Chapter 16 #2
Taylor went first up the ladder on the stern of the vessel.
Slipping over the edge, she drew her weapon.
There were only grunting sounds coming from their coms so she tuned them out.
Peters and she lined up on the side that Katarina had slipped aboard and Davin took the other one.
Taylor peered around the edge to the open deck in time to see Kam wrestling with a man about twice her size and all muscle.
Dasha was standing over Paul reaching toward the cloth on his head.
When she ripped it off, Paul broke his handcuffs and shoved her back.
The next few seconds played like a slow-motion nightmare that would be forever seared in her brain. Dasha let out a loud shriek as Paul rose to his feet. Davin gave the command to move in.
"Police, freeze!" Davin boomed, but the command had no effect. Taylor took aim at Dasha, ready to neutralize the threat, but she chose the wrong target. The knife flew across the deck and embedded itself into Paul's abdomen right below where the Kevlar vest ended.
The chaos around her faded out, Taylor could only hear her breaths as she watched her friend tumble over the side of the boat. Peters' voice snapped her out of the daze, "Officer down. Officer down. VanKirk is in the water, starboard side."
Taylor brought her gun back to Dasha. "On the ground! Now!" Dasha put her hands up and started to kneel. "You've got her?" Taylor asked Peters.
"Get Katarina," Kirk grunted as he shoved Dasha the rest of the way to the ground.
Taylor looked over as Kam ran after Katarina while Davin was placing cuffs on the big fellow who had been wrestling Kam. She would not let her get away.
When she turned the corner towards the front of the boat, she caught Kam disappearing down the stairs.
Taking two at a time, Taylor landed in the same hall they had been in before, but there was no Kam or Katarina.
Taylor peeked into the first door. Two scientists huddled behind stainless steel counters and high back chairs.
The next door was the dry lab that had the lights turn low, but no movement.
Where had they gone? A crash from the end of the hall stole her attention.
She raced down the narrow way to the stairs that lead up to the mess hall, but the sound didn't come from up above.
The latch in the floor under the stairs wasn't closed all the way.
Why hadn't she notice this before? She yanked it open as the sound of a motor met her.
The stairs dumped her into a large holding area with life jackets, fishing gear, and a jet ski.
Kam threw his leg over the ski and opened the throttle.
"Wait!" she screamed, but her voice was eaten by the roar of the motor.
Taylor stood at the bay door on the side of the ship, watching at Kam chased an assassin into the dark night.
Taylor needed to get help to him. This water was chilled year round. If either of them fell off, they wouldn't last long. She raced back up the stairs, down the hall, and back to the deck where Davin stood with Dasha and her bodyguard in cuffs.
"Where's Kam?" Davin asked.
"He chased after Katarina on a jet ski. We need to get the Mustang to intercept them." Taylor tried to keep the worry shoved down.
Davin was shaking his head. "They are helping to stabilize Paul for medivac to Anchorage first."
Seeing Paul going over the rail flashed through her mind. "How bad?"
Davin flattened his lips into a thin line. Not good. Paul couldn't die because he was helping her clear her name. "Don't go there." Davin could always read a person. "The only person responsible for Paul's condition is Katarina."
Taylor swallowed, but couldn't say a thing past all of the emotions swirling through her at the moment. God, I can't lose either of them. Not like this. Please spare them.
"Secure them. We've got to tow this ship into harbor." Davin left her there with the two prisoners and all of her thoughts.
"If your boyfriend isn't dead by now, he will be soon," Dasha taunted.
Taylor raised her gun at the woman. "I can put a gag over your mouth or you can stop talking. Your choice."
Towing the ship into the harbor took less than an hour, but it felt like a lifetime to Taylor.
She needed to get to land and find Kam. Davin walked before her, escorting the man while Taylor guided Dasha past the large trawler boats.
Fisherman were arriving to start getting ready for the day at sea otherwise the harbor was quiet with waters lapping against the hauls.
When they ascended the ramp to the ground level, three dark SUVs were parked at the curb. SAC Hollands got out of the first one.
Taylor's mouth went dry. The last time she saw Hollands, he wanted to put her in holding until they could clear her name.
"Put those two in the other cars. We'll take them to Anchorage." Hollands faced Taylor. "Where is VanKirk?"
"He's being air lifted to Anchorage," Davin answered.
Hollands crossed his arms. "What exactly happened?"
Davin recounted the mission from the jail break to Katarina getting away. Hollands worked his jaw. "What if this Kam King was in on it from the beginning? He was at the gala, was he not?"
"Yes, sir, but we…"
Hollands cut off Taylor's response. "Lost a rogue assassin and supposed CIA spy?" Hollands was shaking his head. "No, it's more likely the two of them planned this whole thing to get the schematics."
"With all due respect, sir"— Taylor clenched and unclenched her fists to try to keep her anger in check— "it was Kam's idea to swap the real schematics with the fake ones we gave to Dasha.
And it was Kam who took a bullet trying to protect me.
So no, sir, I refuse to believe that he was in on this with a Russian assassin. "
"You're too close to this one, Ertz. I'm going to need you to stand down." Hollands' voice lowered to a lethal level.
She would not be pushed to the side again when it came to Kam. "Sir, Kam King is a patriot who has done more than his share for his country." She saw Davin move closer to her, but she wouldn't stop. "I will not stand down while you drag his name through the mud."
"Schulz, get your agent out of here before she finds herself behind bars for impeding an investigation." He turned back to Taylor, "You had better hope King shows up with the Russian."
"Then let me find him." Taylor stood to her full height. She would not be railroaded like she was before because losing Kam wasn't an option this time.
Hollands looked from Taylor to Davin. "Schulz, you don't let her out of your sight. I want King brought in. He has some explaining to do." Hollands dismissed them by getting in the first car and leading the caravan with Dasha and her henchman in custody.
They had all the evidence they needed to clear her name. Kam had sacrificed his entire cover to save her reputation. Now she needed to do the same. But first she had to find him.