Page 96 of Building Courage
Heat flared in Tucker’s face as rage flowed through him like lava. “And I could put a bullet in your brain.”
The man shoved Brynn away toward him.
Tucker pulled her behind him. Keeping his weapon trained on the guy, he said. “Get down on your knees.”
The big guy did as he was told and folded his hand behind his head.
The cabin cruiser’s motor started, and the boat began backing out of the berth.
“Go! I can cover them both.” Denotti yelled.
Tucker swore, ran down the narrow strip of dock between the vessels, and leaped onto the deck. A wild shot came from a guy at the controls and hit the edge of the aft bulkhead, making a divot in the fiberglass. Tucker dove for cover and eased his way up on the molded steps leading to the flybridge where the other controls were. The boat shuddered as the motor shifted into neutral.
Tucker quickly climbed onto the flybridge and crossed over the overhang that stretched the boat’s width, creating an awning that shaded part of the deck below. He tucked his pistol in the back of his shorts, then eased down the side, hanging by his fingers until he found the narrow edge of the side of the boat with the toes of his shoes. He pressed himself flat against the exterior wall.
Tucker watched for the shadow of the gunman as he stepped out from beneath the awning and pointed his gun upward, obviously searching for a target above. The guy moved away, his attention focused on the steps to the flybridge, and Tucker peeked around. The man pivoted around the molded fiberglass wall of the steps, leading with his pistol, then climbed the steps.
Tucker eased around the narrow ledge, stepped down onto the deck, and entered the cabin. He went to the main steering and controls. Looking through the windshield, he judged the boat had drifted away from the dock about forty feet. Bracing his feet, he shoved the gearshift forward for a burst of speed, then jerked it back into neutral. The momentum of the burst of fuel to the engines shot the boat toward the dock. The vessel hit the structure. The man atop screamed as he flew through the air, over the dock, and into the water of the empty berth on the other side.
Rid of the third man and concerned about the damage he may have done to the vessel, Tucker turned off the engine and, drawing his gun, rushed below into the cabin.
The galley was empty, but a figure huddled beneath the table mounted on the floor. He looked up. Despite how battered and bruised his face was, Tucker was relieved to see Ahmad alive.
Tucker grabbed a knife from the galley and cut the rope holding his arms around the post. “How did you get here, Ahmad?”
“We made another voyage to Mexico, and I followed Tim again. When we got back, Tim asked me to go eat with him. When I got into the car with him, he jabbed a needle into my leg and injected me. When I woke, I was here on the boat, and the men took turns beating me.”
“Are there women on board, Ahmad?”
“Yes. The man, Forrest, had one of them in the cabin. He raped her.” Ahmad rested his head against the wooden post of the table as though he were fighting to stay conscious. “There are also two inside the wooden structure beneath the bed and one inside the bench where they eat. They have been drugged to keep them quiet.”
Tucker grabbed his phone and called Denotti who answered with, “The calvary is here—finally.”
“Send them aboard and tell them we need medical help. There are four women who have been held captive and drugged, and one has been raped. Ahmad is here. He’s been beaten. Tell them to hurry.”
“Try not to move, Ahmad,” he said as soon as he hung up.
“I would like some water.”
Tucker rushed to get it and returned with a cup filled from the refrigerator just as the first deputy rushed down the steps into the cabin. He grabbed the man’s arm and repeated what Ahmad had told him about the women. The men began searching the interior and found the first woman inside one of the benches. When one entered the sleeping berth, the woman there began to weep and speak rapid Spanish, begging to be taken home.
Tucker held the cup so Ahmad could drink. After several gulps, he rested his head back against the cushion of the bench.
“Is Bryant involved in any of this, Ahmad?”
“No. Only Tim and the other men. But they have used Bryant’s yacht to gain access to women. They have kidnapped many from Mexico, and others who have been on board for parties.”
“I called your father, Ahmad. He lit a fire under the police, and they’ve been searching for you.”
“When it grew dark, they were going to dump me at sea,” Ahmad rasped. “Then they planned to transport the women to the drop site.”
“Do you know where that is?”
“I do not know the exact location, but it is north, just past La Jolla.”
Tucker rose again to get a cloth and wet it. “You’ve been very brave, Ahmad. Your father will be very proud of you.” He pressed it to the other man’s forehead and face. When the EMTs entered the boat, he rose to make room for them. “I’ll come to the hospital to check on you, Ahmad.”
The man’s eyes closed, and he didn’t answer.