Clive Cussler - Pirate

Sam swam over the top of the rockslide, getting a reading from his metal detector somewhere in the rock pile. It turned out to be a fishing weight. He changed his direction, swimming along the edge of the rocks.

Remi hadn’t finished exploring the shallow rock cave and decided she’d better take advantage before the eel returned. Her metal detector pinged on the left side, toward the back, and she reached in, brushed at the sand, but didn’t find anything. Something was in there, enough to send a strong signal.

Sam indicated that it was time to leave. Figuring it was probably some fishhook, she was about to give up, but then shined her light between the rocks on the left side, brushed at the sand, scooping it out of the cave mouth, excited when she felt something smooth beneath her gloved hand.

She waved Sam over, pointing down into the rocks.

Sam stopped her, pointing upward, clearly worried that if they weren’t careful, they might possibly trigger a small landslide on their own. She nodded her understanding. She’d be careful. If she could just move a few of those rocks, she could get to the artifact. She managed to pull out one rock, moving it to the side. And then another, which rolled down to the bottom of the pile. Several rocks slid out beneath it but didn’t seem to move anywhere else. When she turned on her light and aimed it into the area she’d been working, she saw it. A small cannonball. Disappointed, she reached down, picked it up.

She felt a slight punch on the back of her thigh and spun around — Sam was teasing her about her great find.

But it wasn’t Sam.

A larger tiger shark circled around, this one about eight feet. It dropped to the ocean floor, zigzagging, turning from graceful swimmer to aggressive predator as it shot toward her.

Remi fell back toward the rocks, kicking out with her fins, striking the shark on its snout with her metal detector. It turned, then darted toward her again. She held the cannonball, hoping to smash it against the shark’s face as it came at her. It hit the beast’s flesh, then fell from her grasp. She kicked back, up against the rocks, sending several down the pile. The rocks beneath her shifted, then tumbled down, one after another, turning the clear water opaque.

Remi, lost in a cloud of silt and sand, kicked away from the rocks as she slid down, worried when she couldn’t see the shark.

Heart pounding, she turned about, swinging her metal detector frantically. A dark form swam toward her. She gripped the metal detector, ready to ram it, when Sam emerged from the cloud of silt.

She reached out, grasped his hand, relief flooding through her as he pointed to the shark swimming off in search of easier prey.

They’d have to come back tomorrow and try again. She turned to survey the damage the rocks had done to what was left of the wreck site.

As the water cleared, her gaze lit on a dark circle about the size of a saucer. It was half buried in the silt and precariously positioned partway beneath the rocks and sand.

Sam saw it, too. He eyed the rocks, undoubtedly worrying that the slightest of movement could send them down farther, and he motioned for Remi to keep watch as he slowly worked the sand beneath the object until he was able to slip it out, the rock pile remaining intact.

He handed her the disk, and her thrill of excitement that it might be the missing cipher wheel died at the realization it was only a small tin plate. Sam photographed the front and back. She dropped it into the dive bag, then glanced at her watch. They were on the last few minutes of air. They needed to end the dive. He gave her a thumbs-up and they began their ascent.

As soon as they broke through to the surface, she pulled her mouthpiece out, turning to Sam. “Not bad, Fargo!”

Sam looked anything but excited.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Get behind me,” he said, then nodded toward the boat.

When she turned, she saw Nuno leaning over the side, a gun in his hand. And it was pointed at them.

Hand it over.” The young man’s dark eyes bored into Sam as he treaded water near the boat. “Now.”

“Nuno,” Sam said. “You don’t want to do this.”

“Yes. I do.”

“Why?”

“It doesn’t matter. Hand it to me.”

“And what?”

“And you die a quick death instead of a slow one.”

“Whatever they’re paying you, I’ll double it.”

Nuno hesitated, his gaze moving from Sam to Remi, then back. “You do not understand. They have already killed Captain Delgado. They will kill my family if I do not do this.”

Remi, disregarding Sam’s advice to stay behind him, tried to swim closer.

Sam grabbed her arm, stopping her. “They’ll murder you, too,” he said to Nuno. “These men are cold-blooded killers.”

“It is my family. Please… forgive me.” He waved the revolver at them, his dark eyes shimmering as he recited something in Portuguese. A prayer, Sam thought.

Not a good sign.

“They watch even now,” Nuno said. “To see that I kill you. Please. I do not want my family to die.”

“Remi,” Sam said. “Hand me the bag and swim away.”

“I’m not leaving you, Sam.”

“Yes. You are. Once my wife is safe, I’ll give you the bag.”

Nuno shoved the gun forward. “No! I do not trust you. You!” he said, pointing the gun at Remi. “You give it to me. Not him!”

“Remi…” Sam held tight to her arm.

“Now!” Nuno cried.

Remi smiled at Sam. “He’s protecting his family.”

Which is what made him so dangerous. The last thing he needed right now was to stir up any more anger and he reluctantly let go of Remi.

She swam toward the boat and held up the bag. The young man grasped it, but Remi held tight, saying, “Nuno, I pray that your family is safe. And that you will do what is right by them.”

And then she let go.

Sam’s heart thundered in his chest as he watched his wife treading water, far too close to the gunman and the barrel of that revolver.

Nuno opened the bag, peered inside, then dropped it into the bottom of the Zodiac. He looked at the gun, then Remi. “I am sorry.” He pointed and fired.

Remi jerked in the water, then turned toward Sam, her face pale, eyes wide, as she reached out. Her hand grasped his, and he pulled her toward him.

A second shot shattered the air, and Sam wrapped his arms around her, adrenaline racing through his veins. He turned, placing himself between Remi and the gunman. But a third shot never came. The Zodiac engine revved as it sped away, leaving the two of them there in the water.

“Remi?”

“I’m fine.”

He looked into her eyes, unable to believe. “How? I saw—”

“He fired into the water. It scared me.”

“Why?”

“I think he hopes they’ll believe we’re dead. What if—”

Sam kissed her hard, then let her go, as they both started slipping below the surface. He looked out toward the Golfinho , the growing whitecaps making it difficult to see clearly. If they were lucky, the same was true for anyone on the Golfinho looking out toward them. The Zodiac was halfway to it, and he hoped that Nuno was convincing in his part. If he wasn’t… At least they’d have some warning — should anyone want to return to finish them off, they’d have to do it in the Zodiac.

Now their best bet for survival was to stay near the rocks, where the Golfinho couldn’t navigate.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Zodiac arrived back at the Golfinho . Sam and Remi watched as the anchor on the boat was raised. Someone leaned over the side, pointing an assault rifle. Sam and Remi dove from sight as the Zodiac was peppered with gunfire.