Thanks for the feedback and sticking this story out. I know it's been long and it's a doozy. Part Two of the story will start off about a week after I end this one. This story has one more chapter to go. :)

Enjoy!
Jackie

PART 29 – Zodiac

2030 Local
Manda Patterson's Yacht
San Diego, California

Manda literally looked like a cat which ate a canary or two. She was positively enthralled by the new turn of events and was surprised that Harm hadn't immediately jumped all over her accusation. She was even more surprised when a former look of horror turned into a smirk.

It was best, he figured, not to deny it. "Alright, I'm busted." Harm said nonchalantly, then leaned back in his seat rather casually. "I'm Captain Harmon Rabb Junior. . .You can call me Harm." He took her hand and lightly brushed his lips over her knuckles. "That doesn't mean my feelings for you have changed, Manda."

Oh no, of course they hadn't. He still hated her and she knew it. "Why did you lie to me, Harm?" It felt weird using such a bizarre name. It was even weirder that for the past few months he'd been Jack MacKenzie. "It's not scoring you any extra points."

"Not even for creativity?" The joke wasn't amusing, he quickly noticed. "I was slumming. .. I guess you could say. . .The Navy isn't for me anymore. . .I needed an edge."

Ah, yes. An edge. Right. "With narcotics?"

Harm shrugged. "What better way to make some dough? . .And I figured, being with a beautiful woman like you would be a bonus. . . and it is." He hesitated just enough to keep her interested. Then, leaning forward, he captured her lips in a kiss, mentally chastising himself, all the while praying to God that Mac couldn't see them from her vantage point. "I started in for one reason. . .but now, Manda. . .I think I'm falling for you." To his credit, Harm didn't down right gag for his blatant lie. Though he felt like a total heel for putting Mac through so much during the years. Jesus, he just finished telling a total stranger that he was in love with her. True, there was no feeling to it. No emotions were attached. There was no history, but it was still painful knowing he 'gave in' to Manda so easily and nearly lost Mac due to waiting too long.

Manda seemed pleased although part of her knew this was a lie. Harm was still a gorgeous guy and if he was going to pretend, so would she. It wouldn't hurt, not in the least, and there were definitely worse things than sleeping with him. "I'm flattered."

"You should be. . .I don't get those words out easily." If Mac would hear him now, he was sure he'd be a dead sailor.

"Hmmm." He didn't look like the type that couldn't get words like that out. As far as she remembered from the files that Jarvis stole, Harm was a lawyer and a good one at that. Lawyers seldom were at a loss for words. "So I hear you can fly various things. Can you fly a helicopter?"

"Yes, if it's not too complicated."

"It's not too complicated." She smirked. "My father always had one around, the pilot taught me how to fly it. . I've gotten quite good, Harm." Ah, Harm, it was nice having at least ONE truth in all of their charades.

Reaching across the table, he took the champagne bottle and refilled their glasses. "I'm curious, how'd you find out about me?"

There was that grin again, the devious, malevolent one that also had some charming characteristics. "Hmmm. . .Well." She reached into her dress, pulling out a small, black transmitter from between her cleavage. "That's actually really simple." She pressed the white button in the center of the transmitter, smiling as someone made their way up the steps. "Teddy. . .Would you come here, please?"

"Teddy? Who's Te. . ." Never in his life had Harm felt so vulnerable. He was suddenly dizzy, as if he'd been sucker punched. The winds were taken out of his sails and he thought he'd finally had things under control. Damnit, Gunny had been right so many times when he'd nearly begged him to quit. For that matter, Mac had been right too. "Jarvis." He stood up in a fury and made to rush the other man when a pistol was pulled out. "I'm not afraid of being shot, Jarvis. . .You should know I am not afraid of much."

Jarvis nodded. "Oh, I know. . .But, I have the Trump card." From his back pocket he pulled out a picture, a rather risqué one of Harm and Mac in a rather compromising position. "Beautiful woman isn't she?" He glanced at the picture and grinned. "Looks like she's a tigress in bed, eh, Rabb?"

Harm knew Mac was safe. If Jarvis had her, he would have brought her in with him. No, she was safe, he knew that and still irrational words flew out of his mouth. "You touch her and I'll kill you."

Irrational words seeing he was the one the gun was pointed at. "Kill me? Really? I want to see how. The chances are slim for you to knock the gun out of my hand before I get at least two shots off."

"Now, now. Boys." Manda admonished. She was getting tired of the little pissing game. Men were just too damned predictable at times. "We'll get the ruler out later. . .Now, it's time for business." She took Harm's hand and pulled him back down to the seat next to her. "Captain, can you or can you not find a plane for us?"

A plane? Is that all they wanted? A pilot? There were hundreds, maybe thousands of pilots in California who were of enough poor moral character to do what they wanted. And yet, they chose him? "What do you want from me?"

"Simple. . .I need you to fly for us. . .You can keep your little PI gig, on the side of course. . .But you work for us now."

"Why me?"

Manda sighed. "To be honest, you weren't our first choice. . .We were actually after that pilot you investigated, oh, a year and a half ago. . .When you wound up putting him away and Teddy here found out about your former profession. . .I had to have you." She laughed sardonically, then placed a hand on his knee, amused at how quickly his relaxed state had turned. "The more Jarvis dug, the more we found out about your. . .talents. Your involvement with the CIA. . . and you know what they say about people that worked in the CIA, right?"

"Once CIA, ALWAYS CIA." Jarvis clarified with a smile of his own. "You're a hero, a legend, and you know your way around computers, technology. You know the ins and outs of the government. . .Talk about perfect."

Harm nodded. Yes, he was perfect but not for sale. "So, let me get this straight, you want me to fly for you?" Both Jarvis and Manda nodded in agreement. "And if I don't you'll hurt Mac?" They nodded again. "That's a bit unoriginal, don't you think?"

"Hmmm, quite. . . I prefer Oldie but Goodie." Jarvis said, then pointed the gun towards the steps which led down to the bedrooms. "We need to secure you before we pick up some. . .goodies. . .Get up and head down the stairs. . .By the time we get back, we want an answer. . .By the way we usually don't take 'no' as one."

"I didn't think so." He took two tentative steps to the lower levels and into the corridor that led to the staterooms. "Do I get to choose a room at least?" He and Mac had an uncanny knack for joking during serious situations. It was a method for survival, of not getting too stressed or too frightened to be rational.

Jarvis grinned. "Sorry, Rabb. . .Some things are meant to be kept a secret." He opened a door and pushed Harm into a lavish stateroom. "I'm sorry, but I need you unconscious for this part. . .Wouldn't want you to resist." He grabbed the barrel of the gun with his other hand and swung, hitting Harm on the back of his head, sending his six foot four frame tumbling to the ground with a loud thud.

"Was that really necessary? I mean, tying him up would have sufficed. She gave him a wicked grin, biting her lower lip at the idea of Harm in handcuffs. There was nothing more delicious than that. "I mean, I might want him conscious."

A disgusted snort sounded from her brother. "Mandy, sometimes you still act like a teenager with raging hormones."

She giggled, then leaned forward and placed a kiss on Jarvis' cheek. "Teddy, I am a woman, we always have raging hormones."

"Yes, well. . .Speaking of women. . .What are we going to do about MacKenzie?"

Manda cast an eye towards an unconscious Harm and shrugged. "For the moment, I think just dangling her on a string will be sufficient. . .No need to turn to violence just yet." In fact, as much as she loved causing pain to others, Manda Patterson really couldn't quite stomach blood and gore, that's what having a baby brother was for.

"You're no fun." He'd rather hoped she'd allow him to have his kicks with Mac. While she wasn't quite his type, it really didn't matter. She was hot and that was all there was to it. "Let's get going. . .We're running late."

2130 Local
Manda Patterson's Yacht
San Diego, California

"Oww." When Harm awoke it was to a lovely sensation equivalent to having his head split in two. His senses were so out of control that, for a moment, he didn't know where he was. "What the. . ?Trying to move was futile, he found his hands were tied behind his back to a line that, undoubtedly, went down the length of his body, down to his ankles in a loose 'hog tie' type of position. "Great." He heaved a deep sigh. NOW he knew where he was.

Quick inspection of the room made him realize that there was no computer around. At all. So much for using the gadgets in his heel to dig up info. He couldn't even REACH his shoes at this position. He was alone at the moment, he had time to try to get out of this. Hopefully Mac would. . . "Oh God, Mac." It hadn't occurred to him until that particular moment that she might be in this mess as well. She might be in this mess because of him. Suddenly, his well being didn't mean much anymore.

The sound of a door opening caught him off guard. For the life of him, in the way he was tied up, Harm couldn't quite turn over to see who had stepped in. "This isn't the brightest method of negotiation, you know?" He spat out, wiggling around to try to get a look.

"They hog tied you?" Mac lowered the gun she was holding and snorted.

"Mac!" Alright, so he sounded a little more than just relieved.

"What the hell is wrong with these people?" Before stepping to him, she went to the windows, looking out in case anything fishy occurred.

Harm sighed. "How'd you know?"

Mac shrugged. "I saw them leaving with two of their goons. . .You weren't with them, so it wasn't that difficult to figure you were in trouble."

"Did they see you?"

"I don't think so. . .no." Coming down to her knees, she pulled out a knife and started to work on the ropes. "You're bleeding." She said, pointing at a spot in the back of his head.

"Badly?"

Mac shook her head. "Sort of, I think you'll need a few stitches. How's your head?" Finally, she cut off the ropes at his ankles and then helped him sit up.

"Feeling like someone split it open with a crow bar. . .Let's get out of. . ." As he made to stand, a sudden wave to vertigo made him think otherwise. "Damnit."

"Slow, Harm. . .Slow." Nervously she looked at him. "Where would the computer be?" At his questioning glance she offered, "I'll plant the flash drives on the computer and then we can get the hell out of here."

Harm shook his head. "Jarvis will figure it out. . ."

"He's right." Mac spun around, coming face to face with the barrel of a gun much like her own. "Hello Colonel, it's been a long time. . .Still as sexy as ever I see." He waved her over to the side with the gun, then reached down and picked up the ropes, making sure to keep an eye on the both of them. "Tsk tsk tsk. This wasn't very smart."

Mac sighed. "Well, I figured that Harm needed a little company since you left him all alone."

Jarvis grinned. He liked these two, they were just so much fun. "Ah, true. . .And I would like to say that this was all planned. . .But, it wasn't. Stupidly, I forgot my wallet and came back to look for it when I heard you two talking. . .Go figure." He chuckled, then pulled out a cell phone. "Mandy is just going to LOVE this."

And he was right, Mandy did love it. She'd decided to bring both Harm and Mac up to the living room, where her goons drew the curtains and watched over the pair as they sat silently with their hands cuffed behind their backs. "I must say." She took a swig of bourbon which one of the goons refilled. "You two truly make a handsome couple. . .Don't they Teddy?"

"I guess." He sighed. One thing he hated about his older sister was the uncanny ability to drag things on forever. He was more of the action man, if there were people to torture or kill, he would do it immediately. No reason to wait. "Can we get on with it?"

"What's the hurry?" Yes, they had things to pick up, but, thankfully, one of her other goons volunteered himself to bring back the goodies. "We have a while until we have to get going. I am curious about these two. . .Just how much leverage we have."

Harm chuckled. "None."

"Zero." Mac added with a grin. "We're not for sale."

Angrily, Manda launched herself at Mac, back handing the other woman so that the ring she wore scratched Mac's face. "You have one HELLUVA hold on him, lady. . .He's the first man who's ever resisted my wiles." Sighing, she took a chair and placed it in front of them, then sat down. "I'll make you two a little deal. . .I need a pilot, specifically one as good as Harm.. . So, I'll let you go." She pointed at Mac. "And he'll do what we want so that we don't go after you."

The deal sounded kinda sweet, at least it did to everyone's ears but Mac's. "No deal."

"Mac!" Harm admonished, turning to her so that she could look at him. "Get the hell out of here."

"No! I'm not letting this bitch and her goons manipulate you or me for that matter. . ." She turned to Manda, pinning her with an evil glare. "Who's to say that when you're done you don't kill him?. . .Who's to say that no matter what we do you'll still kill me?. .. How do you know I won't go to the cops?"

Jarvis laughed. "The cops? Oh, please. . .Sweetheart, do better than that. . .Cops are pathetic."

"He isn't going to fly for you." Mac said, using her strong 'Marine' voice, then emphasized. "And you aren't going to use me against him. . .I'd rather kill myself first."

Harm closed his eyes. The nausea was still there, so was the pounding headache. "Stupid, Mac. . .This is stupid."

"Not more stupid than you being here in the first place. . .There were other ways around this, hothead."

Did she just call him a. . ."Hothead? I'm the hothead! You're the one that came out here following me and. . ."

"SHUT UP!. . .Please." It was clear that Manda had no control over the two of them. Apart, maybe she could have used MacKenzie as leverage, but now, she wasn't too sure of it. They were like a well oiled machine. "God you two. . .it's disgusting." Looking at them and the shared glances, the silent conversations, it was clear to her that she had no place in Harm's life, even if it was just for sex. "I was hoping to spare you Jack. . .Harm, whatever your name is. . .but it's obvious that you aren't interested in me. . .Can't say I blame you." She leaned forward, moving close enough to Mac to kiss her, but the Marine turned away, disgusted. "She's gorgeous. . .Ah, well. . .Teddy get the Zodiac ready. . .Etienne should be back soon with the merchandise."

"What are we going to do with these two?" Jarvis said, pointing his gun between Harm and Mac.

"Hmmm." It was too clear that Harm wouldn't cooperate, especially with MacKenzie asking him not to. She figured torture was always in order, but wasn't too sure that it would work with Military types that were trained to handle it. The type of SERE training Harm had, combined with Mac's Marine survival skills. . .No, torture wasn't a good idea, neither was that thought of killing them in her yacht. She wouldn't want to mess up the expensive furniture. However, there was something else which was equally fun and not too gory. "A little dragging and then if they are still alive. . .water bowling."

Jarvis' sardonic smile left no room for arguments. "I'll go get the ropes."

The small group waited until Etienne, one of Manda's more trusted goons, arrived with the 'merchandise.' Then, they set out in the yacht, moving towards the open sea. It was quiet out, not too many boaters save for a few overnight fishermen and that really wasn't a problem as their navigational and courtesy lights would pin point their location. The yacht settled out for a good two miles before Manda had the captain cut the engines. "This will do."

Harm and Mac were still seated in the living room, but this time not only were their hands tied but so were their ankles. Jarvis had decided to forgo the handcuffs as it would look a bit suspicious if they were found. The rope, no doubt, would eventually disintegrate and, hopefully, be chewed up by some sort of marine life. "Get up." He commanded Harm, shoving him towards one of the goons who took him outside. He was gentler with Mac, using a soft, but firm grip on her arm. "Turn around." He told Harm roughly, then shoved Mac into him. "Get the black rope and tie it around them as many times as possible.

One of the goons did just that, then tugged on the ropes, making sure they were secure. "All done, boss."

"Good." Slowly, Jarvis moved up to Harm and Mac, grinning evilly. "I'd had hoped we could have gotten along, Rabb. . .But you were such a pompous, sanctimonious prig that I just. . .Let's just say, I couldn't take it." Mac flinched slightly at the choice of words, remembering a time long ago, when she was accused of being the same things. Maybe she had been, but Harm? No.

It didn't take too much for Harm to put two and two together. "The narcotics, those are the ones you stole from the office, aren't they?"

"Yes, they weren't very good quality, so we mixed them up a bit. . Added some extra 'pep.'" He nodded to Etienne. "Get in the Zodiac . .Wait for me."

Manda came out of the living room giving orders as to where she wanted the duffle with the narcotics and what her people were to do. It was a trade off, money for the drugs. . .A lot of money. "It was nice, really it was. . .Too bad it couldn't be pleasurable and nice, Harm." She made to kiss him but he turned his head and glared. "No goodbye kiss?" She pouted, then laughed. "Suit yourself. . .Have fun."

As if the situation itself wasn't dangerous enough, Jarvis took a switchblade to Harm's arm, cutting it deep enough. It would hurt like hell when they hit the seawater. "ARGH."

"Damnit, it's bad enough you are going to kill us. . .You don't need to hurt him as well!" Mac was seething. If she could move her arms, she would have tried something, anything to give Jarvis or Manda something to remember her by.

Jarvis was now pointing the knife at her throat. "Don't be stupid, MacKenzie. . ." He cleared his throat and paced, in a circle, around them, "As I was going to say. . .It's been rumored that sharks can smell a drop of blood for miles. . .I think it would be fun to test that theory."

Harm chuckled. "No one's attacked much by sharks in the Fall, much less in San Diego, you nimrod." For that he received a sharp punch to the side that winded him. "You hit like a girl." He grunted. "No offence, Mac."

"I'm a Marine – No offence taken." She glanced up and assured him. They were in a rather odd position and with Harm's height she either had to lay her head on his chest or try to hold it up awkwardly. Awkward was good at the moment, she didn't want them to think she was weak.

"Enjoy your last moments together, lovebirds." He spun around in a rather dramatic fashion and then headed down to the landing where the Zodiac was waiting.

"I'm sorry about this, Harm. . .I should have watched my six better." She was blaming herself. For not getting there on time. For talking too much instead of trying to get them out of there. For not waiting a little longer once she saw their car pull away. For not begging him to stop this and let the authorities handle it. . .For not forcing him to stay with her five years ago. . .For not following him to London, pledging her undying love and asking him to marry her.

He shrugged slightly. "I guess we're going to die in a fashion that would make Butch and Sundance proud, huh?"

She laughed without feeling. "That was me talking shit, Harm. . . I was scared, I needed. . .something to talk about, even if it was as masochistic as it sounded." She sighed deeply. "At least, if we go, it will be together. . .I don't want to know what life is like without you. . . Those five years were long and rough. . .I don't want to go through even a fraction of that again. . .I'd rather die." Mac meant that. It was a fact that scared her so much. How had she and Harm wound up so intertwined that life seemed meaningless without him? Yes, she lived through those five years and made a life for herself without him. But, if she really, really analyzed it, Mac wasn't happy. There were nights when she would cry herself to sleep, convincing herself that it was just hormones and that a certain Sailor had nothing to do with it. But when he came into her life again, it was almost as if someone had punched her in the gut. She felt alive again, like the piece of herself that had been missing for so long was found and brought back.

Harm felt the same, though it wasn't something he could quite put into words. He didn't know how to. Throughout his life, he never needed anyone. At least, he'd convinced himself that was the truth. It was easier to find for himself and his needs than to have to worry about someone else. And now, he wanted to worry about someone else. He wanted to come home and know that he wasn't alone or lonely. He craved loving and being loved. And, although he wanted to beg her to fight for her life, Harm couldn't. She wouldn't listen anyway. Life wasn't worth living, anyway, without Mac and he found that out the hard way. My God, had he actually told her, at one point, that he didn't love her?

At least, there was one positive thing, something they could both cling to. "We're not dead, yet." As if on queue the sound of the Zodiac's engines revving up, brought through their reverie. It was time.

The boat's two powerful engines had it cutting through the waves like a knife would cut through butter. "Faster." Jarvis ordered glancing back as the lights from Manda's Yacht grew smaller and smaller.

"Aww, hell." Mac said, closing her eyes against the sudden shove she and Harm were about to endure. The rope which was tied around them now had a starting place – the Zodiac It would be seconds before the line ran out of slack and they were pulled from the yacht at great speed into the freezing waters below. Damn, it was just like out of that James Bond movie, 'For Your Eyes Only.' Ruefully, she figured that Jarvis must have been a James Bond fan. There certainly were better ways to kill a person.

Preparation didn't really do much for either Harm or Mac. The jolt was certainly enough to rattle even the most seasoned water skier. The yacht was a distant memory as their conjoined bodies literally flew through the air and then landed in the water with such a speed, Harm could have sworn his skin had been ripped off. His body had hit first and then it was like being in a manic washing machine.

As the Zodiac sped through the cold water Harm and Mac were pulled along, each trying to hold their breaths as they spun over the waters edge and then down below. This wasn't as bad as either thought it would be. No, it was worse. The Zodiac took a sharp right turn, cruising in the opposite direction and jumping over its own wake, the action causing Harm and Mac to fly two feet out of the water and then land again, roughly.

Mercifully, as the Zodiac neared the Yacht, their ride came to an end. "Mac?" Harm's voice didn't sound anything as it had before. It was hoarse now and growing progressively worse as he tried to cough up the water he'd swallowed. He was trying, almost futilely, to stay afloat, kicking as if he were a merman, but with his ankles tied and Mac's form bound to his own, it was near impossible. "Mac, talk to me." Glancing down, he found her head hanging and a pang of worry hit his heart. "Jesus, Mac, talk to me."

"Trying to get loose." She finally said. The odd position was helping, slightly. The rope that was tied around the two of them was rather tight, but in the fray, the ones binding her wrists had loosened considerably. "Please, God. . .You owe us this much." She cried out in victory as, with one final strain, the rope came lose. "Got it."

Keeping them both afloat was starting to become a rather painful task. From the edge of the water, he could see the yacht and the Zodiac, it looked like they were going for it again. "They're going to drag us again, Mac."

"Damnit! I need to reach my legs." Mac bent her knees, trying to bring her heels as close to her six as possible. If she could just get those ropes, then she could take the task of keeping them afloat.

Harm, on the other hand, was having no luck with the ropes, he was too focused on the sudden onset of pain coming from his shoulder. "This cut's really hurting now. . .I hadn't felt it at all until now." He kept an eye on the Zodiac and was suddenly assaulted by a bright light from the Yacht. "Damnit."

Victoriously Mac cried out as she managed to undo the ropes at her ankle. "I got. . ." She barely had a chance to say two words before they were dragged again, this time a little farther as the Zodiac made a complete circle around the yacht. Two complete circles to be exact, passing over the wake once. When the boat stopped, Mac kicked her legs as hard as she could, barely managing to keep them floating. "Harm?"

His head was lulled to the side, his breath was hardly noticeable. Panic was settling in. "Harm! Harm! Wake up!" Mac yelled, then tried to move roughly, in hopes to jolt him awake. When he didn't rouse, she shifted violently and, to her surprise, found that the rope that was rapped around them was loose. So loose that she was able to move her arms out of it. With that new freedom, she wrapped her arms around Harm, sliding her hands down to his wrists where she found the rope. It was a difficult task to keep them afloat and work on the ropes, but she was going to do this, or die trying. There were no other options. "Harm. . .wake up, please." She begged, but it wasn't working.

Stopping the work on the ropes, Mac brought her hand to the side of his neck, searching for a pulse. "Thank God." It was there, strong and steady, he was only passed out. Turning towards the yacht, she was able to see Manda and Jarvis joining Etienne on the Zodiac. "God, please get us out of this and I swear, no more pints of Ben and Jerry's at two am."

Finally, she managed to undo the rope that bound them together, so when the Zodiac took off at full force, they were pulling nothing. She heard the commotion from those on the small vessel and knew it was only time before they decided on another method to end their lives. Futilely she tried the ropes on Harm's wrists and a split second later, tried for his ankles. Those came off fairly easily, but her victorious moment was short lived as she heard the rev of the Zodiac's engines. That soon became a constant ripping sound, getting closer and closer. "Oh no." She grabbed Harm by the collar, drawing him as close as she could. "This would be a great time for you to wake your ass up, Captain!"

Mac took a glance towards the oncoming Zodiac that was aiming for the two of them. "Damnit." Grabbing Harm, she took a deep breath and then dove under the water, fighting hard to pull him down with her. Her muscles ached, burned, felt like they were being torn to pieces. The loud whiz of the Zodiac passing over head was terribly frightening. And she'd done frightening before, in war zones, but this was entirely different and somewhat. . .macabre. When her body begged her to take a breath, she swam upwards, surfacing and immediately turning to her back and placing Harm's body in front of her. A loud cough was the indicator that he was now conscious. "Mac?"

"Swell time for you to join me, Harm." She sighed and held him tighter. "Are you okay?"

"I am now that you aren't trying to drown me. . ." Harm tried to use his hands, but became acutely aware that they were bound. "Get me out of these. . .hurry, they're lining up for us again."

"Okay." Despite her growing exhaustion, Mac tried as hard as possible to remove his bindings. "Damnit, I can't get them to budge."

Harm was staring ahead, trying to hide Mac from the light the yacht was shining their way. "Hurry, Mac. . ."

"I'm trying." But the rope wasn't budging, not one bit.

"Oh God." The Zodiac was aiming for them again and Harm still wasn't free to swim on his own. "Mac we gotta go under again."

This was crazy, insane. How long could they keep the cat and mouse game until the cat finally won? A light in the near distance caught her eye. It was blinking, moving side to side and something inside of her said it was their salvation. "You think we can make it over there?"

Harm turned to the object. "Not with my hands tied. . ." He couldn't, no. . .but she could. She had to. "Mac, you go. . .dive under the water when the Zodiac gets close enough and swim like hell."

Mac didn't have a chance to get any other words out as, seconds later, the Zodiac was right on them. They dove under water at the same time and she wrapped a hand around Harm's forearm and tugged as she swam away from the boat. Regardless to what he said, she wasn't leaving Harm behind.

The dark waters obscured their vision and though Mac didn't know where she was, all she cared about was moving away from the Zodiac. Above, sounds of the vessel shredding the water could be heard. Mercifully, it was moving away from them. Harm was kicking as hard as possible, allowing Mac to pull him while his hands remained tied. Between the two of them, he'd always been better at swimming and wasn't too fazed with the need for oxygen. Mac, on the other hand, was struggling to stay down just a little bit longer and then break surface without taking a screaming breath. It was Harm that pushed them up to hit the surface and take that, much needed, breath of air.

Violently, Mac coughed up some of the water she'd managed to swallow. Harm was just trying to keep himself afloat and consider their bearings. The Zodiac was rounding the yacht, its spot light searching for him and Mac about fifty yards from where they were. Turning to the other side, he saw the light Mac had pointed out earlier. "It's a boat. . . The light you saw was the courtesy light."

"We need to get there and quick." They still had some ways to go and her muscles were just about ready to give out. "I don't have much left in me." She confessed, hating that it was the truth. Mac wasn't giving up, but it seemed her body was about ready to do so for her.

"Damnit." Looking back, they saw the Zodiac still searching. Harm got an idea. "Rip this shirt off of me. . . .It might work, they might think we were torn to shreds."

Mac wanted it to work, but without blood in the water. . . "Okay." With shaky hands, she ripped the shirt off of him, then, for good measure, tore it some more. After rolling it into a ball, she threw it as hard as possible towards the Yacht. It didn't land too far away, but it would have to do. "Let's go." With newfound strength, she set off with Harm in tow for the nearby vessel.

Inside the Zodiac, Manda Patterson was getting rather impatient. They had a deadline which Rabb and MacKenzie were eating into. "Damnit, Teddy, can't you do a damned thing right?" She yelled at her brother and then, for good measure, slapped him hard. "I told you to watch them. . .Now, they are gone!"

"This is the ocean, Mandy. . .Where the hell could they go!" His general belief was that they had sunk under the waves and drowned. In the way they were tied, it was close to impossible to remain afloat. "They're probably sixty feet under by now. . .and as good as dead." Annoyed, he checked his watch. . .There wasn't much time left and there was still a ways to go. "We have to get going. . . Even if they are still alive, where the hell are they going to go? We aren't even close to the shipping lanes. . .Land is pretty far off, I doubt sincerely they can swim for more than a few hundred yards."

Jarvis was right, though it pained her to admit it. "Alright, fine. . .Let's get out of here. . .We don't have too much time. . .The buyers will be pissed. . .Etienne, get us out of here."

To Harm and Mac's surprise the Zodiac made an abrupt turn and began to move away from them and farther still. It passed the Yacht then went, full speed, into the night. "Let's go, Mac."

It took them a good ten minutes of swimming and stopping to reach the other boat. It was a small one, likely a 21 foot open fisherman. Mac found the telescopic ladder and pulled Harm onto one of the rungs. "Hold on." She instructed, then managed to pull herself up the ladder and onto the boat. "Hello? Anyone on board?" There wasn't a cabin that she could tell, however, it was clear that a the bow of the boat, its owner was napping. Cautiously, she stepped forward. "Hello? Sir?"

A man, possibly in his mid sixties, with a gray beard, gray hair and tattered clothing awoke suddenly. "What in blazes are you doin' on me boat, lady?" He took a gaff that was attached to a side wall and pointed at Mac.

Mac rose her hands in surrender. "I can explain. . .But, first I need help. . .My boyfriend is still in the water. . .He needs help." Thankfully, the man didn't need too much convincing. Between the two of them, they managed to haul Harm's weight onto the boat. "Thank you." She told the man as she held Harm for dear life.

The fisherman, noting rope around Harm's wrists, reached for a knife and promptly chopped the ropes away. "Just want kinda trouble did you and your boy get into, miss?"

"A lot." Harm said, sitting up and leaning against one of the cushions. "Sir, I'm a private investigator and owner of a firm in San Diego. . .Some people we are after did this to us and tossed us out to sea. . I know this sounds crazy, but we need your help. . .We need to get them." He glanced at Mac and was surprised to see a look of acceptance in her eyes. She nodded at him, agreeing wholeheartedly. Damn, it made him love her even more.

The fisherman scratched his head, he'd only known these two for a couple of minutes and already they were growing on him. Hell, it had been too long since he undertook a real adventure. "Well, seein' as I'ma gonna be helpin'. . .Call me Bob." He extended his hand which both Harm and Mac shook. "I can see yer in a hurry, so best hold on." Bob turned the boat into position and hit full throttle, shooting it across the waves.