Rob slowly brought the searchlight around and spotted a vessel closing fast on their boat.
“Who the hell is that?” Rob asked.
A cracking sound emanated from the distance as small plumes of water danced around the diving boat. It took Randall a moment to realize what was happening.
“They’re shooting at us!”
The cracking noise returned. Some of the bullets finding their mark, striking the hull of the boat.
“Shit! Nick, kill the running lights!” Rob turned off the spotlight and ran to Randall as Jamie joined them.
“What’s going on?” Jamie asked.
“I don’t know, but we have to try and lose them,” Rob answered.
“Where’s the nearest harbor?” Randall asked.
“Back where we came from, three hours that way,” Rob gestured with his thumb.
Rob banked the boat hard to port, making a straight line directly away from the pursuing speedboat.
“If they don’t have sonar, we might be able to get away,” Rob said.
“What if they do have sonar?” Randall asked.
“Then we’re out of luck.”
The dive boat jumped up and down in the waves, the increased speed causing it to bounce on the choppy seas. Randall strained to hear the pursuing ship over the sound of their own motor, which roared under full load. He could still make out the sound of the other boat, growing louder. It was gaining on the dive boat.
“What kind of ship did it look like?” Randall yelled over the sound of the motor.
“I dunno, but it’s definitely bigger than ours,” Rob replied.
The gunfire returned. Randall could hear small, mosquito-like sounds whip past his ears.
“Jamie, get down!” Randall yelled, pulling her to the deck of the ship.
“I’m sorry I got you into this, Nick!” Jamie cried.
“It’s not your fault! To be honest, these guys might be after me!”
“You? Why?”
“I had a run-in with a crazy guy in Peru. It’s a long story!”
“You’ll have to share it with me sometime!” Jamie managed a thin smile.
“They’re getting closer, Rob!”
“Jamie, take the wheel, I have an idea!” Rob said.
“Okay.” Jamie replied, popping next to Rob.
“Have you ever driven a boat before?”
“When I was younger, my dad took me out a few times.”
“Great, here’s the throttle. When I give you the sign, throttle down and then kill the engine. After that, head back to the searchlight and get ready to turn it on when I tell you.”
“What’s the sign?” Jamie asked.
“I’ll blink my flashlight twice from the back of the boat,” Rob replied.
“Right!”
More gunfire raked the air around them. Several rounds crashed into the deck, sending shards of wood and fiberglass everywhere.
“Nick, come with me!”
The two men raced across the deck and into the hold of the ship.
“What are we doing?” Randall asked.
“Grab a wet suit and get dressed!”
“This is no time to go diving!”
“We’re not diving, old buddy, but we’ll need the suits to keep buoyant in the water.”
Randall grabbed a suit, trying to dress by flashlight. The beam weaved up and down crazily as the boat bounced on the water.
“Okay, now grab two of those air tanks and follow me up to the deck.”
The two men scurried onto the deck, tanks in hand. Randall could see that Rob had also grabbed tanks and a heavy pipe wrench as well. Rob moved to the back of the boat and Randall followed closely. They set the tanks down near the rear ladder, which lead down to the small deck in the back of the boat. Rob turned and flashed his light twice to Jamie, who followed orders and killed the motor. The dive boat quickly came to a standstill.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Randall said.
“Trust me. When I get down the ladder, hand me the tanks one at a time.”
Rob turned and climbed down the ladder. Randall handed down the first tank, which Rob set on the diving deck directly above the water. Although he couldn’t see their pursuers, he could hear the engine getting louder. They were quickly closing in on them.
“Rob, I’m by the searchlight!” Jamie shouted.
“Great. There’s a big switch on the side, do you see it?”
“Yes!”
“Okay, when I tell you, flip the switch and point it right at the other boat. Nick, climb down here with me.”
Randall climbed down the ladder and stood next to Rob and the four air tanks. Rob was loosening the valves on each tank. The engine of the other boat was louder now and Randall could make out the image of the ship. They were no more than a hundred yards out.
“Better hurry, those guys are almost on top of us!”
“I’m counting on that,” Rob said as he lowered himself into the water. “Okay, I’m going to need you to come into the water with me. We’re going to lower one tank at a time into the ocean. You’ll need to hold it in place for me because it won’t float by itself. Keep the valve on the deck and hold it up.”
“What are we going to do with the tanks?”
“We’re going to give those boys in that other boat a big headache if I can help it,” Rob replied, raising the wrench above the valve of the first tank in the water.
The pursuing boat moved closer and slowed. Randall could hear voices on the deck and the sound of metal clicking. A light from the pursuing boat flashed on, bathing Randall and Rob in light.
“Now, Jamie!”
Jamie flicked the switch and the searchlight came to life. She carefully aimed the beam directly at the opposing boat. The intense beam struck the eyes of their pursuers, causing temporarily blindness. Randall could hear cursing from the men.
“Hold it steady, Nick!”
Rob brought the wrench down on the loose valve, sheering it off from the tank, which launched like a torpedo at their pursuers. It glanced off the side of their boat and careened off into the murky water.
“Next tank!”
Randall dragged a second tank into the water. He could see the men on the other boats regaining their sight and training their guns on them. Rob raised the wrench and struck a heavy blow on the valve just as a hail of gunfire splattered the water around them. The second tank raced across the water directly at the other boat, the escaping gas creating a rooster tail as it sped toward its target.
“Get another tank, Nick!”
The second tank narrowly missed the other boat, but Randall could see men looking down into the water as it passed.
“They’re trying to damage our hull!” a voice yelled from the other boat. More gunfire crackled in the night as bits of fiberglass splattered around the back of the boat. Jamie screamed.
“Are you okay?” Randall asked.
“I think so!”
The spotlight spun wildly in the night air. Jamie tried to regain her footing just as a large wave passed underneath the boat. She was temporarily lifted into the air and then unceremoniously slammed into the deck. Randall and Rob fared no better. The two remaining air tanks spilled into the inky water as the two men clung to the ladder on the rear deck.
“Crap, we lost the tanks!” Randall yelled.
Turning, he looked for Rob, but saw only crashing waves.
“Rob!”
Randall searched frantically, but Rob was nowhere to be found. He considered diving beneath the waves to search for him, but was pulled back to his own tenuous situation by angry voices shouting in the darkness.
“Get into the Zodiac and get them! Dumond wants Randall alive!”
“Jamie, are you alright!”
No response.
“Jamie, talk to me! Are you there?”
“I’m okay, Nick, but my head…”
Randall heard the high-pitched whine of a small motor growing louder. They were comin
g for him and would be there soon.
“Jamie, I need a light! Rob’s gone and I need to find him!”
There was only silence.
Randall scrambled onto the boat, hoisting his battered body from the water. The sound of the motor continued growing louder. They were closing in. Randall climbed the ladder and found Jamie curled up on the deck.
“Jamie!” Randall lifted her head gently from the wooden deck. He could faintly see a dark streak coming from her forehead. “Jesus, what am I going to do?”
Jamie stirred, groaning and lifting her hand to her injury.
“Nick! Where the hell are you?”
Startled, Randall turned toward the back of the boat.
“Rob, is that you!”
“Yeah, get your ass back here!”
Randall set Jamie back down gently. “Hang in there.”
He hustled back to the ladder and looked down into the water. Rob was clinging to the back step with one hand, holding a cylinder in the other. Randall raced down the ladder and grabbed the tank.
“Thought I lost you!”
“Come on, we got one more shot here.”
The searchlight streamed to life again. Jamie having regained her footing. She aimed it directly at their pursuers.
Randall steadied the tank and Rob raised the heavy wrench; the small Zodiac was a mere twenty yards away and bearing down on them. Rob dropped the wrench on the valve and the tank launched through the water, narrowly missing the small inflatable craft. The men in the Zodiac turned instinctively as the sound of rushing air and water streaked by their boat. Randall strained his eyes to see the water-borne missile surging through the darkness. It closed in on the larger ship and Randall heard a loud crashing sound followed by the sound of men’s voices shouting.
“They hit us! Get your asses back here!” a voice boomed through the darkness.
“Let’s get out of here!” Rob yelled, hauling himself out of the water and up the ladder. Randall followed close behind, glancing back to see the Zodiac returning to the larger vessel.
“Nick, help Jamie!”
Rob started the dive boat’s motor and slammed the throttle as far down as it would go. The boat surged forward.
Randall found Jamie hunched against the side of the boat, having turned off the searchlight. She was holding her head.
“You’re bleeding, I need to find the first aid kit.”
“I’m okay. But please stay with me.” Jamie grasped his hand.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
The boat raced through the darkness, bouncing up and down on the choppy ocean surface. Randall looked back over his shoulder, checking to see if they were being followed. After a short while, Rob killed the engine, stopping the boat. Randall listened for the sound of the other craft approaching. There was nothing. They were alone again. He looked up to see Rob jogging over to them as they sat against the side railing.
“I think we lost them. Jamie, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, thank you for asking.”
Rob knelt down. “You have a nasty cut on your head, we better get you back home.”
“Who were those men?” Jamie asked.
Randall and Rob shared a look.
Randall sighed. “By the sound of it, Dumond’s men. Looks like we have something else to contend with.”
Rob glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. I think we’d better get back home and figure out what we do next.”
Randall nodded. Rob walked back to the steering wheel, started the motor, and put the engine into drive. No one spoke on the way back to the dock.
Chapter Seventeen
They returned to the marina as the morning sun crested the horizon. Randall dragged his aching body up the front path, following Rob to his room while Jamie trailed at a short distance. Randall struggled to stay upright, longing to fall into bed and sleep. He pulled up next to Rob, who had stopped a few feet short of the door to fish his keys from his pocket. As Rob turned the tumbler of his door lock, Randall noticed that the front window was open.
“That’s funny, I thought that was closed when we left,” Randall said.
Rob pushed the door inward. As he did, the lights snapped on. The sudden brightness caused him to turn away in pain.
“What in the…”
“Where’s Nick Randall?” a male voice demanded.
“What’s going on here?” Randall said, pushing his way past Rob.
As he entered the room, he placed his body directly between his friend and the intruders. He made out the shapes of two figures standing in Rob’s room, but the light prevented him from seeing their faces.
“I don’t know who you are or what you want, but Dr. Hoffman has nothing to do with this,” Randall said.
“Dad?”
Still struggling to adjust to the brightness in the room, Randall squinted toward the figures. He finally recognized them.
“John? Sam? What are you doing here?”
“We could ask you the same thing,” John replied.
Randall sighed in relief.
“Rob, I think you remember Sam and John.”
“Sure, Sam and Johnny! How you kids been?” Rob reached out and shook hands with John then turned to hug Sam.
“We’ve been fine, Dr. Hoffman, thanks for asking. So, I see my dad dragged you into his little adventure,” John said, casting a sideways glance at his father.
“How did you kids find me?” Randall asked, hugging Sam and then John.
“I still have the password for your online credit card account. I checked recent transactions and found charges to a paid website for UFO research. So I logged into that site and found your search history. That led us here,” John said.
“How were you able to see my searches on that site?” Randall asked.
“You used the same user name and password for both accounts. By the way, you might want to think about changing those. I’m guessing they’re the same for your bank account.”
“Pretty impressive detective work,” Rob said.
“But how did you know to come here to Rob’s place?” Randall asked.
“How many other people in Bermuda do you know?”
“He’s got you there, Nick,” Rob said, elbowing his friend.
“Excuse me? What’s going on here and who are these people?” Jamie said, standing in the doorway.
Randall turned to face her. “Jamie, I want to introduce you to my son John and my daughter Samantha.”
Jamie walked over and met them.
“Now that I know how you found me, why did you come?” Randall asked.
John explained what had transpired as his father listened attentively. He described the man who had been sitting at his work desk and how he had narrowly escaped.
Randall shook his head. “I’m sorry I’ve pulled you into this mess. This has to be the work of Francis Dumond.”
“I’m not so sure, Dad. I think the men who came after me were military. Several times in the past year soldiers have visited our facility. It turns out they’ve been funding our research, and I think I know why.”
John produced the MK Ultra folder and handed it to his father.
“What’s this?” Randall asked.
“I took it from the guys who were trying to catch me yesterday. It explains why Jacob disappeared and why they’re after me … and possibly you.”
Randall walked over to a wooden chair, sat down, and began reading.
“Oh my God…” Randall whispered.
“Guess I’m the one who owes you an apology,” John said, looking down at his shoes.
Randall closed the folder. “I’m not sure our problems are related.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember when you were at my house and I called you?”
“Yeah.”
“I had just been assaulted by one of Dumond’s men.”
“How do you know he works for Dumond?”
“The guy who helped me escape told me.”<
br />
“What do you mean?” Sam asked.
“Without going into too many details, I was cornered by an armed gunman, and if this other fella hadn’t arrived when he did, I probably wouldn’t be standing here today,” Randall answered.
“John, the man asking about your research. You said he was tall and thin, with gray hair. Tell me a little more about him.” Jamie said.
John scratched his chin and thought for a moment. “He was tall, maybe six-two, had short gray hair, and chain-smoked like there was no tomorrow.”
“Did you catch his name?” Jamie asked.
“No. Why do you ask?”
“I think he’s been to my office.”
“Wait a minute. The same guy who tried to kidnap John also paid you a visit?” Randall asked.
“Yes. He claimed to be with an insurance company from the D.C. area that wanted information about reinsurance. Said his name was Mr. Shaw. He asked for me directly, but when we met, it was pretty clear he didn’t care about reinsurance.”
“What makes you say that?” John asked.
“He kept asking me about Bermuda and if any of the stories about weird things happening are true. To be honest, he creeped me out so I cut our meeting short and told our security detail that he wasn’t to come into our offices again.”
“Pretty coincidental,” John said.
“I’m beginning to think this isn’t really a coincidence at all,” Randall mused.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked.
“Right after I returned from Peru, I started having nightmares, except they weren’t nightmares. I was experiencing Jamie’s abductions. Then we find out that the military has been funding John and Jacob’s research and that this Shaw character tried to kidnap John after visiting Jamie.”
“So Jamie appears to be the common thread,” John said.
“Right, and with Jacob’s kidnapping and Jamie’s more frequent abductions, it sounds like something big is about to happen.”
“But what?” John asked.
“Good question. If we can answer that, we’ll probably know how the events are linked,” Randall answered.
“While we try to figure that out, we need to find a safe place to hide. If John was able to find you, Dad, then Dumond probably isn’t far behind. John and Jamie, the same goes for both of you,” Sam said.
The Bermuda Connection (A Nick Randall Novel Book 2) Page 9