and booze, although not necessarily in that order."
Jesse shook his head and was about to say something when a man dressed in all black approached them.
"We're about to launch, sir… five minutes," the man said.
Jesse and Ken acknowledged him and moved toward the boat without further banter.
"Anything on the radar that we should be concerned with?" Jesse asked the coxswain and his shipmate as they approached the vessel suspended off the ship's starboard side.
"A few large merchant ships and some small pleasure craft is all. We haven't picked up any patrol boats or radio chatter, sir," the man answered.
“Terrific, then let’s get underway.”
When all four men and their gear were aboard the craft, a lift crane dropped the Zodiac CZ7 into the emerald-green waters of the Andaman Sea.
The coxswain checked to see if everyone was in their proper position, the gear was secure, and the lines were released before he started the twin 150 HP, four–stroke, Evinrude outboards. He checked all the gauges, and when he was satisfied, he shifted the motors in gear after he looked at Jesse and Ken, who gave him the thumbs up. Within minutes, the Zodiac was traveling at forty knots over the calm, glassy sea. They approached the rendezvous site twenty minutes later, and the craft made a smooth landing on the soft sand beach that appeared to be deserted. Jesse and Ken disembarked with their gear and were met by their contact, Chuah, who seemed to appear out of nowhere.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Thailand immigration, can I see your passports, please?” Chuah asked in perfect English.
Ken pulled out his 9mm and said, “Here’s mine.”
Chuah took one look at the big man and replied, “That looks good to me. Welcome to Thailand, gentlemen.”
After the proper greeting and further harassment ended, all three men shoved the large Zodiac back into the water. The coxswain and his mate saluted, then the coxswain started the outboards, and the small craft was soon out of site.
With Chuah’s help, Jesse and Ken grabbed their gear and followed him into the darkness. Sweat started to form on Jesse’s forehead as they made their way to the vehicle. Jesse could see giant bats with enormous wings flying overhead in search of food. The night was warm, and the jungle was thick as they approached his late model Toyota Fortuner was parked in the dense foliage not far away. The initial plan was to pick up four men, but with a smaller group, Chuah chose a smaller vehicle. Ken was about to get into the front passenger seat when Jesse pointed at the back and said, “You got the front last time, sport.” Ken eyeballed Jesse and said, “What are we twelve years old now?” Not getting a reply, he reluctantly climbed into the back seat of the small 4-door SUV without saying another word. With everyone inside and the gear stowed, Chuah started the small diesel engine and backed it onto a dirt trail leading to the main road.
Jesse’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was a text message with an update on the other two members of his team. Their plane couldn’t be repaired until the following day when a part arrived. Jesse was disappointed but kept it to himself.
“How long before we get to our base of operations?” Ken asked.
“We should be at the safe house in just under an hour.”
“Great, wake me when we get there.”
*****
Halfway to their destination, Chuah’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered it. The two men spoke in Thai for a long minute before he handed his phone to Jesse.
“I think we got a hit on your man.”
Jesse took the phone and learned that one of the nightclub workers in Phuket recognized Shawn’s photo. At first, the woman didn’t recognize him because of his short hair and slender, cleanly shaved face, but she was positive that it was Mr. Shawn, the owner of the Mongoose Club. As soon as Jesse heard this, he knew he had found his old friend. Jesse thanked him and requested all the information on the Mongoose Club and everything they could find on its owner. When he finished his conversation, he returned the phone to Chuah and asked.
“Do you know where the Mongoose Club is?”
“Of course, everyone in Phuket knows where it is.”
“Then let’s make that our first stop.”
He agreed and increased his speed, which was already way too fast for Jesse.
As the SUV sped on, Jesse pulled out his drab olive green military version of the iPad and powered it up. When it was fully up, he entered his password, and his home page appeared. Jesse clicked on the Google Chrome Icon, which automatically connected him to a satellite feed, and was soon looking at the Mongoose Club's webpage. The owner's name wasn't listed, and he found no photo of Shawn anywhere on the site, but he was impressed by the club and all it offered. He found the location on the website's map and entered it into his current location. He watched as the ETA clock counted down the time, and a smile came over his face. He finally looked out the side window and into the darkness. He just hoped and prayed that they could find Shawn before Rakov and his friends did.
