Back on Solid Ground (22 page)

“It’s
incredible!” she said, excited.  “I think it’s even better than Hawaii.”

“You want to go
longer?” he asked.

“Definitely!”

Her
enthusiasm for the sport matched Niki’s and he was psyched to have found
someone who got as much enjoyment out of it as he did.  They went back under
and swam around the reefs checking out the fish and coral, the lobsters, crabs
and eels, and the occasional barracuda.  After almost another hour, Stacy
pointed to her watch and Niki shook his head and held up 10 fingers, and Stacy
nodded in acknowledgment. 

The black
helicopter came in low from the northwest and dropped its cargo on the landing
strip.  The four men were heavily armed, and they split into groups of two and
headed in opposite directions towards the villa, then the helicopter
disappeared as quickly as it had come. 

Jason hit the
intercom, “We’ve got company,” he said, but Carlos and Eli had heard it too and
were already on their way down.  They met in the kitchen and Jason was checking
out the alarm switch plate.  “We’ve got two separate areas where the alarm on
the fence has been tripped,” he told them.  He pointed to the map of the
island,  “Here and here.”

“Any chance
it could be Stacy and Niki?” Eli asked.

“I don’t
think so,” Jason said.  “They would have had to split up and I can’t see Niki
doing that.”

“Okay,” said
Eli.  “Jason, you take the north breach and I’ll take the east. We’ll drive to
this fork,” he said, pointing on the map, “and I’ll go on foot from there.”  He
turned to Carlos, “You stay here and wait for Niki and Stacy.  And arm yourself
heavily.” 

Jason got on
the walkie-talkie, “Niki are you there?  Niki,” he repeated.  “They must be in
the water.” 

Eli
disappeared and returned within minutes, loaded down with automatic and
semi-automatic weapons and divided them between himself and Jason.  They were
in the Land Rover in less than five minutes, and Jason was flying down the path.
The road was washed out completely in places because of the recent storm, and he
had to swerve several times to avoid large limbs and fallen trees.  They got to
the fork in the road and Eli got out and headed in the direction where the
alarm had been tripped.  Jason drove north with his M-16 resting on the
passenger seat. 

The men who
had taken the north track had split up.  One would pass up the villa and come
back at it from the north and the other would take it from the south. 

Jason came
around a curve and he saw someone dive into the jungle.  He picked up the M-16
and aimed it out the passenger window and let off several rounds, then he
jumped out of the Rover and took off on foot after the man. 

The man
turned around and shot at Jason, and Jason ducked behind a tree until the
firing stopped, then he ran towards the shooter while he fired the M-16.   The
man yelled out and then there was silence.

Jason caught
up to him and knelt down beside him.  He felt the man’s neck for a pulse, and
when he didn’t find one, he went through his pockets looking for
identification, but they were empty.  Jason took the man’s weapons and ran back
to the Rover. 

“Eli,” he
called on the walkie-talkie.

“Yeah, I heard
gunfire.”

“I got one. 
Where are you?” Jason asked.

“At the
eastern most point on the perimeter road where those palm trees grow sideways. 
I haven’t found anything,” Eli said.

“I’ll be
there in a couple of minutes,” Jason said.  “Wait there.”

Niki and
Stacy came to the surface and they heard gunfire. 

“Shit!” Niki
said.  “Get in the boat, Stacy!”

They threw
their gear up into the boat and climbed in and Niki headed for the south
crescent.  He got on the walkie-talkie, “Eli!  Jason!”

Jason picked
up, “We’ve got company.  A helicopter came and went, and there were breaches in
the fence in two different areas.  I got one, so there’s still at least one
more out there, probably more.  I’m picking up Eli now.  We’ll scout the
perimeter road starting south to north on the east side.” Eli got in and Jason
took off again. “Where are you?”

“Almost to
the southern tip.  Do you think it’s safe to dock in the boathouse?”

“I wouldn’t. 
We haven’t checked it yet,” Jason said. 

Niki thought
about it.  “We’ll dock on the beach south of the boathouse and head back to the
villa by the treeline.”

Jason and Eli
talked among themselves and then Jason got back with Niki. “Eli’s going to meet
you outside the boathouse,” Jason said.

“All right,”
Niki said.   He turned to Stacy.  “After we dock, stay right with me, and
Stacy, I mean
right
with me, okay?”

“Okay, I
will,” she said, visibly shaken. 

“We’re going
to head back toward the house up by the treeline.  If we come up against
anyone, I need you to do exactly what I tell you to do.  If I tell you to run,
you run.  Do you understand?”

“I
understand.”

They had
passed the southern tip of the crescent and were heading north towards the
boathouse.  Niki drove the boat a bit farther then turned it toward the beach. 
They went as far as they could with the motor on, then he cut the motor and he
and Stacy got out and he pulled the boat onto the sand. 

“Are you
ready,” Niki asked.

 “I’m ready,”
she said. 

He pulled out
his pistol and took the safety off.  “Let’s go,” he told Stacy.  

They walked
up to the treeline and headed towards the house.  When they got to the
boathouse Eli wasn’t there and Niki took it as a bad sign.  They went farther
and some birds flew out of the jungle, startled by something moving in the
foliage up ahead.  Eli was finally coming up from behind them.

“Stay with
Eli,” Niki told Stacy.  “Do what he tells you to.”  Then he cut through the
brush and disappeared into the jungle. 

Eli caught up
with Stacy.  “You okay?” he asked, quietly.

She nodded
without speaking, but she felt like vomiting.

“Here,” Eli
said, handing her a pistol.  “It’s ready to go.  Don’t be afraid to use it. 
These people don’t play games.”

“Okay,” she
said. 

Niki could
hear whoever he was following rustling in the brush up ahead.  He had caught up
to within ten feet and the man was still unaware that Niki was behind him. 

“Hey
asshole,” Niki said, running at the man.  The guy spun around with his gun
pointed at Niki, but Niki was too fast.  In one motion, he knocked the man’s
arm up, then twisted him around and broke his neck.  The man’s gun discharged
and Niki could hear Stacy scream from down below.  Niki leaned over to make
sure the man was dead, then he went through his pockets and took his weapons
just as Jason had done. 

Eli grabbed Stacy
before she could run for Niki.  “Don’t, Stacy.  We need to get you to the
house.  When we come to the end of the treeline, we’re not going to have any
cover, so I want you to run as fast as you can up those stairs and in through
the kitchen.  You got it?” he asked.

“Okay,” she
said.  They came to the end of the trees and Eli looked around. 

“Go!” he
said, and they took off running. 

The radio
cracked on the helicopter.  “I’ve got the girl in my sight.  Land the chopper 
below the house.”

Stacy and Eli
were almost to the steps when an assailant stepped out from the side of the
house.  Gunfire erupted and Eli and Stacy both ducked, but it was not coming
from behind them.  Carlos was at the top of the stairs firing at the man.  Eli
turned around and sprayed the assailant with his M-16 just as the fourth gunman
jumped out from the bushes and grabbed Stacy, knocking the gun out of her
hand.  Stacy screamed and when Eli turned back his heart stopped.  The man had
his pistol pressed up against Stacy’s temple and he was dragging her backwards
toward the beach.  

Niki was
almost to the edge of the trees when he heard Stacy screaming.  “Stacy!”  he
yelled.   He ran out into the open and came to a dead stop.  The helicopter was
landing on the beach.

“Niki!” Stacy
screamed.  She was fighting to get away, kicking and screaming, and biting the
man’s arm, but nothing deterred him from his progress towards the helicopter.  

Niki moved in
the man’s direction.

“Take another
step and she gets a bullet through her head,” the man shouted. 

Niki froze in
place helpless as he watched the man drag Stacy to the helicopter. 

“We’ll find
you, Stacy,” Niki yelled, as a man inside reached down and pulled her into the
helicopter.  As soon as there was a clear shot all three men opened fire on the
man who had dragged her away.  The helicopter took off and sand blew
everywhere. 

“No!” Niki
roared.  He ran down to where the helicopter had taken off and emptied his 9mm
into the lifeless body lying in the sand, then he threw the gun to the ground
and grabbed Eli’s M-16.  Eli and Carlos stood back as Niki emptied Eli’s gun
into the man, then Niki dropped down on his knees in the sand. “Goddammit!” he
yelled, holding his head in his hands. He turned and looked at Carlos,
devastated. “How could I let them take her?”

“There was
nothing you could do, Niki.  He would have killed her,” Carlos said.

 “We’ll get
her back,” Eli said.  He reached down and pulled on Niki’s arm.  “Come on.  We
have work to do.”

They got back
to the house and Jason came in the front door as the others were coming in
through the kitchen.  Niki stormed through the kitchen and  kicked open the
door that led into the corridor, knocking it off its hinges, and when he came
through the doorway, Jason had his M-16 leveled at him.

“Shit!” Jason
said, lowering the gun.  Niki looked awful.  “What happened?” Jason asked.

“They took
her,” Niki said, looking around for something to break.  He turned around and
punched the wall. 

“We’ll get
her back,” Jason said.  He asked Eli, “Have you called the pilot?”

“No.  We just
walked in.  You find anyone else?”

“No,” Jason
said.

“We got three
more,” Eli told him.

Jason shook
his head.  “I’ll call the pilot and tell him to come back.”  Jason pointed at
Niki. “He needs to calm down,” he told Eli.  “Get him a drink.”

Niki turned
to Eli, “You need to run the prints on each one of those mother fuckers,” he
told him. 

“I know,” Eli
said, then he asked Jason, “Where’s the first guy’s body?” 

“I’ll get
it,” Jason said.  “Let me deal with the pilot first, then Carlos and I will
round up the bodies.”  Jason waited until the others left, then he picked up a
chair and slammed it against the wall, splintering the wood into pieces.

Niki, Eli and
Carlos went into the living room and Eli poured Niki a drink.  Niki was
standing at the French doors looking out at the water and Eli came up beside
him. 

“We’re
going
to get her back, Niki,” Eli said, handing him the drink. 

“I know,” he
said, not looking at his brother.  He took the drink and downed it, then he set
the glass down on a table.  “When this is over, I’m going to kill her father.”

“I know,” Eli
said. 

“I’m going to
get packed,” Niki said.  “We’ll leave for San Antonio as soon as the plane gets
here.  Can you run the prints by then?”

“I’ll see what
I can do,” Eli said.

Niki left Eli
and Carlos and went back to his bedroom.  It still smelled faintly of flowers
from when Stacy had showered last, and the place felt empty without her. 
Niki’s stomach was in knots and there was a lump in his throat he couldn’t get
rid of.  He sat down on the bed and took some deep breaths trying to calm down,
then he reached over and picked up Stacy’s pillow and buried his head in it.  There
was a knock on the door and Carlos came in and walked back into the bedroom.  He
sat down in the chair, but didn’t say anything.

“What am I
going to do if they kill her before I find her?” Niki said. 

“I don’t get
the feeling they plan on killing her,” Carlos said.  He hesitated then 
continued.  “Stacy’s trying to contact me, Niki.”

Niki snapped
his head around to Carlos.  He had always been skeptical of Carlos’ psychic
powers, but he had seen them work too many times to dismiss them.  “What are
you telling me, Carlos?”

“I can feel
her trying to get through to me,” Carlos said.  “But I need something of hers,
something personal or something that she’s handled.”

Niki looked
around the room and spotted the jewelry she had removed to go diving.  “Her
jewelry, ” he said, looking at Carlos.  There was a watch, a ring and a
necklace with a St. Christopher charm.   Niki scooped them up and deposited
them in Carlos’ hand.  “Can you find her with these?” Niki asked, desperately. 

“They’re
perfect,” Carlos said, clenching them safely in his fist.  “I’m going to do my
best, Niki.”

“I’ll call
you from Texas to see what you’ve come up with,” Niki said.

Carlos
hesitated. “There’s something else, Niki,” Carlos said.  “Did Stacy talk to you
about her father?” Carlos asked, knowing he was stirring up a hornet’s nest.

Just the
mention of the man made Niki crazy.  “What about him?” he asked, angrily.

“It’s
difficult for me to tell you this, because I know how you are going to react,
but Stacy didn’t want you to kill him,” he said, as delicately as possible.

“You’re
fucking kidding!” Niki said, raising his voice.  “The man hired someone to kill
his own daughter!  What kind of man does something like that?” Niki said
angrily, then he continued.  “You know, Carlos, what we did was wrong –
kidnapping Stacy.  It was so wrong.  But do you think for one second that if
any of us had met Stacy before, we would have agreed to kidnap her or do
anything
that might end up hurting her?” he asked.  “No fucking way!  And do you know
why?  Because she’s the most fascinating woman any of us has ever met,” he
said.  “Stacy is that man’s own flesh and blood for God’s sake!  He held her in
his arms when she was a baby and he watched her grow up into a beautiful
woman.  He
knows
her Carlos, and look what he did to her.  The man
doesn’t deserve to live!” Niki said angrily.