at the most.”
“Aren’t you worried at all about your children?” Liz joined in.
“You want I should shut them up?” Felipe asked.
“No, it’s okay. They don’t have much time left.”
The way he said it made Maggie break out in a cold sweat. Her pulse started to race and she checked her wristwatch. They had ten to twenty minutes before they ended up like the crew of this houseboat.
“To answer your question, my kids grew up on boats. This . . .” He gestured out at the storm and for first time it appeared to be letting up. “This is a minor inconvenience because they can’t be up on deck.”
Maggie had thought – they had all believed – that George Ramos and his children had been abducted, their boat taken by force. These men certainly had a cache of serious weapons. A United States Senator’s husband and children would be a hefty ransom. Or it would exact a terrible blow of revenge. But George Ramos didn’t look like he had his boat taken or commandeered by force. Instead, he appeared to be the one in charge.
“You’re making a pickup, aren’t you?” Liz asked. “Is that what this is all about?”
That drew a smile from Felipe.
“You’ve got it all figured out,” George said, but he was focused on the panel of instruments again. He clicked buttons and twisted the steering wheel. Maggie could feel the vibration as the engine revved up a notch. They were going faster. And they were turning.
“You’re meeting a drug boat,” Liz said, not bothering to hide her anger. “That’s why you’re out here in the middle of a storm.” She shook her head, disgusted.
Maggie looked over at her. The woman was a rescue swimmer but as part of the Coast Guard she was a trained guardsman. Was there any way they could overpower all three men? Diego and Felipe hadn’t bothered to tie their hands or restrain them. Which only told Maggie that they would not hesitate at all to shoot them if they even dared to make a wrong move.
All she could think about was that her gun was clear on the other side of boat.
“How can you do this in front of your children?” Liz asked.
This time George Ramos looked at her, but he was smiling. All he said was, “Fifteen more minutes.”
Maggie thought about what Liz had said. But if they were meeting a drug boat, why was he speeding up? She could hear the engine hum, almost a groan, as it struggled to accelerate against the choppy water. Then all of a sudden the lights flickered. Not lightning but the electrical lights, even those on the instrument panel. Another flicker and everything went black.
“What the hell?”
Maggie grabbed Liz’s wrist and pulled the woman to her feet. It took no more prodding than that. George and Felipe exchanged curses as Maggie and Liz felt their way back down the wood-paneled hallway.
Chapter 13
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN you left Agent O’Dell on the houseboat?” Tully yelled into his phone. “How the hell did she get from your helicopter down onto the houseboat?”
“Oh, my God. They found the boat,” Senator Delanor-Ramos said when she overheard him. “Where are they? Are they okay?”
He waved her off. He was having a difficult enough time trying to hear what Wilson was telling him.
“A cutter is on its way,” the commander explained. “We couldn’t stay in the air or we’d be knocked out of the sky.”
“You still didn’t tell me how Agent O’Dell ended up on the boat.”
“She left the helicopter without my consent. She disregarded my order.”
Okay, Tully thought, so that did sound like Maggie, but only if she believed something serious was going down.
“What exactly do you think happened to the boat?”
“We couldn’t see anyone on board. But RS Bailey was giving us mixed signals.”
“What about George and the kids? Are they okay?” The Senator grew impatient.
“Hold on, Commander,” Tully said. To the Senator he explained, “They couldn’t see anyone on board. A cutter’s on its
“Aren’t you worried at all about your children?” Liz joined in.
“You want I should shut them up?” Felipe asked.
“No, it’s okay. They don’t have much time left.”
The way he said it made Maggie break out in a cold sweat. Her pulse started to race and she checked her wristwatch. They had ten to twenty minutes before they ended up like the crew of this houseboat.
“To answer your question, my kids grew up on boats. This . . .” He gestured out at the storm and for first time it appeared to be letting up. “This is a minor inconvenience because they can’t be up on deck.”
Maggie had thought – they had all believed – that George Ramos and his children had been abducted, their boat taken by force. These men certainly had a cache of serious weapons. A United States Senator’s husband and children would be a hefty ransom. Or it would exact a terrible blow of revenge. But George Ramos didn’t look like he had his boat taken or commandeered by force. Instead, he appeared to be the one in charge.
“You’re making a pickup, aren’t you?” Liz asked. “Is that what this is all about?”
That drew a smile from Felipe.
“You’ve got it all figured out,” George said, but he was focused on the panel of instruments again. He clicked buttons and twisted the steering wheel. Maggie could feel the vibration as the engine revved up a notch. They were going faster. And they were turning.
“You’re meeting a drug boat,” Liz said, not bothering to hide her anger. “That’s why you’re out here in the middle of a storm.” She shook her head, disgusted.
Maggie looked over at her. The woman was a rescue swimmer but as part of the Coast Guard she was a trained guardsman. Was there any way they could overpower all three men? Diego and Felipe hadn’t bothered to tie their hands or restrain them. Which only told Maggie that they would not hesitate at all to shoot them if they even dared to make a wrong move.
All she could think about was that her gun was clear on the other side of boat.
“How can you do this in front of your children?” Liz asked.
This time George Ramos looked at her, but he was smiling. All he said was, “Fifteen more minutes.”
Maggie thought about what Liz had said. But if they were meeting a drug boat, why was he speeding up? She could hear the engine hum, almost a groan, as it struggled to accelerate against the choppy water. Then all of a sudden the lights flickered. Not lightning but the electrical lights, even those on the instrument panel. Another flicker and everything went black.
“What the hell?”
Maggie grabbed Liz’s wrist and pulled the woman to her feet. It took no more prodding than that. George and Felipe exchanged curses as Maggie and Liz felt their way back down the wood-paneled hallway.
Chapter 13
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN you left Agent O’Dell on the houseboat?” Tully yelled into his phone. “How the hell did she get from your helicopter down onto the houseboat?”
“Oh, my God. They found the boat,” Senator Delanor-Ramos said when she overheard him. “Where are they? Are they okay?”
He waved her off. He was having a difficult enough time trying to hear what Wilson was telling him.
“A cutter is on its way,” the commander explained. “We couldn’t stay in the air or we’d be knocked out of the sky.”
“You still didn’t tell me how Agent O’Dell ended up on the boat.”
“She left the helicopter without my consent. She disregarded my order.”
Okay, Tully thought, so that did sound like Maggie, but only if she believed something serious was going down.
“What exactly do you think happened to the boat?”
“We couldn’t see anyone on board. But RS Bailey was giving us mixed signals.”
“What about George and the kids? Are they okay?” The Senator grew impatient.
“Hold on, Commander,” Tully said. To the Senator he explained, “They couldn’t see anyone on board. A cutter’s on its
Similar Books
