Chapter 19 #2
Zain groaned, blinking several times before he jerked awake. He grabbed his ribs, breathing through what she imagined was debilitating pain, but he managed to pick up the gun — sweep the area.
He glanced at her, gaze slightly unfocused. “Are you hit?”
She shook her head, regretting it when it circled the room. “I’m fine…”
“I saw you take a hit.”
“Vest held, but we need to get out of here. The sonar’s overloading the electrical system. It’s only a matter of time before it blows.”
He nodded, resting against the hatch for a second. “I just need to catch my breath.”
Saylor steeled her resolve, used the panels to claw her way to her feet. “No time to rest, soldier. We have to get to the Zodiac. Now.”
Zain groaned, looking at her through half-lidded eyes. “Were you always this bossy?”
“Yeah, you were just too busy falling for me to notice. Feet. Now.”
He chuckled, grunted, then levered up, bracing against the wall as the ship rose and fell off another giant swell. “Are you sure we can’t save this ship?”
“Maddox said the weapon had a flaw. That it overloaded the circuits no matter what he did, and I don’t think he was lying. This thing’s a ticking time bomb.”
Zain nodded. Not much, but she got the message. He looked at Maddox, arching his brow .
She took a shaky step. “We can’t leave him here. I want him to pay, but not like this.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.” He offered her the weapon. “You think you can see straight enough to fire if some asshole jumps us?”
“I’ve got your back.”
“We get topside. Find Chase and Greer, then bug out. Assuming your boat’s still in one piece.”
Saylor shuffled in front, cleared the next room, then moved out. Slowly. Like she had that night. One hand braced on whatever was within reach, the other brandishing the gun. Despite what she’d claimed, she wasn’t sure she’d hit anything if challenged, but she’d try.
It took a ridiculous amount of time to plod their way along the corridor then up the stairs, each pulse of that weapon scrambling her brains.
She wasn’t sure how Zain kept moving, Maddox slung over his shoulder fireman style, when she could barely hold the gun without it slipping free, the sheer burden of it weighing her down.
Zain had secured Maddox’s wrists, but she still checked the guy’s condition every few minutes, just to be sure.
They staggered onto the deck, exhausted.
Battered but not broken. She cleared the area as best she could with her ears ringing, everything doubled.
Rain fell in steady sheets as the wind roared past, the waves higher than before, rolling faster, with less time between crests.
What would be one hell of a ride if they actually reached her boat .
Zain leaned against the wall. “We need to find Chase and Greer.”
Saylor nodded. “Maddox implied they’d been subdued.”
“I heard what he said, and if Chase isn’t breathing when I get to him, Maddox isn’t making the trip back.”
Her stomach roiled, the cold truth settling like a lump in her gut. “We can leave him here until we locate them. They’re more important.”
“And have his minions cart him off? No way.”
“Zain, if there was anyone else left alive, they’ve abandoned ship, by now. Sailed off on whatever vessel Maddox had charted. Look at the ocean. This is worse than with the Vigilant . I don’t care how skilled or tough his crew might be, this is suicidal, and they know it.”
Zain closed his eyes for a moment. “But you’ll try it.”
She smiled. “If there’s a chance I can pull one more Hail Mary out of my ass…”
He nodded, each breath wheezing through clenched teeth. Looking paler than he had below. Or maybe it was the wind and the rain blurring her vision. Those endless pulses messing with her sight in a different way. “I’ll leave him here, head to the bridge…”
Another pulse, and that one light by the crane surged, glowing twice as bright before shattering and plunging the deck into an oppressive darkness. Just like that night.
She tried to move, blacked out, rousing when Zain shook her shoulder. She blinked, groaning at the never-ending noise inside her head .
He wrapped one arm around her waist, bodily lifted her. “I’ve got Chase and Greer. They’re stumbling their way to the stern.”
“Are they…”
What was the word?
“Bruised. Definitely battered, but alive. Chase took Maddox, the ass. Your turn.”
“How long was I out?”
“Not long. Chase was already on his way down the stairs with Greer. It seems the sonar’s strength weakens with distance. Or maybe it’s malfunctioning.”
She nodded, too tired to ask for details, as they limped their way across the deck, each wave rocking the ship back and forth. Waves crashed over the bow, rushing water across the deck and into the open stairwells. A few more hits, and the ship would sink.
Chase still had Maddox slung over his shoulder as they reached the stern, the deck tilted off on an angle. He looked over the side, shaking his head before addressing them. “Your Zodiac’s there, but it’s not quite where we left it.”
Saylor gazed down, watching her boat bob and list a good thirty feet back. “Well, crap. There’s no way I’ll be able to pull it closer in these conditions.”
Zain cursed. “I’ll go in?—”
“No.” She held up her hand. “It’s not just swimming over to the boat. It’s getting it positioned correctly after without having it crushed against the hull. You all get ready. I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“Saylor…”
Zain’s voice trailed into a curse as she shucked her ballistic vest, then palmed the railing and vaulted over, giving a healthy shove as she cleared the side. Cold air curled around her, everything freezing for a second before the water surged up — pulled her under.
She held her breath, waiting for the current to ease slightly before kicking toward the surface. She crested the next wave with a gasp, sucking in a lungful of air before heading for the boat, arms cutting through the water, kicking with every stroke.
The Zodiac bobbed out of reach, seemingly moving with her before slowly inching closer, four strokes for each incremental gain.
Cramps clenched her muscles, the numbing cold stealing her strength as she gave one last push, latching her hand around the rear platform.
It took her a few tries to pull herself up — avoid the twin outboards — but she managed to haul her ass over the side and collapse on the deck.
Two breaths.
That’s all she allowed herself before she pushed onto her knees, crawling her way to the helm. Several inches of standing water covered the floor, one side of the inflatable tube flat against the hull.
The engines started on the second attempt, growling to life as hints of gasoline wove through the air.
She babied the throttle, surging the Zodiac ahead without crashing into the hull.
Zain stood on the bottom of the ladder, reeling in the rope as she maneuvered next to the ship, hovering directly below.
He jumped on, nearly tripping when another pulse echoed through the air.
Strong but not as deafening. He shook his head, then grabbed the ladder, helping Greer down, next.
He bent his head low, then Greer took his place, holding the two boats together as Zain climbed back up, shouldering half of Maddox’s weight as he and Chase shimmied down.
They all but fell into the boat, rocking it hard to port, nearly sending them into the hull before Saylor banked over — put some distance between them.
They scrambled back under the hardtop, Maddox propped up in the last seat as Saylor hit the throttles — got the boat up to speed.
Zain moved in behind her and wrapped his coat around her. “Christ, you’re fucking blue.”
She nodded, hating that her teeth chattered for a second. “I thought blue was your favorite color?”
“Yeah, when I’m staring at your eyes, or the way your ass looks in your jeans. Not because your body temp’s edging toward ninety.”
“On a positive note, at least my side doesn’t hurt.”
Zain grunted. “I knew you’d gotten hit.”
“The vest held, unlike what I suspect’s under your shirt.”
“Not bleeding.”
She gave him a quick once-over. “Not on the outside.”
“Right now, that’s all that matters, unlike your worsening hypothermia.”
“Still shivering. Not dead, yet.”
“Give it time. With the winds this bad…”
She simply let it slide, angling the craft northeast. Dropping into a trough before shooting out onto an adjoining crest. But even with a spotlight illuminating the surface, she barely kept the Zodiac afloat.
The swells intensified, more water spraying over the bow, adding to the slight flooding along the floor. She veered right, narrowly avoided capsizing the boat in a cresting breaker before popping up on the next wave.
She glanced at Zain. “I think we might need Foster and Mac.”
Zain frowned. “You want to abandon the Zodiac?”
“If it means we actually live through this.”
“I’ve got him on speed dial. I’ll… Damn, left. Now.”
Saylor didn’t ask for explanations, just banked the boat hard to port, hitting the throttle and bleeding a bit more speed out of her.
A black boat roared into view, nearly colliding with her stern as it soared past, turning on a dime and falling in behind them.
Bullets pinged off the metal struts, the loud pop barely discernible above the storm.
Zain readied his rifle. “Give her everything you’ve got, sweetheart. This isn’t over, yet.”