Free By Sea by Carly Fall Page A

you don’t strike me as that type of man.”
    Brody laughed. “Yeah, you got that right. I haven’t had a lot of time for pop culture while being shot at in Afghanistan or blown up in Guatemala.”
    “Yes, I figured as much.”
    Brody took another bite of his Eggs Benedict as he listened to Joe. Apparently, Margarita Garcia was a huge Latin pop star sensation. Her star shone bright in South America, the people loved her, and she loved them. “She’s very popular among her people, and she is making inroads into the United States. My guess is she will be a worldwide sensation within the next year or so.”
    “Is she the new client?” Brody asked.
    “Yes, she is.”
    “What kind of trouble did she get into?”
    Joe sighed. “Apparently she has a crazy fan whose behavior has escalated beyond writing love letters and into violence.”
    Brody let out a small whistle. “Really? Like what?”
    “Her father, who is footing the bill for us to protect his daughter, says this fan has killed her cat, sent her threatening notes, and even had roses dripping with blood delivered to her.”
    “Wow. That does sound crazy.”
    “I agree. When he obtained our protection services, I offered to have his problem taken care of, but he said he would handle it. I’m not sure what he does, but the check cleared, so it isn’t my concern.”
    Brody winced. The fact of the matter was the other half of Joe’s business made him a little antsy. The more he heard about the side of the business that dealt with the “problems,” Brody couldn’t help but wonder if Joe provided assassins for hire as well. For Mr. Gleason, Joe knew it had been a matter of removing Gleason from the picture so a financial arrangement could be arranged with his soon to be ex-wife. For the Russian, it was a matter of securing the asylum. What would the “other half” of Joe’s business do with a crazed fan?
    However, he wasn’t going to share his questions or doubts with Joe, or anyone else.
    “When does she check in?” he asked as Jason walked in looking a little worse for wear. Brody gave him a nod, and Jason waved as he headed downstairs to the crew quarters. “And is she bringing anyone else?”
    “It will be Thursday or Friday, and her father said she may be bringing her sister, but when I talked to her father last night, it wasn’t confirmed.”
    “Okay, sounds good. Will pick up be in St. Maarten again?”
    “No. I’ve arranged for pick up in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. It’s about an eleven hour trip for you.”
    “We’ll head out first thing in the morning, get the provisions for the boat once we reach St. Thomas, and be ready for Ms. Garcia on Thursday or Friday.”
    “Excellent. Thank you, Brody. I’ll email the details to you when I have them.”
    Brody hung up and called a crew meeting. A few minutes later, Heidi scowled at him as she sat down on the white leather couch in the Main Salon. Katie smiled as she took a seat next to Heidi, and Jason rubbed his face as he tried to look alive, sitting across from Heidi and Katie. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and he had the satisfied look of a man who had been used for many hours during the night. Danny pulled out one of the leather chairs from the dining room table and straddled it.
    “Okay people,” Brody said once everyone was settled. “We have our next assignment. Her name is Margarita Garcia. Apparently she’s some big—”
    “ The Margarita Garcia?” Jason asked, sitting up in his seat. “As in Margarita Garcia, the Latin pop star?”
    Brody narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. I take it you’ve heard of her?”
    Jason nodded, smiling. “She’s only one of the hottest women on the planet, Brody, and her voice is like smooth butter or rich chocolate.”
    “You’re seriously going compare her voice to food?” Brody asked.
    “I am. She’s amazing,” Jason gushed, his crush on Margarita evident.
    “I assumed she sang in Spanish,” Brody said.
    “She does.”
    “You speak