Steel Trap: A Jack Steel Action Mystery Thriller, Book 4

by Geoffrey Saign

  Steel jumped back to the helm and gunned the engines. Harry and Zeus were engaging the men on the bow of SweetRide. They had the advantage now. Still, they had to make a run for it. Dima might call in reinforcements. Harry’s boat was the fastest and could outrun Dima’s bigger boat. Choices came to Steel. All were risky.

  “Christie, get them up!” he called.

  SweetRide veered toward them.

  Remaining crouched, Christie opened the lower-level hatch and yelled, “Come up! Stay low!”

  Matt and Val crawled through the hatch, as Christie moved back to aft.

  “Starboard side, on the floor!” snapped Steel.

  Val and Matt scrambled to the side, hiding behind a settee.

  “Harry!” said Christie.

  Steel watched another RPG missile narrowly miss Harry’s boat, again sending a spout of water into the air.

  More men lined the near side of SweetRide, firing at EasySeas. Steel stepped out and replied with a burst from the G28. He spied another rifle pointing out from midships, aimed at their stern. Panic. He fired at the sniper’s position, forcing the gun to be lowered out of sight. “Sniper, midships, Christie!”

  Rushing back to the helm, he swung the wheel sharply to port to change the angle of the sniper’s view of their boat—from broadside to head-on.

  Christie crouched. Steel thought it seemed like slow motion as something punched into her upper body and sent her stumbling backward. With the sudden turn of the boat she lost her balance and fell over the side. One moment with him, the next gone.

  Steel stared at the empty space where she had been, and then searched the water behind their boat. He saw her. On her back. Not moving. He swallowed hard. “Harry, Christie’s in the water. Get your sister!”

  “We should go back and get her!” Val stood up, gaping at Steel.

  “Stop the boat!” Matt had his Glock 43 in hand as he peered out the side windows.

  “Matt and Val, jump off the stern, starboard side!” Steel glanced at them. “Go! Now!”

  Steel gunned their boat, aiming for SweetRide’s beam. If he stopped to get Christie, they would all be targets for the sniper. Yet he could never leave her. They needed a diversion. He was aware of Matt and Val jumping overboard off the stern.

  Staccato fire ripped into EasySeas’ bow and cabin, forcing Steel to hide beneath the dash. Just before the boats collided, he swung the helm sharply away, ramming the beam of his boat into the front bow of the bigger speedboat. It was enough to rock the bigger boat, but the side of EasySeas was pushed in. Not much damage to SweetRide. Steel didn’t care. He wanted to throw the sniper off, and take attention off Matt and Val in the water.

  Gunning the engine, he crossed over in front of the bigger boat’s bow, barely avoiding a collision, and then sped along it on the port side. He glimpsed Harry’s boat speeding past the stern of SweetRide, still firing on the bigger boat. Stepping out of the cabin, he sprayed the side of SweetRide with the G28, hitting one man and forcing others to duck for cover.

  “Harry!” he yelled. “Sniper on SweetRide!”

  “Roger that, Steel. Christie in view. Matt and Val are swimming to her.”

  Steel gunned EasySeas away from SweetRide, hoping to draw the bigger boat away from Harry. Ahead of him, he spotted one of the Jet Skis bobbing in the water. Not slowing, he made another sharp U-turn, the boat heeling dangerously, and then aimed for SweetRide’s midships. Throttling the engines, he locked the helm. SweetRide wouldn’t be able to avoid him now.

  Tossing down the G28, he grabbed the Rattler from his case, along with two spare mags, and ran through the lounge to the stern, slinging the Rattler carry strap over his head. He shoved the mags into his vest and pushed the machine gun so it rested across his back.

  Fifty yards before impact, he jumped ship.

  CHAPTER 5

  Christie felt numb. The left side of her upper chest ached. She wasn’t sure how far the bullet had punched through the Kevlar. She slowly, painfully moved her left hand up and found a bullet hole in the side of the vest. Flesh wound. She hoped.

  She wondered if she should swim. The sniper might be targeting her, so better to play dead. She didn’t know if SweetRide was a quarter-mile away or powering toward her at full speed. Red seeped out from her left blouse sleeve into the blue-green water, looking like dark ink. She hoped to see Steel’s or Harry’s boat. She could talk on coms, but she couldn’t hear anyone—her earpiece was gone. She tasted salt water on her lips. Blue sky above. A few white clouds.

  The Kevlar kept her floating on her back. She slowly lolled her head to the side. Keeping her eyes barely cracked open, she hoped the sniper didn’t have his scope on her. She had lost her sunglasses when she hit the water and the bright sun blinded her. She didn’t see a boat. But something was moving toward her. Squinting against the sunlight sparkling on the water, she had to blink several times to see clearly.

  Black. Sharp. Pointed. A shark fin. Fifty yards away. Abruptly clear against the turquoise water. Bahamian waters were full of sharks. When snorkeling along reefs, she didn’t mind them. Disabled, with her blood in the water, she panicked. She didn’t want to die like this. Or lose an arm or leg. Where was Steel? Harry? She couldn’t swim now. It would just draw more attention from the shark. And she had nowhere to go.

  “Harry? Steel?” she murmured. A big bang sounded from a distant collision. Had to be Steel. She considered the sniper and the shark. If the shark got her, the sniper hardly mattered. She reached behind her back. Her chest burned with the exertion. She groaned. Gripping her SIG in its holster, she drew it free and lifted her arm free of the water. Trembling, she had to strain to keep the gun barrel from dipping into the ocean. Still squinting, she fired three times. The fin disappeared below the surface, still heading in her direction.

  A boat was close—she heard the whine of engines. The enemy? Steel? Harry? Hopeful, she lifted her head a few inches. The sun blinded her. Guns were fired. Bullets strafed the water near her. She gasped as a big shape flew down past her, sending a wave of water splashing over her chest and face. Closing her mouth and eyes, she cringed and held her legs together, her arms pressed against her body.

  HARRY HEARD A DULL crash as Steel sideswiped the bigger boat on the starboard side. Zeus aimed their boat toward SweetRide’s stern, while Harry strafed the side of the bigger boat. By the time they reached the stern he had to get another mag. As he reloaded, Zeus fired. They alternated. They hadn’t talked about it. He and the kid just did it naturally. He was beginning to really like how Zeus worked.

  SweetRide was still rocking from the impact of EasySeas. Harry understood; Steel was giving his team a chance to get Christie, Matt, and Val. As they rounded SweetRide’s stern, Steel’s boat appeared, rounding the bow of SweetRide—which then turned to follow Steel. Perfect.

  Harry peered ahead, trying to spot his sister. His stomach turned queasy when he saw her lying on her back ahead of them. “Zeus!”

  “I see her, Harry.” Zeus accelerated the boat. “Cover my back, Harry.” He steered their ship directly away from SweetRide.

  Harry got up on his knees and strafed the bigger boat again. A few heads pulled back, but most of the crew was already out of sight. Focused on Steel.

  Shots were fired ahead of them. Whirling, he saw Christie with her arm extended, firing her SIG. He couldn’t see what she was firing at. Movement to the side caught his attention. He stood to have a better angle, even though it made him more exposed to SweetRide’s sniper.

  Gasping, he fired the rest of his magazine at the shark swimming toward his sister. It seemed huge in the water. He didn’t fear much, but sharks did it for him. His stomach tightened.

  “Christie!” he yelled. He reloaded. The black shape dove beneath the water. He doubted bullets would be effective at the angle he had and with the water barrier. He still fired.

  Zeus pushed the boat to full throttle, aiming at the narrow space between the charging shark and Christie. Harry wasn’t su
re what the young man was going to do. He couldn’t object or give directions—he didn’t have any ideas and hoped the kid did.

  Just before they reached Christie’s side, Zeus yelled, “Take the helm, Harry!”

  “What?!” Harry stared at the kid.

  Zeus shifted to neutral, grabbed a six-foot-long steel rod lying on the deck, and jumped over the side like a torpedo, feet first, legs together, his arms crossed over his chest with the rod vertical with his body.

  Harry rushed to the helm and gunned the boat in a sharp U-turn, the Rattler in one hand as he drove back to Christie. Zeus wasn’t visible. Harry scanned the water for the shark. In the morning when they left the dock, Zeus had said the rod was for trouble. Harry hadn’t taken the kid seriously and thought he was just being weird. He certainly didn’t expect Zeus to use it in the water against sharks.

  Even if the big Greek managed to fend off the shark with the rod, the beast would circle back. Harry hoped the kid wasn’t sacrificing himself. He powered the boat hard in reverse to a quick stop, grabbed their small first aid kit, and rushed to the stern.

  Zeus bobbed to the surface, lifting Christie’s arm up. Harry dropped to his knees, leaned over and grabbed her vest, dragging her up on deck with one arm. She groaned. He was glad to see she still had her legs. Red stained her blouse sleeve, which alarmed him.

  He lifted his gaze and saw another fin approaching. “Zeus!”

  Zeus tossed the steel rod onto the deck. In one move the big Greek used his arms to pull himself up to the deck into a kneeling position. The dark shape in the water flashed by the stern.

  Harry regarded Zeus with amazement. “Get us to Matt and Val before the sharks get them!”

  Zeus ran to the helm and hit the throttle hard, while Harry took off Christie’s Kevlar vest. The bullet had sliced through the Kevlar at an angle and cut a groove along her upper left chest. Lots of blood. But only a flesh wound. He had seen far worse injuries as a Marine.

  “You’re going to live, sis.” He winked at her.

  She scowled. “Did it ruin my bathing suit?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “It’s the second bathing suit trashed in an Op,” she muttered.

  “I feel your pain. Send a bill to Steel.” Harry took several three-by-three sterile pads to push against the wound, using her suit to hold them in place.

  She inhaled sharply. “What about Steel?”

  “I don’t know, sis.” He heard another loud crash—this one sounded final. Steel. On the far side of the bigger boat and out of eyesight. SweetRide rocked hard this time and slowed down, several hundred yards away from them.

  Zeus motored their boat up beside Matt and Val, who were swimming to them.

  Harry strafed a few times in the direction of SweetRide with his Rattler, wondering if Dima’s men were still targeting Steel. No, the boat was swinging back toward them. “Hang on, Christie.”

  Crawling to the other side of the stern, he reached down and grabbed Val’s arm. He pulled the young woman up fast, her blonde hair plastered against her shoulders. She had lost her sarong, but still wore the blouse—also plastered against her skin.

  Zeus fired at SweetRide from the helm.

  When atop the deck, Val swiveled on her knees. “Matt!” she yelled.

  Matt shouted and whirled, his back to the boat hull as he held his satchel like a small shield in front of his chest, his legs drawn up beneath him.

  Harry drew his Glock and fired at a dark shape below the surface. Leaning over, Val grabbed Matt’s upper right arm. Harry kept firing. Val shouted. Gasping, Matt twisted and kicked furiously.

  Harry gaped. Another shark was coming in from the left side. He fired three shots into an open, toothy mouth that sank beneath the water. Leaning over, he grabbed Matt’s left arm and lifted—he felt a huge resistance. Matt screamed. Harry hung onto him with Val, and they hauled him out of the water, up onto his back.

  Matt’s right foot had no shoe, but the leg didn’t appear injured—three white lines marked the lower leg. However his left forearm had a jagged cut. He was bleeding badly. He still clung to the satchel, which was soaked.

  “Get us out of here, Zeus!” yelled Harry.

  Zeus gunned the engines again.

  Matt groaned. “How bad is it? Don’t tell me. I hate blood.”

  “It probably feels worse than it is.” Harry shook his head, thinking the young man was lucky. He grabbed an unopened water bottle and poured it over the wound to irrigate it.

  Matt cried out.

  “Sorry, kid.” Harry used the rest of the bottle to wash blood off the deck.

  Val retrieved antiseptic and gauze from the first aid kit. She quickly applied antibacterial cream and then wrapped the gauze around Matt’s wound. Matt grimaced but handled it.

  “You’re going to be okay, baby, I promise.” Val leaned over and kissed his forehead.

  Matt closed his eyes. “It hurts like barbed wire. Did the shark get my leg too? It really hurts.”

  “No, baby, your leg is fine. Just light tooth marks. But you’re missing your foot.” Val smiled.

  “Shut up, Val.” Matt returned a weak smile.

  Val taped the edges of the gauze and began wrapping another layer.

  Harry was impressed with her steadiness. Glancing up, he couldn’t see Steel. But gunfire came from the far side of SweetRide. He handed another water bottle to Val. “Give him some pain pills.”

  He grabbed aspirin and water, and moved back to Christie, who was sitting against a bench seat. She quickly downed the pills and water.

  “We don’t leave anyone behind, Harry.” Her voice was demanding.

  He stared into her green eyes. “I was a Marine, sis.”

  “Promise me.”

  “I promise.”

  Christie lifted her SIG and fired at SweetRide.

  Harry thought it was a long shot, but maybe it would help take Dima’s attention off Steel. He twisted and shouted, “Zeus, take us wide of SweetRide to see if we can find Steel.”

  “Already headed that way, Harry.” Zeus steered the boat in a wide arc.

  Harry gathered his Rattler and joined Christie in firing at SweetRide.

  CHAPTER 6

  Steel hadn’t bothered taking a life vest. The Kevlar would give him flotation. His plan was to swim to the nearest Jet Ski and hope the ignition key was still in it. Another fifty yards from him.

  As he swam, he ignored the fact that SweetRide was going to come at him if it could. The sniper might already be targeting him. But he was counting on Dima wanting Matt, Val, and the flash drive more than gaining revenge on him. They would follow Harry’s boat, and Harry could outrun them.

  The Jet Ski driver wasn’t floating anywhere in sight, which made Steel wonder about sharks. It didn’t matter. He had no choice. He changed course slightly every few strokes. A bullet hit the water just beyond him. Startled, he dove below the surface. The Kevlar made it nearly impossible, but he figured even a few inches of water would slow a bullet.

  Surfacing, he swam hard. Something hit him in the lower back. Had to be a bullet. It would have gone through a few inches of water before hitting the Kevlar. He didn’t feel pain and kept swimming.

  He noticed movement to the west. A black fin sliced through the water, and then disappeared. He swam a few more strokes. The Jet Ski was only ten yards away. Too far. He glanced back. SweetRide had a small hole in the port side—hopefully it would slow down Dima’s boat. It was turning away from his direction, toward Harry’s boat.

  Steel drew the Backlash dagger from his ankle sheath and the OTF knife from his belt. Both seemed pathetically small against a shark. Lowering only his head beneath the water, he kept his eyes open. The shark was coming straight at him. A Caribbean reef shark. It’s size unnerved Steel, but water distorted images. At least it wasn’t a bull, tiger, or great white, all of which were more aggressive.

  Steel kept still, both hands held out, his knives aimed at the shark. H
is best strategy was to stab the shark’s snout, mouth, or eyes. Sharks didn’t want head-on fights any more than humans did. Like most predators, they preferred attacking prey from the side or from behind.

  The shark came within three feet of his dagger, and then veered sharply away. Steel turned in the water, following its departure, chilled when he saw more dark shapes in the distance swimming in a closing circle around him. He pulled his head up and swam for the Jet Ski, knives in hand. He dreaded a shark biting his legs or arms, and he almost stopped to take another look underwater. But thoughts of Christie and SweetRide chasing him made him push on.

  In seconds he kicked and pulled himself atop the Jet Ski. The ignition key was there. He looked down. A shark swam five feet below him. He shivered and sheathed the knives. Then he powered the Jet Ski in the direction of Harry’s boat, which was headed east. Gunmen on SweetRide were exchanging fire with Harry’s crew.

  “Harry?” He waited. No reply. After two more attempts, he figured his earpiece was ruined by the saltwater. He took out his phone, hit Harry’s number, and his friend answered.

  “Are you okay, Steel?” Harry sounded stressed.

  “Head northeast. Full throttle. I’ll catch up.” Worried for Christie, Steel still managed to keep his voice level. “How is everyone?”

  “Christie has a minor flesh wound. She’ll be okay. But Matt got hit by a shark.” Harry paused. “He’s going to need medical attention.”

  Relieved over Christie, Steel put the Jet Ski on full throttle and aimed northeast. Harry’s boat veered in the same direction and sped away. Rattled, Steel’s thoughts jumped between Christie, Rachel, and Carol. Everything that made his life worthwhile was at risk due to Dima. He clenched his jaw. Swallowing, he reminded himself that everyone was safe. He just had to keep it that way. And Matt’s injury was going to slow them down.