Chapter 29

Puffy, white clouds crept across the sun and dimmed the sky as small swells rocked the idling boat. Anthony Cruz junior sat behind the helm of the Scarlet Lady, a bright red 35-foot cigarette boat. In the low cabin in front of him, he could hear the tall black man from Nassau, known only as Mr. M, checking the shoulder-launched rocket in preparation of their attack.

Robbie Valeno had just checked in for the third time that morning, confirming that the Island Billy charter boat was anchored off the Southeastern shore of Sand's Key. Robbie had spotted Lisa Chang on board with Billy, but had seen no one else. Robbie had been surprised that Lisa appeared to be freely moving about the boat, not restrained or sedated.

Anthony scanned the horizon with a pair of binoculars.

"All right," Anthony shouted. "I think I see it. I'll bring us in closer. You ready to go?"

"Ready to go, my friend," the man replied in a heavy West Indian accent.

Anthony engaged the engines and steer the boat toward a white spot on the horizon. Behind the white spot, the low-lying green terrain of the island could be seen. They continued for a short while, then Anthony pulled back on the throttles and let the boat drop lower into the water as it slowed.

They were less than a mile from Billy's boat. The Scarlet Lady was drifting slowly in the breeze as the engines idled. Mr. M emerged from the cabin carrying the bazooka-like rocket launcher in both hands. He handed the weapon to Anthony, then climbed up onto the long sleek front deck before asking Anthony to pass it back to him. He gazed at the target for a moment, then got down on his knees and placed the weapon against his shoulder.

"Count of three," Mr. M said. "One..."

In an instant, both men were weightless, staring up at the sky as the bow of the Scarlet Lady shot straight up toward the sun. Only the very tip of the stern was still touching the water. Both men fell backward into the sea as the boat crashed back down into the water beside them.

Mr. M whipped his head around and let out a yelp as he was suddenly dragged away at an startling speed. For a moment Anthony thought that the rocket was somehow propelling him across the water. M seemed to be struggling to keep his head above water as something torpedoed his body toward the shore of Sand's Key.

Still in a state of shock, Anthony swam slowly toward the stern of the Scarlet Lady, where a small boarding ladder could be folded down to allow swimmers access to the boat. As he reached for the ladder, he felt something grab his ankle. In a flash he was zooming under water, struggling to get his head to the surface to take a breath, trying to spit out the water that was flowing up his nose and into his throat. The pressure of the water against him was too strong. He was losing the struggle, afraid he'd have to choose between passing out and sucking in a lung full of water. He let his body go limp, ready to give up the fight for air when he stopped suddenly.

He came up and sucked in loud raspy breaths. He looked around as he tried to catch his breath, but saw no one else in the water with him. There was a nearby rumbling sound and he turned expecting to see the Scarlet Lady beside him, but instead saw that Island Billy's charter boat closing in fast. The boat pulled up along side of him, barely slowing down. A hand reached down and closed around his left arm. He was plucked from the water, then dropped onto the floor of Billy's boat. Billy stood at the helm. Lisa Chang sat on a vinyl-covered bench seat in the stern of the boat. A tall muscular blond man stood beside him. The man wore no shirt and was dripping wet.

Lisa glanced at Anthony for a moment, then said to the blond man, "That's him."

The blond man lifted Anthony onto his feet. A fifty-something year old Chinese man in a Hawaiian shirt and straw sombrero emerged from the boat's cabin, smiling warmly as he approached. Anthony looked at the man, noticing something familiar about him. Without warning, the Chinese man lashed out at him, jabbing his index and middle finger into the side of Anthony's neck, just below his left ear. Anthony's legs buckled and the blond man caught him as everything faded to black.