Page 85 of The Library on Plum Island
“I’m not even going to ask why you have one of those,” Alex told him and looked at Malcolm. “We need to find Todd’s jacket.”
“I’m on it,” Malcolm nodded, glaring warningly at Todd. “If I come back and you’re lying or I find out you’re the mastermind behind this…” His voice trailed off menacingly. “There are going to be some very happy sharks.”
“I had nothing to do with this,” Todd spluttered, and his beady eyes flew to Alex’s. “I’m telling you the truth. I have no idea why I’d be kidnapped.”
“I’ll be back,” Malcolm disappeared.
“Can’t we just turn around and go back to shore now that Malcolm has subdued those thugs?” Todd asked.
“Not unless you want my boat to explode,” Alex explained as he kept the boat at a steady pace. “It seems whoever put us on it rigged it with explosives.”
“What?” Toddy’s jaw slackened. “What kind of explosives?”
“I don’t know, Todd,” Alex said sarcastically. “I haven’t actually seen them.”
“Who told you the boat was wired with explosives?” Todd pressed.
“I did.” The goon woke up. “And I know it’s rigged because I planted the explosives.”
Todd’s shoulders stiffened as his eyes narrowed on the man. “Why do you look so familiar?”
“Because you fired me from your company and blamed me and my crew for your inferior-quality props, which I warned you about,” the goon stated, and Alex watched Todd pale. “You know, that train that killed a stunt person and then you found a way to wiggle out of taking responsibility for.”
“Who do you work for?” Alex looked around at the man, a cold feeling rippling down his spine.What if this wasn’t about Daniella and had to do with that accident three years ago?While it wasn’t a Blackwell Production movie, Alex’s father recommended Todd’s company to the film studio that was producing the movie. Could this be revenge for the loss of Stanley Wells’s partner? Alex didn’t know the man, but he shook the thought off.
This had to be Ron Jackson’s work. Stanley Wells had no reason to come after Alex or his family.
“I can’t say,” the goon stubbornly said and went back to glaring at Todd.
“Is this about Todd?” Alex frowned. “If so, why would you blow up my house?”
“No, Todd was just an enjoyable afterthought of the person who hired me,” the man sneered at Todd. “It’s the only part of this that I got a bit of enjoyment from. You killed a good friend of mine all to save a few bucks.”
The guy really hates Todd.“Do you work for Ron Jackson?”
“The congressman’s son?” The goon asked and shook his head. “No one works for the pig anymore.”
Alex felt a cold shiver creep up his spine. “What does that mean?”
“Two of the men downstairs are mercenaries. When the person who hired us got all the information they needed from Ron Jackson, they were ordered toget rid of him.“ The man’s eyes were hooded, but Alex could see that the action didn’t sit well with the man.
“As in, kill him?” Todd gasped.
“Yes.” The man nodded in confirmation. “Look, I can show you where the explosives are, but I can’t diffuse them. While I don’t think the person who employed us wants you dead, they do want to destroy your boat.”
“You blew up my house!” Alex looked at the man accusingly.
“I’m sorry, but I had no choice,” the man told Alex. “The person has my family under surveillance, and I have a wife and daughter. They already killed my dog and the gardener as an example of what will happen if I don’t cooperate.”
“So you blew up my house and wired my boat to succumb to the same fate?” Alex hissed, and an image of Daniella and Emily flashed through his mind. He knew if he were in the man’s position, he’d probably comply as well.
“Your best option is to try and hail that rescue boat that’s been following us. Put the boat on autopilot, which will give you at least five minutes to get free,” the man told them.
“I’m not jumping in the ocean,” Todd exclaimed.
“You will if you don’t want to become a shark shish kebab,” Alex told him. “Malcolm is rounding up your men, and we’ll get you all on the dinghy as I’m not having any deaths on my conscience.”
“Then I suggest you use the chloroform on the bar on the deck below the cockpit to knock them out,” the man instructed. “Oh, and do the same for me, but please. If you can, get to my wife and kid. They’re innocent in all this.”
