Chapter 10
Cold water shocked Heath awake and he blinked rapidly, trying to bring a hand up to clear his vision, only to find they were cuffed above him and connected to a ring in the ceiling. His face throbbed, and as his eyes cleared, he found both Kamran and Ali smiling at him.
Shit.
“Cheap shot,” he said, knowing it would irritate Kamran. He braced himself for the gut punch and breathed out through the pain, though his bullet-proof vest cushioned some of the blow.
Kamran frowned and clenched his hand around his fist. Probably hurt him as much as it hurt Heath.
“You were never willing to go head to head with me because you knew you’d lose. But now you’ve got me at a slight disadvantage…”
The next two punches knocked the air out of his lungs, but at least Kamran was staying away from his head.
He needed to keep them focused on him so they didn’t think about Zoe. Heath just hoped the other sailors weren’t like these two and hadn’t been instructed to interrogate her.
The thought that they could be hurting Zoe made him straighten and bite his tongue against taunting Kamran again. He looked at Ali. “What’s the plan?” He stretched his fingers up and felt the chain above him.
“I had considered throwing you into the ocean and pretending we’d never seen you,” Ali said. “But you have an annoying resilience and would likely survive.”
There was a measure of respect in Ali’s voice. Kamran heard it as well and scowled, punching Heath again.
“There’s also a chance Zoe’s government might be able to trace you back to the cargo ship and the captain will tell them we came after you.”
“International politics can be tricky,” Heath agreed. He waited, knowing there was more to come. Ali wouldn’t, couldn’t, let him go unpunished. It went against his whole ethos.
Another punch, this time very close to his ribs. He’d never been sympathetic to a punching bag before now. He was going to hurt tomorrow despite the vest.
Assuming he survived the night.
“I have some friends we’re meeting,” Ali continued. “They were annoyed when you put an end to our trade.” He smiled. “And fortunately they don’t care about politics.”
His mind whirled. Drug smugglers in the Gulf could belong to any nation. He’d heard rumours pirates were getting bolder about coming in and robbing boats as well.
The cargo ship had been putting up barbed wire.
Zoe was definitely in danger. He had to get free before that happened. Movement at the door made him glance that way. Zoe peeked into the room then disappeared.
How the hell had she got free?
Perhaps no one thought to guard her.
He shifted his gaze to Ali. “So you’re leaving the dirty work to someone else?”
“As much as I don’t want to, it seems convenient this time.”
Both men were watching him and didn’t see Zoe step into the room and raise a handgun, gripping it with both hands. Her arms shook, but the determination on her face made his heart thump.
No, she shouldn’t be in here. His pulse hammered in his chest. There was no way to tell her to go without bringing attention to her.
Kamran would shoot her.
These people were not reasonable.
“Let him go.” Her voice was loud, but he heard the tremor. Shit.
Both men whirled around to face her. “What the hell?” Ali exclaimed. “Where are my men?”
“Indisposed,” Zoe replied, her gaze not moving from them. “Uncuff Darius now.”
She wore her backpack and even remembered the name he’d given. The pride he felt clashed with his terror for her.
“Now, don’t be too hasty.” Ali’s hand dipped towards the gun on his waist.
“Keep your hands up.” She lowered the gun to point at his groin. “Or I will shoot.”
Heath gripped the chain above him as Kamran shifted to the side so he wasn’t directly behind Ali. The movement brought him close enough to Heath.
Heath struck, lifting himself up and wrapping his legs around Kamran’s neck. He squeezed hard, cutting off his windpipe until the man slumped to the ground.
Zoe flinched, but kept the gun on Ali. “Take the cuffs off him.”
Ali hadn’t even turned to see what had happened behind him. “No.”
“I will shoot you.”
The arsehole shook his head. “If you do that, my whole crew will be down here in a matter of seconds.”
Zoe hesitated.
“They won’t hear over the sound of the engine,” Heath told her.
She glanced at Heath, and Ali lunged at her. Zoe pulled the trigger. The noise exploded around the metal room, making Heath’s ears ring.
Zoe jerked back, her body not expecting the recoil, and stumbled out of Ali’s reach. The man fell to the ground, roaring in pain.
Zoe stared at Ali, her hands trembling, but the rest of her was frozen.
“Zoe!” Heath called. If Ali wasn’t badly injured, he would be after her in seconds.
She didn’t move.
“Zoe. Look at me.” He struggled with the cuffs, trying to get them loose.
She looked up and blinked, coming back to her senses. She dashed past a still groaning Ali and fished handcuff keys out of her pocket, stretching up to unlock his cuffs.
She smelled like dust, salt air, and hope.
Heath kept his gaze on Ali as the man rolled over, his leg covered in blood. The cuffs clicked open and Heath jerked his hands down, grabbing the gun from Zoe’s hand and pushing her behind him, just as Ali found his own gun.
Two bullets made the gun fall from Ali’s hand and neutralised him. Zoe jumped. “Don’t look at him,” Heath said as he turned to her. “Keep your eyes on the doorway. I need to restrain Kamran. How did you get away?” He kept his voice calm, and she fixed her eyes on the doorway, her face pale.
“I drugged the two guards with the powder you gave me.”
Clever girl. He’d get the details later, but now he tied Kamran to the same shackles that had held him and stripped both bodies of their weapons, tucking the second gun into the back of his pants. The engine noise shifted, slowing.
Shit. Had they heard the gunshots?
He grabbed Zoe’s hand and pulled her past Ali and into the corridor. Her hand trembled in his, but she followed him, pausing just long enough to grab his backpack and hand it to him.
“Two guards on the deck and I think two guards in the wheelhouse,” she said. “The two I drugged were too heavy to hide and I don’t know how long the powder lasts.”
“They’ll be out for at least an hour.” Heath turned down another corridor to where there was a hatch to the deck.
Quickly he climbed it and pried it open, peering out. Darkness on one side of the deck, but a bright spotlight on the other where a fancy luxury boat was approaching.
Shit. They must be the smugglers. He lowered the hatch. There was a small nook just next to it where rope was coiled, but it was big enough for Zoe to hide in.
“Backpack.” She wouldn’t fit with it on.
“What’s happening?”
“Another boat is approaching—smugglers. We don’t want those men to get aboard. They’ll want to see Ali.”
She paled further, handing him the backpack with shaking hands.
“I need you to hide in there.” He pointed at the small space.
Her face grew paler still, but she nodded and climbed in.
He hated to do that to her again. “It won’t be for long.” He squeezed her hand. “Don’t get out for any reason until I come get you. There might be a lot of shooting and I don’t want you hit.”
He helped her in, brushed a thumb over her cheek, the motion as natural as breathing. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Heath checked the deck. Two guards were standing on the deck illuminated by the spotlight, waiting for the boat which was still a hundred metres out. He climbed out.
Another sailor was climbing down from the wheelhouse, looking annoyed.
Heath moved through the shadows and waited at the bottom of the ladder.
The second the man was in reach, Heath grabbed him and knocked him out, dragging him into the shadows and restraining him with cable ties.
He threw the man’s weapons overboard and glanced at the wheelhouse.
The boat was slowing further. He had to make sure the smugglers didn’t board.
He had little time to overpower the other two guards and get up to the wheelhouse before the boat would be alongside. And the smugglers would have firepower of their own.
He exhaled and shot the spotlight so the world went dark.
The captain accelerated, probably thinking the smugglers were shooting at them.
Heath grabbed the ladder to steady himself and then rushed the two guards who had taken cover and weren’t expecting an attack from behind.
He knocked one out, and then the other, and quickly restrained them while the boat continued to accelerate.
That should be everyone on deck taken care of. He climbed the ladder, reaching the wheelhouse platform.
Heath waited a couple of beats and peered inside, spotting just the one man, surrounded by glowing panels. He glanced towards the smugglers and called Ali on the radio.
Suddenly light flooded the area as the smugglers’ boat turned on its floodlights. Inside, the captain shaded his eyes, and the radio sounded a warning about a man outside.
Damn. The smugglers knew something was wrong. Heath rushed in. The captain tried to get his gun up, but Heath was too fast, overpowering him in seconds.
He breathed out while he tied the captain up and handcuffed him to a rail on the far side of the wheelhouse.
Heath glanced outside. The luxury boat was about fifty metres off the port side, not gaining, but not falling behind either. Heath checked the coordinates and the map on the display.
Shit. They were well and truly in Iranian waters now. He shifted the wheel, heading south-east towards Dubai.
The window behind him shattered, and he ducked as military-grade bullets smashed through the cabin.
The smugglers wanted whatever was on board.
He covered his head and hid behind the cupboard on the port side of the boat, the only thing that gave the slightest bit of protection. The steering wheel turned, making the boat lurch.
“You won’t get away,” the captain said. “Those men are psychotic.”