She worked her way around the boat until she stood behind and below the guard. Looking carefully at the drop of his pants, she could see he was wearing shoes instead of boots. Perfect. She slashed the knife across the back of his legs. A clear, blood-curdling scream filled the air as the guard dropped to the ground grabbing his ankles. She pulled the automatic out of his reach, twisted it, and slammed the butt into his face, driving the bridge of his nose into his brain, killing him instantly.
She leveled the gun at the captain and put her finger over her lips, signaling him into silence. His single nod confirmed he understood.
“Slow the boat but don’t stop it.” He reached for the controls and did as she asked. “How many other guards are on the boat?” She spoke quietly, the gun trained on his forehead.
“Three, I think, and the man inside.” He matched her volume and did nothing that would raise alarm. She was pleased by his reaction but puzzled by it also.
“Hakim?” She ducked low so that she was hidden from the sight of the other guards should they choose to check.
“Yes.” He worked the speed down gradually so that no one would notice the decrease. “What speed you need?”
“If you can get us to five knots that’ll be good. But I can’t get us help if you’re over ten.”
“Understood.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“My son. He six year old. One guard have him tied in engine room. You save, please.”
Jesus, as if there wasn’t enough already. Oz closed her eyes. “You have my word. Get us to five knots and we’ll do everything we can for your boy.”
Another scream from inside split the air. “He kill them?”
She shook her head. “He needs information first. A boat is going to draw up alongside. They’ll attach a rope and disembark from their boat. They’ll drag themselves up by rope. You must try to keep our course steady and no more than ten knots.”
“Which side?”
“Port.” She pointed to the left side to ensure there was no confusion. “Do you have a flashlight?”
“Sorry?”
“A flashlight? Electric light. For signal.”
“Ah, yes.” He quickly pulled one from the captain’s cubby behind the wheel.
“Thank you.” She pointed the head straight into the air so the beam of light would be seen from a distance but not affect the lighting or shadows on the boat. She didn’t want to alert anyone to her presence. She tapped out the quick signal they had arranged earlier as yet another scream sliced through the starry night. Her heart bled for Finn having to watch Knight’s torture, but it was the only option. They would pick up the pieces later. Right now, they had to survive it.
She heard the faint sound of an approaching engine and positioned herself low on the upper level, knife at the ready. She couldn’t afford for anyone to draw attention to the approaching vessel, and three or more guards somewhere on the boat made her nervous. “They no expect trouble while moving. They go eat.”
“Thank you.” She relaxed her posture but not her vigilance. People were unpredictable; who knew when they might decide to take a walk onto the deck, maybe for a smoke, or too lazy to go to the head to relieve themselves. “What’s your name?”
“Zain.”
“Well, Zain, thank you for your help.” She saw the faint line of the RIB approaching, adjusting to match the speed as Ari pulled alongside. She could make out one of the boys reaching across the gunwale to secure the rope to the forward cleat. “Just keep it as slow as you can while they get on board. Then do whatever you need to do.” He nodded as she dropped to the lower level. Someone was crying inside the main salon, and voices were raised, but she couldn’t make out the individual words. Part of her was glad for that. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep a clear head if she knew what that bastard was saying to Finn.
She kept her back to the forward deck as Junior and AJ cleared the rail, so she could watch for any guards. She took the waterproofed gun Junior held out to her. She pulled the condom off the silencer and barrel, then tossed it over the side and checked it. AJ sniggered.
“What?” Oz asked.
“The look on your face when you took that off. It’s not infectious, you know?”
“How can you be sure?”
“Enough chitchat, boys and girls. We’ve got work to do.” Junior helped Ari onboard and they tied the tender on a long line so that it wouldn’t bump the side and attract attention. Pulling it back in at speed would be a bitch, but doable. “What’s the situation?”
Oz quickly filled them in and they agreed to approach the staff quarters to clear the guards before they tackled the salon. With Hakim on their side it would be easy to take care of the situation without the worry of armed guards walking in. AJ agreed to stay with the captain—partly as protection and partly as insurance. He’d played along so far and given Oz no reason not to trust him, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Too much was at stake.
Junior led the way and approached cautiously but quickly, and within seconds, they were outside the door to the staff dining area. Two guards were playing cards and laughing. Junior slammed open the door and he and Oz shot at the same moment, each nailing their targets between the eyes before they even reached for their weapons. Ari watched their backs, then followed Junior’s lead down the short corridor that led to a set of stairs. A pain-filled shriek came from the salon, and she cringed. She dreaded to think what condition Knight would be in by now. Junior looked at her, the question in his eyes. She knew him well enough to know what he was asking. She held up six fingers to let him know how many screams she’d heard, and thereby how many joints had been shattered.
Junior’s jaw clenched, but he signaled for them to move forward. Their plan was a good one, solid, and would give them the best chance of saving Finn and Knight. They had to stick with it.
The engine room was a mass of cables, pipes, and noise. It was also cramped and easy to take refuge behind large sections of bullet protecting metal work. Ari ran distraction, sprinting across the small space and ducking behind a huge generator. A man jumped out of his chair and leveled his automatic rifle in Ari’s direction. Junior took the shot from halfway down the stairs. Blood and brain matter splattered across the white bulkhead, and a young boy tied up on the floor cried out. Oz quickly quieted him and carried him as they made their way out of the bowels of the boat. His father cried when he saw him and thanked them over and over as he untied his son. They readied themselves for the next part of the plan and Junior gave him a piece of paper.
“Go to these coordinates. Fast as you can.” He turned to Oz. “Is that all of them?”
“Zain said he thought there were three onboard. I saw Hakim and the two from the mess when I came on earlier. I didn’t see the guy from the engine room though.” She shrugged. “No way to know for sure if there are more without doing a full sweep.”
Junior frowned. “I don’t like not knowing.”
“I know it’s not exactly a huge ship, but doing a thorough search will take more time than Knight has. If it’ll make you feel better we can take AJ with the rest of us to take down Mehalik.”
“The big guy in there is already on our side. It’s four against one even if AJ stays up here,” Ari said, his confidence in their ability to control one man evident in his cocky smile. “Don’t like those odds, Captain America?” His goading worked, and less than a minute later, the three of them were positioned on either side of the sliding doors to the salon, AJ still with the captain and his boy.
Oz had a clear shot. She could have pulled the trigger and torn a hole in the back of Mehalik’s head. The world would thank her for it, as long as the vials of Balor were in the case. But if they weren’t, he may very well be the only person who knew where they were. They needed him alive at this point. She considered a shot anywhere else on his body, but she couldn’t take the risk. The way his body was positioned meant the bullet could pass through him and hit Finn. They had no choice b
ut to go in.
She watched Hakim ripping the shirt sleeve off Stephen’s right arm, his hands a bloody, pulpy mess. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Now was not the time for emotion. She used the same trick she’d used in the Navy to partition her mind and focused solely on the task at hand. Finn’s life was at stake. She’d deal with everything she was feeling later. Hakim positioned his hammer over Stephen’s elbow, and Junior slid the door open in time with the blow and resultant scream, hoping to disguise the sound. It didn’t work.
Mehalik grabbed Finn and jerked her tight against his chest, one arm around her throat, and she gasped for air. Stephen’s agonized moans echoed through the salon as they stared at each other.
“Oz.” Finn’s eyes were huge and tears rolled down her cheeks even as she grabbed at Mehalik’s arm in a vain attempt to free herself.
Shock was evident on Mehalik’s face, but it was fast being replaced with rage. His cheeks reddened and his hands shook and spittle gathered at the corners of his mouth as he screamed, “Get back or I’ll kill her.”
Hakim trained his gun at Stephen’s head. The only reason Oz could think of for doing so was to maintain his cover. But she couldn’t understand why he’d want to do that now.
“He’s got Balor. He’s going to release it soon.”
Finn’s choked words penetrated her brain. Holy fuck. She leveled her gun at his head and cursed as he ducked behind Finn. Shit. “Let her go and we can talk about this.”
“There is nothing to talk about. You can kill me, but it is already too late.” Mehalik laughed, an eerie sound in the scene of blood and violence. He wrapped his arm tighter around Finn’s waist. “And if she’s telling the truth and there is no vaccine, then you’ll all die anyway.”
“What do you mean, too late?” Ari said.
“It is already done.”
“No!” Finn cried, but the sound was drowned out by the rapid-fire of an automatic rifle shattering the glass of the salon. Everything seemed to happen at once. Junior spun and took a diving shot. One, two, three rounds, and the gunman on the aft deck tumbled overboard. Ari hit the deck to port side and fired. Rounds hit the upholstery behind Mehalik’s head as he and Finn tumbled behind the table, his grip on Finn vice-like.
Knight threw his head back into Hakim’s stomach, his chair tumbled to the ground, and Oz flung herself in Finn’s direction. Ari was still firing blind, and the deep grunt and solid sound of a large body hitting the ground made her look in Hakim’s direction. The big man was on the floor holding his chest and a bright red bloodstain expanded on his shirt.
Finn screamed from under the fixed table, but the sound was less gurgled than before, as though she had more air now. Oz crawled across the floor, shards of broken glass biting into the flesh of her hands.
“Finn?”
“Oz, get him off me. Please. I can’t move and he’s bleeding all over me.”
Oz let out a sigh of relief and reached into the awkward space to drag Mehalik’s body off Finn. Hopefully, he was wounded and not dead. She put her fingers to his neck, searching for a pulse as Finn dragged herself out of the cramped space. Finn locked eyes with her and she shook her head. Fuck.
Finn flipped open the lid of the case, and Oz knew she still carried the hope that Mehalik had lied to them, that he hadn’t already released the toxin.
“Empty,” she whispered. “Goddamn it.”
Junior slammed Ari against the wall. “You fucking idiot. Do you know what you’ve done? If we can’t find out where the release will happen we can’t stop it.” He pointed to Mehalik’s body. “He was our best chance to find out where this thing is going down.”
“It was a gun fight. People die. Relax, Captain America.” He pointed to Finn. “The vaccine has already been deployed.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t work as quickly as the toxin does, and it won’t spread fast enough to stop this. You stupid, arrogant prick.”
Ari shrugged. “We did all we could. We are human, not perfect.”
Oz couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t believe that she’d brought Ari onboard with this mission, and he was displaying such a blasé attitude to this colossal fuckup. “Do you realize that this means people are going to die?”
“People have already died tonight, and people will die all over the world. That isn’t something I can stop.”
“These deaths we could have stopped, Ari. What if it’s your mother, your wife, sister, father, brother, or son who dies because of this? Will you still think this was the right decision?”
“My family is safe at home in Tel Aviv. They aren’t in danger.”
“And what do you think a likely Hamas target would be? Hmm? He took this shit on Israeli soil. He ordered its dispersal while he was in Eilat. Do you really think he isn’t going to target Israel?”
Ari’s face paled and his eyes widened, and suddenly, he seemed far less nonchalant.
“Exactly.”
Finn knelt beside Knight and Hakim. “You okay?”
“I’ll live.” Stephen’s voice was little more than a croak, his eyes were glazed, and he was on the verge of losing consciousness. He was obviously in shock.
She looked at Hakim. It was obvious that he wouldn’t make it. He’d lost too much blood, and when she checked his pulse it confirmed her thoughts. A bloody gurgle startled her. He opened his eyes and lifted his hand, pointing to the wall on the port side of the salon. His mouth opened revealing bloodstained teeth, and each strangled breath made it bubble between his lips. “F-f-four. Three. N-n-n…”
“Four, three, what? What do you mean?” She looked in the direction he was pointing.
“S-s-saf…” He couldn’t keep enough breath coming out of his lungs to sustain the words, but Finn understood.
“Oz, the bulkhead over there. There’s a safe. Combination four, three, something. Right?”
Hakim nodded. “N-n-ni…”
“Nine?”
“F-fo…” He lost consciousness.
“Four.” She tried to shake him awake.
“Combination Four, three, nine, four.” Oz called as she tapped the buttons and the door released. “Nice work, Finn. How’s he doing?”
Finn shook her head as the death rattle sounded in his chest and he stopped breathing. She turned away and started shredding any cloth she could find before she wrapped Stephen’s elbow where the ulna had broken the skin at his devastated joint.
Oz dumped the contents of the safe on the table and searched through them, quickly reading and discarding page after page of Arabic. “Here,” she told Ari. “You look. My Arabic isn’t up to this. Make yourself useful.”
In seconds, he held up a short page that looked as though it had come from hotel stationary. “It gives four locations across Israel.”
“One for each vial,” Finn whispered.
“How long do we have?”
Ari shook his head. “We’re too late. He set the times to coincide with sunset.”
“No wonder he wanted the vaccine. He’d already set it in motion,” Junior said.
“What are those targets?” Finn asked.
“Water treatment plants.”
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
“Then it will take a little time for the contamination to spread.” She turned to Oz. “We need to shut them down.”
“As soon as we get on the Whirlwind, I’ll get Charlie on it. How long are we talking? It’s been two hours since sunset.”
“I don’t know. It depends on their treatment plants, consumption rates, the process they use…There are so many variables I can’t give you an accurate time scale.”
“Then we need to figure out another plan.” Oz pulled Finn into her arms.
“I’m really glad you’re okay, by the way. I was so scared, I thought I’d lost you.” Finn took a precious moment to draw strength from Oz’s embrace.
Oz chuckled. “Me too.”
“What happened?”
<
br /> “Hakim gave me a little heads up and decided not to toss me overboard.” The boat dropped speed dramatically, and they drew up alongside the Whirlwind. “Time to save the rest of the world.”
Chapter Forty-three
Within minutes of boarding the Whirlwind, everyone had been fully briefed and Charlie was on the phone, shouting. Ari and Oz were locating first aid supplies to help Finn patch up Stephen Knight while AJ searched for more supplies. Junior hunched over the computer, hooked up a flash drive, and started hammering away on the keyboard, Billy watching over his shoulder. Everyone was focused on the task at hand, all trying to ignore the very real possibility that all their hard work had been for nothing.
Stephen looked at her as she wrapped a clean bandage around his mangled hand. “This wasn’t your fault.”
She glanced at his face, then quickly away. His skin looked gray, waxy, and beads of sweat covered his upper lip and forehead. She kept bandaging him, but felt too sick at his wounds to answer.
“It wasn’t. I should have known Whittaker was dirty. I knew someone on this mission was.” He chuckled slightly. “I thought it was you.”
“How could you have known? And why did you think it was me?”
“When your guys all started taking over, I was told by my superiors to back off and let you do this your way. I didn’t like that, and it hasn’t happened to me before. I didn’t know what to make of that and it made me suspicious. Then you started keeping things from me, like moving to a different lab and keeping your travel plans from me. It all convinced me I couldn’t trust you. I knew someone was feeding Mehalik information. He knew too much, and your suspicious behavior made you seem like the most likely candidate.” He shrugged, then groaned at the pain it caused. “You confused me. In one breath you seemed completely genuine when you said you didn’t want this thing out there, but then you seemed unwilling to help me prevent it.”
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