Aaron didn’t budge, remaining laser focused on Shane and Alex. If Les was down, he would have to take the chance and take the shot himself. “You know me better than that.”
“Yes, unfortunately, I do.” Shane sneered. He crushed Alex closer, wet lips skimming her cheek. “Let’s have some fun first,” he whispered. He aimed low and pulled his trigger.
The bullet caught Aaron on the outside of his left thigh, and he staggered down to one knee.
“No!” Alex screamed and jerked against Shane’s hold. The tip of the knife blade scraped at the side of her neck.
Aaron steadied himself and sucked in a breath. Dammit, Shane knew where to put a bullet that would hurt like hell but still not incapacitate. He’d seen him do it once before, string a captured assailant on, torturing with round after round, neither immobilizing nor outright killing. Aaron had finally had to intervene, but at least in that case the target had been an enemy. And according to the incident report, Shane had supposedly received disciplinary action. This current wounding was more than likely just the start of Shane’s intended persecution of him. As long as he could keep Shane’s attention fixed on him however, the man’s aggressions wouldn’t be taken out on Alex.
Just keep him talking and figure this out. “So,” Aaron asked, doing his best to ignore the searing pain in his leg, “what are they paying you?”
Shane’s menacing laugh echoed across the deck. “Well, one helluva lot more than I could ever get hangin’ with you assholes! Besides, getting paid to find it was just the tease… What we can sell it for to the highest bidder is a whole ‘nother level.” He pulled Alex in closer to him, nodding at Aaron. “Plus a nice little added bonus to sweeten the deal.”
There it is. Shane’s overconfidence. His weak spot. He would make a mistake at some point, let his guard down.
“So it’s all about the money with you now, huh?”
“Ha!” Shane exclaimed. “Always has been! What the hell you think I been doin’ these jobs for? Ya see, with enough cash, you can get anything in life you want. You just have to get past the whole ‘not making certain sacrifices’ thing.” With that he clutched Alex even closer in his grip. “The money is everything that matters, man. Everything has a price.”
Aaron gritted teeth against the pain but never took his aim off Shane. Shane had incredible reflexes… but his own were better. If only he could get a clear shot, and…
Just. Shoot. Perfect.
He locked eyes with Alex for a brief moment. “Not everything.”
An evil smile spread across Shane’s features. “So there is something between you two! Oh, I’m really gonna enjoy this!” he spat out.
He took aim at Aaron again, thick finger squeezing the trigger.
Thump-crack. Shane’s arm jerked and his shot missed wide. His gaze followed his pistol as it clattered across the deck. Deep creases etched the space between his brows. He folded his elbow, slow-motion rotating the arm as he inspected what absurd circumstance had interrupted his intended sport. His pupils dilated as his hand flopped over at a severe odd angle. He gaped at the oozing shredded tissue, and the ivory of visible bone protruding as jagged daggers from his shattered forearm.
“What the hell…?” Cursing split the air and he howled out his trauma.
Les emerged from a far corner, a wisp of smoke rising from the barrel of his rifle suppressor. The man moved with a limp but was alive.
Shane constricted his grip on Alex and backed up. Knife dimpling her neck, he attempted restraining her with that same limb, his damaged arm hanging all but useless to any task.
“Stay still, bitch!” He crushed her to his chest.
Alex kicked back at his legs and kept struggling against his grip, but that muscled arm remained like a steel trap.
“Just shoot him!” she screamed, any remaining fear clearly relinquished to her fury.
The knife dragged down her neck as Shane battled to keep his hold on her. Blood trickled from the scrape. With his struggle of keeping that blade in place, she might have a chance. Please, God, Aaron thought as her gaze met his again.
Alex drove an elbow into Shane’s gut and slammed her head straight back. Aaron could hear cartilage crack and crunch. The knife slipped away from her neck, and she dove for the deck. She pulled as hard as she could against her captor, squirming in his grip and making him hold all her weight.
Shane shrieked and cursed as he yanked her back but couldn’t keep adequate leverage on her to still defend himself. Blood bubbled from his wrecked nostrils. He grabbed and clawed at her in an attempt to keep her hugged in place.
The knife slid across her collarbone. She cried out when it gouged her, and Aaron’s heart seized, but she twisted away to wrench from his grasp, and Shane was exposed just enough.
Aaron fired twice.
Alex yelped and fell forward, now released from Shane’s hold. Her hands slammed the decking, and she collapsed, sprawled on her stomach.
Shane stumbled backward behind her. Gasping, slipping in his own gore, he stared down at two jagged openings in his abdomen. Crimson fluid spilled to soak his legs.
“Those… rounds… weren’t meant for me!” His knife tumbled from slack fingers, clattering to stillness in the puddle of red. With a burbled moan, he sank to his knees, swayed in place a few seconds, then crumpled to the deck and lay still.
Alex—safe from immediate danger. A moment longer of focused attention to make sure. An exhausted Aaron dropped back on an elbow and slowly lowered his weapon.
Alex scooted away from Shane’s fallen body and pulled herself to her feet as Les limped across the deck toward them. She pressed a hand to her side. Pain flared in her eyes, and her fingers came away with blood.
Aaron got to his knees.
Les shouldered his rifle and reached out a hand to help him up. “You all right, buddy?”
“Been better.” Aaron grasped Les’s arm and winced as the man hauled him to his feet. His head throbbed. The aching in his thigh ramped back up, and various contusions began to make their presence known as his adrenaline subsided. Between the bullet wound and the beating he’d taken at the hands of the pirates, his body would soon be hard-pressed to not feel like one giant bruise.
“Think we shoulda negotiated extra hazard pay on this one,” Les said, half joking. “Li’l more rough than usual.”
“Yeah, a little.” Aaron groaned his reply. He shifted his attention to move toward Alex, but she had already closed the few yards to join them. He nodded to her. “You good?”
Alex took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m good. I hope. But you?” She couldn’t keep profound worry from her eyes as she stared into his.
Her extreme care touched him, and he flashed her a quick smile. “I’ll live.”
He reached out and took hold of her jaw. Fingers firm yet tender, he gave her chin a quick caress with his thumb and turned her head to the side to inspect the knife wound she’d received, courtesy of Shane. Even though it wasn’t deep, he frowned. His gaze lowered to the slice on her collarbone, farther to her bloodied hand and the dark red on her side.
Oh God. Had he hit her? A razor-close shot even without the moving target, but he thought he’d shot clean. His brows lifted and knit. He swallowed hard and his insides convulsed at what could have ended in disaster…
“It’s okay. Really,” Alex said. “I think it just barely—”
“I thought I missed you,” Aaron told her, his eyes stinging. “I thought…” His voice cracked, and he stepped forward and grabbed her.
She rushed into his hold. His clutch neared desperation, and he couldn’t keep his weight from pulling on her. The embrace she returned him, a comfort he could find no words for. He gathered her close. Fatigue took over, and he collapsed against her, shuddering in her arms as she cradled him closer.
“I’ve got you, bud.” Her soft whisper breathed reassurance in his ear. She held him against her and braced her legs, supporting them both.
Les moved over to lock an
arm around each of them. “Yeah, you’ll both live. C’mon. Let’s get everyone over and get the hell outta here.”
Several trips with the skiff and across the planking got everyone, some salvaged equipment, and all their remaining personal gear transferred to the pirate vessel. Mario’s body was recovered, a heartbreaking discovery for Aaron and Les upon learning of the cook’s murder at the hands of their team member. Shane’s midsection wounds were wrapped to contain excess leakage, and his corpse was put into cold storage in the sketchy refrigeration unit, along with but well away from Mario’s, for the trip home. Weapons and munitions of the pirates were confiscated and stored nearby. The few pirates that remained alive had surrendered and were locked in a cabin, two of the crew guarding the door. Towlines were attached to the damaged research ship. It would be a slow voyage back to port.
Captain Mac surveyed the bridge of the pirates’ ship and communicated with the engine crew below decks. He swiped at the sweat on his brow with a bloodied arm. “Well, she’s seen some rough years, and sad care, but she’ll get us home,” he remarked to Jimmy. “I’ll make for Lisbon; we’ll find safe port there.”
Les and two crew members stood nearby.
“Good.” Jimmy’s voice choked. He swept at his eyes and cleared his throat. “The sooner, the better.”
With the complete disaster of this whole ordeal, the priority now was to get everyone home safe. Jimmy and Les left to return to the foredeck.
Alex, Will, and Aaron rested near the bow. Les had patched up Aaron’s and Alex’s wounds earlier, along with his own. To Aaron’s relief, the bullet graze to Alex’s side proved just that; a stinging flesh wound.
Aaron’s thigh received antiseptic too, and a few stitches, the through-and-through near the skin’s surface with minimal trauma to underlying muscle. He’d have a good ache for a while, but no lasting infirmity. Painkillers from Les’s medical goody bag helped for the time being.
Aaron and Will sat talking and eating melted ice cream. Alex stood some yards away where she’d walked to the railing, head inclined to the water below. Jimmy went to her and hugged her tight.
“I’m so sorry about all this,” he said into her hair.
She squeezed her arms around his shoulders. “It’s not your fault. None of it.”
They released each other and moved a bit farther away to talk.
“I’m so very sorry about Mario. I know you’ve known him and this crew for years. He was a good man.” Alex’s voice hitched as she tried to keep away forming tears.
Blinking back his own, Jimmy nodded, clearly not able to come up with words.
“And what about all that information and the coordinates you needed, why we even came out here?” Alex asked after a time.
Jimmy shook his head.
He’d told her before that the details were so secretive the only knowledge supplied for this mission was a general area within a few kilometers of where the military had conducted their search. He’d succeeded, then had it all ripped away with the destruction of the bridge, and now he was left only with that with which he’d started: a general location.
Even with his knack for locating things at extreme depths, Alex knew he probably couldn’t recover anything. All the instruments, his notes and charts, his laptop and tablet, were all gone.
“I don’t know, sis. Since the attack, we’ve likely floated a good distance. And this pirate ship is nowhere near as up to date on the technology side. We’re not lost by any means, but exact location of anything at depth, in any kind of quick fashion, would be impossible. Also, wrong to attempt at the moment. We all just need to get home.” He gave a heavy sigh and shrugged.
“What will you tell them?”
“I don’t know. The truth, I guess. It’s all gone.” He ran his hands through his hair, rubbing his head. “One of the submersibles is damaged, the ship’s a mess…” He dropped his hands to his sides and let out a frustrated chuckle. “But I’m pretty sure as far as the job goes, they’re not gonna give anything for information they already had. If only I at least had the numbers. I even wrote them down on… but I didn’t put it in my pocket,” he said, sober. “The last time I saw that piece of paper? Tucked under the edge of my laptop on the bridge.”
Anguish returned to his features. “And you guys… If I had thought anything like this would really happen… I would never have let Will and you come along. What if…?” He slumped against the railing. “And poor Mario.”
Alex laid an arm across his shoulders. “I know. But we’re okay. Will’s okay. And you had Les and Aaron here. You thought enough ahead to do that. They saved us.”
“You’re right.” He took hold of her hand on his shoulder, and after a few moments straightened and wiped his eyes. “You seem to be handling all this pretty well. Better than me,” he said. “You sure you’re okay?”
Alex hugged his arm. “Yeah… I’m okay. I guess. Maybe still in shock. But you know me. Deal with it now, cry later.” She shook her head. “Remember, I did learn a lot from Dad. And my best friend Lou and I have taken those weapons and self-defense courses. I’ve been around more than a few guns in my life. Obviously not like this… but don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll bawl my eyes out before too long.”
Jimmy gave her another quick hug. “Yeah, I’m still not entirely thrilled about all that gun training even if you say it makes you feel safer. And I don’t even want to know how you were able to get them here. But I guess it did pay off for this.”
They both turned to find Will standing there.
“Dad?” The boy’s question came soft with hesitation.
Jimmy knelt and grabbed his son in a tight embrace, cuddling the child close. “I’m so sorry, buddy. So sorry.” He released his boy and stared into his face.
“It’s okay, Dad. I love you,” Will said, and Jimmy hugged him tight again.
“I love you too, son.” After a moment, Jimmy stood. “C’mon,” he said to Will and Alex. “Let’s go.”
As they made their way back over toward Les and Aaron, Jimmy holding his son’s hand, the young boy spoke up. “Dad? I heard you say you lost a paper with numbers?”
Jimmy squeezed Will’s hand. “Don’t worry about it, son. It’s okay.”
Adamant, Will stopped, pulling Jimmy to a halt along with him. “But Dad,” he insisted. The child fished around and pulled a wadded paper from his pocket. “I’m sorry I took it. It was by your computer, and I wanted to draw something. It was before we had to hide. It has numbers on the other side.”
He held it out to Jimmy, who slowly took it from his small hand.
Jimmy glanced to Alex, straightened the sheet. A pencil-drawn picture of a boat with happy fishermen adorned the page. He turned it over. Smudged, but still intact, his handwritten coordinates remained.
Tears glistened in Jimmy’s eyes as he shoved the paper into his pocket and ruffled his son’s hair. He cradled the boy’s chin in his hand.
Alex grinned. “Is that…?”
Before Jimmy could answer, Alex spotted movement in her peripheral vision, drawing her attention back the way they’d just come.
Aaron and Les stood engrossed in conversation. A guttural wail silenced them and made both men jerk their gazes toward the trio still several yards from them.
“What the hell?” Les gasped under his breath. The sight that met their eyes nearly brought each of them to their knees. “I knew he felt too damn warm. But I checked him, I bloody checked him! He had no pulse! He should’ve been dead!”
Aaron responded in little more than a whisper. “I know you did. So did I.”
Shane. Wet and bloody. Monstrous. A wild, deranged scowl contorted his pallid face.
“It’s not… that… easy!” he snarled, his gurgled threats hitching and struggling to emanate through clenched teeth. Grisly saliva drooled from curled lips as he lurched to one side, attempting to maintain balance. The epitome of a rabid beast. “You don’t… get to get away… that easy!”
Cerise-tinged d
roplets pooled in his boot prints. A couple more jerking, unsteady staggers toward the small group of survivors brought him within mere feet of them. He opened his clenched fist. A grenade. Pin gone. An evil, warped sneer defined his features and intent.
Jimmy heaved himself backward, pushing Will behind him, away from Shane. Alex grabbed Will, pulling him to her. Shane released the spoon and hugged the grenade to his chest. He was so close!
No! You can’t do this to us! Powerless to do anything to prevent the loss of her precious family, Alex was gripped by horror as events unfolded for her in a slow-motion purgatory. Her eyes found Aaron’s and locked with them. Just for a moment. The heartache in her soul meshed with his anguish and resolve reflected there. Jimmy and Alex hit the deck, shielding Will underneath them.
“You won’t make it!”
Alex jerked her head up at Les’s shout, just in time to see Aaron in a flying leap tackle Shane with enough force to take them both over the railing and the side of the ship. Mere seconds. No time to think or scream. A deafening explosion rocked the vessel, sending gallons of seawater up to rain down on them.
Stunned, ears ringing, soaked, they regained their feet.
Les ran to them. “Everybody okay?” he asked, giving each a quick check.
He nodded and jumped to the railing.
Scanning the water.
Searching…
Les hung his head and stepped back from the rail.
Will broke into a sob and flopped down where he stood. Jimmy joined him on the deck, attempting to comfort his young son.
Alex just stared at Les. He wouldn’t look at her, his blank gaze fixed on the deck. Strong hands fell open and slack at the end of limp arms. The usual sturdy shoulders wilted. His sides caved.
Off the Deep End Page 9