Part 29 (1/2)
Genevieve almost laughed, but she stopped herself in time. She didn't want these two men to think anything at all was funny about their situation. And it really wasn't, but Jack still made her smile. ”Seeing as how you don't know, you'd better let me do the talking. Just go along with whatever yarn I spin, okay?”
The prow of the boat crunched on the sand and the younger guy climbed out.
”I don't know about this,” Jack said. ”I think-'' ”Hi, there,” Genevieve said, walking toward the boat.
”Are we glad to see you!”
Chapter 21.
The younger guy, his teeth stained with tobacco juice, leered at Genevieve. ”You looked very glad, jumping up and down like that.”
She stuck out her hand. ”I'm Gina and this is Jeff. What's your name?”
”I'm SI-”
”That ain't important.” The older guy climbed from the back of the boat and jumped awkwardly to the sand. With a grunt, he tugged the boat a little farther up on the beach. ”We're lookin' for a guy who said we should meet him here. Seen anybody around?”
”Here?” Genevieve pretended to be amazed. ”Out in the middle of nowhere?”
”That's right,” the older guy said. ”He's about my height, brown hair, nice dresser. Real educated type. Easy to talk to.”
Uh, oh. Nick charmed them, she thought. ”Gee, we haven't seen anybody who looks like that, have we, Jeff?”
”Nope. And we've been all over this little island. n.o.body like that here.”
”Well, s.h.i.+t.” The younger one spit into the sand. ”I'll bet he drowned, Merv. I think we're outta luck.”
Merv scratched under his beard. ”d.a.m.n it all, Slick, I always thought this was a dumb idea. I shouldn't of let you talk me into it. I shoulda known the minute I saw that albatross flying around the boat a while back that this was a huge mistake.”
”Maybe not,” Genevieve said. ”Maybe Jeff and I can keep this from being a wasted trip for you. The thing is we're on our honeymoon, and we took a boat for a little sail. We got way off course, and the boat sank. We're marooned here.”
”Is that so?” the younger guy said. ”You got any money?”
”Some,” Genevieve said. ”And we'd be glad to pay you to radio for help. Just one little message, so the Coast Guard or the-”
”Sorry, lady,” Merv said. ”Our radio's broke.”
Genevieve stared at them, unable to believe they'd be stupid enough to come out here with no means of communication. ”You must have something.”
”Nope.”
She felt dizzy with disappointment.
”Then we'll pay you to take us to Kauai,” Jack said.
Genevieve spun to face him. ”Ja-Jeff, is that a good idea, honey?” She couldn't imagine how they'd get Nick on the boat without causing themselves problems, and if they left him behind, he might die on them.
”It's the only idea, sweetheart.”
”But-”
Jack grabbed her arm and steered her away from the two men. ”Excuse us for a minute. We need to have a private conversation.”
Genevieve leaned in close and lowered her voice. ”Are you out of your mind? What about Nick?”
”We send somebody back later,” Nick muttered.
”He could die in the meantime!”
”So could we! Listen, we can't let-”
”Uh, folks?” The older guy, the one named Merv, interrupted. ”I'm afraid me and Slick can't take you with us.”
Jack turned back toward them, his expression intense. ”Why not?”
”We, uh, don't have no extra room.” His gaze flicked up to the lump that was Nick under the towel.
They know something's going on, Genevieve thought.
”We don't need extra room,” Jack said. ”listen, we have four hundred dollars. We'll give you that if you'll take us to Kauai.”
Merv was already backing toward his boat. ”That's okay. We'll tell somebody to come and get you. Yep, we'll surely do that.”
”Merv!” Slick said. ”If the people want to give us four hundred dollars to take them to Kauai, I say let's-”
”Can't do it, Slick.” He started shoving the boat back in the water. ”Now help me get this tub afloat.”
”Wait!” Jack said. ”We'll give you more money after we get there! Name your price! A thousand! Two thousand!”
Slick looked really upset. ”Listen, Merv, what's it gonna hurt us to take-”
”Into the boat, lamebrain.”
”Can you spare us some food, at least?” Genevieve didn't think they'd get aboard that trawler now unless they used the gun, and she and Jack weren't the type to pull off that sort of maneuver.
”Don't have no extra food, neither.” Merv yanked the cord to start the outboard motor.
”Water, then!” Jack shouted above the roar of the engine. ”Have some common decency and leave us some bottles of water!”
Merv didn't answer as he headed the boat out toward the anch.o.r.ed trawler.
”d.a.m.n it!” Jack stared at the departing boat. ”d.a.m.n it to h.e.l.l!”
”Something spooked them.” Genevieve glanced back at Nick under the towel. She could see him moving. Probably Merv had seen that, too, and he didn't want any part of whatever was going on. She couldn't blame him, considering he and Slick were already working on the wrong side of the law and had something to be spooked about. But now she and Jack were in a terrible pickle.
”I thought of going up to get the gun, to see if I could force them to take us,” Jack said.