Page 78 of Depths of Destruction

When I rip the tuna open, the smell hits me, so I turn my head.

"You all right?"

"Give me sashimi, but..."

"Not a fan of packaged tuna?"

"No. The smell makes me nauseous. I'm okay with the chicken and salmon but not the tuna."

"It's just the smell?"

"I suppose so."

"Hold on." He goes inside the cabin then comes out with the leftover can of cheese. "Hold your hand out, palm up."

I do as he says.

Andre puts a cracker in my hand, adds tuna, sprays some cheese on it, then takes another cracker and mixes it. "Plug your nose and open your mouth."

"Ahh," I tease.

He grins and sticks a cracker in my mouth.

After I chew and swallow it, I stop pinching my nose. "That was bearable."

He makes me a few more, and after I get several down, he finishes the pouch of tuna.

I pull out our toothbrushes and put some toothpaste on each one, and we brush our teeth.

"You're a good trouper." He kisses my forehead then hands me water that wouldn't fit into the bags. We each drink a bottle.

"Let's search the boat for money or anything else that might be valuable."

"Are we coming back?"

"No. We can't risk the boat being found. I'm sure Darien reported it missing already. Hopefully, the current will send it far away before it's discovered."

We search every cabinet and look under every seat in the boat. The passenger's side has a locked cubbyhole. Andre takes out his pocketknife and jimmies the lock.

"What the..." Andre's face is red with anger.

"What's wrong?"

He scowls, shaking his head.

"What?" I walk back to him, and my gut drops. "Tell me that isn't what I think it is."

"The fancy house and boats make sense now."

"No," I adamantly say in denial.

Darien, what did you get yourself involved in?

After twenty-two years, I can't believe how much I've discovered about Darien within a matter of hours.

I go to pick up a bag of cocaine, and Andre grabs my hand.

"Don't touch it."