Chapter 45
“No,” I said. “That’s too dangerous.”
Madelyn shook her head dismissively. “They can’t kill me until I’ve updated the platform. It’s simple. We make the swap, I’ll have a tracker, and you’ll follow me back to the kidnappers. You and all your law enforcement buddies can storm the place and rescue me.”
I shared a look with Jack. “I don’t like it.”
“It’s not your call,” Madelyn said.
“What if they find the tracker?”
“I’ll hide it well.”
I gave her a flat look. “There are so many things that can go wrong.”
“You have a better suggestion?”
I didn’t.
“Look, if they get a sense that we’re setting a trap, they will vanish. They’re going to keep coming after me until they get what they want. This is your best shot at bringing them down.”
“These are just middlemen.”
“Well, it’s a start.”
It was late afternoon when a text message buzzed my phone through the encrypted app.
It listed a set of coordinates and read: [Bring Madelyn at midnight.
Involve no other law enforcement authorities.
No FBI, no Coast Guard, not even the county.
Bring yourself and Madelyn to the rendezvous point.
You will receive instructions from there.
Any deviation from these instructions will result in the death of Sebastian. ]
I couldn't help myself and texted back: [If Sebastian dies or is harmed, you won't get Madelyn.]
[I realize you have no skin in this game. Careful, Deputy, we will move on to someone you do care about.]
I wanted to strangle the guy.
When the time drew near, JD and I prepped the gear and loaded the tactical boat with all kinds of goodies—M4s, extra magazines, grenades, the drone, and even a highly illegal RPG-7. Don't ask.
Storm clouds had rolled in, blanketing the night. Flashes on the horizon lit up the sky. Things would get a little choppy out there.
I stepped back inside for a last look around, then found Madelyn. "You don't have to do this."
"I have to. He's my brother, and despite everything, I would like to think that he would do the same for me. Though I'm not entirely sure about that." She paused, then smiled. “Besides, you’ll keep me safe.”
“This will be the second hostage negotiation I’ve handled in 24 hours. I like to think I'm good at it.”
“Let’s hope so.” She looked at me with those vulnerable eyes. "I don't know why, but I trust you.” Madelyn hugged me and squeezed tight. "For what it’s worth, I had a good time the last few days, despite everything."
"I did too. Don't worry, there's more good times ahead.”
"Don’t make promises you can't keep.”
I grinned. “I always keep my promises.”
I called the sheriff and updated him on the plan. Then I gave Madelyn a tracking device to hide somewhere inconspicuous, then tested the signal.
Once I was satisfied, I said goodbye to Buddy, then we left the boat and crossed the passerelle to the dock. I escorted Madelyn to the Raptor and helped her aboard.
Jack had called a buddy in the Coast Guard he knew he could trust and gave him a heads-up.
The faint buzzing sound of a drone hovered overhead.
I scanned the sky and found the small quadcopter. They had eyes in the sky, watching us. I wanted to shoot the damn thing down, but thought better of it.
Jack joined us and cast off the lines. I fired up the engines and navigated us out of the slip. Once we passed the breakwater, I brought the boat on plane and carved through the inky swells. The engines howled, spitting a frothy wake.
The angry clouds on the horizon blotted out the moon. Lightning strikes in the distance warned of the danger that lay ahead.
I figured the kidnappers were going to bounce us around a little. That's what I would do.
The Raptor crashed through the swells, the briny air swirling. Before long, we were all alone on the sea, or so it seemed. As far as the eye could see in all directions, there was nothing but blackness.
The sea grew increasingly choppy, and we bounced on the waves. It wasn’t for the faint of heart. Madelyn looked like she was holding her own. I made her wear a bulletproof vest and a life preserver.
When I reached the designated coordinates, I killed the engine, and the boat slumped into the swells. We rolled with the sea, waiting as instructed.
I grabbed my IR optics and scanned the horizon.
JD launched the drone. From on high, we could see a few ships on the horizon that weren’t visible at sea level, but nothing in our immediate area.
A few moments later, my phone buzzed with a call on Memo.
I answered, and the same familiar voice crackled through the speaker. "I see you have reached waypoint one. Are you alone?"
"What does it look like?”
I didn’t hear the drone that had been following us since the marina. Maybe it was out of range or had run out of battery, but I was sure the perps had eyes on us.
He hesitated a moment. "I see you. So far, so good. That means you can follow directions.” He paused. "I'm going to give you another set of coordinates. You will receive further instructions when you arrive. I repeat, if I see any indication of law enforcement, I will kill Sebastian immediately.”
I didn't like this, but I didn't have much choice.
Jack recovered our drone, and I throttled up and headed in the direction of the second waypoint.
It was pretty far out.
I barely had a bar of cell service by the time we made it to the second location. I killed the engines again, and we drifted on the swells.
JD launched the drone again as the sky rumbled. The craft ascended toward the heavens, fighting the wind. I huddled around the display, watching the IR feed.
“We’ve got a bogie inbound,” Jack said as a white silhouette raced across the water, heading toward us. “Small craft incoming.” Another ship floated on the horizon, beyond what we could see at sea level. “Looks like a luxury yacht.”
The kidnappers had surely turned off the ship’s AIS. No need to broadcast your position when doing nefarious things.
JD and I prepared to make contact with the scumbags.
The Raptor rolled with the swells, and the rain began to come down. Light at first, then hard and heavy.
Jack took a position at the port gunwale, shouldering his rifle.
With IR optics, I watched the boat approach. “Looks like three on board. Two thugs and one hostage.”
They had a black bag over the hostage’s head.
The patter of rotor blades drew near, coming from the east. It wasn’t Tango One.