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grasp!in!a!heap!on!the!deck.!!
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“What! the! hell?”! Drucker’s! eyebrows! arched.! He! lowered!
his! gun.! “Are! you! nuts,! Taylor?! What! the! fuck! did! you! shoot!
him!for?”!
!
Taylor! didn’t! answer.! He! moved! the! gun! a! few! inches! to!
the! left! and! fired! two! more! shots,! their! sound! dampened! to!
hollow! snaps! by! the! suppressor! screwed! to! the! barrel.! Both!
rounds!hit!Drucker!in!the!chest.!He!staggered!back!through!the!
doorway,! lost! his! balance! and! flipped! over! the! rail,!
disappearing.!A!muted!splash!followed!a!half6second!later.!By!
the!time!I!looked!at!Taylor!again,!the!long!barrel!of!the!silenced!
pistol!pointed!at!me.!
!
“Your!gun,”!he!said.!“Two!fingers,!very!slowly.”!
!
Confused! for! a! moment,! I! realized! Charlie’s! gun! was! still!
stuck! in! my! waistband.! With! one! arm! in! the! air,! I! gingerly!
pulled! it! out! laid! it! on! the! floor! and! shoved! it! with! a! toe.! He!
stooped!to!pick!it!up!without!taking!his!eyes!off!me.!
!
“Where’s!Chase?”!he!said.!
!
Inclining!my!head,!I!said,!“Down!there.!She’s!dead.!Christ,!
Baines!blew!her!brains!out!”!!
!
With! an! expression! of! distaste,! Taylor! backed! up! a! few!
paces! and! quickly! glanced! down! the! gangway! into! the! dark!
cabin.!He!grunted!and!moved!next!to!Wink,!gun!held!level!with!
my!navel.!Quickly!glancing!behind!Wink’s!back,!he!returned!his!
gaze! to! me! and! kept! it! there,! while! fiddling! with! something!
behind!Wink!with!one!hand.!!
!
He!stepped!away!and!told!Wink,!“Be!a!good!boy.!Hop!over!
there!and!have!a!seat.”!!
!
Taylor! waggled! the! gun! at! the! banquette.! Wink! nodded.!
Ankles! and! hands! still! taped,! he! hopped! the! few! feet! to! the!
dinette!table,!lost!his!balance!and!tumbled!onto!the!banquette.!
Now!Taylor!had!us!both!in!front!of!him,!sitting!ducks.!
!
“I!don’t!get!it,”!I!said.!Simple!logic!was!beyond!my!capacity!
by!then.!
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!He!scowled!at!me,!then!turned!his!attention!to!something!
on! the! floor! under! the! table.! He! bent! and! retrieved! a! small,!
dog6eared! spiral6bound! notebook! with! a! faded! blue! cover.! It!
must!have!fallen!off!the!table!during!my!scuffle!with!Baines.!I!
hadn’t!noticed!it.!Taylor!held!it!up!so!Wink!could!see!it.!Wink!
squirmed!into!a!sitting!position.!
!
“This!it?”!Taylor!said.!!
!
I!got!my!mouth!to!work.!“That’s!what!you’re!after?”!!
!
Taylor!ignored!me.!“You!looked!at!it?”!he!asked!Wink.!
!
Wink!nodded.!!
!
“Think!the!Korean!was!onto!something?”!
!
Wink!hesitated!this!time,!eyes!flicking!my!direction!before!
he!shrugged.!
!
Taylor! nodded.! “Right.! How! the! fuck! would! you! know,!
anyway?!You’re!such!a!genius!you!spent!twenty!years!in!stir.”!!
!
“What!good!is!it!to!you?”!I!said.!
!
He! looked! at! me! with! the! pitying! expression! of! someone!
who!considered!the!question!moronic!and!sighed.!“Okay,!here’s!
what! we! do.! You’re! going! to! untie! the! bow! and! stern! lines!
while!I!start!this!baby!up.!Call!for!help,!try!to!run,!I’ll!kill!your!
friend.!You’ve!got!thirty!seconds.!Go.! Go! ”!
!
I! ducked! out! the! companionway! and! leaped! over! the! rail!
onto!the!deck,!brain!working!furiously.!I!saw!no!options!other!
than!doing!exactly!what!Taylor!said.!I!untied!the!stern!line!and!
tossed!it!on!the!deck.!The!big!engines!below!decks!rumbled!to!
life,! a! cloud! of! smoke! and! throaty! growl! coming! from! the!
exhaust!pipes!at!the!stern.!I!sprinted!to!the!bow!and!took!the!
line!off!the!cleat!on!the!dock.!Grabbing!the!rail,!I!put!one!foot!
on!the!bow!and!shoved!off!with!the!other,!pulling!myself!onto!
the! boat! at! the! last! second.! I! dropped! the! line! on! the! deck!
without!bothering!to!coil!it!and!hustled!back!to!the!cabin.!!
!
Taylor! had! unsnapped! the! blackout! cloths! from! the!
windscreens.! When! I! stepped! through! the! companionway,! he!
backed!away!from!the!helm!and!motioned!to!it!with!the!gun.!
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“Step!lively,!matey,”!he!said.!He!didn’t!smile.!
!
I!took!the!helm!and!steered!out!into!the!big!cove,!swinging!
the!boat!around!in!a!wide!arc!to!face!east.!The!early!morning!
sky!lit!up!the!water!and!landscape!in!depressed!shades!of!gray,!
as!if!the!storm!had!washed!out!all!the!color.!
!
“Where!am!I!going?”!I!said.!
!
“I’ll!tell!you!as!we!go,”!he!said.!“Right!now,!you’re!fine.”!
!
Thoughts!caromed!off!bumpers!labeled!“Reyna,”!“Baines,”!
“Cole,”! “Molly,”! “Keely”! and! a! dozen! other! faces.! They! zipped!
through! spinners! and! shot! up! ramps! and! through! gates,!
whizzing! pinballs! that! rang! bells! and! buzzers! and! tripped!
flashing! lights.! Guns,* and* bad* guys,* and* boats,* oh,* my! ! The!
numbers!on!the!scoreboard!were!going!backward,!heading!for!
negative!territory.!!
!
“It’s!about!money,!isn’t!it?”!I!said.!I!talked!to!fill!the!air!in!
the! cabin! with! something! other! than! tension! and! dread.! I!
talked! to! keep! my! mind! on! something! other! than! thoughts! of!
what!lay!in!store!for!us.!“You’ve!got!a!buyer.!Chinese!military,!if!
Reyna!was!right.!You’re!selling!out.!Betraying!your!country.!Ah,!
what! the! hell,! I! guess! it! doesn’t! make! any! difference.! We!
already!owe!the!Chinese!so!much!money!they’ll!eventually!take!
over! the! country! anyway,! right?”! I! shook! my! head.! “I! can’t!
believe! you’d! kill! your! own! partner! for! this.! You! don’t! even!
know!if!it’s!worth!it.”!!
!
Taylor! reddened,! and! a! vein! in! his! temple! pulsed,! but! he!
said!nothing.!!
!
“So,!that’s!it.!Now,!what?!We!get!far!enough!out,!you!shoot!
us!and!dump!us!overboard?”!
!
Movement! reflected! in! the! glass! windscreen! caught! my!
eye.!Behind!Taylor,!Wink!scooted!his!butt!closer!to!the!edge!of!
the!banquette.!I!needed!to!keep!Taylor!distracted.!
!
“How’d! you! and! Drucker! find! us,! anyway?”! I! glanced! at!
him!over!my!shoulder.!
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He! lifted! a! shoulder.! “You! didn’t! follow! us! right! away.! I!
knew! Chase! had! to! be! pissed.! When! I! didn’t! see! your!
headlights,!I!knew!something!was!wrong.!Didn’t!even!get!to!the!
back,!running!without!lights,!when!you!got!to!town.!It!was!easy!
enough!to!find!you!after!that.”!
!
Wink’s!reflection!launched!itself!at!Taylor’s!back.!With!his!
hands!and!ankles!bound,!Wink!had!only!one!shot,!and!he!took!
it! with! a! bloodcurdling! yell.! Taylor! was! quick,! but! the! split!
second!it!took!for!him!to!turn!and!react!gave!me!enough!time!
to!whirl!around!in!the!small!space.!As!Wink’s!weight!knocked!
Taylor!forward,!I!clubbed!his!gun!arm!with!the!heel!of!my!fist,!
knocking!it!aside!before!he!fired.!!
!
Taylor! twisted! at! the! waist,! shrugging! Wink! off! his! back!
onto! the! floor,! and! stepped! back.! I! widened! my! stance,!
crouching! under! the! low! ceiling,! and! balanced! on! the! balls! of!
my!feet!as!the!boat!gently!rocked!in!the!swells.!Taylor!raised!
the!gun!again,!but!hadn’t!taken!my!reach!into!account.!Longer!
than!Sonny!Liston’s,!it!was!a!distinct!advantage!in!the!confines!
of!the!cabin.!I!knocked!his!gun!arm!away!with!a!forearm!block!
and!landed!an!open6handed!blow!to!his!face,!fingers!leaving!a!
white!imprint!on!his!cheek.!
!
The! muscles! in! his! neck! tensed! and! bulged,! and! his! red!
face! darkened! a! shade! or! two.! He! danced! back! out! of! reach,!
avoiding!Baines’!body!on!the!floor,!and!shook!his!head.!
!
“You! should! have! fucking! listened,! asshole,”! he! said.! He!
raised!the!gun!again,!but!pointed!it!down!and!to!the!side.!“First,!
Langford.!Then!you.”!
!
His! finger! whitened! on! the! trigger.! A! dozen! voices!
screamed!inside!my!head,!all!giving!me!different!directions!at!
the!same!time,!the!cacophony!and!confusion!rooting!me!to!the!
spot.!!
!
Blake*Sanders!*PAY*ATTENTION! !
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I!strained!with!mental!effort,!throwing!off!the!momentary!
panic!like!ripping!off!a!straightjacket!at!the!seams,!and!charged!
him.!His!gun!hand!moved,!tracking!in!slow!motion!up!toward!
the! threat! I! posed.! Before! I! could! reach! him,! two! explosions!
ripped! the! air,! and! Taylor! froze.! I! crashed! into! him! and! we!
went! down! together,! sliding! across! the! deck! and! down! the!
gangway! into! the! master! stateroom.! My! head! slammed! into!
something!hard,!and!an!aerial!fireworks!shell!burst!inside!my!
head.!!
!
The! crackling! stars! slowly! faded! away.! Through! the!
ringing!in!my!ears!I!heard!a!faint!voice!call!my!name.!I!pulled!
myself! onto! my! knees.! Taylor! lay! next! to! me,! sightless! eyes!
staring!at!the!cabin!ceiling,!a!large!jagged!red!hole!over!his!left!
eyebrow! leaking! blood! and! gray! matter,! shiny! bits! of! white!
bone!poking!through!the!torn!flesh.!I!clamped!my!jaw!shut!and!
turned!away,!swallowing!the!gorge!rising!in!my!throat.!!
!
Tiredly,!I!dragged!myself!up!the!gangway!into!the!saloon.!
Reyna!lay!face!down!on!the!cabin!floor,!feet!still!on!the!bottom!
tread!of!the!ladder!up!from!the!forward!stateroom,!gun!in!her!
outstretched!hand.!Thank!god!Taylor!hadn’t!checked!her!more!
closely.!Wink!bucked!and!rolled!on!the!other!side!of!the!saloon,!
trying!to!get!to!her.!I!rushed!to!her!side.!!
!
“Reyna?”!
!
She! lifted! her! head! and! opened! her! eyes! blearily,! slowly!
focusing!on!my!face.!
!
“This!really!hurts,”!she!said.!!
!
She!closed!her!eyes!and!her!head!thudded!onto!her!arm.!
!
Her! left! side! was! covered! in! blood.! I! pushed! and! pawed!
and! prodded,! looking! for! the! entry! wound.! Suddenly,! I! heard!
grunts!and!whimpers.!I!turned.!The!grunts!were!coming!from!
Wink.! He! jerked! his! head,! motioning! me! over! to! him.! The!
whimpers,!I!realized,!were!coming!from!me.!
!
“She’s!hurt,!Wink.”!
!
He!nodded!vigorously,!grunting!louder.!
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!
I!scooted!over!to!him,!grasped!one!end!of!the!strip!of!tape!
over! his! mouth! and! yanked.! He! flinched,! but! didn’t! make! a!
sound.!
!
“Galley.”!He!nodded!to!the!side.!“Knife!in!the!top!drawer.”!
!
I!rose!up!on!my!knees,!found!the!knife!and!sawed!through!
the!tape!around!his!ankles.!He!sat!up!and!turned!so!I!could!free!
his! hands.! He! brought! them! around! in! front! of! his! chest! and!
rubbed!his!wrists!to!get!the!circulation!going.!I!got!to!my!feet!
and! saw! mile6distant! shoreline! scrolling! past! the! windows.!
Startled!we!were!still!underway,!it!took!me!a!few!moments!to!
figure! out! how! to! throttle! down,! shift! into! neutral! and! shut!
down!the!engine.!The!boat!settled!and!drifted,!the!silence!oddly!
discomfiting.!
!
Wink!kneeled!next!to!Reyna.!!
!
“Left! arm’s! a! mess,”! he! said,! “but! she! doesn’t! seem! hurt!
otherwise.! She’s! lost! a! lot! of! blood.! I’ll! get! a! tourniquet! on! it,!
but!we!need!to!get!her!back!to!shore!pretty!quick.!Think!you!
can!pilot!while!I!take!care!of!this?”!
!
I! nodded.! Turning! back! to! the! helm,! I! reversed! what! I’d!
just! done,! turning! over! the! big! twin! diesel! engines,! moving!
both! shift! levers! into! forward! and! slowly! easing! the! throttles!
up.!I!spun!the!wheel!and!turned!the!boat!around!until!the!bow!
pointed!toward!Coupeville,!then!I!opened!up!the!throttles!even!
more.! The! only! sound! in! the! next! five! minutes! was! the! loud!
drone! of! the! engines.! Wink! finished! what! he! could! for! Reyna!
and!got!up.!He!stood!next!to!me!and!stared!out!the!windscreen.!
!
For! a! brief! moment,! I! saw! a! glimpse! of! the! two! of! us! as!
we’d! once! been! in! the! summers! aboard! his! boat! in! Centralia.!
We!were!both!a!hell!of!a!long!way!from!that!place.!
!
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!
Chapter&56&
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!
The! shoreline! sparkled! with! the! pulsing! lights! of!
emergency!vehicles!parked!on!the!quay!above!the!pier.!A!small!
crowd!of!early!risers!had!gathered!at!the!foot!of!the!long!wharf!
just! below! them,! gazing! curiously! out! at! the! dock! as! Wink!
adroitly!maneuvered!the!trawler!into!its!former!slot.!I!jumped!
down! to! the! dock! and! made! the! boat! fast.! A! small! knot! of!
people! milled! on! the! dock,! watching! me,! not! offering! to! help,!
possibly! dissuaded! by! the! presence! of! two! sheriff’s! deputies!
standing!with!casual!attentiveness,!hands!on!holsters.!!
!
“Sanders!”!
!
I! turned.! Two! medics! bent! over! a! seated! figure! huddled!
under!a!blanket.!The!man!struggled!to!get!up
,!the!medics!trying!
to!restrain!him.!He!pushed!away!the!hand!on!his!shoulder!and!
rose!to!his!feet.!In!obvious!pain,!he!drew!closer,!the!question!in!
his!eyes!outweighing!it.!!
!
“Taylor?”!His!eyebrows!arched.!
!
“Dead,”!I!said.!!
!
The!deputies!stiffened!to!attention!like!Dobermans!behind!
a!chain!link!fence.!I!tipped!my!head!toward!one.!
!
“You! in! charge! here?”! I! said! to! Drucker,! my! voice! low!
enough!not!to!be!overheard.!
!
He!squared!his!shoulders.!“I’ll!take!responsibility.”!
!
“You!okay?!How’d!you…?”!
!
He! shrugged! and! winced! from! the! pain! the! movement!
caused.!“Kevlar!vest!saved!me.!Don’t!think!Taylor!knew!I!was!
wearing! it.! Asshole! never! did! like! following! procedure.!
Neighboring!boater!heard!all!the!commotion!and!fished!me!out!
of!the!water.”!
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!
I! nodded! and! looked! past! him.! Waving! at! the! medics,! I!
called!them!over.!
!
“There’s! a! badly! wounded! naval! officer! on! board,”! I! told!
them.!“Unless!you!think!this!guy’s!gonna!die!any!second,!she’s!
your!priority.”!
!
One! of! them! hustled! back! to! grab! a! medical! kit! and! they!
both!climbed!aboard.!Wink!came!out!of!the!cabin!and!let!them!
pass,!then!joined!us!on!the!dock.!Drucker!nodded!at!him.!
!
“I!owe!you,!Langford.!More!than!just!an!apology.”!
!
For! a! moment! Wink! looked! as! if! he! might! deck! him.! He!
gave!a!weary!shrug.!
!
“Forgive!and!forget,”!he!said!simply.!
!
Drucker!shook!his!head,!unwilling!to!let!it!go.!“Officially,!I!
can’t!advise!you.!But!there!are!groups!that!will!help!you!get!a!
substantial!settlement!from!Uncle!Sam!for!what’s!been!done!to!
you.”!
!
“I’ve!got!enough!money,!special!agent.”!
!
“Maybe!a!measure!of!moral!restitution,!then.!Give!you!your!
good!name!back?”!
!
“Maybe.”!
!
Drucker! considered! him! for! a! moment,! then! turned! and!
walked!up!to!one!of!the!deputies.!I!watched!them!confer.!!
!
“What!now?”!I!said.!
!
Wink! stepped! up! next! to! me,! gaze! facing! the! same!
direction!as!mine.!“Don’t!know!yet.!Big!world!out!there.”!
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