Seeking Safe Harbor: Suddenly Everything Changed (The Seeking Series) by Albert Correia
Authors: Albert Correia
Ads: Link
sleeps.”
“Before we settle in,” Zach advised, “I need to do what I started out to do before we heard about Glen’s wound. We need to know we’re finally alone out here. Stacey, after you get Glen set up, check the radar for larger craft. I’ll use the flashlight to look for small boats nearby.”
He took the flashlight from Stacey and started around the boat, shining the light out over the ocean as he went. Stacey set up Glen’s bunk quickly – it was just a matter of turning the table over on a swivel and adjusting the seats. Denise got the sheets out and put them on the bunk as Stacey went back up to the cockpit and turned on the radar.
Once they got Glen settled in, Denise and Millie went to the forward cabin. Both climbed onto the V-berth bunk without bothering to pull the blankets back or disrobe. In seconds, they were asleep.
George went up to the deck and joined Zach walking around the vessel. After adjusting the radar to study different distances for over two minutes, Stacey turned it off and went to join Zach and George, who were just then nearing the bowsprit.
“There’s nothing as far as the radar reaches,” she told the men, “except for the island behind us, and there’s nothing moving around it.”
The men looked relieved to hear that. They had already looked over the starboard side of the ocean and it was clear. Zach shined the light dead ahead now, and all three looked out for anything that wasn’t part of the ocean. There was nothing but water. They continued around, all scanning the ocean as far as the light shined.
Zach even shinned the light directly below them to be sure there was nothing near or attached to the boat. They were determined to inspect every inch of the ocean around them.
It never occurred to them to check what was on the boat itself.
Chapter 22
N O ONE saw the automatic rifle behind them. It slid back toward the center of the forward deck when the boat rocked and the port side raised up for a moment, and it stopped at the center when it hit the hatch that Glen had used to go below deck.
They were looking the other way and it was dark, so they wouldn’t have seen it, anyway. It was the next day before they saw the weapon again, and it wasn’t any of them who found it.
The three continued looking out over the port side until they reached the stern. They maneuvered around the barrels of fuel. Zach shined the light on the barrels and discovered that three of them were hit, and fuel leaked out onto the deck.
Fortunately, the boat was watertight and the fuel had washed overboard. It would require some cleaning up the next day. Probably a sixth of the fuel was lost, but it didn’t pose a problem.
Zach next passed the light over the dinghy, which was trailing along behind the boat, tied to it by a twenty-foot line.
“We won’t need the dinghy any more tonight, Zach,” Stacey said. “Should we bring it in and hang it on the davits?”
Zach flashed the light on the little boat, shaking his head. “No, we’ll need to clean it up before we hang it, and none of us is up to that right now. We all need to get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll do a thorough inventory, check the damages, and clean up whatever got broken in our skirmishes. You and George should head below and get some sleep. I’ll take the first watch. George, how much experience do you have on boats?”
“I’ve done some fishing and a bit of sailing,” George responded. “And if we’re under power, I can handle a watch with no problem.”
“That’s good, because we’ll keep the motor going until we get things in order tomorrow,” Zach told him. “However, I’m not turning any lights on, including the running lights, for the time being. We’ll rethink that once we’re clear of the islands. Right now, we need to get as far away from here as possible, and I want everyone else to sleep all night. We’ll do three-hour watches. George, I’ll call you in three; you’ll wake Stacey
“Before we settle in,” Zach advised, “I need to do what I started out to do before we heard about Glen’s wound. We need to know we’re finally alone out here. Stacey, after you get Glen set up, check the radar for larger craft. I’ll use the flashlight to look for small boats nearby.”
He took the flashlight from Stacey and started around the boat, shining the light out over the ocean as he went. Stacey set up Glen’s bunk quickly – it was just a matter of turning the table over on a swivel and adjusting the seats. Denise got the sheets out and put them on the bunk as Stacey went back up to the cockpit and turned on the radar.
Once they got Glen settled in, Denise and Millie went to the forward cabin. Both climbed onto the V-berth bunk without bothering to pull the blankets back or disrobe. In seconds, they were asleep.
George went up to the deck and joined Zach walking around the vessel. After adjusting the radar to study different distances for over two minutes, Stacey turned it off and went to join Zach and George, who were just then nearing the bowsprit.
“There’s nothing as far as the radar reaches,” she told the men, “except for the island behind us, and there’s nothing moving around it.”
The men looked relieved to hear that. They had already looked over the starboard side of the ocean and it was clear. Zach shined the light dead ahead now, and all three looked out for anything that wasn’t part of the ocean. There was nothing but water. They continued around, all scanning the ocean as far as the light shined.
Zach even shinned the light directly below them to be sure there was nothing near or attached to the boat. They were determined to inspect every inch of the ocean around them.
It never occurred to them to check what was on the boat itself.
Chapter 22
N O ONE saw the automatic rifle behind them. It slid back toward the center of the forward deck when the boat rocked and the port side raised up for a moment, and it stopped at the center when it hit the hatch that Glen had used to go below deck.
They were looking the other way and it was dark, so they wouldn’t have seen it, anyway. It was the next day before they saw the weapon again, and it wasn’t any of them who found it.
The three continued looking out over the port side until they reached the stern. They maneuvered around the barrels of fuel. Zach shined the light on the barrels and discovered that three of them were hit, and fuel leaked out onto the deck.
Fortunately, the boat was watertight and the fuel had washed overboard. It would require some cleaning up the next day. Probably a sixth of the fuel was lost, but it didn’t pose a problem.
Zach next passed the light over the dinghy, which was trailing along behind the boat, tied to it by a twenty-foot line.
“We won’t need the dinghy any more tonight, Zach,” Stacey said. “Should we bring it in and hang it on the davits?”
Zach flashed the light on the little boat, shaking his head. “No, we’ll need to clean it up before we hang it, and none of us is up to that right now. We all need to get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll do a thorough inventory, check the damages, and clean up whatever got broken in our skirmishes. You and George should head below and get some sleep. I’ll take the first watch. George, how much experience do you have on boats?”
“I’ve done some fishing and a bit of sailing,” George responded. “And if we’re under power, I can handle a watch with no problem.”
“That’s good, because we’ll keep the motor going until we get things in order tomorrow,” Zach told him. “However, I’m not turning any lights on, including the running lights, for the time being. We’ll rethink that once we’re clear of the islands. Right now, we need to get as far away from here as possible, and I want everyone else to sleep all night. We’ll do three-hour watches. George, I’ll call you in three; you’ll wake Stacey
Similar Books
