of the deck clear?”
“Affirmative,” Hamm said.
“Team, you are clear to retreat.” Laz spoke softly and knew that his message had been received when the other four members of the Savage Seven appeared on the deck. Aside from Savage, there was Kirk Mann, who was the second in command for their team. He had been a marine sniper before joining their unit. No one shot with more accuracy than Mann. Wenz was their medic and Van was the team’s computer expert. He was the one they were all relying on to track Samatan’s ship when it surfaced.
Samatan was the leader of a particularly bloodthirsty group of pirates. The Savage Seven had been hired to capture him. The general belief was that if the head of the viper was cut off it would lead to the nest of the pirates. Then the attacks would launch.
Hamm took up a post near the gangway so that they wouldn’t have any more surprise visitors. Slowly the men departed over the side railing.
“We’re not going far. Just out of sight of the ship. We’ll be in radio contact if you need us,” Savage said.
“I’ll alert you the minute we see anything suspicious.”
“Good. Once you let them on board don’t fight. Their MO is that they take the ship with a show of force but usually don’t kill their captives.”
“You’re telling me stuff I already know, boss.”
Savage put his hand on Laz’s shoulder. “I don’t like having those civilians on here. The tanker crew knows how to handle this kind of thing.”
“I’ll take care of them,” Laz said.
“You do that. I’m going to have Wenz dig up what he can on the doctors’ group. I’ll send you back what we find. Good luck.”
“Thanks, boss.”
Though everything was in place Laz didn’t relax. Experience had taught him there was no such thing as an easy mission, especially with all the variables they were dealing with here. The added passengers and stopping to deliver them to their destination was not going to be an easy matter. But their schedule did have the time for a one-day stopover.
He almost wondered if someone knew that the Savage Seven was watching over this ship and that’s why they’d arranged for the Doctors Across Waters group to travel with them.
Laz would keep the group safe. Savage would want them protected as well. He was keen on keeping as many civilians alive as possible on their missions. That was one of the things Laz liked about working for Savage. That and the fact that he was a valued member of the team. Despite the fact that Savage was their leader, the group respected everyone’s opinion and skills.
Laz couldn’t ask for a better life, he thought while standing on the deck and looking out over the moonlit ocean. So what if sometimes when he was at home he felt lonely?
This was the best job in the world for him, and he knew that nothing and no one would ever make him give it up.
“The deck is busy tonight,” Hamm said.
“Damn straight. I got an itchy feeling on the back of my neck that something is going to happen.”
“Having Fridjtof up here was odd. That man is always creeping around.”
“I agree. Keep a close eye on him.”
“I am.”
Hamm and Laz had been in some tight situations together but they always came out the victors. Their current mission was working secretly for the allied nations to stop the threat of piracy in these waters.
Their group’s aim was to be offensive instead of defensive. Instead of waiting until a ship was taken hostage, they were proactively in the area to thwart and capture the pirates.
One of their own men—Kirk Mann—had been working in Somalia to infiltrate the pirates. It was Mann’s lead that had brought them here to the Angus. Kirk was the best at disguising himself, and he had a soulless attitude that made it easy for him to fit right in with lawless men.
Laz had seen a different side to Kirk last year when he’d fallen in love with Olivia Pontuf. Laz had thought it would change Kirk but it hadn’t. He still worked with them and was just as lethal as before.
Laz didn’t know if he’d stay in this business if he had a woman like Olivia waiting at home for him.
“Laz?” Savage said through the wireless earpiece.
“Here.”
“We just got word that the pirate group is moving to attack tonight. They are looking for Americans and they had some intel on our doctors. Someone in that group has a connection to a U.S. Senator.”
“Nice. Who is it?”
“It’s the woman…Daphne Bennett, she’s the ex-wife of Senator Paul Maxell,” Savage said.
“Fucking hell. That’s all we need,” Hamm said.
“Thanks, Savage, we will handle her protection here,” Laz said. “Tanker out.”
“Why did they let her come here? Don’t they know what kind of hotbed this is?” Hamm asked
Laz had no idea what motivated anyone to do anything. He only knew that he and Hamm and the rest of the Savage Seven would do their damnedest to protect Daphne and the other doctors in their group.
“I guess it doesn’t matter,” Hamm said.
“Not really. She’s the kind of bait that could draw Samatan out of hiding.”
“Indeed. She’ll make nice bait but I’m not sure she’ll agree. And capturing Samatan is our goal,” Hamm said.
Getting Samatan—the leader and possible trainer of most of the pirate groups that operated in this area—was their ultimate goal. The man was elusive and deadly. And, Laz suspected, smart. Samatan had been operating in this area for over three years and had never been caught. He was very good at raking in the dough.
“We’ll do it without using the woman,” Laz said. “We always get our man.”
“Yes, we do. I’m not sure I like this setup with the civilians.”
“No one does. It’s really the wrong place and wrong time for them to be here.”
“Damned straight,” Hamm said.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Check the radio room and the communications that have gone out. I want to know if they found out about the doctor from someone onboard this tanker.”
“Will do.”
“Let me know as soon as you find anything. I want to keep a low profile on the radio waves if we can. Not contact Savage again or have him back on the ship.”
“I think we can manage that,” Hamm said, walking away.
Laz
