by Johnny Asa
“I… um…”
I struggled to find the words to answer her, mostly because I hadn’t had the time to properly process things. Everything had happened too fast for it to be good. Still, the thought of rekindling something with Mary Ann sounded damned good, better than good even. Only, that couldn’t be now. I needed to find my father, and where was Ren? Did he find Tom?
“Guess it ain’t any of my business,” the nurse said, moving through her routine and checking me over. “Just like how you got all them bullet wounds isn’t my business, although I find hunting accident a bit hard to swallow.” She shrugged, waving a hand. “Honestly, I don’t want to know.”
“Hunting accident?” I mumbled very convincingly.
“Yeah, your friend with the tattoos… he said you guys were hunting gators and there was an accident, speaking of which, he’s in the lobby and asked me to tell him when you were awake. Want me to get him?” She looked at me expectantly.
“Yeah, please,” I said, and as I spoke, Mary Ann’s eyes fluttered open.
As she caught sight of me, a smile spread across her lips and tears filled her eyes. “You’re awake. Thank God above,” she whispered, coming to her feet. She rushed over to me, bypassing the nurse like the big woman wasn’t there at all. She wrapped her arms around me, causing me to cry out in pain.
A blush spread across her cheeks as she pulled back, concern etched across her features. “Sorry!”
“Thank you,” I whispered, reaching up to touch her hand. The moment my fingertips brushed her flesh, an electric spark practically jolted through me, leaving me to do anything other than stare at her angelic face. “You saved me.”
“Actually, Ren and Tom saved us,” she said, kneeling down beside me as the nurse left the room. “They came only a minute or two later. It felt a lot longer, but it really wasn’t. They’d tracked the flight of the helicopter and were already on their way.” She rested her head on my arm. “We got lucky. Real lucky.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled, almost unable to believe it. That they had found us by following the trajectory of the helicopter sounded insane, but then again, my dad knew a guy who had fallen off a boat during the night while trying to take a leak. Three hours later, his friend had awoken, and seeing his buddy missing, backtracked the entire course to find him.
“Guess someone didn’t want to meet you just yet.” Mary Ann patted my hand as she looked up at me. “Which is good because I think you owe me dinner.”
“Pick something expensive,” I murmured as the door opened, and Ren stepped inside. Aside from the cut above his left eye, he looked picture perfect.
“Glad you’re alive. I have a lot of expenses I need covered,” Ren said, jerking a thumb at the doorway as Tom came inside. “Since your friend confiscated the laptop.”
Tom rolled his eyes before coming forward, something red and shiny in his hand. “You did a good job, Mr. Ryder,” he said, offering me his free hand. I took it, and he didn’t squeeze very hard which was good because I couldn’t manage much.
“Expect a bill.” I nodded to Ren. “From him.” I tried to smile, failed, and sucked in a slow breath instead. “Do you have what was promised? You know, about my dad?”
“Yeah,” he said, holding up the phone. The screen had cracked into a spider web, but even still I could see a text message flashing on the screen. Only, it didn’t make much sense.
“I don’t quite follow,” I said, looking from the phone to Tom and back again. I shook the device. “What’s this? I thought you said you knew where my dad was?”
“Your dad has a GPS. It was missing from the Storm Ryder, but apparently, he started it. This message has a website.” He tapped the phone.
“I’ve had a few knocks to the head. Can you just lay it out for me?” I asked, eyes flitting from the phone to Mary Ann.
“Basically, we can use the code on there to track down your dad. If he still has the GPS, this will lead us right to him,” Ren said, coming forward and putting a hand awkwardly on the foot of the bed.
“Really?” I asked, turning to look at Tom. “Why haven’t you found him yet?”
“Because this leads somewhere into the Caribbean, and near as I could tell, it’s just in the middle of the ocean. There was no way for me to follow up on it since I was in deep cover. Hell, it took everything just to keep Mandrake from finding it.” He quirked a smile at me. “That’s not a problem now. Only since the mission is over, I can’t go and get him. Not my department…”
“Guess we’ll be needing a boat then, huh?” I grumbled, turning my eyes to Mary Ann. “You up for a little trip?”
“Why Billy Ryder, are you asking me on a date?” Mary Ann asked, a smile spreading across her face as she leaned down to kiss me on the forehead. The touch of her lips made my heart practically beat through my ribs. “Of course I’ll come.”
“What about me?” Ren asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t think I’m missing out on the next adventure after everything we’ve been through.” His face soured. “Even though it does mean going on a boat.”
“Well, don’t wait too long,” Tom said, leaving the phone on the table beside the bed before turning to leave. “He’s getting farther away by the moment, which makes me think you have some time, but not a lot.” With that, he left the room.
“Guess it’s time to get a move on,” I said, moving to sit up. It hurt like I couldn’t believe.
“Yeah, that’s not happening for a few days,” Mary Ann said, giving me a no-nonsense stare. “I know you’re anxious, but I would be surprised if you can walk without tearing open those stitches.” She took a deep breath and looked at me like she could see into my soul. “We’ll get everything ready, okay? As soon as the doctor clears you, we’ll go. I promise.”
“Fine,” I muttered, knowing I couldn’t argue with her, especially since my legs felt like they were on fire. Didn’t mean it set well though.
“Don’t worry, Billy. We’ll find him soon. I know it,” Mary Ann said, taking my hands in hers, and the weird thing was, as I looked at her bathed in the harsh fluorescent glow of the hospital light, I believed her. Now that we had his GPS, we would find my dad. I knew it. But only if I healed enough to go get him.
33
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Mary Ann asked, glancing at Ren as he slid himself onto the bench inside the Storm Ryder.
“He’s the one who just checked out against doctor’s orders, and you’re asking me?” Ren replied, glancing at me as Mary Ann helped me into the boat. It was tough, every movement pulled at my stitches, lancing me with pain, but it was a good pain, a pain I knew meant the wounds were healing.
Still, we were about to find my Dad. At least, Tom thought we were about to find him. In the six hours since I’d acquired his GPS locator, I’d gotten hopeful that we might see him again. It seemed crazy to think it might all be over soon given what I had to do to find him, but at the same time, I was glad it had worked out.
“He isn’t going to throw up all over the boat,” Mary Ann replied as she helped me into the cockpit. A fresh stab of pain jolted through my legs as I gripped the wheel. Part of me felt bad because once again Mary Ann was going to be responsible for the rigging, but there was no other way, at least, not if I wanted to find my dad soon. I needed help, and Mary Ann was willing to provide it. What more could I ask for?
“Look, after everything we’ve been through, I want to be there when we find Billy’s dad.” Ren crossed his arms over his chest. “If I have to throw up a few times to do that, so be it.”
“I appreciate it,” I said as Mary Ann slid away from me and began taking off the dock lines. “Everything, really, Ren. You’re a good friend.”
“I know. It’s crazy how little you deserve me.” He nodded at me, a stupid smile plastered across his face. Then he leaned his head back and stared at the sky. “But seriously. I’ll be glad when this is all over. I like excitement and all, but this.” He gestured up at the sky. “The sky, th
e surf, the sun on my face. This is my jam.”
“Is that so?” I asked as I got ready to start the engine. Only before I did, a thought crossed my brain. “Say, Mary Ann. Would you check the thru-hull?”
She glanced at me for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I better do that since you’re an invalid.”
A moment later, she flashed me the thumbs up before leaping onto the top of the boat to ready the rigging.
Satisfied, I bent down and started the engines. Just doing that was hard, but that was fine. Pain was nothing when it came to finding my dad.
The next few minutes dragged by at a snail’s pace, and by the time I finally pulled out of the docks and was heading past the breakwater, I’d nearly gone insane from waiting. It was crazy because we had a few hours of sailing to reach my dad’s location, but I still wanted to be doing something.
“Looks like the wind is with us,” Mary Ann said as she pulled on the mainsheet, hauling up the mainsail. The wind caught it, pulling us forward, and I instantly knew we were gonna make it with good time. We were straight downwind, and glancing at the Garmin GPS, a smile crossed my lips. We were already going eight knots. The wind whipped back, hitting me in the face and ruffling my hair as Mary Ann hauled up the headsail, and from the look of the telltales, I knew everything was going to be fine.
Hell, I barely had to try to keep the sails from luffing. Nope, no wrinkles at all.
“We’re gonna make great time,” Mary Ann said, flopping down next to me and shooting an infectious grin at me.
“I know. It’s like the first thing that’s gone right in a while,” I said, wondering if I should motor while sailing. It probably wasn’t necessary, but I was still anxious to find my dad. I mean, sure we had his location because of the GPS tracker, but for all I knew he wasn’t at the end of it.
No. I couldn’t think that way. Tom had promised we’d find him at the end, and I had to believe him. If I didn’t, everything we’d done would be for naught, and I couldn’t have that.
“Yeah…” I mumbled, glancing down at the engine. The urge to turn it on was so strong I could barely see past it.
“Billy,” Mary Ann said, following my gaze. She touched my arm, trailing her finger down my arm. “It will be okay. He’s gonna be right where he’s supposed to be.” She smiled again at me, and I nodded.
“I really hope you’re right.”
“She is right, Billy. I know it,” Ren said, glancing over at us. His face had already gone a little green.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said as Ren took a swig from his ginger ale.
“Well, if this is how you’re going to be, I will not be sitting next to you,” Mary Ann said, getting to her feet and moving closer to Ren. “We’re on the edge of victory, and it’s such a nice day. Enjoy this moment because if you’re right, things are going to go to hell fast. And if you’re wrong, well, you’ll have wasted a perfectly good day.”
“I suppose you’re right,” I said, trying to make myself believe it. Only, I didn’t. I wouldn’t until my dad was in my arms again. I couldn’t lose him, and while I hoped with everything I had that he was, in fact, okay, and at the end of this electronic rainbow, I just couldn’t quite shake the feeling the other shoe was about to drop.
Only that was crazy because we’d won. We’d defeated the Scorpions and sunk the Hard Tide. Mandrake was at the bottom of the ocean, and Tom had gotten enough off that stolen laptop to put most of the rest of the Scorpions behind bars for so long that most of them would never see freedom again.
I should have felt like I’d won, but I didn’t.
“I know you’re worried, Billy, and as much as I want you to try and enjoy yourself, I get it,” Mary Ann said, still looking at me. “But it’d be nice if you tried.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding at her as I tried to do as she asked. She was right after all. I couldn’t go any quicker than I already was. I might as well try to enjoy myself or the next couple hours were going to make me crazy.
34
“Why Billy Ryder, are you smiling?” Mary Ann asked me as she finished tightening the sheet for the headsail and flopped down on the bench. “Because it seems to me you are, and what kind of woman would I be to take that away from you?”
“A normal one?” Ren said right before we crested a wave and hit the water hard enough for it to send a jolt of pain through my battered legs. Saltwater sprayed across the front of the boat, but I ignored it as I watched the onboard GPS. We were minutes away from the location on the Garmin.
“Is that how you think of me?” Mary Ann asked, fixing Ren with a devilish look as she put her hands on her hips. “Cause if so…” She gestured at the sea. “Trust me, if I toss you out, that whistle won’t help you.”
“I would never try to imply you—”
“There he is!” I cried, interrupting their banter as I pointed to a speck on the horizon. It wasn’t big, just a floating orange dot, but I knew that was it. My heart leapt into my throat, and while, I knew that my friends were trying to say something, I was too busy turning toward it to hear them.
As I maneuvered the wheel to line up our bow with the speck, I felt the wind gust up, filling our sails and driving us forward like greased lightning. We cut through the water, hitting the waves at a forty-five-degree angle as we came up over the top of a larger than normal wave, and for a moment, it felt like we were surfing.
We rode the top of the wave, and as it started to crest, I realized we were going over the top. If that happened, it would crash right down on the top of us. I turned the wheel a bit, causing our direction to shift and our speed to slow. The sails ruffled slightly as the wave passed under us and crashed into the sea. Then I spun the wheel back, focusing on the orange dot.
Only it wasn’t a dot anymore. It was one of those inflatable life rafts, and what’s more, there was someone inside.
“Dad!” I called as the figure in the boat stood up and waved his arms. I doubted he heard me over the waves, but it didn’t matter because we were heading right toward him.
As we got closer, I caught sight of the man inside, and my heart practically burst through my chest. It was him! It was my dad, and he looked okay. Well, as okay as one could be after spending several days alone in a lifeboat.
“That’s him, Billy!” Mary Ann cried, turning to look at me. Tears rimmed her eyes as she smiled at me. “It’s really him.”
“I can’t believe it,” I whispered, my ability to speak practically nonexistent as we got closer to him.
“I knew you’d find him,” Mary Ann said, leaping from the bench and grabbing hold of the recovery line. She readied it as I turned on the Storm Ryder’s motor and threw the boat into reverse. The boat fought me for a second, motor battling against the sails as Mary Ann tossed the line to my father.
My old man caught the rope and bent down to wrap it around the grommet on his lifeboat. As soon as it was done, Ren and Mary Ann pulled while I tried to keep the Storm Ryder close.
A moment later, the lifeboat bumped up against our hull, and even though I wanted to go to him right then, I did my duty and kept the boat where it was.
“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ryder,” Ren said, grabbing my dad’s outstretched hands and hauling him aboard.
“The pleasure is all mine,” my dad replied, voice hoarse as he looked from Ren to Mary Ann. “Thank you for coming to get me, Mary Ann.” He gestured at the water. “I like the sea, but not quite like this.” He licked his chapped lips and smiled. “I hate to be more of a bother, but would you perhaps have something to drink. I’m mighty thirsty.”
“Of course! Let me get you something,” she said, tears falling from her eyes and running down her cheeks as she turned and made her way down into the cabin. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too,” my dad said, watching her disappear down below before coming toward me. “I suppose I have you to thank for that, eh, Billy?” His arms enveloped me in a hug that was surprisingly strong given the way we found h
im.
My eyes went a little blurry as I hugged him back. “It was a team effort,” I said as he broke away. I know how you don’t like me trying to be the hero.”
“Good. You got that stubborn streak from me, and look where it got me,” he said, sitting down on the bench beside me as Mary Ann reappeared with a bottle of water.
“Here you go, Mr. Ryder,” she said, twisting off the cap and handing it to him.
“Thank you, kindly,” he said, draining most of it in nearly a single gulp. He wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. “I mean that. I… I’d probably be dead otherwise. Hell, I thought I might be after the Scorpions found me on their boat when I went aboard to get the gang’s financial records from Tom.” He held up a small USB stick. “He got me off the boat in time, but when I tried to make my way back, the motor broke and the sail ripped off and flew away…”
“Oh, we sank their boat,” Ren said, cracking his knuckles. “The Hard Tide is in Davy Jones’s locker.”
“Really?” my dad asked, raising an eyebrow at me. “Now, that is one story I’d like to hear from the beginning.” He pushed me slightly then. “You know, just as soon as I teach you how to sail the old girl.”
Thank You for reading!
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