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 crap 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 bullshit. 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 faggot 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 shit 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 damn Terrors of the High Seas 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 hit 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 Terrors of the High Seas 311
with all her strength. “Get back here, you bastard!”
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 butt 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.