Page 132 of Hidden Depths

24

STORM

Grandpa used to tell me...

"The sea never forgets."

At the time...

I thought he meant shipwrecks.

Now...

I wondered if he meant people.

The black RHIB disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.

Within minutes, it became nothing more than a dark speck against the endless Pacific.

No one aboard Sea Whisper relaxed.

Not yet.

Ben continued scanning the horizon through his binoculars.

Ward watched the radar.

Scott quietly walked every inch of the deck, checking doors, windows, and access points.

The laughter that had filled the yacht only an hour earlier had faded into watchful silence.

Nathan Hale's trawler remained nearby.

Not crowding us.

Not threatening us.

Simply staying close enough that we knew we weren't alone.

For reasons I still didn't understand...

That brought me a strange sense of comfort.

Hazel stepped onto the bridge.

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Frank and Rose are settled."

"How are they?"

"They're worried about you."

I smiled softly.

"That sounds like them."

Hazel hesitated.