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Bones Bonebrake was ready to call it a day. He had spent hours searching for clues but all he had found were snakes, mosquitoes, and dead ends. No sooner had he thought about snakes than a fast-moving cottonmouth crossed his path. Bones saw it coming and gave it a wide berth. It appeared to have no more interest in him than he in it, and the two parted ways without further conflict.
“What in the hell am I going to do for the next week?” he said to the sky. The Lost City of the Everglades was looking to be a waste of his time. His crewmates were all out of town, except for Maddock, who was holed up in his condo with the new woman in his life. He had made it clear to Bones that he was not to be disturbed until she returned home the following Sunday.
Bones enjoyed life, and aside from rednecks and the French, there weren’t many things he couldn’t stand, but boredom was one. The other was having no one to be bored with. He didn’t exactly regret leaving the Navy SEALs for a life of treasure hunting, but at least the service had kept him occupied.
“Help?”
Bones paused. That was odd. He was certain someone had said the word “help” but she hadn’t sounded like she needed help. Still, he ought to check it out, just to be safe. Keeping an eye out for more snakes, he moved through the tall grass in the direction of the sound. When he broke through, he saw a short, red-haired woman standing out in the middle of the mudflat. Check that—she was actually a tall redhead who was stuck knee-deep in the mud.
“Holy crap,” he muttered. “Been there, done that.” He quickened his pace, careful not to end up in the same predicament.
“I need help out here!”
Bones grinned. The woman sounded like a drill sergeant. So that’s how it was? Realistically, she had probably sunk as far as she was going to in this particular spot, but it could be a pain in the ass to get out of. And it was scary for someone who had never been stuck before. He was about to call out to her, to reassure her, but she started to scream.
“Oh my God! Somebody help me! Please!”
“Hey, calm down!” Bones shouted. “You’ll just get yourself stuck deeper.”
“Calm down?” she shouted. “Do you not see the giant alligator that’s coming right at me?”
Bones spotted it immediately. It was huge, and it was headed right for the woman.
“You have got to be freaking kidding me.” Bones took off running, hoping the earth between them would support his weight. The gator closed in on the woman, who had dug a Swiss Army Knife out of her fanny pack and was brandishing it at the giant reptile that was closing in on her. Bones admired her spirit, if not her choice of weaponry
“Don’t you do it!” he shouted at the gator. He doubted it would startle the beast, but it was worth a try.
It didn’t work.
“That was just great!” the redhead shouted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I really think you scared him.”
“Do you want my help or not?” Bones huffed.
“I’d feel better if you were Steve Irwin.”
“You and me both!” Bones flashed past her. He didn’t dive headlong at the alligator—that would be suicide. Instead, he angled around and came in from behind.
He landed atop it and somehow got his arms around its jaw, and the powerful beast began to thrash. Bones suddenly found himself clinging to the gator’s snout for dear life. If he were to let go...
He had never truly appreciated how powerful an alligator was, nor how slippery. As the beast continued to thrash around, he felt himself sliding forward. If he lost his grip, he might end up in the worst possible place—right in front of it. Gritting his teeth, he held on with all his might and worked to remain atop the gator. It was a lot like jiu-jitsu, but in this case, tapping out was not an option.
He squeezed his knees tight against its flanks, holding himself in place. Next, he worked his feet beneath its hind legs, preventing them from touching the ground, which reduced the thrashing. With his body weight shifted forward, the beast’s head was pinned to the ground, keeping its mouth pressed firmly shut. An alligator could close its jaws with tremendous force, but once its mouth was closed, it was relatively easy to keep it that way.
Bones worked his left hand forward to the tip of its snout, grabbed hold, and squeezed. Next, he worked his right arm free and slid it up to cover the beast’s eyes. Finally, he pulled up on the snout until its neck was bent at nearly a ninety-degree angle.
Soon, the gator stopped fighting. Bones breathed a sigh of relief but held on.
“Nice job,” said the red-haired woman. “What happens now?”
“We put something over its head until it calms down.”
“And then what?”
“Then I let it go of it and hope for the best.”
Her eyes went wide. “Are you kidding me? What if it comes right at me?”
“It shouldn’t. Now, do you have anything I can use to cover its eyes?”
“Look at me. I’m stuck in the mud. And before you ask, no, I don’t have a blindfold in my fanny pack.”
Bones nodded. “It’ll have to be your tank top, then.”
The woman smirked. “Nice try.”
“I’m not kidding. I’d use my own shirt but in order to take it off, I’d have to let go of this guy. Is that what you want?”
She tensed, fists clenched, but then the fight seemed to go out of her. “Fine. But if you ogle me, I’ll punch you in the throat.”
“Before or after we get you out of the mud?”
She flashed an angry scowl, then pulled her muddy tank top over her head. She wore a sports bra, which covered more than a swimsuit. Still, he got a nice glimpse of a flat stomach and smooth, fair skin.
“I told you, no ogling!” She flung the shirt at him. It struck him full in the face.
He ignored her. Still holding its jaws shut with one hand, he draped the shirt over its eyes, then spoke to it in soothing tones until it calmed down.
“Moment of truth?” the woman asked, her voice tight with anxiety.
“You got a name?”
“Mackenzie. You can call me Mack.”
“All right, Mack. Here’s the deal. When I jump off, the gator should turn and snap at me. If it’s a typical gator, it’s lost interest in dinner by now and will leave us alone, but just to be safe, I need you to be ready for me to pull you free.”
“I’ve been ready since the moment I got stuck, genius.”
Bones shook his head. “If I try and pull you out like you are now, the mud will work against us, and I don’t know how solid the ground around you is. I need you to lie back like you’re floating on water. That way, I can pull you free.”
Mack quirked an eyebrow. “You want me to lie down in front of an alligator?”
“Do you really think you’ll be better off standing knee-deep in the mud?”
She considered for a second, then let out a curse. “Fine. You win.” Slowly, and with lots of swearing, she lay back in the gooey earth.
Bones looked down at the gator. It seemed calm, but who could say what it would do when he let it go? “Moment of truth,” he whispered. He readied himself to move. As he let go, he sprang back, simultaneously pushing the gator forward. It didn’t move far, but it bought him a few extra inches so that when the creature turned and snapped at him, its jaws closed on empty air.
“Come on, don’t be like that,” he said, slowly backing away in hopes of leading it away from Mack.
It worked. The gator advanced on him a few steps, let out a hiss, then turned and headed away.
“Get me out of here before it comes back,” Mack said.
“You didn’t say the magic word.”
“Please?”
Bones shook his head. “The magic word is ‘beer,’ and you’re buying.”
“Deal.” She held out her hands for Bones to take hold. He pulled her free and helped her to her feet.
Mack looked him up and down, appraising him. “Not bad considering you’re not Seminole.”
“Don’t believe that stereotype,” he said. “But I’m impressed that you can tell us apart.”
“You’re Bones Bonebrake, right?”
Bones was surprised and suspicious in equal measure. “Who do you work for?”
“Myself, thanks to you.” She glared at him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?
She clenched her fists, but the fire suddenly went out of her. “Look, I’ve had a bad day. How about I buy you that beer and we start over? I think you’ll be interested in what I have to say.” She glanced down at her mud-caked body. “After I’ve showered of course.”
“I will on one condition. You let me wash your back.”
Mack shook her head. “I appreciate the help you gave me. Don’t ruin it.”