Terrors of the High Seas

Chapter

Fourteen

DAR SURFACED, COUGHING to clear her lungs of a hastily mis-swallowed mouthful of seawater. She swiveled around, shaking the hair out of her eyes as she frantically searched for Kerry. A moment later, the blonde woman popped up nearby. Kerry spotted her and swam over with quick, efficient strokes. The water was choppy, and the downpour made it hard to see, but she made it through the swells to Dar’s side. For a moment, they treaded water and just looked at each other. Dar shook her bangs out of her eyes again and squinted through the rain. “C’mon.” She stifled a cough.

“Let’s get to the boat.”

Between the tide, the rain, and the chop, it was a tough swim.

Kerry found herself really missing her fins as she struggled to make progress. A crawl stroke didn’t do much, so she switched to a frogman style of swimming, keeping just her head above water so she could breathe. Her strength, though, started giving out when they were about three quarters of the way back to the docks, and she slowed to catch her breath.

Dar seemed to sense it. She stopped and turned in the water, then swam back to her. “What’s wrong?”

“Tired,” Kerry admitted. “Give me a minute.”

“Hang on.” Dar offered her arm, her legs moving powerfully under the waves and keeping her upright.

“No, it’s okay.” Kerry felt a little better. She started moving forward again. Dar stayed close by her side as they battled inside the seawall, the rain coming down harder and harder. Kerry felt Dar slow just inside the wall, and she reached out to grab onto the rocks, resisting the waves that were trying to bash her against them.“Not much farther.” Dar pointed to the rocking form of their boat, dimly seen through the rain. “Are you all right?”

Kerry felt her second wind kicking in. She nodded positively.

“Yes. Let’s get over there.” She pushed off the wall and started swimming, feeling the strong current fighting her, pulling out with the waning of the tide. Grimly, she pushed against it and kept at Terrors of the High Seas 161

Dar’s shoulder with determined effort. The chop washed over her, making her eyes sting, and she tasted salt in the back of her mouth more than once. Her focus narrowed down to the chilling water, the beat of the rain, and the tall body moving just ahead of her.

Something not water brushed against her, and she felt stringy somethings trail over her body. She jerked and twisted, then gasped as a searing pain across her midriff nearly shocked her senseless.

“Damn.” She held still with great effort, and felt the strings drift off, and then she started forward again, grimacing at the jolts going through her body.

Jellyfish. Kerry cursed under her breath. Just my luck. After a moment, though, the pain faded a little, and she pushed it out of her mind as she struggled on. Her breath was coming short and her muscles were burning painfully when she heard the distinctive sound of the waves slapping against fiberglass nearby. Kerry looked up to see a white surface arcing over her head. She reached out and grabbed the barnacled edge of the dock as she watched her companion approach the side of the boat. With a powerful surge, Dar emerged from the water, arms extended toward the railing that ducked toward her at the last moment and obligingly slapped itself into her hands.

Dar grabbed on and hung there for a moment, visibly gathering her strength. Her wet clothing clung to her body, and Kerry saw her chest expand as she took a deep breath. Her upper body contracted, pulling her up to the railing and then over it, but Kerry could see the effort it took, and given how she herself felt at the moment, considered it a testament to Dar’s very sturdy constitution.

She knew she wasn’t going to be able to duplicate Dar’s feat any time soon, so Kerry pushed off again and stroked for the stern, the lowest part of the boat, where the dive ladder was clamped in place. By the time she got there, she heard the clanks as Dar unhooked the hatch and freed the ladder. The next thing she felt was a light sting as the aluminum tubing hit the water next to her and quickly submerged. Gratefully she grabbed onto the steps, riding the ladder in the chop until the boat dipped again, then getting her feet on the bottom step and pushing upward. Dar’s grip suddenly fastened around her arm and she was unceremoniously hauled aboard the boat, landing on the stern deck in a soggy lump as Dar pulled up the ladder and closed the back hatch.

Buh. Kerry discovered that sitting still was a very good thing.

She didn’t even mind the rain pelting her, rinsing the salt water off her body as she struggled into a cross-legged position. Her arms and legs felt numb and weak; she kept her head down as she rested her elbows on her thighs and simply worked on catching her breath.

Dar dropped down next to her, seemingly just as glad to just sit 162 Melissa Good still. She extended her long legs out and rested her hands on her knees. “Son of a fucking bitch.”

Kerry’s head lifted and she regarded her lover bemusedly. “Are you thinking maybe next time we should just go to Las Vegas on vacation?”

Blue eyes framed in a mess of dark, wet hair peered at her.

“With my luck, a computer virus would take down the entire city while we were there.” Dar exhaled. “You okay?”

Kerry nodded. “Just wiped. And I think I swallowed half a gallon of salt water. My tongue is pickled.” She raked her hair back out of her face. “Dar, that sucked.”

“Uh huh.” Dar blew out a breath. “Might as well get out of the rain.” With a slight grunt, she pushed herself to her feet and gazed out past the marina entrance. It was hard to fathom what had just happened. One moment they’d been getting somewhere with DeSalliers, the next minute she’d found herself in an almost dangerous situation. Which, she considered thoughtfully, she’d actually handled damn well.

“Dar?”

Dar turned, to find Kerry holding up a hand with a wry expression.

“Mind giving me a tug up?”

Dar clasped her hand and leaned backward, pulling Kerry to her feet. “Wonder who he took off after?” she mused as they moved toward the cabin door and she fished in her pocket for the key.

“Damn, if we’d only had a minute more.”

“Yeah,” Kerry agreed. “We were close. Did you hear what he said, about his reputation? What was that all about, I wonder?”

Dar paused, holding the door open. “Want to go find out?”

Kerry looked up at her. “You mean, go out there after them?”

She watched Dar nod. “That’s totally insane, Dar.” An eyebrow quirked wryly at her. “Let’s do it.”

“Go in and change. I’ll cut us loose.” Dar gave her a pat on the behind, and then disappeared up onto the deck.

“Aye aye, cap’n.” Kerry entered the cabin, shaking her head and chuckling bemusedly. “No one’s gonna believe this,” she told the empty room. They’d brought their things down from the hotel before they’d gone for lunch; their bags and Dar’s laptop were resting on the table where they’d left them.

Kerry stripped off her soaking wet shirt as she continued through the cabin and into the head. She hung it up on the shower rail then added her shorts to it, tossing her sneakers into the shower itself, along with her socks and underwear. The rumble of the engines starting thrumming through her bare feet, and Kerry slipped out of the head and into the bedroom, giving herself a cursory glance in the mirror on her way to the dresser.

Terrors of the High Seas 163

“Wow.” She pointed at her reflection. “Check out the drowned rat.” Her skin showed a few light scrapes and the red mark where she thought she’d been stung by a jellyfish. It still throbbed, and she winced as she pressed lightly against the spot.

The boat moved and she grabbed quickly at the dresser, holding her balance. She waited for the turn to be completed and the bow to straighten out, then she tugged dry clothes from the dresser and slid into them. She grabbed a rain slicker from the closet and pulled it over her head, pausing to chuckle when the garment fell all the way to her knees. “Whoops.” She started to remove it, then stopped in mid motion and resettled the rubberized fabric around her.

Without really stopping to think about why she’d done that, she walked to the galley and grabbed a bottle of water from the small refrigerator. Twisting the top open, she sucked down a few gulps to get the taste of the sea from her mouth, then headed for the door.

Dar settled soggily into the captain’s chair, wincing at the uncomfortable dampness of her clothes. She adjusted the throttles and guided the boat away from the dock, reasoning that she could get Kerry to take the helm long enough for her to change once they were out into open water. The rain beat steadily down on the roof covering her, and Dar leaned forward to see better through the plexiglas as she guided the boat out into the channel. She turned at the buoy and nudged the engines forward, setting off after the disappearing speck that was DeSalliers’ craft.

She’d barely had time to relax when she heard Kerry climbing up the ladder. Dar turned to see her lover appear on the flying bridge, dressed in a blue slicker obviously not her own. “Nice jacket,” she commented as Kerry scooted under the bridge cover and pushed back the hood on her raincoat, exposing disheveled blonde hair.

“You like it?” Kerry presented her with the bottle of water and then draped her arms over Dar’s shoulders. “I think I got stung by a jellyfish, Dar.”

“Yeah?” Dar set their course and then turned her attention to Kerry. “Where?”

Kerry pulled up her overlarge jacket and then her shirt, exposing her belly. “There.”

Dar peered at it, gently touching the angry red mark. “Does it hurt?” She looked up at Kerry’s face. “Not just sting, actually hurt?”

“A little,” Kerry admitted. “It’s sort of throbbing. Otherwise I wouldn’t have even mentioned it, Dar. I mean, I’ve gotten hit by men o’war before.”

“Did you clean it off with anything?”

164 Melissa Good Kerry shook her head. “Didn’t think I needed to; do I?”

“I don’t know.” Dar frowned. “Did you see what kind of jellyfish it was?”

“No.” Kerry sat down next to her. “It’s okay, I think. It hurt a lot when it first happened, but now it’s just annoying.” She scanned the horizon. “What’s the plan?”

Dar opened the small cabinet under the console and removed a brown bottle and a small packet of gauze bandage. “Pull that jacket back up,” she ordered, opening the bottle of alcohol and wetting the gauze.

“Shouldn’t you be watching where we’re going?” Kerry teased gently, “instead of playing with my navel?” Nevertheless, she hiked up the fabric and the shirt underneath, sucking in a breath as the gauze touched her skin and burned. “Ow.”

“Some of those stupid things leave stinging cells,” Dar told her.

“Hold the wheel while I do this.”

Kerry curled her fingers around the metal, keeping them on course as she felt Dar carefully clean the still-painful spot on her belly. The throbbing seemed to be getting a little worse, but she figured that was because Dar was touching it. “What are we going to do when we catch up to them?”

Dar finished her task and gently pulled Kerry’s shirt down, then arranged the rain jacket over it. “Just watch,” she said, giving Kerry a little pat on the side. “Maybe we can maneuver him into revealing what his game is.”

“I hope so.” Kerry sat down with a sigh.

Dar glanced at her. Kerry’s profile seemed tense, and she could see tiny creases around her eyes. “Hey.”

Kerry looked over, her green eyes visibly bloodshot. “Hm?”

“We don’t have to do this.”

The blonde woman cocked her head. “Huh? I thought you wanted to go after them.”

“You don’t look so hot.”

Kerry swallowed, her brow contracting. “I’m fine,” she insisted.

Dar looked doubtfully at her.

“Dar,” Kerry’s voice took on a hint of impatience, “I’m not a little kid.”

“I didn’t say you were.” Dar fiddled with the controls, fidgeting over the throttles. “I’m just wondering if being out here chasing down a nutcase in the rain is such a good idea,” she said.

“Maybe we should just drop it, Ker.”

Kerry propped one bare foot against the console and studied it.

She could hear the upset in Dar’s voice and knew she was at the root of it. “I think…” She paused, and really considered her words. “I think if we’d dropped it at the very start, that would have been okay.”

Terrors of the High Seas 165

Dar watched her out of the corner of her eye.

“But now, I think we have to see this through. You know?”

Kerry said. “I don’t like the idea of running away, and if we just ducked out now, knowing what we know, then that’s how I’d feel.”

“Mmph,” Dar grunted grudgingly. “This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation,” she grumbled. “For both of us.”

Kerry reached out and circled Dar’s arm with her fingers. “Do you want to stop?” she asked with quiet sincerity. “Sweetheart, if that’s what you want, we’ll do it.” Her hand tightened slightly.

Dar fastened her eyes on the horizon, pondering in silence for a very long minute. She felt torn between her desire to know the truth, and her equally powerful desire to protect Kerry.

“Dar?” Kerry uttered softly.

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t we compromise? Let’s not follow them. Let’s circle around the other side of Charlie’s island and watch from behind that point on the west side. “

Dar adjusted the throttles a little. “And?” She probed the idea cautiously.

“That way, we don’t force a confrontation, and we can just sort of satisfy our curiosity,” Kerry reasoned. “And if there’s nothing going on, we can...um...” she plucked gently at Dar’s damp sleeve,

“get a lot more comfortable downstairs.”

It was an acceptable plan, Dar decided. “Okay,” she agreed. “I can go with that.”

“Cool.” Kerry grinned briefly. She slid over on the seat and leaned against Dar’s damp body, laying her head on Dar’s shoulder.

The throbbing from her sting seemed to be getting worse and she now had a headache, but she reasoned that it was nothing a little relaxing in Dar’s proximity couldn’t cure.

The boat shot on in the rain, now in a curving path that left DeSalliers to disappear over the horizon.

THE SECOND TIME she felt the chill, Kerry realized something was wrong. Despite the protection of her rain slicker, she felt cold, and her throat seemed to be closing, making it hard to swallow.

She debated trying to ignore the feeling, but her better sense intervened. “Dar?”

Her partner looked quickly at her. One hand lifted and touched the side of her face. “You okay?”

Kerry’s lips twitched. “I don’t think so. I feel kind of lousy,”

she admitted. “I’m cold and my throat hurts.”

Dar put a hand on her forehead and cursed. She turned and surveyed their surroundings with anxious eyes. They were nearing the north side of Charlie’s island, but otherwise they were in a large 166 Melissa Good patch of quiet, empty sea. She slowed the engines and then stilled them, checking the depth meter as they drifted.

“Wh...” Kerry stopped, finding it a little hard to breathe. “What are you doing?” She watched Dar work the boats controls, and realized suddenly her hands were shaking. “Dar?”

“Need to get you below.” Dar spoke quietly, a world of tension in her voice. “I’m going to drop anchor.” She did exactly that, and the rattle of the deploying anchor was suddenly loud as she cut the engines. “C’mon. I’ve got a kit downstairs I think we’re gonna need.”

Kerry wasn’t really sure what was going on, but she stood, holding on to Dar’s arm when her knees suddenly threatened not to hold her. “Oh boy.”

“Hang on to me.” Dar clasped her around the waist, and guided her to the ladder. “I think you’re having a reaction to whatever stung you.”

“Oh.” Kerry shivered, feeling like she was trying to breathe underwater. “My throat…feels kinda thick.” She saved her breath for climbing, feeling the utter security of Dar wrapped around her.

“Feels funny.” They reached the deck and Kerry’s legs buckled under her. “D...”

“I’ve got you.” Dar picked her up and carried her into the cabin, kicking the door open and taking Kerry from the confusion of the rain and warm air into the cool quiet.

Kerry sucked in air, hearing the rasp in her own breathing, and it occurred to her suddenly that she should be scared. She felt the cool fabric of the couch against her lower legs as Dar put her down.

“D...Dar?” She clutched Dar’s arm in shivering fingers as she felt Dar slide a pillow under her head, propping her up a little.

“Just stay quiet and try to relax. I’ll be right back,” Dar assured her.

Kerry just watched, her breathing now coming in shallow heaves. She felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air, and as Dar came back and knelt next to her, she noted that her fingers and toes were tingling. An unreasoning fear swept over her, and she started to panic.

Dar’s voice penetrated the haze around her. “Ker…Ker...take it easy.”

“Da… I can’t breathe,” she panted.

“Sweetheart, I know. Just give me a minute. Hang in there.”

Kerry suddenly felt something cold against her arm. “Wh…”

She turned her head and saw Dar bringing a needle close to her, its length quivering as Dar’s hand shook. Kerry looked up at Dar’s face and saw a fierce, intent mask, eyes widened in fear, and that terrified her. Am I going to die? A soft cry escaped her throat. She felt a sting and her arm jerked, then a solid bolt of pain made her Terrors of the High Seas 167

struggle, panting, unable to draw in a decent breath.

Dar’s weight pressed against her abruptly, pinning her down.

Kerry felt panic take over and she fought the hold, grabbing at Dar and pushing hard against the powerful body laying over her. One arm was grabbed and held tightly, and she felt another prick, then a chill, then a hot, strange sensation under her skin where the needle had entered. Then it was gone, and she thought she heard a clatter of something going across the room. The weight came off her and the cabin whirled up and around, and she couldn’t breathe, and it was cold and…

“Kerry!”

The voice penetrated her confusion. Kerry coughed, and then inhaled in reflex, surprised when she was able to suck in a lungful of air. The bands of pressure around her chest eased and she shivered, huddling close to the source of warmth now wrapping itself around her. Slowly, the tingling in her hands receded and she flexed them weakly. She could still feel harsh chills shaking her body and it was very hard to think straight, but she did know she was being held securely and she could feel Dar’s breathing against her back. At least she could breathe. Kerry sucked in air gratefully, feeling completely drained. “Wow,” she whispered. “That sucked.”

She felt the faint jerk behind her as Dar almost laughed. She could hear the hammering of Dar’s heart where her ear was pressed against her chest and she coughed a little, hearing a rattling in her lungs that unnerved her. “Ungh.”

“Easy.” Dar finally spoke, easing back against the couch and cradling Kerry closer. Kerry’s face had taken on a pale gray tinge, and she could feel the shivers working their way through her body.

Now that the injection, a stimulant she always carried, had been administered, there was not much more Dar could do other than just be there. There would be time later for her to curse herself for not seeing the signs. Time later for her to be angry she hadn’t checked Kerry’s sting further, or taken more precautions, or…

Dar exhaled. Kerry had never had a reaction to a sting before.

Truth be told, Dar kept the shots on board for herself, since she’d gotten stung once at age ten and had almost gone into convulsions.

“Easy, honey.”

Kerry simply lay there quietly, her head resting against Dar’s chest. Her hand rested limply on her partner’s, her thumb moving ever so slightly. “Dar?” she murmured.

“I’m here.”

“Am I dying?”

Dar felt her blood pressure shoot up so high she got lightheaded and saw sparkles in front of her eyes. “No, sweetheart,” she answered softly. “Please don’t even think that.”

It was like listening to constant thunder. Kerry almost couldn’t 168 Melissa Good count the beats. She rolled her head to one side and looked up fuzzily, seeing the stark fear written across her lover’s face. Her hand lifted to touch Dar’s jaw, and she felt it quiver under her fingers. No. Kerry blinked. She couldn’t die, now could she? Dar needed her. Wanted her. “Never felt like that before,” Kerry burred.

“What happened?”

Dar swallowed hard and then impatiently wiped her forearm across her eyes. “You reacted to that damn fucking sting.”

Kerry’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Ouch. Never did that before.” She felt another chill take her and she burrowed into Dar’s embrace, seeking warmth. Her arm ached, and she looked at it with a frown. “Ow.” She touched the sore spot.

“Sorry.” Dar shifted. “Had to stick you pretty fast.” She drew in a breath. “How about I get you into bed? Bet the covers’ll feel good.” Her voice sounded a little rough. “Should get you to the hospital on St. Johns.”

Hospital. Kerry’s nose wrinkled. Ick. “How ’bout we start with bed?” she conceded. “But only if you come in with me.”

“You’re in no position to be bargaining, Kerrison.” Dar’s tone had gentled, and Kerry could hear her heartbeat slowing down and steadying. “You need a doctor.” But she carefully stood up, letting out a little grunt of effort as she picked Kerry up and cradled her.

She walked slowly into the bedroom, turning sideways to get them both inside the door and then putting Kerry down on the bed.

Kerry gazed at her through half-closed eyes as Dar examined her. “Urmph.”

With a sigh, Dar unzipped the raincoat Kerry was still wearing and pulled it off. Then she drew the covers over her partner’s body, tucking them in carefully around her. The blonde woman’s skin still had an unhealthy tinge, and she was shivering. “We’re heading back,” Dar told her.

Kerry reached out and caught her hand, holding it. “Don’t leave me.”

Dar’s brows contracted. “Kerry, I’ve got to drive the boat.”

“Don’t leave me,” Kerry begged softly. “Please?”

Indecision seared its way across Dar’s face, as she found herself caught between two overwhelming urges. Her better sense was telling her to get Kerry to a doctor’s care. However, she knew St.

Johns was a long ride away, and by the time they got back there Kerry’s symptoms would most likely have faded.

“Let me get you something for your fever,” Dar temporized.

“And get those wet clothes off,” Kerry teased weakly. “We don’t both need to be sick.”

The coherence in her partner’s eyes reassured Dar immensely.

“Okay. Don’t go anywhere,” she warned, as she turned and eased out of the bedroom.

Terrors of the High Seas 169

“I won’t.” Kerry watched her go. She relaxed a little and pulled the covers more closely around her, relieved to feel her body starting to feel more normal. Her arm hurt where Dar had injected her, and the sting throbbed, adding that discomfort to her fever, but she could now breathe easily and all the feeling had returned to her hands and feet.

“Son of a biscuit,” Kerry remarked to the cabin ceiling. “That was not funny.” Not funny at all.

DAR WALKED INTO the galley and stood for a moment, then she slowly leaned on the counter and cradled her head in her hands.

Son of a bitch, she thought silently. Son of a fucking bitch, that was too close. With a sigh, she straightened, letting her hands drop to her sides. She felt completely drained and her legs were still shaky, but she forced herself to walk over and pick up the teapot. Hot tea would not do anything particularly medicinal, but she knew Kerry liked the beverage. Besides, it gave her something to do.

Dar filled the pot and put it on the galley stove, then opened the cabinet and removed a bottle of Tylenol. She shook out a couple of the tablets and set them down, then removed Kerry’s mug from its hook and put it down next to them. She studied the items, then shook out a few more tablets and palmed them, putting a little water in Kerry’s cup and using it to swallow down the pills. Then she turned and leaned on the counter, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for the water to boil.

The dampness against her forearms reminded her she’d forgotten to change. With a sigh, Dar pushed off the counter and walked over to where their bags were still resting on the table. She unbuttoned her shirt and removed it, draping it over the chair, then pulled off her sports bra, wincing at its clammy dampness. Dry clothes felt good against her skin, and she felt a lot warmer as she crossed back over to the galley and poured the boiling water over the herbal tea ball she’d placed in Kerry’s cup. Steam rose, carrying with it the scent of blackberries. Taking a small jar of honey from the refrigerator, she drizzled some into the cup and carefully stirred it.

When she was satisfied that it was perfect, she picked up the Tylenol, tucked a water bottle under her arm, and secured the teacup. With a glance around the cabin, she headed back for the bedroom, entering the door and sweeping her eyes over the bed with badly hidden anxiety.

Kerry was right where she’d left her, curled on her side with her arm wrapped around her pillow. Her eyes were half open, watching the door, and they widened as Dar entered.

“Ah. There you are.”

170 Melissa Good

“Here I am,” Dar agreed, setting her burden down on the bedside table. “How are you feeling?”

“Feeling like I want my Dar.” Kerry reached out and fingered the soft cotton of Dar’s shorts.

Dar sat down on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Kerry’s forehead. It was warm to the touch, and her color was still definitely off. “Sit up a minute and swallow these.” She helped Kerry sit and handed her the pills, then uncapped the water bottle and held it while Kerry suckled a mouthful, then swallowed.

“Thanks.” Kerry leaned against her. “Jesus, I feel like hot boiled trash.”

“Hm.” Dar put her arm around her. “I bet.”

Kerry shivered. “That was really scary.”

“Oh yeah.” Dar picked up the cup of tea and offered it to her. “I was scared.”

Kerry cradled the cup in her hands, savoring its warmth. She took a sip of the sweet, hot tea and sighed. “I know,” she said. “I think that scared me the most.”

Dar eased off the bed and knelt in front of the dresser, opening the lower drawer and rummaging in it. She found the small case she’d tucked inside when they’d boarded in Miami and picked it up, bringing it with her as she resettled herself on the edge of the bed.

“What’s that?” Kerry watched her curiously. Her eyes followed the zipper as Dar unzipped it, then the eyebrows over them lifted sharply as she saw the blood pressure cuff inside. “Where in the hell did that come from?”

“Dr. Steve,” Dar replied quietly. “Gimme your arm.”

“Dar.”

Ignoring the mild protest, Dar fastened the cuff around her lover’s toned arm and started pumping it.

Kerry sighed. “Do you actually know how to use that?”

“I can manually reprogram the flash bios of an IBM mainframe; I think I can figure it out,” Dar replied, watching the small gauge on the gadget.

Kerry exhaled unhappily and her shoulders drooped.

Dar glanced up and caught the expression. “He made me bring it,” she explained gently. “I wasn’t gonna use it, but since I had to give you a damn bucket of stimulant…”

Kerry peeked at the gauge. “Hmph.” She tapped it with her other hand. “Damn.”

One sixty. Not good. Dar released some of the pressure and checked again. Over one hundred. She unfastened the cuff from Kerry’s arm and rubbed it in attempted comfort. “Probably from the stimulant, sweetheart,” she offered. “Why don’t you lie down?”

Still visibly unhappy, Kerry meekly complied.

Terrors of the High Seas 171

Dar tossed the device onto the dresser and stretched out next to her partner, gently combing Kerry’s disheveled hair with her fingers.

“Bah,” Kerry muttered.

Dar gave her a sympathetic grin. “I bet when I check it later, it’ll be fine.”

Kerry eyed her dourly and then held out a hand. “Gimme that.”

She pointed to the cuff.

Dar reached over and snagged it, then handed it over, surprised when Kerry wrapped it around her arm and started pumping. “Um…”

“Ah ah.” Kerry continued her task. “Fair’s fair, Dar. I thought your heart was going to come out of your chest earlier.” She finished pumping and observed the results. “Hah.” She gave Dar a look. “Higher than mine, darling. Park your head on the pillow.”

Dar blinked in real surprise, looking down at her arm, then she gave Kerry a sheepish grin and wriggled into a more comfortable position next to her partner. “I was stressed,” she commented. “You matter to me.”

Kerry tossed the cuff into the corner and wrapped her arm around Dar as she put her head down on her shoulder. “I guess we’re letting DeSalliers go, huh?” she murmured. “Are we in this over our heads, Dar?”

Dar had her eyes closed, and she welcomed the easing of the headache throbbing across the back of her skull. She considered Kerry’s question for a few minutes. “I don’t know. Maybe.” Her body shifted a little and she pulled Kerry closer. “Let’s take it easy for a while, then head back to St. Johns.” She rubbed Kerry’s back.

“I’d like them to check you out, just in case.”

A green eyeball rotated up and fixed on her in faint accusation.

“I know, I know.” Dar sighed. “I’d be kicking and screaming at the mere suggestion.”

Kerry snorted softly. “Yes, you certainly would be.”

“Humor me,” the dark-haired woman requested. “Please?”

Having made her point, Kerry grunted. “Okay.” She closed her eyes again.

Dar put her arms around Kerry and hugged her. “Atta girl,”

she said, then paused as she heard the sound of a motor approaching. She exchanged a quick glance with Kerry. “Let me go see what that is.”

Kerry hitched herself up on an elbow and watched as Dar got up and left. She considered following her, but her body protested, unwilling to move. Instead she fluffed the pillow up behind her and settled back, tucking her feet up and picking up her teacup, inhaling the fragrant steam.

172 Melissa Good DAR THREADED HER way through the cabin and went to the door, opening it and looking outside. A medium-sized fishing boat was approaching them, with two men on the flying bridge and several others standing in the stern. For a moment, she stared at them, and then comprehension dawned. Pirates?

Dar didn’t see any real fishing gear on the boat, and the men were clustering together, watching her. Her heart rate started to increase, and for a single brief moment she wished she and Kerry were back in the office dealing with a multiple-layered, international cluster fuck. With a soft oath, she pulled her head back inside and bolted for the bench seat, yanking it open and pulling out the case. “Ker!” she yelled. “Keep your damn head down!”

She opened the case and removed the shotgun, loading it hastily as she heard the engines outside throttle down. With a savage motion, she chambered a round, then jumped to the door and threw it open.

Two men were about to jump on board from the fishing boat’s bow. Dar braced herself and threw the gun up to her shoulder, sighting along the barrel as her finger curled around the trigger.

“Hold it!” she barked loudly.

The men in the stern had guns. She could see them from the corner of her eye. But her immediate problem was the men on the bow.

“All right, lady! Take it easy! Nobody gets hurt!” the man closest yelled at her. “You got one gun, we got ten. Now put that down, okay?”

“Fuck you,” Dar snarled back. “Touch the boat and I’ll blow your damn cock off!”

The man lifted his rifle casually. “I’m telling you, lady, put it down!”

Dar didn’t budge. She tightened her finger on the trigger, feeling the cold metal warm to her touch. “Back off!” she yelled at the man. “Get your asses out of here, you pieces of pirate shit!” A hand touched her back and she almost jumped through the bulkhead. “Grrrr!”

“I’m calling the Coast Guard,” Kerry told her in a low voice.

“Tell them that.”

“G’wan, jump! She won’t shoot you! All talk!” the man on the stern yelled. “Hurry!”

Dar felt her heart lurch as the man on the bow prepared to leap.

She trained the barrel of the shotgun on him and swallowed hard, not sure she was either willing or able to pull the trigger.

“Dar.” Kerry’s voice was tense.

I have to protect her. Dar’s inner voice spoke quietly. “Stay back,” she called over her shoulder, and then faced forward. The Terrors of the High Seas 173

man tossed a rope over to the deck and climbed up onto the railing.

Dar steeled herself, and pulled the trigger. The gun bucked powerfully, jerking against her shoulder. Yells erupted. Then she pulled it again. Splinters of white erupted all over the water as both shots blew through the hull of the pirate’s boat near the waterline.

She pumped the shotgun and loaded two more shells into the chamber.

“Crazy bitch!”

“Shoot her ass!”

“Look out!”

“Get the fuck back! Get back! Holy shit!”

“Next one’s gonna put chum in the water,” Dar bellowed,

“instead of fucking fiberglass!” She swung the shotgun toward the stern, since the two men on the bow had dived into the water for cover. One of the men facing her brought his gun up and sighted down it, and their eyes met across their gun sights.

And in that moment, with her life on the line, Dar felt her fear drop away as the predator inside her woke. Her eyes narrowed and a smile etched itself across her face, and she knew way down deep that she not only could pull that trigger…she would. Her finger tightened on the trigger.

“Get the fuck outta here, man! We’re fucking sinking!” One of the men from the bow had climbed over into the stern and grabbed the wheel.

“Coast Guard, Coast Guard, mayday, mayday.” Kerry’s voice came from behind her. “This is Dixieland Yankee, a US registered vessel being attacked just north of AVI B21.”

“Fuck! They’re calling the Coast Guard! Get moving!” The man pointing the gun at Dar dropped his muzzle and ducked behind the cabin. “Move! Move!”

The fishing boat wallowed in the water, then its engines cut in and the bow turned away from them. They gunned the motor and the bow lifted, two holes now visible against its white curve. As they left, one of the men on the stern lifted his rifle to his shoulder and pointed it at them.

“Shit.” Dar jerked back through the doorway, trying to get the door closed.

One of the man’s companions knocked the muzzle up, then cuffed the man in the back of the head. The gun carrier angrily smacked his crewmate with the butt of the rifle. They struggled, shoving each other as the boat retreated, curving widely toward the southern shore of the island just north of Charlie’s.

“We better get out of here,” Dar uttered tensely. “In case they come back.” She turned to find Kerry watching her with a pale face and widened eyes. “You okay?”

Kerry set down the microphone, leaned against the cabin wall, 174 Melissa Good and exhaled. “Yeah.” Her voice held a rough note. “But heading back to some place where I can just…” she took a breath, “take a nap would be very cool.”

Dar guided her over to the couch and sat her down, then put away the shotgun. “Curl up here, sweetheart. I’m pulling up the anchor and we’ll dock over by Charlie and Bud’s,” she said. “Bud’s a medic.”

“Bet his bedside manner’s a peach,” Kerry muttered as she lay down on the couch. She watched Dar’s face as she closed the shotgun case, seeing the tension etched across it and the restless shift of her jaw muscles. “Hey, Dar?”

“Yeah?” Dar didn’t look up.

Kerry reached out to stroke Dar’s leg. “That was really impressive,” she said.

Dar’s hands paused in their work. The dark head turned and their eyes met. Dar closed the bench seat and sat down next to Kerry, resting her forearms on her knees. “Was it?” she answered softly. “It just sounded like a bunch of pompous yelling to me.”

Kerry smiled. “It worked,” she said. “That was a great idea to put a hole in their boat.”

Dar gazed at the floor between her bare feet. Her mind drifted back to the feeling she’d had when the gun had centered on the man on the bow. There had been no fear, no confusion in her. She’d centered the sights on his chest. Why hadn’t she pulled the trigger?

What had sent the muzzle lower, to target the boat instead?

“Dar?”

Dar lifted her head and turned. “Yeah? Um...thanks.” She managed a smile. “I’m not sure it was all planned, but I’m glad I ended up doing the right thing.” She pushed herself to her feet.

“Call me if you need anything, okay?” She ruffled Kerry’s hair, then walked to the door and eased through it.

Kerry felt her brow furrow. Her instincts told her something in Dar’s voice…in her manner...just wasn’t right. She heard the engines start up, followed by the clank of the anchor retracting, felt the motion as the boat headed toward the island. Later, they’d have time to talk. Kerry put her head down on the arm of the couch and let her eyes drift shut. Then she’d figure it out.