AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They both looked north when they heard a helicopter engine. Sky squinted as she took off her sunglasses to see what kind of helicopter it was. “Oh, it’s the Coast Guard Search and Rescue helicopter coming by,” she murmured, taking more photos as the orange and white helicopter buzzed past them on its way south. “Cal said they’re constantly patrolling the area beaches. Sometimes swimmers get in trouble, and he said there aren’t life guards at every beach, so the Coast Guard patrols to help out.”
“Well,” Abby said, retrieving roast beef sandwiches from the picnic basket, “we don’t have to worry about being rescued today. That water’s too cold for me to even put a toe into it!”
Laughing, Sky watched the sea plane. It was a good quarter mile away and the noontime sunlight made it tough to see many details. She saw people begin to emerge. She thought she saw a raft inflate and get put into the water next to the pontoon. Several people, probably men judging from their size, got into it. She took more pictures. “I wonder what they’re doing out there. Hunting for lobster or abalone in the kelp beds?”
Abby handed her the sandwich and looked. “I don’t know. Looks like a raft. Are they fishing, I wonder?” She laughed and looked over at Sky. “Can you fish off a sea plane’s pontoons?”
Shrugging, Sky said, “I really don’t know. This is the first time I’ve ever been out here.” She set the camera aside and began to eat her sandwich, her gaze on the raft as it floated closer and closer.
“Maybe they’re scuba divers?” Abby wondered, opening a sack of potato chips and setting them between them.
“Could be,” Sky murmured, fascinated. “Cal said there’s lots of people at the kelp beds area. Scuba divers, snorkelers, and abalone divers who swim down to the sea floor, find them, and shoot back up to the surface.”
“Looks like they’re coming ashore,” Abby said.
“What a fun thing!” Sky said. She laid down her half-eaten sandwich and picked up her camera. The three men in the raft were dressed in black wet suits with weight belts around their waists. As the raft bobbled and rode in on the foamy waves to the edge of the beach, she took more photos. “Maybe some SEALs?” she whispered excitedly. “Wow! They look like SEALs, don’t they?”
Abby laughed. “You’ve got me. Joe said they were always practicing missions along this stretch of water. You’re right, they’re in wetsuits just like SEALs.” She grinned. “Take lots of photos. I’ll bet Cal and Joe, when we show them to them tonight, will know who these guys are,” and she chuckled. “It’s a small, tight fraternity, and everyone knows everyone else.”
Sky saw the three men pull the raft up beyond the water line where it would not be washed back into the surf. Something wasn’t right. All of them had their gazes on her and Abby. As they turned toward her, she gasped.
“Oh, my God!” Sky whispered, stricken. “I recognize one of them!” Her heart took off at a furious beat. “Abby! Get up! Run! Run!” and Sky leaped to her feet, dropping her camera on the blanket.
“What?” Abby said, confused. She looked at the three men quickly walking toward them, their wetsuits gleaming in the sunlight.
Sky grabbed her by the hand. “They’re Russians!” she cried, jerking her to her feet. “That one! He was with Vlad’s drug running team! Come on!” and she cried and yanked Abby forward.
Sky pushed Abby ahead of her, digging her toes into the warm, deep sand. Terror shot through her. Abby was confused, but ran, sprinting at her side. They hadn’t gotten more than fifty feet when Sky felt the sting of something biting into her calf.
Abby cried out in front of her, tripping and falling. She grabbed at her lower right leg as she slammed into the sand.
Sky turned, open-mouthed, as she saw a dart of some kind stuck in Abby’s leg. And then, she stumbled. Her vision began to gray. Staggering, Sky tried to stop herself from falling sideways. Tumbling into the sand, landing on her back, she felt her body not obeying her commands to run, to escape. More terror sizzled through her as she saw the man she recognized from Vlad’s team. Triumphantly grinning down at her.
And that was the last thing Sky remembered.
CHAPTER 8
June 15
Sky felt likeshe was floating. There was vibration all around her. Frowning, she tried to lift her hand, but it wouldn’t obey her. Male voices, clipped and in a foreign language, caught her woozy attention. What had happened? Her mind wouldn’t work. She felt like limp spaghetti, her body unresponsive to her needs. Her mouth was dry, feeling as if cotton were stuffed inside it. She tried to speak, but all she heard was a moan coming out of her. There was a sudden movement around her. Plane… she was in a plane. Her mind wouldn’t focus. The jostling continued, sharp up and down movements. The engine sound changed, deepened. Where was she? What had happened to her?
She felt as if she were lying on something soft. The male voices were close and guttural. Her nostrils flared, and she smelled sour male sweat. Fear started zigzagging through her. This wasn’t right! She wasn’t supposed to be here! Some primal instinct was slowly coming back online. Her mind wouldn’t coherently function, but now, Sky felt threat. Fear tunneled through her as never before. Men were talking in a language she couldn’t understand.
And then, Sky felt the jab of a needle entering her upper left arm. The bite of it made her moan. She felt a man’s thick, strong fingers gripping her arm, holding it still, almost hurting her. This wasn’t Cal’s hand. She could tell the difference. WHY was she here? What was going on? And as the needle slid out of her arm, the hand released her. Within moments, darkness descended upon Sky once again and she slid back into oblivion.
Abby groaned. Shewas lying face down in the sand, grains in her mouth and nostrils. Dizziness assailed her. She felt weak, almost like a puppet filled with sawdust. She heard the cry of gulls floating in the sky, and the sound of waves crashing upon the beach. The tang of the salt air entered her nostrils. She felt incredibly weak. Her mind spun. What was she doing on the sand like this? She was sprawled out on her belly, arms flung above her head. What the hell was going on?
It took nearly fifteen minutes before Abby was able to push herself weakly up into a sitting position. Her sunglasses had been knocked off, and she squinted, slowly lifting her hand to shade her eyes. The sun had shifted dramatically. Frowning, Abby forced herself to look at the watch on her left wrist. The dials and numbers blurred. Making a frustrated sound, Abby forced her wandering mind to focus. It was four p.m.
Frowning, she tried to wiped and spat the sand out of her nose and mouth. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Every simple movement took a huge amount of effort. Turning her head, Abby saw the blanket further down on the beach. Where was Sky? Making a rough sound, Abby felt like she was going to vomit. She barely got rolled to her side, on her hands and knees, before she did. The retching was violent, and everything came up. Eyes watering, nose running, Abby weakly wiped her mouth and nose with the back of her hand.
Sky?
And then, her mind gave her back the memories. Eyes widening, Abby sat up, hands on her thighs, looking around the empty beach. Where was Sky? The raft? The seaplane? And those big men in black diving suits? Abby felt a new terror work through her. Her cell phone had been in the picnic basket on the blanket. With a grunt, Abby shoved to her feet. She wobbled. Her knees collapsed out from beneath her. She struggled again to stand up, wavering badly, arms out to try and not fall again. She had to call Joe and Cal. They had to know something terrible had just happened.
Abby felt adrenaline burning through her, giving her the strength, she needed to make it to the blanket. Sand had been kicked up on it, but to her relief, she saw the basket was still there. Falling to her knees, Abby opened it up with shaking hands. There! The cell phone! Making a relieved sound, Abby saw the numbers blur. Frustrated, she blinked several times. She had to call Joe! Now! Finally, she punched in his cell phone number. Dizziness assailed her. Abby was on her knees, and she leaned downward, phone pressed to her ear, trying to remain conscious.Please, please, answer your phone, Joe. Please… oh Lordy… answer it…
“Abby?”
