Deadly Crossing (Tom Dugan 2) (23 page)

He was disoriented now, clueless as to up or down, his lungs near bursting. He followed the wall, ever faster as his lungs screamed for air, kicking and pulling himself along the corrugated steel with one hand, the other clamped tight around the wrist. He reached for another handhold and pulled with all his might, propelling himself upward in a rush — and smashed head first into unyielding steel — the still-closed right half of the container double door.

Stunned, he instinctively released the wrist to use both hands to claw his way around the unexpected obstacle. Then he was out of the container and sunlight filtering down from the surface far above showed the container plunging downward, already far below him. Cassie! He dove and was kicking for the container when he felt rather than saw a presence beside him, and then felt a jolt to the side of his head and… blackness.

***

Nigel blinked, then opened his eyes. His head ached, and orange filled his vision. The raft. He was on the raft. He tried to lift his head and was unable to suppress a moan as he felt a stabbing pain on the side of his face.

“Easy,” said Dugan’s voice. “You took a pretty good hit.”

Nigel stayed down but rolled toward Dugan’s voice to find both his companions staring at him with concern in their eyes.

“Wh …what happened?”

“I am sorry, Nigel,” Ilya said, “but I had to knock you unconscious. Even for strong swimmer is not possible to bring struggling man to surface from many meters below, and I knew you would fight me.”

“Cassie!” Nigel said, sitting up this time, despite the pain.

“Gone,” Dugan said. “I’m sure they were gone long before we opened the container. I suspect that’s why the bastards dumped them. They were getting rid of the evidence.”

“But I saw… I had someone,” Nigel said.

“Alive?” Dugan asked gently.

“I… I don’t know. I couldn’t see. But they were very cold.”

Nigel lay there, tears running down his cheeks, and nothing broke the silence for a long while. Finally Ilya spoke quietly to Dugan.

“
Dyed
, when we get ashore, we should have Nigel checked by doctor. I think the water in the container was very contaminated, and for sure he took some in.”

Nigel overheard and responded. “What does it bloody matter?”

Chapter Twenty Seven

Kapitan Godina
Due east of Jacksonville, Florida

The captain peered far astern through the binoculars, tensing as he watched the orange helicopter leave the jettisoned container and fly straight toward his ship. It overtook the ship rapidly, passing just above bridge level on the starboard side, the door gunner tracking the ship with his machine gun, his clearly visible face a mix of anger and eagerness. The captain heaved a relieved sigh when the chopper continued westward without firing.

“They’re leaving,” the chief mate said, his relief obvious.

“They will be back. Or someone will, in any event,” the captain said, turning to the chief mate. “Mr. Luchenko, you have the bridge. Notify me at once if we are approached by any aircraft or ships.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Chief,” the captain said to the chief engineer who had also been on the bridge watching the chopper, “let’s go down to my office and get this over with, shall we.”

The chief engineer nodded and followed the captain into the central stairwell and down to his office on the deck below. The captain motioned the chief to his sofa as he moved to his desk and picked up the sat phone. He dialed a number from memory.

“Is it done?” asked a voice on the other end.

“
Da
. The container is over the side and was sinking as we sailed away.”

“Any problems?”

“
Nyet
,” the captain said.

“Good,” said the voice and hung up without another word.

The captain hung up the phone and pursed his lips to blow out a relieved sigh.

“What will he do if he finds out you were lying?” the chief asked.

The captain shrugged. “If I told him the truth, he would likely harm my family because I failed, even though I tried. So what can he do, kill my family twice? This way at least, we have a little time. Anyway, we did what he said. If it comes to that, we merely say that the helicopter was unseen in the distance and apparently saw us dump the container, and that we were not aware of that until later, when they boarded us to investigate. After all, I did warn him we were too close to the coast to jettison the container.”

“So you think the authorities will come?”

“Most assuredly, either at sea or when we reach Jacksonville. And we will be arrested, or at least I will, if everything goes well.”

“You WANT to be arrested? Why?”

“Because I am much more afraid of these
mafiya
bastards than anything the US authorities can do to me, and being arrested will demonstrate to the
mafiya
that I followed instructions to the letter. And what can the Americans charge me with, exactly? They saw a container go over the side, and it sank, so they have no physical evidence. And it was in international waters, and we are a foreign flag ship, so I actually don’t think we have broken any US laws. They can SUSPECT that there is some sort of insurance fraud going on, but unless the company files a claim, there is no fraud. They can suspect we are smugglers, but what are they going to use for evidence?”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” the chief admitted.

“Furthermore, I am sure that the
mafiya
has clever and expensive American lawyers, and they will want to make sure this goes away. So I doubt I will be spending much time in jail.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” the chief asked. “What about our other problem?”

“I’m forgetting nothing,” the captain said. “We did what we had to do, and may God help us if we were wrong.”

Atlantic Ocean
East of Jacksonville, Florida

Dugan sat in the raft with Ilya, his eyes half-closed against the mist of salt water being whipped up by the chopper’s propeller wash as he watched Nigel being winched aboard the chopper. Moments later the empty harness came back down, and Dugan grabbed it and offered it to Ilya, who shook his head and indicated Dugan should go first. Dugan shrugged and slipped into the harness, then looked up and motioned for the chopper crew to take him up.

Five minutes later, he was strapped into a web seat beside a dejected Nigel, and he watched the two chopper crewman haul Ilya through the door. Ilya took a seat across from Dugan and put on the headset before he even strapped himself in.

“Where is ship?” Ilya demanded.

“About fifty or sixty miles due west,” Dugan heard Mason reply in his headphones. “We passed her on the way here. She’s evidently continuing to Jacksonville as if nothing happened.”

“Good,” Ilya said. “Take me to ship.”

Dugan felt Nigel stir in the seat beside him, and a glance at his face showed his approval of the Russian’s demand.

There was nothing but silence from the headsets.

“I said take me to ship. Now,” Ilya said. “These bastards killed Karina and the others, and they must pay.”

“I’m sorry, Ilya, but that’s not happening. We’ve already dispatched another chopper with a boarding party. They should be getting aboard any time. They’ll take it from here.”

The Glock came out of Ilya’s pocket and he half-turned to level it at Mason over his shoulder. Dugan saw the other crewmen tense, unsure what to do at the unexpected development.

“I am sorry, Joe Mason. But you must take me to ship. I do not want to kill you, but I will wound you, then co-pilot can take us to ship.”

“So. Is this the way you treat a ‘
tovarishch
for life’?”

“No… I mean…” Ilya’s momentary indecision faded, and his voice hardened. “I must avenge Karina. You are Russian. You understand this.”

“I understand I agreed to risk my career and my life and these men’s lives to SAVE the lives of your Karina and the others, not for your revenge. And you know that’s true. If you are a man of honor, you will respect that agreement. And besides, the boarding party will reach the ship long before we do. What do you plan to do, leap aboard and single-handedly fight your way through a heavily armed and well-trained team in order to kill their prisoners? You know that as soon as you leave the chopper, we’ll warn them you’re coming. We must — unless, of course, you plan to kill us all first. Is that your plan,
tovarishch
?”

Dugan sat silently and watched the emotions play across Ilya’s face — anger warred with resolve, and then uncertainty, and finally, anguish and defeat. The big Russian seemed almost to deflate, and he flung the Glock out of the open door of the chopper and buried his face in his hands.

“
Mat’ lokhi
,” he said, between clenched teeth. “As God is my witness, someday I will kill them all.”

“STOP!” said Mason into the headphones as Landry and Sinclair moved to restrain Ilya. “Leave him alone,” Mason said more quietly. “Just leave him alone. He’ll be okay.”

Dugan looked at Ilya and Nigel slumped in their seats. Would any of them ever really be okay again? His thoughts turned to Cassie, and he tried to swallow the lump in his throat — and wondered what he would say to Alex and Gillian.

Chapter Twenty Eight

St. Ignatius Hospital
London, UK

Anna sat on the side of the bed, fully clothed, and glared at Dugan.

“I’m perfectly capable of walking,” she said. “I DO NOT need a wheelchair.”

“Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m just telling you what they told me. Hospital rules. All released patients get a wheelchair ride to the exit. No wheelchair, no release.”

“Well, in that case they should be a bit more efficient. I’ve been ready to go for an hour.”

As if on cue, an orderly rolled a wheelchair into the room. “Who’s ready to go home?” he asked with a bright smile, and Dugan saw Anna bite back a sharp response.

“That would be me,” she said, and despite her previous attestation of fitness, she grimaced a bit as she stood, holding the bed for balance as she turned to allow the orderly to wheel the chair up behind her. Dugan jumped up from his own seat and steadied her arm as she sat down in the chair. She still had a bit of healing to do.

The orderly looked at Dugan. “Your car?”

“I have a taxi standing by at the front entrance,” Dugan said, and the man nodded and rolled the chair out into the corridor with Dugan at his side. A few minutes later, after an elevator ride, the orderly rolled Anna across the expansive main lobby and out to the waiting cab.

Dugan helped Anna settle into the back seat of the taxi, and then ran around and climbed into the other side. He leaned forward and gave the driver the address of their apartment and then sat back as the car began to move. Anna reached over and took his hand.

“How are they?” she asked.

Dugan looked over and shrugged. “They were a bit numb at first, like us all, I think. But it’s started to sink in over the last few days. I don’t know who’s more devastated, Alex or Gillian. The house is like a tomb. Mrs. Hogan is looking after them, but she can’t get either of them to eat. Alex has taken to sitting alone in his study, staring at the empty fireplace. She tells me he’s hitting the brandy pretty hard, very much like when Kathleen died, except that this time, Gillian is equally distraught and dealing with demons of her own.”

“And how about you?”

Dugan shrugged again. “I… I guess I’m all right. I just can’t help but feel if I’d done things differently — if we’d somehow gotten there even an hour earlier—”

“Tom, you can’t blame yourself. You did everything in your power to save them. You all did. I’m sure Alex and Gillian know that.”

“Maybe, but when they look at me — when they look at any of us — I can’t help but feel they blame us on some level, whether it’s conscious or not.”

“You know that’s ridiculous. Alex and Gillian know how much you loved Cassie, and Ilya lost his own niece.”

Dugan nodded. “On an intellectual level, I know you’re right, but there’s just something about it that makes it hard to be around them now. It’s like we’re not sharing our grief, but somehow when we’re all together it’s compounded. I can’t explain it, but the others feel it too.”

“And how ARE Nigel and Ilya?”

“Nigel’s nearly a basket case. I know he’s having nightmares because he cries out in his sleep. Ilya’s like a ticking time bomb. He doesn’t talk much, and when he does speak, it’s in monosyllables. You can almost feel the hatred and rage, no small part of it directed at me.”

“YOU? Whatever for?”

“He really wanted the guys on the ship that dumped the container — we all did — but the Coast Guard pilot wouldn’t land us on the ship. And the pilot apparently sent word up the line about the volatility of the situation, because before we even landed back at Cecil Field, I got a call from Ward. He told me that if we even tried to get near the ship and crew that the deal he’d cut for Borgdanov’s ‘recruits’ was off. I can see his point. I’m sure selling the idea was difficult enough without one of the potential new permanent residents shooting up a ship full of foreign nationals in the Port of Jacksonville before the program even gets off the ground.”

“How did Ilya take that?”

“Badly, but what could he do? Borgdanov’s incommunicado at the moment, recruiting people on the strength of Ward’s assurances. Ilya would never do anything to compromise Andrei, no matter how enraged he gets. But he’s chomping at the bit for word from Borgdanov summoning him to go to Russia. I pity the bastards when he gets there.”

“How did you leave things with Ward?”

“Not good. We hung around a day trying to find out what was happening with the crew of the Kapitan Godina — nothing much as it turns out. I mean, I was willing to let the authorities handle it, but I thought SOMETHING would happen to them. Ward told me the captain lawyered up, and with a very pricey shyster at that, and that it’s likely nothing will stick at all.”

“I can see why Ilya is upset. How did he take THAT?”

Dugan shook his head. “He was upset enough; I didn’t dare share that with him. Christ, if he finds out the truth, there’s no telling what he might do. Anyway, Ward and I had words, not nice ones. Let’s just say he’s not on my Christmas card list anymore, at least for the moment.”

“You and Jesse Ward have been friends for a long time.”

“And we still are, I suppose. And we’ll continue to work together on the deal he promised Borgdanov. But for the moment, or the next few days anyway, I don’t want to get into it again with him. He’s actually called a few times, but what is there to say? I let it go to voice mail.”

“Did you listen to the messages?”

“Nope, and I don’t intend to for a while.”

Anna nodded. “You’re upset, I get that. But perhaps the memorial service will give everyone a bit of closure. Have Alex and Gillian decided on a time?”

“No. It’s like if they plan a memorial service they’re giving up on Cassie. I know Mrs. Hogan has been gently pushing them in that direction, but without result. She’s set up a visit with Father O’Malley first thing tomorrow morning and asked me to come. I don’t look forward to it.”

“Would you like me to come?”

Dugan shook his head. “No. The doctor released you on the condition that you take it slow. I think the deal was no more than an hour or so on the crutches at a time for the first week. I intend to hold you to that.” He put his face close to hers and looked into her eyes. “I’ve lost enough people in my life, Anna, and I intend to take good care of you, whether you want me to or not.”

St. Petersburg
Russian Federation

Vladimir Glazkov held the phone to his ear, shaking his head in silent exasperation. He sighed. There was no professionalism anymore it seemed, only a dwindling pool of spoiled and whining practitioners of a dying art. Sometimes he missed the old days.

“… and you know multiple hits are difficult. As soon as I hit one of the targets, I’ll no doubt spook the others. They may go into hiding and delay completion of the job, and you were emphatic that you wanted this finished quickly.”

“Obviously you hit them all at the same time and place,” Glazkov said. “A bomb or car crash when they’re all in the same car perhaps.”

“What about collateral damage? Are additional casualties acceptable?”

Glazkov sighed again. “Well, obviously we don’t want to slaughter a dozen innocent school children or random tourists in a public place. That would elevate it to the level of terrorism and make matters even worse in regard to raising our profile with the authorities. However, so long as casualties are confined to these Kairouz people, their American friend, and close associates, I think that would be acceptable. My experience is that the general public doesn’t react too strongly to the killing of wealthy people; I think there’s even a certain subliminal sense of satisfaction. In a few months, it will all be pushed from the headlines by another sensational news event of some kind, and we can go quietly about rebuilding our UK operations.”

“Getting them all in the same place at the same time may prove difficult. I can’t guarantee a time frame. But I have them all under surveillance now, and I’ll probably be able to move soon.”

“Are you monitoring their communications?” Glazkov asked.

“Not so far. I haven’t been able—”

“So let me understand, Fedosov. Your plan is to follow them around until they just happen to get together in one place and then kill them?”

“No, of course not, but we only just began discussing hitting them at the same time—”

Glazkov erupted. “We only just began discussing it because it was such an obvious requirement that only a simpleton such as yourself would have failed to grasp it. Now monitor their communications, find out when they’ll be together, and TAKE THEM OUT! Is that sufficiently clear, or must I email you a diagram?”

“No, Boss. I’ll get on it at once.”

“You’d better. And keep me informed.”

He slammed the receiver into the cradle, rested his elbows on the desk, and put his face in his hands. He definitely missed the old days.