Page 44 of Wild Tempest

I didn’t find Jack.

On the main deck, I searched the mess hall, the galley, the pantry, then moved aft, searching the other compartments.

Still no sign of him.

He wasn’t on the aft deck, nor on the foredeck.

Below deck, I moved through the dank bowels of the ship. The boat creaked and groaned as the swells pummeled the hull. I searched everywhere but couldn’t find him.

He had to be aboard this ship. I didn’t think he’d lost his mind yet. But maybe I had underestimated the impact of the pathogen. Maybe Jack was already compromised.

In weather like this, it wasn’t unheard of to lose a crew member overboard. A wave, a gust of wind, a slick surface, bad luck—splash.

That sense of dread knotted my stomach.

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After searching below, I returned to the main deck and looked for Jack on the aft and side decks. Rain continued to pour, and flashes of lightning flickered the sky. Thunder rolled.

It was a big boat. Plenty of places to hide. It wouldn’t be hard to evade a single person’s search by keeping on the move.

I scanned the swells around the ship, looking for any sign of a man overboard. In Jack’s current condition, he wouldn’t last long in this weather. Frothy peaks like snowcapped mountains and deep obsidian valleys as far as the eye could see. Which wasn’t far in these conditions. The vast ocean flexed its might.

After searching the exterior decks, I returned to my stateroom, soaked. I knocked on the door, dripping wet, and Tempest let me in.

“Did you find him?”

I shook my head with a grim frown as I stepped inside. My flashlight beam illuminated the room, bouncing off a bulkhead.

She locked the hatch behind me, and I peeled out of my soggy clothes.

“Where do you think he is?”

“I’ve looked everywhere.”

A sympathetic frown tightened her pretty face. “He’s got to be onboard somewhere.”

“I hope so.”

She cringed, well aware of the dangers in this weather.

"Do you still feel okay?" I asked.

She nodded. "I feel great.”

I hadn't noticed any symptoms either.

I hit the head. Each compartment shared a head with another.

I tried to stay positive, knowing Jack wasn’t stupid enough to get himself into a situation. We both had plenty of experience in harsher weather. But I worried Jack wasn’t quite himself and not in full control of his faculties.

When I returned, Tempest was in my bunk. "Yours is cozier than mine.”

"Is it?" I asked with a doubtful eyebrow. Not that I minded.

My stomach was in knots, worried about Jack. And I still couldn't shake the idea that somebody else was aboard the boat.

"Just so you know, I don't normally hop into bed with guys I just met," Tempest said.