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.""Shouldn't we call the Coast Guard or something?" I asked."I did, but it's going to take time for them to get here.Their helicopters are tied up right now."The masked men repeated their request, more gruffly this time.One of them patted the machine gun to emphasize the point.The crowd roared even louder this time, several of the rowdier drunks pantomiming salutes and yelling, "Aye, Aye, Cap'n."One of the men seemed to be losing his cool.He gestured wildly to the other masked men, and then he ran over to the machine gun and sprayed the open water with bullets in an impressive display.The party crowd cheered."Oh, God," Andre murmured.I followed his line of sight to find Carlos on the deck of one of the boats that had been converted into a pirate ship."Men!" yelled Carlos."We must defend our position.Ready the six pounders!"A chorus of "Aye, Aye's" rang out.I could see several of the The Brethren running around on the deck."No quarter!" Carlos ordered.We scrambled to the front of the boat for a closer look."Are those cannons real?" I asked."I hope so," replied Andre grimly.The crowd was holding its collective breath.The masked pirates on the cigarette boat were arguing over what to do.Then the shooter grabbed the handle of the machine gun and turned it in Carlos' direction."Fire!" Carlos commanded.A loud boom and then a plume of smoke erupted from the side of the ship Carlos commanded.A cannon ball hit the side of the cigarette boat with a sickening thud.It didn't explode like in the movies, which was a little disappointing to the crowd.It did, however, split the boat down the middle like a cracked nut.The machine gun disappeared as water poured in.The men scrambled overboard.The crowd cheered and clapped like they were watching a reenactment."Crazy bastard did it!" Andre muttered as he jumped into the water and raced down the beach to apprehend the interlopers as they came ashore.With another command to his men, Carlos joined Andre on the beach.Gun drawn, Andre ordered the masked men to their knees.Carlos' men brought lengths of rope to tie up the captured men."Wow," Ashley said with a hiccup, "that was really exciting.That's one good thing about hanging out with pirates.They bring their own cannons."She had a point.CHAPTER SEVENIt took almost two hours for the Coast Guard to sort out what had happened.The three captured men appeared to be drug runners working a side job.They were being transferred to Miami for processing.Carlos was riding high on his triumph at sea.As we made our way back to the villa, he filled in the details of how he and The Brethren had commandeered the working pirate ship when he'd realized the masked men were after me.Mark was waiting on the dock with Marsha at his side when we arrived at villa.I noted with regret her brilliant red hair and pale, flawless skin set off perfectly by a soft, flowing halter dress of pale peach.Oh, why did she have to be so drop-dead gorgeous?Andre was rendered speechless.He didn't even reply to her snide greeting of, "Just in case you're thinking about throwing me over your shoulder again, I should warn you I'm armed."Suffice it to say, their last meeting had not been a friendly one.Mark started right in on me."An actual battle at sea?"I was tired, a little sea sick, and sick and tired of being stalked by a hitman.I didn't feel like playing twenty questions with Mark."I'm out on a boat with a bunch of pirates.What do you think?"He raked his hands through his hair."What were you doing out on a boat anyway? You weren't supposed to leave the villa.""Wrong," I pointed a finger in his face."You said not to go anywhere without Andre." I pointed a finger at Andre."He was there for the sea battle."We both looked at Andre, who was staring dreamily at Marsha.Oh, brother.I snapped my fingers in his face, and he came back to reality."Hey, we were in the middle of nowhere.There was no way those guys could have known we'd be there.""Well, maybe, just maybe, they were smart enough to follow you there! Did you think of that?" Mark's voice rose with each word.Andre gave him a deadpan look."No one followed us.The boat came from the other side of the bay.They knew we were coming."Mark stared at him, the implication sinking in."So we've got a mole?""It can't be someone in the band," I said quickly.I had worked day in and day out with The Brethren."Let's not panic." Andre held up a hand."I'm sure this place is under surveillance.They saw their chance and acted.""Actually, a mole would explain a lot," Marsha chimed in."They seem to be one step ahead with only her dumb luck keeping her alive." She hooked her thumb at me.I took exception to that."Hey! Maybe it's my instincts and sharp wit keeping me alive."Mark, Andre, and Marsha stared at me."Is it that hard to believe? Really?" I asked."Well, my grandma always said God protects drunks and babies." Marsha looked pointedly at the martini glass in my hand.I gulped the rest and slammed my glass on the counter."Yeah, well my Aunt Pearl says 'better dead than red.'""Real mature," Marsha replied taking a step closer.I added, "But I think that only applies if the drapes match the carpet."She narrowed her eyes."Maybe Mark would like to comment on that."I gasped at the implication.We both looked at him.He held up his hands."I'm not getting involved in your decorating discussion.You're both acting like spoiled brats."Marsha turned on her heel and huffed off.Andre watched her walk away with a sigh."I'd love to get a look at her carpet."* * *Dress rehearsal was less than productive with everyone still reeling from the sea battle.It was also difficult to practice for an outdoor event inside the villa.Tomorrow's big bash was taking place in the middle of the street.Platforms were being brought in, and special lights were being run for the main stage.We had to make do with practicing costume changes and stage set-up.At nine, Carlos called it quits.He had rented a restaurant nearby for the rest of the evening and had a bevy of beauties waiting for him.We were all invited, of course.It sounded like fun, but Mark had other plans
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