by K D McNiven
“You don’t need a packet. You’re irresistible.” And though she made it a lighthearted joke, there was a lot of truth behind her words. She had always loved his humor, not to mention his tall, dark and handsome features. His charm was difficult to resist. However, Karina was not looking for a relationship. Her life was too full for one right now.
“No wonder I keep you on board, you’re good for my frail ego, Kat,” he teased.
She tossed her head playfully and began to walk off. “Is that the only reason? Maybe I should find another salvage boat to sign up on. Maybe they’d appreciate my scientific proficiencies!” She heard his laugh trailing her as she made her way back to her cabin.
***
Captain Manny and Linus were studying sonar readings when Linus spied a boat coming starboard side. By the sound of the engines, it was coming in fast. Manny grabbed the binoculars and saw a Chaparral H20 speed boat that had five men on board. All but the driver had rifles.
The Shark Eater was bogged down with freight. Only pulling eight knots, which made them an easy target for offshore pirates. They were also in an area where there were shallows, so it was imperative they remained vigilant not to run her aground.
Grabbing the intercom mic, Captain Manny shouted a warning to the crew. “All hands on deck. Potential enemy approaching on Shark Eater’s starboard side. Armed men aboard. Grab your weapons and be on alert. The boat is fast approaching. Have your weapons ready!” Putting the mic down, he turned and headed toward the door in quick strides. On his way to join the crew on the main deck, he grabbed his rifle out of the case near the entryway.
The deck was a chaos of activity. Men were rushing to starboard side to see the speed boat hurtling toward them in a sheet of white spray. Fear blanketed the deck; it was palpable. Guns at half ready, they waited. It was almost dusk making it more difficult to see and being bogged down with cargo made them all the more vulnerable.
Karina, holding a revolver in her trembling hands, rushed up alongside Dax and touched his forearm.
Dax saw fear crystallized in her eyes, and he forced a smile to reassure her, although he, too, was uncertain of what they were facing. “Don’t worry, Kat. We’ll get by.” He took a brief moment to show her how to load and unload the weapon. When he was confident she understood what to do, he told her to hide behind a metal barrier, in case the men boarded the Shark Eater, which he assumed they would try to do.
Otto rushed out with Ansgar Eriksson, their chief engineer, on his heels, rifles in hand. Ansgar’s face was white. He’d been on board the Shark Eater for years and had never experienced anything even close to this kind of danger. Of course, they expected some exposure to trouble on their dives, but nothing compared to this. The two of them rushed up alongside Dax to see what he would have them do.
The encroaching boat had veered and was now astern. A man with long, stringy dark hair, lifted his rifle and loosed a spray of gunfire across the Shark Eater’s deck. Wood splinters exploded from the side railing as the rounds of bullets struck it. Everyone on deck frantically sought protection.
“Stay down Kat,” yelled Dax.
Having left her other hiding spot, Kat crawled on her stomach to move behind a steel compressor, hoping the heavy metal would shield her from the bullets. She could feel her nerves fraying. Not too many things frightened her, but right now her heart felt as if it would catapult from her chest. Her hands trembled so much she wasn’t sure if she could hold the gun straight to shoot if she had to.
It was but a fleeting moment before another round of bullets split the air and whizzed over the deck. Chase Vanderpool and India Dymond rushed from the wheelhouse, packing weapons, and fell face first onto the deck, hastily crawling to find safety. Chase sidled next to Manny behind some of the welding gear.
“What in blazes is going on Captain?” asked Chase, a maritime archaeologist who had been with Dax for a couple of years.
“Pirates,” Manny said.
“Seriously? Pirates?”
“Fire at will. They are closing in fast. And they have AK47’s.” Manny clutched Chase’s shirt sleeve. “And Chase, don’t miss.”
“Aye, Captain.”
India, a former border guard in Texas, slid in beside Karina. She could see Karina was shaking with fear. “It will be okay, Kat. We outnumber them. Stay behind me.” Having India was like having a Superwoman action-figure from the comics on board. To Karina, India was fearless.
India’s black spaghetti-strapped tank revealed a cutlass tattoo on her right shoulder. Her jet-black hair was disheveled and tumbled over her narrow shoulders giving her the appearance of an untamed lioness, ready to pounce on her prey. Intense, dark eyes were leveled on the approaching boat. With a quick jerk, she flipped the butt of her rifle to her shoulder and firmly planted it to prepare for the imminent attack.
After leaving her position as a border guard, India had taken up diving and found it to be her passion. Then, over the past couple of years, she had ventured into treasure hunting and had discovered several artifacts that gave her some acclaim in the archaeology world. Interestingly enough, she could now combine her skills of diving, weaponry, and treasure hunting into one big ball of adventure.
Once again came the onslaught of bullets melded with flying debris. Dax and the others
returned fire. The speed boat wove back and forth over the waves making it more difficult to target them, but Dax saw one of the men sprawl backwards and realized they had managed to hit him. One down, four to go. The gap between the Shark Eater and the pursuers was narrowing as they edged up to the stern dive platform. There was a metal clang as one of the men threw out a grappling hook and caught the A-frame hoist.
“Look out!” yelled Manny. “They’re preparing to board!”
“Not on my watch!” yelled Dax and rushed forward, zigzagging across the deck to avoid the bullets singing past his ears. He yanked his knife from the leather sheath strapped to his thigh and held it between his teeth. Ducking out of view he inched his way to the stern with the intention of surprising the intruder.
He spotted one of the men sliding out of the speed boat and planting his foot on the steel dive platform. Dax slid behind some of the machinery, closing in on the unsuspecting man. As the intruder climbed the metal ladder and rolled over the top to avoid being shot, he missed the shadowy figure moving in on him.
With lightning quickness, Dax leapt forward, ambushing the man. They tumbled across the floor, each trying to gain the upper hand. Dax smashed his fist into the man’s jaw. At the same time, the man beneath him swung his fist, striking Dax on the side of the head, throwing him to the side. The movement jarred Dax’s knife loose, and it slid across the deck. Dax’s fingers searched frantically for the cool metal, but it was out of reach.
As the others on board watched the scene play out in horror, they raised their rifles and took several shots to hold back the others from coming on board. They refrained from taking a shot at the man and Dax, fearful that Dax would take the bullet rather than the intended target.
The man grabbed Dax’s throat, his fingers pressing deeply into his flesh. Dax’s air was cut off. With his left hand, Dax grabbed the man’s thumb and pulled it backward until there was a snap of bone and a yelp from his attacker. Dax rolled out from beneath the man and straddled him. Dax curled his hand into a fist and struck the man full in the face. The cracking of bone resounded, followed by a spray of blood from his nose.
The man twisted his body sharply to the side and managed to fling Dax’s large frame off him. As the intruder took to his feet, a shot sang past them. Then another shot rang out. And the man crumpled to the deck, blood soaking through his shirt. Dax glanced up to see Karina standing like a frozen statue, her face drained of color. the gun extended in her hand. Smoke still curled out of the barrel.
Gunfire continued to blaze from the enemy boat.
“Stay down!” shrieked India, pouncing on top of Karina, bringing her to the deck with a thud. India nearly drag
ged Karina back behind the compressor. She saw the anguish in Karina’s eyes and understood the emotion quite well. It would take some time to come to grips killing someone, but eventually, Katrina would.
Leaving Katrina, India wrapped her hands securely around her rifle and crawled across the deck in Dax’s direction like a Navy SEAL. Two other pirates had managed to come aboard in the distraction, and one was behind Dax. Feeling the man’s presence, Dax turned sharply grasping the man’s weapon and yanking it forward. The man was forced to follow the momentum, his arms swirling like the rotor on a helicopter as he stumbled forward. As the man fell to the metal deck, Dax brought his rifle down on the back of the man’s head. His body went limp.
The other intruder spun to flee, realizing they were losing the battle. He jumped off the divers’ platform and into the guts of the motor boat as the other man on board the small vessel cut the line. He threw the boat into reverse and cranked it around, keeping his head low. With a roar, the boat shot forward, quickly putting distance between the Shark Eater and himself.
India shot off several rounds at the speeding boat, but there was already too much distance between them. She stomped her foot having hoped she could pick at least one of them off before they got away. She had no use for pirates.
“We got two of the buggers.” Dax grabbed some rope to tie them.
Manny went for the first aid kit to bandage the man who had been shot. “His wounds aren’t life threatening,” he said as he began to doctor the wound. “The bullet passed through his shoulder, but once he receives medical attention, he’ll pull through.”
Karina stood over them, her stomach churning. Her face was alabaster white from shock. She was thankful that she had not killed the man. Still, her whole body was shaking uncontrollably as she stood transfixed watching Manny doctor the wounded man. She was relieved when Dax strode up and pulled her into the safety of his arms.
“You are my angel, Kat,” he kissed the top of her head. “You saved my life.”
She nodded, tears filling her eyes. “That’s the only consolation.”
“Believe me, if he had the chance, he’d not have hesitated to put a bullet in you.”
India walked toward the others. Her long hair framed her oval face, which was stamped with concern. She reached out to squeeze Karina’s arm to reassure her gently.
“India, why don’t you take Kat down to the galley and fix her some tea,” Dax suggested, worried about Kat’s frame of mind.
India draped her arm over Kat’s shoulder and walked her across the deck while Dax motioned for Chase to come over. “Go to the dive platform and check out the equipment. And look over the compressor and whatever else might have been vulnerable to the bullets. We’re probably going to have to replace some things, unfortunately, but what can you do?” he shrugged, experiencing a moment of despair as dollar signs flashed before his eyes.
“You got it,” Chase answered.
Manny brushed a hand over his close-cropped salt and pepper hair and shook his head. “That was certainly an adventure I hope we don’t have many more times.”
“Ah, come on Captain,” Dax joked. “You know you enjoy a good scuffle.”
Manny’s blue eyes were sparkled with humor. “Boredom would be fine by me. I’m thankful at least that we didn’t have any fatalities. It could have been much worse.
“We’ll see what we can do this evening, then in the morning, we can go from top to bottom,” Dax said, noting there was little visibility left as the sun had sunk below the horizon more than a half hour before.
“I’m going to the bridge to see how Linus is faring. And I’ll inform the authorities so they can pick up these two bums when we dock,” Manny told Dax.
“Sounds like a plan, Captain."
CHAPTER 2
Malibu, California
What was usually a very orderly, tranquil home, was now a loud jumble of drywallers, painters, and decorators. Callie Hayden’s head looked to be on a swivel as she watched the entourage of people sweeping past her, portfolios, paint brushes, and panels of sheetrock in hand. She could clearly hear the whining of buzz saws two flights down, and the pounding of hammers echoed in her ears.
Perhaps she and her husband, Decker, had acted too quickly in permanently offering the lower two floors of their spacious home to Decker’s father, Garrett, she mused, but quickly shrugged off the thought. After all, Garrett had been living downstairs the past five years. The only difference now was Garrett was marrying Holly Romero, a lovely woman whom Garrett had come to know on their last archeological expedition in Honduras six months earlier.
Also, they were gone more often than they were home, so it made sense to extend the offer to Garrett as he and Holly would be able to oversee the house while Decker and Callie were gone on digs. There was also Riley their golden retriever to consider. He would have a built-in sitter, and that gave Callie peace of mind.
Dropping onto their light gray sofa, she tucked her feet underneath her and lifted her coffee mug to her lips. Taking a drink, she sighed. She felt nearly exhausted watching the train of people marching back and forth across their living room and then down the stairs. Her head was beginning to throb from all the loud clamoring, and she silently prayed Decker would make it back from the store so they could take a jog along the beautiful Malibu beach out their back door. The warm, salty air would clear her head and help her relax.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Riley, who came bursting through the hallway, his back legs sliding on the gray-slate floor. He nearly jumped into her lap but stopped short knowing the furniture was off limits—at least until Callie and Decker weren’t looking.
Trailing behind Riley, arms loaded down with three bags of groceries, was Decker. He nodded a greeting to Callie as he made his way to the kitchen. Callie leapt from the couch, gave a brief pat on Riley’s head, then dashed in Decker’s direction. Decker didn’t do the shopping too often, but Callie suspected he was struggling with all the upset of the remodel too. Even the grocery store was quieter than this. And Decker avoided his home office as often as he could over the past few weeks due to a lack of being able to focus.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Decker dropped the grocery bags onto the counter, gathered her into his arms, planting a kiss fully on his wife’s lips.
“Why thank you,” She smiled. “Don’t suppose we could take a quick jog down the beach and put some distance from the noise.”
He recognized it was more a statement than a question, and he reached out to sweep the long strands of golden hair away from her diamond-shaped face, and gazed thoughtfully into her wide, jade-green eyes, fringed with long, sweeping lashes. Every time he looked at her baby smooth face, which always glowed with vitality, she seemed more beautiful. Even after six years of marriage, there was not a day that went by that he didn’t count himself a lucky man.
He remembered the first day he’d caught sight of her walking around the corner, arms loaded down with books from the library at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He had felt his heart leap. Then to discover she was taking up archaeology same as he was, it felt like kismet. Both of them later obtained their master’s in archaeology which led them on several digs overseas. Working in close proximity, they’d been drawn inextricably together.
Once groceries were put to the cupboards, Callie said, “Let’s go change.”
“I’m all for it,” he agreed, taking her slender fingers into his wide hand and drawing her along behind him.
Callie slipped on her plum colored tank top and lavender jogging shorts. She fitted on her running shoes and stood hands on hips waiting for Decker. She heard a soft laugh tumble from his lips.
“Impatient, are we?”
“Rearing to go.” Her body language practically shouted at him to hurry up.
He pushed his arms through the sleeves of his gray t-shirt, tied his shoelaces, and then signaled for her to follow him to the door.
Calling Riley, Callie snapped him to his leash. His tail
whipped back and forth with excitement. One thing Riley loved was taking a run on the beach and stirring up the seagulls. They would see him bounding toward them, they’d squawk, spread their wings and take flight, and he would dance in a happy circle.
As they were rushing out the door, they bumped into Garrett, who was entering. “Whoa!” He grunted with surprise, nearly being knocked aside in their haste. “Where’s the fire?”
Decker chuckled. “Sorry, Dad, I need to take my wife out of the house for sanity reasons.”
Garrett leaned forward to hug Callie. “I’m terribly sorry that you’ve had to put up with all the noise and activity Callie, my dear. Hopefully, by next week the men will finish up with the drywall and flooring. At least the framing is done.”
There was one positive piece of information to cling to, she thought and touched Garrett’s cheek lovingly. “Don’t worry about it, Garrett. We’re the ones who offered our home to you. Besides, we can’t fill all of this space. And you need to have this out of the way before the wedding. I can’t imagine you wanting to leave on your honeymoon with the place looking the way it does now.”
His blue eyes reflected sincere warmth for his daughter-in-law. Callie always looked after his wellbeing and looked to make him feel welcome. She was right about this issue, however. He wanted to have everything done so when he and Holly returned from their honeymoon the house would be in order.
“Thank you for your patience, both of you. You have bent over backwards to see that everything is finished up in a timely fashion. I hope you know how much I appreciate it.”
“We do,” Decker acknowledged with a smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re going for a short run.”
The day was pleasant, not too hot for a run. The sound of the surf crashing against the shore was soothing, and they felt exhilarated by the salty breeze brushing against their faces. After an hour of jogging, it was time to cool down.
They slowed to a walk as they made their way back to the bike path where they sat down to talk things over. This day, like many others, they took a seat and simply relaxed. “How are you coming along on the documentary script for FPAN?” asked Callie, stroking Riley’s head.
