by Linda Ladd
They searched for Claire for the rest of the night and into the dawn. Black only turned around and headed back to the nearest airstrip when he caught a glimpse of a couple of airboats plying the river in search of his wife, and only then because the chopper was running out of fuel. The sun was up now, but the rain continued to pour down, which would only inhibit their frantic search, and they had no choice but to turn around. Novak stared out over the miles of grassy wetlands now visible in the gray mists below and felt gut-wrenching fear. Claire was out there somewhere, alone, most likely injured, and if they didn’t find her soon, they never would.
After they landed at the nearest airstrip and refueled, Black and Novak took off again to search the river. Finding Claire was now all Black could think about, so he wouldn’t be any good to Novak or anybody else until she was found safe. After a fruitless day of circling the area and finding no sign of Claire, they returned for more gas and some rest. Black didn’t linger long, just caught a short nap, ate a bite, and then went back to work. Novak watched him take off solo for a night sweep, and then he caught a ride with a willing young mechanic to Eldon Osceola’s safari on the Miccosukee. If anybody on earth could find Claire in those godforsaken dark swamps and get her out alive, Novak put all his chips on Eldon and his family.
Chapter 10
When a strong current grabbed Claire and thrust her under the water, she fought and clawed her way back to the surface and finally breached it, gasping for air and trying to right her body. She choked as the dirty water washed over her nose and mouth. It was so pitch black that she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. All she could think about was one thing: she had to get out of that river before alligators heard her struggling to stay afloat and came after her. She knew enough about the Everglades to know they were out there, hundreds of them, most likely along the shoreline, lying in wait for prey. Escape was out of her control now, the river still gushing along too swift to fight. Her feet couldn’t touch the bottom yet, so she couldn’t wade out, but she had to do something. She knew gators struck from below. They’d grab her legs in their jaws and do death rolls until they dragged her far enough under to drown.
The splashing turbulence was loud, and the harrowing ride downstream was wild and fast. She felt terror for the baby as she was tossed around, twisting and turning and trying not to swallow water. She couldn’t see if there were logs or root wads in her way that could kill her baby if she slammed up against one. She had no way to avoid it. The guy she’d seen on the bank was coming hard after her. She’d seen him while he was still a moving shadow against the car lights. They had brought her out here to kill her; they weren’t giving up.
Eventually the stream widened and the swift water slowed. The stream became calm and quiet, but she still couldn’t see anything. When her feet finally touched ground, it was shallow enough to stand up. Her feet sank into mud almost to midcalf, but she braced herself against the mild currents. Submerged chest deep, she listened for the splash of alligators sliding into the water and didn’t hear anything but the moving water. Panting, exhausted, she waited, because those reptiles were there. She had to get out of that river. She took off toward the bank opposite of where the man had pursued her. The water gradually became shallower, but she had to pull her feet out of the sucking mire and feel ahead with her hands because the night was so black. Only stars lit the sky, with a crescent moon on the far horizon. Alligators liked to lie flush against the bank in the reeds, hidden under coatings of slimy green algae, only their eyes above the surface. They were there, close by, watching and waiting. She knew they were.
The guy at the bridge had probably called in his buddies to find her. They could be getting closer now. So she had to get out and find help. This had to be the Everglades National Park, but she wasn’t sure where she was or how remote this river was. Afraid to move, she just stood there, the current washing up against her, reluctant to move in either direction. She placed her free hand on her belly. She still had her .38 clutched in the other hand, and she wasn’t going to let go, no matter what happened. She didn’t know which threat was worse: the big reptiles at the riverbank or the man trying to kill her on the other side. When she visualized five or six alligators lying in that darkness and how their jaws would snap and lock on her legs and drag her under, she almost turned and swam across, but the gators would be there, too. Maybe even the American crocodiles she had read lived out there, too.
It was so dark. If she could just see them, then she could shoot them. Her pursuer had stopped firing at her as soon as she was swallowed up by the darkness, but he was back there. He was coming. She stood a few more moments, her skin and hair and clothes drenched and covered with gross-smelling river algae that covered the surface. The baby suddenly shifted inside her, and that brought needed courage surging back. Just standing out there was the worst thing she could do. She had to get to the bank, climb out somehow, and go find help. The man behind her would not stop until she was dead. She had to hope the alligators didn’t hear her or maybe didn’t like this stretch of the river. She didn’t believe that, not for a moment. Oh, God, she had to move.
So she took off toward the bank, going as fast as she could in the deep mud and trying not to ripple the water. Alligators could sense vibrations in the water. They’d hear her no matter how she got to the bank. She needed to hear them coming, and it was too shallow now for them to attack from below. She would hear them or feel the water moving around her before they got her. She was closer now; she could smell the foul standing water. Her stomach lurched at the awful odor, and she felt herself heave and gag. She gripped the gun tighter and kept going, her free hand feeling through the darkness in front of her. When she found the bank, it rose too high to climb. She was strong and agile, though. She had to do it.
Still, she felt exhausted and weak kneed and terrified that snakes or gators were close around. If a snake bit her, she’d die. She’d never get out in time to get an antidote. Desperately, she inched down along the bottom of the bank, feeling for vines or roots or anything with which she could pull herself out of the water. Cringing at the thought of reaching out and touching rough scaly hide, she went rigid when she heard the soft splash as something entered the water close behind her. A wave sloshed up against her side, and she knew something heavy had displaced it. That’s when she completely panicked, because whatever it was, it was right beside her.
Claire turned and started pulling the trigger over and over until she ran out of bullets. Then she stood still in the shallows, the acrid smoke from the gunpowder drifting around her face before it dissipated in the wind. The gun was useless, so she dropped it in the water, grabbed a handful of vines, and climbed them as fast as she could. When she reached the top, she fell down in the dirt on her side. She lay there, out of breath and of hope for a few seconds, never having been this terrified in her life. But she had to push on. Other alligators could be stalking her now, those already out of the water, ready to grab her feet and drag her back into the river. She could hear them moving around in the leaves. Claire pushed herself up and staggered inland into the dark.
Chapter 11
To say Eldon Osceola was angry when he found out the Skulls had taken Claire and left her stranded in the Everglades would be a massive understatement. He had taken a shine to Claire when they had met, so he pretty much went ballistic. When Novak found him, he was working on Ocean’s Edge rental receipts in his office. After Novak related the bad news, Eldon jumped to his feet and stalked around, gritting out some harsh curses.
After his burst of temper cooled, they sat down together and attempted to formulate a plan to find Claire. Novak was counting on locating her with Eldon’s knowledge of the rivers and where the river currents might have dropped her. He hoped that she had crawled out somewhere and found a safe haven. There were roads and wood walkways and campgrounds throughout the Everglades, and that was her only hope. Initially Osceola was basically gloom and doom and c
ertain she wouldn’t be found alive because that river was a runoff and fairly remote. After his pessimism dwindled, he picked up his cell and sent a group text to his men summoning them back to the museum’s conference room.
Night had fallen, so the Pa-hay-Okee Safari gate was closed and locked against tourists. Most of his sons were still working out on the grounds, cleaning up trash and shuttering the booths. It didn’t take long for them to drop what they were doing and show up inside. Once they heard the bad news, they definitely seemed up to the task of taking down anybody who had a hand in Claire’s abduction, no matter who did it or what they had to do to get her back. Novak took succor in that. That’s the way he felt, too. Bloodlust ran hot and rampant through his veins in a way it had not done for years. That was especially true when it came to Max Kellen, because Novak was sure he had been the one to give the kill order on Claire. There was one out on Novak, too. Apparently that had been Jimbo’s job, but he’d failed. They’d try again, Novak had no doubt. He was armed and ready. Just let them try.
Eldon’s sons and nephews and cousins and brothers all sat around the table now, listening intently. Most were young men, fit and buff and looking as if they spent plenty of hours in the gym and could handle a bunch of tattooed gangbangers without breaking a sweat. Some of them were former Marines, and you could tell which ones. They sat straighter, listened carefully, and didn’t say much. Novak was glad they were willing to help, because what he was asking them to do was hazardous to their health.
Eldon was worried about Alcina and Pedro. “Are they okay? If those guys took your partner, they’re going to go after them, too. Kellen probably put out a hit on them.”
“They’re already aboard my boat offshore of Naples. Your nephews took them there, right? They did get there okay?”
“Yeah, they’re out there.”
“They report any problems?”
“No, all is quiet. In fact, I think they’re having a good time. Jeff wants your boat. He says it’s bigger and newer and better than his. ”
“He can’t have it.”
Eldon frowned. “Maybe we ought to bring them back out here where we can keep an eye on them. I’m nervous now. Nobody’s getting near this place without me hearing about it. I don’t know why, but I’ve got a bad feeling about those kids being on your boat, even with my nephews out there guarding them. If the guys know about you, Novak, they’ll know about that boat and look for you there.”
“I don’t know if they know about the boat. They called me, but it was Claire’s phone and she’s got my number listed on her contacts list. Maybe if they forced Claire to tell them, they know about my boat. But that wouldn’t be easy. She’s tough. Jeff would call you right off if he needs help, wouldn’t he?”
“If he has time to. I’ll feel better if they’re back out here with me. That goes for my nephews, too. Those goons getting to Claire changes things up. I promised Eloise I’d protect Alcina, and I told my brother that his boys would be okay out there. Now I’m telling you, Novak, nobody is safe outside Miccosukee anymore, and that includes you and Black.”
“We can take care of ourselves. No way is Black coming out here. He’s not thinking about anything right now except for Claire. He won’t stop until he brings her home.”
“Kellen’s outfit must be bigger than we thought. Maybe out of our league. I say we bring in the cops, FBI, and ICE, maybe even ATF. Let them help us. The newspapers are going to get hold of Claire’s abduction. I take it she and Black are well known enough to get some publicity. Maybe that’s what we need. Maybe that will make it too hot for Kellen to mess with us.”
He was stating the obvious, but the media attention might also make them kill Claire, if they hadn’t already. “I’m okay with that. I’d bring authorities in myself if I had time, but I don’t. My focus is finding Claire alive. You do what you have to do with the kids on the boat. I just want Claire back.”
“I know some guys in ICE that I trust. I’ll alert them and see what they say. The park rangers are already out searching for her. I’m sending out my guys in our airboats to the river right now. If she’s out there, they’ll find her.” He looked around the table. “Okay, James, go on, get out there. I guess we need to in another boat, too. Aaron, you and Cooper take the big one. Keep me posted. Don’t waste any time, either, get the hell out there and find that lady.”
The designated searchers jumped up and headed out. Eldon got a call on his cell and moved away. Novak stood up. “I’m going with them. I don’t need to sit around here and wait. I’ve got to be doing something.”
Eldon turned back to him. “That was my wife. She says that Alcina’s not picking up the cell we gave her. Neither is Jeff, because I just tried him. Something’s wrong out there. I want you to go back to Naples and make sure they’re all right.”
“There’s a storm out in the Gulf bringing in all this rain. It could be causing phone interference on the boat. It happens, even close to shore.”
“Maybe. I want them back here, anyway, where I can keep an eye on them.”
Novak knew Eldon wasn’t going to change his mind. That trip was going to take three hours getting there and back, time that Novak didn’t have, but his presence in an airboat wasn’t going to find Claire any sooner. If Eldon’s gut was right, those kids needed to be brought back and Novak needed to get the Sweet Sarah to berth if a storm was rolling in. “Okay. I’m going to need a vehicle. I bummed a ride out here.”
“No problem. Take a Safari Jeep. Keys are in it.”
Novak was reluctant to leave, but he had learned to trust Eldon’s instincts. Two teams were already on their way, and he felt they had the best chance to rescue Claire. The sooner they got out there, the better chance she had of making it out. He hesitated then looked at Eldon. “There’s something else, too, that you should probably know. You might want to back away and call in the feds.”
Eldon did not look thrilled. “What the hell, Novak? Give it to me straight. I need to know everything that’s going on. I want to help because I like that partner of yours, and believe me, she’s in a world of hurt right now. You’re not dragging me into something illegal, are you? I want no part of that.”
“Nothing illegal.” Yet, he added to himself, considering Black’s rage. “We found a woman inside that house, the one where those guys grabbed Claire.”
“Who was she?”
“Her name is Allison DiFlorio. They had her chained up in the pool house. She’s at least eight months pregnant.”
His words caused low murmurs of concern around the table.
Eldon looked disgusted. “My God, these people are despicable. Is she going to be okay?”
“Yeah, she will be. They kept her alive because they wanted her baby and a ransom has been offered for her. That’s my take on their motives. No other women were found there. One man told her they were going to kill her after she delivered her baby. We found out her husband was offering a ransom so we think that’s why they kept her alive. That’s their usual M.O. Take the babies then kill the mothers. She said they took good care of her, too, as far as keeping the baby healthy. Apparently, they checked her out in some house right off. She thought it was somewhere out in the swamps. She described it as sort of an infant holding pen. Nurses were there, too, taking care of babies. So I’m thinking Rosa still might be in that house. She wasn’t taken that long ago. She probably wouldn’t have been moved yet or the adoption done.”
“Good God in heaven, I’ve never heard anything as bad as this. How are they getting away with it? Where’d she say that house was? Can she take us out there?”
“No, because they blindfolded her. She thinks it was in or around the Everglades. She described smells and the sounds and the trees. I think she’s right.”
“No way can a place like that exist inside that preserve. That’s federal land, and the park people out there are damn good at their jobs. Touri
sts run around everywhere. No residential structures that I’ve ever heard of are allowed except the ranger stations. It’s an animal sanctuary. That’s another good reason to call in the feds. Kellen’s outfit is big. It involves Central American countries. This is their job.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing. But I want to find that house first because of Rosa. Could it be out there but not inside the park, maybe, but somewhere close, like on the perimeter?”
“This place is huge, a wetlands and grasslands, some of it only accessible by airboat. That’s not even considering the nearby wildlife sanctuaries. I can’t think where any house could be inside the park, especially one that was used by criminals. Maybe somewhere on the east perimeter, but it’s unlikely, I’m telling you. ”
“I figured you guys might have seen it and not thought anything about it.”
“Did she describe this house?”
“She got a glimpse outside before they left. She said it had a weathered barn out back, and she heard the roar of airboats, so it’s got to be on or near the water somewhere around here, but they took her in by car.” He stopped a moment. “Truth is, I’m praying they’ve got Claire out there. We saw a guy on the bank when we first found the car. He had a phone and he got out of sight fast when he saw us. I think he was calling in reinforcements. I know they want her dead, and they won’t give up. Maybe they’ve got people close by. Maybe they’re going to keep her alive for now for some reason. Maybe to bargain with now that law enforcement is involved. I don’t know, but I think they might have her again. If they don’t kill her, I think they’ll take her out to that house.”