Protector in Disguise, page 16
“It’s hard to believe we finally have him back and all this happens. I wish he’d told us.”
“I agree. But your father...he didn’t know they’d ever learn he was still alive. He couldn’t have known this would happen.”
Matt spit out some seawater. “I know, Mom... I don’t blame him. I’m scared for him too.”
“Have some faith. I’ve been in worse situations and have come out fine.”
“Worse than this?”
“My job was complicated,” she replied.
“Mom, I... I knew you did something different when you worked. Remember the Little League coach who wouldn’t let me play and you asked him nicely, then he freaked out on you? You literally stood still and stared at him until he got nervous.”
“I don’t think he was nervous.”
“Yeah, he was. He always put me in after that and never said another word about benching me. I even caught him looking at you whenever I was pulled from the field,” Matt said, his voice barely audible against the wind. “You gave up your job just to be with me.”
Fiona blinked against the stinging salt water, a shaky smile gracing her lips. “You’ve made being your mother easy.”
She would do anything for her son. Literally anything. If she had a chance to meet up with Andres and his band of thugs, she would make them regret tossing a teenage boy to his death.
Her plans hung in the air. She had to believe they’d get out of there. Otherwise, they might as well just let go and descend to their graves. Cold, tired and scared, they held on to each other in the turbulent sea and reminisced to keep each other awake and alert and able to hold on for a little bit longer. Their plans for the future and shared fear and concern for Jason fueled their will to survive. And as long as they had something to fight for, they could last a little bit longer.
Chapter 17
The more Jason thought about it, the more thankful he was that Fiona had followed him. She was in a position to possibly help Matt. Not that either of them were champion swimmers, but they both had grit and determination and he had to believe that she’d find a way to keep Matt alive. The team should have followed them at a distance and hopefully would come across them, although the darkness made any rescue attempt difficult.
Two of the guards sat at a nearby table, nursing beers and laughing in Spanish about the tough guy who watched his son and wife die from the boat. He didn’t bother replying to them in Spanish. The less they knew about his skill set, the greater the chance they’d spill something he could use to escape.
He shut his eyes and tried to rest and think his way out of this nightmare. He definitely didn’t want to be like Porras, spending his life on revenge for something he had done. Instead, he plotted various means of escape under a bunch of different scenarios, including being thrown overboard, getting loose and stealing a gun and sending up rescue flares. The mind games helped ease his stress and the fear of losing Fiona and Matt once and for all.
Soft footsteps came up behind him. Montana. She was in a light bathrobe tied at the waist. Her long hair over one shoulder. This was not a meeting he wanted. Her husband seemed like the jealous type, as well as the sadistic type and the asshole type. He didn’t want to risk a slit throat for even seeing her.
The two guards glanced over but resumed their conversation. Apparently she didn’t warrant any intervention. Which meant she might have more power than Jason had given her credit for.
“Have you eaten?” she asked.
“I’m fine.” Jason tried to be as blunt as possible to not push a conversation.
She wasn’t taking the hint. She put a drink in front of him with a straw. “It’s nutritious. You need the nutrients. I fear you might be here a long time.”
He shook his head, not wanting to accept anything from anyone.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. He could hear the distress inside her. Perhaps the memory of her son tormented her even more with the cruelty of her husband.
He could taste the blood from the cut in his mouth and thought of Fiona and Matt freezing to death and maybe worse. “Sorry doesn’t bring my family back to safety.”
“I know you never hurt David. It was Andres. He insisted he was old enough to be a soldier. He was just a boy. Only seventeen,” she admitted, her voice too low for the guards to hear. “Please drink this.”
“And if you want to poison me?” Jason said, his voice laced with suspicion.
There was a hesitation in Montana’s demeanor. “If I wanted you dead, I would not go through all this trouble. I’d have one of these men shoot you and toss you overboard.”
He couldn’t disagree and nodded when she offered the drink again. He took a sip through the straw. Some sort of smoothie with mango and banana. The taste hid the taste of his own blood.
Montana wiped away a tear. “I just want my family safe. Like you do.”
Understanding bridged the distance between them. They both understood each other on a level no one else on that ship would. Not even Andres with his hyperfocus on all the wrong things.
Jason fought the glimmer of hope that sparkled in the back of his mind. “I don’t trust you.”
“I’m offering to help,” she replied.
Before he could garner any details, Porras came rushing toward them, rage in his eyes. “Montana? What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m giving humanitarian aid to a prisoner.”
“Don’t be foolish. He’d just as soon slit your throat than let you help him. Go back to bed.”
She backed away from Jason as Porras approached them and fled back downstairs, leaving the smoothie. The two guards were now standing, acting as though they’d been there the whole time.
Porras stood over Jason. “Don’t get any funny ideas. She’d help a dog that bit her in the arm.” As he walked away, he kicked the smoothie into Jason’s leg. The cup turned over and soaked his pants with the golden liquid.
The guards laughed, but left the contents of the cup to seep further into his clothes. They returned to their beers at the table nearby.
Jason tried to move the cup with his leg, and then saw something that most definitely didn’t belong.
A nail clipper.
* * *
Fiona’s body was beginning to shut down. Matt was shivering uncontrollably.
She’d never felt so helpless in her life. The sea tormented them endlessly and the cold was sucking away her energy and her sense. Even her heart was beginning to break down, the potential loss of her son and husband slowing the beating down to a low, sorrowful drumbeat.
Although she’d taught Matt how to tuck in his shirt, blow air into the wet garment, and seal the neck opening with his hands, she knew that this crude floatation device wouldn’t help if their minds became muddled with the confusion that accompanies hypothermia. They only had minutes left before the cold took them both.
Her eyes scanned the water, trying to find anything that could help them.
Something swam by her. Something large. She swallowed down her fear to keep Matt calm. “Matt,” she said to him in a voice as steady as possible, “stay still.”
But it was too late. The sleek form of a shark, illuminated briefly by the soft light of the moon, circled closer.
Matt looked down. She wanted to get between him and the shark, but he was in front of her. As the shark approached, Matt pulled away from Fiona’s arms and moved toward the shark, punching it in the snout.
The shark reacted like a chastised puppy, arching back and then circling away from them.
She was speechless, her son having just defied every bit of advice she’d ever given to him. “That...was incredibly reckless,” she choked out, “and incredibly brave.”
Matt, breathing hard, looked at his mother. “I saw it on Shark Week. I couldn’t just let the monster eat us.”
Fiona refused to think about becoming a meal for a shark. That was one more threat she wasn’t able to control. Instead, she grinned, the release of some of her pent-up tension. Pulling him close, Fiona said, “You handled it better than I would have.” She didn’t know what she would have done if it had approached her first, but was doubtful she’d thrust a fist toward its face.
They switched positions for a moment, giving her a short rest.
The far-off sound of a motor rose up in the distance. It was dark and impossible to see Fiona, dressed in darker colors. Not the easiest outfit to spot at night. Perhaps the yellow of Matt’s T-shirt could catch someone’s eye. She wished she still had the knife from her life vest. It would shine if hit by a light.
“Do you have anything in your pockets?”
“I don’t know. I had my keys and a few coins. They took my phone.”
“Let me see the keys.”
He struggled to search for them as he stayed afloat. “They might be at the bottom of the ocean.”
“That’s okay. I’ll get new ones made.”
“I have a quarter.” He lifted up his hand, clenching something in his fist.
“Perfect.” She took it from him. “Can you tread for a few minutes alone?”
“I’ll try.”
She aimed the flat of the coin toward the boat. It was headed a few hundred feet away from them.
“Wave your arms and try to get their attention.”
She screamed toward the boat and Matt waved his arms. The boat didn’t turn off course.
Then a spotlight scanned out toward them. Matt, with renewed energy, waved his arms and Fiona aimed the coin toward the light. She had to believe they would see the weak shine off the dull old quarter. This was their last hope. Her arm hurt as she held it up, keeping as much faith in her plan as she could. She could feel Matt losing energy as he went back to treading water.
“This isn’t going to work,” he said, his voice defeated.
“Don’t stop believing. This is our way out of here. I know it.”
“Like you knew Dad was dead?”
“I didn’t know he was dead. I was told that and acted accordingly. I’m now taking all the information I have and using it to get us out of here. If you think that’s absurd, then go ahead and let go of me. You can pull me under and it will all be over.”
His legs kicked harder, keeping his weight from dragging her down. “I couldn’t. I don’t want to die.”
“Then don’t.” She continued aiming the coin toward the boat. It had to work. She was running out of options.
The boat motored away, the lights fading into the distance, but then the spotlight swung back in their direction.
Chapter 18
Jason waited until the two men supposed to keep an eye on him closed their eyes. He then leaned forward and shifted his legs until the nail clipper was by his hip and he could grab for it with his fingers. He took his time and nicked at the rope tying his hands together. When one of the men stirred, Jason slowed his movements to remain undetected. Eventually, the guard returned to sleep and Jason finished the job, pulling the rope apart where it had been frayed.
He had several options. He could hold the sides together and pretend it wasn’t broken, but he’d be subject to another beating or a gunshot to his head if Porras became bored of his presence. Those options didn’t appeal to him. So he had to escape, but they were too far out to sea for him to dive over the side of the boat and swim to Fiona and Matt. Instead, he had to hide somewhere on this yacht, where no one would find him. He scanned the area. The life raft would be the first place they’d look. The upper deck was all open spaces, except for the pilothouse, and he’d need to move carefully to avoid coming into view of the captain. Although he’d love to take over the boat and send out a distress signal to someone, the men inside the main control room would be armed and not willing to give up control so easily. The main deck where he was located now was also too open for him to hide. He had to sneak downstairs.
The cool breeze in the air gave him the energy to move. He took the rope and tossed it overboard and tiptoed belowdecks. The first landing had a long hallway with what was probably the main bedrooms and the dining area. Jason wouldn’t be safe there, so he went below one more floor and passed by the galley, where someone was already banging pots and pans, preparing for breakfast. Beyond that, a “caution, no entry” sign on a door invited him inside. The door opened to the engine room, a gleaming white and chrome space, heaven for engineers. He could hear footsteps above him in what seemed like a control booth, complete with large computer screens high on the walls. That was his destination if he could wait it out until the man inside left. He stayed low and glanced around for a safe place to be close but not seen. There were a few hot-water tanks wrapped in white insulation, double engines and a large generator. He couldn’t find any place to hide, except in an access panel in the engine.
The space looked far too small for him, but he had little choice. He opened the hatch. The motor rumbled in a high-priced-sports-car kind of way. The floor seemed clean without any oil or dust and the insulation wrapping the pipes kept the heat contained, mostly. So he ducked inside, his arms and legs pulled tight.
Had Porras held Fiona or Matt as a captive, Jason might have folded to whatever demands Porras made of him, but he had nothing over Jason now. And if Jason had the chance, he’d bring that asshole to justice. For now, he practiced deep, slow breathing and hoped for a miracle.
The confined space became suffocating as the minutes dragged on. His body, pressed against the insulated pipes that weren’t burning, but very hot, vibrated under the constant hum of the engines.
Footsteps passed nearby. There seemed to be some urgency in their tempo. His absence might have become known. That would keep him inside this hellish engine for a bit longer. The oily scent of machinery clogged his nose, and his focus was off. But he stayed as still as possible.
He reviewed what he knew of the yacht’s layout in his mind. Getting into the ship’s communications system was his objective, but not with so many people walking around.
The engines’ hum escalated into a deafening roar; the yacht was picking up speed. He had to get out of this space. The cuts and bleeding at his wrists tormented him. But every sharp sting reminded him of watching Matt being thrown away as though he were trash. His stomach roiled with the anguish of what had happened to him and Fiona.
More footsteps, some muffled shouting between men and then footsteps rushing away. He was safe for now.
* * *
A rush of energy shot through Fiona as the boat came closer to them. When she caught sight of the silhouette she squeezed Matt’s arms. “It’s the team. They found us.”
His entire demeanor swung from bleakness to elation. The energy shift resonated through his expression and movements. “What were the chances of them finding us?”
“One hundred percent. What is happening now is what-is—let’s ignore all the what-ifs. There’s no time for that. Look. Steve’s waving a towel toward us. And Meaghan made it back on board. We’re going to be just fine.”
The boat pulled up close to them and Steve reached down, pulling Matt out of the water first. He received a large hug and was immediately wrapped in a towel. Fiona treaded water for another minute until Steve reached for her. The speedboat was higher from the water than the one she and Meaghan had taken out only a few hours earlier, but it also had enclosed areas where they could warm up and get dry.
Once on board, Meaghan ran to her, flung a towel around her and gave her a bear hug. “Damn. Your life vest is on the yacht. We would have flown past you if we hadn’t seen something shining from the water.”
“They took my life jacket the minute I got on board. Porras thought he’d drown Matt to make Jason suffer, but I was able to dive over the edge after him.” She took a sip of water and spit it out over the railing.
“I punched a shark,” Matt said through chattering teeth.
“A very brave move, but as a mother, I don’t think I could live through a reenactment.” Fiona shook her head at the memory. There were too many times she could have lost him. Now that he had a team backing him up, she turned her thoughts back to Jason. “Are you tracking the boat still?”
“We lost the drone when they fired at your boat. One of them noticed it and took it down. We’re following the yacht through Kennedy’s systems. We have the specs for the boat and a map of every floor. Now we need to figure out a way to get aboard.”
“Did you contact the Coast Guard?”
“Yes, but they’re a half an hour out. Kennedy has been monitoring three Coast Guard vessels in the area. Their closest asset is assisting a sailboat that flipped over. Another is still in port in Hyannis, and the last one has to maneuver around the elbow to reach us.”
Fiona bit back her frustration. “They’re our best chance at slowing their escape.”
Her body shivered as she stood with the team. They moved below to the small area inside, while Sam and Steve switched places—Steve now piloting the boat above, Sam sitting at a table helping them think of their next steps. Meaghan went to a microwave and heated up two cups of tea for Matt and Fiona. When Fiona held the warm cup between her hands, she sighed. The heat was wonderful.
“Can we catch them?” Fiona asked.
“Yes, but they’ll see and hear us coming and Jason could be killed before we board.” Sam tapped his fingers on the nautical map in front of him.
“Can we sneak in, disarm the guards and allow the speedboat to come alongside it?”
“Like you did before? Because that was a clusterfuck,” Sam said with too much truth.
“I admit I drove the boat too close,” Fiona said. “But they didn’t sink her and you came to my rescue in time.”
Meaghan stood next to her. “There’s got to be a way to slow them down. Ram them?”
