Ivorie's Surprise [Golden Dolphin] (Siren Publishing Classic) (16 page)

Con turned to Alex on cue. “Alex, radio the Brazilian authorities and ask them to send the police to the dock to take Ms.—what’s her name, Drew?—into custody.”

“Eugenia Cartwright. My former fiancée. I have to say she has some strange ideas.”

“No, no. Wait. She’s with my friend, Frank. He was taking her upriver to a villa we rented on the river until you and I worked out our problems and the ship left port. Then he was going to let her return to the States. I swear we weren’t going to hurt her.”

“You weren’t going to hurt her? Are you completely out of your mind? Just imagine how terrified she is right now. If anything happens to Ivorie, I swear I will put my considerable resources behind seeing that you spend many years in prison, either here or back home. That is a promise.”

“Drew, please…”

Greg skewered Eugenia with a hard look and peppered her with more questions. “How many people are involved? Where is the villa? Are there any other people living in the area?”

“No, the villa is very isolated and sort of overgrown. There’s only Frank, and maybe our driver, but I don’t think he realized what we were doing. We certainly never discussed it in front of him.”

Drew turned toward Con. “I want to go with Greg’s team.”

“Drew, I’d rather you waited here. It could be dangerous, and I don’t want to put a passenger in danger.”

“Con, that’s not an option. I’m going. I presume Greg’s team will be well armed. I don’t need to carry a weapon, but I want to be there when you find her.”

Somewhere on the Amazon River, Brazil, October 15, 2013—Tuesday, Midmorning

Ivorie was terrified. The man had pushed her down into the bottom of the boat. She had hit her head on one of the benches, and for a moment she saw stars. After she had been knocked silly for a moment, he had then tied her hands and ankles. If she tried to go overboard, she’d drown. She’d have to wait for a better opportunity. The boat was a small, old motor launch with the console area covered by a canvas tarp. It had a fairly large outboard motor that sputtered occasionally and belched black smoke. They were flying over the water at a brisk speed away from Santarém and the
Dolphin
.
Oh, please God. Please let them find me
. She knew that the crew of the
Dolphin
and Drew would realize something was wrong as soon as Eugenia got on board—if she managed to get aboard and talk to Drew. Oh, God, if they just turned her away, Ivorie would be in trouble.

The foliage along the shore, which she could just see from her position in the bottom of the boat, was very green and dense. There were a lot of green treetops covered in vines. She could hear the sounds of some other river traffic and the cries of the jungle wildlife over the outboard motor, but they didn’t sound like they were close. She could smell the verdant greenery and the damp smell of the river.

Ivorie tried to remain calm. After what seemed like an eternity but was probably only about a half hour or so, they pulled into a dock on the river’s edge, and the man tied the boat up. He untied her ankles and jerked her up to her feet. He helped her over the side of the boat and onto the rickety dock. When she was on her feet, Ivorie took a good look around. She wanted to know her options in case she got a chance to run. There was a small bungalow surrounded by overgrown vegetation located well back from the river’s edge. It had a screened porch and looked to be in reasonable repair, although far from luxurious.

She dragged her feet as he shoved her toward the bungalow. She knew that once she was inside, her chances would be even slimmer.

“Where am I? Your name is Frank, right?” The guy didn’t seem to be as delusional as Eugenia. He looked like a New York hood. Make that a minor hood. He didn’t have the polish the “Big Guys” had. Maybe she could talk some sense into him. It was worth a try.

“You don’t need to know my name. You would be better off to forget it. I’m not planning to hurt you unless you make me. Just cooperate, and hopefully I’ll be able to release you soon.”

“I can’t believe any sane person would fall for Eugenia’s plan. You should release me now, while you still can, and get the heck out of here before bad things happen.”

He kept moving her toward the bungalow. “Well, it didn’t sound so insane when we started. I really didn’t think anything would actually come of it. I thought I’d get a Caribbean vacation, and some cash, and that would be it.”

“Well, the best-laid plans…You need to cut your losses and run before she gets you into even more trouble—trouble that you can’t get out of.”

“Just be quiet and let me do what I’ve gotta do.”

He finally managed to wrestle her through the door and push her down into a straight-backed chair. He tied her arms and legs to the chair while she continued to struggle. “Knock it off. You’re only making this harder on both of us. I really don’t want to hurt you.”

Ivorie finally gave up struggling when she realized her limbs were now securely tied to the chair. “Can I please have a drink of water?” she asked, trying to sound pitiful and scared, which wasn’t hard because she really was. She wanted to try to connect with this guy if she could—make herself seem more human. Maybe then he would act more human himself. “I’m hungry, and I have to go to the bathroom,” she sniffed. Maybe she could get a look around the bungalow.

“Just settle down. I’ll get you a drink. Maybe I’ll hear from Eugenia soon, and this will be over for both of us.”

Ivorie looked around the interior of the front room. She tried to commit all of the details to memory as she continued to pray for the crew and Drew to find her.

The
Golden Dolphin
Crew’s Lounge—Port of Santarém, Brazil in the Amazon River Basin, October 15, 2013—Tuesday, Midmorning

Greg gathered his security team in the crew’s lounge below decks. “We have a situation. One of the passengers has been abducted from the market in Santarém. She had the presence of mind to keep her GPS bracelet and give the red rubber bracelet to her abductor who tried to use it to get aboard. Sam recognized her as the woman who caused the scene at the dock in St. Bart’s and notified the bridge immediately. We have her in custody and under guard.”

He looked at his men. “We know where Ms. James is thanks to the GPS bracelet. She’s heading up river away from Santarém. I’m going to take three of you and the Riva up river and get her back. The rest of you will remain with the ship and on guard. Drew Blessingame will accompany us, but he will not be armed. We’ll all carry 9mm Glocks, and the heavier armament will be stashed in the compartment below deck just in case it’s needed. Let’s hope we can accomplish our objective without gunfire. We will make every attempt to retrieve Ms. James without firing any shots. Hand-to-hand should be sufficient. From what we understand from the prisoner, there is only one man holding Ms. James, but he could be dangerous. We don’t know if he is armed. There is the possibility of a second man, a local tour guide, but the prisoner says she doesn’t think he knows what’s going on. As you all know, the sound of automatic weapons fire would carry for miles through the jungle. We would rather the Brazilian authorities did not know this vessel is armed. This is what we’ve been training for. Let’s do it. Any questions?”

The men all looked at Greg, and one of them said, “I’ll start loading the Riva.”

“Rick, Sam, and Tommy, report to the Riva’s garage. Change out of those blinding white uniforms. We’ll deploy in fifteen minutes.”

Greg turned to Drew. “If you’re coming, go change your clothes. Dark T-shirt and Dockers or jeans, sturdy shoes.”

Drew was almost out of the door before Greg finished speaking.

* * * *

When they were finally all aboard the Riva and heading upriver after Ivorie, Drew settled back against the bench seat on the port side and looked at the men around him. He knew from his discussions with Jamie Devereau and also with Con that the ship had a top notch security team headed by Greg Dempsey, an ex-SEAL, and that the special crew members were all ex-military and very well trained. He never thought he would be so happy to be in the company of well-armed men who knew what to do with a weapon. Con had also told him that they all had martial arts black belts of one discipline or another. While Drew was an excellent shot with a handgun or a hunting rifle, he was certainly not in a paramilitary class. He was happy to leave the actual rescue to them, but he wanted to be there for Ivorie when they found her. There was no way he could have waited passively on the ship while this drama unfolded without him.

The team double-checked their weapons. When they were satisfied, the automatic rifles were secured in the weapons locker below deck, and the Glocks were holstered on their persons under their T-shirts. While the men appeared to be relaxing as the boat followed the river, they all looked extremely competent and ready for the mission ahead.

Greg stood at the front of the boat. “Okay, men. It appears from the monitor that she has stopped moving. When we get close to her location, we’ll anchor the Riva, recon the area, and make a plan once we see what the situation is. Maintain silence once we land. Sound travels.”

The superior speed of the Riva had them within half a mile of Ivorie in less than a half hour after leaving the
Dolphin
. They looked for a secluded spot to tie up the boat.

When they were all on shore, Greg motioned for Drew to stay with him while the others split up to check out the area. They were to meet back at the boat within fifteen minutes or less, if possible.

Drew and Greg remained at the boat to monitor Ivorie’s GPS signal and to be a gathering point for intel from the men. Rick, Sam, and Tommy reported back to Greg that they had located the overgrown bungalow about a hundred yards in from the shore.

“We approached quietly, heard voices but no screaming. It appears that only Ms. James and one man are inside,” Sam reported.

Rick continued, “It’s a shotgun style bungalow, only four rooms, one in front, one in the rear, and one on each side in the middle with a long straight hallway from front to back.”

Greg said, “Rick and Sam, cover the rear entrance. Tommy, come with me and Drew. Tommy, you and I will break down the front door. You go in high, and I’ll go in low. Drew, you stay back and out of the way. Get Ivorie out of the building as quickly as possible when the scene has been secured. Draw your guns, but remember, no shooting unless there is no alternative.”

The team waited quietly while Greg and Drew moved quietly into position. Greg motioned for Tommy to kick in the door. The door flew in, the old wood splintering in all directions. Greg and Tommy stormed into the front room as planned. Ivorie was sitting tied to a chair in the middle of the nearly empty room, her eyes wide with surprise.

Frank, terror written all over his face, turned to run out the back but was stopped short by Sam and Rick entering from the rear. He obviously could see that he was outnumbered by heavily armed men, and he put his hands up in surrender. It was over in seconds without a shot being fired. Frank was facedown on the floor, hands secured behind his back.

Drew rushed in to Ivorie, untied her hands and ankles, and pulled her into his arms for a fierce hug. He just held her against his chest and breathed in her scent. He was so relieved his legs were weak. He sat down in the straight-back chair and held Ivorie in his lap. “Oh, baby. You must have been so scared. I know I was terrified that we wouldn’t find you in time.”

Ivorie nuzzled into his chest and tucked her head under his chin. “I knew you would find me, but I was afraid it might be too late.” Tears of relief were running down her cheeks now that the danger was past. She had held herself together during the ordeal, but she was a mess now that it was over. He was just grateful she was safe. Drew was so proud of her.
What a woman. Cool and collected when it counted, and a puddle of mush now that it’s all over
.

“Are you okay, babe?”

“Yes, just take me back to the ship. I just want to get back to the ship and as far away from this place as possible as quickly as possible.”

Greg and his men hustled Frank out the door, through the undergrowth, and back to the riverbank and the Riva. They loaded him none too gently on to the boat, and before everyone was even seated, were pulling away from the rickety dock and out into the channel. They were back at the port and tied up to the
Golden Dolphin
within a half hour.

The
Golden Dolphin
—Port of Santarém, Brazil in the Amazon River Basin, October 15, 2013—Tuesday, Late Morning

Drew picked Ivorie up in his arms and started up the stairs to the top deck. “Put me down. I can walk,” she said stubbornly. “You can’t carry me up all these stairs.”

“Watch me.” He headed up the central staircase toward the Master Suite. Jenni heard them coming and opened the door for Drew, who walked through and gently placed Ivorie on the chaise in the sitting room. He tenderly covered her with a soft throw and then went to the sideboard to pour her a short snifter of brandy.

She gingerly sipped the strong brandy, and as the warmth seeped through her weary body, she finally seemed to relax. After a few minutes, she asked, “What happened here? Where is Eugenia? Is she in custody?”