As they resurfaced Dawg was suddenly pushing a diving tank over her arms as Brogan held her up, his hands gripping her waist.
Natches and Rowdy were behind him, Chaya behind them.
“Remember how to use this?” Dawg asked quickly as a regulator was attached and Natches ducked under the water.
She nodded quickly.
A second later fins were being pushed on her feet as Brogan quickly fitted the weight belt around her waist.
“Go with Chaya. Once they can’t find you they’ll start the motor and we’ll all be in trouble if you’re not out of here,” Dawg growled.
“Brogan . . .”
“Don’t get him killed, Eve,” Dawg snapped. “Go with Chaya now.” He pushed the regulator between her lips.
“Love you, Eve. Always,” Brogan whispered at her ear before Dawg pushed her beneath the surface and Chaya grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the way.
It was like a war zone under the water, she thought in amazement as Chaya continued to drag her out of the way.
Brogan, Dawg, Rowdy, Natches, and Chaya weren’t the only ones beneath the cool surface.
Deep enough beneath the boat for safety and to ensure they weren’t seen, two underwater propelled, sled-like vehicles waiting with two frogmen outfitted with military rebreathers such as the ones Brogan and the Mackays were wearing.
Of course, Eve hadn’t been that lucky. She couldn’t see, couldn’t hear anything going on. All she could do was hold on to Chaya as the other woman directed her while unclipping an underwater propulsion device from her waist belt and activating it.
Immediately they were drawn through the water as Eve saw the first lines of water being split from bullets firing into the depths. And all she could do was worry and pray.
* * *
Two minutes flat, Brogan thought in disgust as he surveyed the interior of the Nauti Buoy. Kai was dead, and unfortunately Poppa Bear had been wounded. The bullet he’d taken in the leg would put him out of commission for a while.
The three men that had been on the upper deck had been taken out in twenty seconds flat with only a few wild shots getting off.
Two were only badly wounded; one was dead.
Staring down at Kai’s body he felt the irritation rising inside him.
“Fuckers say they don’t know anything,” Dawg announced as he came from the makeshift interrogation room the upper bedroom had been turned into. “Timothy’s having a boat dispatched, it should be here in about five minutes to haul their asses to the nearest Homeland Security holding cell.”
“Bye-bye, bad guys,” Brogan muttered.
“Or something,” Dawg snapped, turning back to him, his hands propping on his hips as he stared at the bloody mess that had been made of Kai. “Hell, the girls are going to make us clean up this mess, you know?”
Brogan shrugged. “Have fun.”
Dawg laughed. An amused, evil laugh that had Brogan staring back at him askance. “What?”
“Oh, you’ll get to have fun with us, ole boy, you just watch. Chaya will have taken Eve straight to Kelly, Christa, Janey, and Rogue, and she’ll be given the full lowdown on how things work. And trust me, those girls stick together like glue against us.”
“But Eve’s future husband isn’t an asshole.” Brogan grinned confidently. “So have fun without me.”
Dawg chuckled at the declaration. “You know, Brogan, it’s going to be fun watching you learn the ropes. Lots and lots of fun.”
The look on his face wasn’t one of amusement, though. Brogan couldn’t help the trepidation that slowly rose inside him at the pure anticipation that filled Dawg’s, Rowdy’s, and Natches’s gaze.
And he really hoped they were wrong.
EPILOGUE