Jayden bent down to scoop up another coconut but this gunman was able to get off a shot. The spear tip glanced off the very coconut Jayden had his hand on, the tip ricocheting up into his face, drawing blood from his cheek. He grabbed the spear with two hands and yanked on it, knowing it was connected to the gun with monofilament line that spooled from a mounted reel. The shooter holding the gun was too slow to let go and was pulled forward, stumbling, until he tripped and fell onto Jayden in a grappling heap.
While that man and Jayden rolled on the ground fighting, Hunt caught up with the other assailant, landing a right hook to his jaw. The man reeled back, stumbling but somehow keeping his balance. Hunt took the opportunity to launch a high kick with his right leg at his opponent’s chest, and down the foe went, landing hard on his back on the ground. If it weren’t for the sandy soil, it would have been much worse of an impact. As it was, the man was not getting up anytime soon.
Jayden rolled off of the fighter he had been grappling with on the ground. Both combatants were preparing for Round Two when suddenly Maddy stepped forward holding the hexagonal stone. She held it above her head as if she was about to smash the man’s skull in with it, but she took no action. She didn’t need to. The treasure hunter put his hands in front of his face to ward off the blow, and that was enough for Jayden to make his move. The Asian-American pinned his foe’s arms behind his head. When the opponent swung his legs up, he grabbed one of the ankles and twisted it until he heard it snap.
Out of his peripheral vision he saw Hunt pointing. He was saying something, too, but the downed fighter’s screams of anguish drowned out Hunt’s words. But Maddy saw something happening and came over to tug on Jayden’s sleeve. “Got to move, come on!”
“What’s up?” Jayden shot to his feet. Maddy pointed to Hunt, who in turn pointed across the beach and out to sea, where the old fishing boat was plowing into view.
“We’ve got to get their attention!” Hunt shouted, before moving out onto the sand. Jayden and Maddy, who still carried the hexagon, followed suit, but not before Jayden collected the spear guns and dive knives of both defeated foes. He gave Maddy one of the knives, kept one for himself to strap to his other leg, and then caught up with Hunt on the beach.
“Present for ya.” He handed him one of the spear guns.
“No time to catch dinner,” Hunt joked, eyes on the fishing boat coming their way.
“It’s not for dinner, it’s to fight off those guys.” He pointed to their right, where two more Treasure, Inc. soldiers came running toward them down the beach.
“Great.” Hunt checked the spear gun to make sure it was cocked and loaded, then stood facing the oncoming attackers. Jayden looked out to sea, jumping up and down and waving his arms at the boat while Maddy did the same. “They’re slowing down!”
Hunt planted his feet in the sand and fired off the spear gun at the onrushing assailants, who dove out of the way, flattening themselves on the beach to avoid the metal-tipped projectile.
“Maddy, I’ll carry the stone. We have to swim, let’s go!”
“Swim?” She stood there looking confused until Hunt grabbed the hexagonal scroll chamber from her and spun her around until she faced the water. “See that boat? That’s our ticket out of here. Come on.”
She hesitated a moment longer, but when she looked over to see the two newcomers pushing up to their feet, she mobilized along with Hunt and Jayden. The three of them ran into the water with long, splashy strides, stealth no longer a factor at play. The sea was calm and so waves were not a factor to contend with as they waded out into deeper water, Jayden in the lead because Hunt was burdened with the hex chamber that was keeping the scroll dry.
The fishing boat slowed as its operator clearly saw the three people rushing out toward it in the water. Hunt, Jayden and Maddy launched themselves horizontally into the sea and began to swim toward the boat. Hunt held the hexagon which meant he was only able to swim one-handed, but he kicked furiously to make up for it and made progress toward what he hoped would be their ride away from here.
Some kind of small shark splashed out a few feet in front of Hunt, no doubt as startled as he was by the sudden activity, but he paid it no mind and kept on, and the fish disappeared from sight. Jayden was out in front, unencumbered by the artifact, while Maddy was a little behind Jayden.
Hunt couldn’t resist looking back toward the beach, where he saw the two thugs stopping on the beach where their quarry had entered the water. He managed a smile as he continued to kick toward the boat, for the men were out of spear gun range. They started running into the water, though, and that’s when Hunt knew this was serious. These mercenaries would stop at nothing. They were diving into the water now, swimming fast, no doubt hoping to get into range with their spears.
The fishing vessel, its metal hull streaked with rust, idled just beyond a reef line, where the bottom dropped off to deeper water. Hunt hoped it would stick around; commercial fishermen were sort of like truck drivers of the sea — they were known to help fellow boaters in need — but this was an odd situation indeed, and if whoever was on board saw the violent divers threatening with spear guns, they might change their mind about sticking around to help.
Hunt called on every ounce of his strength to propel himself toward the old boat while lugging the cumbersome artifact. Jayden and Maddy plowed on ahead of him, while behind, the Treasure, Inc. predators pursued their prey.
Jayden reached the boat first. A black man of Caribbean descent leaned over the rail and called out: “Need help? Stranded here?” He pointed to the sandy islet.
“Yes!” Jayden reached the boat and the fisherman lowered a rope ladder over the side. Jayden climbed the side and shook the man’s hand, thanking him. Then he helped Maddy aboard. When Hunt got to the boat he grabbed the hexagon from him and then handed it to Maddy for safekeeping.
“Crab trap?” the fisherman asked, pointing to the artifact.
“No, we’re not sure what it is, just looks interesting.”
“All kind of things wash up here!” the captain said with a laugh.
“If you could just take us over there…” Hunt pointed toward the main Bimini Road where he had anchored their seaplane, we would appreciate it very much.”
The boat captain pointed to the two Treasure, Inc. swimmers, now about halfway to the boat. “As soon as your friends get here, yes? Wouldn’t want to forget them, or is one of them your ex-husband?” He grinned at Maddy.
“Actually, they’re not our friends,” Hunt explained. “They’re bad people, trying to hurt us with their spear guns.”
The fisherman scowled and looked over at the men to see a glint of sunlight off of one of the spear shafts. “Why?”
Hunt took a deep breath. “Look, there’s no time to explain it right now. But I don’t want to cause any trouble for you, and I’m afraid if we stay here, those men will attack you.”
The fisherman shrugged, not looking too concerned. “You want to leave them here and go that way?”
“Yes sir, right away, before they get here” Hunt said.
The fisherman made eye contact with Hunt. “You pay me?”
Hunt nodded. “Absolutely.” Then he patted his wetsuit-clad legs. “I don’t have any cash on me, though, but…”
“You will send it? I have PayPal.”
Hunt smiled and nodded.
Without a word, the fisherman moved to the helm and put his boat into gear.
Chapter 27
“It’s still there!” Jayden pointed to their seaplane, floating at anchor where they’d left it. Daedalus’ massive yacht lay sedately at anchor about a hundred yards away.