by Alex Archer
Annja righted herself, still trying to get some wind back into her lungs, which felt as if they were spasming uncontrollably. That was some punch she’d taken from Jax. Who had taught her that?
She had more immediate issues, though. She could see a tangle of arms and legs as Sheila and Jax fought to control each other. Sheila was doing well, but Annja could tell that Jax was simply biding her time.
Sheila tried to disarm Jax, grabbing at the gun with both hands. Annja winced. That wasn’t a good idea. Sheila should have gone for control on the hand and arm instead of the gun itself, which could be manipulated by her opponent.
Jax put that fighting tactic into effect, suddenly using her free hand to wrench the gun up and over Sheila’s wrist, snapping it down sharply. Annja heard the bone break and Sheila cried out, bit back on the pain and punched Jax in the face.
Jax took the punch well, despite the sudden rush of blood, and kicked Sheila back and up, forcing her toward Annja.
Sheila rolled, got to her feet and clutched at her broken wrist. She turned to Annja. “You’ve got to stop her!”
And then she bolted for the door.
Annja shook her head and watched as Jax came crawling up, aimed the gun and started to squeeze off a shot. Annja lunged at her gun hand and the sudden shot went awry, the bullet burying itself in the wood paneling across the room.
“Annja! Dammit!” Jax punched her again in the stomach and Annja dropped. She tried to raise her sword. Jax stomped on her arm. Annja groaned in pain. When she tried to roll over with the sword, Jax pointed the gun right into her face.
“Drop that sword!”
Annja released the blade, her fingers clutching reflexively, not wanting to let go of her only protection.
Jax cast a look sideways at the door and frowned. She looked back at Annja. “I told you to stay out of this. Now I’ve lost her.”
“You’re the traitor,” Annja said. “I guess I should have seen through the tough-gal demeanor.”
Jax sighed and helped Annja to her feet. “No, you idiot. I’m Garin’s operative on this boat. That one is the real problem. She’s with Henderson.”
Annja shook her head. “She just got through telling me all about Henderson and his organization.”
“She just finished bullshitting you.”
“Why should I believe you?”
Jax checked the slide on her pistol. “Because Garin told me you’d ask that question.”
“And did he give you an answer for me, as well?”
“No, but he did tell me that if you gave me any trouble, I should just beat the crap out of you and be done with it.”
Annja sniffed. “Sure sounds like him.”
“He also told me that you were the one who billed your trip to Japan on his credit card.”
“You could have found that out by hacking into a computer and getting his credit report. Give me something else.”
“Antarctica. Sound familiar?”
“What about it?”
“You were surprised to find him there, right?”
“Maybe.”
“And do you remember Bali? What you told him after you’d had a few too many glasses of wine?”
Annja frowned. She was sure no one else on the planet knew that. And Annja desperately wished she hadn’t said what she had that night. But it couldn’t be helped now.
Apparently.
Annja sighed. “So, who is she?”
“Sheila? Don’t know if that’s her real name or not, but she works for Henderson. She’s one of his top people. Her specialty is acting like she’s an amateur when, in fact, she’s not. And she can turn people against each other. Us included.”
“I nearly killed you.”
Jax shrugged. “I try not to take things like that personally. It tends to happen a fair amount, and if I held a grudge every time it did happen, I wouldn’t be the pleasant lass I am.”
Annja smiled. “Pleasant lass?”
“It’s a personality makeover as suggested by our mutual friend.”
“I see. Did he pluck you out of obscurity, too, in order to train you to be his superspy?”
Jax frowned. “Do I look like I need any training other than what I got in the school of hard knocks? Garin can kiss my ass if he thinks he knows something I can’t teach myself.”
Annja chuckled. “I’d love to see his reaction to that comment.”
“As long as he pays me, we get along fine. I know what side my bread is buttered on. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“But we do need to worry about Sheila.”
Jax shrugged. “She can’t go far. I broke her wrist.”
“I heard it.”
“She’s probably gone running back to her room. There aren’t a lot of other places she can go right now, are there? That’s one of the benefits to being out on the ocean.”
“A cornered rabbit can still put up a fight,” Annja said. “What if she’s got a weapon in there with her?”
“Like what? A pistol?” Jax shrugged. “She can use it on herself, if she wants. When the time comes to go in there and get her, I’ll be happy to wrest it from her dead hands.”
“I was thinking more in terms of explosives. She could blow up the boat.”
Jax shook her head. “I already sent Dave to root through her junk. He knows what to look for and I don’t.”
“Is he clear?”
Jax nodded. “I trust him.”
“All right, we’ve got to get to Hunter and Cole with this information. They need to know what’s going on.”
“Agreed.”
Jax and Annja started for the door, but as Jax went through the doorway, Annja tripped and bent forward, bumping into Jax. Jax turned just as a bullet tore into the door frame.
Splinters of wood flew off and struck Jax across her cheek as Annja realized that Sheila wasn’t about to go quietly and cower somewhere. She hauled Jax back into her room.
“Dammit!”
Jax crawled to the door and stuck her gun through the opening. She squeezed off two rounds and Annja winced as the sudden explosion thundered inside her head.
Jax pulled back and brushed a hand across her cheek. It came away bloody. “I would have taken that slug if you hadn’t bumped into me.”
“That your way of saying thanks?”
Jax grinned. “Maybe.”
She ducked and squeezed off another shot, then pulled back. Annja watched her. So far, they hadn’t heard any return fire.
Jax frowned. “You think I tagged her on that first volley?”
Annja shook her head. “No idea.”
Jax took a deep breath. “Well, no way to tell if we stay here.”
“Just be careful,” Annja said.
Jax got down on her belly and crawled over to the doorjamb. Annja frowned. “Wait.”
Jax looked back. “What?”
Annja went to her bag and pulled a small compact out. She handed it to Jax, who took it with a grin. “Good idea.”
She popped it open and used it to peer around the frame.
Annja braced for the impact of a bullet, but no gunshot came. After a second, Jax pulled back into the room and tossed Annja the compact.
“Seems secure.”
Annja nodded and they crawled out into the corridor. Jax took the lead, her pistol ready to fire if need be.
They approached the turn in the corridor and Jax looked at Annja, holding a finger up to her lips.
Annja braced herself.
Jax spun around the corner and aimed her pistol.
The corridor was empty.
Annja let loose a pent-up breath and Jax’s shoulders slumped. “So much for that.”
“You think she’s back in her room now?”
Jax frowned. “Doubt it. If she’s acting like this, it means she’s going on the attack. And that’s not particularly comforting. We’d better hook up with Hunter and Cole and make sure that Sheila’s not planning a hostage taking.”
“Good idea.”
&
nbsp; They took the steps up toward the main deck, each time clearing the turns carefully. Annja half expected Sheila to pop out at any minute and squeeze off a few more rounds at them.
But nothing else happened. When they were close to the steps leading to the wheelhouse, Jax pointed topside. “Last I heard, Hunter and Cole are up—”
A sudden scream pierced the air.
Jax and Annja looked at each other and then ran for the steps.
20
Annja and Jax crested the steps, expecting to see something other than what greeted their eyes. At the stern of the boat, they saw Sheila holding a gun on Dave, who looked like he wanted to rip her head off. “Stay the hell back!” she shouted.
Sheila clutched another crew member Annja didn’t recognize. The young man looked as though he might faint at any second. He didn’t struggle and stayed right where Sheila had him pinned with her arm. The broken wrist didn’t seem to be slowing her down nearly as much as Annja might have hoped.
“Get the winch and drop the dinghy over the side. Don’t screw around or little Stevie here gets a bullet for his trouble.”
Dave frowned, but made his way to the winch and secured the lead cable to the motorized dinghy that was strapped to one side of the ship. Once he had the cable secured, he fired up the winch.
“What’s going on here?” someone said.
Annja held up her hand as Cole and Hunter came through the doorway from inside the cabin. Hunter stopped short and then looked at Annja. “Guess you nailed it right.”
“It’s a long story,” Annja said.
Hunter noticed Jax. “Where’d you get a pistol?”
Jax didn’t take her eyes off Sheila. “I don’t make a habit of going through life unarmed.”
Annja could feel Jax tensing. She shook her head. “Don’t do it,” she said quietly.
“I can make the shot.”
“You won’t. And her finger is tight around that trigger. You might hit her, but she’ll get the shot off before she dies,” Annja said.
“You sure? I’m a crack shot with this thing.”
“If you had a sniper rifle and could guarantee that you could take out the oblongata, then that would be a different story. But a pistol round won’t stop the brain in time from sending the nerve impulse to shoot.”
Jax glanced at her. “Okay, then.”
Dave had the dinghy raised off the railing and was steering it over the side of the ship. He glared at Sheila. “Where do you want it, bitch?”
“Be nice,” Sheila said. “Or I’ll shoot you, anyway. Put the dinghy down right there.”
Annja frowned. “You sure you want to be going out in that thing?”
Sheila looked at her. “Shut up.”
“It’s just that with that shark out there, you never know. It might show up looking for something to eat. And that dinghy’s awfully small.”
Sheila gestured with the pistol. “Back up, Dave. Over by the others.”
Dave frowned and shook his head. “Let Steve go and we’ll both get out of your way.”
“You think I’m stupid? Jax will shoot me.”
Hunter cleared his throat. “No, she won’t. If you want to go, be my guest. No one’s going to stop you. I’d rather you were off the boat, anyway.”
Sheila eyed him. “I don’t trust you.”
Hunter shrugged. “Trust me, don’t trust me. I don’t care. But leave Steve alone.”
Sheila nodded. “All of you, back inside the cabin and pull the door shut behind you. Once I see that, I’ll let him go. But you stay inside until I’m in the dinghy and away from the ship. Listen for the motor and then you can come out. Leave before then and I’ll shoot Steve.”
Dave growled under his breath. “Why exactly are we letting this chick walk like this? I could close that distance and kill her.”
“Too risky,” Hunter said. “And Steve would die in the process. I promised his father I’d look after him.”
“I still think she should die,” Dave said.
“Agreed,” Jax said. But she did as Hunter said. They all moved back into the cabin together. Annja could see Sheila struggling with the pistol and the weight of having to deal with a hostage. If they’d wanted to, they could have taken her. But Hunter didn’t want to do that. She wondered why.
Sheila clambered over the side of the boat and eased herself into the dinghy. Steve fainted on the deck.
“Jesus,” Dave said under his breath. “Someone get that kid a freaking spine.”
Cole cleared his throat. “Most people haven’t actually been in combat before, Dave.”
He nodded. “I guess.”
They heard the motor kick over and then they were all spilling outside onto the deck. Hunter ran to check on Steve and Cole helped him. Jax and Dave ran for the railing. Annja went with them.
Off the stern of the boat, already a hundred yards away, Sheila’s dinghy was racing away at a good clip.
“Where the hell is she going?” Dave asked.
“Mainland,” Jax said.
“Can she make it there in that thing?”
Dave nodded. “She’s got two fuel bladders in the dinghy. That should give her more than enough gas to get there. I just wonder if she knows how to deal with the engine.”
Annja turned to him. “Why’s that?”
Dave looked at his watch. “Because it ought to be kicking out in about ten seconds.”
Annja looked back at Sheila’s dinghy. A thin trail of gray smoke steamed out of the small outboard motor. She grinned. “How the hell did you do that?”
“SEALs know a few things about how to make boats and motors work. Or, in this case, not work,” Dave said.
“So now what?” Jax asked. “We just stand here and watch her float away on the current?”
Dave shook his head. “Nah, I’m sure a willful soul like Sheila will very soon come to a decision.”
“What kind of decision?”
“As to whether she’ll let the tide carry her into the mainland, or if she’ll swim for it.”
Annja frowned. “She’s got a busted wrist. I doubt very much she’ll decide to swim for it.”
“Especially with that huge shark out there,” Jax said.
Dave shrugged. “You’d be surprised what people will think about doing when they’re faced with a big decision.”
“I’d wait it out,” Jax said. “Wait for someone to come and get me. No way I’d chance it against the shark.”
Annja watched as the dinghy’s motor sputtered and then coughed before completely dying. Sheila pumped the starter cord a few times and then slumped back in the boat. She glanced back at the Seeker.
Dave waved at her with a big smile. “Enjoy yourself!” he shouted.
Sheila aimed the gun in his direction, but no one aboard even moved. There was too much distance between them and the dinghy. The bullets would never reach their target.
“She just going to sit there?” Dave glanced up at the sky. “The sun’s going to be setting soon.”
Annja looked at the sky. Dave was right. The bright blue from earlier had given way to a darker sky stained with reds and oranges as the sun trekked westward on its daily route.
“I wouldn’t want to be out there alone at night,” Annja said. “That would just get a bit too freaky for me.”
Jax nodded. “I’d start thinking of all those scenes in Jaws. I wouldn’t be able to help myself. And then I’d really get scared.”
Dave sniffed. “You know, it’s not that bad. Sometimes the ocean at night can be quite peaceful. I remember being out one time in the South Pacific. A bunch of us in a Zodiac and it was kind of nice, actually.”
“You weren’t floating in waters where a forty-foot man-eating shark had been prowling recently.”
“This is very true,” Dave said. “And we also had a pretty impressive arsenal with us. There’s nothing like overwhelming firepower to make things better.”
“I don’t think her 9 mm counts as overwhelming,” A
nnja said.
Dave chuckled. “Not by a long shot.”
Annja looked over her shoulder at Hunter and Cole. They had gotten Steve up and were giving him some water. “Is he okay?”
Hunter nodded. “Seems to be. A little shaken up, but I suppose that’s to be expected.”
Cole looked at Annja. “Good thing you pegged Sheila the way you did. That could have been ugly.”
“Sheila lied to me,” Annja said. “She had me convinced she was a good guy. It’s Jax you ought to be thanking.”
Jax waved her hand. “Forget about it. Just doing my part to keep the safety of the ship intact. Besides, I didn’t like her, anyway.”
Hunter grinned. “You’ll get a bonus if this all works out.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Jax said. “And don’t use ‘if,’ say ‘when’ instead. Makes me feel more confident.”
“Holy crap,” Dave said suddenly. “She’s actually going to swim for it.”
Annja spun. They could see Sheila standing in the dinghy. She seemed to be searching the water for something. She leaned over the edge.
“Careful,” Dave said.
The stalled dinghy bobbed in the waves. Sheila fell over and into the water, kicking the dinghy as she did so. The little boat skidded away from her. Sheila came up spouting water and coughing.
Dave sighed. “Well, this shouldn’t last too long. She doesn’t look very comfortable in the water.”
“It’s probably pretty cold out there, too,” Jax said.
“It is,” Cole said, coming up next to them. “And I had a wet suit on at the time. She’s in trouble if she stays in there long. She’ll go hypothermic and that will be the end.”
“I wonder if the shark likes Popsicles,” Dave said.
“Oh, my God,” Jax said. “Look!”
Annja looked where she was pointing, perhaps five hundred yards off the port side. The telltale silhouette of a triangular dorsal fin had risen out of the water.
The shark had returned.
“My God, that’s a big fish,” Dave said.
Jax leaned on the railing. “She’ll never make it.”
Annja watched as Sheila started swimming in the general direction of the mainland. But they were a good couple of miles from the coast. And even if Sheila had been an Olympian, she’d never make it in time.
