by Dale Mayer
Hawk and Shadow followed.
“Why the Golden Gate? Why not the Oakland Bay Bridge?”
“Why any bridge? To send a message. Which bridge do you think of when you think of San Francisco?”
“Golden Gate.” Shadow shook his head. “It’s the iconic nature they want to blow up. The American symbolism, not the actual bridge.”
“Terrorists get both in this case.”
They took precious hours to walk the docks, pulling in necessary information and asking the questions that needed to be asked. It was when they were just about ready to go back to the base that one man sidled up to them.
“Heard you were asking about a woman in a hospital gown.”
Hawk frowned at him. “Maybe, what’s it to you?”
“More like what’s it worth to you.” He smiled, showing a missing front tooth. “If it’s not worth anything, then it’s nothing to me.”
And wasn’t that the truth. Did no one do anything to help others anymore?
Shadow slid forward.
The man slid back, then narrowed his gaze. “How much?”
“Tell us first then we’ll decide.”
He snorted. “And then you take off, without paying.”
Shadow slid a half step forward.
“Shit.” The toothless man backed off slightly. “I saw them carry her onto a tugboat.”
“A tugboat?” Hawk froze, his mind spinning on the possibilities. A tugboat worked if they were taking out a different watercraft of some kind. Tugboats were a dime a dozen here and were a major part of the city. No one would question a tugboat’s movement. They damn near ran the place. Although it could be the one vehicle they were using to move bombs, but that wasn’t likely – was it? He pondered the logistics and size.
“How do you know it was her?” Shadow asked, that ever present threat in his voice slightly elevated.
“She was in the damn hospital gown. Poor thing. She didn’t look conscious. I saw her on the tele too. They’re going to blow her up and that’s not good.”
“No, it’s not.” Hawk thought about it a moment longer then said, “Can you identify the tugboat?”
He snorted. “There are thousands of them here.”
“So you can’t add anything to the little bit you told us,” Shadow said in disgust. “How about where the tugboat was headed?”
“Hey, I didn’t say that. First off there were two men who took her on board. A third man was driving the van. No, I didn’t recognize any of them, but they were olive skinned and dark haired. All younger.”
“How young?”
And the questions fired in a volley as they tried to draw out as much information as they could get from him. When he’d been paid and walked away, the two men stared at each other then broke into a run heading to where the tugboat had docked. The informant hadn’t seen where it had gone except out into the harbor, and that could mean anything. But he’d given them a few identifying marks.
If they could identify that boat, they might identify where Mia had been taken. That the van was still driving around was worrisome. Not that it would help, he knew. If they were smart enough to pull this off, they were smart enough to have exchanged license plates with a different vehicle. It was a simple switch and done all the time.
At the docks they walked through the heavy winds that blew water from the ocean, soaking them instantly. Hawk stared out at the ships in the Bay. There were an easy dozen. Mostly carrying shipping containers but it wouldn’t be hard to smuggle Mia aboard if they were crew members. And then again they’d likely not trust anyone and wouldn’t want to be seen with her. So a private place was more likely.
His gaze caught the fishing boats riding the waves in the water. Tiny beside the container ships but some were certainly big enough to get the job done.
That meant there were more options to look at and not enough time.
At least for the moment. They could take a different escape route. Particularly if there were just a couple of them. Depending on the terrorists, it was also likely they had no plans to escape. Suicide bombings were common. Sad. Deadly. There wasn’t anything new to be found except to keep watch on this place and get eyes on the water.
They had the gear ready to go and were on their own small water craft within two hours. This time there were five of them.
Hawk stared across the water, terrified of where Mia could be. There’d been no other broadcasts, but the media wouldn’t leave it alone. They wanted to know who the mystery woman was, and why she’d been targeted.
It wouldn’t be long before they put all the information together and found Gordon. If he stayed quiet, it might help, but now that he knew what was happening to his daughter…well, no one would blame him for doing what he thought was right.
If he thought it would save Mia, he’d do anything he could.
And so would Hawk.
“Hawk, we’ve picked up a couple of old fishing vessels by the bridge.”
“I’m coming.”
Chapter 18
Lord, she was cold. Her toes had turned gray and her skin had an odd purple cast to it. The terrorists didn’t care about her health, she was dead already as far as they were concerned. If she was going to die anyway, she wanted to die warm. She also had to go to the bathroom.
As in now.
She tried to straighten but her arms wouldn’t shift. She was no longer up against the wall. She’d been dragged to a corner and left alone. After she’d done the presentation on camera they didn’t care. With her arms still tied but no longer behind her, she hugged her knees tight against the cold. A blanket, something to ward against catching a chill would be lovely. Too late. She figured. She was already frozen and injured and couldn’t imagine her body having much left in the way of defenses.
One man walked closer and studied her with dark eyes.
She stared back. No longer afraid and no longer worried. She’d either live or die today. All she wanted at the moment was a bathroom and to get warm.
“Stand up.” He barked the orders in a thick accented voice that took her a moment to understand. When she did, she scrambled to her feet and swayed in place.
“I need a bathroom.”
He nodded. “Come with me.”
And he walked out. She stumbled behind, but her feet were thick planks and not interested in following her orders. She managed to hang onto the wall and make her way. Out into some kind of hallway, the stench almost making her retch, he pushed her toward what she assumed passed for a toilet. He stood outside and waited.
She took care of business quickly. It was her first chance to move in hours and her first opportunity for an escape, but with her body functioning in slow motion she wasn’t sure what she could do. But time was running out. She wracked her brain, trying to create a plan.
Another voice called out. Her captor responded in a language she didn’t recognize. He turned away slightly, and she heard footsteps recede. Quickly she straightened her underwear and spun around, frantic to find a weapon of some kind.
There were shouts up deck.
With no window to look out, she couldn’t see what the disturbance was. There were several blankets shoved in a corner. One was wet, but they were both better than nothing. She grabbed them and wrapped up well, her body reaching in relief for the heat. There were also old socks. She slipped them on, almost moaning in delight as her toes had a cloth barrier between them and the plank floor. There was a kitchen of sorts in the big room, maybe an old converted houseboat or fishing boat. Which would make sense. She vaguely remembered a smaller boat first, a tugboat, maybe. Then being transferred here.
There was no way to see outside from where she stood and no way to send a message. But could she slip away in the confusion? Hide? She had to try.
She did a fast search of the room, looking for anything helpful, and found a small piece of copper wire. She studied it and wrapped it around her wrist to keep it safe.
She retraced her steps to the bathro
om and the door to the hallway. She opened it carefully.
And came face to face with a wired…something.
Running feet pounded overhead and more voices. Good, she hoped the boats were being boarded. Preferably by the Coast Guard. She slipped to the stairs and stared up. Could she make it up there without being seen?
Determined to try, she crept higher. There were six steps. She crouched lower the higher she went.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
She ducked, hoping the yelling hadn’t been directed at her.
There appeared to be more people on board now. Why? What the hell was going on?
She poked her head above the deck and took a quick look around. It was more like an old fishing boat. The men were behind her and waving their arms and doing lots of shouting. Good.
She’d take any distraction she could. She focused on the rowboat tied to the railing not six feet from her. If she could make it there…
It was raining out. And they appeared to be in the middle of the Bay. Miles from shore. And miles from any other boat. She knew death was certain on board. Was it also certain in the water?
She ran to the rowboat and ducked down beside it. She peered over the railing. The water churned in a mad foaming wash against the hull. She studied the rowboat hangers. There was some kind of hydraulic system to release it. The men had guns. If she wanted a quiet escape then a rowboat wasn’t it. They’d kill her before she got the rowboat to the lowered position.
A quick glance showed the men still arguing.
There really was no choice. She ditched the blanket, knowing it was only going to drag her down, and crawled through the railing. With one last thought of Hawk, she grabbed the life preserver clinging to the side of the boat and snatched the blanket up again, to hide the bright white and red colors. She needed it to stay afloat but didn’t want to let them know where she was. The waves were going to take her several yards away in seconds. Out a few minutes and it wouldn’t matter, she’d be long gone.
Just as she was set to jump as far off to the side as she could, the wap wap wap of a helicopter sounded overhead.
She waved up to it, swore she saw someone wave back and jumped.
*
“Is that her?” Shadow pointed to the far distance and a blob of green behind a lifeboat.
Hawk stared, snatched up the binoculars and adjusted them. “It is her.”
He quickly assessed the problem and what she was up to. “Crap, she’s going to jump.”
“She does realize she’s likely to drown in this storm.”
“I’m sure she’s thinking that she’d rather drown than stay with them.”
“If she’s thinking at all.”
And Hawk knew that was likely the real answer. She was reacting. She wanted to save herself and was doing what she could. He had to admire she was functioning at all. Then he watched, his heart in his throat as several men pointed in her direction. She couldn’t see them from where she was hiding, but her instinct was sound. She wrapped her arms around something large and dark and jumped off as he watched.
The men on board raced to the railing.
“Shit.”
He sent word to the pilot who immediately swerved the angle and flew toward the boat and the woman floundering in the water. The distance between the fishing boat and the woman widened quickly. Getting her to safety was the priority.
Hawk dumped his gear and moved to the edge of the helicopter. He’d jump in as soon as they were close. She wasn’t going to swim far in this cold water. And he figured she’d be too cold to climb out herself.
A shot rang out just missing his head. The helicopter veered to the side.
“No,” he yelled. “Let me off first.”
“Easy.” Shadow shifted position, a weapon in his hand. “We’re too far away to take out the shooter. Need the rifles.” And he was already up and running to the back of the helicopter.
“This is a reconnaissance mission, we didn’t come loaded for bear,” the pilot shouted back.
“I’m not leaving without her,” Hawk snapped. Other watercraft were on their way. If the helicopter was forced to return, the two of them wouldn’t need to be in the water for long.
The helicopter swung around for another attempt to get closer to Mia. The men were standing on deck, milling around uncertainly. If they opened fire on the helicopter, they would be taken out immediately. He couldn’t think about that. He stayed focused on Mia. The helicopter swung in closer. Hawk was all set with Shadow back at his side, prepared to take out a shooter if they were under attack. With Mia drifting further away from the boat, Hawk jumped into the water.
Braced for the cold he sank deep then he kicked up strong. From under the waves he could see Mia about twenty feet from him. His jump appeared to have sent her rocking further away. Good. He surfaced and reached her within minutes. She was stretched out across something that he realized when he got closer was a life preserver. He wrapped an around her.
“Mia?” he called in a loud voice. “It’s Hawk. I’m going to get you to safety. Hold on.”
She lifted her face and stared at him. His heart swelled in pain. Her face, already ravaged by the beating, hadn’t taken well to the saltwater. She reached out a hand to stroke his face. Then she started to cry.
He held her close. Thank God they’d found her. She wouldn’t have survived long out in the Bay. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
He signaled up to Shadow. The rope harness dropped down. He quickly hooked the two of them up. Shadow called from up above and pointed behind them. Hawk looked around. The boat was motoring away. Too bad it wasn’t going to get very far. As long as he rescued Mia he didn’t give a damn what the bastards did. He’d be back for them soon enough. They could run – they wouldn’t be able to hide.
At his okay, Shadow started the winch system to haul them both up.
Mia hung limp against him. Shivers rippled over her body, and her skin tone was grey ugly paste. Now she had to combat hypothermia on top of everything else.
“Hold on Mia. Hold on.”
But she’d closed her eyes and never responded.
Then they were in the helicopter and racing her back to the medical center.
Chapter 19
Mia woke to heat, blessed comforting heat. Maybe she was on fire. She’d been so cold before, now she burned with pain. The numbness might have been a blessing because along with her body waking up from the cold, the damaged parts were waking up too. And she hurt.
She huddled under the covers, loathe to open her eyes and see where she was. Thoughts of being home safe and sound never entered her mind. As if that were too far a stretch of the truth. But she needed to know. She peeked under her lashes. White everywhere. The sheets, the pillow against her face, the curtains around her. A hospital? Or something else? She couldn’t tell. But she was alone.
At least here.
The white curtains rounded her on all sides. So privacy screens in a medical center. Well, that worked for her. Except she needed to know what was on the other side. She slowly sat up and kicked her legs over the side of the bed. Instantly the curtain was pulled back, and a woman dressed in medical whites, some kind of emblem on her shirt, walked over.
“Where am I?” Mia asked.
“You’re in San Francisco at the Hartland Medical Center.” The woman smiled down at her. “Now please lie back down and rest. Your body has been through a traumatic time and needs to heal.”
Willingly, overjoyed with tears in her eyes, knowing she was safe, she snuggled back under the covers. The doctor covered her up.
“Are you still cold?”
Mia shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“Good. How about other aches and pains.”
“Yes,” she admitted. “Everything hurts.”
“To be expected.” The doctor adjusted something hanging beside her and that was when Mia realized she was on an IV drip system.
“Am I badly hurt?”
> “Nothing your system can’t recover from. There are several broken bones in your face and a couple of cracked ribs. Your feet are damaged but in the soft tissue, so they only need time to heal. And the rest of you, well trauma can be a hard thing. The cold didn’t help, but you’re doing great considering what you’ve been through.”
With another smile, the doctor left.
“Thank you,” Mia called out.
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t jump into the cold water and haul you out,” came the cheerful voice.
“Wait…what?” Water? Someone jumped in and hauled her out? Mia wracked her brain trying to figure out what water she was talking about. She remembered being a prisoner on a boat, but things were hazy after that. The one dominating theme was the freezing cold.
Vaguely she remembered sneaking up from below deck and hiding behind the rowboat. She didn’t remember running into the water but must have. Or being pushed. No, she remembered feeling terrified of being caught. So she’d jumped.
Right…the memory jolted into her mind, but was distant as if from a dream. She’d grabbed a life preserver and jumped into the choppy waves. It had been so cold. She’d been kicking as hard as she could, but the waves had taken her where they wanted to.
And another memory blasted into her mind. Hawk. Or maybe a search and rescue person that reminded her of him. In her delusion, every man did. Sigh.
But she vaguely remembered being hauled up out of the water.
That was as far as her memory would go.
Warm and cozy, safe again for the first time in a long time, she closed her eyes.
Then opened them. Did they know about the bomb? Hawk. If they’d saved her, they must have found the fishing boat she’d been on. Except it ate at her. She had to know for sure. She sat back up and searched for a call button or cellphone, regular phone? Hell, a couple of Dixie cups and string would help. She smiled. No, they so wouldn’t.
“Hello?”
No answer.
She frowned and pulled herself to the side of the bed. She did not want to hop down. She worried her feet wouldn’t hold her. They shouldn’t have been too badly damaged though. She’d been walking on the ship. She lifted a foot. It appeared fine.