the upper deck. He had been a big man once, but his skin was beginning to hang like loose fabric. When Pike stopped at the stern, he motioned Pike aboard.
“Come on. Let’s see what you have to say.”
“His accent wasn’t pronounced. Probably because he had been here longer.
Pike went aboard. The big man on the lower deck moved to search him, but Pike pushed his hand away.
“I’m not here to shoot. If I wanted to shoot, we wouldn’t have warned you.”
The big man glanced up, and the older man waved again.
“Come on. It’s fine.”
Pike climbed to the upper deck, but did not join Milos Jakovich at the table, and wasn’t invited. A salon behind the old man was visible through sliding glass doors. A young woman was inside watching television. Naked.
Jakovich said, “Okay. So here we are. What is this business with Michael Darko, and why would I help you?”
Pike said, “Three thousand Kalashnikovs.”
Jakovich tapped the table. His finger was the only part of him that moved. Tap tap tap. He shook his head.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, these guns. Is this a joke?”
He was concerned that Pike was wired. Pike raised his hands to the side, holding them out.
“We have to speak plainly. Have your boy search me.”
Jakovich considered it for several seconds, then came around the table and stood very close. He searched Pike himself.
Pike said, “One on my right hip, and another on my left ankle. You can touch them, but if you try to pull either one, I’ll kill you with it.”
Jakovich leaned even closer. He smelled of cigars.
“You got some balls, saying that on my boat.”
Staying close, Jakovich moved his hands over and under Pike’s clothes. He felt under Pike’s arms, down the trough of Pike’s spine, and into Pike’s pants. His search was thorough. He felt Pike’s genitals, and Pike didn’t react. He worked his way down Pike’s legs, inspected Pike’s shoes, then returned to the table.
He said, “Okay, we will speak plainly.”
“Do you know why I’m going to kill Michael Darko?”
“Your friend.”
“Yes. My friend and I were military contractors. Do you understand? Professional soldiers.”
“I know this. The girl, she tells me.”
“Did my friend help you buy the guns?”
The question Pike had been waiting to ask.
“I knew nothing about this man. Rina’s sister, she worked for him. That is what I knew.”
“Was he helping you sell them?”
“No. I just tell you, no. I didn’t know anything about these people. Not even their names.”
Pike did not show his relief. Frank was clear. Always had been, and would be.
“I didn’t think so. If he was helping you, you would have had a buyer.”
Jakovich tried to act offended.
“I have many buyers.”
“If you had a buyer, the guns would be gone, and Darko would have no play to jam you. You need a buyer, but you don’t know anything about the arms market. I want to buy them, and I can eliminate Darko. I can kill him for you, or I can give him to you, let you make an example of him, whatever you like.”
Milos Jakovich cleared his throat. He rubbed at his eye, then cleared his throat again.
“This isn’t what I expected.”
“No. I probably know more about the guns than you. They were stolen by Indonesian pirates from a container ship bound for Pyongyang from Kowloon. They’re new, fully automatic weapons, still in their wrappers, but they won’t be easy to sell because of how they came to the market.”
Jakovich looked irritated.
“How do you know these things?”
“You’re an amateur at this. I’m a professional. The North Koreans still want the guns, but won’t pay for them-they would consider that a ransom. The Chinese want them back, but they’re going to kill the people who stole them, and they’ve let out word that they will view anyone who buys them as an accomplice to the crime. You don’t want the Chinese coming here to the marina.”
Jakovich pooched out his lips, probably imagining a Chinese invasion.
Pike said, “I want to buy them. If you agree, I’ll throw in Darko and your grandson as an incentive.”
“What kind of money are we talking about?”
“Three thousand rifles, five hundred per, that’s one-point-five million, but only if they’re fully automatic and free of rust and corrosion. I will check each weapon-not three or four, but all three thousand. If they’re missing bolts or receivers, I’ll still buy them, but at a reduced price.”
Pike never once looked away, and made his offer as businesslike as he could.
“That isn’t enough.”
“It’s more