Part 54 (2/2)

Kerry felt the boat s.h.i.+fting again, and she hugged Dar all the more tightly as cold water blasted over them and they pitched up so high in the front she felt herself being pressed against the rear wall of the deck.

”s.h.i.+t!” Bud rasped, loudly enough for them to hear over the storm. ”We're goin' over!”

Oh G.o.d. Kerry started to panic, trapped as she was under all of them and thinking of the tons of water about to roll over her as well as the huge yacht.

”No, we ain't!” Andrew hollered back. ”Git your hand back down on there and watch your mouth!”*323 ”Dar!” Kerry rasped, trying to squirm around and get a better grip on the boat's hardware.

”Shh.” Dar got an arm around her just as the s.h.i.+p heeled over to the left and they all almost went flying to the other side of the deck. ”Just hang on.”

The Dixie's horn sounded, loud and bra.s.sy to counter the howl of the wind, and they felt the engines go to full power, the boat bucking the waves as it headed into the wind. Dar lifted her head and shook the hair from her eyes, squinting into the driving rain as lightning cracked overhead and etched a picture of what was happening deep into her awareness: high seas; the Dixie crawling up the front side of a wave easily fifty feet high; screams; DeSalliers' boat cracking in half as the sea twisted it; darkness.

”Hang on!” Her father grabbed her by the back of the s.h.i.+rt and wrapped the fabric into his fist, tightening it across her chest.

”Jesus!”

Dar locked her legs around one of the deck supports and grabbed a cleat with one hand, wrapping her other arm around Kerry. The Dixie almost went to vertical, and she knew a stark moment of terror as she thought the boat was going to flip and bury them under it. They seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, before the bow turned slightly to one side and the engines gunned, and then they were cresting the wave instead, topping it and plummeting down the other side at a frightening speed.

”Son of a b.i.t.c.h,” Dar managed to croak.

Kerry spat a mouthful of water out and coughed. ”Tell ya what,” she gasped right into Dar's ear. ”Next time, we go to PetsMart for our vacation.”

They rose up on another wave but it wasn't as high, and the Dixie now was making reasonable headway against the seas. Still, water kept surging over the bow and sides, shoving them painfully against the fibergla.s.s.

”Dad!” Dar turned her head. ”We're getting pounded!”

The weight lifted up off her and Dar was able to half sit up and look around. The roar of the engines was overtopping the sound of the storm, and she could see the angry white froth behind them as the boat rocked side to side in the wind. She looked over the stern, back the way they'd come, and saw nothing but churning sea, the darkness limiting her view. There was no sign of DeSalliers' boat or any of its occupants. Her conscience poked her. Should they go back and look?

Kerry hauled herself up next to Dar and shoved her hair back off her forehead, her face tense. She licked her lips and grimaced, and then rested her head against one faintly shaking hand. ”Wow.”

Dar transferred her attention instantly, unapologetically. ”You okay?” She s.h.i.+fted around and got behind Kerry, giving her 324*

something to lean against. ”Ker?” She felt chilled and knew Kerry must be as well, since she could feel her s.h.i.+vering.

Kerry swallowed, glad enough to lean back against Dar's body.

”I'd be a lying idiot if I said yes,” she replied. ”Who in the h.e.l.l could be okay after that?” She looked over at Andrew, who was now crouching nearby, both arms spread out across the back railing to keep steady. ”Thanks, Dad.”

Andrew gave her a half grin, his gaze s.h.i.+fting as Bud rolled over and grabbed the back rail near him. ”We ain't done yet.”

”No s.h.i.+t,” Bud rasped, splaying his legs out over the deck. ”I'm gonna move back to f.u.c.king Arizona. I G.o.dd.a.m.n swear it.”

Andy frowned at him. ”Would you watch yer mouth?”

”Dad,” Dar interjected. ”We both know what f.u.c.king is.”

Andrew turned and shot her a look. Bud snorted softly, but managed a lopsided grin anyway.

”Honest,” Dar a.s.sured him, as the boat rose up on another wave and crashed down, dousing them all again. She waited for the deck to steady, then turned to Kerry. ”Let's get inside.”

Amazing idea. Kerry felt motion around her, and hoped she had the strength to actually get up and walk. She reluctantly released Dar and they staggered to their feet, hanging on to the railing as Andy got the door to the cabin open.

”I'm going up with Charlie,” Bud yelled, grabbing the ladder.

”Be up in a minute,” Andy replied, grabbing Dar as she got across the back deck and steering her inside. ”Let's move it!”

”I'm moving.” Dar blinked against the light in the cabin, its glare painful. Things were tossed around, but the couch was there, and she fell onto it, Kerry collapsing next to her with their legs in a tangle.

Across the deck, in one of the bucket chairs, Bob was huddled, watching them nervously. His face was definitely green, and there was a plastic bag clutched in one hand. ”I...is it over?” he croaked.

Dar glared at him ”No.”

The boat pitched again. Bob clamped his jaw shut rather than continuing the discussion. After a brief moment, he got up and scrambled for the steps, cras.h.i.+ng into the wall on his way to the head.

”Jerk.” Dar glanced up as the door opened and her father entered, his figure outlined in lightning from behind.

Andy knelt down next to the couch. ”You kids all right?” he asked gently. ”All that p.i.s.s a.s.s aside.”

”Ugh.” Kerry rubbed her eyes, stinging with salt water.

Dar looked at him. ”Glad I went into computers, after all,” she said with a faint, wry quirk of her lips. ”Thanks for coming after us.”

Her father put a hand on her knee and patted it. Then he got*325 up, fis.h.i.+ng in one of his pouches with his other hand. ”Ah'm glad, too, Dar, but you all did a fine job over in that there boat” He removed something and reached down, casually pinning it to Dar's s.h.i.+rt. ”You all sit tight. We got some rolling to do 'fore we get through this.” He ruffled Dar's hair, then turned and made his way out the door and back into the chaos outside.

The door slammed behind him and latched, and above the storm, Dar could hear the sound of her father climbing up the ladder to the bridge. But inside, it was almost peaceful, and she blinked a little at the water dripping off her legs onto the teak floor and the creaking of the fibergla.s.s hull around them.

She turned to look at Kerry, who was looking back at her with wide, utterly stunned eyes. A piece of seaweed was draped over her nose, and almost hypnotically, Dar reached over and removed it, her hand shaking so badly the bit of weed almost smacked Kerry in the face again. ”Boy,” she whispered, ”what a f.u.c.king night.”

Kerry blinked, nodding a little. ”But we made it,” she rasped.

”For a while there I didn't...” Her eyes filled and she stopped speaking, a blink sending a scattering of tears to mingle with the seawater still dampening her skin. ”We made it,” she sniffled.

Dar exhaled slowly and let her head drop back against the cus.h.i.+on, exhaustion overtaking her. ”We did,” she uttered in wonder, seeing again DeSalliers' face as they hit the water. ”d.a.m.n right we did.” She pulled Kerry closer and hugged her. ”d.a.m.n right.” As an afterthought, she looked down at her s.h.i.+rt to where a glitter attracted her eye. She stared at the gold in numb bewilderment. Pinned to the sodden fabric was her father's SEAL insignia, winking calmly back at her in the cabin's light.

Why? Dar found herself too tired to think about it. She put her hand over the pin, draped her other arm around Kerry's shoulders, and just went blank for a while, hoping the sea woudn't toss her any more surprises before they got to safety.

Kerry closed her eyes and let her head rest against Dar's shoulder. It was enough for her, right now, to simply live the moment and forget about everything else, even the storm outside.

G.o.d had given her this much; it was enough.

DAR DIDN'T KNOW how long they sat there, feeling the boat surge and twist under them and the storm outside thunder against the hull. She just knew it was long enough for all her joints to stiffen up, and for the sore throat she'd barely felt as she came out of the water to turn into a fire that made even swallowing difficult.

She needed a drink. Dar glanced at Kerry, who was slumped against her with almost closed, bloodshot eyes, and grimaced.

”Ker?”

326*

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