Page 45 of Valiant
“I don’t think so.” Cole didn’t have much faith in happily ever afters. Not for him, at least. No matter how much he loved Kelsey and wanted to be with her to raise their son, he knew it wasn’t to be. He’d rescue her father. He could do that much for her, but beyond that he couldn’t see a way forward.
“Well, if you’re just going to give up, then yeah, it can’t be fixed,” David shot back. “But you’ll never know whether or not you can get past this if you just throw in the towel and refuse to try.”
Cole jumped, startled. He wasn’t doing that…was he?
“What are you talking about?” he demanded. “Since when do I throw in the towel on things?”
“Since always, when it comes to relationships, dude,” David countered. “It even shows in the advice you give the guys when they come to you with problems. If one of us is having issues with family, with friends, with skills we’re trying to learn or positions we’re trying to get, you’re all about commitment, working hard, not giving up. When it comes to love? You’re the total opposite, as if you don’t even think it’s possible for two people who love each other to work things out.”
Cole opened his mouth to argue, but then realized he couldn’t. Was there really that much of a disconnect in how hard he was willing to work when it came to relationships? Had his break-up with Amanda made him give up on love that easily? That didn’t sound like the man he wanted to be.
“We’ve got movement on the aft deck.” David studied the yacht through his binoculars. “I see Reeves.”
Cole trained his glasses in the same direction and felt his pulse speed up to triple-time when he saw what was going on. Edwin was there on his knees with his hands tied behind his back. He was alive, but he was in a classic execution position.
“We’ve got to get him out of there.” Cole was already putting his truck in gear. They needed to get closer and move in.
Cole found a spot that gave them access to the marina. He and David took a few minutes to gear up and discuss their plan before slipping into the water to approach the yacht unseen. They moved soundlessly, not so much as making a wake, until they neared the boat’s stern. From there, it was an easy climb on board when they were ready. All they had to do was grab the railing and hoist themselves up and over, but Cole wasn’t dropping onto the ship’s deck without a better sense of what they faced there. They still didn’t know for sure how many men Dobson had with him. Cole could only hope that the number was small enough for him and David to handle on their own. There was no telling whether or not Edwin would be in any shape to help them. He gestured to David to take a position near him, and they paused to listen.
Footsteps sounded above them along with a grunt as though someone had just taken a punch. The sound made Cole pull himself up on the rail enough to peer over the edge. First, he scanned for guards and saw four armed men who he didn’t recognize. Not SEALs, certainly. Maybe more hired thugs. That would be good—he and David were more than a match for four guys who didn’t have their training. And the men certainly didn’t seem very well trained. No one was even bothering to serve as a lookout. The attention of all four of them was focused on the deck.
Just ten feet from Cole, Edwin was still kneeling with his hands tied. Cole was close enough to see blood dripping from his nose and a cut over his left eye. Dobson stood over him, his fist drawn back, ready to strike.
“When did you get so damn quick with computers? I know you aren’t talented enough to dig in like you did. Who’s your helper?” Dobson rammed his knee into Edwin’s chest, making him gasp. “I think it’s your daughter, but she’s been tough to get to with Williams guarding her. Iwillget to her, though, because I’ve got questions for her, and I intend to get answers.”
Dobson was trying to get a rise out of Edwin, but he remained silent, just lifting his head so he could stare at Dobson. Cole was proud of Edwin at that moment. He had honor and integrity that Dobson clearly lacked, paired with strength and determination. Dobson was a fool if he thought Edwin would be easy to crack.
“So that’s the way you want to play this.” Dobson gave a dry chuckle. “You know I will get to her in the end. To both of them. I’ll bet she’d tell me anything I wanted to know if I had her baby boy.”
Cole’s blood ran cold with fear, but he bit back his emotions, struggling to control them. Rescuing Edwin and capturing Dobson would protect the family he loved.
Cole’s immediate concern was that Dobson would lose patience and truly hurt Edwin. At the moment, he was playing with his hostage, trying to get information from him. When he realized that Edwin wouldn’t talk, he’d start with the more aggressive methods. Cole had no intention of standing back and waiting while his friend and mentor was tortured. He silently slid into the water and communicated to David, through hand signals, that it was time to board and the number of guards they were about to face.
David nodded his understanding, and they went over the rail, landing on the deck. Dobson’s back was to them, and with all his focus on Edwin, he missed their arrival. The guards, too, were watching the drama play out and were distracted. Cole took advantage of that and dropped the nearest guard silently. In seconds, the man was inert on the deck.
Moving along the other side of the yacht, David took out a guard as well. As though they’d choreographed it, within thirty seconds of boarding, the four guards lay on the deck.
Dobson, sloppy from years of not being in the field, was still unaware of their presence. His attention was entirely focused on Edwin. He was gripping Edwin by the hair and leaning close and yelling. It was a classic intimidation technique, but it appeared to be having no effect on Edwin.
“Do you hear me? I’m going to kill you and then go after her,” Dobson threatened. “Tell me what she knows and how much and I might go easy on her and the kid.” Dobson landed a punch to Edwin’s jaw that would have knocked down most men, but Edwin just shook his head and stayed upright.
“If you want answers from me,” Edwin spoke slowly, “then I want some information from you in exchange.”
Cole tensed. Edwin would never sell out Kelsey in that way. He was working an angle, so Cole waited to see where this was going.
“What do you want to know? I can grant a dying man a wish,” Dobson mocked his hostage.
“Why? Why did you sell your government’s secrets and cause the death of good men? Was it just money or was there something else?”
Dobson gave a dry chuckle. “I do like the money. I bought this yacht with it. Beautiful, isn’t she? She’s my escape plan, and I’m going to enjoy sailing her around the ocean and docking at my private island. It’s not that I wanted that team to get hurt—but at the end of the day, their lives meant a whole lot less to me than what I could get in return. Just like with you. I always liked you, Reeves. But I like myself a whole hell of a lot more. And if your life is the price I have to pay to walk away with no consequences, then that’s just fine by me.”
When Dobson reached for his gun, Cole charged forward with a yell. At the noise, Dobson spun around, becoming aware of the rescuers for the first time. He took aim at Cole, but Edwin rammed Dobson in the leg with his head, throwing the man’s aim off and unbalancing him. Dobson staggered, giving Cole time to reach him and land a punch that caught Dobson just under the chin. His head snapped back. He wavered for a moment before falling over backwards.
“Call the police. Military and civilian,” Cole said to David before taking a moment to bind an unconscious Dobson’s wrists together. A sharp pain from his fractured ribs stabbed at him, but he ignored it and turned his attention to Edwin. “We took care of the four guards who were on deck. Anyone else on board?” Cole knelt next to him on the deck and untied his hands.
“No. I haven’t seen anyone. Glad you got here. You saved my ass.” Edwin sagged to the deck, his voice choked-sounding as he struggled to speak. “There’s a computer below decks. I only caught a glimpse of it, but it should have all the evidence anyone could ask for. He bragged about how it had all of his records.” Edwin took a minute to catch his breath. “Braggedabout it. Can you believe that son of a bitch? He was actually proud of being a traitor.”
“You got him,” Cole said. “Rest now. You’ve done it. Dobson is going to answer for his crimes.”