Page 55

Story: Austen

That’s when Steinbeck scooted his ski over.“Yep.Your hull looks Swiss cheesed.You’re definitely going down.”
“I feel like I’ve done this before,” Austen said.
Silence.Waves rocked the boat, and Declan turned back to see the yacht’s lights shining over the surface of the water.
“How far is land?”Phoenix said.“We have a nearly full tank.That’ll get us a hundred miles.The DR can’t be that far.”
“We’ve been heading east,” Declan said.“We’ll land in Haiti.Or we could go north and hit Turks and Caicos.It’s only a hundred miles between them and Haiti.”He shook his head.“But if you put four on your ski, we’ll be lucky to make it fifty miles.”
“Okay, listen,” Steinbeck said.“I had to get you off the ship—and fast—but I agree that I didn’t think this all the way through.Wedoneed transportation.”He looked over at Declan.“Where’s that tender again?”
“Why don’t we just take back the yacht?”Phoenix said.“Come on, Steinbeck—there are four of us.I know Declan knows how to handle a weapon, and I’m sure Austen can figure it out.”
“Have you lost your mind?No, I’m not gonna let my sister get killed.Stop talking.You don’t get a say in this.”
“What vote did I miss that put you in charge?”Phoenix said.
Declan looked at her.Maybe shewasAshley.Which meant what?How did she?—
“I can handle a gun,” Austen said.“Hello—Dad took me hunting too.”
“Big difference, sis?—”
“It doesn’t have to be a firefight,” Declan said.“We sneak onto the beach deck and?—”
“Stop!”Steinbeck said.“Declan.Have you asked yourself how the Russians knew where you were?”
Declan went silent, his mind sifting through ideas.Maybe they’d gotten ahold of Zeus back at his compound in Mariposa...But he’d talked to Zeus, and no, that didn’t make sense.
“Captain Teresa,” Phoenix-Belle-Ashley said quietly.
Stein nodded.“It had to be an inside job.Somebody who could give them coordinates.Where is your captain from?”
“Portugal,” Declan said.
“When did you hire her?”Steinbeck asked.
“Just recently.”
“You do know that Portugal is a hotbed for Russian mobsters—” Phoenix-Belle-Ashley started.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Declan said.“The entire world is a hotbed for Russian mobsters.”
“Yeah, but she was the one at the helm, so my bet is on her,” Austen said.He glanced at her, and she wore a frown.
Weird how she wouldn’t take his hand in the salon.Wait—she didn’t think?—
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Steinbeck said.“Phoenix and I will go back to the boat, grab the tender, tow it out, then we’ll all go on our happy, merry way.”
Declan shook his head.“Are you just making this up as you go?That’s a terrible idea.”
“Absolutely,” Steinbeck said, “andwhy?”
“Because we’re going to sink.Have you ever tried to find someone in the ocean in the dead of night?”
Austen lifted her hand.“I, for one, do not recommend.Zero stars.”
Declan wanted to smile, but she didn’t seem to be kidding, so, “Stein—you and I will go back to the boat while the ladies limp back with the Jet Ski.”