Lifting his rifle, the Russian walked more slowly. If it was only Pavel, he might end up looking stupid, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
Soon the sound of footsteps reached his ears again, and he slid a finger over the trigger of his rifle. There was no mistaking it. Someone was walking around back there, and he knew instinctively it wasn’t Pavel.
When he reached the back, a shadow fell in front of him, and a figure rounded the corner.
Anatoli pointed his gun, but then he dropped it by his side, confused.
Standing in front of him was a woman. Her straight black hair that fell down past her shoulders. She had olive skin, high cheekbones, and exotic eyes. The Russian quickly made the assumption that she was one of the party girls who had come up top for some fresh air. He thought it strange that she was dressed in a black neoprene suit, but his hormones had already overridden any hint of common sense.
“Ciao.” The raven-haired beauty smiled and raised an eyebrow invitingly. His arousal now complete, Anatoli smiled back at her like a teenager in heat. He couldn’t believe his good fortune. His mouth would soon be savoring those beautiful lips while the idiot Fedor was still wasting time at the bathroom door downstairs.
The Russian decided the girl’s inviting look meant the green light had now been turned on. She was his for the taking. But as he opened his mouth to suggest they move to a more private area, there was a shuffling behind him. The noise snapped him out of the trance, and he swung around.
But it was too late. There was a swish, and a hard blunt object come crashing down on the top of his head. The Russian’s knees buckled, and he fell to the deck.
It was then, just as he began to black out, that he remembered where he had seen the woman before.
The Delphi operatives moved quickly once the Russian crumpled to the deck. First, Carmen located the man’s radio a few feet away and tossed it over the side. She watched as its digital display disappeared into the depths of the lake. Next, they bound the man with flex-cuffs and shoved a towel in his mouth. Satisfied he was secure, Reid and Skinner picked him up and placed him in the storage compartment with the other guard.
Once the body was hidden, Carmen motioned the other two to join her in the shadows just outside the rear door. They had been watching the boat for two hours and knew the deck was guarded by three members of the Renaissance security team. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time to look for him," Carmen said. "Skinner, stay here and make sure he doesn’t sound the alarm. He’s likely to come back here looking for his partner. Hit him with a Taser, or if you’re under attack, don’t hesitate to use lethal force. Whatever you do, just make sure he does not get on that radio. If he does, all hell will break loose, and Reid and I may have a tough time getting back up. Understood?”
Skinner nodded.
Carmen turned to Reid. “Remember, once inside we go straight down and we work our way back to the top.”
After Reid acknowledged that he understood, Carmen glanced around one last time. Satisfied all was clear, she grasped the handle of the door and opened it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
While the other two watched, Carmen opened the door a crack and peeked inside. The roar of the music was deafening. She was thankful that the sound of their movement would cloaked by the rhythmic beat, but she also realized they wouldn’t be able to hear anyone approach, either.
Immediately in front of her was a long hallway that ran the entire length of the boat. At the other end, she saw someone standing halfway in the door to the room where the music was playing. Apparently, that was where all the action was taking place.
Based on their due diligence, the operatives had determined that Zane was likely being held one floor down on the lowest level. It would be impossible to pass the open door, so Carmen stuck her head further inside and looked both ways. On her left was just what she was looking for — a spiral staircase.
Pulling back out and closing the door, Carmen whispered to Reid, “We’re taking the stairs on the immediate left. I’m going down first. When you come in, make sure the door is closed behind you. There are tangos in a room on the far end, including one standing in the door. Make sure no one is looking before following me down.”
“Roger that.”
Carmen checked her Beretta one last time. The safety was disengaged, and the red dot of the laser sight bounced around on the deck next to her feet. She made sure the magazine was clicked in all the way and chambered the first round.
Giving Reid a thumb-up, she opened the door slightly. The man was still standing at the far end, his body halfway in the room. Carmen stepped all the way inside, and without hesitation, she entered the stairwell. She descended through the darkness, her trigger finger firmly in place in case they should run into someone coming up the stairs. Moments later, she stepped out onto the bottom floor and was soon joined by Reid.
The corridor was mostly dark, with the only illumination coming from underneath a few of the closed doors. Carmen pulled out a flashlight and clicked it on briefly to get her bearings. The hall ran the entire length of the yacht, just like the one above, and there were doors lining both sides.
“We start at the other end and work our way back here,” she whispered, pointing ahead.
Reid nodded.
Carmen extinguished the light, and they both began to walk as softly as they could. The sound of the music up above was muffled, but it was still loud enough to cover any sound their steps might make.
The operative assumed the doors they passed were living quarters, although it was impossible to know with any certainty. All were closed, and there was only silence behind each and every one.
When they reached the other end of the corridor, they came to a t-shaped intersection with a shorter hall that ran from one side of the boat to the other. Directly in front of them was a large door that appeared to be made of reinforced steel. There was a keypad just to the right, along with a screen that appeared to be some sort of facial recognition device.
“My money says that’s Mironov’s suite,” whispered Carmen. They had seen him leave with the entourage earlier in the evening, so she knew he wouldn’t be there now.
“Agreed,” replied Reid, who was already walking toward another room to the left, in the shorter hallway. “Take a look. It's smaller but has a keypad like the larger one.”
Carmen joined him and squinted at the device in the dim light. Unable to make anything out, she switched on her flashlight. As Reid had indicated, the keypad was similar to the one at Mironov’s door, but it had an entry pad and a small blinking red light in place of a screen. “He could be in here, but something still doesn’t seem right.”
“What?”
“If Zane is in there, don’t you think they’d have a little muscle down here watching over him?”
“Not necessarily,” Reid stated. “They probably figure if the door is secure, he’s not going anywhere. I think they’re more concerned about people boarding the boat who aren’t supposed to be here than someone getting off. And who knows — maybe there is supposed to be someone down here. And maybe that person decided to go upstairs and rub up against one of those lingerie models.”
“Maybe,” Carmen said, clearly not convinced.
Suddenly there was a loud clicking sound that seemed to have originated along the longer hallway they had just left.
Carmen immediately extinguished the flashlight as she and Reid dropped to the ground in defensive positions.