by Lee West
THE RECKONING SERIES
Complete Boxset
MUTINY
LOCKDOWN
FORTRESS
by Lee West
Copyright Information
Copyright 2019 by Lee West. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author, except where permitted by law, or in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, contact:
[email protected]
Contents
MUTINY
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LOCKDOWN
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FORTRESS
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About the Author
MUTINY
Book One in the Reckoning Series
— 1 —
Joe Birch stretched lazily on his lawn chair, adjusting his body for maximum comfort. The sun baked his otherwise pale skin to a crisp red, just the way he liked it. He was sure the burn would turn into a glorious golden tan, perfect to show off the trip to his co-workers. He and Meg, his wife of three years, had scrimped and saved every penny since their wedding to be able to afford the cruise. He knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime dream vacation for them. Even though they weren’t able to afford a room with a balcony, they spared no expense on drinks and side trips in the various ports they visited. Turning to Meg, he smiled as he watched her sleep. She had an amazing ability to doze off on airplanes, lawn chairs or anywhere else she wanted, something he always envied about her.
He moved his hand over the soft skin on her arm, noting that her skin was no longer slick from the sunscreen they had applied earlier in the morning. She roused dreamily, on the edge of sleep.
“I’m going up to the bar. Do you want anything?” he whispered.
“Of course. I’ll take a mojito and some chips,” she said with a slight smile.
“You got it. Be right back.”
The towel under him stuck to the sweat on the back side of his legs as he got up. Sweat dripped down his face and back. He tried not to fling sweat off his face onto the other vacationers on their lawn chairs as he navigated his way to the pool bar.
A calypso band played loudly, pulling him into the rhythm of their music. He snapped his fingers and then caught himself, feeling foolish. Being on the cruise had a way of making him let go, but he’d prefer not to make a spectacle of himself. Normally, Joe was a very reserved, almost bookish sort of guy. He worked as an IT tech at a small company. Although he didn’t graduate from college, his time in the Navy had taught him everything he needed to know to keep the systems at work up and running. His boss, another Navy veteran, allowed him to frequently attend workshops to improve his knowledge, leaving him no doubt that he had transferable skills should things go wrong at work.
“Hey, Mike! How’s it going today?” he said to the bartender.
“Fantastic! Another day in paradise. What can I get you?”
“We’ll take one mojito and one Bud Light—trying to keep it real.”
“You got it, man.”
Joe watched as Mike set about the task of making drinks. Over the week, he and Mike had become fast friends. Joe wasn’t sure if they were friends because of the alcohol or because they’d be friends in any situation. It didn’t matter to him either way. He enjoyed talking to Mike and had gotten great ideas for inexpensive shore excursions from him.
“You got any plans for the last day of your vacation?” asked Mike.
“Oh brother, you had to remind me. Does it really have to end?”
“You know what they say, all good things come to an end. Besides, how long can you really go on drinking at ten in the morning?” Mike smiled.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I’d be able to go for a lot longer than one week! You looking forward to heading back into port?”
“Oh yeah. My wife is meeting me at the pier with the kids. I can hardly wait to hold the baby and play with our son.”
“Do you have time off when we get back?”
“Not really, just a day, but I’ll take it. Any time I can spend with them, I’ll take.”
“Remind me where you live?”
“We live in Lawrence. Just about an hour inland from the port. You guys are in Stevensville, right?” said Mike.
“Yep, just a short drive back for us. That’s why we picked this cruise—saved a ton on airfare.”
“Can’t beat that. You need anything else?” said Mike as he placed the drinks and chips on the bar.
“Not yet, but you know me, I’ll be back,” said Joe with a wink.
Walking back to the chairs, he couldn’t help but feel a combination of love and pride as he looked at his wife. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her dark hair and green eyes had seduced h
im from the very first time they met over five years ago. The impromptu work party was not something he usually would attend, but his boss wanted everyone there, so he reluctantly went. Meg had been visiting her friend, one of his colleagues, so she attended the party as well. It took him several months to work up the nerve to ask his colleague for her number.
“Hey, beautiful! You finally awake?” he said, handing her the drink.
“What do you mean finally? What time is it? I feel like we just got here.”
“Nope. We’ve been baking for a couple of hours now.”
“Geez. Vacation time again. I feel like things seem to speed up the closer we get to home.”
“You aren’t kidding. I’m mentally just hanging onto every second we have here.”
“Me too. The trip has been amazing. I love being here with you. It has been so nice to see you this relaxed. You’re like a totally different person out here.”
“I feel relaxed. Not much to do but drink and enjoy. You want to swim a little?”
“Sure, I could use a cool-off. I’m broiling.”
Meg got up from her chair and adjusted the straps on her tiny bikini, drawing the admiring eye of nearly every man poolside. He couldn’t help feeling very territorial at moments like this. Leaning in, he kissed her on the lips and stroked her shiny hair.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“Nothing. I just love you.”
“I love you too. And I’m so happy that we were finally able to go on our honeymoon.”
“It only took us three years, but who’s counting?” He smiled.
Letting go of her hand, Joe took one flying leap into the deep end of the pool. The cannonball caused a massive wave on the deck, splashing Meg. Breaking the surface, he knew he’d pay for that one, but really didn’t care.
“Hey! Thanks!” said Meg, referring to her wet middle.
“I thought you were getting in?”
“I am, but I needed a minute.”
“Well, you don’t now! Jump in!”
Joe swam away and watched Meg slice through the water in a perfect dive. She was a talented swimmer who had been on the high school swim team. Meeting her as she came up, he embraced her and kissed her again. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and allowed him to float her around the pool. Joe nibbled on her ear as they moved through the water.
“You want to go back to the room before lunch?” he whispered in a breathy voice.
“You know I do,” she said, kissing him.
— 2 —
Meg sat on the tiny stool in their stateroom as she put on her makeup and did her hair for the evening. The room was a small interior room with very little space to move around, but she didn’t care. Most of their time was spent outside the room. Besides, choosing an interior room helped them to save money on the trip. Even though the room was small, Joe had allowed them to splurge on its location so they could be on a high deck near the pool. Being below the waterline didn’t sit well with him, something about his days on an aircraft carrier. She didn’t care either way, but had to admit the location gave them great access to the restaurants and pool, just perfect for midafternoon naps and other things.
Joe turned over on the bed, letting out a loud snore. His snoring was something she couldn’t get used to. At times, she was certain the neighbors could hear the erratic nocturnal sounds coming from her husband. Glancing at her watch, she decided it was time to wake him up for dinner. They were assigned the eight-thirty seating at the dining room, and it was just after eight.
Nudging him, she said, “Hey there, sleepyhead. Time to get outta here.”
He barely moved and didn’t seem to rouse from sleep in any discernible way. She decided to be a little more rigorous in her efforts.
“Joe, time to get up or we’ll be late for dinner,” she said in a louder voice.
“What time is it?”
“Almost eight ten. If we don’t get down there, Brett will eat all of the breadsticks again.”
As she suspected, the threat of losing out on even a single calorie scared the penny-wise Joe out of bed. He rubbed his eyes and sat up groggily.
“We could just order room service. You know it’s included, right?” he said with a wink.
“Nice try, lover boy. I intend to be out and about on our last night of the cruise, not cooped up in here, as tempting as that sounds. You want me to grab drinks for us while you get ready?”
“Sure, Mike should be serving at the bar near the buffet line. How about if I meet you there? We can pick up some drinks and make our way downstairs to the main dining room,” he said, tossing his shirt on the bed.
“Sounds like a plan. You want your usual?”
“Of course. No sense in reinventing the wheel now.”
She leaned in and kissed him softly, lingering for a moment.
“You sure I can’t convince you to stay in and get room service?” he said, touching her chin.
“I’m sure. They’re having the midnight chocolate buffet tonight and I intend to be there!”
“Only a foolish man would get between his woman and a chocolate buffet,” he said as he slapped her behind.
“See you at the bar.”
She walked down the corridor to the buffet bar as the ship swayed gently under her feet. When they were planning their vacation, she had been concerned about the movement on a ship. She thought the motion would give her seasickness, something she’d experienced as a child. Joe had assured her that the size of the ship guaranteed that the voyage would be mostly smooth unless they hit unexpectedly rough seas. The weeks before the cruise she’d found herself taking breaks at work to study the weather maps for the areas they would be traveling through. For the most part, the seas around the islands were calm this time of year, just as Joe had predicted. And, as he predicted, besides the very first day, when the ship left port, she barely noticed the subtle movement of the vessel.
The buffet bar was their favorite predinner stop. They would grab their usual drinks and linger, talking to Mike. Tonight was no different, except she planned to drink a little less in order to save room for the chocolate buffet. Normally, she didn’t allow herself to indulge in sweets. In particular, during the months leading up to the cruise, she’d put herself on a very austere diet of mainly fruits and vegetables and little else so that she would fit into her bikini. After the cruise, she knew she would be back to her normal routine, making her relish the thought of enjoying the chocolate buffet even more.
“Hey, Meg! No Joe?” asked Mike.
“He’s on his way. I thought I’d grab the drinks since we’re running a little late tonight for our dinner seating.”
“Sure thing. Two rum and Cokes?”
“Please!”
“Did I miss anything?” asked Joe as he walked up to her.
“That was fast. I thought you’d be another fifteen minutes.”
“I couldn’t leave the most beautiful woman on the ship alone for that long.”
Mike set the drinks on the bar. Meg loved rum and Coke. She could drink it every day, and most days at work she felt like she needed a few just to make it through the afternoon. She worked as a nurse’s aide in a nursing home. The working conditions weren’t great, the pay was low, and the work was exhausting, but she loved it. She enjoyed caring for the elderly. They were rare jewels to her, each one precious in his or her own way.
Clinking glasses with Joe, she said, “To our last night!”
“May it be just one of many we enjoy on vacation together!” said Joe as he tapped her glass.
She took a long sip of her drink, noticing right away that Mike had given them long pours of rum. Glancing at her watch, she said to Joe, “We’d better get to the dining room.”
“See you soon, Mike. We need to be heading down to the dining room. You working later?” asked Joe.
“Sure thing. I’m at the Starlight Lounge until two a.m. They’re having a stand-up comedian show tonight. You should plan to go. She’s re
ally funny.”
“That sounds really fun. See you then!” said Meg as they turned to leave.
The main dining room was several stories below the buffet deck. They usually took the stairs since the elevator always seemed to be busy ferrying people from the low levels of the ship to the upper decks. Once again, Meg was grateful to Joe for splurging on a room near the action. Otherwise, half of their vacation would have been spent on one of those elevators.
“What do you think they’ll serve for dinner?” asked Joe.
“Something good, I’m sure. The food has been amazing. I think I’ve gained about ten pounds on this vacation, if that’s even possible.”
“If you did, I’m not complaining. You seem to gain in all the right places,” said Joe with a wink.
The dining room was packed tonight, as if everyone on the ship had the same thought: they wanted to live it up for one more night. Their assigned table was a six-person round table in the middle of the vast ornately appointed room. They had been assigned two other couples to sit with during the formal meals. One of the couples, a newlywed pair, had showed up for the first dinner, but then never appeared again. However, the middle-aged couple, Brett and Nancy, were in attendance every single night.
“Oh great, Brett and Nancy are here. I was hoping they’d at least skip tonight. I’m tired of seeing them every night,” said Joe.
“Oh, come on. They’re not that bad.”
“As long as I don’t listen to all of his banter about the stars, it’s fine, I guess.”
The maître d’ escorted them to the table and pulled out the chair for Meg.
“Madam,” he said with a flourish as he seated her, draping her napkin over her tanned legs and handing her a velvet-jacketed menu. “Sir, may I interest you in the wine list?” he asked Joe.
Joe glanced at Meg to see what she wanted. Meg quickly shook her head. She planned to stay with rum and Cokes. No need to switch now.
“Nope. We’ll just grab a couple more rum and Cokes.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll send your waiter right over,” he said with a polite nod.
“Was I not supposed to order drinks from that guy? I never seem to know who does what in this place,” said Joe mostly to Meg.
“They do seem well staffed, I’ll give ’em that. I think on any given night at least four staff members attend to our table,” said Nancy in her usual Southern drawl.