Free The Emerald Quest by Renee Pawlish Page B

–” Juan Carlo said.
    “Noah’s right. Trying to use a stand-in won’t fool the kidnappers,” Anthony interrupted him. “This is the only way to get Noah’s parents back safely.”
    Juan Carlo muttered in Spanish. “Sí. But if anything happens to you or Noah, I don’t think I can forgive myself.”
    “We’ll be fine,” Anthony said.
    Noah thought about those words later, when things did go awry.
    ***
    At ten o’clock, Noah and Anthony drove to the marina. Chief Burton had called that afternoon and said that Officer Perez, the stand-in for Noah, would come by at eleven and go with Anthony to the marina. By leaving earlier, Noah and Anthony avoided Chief Burton, who would surely put a stop to their plans.
    Phil Harris was not happy about having someone interrupt his night watch. But Chief Burton had obviously cleared things, because Phil gave them little trouble, other than a snide comment about them showing up earlier than he expected.
    Anthony and Noah untied the Explorer in silence. Anthony turned on the boat’s lights and guided it past other vessels out into the open water. Noah stared at the dark water as they cruised toward the Marquesas Keys.
    After a while, Anthony cut the engine. “We’ll wait here.”
    “What do you think Chief Burton will do when he finds out we left earlier?” Noah asked.
    “He’s going to be angry,” Anthony shuddered. “But I doubt Chief Burton will send a police cruiser out here because he’ll know that’ll put you and your parents at risk. He’s going to have to sit tight until he hears from us.”
    Noah paced nervously, pausing every few moments to gaze out into the darkness.
    Anthony said nothing, but kept looking at his watch. “It’s midnight,” he finally announced.
    “I’ll be seeing my parents soon,” Noah said, trying to think positively. They went aft, where Noah could dive into the water.
    “Make sure the transmitter is on,” Anthony said. He had showed Noah how to work it earlier in the day.
    Noah felt in a tiny pocket inside his new swim trunks. “It’s on.” He slipped into the water. He couldn’t see more than a couple feet below him.
    “Kind of spooky,” he said. The moon flitted in and out of silvery clouds.
    “It’s okay. Good luck,” Anthony said. “Just swim out that way. I’ll be watching with the binoculars.”
    “Okay.” Noah struck out, using a front crawl stroke. He was a strong swimmer, but he had difficulty in the choppy waters. Carrying the box made swimming harder, too. He swam until his arms and shoulders ached. Noah paused and treaded water with one arm. He glanced behind him. He was a hundred yards from the Explorer . Noah couldn’t see anything around him. His breathing raced, both from exertion and fear. He swam farther and stopped. What if this was just a wild goose chase? He could end up drowning before anyone rescued him.
    Then he heard a speedboat nearing. A spotlight swept the water, coming to rest on him. He squinted at the bright light. It suddenly went off and he blinked, his eyes adjusting to the abrupt darkness. The boat engine died. Noah jerked as its hull suddenly came by him. Powerful hands snatched him under the shoulders and roughly hauled him into the boat.
    “Stay down,” a menacing voice ordered him. He felt a gun poke into his back.
    Noah huddled in the bottom of the boat, shaking. He turned his head cautiously. Three men stood over him. One was short and stocky, with a shaved head. He wore a swimsuit and no shirt. His chest was as wide as a barrel. The second man was taller, with a flat face and crooked nose. Noah tipped his head to the side. The third man, holding the gun to his back, had spiked blond hair – Dave ‘The Wrench’ Dixon. He and the man with the flat face had diving gear on.
    “Let me see it.” The man with the flat face nudged Noah with his foot. Noah handed him the box with the spyglass in it.
    “This is the map?” Noah didn’t say anything. Dave hit him on the back