Page 73 of Vanishing Legacy
Joan cut her a sharp glance. “What kind of plan?”
“I’ll slip out of the boat and swim over to the yacht while you keep an eye on them and wait for backup.”
Joan’s expression turned dark. “It’s too risky, Alana. You don’t know who’s on that boat. They could have guards, weapons...anything.”
Alana’s jaw clenched. “I don’t have a choice. I have to do something. I wasn’t kidding about being a dive detective. I can handle it.”
Joan nodded and brought the boat closer to the sleek gray yacht. Alana donned the snorkel gear. As Joan’s boat turned, Alana took a deep breath and slipped into the water. A rush of cold saltwater seeped through her clothes. She took another deep breath and went under.
Kicking hard, she propelled herself toward the yacht’s stern. As she swam, she worked to come up with a plan. Stay alert. Be careful. Avoid any guards. Rescue Penny.
And Cash, if they had him.
TWENTY
Alana allowed her head to bob out of the water long enough to see the boat carrying Penny disappearing into the superyacht’s tender garage. It appeared to be a float-in design that took up the entire cross-section of the hull, allowing the boat to enter through the port side of the superyacht and exit on the starboard side.
She scanned the deck for signs of security and noticed an armed guard on the roof near the navigation equipment. He was dressed in black tactical gear and dark sunglasses. The rifle held across his chest looked military grade. If they belonged to the Madrina cartel, then there was no telling what types of weapons they had access to. And if there was one armed guard visible, there were more on board.
Staying low in the water, Alana swam to the swim platform at the rear of the ship. She pulled herself up, using her arms to hoist her body out of the water. She took a few deep breaths and wiped the water from her face. Looking up, Alana saw four steps leading up to a landing, then another four steps leading to the deck with a rectangular infinity pool. She hesitated, considering her options. She had to find Penny, but she also had to be careful not to be caught by any guards.
With a deep breath, Alana began to ascend the steps, leaving wet footprints and a trail of water behind. At the landing, she paused to look around and forced her breaths to slow. The pool deck was silent except for the gentle lapping of water against the hull.
She continued up the final four steps and darted behind the lounge furniture out of the view of the guard on the roof. Her heart was in her throat. She kicked herself for not asking Joan for a knife. Without a weapon, she’d have to rely on the element of surprise.
She stashed her snorkeling gear under the chair and waited for the guard to turn his back, then dashed to the stairs. Her wet clothes made a slight squishing sound with each step. There were steps leading to the deck above and another set leading below deck. She paused and listened for voices. It was silent except for a tap, tap, tap sound coming from below.
Alana recognized the pattern. Three short taps, followed by three long taps, and another three short taps. Morse code. Someone was tapping SOS.
She took the stairs one at a time, listening for sounds other than the tapping. When she reached the lower-level deck, she scanned the hallway for any signs of life. Outside the first cabin door, Alana paused to listen. The SOS tapping was coming from inside the room.
Using her fingernail, she tapped on the door. Three short taps, followed by three long taps, and another three short taps. A woman’s muffled cry escaped from somewhere in the room. It wasn’t Cash, but someone in there needed help.
Alana turned the handle and pushed the door open. Her eyes widened and her lips parted as she stared at Cash’s sister tied up and gagged. “Bailey? What are you doing here?” Bailey thrashed against her restraints and screamed words muffled by her gag. “Hang on, I’ll untie you.”
A door creaked, and two strong arms wrapped around Alana in a bear hug, pinning her arms to her side.
Alana simultaneously arched her back and thrust her head into a reverse headbutt. Her skull connected hard. She heard the crunch of cartilage at the same time as she swung herself around and landed a jab into the assailant’s solar plexus. The man grunted and doubled over as she brought the heel of her hand up into his jaw. His teeth clattered together, and she kicked the side of his knee. His leg crumpled. He landed against the edge of the bed and bounced to the floor.
Alana wrapped her legs around his neck and squeezed him in a chokehold. He struggled for a few moments, trying to break free, but she held on until he went limp.
Breathing hard, Alana untied Bailey’s restraints. “That was some greeting.” When she removed Bailey’s gag, Bailey jumped up and hugged her. “I’ll say. Are you okay?”
When Bailey loosened her grip, Alana pulled back and studied the woman’s face. “I’m fine, but you?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Bailey rubbed her wrists. “Man, my eyes about fell out when I saw you open that door. What’re you doing here? And what happened to your head?”
Alana bound the man while he was still unconscious. “Oh, your basic motorcycle gang fight.” Alana searched the man for weapons and found a small pistol concealed in an ankle holster. She did a quick check to ensure it was loaded and tucked it in her waistband.
“Seriously, though. Some thugs on their bikes ran me off the road and kidnapped Penny. I followed them to this ship. She’s here somewhere, I know it. I think they kidnapped Cash too. He might be on board. Have you seen either of them?”
Alana found a pocketknife in the man’s jeans and tossed it to Bailey. She caught the knife and slipped it into her back pocket. “They kidnapped Cash and Penny? Oh, when I get my hands on that woman…She’s gonna regret this,” Bailey said through clenched teeth.
“So, it is Sonia? She’s alive?”
Bailey shook her head. “Not Sonia, Ziva.”
Cash had mentioned Sonia’s older sister. Ziva was the one who’d helped Sonia get her business off the ground. She’d prevented a fight at Sonia’s funeral. “I’m assuming you didn’t know Ziva was here before you boarded?”