Part 50 (2/2)

”Yes,” Kerry answered, distracted. ”Dad, she's painting a picture of Chino, right?”

Andrew peered at her, then chuckled. ”Yeap.”

”Phew. Just checking.” Kerry started up the ladder first. ”I like her current cream color.”

That even got Dar to smile. Andrew turned to her as they waited for Kerry to ascend. ”Your momma knows them people up in Boston,” he said in a serious tone. ”And Ah will tell you, she does not have good words to tell about the lot of 'em.”

”Gee, what a surprise.” Dar gestured upward. ”G'wan. I just want to get this d.a.m.n thing over with.”

As Andrew started up the ladder, the door to the cabin opened and Bob peeked out again. ”Who is that?” he hissed at Dar. ”Where did he come from?” he added. ”What's he doing here?”

Dar rested her elbow on the step. ”That's my father. Do yourself a favor and just stay in there and out of our way.”

A flash of anger crossed Bob's face, but he retreated and closed the door. Dar let her hands rest on the ladder for a moment, then started her climb to the top.

Andrew emerged onto the flying deck, which now seemed very cramped. He greeted the deck's other occupant casually as he followed Kerry over to the controls. ”'Lo, Charles.”

”Hey, Andy,” Charlie murmured. ”Nice surprise.” His eyes stayed on the console, unaware of Kerry's attention on him. ”Glad they got the paperwork wrong on you.”

”Yeap,” Andrew replied easily, settling into one of the seats.

”All right now, you got us a plan, k.u.mquat?”

”Dar does.” Kerry waited as her partner joined them. Dar took the center seat and revved up the engines, starting them forward.

The boat's motion slowly counteracted the swells, and Kerry relaxed as her stomach settled down somewhat. It was hardly the time to ask Dar for another dose of her ear medicine. ”I didn't get a chance to tell you, Dad, we found something concrete, finally.”

”Did you now?” Andrew studied the controls.

”Yes.” Kerry fished inside Dar's back pocket and removed the folded sheet, leaning past Dar's shoulder to hand it to him. ”It's all kinds of legal stuff.”

Andrew studied it, c.o.c.king his grizzled head to one side.

”Well, lookit that,” he murmured. ”You fixing to give this up as part of your trade off?”

”For Bud,” Charlie blurted suddenly. ”Yeah.”

Andrew rested his jaw on his fist. ”Mah wife says that feller 298*

Wharton is one right sc.u.mboat,” he said. ”He's using all them dollars to fix up folks the same kind as your papa was, Kerry.”

Kerry stiffened, then frowned. ”He's a conservative, you mean,” she said. ”There's no law against that, is there?” Her hands were resting on Dar's shoulders for balance, and she leaned in a little against her.

”No, ma'am, there surely is not,” Andy agreed. ”But seems they've taken a right dislike to folks who ain't just like them.” He hesitated uncharacteristically.

Dar spoke up finally. ”You mean he's funding hate groups?”

she asked. ”I know there's a couple up there that think people like Kerry and me...” her eyes went to Charlie, ”and Bud and Charlie should be euthanized,” she added bluntly. ”Is that what you mean, Dad?”

Andrew released a breath. ”Your momma does think that, Dar,” he acknowledged quietly. ”And Ah do believe she's right.”

”Son of a b.i.t.c.h,” Charlie whispered.

They all looked at the sheet resting in Andrew's big hand. The rain drove harder against the console Plexiglas, making a sound like rapid gunfire.

The situation had changed, Kerry realized. Andrew's arrival and the information he brought threw a whole new facet into the mix, and now there was a question of what they should do, and she wasn't sure who exactly was going to make that decision. Dar had once told her there could only be one captain of the boat.

”Well,” Dar broke the silence after a long period, ”regardless, we have to get Bud out of there.” She focused on the problem at hand. ”There's always going to be a.s.sholes out there who want to take over the world. We have to deal with the critical issue first, and that issue's a friend in trouble.”

It was a quietly strange moment, and Kerry felt the oddness.

Dar had, she realized, simply moved forward and taken on the leaders.h.i.+p of the situation, making the decision and accepting its consequences in a completely natural way. Both Andrew and Charlie were watching her intently, and Kerry held her breath as she waited to see what their reactions would be.

”So, we're going to continue with our plan the way it is,” Dar went on. ”If something develops that lets us come back around and nail Wharton or DeSalliers, or both of them, great. But we get Bud out first.” Her voice was quiet and steady.

Andrew nodded in acceptance. ”Right. Ah figured Ah could get up there on that boat and see if Ah could rock it while you had them there people distracted.”

Dar thought about it. ”I'm sure they have him below decks,”

she said. ”I'm going to try and force them to bring him up before I start dealing, but I don't know how far I can push.” She edged the*299 throttles forward a bit. ”It would make me feel a lot better to know you were there. Just in case.”

A tiny smile appeared on her father's face. ”Ah jest bet it would,” he drawled. ”Though it seems like you done got most of your bases covered already.” His eyes watched his daughter with silent pride.

Dar accepted the compliment with a slight nod. ”We tried. But I like having a card up my sleeve. Makes the game a lot easier.”

”You can say that again.” Kerry held on as the boat cut through what appeared to her to be twenty-foot waves. ”Now let's just hope they show.” She felt the muscles in Dar's neck relax under her hands and felt her own follow suit, glad that her partner was comfortable in taking the lead and that the two ex-sailors were willing to accept that.

It had been a tough moment for Dar, she knew. Her lover was a natural born leader, but just as naturally, she loved and wors.h.i.+pped her father who was also, Kerry knew, a natural born leader. Dar could have deferred to Andrew, and yet she'd chosen to trust her instincts, and do otherwise. Time would have to prove whether or not those instincts were true.

THEY FOUND THEIR spot in the ocean. The wind had risen, driving the waves against the boat, but Dar had anch.o.r.ed them into it, and the bow rose and fell with steady regularity instead of rocking side to side. Andrew had tethered his boat to the back of the Dixie, and now they were simply waiting.

”Kerry was worried about trusting DeSalliers to carry us over there. I think she's right,” Dar commented to her father. ”Better if you drop us off.” They were standing side by side in the stern, protected from most of the wind by the craft's cabin.

”h.e.l.l, yes,” Andrew agreed. ”Ah'll park that thing 'tween us, then go off. Won't even realize it.”

Dar eyed him curiously. ”It's a pretty high bow,” she said.

”You planning on roping up it?”

Andrew gave her a mildly smug look and fished in one of the belt packs he was wearing over his black neoprene dive suit.

”Nope.” He held out something that had a cup-like surface of what seemed to be soft rubber, and a st.u.r.dy hard rubber handle of some kind. ”Put that there up on that fibergla.s.s and twist this piece.

Makes you a handle.”

Dar took it and fit her hand in it, then activated the suction.

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