Rick swam slowly along about ten feet above the bottom. His eyes swept back and forth, searching for a tell-tale shape or gleam. He saw nothing. He looked at the gage on his wrist, he had plenty of air left. He had ten more kicks left before he made a right turn to a due south heading. Then he stopped. He heard the whine and thump of a boat approaching. Sounded like a large fast boat. He saw it pass just to the east of him. As it went by he saw something hit the water and plunge for the bottom. It looked like a crab trap with a trailing rope. The rope was around the legs of a woman. Her long black hair trailed behind her. He thought, 'Someone is being killed or has been killed.' He swam rapidly for her. Her eyes were wide open and she was trying to free herself from the rope. He grabbed her face and pushed his mouthpiece in her mouth. He made sure she was breathing, then drew his dive knife and cut the ropes holding her to the trap. He held her down. They did not want to be popping up behind the killers.
He checked his compass and started swimming back toward his boat. He looked at her and she gave him a thumbs up. He reached for the mouth piece and held it until she nodded and released her grip on it. He took about four good breaths and handed the mouthpiece back to her. He kicked hard for his boat for about two minutes then got another few breaths from her. He repeated this several times and thought he saw his anchor line in the distance. When he got his next breath from her he pointed to the line. She shook her head. She couldn't see it.
When they were under the boat he started up. When they were a few feet from the surface took a quick drag of air and held her down while he slowly stuck his head above water. He saw the other boat about a mile away crossing in front of them. He ducked back under and pulled her toward the stern of the boat. When they were behind the boat he pulled her to the surface.
"They are in front of us, can you get up this ladder and stay low and get down in the cabin." She nodded rapidly and he gave a push on her behind to help her up. When she was in the boat he shrugged out of his harness and tied it off on the trailing stern line. He then slithered up the ladder and through the transom door. When he got to the cabin door he raised his head and saw the bigger boat turning toward them. He rapidly ducked in the cabin and stripped off his wet suit. He grabbed a towel and quickly dried off. He looked up and saw the woman watching him. He reached in a drawer and pulled out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. He looked at her and into the blackest eyes he had ever seen. "They are trying to kill you, right?'
She nodded.
"Go below and stay out of sight, they will have to kill me too if they see you." He walked on deck and pulled in his air tanks and put them in a rack. He took a hose and washed them off carefully. He looked up and the big sports fisherman was only a few yards away. He looked surprised to see them and smiled at them. "You scared me," he yelled. Have you been there long? I just got out of the shower."
"Have you seen anyone in the water? We had someone fall overboard."
"No we were diving and just came up about a half an hour ago. Where did he fall off? I didn't hear your call on the emergency channel on the VHF. Maybe I forgot to turn it on. Let me get my anchor in and I will help you search. I'll come up on channel six and you can tell me what quadrant you want me to search." He reached for the switch and the electric winch started the anchor up as he started the engines. The big inboard engines rumbled deeply. He eased the boat ahead, separating them from the other boat which was going the opposite direction. He took the boat out of gear and saw the anchor come up over the bow pulpit.
"Stay out of sight, Find a terrycloth robe in a hanging locker. Put it on and wrap a towel around your hair. See if you can disguise your self, I will tell them I have my wife aboard on our honeymoon. But stay out of sight until I call you."
"OK."
He looked down into the cabin and saw her standing out of sight of the other boat, She had on the robe on, hanging open with tiny little bikini swimsuit bottoms he recognized as belonging to his ex-wife. Her bare beasts swayed to the motion of the boat. She had a towel around her hair and sunglasses on. She came up the steps and hugged him and panted a big kiss on his lips. It was a deep and sensuous kiss that really got his blood flowing. She smiled and went back below. He looked back at the other boat and saw he was being watched with binoculars. He glanced below and saw her weeping on the deck. He punched on the autopilot and ducked down the steps. She was holding her ankles. He saw wire digging deeply into the skin and grabbed wire cutters from the tool drawer of the galley. He had to dig into her skin to cut the wire. She gave a little yelp as a little blood spurted out. He was able to get under the other wire easier and without drawing blood. He handed her a paper towel and hurried back to the helm. The other boat was following them about fifty yards back. He reached and switched the radio to channel six. It blasted "Motor Vessel Yellowfin this is the Motor Vessel Kummonahwannaleia, do you read me?"
"Kummonahwannaleia, I read you loud and clear, We are ready to help you now. My wife wanted me to come to lunch, we are on our honeymoon. Yellowfin, Over."
"Go on and get your lunch, buddy, we just found our man overboard asleep in his bunk. Kummonahwannaleia Out."
"Rodger, that, Kummonahwannaleia, Yellowfin Out."
Rick turned to a northerly heading on the autopilot and ran the engines up to cruise RPMs, took a quick look back at the other boat and went below. She was laying on the settee with the robe hanging open, the little bikini top just covering her nipples on her breasts, her eyes were closed. He looked at her ankles and went to the medicine cabinet and got some antiseptic and bandages. He kneeled beside the settee and examined the bleeding ankle, he gently lifted it and her eyes opened. He noticed for the first time that they were slanted black eyes. She winced as he applied antiseptic and a gauze pad over the cut. He looked at the other ankle and softly rubbed the groove the wire made in the skin. It was very red but was not bleeding, the feet were very small but their color was normal. He didn't think she would suffer any ill effects from that part of here ordeal.
She was looking steadily at him now. She said, "How can I ever thank you for what you did. You risked everything for a stranger. You really think quick. I tried to help, I was sure they wouldn't recognize me in this suit. I tried to make them believe you had nothing to hide, did I do alright?"
"You did just fine, wonderful, but we need to talk. They know who I am, they will check me out, just in case, they can't afford to take chances, right?"
"Yes, you are right. They don't know if I am alive or dead."
He smiled at her, "Honey, what is your name, I have to call you something besides 'Honey'."
" My name is Kieko. Kieko Swarez."
" OK, my name is Rick, Rick Martin. Now, who was trying to kill you and why?"
"My husband is trying to kill me for my money. I have an inheritance and he wants it. He is in over his head with drug dealers. If I die he will inherit enough to bail him out. I have to hide from him until a divorce hearing next month in New York. After that he has no claim on my money."
"Wow! You are in hot water. I must be nuts, but I want to help, partly from self preservation. What can I do?"
"Can you hide me? Then get me to New York next month, I will pay you, and pay you very well."
"I think I can, we will have to have a different disguise for you. I love that swim suit, you make my mouth water the way it looks on you, but we have to have you look like you have never looked before."
