“Throw it, quick!” spluttered Jack, going under the surface momentarily, before sticking his head out of the water again. The Malaysian Princess had coasted to about the length of two swimming pools away.

“Sorry,” Oskar yelled back at him. “I would like to, but you’re too far.” He tossed it at Pike who laughed and tossed the preserver back on the hook.

Had the yacht been closer, Jack would have swum underwater to the far side where the bowline dangled in the water, but the distance was too great. Even with the choppy waves, he would be seen if he popped his head up partway.

Jack floundered in the water for a moment more, taking deep breaths and slowly exhaling to build up his stamina, before slipping beneath the surface. When he did, he swam underwater at a right angle to the yacht.

When his lungs screamed for air, he surfaced with only his mouth above water, before continuing. This time he went parallel to the yacht.

The second time Jack surfaced for air, he risked sticking his head out of the water for a peek. He was midway along the yacht and caught a glimpse of the men still at the stern, gazing out to where he had been thrown in.

Moments later, Jack made his way to the far side of the yacht and held on to the bowline. The sleek curvature of the bow kept him hidden if someone looked down from above or from the stern.

Jack thought his plan was relatively simple. He presumed they would move closer to the island and wait for the tide to bring him in. He would then swim to shore and remain hidden. He figured that eventually they would give up looking for his body and leave. The small island was deserted, but sooner or later someone would find him.

Jack could hear the murmur of voices, but was too far away to hear what they were saying. A splash in the water, followed by another splash, told him that something was up and he risked peeking around the bow.

Razak and Khalid had each donned bathing suits, swim fins, and goggles and were swimming out to look for his body.

Half an hour passed before they returned to the yacht. Moments later, the vessel powered up and headed towards the island. It did not go at a high speed, but Jack was forced to pull himself waist-high out of the water to avoid being dragged like a lure and drowned.

Minutes later, the yacht powered down and Jack felt a brief moment of panic from the sudden noise of the electric anchor as it rumbled past him.

Jack studied the island. There was a sandy beach backed by coconut trees facing him. One end of the beach could be walked to the other within ten minutes. The beach itself was bordered with boulders and rock cliffs.

Jack could swim to the island in about twenty minutes, but didn’t want to risk it in daylight hours. The sun was low in the horizon and he knew it would be dark enough in another hour.

Minutes after the engines were shut off, Jack heard the sound of the tender being lowered in the water where it soon roared to life. He quickly positioned himself directly in front of the bow so he could hide on one side of the yacht or the other, depending upon where the tender was driven. The incoming tide had caused the yacht to slowly swing around so that the bow was facing out to sea.

Jack watched as Razak and Khalid roared back out to sea on the tender, where they drove around in circles searching for his body. Jack then heard Barfoot and Oskar on the bow above. It was evident that they were watching the tender, as well.

“If they don’t find him, we’ll go to shore and wait,” said Barfoot.

Jack swam farther back along the bow where the curvature would still hide him, but in a position where he was directly below the two men. He noticed that the bowline he had left dangling over the side was being hauled back on board.

“The trouble with hiring soldiers and not sailors,” joked Barfoot, from above.

“Doesn’t look like they’re having much luck out there,” commented Oskar.

“No problem. We’ll wait and let nature do its thing. Tell you what, I’ll call them back and get them to take us to shore. You up for a little target practice? It’ll be fun.”

“Target practice?”

“I’ve got a stash of weapons hidden on board. You never know when you’ll need them in these waters.”

Jack heard the squelch from a walkie-talkie as Barfoot ordered his men to return. When the tender came closer, Jack held his breath and went under the water until he knew which side of the yacht the tender would pass on as it made its way to the stern.

A few minutes later, the tender headed to shore with Barfoot, Oskar, Pike, and Khalid. Jack watched as several items were unloaded, including folding chairs, a cooler, and a large duffel bag. Khalid then got back in the tender and slowly cruised back out to sea, scanning the ocean with binoculars as he went.

It was getting dark when Pike lined up several coconuts on a piece of driftwood on the beach. The sound of gunfire erupted moments later as the three men took turns with pistols. This was later followed by the sound of fully automatic machine-gun fire.

Jack decided the distraction would be a good time for him to swim to shore. He took a deep breath and swam as much of the distance underwater as he could. Despite the darkness, he did not want to chance Razak spotting him from above, who would no doubt also be scanning the ocean for his body.

By the time Jack had reached a rocky outcrop at the far end of the beach, the men had stopped firing and he could see Pike collecting driftwood to make a bonfire.

Jack settled in amongst the rocks and waited while Barfoot, Oskar, and Pike sat in their folding chairs around the fire. It was dark enough that he knew they would be able to see little beyond the fire and he felt comfortable in his position.

He knew Razak was somewhere on board the yacht and Khalid was using a spotlight mounted on the front of the tender as he cruised back and forth.

I’m safe. Just sit tight until I’m rescued. As Jack waited, he went over the evidence in his mind and the horrible reality of the situation hit him.

What can I prove about Barfoot? He was in the wheelhouse when I was tossed overboard. Defence will claim it was a prank. The guys were just horsing around and didn’t realize he couldn’t swim until it was too late. Barfoot even sent his men out in fins and goggles to look for him …

Jack stared at the men around the bonfire. If he was going to convict Barfoot, he knew he needed more evidence.

Chapter Forty-Two

Jack climbed around a few boulders at the end of the beach and made his way to the edge of the trees before heading down the beach toward the fire. Soon he got to a point where he crept on his hands and knees.

The shadows from the flames flickered on the men’s faces as they sat in a circle around the fire while talking and drinking beer. Jack watched their faces carefully for any sign that they would detect him as he squirmed on his belly close enough to hear.

The first conversation he overheard was Oskar talking about buying a home in the same area as Barfoot.

“I’d recommend it,” replied Barfoot. “I’ve already done all the work when it comes to paying off the right people. If things ever went sideways, we’d be safe there.”

“No extradition?” asked Pike.

“Malaysia does have sort of a gentleman’s agreement for extradition, but nothing concrete and they can be picky on who they decide to send back and who they don’t.”

“Nothing we have to worry about, regardless,” said Oskar.

“No, but consider it insurance,” said Barfoot, bringing laughter to the group.

Their conversation was interrupted by the roar of the tender as Khalid slowly cruised along the waves near the beach, while scanning the water with the spotlight.