Undertow (38 page)

´Tsk tsk.
Shame
on you. You·re a disgrace to our profession.µ

A curled sandwich, stil wrapped in plastic, and two coo kies sat on top of the desk beside an unplugged laptop. Woo hoo. Someone·s untouched lunch. Her stomach grumbled loudly.

Unwrapping the slightly wilted cheese sandwich, Teal took a bite as she looked over the slob·s tools.

´Thank you, engine gods.µ Helpin g herself to a ratchet, a socket set, and two screwdrivers, she went to locate the ECMs, the engine·s brains.
Bingo
. The Engine Control Modules, little black boxes about ten inches by eight inches high, and just a couple of inches thick, were held in place by 2-20 pin connectors and four easily removed bolts.

Done and done.
Without the ECMs, the engines couldn·t start.

She took another bite of sandwich. The bilges were next. Just pul the drain plug and the oil pan would drain.
Done
. A slight twinge of gui lt hit her in the gut. She hated ruining such beautiful engines. Sacrilege. But when it came to helping Zane, no sacrifice was too big. She yanked the plug to drain the coolant as wel , while she was at it. A messy business, as everything was now puddling onto the once pristine white floor.

´My bad.µ Teal grinned, moving out of the way as various liquids started spreading across the floor. She felt sorry for whoever had rented the
Slow Dance
out. But they shouldn·t rent their pretty boat to bad guys.

She used a handy-dandy slim-jim from the tool drawer to pop the door lock.

Now to go and see what trouble Zane was about to walk into.

Teal figured the prow would stil be in flames, black smoke bil owing. Unless the bad guys planned to go down with the ship, most of them would be busy trying to put out her handiwork. That stil left Werner, who she already knew got other people to do his dirty work. He·d probably stay safely on deck sucking on a fat Cuban stogie as the men loaded the plane onto the
Decrepit
.

Bottom line, the guys were al accounted for, and she was home free, since they assumed she was stil out for the count and locked in the engine room until they needed to pul off her wings to freak out Zane.

Quickly, but cautiously, she paused at every comp anionway intersection, making sure the coast was clear before she raced across. She heard a strange noise and froze, pressing her back against the bulkhead. Quiet. She took another step, same noise. It took her a few stil -

life moments to realize her shoes, covered with assorted engine goop, were squishing. Her poor manic heart didn·t care that it was shoes giving her palpitations.
Sheesh
. She took off her sneakers, carrying them until she found a utility closet, then tossed them inside.

Barefoot, she started to run flat out, heading for the back of the boat. She found the stairs leading to the kitchen, and from there, she was able to take the companionways and bypass the public rooms.

There·d be no launch from the aft deck to get her off the
Slow Dance,
but maybe there·d be dive gear or, hel , the distance between the boats was only about quarter of a mile. She could swim that. No problem.

Wrong, she thought as she ran down the hal . Big problem ³she·d be seen as soon as she started swimming between the two boats. The guys who·d jumped into the water must be out now, but they would al be facing the
Decrepit
to watch the goings-on. And even though she could hold her breath for quite a while, she couldn·t hold it that long.

The
Slow Dance,
as a rental, probably came stocked with diving gear. That gear would be right where it was supposed to be. On the dive platform.
Superb.

She could stop picturing her head exploding like a freaking watermelon from a gunshot to the back of the head as she swam the distance.

Yes! The last set of stairs were right where Janel e and the others had drawn them. Give or take a deck, and a couple of companionways. Teal took the steps three at a time, her bare feet soundless. A glance at a nearby clock told her that the explosion had passed Zane·s get-out-earlier-than-later deadline of six P.M. She hoped Smiley·s original time of eight was correct. It was already six fifty.

They were rapidly running out of wiggle room.

The tick-tock-tick-tock countdown in her head was as precise as an engine timer, but louder and not nearly as satisfying. She was slightly out of breath as she reached the top of the stairs and saw the door leading out onto the back deck.

Sweet. Through the glass door she could see a happy little block of clear blue sky and a few wispy clouds. Beyond that door was the dive platform. Fifteen feet. Tops.

She sucked in a deep breath. Okay. This was it.

Hand on the door handle, she cautiously peered through the window to make sure the coast was clear. It was. Nary a soul in sight. Nor was there a launch³she hadn·t expected one³or any dive equipment on the platform. Wel , crap. She was going to have to swim.

Easing the heavy door open, inch by inch, she squee zed through the opening, sucking in a deep breath as she did so. She was going to have to get in the water,
fast
. Go under quickly, and
stay
under until she absolutely, positively had to come up to breathe.

One.

Two.

Thr³

A hard hand clamped across her face, surprising the hel out of her. She kicked back, wiggling and squirming in the man·s hold, digging her short nails into the arm he had clamped across her body. His chest was a brick wal , his arms as tight as clamps. Teal put some muscle into her struggles and bit down on the hand across her mouth.

Óuch! Shh,µ he hissed against her cheek. Ít·s me.µ

Zane
. Teal went limp with relief.

He was alive.
Here
.

He pul ed her to the side of the door and under the overhang so they couldn·t be seen. She turned around and flung her arms around his neck, burying her face against his throat. His strong arms came around her hard, and he almost squeezed the life out of her, his hold was so tight. Í·ve got you, sweetheart. I·ve got you.

Thank God,µ he whispered hoarsely. Random kisses landed wherever he could reach without letting her go.

Śhit,µ he muttered against the frantic pulse at her temple as he pul ed away a little. ´We·ve gotta go.
Now
.µ

Éxcel ent idea,µ Teal said dryly, lifting her hand to touch his f ace. He was alive, in one piece. He was wearing his wetsuit, and tanks, and his mask was pushed up into his dripping wet hair. There was a gash in the sleeve of his suit.

´What³µ Suddenly his fingers clasped painful y on her shoulders. Intense blue eyes searched her face. His lips thinned. Alarmed, Teal grabbed his arm. Óh, hel .

Now what?µ

Zane felt an overwhelming and completely foreign emotion surge through him as he looked at Teal·s bruised face. Sheer, unadulterated fury. Fear for her. Love ³God³
love
for her knocked his breath out and left him shaken with the deluge of unfamiliar emotions coursing through his body. He lifted his hand and gently touched her bruised, slightly swol en jaw. ´Who hit you?µ he demanded, his voice cold, his gaze hot.

´Don·t freak me out like that!µ Teal sagged with obvious relief. ´Werner. Don·t worry about it³µ

Rage boiled inside him. He wanted go find the son of a bitch and rip him limb from limb.

Śadist asshole.µ

Teal·s slender, infinitely capable, hands held him in place. ´Who·s on our boat?µ she asked, ever the pragmatist.

Our
boat.
Yeah
. He brought her sweet, bruised face back into focus and drowned in the chocolaty depth of her eyes. Zane was shocked to realize how much he·d come to depend on her to center him. He·d thought himself completely self-sufficient, but Teal had taught him that there was more than just scratching the surface of life. He tended to be a little frenetic.

Teal steadied him and gave him a place to rest. Jesus, what an insane time to have this kind of revelation. Ŕyan.

Ben. Saul. Pink Shirt and at least one other guy.µ

´Pink Shirt is Werner. He·s
here
. At least one of his men must be with him.

Let·s say two left over there, so we aren·t surprised. We can take them,µ she said with so much confidence Zane had to grin. She reached up and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth.

Ókay. What·s the plan?µ

´Get back to our boat and deal with whoever·s there.µ

She saw there was only one tank and came to the right conclusion immediately. ´Buddy breathing?µ

Ńo choice. Ready?µ

She nodded. They·d be sharing the regulator after every breath, but right now, as badly as he knew they needed to get the hel off of this boat, he wanted to plant his mouth on hers, exchanging every breath with her, as part of him, not just sharing his damn regulator.

Ĺet·s get this party started then. Hold on to my equipment straps and do not, under
any
circumstances, let go. Oh, one more thing?µ She turned to give him a frowning look of impatience.

Zane smiled. Í love you, Wil iams.µ Not giving her time to answer, he hustled Teal to the edge of the dive platform, hand on her ass, and dropped into the water with her wrapped in his arms.

They went down ten feet. Deep enough, he hoped to escape immediate detection. Problem was, the water was as clear as glass, so anyone
looking
would see them and the bubbles. Teal was hanging on to his buoyancy compensator vest.

He angled his body to swim over her, so that they presented only one target, and he got whatever was coming first. Other than hauling ass as far and fast as he could, that was the best he could do to protect her.

They shared his regulator as if they·d practiced the technique a hu ndred times.

Damn. She was amazing.

The sound of an engine churning up water made them swim faster. A projectile hit the water about three feet to their right with a low
thwump
on impact. Another arrowed through the water in a spiral of tiny white bubble s that Zane felt against his cheek. He motioned for Teal to dive.

She arched her back and went down immediately, Zane right with her. She wasn·t letting go of him. As soon as they got to twenty-five feet, she spit out the regulator. He took a few breaths, then handed it back.

A man suddenly dropped into the water in front of them. He·d appeared out of nowhere, and Zane automatical y drew Teal hard against his body, positioning her behind him. The man pointed upward.

One guy « Zane thought about it, but t he man was joined by another, then a third who dropped into view out of nowhere. It was fucking raining bad guys.

A black shadow suddenly appeared overhead from behind them, and the muffled roar of a smal engine vibrated in his ears through the water.

Shitcrapdamn!

From this close, he and Teal were literal y like fish in a barrel as far as shooting went. He motioned for her to rise to the surface. She shook her head.

Zane clamped his hand over hers on his vest and hauled her up with him.

´« area,µ a man bel owed into a bul horn. There were two men dressed in wet suits on a sleek black powerboat, which rode low in the water. Zane didn·t recognize the make or model.

One of the men leaned over the gunwale. Ćutter?µ he shouted over the
whop
whop whop
sound of helicopters flying low overhead.

´Yeah.µ

´Targets acquired!µ the guy yel ed to someone else, then reached out and yanked Teal on board with one arm in a swift, impressive show of strength. He reached out to hand Zane on board behind her. Śtay low, we haven·t apprehended al of them yet.µ

Saved by the cavalry. Or out of the frying pan and into the fire? Shit if he knew.

Zane flattened himself over Teal as the fast boat did a wild turn, sending up a wave of spray as it headed toward the
Decrepit
.

Évacuate the area!µ The slight echo of the amplified voice joined the cacophony of sound.

Évacuate the area immediately!µ

The beating of a helicopter·s blades, the shouts over the bul horns, plus the intermittent sound of gunshots, kept Zane·s body presse d to Teal·s back. Only when he felt the bump, signaling their arrival at the
Decrepit·s
platform, did he lift his head and leverage himself off of her.

The helicopter hovered directly overhead and several men were rappel ing down to the deck. ´Your boat·s secure, Mr. Cutter.µ The man indicated he and Teal were to board and to keep low. ´Get her out of the area.
Now
.µ

Zane pul ed off his flippers and, wit h Teal·s help, armed his way out of the vest holding his tanks. ´What about³µ

´We dropped the chain from the crane and your crew·s inside. Go.µ

He went. With his arm around Teal·s waist, Zane hauled her along with him.

They passed the salon, and she stopped so abruptly he almost stepped on her feet. ´Go,µ she yel ed. Í·l be right there.µ

He didn·t have time to argue. Ćome through my cabin,µ he shouted, then ran toward the wheelhouse. Someone had already started the engines, he felt the vibrations beneath his feet.

Despite al the men boarding the
Slow Dance,
shots were stil being fired, and he kept his profile low as he moved.

He arrived inside the wheelhouse as the
Decrepit
started moving. Ben, Ryan, and Saul were there waiting for him. Éveryone okay?µ he demanded, giving each man a quick once -over.

´We·re al good,µ Ben assured him. ´That chip is about to blow everything within a five -mile radius to hel and gone.µ

A tal guy in a strange-looking black wet suit rose from the pilot seat. Ćutter?

Michael Wright. You·re aware of the self-destruct mechanism programmed into the Alphachip?µ They didn·t shake hands, but Wright stepped aside for Zane to take his seat at the controls. Zane sat down, automatical y setting dials. ´How much time do we have?µ

´Twelve minutes.µ Wright touched a finger to an earpiece. ´Why isn·t that boat moving?µ he demanded into a lip mic. He paused to listen, then gave Zane an inquiring glance. ´That so?

By³?µ

Teal slipped into the crowded wheelhouse. Áre you talking about the
Slow
Dance
?µ she asked Wright.