JAKrentz - The Pirate, The Adventurer, & The Cowboy (24 page)
"You were right. Things have gotten just a bit out of control. I couldn't find Max in the bar, so I decided to check out the castle myself. He was waiting for me.
"What do you mean? Max is here? Then why are we sneaking around alone in the dark like this?"
"Max was waiting for me with a gun," Jared explained patiently. "What's more, the fat little bastard took away mine and put me into the dungeon cell. Damned embarrassing."
"He took away your gun?" Kate's voice rose on a squeak. "You had a gun with you? Where did you get it?"
"I picked it up from the house before I came up here, of course. Where do you think I got it? Amethyst is a long way from the nearest 911 operator. Out here we have to look after ourselves."
"And a fine job you seem to be doing."
"Don't start nagging now. Save it for later, okay?"
"Okay, okay. I'm trying to put this together. I take it Max has turned renegade or something?"
"Or something. Looks like he's decided to quit nickel and diming the government and go for the big time. He's involved with the pirates."
Kate was shaken. "You're lucky he didn't kill you."
"He plans to. But he wants to do it at sea so he doesn't have to worry about anyone finding the body and linking him to this mess. I was put into one of the cells to wait until they're ready to move the cargo. I was going to get shipped out along with the electronics."
"Oh, Lord," Kate whispered. "He was going to kill you. How did you get out of the dungeon?"
"Roger Hawthorne was a cautious man. He'd lived through enough mutinies to know enough to plan ahead. He considered the possibility that he might someday be forced to occupy his own dungeon so he designed a way out that only he knew. He put the information into his journal. I discovered the secret years ago after I started reading the books he'd left behind."
Kate was dazed. "I can't believe this. Max a traitor and potential murderer."
"You know, I never really felt a lot of warmth for old Butterfield, but I figured since his supervisors trusted him, there was no reason I shouldn't. Just goes to show—in case anybody ever doubted it—that the government is as good at making mistakes as everyone else."
"Better, probably. Poor old Butterfield. I suppose there's no predicting what the trauma of never getting his novel into print will do to a writer's mind," Kate said soberly.
"Don't be an idiot. Max never even got the damned book written." Jared was silent for a moment, obviously deep in thought.
"What about Jeff Taylor's wet suit? Why was it in the hidden chamber earlier today?"
"Max was kind enough to fill me in on that. He said
"That explains why he liked to dive alone."
"Right. Seems he was doing some last-minute work on those crates this afternoon and wanted to consult with Max about some details. He was in a hurry and didn't want to take the time to get back into his gear and swim out around the point and into the cove. He just left his stuff here and went down the path. It was safe enough on a one-shot basis. No one noticed him, but it's damned lucky you didn't happen to be coming up the path at the same time he was going back to the resort."
"Yes. Isn't it, though." Kate's fingers trembled.
"Your being here changes things. I was going to wait for Max and Taylor to return, but now I think our best bet is to get back to the resort and try to track down some assistance from Ruby. Sam is over there somewhere. I'll start calling around until I find him."
"Good idea. Let's get out of here." Kate put out a hand to find the wall.
"This way." Jared took hold of her arm and guided her through the darkness back to the tiny room at the foot of the stone stairs.
Kate was fumbling with the first step when she felt him go very still behind her. He tugged on her arm and she obediently stopped.
Then she heard the footsteps ringing on the stone above. Adrenaline flooded her veins all over again.
Jared was already tugging her back down the stairs. She felt him moving about in the darkness and then she heard the faint groan from deep inside the stones. She whirled around, but could see nothing. The cool rush of air and the soft sound of water told her the wall was now open.
Jared pushed Kate in front of him, urging her into the hidden cavern. She moved cautiously, relying on his knowledge of the place.
A moment later she felt the rough lava wall beneath her extended palm. Jared pushed her down until she was crouching behind an outcropping of rock.
"Don't move," he breathed into her ear. "With any luck no one will see you in the shadows."
She knew then that he was going to try to surprise whoever was coming down the staircase. "Jared, wait." She caught his hand while she yanked the dagger out of her jeans. "Here."
His hand closed swiftly around the hilt of the dagger. "You, my love, truly were meant to be a pirate's lady."
He moved away from her and Kate huddled into herself. After a moment it seemed to her she heard a faint, whispering sound near the edge of the quay, as if a body were sliding into the water, but she could not be certain.
An instant later she heard the footsteps on the staircase and then a beam from a flashlight darted into the room. It slid rapidly over the stone wharf, but did not come close to her hiding place.
Kate held her breath as a familiar figure walked swiftly into the cavern, calling out commandingly.
"Butterfield? You in here?" Jeff Taylor's voice reverberated off the cavern walls. "What's going on? Why did you open the wall before I got here? So help me, if you think you're going to get away with pulling a fast one on me the way you did on your government people, you're crazy. Nobody cheats me, Max baby. Nobody at all."
The beam of the flashlight bobbed eerily about in the darkness, but it did not find Jared or Kate. It did, however, reveal the small cabin cruiser tied up at the quay near the pile of crates and cartons.
scanned the interior of the boat and then, apparently satisfied that it was empty, he propped the flashlight on one box and began loading crates into the cruiser.
That was when Jared staged his reappearance. Kate had to admit it was done in a suitably dramatic fashion, just like a scene out of one of her novels.
He came up out of the water only inches away from Jeff Taylor's foot. Jared had the dagger between his teeth so that his hands remained free and in the glow of the flashlight he looked incredibly dangerous. His dark hair streamed back from his forehead and his teeth flashed around the handle of the knife. In that moment he was every savage buccaneer Kate had ever created.
At the last instant Jeff Taylor sensed what was happening. He tried to jump back out of reach, simultaneously grabbing for the gun in his shoulder holster.
But he was too late. Jared had already wrapped one hand around
The struggle in the water was short and merciless. Even as Kate darted forward from her hiding place, Jared was subduing
"Stand back," Jared ordered as he pulled an unresisting
Kate did as she was instructed and watched in fascination as Jared neatly bound his captive with a lot of very businesslike nautical knots.
"You're a fool, Hawthorne."
"Tell me about it." Jared stepped back, satisfied with his knots.
"Now what?" Kate asked.
"Now you go back to the resort and try calling Sam again."
She didn't like the expression in his eyes. "What about you?"
"I'll go find Max Butterfield," Jared said. The glow of the flashlight rendered his face in stark, chilling lines.
"No need to come looking for me, Jared." Max Butterfield spoke from the shadows of the open wall. Another flashlight beam penetrated the darkness. "I'm right here. Together with my insurance policy, of course. No, don't bother reaching for that old dagger. Leave it right where it is or someone will get hurt." He motioned with the gun in his hand.
"
Dad
." David stood at Max's side, held fast by Butterfield's grip on his arm. The boy's eyes were huge in the shadows. "What's going on? Max said you wanted to see me right away. He said you were in trouble. Are you and Kate okay?"
"As you can see, my boy, they're just fine," Max said. "For now, at any rate. Although I am saddened to see that my rather inept friend has not fared so well. You always were a trifle too precipitous,
Kate felt something very cold squeeze her stomach and she could only imagine how Jared must be feeling as he realized his son was now a hostage. The carefully controlled tension in him lapped at her in waves.
"Let David go, Max." Jared gazed unwaveringly at Butterfield. His voice was very quiet. "You don't need him. Get in the cruiser and go. No one will stop you."
"Now we both know it's not quite that simple,
"Your life has definitely gotten a lot more messy than most," Kate said. "What made you decide to turn traitor?"
"Such a dramatic turn of phrase, my dear. I don't quite see it that way. Remember our little philosophical discussion at poolside concerning fate? I believe I mentioned then that once in a while one is given a golden opportunity to reshape one's destiny. I have been handed such an opportunity and have decided to take it."
"You really believe your own bull, Max?" Jared asked conversationally.
"Dad?" David tried to pull free of Max's grip and looked up angrily when he was not released. "Hey, Max. Let me go. Come on, let go of me."
"Not yet, David, my boy. I'm afraid I need you to ensure your father's good behavior." Max looked at Kate, paying little attention to his small hostage. "And also that of Ms Inskip. Come along, boy." He started to drag David toward the cruiser, motioning with the gun to urge Jared and Kate out of the way.
"I'm not going anywhere with you." David started to struggle.
"Behave yourself, boy, or I'll put a bullet through your father right now. Do you understand?" Max jerked David forward.
David looked at Jared, his small face taut with fear. "Dad?"
"Don't fight him, son," Jared said, his voice calm. "Just go along quietly, okay?"
"But, Dad, I don't want to go with Max." David was near tears as he was dragged toward the boat.
"Everything's going to be all right. When this is all over, you and Kate can practice some of those things she taught you. Remember what you learned from her?"
David blinked a couple of times and the tears were halted. He glanced at Kate and she could see awareness dawning in his eyes. She nodded reassuringly.
"You might even want to start practicing right away, Dave," Jared said.
"Yeah," said David, gathering himself.
"This is all very touching," Max Butterfield said as he started to step into the boat, "but I'm afraid we really don't have time for these sentimental farewells. Jared, go open the sea wall. Come along, David."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," David announced in the distinctly stubborn accents only a nine-year-old can manage.
"Of course you are."
"Wanna bet?" David lashed out without warning, slamming the sole of his right foot squarely against Max's kneecap.
For the next few seconds, everything happened very quickly. Max yelled in pain and surprise and lost his balance. He clutched his knee and then flailed wildly for his balance. He missed the boat and toppled with slow grandeur into the black water.
David ran straight to his father. Jared caught him close in a short, fierce hug. "You are a hell of a kid, you know that?"
"It was Kate's trick," David reminded him.
"Kate is a hell of a woman. And I am one hell of a lucky man." Jared gently pushed the boy toward Kate, who held him tightly to her. Then he walked over to the edge of the quay and stood looking down at Max, who was bobbing about and sputtering sea-water.
"Jared, we've been friends for a long time." Max splashed toward the stone wall. "I ask that you consider our long acquaintanceship before you do anything rash. Consider also the cash involved here."