High Jinx

by Shannon Esposito

  My heart pounded. I waited for him to shoot me next. But then Lulu approached cautiously. ‘M.J.?’

  He startled. His eyes tried to focus. Finally he let his attention settle on her.

  She had her hands folded beneath her belly, non-threateningly, and I could see her bottom lip shaking as she forced a smile. ‘M.J., we’re on a yacht that can go anywhere in the world, right?’

  He blinked, then nodded. ‘Yes.’

  ‘So, we can leave. Go anywhere. Somewhere where they’ll never find us. We can just live on the ocean if we want to. Just you and me and … our baby.’ She reached out and moved his palm to press against her stomach. Her voice only broke once. ‘But we can’t do that with all this.’ She motioned toward Devon crumpled against the railing. ‘This blood and bodies in our new home. This has to stop. Let them go. That boat you showed us in the garage – put them on it. Then we can leave. Move on to our future together. You’ve already taken their cell phones; they have no way to call for help. By the time the Coast Guard finds them, if they find them, we’ll be long gone.’ She moved a little closer, gaining confidence as he listened. ‘It will be the most romantic thing ever. Sailing away to start our new life. Like those old movies where they sail away into the sunset.’

  My heart broke. I knew what she was doing. Sacrificing herself for us. I glanced at everyone. Seconds ticked by as we waited to hear our fate from one madman with a gun.

  He lowered the blood-soaked handkerchief. His nose was swollen so he sounded like he had a cold when he finally said, ‘Lulu, you swear you’ll be mine? You won’t leave me?’

  She licked her lips. Then she turned and glanced around behind her. Picking up the box M.J. had held up to her, she brought it back to him. ‘Ask me again.’

  M.J.’s eyes lit up with hope. He held the gun on me as he took the ring out of the box and held it up to her. ‘Lulu, will you be my wife? Love me no matter what and never leave me?’

  She let a slow, seductive smile spread on her lips. ‘I will, M.J. I will.’

  I saw the victory soften his face as he slipped the ring on her offered hand. Then she leaned in and kissed his lips convincingly, despite the blood still dripping from his nose. Wow, she was good. Part of me wondered if she really did want to be with him. Only a small part, though. The sane part of me knew this was the performance of a lifetime … for all our lives.

  ‘For you.’ He squeezed her hand and then his gaze skipped over each of us. ‘Unfortunately the dingy only holds four.’ He glanced at Sven’s lifeless body and then at Devon. ‘First things first.’ He walked over to Sven and waved the gun at Captain Bronson and the other two weary crew members. ‘Miguel, Bronson, come over here.’ The captain and chef stood and went to him. ‘Hold out your hands.’ He kept enough distance between himself and the men to keep the gun trained on them as he pulled out his fishing knife and cut the zip ties. ‘I’m going to let you go, but if you do anything besides what I tell you I’ll shoot you instead. Do you understand?’

  They shared a glance and then nodded solemnly.

  ‘Good. Get this body off my ship.’

  They stared at him. ‘Sir?’ Chef Miguel finally said.

  ‘Off. My. Ship,’ M.J. repeated. ‘Pick him up and toss him overboard.’

  Captain Bronson kneeled down slowly and placed two fingers on Sven’s neck. He glanced up at Chef Miguel and shook his head. Miguel crossed himself and bent down to take Sven’s arm. They worked together to drag his body over to the railing. Selene let out another cry of despair.

  ‘Oh, Mother, knock it off!’ M.J. yelled. ‘He was a dumb plaything. Nothing more. You should be mourning Dad, not this box of rocks.’

  Selene looked up from her hands, rage making her eyes gleam like dark, wet stones. The muscles in her neck popped as a stream of Greek flew from her mouth like missiles.

  M.J.’s face turned red and he flung his hand at her with his own barrage of Greek. Then in English, ‘What happened to forgiving family no matter what? Or does that only apply to your precious daughter? You’re such a hypocrite.’ Then he turned his attention to his crew as they struggled to get Sven up and over the railing. When they finally succeeded, a loud splash signaled their success.

  M.J. called Lulu over to him. When she obeyed, he slid his hand in hers, eyed the ring on her finger and then seemed anxious. ‘OK, get on with it. Throw the second body over.’

  Did he mean Devon? My stomach flipped. But, no, Devon wasn’t a body. He couldn’t be. I watched in horror as the captain bent down and pressed two fingers to Devon’s neck. My throat constricted. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. He glanced up at me and his face paled. He yelled over at M.J., ‘This one’s alive.’

  Alive! I collapsed against the railing in relief, my breath finally coming. Alive. M.J. would have to let him go with us, not throw him in for the sharks. We could get to shore with the small boat. He’d have to hang on. It would take us longer, but it was possible. But then, M.J.’s response registered.

  ‘Not for long.’

  I know my heart stopped. My world stopped.

  ‘This man’s too weak to swim. We won’t be part of murder,’ Captain Bronson said, standing up and crossing his arms.

  M.J.’s mouth scrunched up in frustration. He marched over and leveled the gun at his mother. ‘You will be one way or another. Choose. The man who’s already on his way out? Or my mother.’

  Selene squeezed her eyes shut and then froze.

  ‘Jesus,’ Miguel muttered. He stared from M.J. to the captain. I saw them make their decision. Their shoulders fell as they glanced down at Devon with sympathy. ‘Sorry, mate.’ Miguel wrapped his hands around Devon’s right arm. Swearing under his breath, Captain Bronson kneeled and helped haul Devon to lean against the rail. Devon’s head lulled to one side, but he moaned. He moaned!

  I had to stop this. He was alive. I couldn’t lose him. ‘Wait!’ I yelled, pushing myself off the railing and stumbling toward them. ‘Please, let me say goodbye.’ They glanced over at M.J. He nodded.

  ‘Devon!’ I threw my body against his. The sticky dampness from the blood on his shoulder soaked through my shirt. ‘Devon, come back to me,’ I whispered in his ear. ‘You have to be conscious when you hit the water.’ I pressed my mouth against his cool lips, watching his fluttering eyelids. It was now or never. Putting a little space between us, I shoved my hands into my bag. ‘Devon, please. Please wake up.’

  ‘OK. Time’s up, Elle.’

  I pulled out the Human Gills contraption and pressed it into his bound hands as I kissed him one last time. His dark eyelashes fluttered. His eyes cracked open, just enough that I saw the glittering blue life behind them. He was conscious. I glanced down and saw him grip the Human Gills.

  ‘I love you.’ I stepped back but made sure I blocked M.J.’s line of sight. Captain Bronson saw what I’d put in Devon’s hands and gave me a quick nod. He and Miguel turned Devon around and hoisted him over the railing. Suddenly, he was gone. Disappeared. A loud splash. I fell to my knees in desperation. In grief. In prayer.

  ‘It’s time.’ M.J. walked over and grabbed Lulu’s hand again. ‘The dingy only holds four so the women will be going on that. The men, you’ll have to make do with the life jackets and hope the Coast Guard finds you before the sharks do.’ No one moved. ‘Well, let’s go, everyone! Before I change my mind.’ He straightened his arm and moved it in a sweeping motion, encompassing us all with the gun. ‘Get off my yacht!’

  TWENTY-SIX

  The men were glancing nervously at M.J. as they slipped into life jackets. Beth Anne quietly sobbed as she watched Carl buckle his. M.J. had mercifully cut his zip ties like the other men so he could at least swim. Carl stroked her windblown hair and kissed her forehead silently. The only other sound was a soft whir of hydraulics as the hatch opened to reveal the dingy.

  ‘Get it in the water.’ M.J. waved the gun at Captain Bronson. His demeanor was now full of ticks and jerky movements. His mental state was on a downhill slide
. We couldn’t get away from him fast enough.

  Captain Bronson moved wordlessly from the door controls to slide the dingy from its garage and maneuvered it into the water. It made a small splash and then hung on a cable off the end of the yacht, bobbing up and down. The moon had disappeared behind a patch of clouds so the dingy was just a white rectangle in the dark waters.

  M.J. ran a rough hand through his hair. ‘Get my sister in there first.’ I was grateful he’d let us bring Cali along instead of tossing her into the ocean. Mercifully, she was still knocked out. If she’d been awake, she probably would’ve started a fight with her brother that wouldn’t have ended well for her.

  We watched nervously as Captain Bronson lifted Cali’s sleeping figure off the deck. He threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and then maneuvered her into the rocking boat.

  M.J. still had Lulu’s hand clutched tightly in his grip. ‘Now, the men get in the water.’

  Captain Bronson slipped into the dark ocean, disappearing except for a reflective orange square of life jacket and white oval face in the moonlight. Carl and the other two crew members trudged down the narrow steps onto the back deck. Each of them slipped into the water, joining Captain Bronson with a small splash.

  My heart was pounding as I scanned the water. Were there sharks nearby? The blood from Sven’s and Devon’s gunshot wounds could bring them. I could still feel him in my arms, and I tried to concentrate on that and not him floating alone, surrounded by hungry sharks. Or worse: sinking, too weak to stay afloat, with bound hands and counting on a prototype to stay alive.

  ‘Now the women.’

  ‘M.J., don’t you want to cut their zip ties, too?’ Lulu’s voice was just a whisper in the breeze, but I still heard the heartbreak.

  He looked unmoved. ‘Not really.’ He shoved his mother. She nearly fell down the stairs since she was trying to hold Chloe with bound hands, but managed to hop forward and keep her balance. We watched her kneel and deposit the little shaking, confused dog in the dingy. ‘Now!’ His rage was bubbling lava that spewed at anyone in his way. I couldn’t believe we were leaving Lulu with him. But what choice did we have? I was torn. I had to get in the water so I could find Devon. Maybe we should try to talk M.J. into letting Lulu come with us? No, he’d never let that happen and asking would just aggravate him more. As long as he believed she wanted to be with him, she’d be safe. I hoped she was a good actress.

  Beth Anne and I moved quickly down the steps to avoid being ‘helped’. We watched as Selene got one leg over the dingy and then fell into the bench seat face first as she tried to get the other one in. I glanced at Beth Anne. Her attention was focused on her husband bobbing in the water.

  ‘Come on,’ I whispered, nudging her with my elbow. As I stepped into the dingy, it rocked and I had a hard time keeping my balance without the use of my arms. I grounded my foot to the boat, rooted my right leg and lifted my left leg like I would in tree pose. Who knew yoga would come in handy when your hands are tied and you’re being kicked off a yacht by a psychotic killer? I only wobbled a little as I spun and lowered myself on the small bench seat across from Selene and a still-unconscious Cali. Those must have been some heavy tranquilizers.

  M.J. came down the stairs and unhooked the cable from the front of the dingy. While he did that, I eyed the center console. It was pretty rudimentary with some knobs and a red pull lever on the side, but I noticed one thing missing.

  ‘M.J., there’s no key in the ignition,’ I ventured, watching the gun nervously.

  ‘Right,’ he said in a clipped manner. ‘Afraid I can’t take the chance you ladies would make it back to shore. I need a few days to disappear.’ With his right foot, he pushed us away from the yacht. ‘Happy sailing.’

  As he turned and hopped back up the stairs, we watched him grab Lulu’s hand once again and yank her back through the doors. Her terrified eyes were the last thing I saw as she glanced back.

  ‘Carl!’ Beth Anne called. ‘Swim to us!’

  The splashing of the men swimming to the dingy was interrupted by the louder motor of the yacht anchor being lifted. The men surrounded the dingy, each holding on to the thin metal rail wrapped around it. We were already drifting away from the yacht. How far had Devon drifted from us?

  ‘How long do you think it’ll take the Coast Guard to find us?’ Beth Anne asked.

  ‘Depends on when they start looking,’ Captain Bronson answered. ‘If someone reports us missing when we don’t return tonight—’

  ‘We have to find Devon!’ I interrupted. I didn’t care about anything at the moment except getting Devon out of the water.

  ‘Elle …’ Beth Anne’s voice held mountains of empathy. ‘I’m sorry, hon.’ She obviously thought he was dead. But I knew better. The world wouldn’t make sense without him in it, so he couldn’t be gone.

  As the yacht’s engines revved and it began to move through the water, I shoved my hands in my bag. ‘No, you don’t understand – he looked at me before they threw him in the water. He was conscious.’ Where is it?

  ‘Even so, he’d been shot, Elle. He wouldn’t be able to tread water in his condition. Especially with his hands tied.’

  We all were jostled by the sudden wake as the yacht accelerated and moved away from us.

  Aha! I pulled out the knife. ‘Give me your hands.’

  As I worked the Swiss Army knife to cut the plastic zip ties around Beth Anne’s wrists, Captain Bronson said, ‘He had the Human Gills. I’ve tried them out – they work pretty good. If he couldn’t stay above water he could be hanging out beneath it.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, his words stopping the black panic pounding on the doors of my sanity. I would have hugged him if I could.

  As her zip ties snapped, Beth Anne let out a sigh of relief and rubbed her wrists. I handed her the knife. As she worked on mine, I eyed the vast ocean around us. How would we ever find him? How far would he have drifted? Or sank? ‘Devon!’ I shouted.

  The water lapped calmly against the dingy in answer. I’ve always been fond of silence, but at this moment it was not my friend.

  As the zip tie snapped and my hands were suddenly free I stood up, my mind narrowing to a single thought. I had to find Devon.

  The dingy lurched and rocked back and forth.

  ‘Whoa, whoa, where ya going?’ Captain Bronson said.

  Pulling my bag over my head and dropping it on the seat, I said calmly, ‘I’m going to find Devon.’

  I felt Beth Anne grab my hand. ‘Elle! You can’t go in there. We’ll just lose you, too!’

  ‘She’s right.’ Captain Bronson’s voice was calm. A voice of reason. But I had no use for reason right now.

  I jumped in the water.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  I immediately began to shake from cold and fear as my head resurfaced. ‘Devon!’ I screamed, moving my arms and legs to tread the saltwater. My muscles cramped but I ignored them. ‘Devon!’ Frantically turning circles, I scanned the area around me. It all looked the same. Miles and miles of flat, dark surface, broken only by tiny ripples in every direction. Something bumped against my toe. I waited. Nothing.

  ‘Elle!’ Beth Anne called. ‘Get back here!’

  I squinted in the moonlight about twenty-five yards ahead. Something broke the surface. A head? Or a fin? Adrenaline shot through my body, making me shake more.

  ‘Elle!’ I heard one of the men shout as I pushed forward and began to swim toward whatever it was. Devon or a shark or my imagination. It didn’t matter. I had to do something. I had to move forward. If I just sat in that dingy I would go mad.

  I concentrated on the spot I thought I saw something break the ocean surface, keeping my strokes powerful and steady. The ocean had always been the one place I felt comfort. I counted on that now. It didn’t matter if I was right offshore or forty miles out, it was all one place. A place I’d always felt at home. I silently prayed, asking it to please give me Devon back.

  I reached the spot and trea
ded water again. Darkness grew as clouds drifted across the moon. I waited. Splashes broke the silence. I twirled around. They were coming from the direction of the dingy. The men were kicking in the water, swimming, pulling the lifeless dingy in my direction.

  I tried to keep my breathing steady but the cold was making my breath come in gasps, especially after the bout of exertion. I suddenly realized it would’ve been a good idea to borrow one of the life jackets if I was going to be out here.

  ‘Devon!’ I called, hearing the desperation in my own voice now. ‘Devon!’ I screamed until I was hoarse. The screams turned into sobs as I treaded water. My tears dropped and mingled with the ocean.

  ‘Elle!’ Beth Anne yelled. The dingy was closing the gap.

  Suddenly an object bumped my foot again. I clamped my mouth shut just as something big pulled me under. I’d heard that a shark bite feels like a tug. That your body goes into shock and you don’t actually feel pain for a few minutes. It was true. I felt nothing but the cold as my head went under. Nothing but the tug on my leg.

  I heard Beth Anne screaming as soon as my head popped out of the water. I gasped for air. The dingy was close enough now that I could reach out and grab it. I heard the hard breathing of the men who’d pulled the boat toward me.

  ‘Elle, get in!’ Captain Bronson yelled.

  I scanned the water around me, frantically searching for the fin; for my blood pooling on the surface that would soon draw other sharks, if they weren’t circling all ready. My body screamed at me. All it wanted to do was lurch forward and scramble up into the dingy but my mind was trying to override that command … Something else was happening. I was slowly realizing there was no fin. No blood. I rocked back to float on my back and lifted my foot out of the water. It glowed in the moonlight. Whole. The skin unbroken. Well, that wasn’t right. Wait …

  ‘Oh, God!’ I flipped back over and dove into the water. I went deeper and deeper, my hands searching in front of me. It was like swimming in a pool of starless night. I couldn’t see a thing. My lungs felt like they were going to burst from the pressure.