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The Island In The Mist: A Dinosaur Thriller

Page 9

by C. G. Mosley


  The entire drive from the airstrip took about forty-five minutes, and it suddenly occurred to Jonathon that he hadn’t eaten anything.

  “Angus, I’m starving. Is there going to be any food on this ship?”

  Angus turned in his seat and nodded. “Yes, forgive me, I suppose I should supply some sort of itinerary for all of you. First off, you may eat whenever you like once we’re aboard. There is plenty of food in the lounge, so help yourself.” He looked down at his watch. “It’s almost six o’clock now and the trip will take roughly seven hours. We’ll probably shove off around seven. We should arrive near the island around two a.m. We’ll drop anchor and allow everyone to finish up with a good night of sleep. Just hang on a few more minutes, Jonathon, we’re almost there.”

  Just as he’d promised, a few minutes later, the van came to a halt at a small marina. It didn’t take long for Jonathon to figure out which ship they would be taking before Angus had a chance to tell him. There was a medium-sized fishing boat near the end of the longest pier. Every other boat was considerably smaller and would not be practical for the trip they were taking. There were a couple of sailboats, one of them being boarded by a young family, and a yacht. As Angus led them to the fishing boat, Jonathon noticed the name of the yacht. Wedgeworth I was the name of the ship and he wondered if there was possibly a Wedgeworth II somewhere. As they arrived at the fishing boat, a forty-something-year-old man met them on the pier. He wore an Atlanta Braves baseball cap with tufts of curly salt-and-pepper hair popping out around the edges. His narrow eyes had crow’s feet etched at the corners, obvious evidence of the countless years the man had spent squinting over the mirrored surface of the Atlantic Ocean. He wore a plain white T-shirt and blue jeans. His shoes looked almost as old as the man who wore them and looked similar to some sort of military combat boot.

  “Welcome,” he said. “I’m Charlie Blackstone, your captain. This is my ship, Bethany. Come on aboard and make yourself comfortable. The first mate and I will retrieve your bags.”

  Behind him, the ship was painted almost solid black, except for a red strip around the hull. The name Bethany was scribed in black on the red stripe. Jonathon figured the ship was about seventy-five feet long and figured it was being used as a charter fishing ship. Angus was probably paying a pretty penny for their excursion. Captain Blackstone waved a hand toward a ramp that led in a slight incline onto the ship’s deck. A tall, lanky man jogged down the ramp and stood alongside the captain.

  “This is the first mate, Denny,” Captain Blackstone said quickly, and then both men made their way to the rear of the van where Travis was opening the door.

  Jonathon led the group onto the deck. The ship’s bridge blocked out the sun and cast a large shadow across the deck. Just below the bridge, Jonathon noticed a doorway that led below. Bethany had more room below her deck than she appeared to have from the view outside. The largest room (the lounge) consisted of a small fridge, a table and four chairs, a sofa, television, and radio. A small hallway branched off from the back of the room and three cabins flanked each side. The cabins were very cramped, about eight feet by eight feet, and each contained a bunk bed. The end of the hallway led to two more doors, Jonathon was unsure what was beyond them. He hoped and assumed at least one of them concealed a bathroom. He went into one of the cabins and thought about how the sleeping arrangements would be. Annie apparently was thinking about it too and she swiftly declared her and Lucy were sharing a room.

  He glanced over at Silas and grinned. “Do you snore?”

  “No, do you?”

  Jonathon shook his head.

  “I guess that means we’re bunking together,” Silas said, opening the cabin directly across from Lucy and Annie’s.

  “That’s cool, as long as I get the top bed,” Jonathon said.

  Travis snuck up on them and tossed their bags onto the floor of the cabin they’d just claimed.

  “You ladies have fun,” he said jokingly, and for a second, Jonathon was beginning to think the big lug wasn’t so bad. Then the next thing that came out of his mouth ruined all that.

  “Lucy, you sure you don’t want to bunk with me, sweetheart?” he asked.

  She rolled her eyes. “In your dreams.”

  He stared at her and smiled. “I’ll make you feel things you’ve never felt before.”

  She put her hands on her hips and Jonathon knew the look in her eye. He saw the storm brewing and knew if Travis knew what was good for him, he’d abort the romance mission now.

  “Let me tell you something,” she began.

  Too late, pal, you just screwed up big time, Jonathon thought.

  “I don’t appreciate nasty little comments like that. I haven’t heard comments like that since high school. I’m not interested in pigs like you and I never will be. The best thing for you to do while we’re on this boat is avoid me. Don’t talk to me and don’t look at me. Do you understand me?”

  She took a deep breath and released it gently, apparently trying to regain her composure. Travis stood still for a long moment, dumbfounded. Annie held her hand over her mouth in a desperate attempt to contain laughter, and Silas quickly made his way back on deck to avoid the awkward situation. Travis glanced over at Jonathon who was unable to hide his amusement. Finally, he turned away from them all and retreated back to the deck. Once he was completely gone, Annie released her laughter and she was so loud Jonathon was sure Travis could hear her.

  “That was great,” she said, giggling.

  Jonathon walked over and put a hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” she said. “Actually, I feel much better.”

  He looked back toward the deck. “You didn’t have to be quite so…so…mean. Did you?”

  Lucy was appalled. “What? Are you kidding me? I can’t believe you’re taking that creep’s side.”

  Jonathon held up his hands. “No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I just mean that guy isn’t used to being embarrassed like that. He might try to retaliate.”

  “So let him. I can’t believe you think I should just take that crap from him. I can’t believe that you didn’t get involved. The way he’s been acting toward me is completely inappropriate,” she fumed.

  “That’s exactly what he wanted me to do. He’s just looking for a good excuse to bust me in the chops. He’s just using you to get to me, that’s all.”

  Fortunately, Annie agreed.

  “I think he’s right, Lucy. Travis clearly doesn’t like him.”

  She shook her head, unconvinced. “I’m not so sure. The way he looks at me makes my skin crawl.” The thought made her shiver as if a chill ran through her.

  Jonathon put an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. “I’ll speak with Angus about it. Don’t worry about him. I promise I won’t let him harm you.”

  He meant what he said, but he was afraid Lucy didn’t believe him. He desperately hoped that he would never have to prove it to her.

  ***

  Immediately after the confrontation with Lucy and Travis, Jonathon’s appetite disappeared. It wasn’t until about an hour after their departure that the hunger returned. Fortunately, Angus had the lounge fully stocked and food was something that they wouldn’t lack on the trip. The ship rocked back and forth, and Jonathon had to grab the back of a chair with one hand to steady himself while he searched the fridge. He decided on a ham and cheese sandwich and grabbed a small bag of potato chips off the counter. As he sat at the table, Travis walked through the room alone. When he saw him, Jonathon immediately stopped chewing his mouthful of sandwich expecting another confrontation. He didn’t get one. Travis never even looked his way as he disappeared into the hallway and closed the cabin door. Silas appeared shortly after and plopped down on the opposite side of the table.

  “You save anything for me?” he asked, eyeing the sandwich.

  Jonathon nodded. “There’s plenty to eat. Nothing extravagant, but plenty to snack on and keep us going.”
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br />   Silas rummaged through the cabinets and the fridge then finally settled on a sandwich also.

  “Travis say anything to you?” Jonathon asked.

  Silas had just taken a bite out of his sandwich. “No,” he mumbled through the mouth full of food.

  Jonathon smiled and allowed him to finish chewing.

  “Not a word,” he said finally. “He’s just sort of walked around on the deck. I did see him walk over and speak to Frank briefly, but I couldn’t hear what was said. Lucy and Annie were up there too, drinking beer and talking, but Travis never even looked their way. He never even approached them. Why? Did he say something to you?”

  “No. He just walked by right before you got here. He didn’t say a word, didn’t even look my way.”

  Silas wiped his mouth with a napkin and chuckled. “Lucy really put him in his place. He’s making it worse by acting like a baby about it.”

  Jonathon leaned back in his chair to relax. He took his hat off and twirled it around on his finger as he thought. “I wish she hadn’t said anything,” he said.

  “Why is that?”

  “That guy’s hurt people before. I can see it in his eyes.” Jonathon tossed the hat up and let it land on the table in front of him. “And when I say hurt, I mean physical hurt. I believe he’s had a lot of experience doing it too.”

  “Well, you know he is a bodyguard,” Silas said, tilting his head slightly. “I’m sure he has knocked a few people around in his time.”

  “Yeah, but I think he’s gone beyond that. I’ve just got a bad feeling about him.”

  “Nah…you’re just saying that because you boys got off on the wrong foot.”

  Jonathon shook his head in disagreement. “I just hope he stays away from Lucy and doesn’t try to retaliate.”

  “Okay, okay, we’ll agree to disagree,” Silas said. “There is something I gotta ask you. It’s bugging me.”

  Jonathon leaned forward and put his arms on the table. “Sure, what’s on your mind?”

  “What’s the story with that knife you carry around on your belt?”

  Jonathon glanced down at his hip and pulled the large knife from its sheath. He laid it on the table between them. The ivory handle looked brighter than usual under the overhead lights.

  “Let’s just say that I’m pretty good with a knife. I can do things with a knife a lot of people can’t.”

  Silas cocked his head to the side. “Like what?”

  Jonathon picked the knife back up and held it tightly in the palm of his hand. Suddenly, he tossed it straight up into the air. It twirled end over end at a high rate of speed. He reached out and grabbed it before it fell onto the table. “I used to compete in a lot of competitions when I was a kid.”

  “What sort of competitions?”

  “Knife-throwing competitions. I won just about every one I ever entered.”

  Silas crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “So you can throw a knife pretty much wherever you want to,” he said, genuinely interested.

  Jonathon nodded. “It just came natural to me. My old man used to have a show…a knife-throwing show. He used to do shows for schools, birthday parties, and the town we lived in would hire him to do a show at the annual fall festival each year. He was quite the celebrity where we lived.”

  “I imagine so,” Silas said. “So you’re basically saying that you carry that knife around for protection. It’s a weapon you’re very skilled with.”

  Jonathon gave a slight chuckle, and then shoved the knife back into its holster. “Yeah, I suppose so,” he agreed. “I guess you could call it my good luck charm,” he added thoughtfully.

  “Really?” Silas said, picking up his sandwich again. “So does it work?”

  “Does what work?”

  “The knife…as a good luck charm?” Silas bit into the sandwich.

  “Well, yeah, I suppose so. It gets me out of a jam every now and then.”

  Silas chewed his food, but waved his hand in an effort to urge Jonathon to continue.

  “Okay, I got snake bit once on a dig in the Badlands of Montana. It was the biggest rattler you’ve ever seen. I never saw it until it latched onto my boot.”

  “So it got your boot, not you?”

  Jonathon nodded. “As soon as I felt the pressure on my boot, I reached for the knife. I took a quick swipe at it and hoped for the best. Fortunately, it all worked out. The snake lost its head, and its fangs never touched me.”

  “Well, true enough, that is luck. However, I’m a firm believer that some people make their own luck. I believe that it’s an ability not everyone has. To me, it’s just as amazing as having the power to fly. A man that can make his own luck can find ways to cheat death. I sense that you’ve got that ability, Jonathon.”

  He stared at Silas, waiting for some sort of punch line. One never came.

  “You’re serious about all that?”

  “Dead serious,” Silas replied, and his stone-faced expression backed up his words.

  “I hope you’re right.” I got a feeling I may need an ability like that soon, he thought.

  “I know I’m right,” he replied and he slapped the table as he got up. “It’s my bed time. By the time you get in the cabin, I’ll probably be asleep. Do me a favor and don’t make too much noise when you come in, alright?”

  “I won’t be too far behind you, but I promise to tiptoe in,” Jonathon said.

  Silas retreated down the hallway and Jonathon heard the cabin door open and click shut.

  Now alone, he decided to take a trip up on deck and check on Lucy. The boat continued to sway back and forth, but by now he was becoming used to it. Fortunately, he had never experienced sea-sickness. Being on the water in a boat of any size was not something he was accustomed to. In fact, when he thought back, he could only think of a few times throughout his entire life that he’d been in a boat. But for whatever reason, sea-sickness was never an issue for him.

  Once on the deck, the first thing that caught his attention was the eerie darkness in all directions. If the flood light over the deck wasn’t on, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t even be able to see his own hand in front of his face. He looked up at the sky above and was stunned at how incredibly gorgeous the night sky truly was. Being on the ocean with virtually nothing obstructing your view in any direction made the vastness of the sky and stars slightly overwhelming. He could hear water slapping the bow as Bethany cut through the Atlantic with ease.

  “Goodnight, Jonathon,” Lucy said abruptly from somewhere behind him.

  He turned and saw her headed down below. “You turning in early too?”

  Lucy stopped, and turned back to look at him. “I think I drank a little too much, I feel a little tipsy. I knew better than to do that. We’ve got a big day tomorrow. You should get some sleep too.”

  He waved her off. “I assure you I’ll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning, ready for whatever tomorrow can throw at me. I’m mostly concerned about you, actually. Are you alright?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she said. “Sorry if I snapped at you earlier, I was just mad.”

  “No problem,” he replied. “Have a good night.”

  She disappeared below deck, and when Jonathon turned around, he was surprised to see Annie standing there. Her back was against the wind and long locks of red hair blew around her face with the breeze. She was only a few feet away from him, and she threw both arms around his neck and drew her face very close to his.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  She sounded more like a young girl than a grown woman talking. He smelled the alcohol on her breath and knew she probably had no idea what she was doing. If Lucy was tipsy, she must be full-fledged drunk.

  “Getting some fresh air,” he replied calmly. “I think I know what you’ve been doing.”

  “Really? What have I been doing, smarty pants?” She practically leaned against him now, pressing her body tightly against his.

  “Just how many beers did you p
ut down?”

  “Oh, I don’t know…seven, I think.” She then paused a moment and looked up. “Or it could’ve been eight… I don’t know,” she giggled.

  “It’s not safe for you to be up here like this, you need to get to bed,” he told her.

  “You want to go with me?” she asked, still giggling.

  “Go with you? To bed?” The pitch of his voice and his blood pressure went up simultaneously.

  “Yes…where else?” she asked, looking around in all directions. Drunk or sober, it didn’t matter. She was a knockout and very seductive.

  He turned away from her and bit his fist in frustration. He was ashamed as he thought to himself that he actually did want to take her up on the offer, but he knew how wrong that would be on several different levels.

  He took her by the arm and began to lead her toward her cabin. “Come on, you need to go to bed.” She smiled a big smile, and he realized she still believed he was going with her. “Alone. You’re going to bed alone,” he clarified.

  Suddenly, she lunged at him again and planted her soft lips tightly against his. Even though he tasted the alcohol in her mouth, he could not hide the fact that he actually enjoyed it. Before he even realized what he was doing, he kissed her back and held her tightly against him. They stumbled down the steps and into the lounge, and before he knew it, she’d fallen backwards on the table and pulled him down with her. They kissed a few minutes longer. It felt like pure heaven to him, and it was only when she began to pull her top off that reality set in and he came crashing back down to earth. He jerked back from her.

  “Oh no…what are we doing? We can’t do this,” he said, in total disbelief. Jonathon pushed himself off the table and Annie sat up abruptly.

  “What’s the problem?” she asked, very innocently. She reluctantly pulled her shirt back down over her stomach.

  “You’re drunk, and I’m kind of attached to Lucy,” Jonathon said. He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her up from the table. “You need to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow and you’re going to need all the rest you can get.”

 

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