He fired back in the blink of an eye, backhanding her head and sending her sprawling against the container. He grabbed her cuffed wrist and pulled it to the deck, where he latched the cuff’s free end to a loop at the base of the container. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out,” he said. “Be sure and wave to your friends.”

He turned and moved along the deck, ducking when there was a loud plink on the container behind him. He increased his pace and looked back to see a man at the rail of the Adelaide, firing a pistol at him. Pablo sidestepped down a row of containers and out of sight as two more shots followed.

Dirk lowered the SIG Sauer with disgust as his father caught up with him at the rail. They had shed the cumbersome Hazmat suits, which had left them both drenched in sweat.

“There’s a woman tied to that shipping container,” Dirk said. “I took a shot at the guy who put her there but missed.”

Pitt spotted a woman with short blond hair lying at the base of a container. “That’s Ann.”

Any relief at finding Ann alive was dispelled by observing the Salzburg’s precarious state. The ship was sinking quickly. The gash from the Adelaide was taking her down by the beam, and Pitt could see that the ship would capsize before she went under.

“Let’s see if we can get to her.” He took off running for the Adelaide’s bow. The whole section was mashed flat but still locked in the jagged grip of the Salzburg. The tangled beams of the sinking containership groaned as they tore against the Adelaide’s bow.

Pitt threaded his way through the shredded steel until he could drop onto the Salzburg’s deck. He ran aft across the ship, snaking around the scattered containers, until reaching Ann.

She looked at him in disbelief as he waded up to her. “What are you doing here?”

He grinned at her. “I heard you were trying to take a cruise without me.”

She was too frightened to smile. “Can you free me?”

He sloshed through the water to take a closer look. She was seated on the deck with her hand pinned low. Water already swirled above her elbow. Then the container creaked and slid a few inches over the port rail, dragging her with it.

“It’s a handcuff?” Pitt asked.

She nodded.

Dirk approached, and together they looked for something to free her with. Somewhere on the ship would be tools, but they had no time to search. The ship was already half underwater. And so was the container.

“It’s going to go over the side any minute,” Dirk whispered. “I don’t see how we can get her free of it.”