BOSSY BROTHERS: JOHNNY

by Huss, JA

  But that’s not who he is. I spot a satellite phone just to my right. But I quickly look back at the navigation and spend a few seconds reevaluating him.

  He’s pretty nice so far. I remember him coming into my cell and I remember him walking out and leaving me there.

  But he came back. And so far, he’s been more than accommodating.

  Is this the real him? Or is this a trick?

  It’s hard to know in our line of business. You can’t really trust anyone. Hell, I don’t think I would have trusted my own father in certain situations.

  But if all Johnny needs from me right now is to be pointed in a new direction, I can do that. So I press the screen that controls the navigation and bring up the GPS. Our location is a green dot in the middle of the sea. Nothing around us for miles.

  But Nassau isn’t that far away, and from there I zoom in, searching for the little island in the northwest.

  “How do you know about this place?” Johnny asks. He’s right behind me, his hand gripping the chair just behind my shoulder, brushing up against my skin in a way that makes me a little bit uncomfortable.

  I glance up at him, shiver involuntarily, and then quickly look away. “I work there.”

  “Doing what exactly?”

  “Science. I told you. That’s what I do.”

  “You’re a scientist?”

  I pause, trying to decide if this is information I should give up or not. I don’t want him to know too much about me. But I have to tell him something, so I say, “Not officially. I’ve never been to college but I know what I’m doing. So… more like a tech, I guess.”

  “What kind of science do they do there?”

  I huff. Frustrated about being put in this position.

  “Is it a secret?” he asks. “Something evil and dark, I bet. Like, you guys come up with new infectious diseases and then blame it on climate change so people will recycle more or buy imaginary carbon credits.”

  I shoot him the stink eye.

  “What?”

  “That’s… like. The dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “You say that, but you’re the one who won’t talk about your secret science job.”

  OK. He’s definitely got a very suspicious, over-active mind. So I decide to tell him what I really do. Because it’s no big deal, actually. “I run complicated equipment. Mostly software that models proteins in 3D.”

  He chews his lip as he stares at me. “Why?”

  I pause, thinking about this for a moment, then shrug. “I mean… that’s what people do with proteins. You have to model the structure in order to understand it. That’s the only way a protein makes sense. Everything is about the shape. It’s like a puzzle. Enzymes fit into the protein the way a key fits into a lock and then once the key is in the lock things happen. And if you need to make a key, you have to know the shape of the lock, right? Well, I was part of the team that was looking at the shape of the lock on a specific protein we called AA9A.”

  “Hmm,” Johnny hums. “What’s it do? This protein? What kind of things does it do when the key fits?”

  “No clue,” I say. “Above my pay grade.”

  “Hmm,” he hums again. And I know he doesn’t believe me.

  “OK, look. I think this is it.” I point to the satellite picture on the screen. “This is our island, Osprey Cay. But this little dot, that’s the lab. The only one I know how to get to. I’m sure there’s others, but I’ve only been to this one. So this is the only one I can take you to.”

  “You’ve had a very sheltered life if that’s the truth, Megan Machette.”

  “Sheltered?” I huff a little air through my nose at that. “I’m not sure I’d call what I’ve seen and done sheltered.”

  “Point taken,” he mumbles back. Then, “How many people on that island?”

  “It’s a small team, so maybe… eight? Ten?” I say. “That’s my best guess.”

  “Prisoners?”

  I hesitate here. Just a little. Because I’m not really sure. But I say, “No. Just lab techs,” just to stay positive.

  “Who runs it?”

  “Some lady,” I say. “But I can’t identify her, if that’s what you’re looking for. Veils, remember?”

  “She’s the lead scientist?”

  “Um. No. I think she’s just a tech.”

  “So who’s in charge of this project?”

  “I don’t actually know.”

  “Right.”

  “I’m not lying.” I’m really not, either. I have no clue who runs that project.

  “I’m not saying you are. I’m just not surprised that no one there is in charge. That’s how they like to do things, right?”

  I swivel in my chair because I need to look at him. “What are you doing?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, what the fuck are you doing? Because you keep referring to the Way people as ‘them.’ Like you’re not one of them, when you are. It’s ‘we,’ Johnny. ‘We’ like to do things that way. ‘We’ like to keep people in the dark.”

  He raises his eyebrows at me. “Dark?”

  I close my eyes for a blink, suck in a breath, then open them and let it out. “You’re one of us. You don’t get to act all self-righteous with me, OK? And I want to know what you’re up to because I’m here with you and that means whatever you’re doing, now I’m a part of it. And maybe I don’t want to be a part of it. Ever think of that? So I want to know what the hell you’re doing.”

  “I’m looking for Charlotte.” I open my mouth to respond but he puts up a hand and says, “They left you chained to a wall in an underground dungeon, Megan. The whole island was burned down. No one was coming back for you. So what they think about you now? Today? Tomorrow? Who gives a fuck? You were supposed to die on that island. And then I came along and got you out. I’m looking for Charlotte Kane because like it or not, she’s part of my family now. Understand me?”

  “I get that part,” I say. “I understand that she’s your… not-sister-in-law. But that doesn’t give you the right to just pluck her out of her job and take her back to wherever it is you come from. You’ve got your purpose and she’s got hers. So what the hell are you doing?”

  He laughs.

  “Why are you laughing at me?”

  “They locked you up in a prison, Megan. They starved you, deprived you of water, and then they left you there. Probably tortured you too, so maybe the better question is what the hell are you doing? Why do you even care? Your father’s missing, for fuck’s sake.”

  “I know, but he—”

  “But? He? There’s no but he. They disappeared your father, Megan. He’s dead, OK? He’s fucking dead!”

  “He’s not dead!”

  “He’s fucking dead and you’re just gonna what? Go along with the program? You have nowhere to go. As far as the Way is concerned, you’re dead too. They’re done with you. So why aren’t you done with them?”

  “I don’t want to get involved, OK? I’ll help you find the island because you saved my life. But whatever it is you’re planning? That’s suicide. And I just got my life back so… I’m done after that.”

  “Fine,” he says. “Where should I drop you off? Tell me. Where do you have to go? Some relative gonna take you in? You got sisters, maybe? A brother?”

  “No. I’m an only child.”

  “It was a rhetorical question,” he says. “I know you’re an only fucking child. Everyone in the Way is an only fucking child.”

  “What’s that mean? You’re not.”

  “No. And my father paid for that. He paid for that and then one day, they finally just killed him and took me instead.”

  “Look, you can do whatever you want. I get it. You’re not satisfied—”

  “Not satisfied? Are you fuckin’ satisfied?”

  “You’re gonna start something and we both know they’re gonna be the ones to finish it. We’ll both end up locked in a dungeon on some prison island. And I’ve already been there, done t
hat. So no thank you, OK? Leave me out of whatever war you’re cooking up.”

  “You’re the one who said you weren’t done last night.”

  “Yeah, and you’re the one who said you were and wanted to die. But guess what? The light of day brings clarity and I just came to my senses.”

  “You mean you lost your nerve.”

  “Fuck you. Do you want me to program a fucking course to this island, or not?”

  He huffs. Sits down on the seat off to my left. “Do you know how?”

  “Please,” I say. “I can’t drive a car to save my life but I sure as hell know how to navigate a boat.”

  He stares at me for a moment. Probably trying to decide if our argument is over. But then he looks away and runs his fingers through his hair. It’s a nervous habit. He’s done it several times since I woke up last night. “How long will it take to get there? What’s the security like? Will they see us approach? And what kind of response can I expect?”

  “Are you invading?”

  “Can you just answer my questions?”

  “I dunno,” I say, looking back at the screen to plot a course. “About four hours, maybe? Depending on wave height. It’s just a little building in the center of the island. That’s all. And the security is… just regular security. Biometrics. You know.”

  “Iris scan? Palm prints? What? What kind of security?”

  “Y-yeah,” I stutter. “That. They have that. And… there’s no windows. But there’s cameras at the door.”

  “Then how do we get in, genius?”

  “I have a hand and an eyeball,” I scoff.

  “So you have clearance?”

  “Yup. I do.”

  “And you can find this place?”

  “Do you, or do you not see me sitting here at a fucking navigation screen? It’s called GPS.”

  “And you just happen to know those off hand?”

  “Oh, my God.” I close my eyes and shake my head. Then open them again and point to the nav screen. “This is the island. Watch this.” I click on it and the global positioning coordinates pop up in a little box. “Boom. It’s fuckin’ magic.”

  He looks over his shoulder but I can see him smiling.

  “But… you’re not going to hurt them, right?”

  He turns back to me. “Why would I hurt them?”

  “I dunno. You don’t seem to be thinking clearly. And you’re on some kind of mission.”

  “I just need to check and make sure Charlotte isn’t there. And then, hopefully, get one of them to tell me about another island to check. I know she’s down here somewhere. I just need to find her.”

  “OK. But I’m not going in with you—”

  “Fuck yeah, you are. That’s the only way I’ll get in.”

  “I don’t want—”

  “I don’t care, Megan. This is bigger than what you want. I saved you. You owe me.”

  I cock my head and look at him. “Do I?”

  He stares at me unblinking. No smile. No coy comeback. Just… studies me.

  And this makes me nervous, so I say, “We can go there now and you can check it out, but it would be better if we waited until the shift change tonight before we try to enter the island interior because people will be coming and going.”

  He blinks, thinking about my response. “What time is that?”

  “Midnight.”

  “So we have a whole day to kill?”

  I nod.

  He stands up. “Fine. I need to get some supplies. So we’ll head into Freeport, do some shopping, and then make our way back south.”

  I like this idea a lot better than going to the island because he’s making me nervous and I might want to get off this ride. “OK. So you want me to set a course for Freeport then?”

  “Will anyone recognize you there?”

  “Doubtful,” I say. “I don’t go there often. My island is much closer to Nassau and most of our supplies come in on planes or sometimes drones. If it’s perishable or whatever.”

  “Good. Then yes, let’s go.”

  He grabs the satellite phone from the docking station on the console in front of me. Then turns away, jumping down the stairs to the salon. “I gotta make a call. Be right back.”

  I follow him with my eyes as he walks across the room and heads outside and then disappears around the starboard side deck.

  I get up, watching through the windows along the outer side deck as he walks to the bow of the yacht to make his call. Then I go down the stairs to my cabin and smash my head against the porthole on the side of the bed, trying to keep him in view.

  He’s pacing back and forth along the side deck as he talks. Stops for a moment, probably to listen, then starts shaking his head. But before I can read his lips, he turns his back to me.

  Johnny Boston is up to something. There’s more to his mission down here than finding some forgotten ex of his brother’s. Niece or no niece. Way supporters do not step out of line. No one steps out of line if they want to live.

  So what is his deal? Death wish?

  That’s great. Just great.

  I want to live. I want to save my father and try to get our lives back. If that’s even possible at this point.

  So my big question now is… how far will I go with Johnny?

  Maybe I should disappear in Freeport? It’s a big enough city to get lost in. But it’s not very safe. And I don’t have any ID or money. Not only that, my father’s life is on the line here. I can’t just pretend this isn’t happening. But Johnny Boston is a wild card. He’s up to something bad and he’s going to drag me into it with him. I don’t know much about this man, but it doesn’t take a genius to see there’s something wrong with him.

  There’s always something wrong with men like him.

  I go back up to the helm and pretend to be interested in weather reports flashing across his screen as he comes back from his phone call.

  I start the yacht and say, “OK. We’re set. Our course to Freeport is plotted.”

  “Wow, you really do know what you’re doing,” Johnny says, entering the helm space and taking the same seat he was sitting in before. His spirits are higher now.

  “Who did you call?” I ask, unable to stop myself from being nosy.

  “An old friend. He and I used to help each other out but he retired a couple years ago and I haven’t seen him much since then.”

  “Is that who we’re gonna see in Freeport for guns?”

  Johnny grins at me. “You don’t miss much, do you?”

  “Is he?”

  “Well, I’m gonna see him. But you’re not.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you need clothes. And we need food. So you’re gonna go shop while I meet up with my friend.”

  “For what? Lunch? Drinks?”

  “Both,” he says. “You can fend for yourself, right?”

  And there it is. The perfect opportunity to just walk away. Cut my losses, get off this ride, and be thankful that I’m still alive and look at this whole thing as sort of a second chance. My father would want me to get away. He would. If he were here he’d tell me to take my chances on my own. Just disappear and never look back.

  We made lots of contingency plans. Every week he’d drill me on what we would need to do if the Way ever caught on to what we were really working on down in his private lab. A whole list. And I could tick every single step off that list without even blinking, that’s how well I’ve been prepared for this day.

  But… everything is weird now. The dungeon. My near-death experience. Johnny Boston.

  None of this was ever on the list.

  But then again, everything seems to be working in my favor at the moment. So maybe seeing this through with Johnny is how it’s supposed to go down?

  Maybe this is how I save us?

  “Yeah,” I say. Answering his question. “I can fend for myself.”

  “Good,” he says, getting to his feet. “I’m gonna shower. How long’s the ride into Freeport?”


  I glance at the map and do a rough distance calculation. “Two hours, maybe?”

  “Perfect. Call me if you need anything.”

  And with that he jumps down the stairs that lead to the bedrooms and disappears.

  Maybe I’m overreacting? He doesn’t seem stressed out. Not like he was last night. And he certainly is trusting. Letting me navigate. I could be taking us anywhere.

  Maybe I’m reading him wrong? Maybe he’s not insane?

  I decide to wait and see. Follow him once we get to Freeport. See where he goes, who he meets. Because that’s good information and that might afford me more opportunities.

  You never know.

  Besides, leaving him has its own risks. I’m in the middle of something here and if I cut my losses now, yeah. I’ll live to see another day. But will it be worth it?

  I’m a survivor though. Not many people taken down to the dungeon ever walk free again. That right there just proves it. And yes, Johnny did come in and save me. But I was in the middle of saving myself when that happened. I’m convinced I’d have pulled it off.

  My father wasn’t stupid and if there’s one lesson he drilled home in me it was this:

  You can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone—as long as your eyes are open. As long as you see what others can’t. As long as you’re more careful than everyone else around you.

  I see you, Johnny Boston.

  I see what you are underneath.

  And I have learned to be very, very careful.

  CHAPTER SEVEN - JOHNNY

  People believe lies because they want to.

  They have a worldview already established and this lie fits neatly into their version of reality. Or they are desperate for something to be true, or false, and this desperation creates a state of willful denial.

  When people fall out of love, for instance. They know it’s over long before it’s over. But admitting the truth leads to action and action requires effort. And sometimes you just don’t have the extra strength inside to face a new direction and forge forward into the unknown.

  So lies will do.

  I’m a perfect example. I have spent the past five years in denial. I have spent most of my life convincing myself that I’m the sacrificial lamb and if I just do my job Jesse and Joey will be fine.