Chapter 14 #2
“You think Vaughan took her?” Angel asked. He already had his phone out. “I’ll let Hawk know.”
Rex dug his cell phone out of his other pocket and called Swede. As soon as the tech guru answered, Rex said. “I need Lucien Vaughan’s personal phone number.”
“What happened?”
“He had someone set off an explosion in a building here at the marina.”
“Sounds like a diversion,” Swede surmised.
“While we were helping people out of the burning building, they snatched Kimo.”
“You think calling Vaughan will get her back?” Swede asked.
In the background, Rex heard the rapid tap of fingers on a keyboard. “I have to try. He might have Kimo and Alana, but I have the SD card with the pictures of the bodies inside. I need to make a copy, but I don’t have a laptop or alternate means to duplicate the card at this time.”
“He’ll want the card.” Swede tapped a key louder than the others. “Just sent you his number and brought Hank in on the call.”
“Hank, I need you to call in all your favors and get the FBI, CIA, Interpol, national guard and state and local police ready. I’m going after Kimo and Alana and taking Vaughan down.”
“He’ll be a valuable asset, naming all the people involved in his operation and all the men who’ve taken advantage, aka raped, underage girls he’s been trafficking,” Hank said.
“You’re telling me to bring him in alive?”
“Just saying, there are others involved who are as guilty as sin,” Hank said.
“I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m not risking Kimo or Alana’s lives to save that bastard.”
“Understood,” Hank said. “Hawk’s on his way. I can send more men from my team here in Montana.”
“Not enough time. Vaughan will run. I can’t let him do that. We’ll have to hit hard and fast to stop him before he leaves the islands.”
“I’ll make the calls,” Hank promised.
“Just make sure it’s not to the people loyal to Vaughan.”
“Got it,” Hank said. “Out here.”
“Good luck. If you need anything,” Swede said, “I’ll be available twenty-four-seven.”
“Thanks. Out here.” Rex ended the call and brought up the text message with Vaughan’s personal cell phone number.
Leilani touched Rex’s arm. “Are you just going to call Vaughan and demand he give Kimo back?”
“No, I’m going to make a deal with the devil.” Rex touched the number, initiating the call.
He fully expected the call to go to voicemail; however, a familiar voice sounded in his ear. “Who the hell is this, and how did you get this number?”
“Lucien Vaughan, Rex Johnson here. You have something I want. I have something you want. You’re a man used to making deals. I have one for you.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t make deals over the phone. If you’d like to meet in person, I’ll listen.”
Rex’s hand tightened on the phone, anger simmering just beneath the surface.
He wished he could reach through the phone and strangle the man for all the girls he’d trafficked, abused or killed.
Rex couldn’t let Vaughan hurt or kill Kimo.
If he wasn’t already in love with the beautiful photographer, he was well on his way.
It was as if he’d waited all his life for someone like Kimo. He’d be damned if he let a douche bag like Lucien Vaughan make her disappear.
“Oh, you’ll listen,” Rex said. “You may think you have the lid on the case of the missing shipping container and its contents. You have Alana, now Kimo and Kimo’s camera.
” He paused for effect. “What you don’t have is the SD card with the images of the shipping container and the bodies of the people you sentenced to death when you dropped it into the ocean. ”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who would dump a container full of girls into the ocean?”
“A monster,” Rex said. “You.” He noted that he hadn’t told Vaughan that the bodies inside had been girls. Yet the man appeared to know. Because he’d ordered them put there and dropped into ocean.”
“That’s a serious allegation,” he said. “One you can’t prove because it isn’t true.”
“When I release the SD to the FBI, CIA, Interpol and every news station in the world, it will have your name on it. The owner of that container will go to court. To save his own skin, they’ll cut him a deal to name the man behind the abuse and trafficking of young girls.
Your billionaire friends will turn their backs on you and pretend they never knew you or what you were up to.
Your days of princes giving you yachts will be over.
Are you willing to trade your gold and freedom for iron and an orange jumpsuit? ”
“I can’t have you spreading lies about me. It’s slander. I won’t stand for it. You’ll be the one to go to jail. Not me.”
“Your network of snitches and stooges inside law enforcement and government entities won’t be able to save you,” Rex promised.
“You have something to show me, bring it to me. I’ll be the judge of it.”
“I’ll bring the disk, but if anything happens to Alana or Kimo, the deal’s off.”
“Again, I have nothing to hide. I don’t know anything about these Alana and Kimo persons, but I take pride in protecting my reputation and that of the people with whom I associate. If you come after me, I’ll make sure you go to jail for a very long time. This conversation is over.”
“Vaughan, don’t you hang up—”
The call ended.
Rex cocked his arm, ready to throw his phone into the ocean.
A hand caught his wrist. Angel stepped in front of him, holding up his own phone. On it was a screen with a crooked line and a dot at one end, making the line even longer.
“Your tracking device is on the move. Did you put it on Kimo?” Angel asked.
Rex frowned at the image. “No. I dropped it into Vaughan’s boat, the La Petite Lolita. His version of a dinghy.” He stared at the image.
“It left Lahaina Harbor about the time Kimo disappeared,” Angel said.
Rex frowned down at the dot moving further and further away. “Is it headed toward Maalaea Bay?”
Angel shook his head. “No.”
“I just got off the phone with the harbor master,” Leilani said. “The Dancing Lolita left Maalaea Bay this morning.”
“Destination?” Rex barked.
“Hong Kong,” Leilani responded.
Rex glanced around. “I need a boat. A fast one.”
“Give me a minute,” Leilani said. “I have a friend I can call.”
A dark SUV raced toward them.
Angel grabbed Leilani and shoved her out of the way. The others scattered as the vehicle came to a screeching halt a few short feet away.
Hawk jumped out of the driver’s seat. “I just heard the news. We’re here to help.”
The other doors on the SUV opened. Rooster, Bennett, Logan and Ingram, the Brotherhood Protectors team members from Oahu, got out.
“I think they’re taking Kimo to Vaughan’s yacht,” Rex said. “Supposedly, it’s heading for Hong Kong. We have to stop it before it leaves the islands.”
Hawk nodded. “And before the storm hits.”
“The yacht will have to be stationary for them to transfer Kimo from the dinghy and to bring the dinghy on board. Loading a boat the size of La Petite Lolita in choppy water won’t be easy. It’ll take time.”
“Wouldn’t they just abandon it?” Devlin asked.
“Not if Vaughan is clinging to the pretense that he knows nothing about Kimo and Alana’s disappearances. And he’ll need the smaller boat to get to and from ports too shallow to receive the Dancing Lolita.”
“I have a boat,” Leilani cried out. “A retired Coastie is loaning it to us.”
Hope bloomed in Rex’s gut. “Is it fast?”
“JD bought an old RHIB—Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat—at a military surplus auction and refurbished it,” Leilani said.
“It’ll be faster than Vaughan’s little boat in rough seas.” Hawk, the former Navy SEAL, would know, having trained in similar watercraft.
“We need to get there before they fully load Vaughan’s boat onto the yacht,” Rex said. “It would be best if they didn’t see us coming. The element of surprise would help us infiltrate the boat before they know it’s happening.”
Hawk grinned. “I have the goods.” He waved a hand toward the rear of the SUV.
Rex followed.
Inside the back, several containers were stacked to the ceiling.
Hawk grabbed one and pulled it out onto the ground.
“I wasn’t exactly sure what we’d need, so I brought some of everything from our arsenal on the Big Island.
Since you were doing a lot of diving, I brought the latest addition of tools we could use for underwater operations and exploration. ”
He popped the top of the container. Inside were a couple of diver propulsion vehicles, much like those used by Vaughan’s divers.
If they could get close enough in the boat, they could use the propulsion vehicles to take them the rest of the way without being spotted until they breached the yacht and subdued Vaughan’s security team.
“Look.” Leilani pointed toward a boat approaching the dock. “There’s JD now.”
“We’ll need tanks and BCDs,” Angel said.
“In the shop,” Leilani said. “We have enough to outfit all of you.”
They divided up, some going with Angel and Leilani to collect the diving gear the team would need, while the others helped unload the SUV.
Hawk had brought five DPVs, waterproof radio headsets, four stun guns, zip ties and duct tape. From another box, Rex pulled out a black bag. “What’s this?”
“It’s a tactical boarding ladder, complete with a launching unit and grappling hook.”
Rex grunted. “Perfect. We might need that.”
“Let’s get this stuff onto JD’s boat,” Angel said. “We’re running out of time. All this stuff will be useless if we don’t get to Vaughan’s yacht before he punches out.”
Between all of them, they had the boat loaded and ready to go in minutes.
When JD offered to pilot the boat, Hawk decided to let him. He would stay back far enough from the yacht that they wouldn’t see him or target his boat. That left the entire team available to board the yacht, rescue the women and capture Vaughan.