Night Tide (62 page)

I! didn’t! think.! I! moved! impulsively,! bounding! up! the!

gangway!in!two!steps!and!throwing!myself!to!the!right,!where!

the! voice! and! the! shot! had! originated.! Baines! perched! on! a!

banquette! behind! a! chart! table,! pistol! in! his! hand.! He! shrank!

into!the!corner!when!he!saw!me!hurl!myself!toward!him!and!

swung!the!gun!in!an!arc.!I!grabbed!his!wrist!as!I!crashed!half!on!

and! half! off! the! table,! practically! ending! up! in! his! lap.! He!

pounded! my! head! with! his! fist,! bouncing! it! off! the! table! and!

rattling!my!teeth.!

!

His! strength! surprised! me.! He! swung! with! his! free! hand!

again.!I!managed!to!block!it,!but!he!forced!his!gun!hand!at!my!

face.!I!pushed!back!hard,!straining!with!the!effort,!then!yanked!

his!arm!toward!me,!using!his!own!strength!to!pull!him!upright!

so!he!faced!me.!I!butted!him!in!the!nose!like!I!used!to!head!a!

soccer!ball!for!Cole.!
Pay*attention!
!His!head!snapped!back,!nose!

spewing! blood,! eyes! glazing.! He! recovered! quickly,! and!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

407&

punched!me!in!the!face.!I!turned!at!the!last!second!and!caught!

his! fist! on! my! cheekbone.! Along! with! a! few! stars,! I! saw! more!

red,! fueling! the! flash! flood! of! adrenaline! surging! through! my!

veins.!!

!

I! squeezed! his! wrist! with! a! hand! that! once! had! easily!

palmed! basketballs! and! heard! a! bone! crack,! felt! it! grind.! His!

face! went! white! with! pain,! but! his! fingers! remained! curled!

around! the! butt! of! the! gun! like! talons.! I! pulled! him! close! and!

head6butted! him! again,! mashing! his! broken! nose,! ripping! a!

scream!from!his!throat.!Getting!my!feet!under!me,!I!grabbed!his!

other! wrist! and! stood,! pulling! him! up! with! me.! Tipping! my!

head! under! the! low! ceiling,! I! spread! his! arms! and! pinned! his!

wrists! to! the! ceiling,! hanging! him! on! an! imaginary! cross.! He!

dangled!there!dazed,!and!I!kneed!him!in!the!groin.!

!

Wink! hopped! and! skittered! on! the! floor! in! front! of! the!

helm,! grunting,! woofing! sounds! coming! from! behind! the! duct!

tape.!I!glanced!at!him,!saw!him!roll!his!eyes!from!one!side!of!

the!cabin!to!the!other.!Suddenly,!the!companionway!doors!on!

both!sides!of!the!saloon!slid!open!to!what!was!left!of!the!night.!

Men!with!guns!burst!through!wearing!navy!blue!windbreakers!

imprinted! with! those! big! yellow! letters,! “FBI.”! Taylor! on! one!

side,!Drucker!on!the!other.!The!good!guys.!

!

“Drop! your! weapon!”! Drucker! shouted.! He! aimed! at!

Baines.!

!

Taylor!stood!silently,!his!face!grim.!Something!was!wrong.!

He! brought! up! the! gun! he’d! been! holding! down! by! his! thigh.!

The!barrel!was!too!long.!He!eased!into!firing!stance!and!sighted!

down!the!long!gun,!his! movements!slow!and!deliberate.!With!

muffled! pops,! the! gun! fired! twice.! Baines! went! limp! in! my!

grasp,!two!vinous!flowers!blooming!on!his!jacket.!His!literally!

dead!weight!became!too!much!to!hold,!and!he!slipped!from!my!

grasp!in!a!heap!on!the!deck.!!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

408&

!

“What! the! hell?”! Drucker’s! eyebrows! arched.! He! lowered!

his! gun.! “Are! you! nuts,! Taylor?! What! the! fuck! did! you! shoot!

him!for?”!

!

Taylor! didn’t! answer.! He! moved! the! gun! a! few! inches! to!

the! left! and! fired! two! more! shots,! their! sound! dampened! to!

hollow! snaps! by! the! suppressor! screwed! to! the! barrel.! Both!

rounds!hit!Drucker!in!the!chest.!He!staggered!back!through!the!

doorway,! lost! his! balance! and! flipped! over! the! rail,!

disappearing.!A!muted!splash!followed!a!half6second!later.!By!

the!time!I!looked!at!Taylor!again,!the!long!barrel!of!the!silenced!

pistol!pointed!at!me.!

!

“Your!gun,”!he!said.!“Two!fingers,!very!slowly.”!

!

Confused! for! a! moment,! I! realized! Charlie’s! gun! was! still!

stuck! in! my! waistband.! With! one! arm! in! the! air,! I! gingerly!

pulled! it! out! laid! it! on! the! floor! and! shoved! it! with! a! toe.! He!

stooped!to!pick!it!up!without!taking!his!eyes!off!me.!

!

“Where’s!Chase?”!he!said.!

!

Inclining!my!head,!I!said,!“Down!there.!She’s!dead.!Christ,!

Baines!blew!her!brains!out!”!!

!

With! an! expression! of! distaste,! Taylor! backed! up! a! few!

paces! and! quickly! glanced! down! the! gangway! into! the! dark!

cabin.!He!grunted!and!moved!next!to!Wink,!gun!held!level!with!

my!navel.!Quickly!glancing!behind!Wink’s!back,!he!returned!his!

gaze! to! me! and! kept! it! there,! while! fiddling! with! something!

behind!Wink!with!one!hand.!!

!

He!stepped!away!and!told!Wink,!“Be!a!good!boy.!Hop!over!

there!and!have!a!seat.”!!

!

Taylor! waggled! the! gun! at! the! banquette.! Wink! nodded.!

Ankles! and! hands! still! taped,! he! hopped! the! few! feet! to! the!

dinette!table,!lost!his!balance!and!tumbled!onto!the!banquette.!

Now!Taylor!had!us!both!in!front!of!him,!sitting!ducks.!

!

“I!don’t!get!it,”!I!said.!Simple!logic!was!beyond!my!capacity!

by!then.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

409&

!

!He!scowled!at!me,!then!turned!his!attention!to!something!

on! the! floor! under! the! table.! He! bent! and! retrieved! a! small,!

dog6eared! spiral6bound! notebook! with! a! faded! blue! cover.! It!

must!have!fallen!off!the!table!during!my!scuffle!with!Baines.!I!

hadn’t!noticed!it.!Taylor!held!it!up!so!Wink!could!see!it.!Wink!

squirmed!into!a!sitting!position.!

!

“This!it?”!Taylor!said.!!

!

I!got!my!mouth!to!work.!“
That’s
!what!you’re!after?”!!

!

Taylor!ignored!me.!“You!looked!at!it?”!he!asked!Wink.!

!

Wink!nodded.!!

!

“Think!the!Korean!was!onto!something?”!

!

Wink!hesitated!this!time,!eyes!flicking!my!direction!before!

he!shrugged.!

!

Taylor! nodded.! “Right.! How! the! fuck! would! you! know,!

anyway?!You’re!such!a!genius!you!spent!twenty!years!in!stir.”!!

!

“What!good!is!it!to!you?”!I!said.!

!

He! looked! at! me! with! the! pitying! expression! of! someone!

who!considered!the!question!moronic!and!sighed.!“Okay,!here’s!

what! we! do.! You’re! going! to! untie! the! bow! and! stern! lines!

while!I!start!this!baby!up.!Call!for!help,!try!to!run,!I’ll!kill!your!

friend.!You’ve!got!thirty!seconds.!Go.!
Go!
”!

!

I! ducked! out! the! companionway! and! leaped! over! the! rail!

onto!the!deck,!brain!working!furiously.!I!saw!no!options!other!

than!doing!exactly!what!Taylor!said.!I!untied!the!stern!line!and!

tossed!it!on!the!deck.!The!big!engines!below!decks!rumbled!to!

life,! a! cloud! of! smoke! and! throaty! growl! coming! from! the!

exhaust!pipes!at!the!stern.!I!sprinted!to!the!bow!and!took!the!

line!off!the!cleat!on!the!dock.!Grabbing!the!rail,!I!put!one!foot!

on!the!bow!and!shoved!off!with!the!other,!pulling!myself!onto!

the! boat! at! the! last! second.! I! dropped! the! line! on! the! deck!

without!bothering!to!coil!it!and!hustled!back!to!the!cabin.!!

!

Taylor! had! unsnapped! the! blackout! cloths! from! the!

windscreens.! When! I! stepped! through! the! companionway,! he!

backed!away!from!the!helm!and!motioned!to!it!with!the!gun.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

410&

!

“Step!lively,!matey,”!he!said.!He!didn’t!smile.!

!

I!took!the!helm!and!steered!out!into!the!big!cove,!swinging!

the!boat!around!in!a!wide!arc!to!face!east.!The!early!morning!

sky!lit!up!the!water!and!landscape!in!depressed!shades!of!gray,!

as!if!the!storm!had!washed!out!all!the!color.!

!

“Where!am!I!going?”!I!said.!

!

“I’ll!tell!you!as!we!go,”!he!said.!“Right!now,!you’re!fine.”!

!

Thoughts!caromed!off!bumpers!labeled!“Reyna,”!“Baines,”!

“Cole,”! “Molly,”! “Keely”! and! a! dozen! other! faces.! They! zipped!

through! spinners! and! shot! up! ramps! and! through! gates,!

whizzing! pinballs! that! rang! bells! and! buzzers! and! tripped!

flashing! lights.!
Guns,* and* bad* guys,* and* boats,* oh,* my!
! The!

numbers!on!the!scoreboard!were!going!backward,!heading!for!

negative!territory.!!

!

“It’s!about!money,!isn’t!it?”!I!said.!I!talked!to!fill!the!air!in!

the! cabin! with! something! other! than! tension! and! dread.! I!

talked! to! keep! my! mind! on! something! other! than! thoughts! of!

what!lay!in!store!for!us.!“You’ve!got!a!buyer.!Chinese!military,!if!

Reyna!was!right.!You’re!selling!out.!Betraying!your!country.!Ah,!

what! the! hell,! I! guess! it! doesn’t! make! any! difference.! We!

already!owe!the!Chinese!so!much!money!they’ll!eventually!take!

over! the! country! anyway,! right?”! I! shook! my! head.! “I! can’t!

believe! you’d! kill! your! own! partner! for! this.! You! don’t! even!

know!if!it’s!worth!it.”!!

!

Taylor! reddened,! and! a! vein! in! his! temple! pulsed,! but! he!

said!nothing.!!

!

“So,!that’s!it.!Now,!what?!We!get!far!enough!out,!you!shoot!

us!and!dump!us!overboard?”!

!

Movement! reflected! in! the! glass! windscreen! caught! my!

eye.!Behind!Taylor,!Wink!scooted!his!butt!closer!to!the!edge!of!

the!banquette.!I!needed!to!keep!Taylor!distracted.!

!

“How’d! you! and! Drucker! find! us,! anyway?”! I! glanced! at!

him!over!my!shoulder.!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

411&

!

He! lifted! a! shoulder.! “You! didn’t! follow! us! right! away.! I!

knew! Chase! had! to! be! pissed.! When! I! didn’t! see! your!

headlights,!I!knew!something!was!wrong.!Didn’t!even!get!to!the!

airfield.!I!turned!around!right!away.!We!were!about!a!half6mile!

back,!running!without!lights,!when!you!got!to!town.!It!was!easy!

enough!to!find!you!after!that.”!

!

Wink’s!reflection!launched!itself!at!Taylor’s!back.!With!his!

hands!and!ankles!bound,!Wink!had!only!one!shot,!and!he!took!

it! with! a! bloodcurdling! yell.! Taylor! was! quick,! but! the! split!

second!it!took!for!him!to!turn!and!react!gave!me!enough!time!

to!whirl!around!in!the!small!space.!As!Wink’s!weight!knocked!

Taylor!forward,!I!clubbed!his!gun!arm!with!the!heel!of!my!fist,!

knocking!it!aside!before!he!fired.!!

!

Taylor! twisted! at! the! waist,! shrugging! Wink! off! his! back!

onto! the! floor,! and! stepped! back.! I! widened! my! stance,!

crouching! under! the! low! ceiling,! and! balanced! on! the! balls! of!

my!feet!as!the!boat!gently!rocked!in!the!swells.!Taylor!raised!

the!gun!again,!but!hadn’t!taken!my!reach!into!account.!Longer!

than!Sonny!Liston’s,!it!was!a!distinct!advantage!in!the!confines!

of!the!cabin.!I!knocked!his!gun!arm!away!with!a!forearm!block!

and!landed!an!open6handed!blow!to!his!face,!fingers!leaving!a!

white!imprint!on!his!cheek.!

!

The! muscles! in! his! neck! tensed! and! bulged,! and! his! red!

face! darkened! a! shade! or! two.! He! danced! back! out! of! reach,!

avoiding!Baines’!body!on!the!floor,!and!shook!his!head.!

!

“You! should! have! fucking! listened,! asshole,”! he! said.! He!

raised!the!gun!again,!but!pointed!it!down!and!to!the!side.!“First,!

Langford.!Then!you.”!

!

His! finger! whitened! on! the! trigger.! A! dozen! voices!

screamed!inside!my!head,!all!giving!me!different!directions!at!

the!same!time,!the!cacophony!and!confusion!rooting!me!to!the!

spot.!!

!

Blake*Sanders!*PAY*ATTENTION!
!

Night&Tide
—Sherer&

412&

!

I!strained!with!mental!effort,!throwing!off!the!momentary!

panic!like!ripping!off!a!straightjacket!at!the!seams,!and!charged!

him.!His!gun!hand!moved,!tracking!in!slow!motion!up!toward!

the! threat! I! posed.! Before! I! could! reach! him,! two! explosions!

ripped! the! air,! and! Taylor! froze.! I! crashed! into! him! and! we!

went! down! together,! sliding! across! the! deck! and! down! the!

gangway! into! the! master! stateroom.! My! head! slammed! into!

something!hard,!and!an!aerial!fireworks!shell!burst!inside!my!

head.!!

!

The! crackling! stars! slowly! faded! away.! Through! the!

ringing!in!my!ears!I!heard!a!faint!voice!call!my!name.!I!pulled!

myself! onto! my! knees.! Taylor! lay! next! to! me,! sightless! eyes!

staring!at!the!cabin!ceiling,!a!large!jagged!red!hole!over!his!left!

eyebrow! leaking! blood! and! gray! matter,! shiny! bits! of! white!

bone!poking!through!the!torn!flesh.!I!clamped!my!jaw!shut!and!

turned!away,!swallowing!the!gorge!rising!in!my!throat.!!

!

Tiredly,!I!dragged!myself!up!the!gangway!into!the!saloon.!

Reyna!lay!face!down!on!the!cabin!floor,!feet!still!on!the!bottom!

tread!of!the!ladder!up!from!the!forward!stateroom,!gun!in!her!

outstretched!hand.!Thank!god!Taylor!hadn’t!checked!her!more!