by Tim Stevens
And, after a discreet delay, he’d taken off after them.
Now, he saw the scene ahead. The two rowboats approaching one another, like beetles crawling across the twig of the horizon. A sudden flash, followed by the delayed report of a gunshot across the water. Splashing, churning of water, and then one of the boats turning and heading back where it had come from, while the other drifted aimlessly.
The boat that was returning to its parent was Venn’s.
Purkiss gunned the motor. He saw the steady, slightly jerky motion of the rowboat as it headed back.
Saw the larger boat on the other side, turning in pursuit, and saw the flashes of gunfire from the deck.
It sounded like handgun fire, so there wasn’t a lot of risk that Venn would be hit. But the larger boat was gaining ground.
From the conversation Purkiss had heard in the bugged station wagon, there was nobody aboard the Sea Stealer except Estrada and the boat’s skipper.
Which meant there’d be a serious mismatch between guns.
Purkiss made a decision.
He was hunting O’Reilly. And O’Reilly was out there, somewhere. Maybe at sea. Maybe on land, watching, behind the scenes.
But right now, this situation needed resolving. Venn, and the boy he appeared to have with him on the rowboat, needed help.
Purkiss opened the throttle to the full.
Chapter 36
Venn felt the ache in his shoulders, in his back and upper arms, as he hauled on the oars.
The kid was prone on the floor of the rowboat, his eyes closed.
The Sea Stealer loomed closer and closer. Venn though he saw Estrada’s silhouette through the window of the cabin.
The gunfire had been popping behind Venn since almost as soon as he’d turned the rowboat around. He heard the shots singing though the night around him, but they were lost in the rumble of the sea.
Sooner or later, though, the boat was going to catch up, and the shots would become a major threat.
Venn heard the buzzing of a motor to his left, and at first though it was more gunfire.
He looked, saw the speedboat heading toward him, as if it was going to ram him.
It swung alongside, pulling up next to the rowboat.
Venn stared at the man behind the wheel.
It was Harris. The guy from the night before. The guy whom Beth had encountered just hours before.
Harris shouted - and yes, his accent was British - “Get on board.”
Venn didn’t think twice.
He grabbed the boy under his arms and hauled him up off the floor of the rowboat and pushed him into Harris’s arms. Then Venn clambered aboard the speedboat himself and it took off, arrowing through the water, heading across the final distance toward the Sea Stealer.
*
Venn took out his phone and speed-dialed Estrada and shouted, above the noise of the motor: “This Harris guy has just picked us up, in case you’re wondering who it is in the speedboat.”
Estrada yelled back, “I’ve called the coastguard, and the Miami PD. This is enough. We have the boy. So we have Brull. The Department can take over now.”
Venn looked toward the coastline. He thought he saw flashing lights, heard the sound of sirens.
“But Brull’s gonna make a run for it,” he said. “He’ll hear about all of this, and he’ll cut loose.”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Estrada. “He’s finished. He’ll have a child-kidnapping charge hanging over him. There’s no way he’ll be able to continue in this town any longer.”
Venn looked back, saw that the ship from which the other rowboat had been launched was hanging back a little. The gunfire had ceased.
He turned to Harris, who was easing the speedboat in alongside the Sea Stealer. “Thanks.”
Harris said nothing.
“So you’re after O’Reilly,” said Venn. “What’s the deal with him and my guy? Brull?”
Harris said, “Smuggling.” He tipped his head at the boy between them.
Venn took a second to understand.
“What? Smuggling kids?”
Harris killed the engine. The steps running down the side of the boat were adjacent, and Estrada had appeared and was reaching down, beckoning for them to pass up the boy.
“Yes,” Harris said. “People trafficking. I suspect your man ships them in from Cuba, where they’re seeking asylum from. Then hoards them, out at sea, in some vessel. Probably where they were keeping this boy. O’Reilly is shipping them to markets across the world. Asia, Europe.”
“Kids?” said Venn again.
“Probably,” said Harris. “Women, too, most likely. But children command the greatest price.” He waved Venn off the speedboat. “Good luck catching Brull. I’ll be after O’Reilly.”
And he turned the speedboat round and disappeared into the night.
Chapter 37
Brull saw the activity on the horizon. The two big boats, close together, Elon’s and the Sea Stealer. The two drifting rowboats in between them.
And he saw the flashing lights, the massing law enforcement vessels, beyond.
He thought: what to do?
Either he turned tail now, and crept away, and ran the risk that the cops might catch up, while running the certain risk that he’d forever regard himself as a coward, because he allowed a man like Joseph Venn to get away.
Or, he brazened it out, and went hell-for-leather for the Sea Stealer, and stormed it, and killed Venn and whoever else was on board. The cops were even more likely to take him down, but at least he’d die a proud man. An avenged man.
He was the Gamma Blade, and he would die as such.
Brull made up his mind.
As the Sea Stealer loomed larger, Brull reached for a bullhorn and called out: “Joseph Venn. This is Ernesto Justice Brull. If you have any balls, come out on deck.”
After a moment, his phone rang. He picked it up.
It was Venn. “It’s over, Brull. Your whole operation is closing down.”
“Not yet,” said Brull. “We have unfinished business, you and I.”
“We certainly do,” Venn said.
Brull peered at the Sea Stealer. He could see movement beyond the tinted windows of the cabin.
“Like I say,” Brull said. “Come out on deck, where I can see you.”
“Where you can shoot me down, you mean,” Venn said. “You think I’m stupid? Why don’t you come out?”
Brull said, “Cops are still a long way away, Venn. Plenty of time for us to settle our business.”
Silence.
Brull squinted, trying to make out the shapes through the cabin windows of the other boat. Was that Venn there, phone pressed to his ear?
“See,” said Brull, “that’s exactly what I thought. You’re this big, brave, Noo Yawk cop on the surface. But, scratch that surface, and underneath you’re just chickenshit.”
His first warning was the slap of hands on fiberglass behind him.
But he should have known, anyhow.
Brull whirled, bringing across the Heckler & Koch, but Venn was already through the door of the cabin and kicking the gun from Brull’s hand, the tip of his boot slamming agonizingly into Brull’s wrist.
Brull staggered back, saw Venn hang back with his own gun in his hand. Venn was sodden from head to toe. He must have jumped into the water right after the last time he spoke, and climbed up the side of the boat while Brull was talking to him.
“So, Brull,” Venn said. “Just you and me now.”
Brull tried to look beyond Venn to where the skipper had been, but couldn’t see anybody.
Venn said, “He’s out cold. Didn’t know what hit him.”
He aimed the Beretta at Brull, allowing the muzzle to rove from face to feet and back again.
Brull placed his hands on his head.
He said, “So hand me over. See if I give a fuck. You’ve got nothing. A scared kid, who won’t be able to identify me, because I’ve never met him. A grocery store owner who c
laims I kidnapped that kid, while having no proof apart from a video clip that I’ll swear somebody else sent me.” Brull laughed. “Sorry, Mr New York. You lose, again.”
“Wrong,” said Venn. “Because you jumped me when I climbed aboard this vessel. You aimed that H&K at me, and I had no choice but to fire back in self-defense.”
Brull’s eyes widened at the last moment, when he finally understood what was going to happen.
Chapter 38
The sound of the shot escaped the confines of the cabin and rang out across the sea.
Venn looked down at Brull’s body, the back of the head sheared away.
He’d killed many people before. And it had never, ever felt good to do so.
But this time, it had come close.
He stepped out on deck. The mild May night air chilled his sopping frame.
The police boats were approaching fast, and Venn raised his shield.
He thought about the kid, Hector, back in the Sea Stealer with Estrada, and soon to be reunited with his mother and father. He wondered if the kid would ever be quite the same again.
Venn thought about what Harris had said, about the possible off-shore vessel with the human chattel, the sex slaves or whatever they were. Kids, young women.
He felt tempted to go back in the cabin and put another couple of bullets in Brull, for good measure.
He thought about James Harris, the mystery guy. Wondered where he was now, and if he’d get his quarry, O’Reilly. He kind of hoped he would. He deserved it.
But, most of all, Venn thought about Beth.
And about their child, as yet unborn and unsexed.
And he thought about hope.
THE END
FROM THE AUTHOR
Joe Venn will return in Spring 2015.
If you’d like to read more about John Purkiss, he has his own series, starting with Ratcatcher, which is available as a free download from Amazon.
If you’d like to hear about my books as soon as they’re released, sign up to my mailing list here. You’ll get the second Joe Venn novel, Delta Ghost, completely free, as well as a bonus free 8,000-word short story about British spy hunter John Purkiss, Spiked, which is exclusive to list subscribers. I’ll never give out your email address to anyone else, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
My Amazon author pages are here (US) and here (UK). My blog is THRILLHOUND, where your comments are always welcome. If you’d like to email me, perhaps with comments about this novel (good or bad!) please do: [email protected].
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Finally, I’d be most grateful if you’d consider leaving a review of Gamma Blade, if you think the book’s worthy of it. Reviews help us authors more than you might imagine.
Thanks!
Tim Stevens
BOOKS BY TIM STEVENS
John Purkiss series
Ratcatcher
Delivering Caliban
Jokerman
Tundra
Haven (short story)
John Purkiss Box Set Volume 1 (Ratcatcher, Delivering Caliban, Jokerman)
Spiked (short story exclusive to mailing list subscribers)
Cronos Rising
Nemesis (coming in 2015)
Martin Calvary series
Severance Kill
Annihilation Myths
Redemption Road (coming in 2015)
Joe Venn series
Omega Dog
Delta Ghost
Alpha Kill
Sigma Curse
Joe Venn Four Pack (Omega Dog, Delta Ghost, Alpha Kill, Sigma Curse)
Epsilon Creed
Gamma Blade
Shorter stories and novellas
Reunion
Snout