“Someone’s going to need to man the Asteri. You know it better than they do.”
“The gun?”
“Take it. Just in case.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “Remi and Dimitris are probably on the Asteri. Now get going.”
“But—”
“Do it. Remi will know it’s the right thing to do. Trust me.”
Manos nodded, then followed the others into the passageway.
As they were opening the door that led to the front hatch, Sam headed back up the stairs. At the top, he saw the man he’d battled with crawling along the floor toward the door. Sam dragged him back, and knocked him upside the head. At the door, he stopped to listen, surprised when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs from the upper bridge. That distraction was going to be a bit sooner than he’d planned.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
Sam ducked around the corner along the port-side passageway, pressed himself against the wall, waiting.
“Gianni. There’s water on the deck. Fargo’s here.”
Sam stepped out, seeing Ilya and a younger man at the bottom of the stairs. Gianni, Sam presumed.
Ilya calmly pointed a gun at Sam. “Check him for weapons.”
Gianni made a wide berth around Sam, finding the knife in its sheath. He pulled it out, pointing his own gun at Sam as Ilya moved closer. Ilya, holstering his weapon, gripped Sam’s left arm. Gianni, still holding his gun, took the right. As they led him to the rear deck, Sam raised both elbows, and in a one-two motion, he stepped in and struck the gun from Gianni’s hand, then rammed his elbow into Ilya’s throat. Ilya staggered back, trying to breathe. Gianni reached for the fallen weapon, but Sam kicked it away. The pistol went spinning across the deck, banked off a dive tank compressor, then disappeared down the port-side passageway. Gianni immediately gave chase. Sam followed, hoping to get to him before he saw the escaping archeologists. He grabbed Gianni by the collar, dragged him around, then flung him against the air tanks lined up in a rack. The canisters clattered to the floor, rolling in all directions. From the corner of his eye, Sam saw Ilya drawing his own gun. Sam pivoted, kicked his leg out, whipped it back, slamming his foot against Ilya’s wrist. The gun went flying.
Gianni charged Sam, spinning him around. Ilya jumped on Sam’s back, crooked his arm around Sam’s neck in a carotid hold. Gianni, shoulder down, moved in again. Sam reached up, grasped Ilya’s arm, using it to carry his weight, then lifted both feet, driving them into Gianni’s gut. Stunned, the man faltered back, trippin
g over a loose tank and into the tank rack.
Adrian Kyril, obviously hearing the commotion, hurried down the stairs, then stopped about midway. “Kill him,” he shouted.
Unable to dislodge Ilya’s stocky arm, Sam dropped to the deck, then pulled forward, using the momentum to fling the much larger man over his head. Ilya landed on Gianni. As Ilya struggled to get to his feet, Sam hefted up a nearby dive tank, bashing it against his temple. Ilya collapsed.
Adrian looked at the two fallen men, then Sam. He drew his own gun.
Sam, still holding the tank, pivoted and swung it at Adrian, knocking the weapon from his grasp.
“I’ll kill you,” Adrian said.
“It’s over,” Sam replied. “Do us both a favor and give it up.”
The man’s dark eyes darted about, then relaxed into a triumphant stare.
In the second it took Sam to turn, Gianni reached over, grabbed Sam’s ankles, pulling sharply. Sam lost his balance, his temple hitting the deck as he fell. A bit light-headed, he opened his eyes, looking down the passageway, and saw Manos helping Denéa over the railing of the Odysseus onto the Asteri.
But they were going the wrong direction. And it wasn’t Denéa at all. It was Remi. He shook his head, looked again, seeing nothing. By the time the dizziness passed, Ilya had struggled to his feet.
“Yes,” Kyril said. “It’s over.”
Ilya wiped the blood from his cut lip, glaring at Fargo. “I’m looking forward to killing you.”
“Not yet.” Kyril held up a hand, gloating as he looked down from his perch on the stairs. “I want him to know exactly what happened to his wife.”
“What are you talking about?” Sam asked. His gaze landed on one of the fallen air tanks near his feet.