Dolby(35)
Author: Maryann Jordan
“We know the ship! Can we get the Coast Guard to hold it until we can get there?” he barked.
“Shit, Dolby. That’s not all.”
He swung his gaze back to the screen where Jeb fast-forwarded. “At eleven fifty-one last night, they left the port.”
He watched as the massive cargo ship maneuvered expertly out of the Oakland Dock, heading out into the Pacific Ocean.
“But they can’t be far. They’ve been underway for less than twenty-four hours. Surely, the Coast Guard can make them stop and board them.”
“They’re outside the CG jurisdiction,” Carson answered, his jaw tight.
Rick clamped his hands on Dolby’s shoulders, pulling him in close so that they were eye to eye, blocking out almost everything else in the room. “Man, hang in there. Stay with us. We’re a fuck of a lot closer than we were. We now know that she’s alive. We know that whether or not they realize they don’t have Angela, she’s alive. We know she’s on the Skrita Kralista. We also know now where the ship is heading. A stop in Hawaii just for fueling.”
“Can’t the Coast Guard hold them in Hawaii?”
“We can’t take that chance,” Carson said.
Dolby stared at his boss, frustration threatening his sanity. Slowly nodding, he sighed. “If they see they’re getting boarded, they might harm her.”
Rick continued, “Look, their next stop is the Marshall Islands on their way to Hong Kong. But guess who has a house on Majuro in the Marshall Islands?”
His jaw squared as the muscles tightened. “Fucking Roger Mansfield.”
“Hidden Queen.” Abbie spoke softly, gaining the attention of all the other Keepers. She looked up, searching for and holding Dolby’s gaze. “The Skrita Kralista. The boat she’s on translates to Hidden Queen.”
He closed his eyes slowly, swallowing deeply. Hidden queen. Yeah, I’m coming for you, baby.
The Keepers continued to work for hours, long beyond the normal day, but no one was ready to leave. As soon as they knew when the Skrita Kralista would dock in the Marshall Islands, they began the planning and logistics.
While Dolby wanted to jump into action, he knew they could do little at the moment. And he sure as fuck knew their chances of complete success would be improved with their mission planned.
“They will stop at Honolulu Harbor Oahu in five days,” Natalie reported. “They’ll dock but won’t unload or accept more cargo other than provisions, then travel on to Majuro Port in the Marshall Islands. They will arrive there two days later.”
“I’ve got the ship’s online deck log,” Abbie said, her gaze pinned on her screen. “There are thirty-two crew members listed. Thirteen are main officers, nineteen crew members.” She looked over her shoulder. “With a cargo ship, most of the space is taken up with containers. That’ll make it easier to check out the shorter accommodations decks.”
The group was silent for a moment, and Dolby knew what was on each of their minds. What if Marcia is being held in a container and not a room?
“They can’t take a chance on her being in a container,” Poole said, holding Dolby’s gaze. “We watched them walk her on board to the crew decks.”
With his fists on his hips, he offered a curt nod. “We can fly to Oahu and get me on board. I’ll locate where they have her, so I’ll be ready when we land at Majuro.”
“I’ll get it coordinated,” Carson stated. “Landon will smooth the way with the Marshall Islands US embassy, their police, and Interpol.”
“I’ve got the Honolulu Harbor plans,” Abbie said. “I’ll work up the best way to navigate onto the ship based on which dock they pull into.”
“We’ll need to get a team to Majuro,” Rick added. He looked over at Abbie. “We’ll also need the plans for Roger’s place there.”
“What about Vladimir Sposov?” Poole asked.
“He’s still in Oakland. My guess is that he is as physically far removed from the actual dirty dealings as he can be. As of today, his private jet logged his second in command, Aleksi Milanov, as heading to Hawaii,” Chris said, leaning back in his chair.
“So did Sposov take Marcia… well, Angela, to get back at Roger, or did Roger orchestrate this because he discovered his wife wanted to divorce him?” Leo asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“He and Roger working together on this?” Poole lifted his brow and looked over at the others.
Jeb sighed. “I’ve just started going through the financial reports, but I’ll do more work on them tomorrow. If Roger’s been working with the Bulgarian Mafia, he’s in deep. I’d say he got Sposov to take care of his wife for him.”
“Why not just have her killed?” Adam asked, then shot a wince toward Dolby.
“Roger must need something from her. Maybe to sign more of her wealth to him or something,” Bennett surmised.
Dolby nodded. “That works for Landon and us. We can get them all.”
Carson stood. “Okay, I want everyone to go home. Get some sleep. We’ll meet back here tomorrow morning to finish the planning.”
Dolby accepted back slaps, chin lifts, and clasped hands as everyone filed out of the room. When it was just him and Carson, he walked over to the man who was as much a friend as he was a boss. “Carson, I know I don’t have to say it, but I will. This mission means everything.”
Carson placed one hand on Dolby’s shoulder. “You’re right. You don’t have to say it, but I know. Felt the same when it was Jeannie. There’s a lot at stake, and we’ll need our heads in the mission. But you’ve got all of us behind you.”
They walked out together, and for another moment, Dolby stood and looked out over the horizon. All he could think of was that Marcia was somewhere out there on the ocean. I’m coming. I promise, babe. I’m coming.
16
Marcia had once again lost sense of time. Without being able to see out of the window, she discovered that since the wood didn’t fit tightly against the glass, the barest hint of light filtered around the edge. She couldn’t see anything outside, but it was enough that her eyes could adjust to the dark room, making it less pitch black. She didn’t know what time it was, but exhaustion pulled at her body, making her yawn widely while trying to stay alert.