Chapter 21 #3
“She must be five feet long and a couple of hundred pounds,” Erica said softly. “She’s definitely not going to fit on the helicopter.”
They had covered that issue too. If they found only the eggs, they would leave by helicopter. If they found the dragon, they assumed al-Buya would have plenty of boats to choose from. They would get her on one and call the Guardia Maritima to pick them up.
There were a lot of moving parts to this plan, but Erica trusted her three companions to pull it off. Having one commanding, pissed-off prince and two fit, highly trained bodyguards was very useful in a situation like this.
“ Senor, the eggs are here.” Dario stood in front of a case with a glass top and a series of gauges.
Erica joined him to see that the gauges measured humidity, temperature, and a couple of things she didn’t recognize.
Looking into the incubator, she saw that about twenty beautiful blue-green eggs the size of grapefruits sat in a carrying case.
That would make their life a lot easier.
“Dario and Pascal, stay here with the dragon,” Raul said. “I’ll take the eggs and roust up some crew to get a boat in the water. Erica—”
“I’ll come with you,” she said. “I know a lot about boats, thanks to my father. I can help.”
He hesitated but nodded.
“Just let me get these heels off,” she said. Raul held out his hand, and she took it, leaning on his strength as she unbuckled the straps of her sandals and stepped out of them.
Between them, Dario and Pascal carefully clamped the lid on the egg case and lifted it out of the incubator.
“Not as heavy as I expected,” Raul said, holding the case with great care. His face went softly luminous as he looked at his burden. “Now they will get to grow up in their native land.”
Erica’s heart did a little flip at seeing the joy in her prince’s expression.
“Thanks to you,” she said.
“And you, querida .” He lifted his gaze to her. “You brought us here with your skill and courage.”
Her heart turned the flip into a dance of happiness…and pain.
“ Senor, you should go,” Dario said. “We don’t want al-Buya to change his mind about letting us leave.”
Raul nodded, and they retraced their route to the Fun Deck, Raul walking with a swift but gliding step to avoid disturbing the babies, while Erica opened doors for him.
As they passed through one door, two crewmen walked toward them. The men came to a halt, blocking the passageway.
“May I help you?” one crewman asked, his gaze on the egg case Raul carried.
Erica’s heart rate spiked, but she managed to smile at their human impediments before she looked up at Raul with an adoring gaze.
“Yes, you can,” Raul said, his voice carrying all the authority of his position. “We need you to get a boat in the water for us. Come with me.”
The men hesitated with nervous glances at each other.
Erica racked her brain for the right thing to say. She laid her hand on Raul’s arm. “It’s okay, querido . Senor al-Buya said he’d meet us there. Let these nice men get on with their jobs.”
Raul gave her an indulgent look before he lifted a gaze turned to steel. “ Senor al-Buya expects his crew to treat us as his honored guests.” He repeated in a tone that brooked no argument, “Come. With. Me.”
The crewmen were no match for the prince. They flinched, bowed, and stepped aside to allow them to pass, falling in behind Erica and Raul.
Erica blew out a breath of relief as her pulse settled down.
Raul did not hand the egg case over to his newly acquired minions. He carried his precious burden all the way to the Fun Deck, setting it gently on a pile of swim floats in a rack.
“This one,” Erica said, pointing to a large rubber inflatable boat suspended from a hoist on chains. It had an impressive outboard motor on the back. They could get the dragon into it while it was still on the deck and then shove it in the water.
Raul nodded and gestured toward the boat.
Al-Buya’s men sprang into action, obviously wanting to get clear of the situation as soon as possible.
They hit a series of switches, which opened the wide double doors that faced the stern of the yacht while the inflatable glided forward on its hoist. Sea air swirled into the storage room, the fresh, salt-laden scent reminding Erica of so many times on the water with her father, most of them not happy.
She shoved the memories away and focused on the men lowering the boat onto the swim deck at the back of the yacht. They set it down facing the boat ramp.
Erica checked the fuel gauge on the inflatable, thanking her lucky stars that the tank was full. Once again, al-Buya’s crew had proved to be competent.
She gave Raul a thumbs-up.
Raul nodded and dismissed the nervous crewmen with a wave of his hand. They wasted no time in departing.
Raul pulled out his phone. “Dario, we’re ready. Do you need help with the dragon?” He listened for a minute. “ Muy bien . I’ll wait here.”
“The dragon is cooperating?” Erica asked.
“One walks behind her, and the other blocks off side passages, forcing her to keep going down the hall,” he said. “Dario says she seems to want off this ship.”
“Who can blame her?” Erica said. “I’ll go take a look at the boat to make sure it’s ready to go.”
“Excellent idea.” Then he surprised her by grabbing her hand and pulling her against him.
“You truly are an Amazon.” He gave her a quick but real kiss that made her heart thud faster.
For a moment, they locked gazes, bound together by the rush of the adventure.
“We’re going to do this, mi amor, ” he said, his face alight with exhilaration before he released her.
Erica took a moment to steady herself, shoving away the surge of heat. She climbed into the inflatable, glad of her short skirt and bare feet.
As she examined the motor, she felt her father’s presence, explaining what each part was and quizzing her on them before he showed her how to start it.
Funny how his unwelcome lessons were coming in handy now.
Suddenly, Raul spun around and ran toward the Fun Deck, his knees bent and his arms out wide.
Erica caught a flash of green with a glitter of jewels as the dragon dodged past him and hurled herself into the ocean’s dark waves.
“Mierda!” Erica bit out as she jumped out of the boat and raced to the edge of the swim deck, searching for the poor frightened creature. She heard the men shouting but ignored them.
There! The dragon’s jeweled harness caught the lights from the yacht, so Erica could see her as a wave lifted her.
For a second, Erica froze, panicked by the thought of plunging into the cold, dark depths of the ocean.
The dragon started to swim away, and the panic changed shape.
How would they find her in the vast black sea?
Would she be able to make it back to shore?
Could she survive in the wild with that damned harness on?
Erica grabbed one of the life jackets from the boat before she sucked in a deep breath.
Then she crouched and launched herself off the boat, landing right beside the swimming lizard.
She grabbed the jeweled harness, activated the flashing beacon on the vest, and looped one of the vest’s straps through the harness.
The dragon tried to pull away from her, swiping her side with her powerful claws, leaving a sharp, stinging pain.
Erica hung on long enough to shove the strap’s buckle into its clip before she released her grip.
She watched the light glide away. They would be able track the dragon!
But now Erica felt the cold water slapping her in the face, tugging at her clothes, trying to pull her under. Something brushed her leg. She shrieked, taking in a mouthful of water. Her throat closed up, and she thrashed in the waves.
“Erica! Erica!” Raul’s shout broke through her terror. She turned to see the inflatable headed toward her. “We’re coming.”
“No!” she croaked. She coughed before she managed to shout, “Get the dragon!”
The inflatable didn’t change course, coming up beside her, the rubber sides looking insurmountable from her vantage point in the water. And then Raul was there, leaning over with both hands held out. “Erica! Take my hands!”
She kicked hard and grabbed his wrists, knowing that was a stronger hold.
His fingers closed around her like steel bands, and then she seemed to fly out of the water, his strength making her feel as though she weighed nothing.
She slid over the rounded rubber side and landed on the bottom, even as she felt the boat surge forward.
Thank God they were going after the dragon!
Raul knelt beside her, pulling her into his arms and cradling her against his chest. “Are you all right? You scared the hell out of me. What were you thinking?”
She was thinking that the dragon would die out in the middle of the ocean with that stupid harness on.
In that instant, she understood why her father had made the choice he did, why he went back for the sailors who would die if he stayed safely on the boat. Because he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he hadn’t tried to save them.
That’s why she had jumped into the dark, treacherous waters of the Atlantic Ocean with only a life jacket she didn’t plan to use herself. Stupid, maybe, but she had to do it.
Her father hadn’t chosen to abandon her. He had done what he was trained to do, what he felt his duty was. The insight flashed through her mind and burrowed into her heart. All the corrosive anger drained away in one flooding moment, leaving her almost light-headed.
“I was thinking about the dragon,” she said into his shirt. “I didn’t want her to die.” And she didn’t want to disappoint Raul.
His grip tightened. “They’re good swimmers. And you are far more important than a dragon.”
“I knew you would pick me up.” She nestled against his warmth as a shiver racked her. Now that they were moving fast, the air was cooling her already chilled skin.