Page 15 of Riptide

Kaimana reached for her brother’s hand, her heart heavy. She should never have allowed him to come with her. “I’ll be back, okay?” She nodded and slid her gun into his hand. “Gotta find the crew.”

“No worries, sis.”

Kaimana brushed by him and set her fingers on a side panel. The blue light reader scanned over her fingertips, releasing the lock on the secret compartment. As the cabinet below slid open, she reached for the gun and took a few clips and stashed them in her pajama pockets.

“Cool hidey hole,” Seth noted. “You like your guns, don’t you?”

She shrugged. “What can I say? I learned from the best. Evan was big on personal safety.”

“I’m going with you,” he told her.

Kaimana took off down the hallway, fighting the grief that threatened to overcome her. If Marretta could find her in the Pacific Ocean, he could find her anywhere. She sucked a deep breath, desperately clinging to her composure. They needed to maintain an element of surprise if there were any other intruders on board.

“This way,” she whispered as she descended into the galley. Kaimana swiftly cut through the room in total darkness. The unhinged door to the crew’s quarters banged against the mahogany wall as the ship swayed in the night.

The hair stood up on the back of her neck as she carefully padded toward the crew quarters. Aside from the hum of the engines, silence filled the air. With her back against the wall, she slowly peeked into the captain’s cabin.

Her heart pounded in her chest as the first body came into view. She gasped as she caught sight of the bullet hole in his forehead.

“Shit. Jerry.” Her stomach sank at the sight of his wide-open eyes, blood drained and pooled on the floor around his greyish body.

“How many in the crew?” Seth whispered.

“Just two more. Over there.” She nodded to a smaller room next to the galley. Seth peeked inside and shook his head.

“Jesus.” Kaimana closed her eyes, her mind on fire.

“That’s it?” Seth asked.

“Yeah, we were operating on a skeleton crew.” Kaimana shook her head, attempting to control the sadness twisting in her chest. Tears brimmed in her eyes, as she resigned herself to their predicament. “We’ve gotta get off this boat.”

* * *

Kaimana sat on the ledge of the settee on the bow, staring into the horizon as daylight crested over the ocean. After a thorough search, they hadn’t found any more intruders but with the captain dead and Keanu injured, she’d reluctantly agreed to talk to Seth about Garrett Emerson. He insisted that he could help them get to Hawaiʻi without notifying the authorities. Kaimana considered the calculated risk of accepting help or simply pressing on, hoping they wouldn’t be attacked again.

Once they sailed into US territory, they’d be lucky not to be boarded by the Coast Guard. As soon as they docked, the captain would be expected to engage formal entry and clearance procedures, something that was impossible now that he was dead. As the owner of the yacht she could do it but there was still the issue of the bodies. The explanation. Pirates. The entire ship would be processed.

She bit her lip, her stomach tightened, knowing she’d have to go to the police, or worse be arrested for not reporting the incident on the yacht. With moles up and down the chains of law enforcement, Marretta would surely capture her again and this time, she’d suffer a fate far worse than death.

But the deciding factor was Keanu. He’d been injured and while the shot appeared clean, she couldn’t risk him going septic. Whether he wanted medical attention or not, she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t get him to the hospital.

Kaimana looked up as Seth walked across the bow deck. She looked up to him with reddened eyes and placed her hand in his. Tears flowed freely, emotion welling in her chest. Being the strong one may have kept her alive until now, but it came at a cost.

* * *

“It’s going to be all right,” Seth told her as he handed Kaimana a steaming cup of tea after insisting she come inside to discuss the next step.

Her hands trembled as she accepted it. She inhaled the cinnamon vapors, her lips hovered over the rim as she gently blew. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“I need you to talk to me,” Seth told her. “Garrett can help. He’s my friend.”

Kaimana sipped a tiny amount of the hot tea and stared at the colorful painting of a horse that hung in the main salon, lost in her thoughts. Evan had always promised to take her riding on his ranch, but they never got a chance. In hiding on a yacht, they’d dreamed but didn’t dare risk spending too much time on land.

“Kaimana. Garret will help.”

Seth’s voice shook her from her contemplation. “Why would he help me after what’s happened? He’s not my friend.”

“You’re my friend. You saved me. I owe you,” he said in a nonchalant manner.