He could sense the boat near him and he went vertical, pulling out his new gadgets and fitting them to his hands. Carefully, he approached the hull of the boat and extended one arm, feeling the jolt as it contacted the fibergla.s.s. "Gotcha."

He triggered the lock and hung on as the boat nearly heaved him out of the water. "h.e.l.l." Andrew got his other hand up quickly and latched on, hanging from both hands as the boat rolled. He waited for the hull to dip back down into the water, then released his first hand and stretched higher, moving up the surface like an extremely large spider.

Inside the door to the cabin, Dar paused, ignoring the prodding from the guard behind her. She checked out the room, then walked inside, keeping a light hand on Kerry's back. DeSalliers was standing near the bar, and three men holding guns were stationed around the room.

Dar's lips twitched into a feral smile. "Six guys with rifles?"

She glanced between herself and Kerry. "I'm flattered."

"I feel so dangerous," Kerry added, folding her arms over her chest. "And I'm not even wearing my brown belt."

"Shut up." DeSalliers waved three of the guards out. "You're empty handed, Roberts. I thought you were smarter than that, but on second thought, I should have realized you aren't."

Dar deliberately turned her back on him, strolling across the cabin's interior to study one of the maps on the wall. "I'm not empty handed; you're empty headed." She looked over her shoulder at him. "Here's my deal: you show me Bud."

"This is not your deal," DeSalliers interrupted. "Now you just shut up and listen to me."

"No!" Dar turned and walked right past the gun barrel of one 306*

of the guards. "You listen to me, you sc.u.mbag." She felt her temper rise, and a rush of energy filled her body. "You want the information I have? Do you? Otherwise, I'll just walk out of here and sell it to the highest bidder."

"You don't have s.h.i.t."

"Don't I?" Dar smiled. " You're wrong about that. I know about the poaching." She ticked off one of her fingers. "I know Wharton cut a deal with the locals." She paused and waited. DeSalliers now watched her with lethal, bitter silence. "I know about the will. So, you jacka.s.s-if you want what I've got, then you do what I say and it's yours."

DeSalliers' entire face twitched.

"You've only got two days before your loans default," Kerry broke in. "If I were you, I'd just salvage what I could out of this."

The man stared at her. "You don't know s.h.i.t."

"Sure I do." Kerry kept an even, almost kind tone. "It's all in a database somewhere. You realized that, didn't you? Public debt filings."

DeSalliers snorted softly. "Yeah. That's how you ruined your old man, isn't it? Killed him, didn't it?"

It was like taking a spear in the gut. Kerry only just clamped down on her emotions and somehow managed to keep her expression unchanged. "Yes, it is," she answered. "I'd gladly do the same to you."

Dar dealt with the realization that if she'd had a gun in her hand at that moment, she would have shot DeSalliers without a moment's regret. "So, here's the deal," she repeated. "You show me Bud. You give me a transfer account, and I'll transfer your skunk money. Then I give you your smoking gun, and you let Bud go."

DeSalliers watched her from narrowed eyes. He remained silent for a minute, then very, very slowly, he nodded in agreement.

"How do I know you've got a smoking gun?"

"Because I say I do," Dar told him. "You're not worth lying to, and Wharton's not worth lying for."

The tall man's head c.o.c.ked slightly to one side. "f.u.c.king amazing. We finally agree on something." He walked over to the window, keeping them guessing as to what his answer would be.

"Tell me something first." He turned. "What is your real percentage in this, Roberts?"

Leaning against a bulkhead, Dar ears picked up a soft clanking somewhere nearby. "I've already told you," she said. "You just don't believe me."

"That you stumbled on this by accident?" DeSalliers laughed bitterly. " You're right. I don't. He pointed at one of the guards.

"Bring the piece of sc.u.m up here."

Kerry released the breath she was holding and wished for a*307 gla.s.s of water. Her insides were churning so badly, she felt like a washing machine. She forced herself to move slowly and casually, wandering back across the cabin to end up next to Dar again. Her eyes met her partner's, and for a brief moment Dar's mask dropped and Kerry saw sympathy and regret in the pale blue eyes watching her. Kerry tensed her lips in acceptance and patted Dar's hip as she came to a halt beside her. So far, she decided, the plan seems to be working. She prayed to G.o.d it stayed that way.

ANDREW SLOWLY LIFTED his head above the edge of the hull and peered across it. It was empty. The guards had cl.u.s.tered on the stern, out of the storm, exactly what he'd been hoping for. With a light sniff, he released one of his grips and removed it, sticking it in its pouch and transferring his hand to the railing. He repeated the motion with the other one, then pulled himself up and over onto the deck.

He lay there a moment, listening and catching his breath.

"Ah'm too d.a.m.n old to be doing this," he muttered to himself. The deck remained silent, so he lifted himself up and snaked across the top of it to the two prominent hatches set in its center. Then he lay back down and examined the hatches.

With a soft grunt, he fished in a vest pocket and drew out a slim tool. He slipped the edge of it under the hatch and pried gently upward near the hinge, working the fibergla.s.s cover back and forth.

With a soft crack, the hinge broke. Andy left it as it was and eased to the other side of the hatch, working on the next hinge point.

A soft creak sounded a warning, and he pressed his body against the hull and listened. Someone was coming along the railing toward the bow. Andrew cursed silently but remained very still, tensing his muscles as he watched the s.p.a.ce between the cabin and the railing. A man wandered through it and leaned on the rail, watching the waves. Even after a few minutes, he didn't seem inclined to move on. Andrew put his hands on the surface of the hull and pushed himself upward, getting silently to his feet and rising to his full height behind the man. He paced forward even with the roll of the boat until he was just behind his target.

The man had a rifle slung over his shoulder. Andrew studied him for a brief moment, then balled his hand into a fist and slugged the man in the back of the neck. With a soft choking sound, the guard's knees buckled. Andrew stripped away the rifle and dropped it into the water, then debated throwing the man in after it. Wouldn't have been the first time, by any means.

With a faint sigh, he dragged the man over to the edge of the bow instead, and laid him down on the curve. Then he went back to 308*

the hatch and dropped down next to it, easing the edge up and peering underneath.

THE GUARDS DRAGGED Bud up to the edge of the steps that led to the cabins of the boat and held him in Dar's view. Bud's eyes were swollen shut and his face was covered in bruises. He didn't appear to be conscious of what was going on around him.

"You're a nice host." Kerry kept her voice even.

DeSalliers laughed. "He probably enjoyed it. He's the type." He motioned to the guard. "Put him back until I call you again." He seemed to be in a slightly better humor now. "Here's the numbers."

He handed Dar a slip of paper.

Dar was still gazing at the doorway, seeing the beaten form in her mind's eye. She took the paper and stared at it. "Blood money."

She took out her cell phone and accessed its web features.

DeSalliers watched her. "Must be killing you," he taunted.

"Loser."

Pale blue eyes fastened on him. Dar handed the paper back.

"It's done. It'll process when the banks open tomorrow."

"You expect me to believe you?"

Dar shrugged. "DeSalliers, it's pocket change," she said. "It just means a bit more of your c.r.a.p I have to clean off my shoes."

"Pocket change?"

"Actually," Kerry spoke up, having to say something to keep from throwing up, "it's the budget for table mints for Dar's outer office." She paused thoughtfully. "For six months."

DeSalliers looked at her, then looked back at the paper with a shake of his head.

The guard returned and leaned against the door, watching Dar and Kerry with scornful eyes.

DeSalliers crumpled up the paper and tossed it. "Enough bulls.h.i.t. Hand it over." He held out a hand towards Dar. "You're polluting my boat and I want you off it, along with your disgusting f.a.ggot friend."

Dar reached behind her and unzipped her pocket. She withdrew the folded piece of plastic and tossed it at DeSalliers almost casually, zinging it across the cabin and hitting him in the chest with it. "There," she said. "Now get Bud up here, and we'll be more than glad to vacate this s.h.i.t hole."

DeSalliers unfolded the plastic and leaned over to read it, bringing it to the light. "You can't think I'd go for th..." He stopped speaking for a moment. Then he slowly looked up at Dar. "Well."

He seemed a bit incredulous. "Imagine that. You told the truth."

Dar felt extremely tired, and she wanted nothing more than to get Kerry, herself, Bud, and presumably her father off the d.a.m.n*309 boat and out of that patch of water. "Yeah. So give me what I want and you can go crack a bottle of bad champagne over it."

Their host folded the paper and put it into his pocket, patting it with one hand. Then he removed his cell and dialed a number.

"When I'm ready." He smirked at Dar as he waited for the call to process. "I want a chance to savor having beaten you."

Kerry let her hand rest against Dar's back. It was almost over.

The tension had given her a migraine to compete with her already upset stomach, and she felt like walking over and kicking DeSalliers right in the shins.

"Wharton? DeSalliers here." The man spoke briskly into the phone. "I've got your proof, right in my hand." His eyes lifted and regarded Dar. "No, I got it out of her. No problem."

Dar felt a burn start at the back of her neck.

"What?" DeSalliers said. "That wasn't part of the deal." He listened again. "Now, look-" He was cut off, and they could hear an angry voice, though not the distinct words. The sound ended abruptly, and he was left looking at the phone with an expressionless face. After a moment, he lifted his eyes and stared at them coldly. "Well, it wasn't something I really didn't want to do anyway," he said.

"He double-cross you?" Dar asked, as a sudden dread filled her gut.

"No. You," DeSalliers said remotely. "Gregos?" He turned to look at the guard near the door. "Kill them." He stepped back through a small doorway nearby. "I guess the pirates will get blamed for something else."

"Yes, sir." The guard lifted his gun and pointed it. "My pleasure."

Chapter.

Twenty-six.

AFTER A BRIEF instant of utter shock, Dar reacted. The muzzle of the rifle had just pointed its deadly bore at her when she moved, grabbing Kerry out of pure instinct and throwing her down to safety. The sound of the shot deafened Dar. She felt a hot scorching across her cheek, then she was diving for the deck herself as she scrambled for something, anything, to put between her and the gun.

Her hands. .h.i.t the legs of a chair and she rolled over, pulling the chair up and over her head. Another explosion nearly ripped it out of her hands, and splinters of wood flew everywhere. She felt a sting along her neck and she turned, then arced her body up and whipped the remainder of the chair in the direction of the gunfire.

She heard the sound of it hit, then another shot blew through the roof of the cabin. Dar took the chance and got up, focusing her vision on the rest of the room. She spotted the guard brushing the chair fragments off his arms and searching for her, and knew she only had seconds to take advantage of his momentary distraction.

Dar leaped forward and jumped onto the table that was between them, launching herself off it as the guard yanked his gun around in her direction. As his finger curled around the trigger, she let out a yell and he jumped slightly, just enough to give her time to crash full into him.

When Dar had thrown her to the floor, Kerry hit the carpet and rolled, the breath knocked out of her. She heard the gun go off and her guts clenched, until she caught a flash of motion coming from where she'd last seen Dar. Kerry had fallen close to the side door and her eyes suddenly settled on DeSalliers' face as he watched in puerile fascination, one hand on the door and the other readying his escape.

Anger erupted inside her. She scrambled up and headed for the doorway. He spotted her and turned to escape, but Kerry leaped at him and caught his leg as he almost vanished out the door. Despite his struggling, she got a grip on his calf and whipped her body around, getting her feet against the doorway and pulling him back*311 with all her strength. "Get back here, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

He screamed something at her and kicked hard, but Kerry had her arm wrapped around his leg and she reached up with her other hand and grabbed his belt. She braced her legs and yanked, using her thigh muscles to push with.

With a curse, he stumbled over her and crashed back into the cabin. Kerry rolled over and pounced on him, her temper getting the better of her as she went wild, hitting at whatever bit of flesh she could get a fist on. All the anger that had been building up the last few days poured out, and she ignored his attempts at grabbing her as she struck at him again and again with both fists.

THE GUARD WAS a big man. Dar had her arms around his throat, and she hooked a leg around the arm with which Gregos was holding the gun. Arching her back, she pulled the gun around and released one hand to grab it, twisting sideways as he screamed and cursed at her. Panic drove her. She ripped the gun from his hand and slammed the b.u.t.t of it against his head, evading the grip he was trying to get on her. He hit her hard in the stomach and she doubled over, but the gun came with her and she slammed it into his legs.

They were too close, and it was too chaotic to even consider using the weapon for its actual purpose. Dar staggered back and caught her balance, then saw Gregos coming at her, and pure instinct gave her the means to keep him away. She lashed out in a roundhouse kick and boxed him right on the side of the head. The jolt traveled all the way down her leg, but her momentum let her drive through the kick. He rocked and staggered back, and then he shoved off the wall and came back at her. Already balanced, Dar drew her knee up, then slammed her leg out straight, and got him in the nose with her full weight behind the kick.

Blood spattered everywhere. His hands clutching his face, Gregos went down. Dar whirled and her eyes frantically scanned the cabin, her ears already picking up more guards headed their way. She heard a commotion near the door and bolted for it, rounding the edge of the couch to find an enraged Kerry sitting on DeSalliers' chest and beating him to within an inch of his life.

Kerry's shirt was half ripped off, exposing most of her chest.

She was pinning DeSalliers down with her weight, her knees resting on his biceps as she slugged at him with both fists. After a second of frozen shock, Dar yelled at the top of her lungs, "Kerry!"

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Kerry smacked the man across the chops with her conjoined hands. "You're an a.s.shole!"

Dar got behind Kerry and slipped her hands under her lover's arms, physically lifting her up off DeSalliers. "C'mon! Let's get the 312*

h.e.l.l out of here!"

Kerry was breathing hard, her green eyes almost gray with anger. DeSalliers frantically rolled away from her and started crawling toward the center of the room, and Kerry's entire body twitched as though she wanted to go after him. A growl erupted from her throat, surprising them both.

"C'mon," Dar urged. "I hope to h.e.l.l Dad's gotten to Bud. We can't stay here; hear them coming?" She dragged Kerry toward the small door DeSalliers had been attempting to use. A gunshot echoed through the boat again, and Dar could hear screaming. Her jaw tensed, knowing at a gut level it wasn't her father doing the screaming but he might be causing it.

"Ker?" she murmured in a gentle tone. "C'mon, sweetheart.

Come back to me here," she urged the still angry woman, whose hands were clenched in balled fists. "It's over."

Kerry's furious eyes tracked to Dar and their gazes locked.

"Oh." Kerry drew in a shaky breath and found herself abruptly, her entire body shaking in reaction. She clutched Dar's arms and shivered, her heart beating so fast in her chest she couldn't count the flutters. "D..." She had to stop and pant. "s.h.i.t."

Dar half led, half carried her to the door and shouldered it open. The boat pitched wildly, and she paused as she figured out what to do next. She felt Kerry slump against her, and she rubbed her lover's back. "You okay?"

Kerry sucked in a deep breath, and expelled it. "Yeah," she whispered. "He just really p.i.s.sed me off, I guess." She took a moment to collect herself, then peered anxiously past Dar. "Where's Dad?"