by KB Winters
Chase frowned. “I’m afraid not, bud. We’ll have to plan that for another day.”
Jackson shrugged. “I’m going to go play my game.”
“Okay, sweetheart. I’ll come check on you in a little bit.”
He trudged off and disappeared below deck. I turned my attention to Chase. “How bad is it going to be? Does it say?”
“It’s hard to tell,” he replied, scratching his stubble coated jaw. “Come here, I’ll show you.”
I followed him into the tight captain’s quarters. He pointed down at the radar screen which was flashing with different colors like something from the weather report on the news. How he could decipher it was a mystery to me. It just looked like a bunch of color coded blobs and patterns.
“That’s the eye of the storm,” he said, pointing at a fast moving circle. “Looks like it’s headed right at us. That’s why the alarm went off. When that thing hits, it’s going to be high winds, which will bring higher swells. We’re going to get tossed around a little bit.”
“Are we equipped for this kind of thing?” I asked, frantically looking around. I knew where the life vests, fire extinguisher, and first aid kit were held but in light of what he was telling me, it didn’t seem like enough.
“We’ll be all right,” Chase answered, his tone even and strong. I let his words soak in, bracing me with borrowed confidence. “But we need to secure everything down below and up top. We don’t want things moving around, someone could get hurt.”
“Okay. I’ll go down below.”
He nodded. “All right, good. I’ll deal with up here.”
I turned to leave, but he caught me by the wrist and pulled me back close. Our faces were inches away and all the air left the room around us. Chase’s eyes went dark and intense as they stared down into mine. “I’m going to get you and Jackson through this, okay? Nothing is going to happen to either one of you.”
I nodded and my eyes slid down to his lips. I wanted to kiss him. To use him as an anchor for my wild and careening heart. But in the end, I knew I had to be strong on my own. I couldn’t count on someone else all the time. “Thank you.”
Chase held my wrist a moment longer and I wondered if he just didn’t want to let go quite yet or if he was so lost in his planning that he didn’t realize he had a hold of me still.
“Chase, I—”
He let my wrist go and I stuffed down the words that had formed on my tongue. They vanished in a split second and I left the room before he could ask me what I was about to say.
Honestly, I had no idea.
The man had a way of calming me and scrambling me up all at once.
Once I left the bridge, I exhaled long and slow, gathering myself back together again, before heading down below.
* * * *
An hour later, everything was secured, tied down, or put inside the cupboards and closets. Jackson was tucked in bed with a movie on the TV in the bedroom with a pair of noise-canceling headphones in hopes he wouldn’t hear the howling winds that Chase had warned were on the way.
“Mama!” Jackson called, not realizing how loud his voice was over the movie sounds in his ears.
“What, baby?” I reached over and tugged one of the cups away from his ear. “What’s wrong?”
“Can I go upstairs now? I want to see the waves!”
I shook my head. “No, sweetheart, it’s not safe. You have to stay down here.”
He wriggled, already restless. He could sense our angst as Chase and I raced around to get everything ready and was now amped up himself. “I can help. Remember what Chase said? If I ate my oatmeal, I’d be strong. I ate my whole bowl today.”
I smiled. “I need you to be strong down here, okay? I’m going to go up and check on Chase and see if he needs anything. Then I’ll be back down and we can watch the rest of the movie together. How does that sound?”
He considered my offer for a long moment and then nodded. “Okay, Mama. But what about the animals? The whales and dolphins? Will they come up when it rains?”
“I don’t think so, honey. I think they stay hidden real deep where the water is calmer.”
“Oh.” I could tell it wasn’t the answer he’d been hoping for. In the past couple of days, we’d seen some marine life from the boat, and even a couple of dolphins while we played on the shore at the beach the day before. Jackson was fascinated by all of it. I made a mental note to see if there was an aquarium or aquatic wildlife park at the next stop. He deserved to have a special outing after all the uproar over the past couple of days since we’d left California. “What about the pirates?”
“Pirates?” I wrinkled my nose.
“Like in Peter Pan.”
“Oh,” I said, smiling. For a moment I’d been wondering if leaving him alone with the tablet had been the best course of action. I wasn’t around enough to make sure he hadn’t stumbled across something a little out of his depth. As long as he was referring to the cartoon kind of pirates, all was well. “I think they fly to Neverland. Right?”
Jackson’s eyes lit up. “Can we go to Neverland?”
Gee, that was a whopper of a field trip request.
“When we go to sleep at night, sweetie. That’s when you can go to see Peter and the pirates.”
“The lost boys,” he said, very serious about the matter.
“Yep! You’re so right.”
He nodded and leaned back against the pillows I’d stacked up behind him. “Chase is teaching me how to talk like a pirate.”
“Is he?”
“Mmhmm. It’s fun. Everything with Chase is fun. Don’t you think so too, Mama?”
My heart squeezed and I nodded, unable to speak around the lump in my throat. I replaced Jackson’s headphones and kissed his forehead before getting up from the bed. “Watch your movie, sweetie, I’ll check on you later.”
Jackson nodded and I watched as he pushed a button on the screen and immediately got lost in his movie.
I tore myself away and went upstairs after a quick sweep of the galley to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. Chase was upstairs, getting the last preparations in place. I found him at the front of the boat, locking the storage cabinets underneath the built in seats. The wind was already howling and I stopped at the top of the stairs to tie my long hair back into a ponytail. But even tied back, it began to whip around my face as soon as I stepped out from the protection of the archway.
“What can I do?” I called over to Chase. He straightened at my shout and for a moment, we were suspended, in the midst of the chaos kicking up around us. His eyes swept over me, as though assuring himself I was all right. That was all that mattered to him. I could see it. I could feel it.
I thought back to Jackson’s words of adoration. He was just as enthralled with Chase as I was. He fit seamlessly into our dynamics and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the nature of the situation or if he just clicked with us. It was hard to imagine trusting anyone else with our safety and equally as difficult to remember what our life was like before he’d walked into it.
“I think I got everything up here,” he answered after a long beat, dropping his eyes to sweep over the deck. I could see him ticking things off of his list. When he brought his eyes back to me, he looked sure, confident, and prepared. I clung to his assurance, hoping it would help keep me from dissolving into a panic once the wind and waves hit us hard. “How’s little man?” Chase asked.
I put my hands in my back pockets and took a few steps to close the space between us. “He’s all right. Tucked in with a movie and those headphones you gave him the other night. He was asking where the sea creatures and pirates go when it storms.”
Chase smiled. “We were talking about pirates the other day when he was helping me steer the ship.”
“You’re very good with him. I appreciate all of your help.”
Chase bobbed his head. “It’s not a problem. I’m glad I can help. He’s a sweet kid.”
“Thanks.” I smiled. “He’s not happy
that he’s missing all the action though.”
He chuckled. “He’s all boy.”
I laughed along with him. “Can’t argue with that.” I looked around the deck and locked onto the dark clouds that were quickly rolling overhead. “What do we do now?”
“We wait.” Chase started towards the bridge and I followed a pace behind. As soon as he ducked inside, he let out a loud curse. “Shit.”
My heart hammered at the dark turn of his tone. “What is it?”
“You need to get below and be with Jackson.”
I leaned over his shoulder, lightly placing a hand on his upper back, and glanced at the monitor. “What’s happening? Chase, please, tell me.”
He craned around to look at me, our faces inches apart. I reared back, startled at the way his face went tight. Almost pained. “They upgraded the storm.”
“What does that mean?”
Chase glanced away and then back at me, as though deciding whether or not to tell me. “Melissa, it’s a hurricane warning.”
Chase’s words ripped through me. The terror went deeper and reached farther inside of me than anything had so far. This wasn’t another person who was trying to get to me. This was a force of nature and there was nowhere to go.
Nowhere to hide.
Chapter Six
Chase
“What are we going to do?” Melissa’s eyes were wide, panic poured out from them.
“You’re going to go down below,” I replied, not bothering to hide the terseness from my voice. I didn’t want to leave any room for her to argue.
“Chase, let me help you!”
“No! Melissa, that’s out of the question.”
She folded her arms and blocked the doorway. “You really expect me to go downstairs and pretend like everything is fine? What am I supposed to do? Do you think I should paint my nails or bake a cake or something?”
My jaw flexed, tensing at her sarcastic retort. The fire in her eyes was blazing. She was daring me to cross her. “I expect you to follow my orders.”
Her eyes narrowed to dark slits. “Fuck off, Chase. I’m done being ordered around by some man on a power trip!”
I took a step towards her and leaned in, leaving less than an inch between our faces. “I’m not on a power trip. I’m trying to keep you alive.”
“Then let me help!” she bit out.
“Out of the question.” I took a step back and turned away. I raked my hands over my hair, trying to give my heart long enough to slow my pulse before I launched into a full on tirade. Why didn’t she trust me? After everything? Was this about last night?
“Chase, please,” she said, cutting into my thoughts. “I need to be able to do something to help. Can’t you understand that?”
I turned back to face her again and crossed my arms. “I understand, but that isn’t enough to change my mind, Melissa. It’s going to be dangerous up here. Once the wind kicks up, we’re going to have soaker waves, and those mother fuckers are strong enough to rip you right off the deck. I can’t—I won’t let that happen. You need to stay down below where the waves can’t get to you.”
She broke away her ferocious glare and stared out the window at the ever darkening sky. “Can’t you bungee me in? Like that contraption you put on Jackson the other day while you were teaching him how to fish.”
My anger began to melt and I took a small step back towards her. “Melissa, if there was a way, that’d be safe, I’d be all over it. But there’s not. I understand I’m asking a lot. I’m asking you to put your trust in me, for the dozenth time. Do you think you can do that? Can you trust me that I know best on this? You need to be with Jackson anyway.”
She captured my eyes again and held my stare. After a long moment she gave a small nod. “Okay.”
I grasped Melissa by the wrist. “I’m never going to tell you what to do, or go on a power trip just for the hell of it. I respect you too much to ever do that to you. But, in the same turn, you have to learn to respect my instructions. Especially in cases like this. I’ve spent the majority of my life in the water or out on boats. I know what’s coming our way and it’s going to be nasty. I don’t mean to scare you, but you’re not prepared to handle this storm.”
“Chase, I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to apologize. But please know that I have you and Jackson’s best interest and safety at heart. That’s my number one concern right now, okay?”
“Okay.” She nodded again and moved half a step closer.
A howl of wind slammed into the side of the boat and my stomach clenched. It was starting. As much as I wanted to grab her and never let go, I couldn’t. I needed to get her to safety. “I need to know that you and Jackson are safe. You need to go down to your room and hold him and make sure he’s calm.”
“But what about you?” A hitch in her voice sent my heart plummeting to my stomach. “Chase, we can’t do any of this without you. Back at the harbor, when I thought you were…gone. I didn’t know what to do. I froze! Jackson needs you. I need you. We can’t lose you.”
I let go of her wrist and slid my hand down the inside, grazing over the soft skin. I reached her hand and wrapped my fingers around hers, locking them together. She glanced down at our intertwined fingers and a small smile bloomed on her lips at the simple gesture that revealed a quiet strength. I gave them a gentle squeeze and she looked back up at me. “You’re not going to lose me, Melissa. I promise.”
Her lips parted, readying her next objection, but I lowered my face the few inches to hers and captured her mouth. Melissa melted into me and I gathered her to my chest. I wished I could keep her there through the rest of the storm. Against me, in my arms, she was safe. I could shield her from the danger.
A howl of wind buffeted against the walls of the bridge breaking into the kiss and another swell of fear gripped my chest. I pulled away from Melissa and held her at arm’s length. My thumbs massaged against her shoulders, kneading at the tensed muscles, and as I looked into her wide eyes I wasn’t sure if my lingering contact was for her benefit or mine. “Melissa, please. Go. Be with Jackson and tell him it’s going to be okay. He needs you.”
It was a new sensation to be so on edge and tense. I was certainly not a stranger to the seas and had been through plenty of nasty storms. But as those memories flooded back to me, I couldn’t recall ever having so much fear flooding my system going into it.
I pulled Melissa against me for one last embrace and felt her nod against my chest. “Be safe,” she said, stepping back once I released her. The words were instantly whipped away by another blast of wind as we left the protection of the bridge. The clouds overhead were even darker than before and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the rain began to pour down on us. Keeping a hold of her arm, I led her back to the stairwell, and waited until she had disappeared from my sight before I ran back across the deck to the bridge. Instinctively, I knew what to do. Really, there was only one thing to do, just as I’d told Melissa. Wait out the storm.
I pressed my eyes closed and listened to the first smattering of rain against the roof. I just hoped to God that we were still in one piece on the other side.
I fussed with the controls, flicking switches and checking gauges, but it was more of an attempt to keep my mind occupied long enough to drown out the fears and worst-case scenarios. We were hours away from shore, as I’d taken us as far away from land as possible the night before. At the time, it was the right course of action. We needed to put as much distance between us and any remaining members of Henry’s squad as possible. But now, with the storm on the way, I wished we’d stayed closer to the coast.
As expected, the rain dumped from the sky, and the sound blended with the sound of the spray kicking up from the tumultuous ocean below the boat as it began to churn. Minutes passed and then a downpour fell from the sky, so hard that it reminded me of water being thrown from a child’s plastic buckets as they played in the ocean back at the resort. The wind was so loud that even
if Melissa was standing beside me, I wouldn’t have been able to hear a word from her lips.
I’d gotten her out of the elements at the exact right moment. As the storm swirled and rose to a new height, my thoughts went to Jackson and how scared he must feel in the midst of the noise. It struck me as odd how fast Melissa and Jackson had gone from complete strangers to something that felt more like family. The day before, as Jackson and Melissa had played in the ocean together, I found my mind wandering on more than one occasion to what it must be like to be a parent. Melissa was so natural and easy-going with Jackson that she made it look easy.
Or at least a hell of a lot easier than it probably was.
Though to Jackson’s credit, he was more well behaved than most other children I’d met over the years. Even those older than him. He had a sweet spirit and a gentle soul. It was a mystery to me how he’d ended up with such a kind heart considering how ruthless his father was. That could only be accounted to spending most of his life with Melissa. Hearing her talk about her life with Henry had been eye-opening. By her account, she was more of a single parent, despite the fact that she was married. Jackson and her spent more time alone together, with no one around but the staff Henry employed to keep his estate running smoothly. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was why Jackson had so seamlessly slipped from his normal life into the so-called adventure over the last few days living life on the run.
He’d adapted miraculously well to our crazy days on the boat, stopping in different cities, and from what I’d heard, he hadn’t even asked that many questions. I was relieved he’d been able to adjust—but at the same time—it pissed me off. It wasn’t something he should have to do. He deserved better.
They both did.
And if I could help them get to something better, a new, more fulfilling life, then I’d consider it a job well done.
A gust of wind smacked the side of the boat so loudly that it rumbled like thunder, echoing over the aluminum siding. I jolted from my thoughts and ran my gaze along the control panel, making my way through a mental checklist. Captaining a boat in the middle of a storm was a lot different than driving anything else. The waves and wind had a helluva lot more control over the direction than I had—even though I was behind the wheel.