The cold salt water stung but that wasn’t the worst part. A dark gray shape swam into view, bearing down on her. A shark! She had run right into one of the tanks. She opened her mouth to scream as the creature came closer, and choked on a mouthful of salt water. If the shark didn’t get her, she’d likely drown.
She watched in horror as distance between her and the fierce aquatic predator shrank. Ten feet. Five feet.
And then the shark veered to the side at the last instant, its rough hide brushing her bare arm. And then it was gone. For a moment she hung there, shocked into immobility by her close call. Looking down, she saw the ghostlike shapes of aquarium visitors watching her through the glass. She wondered if they thought they were seeing a performance, or if they realized what was really happening.
And then she looked directly beneath her. There wasn’t one shark in the tank, there were a half dozen, and they were circling. All thoughts fell away except the need to get the hell out of that tank and fast. The map, the man with the gun, Maddock and Bones’ attempt to save Angel, all forgotten. She fought for the surface with everything she had, but no matter how hard she swam, it seemed to come no closer. She felt as if an invisible hand were holding her underwater, inches from precious air and a chance at safety.
Suddenly, she broke the surface, gasping for air. Half blinded by the salt water, she swam for the edge, wondering when the feeding frenzy would begin. Her vision cleared as she reached the side and found herself staring at a pair of shiny, black shoes. She looked up into the barrel of a gun.
“Dead end,” the man said. “Now, give me the map.”
The map! What had she done with it? She remembered tucking it into her bra when Corey first hurried her away from their pursuer.
“It’s right here.” She reached her numb fingers into her shirt and pulled out a sodden wad of brown paper. “It got a little wet.” She held it up to the man, wondering if she might be able to pull him down into the water when he reached for the map, but he stood stock-still.
“You carried it into the water?” He trembled, either from shock or rage, and his finger twitched on the trigger.
“I didn’t exactly plan to jump into a shark tank. It might not be ruined. Take it.”
“You’ve bloody well ruined it, I’m sure.” He chewed on his lip, thinking for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. “But you got a look at it.”
“No,” Avery said immediately. “I didn’t have a chance before you came after us.”
“We’ll soon find out. We have people who are very good at getting answers. Now come on.”
She heard a sick thud, and the man’s eyes rolled back in his head. His knees buckled and he tumbled into the tank. Jimmy stood there, smiling, holding the lid of a toilet tank.
“I passed a bathroom on the way up. It was the only heavy thing I could grab.”
“I’m glad you did. Here, pull me up.” She was surprised at the strength with which he hoisted her up. He’d never seemed very physical. “Thank you.” She gave him a quick hug. “Now, let’s get out of here.”
“I’m afraid you will be leaving,” said a voice behind Jimmy. Two police officers stood, weapons drawn. “But it’s going to be with us.”
Chapter 27
As the two men converged on him, Locke whirled about and made a dash for the stern rail. Surprised by the sudden chaos, Dane was an instant late with his attempt at tackling the fleeing man. Three strides and Locke vanished over the edge. Dane regained his feet in time to see Locke swimming for the speedboat, which was on its way to pick him up. Angel was no longer aboard, and he soon spotted Bones helping her swim to shore.
Relieved, he turned around just as shots rang out. One of the attackers was firing wildly into the crowd, which broke apart as everyone fled for safety. His partner had gone over the rail after Locke, but he wasn’t a strong swimmer and was losing ground with every stroke.
Dane didn’t know who these guys were, and what he really wanted was to get the hell out of there, but he couldn’t let this madman kill an innocent person. He sprang onto the gunman, pinning the man’s arm to his side as he wrestled him to the ground. He wound up on top of the man, one hand pinning his gun hand to the ground, the other at his throat.
“Who are you?”
The man’s blue eyes, so pale as to almost be white, shone with icy contempt. He worked his lips and then spat on Dane. Dane raised his fist, intending to turn the guy’s nose into a waffle, but a sharp voice rang out.
“Hold it right there! CIA!”
Dane froze as three men, weapons trained on him, came running up.
“Put your hands in the air,” one of them barked.
“I will as soon as you relieve this guy of his weapon.” He wasn’t about to give the albino a chance to take a shot at him or anyone else.
In an instant, the government agents, all clad in plain clothes, had him and the other man cuffed. They were patting him down when a familiar voice rang out.
“Oh no! Oh hell no!”
As he turned his head to face the music, he couldn’t help but smile.
Tam Broderick was an attractive woman, with a solid, athletic build, dark skin, and big eyes. At least, she was pretty enough when she didn’t look like she was about to waterboard someone. They’d met under unusual circumstances and forged a temporary alliance. Since then, they’d spoken a couple of times, but only to discuss a situation he and Bones had stepped into the previous winter. She marched up to Dane, her hand resting on the Makarov he knew she carried, and stopped, her face inches from his.
“Dane Maddock.” She spoke his name like a curse. “Every time I get a lead on the Dominion, you stick your big, ugly nose in and jack it all up.”
“My nose is not big,” he said. “I know for a fact that you like my nose.”
“Save the wise comments or I will cut you.” She was still angry, livid in fact, but there was now a flicker of amusement behind her glower. “Now tell me, why does the Dominion keep following you around?”
Her words hadn’t registered the first time, but now they brought him up short.
“Wait. Locke is with the Dominion?” The Dominion was a shadowy organization about which little was known, yet Dane and Bones had a knack for running afoul of them. Had it happened again?
“Who is Locke?” She threw her hands up in the air.
“The guy who went over the side. The first guy, that is. He kidnapped Bones’ sister and we were getting her back.” He looked around, wondering where Bones had gone.
“And you didn’t think to notify the authorities? Never mind, don’t bother.” Tam sighed. “Let him go, but take mister pale and pasty into custody, and see if you can fish his partner out of the harbor.” She turned and looked down into the water. “Don’t hurry. Looks like he’s a floater.” Tam put her hands on her hips and fixed Dane with a disapproving stare while her man uncuffed him. “Give him his weapon back,” she said. The agent gave her a quizzical look, but followed orders.
“Where are the rest of your boys?”
“Matt’s waiting in the getaway vehicle. Willis is down below, incognito, as it were, and Bones and Angel ought to be climbing out of the water by now.”
“Let me get this straight.” Tam pressed her fingertips to her temples. “You boys tried to stage your own rescue operation in the middle of the Inner Harbor, where who knows how many innocent people could have gotten killed?”
“We didn’t choose the location,” Dane said. “And yes, we rescued Angel.”
“No we didn’t.” Bones and Willis, both in handcuffs, were being ushered to Tam by a pair of agents.