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Further up in the fields, Dylan heard Hollis scream and he skidded to a halt, his heart jerking against his rib cage.Shit.He spun back around and raced through the rows to where he left her. Only she wasn’t there any longer.
“Goddammit,” he swore and began stalking through the rows, searching. A wave of panic slammed into him and he wasn’t paying close enough attention and walked straight into the two thugs from earlier.
They wasted no time leveling their guns on him. “Hands up,” the first thug ordered. Without a choice, Dylan lifted his arms and the other goon grabbed his Ka-Bar away. “C’mon,” the one said and shoved him forward. “We’re going for a little ride.”
A few minutes later, the two thugs loaded Dylan onto a boat and zip tied his wrists.
“Where’s Hollis?” he asked.
“Shut up.”
The boat took off over the calm sea and maybe 600 yards offshore, the engine cut. When one of the men approached him carrying an old, rusty anchor, Dylan felt his nerves kick up a notch.
Yeah, not gonna happen. He'd had enough of this bullshit. Dylan lifted his arms above his head then slammed them down, pulling his wrists apart and snapping the plastic zip ties. Then, he launched himself into the nearest thug and they went down hard, rolling across the boat’s deck.
Dylan slammed a punch into the other man’s jaw then kicked out at the second thug as he moved in behind him. But, as he grappled between the two, Dylan lost track of the one who slammed something solid and heavy against the base of his neck.
Blackness filled his vision and he slumped down with a groan. They probably hit him with that damn anchor, he thought, and felt his body being flipped over. As his vision swam in and out of focus, Dylan tried to push away, but it was no use.
Fighting not to black out, Dylan felt them yank him up and drag him toward the edge of the boat. He felt something heavy dragging his legs and looked down to see the anchor tied around his ankles.
Oh, fuck. Dylan struggled to break free from their grip, but they held his arms in a vise-like grip. He gave his head a firm shake, trying to clear it, praying not to pass out because fragments of darkness still clung from getting hit on his head. Then, they heaved him up and tossed him over the side.
Dylan sucked in a breath and hit the water with a loud splash. The anchor immediately went to work and dragged him down through the water fast.Shit. He had no idea how deep the water was and he looked down, trying to gauge the depth.
The anchor pulled him down and he looked back up to the surface and watched as it moved further and further away. Finally, he felt the anchor hit bottom and he figured he had to be around 20 feet deep or so.
Not too bad, he thought. He did a lot of diving at this depth. Only problem was he didn’t have his breathing apparatus on and he hadn’t gotten that deep of a breath before hitting the water.
Focus. You can get out of this.Dylan looked down at the anchor tied to his bound ankles. The good news was the idiots had just used rope and not a chain or another zip tie. He leaned over and drew his legs up as high as he could and immediately got to work. They knotted it up pretty good, but Dylan had always been good with ropes and knots.
But, pretty good meant it might take him a few minutes. At the rate his air was running out, he needed to get it undone a lot quicker than that.
Dylan’s fingers worked hard and fast, but the damn loops were tight. As he released the last of his air, he thought of Hollis. What had they done with her? He couldn’t let them hurt her. But, he had to get this fucking anchor off. He wished he had his Ka-Bar, but the bastards had taken it.
When the darkness began to edge in again at the corners of his vision, Dylan fought to remain calm. Finally, he felt the stubborn knot he’d been battling loosen.Thank God. Dylan yanked the rope and untied the last knot. The anchor fell away and he pushed off the sandy bottom, powerful strokes propelling him up.
On the verge of passing out, Dylan broke the surface and sucked in a huge breath of air.Holy fuck that was close. As he gulped in more delicious air, he circled around, treading water, eyes on the shore. Then, he began to swim, moving through the water with clean, even strokes.
I’m coming, Hollis,he thought.Hold on.
When Hollis opened her eyes, she felt herself bouncing around in the backseat of a car. One thug sat beside her and the other two were up in front conferring in Spanish. She had to get away.But how?she wondered. And, where the hell was Dylan?
Her gaze dropped down and she spotted Dylan’s Ka-Bar on the floor.No.Hollis felt her gut twist. Then, she shut her eyes again, pretending to still be passed out. She’d wait until the car slowed down and then jump out and make a run for it. The great thing about most of these classic cars in Cuba was they were convertibles. She didn’t have to worry about locks. Just hop over the side and run for her life.
And, hope that they didn’t shoot her.
Dylan. Her heart hammered when she thought about him and she hoped to God he was okay. But, then worst case scenario situations flashed through her mind. If he was hurt and lying somewhere, how was she ever going to find him? Or, worse, what if-
No, she told herself that Dylan could take care of himself.And, so can you. Just stay focused and get away from these assholes.
Then, she’d go back to the sugar cane fields and search for Dylan. In the meantime, she just had to wait until the car slowed down.
They continued to speak in Spanish and, other than a random word or two, she had no idea what they said. She wished like hell she knew Spanish. But, no, of course she had taken French in school.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the driver eased up off the gas pedal.
And, Hollis knew it was now or never.
