Chapter 28
"Imay take you up on your offer," Madelyn said when she called.
"Why the change of heart?" I asked.
"Oh, I don't know," she said in a casual voice. “Maybe because two assholes just tried to kill me."
"What happened?”
"I'm just sitting here, minding my own business, when these guys pulled up in a Go-Fast and opened fire. Shot my boat to shit.” Her voice dropped in and out from spotty cell service. “Of course, they messed with the wrong person. I shot back. I think I tagged one of the bastards."
I lifted an impressed eyebrow.
"That was enough incentive for them to take off. Cowards. Might want to keep a lookout at the local hospitals for anybody who turns up with a gunshot wound.”
"I'll notify the sheriff. Where are you now?”
"Well. You know how I don't much like discussing my location over an open channel, but… I'm at Angelfish Key right now. My boat is seaworthy, but I'm not sitting on that thing waiting to be another target. It's anchored in the bay.”
"You're on the island.”
"Yeah. And nobody's going to find me unless I want them to find me. So if the offer still stands, I would like you to come out here and find me.”
"Hang tight. We are on our way.”
"What's your ETA?”
"Less than an hour,” I said. "You want to stay on the line with me?"
"No. I'm running low on battery. Call me when you get here.”
“Can you describe the assailant’s boat?”
She told me, and I ended the call. Then I updated JD on the situation.
We hurried back to the Avventura, and I called the sheriff. I filled him in and told him to send Tango One to Angelfish for air support. He put a BOLO out on the white Go-Fast boat with sparkly blue trim.
Something told me the assailant she tagged wasn't going to show up at the hospital. I had no doubt there were some shady off-the-books doctors willing to patch up criminal types for a price. We’d busted one before.
JD and I grabbed some gear and loaded aboard the Raptor. I cast off the lines, and Jack took the helm. He navigated us out of the marina and brought the boat on plane once we passed the breakwater.
The engines howled, spitting a frothy wake as we sliced through the swells. The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, sparkling the water, painting the clouds with pastel hues. Mists of saltwater sprayed.
As promised, we arrived at Angelfish Island within the hour. I scanned the bay, looking for threats.
The area seemed clear.
Teal waves crashed against the shore.
Jack navigated the HDPE tactical boat into the shallows and onto the sand. We hopped out, and I called Madelyn. I barely had a bar of service out here.
Tango One circled overhead, the thump of rotor blades filling the sky.
Madelyn didn't answer, and dread filled my stomach.
Her sailboat was still in the bay. The hull had been peppered with bullets. Windows had been shattered. It was a damn shame. It was a nice boat.
A few minutes later, Madelyn emerged from the underbrush, her cautious eyes scanning the area. She was decked out in a ghillie suit, looking like a walking shrub. I had to hand it to her—she was prepared for survival.
She peeled out of the suit as she walked down the beach and tossed it aside. "That thing is hot.”
"You're still alive.”
"Yeah, well, I told you I knew how to take care of myself. I've got caches of supplies hidden on several of the islands out here in case of emergency. I like to plan ahead.”
"Impressive. You’re one of those conspiracy types, aren’t you?”
"I’m still alive, aren’t I? Now, can we get the hell out of here before those assholes try again?”
"I think that's a smart move,” I said in an understated voice.
We jogged to the Raptor, and I helped Madelyn aboard. I weighed anchor, and Jack navigated us out of the bay.
I waved off Tango One, and they returned to base.
“What about your boat?” I asked.
“I’ll come back for it or buy another.”
“You’re loaded, I take it.”
“More than I could ever spend. But not as much as Sebastian, since he screwed me over.”
“That sounds like a story.”
“I’ll tell you about it sometime.”
We headed back to the marina and tied up in a slip. I helped Madelyn ashore and escorted her to the Avventura. We crossed the passerelle to the aft deck. Buddy waited at the salon door, barking and wagging his tail.
“This is a nice boat,” Madelyn said.
I knew what she was thinking. “No. We’re not on the take.”
“You sure about that?”
I laughed. “JD and I volunteer for the department.”
“Gluttons for punishment, eh?”
“You could say that.”
I opened the door and kept Buddy from pouncing on her. Madelyn was pounce-worthy.
She knelt down and loved on the little Jack Russell. Buddy ate it up.
I escorted her inside and showed her to a below-deck stateroom. I presented the room like a bellhop. “You’ve got a queen berth, a fold-down TV, and a private en suite. If you need anything, I’m on the bridge deck aft, and JD is in the VIP stateroom on the main deck.”
“Fancy,” she said.
Madelyn had a small bug-out bag with the essentials, but she’d need a new wardrobe soon.
“Tomorrow we can pick up whatever items you may need.”
“This is really kind of you. I promise I won’t be a bother.”
“I don’t know. You look like trouble.”
She lifted a sassy eyebrow. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“I’ve got to warn you, it can get a little rowdy around here at times.”
“I can handle rowdy. I’d prefer not to get shot at again. What makes you think they won’t figure out I’m here and attack again?”
I shrugged. “I suspect they don’t know you hold the keys to the platform, or they wouldn’t be trying to kill you.“
“Sebastian has always taken credit for everything. When they find out he doesn’t really control the platform, they’ll try to kidnap me and torture me until I hand over the encryption keys.”
“What do you know about the Consortium?”
“Corrupt elites with their own private paramilitary force. Unaccountable. Off-the-books. I don’t know how you take an organization like that down. Too many players. Distributed power centers.”
“Viktor calls the shots.”
“Take him out, and somebody else will fill his shoes. You can’t stop them. The organization is too big. Too powerful. The only weapon against these people is the truth. And sometimes even that’s not enough.”
I knew just how difficult these shadowy organizations could be to disrupt.
“I’ll get you another burner phone tomorrow,” I said. “Don’t call anyone. Don’t go outside. Don’t tell anyone you’re here.”
“I know the drill. It sounds like so much fun.”
“It beats the alternative.”
“Maybe I should get out of town. Find a hideaway on the other side of the world.”
“As determined as these people seem to be, it would only be a matter of time before they found you.”
Madelyn frowned. “You might be right.”
She thanked me again.
I gave her some privacy, then joined JD in the main salon. He poured two cocktails and slid one across the counter to me.
“Any idea how we’re going to handle this?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”
“Why don’t you think about rustling us up some dinner? I’ll stay here and hold down the fort.”
He told me what he wanted from Diver Down, and I took Madelyn’s order. I hustled down the dock to the restaurant and put in a to-go order. I chatted with Teagan while I waited, then returned with the food.
We chowed down under the stars on the sky deck. Madelyn told us about how she started the platform with her brother and how it grew.
“Tell me about the falling out,” I said.