Chapter Seventeen

T he two pirates led her deeper and deeper into the cave. Though the interior was dim, Ellie sent up a silent thanks that she wasn’t being driven forward into complete darkness. Because of all the holes and crevices in the ceiling above, the last of the day’s sunlight trickled in through the various cracks and openings. Of course, once the sun set, she’d be plunged into pitch blackness. God, she felt doomed.

Wes had been shot, and her entire world had gone dark in that one awful moment. A part of her held out hope that his tactical vest had stopped the bullet. But what if he was floating in the ocean, bleeding out? His team had been on their way, but what if they couldn’t find him? What if the sharks did first?

Oh, God. The what-ifs were killing her.

After several twists and turns, they reached the back of the cave. A dead-end, Ellie realized, her heart sinking. She was hoping there might be another exit, but no such luck. Just a rocky wall that dripped cold water and sent a chill down her spine. Ellie wasn’t stupid. She knew that high tide submerged these caverns. Her friend Taman had warned her to stay clear of the dangerous oceanfront caves because she’d known people who had drowned or were swept out to sea, their bodies never found.

One of the pirates, the one she’d begun to mentally call Blackbeard because of his dark, thick, grimy-looking facial hair, shoved her down to the rocky ground and she fell, scraping her hands and knees. She couldn’t miss the metal rod that had been secured in the rock wall and the long, wet rope hanging loosely from it. They were going to tie her up and leave her there to die, at the mercy of the tide.

Racking her brain for a way to escape, Ellie fought the wave of panic threatening to pull her under. She had no plans on drowning today. The moment the smaller, more petite pirate—who she’d nicknamed Anne Bonny—reached for her, she spun and kicked her foot out, catching him in the shin. He howled as she scrambled to her feet and hauled ass toward the entrance, determined to outrun them both.

Unfortunately, her half-baked plan didn’t work and Blackbeard managed to catch her. He swore at her in Indonesian, roughly grabbed her hair and dragged her back. She cried out, twisting, trying to break free, but his grip was like steel.

Anne Bonny grumbled something ominous, his black eyes glittering with hatred, before he backhanded her. Ellie’s head snapped to the side and she saw stars. Holy hell, for being such a little guy, he packed quite a punch.

A hand shoved her back down to her knees and she cried out when her kneecaps slammed into the rock again. Bastards. “You don’t have to be so rough!” she yelled. Dammit, she was spitting mad.

They ignored her, and while Bonny held her wrists together, Blackbeard began winding the rope around them tightly. Too tightly. She winced, doing her best to keep some space between her hands, but he was too smart to allow that to happen.

“Ow!” she cried out, jerking her wrists away after Blackbeard tied the last knot. The two men conferred in Indonesian for a minute then tossed her one last glare before leaving. Sagging against the rocky wall, Ellie sighed. She was glad they decided not to hang around and guard her. Maybe they weren’t so smart after all. Or at least underestimated her determination to escape.

Twenty minutes later, her wrists were still bound far too tightly and becoming raw from rope burns. Dammit. She had to get out of there before the situation became critical. High tide varied, but she’d always made sure she was aware of the rising ocean’s schedule. And, right now, she knew she had less than three hours before the ocean water would rip through this cave. Escaping what could potentially be a watery tomb was going to be up to her.

The clock was ticking. Time to save yourself, Ellie. Let’s go. Once again, she began pulling at the rope, ignoring the pain, and trying to break free. Thoughts of Wes consumed her and she prayed he was okay.

Ellie needed a couple of miracles fast and she hoped someone, somewhere, was listening and ready to help.

◆◆◆

Wes was one step away from losing his shit. Out on the boat, floating directly above the coordinates provided by the decrypted file from the CIA laptop, he dug deep, trying to be patient while the ROV searched the ocean floor less than fifteen feet below.

The upper half of his wetsuit hung around his waist, allowing him to stay cool but suit up quickly when it was go-time. Until then, he’d sit in a chair, mentally pacing back and forth, unable to actually do so because he’d traded his prosthetic leg for the flipper attachment. Was it perfect? No. But it did allow him to move faster and balanced him out better underwater.

He’d already pre-checked his diving gear, so now it was a waiting game. One he was rapidly losing because every fiber of his being was screaming for him to go tear apart every single island until he found where Ellie was being held. His urge to protect her, to make sure she was safe and unharmed, overwhelmed him.

“Hey, hang in there.”

Wes glanced over at Corey who sat beside him, also ready to go. “I’m trying,” Wes gritted out, his hands clenched into tight fists on his upper thighs. “But I can’t sit here much longer and do nothing, Cor.”

“We’ll be in the water soon. They’ll find the nuke and then we’ll go down and retrieve it. Ellie is strong. She’s going to be alright. Everything is going to be okay, buddy.”

The sentiment was nice but, unfortunately, Corey couldn’t guarantee it. No one could, and that’s what made Wes’ gut tight and uneasy. He had no idea where Ellie was and every instinct in his body rebelled against that. He needed her in his arms where she belonged. The fact that he’d fucked up before and almost lost her forever left a bitter taste in his mouth. It couldn’t happen again.

“Hey, frogs! You’re up!” Chaz yelled.

Thank Christ. Wes grabbed onto the rail and pulled himself up. With Corey’s help, Wes managed to hop over to the group gathered around the laptop. Jayson pointed out a trunk lodged in the seabed.

“Here’s your target, boys.”

Brand pointed at the screen, noting the exact coordinates and depth. “Anyone have any questions?”

Nearby, Chaz and Lex were working on the pulley system that Wes and Corey would use to bring the warhead up to the surface.

“Yeah, any chance it could detonate?” Wes asked dryly.

“Just don’t drop it,” Xander replied with a smirk.

“Easy for you to say.” Corey shifted uneasily.

“If that thing blows, we’re all goners,” Brand stated grimly. “Once it’s on board, the first thing we do is remove the pit. Then we’ll trade the empty warhead for Ellie.”

“Roger that,” Wes said, determined to get this over with and get Ellie back. “Let’s go, Cor.”

“And who’s job is it to remove the pit?” Xander asked.

“That honor is all yours,” Brand said.

“Lucky me.” Xander rolled his eyes while Corey helped Wes hop over to the small diving platform at the back of the boat. Both men zipped up their wetsuits and slung the tanks onto their backs. They checked their regulators and finally lowered their masks. Behind them, the sun was sinking fast.

“Just like old times,” Wes murmured. He and Corey bumped knuckles then stepped off the platform. They swam around to the side of the boat where Lex turned the crank on and Chaz guided the steel cord down to Wes who attached it to his belt with a carabiner.

“Ready,” Wes reported, and Corey nodded. They each gave Chaz, who was hanging over the side of the railing, a thumbs-up. Then they turned their dive lights on and dove beneath the surface.

The silence of the sea surrounded Wes. It usually provided him some semblance of comfort, but this time it felt eerie. Spooky, even. Ellie was in danger, they were heading straight for a nuclear warhead wanted by deadly pirates, and one wrong move could end them all. Wes was used to life or death situations—it had been his job to navigate treacherous scenarios as a SEAL—but it had been a while. He hoped to God he and Corey weren’t rusty.

Visibility was excellent and Wes was grateful for the clear, blue water. But evening was fast approaching and they needed to get out of there before the sun set completely. Diving in dark water wasn’t his idea of a good time. It was nearly slack high, an hour before high tide, and that meant even better visibility because tidal currents were at their weakest and the waves were calm and less dangerous.

Even so, in the back of his mind, there was a constant tick, tick, ticking. His gut told him time was running out fast.

Once they reached the sandy bottom, Wes and Corey investigated the trunk, searching for the best way to lift it up. Using hand communications, they quickly agreed it would be best to rig a rope around the entire thing, tie a secure knot and clip the carabiner in place. A nuclear warhead was hardly light, so they needed the crane above to do the majority of the work.

After securing the trunk, Wes and Corey double and triple-checked their knots. Once they determined everything was secure, they exchanged a thumbs-up and Corey released an inflatable surface-signaling buoy. It shot straight up through the water and the moment it hit the surface, his team would know to turn on the crank and start hauling the trunk up.

Almost immediately, the steel cord tightened and the trunk began to lift up off the seabed floor. Wes and Corey swam up alongside it, escorting the box to the surface. Once his head broke through the water, Wes swam over to the dive platform, Corey right on his fins.

Wes grabbed the edge and hauled himself up out of the water. They had what they needed to make the exchange. Lifting his mask up onto his head, he looked over at the sinking sun and sent up a silent prayer. Hang in there, Ellie. I’m coming.

◆◆◆

With a sinking heart, Ellie watched the water level in the cave begin to rise. Every minute that passed put her more on edge. The damn ropes were cutting off her circulation and she needed to try something else, fast. Her attention moved to the craggy wall. That might work, she thought. Lifting her wrists, she began to saw the rope back and forth against the jagged rocks.

“C’mon,” she hissed. The cave wall was really wet and, despite moving the rope hard and fast, the friction simply wasn’t enough to break it. With a soft curse, she slumped against the unforgiving rock, disappointment flooding her. She squeezed her eyes shut in defeat and, out of nowhere, a memory hit. Or, more accurately, continued…

Spinning around, Ellie ran across the deck and screamed for Paul, the former Marine, whose job it was to keep her and the others safe. He appeared right away, eyes widening as he looked over her shoulder. As he reached for the pistol in a holster on his hip, a shot cracked through the salty air. A spot of blood blossomed on Paul’s chest. He fired off two shots, staggered forward, and more rounds popped. Ellie hit the deck with a cry and saw Paul go down, his gun skittering toward her.

Determined to grab it, Ellie crawled forward as fast as she could, hand reaching out when a large boot stepped onto the pistol, nearly crushing her fingers. Yanking her hand back, she looked up into the blackest eyes she’d ever seen.

Before she could react, the pirate hauled her up and her fight or flight instinct kicked in hard. Like Wes, Ellie was a fighter. Without regard to the potential consequences, she kicked up with all her might. Her foot connected with the man’s groin and he released her with a pained howl.

Spinning, she took off, yelling a warning to her research crew. Halfway across the deck, a fist caught her ponytail and she screamed. There were too many pirates. Doing her best to control her rising fear, Ellie turned and shoved the man. The move dislodged his grip on her hair, but he made another wild grab for her and caught her necklace. It ripped from her neck, but Ellie didn’t pause. She dodged around him.

“Grab her!”

Someone snagged her around the waist and Ellie started to fight back, thrashing, kicking and punching like a crazy person. She felt the pirate rip her wedding rings off and then he shoved her so hard, she went flying forward. Unable to stop her momentum, she crashed into the boat’s railing and flipped right over the edge. Her world capsized and she cried out when her head slammed into the side of the boat.

Ellie’s eyes popped open. The terrifying moment the pirates had attacked her research vessel had come back in vivid detail. But she couldn’t dwell on the new breakthrough. Time was slipping away quickly and, if she had to guess, she had less than an hour before the water reached a dangerous, life-threatening level. Plus, what little light remained was dwindling fast.

Oh, God. She didn’t want to drown there, in the dark and alone. Even though she didn’t know what had happened after Wes fell overboard, she had to believe he was okay, that his team had come to the rescue. As strange as it sounded, she still felt him. It’s as though her heart and soul knew he was alive and desperate to find her.

She and Wes had found their way back to each other and, even though she couldn’t remember their previous life together, she believed with all of her heart that she’d married a wonderful man. She may not have memories from before, but she knew who he was now and loved everything she’d discovered about him. During the limited time they’d spent together, she’d caught glimpses of his soul. And it was a thing of beauty.

Every time he looked at her, touched her or spoke to her, she felt his love on a deep, soul-stirring level. He’d told her he loved her, had always loved her since their first date so many years ago. Her heart squeezed with emotion. She was just getting to know him all over again. She couldn’t lose him.

And if she died, Wes would be more devastated than before. Because this time, he’d find her lifeless body floating in the seawater and there would be no denying the truth. It would kill him.

Renewed with the will to survive, to fight and beat the ever-rising sea, Ellie let out a roar and began working on the ropes again. Pulling, twisting her raw wrists, yanking hard. Doing anything and everything in her power to break their hold so she could escape her impending death.

“You can do this,” she told herself. “You can, you can, you can.” She wasn’t sure how long she kept the chant up, but when she finally stopped, the tide had risen to her chest, her wrists were bleeding, the rope was still unyielding and her energy and strength were failing rapidly.

Stifling a sob, she fought frantically to free herself, but the reality of the situation became clear. She wouldn’t be able to get herself untied without help. There wasn’t enough time, she realized, a wave lapping against her collarbone.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she pictured Wes, so big and strong, always smiling at her, and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. I think I love you, too. From the moment we first smiled at each other. I’m so sorry, Wes. So sorry to do this to you all over again.