Chapter

Twenty-seven

THE MARINA AT St. Thomas was in total chaos. Boats from all over were coming in to shelter there from the storm, and the tossing whitecaps made the possibility of collision a very real danger.

Dar put on her rain slicker and climbed up to the flying bridge to join Andrew as they rumbled at just over idling speed in a holding pattern. “What a mess,” she murmured to her father.

“Yeap,” Andrew agreed. “Told them dockmasters we had us a problem. They’re getting us a slip,” he informed her. “How’s Kerry doing?”

“She’s all right,” Dar said.

Andrew studied her. “You doing all right?”

Dar nodded. “I feel like I was hit by a bus, but other than that, Mr. Lincoln, I enjoyed the play.” She sat down in one of the seats at the console and rested her hands on it.

Her father chuckled. “Tough day.”

“Hell yes.” Dar tried to remember the start of it and found she simply couldn’t. “Crazy.” She glanced down the pin on her shirt, then looked over at her father. “I… um…” She touched the pin and shrugged one shoulder.

Andrew leaned on the console next to her. “Tell you something,” he said in a mild tone. “Ain’t never been nothing you ever done Ah wasn’t proud of.”

Dar interrupted him with quiet finality. “You don’t know everything I’ve done.”

Her father gazed at her. “That’s all right, Dardar. You ain’t heard everything Ah done, neither.”

Their eyes met in a moment of uncommon understanding. Dar nodded slightly and looked away, folding her hands together in an oddly pensive gesture. “Gotcha.”

“Anyhow,” Andy said, “one thing you can’t teach nobody is guts and when to use ’em.” He studied Dar’s profile. “Ah’m a damn lucky feller you got ’em and you know.”

Dar stared at a droplet of rain trickling down the gas gauge. “I didn’t even think about it,” she admitted. “I just...”


Terrors of the High Seas 329

“Yeap.” Andrew patted her on the back.

Unwilling to think about the logical extension of their talk and what she’d ended up doing, she went for a subject change. “I owe you a big one, Dad.” Dar leaned her elbows on the console. “I was pretty much out of my depth here.”

Andrew shrugged a little. “Happens.”

Dar looked out over the harbor chaos. “Yeah,” she murmured.

“But where do we go from here?” She glanced sideways. “Who do we tell about this? The cops? The Coast Guard?”

Her father tapped his thumbs together, giving her a surprisingly furtive look. “Let’s see what’s left coming back of those fellers,” he said. “Ain’t no point in telling more than you hafta.”

Dar’s head dropped forward a little. “Are you saying we should cover this up?” she asked in an incredulous tone. “Dad, they kidnapped Bud, they almost killed us! What the hell!”

Andrew stared evenly at her. “Chances are, they already done paid for that,” he stated. “Paladar.”

Dar stared back. “You think they sank,” she said. “And—”

“Ah do,” her father agreed. “And Ah do not feel sorry for that, and you shouldn’t neither.”

Dar sat back in her chair, her heart thumping erratically in her chest. “Could we have—”

“No, ma’am.” Andrew shook his head firmly. “We got lucky to get out of that storm our own selves, and you know that.”

She knew. “I called the Coast Guard for them,” she admitted.

Andrew’s face wrinkled into a frown. “You done a step more than Ah woulda,” he said. “So…wall, let’s see what comes of that then. Ain’t likely they found nothing, neither.”

Dar stared at her hands, clenched on the console. “You taught me—”

‘Yeah, Ah know.” Her father laid a hand on her shoulder. “But that was a long time back, Dar. Learned me about some rules between then and now.”

The rain cleared a little in front of them, and Dar could now see some order in the boats being shifted. “Like the difference between what’s right, and what’s legal?” she asked, watching his profile.

He gave a half shrug. “Somethin’ like that.”

Well. Dar wasn’t sure if she should be relieved, nervous, or disappointed. Maybe she was just too tired to really care all that much about moral issues she couldn’t do anything about at the moment. “Okay.” She nodded. “Let’s see what happens, I guess.

Sorry we had to end up in such a damn mess.”

He relaxed, giving her shoulder a pat. “Seems to me like you done all right,” Andy replied. “I figured you two had things covered ’til Kerry done sent that last note, about Bud and all.” He 330 Melissa Good shook his head. “Took me one of them there seaplanes over.” He paused. “Ah do not like them things.”

Dar had to smile. “Me neither.” She watched through the rain as the lights seemed to diminish ahead of them. The radio crackled.

Dixieland Yankee, dockmaster. Come on in.”

Dar picked up the mic. “Dockmaster, this is Dixieland. We copy.” She set the device down and straightened. “Want me to take her in?”

Andrew eyed her. “You speculating on mah driving, young lady?” he asked. “Ah am not the one who—”

“I’ve gotten better since then,” Dar interrupted.

“So Kerry was saying.” Andy slid over and offered her the pilot’s seat. “G’wan.”

Dar took the controls and settled into the chair, still warm from her father’s body. She curled her fingers around the throttles and adjusted them, focusing her attention on the dark sea before her. On ether side of them, the channel markers bobbled wildly, barely visible in the high surf. Slowly the engines overcame the chop and they were moving forward through the cluster of boats on either side. “Kerry’s got coffee downstairs if you’re interested,” Dar remarked, keeping her eyes flicking over the patch of water just in front of them.

Andrew grunted. “Ah’d rather not,” he answered. “This here

’pears to be more fun watching.”

It wasn’t fun doing. Dar concentrated on navigating the obstacles, guiding the big craft through the channel littered with smaller boats. Some were trying to get out of their way or stay out of their way, but others were being tossed by the weather to the point where their pilots had little control.

Dar half stood, her weight coming up onto her thighs as she gave the engines a little more diesel. “Damn.” The rain came down harder, almost obscuring her view and making the surface near indistinguishable. She could feel the wind rising at her back, and a gust fluttered her slicker hard against her body. And yet, she felt no fear. “You ever been scared out in weather like this, Dad?” Dar asked in sudden curiosity.

“Naw,” Andrew replied absently. “Part of bein’ a seaman is knowin’ you’re a part of all that,” he said. “Can’t control it; no sense in being scared of it.”

Mm. Dar felt the rhythm of the sea under her and understood what he meant. She followed the riffle of the waves, carving a careful path through them.

A sailboat heeled with sickening suddenness. It arced into their path, not a length in front of the bow. Dar reacted, swinging to her right and gunning the engines. The wind shoved the sailboat just shy of their hull, the spar scraping lightly against them before Terrors of the High Seas 331

falling free. In the rain, she could just barely see its crew frantically working to regain control of their sheets, and was more than glad to have the secure power of her engines under her. The seawall loomed ahead, and Dar was glad to see most of the boats keeping well clear of it.

“Careful there, Dar,” Andrew murmured. “Got a strong riptide coming in.”

“I feel it,” Dar answered, and did, through her legs. “Hold on.”

She turned the boat into the wind and increased the power to the engines, now able to hear their rumble above the weather. The boat surged against the waves, cresting them and fighting against the strong current. She gave the engines full power and they surged past the jetty, heading full on into the cluster of boats beyond it.

Dar heard her father inhale, and she grinned privately as she cut the throttles and swung the bow around. The current picked them up and turned them very neatly into the center of the marina channel. Dar edged the throttles forward again slightly and headed for the concrete docks.

“Son of a biscuit.” Andrew chuckled. “Damned if you can’t drive this here bus.”

Dar approached the docks and swung around to the larger ones. She could see a cluster of people waiting at the empty slip they’d been assigned, and she thought she saw medical personnel.

The waves were rushing up against the docks, breaking over them and dousing the watchers. Ordinarily, she would have let the boat drift gently in, but the tide was running the wrong way. Dar swung the boat into line, then set the engines into reverse, allowing the water to pull them very grudgingly into the slip. The dockmasters had already thrown bumpers over the side, and she skillfully maneuvered into place until her hull just touched them.

Two of the men on the dock hopped on board and grabbed their lines. Dar cut the engines and sat back, cocking her head and giving her father a questioning look. “Better than when I was ten?”

Andy ruffled her damp hair affectionately. “Good job,” he complimented seriously. “You’da made a damn good sailor, Dar.”

Dar crossed her arms and smiled. “Thanks.” She glanced behind her. “Guess we’d better get moving. Kerry and I have a room up at one of the hotels, if it’s still open in this mess. We can probably get you in there.” She stood up and eased around the console chair.

“Ah do think Ah can scrabble up my own bunk,” Andrew remarked. “Let’s get Bud and Charlie settled down first off, and git that cowardly pissant off’n this boat, then find us some shelter.”

That sounded very good to Dar. Some place dry, and quiet, and ideally supplied with lots of ice cream.


332 Melissa Good KERRY HAD FINALLY dozed off, nestled into the bed in their bedroom on the Dixie. She hadn’t thought she’d be able to sleep, owing to the boat’s motion and the stress of the day, but her body had simply taken over and demanded she close her eyes and shut out the world for a while.

Her dreams were formless. She kept seeing fireworks, as though replaying the Fourth of July in her mind, over and over again. Finally, the last cracker went off and the faceless crowd around her faded away, their clamor slowly morphing to a sound of clinking that beckoned her toward consciousness.

She opened her eyes, gazing at her surroundings in momentary confusion before memory kicked in. “Urmf.” Kerry rubbed her face and rolled over, missing Dar’s presence. She spent a moment wondering where her partner was, then realized the boat was relatively still and the engines were off.

“Jesus. We must be in dock.” Kerry rolled out of the bed and straightened, holding on to the chest of drawers for balance as the Dixie rolled with the waves. “Why the hell didn’t she come get me?”

She flipped on the lamp and stretched, feeling aches along the entire length of her body. Her arms hurt. Kerry leaned against the drawers and flexed her hands. They were stiff and felt slightly swollen, and there were bruises across the heels and knuckles of both. For a brief moment, her stomach churned at the thought of how she had pounded DeSalliers against the floor of the cabin, and then she had a flash of how Dar’s hands had looked after Dar had saved her from a pack of scrungy carjackers—painfully bruised, but in a good cause.

Kerry lifted her head and gazed into the dimness of the stateroom. “You know what, Stuart?” she addressed herself. “You don’t have a damn thing to be sorry about. That guy was a scum-sucking, whore pig, and he deserved to have his clock cleaned.”

As the echo of the words died away, she felt a little better. She twitched her shirt straight and ran her fingers through her hair, then slipped into the head. It was quiet on the boat. As she splashed water on her face, she listened for sounds of Dar’s presence.

Hearing the cabin door open, she stuck her head out, a smile appearing as she spotted her lover entering. “Hey.”

Dar pushed back the hood of her slicker and walked over to Kerry. “Hey.”

“What did I sleep through?”

“Some brilliant maneuvering on my part,” Dar said. “How are you feeling? I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“Better,” Kerry announced briskly. “What’s our plan now? Stay here?”

“We can’t. That damn storm’s due here in two hours and they’re evacuating the marina. Winds are up to seventy miles per Terrors of the High Seas 333

hour, and I’m damn glad we’re tied up.” Dar rubbed Kerry’s back.

“Dad went up to the hotel with Charlie and Bud.”

“Oh.”

“I kicked Bob off the boat.”

“Ah.” Kerry nodded slowly. “You think the cops are still looking for him?”

Dar fiddled with the edge of her shirt, refusing to meet Kerry’s eyes in the mirror. “I’m not really interested in finding out.”

“Mm.” Kerry drew in a breath and released it. “So, are we going up to the hotel, too?”

“Would you like that?” Dar asked. “Is that what you want to do?”

It seemed to Kerry that was a strange question. She finished brushing her teeth and rinsed out her mouth, then turned and faced her partner. “You know what I want to do?”she asked Dar, who had been standing and patiently waiting for her.

“What?”

“Be with you,” Kerry replied simply.

Dar smiled and nodded. “Right back at you.”

“You look really tired.” The blonde woman brushed a bit of Dar’s hair out of her bloodshot eyes. “Let’s go find us a nice bed on dry land.”

“I am really tired,” Dar admitted. “And, um…” she shifted slightly, “sore. I think I twisted a couple of things in the fight.”

Kerry could see the drawn lines in her lover’s face. “You sure you don’t want to get yourself checked out up at the hospital?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Nah.” Dar dismissed the idea. “They’ll have more real injuries to deal with than they can handle right now. I just need some rest, and maybe some aspirin,” she said. “And you.”

“And that Jacuzzi,” Kerry reminded her. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

Dar put her arm around Kerry’s shoulders, and they headed out into the storm.

As they entered the hotel lobby, they were greeted with the sight of a mass of humanity, jostling for space. “Jesus, I hope they kept our room,” Kerry whispered.

Dar shouldered their overnight bag. “Me, too.” She nudged Kerry toward the stairs. “Let’s go find out. If they did, I have a feeling Dad might be sleeping on the couch in there.”

Kerry followed Dar as they climbed the stairs and made the turn toward their room. The upstairs hallway was busy also, and they had to edge past several groups of arguing people to get to the end of it. Dar removed the key from her jeans pocket and tried it, opening the door cautiously and sticking her head inside. She was met with silence.

Dar flipped on the light and entered, waiting for Kerry to 334 Melissa Good follow her before she closed the door after them and leaned against it. “This room isn’t moving, is it?”

Kerry explored the room briefly, then returned to take the bag from Dar’s hands. “Thank God, no.” She unbuckled her rain jacket and removed it. “Those windows look kind of scar…oh.” She’d drawn aside the drapes to reveal wood planking protecting the plate glass. “Nifty. They work fast.”

“You get used to it after a while,” Dar remarked, removing her rain gear and trudging over to the bed. She collapsed onto it and lay there looking up at the ceiling. “Getting ready for storms, I mean. Especially out here.”

“Yeah, I guess you would.” Kerry let the drapes close. “Will the boat be all right out in the marina?”

Dar’s eyes were closed. “As much as it would be anywhere,”

she said. “They’ve got it tied down and bolstered pretty good. I feel bad for those little guys they don’t have space for.”

Kerry set the bag down, opened it, and pulled out their pajamas. She set them on the table and walked over to the bed, sat down and picked up one of Dar’s feet. “What will they do?” She rested the foot on her knee and started to unlace the sneaker.

“You don’t want to do that. They’re wet,” Dar warned her.

Kerry shot her an amused look. “And?”

“You know what wet sneakers and socks smell like.”

“Like our dog when she gets wet. Yes, honey, I do.” Kerry pulled off the sneaker and then the damp sock under it. “What’s your point?” She tickled the bottom of Dar’s foot and felt the leg under her hands twitch.

Dar just smiled.

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to get room service right now,” Kerry went on, putting Dar’s foot down and picking up the other one. “I’m going to see what they left us here in our palatial abode besides rum.”

“That works too,” Dar murmured. “But it’s better over ice cream.”

Kerry rubbed Dar’s ankle, feeling the joint flex under her touch. “Isn’t everything?” She tossed the footgear toward the door, and kicked off her own. Then she eased down onto her side next to Dar and started working on the top button of her lover’s jeans.

“You know, something really profound just occurred to me.”

Dar rolled her head to one side and opened an eye. “What’s that?”

“Button fly jeans are much sexier than zippered ones,” Kerry told her seriously.

A tired snicker shook Dar’s belly.

“No, really.” As she undid the second button, Kerry examined Dar’s waist. “Think about it. With zippers, you undo one, then Terrors of the High Seas 335

boop! It’s done. This way, you have to take your time.”

“Kerry, I think you’re overtired,” Dar advised.

“Hey, I got a nap. You didn’t.” Kerry smiled and continued her task. “It’s like gloves.”

“Gloves?”

“Yeah. Back in the days when women wore gloves, like the ones that went all the way up your arm.” Kerry glanced over, seeing an obviously puzzled expression on Dar’s face. “C’mon, Dar, you watch the History Channel. Don’t give me that what-the-heckis-the-WASP-talking-about-now look.”

Dar’s brow scrunched. “Oh.” She rubbed her temple. “You mean the evening dress things.”

“Right,” Kerry agreed. “They had buttons all the way up, and they even had little hook things they used to button them. It was considered very sexy back then to watch a woman take off a kid leather glove. Some of them had a hundred buttons.”

There was a stretch of silence as Dar contemplated that.

“Really?”

“Uh huh.” Kerry undid the last button and plucked at the waistband of Dar’s underwear. “You know something else?”

“You’re glad you were born in the latter half of the twentieth century after gloves went out of style?” Dar suggested. “Because if I had to wait for you to unbutton a hundred buttons, I’d come after you with a pair of leather cutters.”

Kerry chortled and leaned her head against Dar’s hip.

“Well, I would,”Dar insisted.

“I bet you never sucked your Tootsie Pop down to the chocolate center, did you?” Kerry continued the playfulness. “You chewed it.”

“No,” Dar replied with a dignified sniff. “I just bought Tootsie Rolls to begin with.”

Kerry squirmed up a little and started working on Dar’s shirt.

“I knew that.” She watched the gentle rise and fall of Dar’s chest under her hand. The wind outside rattled the wooden shutters against the building, and they could hear a rumble through the walls. “Are we safe here?”

Dar glanced around the room. “This place has been here for a hundred years,” she stated. “I think we’re fine.”

“Okay.” Kerry laid Dar’s shirt open and put gentle fingers on the bruises mottling her chest. “Are you hurting, sweetheart?” Her tone went from playful to serious. “You’re kinda scraped up here.”

“I’m too tired to hurt right now,” Dar admitted. “Maybe later I will be.” She sat up slowly and stripped off her shirt, then stood up to remove her jeans. “You joining me in this strip show, or are you snoozing in your clothes?”

“You think we’re going to get a chance to sleep?” Kerry 336 Melissa Good remained where she was, watching Dar cross the room in her underwear to put her now-folded clothing near their bag. The soft lamplight erased the marks of the fight from her body and rendered it in golden shadows for Kerry’s appreciative eyes. She loved the strength of her, the grace and solid power evident in every move.

Nothing about Dar was for show. It was all real, and all functional.

And all hers.

Kerry smiled to herself at the thought. She spared a moment to revel in the knowledge of what it felt like to love someone like this and to be loved to the very core. It was a true gift and she knew it, and in that one moment, it humbled her.

“God, I hope so,” Dar sighed as she pulled on her pajamas. She turned and looked at Kerry, sprawled on the bed in casual disarray.

“I’ve had enough adventures for today.” She peered closer at the woman watching her. “Ker?”

It was like wading through the mists of time. Kerry suddenly sensed the depth of what was between them, sensed the ancientness of it and heard the faint echoes from lives beyond their own. It was weird, and scary, and her eyes widened as she stared into Dar’s.

Curious, Dar came over to her and sat on the bed. “Ker?” she repeated, her brow furrowing with concern. “You okay?”

Kerry took a breath. “Yeah,” she murmured. “Just had some weird déjà vu thing happen,” she said. “I think it’s been too long a day for both of us.”

Dar patted her cheek. “Get undressed, and let’s hope the storm doesn’t...”she paused as the lights flickered, then went out

“...knock the power out,” she finished. Dar sighed as she turned and peered around the pitch black room. “Shoulda gotten out candles. What a bonehead move that was.”

“I’ve got a flashlight in the bag.” Kerry chuckled wearily, rolling off the bed and getting to her feet. She felt her way over to the table, fished it out and turned it on. “Are there candles in the room somewhere?”

Dar joined her, took the light, and made her way over to the cabinet that held the television. She poked inside and discovered a few hurricane candles, some that had apparently been previously put into use. “Here.”

Kerry took the candles, lit them, and placed them around the room in strategic places. By candlelight, the interior took on a new look, the tiny flickering flames bouncing shadows off the ceiling and lending a quaintness to the old-fashioned bed. Kerry found the courtesy bar by accident, and raided it after she changed into her pajamas.

Dar listened to Kerry rummaging for a moment, then brought a last candle over to the bed and set it on the bedside table. She pulled down the top sheet and got into bed, fluffing up the pillows Terrors of the High Seas 337

and settling back against them.

Kerry appeared from the shadows shortly thereafter, her pale hair now dry and collecting glints of the candlelight as she joined her partner. She handed Dar a mug and set a basket of goodies between them. Then she crawled into bed and relaxed, letting out a heartfelt sigh.

Outside, the storm continued to rage. They could hear things slamming against the windows, and far off, the sound of sirens.

“Dar?” Kerry asked suddenly. “What do you think happened to DeSalliers?”

Dar sipped from her mug, finding an agreeable mixture of rum and pineapple juice. “You mean out there?”

Kerry broke a cookie in half and put a portion into Dar’s mouth. “Yeah.”

It would be easy to say she didn’t know. Anyone would believe her, given the chaos they’d been through. She could just shrug. She could give a non-answer. She could even say she didn’t care.

However… Dar chewed her cookie and swallowed before she answered. “I think he drowned,” she said in a quiet tone. “We went off the ship together just before it capsized.” She licked her lips and looked up into the candlelit shadows around them. “I was doing my best to choke him at the time.”

Kerry hitched herself up on her elbow and peered down at her partner. “Why?” she asked. “What was he doing to you?

“Wanted to kill me,” Dar said. “He had a gun…” The sublime irony hit her. “But it wasn’t loaded. The poor bastard couldn’t even get that right.”

“So you got mad.”

Dar nodded. “I saw red,” she admitted. “Or blue, or whatever it is you’re supposed to see when you’re so mad that you lose your mind.”

Kerry laid back down. “So we have something in common.” She lifted one hand and examined the knuckles, the bruises vivid against her skin. “Does that feel ugly to you, Dar?”

Dar looked into the eyes of her soul and smiled. “No.”

Kerry nibbled on her cookie thoughtfully. “Really?”

Dar considered pretending otherwise. She decided she was just too damn tired. “Really,” she repeated. “I guess it should, but he was a bastard and he was trying to kill me.” She put her hands behind her head and winced as her shoulder popped into place. “I guess it’s that old ‘fight or flight’ thing.”

Kerry studied the ceiling. “Have you ever run from anything in your life, Dar?”

Her partner remained silent for a very long moment. “No,” she finally said, a note of surprise in her voice. “I almost ran from love once.” Her eyes shifted to Kerry’s profile. “But you tripped me up 338 Melissa Good in time.”

“Did I?” In her exhaustion, Kerry felt a willingness to take the conversation to something more comfortable.

“Yeah.” Dar seemed equally willing. “I remember sitting at home one night and thinking to myself how much better it would be for both of us if I…if we kept our relationship just business.”

Kerry rolled over onto her side and looked at her partner.

“And…” Dar paused. “And I could almost… I could feel, sort of, how that would make you feel if I did that, if I told you to forget it.”

“My God.” Kerry rested her head against the cover. “That would have killed me.”

Dar was silent again, for a few breaths. “Yeah. I think it would have killed me too,” she replied. “Anyway, I couldn’t. I was in too deep and I knew it.” She reached over and put her hand on Kerry’s, folding her fingers over her partner’s smaller ones and gently squeezing them. “But I was scared.”

“I wasn’t,” Kerry admitted with a wry note in her voice. “It was like a dream I never knew I had coming true.” She lifted Dar’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “I never looked back.”

“I know.” Dar felt a huge wave of exhaustion beginning to settle over her. “Lucky me.”

“Mm.” The blonde leaned her head against Dar’s shoulder. “I think you’re right about DeSalliers,” she said, gently changing the subject back. “I know it’s late, but I have to tell you this; I have to.”

Dar looked at her.

“I saw…someone. Down there. Under where you were,” Kerry expanded hesitantly. “I was terrified for a minute, and then you grabbed me.”

“Ah.”

They lay there together for a few minutes, deep in thought.

Kerry drew in a deeper breath at last and looked at Dar. “No one deserves to die,” she murmured. “But I can’t feel bad about it.”

“Except that he did get what he wanted,” Dar reminded her wryly.

“No, he didn’t.” Kerry reached over to her bedside table, picked something up and tossed it onto Dar’s chest. “Damned if I was going to let him get away with this.” She eased up onto her elbow and reached for her mug.

Dar stared at the laminated sheet laying on the center of her chest. “Son of a bitch.”

“Daughter of a bastard, actually,” Kerry corrected. “One of the things you and I don’t have in common.” She took a sip of her rum and swallowed it, then leaned against Dar. “So.”

“So,” Dar repeated, turning the sheet over in her fingers.

“Death is a high price to pay for stupidity,” Kerry said. “And Terrors of the High Seas 339

I...hate to have that on my conscience. Is there any way we can help them…the rest of them, I mean?” she asked in a serious tone.

Dar’s lips twitched. “I called the Coast Guard for them on the way in,” she admitted. “So yeah, I don’t give a damn that they sank, but I wasn’t about to disregard a maritime law I had drummed into me from the age of four.”

Kerry pulled herself up and gave Dar a kiss. She licked her lips as they parted and gazed into her lover’s eyes. “I feel…really strange about what we did tonight, Dar,” she said. “Part of me is freaking out, but part of me—”

“Liked fighting for the greater good?” Dar replied in a casual tone.

A little silence fell. Kerry dropped back against the pillows without taking her eyes off Dar. She inhaled sharply. “Greater good.” The words felt interesting in her mouth and she played with them a little, tasting their meaning. “Is that what we did?”

Dar shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s something my father used to talk about all the time—doing things for other people, or acting when it’s not in your best interests just because it’s the right thing to do.” She reached over and combed through Kerry’s disheveled hair with her fingers. “It’s what the folks in the military do, if you think about it.”

“Depending on who’s defining ‘right’ this year,” Kerry replied with a touch of wry skepticism. “But I know what you mean.” She put her arms around Dar. “Did you like doing that?”

Dar returned the embrace as they listened to the wind howl.

“I’m not very good at it,” she said. “I’d much rather take care of my own best interests than anyone else’s.”

Both eyebrows raised, Kerry leaned up on her elbow and looked at her partner. “Dar, that is such a lie,” she stated flatly.

“You put yourself on the line for me after we’d barely even met.”

Dar put a fingertip on Kerry’s nose. “That’s because you are my best interest.”

Wasn’t really much she could say to that. Kerry curled up next to Dar and shook her head. The wind was getting stronger outside, and she heard a loud bang as something hit the building. She put thoughts of the greater good out of her mind for the moment. “Are you scared?”

“Of the storm?”

Kerry shook her head. “Of what might happen. I mean…we were involved in a lot of not so legal things last night.”

“No,” Dar replied. “I’m not afraid.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Dar closed her eyes. “I’m too tired to be afraid.”

Kerry took the hint and pulled the covers up over Dar’s long frame, tucking them in around the two of them. She put her arms 340 Melissa Good around Dar and laid her head on her partner’s shoulder, feeling Dar’s muscles relax almost immediately despite the raging noise outside. The heartbeat under her ear evened out and slowed, and she concentrated on counting its rhythm.

They would weather the storm; they always had, a muzzy internal voice reminded her. Kerry thought about that, losing herself in the flicker of the nearby candle as the winds blew around them.

THE HOTEL WAS warm and clammy inside as Kerry ventured into the lobby. The power was still out, but the staff had risen to the challenge and put out a table full of relatively tasty-looking foods for the guests to pick through. Her eyes roamed the room, and stopped as she spotted Andrew seated on the porch, his hand curled around a cup. “Ah.” Kerry grabbed a muffin and walked out to join him. “Hi, Dad.”

Andrew looked up at her. “Morning, there, kumquat,” he greeted, as his eyes drifted past her shoulder. “Where’s mah kid?”

“Sleeping.” Kerry sat down and nibbled her muffin. “She was so tired last night, I thought it would be better if I let her get some rest while I scrounged breakfast for us.”

Andy nodded in agreement. “She done things to be tired from,”

he said. “She okay?”

“I think so.”

“Took them fellers up to the hospital. Looks like them bastards put a few cracks in Bud’s head, but the docs took a few x-rays and let them go on after that. Then Ah came back down here and bunked out with some of the marina folk,” Andrew volunteered.

“You could have come up to our room,” Kerry scolded. “We had plenty of space up there.”

“Nah.” Andrew took a swallow of whatever was in his mug.

“You two young ladies deserve your privacy.”

Kerry propped her chin up on her fist. “Dad, we were just sleeping.” She grinned at him. “I’m glad Bud’s going to be okay.”

“Yeap, me too.”

“Does he know it was you who pulled him out of the boat?”

“Yeap.”

Kerry studied his profile. “Not really happy about that, was he?”

“No, ma’am, he was not.” Andrew turned and looked at her.

“But how would you be knowing that all?” He set his cup down and studied his tablemate. “They say something to you?”

Kerry nodded. “Yes, and Dar told me a little,” she said. “I almost kicked Bud in the nuts a few times until he finally calmed down and stopped saying mean things.” Her fingers played with Terrors of the High Seas 341

the edge of the table. “What was up with that?”

A server came up to them with a pitcher and offered them a drink. Andrew held out his mug and they refilled it, then the server handed Kerry a cup as well.

“Thanks.” Kerry took a cautious sip, relieved to find somewhat tepid fruit juice. She sensed Andrew wasn’t comfortable discussing Bud with her, and decided not to push the subject. “I thought I saw cereal in there. Did you eat yet?”

“Ah did,” he told her. “Went down and checked out the boat.

Hull got banged up a bit, but nothing big. Should be fine to head back with.”

“Thank you,” Kerry said. “Did anyone say if DeSalliers’ boat was brought in?”

“No, ma’am.”

Kerry gazed quietly at him. After a moment, Andrew met her eyes. “Sorry if I butted in where I didn’t belong,” she told him.

Andrew’s expression softened and he blinked a few times.

“Wasn’t that, Kerry,” he answered. “Just somethin’ that burns my shorts, and Ah don’t like chatting about it.”

“Okay.” Kerry nodded. “Are you flying back home?”

“Yeap,” Andy said. “Ah figure you two got things all squared away now. Got a flight back out tonight. They ain’t reopened the airport yet,” he informed her. “Still cleaning up. Storm wracked up some fuss, but not a whole lot outside the marina.”

Kerry studied the horizon, which was clear and cloud free. “It’s funny. I almost feel like last night was a dream,” she mused. “But I know it wasn’t.”

Andrew cocked his head in a listening attitude.

“I’m glad you came out here after us,” Kerry said. “Thanks.”

A smile tugged at the scarred face across from her. “S’what a father’s for, ain’t it?”

Kerry stared off past him, her eyes distant. “Only if you’re very lucky.” She exhaled, dusting the muffin crumbs off her fingers. “I’m going to grab something for me and Dar.” Pushing against the table, she stood up, suddenly wanting to be out of the sun and back with her partner. “Maybe we can find you for lunch?”

Andy got up and patted her on the shoulder. “Lemme give you a hand with your grub, kumquat,” he said. “We maybe need a chit chat, and Ah want to see mah kid.”

Kerry smiled, feeling the tension between them ease a little.

“Okay, Dad. It’s a deal.”

They went inside to the table, which didn’t have much in the way of plates. Andrew improvised by appropriating a basket of flowers, dumping the flowers, and standing helpfully behind Kerry as she filled it. They were halfway down the table when Kerry’s path was intercepted, and she looked up to see the police captain 342 Melissa Good politely blocking her. “Oh. Good morning,” she greeted with wary cordiality. “Guess you had a busy night.”

“Most certainly, yes, Ms. Stuart. That we did,” he replied with courtesy. “I am glad to see that you are safe. Is Ms. Roberts safe, as well?”

“Very much so, yes,” Kerry told him, noticing his eyes flicking over her shoulder. “Oh, I’m sorry. This is my father-in-law, Andrew Roberts. Dad, this is Captain Alalau, of the St. Thomas police.”

Andrew issued a moderately cordial greeting. “’Lo.”

Alalau gave him a brief nod. “Sir.” He turned his attention back to Kerry. “Might I ask, Ms. Stuart, if you and your friend Ms.

Roberts could find a moment to chat with me later on today?

Perhaps over lunch?”

Uh oh. Kerry didn’t think they were in trouble. She figured criminals weren’t invited to lunch, even in the Virgin Islands but given all that had happened so far, one never knew. “Um…sure,”

she agreed cautiously. “I’m sure that would be no problem at all.”

“Excellent.” The captain smiled and bobbed his head at her.

“Please, enjoy your breakfast. Unfortunately, the power will most likely be out for the rest of the day, but we are working on restoring it.” “Thanks.” Kerry watched him walk off. “Hm.”

“Nice feller,” Andrew drawled.

“Very nice.” Kerry sighed, dumping a last few items into their basket and snagging a Thermos of juice. “C’mon. Let’s go wake Dar up and tell her the social agenda’s changed.”

They left the increasingly crowded lobby behind them.

THE CELL PHONE buzzed near her head and Dar jerked out of a deep sleep, reaching for it blindly in the darkened room. “Buh.”

She captured the instrument and opened it, her head pounding as her body tried to wake itself. “Yeah?”

“Dar!”

Alastair’s voice was so normal, it almost hurt. “Morning, Alastair.”

“Are you okay?”

Dar opened an eye and rolled it around, taking in her surroundings. “Yeah, I’m fine. It was just a damn storm.”

“Storm? What the hell are you talking about? I got a call last night saying you got held up or something,” Alastair said, his voice audibly upset. “What the hell is going on out there, Dar?”

Where do I start? Dar cleared her throat. “Hang on and let my brain boot,” she told him. “I was sleeping.”

A momentary silence preceded his exclamation of surprise. “At ten a.m.? Good heavens. Let me get my diary.”


Terrors of the High Seas 343

“I am supposed to be on vacation,” Dar said in a peeved tone.

“In case that slipped your mind.” She rubbed her eyes and tried to shake some sense into herself. “First off, I didn’t get held up.”

“Well, that’s sounds like a good thing.”

“My hotel room got broken into.”

“That’s terrible!”

“But they didn’t take anything, so the inn just moved us to a bigger room.”

“Well, that’s not so bad,” Alastair said. “Jesus, Dar, you had me worried. I’ve got a lot of company resources sitting out there in the islands at the moment.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded… Well, hell’s bells, I don’t know what it sounded like.”

Should I tell him about the rest? “We ran into a couple of snags out here, matter of fact.” Dar admitted. “There was some trouble out on the water.”

“Uh oh,” her boss said. “Maybe that’s what he was talking about. Your man Mark sounded half nuts.”

“Mark? What the hell is he calling you for? Does he think he’s my mother all of a sudden?” Dar snapped.

“No, she called me last time,” Alastair answered benignly.

“Apparently Mark picked up something on a police record, and wasn’t happy about it.”

“So he called you??”

”Well,” Alastair cleared his throat, “he’s a direct report to Kerry. Who is a direct report to you. And you’re a direct report to me. Who else would he have gone to?”

Bah. Mother hens. Dar scowled as she gazed up at the ceiling.

“Well, we ran into a couple of my father’s old buddies and had to help them out of a jam. That, and the storm is currently making my life miserable,” she said. “Everything okay there?”

“Here?” Alastair’s voice dripped with surprised innocence.

“Oh, sure. Right as rain, Dar. No problems here.”

Uh huh. Can’t wait to see my inbox. Dar stared at her phone, then sighed. “Great. Guess I’ll talk to you next week when I get back in the office then, huh?”

“Sure, sure. You two having a good time otherwise?” Alastair asked. “Getting some rest and relaxation?”

“Well,” Dar’s ears picked up the sound of footsteps approaching, “right now I’m flat on my back, and you woke me at ten. What does that tell you?”

“Good to hear, Dar. Good to hear. You take it easy, and try to keep out of trouble for the rest of your trip, hmm?”

“I’ll try,” Dar said. “Talk to you later.” She folded the phone and set it aside as the door opened, admitting Kerry and the unmistakable bulk of her father. She felt mildly embarrassed at 344 Melissa Good being caught in bed. “Ah…hi.”

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Kerry teased as she closed the door, then set down the basket. “I figured you might be up by now.”

“Only by the grace of Alastair,” Dar admitted. “Mark told him we were having problems.”

Kerry stopped and stared at her. “What?”

“Yeah. Hundred bazillion dollar corporation being run by two nanny worrywarts.” Dar laid her arm across her eyes, wincing at the dull headache. “Hi, Dad.”

“Hey there, Dardar.” Andrew crouched down by the bed and patted her arm. “You doin’ all right?”

“Mmpfh,” Dar grunted. “Any chance of getting some fresh air in here?”

Kerry walked to the windows and opened the blinds. A portion of the wooden covering had been apparently been removed by the groundskeepers earlier that morning, and light flooded in. She unlatched the windows and pulled them open, rewarded when a gust of air puffed back her hair. “How’s that?”

“Better.” Dar still had her eyes closed. “What’s going on outside?”

“No power, grumpy tourists, muggy weather, and the police want to have lunch with us.”

Dar’s eyes popped open and she hitched herself up onto her elbows. “Us?”

“Us,” Kerry confirmed.

“Bck.” Dar laid down and pulled the covers up over her head.

“Yeah,” Kerry agreed ruefully. “That about covers it.”


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