Page 63 of Invincible
CHAPTER21
Dex had been pacingthe bridge of the patrol cutter for hours when they saw what appeared to be a large ball of fire appear from the bow of the ship, slowly making its way down the shipping channel.
Luckily, the Houston police department had taken his claim of the ship transporting two dozen young women to be sold into the sex trade seriously and had been in position along the channel waiting for the signal.That didn’t, however, make Dex any less worried about the fate of Knox, Tyler, Mia, and the rest of the women.
“That doesn’t look like any flare gun I’ve ever seen,” the captain said, looking over at Dex.Dex knew exactly what it was.
He had never seen Knox create fire with his hands, but he had definitely seen the charred remains of Memphis’s cabin after Knox burned it down.Sure, he had been saving his brother’s life, but still.It still mystified him that siblings could share in some weird arrangement of DNA, giving each of them a unique supernatural ability.
When the second burst of flames shot off the bow, the captain grabbed up his radio, speaking to the police patrol boats.Small burst had started peppering the containers at the front of the boat which indicated to Dex that something bad was happening.He knew Knox would never consider exposing his gift if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
It had been agreed that the Houston police would arrest the crew with the coast guard as backup support while the FBI saw to the return of the women.There would, of course, be a lot of red tape involved, but Dex was willing to agree to anything just to get the women back safely.
Racing closer to the ship, they could hear the peppering of gunfire.
“We need to get on that ship,” Dex said.Pulling closer to the bow, Dex could make out a huddled mass of women next to one giant man.
“Not until PD secures it.Shouldn’t be much longer,” he answered.
Dex picked up a pair of binoculars and a bullhorn.Walking outside to the bow of the cutter, he searched the deck again for his friends.He could see Knox with a bloody rag wrapped around his head, Tyler next to him with her arm in some kind of makeshift sling and Greer, with her foot encased in something.What had happened in the time since he last saw them?
The rest of the women were huddled together in an indistinguishable mass.
Raising the bullhorn up, he called over to the ship.Relief flooded him when Tyler rose to her feet, signaling him with her one good arm.After painfully relaying the signals twice, she returned to sit next to Knox.Using the binoculars, he carefully studied the women, feeling like he could finally breathe for the first time since Mia’s father had shown up at his office.
He jumped when he saw a man dressed all in black stick his head over the top container.Dex watched as the man, after saying a few words to Knox, slowly repelled onto the deck.He was quickly joined by another man and a large first aid box.They worked their way across the deck, checking on the most injured first before moving on.
With growing impatience, Dex walked back onto the bridge.
“What are we waiting for?”he asked.
“Seems they’re going to have to be towed into a dock.We’re going to need cranes to clear some of the containers so they can off-load the group using the gangway.I guess they’re concerned about hauling an ankle injury, head injury and dislocated shoulder off the front.None are life-threatening, according to the EMTs, so they feel it is safer to wait.Tugboats have already been called out.”
“Can you get me onto the front of that ship?”Dex asked.It could be hours before they had the ship in dock.There was no way he could wait that long.
He watched the captain talk into the radio before he finally relented, agreeing to let him board.Thanking him, Dex left the cutter, grabbing a hold of the rope ladder hanging from the side of the ship.He climbed up quickly and was escorted past the crew sitting along the bridge wall in restraints.
“Have you ever repelled, sir?”a young police officer asked when he made it to the front of the containers.
“Just some training while at Quantico,” he answered, hoping he could still remember some of it.The question in his mind was, if Knox could get the women to the bow without ropes, why couldn’t he?
“They blocked access with several container doors somehow, making it necessary for us to repel over them.”Well, he guessed that question was answered.When he was finally geared up, he eased down until his feet landed next to where Knox was sitting.
“About damn time you showed up to the party,” Knox grumbled at him.
“You should learn to duck better,” Dex said, gripping Knox’s shoulder.
Lowering himself to his knees in front of Tyler, he carefully pulled her against his chest.
“Baby, what did you do to yourself?”he asked, squeezing her to him, being careful of her shoulder.Gently setting her back against the wall, he stood looking at the rest of the women.
“Mia?”
“Uncle Dexter?”she squealed, breaking away from the group of women.With a sob, she rushed into his arms, almost knocking them back onto the deck.
“Uncle Dexter?”Knox, Tyler, and Greer all asked in unison, looking at each other.
“I knew you would find me.I knew you would never give up,” Mia sobbed into Dex’s shirt.“I’m so sorry.”
