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The sky was completely black with storm clouds now, the Gulf a steel blue. Lightning crisscrossed the sky. Co
And then the engines sputtered and died.
Oh… shit.
Co
Oh, no. No, no, no… He hadn’t calculated the rough seas, the extra fuel consumption.
Without forward momentum, the boat would flounder. He left the cockpit, pulled himself forward so he could get the sails up. A wave almost washed him over. He threw himself at the mast, hung on as the Je
Co
In a flash of lightning, Co
The sea churned around him. Fifty yards distant, he thought he saw the Je
Another wave drove him under, and when he came back up again he no longer saw the boat. He didn’t know where the coast lay. The heaving black ocean gaped in all directions, immense swells briefly visible in the lightning.
To come all this way. To die like this. Nobody even knew where he was. Nobody would ever know. Typical, thought Co
48
The side of Co
He’d fought the sea for an eternity, stroking in what he’d prayed was the direction toward shore. And just when he’d been about to give up, exhausted, ready to surrender to watery doom, his feet had hit the sandy bottom. Ahead of him, through rain, lights. He’d found the beach and collapsed.
Now he sat up, found himself in front of a row of condominiums. An old couple sat on their veranda, the old woman bringing her old man a glass of orange juice. The old man waved at Co
He stood, brushed the sand off his pants and shirt, and sca
In a sudden panic, Co
He grasped the phone tightly, reared back, arm way behind him, gathering the strength to hurl it into the Gulf of Mexico. He’d throw it over the horizon if he could.
It rang.
Co
“Co
“If you called to apologize, it’s too late. I’ve moved on. I’m actually having a lovely time at the beach right now. Getting a suntan.”
“Co
“What’s wrong?” Co
“There are some men here,” Tyra
Co
“Yes, that’s right. They’re very serious. They said it could be bad for me if you don’t cooperate.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“They want you to come here immediately. I’m at home. Bring what they want and nobody gets hurt. Dan’s not here right now. I’d like, if possible, to resolve this situation before he gets home.” She said it like she was ordering a pizza, no tears, no panic, but Co
Co
“Don’t dawdle.”
“Tell them to wait,” Co
“I’ll tell them.”
Co
God wasn’t punishing him, Co
Co
49
Co
Co
But these guys were dangerous. They’d already killed a bunch of people. So Co
He rang the doorbell.
It opened immediately, Tyra
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded.
Somebody mumbled out of sight. Tyra
Co
“Don’t worry,” Co
Tyra
They went to Professor Dan’s office, where Co
Finally, the man said, “I am Ahira Kurisaka.” His English was good. “You don’t know me. We haven’t been formally introduced, but we encountered one another briefly.”
“I remember.”
“You may also recall you took something that does not belong to you.”
“It doesn’t belong to you either,” Co