Page 76 of Vanishing Legacy

“I’m fine,” Bailey managed to choke out. “The Coast Guard boat is coming. I can tread, but you need to find Penny and Cash before this boat goes down.”

Alana hesitated, torn between staying with Bailey and leaving her to save Cash and Penny. Time was of the essence, and she couldn’t risk them going down with the ship. “Hang in there, Bailey! I’m going to save our family!”

Her feet pounded against the floor as she sprinted inside and down the hallway. The floor beneath her feet tilted, making her steps uneven. She held a hand against the wall for balance. The ship was going down fast.

At the end of the hall, a muscled man stepped through a doorway. A gun in his hand.

Alana halted and reached for the pistol in her waistband. Gone.

It must’ve fallen out when she fell. The man’s face was marred with acne scars. He sneered and stepped forward. He raised his weapon.

Alana lunged forward, aiming for his midsection, but he was too quick for her. He sidestepped her attack and swung his gun in a wide arc, catching her across the face.

She stumbled backward, dazed and disoriented. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She pivoted on her heel and landed a roundhouse kick to his gun hand. The weapon clattered to the ground, and Alana planted a second kick in his ribs. He cried out and doubled over, gasping for breath. With a quick and precise strike to the back of his neck, she rendered him unconscious before he had a chance to react.

Heart racing and adrenaline pumping, she pressed on to the main cabin, toward the sounds of muffled shouting. Then Alana smelled it.

Fire.

* * *

Cash clutched Penny against his chest and gasped for air as the fire from the helicopter spread. The smell of smoke and burning fuel filled his nostrils. The metal blades of a burning helicopter had cut through the hull of the ship, leaving a gaping hole in the living room where they’d been sitting. The flames caught the fluttering drapes on fire and raced across the room. The blaze licked the walls and the ceiling, filling the room with smoke.

Cold water seeped into his shoes. They had precious little time before the yacht sank. That was, if they didn’t burn to death first.

Through the smoke, Cash saw a figure running toward them. “Alana!” He dodged debris and flames and pulled her into him with his free arm. He kissed her temple where duct tape covered her eyebrow. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I knew I’d find you. I had to.” She stepped back. “We’ve gotta move or there won’t be any reunions. Help is right outside, but the boat is sinking fast.”

“And burning—” Something moved behind Alana in the shadowy smoke. “Alana, watch?—”

Alana whirled as Ziva brought a vase down hard on her head. Shards of glass rained down. Alana staggered but put herself between them and Ziva.

“You’re not going anywhere, but Penny’s coming with me,” Ziva said.

Cash turned, shielding Penny from Ziva. She would not lay one hand on his daughter. “If we don’t get out of here, we’ll all die.”

“Fine with me,” Ziva sneered. “Without Penny, I’ll die anyway.”

“Cash, get Penny and get out!” Alana ran at Ziva in a flying tackle and landed on top of her. They grappled in a frenzied struggle on the wet carpet. “Go, Cash!” Alana cried. “Get Penny outside!”

Penny began to cry. He hesitated and shifted Penny in his arms and watched the two women fight even as the burning ship sank deeper into the water. “I…I can’t leave you, Alana.”

Alana rolled over and pinned Ziva to the ground. She looked up at him. “Bailey fell overboard. She needs you.”

He swallowed and nodded. With Penny in his arms, he made his way aft. The ship pitched starboard. Cash struggled to maintain his balance, holding onto Penny as he stumbled across the room.

The boat lurched and a sharp crack echoed through the cabin. It sounded as if the boat had split in half. The floor beneath his feet gave way and he fell. Penny flew from his arms and slid toward the opening in the hull.

“Penny!” Cash lunged forward to grab her. A solid section of the ceiling broke away and came crashing down. He tried to scramble out of the way, but the heavy debris came down hard. Blackness clouded his vision. His head lolled and he watched Penny sinking beneath the water outside the gaping hole in the hull.

“Alana,” he rasped over the roaring in his ears. “Save Penny!”

Then everything went black.

TWENTY-TWO

Alana released Ziva and dove for Penny on her stomach, arms outstretched, struggling to grasp her before she sank.

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