Chapter 46
Soon, a black helicopter was overhead. It circled the boat, the cargo door opened, and a guy with a machine gun was ready to spew bullets in our direction.
I began to think this was a bad idea.
The incoming boat drew near and went off throttle. It slumped into the swells and drifted to our port side.
Both JD and I kept our rifles aimed at the perps. With the motion of the ocean, even the best shot would have a hard time under these conditions.
The rain pelted down, and the choppy seas increased.
One of the thugs had a gun to the hostage’s head. With a black bag over his melon, it could have been anybody.
The perp shouted, "Hand over the girl, and we’ll let Sebastian go!"
"I need to see the hostage first," I shouted back over the wind and rain.
The helicopter still circled above.
It was a tense moment.
The thug pulled the black bag from Sebastian's head, revealing he was even more battered and bruised. Sebastian looked beyond the brink—tired, frail, and mentally exhausted. He’d been in captivity for roughly 24 hours and looked like he had lost a little weight already. He was probably dehydrated.
"Transfer the girl, and everybody goes home happy," the thug said again.
They both wore dark sunglasses and surgical masks over their faces to hide their identities.
The boat pilot sat at the helm station while his comrade stood on the deck, holding his gun to Sebastian's head. It was hard to maintain balance in the rolling seas.
Sebastian put a shoulder into him as the deck rolled.
The perp stumbled toward the gunwale, off balance. His pistol was now aimed skyward as he flailed his arms, trying to balance himself.
I didn't hesitate. My finger squeezed the trigger, and the rifle hammered my shoulder. Two bullets zipped across the water and pelted the scumbag in the chest.
Crimson erupted.
The goon tumbled over the gunwale and splashed into the water.
In a flash, I readjusted my aim and took out the boat pilot as he drew his weapon.
Blood spewed, splattering the side windscreen.
The goon slumped at the helm station.
By that time, Jack had taken aim at the door gunner who had opened fire.
Muzzle flash lit up the night, and bullets streaked in our direction.
Jack unleashed a swarm of copper, brass shell casings dancing on the deck.
Incoming fire chewed up the Raptor.
I joined in, firing full auto as a helicopter circled around us.
I'm not sure which one of us hit the guy, but the door gunner’s chest spewed crimson. He fell out of the helicopter, tumbled through the air, then splashed into the angry swells.
The helicopter took off, heading back in the direction from whence it came.
JD and I kept firing at the engine, trying to put as many holes in it as possible. With any luck, we’d rupture a fuel line or hydraulics.
Jack navigated the boat alongside the thug’s boat, and I helped Sebastian climb aboard.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
Sebastian nodded, and Madelyn gave him a bottle of water.
I called the sheriff and updated him on the situation. He’d been waiting with the team, just out of sight. I told him to notify Jack’s friend in the Coast Guard. They had the right to board any ship on the water without a warrant.
"Does anyone in your party need medical assistance?" he asked.
"I think we are good here.”
The storm had grown worse. Our tiny boat got tossed around, battered by mammoth waves. There was no point risking our civilian passengers.
I told the sheriff Jack would RTB with the passengers. I grabbed the RPG and a few extra magazines, then climbed aboard the perp’s boat.
“What are we doing?” Sebastian asked, annoyed.
“You’re going back,” I said. “It’s too dangerous for a craft this size.”
“We can’t let them get away with this. I want all those people behind bars. “
“They will be,” I assured.
“I want justice!”
“You’ll get it.”
“I’m going with you. They kidnapped me and killed my security staff. They disfigured Ava. They all deserve no mercy,” Sebastian growled, vengeance in his eyes. He was used to getting his way.
“You have other considerations at the moment,” I said.
His face twisted. “What other considerations? I will pay you whatever you want to take me back to that boat and destroy those assholes.”
“You’re going to be a father, Sebastian,” Madelyn said.
That stunned him. “A what?”
“Do you need me to give you an overview of how that happens?”
Stunned, he tried to process it. “Ava’s pregnant?”
Madelyn nodded. “Let it go, Sebastian. The Coast Guard will pick them up.”
It finally sank in, and a grin tugged Sebastian’s face. “I’m going to be a dad!”
“Yeah, you are,” Madelyn said.
I tossed the dead thug overboard, then fired up the perp’s boat. It wasn’t exactly protocol.
Madelyn looked at me with worried eyes. “Be safe!”
I nodded.
JD turned the boat around and headed back toward Coconut Key.
I set out to follow the helicopter and rendezvous with the sheriff.