“We still might not. He wasn’t headed out very quickly, but he pretty much knew there was nothing we could do about him. He could have sped up by now. I don’t really know if this little boat could outrun him if he put his motor to full haul ass.”
“We’ll do our best.”
“What if it doesn’t work?” he asked. He turned, his face a blank slate. “What happens then? Are we going to chase him forever?”
I didn’t have an answer for him. This could be a mad chase for nothing. “I don’t know.”
“I need you to think very carefully how far you’re willing to take this, Kayli. You’re not just putting yourself at risk any more. Marc and Raven are bull headed enough to follow you wherever you want to lead them on this crazy campaign of yours. But how far will you chase the white whale?”
“How far would you?” I asked quietly. I met his eyes, and while I wasn’t certain how he felt, I hoped I showed I was somewhat confident in my answer. “How far would you go to save a life?”
“What would be the price?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Right now, it’s a few hours of our time, a borrowed boat, and the risk of getting caught and hoping the owners won’t feel too bad if we try to explain why we borrowed it.”
Axel exhaled. “How in the world do you do it?”
“Do what?”
The corner of his mouth lifted, softening his face into something that looked almost like pride. “Less than a week and you’ve got those boys breaking protocol to satisfy your own need to do whatever it takes to do the right thing.”
“I thought you didn’t like this plan.”
“I like the plan. I just don’t want you to go crazy.” He reached behind his body, at his hip holster that I hadn’t noticed before, and pulled out a .38. He knocked back the hammer and turned it over.
“What are you doing?” I asked, a little wary of the gun.
“Making sure this Coaltar doesn’t go crazy,” he said. He stuffed the gun back into the holster and turned to me. “Now listen to me. I hope Coaltar might be reasonable. Maybe he’ll change his mind if you talk to him. Maybe he’ll listen. He seems like a sensible person trying to right a wrong. He helped the Fitzgerald family when they could have suffered. He hid them in a new house, and tried to stop a gang war. I have to admire him for that.”
I choked, but bit back a retort. I didn’t want to think of Coaltar as doing the right thing.
Axel picked up my hand that was against my thigh. He squeezed it. “But more important, I want you to know we’re here for you. If there’s any hint that this could be deadly, if he has a gun and starts shooting at us for trying to invade his boat, he’ll have every right to do so. I don’t want you hurt. I don’t want Raven and Marc hurt. I’ll go on this little chase, but I won’t let anyone risk their lives for this, including you.” He leaned in, until our heads almost knocked together. “Am I clear? I don’t want you fighting me if I’m trying to save your ass.”
I twisted my lips. “I guess,” I said. I didn’t want to die, either. I couldn’t help anyone if I was dead.
He nodded.
“That might be it,” Marc called to us. I looked back at him, and he pointed out across the water.
The yacht was still in the water a good distance from us but we were closing in. A ferry boat was crossing in front of it. It had two levels and from where I was sitting, I could tell there were people standing on both levels. Lights flashed from cameras.
“Did he almost hit that other ship?” I asked.
“It’s the Fort Sumter ferry,” Axel said. “He had some bad timing. He’s having to wait until they clear.”
“That’ll give us an advantage,” Marc said. “And a distraction.”
Raven turned the boat toward the yacht, and sped up the engine. “Where do we want to park this thing? Or do you want me to just ram into it?”
“Check the back end of the boat,” Marc said, pointing to the rear of the yacht. “There’s a lower deck and a ladder off to the left. Get near that.”
“They may see us coming,” Axel said.
“They may not,” Marc said. “They’ve got to watch out for that ferry. But they may hear us. We’ll have to be careful.”
Raven pressed onward. Maybe luck was on our side, but that ferry seemed to slow down. I didn’t realize why. Maybe they were gawking at the big yacht. I probably would. At any rate, anyone aboard the yacht was probably paying attention to what was going on in the front.
Our boat neared the yacht. Raven slowed as we got close. Marc took to the front of the boat, waiting until we were close and then grabbing a hold of the low hanging ladder that was on the left side. He gripped it and weighted himself against the boat to keep the motor boat from drifting too far away.
Raven killed the engine. “Someone has to stay here,” he said. “Make sure the yacht doesn’t just fly off and we have no way to get out.”
“I’ll stay,” Axel said. He grabbed the rope and tied the boat off to the end of the ladder. “You three go.”
“Marc should stay,” I said. “He’s got a limp.”
“I’ll show you a limp,” he said. He grabbed the rail of the silver ladder and started to climb up.
I sighed. My heart was pounding. This was insane. How in the world did I talk myself into this? And what was I going to say to Blake when I found him? Hi. So, maybe I ran out on you, but could you dump your drugs into the water in the ocean instead of in this well? Pretty please?
I followed Marc up the silver ladder.
Raven followed me. On occasion, he nudged my calf, as if encouraging me. Or worried I’d fall into the water if he didn’t keep a hand on me.
Marc moved up until he could haul himself over a balcony that protruded out over the water on the first deck. He reached back, finding my arms and heaved me up and over until I was standing beside him. The balcony had a few lounge chairs and side tables. I nudged into one to get out of the way as Raven climbed aboard.
Marc waited until Raven was next to us. Then he pointed at me. “Okay, you and I are going to locate Coaltar.” He pointed to Raven. “Go find the drugs.”
“They could be in food cartons,” I said. “And in other things that look like supplies. He wanted to hide them so no one would have a problem with people bringing them aboard.”
“Oh, so you’re saying they could be anywhere,” he said. “Sure, make it easy for me.”
Marc waved a hand to get my attention. “If we get separated, head back here and grab Axel.” He dipped into his pocket and he pulled out what looked like an ear piece. He caught my hand and planted it in my palm. “Here,” he said. “Put this in.”
“What is it?”
“Contact,” he said. “You always have to stay in touch.”
I sighed and shifted the ear bud in my fingers, trying to figure out how it was supposed to go. Raven pulled it from my hands and straightened it. He gripped my shoulder, aimed the thing at the side of my head and wriggled it into place.
“Brandon,” Marc said. “Say something so she can hear you.”
“You’re in deep shit, Kayli,” Brandon said.
“Can he hear me?” I asked Marc.
“I can hear you,” Brandon said in my ear, a little fuzzy, like he was standing in another room with the door closed, but I could make out what he was saying. “Just wait until I get a hold of you.”
“Raven,” I pretended to plea. “Brandon said he was going to hurt me.”
“I’ll kill him,” he said. He jammed his own ear plug into his noggin. “Corey? Yeah. Hit your brother once for me. No, in the dick. No, he won’t hit you back. I promise.”
“Cut it out, you guys,” Marc said.
“How come I can’t hear Corey?” I asked.
“I get Corey,” Raven said. “You get Brandon.”
“I want to switch.”
“I said stop,” Marc barked at us. “Okay, everyone go quiet.” He pointed a finger to Raven and then to the sliding glass doors in front of u
s that lead to the rest of the boat. When we were out of the glare of the sun, I could see through to an empty bedroom. Raven went to the doors, tried the handle and they slid open instantly.
“Not much for security,” Raven said.
“He’s probably not expecting company after he’s taken off from the dock,” Marc said.
The bedroom was as wide as the back of the yacht. There was a king sized bed on top of the immaculate cream carpet. The wide windows extended to three sides of the room, giving an almost overwhelming sense of being outside with the water surrounding. The headboard was done out in delicate gold with an overlaid painting of cherry blossom trees done in beige. Perfect. Decadent.
“Oh my god,” I said, staring at the large television off to the corner, the pillows that appeared to be without a single wrinkle or blemish, or the inlay of the woodwork against the ceiling. “I hate this boat.” It felt so opulent, too much.
“Don’t be jealous, little thief,” Raven said.
“Why?”
“His bed is empty,” he said.
“Enough,” Marc waved him off. “Go find what you’re looking for.
“You hearing me okay, Kayli?” Brandon asked, now dropping the threatening tone and getting to business.
“Yeah,” I said.
“This schematic of the ship says the helm is two decks above you.”
“How did you get a schematic?”
“Did you think we were sitting on our asses here? Just trust me. You probably want to start at the helm.”
“Does he drive his own boat?” I asked. “I was thinking he’d probably be ... I don’t know. Where do rich people sit on their boats?”
“There’s probably more than just Coaltar on this ship,” Marc said. “Someone’s driving.”
“Get out of the bedroom,” Brandon said. “Head left.”
Marc started out. I felt a little better with them taking the lead. It wasn’t my first instinct to try the helm, but what else was I going to do? Lurk around until I found him?
Brandon gave us directions as we went. Beyond the bedroom, there were hallways and then the floor plan opened up. Raven disappeared down a small staircase, where I assumed there was a deck below this one, possibly with storage. The floor we were on hosted a living space, with another wide screen TV mounted on the wall. There were plush couches. The area felt a little stiff, unused. Like the bedroom, no one had been there in a while.
“Up the stairs,” Brandon said in my ear. “On the next floor, there’s a small hallway.”
I found the staircase and went for it, but Marc cut me off.
“I’ll go first,” he said. He turned from me. It’s when I noticed the gun holster hanging from his belt. I sighed. I guessed I missed the part where Axel handed his gun over. That made me nervous for Axel being left alone behind us. I hoped he would okay.
The next floor up had a dining room. The table was empty, and there was seating for twelve. I didn’t know enough people to fit twelve chairs.
The quiet of the area had me spooked. I felt we were on a ghost ship of some kind. Like his house, I expected employees somewhere but never spotted them. Was it even possible to run this boat with a single person driving?
“There should be a door to the observation deck,” Brandon said. “But if you pass—“
Silence.
“Brandon?” I whispered.
Marc paused in the hallway we stood in. He tapped at his ear. “Brandon,” he said a little louder.
Nothing.
“Did we lose him?” I asked.
“We might be mixing signals with some equipment on this boat,” he said. “Keep it in just in case he can reach us again.”
Marc directed me through until we found a hallway with a closed door marked off as the observation deck. We passed it and he found one for the bridge. We planted our backs on either side of the door. My nerves radiated to life. We may have slipped in this far, but there had to be someone on the bridge.
Marc glanced at me. “Last chance,” he said. “Do you want to head back?”
I swallowed hard but shook my head.
Marc eased the door handle and pushed the door open. I turned toward it, my fist clenched and I hid it behind my back, for no other reason than I didn’t want him to know I was nervous.
The bridge had wide windows looking out over the observation deck and out to the rest of the boat and the water beyond it. There were mechanical and electrical panels all over the place, some with flashing lights and buttons. Some had display touch screens.
Blake Coaltar stood at the helm, gazing out at the water in front of him. The ferry had moved on, but he didn’t seem to be interested in going faster. He was staring out at Fort Sumter. The ferry had docked. People were getting off the ferry and standing on the dock. Some were continuing toward the fort for the tour, but a few still lingered, looking back at the yacht. Some were pointing at the different features. A few took pictures.
I rolled my eyes. He was showing off.
Blake tucked his head down, studying the controls. He selected one, and then pushed the throttle. There was a gentle roll forward. He’d started the engines.
“Blake?” I said quietly. I thought I’d try coy first. That seemed like a good plan.
His body rotated slowly. The light captured his figure. He wore a crisp gray shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His dark blue jeans looked brand new. He was barefoot. It was an odd look not to be wearing any shoes but I supposed he felt at home on his own boat. The clothes fit perfectly against his fine figure. I found it difficult to not recall the night before and the tanned body underneath. His jawline had that fine overnight growth, but it only matured his face a little into an exquisite, gruff look.
I pulled my thoughts from that place, closing off the still lingering feeling of his kiss, his touch. I buried it as far as I could.
“Kate?” he said, his hazel eyes widening. “How in the world...”
“You’re boat’s really big,” I said, trying to be funny. “I don’t understand how it’s just you in this big space. Did you see that table? There’s seating for twelve.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “There’s only one bedroom. And that’s made for two.”
My heart thundered. I hoped Brandon and Marc weren’t hearing this. There were some things I didn’t want mentioned. “I was hoping I could talk you out of going to ... this village. Wherever it is.”
“Kate,” he said, stepping forward. His hands went up, showing me his palms as if to show he was harmless, unarmed. “I know what you heard last night. I know it’s probably confusing, but you have to trust me.”
“I did trust you,” I said, and unfortunately couldn’t stop the coldness from seeping in. It had hurt. I couldn’t hide it. “You told me you were dumping this into the ocean.”
“I wasn’t sure you could understand,” he said.
“You lied to me. You’ll hurt a lot of people.”
“They’ll be sick for a while but they’ll get over it.”
“Someone could die. That’s why you were getting rid of this stuff. What if someone dies?”
“I won’t let anyone die.” He stepped forward, but stopped, and then returned to the helm. “Just hang on. I have to drive this thing.”
“There’s no autopilot?”
He laughed darkly. “Sweetheart, did you come along to tell me how to drive my yacht? I just have to keep her heading out to sea while the captain is busy down below. Then you and I can talk as much as you want.”
I hoped Brandon and Marc heard this. I wouldn’t want Raven or Marc to get caught snooping around with other people on board. “Will you let me talk you out of this?” I asked. “Isn’t there anything I can say?”
“Come here,” he said. He patted the spot next to him at the helm. “Just stand here a moment.”
I shuffled up beside him, gazing at all the equipment. He may as well have been flying an airplane, I didn’t recognize anything in front of me beyond the steer
ing wheel thing.
“Now listen,” he said. He glanced at me sideways while he drove. “I love that you came back and that you’re aboard. I don’t know how you got here, but you’re the type of stowaway I may just not throw overboard.”
There was a thunk, and a slew of cursing. My hand caught at my chest, over my heart, and I put my back to the panel of dials, and faced the door.
Through the open doorway came Marc with his arm twisted behind his back. He grunted and cursed, tripping forward as a very large man shoved him through. The man clenched down on Marc’s arm, pulling it back tight until Marc was forced to kneel. The man kicked hard at Marc’s leg, his favored one, and Marc was down on the floor, clutching at his thigh.
“But your friends,” Coaltar said, “are not welcome here.”
WHATEVER SIDE YOU’RE ON, YOU’RE RIGHT
I made a dash toward Marc, but Coaltar cut me off by catching me around my waist. He pulled me back into him.
“Hang on there, sugar,” he said. He planted me down beside the helm again. “And stay right here. Let me drive so we don’t crash and all die.”
“Let me go!” I cried out. I raked my nails against his arm and tried pounding at his shoulder.
The ogre towering over Marc was nearly double his size. Marc lashed out at the towering man with a wild kick, but it was uneven since he was on the floor. The big man raised a boot and crunched down on Marc in the chest. While Marc clutched at his own ribs and tried to breathe, the monster pulled Marc’s gun from his holster and yanked back on the hammer, shoving it at Marc’s forehead. Marc held his hands up, surrendering.
I wrestled with Coaltar but he held strong. “Let him go,” I screamed at him. What had I done?
“Darling,” he barked back at me. “If you two would stop fighting, I wouldn’t have to do this. You snuck on to my boat with a gun. What exactly are you planning to do? Shoot me?”
“Maybe,” I said, pushing at his arm.
“I thought you were better than that,” he said. He shoved me up against the helm. He planted a leg up between mine, grinding me back against the wheel. He placed a hand on either side of me, holding me up against it. “If you can’t stand still next to me, you have to stay here a minute.”