Page 44 of Weston

Wes glanced over at Corey who sat beside him, also ready to go. “I’m trying,” Wes gritted out, his hands clenched into tight fists on his upper thighs. “But I can’t sit here much longer and do nothing, Cor.”

“We’ll be in the water soon. They’ll find the nuke and then we’ll go down and retrieve it. Ellie is strong. She’s going to be alright. Everything is going to be okay, buddy.”

The sentiment was nice but, unfortunately, Corey couldn’t guarantee it. No one could, and that’s what made Wes’ gut tight and uneasy. He had no idea where Ellie was and every instinct in his body rebelled against that. He needed her in his arms where she belonged. The fact that he’d fucked up before and almost losther forever left a bitter taste in his mouth. It couldn’t happen again.

“Hey, frogs! You’re up!” Chaz yelled.

Thank Christ.Wes grabbed onto the rail and pulled himself up. With Corey’s help, Wes managed to hop over to the group gathered around the laptop. Jayson pointed out a trunk lodged in the seabed.

“Here’s your target, boys.”

Brand pointed at the screen, noting the exact coordinates and depth. “Anyone have any questions?”

Nearby, Chaz and Lex were working on the pulley system that Wes and Corey would use to bring the warhead up to the surface.

“Yeah, any chance it could detonate?” Wes asked dryly.

“Just don’t drop it,” Xander replied with a smirk.

“Easy for you to say.” Corey shifted uneasily.

“If that thing blows, we’re all goners,” Brand stated grimly. “Once it’s on board, the first thing we do is remove the pit. Then we’ll trade the empty warhead for Ellie.”

“Roger that,” Wes said, determined to get this over with and get Ellie back. “Let’s go, Cor.”

“And who’s job is it to remove the pit?” Xander asked.

“That honor is all yours,” Brand said.

“Lucky me.” Xander rolled his eyes while Corey helped Wes hop over to the small diving platform at the back of the boat.Both men zipped up their wetsuits and slung the tanks onto their backs. They checked their regulators and finally lowered their masks. Behind them, the sun was sinking fast.

“Just like old times,” Wes murmured. He and Corey bumped knuckles then stepped off the platform. They swam around to the side of the boat where Lex turned the crank on and Chaz guided the steel cord down to Wes who attached it to his belt with a carabiner.

“Ready,” Wes reported, and Corey nodded. They each gave Chaz, who was hanging over the side of the railing, a thumbs-up. Then they turned their dive lights on and dove beneath the surface.

The silence of the sea surrounded Wes. It usually provided him some semblance of comfort, but this time it felt eerie. Spooky, even. Ellie was in danger, they were heading straight for a nuclear warhead wanted by deadly pirates, and one wrong move could end them all. Wes was used to life or death situations—it had been his job to navigate treacherous scenarios as a SEAL—but it had been a while. He hoped to God he and Corey weren’t rusty.

Visibility was excellent and Wes was grateful for the clear, blue water. But evening was fast approaching and they needed to get out of there before the sun set completely. Diving in dark water wasn’t his idea of a good time. It was nearly slack high, an hour before high tide, and that meant even better visibility because tidal currents were at their weakest and the waves were calm and less dangerous.

Even so, in the back of his mind, there was a constant tick, tick, ticking. His gut told him time was running out fast.

Once they reached the sandy bottom, Wes and Corey investigated the trunk, searching for the best way to lift it up. Using hand communications, they quickly agreed it would be best to rig a rope around the entire thing, tie a secure knot and clip the carabiner in place. A nuclear warhead was hardly light, so they needed the crane above to do the majority of the work.

After securing the trunk, Wes and Corey double and triple-checked their knots. Once they determined everything was secure, they exchanged a thumbs-up and Corey released an inflatable surface-signaling buoy. It shot straight up through the water and the moment it hit the surface, his team would know to turn on the crank and start hauling the trunk up.

Almost immediately, the steel cord tightened and the trunk began to lift up off the seabed floor. Wes and Corey swam up alongside it, escorting the box to the surface. Once his head broke through the water, Wes swam over to the dive platform, Corey right on his fins.

Wes grabbed the edge and hauled himself up out of the water. They had what they needed to make the exchange. Lifting his mask up onto his head, he looked over at the sinking sun and sent up a silent prayer.Hang in there, Ellie. I’m coming.

???

With a sinking heart, Ellie watched the water level in the cave begin to rise. Every minute that passed put her more on edge. The damn ropes were cutting off her circulation and she needed to try something else, fast. Her attention moved to the craggy wall.That might work,she thought. Lifting her wrists, she began to saw the rope back and forth against the jagged rocks.

“C’mon,” she hissed. The cave wall was really wet and, despite moving the rope hard and fast, the friction simply wasn’t enough to break it. With a soft curse, she slumped against the unforgiving rock, disappointment flooding her. She squeezed her eyes shut in defeat and, out of nowhere, a memory hit. Or, more accurately, continued…

Spinning around, Ellie ran across the deck and screamed for Paul, the former Marine, whose job it was to keep her and the others safe. He appeared right away, eyes widening as he looked over her shoulder. As he reached for the pistol in a holster on his hip, a shot cracked through the salty air. A spot of blood blossomed on Paul’s chest. He fired off two shots, staggered forward, and more rounds popped. Ellie hit the deck with a cry and saw Paul go down, his gun skittering toward her.

Determined to grab it, Ellie crawled forward as fast as she could, hand reaching out when a large boot stepped onto the pistol, nearly crushing her fingers. Yanking her hand back, she looked up into the blackest eyes she’d ever seen.

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