Chapter 98

CHAPTER 98

MY ARMS AND legs were burning. Lungs, too.

We'd covered most of the distance underwater, about twenty yards at a time. It took us about thirty minutes to get close. The current was against us, and the weapons bag was a drag around my shoulders.

We surfaced about ten yards from the yacht. Even up close, it was hard to tell where the water ended and the ship began. The engines were quiet and the anchor lines were out. The Prizrak was rolling gently on the waves.

We swam close enough to touch the hull. It rose up in a gentle curve about twenty feet to the main deck. No way up. Not without grappling hooks. Kira ducked underwater again and headed toward the stern. I took a deep breath, made a surface dive, and followed her bubble trail.

We came up again next to a low platform at the rear of the ship. The surface was pebbled rubber. I saw a pair of Jet Skis covered in black canvas near the rear of the platform. There was a small light facing down from the upper deck, and the bundled Jet Skis cast a thick shadow over the starboard side. I pulled the duffel strap off my shoulder and eased the bag onto the platform, then climbed aboard.

Kira had a knife in her teeth. She sliced the plastic cover and unzipped the bag. I reached in. There was a little seepage from the swim, but the guns and ammo clips were mostly dry.

I pulled out an M4 rifle, one of Blodgett's spares, tipped with a silencer. Kira pulled out Marley's .45, his parting gift to her. I pulled my antique cutlass out of its sack and stuck it through my belt. I put the sack with my money into the duffel and pushed it under the Jet Skis.

I figured I'd come back for it later—if I came back at all.

We both slithered up onto the platform and just lay there in the shadow, catching our breath. I could feel the rise and fall of the ship underneath me. The back half of a fiberglass lifeboat projected out over us about twenty feet up. I could hear music from somewhere inside the ship. Sounded like Foo Fighters.

Kira inched over to me and whispered in my ear. "He's got cameras everywhere," she said. "We need to move fast. Cal's cabin is on the main deck, amidships, right below the bridge."

I nodded, then grabbed her by the arm. "Stay with me," I whispered. "And be careful."

"When am I not?" she whispered back.

She rolled to her left and started climbing the short staircase to the deck. I flicked my safety off and followed right behind her. Water from our wet clothes dripped onto the treads.

Kira took the first steps onto the main deck, leaving shiny wet prints on the teak. She pressed her back against the outer wall of the rear cabin. I slid in beside her.

We inched forward together, watching for movement, looking for cameras, listening for alarms.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps on metal. I grabbed Kira and pulled her behind me. A man with a rifle popped out of a stairwell about ten feet ahead of us. Thip, thip! I put two bullets through his chest. He tumbled backward, out of sight.

I led the way forward. We made it another few yards along the cabin wall.

There was a loud bang. Then the whole damn ship lit up.

Caught!