“Get me a count!” He spotted the two agents, the unconscious guard and Paul approaching.
“That’s everyone.” The captain said.
Jefferson nodded, and ran to help with the fallen agent.
“Did Nelson do this?”
The agent carrying the guard welcomed the extra hands in carrying his friend, “Not sure.”
“It was the explosion! He almost drowned me blocking the door.” Paul said. “What happened?”
“They’re sinking the Rainbow.” Another explosion rocked the boat and threw the men off their feet.
“There’s no telling how many charges are left. Get to the launch.” Jefferson got back to his feet, forced an orange life vest over the head of the wounded guard, and activated a blinking light.
He chose one of the guards, “You jump with him. Keep his mouth above the water.”
They jumped clear of the rail. It was only a moment before they were pulled from the water into the safety of the launch.
“Into the water, Mr. Nelson.”
“Are you going after them?”
“I need to take care of my men first. We’ve radioed for help. The coast guard will be by...eventually.”
Another blast shook the men from their feet. Paul collided with the burly Homeland Security agent and they collapsed to the ground. Jefferson was on his feet first, and hoisted Paul up by his hemp shirt.
“Into the water.” The shove sent Paul reeling backwards over the rail. He hit the water head first and struggled to surface. He broke free in time to see Jefferson clear the rail and land a good distance from him.
Jefferson surfaced next to the launch, and pulled himself from the water. He looked around at his men in the boat. The girl was in the boat as well. “Did we get everyone? Is everyone okay?”
One of the men answered, “Tony and Rob pulled Gary out. He hit his head pretty bad, but they’re looking at it.”
Jefferson nodded and stretched. The last blast had tweaked his back. Paul crashing into him didn’t help. He reached his hand around to massage a tender spot on his back. That’s when he noticed the missing weapon.
He felt the empty shell of the holster and glanced around the floor of the boat. It wasn’t there. “Has anyone seen my gun?”
The crew began to look about their feet. David stood and looked into the dark water. “Has anyone seen Nelson?”
The crew turned their attention from the boat to the water. Paul didn’t have a vest or a beacon and they strained to see into the darkness.
“Oh, no. Is he okay?” Brittany was shaken from the sinking of the ship.
“Little bastard’s fine.” He hadn’t even felt Paul take the gun off of him. The blast and tackle had taken care of that. Even when he threw him over the side, he had no idea that Paul was holding his .45.
“Find him. He wasn’t wearing a vest.” His team responded with flashlights and a spotlight mounted on the launch. It was still difficult to see.
# # #
Paul kicked toward the stern of the ship. The swim was difficult in the hemp shirt, but the numerous pockets in the cargo pants made it easy to carry Jefferson’s gun.
The stern of the Rainbow Connection was all but resting on the bottom. When it finally did settle, the superstructure on the deck would be only a couple of feet underwater. He swam close to the ship for cover. If there was another charge it would be the end of him.
As he swam he peered into the water looking for whoever had caused the blasts. He had no doubt that they were a safe distance away when they went off, but he didn’t like the thought of an invisible hand pulling him underwater to drown.
The deck was even with the surface of the water and Paul pulled himself back onto the ship. He ran as if every step had another explosion under it waiting to go off. Fires lit the way as he looked for a lifeboat, a dinghy, anything that would float. Then he spotted it. A rubber-hulled Zodiac floated just above the deck, fighting taught mooring lines to stay afloat.
Paul waded forward to free it. The lines were almost too tight to untie. But, after struggling for a few moments, the lines loosened and Paul pulled himself into the boat.
The engine started instantly. He pulled the .45 from the cargo pants and turned the boat to Master Key.
# # #
Jefferson heard the motor and pointed the spotlight in the direction of the sound. Paul waved, just before the Zodiac moved beyond the range of the light.
The pilot dropped the throttle and began to turn the boat to pursue Paul.
“Stop.” Jefferson dropped back into his seat.
“Don’t you want to go after him?”
“Unless you want us all to paddle, we’re not going to catch him with this full boat. Rendezvous with the others. And someone give me a gun!”
THIRTY
They dropped Steve onto the hotel bed. He bounced. Katherine rushed to him, and put her hand on his face. Repeating his name softly, she kissed him gently on the forehead.
One of the guards left. The other took a seat in the room’s overstuffed chair and he watched the scene without compassion. But he did watch. He kept a constant eye on the couple.
“Are you just going to the sit there?” Katherine yelled at the guard. She was panicked. Steve had been through a lot – there was no telling how many times he had been struck in the head in the last 24 hours.
“Yes. Unless you try something. Then I’m going to sit here, but I’ll also shoot you.”
She turned her attention back to Steve. The bleeding had mostly stopped; the crust of a scab was beginning to form. He breathed deeply. Soundly. She watched his chest rise and fall. When she looked back to his face, his eyes were open.
Katherine was relieved; she couldn’t speak.
“Hi,” he smiled.
She laughed out of relief.
“Where are we?” He sat up next to her, unsteady.
“Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty dizzy.” He placed his arm behind him to hold himself up.
The guard rose and crossed to the bed.
“Mr. Baxter would like his answer.”
“Answer to what?”
“An answer to his question?”
Steve looked at Katherine. “What’s he...?”
Katherine looked horrified. “Don’t you remember?”
“What is everyone talking about?” Steve asked.
“Answer now!” The guard shouted and brought up the butt of his rifle to strike Steve.
Katherine screamed.
Steve’s hand flew from beneath the pillow and struck the guard in the throat. The sudden gush of blood ran down Steve’s hand. The guard fell on top of Steve, soaking the sheets red in seconds. Steve struggled to push the guard off him, and squirmed his way to the edge of the bed. He was covered in more blood than Katherine had ever seen, and yet the bed continued to soak it up.
“My god, how?”
Steve held up his hand. A shard of glass was gripped tightly in his palm.
“That phone was the one thing I let Paul talk me into buying. I really liked it. And they broke it.”
She looked at him for a long moment. “You were faking.”
“I was faking. But I also had my eyes closed. Where did they bring us?”
“Down one floor. We’re on six.”
Steve turned the guard over. He still clutched his throat, but he was all out of blood. The gash on his jugular caused Katherine to wince.
Steve disarmed the guard, checked the chamber, and moved toward the door.
# # #
They would come after him. He knew it. And in truth Paul wanted them to pursue. He would lead them right to Baxter and Savage. Savage would shoot at them; they would shoot back. The good guys always win. Done.
But he didn’t want them to catch him too quickly, so Paul wound about the islands and tried to approach Master Key from another angle.
The Zodiac was fast. The massive outboard propelled the light craft to speeds that even he wa
sn’t comfortable with. He eased up on the throttle, and went as fast as he felt he could see.
He focused on the water. There was nothing to see elsewhere. All the lights were out. He was pointed towards a faint glow in the distance that had to be Master Key. He and Steve had now toured the islands extensively, and he knew that nothing was lit up like the big island in the middle. It seemed closer than he thought it should be, but then again, the boat was fast.
He rounded the corner. The glow put the lights at least three islands away, giving him some time before he had to slow down. When he rounded the shore, he was blinded by the light directly in front of him.
It wasn’t Master Key. It was the unfinished island Steve had told him about. Powerful work lights stood on tripods, washing the island in light. These and the lights from a dredging ship created the glow he had mistaken for Master Key.
He pulled back on the throttle in hopes of getting away unseen. He knew he had been spotted when men on the island began shooting at him.
The sudden force from gunning the throttle was unexpected and almost pulled him from the wheel. He shot past the men on the island and turned away into the open sea.
He thought he was clear when the arc of the spout of the dredge changed. Tons of dirt poured into the water behind him. The slurry pumped from the hopper as a weapon, trying to sink his tiny craft. He turned towards the ship, hoping that the nozzle would find it difficult to track him so close to the hull. This allowed the wall of mud to get closer to him; the turbulence turned up the sea and forced his boat to its side. He turned into the wake and managed to steady the craft.
He powered past the bow of the ship and turned down its length. The nozzle could not find him here. Gunfire rained down from the ship. He couldn’t tell if any struck the boat.
The Zodiac was incredibly fast. The dredge ship’s hull appeared seamless as he soared by, as much in the water as above it. The waves weren’t great, but the speed of the small craft launched him up their walls with a rhythmic regularity.
He approached the stern quickly and was met by another burst of gunfire. A smaller boat from the island held three men and was coming right at him.
He passed the boat in an instant. Their combined speeds brought them together so quickly that the men in the boat couldn’t put their barrels on Paul. Paul drew the .45 and fired a blind shot to keep their heads down.
One of Savage’s men flew from the boat and struck his head on the hull of the ship. Paul didn’t even acknowledge his good fortune. He looked to the open sea ahead of him and realized that it was no escape.
He circled the stern of the dredge and shot back up its starboard side. There was no fire from above. Paul could only guess that the superstructure of the ship prevented the gunmen on board from crossing the deck quickly.
He enjoyed the break for only a moment. A shot whistled by his head. More followed. The boat was behind him again. Muzzle flashes punctuated its location in the night.
Paul drifted right, away from the ship. He pushed forward on the throttle despite the fact that it was already running wide open. The men behind continued to run next to the dredge. They knew what he knew. The open sea was no place to run.
Paul pointed the nose of the craft out to sea and then cut back to his left. The bow of the dredge was already behind him. He cut the wheel till it stopped and dropped to his left to fight against the pull. The boat behind had gained; if he flipped his own boat now, it wasn’t a matter of getting caught, it would be a matter of taking a boat to the head.
The pump crew saw the Zodiac and turned the spigot to intercept him. Paul shot between the fire hose of earth and rock and the bow of the ship. The Zodiac skipped dangerously close to the torrent and threatened to spill Paul from the boat. The v-shaped hull held the water; he released the wheel. The boat straightened in the water as he fought to stand back into the pilot’s position.
He turned in time to see his pursuers emerge from behind the hull. Their speed carried them into a downpour of rock and silt. The boat did not come out the side of the man-made maelstrom.
The fountain was coming back towards him. The gunfire was still coming but it was growing small in the distance.
Paul smiled and relaxed. He’d spotted another glow in the distance. It had to be Master Key.
# # #
The guard outside the door heard the latch, the gunshot, and nothing else. Steve disarmed him and handed the gun to Katherine.
“You know how to...”
Katherine raked the slide and disengaged the safety.
“Okay then.”
They moved down the hallway, letting the carpet mask their footsteps. It was plush and their escape made little noise. They reached the elevator and pressed the call button.
Their hurried pace was countered by the slowness of the car. Steve waited silently at first; his hurried breathing soon gave way to laughter. He looked at the gun in his hand, the beautiful girl next to him, and the gun in her hand. He laughed harder.
She smiled. “What?”
Steve laughed from nervousness, from the shock of just shooting a man and slitting the throat of another with the shard of a broken iPhone. He laughed at the absurdity of it all.
“What?”
“I told Paul this place sounded boring.”
Katherine began to laugh as well.
“If you had put this in your brochure, I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have come.”
It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t meant to be funny. But, it sent them both over the edge into hysterical laughter. Steve’s eyes began to water. Katherine lost control of her breathing and began to laugh and gasp for breath at the same time. Steve doubled over and wheezed.
The elevator signaled its arrival and the doors slid open. Steve fired two rounds, and the guard inside dropped to the floor. The mad laughter ceased. They stepped into the car and pressed the button for the ground floor.
THIRTY-ONE
Paul eased up on the throttle. He thought he’d heard voices but the roar of the engine made it hard to be sure. The engine’s RPMs slowed; he was certain he heard something.
He cut the engine.
“Nelson!” The maritime radio crackled from the Spartan console of the pilot’s stand. Jefferson sounded mad. He may have been yelling for a while.
“Answer me you little prick.”
Paul examined the CB style transceiver and thought better of answering. He reconsidered, it wasn’t as if the agent could stop him now.
“What?” He shot into the microphone.
“Bring back my boat!”
“No. If you won’t save my friend, I’m going to do it myself.”
“You are jeopardizing my mission.”
“Right, your antique bomb. Good luck with that.”
“Nelson this is an open channel!”
Paul said nothing.
“Nelson, you will be placed under arrest for obstruction of justice.”
“Fine. Come and get me.” Paul slammed the transceiver back onto its hook. It missed the catch and fell to the deck. Paul gunned the throttle back to full and enjoyed the sound the engine made as it drowned out Jefferson’s voice.
He shifted his feet and soon found the cable from the radio getting tangled around his ankles. He struggled to pull the receiver back up and place it on the cradle, but he couldn’t reach it while steering. He cut the engine again. Jefferson was still talking.
“ … consider the destruction, the loss of life if the bomb goes off in the U.S. Consider the families. Consider...”
Paul pressed the button, “the little children. The cats and dogs that your imaginary bomb wouldn’t kill.”
“It’s real, Paul.”
“Even if it was real. Baxter isn’t taking anything off of this island. He’s only bringing crap here. Check the ships.”
“We are checking the ships.”
“And you haven’t found anything. Right. Every ship comes here full and leaves here empty. Even the dredges.”
; There was silence on the other end of the radio. This time Paul did not enjoy it.
“You aren’t checking the dredges are you?”
The answer was slow. “No.”
“There’s one there right now... at the unfinished island. It’s dumping its dirt into the water. It’s not covering the island.”
“Bring me back my boat.”
Paul considered this. He had to turn back. They would need the Zodiac. He hung his head at the thought of his friend.
“This boat won’t help. The island is swarming with security. The men on the dredge are armed. You’re going to need the Coast Guard or the Navy. I’m sure you’ve got their number.”
He set the transceiver back in its cradle and brought the boat back to full speed. He wouldn’t be long. He was confident that he could rescue Steve and his girl and bring the boat back to Jefferson.
“Get to Master Key. Storm the island. Rescue Steve. Rescue the girl. And hope that Homeland Security can stop a nuclear attack on the United States. Simple. As long as I don’t run out of gas.”
# # #
Savage scratched at the dressing on his shoulder. It was a rush job, but he wanted to be the one to pull the trigger when Bennett turned down Baxter’s offer.
The radio on his belt burst with static, his communications officer’s voice followed.
“Chief?”
He had to reach across his belt with his left arm to get the radio. It was awkward but he was beginning to feel the full pain of the gunshot.
“This is Savage.”
“I intercepted a signal. The eco-ship crew is Homeland Security. They’re looking for Tybee... I think they know where it is.”
Savage cursed. He thought he’d considered everything this entire time. Homeland Security? How had they missed it? Sinking the ship wouldn’t be enough.
“Send everyone. I want them all dead and buried on 38. Stuff them in the bunker and cover the bitch up. If they make contact with anyone, it’s over and no one gets paid. Understand? Send everyone!”
“The loading crew?”
Tortugas Rising Page 17