The Killing Grounds: an explosive and gripping thriller for fans of James Patterson. Jack Ford

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СКАЧАТЬ both of us know it’s my business to be aware of all situational alerts, and therefore I understand the likelihood of a pirate attack is real, and most likely imminent.’

      ‘Have you had visual?’

      ‘Negative sir, but radar shows targets – likely to be pirates – heading straight for us at around 35 knots. ETA, just under ten minutes. Over.’

      The captain’s voice was closed. Hostile. And it took every bit of restraint inside Cooper not to rip out the radio from the wall.

      ‘Cooper, let me get this straight. You’ve had no visual, yet you’re expecting me to send out my men on the likelihood.’

      That was it. The wall invited him to punch it. And he accepted. Gratefully.

      Frustrated, his tone still held discipline. He said, ‘That’s correct, sir.’

      A pause.

      A hush.

      A silence which sounded like a ticking clock.

      And eventually. Tightly. Captain Beau Neill said, ‘Lieutenant, request understood… and approved. I’m passing you back over to Petty Officer Monroe… But Cooper, don’t think I won’t speak to you about this when you get back on the ship.’

      A couple of drawn, long seconds, followed by the voice of Officer Monroe. ‘Yankee Girl, have you had visual yet, sir? Over.’

      ‘Negative, but targets nearing.’

      ‘Are you on your own?’

      ‘Negative Monroe, two adult civilians on board. One male, one female.’

      ‘Are you armed, Lieutenant?’

      ‘Affirmative.’

      Then the words Thomas J. Cooper had been waiting for.

      ‘Air support on its way. ETA twelve minutes. In the meantime, I advise you to get the civilians below decks… And Lieutenant, good luck.’

      *

      ‘Ellie…! Ellie…! I want you to go downstairs to the cabin, lock the door, hide in the closet. Anywhere you’ll be out of sight.’

      Charging towards her, Cooper watched as she shook her head, terror sketched and engraved into her features. She stood portside behind Jackson and, taking up the slack of the rope, she raised her voice to compete with the wind,

      ‘No, Tom! No way, I’m staying up here to help.’

      Before he had time to argue, Jackson began to jibe the boat. Forcing the yacht to make the hazardous one-eighty turn. It tilted dangerously. Rolling treacherously in the waves. Cutting sharply through the water like a blade on silk as he expertly coaxed in the mainsail. Fighting. Battling the surging wind.

      And the noise of the thick canvas sail, thunderous as it snapped through the air.

      The boom swung across the decks. Shaking violently. Threatening to come lose from her tacks. And with the wind becoming increasingly stronger, harder to defeat, Jackson yelled frantically. ‘Coop! I can’t hold her! Coop! Please!’

      Cooper hurried to help. But as he did the crosswind caught under the mainsail. Filling it out and causing the boom to swing back at speed across the deck towards Jackson.

      ‘Look out!’

      The rapidity of the vessel’s boom hurtling sideways made it impossible for Jackson to get out of the way.

      It hit him hard.

      Split open his forehead from the bridge of his nose to the base of his hairline.

      A large skin flap exposed an inch-wide wound as a fountain of blood first patterned then soaked his top. Pooling down onto the deck. He jerked backwards. His body going into seizure. Caused him to slump hard into Ellie as his legs gave way. Sending her staggering back towards the rails.

      ‘No! ...’

      Cooper’s cry stretched further than his reach. His fingertips only managing to brush Ellie’s hands. Too far to catch her but not too far to miss the terror, the panic, frozen in her eyes as she mouthed his name. Screaming out for him to help as she buckled under Jackson’s weight. Losing balance as both she and Jackson plunged overboard.

      Racing over the chain rigging, steadying himself as the yacht bobbed fiercely up and down, Cooper grabbed the lifebuoy. Stole a quick glimpse round.

      The wind had begun to blow the sails straight on. Denying them any lift. Leaving them to flutter passively like flags at half-mast. And he knew the combination of the dying sails and the boom crashing freely from side to side would stall the vessel to an eventual stop, allowing him to attempt to rescue Jackson and Ellie without fear of the yacht drifting away.

      Dashing over to the rails, Cooper leant over.

      Ellie had always teased him about the concern he’d shown over her not being able to swim, but she was now floundering and struggling and battling and terrified as the force of the ocean pounded her into the side of the yacht, her hands sliding down the fiberglass side as she desperately scrabbled for some kind of hold.

      With water rushing over her face and into her mouth, Ellie’s words were punctuated with the sounds of wild gasping.

      ‘Help… me… Tom…! Tom…! Help… me… please…’

      Throwing the buoy to her, Cooper’s eyes once again darted along the surface of the ocean. But this time he was looking for Jackson. ‘Ellie, hang on to that…Whatever you do, keep hold of it.’

      ‘Pull me up!’

      ‘I have to get Jackson… just hold on.’

      ‘Tom…! No, wait! ...’

      He turned away and Ellie continued to scream his name. The draw for him to look back was hypnotic. But he couldn’t. Shouldn’t. Wouldn’t. In truth, he didn’t dare. His composure was already beginning to crack. Peeling away. Exposing his vulnerability which he knew would serve only to distract. Costing time. Costing lives.

      There… He could see Jackson to the left of the boat. Unconscious. Floating face down.

      And without a breath of hesitation, Thomas J. Cooper dived in.

      ‘I’m here… It’s okay, I’m here… Stay with me Jackson, stay with me!’

      Treading water, Cooper turned Jackson over carefully. Real slowly. And the sea turned red with blood.

      ‘Jackson…! Jackson!’

      There was no response, but that didn’t surprise Cooper. He could see the injuries to Jackson’s head were worse than he’d initially thought. The gash so deep he could see skull. His eyes so swollen, if he’d been conscious, Cooper doubted Jackson would’ve been able to open them anyway. But at least he was alive. Barely. But alive all the same, and whatever happened, he was determined to keep it that way.

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