Mike and Igor were on deck having breakfast, the boat had docked in Miami during the night. Ivan appeared and was looking much better.
Come join us for breakfast Ivan said Mike
Ivan was relieved that the boat was stationary and he was looking forward to eating some food and keeping it down
What’s the plan for today? asked Ivan
Mike replied. The closing is at 3pm, you are welcome to attend, Igor will take you but I am staying on the boat
My boss said I should be there and make sure you are there too said Ivan
Igor jumped in Well Ivan I am your other boss and I am telling you that Mike never does business anywhere but on his yacht, you will have to lie to your boss.
Ivan shook his head but realized he had no more leverage and no more bullets for his gun
He devoured his omelette which tasted so good
You look to be enjoying your breakfast said Mike, I hope you will stick around this evening, we always throw a party for clients after a closing
Will the boat be going offshore? Asked Ivan who suddenly had painful memories of his seasickness
Do not worry Ivan said Mike, we will stay in the bay and anchor, the boat will not be rocking from the waves but it might be rocking from the dancing
After breakfast Ivan went up top to soak up some sun on his pale body. Mike and Igor went down to the office to review business options.
We will make a massive profit on the real estate sale this afternoon, we will be cash rich and should look for some bargain buys said Mike.
Igor had an idea there must be some oligarchs who are worried about sanctions and ready to offload their investments to avoid having them seized. Ivan would know some of them, we should ask him to make some introductions for us. I will talk to him after the party tonight, he should be in a very receptive mood then.
Later that day Igor escorted Ivan to the closing and all went well. They returned a few hours later and joined Mike on deck. There were three tanned beautiful young ladies sipping cocktails next to Mike, they were wearing short skirts and very revealing tops, probably in their mid twenties.
The boat pulled out and the party got into full swing with drinks flowing, food a plenty and dancing to loud music. Soon they were anchored in the bay and partying until late
Lets all go down to the stateroom said Mike. The girls were giggling as they wobbled downstairs in their high heels. Six lines of cocaine were laid out on the table and they each snorted in turn.
OK Ivan said Mike, you are the guest so you get first pick, which of these beauties do you want for the night.
Ivan picked out the tall blonde and they staggered off to his cabin clutching a bag of cocaine
Igor was gay and preferred male company
I guess that leaves the other two girls for you Mike said Igor who went to his own cabin where one of the crew was waiting for him.
Mike spent the night having a wild cocaine fueled threesome orgy in his cabin
Lets go on deck to eat dinner said Mike We have two hours before the banks open in Moscow and then we start work
Relax Ivan said Igor everything will be be fine, lets enjoy this meal because for the next few days we will be in the office eating snacks and drinking Red Bull
Ivan put the gun inside his jacket, he was still sweating even with the AC inside the cabin. Mike knew that Ivan would struggle to stay awake after having dinner on deck in this hot and humid Miami evening
Just one request Ivan said Mike Once we leave this room and go on deck there will only be small talk in front of the crew. We will leave the marina during dinner and you will see the spectacular Miami skyline as we head out
Where are we going? enquired Ivan
About 20 miles offshore said Mike plenty enough to be totally out of cell phone range. We will only be communicating via a satellite link, our internet passes through multiple VPNs to ensure all communications are untraceable
They headed out for dinner on the top deck. A Gourmet meal with fine wines served under the backdrop of multi colored skyscrapers. Ivan guzzled his wine whereas Mike and Igor hardly touched theirs. By the end of the meal they were well off shore and Miami was just a flickering glow in the distance.
Lets start work said Mike and he led them down to his office, a room full of computer screens and electronic equipment with just a small longe area.
Ivan pulled out his gun again and sat down, he was still sweating. Mike and Igor tapped away at the screens getting everything prepared for the money transfers. The captain confirmed they were 20 miles off shore. Igor picked up the phone and called Ivan’s boss. They spoke in Russian but it was all pre-arranged code to confirm everything was ready. Igor handed the phone to Ivan saying your boss wants you to confirm all is good. Ivan gave the correct code words and the brief call ended.
They all sat patiently waiting for confirmation of the first transfer. A message flashed in Mike’s screen with details of the deposit into one of his shell companies
Lets get this thing moving fast said Mike as he initiated a wire transfer request. They will call soon to ask for verbal confirmation of the transfer details.
Each time a new transfer took place, Ivan took out his cellphone to take a picture of the account numbers.
A few minutes later the phone rang and Igor took the call which was all spoken in German. The funds were moved through multiple eastern European countries through the night using the same process. The seas were moderate and the boat was rocking slightly. Ivan began to feel seasick but he insisted on taking photos of each transaction,much to the concern of Mike who never left any digital traces of his activities. By the time the New York banks were open, Ivan was really struggling with seasickness.
Stop said Ivan, wait until I get back before you make any more transfers
He ran to his cabin to throw up coming back a few minutes later looking very green
Mike was annoyed at the delay and he threw a glance to Igor saying go and get Ivan some of that special hydration water, it will make him feel a lot better.
Igor left the cabin and came back with a glass of clear liquid but Ivan was suspicious
OK said Igor I’ll take a sip just to prove its not poison then he handed the glass to Ivan who drank it all
Can we get back to work now? asked Mike sarcastically as Ivan leaned over to take another picture of the US bank transfers. Mike and Igor were staying well hydrated between drinking Red Bull and Black coffee. Ivan’s boss called every few hours to confirm everything was going to plan. Ivan told him all was well but he was starting to slur his words
Ivan started to nod off and was soon fast asleep slumped in a chair.
Igor said those sleeping pills in the water sure put him asleep fast, I can kill him now and feed him to the sharks
No said Mike, I have a better idea, one that will make him useful for us
Ivan slept soundly while Mike and Igor pounded away on the keyboards and answered phone calls from bank officials.
By late afternoon the final transfer was made and Ivan woke up in a panic.
What happened he screamed where is my gun and my phone?
Igor started to laugh as Mike loaded a memory stick into the computer
Just sit down and watch this video said Mike.
Ivan saw an image of himself fast asleep with a hand written note rising on his chest in Russian The note said Sorry boss but I fell asleep after drinking too much vodka. Then a hand appeared taking his gun and his phone away while he snored. Another note was placed on his chest saying look how easily they took my phone and gun away, now I have no way of verifying where the transfers are going, please forgive me boss.
OK Ivan said Mike, your boss will be calling him soon. You will tell him that everything went smoothly and he should have the funds in the account ready for transfer into escrow for closing. If you tell him anything different we will show him this video.
Ivan agreed to comply and his boss was very happy when he called.
Mike said Good job Ivan, Igor will give you your gun back now, minus all the bullets and you can have your phone which we wiped clean. Igor is now your second boss, he will contact you every week and request information on your boss’s financial activities and detail of all the people he does business with. We own you now, is that understood?
Ivan spoke back to him in Russian, presumably a profanity
Igor patted Ivan on the back saying its good to have you on board, now go and stay in your cabin until dinner time while Mike and I do some private business here
Ivan looked pale as he rushed back to throw up in his cabin, the thought of eating dinner was just too much for him as the boat continued to rock and pitch
Igor laughed and told Mike that was hilarious, I would have just cut him up for shark food but your plan was much better, now we have an informant inside the biggest crime syndicate in Russia, Ivan is going to give us some valuable leads
That may be true said Mike but have your guys in Moscow keep a close eye on Ivan. I do not want him to become a problem for us.
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 