Fatal Tide - Iris Johansen [96]
A shrill whistling shrieked behind him.
He looked back over his shoulder to see the rescue flare explode in the dark sky.
“What the hell is it?” Archer ran out onto the deck, his gaze on the rocket. “Destrex, turn on the searchlights.” He took the binoculars from the first mate. At first he'd thought they were under attack, but Kelby wouldn't have called attention to himself in this blatant fashion. And the possibility of a true rescue situation was minimal.
His gaze raked the waters in the area of the rocket. Nothing. “Where are those lights, dammit?”
The lights speared out over the water. A motorboat. Engine turned off, rocking on the waves.
“It's too far to blow it out of the water,” Destrex said. “Besides, I think it's empty.”
Archer focused on the boat.
A glimmer of white . . . He adjusted the focus again.
A little girl with golden hair, her delicate wrists bound with rope.
Melis!
“Yes.”
Excitement was tearing through him. Kelby had caved. Nothing could be clearer. He had her.
He turned to Destrex. “Go get her. Check the tender to make sure there aren't any booby traps, but bring her to me.”
He watched Destrex and the two men lower the boat and glide out over the water. And then focused his binoculars on Melis again. She was obviously unconscious. Had she been drugged? She would have had to be restrained in some way to be forced into that dress. It would have stirred too many nightmare memories of Kafas.
But Kelby's forcing her to wear it was the clearest indication that he was giving in on all fronts. He was not only surrendering Melis, he was gift-wrapping her in the packaging Archer had chosen. There was definitely nothing even the slightest bit sentimental about his feelings for her.
Destrex had reached the tender and was checking it out. Then he lifted Melis to one of the men in the boat. They were speeding back.
His heart was beating painfully hard as he watched the boat coming toward him. He wasn't sure if it was hate, lust, or anticipation that was causing the blood to surge wildly through his veins. It didn't matter.
She was coming.
Kelby's grip tightened on the binoculars until the veins stood out on his hands as he saw Melis being lifted onto the ship. She had been limp while in the boat, but now she was stirring.
And by the time she reached the deck she was able to stand.
But only for a moment. Archer's hand lashed out viciously and knocked her to the deck.
“Jed.” It was Nicholas behind him.
He didn't lower the binoculars. “Not now, you bastard.” One of the men pulled Melis to her feet and was pushing her toward the stairs leading down to the cabins. She disappeared from view.
Kelby whirled on Nicholas. He could barely speak for the fury that was flaming through him. “You son of a bitch. What the hell are you doing?”
“What Melis wanted. It was her plan from the get-go. You wouldn't let her help, so she went for it.”
“With your help, damn you.”
“She would have found a way to go alone. You made a mistake, Jed. There's no way of keeping her out of it.”
“You didn't give me a chance.”
“No, because I'd feel the same way in her shoes. She has to do this. She has a big payback coming. She was cheated at Cadora. Besides, we needed that distraction.”
The memory of Melis knocked to the deck came back to Kelby. “He's got her.”
“Then let's go get her before he does her much damage. I brought your wet suit and the equipment,” Nicholas said. “Melis is going to set off the explosive at one forty-five. That gives us a little over an hour to swim out there and get in position. When she blows, everyone should rush toward the galley area. That's our opportunity to board. After that, it's up to us.